EDWARD Wilkinson, a 27-year-old qualified surveyor from rural North Yorkshire, sought the bright lights of London upon leaving Northumbria University, looking to start a new life.

But his heart remained in Yorkshire and his agricultural background drew him back to Pilmoor, near Easingwold, where he has now created a growing business.

Edward, who is hoping to win Young Entrepreneur Of The Year at The Press Business Awards 2012, saw an opportunity to create a sustainable food business.

Edward noticed that his aunt, who runs her own fresh herb business, Herbs Unlimited, was feeding chickens at home with surplus herbs and was continually told how good her eggs tasted and looked.

He said: “I thought that if the herbs were having this effect on the eggs, what effect could they have on the actual meat?

“I spotted a gap in the existing poultry market. Turkeys were being produced in large numbers in an intensive manner. I wanted to go back to traditional rearing methods and produce a higher-value bird as an alternative.”

The turkeys’ diet of waste herbs from his aunt’s business gave fantastic results and after the first Christmas, Edward’s turkeys were pre-ordered by butchers for Christmas 2010 and by March 2010, Herb Fed Poultry was born.

The business is now producing chickens to balance the seasonal demand for turkey and has expanded with further grassland, housing and slaughter facilities, funded 40 per cent by Rural Development Fund Grant.

Herb Fed now employs one full-time member of staff and four part-time staff and has provided turkeys for The Savoy in London and Janet Street Porter as well as local butchers and farm shops.