Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i The Field

THE start of February is invariably cold, misty and damp, expressed so succinctly by that splendidly onomatopoeic Scots word ‘dreich’. A dreich situation is one that has become dreary, monotonous, drawn-out and boring, which perfectly describes a winter that has gone on for too long and become detestable, both in terms of the weather and the endless tiers and lockdowns. With inland game shooting finishing on the first of the month, I think we should raise our hats in gratitude to all the gamekeepers and hunt servants for keeping everything going. They have adapted under extremely difficult circumstances created by COVID-19 restrictions and coped with ever-increasing persecution from single-issue animal rights fanatics, to provide us with wonderful days of sport and companionship, albeit not exactly what we are accustomed to.…

The news that 60 hen harriers fledged in the UK in 2020 is cause for celebration. “It was the best breeding year in 20 years,” notes the GWCT’s Andrew Gilruth. DEFRA’s hen-harrier action plan played a key role in this recovery, with the brood-management scheme trialled in the north of England proving an effective tool. The technique consists of collecting eggs or chicks under licence when hen harrier numbers begin to build up and later releasing the fledged birds on a neighbouring moor. This helps preserve a balance between conservation and the viability of shooting businesses, which in turn ensures moors are not converted to less wildlife-friendly uses. With the birds now facing the challenge of winter, BASC has contributed to another of the programme’s cornerstones: Natural England’s winter roost…

Countryside and farming organisations have mostly welcomed the Government’s Agricultural Transition Plan, although some believe it doesn’t go far enough. The programme, which came into force on 1 January, sees farming support gradually move away from direct payments and towards rewarding sustainable farming initiatives, local nature recovery plans and larger-scale landscape recovery projects. For the GWCT’s James Swyer, this change is good news, not least because the new plan looks to resolve some of the issues that hindered uptake of previous schemes, such as complexity and ‘fear’ of the Rural Payment Agency. He applauds the introduction of grants that will boost productivity: “The more we can keep small farms viable, the better for conservation.” Christopher Price of the Rare Breed Survival Trust adds that phasing out traditional subsidies could make…

Write to: The Editor, The Field, Pinehurst II, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF. Email: field.secretary@futurenet.com LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY OR SPACE SWISS DISHES An old friend of mine, now living and working in Switzerland, sent me this photograph [below] taken outside his local butcher’s last season. The large sign says: ‘Scottish game birds’ above a selection of species readers will recognise. Converted to pounds sterling, I was interested to note that a single pheasant in the feather is £37, a grey partridge is £29 and the humble pigeon a mere £21, with the woodcock top of the tree at £41. To put this in context, my friend tells me that an oven-ready chicken retails for around £12, so one can see that, for example,…

PEWIT HOUSE HUNSTERSON, NANTWICH, CHESHIRE This is a former farmhouse together with about six acres of land, with further land available by separate negotiation. The property is Grade II-listed, with the original part of the house dating back to the 16th century. It has six bedrooms and four bathrooms, and a feature of the property is the original drawing room with exposed timbers and a central inglenook fireplace. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel: 01244 354872 Guide price: £1.15m COTEBROOK HOUSE TARPORLEY, CHESHIRE This is a thatched Arts & Crafts house in the style of renowned English architect and textile designer CFA Voysey. The land is bisected by a long, sweeping drive leading to the back of the house. The sitting room and dining room lead out to the garden through…

Easternmost of the Nordic nations, Finland is celebrated for its thousands of lakes and forests that stretch to the horizon and beyond. It is home to Sibelius, the sauna, Santa Claus and Norwich City’s star striker Teemu Pukki. It is also home to Europe’s biggest population of white-tailed deer. Native to the Americas, five white-tails were brought from Minnesota to the old country in 1934 by a group of Finnish-American hunters and placed on an estate in south-west Finland. They thrived, and soon escaped into the wild. By 1945, there were 50; by 1961, more than 1,000; today, they are a well-established sporting quarry across the whole of southern Finland, with around 25,000 being shot each year. Never having hunted white-tails before, I was naturally interested when my Finnish friend,…

If you want to settle your nerves before hunting in Ireland, avoid YouTube. There are films galore of dishevelled riders and shaggy horses scrambling up mountains of mud and plunging into fast-flowing, murky water, the latter sometimes ending with horses and riders, no longer in company, being swept downstream. In truth, the reality is not far different. I remember slithering down a veritable cliff, my feet sliding straight out of the treadless stirrups. Another time, landing over a drain, my boots were on the ground yet I was still in the saddle, so deep had my horse sunk in the mud. I once realised, in mid air, that my clever little mare was clearing a ditch I hadn’t seen and on one memorable occasion, riding a brilliant grey belonging to…

THERE are lots of reasons to like the work of Caroline Cook. She captures the world of horse racing with all the authenticity of one who has been involved in it for years. Her animals, whether horses and dogs or wildlife such as stags and foxes, are depicted with accuracy and sympathy. Her painting has a breadth of range from realistic to impressionist. But, for me, the best thing about her work is that it is work – a creative product made from memories, images and ideas. Cook never stops painting. Even as we are chatting, she is busy at her easel: “You will have to excuse me, I am finishing a commission to go to New Zealand to the Te Akau racing stud. They had five Group One winners…

A friend, whose labrador is approaching its ninth birthday, asked me recently when he should start to think about getting a puppy to take over the old dog’s mantle. My reply was brief: now. With luck, his dog will be able to work well for another season or two, but by the time most dogs have reached double figures they have slowed down considerably, and relatively few can manage a full day’s shooting when they are 12, and that’s assuming that they are still fit and healthy. It’s easy to forget how long it takes to train and bring on a young dog. Many make their debut in the shooting field when only a year old, but unless carefully supervised that’s much too young. Never forget the old adage that…

TOP SHOT What do you like to shoot with best? Side-by-side seems to be a very popular choice, especially if it’s a heirloom: a Fielder, in particular, swears by his 16-bore Cogswell & Harrison Avant Garde boxlock side-by-side, which he inherited from his great-grandfather: “Best snipe guns ever.” But choosing “nice stuff” only works if you don’t have destructive habits, cautions another Fielder on Instagram. Referring to an image of a striking rifle, he said: “I can turn the pictured gun into a beat-up loaner gun in the space of a few seasons. So I find something that fits me well and use it until it disintegrates.” LABS AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT The jury is out on the best colour for a labrador. Asked on Instagram to name their…

When, in 2009, grouse numbers at the 5,000-acre Garrows Estate, Perthshire, dropped to their lowest level in 120 years, owner Sir John Kemp-Welch decided to make some radical changes. Supported by former headkeeper Ronnie Kippen, he reduced the number of sheep on the hill, cleared bracken and invested in deer fencing. “The difference in bird numbers was night and day,” notes Kippen. As well as curlew, oystercatcher and lapwing, black grouse returned. This red-listed species has all but disappeared from parts of Scotland where grouse moors have been replaced by sheep farming or forestry. Like waders, black grouse require the open habitat offered by Garrows and the surrounding estates. “Many of our neighbours are doing valuable work for wildlife, from which we all benefit,” says Sir John. Only 120 grouse…

Boss & Co, London’s oldest gunmaker, has announced its new ‘1812 Edition’, introducing an innovation that has never been seen in gunmaking before. The result of four-plus years and the development of a purpose-built action, this is Boss & Co’s first ever side-lever over-and-under gun, and the world’s first to include two side-levers in the presentation case. Uniquely, it is a gun that can be changed and adapted for a leftor a right-handed shooter. This bespoke gun takes Boss & Co’s iconic over-and-under shape – which first appeared in 1909 and is, arguably, the most copied in the world, regularly praised for its elegance – and introduces a new, purposebuilt action, incorporating a side lever rather than a top lever. Another side lever for the opposite side of the gun…

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH To complete a Macnab – a salmon, a stag and a brace of grouse – between dawn and dusk requires a combination of factors. A skilled sportsman or woman with immeasurable grit and determination is essential, but there would be little hope without infallible kit, too. Which is why we were delighted to hold The Field’s 2020 Macnab Challenge in partnership with Merkel from Viking. The modern Macnab Challenge, inspired by John Buchan’s 1925 novel John Macnab, cannot succeed without the Fates smiling. In a year that saw the most carefully laid plans scuppered, there were fears that The Field’s Macnab Challenge would fall foul, too. But a brief respite in restrictions and immediate organising of priorities saw 11 Classic Macnabs taken. The first success suffered a…

I’M blaming a virulent mutation of the ‘must buy something’ virus crossed with tedious COVID-19 ‘lockdownitis’ for two recent breaches of the canny antique buyer’s Golden Rules. Last month it was a William Evans 12-bore boxlock ejector (see Anatomy of an Auction, January issue). “WTF!” exploded my ‘weapons’ expert, Nick, when I confessed to being the under bidder on it, sight unseen (adios Rule 1). Last week I went one worse. I not only bought ‘sight unseen’ but trashed Rule Two: avoid damaged goods; buy perfection as that is what collectors – whether of guns, glass or Beanie Babies – will always pay top dollar for. Instead, I bought three different, stuck together, circa 1580, Iznik tile ‘fragments’. Largish fragments, but broken bits all the same. “Yer what?” I hear…

2019 EXQUISITE CLARE VALLEY RIESLING (£6.99, Aldi) Textbook lemony, minerally, food-friendly, bone-dry Riesling from Australia. 2019 NERO ORO GRILLO APPASSIMENTO (£8.99 if you mix 6, Majestic) From Sicily, a typical sommelier choice: quirky, different and overwhelmingly tasty. 2019 VASSE FELIX CLASSIC SHIRAZ (£12, Tesco) From Margaret River, Australia, a wonderfully soft, smooth, spicy red with bags of character. 2016 ADNAMS FINE DESSERT WINE (£9.99, Adnams) Delicately sweet, this Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl is a lighter, fresher, cheaper alternative to Sauternes. QUINTA DO NOVAL 10 YEAR OLD TAWNY PORT (£24.99, Waitrose) A remarkably rich and rewarding tawny from a giant among producers. MONTERU SINGLE GRAPE BRANDY (£37, Yapp Bros) Not all great brandies are Cognacs, as this double-distilled French stunner confirms.…

The Work of the Sinnington Hounds 1994-1998 The next best thing to being out in the field is reading about it, when written well – and Field contributor Adrian Dangar’s book is a heavyweight. These hunting diaries from 1994-98 cover Dangar’s final four seasons as Master and huntsman of the Sinnington, recording 287 days’ hunting, including away days with the Quorn, Middleton and more. Laid out as a journal, each page records the date and location of the meet and Dangar’s remarks. The left-hand side is dedicated to wind and weather, scent, coverts drawn, horses, hounds and foxes. This is a book about hounds that hunted foxes, the craft, runs, people and sport. Each entry was written just after the hunting day, and the pre-ban sport has a vivid freshness.…

SPORTING COMPANIONS THE LABRADOR, WHILE STOIC AND HEROIC IN THE FIELD, HAS A TENDENCY TO SWOON AT THE SOUND OF HIS MASTER’S VOICE An initiative to honour military dogs past and present needs help. Established in 2017, the National Military Working Dogs Memorial Charity (nmwdm.org.uk) is fundraising for a monument that will commemorate hero dogs from all the Armed Forces. The charity has collected £59,000 towards its £150,000 target, according to trustee Emma Ward, and there are many ways to support their efforts. “We welcome any fundraising activity, such as quizzes or bake sales, as well as donations directly on our website.”…

This Cornish sporting estate comes with a period farmhouse, two cottages and 276 acres. The main house, restored extensively over the past 10 years, sits at the centre of the estate, surrounded by grazing land, grassland and young woodland. The farmland has been used for a herd of Whitebred Shorthorn cattle, and the estate has an established shoot for wild pheasants, snipe and woodcock. There is also roe-deer stalking, as well as single-bank fishing on the River Tamar. The five-bedroom farmhouse is built of local stone under a slate roof. The ground-floor reception rooms both have fireplaces with wood-burning stoves, and there is a large conservatory off the dining room. There are also two holiday cottages. Agent: Knight Frank Tel: 01392 848824 Guide price: £2.75m…

I ONCE looked after a herd of alpacas. It wasn’t particularly pleasurable. I couldn’t catch them, I could barely herd them, they disliked me immensely and spat at me frequently. By far the worst bit about the job was having to hold the stud while it covered the females. I wouldn’t say watching any animal shag is my idea of fun but standing by while two cotton-wool balls on pipe cleaners sit down and whimper, baa and grunt their way to ecstasy really takes the biscuit. Narrowly worse, was taking a terrier round to a friend’s house once to see if their labrador bitch was ready for the pedigree stud. The terrier heroically humped her back leg for the time it took to call for the dog but the stud…

Much in the way hopes for the wild grey partridge are pinned on the shooting community in the UK, Spanish hunters are coming to the rescue of their native redlegs through a new conservation initiative. Spain is home to the majority of the world’s wild red-legged partridge population but has seen numbers fall by a third in the past 20 years due to habitat loss, changes in farming practices, predation, overshooting and, in some cases, large-scale release of captive-bred birds. In an effort to reverse this trend, ecologist Carlos Sánchez, research director at the conservation organisation Fundación Artemisan, has found volunteers from hunting federations all over Spain. Pilot projects were established in seven regions, from the high Pyrenees and glaciers of Aragon in the north to the world’s biggest olive-growing…

GEORGE STUBBS painted A Pointer and A Spaniel for William Wildman, a wealthy meat dealer at Smithfield Market, in 1772. Stubbs painted 19 pictures for him, more than for any other patron. Stubbs became known as ‘The Horse Painter’ but hated that narrow description. He painted many dogs, both portraits and working in the field. These examples were produced when the sport was changing. In the early 18th century, pointers were used to mark game, particularly partridges, on the ground. The hunter would stalk the game and then let loose his crossbow or arquebus, or throw a net over both dog and birds. Improvements in shotguns in the 1780s meant that the sport switched to shooting flying birds. There was less need for the pointer and a greater need for…

MUCH as I love bench-made guns, occasionally it is fun to put something different through its paces. Not just machine made – some great guns are made by machine now – but a gun that has no pretensions of being anything other than a shooting engine. Such a gun is the Franchi Affinity 3, an inertia-operated, 3in-chambered, high-performance, steel-proofed semiautomatic, weighing about 7lb, from GMK. It is built on a Benelli-type action. The latter firm has been owned by Beretta since 1983, and Franchi itself operates as a separate brand headquartered within the Benelli facility at Ubino, Central Italy. Franchi looks to Benelli to make its actions and, like Benelli, to Beretta to hammer forge its barrels. Corporately speaking, the Beretta empire now includes Benelli, Franchi, Sako, Tikka, Uberti, Burris…

THIS month, I am celebrating some of the incredible cheeses we produce here in the UK and encourage you to discover local variations to use in these recipes. The schnitzel burger requires a brie or camembert-style cheese, such as Tunworth (Hampshire cheeses); Shakespeare (Book and Bucket, Dorset); Clava (Connage Highland Dairy). For the cheese sauce to accompany the cannelloni I wanted something that could be grated and has plenty of tang. Try Appleby’s raw milk, clothbound farmhouse Cheshire; Gorwydd Caerphilly (Trethowan’s Dairy, Somerset); Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire. For the scones, I have used a rich, smoked cheese. Great examples are: Oak smoked Lincolnshire Poacher; Lyburn Oak Smoked (Wiltshire); Quickes Cold-smoked Goat’s Cheddar (Devon). GAME COBBLER WITH SMOKED CHEESE SCONES Ingredients 1kg mixed game or venison cut into 2cm cubes2 tbsp plain…

FOR dedicated Octavia-lovers like me, the launch of a brand-new model is a moment of high excitement and anticipation. What have they done to it? Will it still be the benchmark in no-nonsense and practical motoring or has it gone all la-di-da? The answer is ‘a bit of both’. First impressions, as you look at the outside, are that it’s immediately recognisable as an Octavia. However, styling tweaks have been made, such as narrowing the headlights to a more dramatic and aggressive front end. Why this is considered to be a good thing baffles me. The inside has the same feel: similar but different. The driving position is excellent but the view out feels slightly poorer past thick pillars – and the hatchback styling does little to help. It’s a…