NATIONAL success and acclaim is all water off a duck's back for a West Devon ten-year old and her family.

Elsa Amiss, aged ten, and her parents Rona and Nevil Amiss of Higher Fingle Farm in Drewsteignton, beat off competition from the top artisan food producers in the country to win first prize in the Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Food Awards.

Higher Fingle Farm was named Food Champion of the Year for their organic free-range duck and egg selling business. Winning the award has secured then £10,000 in prize money from Waitrose as well as the opportunity to have their products sold in Waitrose.

The Amisses were over the moon with their achievement.

Rona Amiss said she was 'very pleased' to win and excited by the huge opportunity Higher Fingle Farm has been given.

She said, initially, they would be looking to see their produce on the shelves in Waitrose Okehampton, but hope in the future the organic free-range ducks will be wheeled out nationwide.

The whole family are now busy designing packaging and labels for their products in time for them to go on the supermarket shelves.

The family sell more than 100 organic ducks a week at their farm on the edge of Dartmoor, while Elsa, the brains behind Elsa's Organic Duck Eggs, helps her mother and younger siblings to collect, grade and pack eggs from more than 300 free-range layers.

Elsa, who plans to buy more ducks and go to Legoland with her share of the £10,000 first prize, came up with the idea to sell eggs as she wanted to do something that didn't involve killing ducks.

She is helped by brothers and sisters. Alfred, aged seven, fills the boxes of eggs, Dora, aged five, puts on labels and twins Percy and Harold, aged three, collect the eggs.

Graham Cassie, Waitrose senior buyer, said: 'Higher Fingle Farm and Elsa's Organic Duck Eggs impressed us with everything about their business, from their family-orientated ethos to the fantastic tasting produce.

'Their duck has a wonderful tenderness and crispy texture due to their meticulous farming techniques which involve dry-plucking and hanging the birds to develop the flavour.

'We were also struck by the free-range egg business, thought up by ten year-old Elsa so that she could be involved in her parents' farm without having to kill the animals.

Further details about Higher Fingle Farm is available from their website http://www.higherfingle.co.uk">www.higherfingle.co.uk