Eddy Shah, feudal landlord

The former newspaper tycoon Eddy Shah has come up with another revolutionary wheeze: he wants to donate part of his Wiltshire golf course for use as allotments. Gardeners would pay nothing for the privilege but, under a sort of modern-day feudal system, they would have to give Shah 60 per cent of their harvest for use in his restaurants.

"This is a win-win situation," said Shah, who made his name in the 1980s when he founded the Today newspaper, the first in Britain to make full use of modern technology and to be printed in colour.

"We spend £40,000 on vegetables in our restaurants so I thought if we used this land for allotments they could provide me with some of the food ­ about 60 per cent - and save us some money and I could provide the land for free."

Shah, now 65, was the first to invoke Margaret Thatcher's industrial union laws to take on the print unions, a lead followed by Rupert Murdoch and others.

He got out of newspapers in 1988. As well as returning to thriller writing - his latest title is Second World - he began to build a property and leisure empire, which now includes the Wiltshire Golf Country Club and Hotel.

The allotments idea comes at a time when there is a national shortage with waiting lists of up to six months in the Wootton Bassett area of Wiltshire where Shah has his club.

However, those who can get a council allotment in nearby Swindon can keep 100 per cent of their produce for the princely sum of £39.25 per year.