'Anyone who has any interest in what we eat, how we produce it or how we should manage the landscape for our children should read this book' Monty Don

What is it about the humble pig that holds such a special place in our hearts?

In a frosty field on the longest night of the year, eight little piglets snuffle their first breaths, and jostle close to their mother to feed...

Over the six months that follow, lifelong farmer Helen Browning and her partner Tim Finney record their adventures to show how pigs become the mischievous, competitive, intelligent and inventive animals that we know them to be. In doing so, they demonstrate why it is so crucial that the welfare of our farm animals - and equally, the way we manage our countryside - takes centre stage in the contemporary discussions around food, climate change and the loss of wildlife.

Lyrically told and drawing on a lifetime's worth of knowledge, this is a timely and entrancing exploration of our relationship with farm animals, with nature, and with life itself.

If you liked The Secret Life of Cows and A Shepherd's Life, you'll love this evocative and illuminating tale