A little TLC goes a long way if you want the very best meat

Scheckter's journey is a curious one; he's not from a farming background or even one that involves food. His two main careers have been racing the world's fastest cars and the corporate world of manufacturing in the US. Now his ambition is focused on animal welfare.

"I originally just wanted to have a few animals for myself and the family to live on and sell the produce to cover the costs. But one thing led to another." Today on his farm there are more than 2,000 buffalo, 1,000 sheep, 4,000 chickens, rare-breed cattle, wild boar, pigs, a laboratory, his own abattoir and a small plant that produces award-winning meat, charcuterie, pies, burgers, sausages and biltong. His dairy sells rich, creamy buffalo milk, ice cream of various flavours and even his own mozzarella.

His health mantra is simple: if we are what we eat, then it follows that we must therefore be what our animals eat. And, for Scheckter, it all begins with the soil. Most farms breed livestock which have grazed on chemically treated earth. When soil lacks nutrients chemicals are applied, and over time the soil becomes addicted to ever stronger artificial substances, which pass into the animal and so into you.

In his laboratory the soil is monitored and through this analysis his team of researchers and doctors pinpoint exactly what his soil needs to maintain balance and yield.

Laverstoke laboratories also assist farms elsewhere in the UK and overseas to rehabilitate their soils by reintroducing what the chemicals have taken out. Scheckter has created his own personal mixture of 31 different herbs, clovers and grasses for his animals to graze on. The results are certainly happy livestock but the mixture is specifically created to combine diversity for healthy soil and tastier meat. "We have a slow-growing practise for the animals on the farm," he says. His chickens, for example, live for more than 100 days; battery-farmed chickens live for 30 and organic around 80.

But it's not all laboratories and clipboards. Chickens are moved every week to different areas of the farm to peck in pastures new. The farm reminds me of a Walt Disney movie. The animals practically have smiles on their faces. The buffalo, I learn, are very individual: some prefer to be milked individually and others together. The milk they produce is rich and sweet and from it Laverstoke produces UK fresh mozzarella (the Italian counterpart reaches us around seven days old) and a vast array of ice creams of which I was lucky enough to taste 10 different flavours. And some very creamy rich fudge.

During my visit the farm was gearing up for Christmas to fulfil orders for Laverstoke's award-winning meats, pies, Christmas pudding and cakes as well as Norfolk Black Turkeys. Scheckter took me into the abattoir — which was designed by Temple Grandin, the world's authority on humane slaughter, and a seriously autistic American writer who has worked to redesign abattoirs across the world. Autistic people have an uncanny ability to relate closely to animals.

In the pens there are small groups of pigs, eating, sleeping, scratching, relaxed and calm even though they are only minutes from the end of their lives. It is a far cry from more commercial abattoirs where stressed animals are packed together and fear is contagious. Stressed animals release adrenaline, which causes the animal to tighten its muscles, resulting in tough meat.

There are no reflective surfaces, or sharp corners or angles, and the whole area, including the flooring, is painted a muted earth shade.

At lunch I sampled some of the meat: the buffalo was tender and juicy and the lamb chop was extraordinarily flavoursome and tender. The Scheckters have clearly sunk a large fortune into Laverstoke and I hope for them that it pays off.

ou can buy Laverstoke Park Farm products in Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Daylesford and by mail order.