ONE of the biggest stories of the moment is the revolution in our food buying habits.

The big four supermarket chains have now gone small, German price cutters are eating into market share and everyone, we are told, is a winner.

Certainly consumers have even more choice and there are bigger discounts on offer, but there's something wonderful about buying food straight from the fields.

Sadly, in the wake of the supermarket price war, farm shops are losing out as The Farmer's Cart at Towthorpe has learned to its cost. Now joint owner Ed Sykes tells us it's time to call it a day.

It will be a shame to lose this vanguard of the movement, but there is good news. The family's adjacent Piglets Adventure Farm, which opened four years ago is thriving.

Indeed it attracted 65,000 visitors in 2014, a 30 per cent increase. Now the park will expand to meet demand.

Farmers are encouraged to diversify and the Sykes family is an exemplar of how to do so successfully.

Staying ahead of the game is crucial in business and by spotting a decline for the shop, while meeting the surge of demand for the adventure farm makes sound commercial sense.

We wish this new venture well.