Old Mac from croft developed novel smallholding (4,7,4)
I believe the answer is:
cold comfort farm
'novel smallholding' is the definition.
(smallholding in the novel of the same name)
'old mac from croft developed' is the wordplay.
'developed' is an anagram indicator.
'old'+'mac'+'from'+'croft'='oldmacfromcroft'
'oldmacfromcroft' anagrammed gives 'COLD COMFORT FARM'.
(Other definitions for cold comfort farm that I've seen before include "Novel" , "operation supplying frozen vegetables?" , "Stella Gibbons' rural parody" .)