Mention the idea of growing your vegetables or keeping animals on your land and many people will think of The Good Life.
The programme also tapped a deep-rooted urge many people share to get back to the land, and enjoy food that isn't the result of intensive farming. Not since the "Dig for Victory" campaign in the second world war had the notion of growing ones own vegetables been at the fore-front of the nation's minds.
For some it may mean a radical new life style - upping sticks moving to the country to a house with land. For many it is not practical to give up the day job and flee to the country, it is possible to buy several acres of land within a commutable distance from city life.
The cost of buying a property with land just about anywhere has rocketed in the past few years, and in the South East is now prohibitive. And falling prices for many agricultural products and declining subsidies mean that your chances of eking out a living by selling the surplus produce from your few acres are also much diminished.
Fewer than 10 per cent of buyers are interested in living off land with around 75 per cent of buyers using their smallholding for equestrian use. Clearly the majority of people cultivate their land for the pleasure it gives them.
What to look for in a smallholding
The quality of land is the primary concern - gets very wet or floods in winter, it may not be suitable for livestock or growing on. Outbuildings are a bonus for storing food, or tools on site - it maybe possible to get planning permission if there are none on the land at present.
And you will certainly need husbandry skills if you want to keep livestock, as well as a willingness to get your hands dirty. There are courses teaching essential skills, as well as a supportive network of smallholding groups.
So what might you expect to pay? Location is the greatest factor effecting cost, a Welsh farmhouse with cattle yard and a range of outbuildings might fetch £300,000. For someone in the south east where property prices are much higher a similar small holding could be as much as £500,000.
For land only, several acres in the south east could be around £40,000 but in Wales, land of a similar size may fetch standard agrcultural prices.