THE YORKSHIRE SHEPHERDESS by Amanda Owen, £16.99

FOLLOWERS around the world have taken mum-of-seven and shepherdess Amanda Owen to their hearts after she, her husband Clive and their remote Swaledale sheep farm appeared on ITV’s The Dales.

Viewers who watched Adrian Edmondson’s visits to Amanda at Ravenseat, 12 miles from Kirkby Stephen, will already be familiar with her warmth, resilience and practicality.

These down-to-earth qualities leap off the page in Amanda’s engaging and entertaining autobiography, which is subtitled ‘How I left city life behind to raise a family - and a flock’.

From bringing up seven children in rural isolation, to coping with bitter winter weather and foot-and-mouth disease and raising a champion tup, Amanda charts the ups and downs of farming life with modesty and plenty of good humour.

It was the books of James Herriot that inspired the 39-year-old to become a shepherdess, and her own story may well inspire others to head for the hills and live in harmony with the seasons.