Home front: is farmland a good investment?

Even before the horsemeat scandal caused Britons to scrutinise cheap and cheerless grub more carefully, rising demand for decent food by a growing population had propelled agricultural property prices to a record high.

For example, arable land in the South West of England increased in value by 11 per cent last year, according to estate agents Chesterton Humberts.

Better still, for investors keen to keep wealth in the family, agricultural land and – to a lesser extent – buildings can attract valuable reliefs from capital gains tax (CGT) and inheritance tax (IHT).