Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i The Field

EVERYONE’S Christmas Day, just like a shoot day, poses the thorny question, should you stop for lunch or shoot through? The latter is our preference when it comes to the 25th. I’ve always been staggered by those whose organisation – and animal numbers – will allow cooking, let alone sitting down, before four o’clock. Hunters and their kit need to be prepped for Boxing Day before the proper pickling sets in; it’s far too hit and miss after port. But whatever the running order at your hearth, the well-worn grooves of tradition are slipped into with comforting familiarity. Sporting imagery and traditions are part of the currency of a ‘happy holidays’. Christmas cards sport stags, farming and hunting scenes. Wrapping paper and ribbons are emblazoned with strutting pheasants and countryside…

THE ‘King George’, as it is often referred to, serves as the festive feature of Kempton Park’s two-day Christmas meeting. Named in honour of the late King, the Grade 1, three-mile chase is largely recognised as the second most coveted prize on the National Hunt calendar this side of the Irish Sea, bettered only by the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In recent years, the King George has become synonymous with leading trainer Paul Nicholls, having notched up a staggering 10 wins in the contest since the turn of the century and a record 12 in total. His most high-profile winner is two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kauto Star, who rattled off a remarkable five-fold of King George successes, including four in a row from 2006-09. His pilot was the winning-most rider…

SAFE HANDLING I was interested by Jonathan Irby’s article [To have and to hold – safely, October issue], particularly as I was brought up to close my gun in a way slightly different to what he calls ‘a right way’. I was taught to take the weight of the gun in the left hand (assuming shooting off the right shoulder) and stablise it, whilst sliding the right hand half to two-thirds of the way back along the stock; then lift the stock. As the hand is two or three times the distance from the pivot point compared with Mr Irby’s method, the force required is reduced to half or one-third. It makes for a smooth action, all movement is restricted to the wood and the trigger finger is far back…

BANK HOUSE FARM KINNISIDE, CLEATOR This includes a traditional converted Lakeland barn with Local Occupancy Restriction and three refurbished cottages with no occupancy restrictions. Adjoining the properties, and available by separate negotiation, are around 80 acres of ringfenced land fronting the River Ehen. The house is just over a mile from the village of Ennerdale Bridge with Cockermouth 10 miles away. Agent: PFK Tel: 01900 826205 Guide price: £1.25m STAFFIELD HALL STAFFIELD, PENRITH Staffield Hall is a Victorian manor house in the Eden Valley. It has 10 bedrooms with the North Pennines stretching to the east and the Lake District National Park to the west. The property is currently configured as eight self-catering holiday apartments, as part of a successful lettings business, but, with its design flexibility, could revert to…

What do you create if you combine a very elegant little Purdey 28-bore hammergun built in 1882 with its original aristocratic lady owner? The gun with the gossip. This gun certainly has it all, with a fascinating provenance to excite. It was built for Lady Meux, one of the wealthiest ladies in the land at the time but with a dubious history that caused many an eyebrow to rise. Provenance is everything in the collector’s world as it elevates the humdrum to the extraordinary with a consequent rise in value; it is also a constant temptation to the unscrupulous. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen German rifles attributed to the collection of Hermann Göering and I well remember when I bought my 1962 left-handed…

Every year, there is the potential for the character of any Lower Spey pool to change as the winter floods either deepen a tail ordeposit gravel where it is least wanted. The Spey can take with one flood and give with another. One year’s prime salmon real estate can become the following season’s shallow glide. It is a natural process, one as old as the river itself. These natural movements are expected but what is unusual this year is that there are great changes afoot to the boundaries and mechanics of a number of Lower Spey beats. For all those involved – and, indeed, the wider fishing community – it is a noteworthy moment in time as there have been few significant changes to the prime beats of Scotland, give…

The TV series Downton Abbey, the second film incarnation of which is soon to appear in our cinemas, has a lot to answer for when it comes to people’s perceptions of what to expect from a shooting weekend at a big country house. Certainly, that is what James Hervey-Bathurst, former head of the Historic Houses Association and owner of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, has found. “From a Shooter’s point of view, a billiards room to play snooker in is part of the Downton Abbey experience. It is what guests expect to find – rather like a labrador.” But it is not just Downton that has led to this sense of snooker being a guaranteed pastime at stately homes. The Field has had its own role to play. In the days…

HO, HO, HO. It’s Christmas. And it is semi-incumbent on me to be jolly. I certainly don’t feel jolly as I write this, with the nights drawing in, fishing season over and no imminent shooting dates in my diary. But upbeat on your behalf I will be. Many moons ago, some wise columnist wrote that the perfect present is something that you would really like to have but would not buy for yourself. I like that definition. Of course, giving is also said to be far better than receiving, but to hell with that: I’m looking forward to unwrapping a joint birthday and Christmas present that my daughter has snaffled for me. Back in the early autumn, I was passing Robjent’s in Stockbridge (fishing kit suppliers extraordinaire, as many of…

DIVINE SAVAGES Jamie Watkins and Tom Kennedy have created a range of luxury wallpaper designs that are perfect for the party season. If you are up for a tango with a tiger, this could be for you. Smooth, spongeable, 180gsm paper, with a 52cm repeat; 10 metres per roll. Price: £140 per roll Email: hello@divinesavages.com divinesavages.com TIMOTHY OULTON Channel The Great Gatsby with this range, named for the 1930s Rex Cinema in London. Iron frames hold prisms of optical-grade glass, which refracts the light to make your evenings sparkle. Price: bar cabinet, £5,995; sideboard, £9,995 Tel: 020 3150 2024 timothyoulton.com BB FOR RESCHIO Sleek and restrained 1930s glamour is resplendent in this brass-plated steel with a gathered-velvet shade, which comes in a variety of colours. Available as a standard or…

Social spotlight FROM FIELD TO FORK With the shooting season now in full swing, Fielders are rediscovering favourite game recipes. A comfort recipe for venison cannelloni topped with crumbly cheese, a creamy partridge stroganoff served with pappardelle pasta and a warm pheasant salad with spelt, beetroot and blackberries – as intriguing as it is healthy – all got the thumbs up on Facebook. TO EACH THEIR OWN Ask two dozen Fielders what makes the perfect family gundog and you’ll get two dozen different, strong opinions. So someone will post on Facebook that “cockers and labs are boring! All they do is sit and retrieve. A proper gundog is a pointing breed dog” only to be told that he has been “watching the wrong cockers”. English pointers, German pointers, Airedales, golden…

EMAIL SARAH.FITZPATRICK@FUTURENET.COM CHELSEA BOOT LE CHAMEAU The Jameson is made in split-coupe wax suede on a flexible, lightweight sole for perambulations around town and country. ♦ Price £160 ♦ Tel 01572 772444 ♦ lechameau.com ETTRICK SHOOTING VEST OLIVER BROWN Suede shooting patches, recoil inserts and 50-cartridge pockets in Oliver Brown’s own wool tweed from the Borders. ♦ Price £275 ♦ Tel 020 7259 9494 ♦ oliverbrown.org.uk FAIRISLE SOCKS TOGGI Put your best foot forward with these jolly, limited-edition women’s socks that contain sustainable bamboo for natural deodorising. ♦ Price £18.50 (pack of three) ♦ Tel 0113 270 7007 ♦ toggi.com HOUNDSTOOTH SHIRT EMMA WILLIS Here in ruby/sky to take you from church to peg. Soft brushed cotton and mother of pearl buttons, so beautifully made the patterns match at the…

NDC As Christmas approaches and the hooks on the beam outside our door are filled with an endless procession of feathered game, it often strikes me that we’ve sold the festive turkey a little short. In its native land, the gobbler is the king of gamebirds, attracting near-evangelical pursuit and spawning not only immense competition in the harvesting but also in the calling. When I found myself in the backwoods of Alabama, turkey-fever was rife and there was not a twizzler in sight. They are stalked and then called with a crazy variety of commercial and home-made devices. The best callers win both prizes and prestige, as well as feeding their families on some of the most delicious wild game meat imaginable. A wild turkey is a far cry from the…

During a summer that included Ferrari-spotting at Mallorca’s Puerto Portals marina, the true luxury was travelling for two days in order to spend 13 hours invaded, and finally overrun, by midges on the Isle of Harris in an attempt to gain a Macnab. The quest for a Macnab is far more of an ego trip than looking for a parking space for one’s supercar. For the whole day, or even week, from pre-dawn to dusk, the most knowledgeable and experienced gillies, stalkers and keepers give their entire concentration and provide access to a large portion of the Highlands and Islands to facilitate your quest to catch a salmon, shoot a brace of grouse and take a beast. It is a privilege well worth battling any number of motorways, ferries and…

It is Twelve Days before Christmas but in hunt kennels across the land all is far from crisp and even – and the only thing that is deep is the muck heap. The Master has sprung some extra days, the prettier grooms have gone missing and the second whip has put his name on the transfer list. Welcome to the festive fun for hunt staff. Of course, it is not all bleak midwinter. There is a cocoon of good cheer that envelops the countryside from the beginning of December and hunting sits at the very heart of this. It is not about shopping but the thought of seeing a dash of scarlet on a hillside of lightly dusted snow. Many hunts host their own carol services and these provide yet…

In the hall of the rambling Elizabethan farmhouse of my childhood was a wide, inglenook fireplace. Every Christmas Eve, the gardener dragged in an enormous Yule log, balancing it with much heaving and grunting across the fire dogs. This would be lit by the remaining piece of the previous year’s log and the fire had to burn for the 12 days of Christmas. A roaring log fire when outside all is in the grip of bleak mid-winter and the wind thunders in the chimney is as much a part of Christmas Eve as the tree, the decorations and the holly, ivy and mistletoe. And as with so many of our Christmas traditions, its origins predate Christianity by at least a millennium. The winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest…

As we head towards the dread Christmas, our house rocks to the regular shake, rattle and slosh of the Boston shaker. Son number two, Ludo, 18, is busy honing the skills he learned recently on a residential cocktail-making course at the European Bartender School (EBS) in London. He’s a chip off the old block, bless him, and will be an old soak like his dad before he knows it. And, yes, gap years have certainly changed since my day. I thought he was in London learning French. In fact, joking apart, the EBS runs a great course and since Ludo is also a mad keen cook, he grasped the essentials of cocktail-making immediately, working out which spirit goes with which liqueur and mixer, just as he’s worked out which ingredients…

HUNTING was a life-long passion for Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton (1883-1962). He was Master of the Chidding-fold & Leconfield on the Surrey/Sussex border from 1915 to 1922. Alfred Munnings painted his portrait to mark the end of his Mastership. This was an early commission for an equestrian portrait. Munnings had to earn a living from painting to support his new wife and the upkeep of a larger house. In World War I, Winterton served with the Sussex Yeomanry at Gallipoli and eventually with TE Lawrence in Arabia. Lawrence included his portrait in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom but warned the artist that “He’s hot, is Winterton: and he’ll be an impatient and unconscionable sitter.” The Times picked this up in his obituary, recalling that once he had been held…

THIS striking design is the earliest-known attempt at a linked belt of ammunition, pre-dating Hiram Maxim’s attempt by nearly 30 years. It was the invention of Thomas Wright Gardner Treeby of Paddington, London. Treeby was born at Stoke Damerel in Devon in 1817 but moved to London, where he found both success as a builder and a wife, Mary Ann Brown (they married in 1840). Toward midcentury, he began dabbling as an inventor. On 11 July 1855 he lodged Patent No 1552 (granted 11 January 1856), which ‘consists in substituting an endless chain of chambers for the revolving cylinder of chambers used ordinarily in revolving fire-arms’. This increased capacity well beyond that of a solid cylinder that, for the same number of shots, would be impossibly bulky and heavy. Nonetheless,…

THIS month we are testing an interesting deluxe version of a popular sporting gun – the AyA No 2. I came across this model recently when looking for a new gun for a friend. The No 2 has an excellent reputation for reliability and this enhanced model looks particularly good at first glance. I thought it worthy of a full test. The gun provided by the importers, ASI of Snape, has 30in barrels and weighs in at a near ideal (for a 20-bore sideby-side) 6¼lb. It follows the usual AyA sidelock pattern, so is much influenced in form and mechanics by a Holland Royal. The test gun is not an assisted opener like most modern Royals (although it can be ordered as one at additional cost). The wood is upgraded…

AFTER last year’s scaled-down Christmas I hope we are not all feeling rusty on how to throw a festive celebration for more than two people and the family dog. Despite the lack of visitors, I kept up with some traditions – like dusting down the ‘good’ china – and the tree went up at pretty much 00.01 on 1 December. This year, we certainly intend to be throwing open the doors and holding a few soirées. However, I plan to make the prepping and execution a little simpler than previous years. The food will still be rich and delicious, and contain obscene amounts of butter and cream (see all recipes below), but I plan to do more one-pot dishes, like my braised partridge and pear, and prep ahead desserts, such…

EMAIL SARAH.FITZPATRICK@FUTURENET.COM ORGANIC HALF BLUE STILTON CROPWELL BISHOP CREAMERY After dinner, with the leftovers, in soup and sandwiches. Especially creamy. ♦ Price £65 ♦ Tel 01159 892350 ♦ cropwellbishopstilton.co.uk GIARDINO MELLERIO MACAROONS LADUREE A collaboration with Mellerio jewellery house, inspired by the family’s island garden; 16 delicious morsels. ♦ Price £41 (available first from the Royal Exchange Shop) ♦ Tel 07917877886 ♦ laduree.co.uk LUXURY HAMPER PETERSHAM NURSERIES A lovely wicker basket with leather trim, containing store essentials, including panettone, panforte and prosecco to keep everyone sweet. ♦ Price £230 ♦ Email orders@petershamnurseries.com ♦ petershamnurseries.com FILLED BAUBLE BETTYS While the bauble will last through Christmas, the delicious milk chocolate pearls inside may not. ♦ Price £6.85 ♦ Tel 0800 456 1919 ♦ bettys.co.uk CHEESE ADVENT CALENDER PAXTON & WHITFIELD Three fresh…

Careston is an A-listed castle dating from the 13th century, which has been in the same family since 1872. The property is for sale as a whole or in up to eight lots. There are three estate cottages with the principal lot, along with 143 arable acres, 29 of pasture and 137 of mixed woodland. The hub of the current farming operation is Nether Careston, which extends to around 424 acres and includes a four-bedroom stone farmhouse, a bungalow and a range of agricultural buildings. Other lots include 119 acres at Careston South and around 147 acres at North Wood. There is also the Upper Careston Beat: 1.6 miles of mostly single-bank salmon and sea-trout fishing with a five-year average of 46 salmon and 25 sea-trout. Agent: Savills Tel: 0131…

THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit, Magazines Direct will notify you three working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Magazines Direct to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Magazines Direct or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled…

The gates spring open. Twelve thoroughbreds surge forwards through a cloud of snowflakes, a gaggle of neon-clad skiers jostling in their wake as scrabbling hooves hurl snow pellets into the sky. A furlong later and the chaos subsides, the horses settling into a familiar racing pattern as they stretch out along the snow-white track around the frozen Lake St Moritz. They stream past fur-clad crowds cheering from the rails, towing their skiers – bar two, cut loose in the initial mayhem but whose rigging remains to trip up the others. One skier is valiantly continuing on one ski, his other having flicked off in the early mêlée. If it is exhilarating to watch, it must be electric to take part, a heady blend of speed, horsepower, danger and blowyour-mind adrenaline…

Isabella Beeton had no doubt. In her 1861 Book of Household Manage ment, she noted that ‘a Christmas dinner, with the middle classes of this empire, would scarcely be a Christmas dinner without its turkey’. Since then, however, birds have come to dominate more than just the festive table; from carols to cards, many have become veritable icons of the Christmas season. ROBIN With its seasonally appropriate breast, the robin is steeped in Christian folklore. Some stories link the bird’s red colouring to the blood of Jesus: as the robin tried to pick off the crown of thorns, a drop fell and stained its breast. Others say that the robin fanned the flames to keep baby Jesus warm and in so doing it scorched its breast. Either way, “The robin…

For “superior sporting ware”, enthused American society equestrienne and huntress Lida Fleitmann in 1921, “we must of necessity turn to the English, who for centuries have excelled in this line”. From origins in the Georgian and Victorian periods to their continuing popularity today, Britain’s heritage luxury brands are international bywords for quality, craftsmanship, innovation and impeccable service, and their sporting history provides a fascinating background to their success. Who knew, for instance, that alongside providing liveries for the Royal house-hold and creating the first tuxedo jacket, Henry Poole & Co supplied fine jockey silks (including to jockey Jem Mason, the rider of Lottery, the first-ever Grand National winner in 1839)? They also clothed the celebrated 19th-century foxhunting courtesan ‘Skittles’ (Catherine Walters), mistress of Emperor Napoleon III, who famously wore her…

PANIER PROBLEM Q I have two pony paniers from our house in Scotland. Can you recommend anywhere to get them renovated please? JHB, by email A All About Willow grows its own organic willow on the Isle of Eigg. The firm specialises in pony paniers and items for shooting and fishing. It is able to make identical copies of original items if restoration isn’t possible. Send photographs to: catherinefdavies@gmail.com for advice. The paniers take a week to make but currently there is a six-week waiting list. Call directly on 07760414790, view on Instagram @AllAboutWillow or visit: allaboutwillow.co.uk SNUFF IDEA Q I am interested in using snuff and wondered if there is any manufactured in the UK. I am a complete novice but would very much like to give it a…

MANY years ago my wife worked for an eccentric rural solicitor whose sole companion was a black labrador. Every Christmas, he bought the dog the same present: a pound of sausages. Apparently, the great majority of Britain’s dogs are given Christmas presents (though probably not sausages). Here’s the Sporting Dog guide to a few of the things you might consider buying for the four-footed friend in your life. Over the years, several generations of my spaniels have sampled a considerable variety of dog beds in all shapes and sizes. The one design that they seem to like best is the traditional beanbag, in which they can nestle down comfortably, insulated from draughts and the floor beneath them. They currently share a Barka Parka (barkaparka.com). Unlike the majority of dog beds,…

THERE were three Hyundais parked in the farmyard a few weeks ago. There was an i20, a simple and unflashy five-door hatch that serves as ‘pool car’ for the family; a Terracan, a simple and unflashy off-roader that does all the nitty-gritty farm jobs without a murmur of complaint; and then there was a GV80. This Hyundai, however, was not like the other two. For a start, it’s actually badged as a ‘Genesis’, which is Hyundai’s new-ish luxury offshoot (as in Toyota/Lexus or Nissan/Infiniti), and the GV80 is the company’s bold and brash entry into the fairly crowded luxury SUV market. If, at first glance, it reminds you of the boldest and brashest of the existing SUVs, the Bentley Bentayga, there’s a good reason for this. There has been a…