Asked to picture a traditional village scene in rural Oxfordshire, many people would point to a thatched cottage. But in fact, the craft of thatching has changed radically since the 1960s. Before that, local houses were roofed using long straw, but the tradition had all but died out until Matt Williams and Dave Bragg set up their own business, Rumpelstiltskin Thatching, in 2005.

Mr Williams said: "We are the only people in Oxfordshire who thatch in the Oxfordshire style. Most of the local styles across Britain have disappeared, so we have built up a bit of a reputation among heritage experts and conservationists."

The pair met as apprentices. After they had completed their five-year training, they decided to go it alone, reviving the old-style methods, and attempting to run the business sustainably.

Based in Wytham, they aim to use local materials, rather than importing hazel or buying combed thatching straw from the West Country.

They say that combed straw undoubtedly saved the thatching industry from collapse in the 1960s and 1970s, when old cottages were being demolished or converted to cheaper tiled roofs.

But ideally, they would like the county to return to the thick multi-layered coat, soft sweeping shapes and tussled look of the traditional long straw.

They are also trying growing their own materials using medieval seed varieties, working with archaeobotanist John Letts, who found ancient seeds in old roofs.

Over time, straw was deliberately bred to be short and weak because it was easier to harvest, but old varieties are best for thatch, being much stronger and longer.

Mr Williams said: "This year, for the first time, we grew our own straw at Doves organic farm. And we are working with Oxford University to coppice hazel from Wytham Wood.

"Usually, the sticks for thatching come from Eastern Europe, but we have acres and acres of unused hazel in Britain which is just growing wild.

"Rather than buying reed from China and spears from Eastern Europe, we aim to buy stocks from our local area."

As well as reducing carbon emissions, they aim to increase employment in rural Oxfordshire, and also believe this policy should help them to weather the recession.

"If you are relying on imports, you suffer from currency variations, but the way we are hoping to do things, you are insulated from the global economy. If the local economy takes a downturn, I would expect to pay less for raw materials," said Mr Williams.

Before training as a thatcher, Mr Bragg was a motorcycle courier in London, while Mr Williams was an Oxford University drop-out, having gone into thatching by accident after answering an advert in a shop window.

He later found out there had been thatchers in his family for hundreds of years.

Their reputation among heritage experts led to their appearance on BBC TV show Mastercrafts, in which novices have a go at traditional crafts, learning from experts in each trade.

"Oxfordshire looked gorgeous on TV," said Mr Williams.

"We were thatching an 800-year-old house in West Oxfordshire and it was beautiful to look at. You don't take in your surroundings while you are working, but they made it look so good."

The programme followed three trainees who tried to learn to thatch in six weeks. The volunteers were already interested in outdoor crafts, but struggled to pick up the techniques in the time available.

"It takes four or five years to learn, and six weeks is only enough to give someone a taste, but it does mean that people can see how difficult it is."

A few years ago, Rumpelstiltskin took on a Chipping Norton school-leaver, Tom Cummins, for a four-year apprenticeship.

He qualifies this month as the first thatcher trained predominately in long straw for about 40 years.

The company now has its own forester, another former motorcycle courier, Pierre Rizzo, who coppices hazel and processes straw. There are two part-time administration staff and plans to expand once the economy picks up.

"Before the recession, we had a 12-month waiting list. Now it's more like six weeks. Lots of people cancelled, including Oxfordshire County Council, though we're working for them now at Cogges Farm Museum," said Mr Williams.

"Two or three thatching companies have gone out of business in Oxfordshire, and we are waiting for times to change."

During the downturn they have tried to increase their profile, appearing in the book Mastercrafts, published by David & Charles at £20, which accompanies the TV series, and visiting craft events.

This autumn, they will be thatching a roof on London Bridge as part of the Festival on the Bridge.

They are also putting pressure on agricultural machinery makers to invest in the industry.

Mr Williams said: "There's a sense that what we have is a very quaint and old world, but a bit of investment would transform the economics.

"Rather than wasting all these materials in England, and importing, we could be producing them ourselves.

“That's our next battle. We have probably got some funding from English Heritage and we will have to match that somehow."

Name: Rumpelstiltskin Thatching Established: 2005 Partners: Matt Williams and Dave Bragg

Contact: 01865 731004 Web: www.rumpelstiltskinthatching.co.uk