Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i The Field

WHILE having a knife fight in a telephone box with the animal rights lobby, we forgot the deeper argument about country life and country sports. We forgot that we live in a free country. We forgot that we are a minority, too. And we forgot that those who like to talk about celebrating diversity can be politely held to account. The Dutch have an apt phrase for what’s happened, adjacent to our one about hitting the nail on the head. They say: “You missed the plank.” Rather than indulge in handwringing expressions about how ‘unfair’ it all is, we need to pick up the hammer. Now, our way of life hangs by a thread. Even more animal welfare legislation, rumoured to be even more discriminatory, is imminent. Fine. For starters,…

10 APRIL 2021 IF there is one race on the calendar for which everybody wants a tip, it’s the Grand National. If there’s also one race on the calendar where there’s no such thing as a tip, it’s the Grand National. It is therefore appropriate that the first-ever winner of the race in 1839 was called Lottery. Talk about nominative determinism. One race, two laps, 30 fences, 40 horses, 50-1 winners. This race is a numbers game and the odds are more stacked against you than the branches and leaves that support Becher’s Brook. The obstacles they are required to jump qualify it as a National Hunt or ‘jumps’ race. Before embarking on their fourmile 2½ furlong odyssey, the horses and jockeys gather in a disorganised team behind the rope,…

MIDDLE VENTON FARM DREWSTEIGNTON, EXETER, DEVON This is a Grade II*-listed Devon longhouse set in nearly four acres of land. It dates from the 15th century and has exposed beams, granite stonework and open fireplaces. Other features include high-vaulted ceilings and exposed cob walls. The property, which has been restored and extended in recent years, has a central courtyard, outbuildings, a cottage, a threshing barn and an open-fronted barn ideal for outdoor entertaining. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel: 01392 229405 Guide price: £1.15m CADSON MANOR FARM CALLINGTON, CORNWALL This is a manor house for sale for the first time in nearly a century. With several extensions added over the years, Cadson Manor Farm is set in just under five acres of gardens and pasture paddocks, with further land and outbuildings…

At the Game Fair in 2019, I was wandering down Gunmakers’ Row when I found myself on a collision course with an elderly lady cradling a small, bright-eyed, smooth-haired, black-and-tan dog with a long, tapering muzzle and pricked lugs, not unlike a miniature Doberman Pinscher. In fact, as the good lady was quick to tell me, this was an English Toy terrier, known in America as the Toy Manchester, since it is regarded as a variety of the same breed as the standard size. Manchesters evolved in the early Industrial Revolution, when a whippet, or ‘snap dog’, was crossed with an old English Black & Tan terrier to create a dog that excelled both at ratting and coursing rabbits. Her cherished companion would be a direct descendant of a dog…

“IF you can tie a fly, you can make your own fly rod,” observes Mick Bell, owner of Bloke Fly Rods, a well-known supplier of both rods and rodbuilding components, based in Selkirk. A veteran of all the serious foreign destinations – Russia, Norway, Iceland, the Caribbean – Bell lives next to the River Ettrick and fishes it and the Yarrow constantly. His enthusiasm, imparted to me on various fishing and shooting expeditions to the Borders, finally encouraged me to have a go at building a rod using his components and expertise. I also had the advantage of a local friend, Michael Lobb, who collects tackle, repairs rods to a high standard and makes his own, too. We often test fishing kit together and spend hours in discussion about the…

Brexit has not only drawn much attention to the UK fishing industry’s complicated and fractious relationship with the EU but also highlighted its alarming disconnect with us, the British consumer. There is little most of us can do to change the situation with Brussels but, thankfully, we can all do our bit to improve relations at home. For an island with more than 150 varieties of edible fish and some of the world’s finest shellfish, it may seem strange that we choose to import about 70% of the seafood we consume. If we were doing this to eat the recommended amount of one lean and one oily portion per week, the figure would perhaps be easier to digest. However, not only do three-quarters of us fall short of this but,…

TOTAL SHAKE-UP Q I have a silver-plated cocktail shaker by Asprey & Co, circa 1950. The top is bent and in need of a new cork seal. Would you know anyone who could restore this? SH, Hampshire A For this type of repair, contact Warwick Guck of Edward Fraser. He is a specialist in silver and silver-plated items, and has both the cork and the expertise to repair this correctly. In the first instance, send a photograph to warwick@edwardfraser.com. A price and timescale for the repair will be given. Contact the firm on 07905040035 or visit: edwardfraser.com STAIN SAVIOURS Q A few months ago, I spilled some English walnut oil onto my study carpet. All attempts to remove the stain have failed, and using methylated spirit probably made it worse.…

THIS month’s test focuses on a smart little Beretta 695 20-bore, a development of the new 69 series guns. It is a single-trigger, multichoke over-and-under hitting the scales at just under 6.lb. An extra-finish gun, it is distinguished from other 690s – and most Silver Pigeons – by its deep-cut scroll engraving. This is applied by laser and looks rather superior to the thinner machine engraving that has been the norm on mass-produced guns (deeper cut engraving, ever harder to distinguish from hand work, has been enabled in recent years as laser technology progresses). The test 695 has darkly coloured wood with good figure, which contrasts well with its coin-finished action. Wood and pleasing action decoration apart, basic form and specification are familiar. Like other 690s, this deluxe model is…

VARIETY is surely the spice of life, so perhaps it should be of no surprise that this year I’m planning to have wild UK venison for our Easter feast. Lamb, I know, will be the choice for many but if you want to avoid imports from places like New Zealand and get the best British grass-fed variety, you should ideally wait until mid-June. If you are determined to have lamb, look for meat from slightly older sheep and buy local hogget or mutton, which is ready now and will be full of flavour. Wild UK venison is my choice as not only is it highly nutritious and delicious but due to the closure of restaurants over the past year there had been an alarming drop in consumption. The consequences for…

Charles Williams, the current owner of Caerhays Castle, on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula, is both a renowned plantsman and a dedicated game shot. He summarises neatly the allure of his family seat by recognising that “the history of any one house is often just that – the history of a single house. However, it is from that house that people have travelled the world, fought wars or enjoyed life. A part of the interest of Caerhays has been the long association which it has enjoyed with plant hunting and hybridisation.” Williams is now the guardian of a National Collection of magnolias, as well as a world-famous rhododendron garden and perhaps one of the best shoots in the West Country. The present garden traces its origins to JC Williams, who owned the…

The National Hunt season ends with Jump Finale Day at Sandown Park on a Saturday towards the end of April. Sometimes it’s with a ‘Kaboom!’, such as in 2016, when respective English and Irish champion trainers Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins went down to the wire, until Nicholls took an unassailable lead after the day’s big handicap and Mullins was hauled in front of the stewards for withdrawing runners now that he knew his flush was busted. However, jumps racing doesn’t just lie down and disappear into the swelling clover and ripening blossoms, only to return with ochreing Chepstow at the end of October. Rather, it oversummers down a curious, leafy rabbit hole of its own, a sort of Racing in Wonderland, a nether world of bright colours, festival vibrations,…

If you feel inspired to eat more British seafood, here are some of the more unusual or neglected species to look out for throughout the year. The blue tick label from the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) that can be found on fish such as Cornish hake or Scottish haddock is currently the best assurance of provenance. However, it is also important to ask your fishmonger or waiter about seasonality and sustainability. FLAT FISH DAB Treat it like a lemon sole. Serve whole, roasted or grilled with a little butter, lemon, parsley and capers. The skinned fillets can be used in the crispy fish recipe (see page 83). BRILL An excellent alternative to turbot, with a sweet flavour and satisfying meaty texture. Cook it on the bone for added flavour, with…

This month the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be exchanging gifts of tin, the traditional token for a 10th wedding anniversary. Yes, it has been an entire decade since the world paused to watch Prince William marry Catherine Middleton. And pause it did; 29 April 2011 was designated a Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom, prompting bunting and bake sales for 5,000 street parties. The wedding was broadcast in more than 180 countries and 72 million live-streamed the ceremony on YouTube, which was a new world record. The global television audience reached between 122 to 176 million. It wasn’t a full state occasion but there was still a pleasing amount of pomp on display. There were 1,900 guests at Westminster Abbey while one million lined the route to Buckingham…

SURELY there is nothing to beat the feeling of walking into Cheltenham Racecourse on a Festival morning. The car parks are filling up but the stands are still empty as streams of racegoers make their way determinedly to their favourite bars. The craic in the Guinness Village is in full swing long before the first horse is led into the pre-parade ring, and there’s talk of a good thing in the second race. It is John Fitzgerald’s job to capture these heightened moments live on canvas. He admits: “It is quite high pressure doing it live, in front of an audience, but the more you do it the more confident you get. I am trying to capture all the elements of the day and to convey the energy of the…

FOR most of us, the last shooting season never really happened. It was just as bad for our dogs, too. Old dogs retired without the chance for a final retrieve, and many youngsters never managed to make their debut. However, some dogs did enjoy some action. I know of one enthusiastic picker-up who, with her four labradors, managed 49 days, which must be some sort of record. It could well make her a contender for the title of Best Amateur Picker-up in The Field’s annual Gundog Awards. Now in its fifth year, the awards aim to recognise the often unsung heroes of the shooting field: the gundogs and their handlers who make our sport possible. Sponsored by Chudleys, the specialist dog-food company that has been fuelling gundogs for more than…

Hope may finally be in sight for Britain’s beleaguered red squirrels. Under threat from the larger greys, the number of reds has dropped to fewer than 287,000. However, “surveys show that the collective effort is currently ‘holding the line’ or has at least stabilised the losses,” says Stephen Trotter of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST). He adds that he is more optimistic than at any time since the 1990s. “In some places, red squirrels are recovering and expanding quickly, albeit on a small scale.” There are many reasons for this, not least the passion of the red-squirrel conservation community – from the RSST and UK Squirrel Accord to gamekeepers, woodland owners and professional rangers – and the tireless work of its volunteers, alongside support from DEFRA. Scientists are also…

NATURE OR NURTURE? When asked whether the best hunting horses are bred or made, the majority of Fielders felt that nature alone is not enough. The votes were almost evenly split between those who thought you need both natural qualities and the right training and those who believed great horses are made. One Fielder went as far as to say: “Any horse can be a hunt horse, they just need manners and stamina, and to be fittened up correctly.” IT’S IN THE BLOOD Love for fieldsports seems to run within families – at least according to the Fielders who answered an Instagram question on who ignited their passion. Most mentioned their fathers, uncles, grandfathers and even great-uncles. The most poignant post came from a gentleman who recalled how it all…

Alastair Salvesen’s approach to increasing biodiversity while farming profitably hinges on embracing new technologies and seeking practical solutions. Salvesen (pictured left) is working with GWCT scientists to develop cover-crop mixes and management practices that deliver wildlife recovery, using only 7% of his 2,500-acre farm. The key is the creation of wildlife corridors. Whitburgh Farms, in Midlothian, boasts 28 miles of hedgerows, either side of which are three metres of grass and four metres of wildbird cover. “We keep the hedges in good shape,” explains Salvesen. “We never cut both sides in the same year and try to widen them at the base and let them grow a bit higher.” The farm is divided into quarters, with a rotation of wheat, barley and oilseed rape to provide a wider range of…

The main property is a stone-built farmhouse that has been renovated, while retaining period features such as exposed stone walls, original beams and wooden doors. Set in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the property is run as a holiday lettings business and comes with two attached cottages. High Broadwood Hall is on the outskirts of Allendale and is set in 115 acres, including lawned gardens and several grazing paddocks, as well as two blocks of woodland. A range of outbuildings includes a large hay barn and two open-fronted sheds. A hardstanding area and the old milking parlour offer further business potential. The property is seven miles from Haydon Bridge and 34 miles from Newcastle. Agent: Finest Properties Tel: 01434 622234 Guide price: £1.475m…

Many signs herald the arrival of spring: cowslips adorning the banks and meadows with their soft yellow, hawthorn hedges starting to show incipient green, but the greatest of all signals is cried from the treetops by the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), the true harbinger of the season. Although the cuckoo’s call is distinctive, the bird itself is rarely seen and then always as a lone specimen, for pairs only get together when mating. One of the earliest known English canons, written in the mid-13th century, celebrates the arrival of the warm months with their meadows in bloom, the newly green woods – and the call of the cuckoo: Sumer is icumen in (Summer has come in) Lhude sing cuccu (Loudly sing cuckoo). There is much folklore about the bird, which…

IN the dark years that followed the French Revolution, Britain faced the possibility of an invasion by the French army. The government response, led by Prime Minister Pitt the Younger, was to raise troops of volunteer cavalry initially known as ‘Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry’, the word yeoman indicating a countryman of respectable standing. Ten troops of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry were commissioned in 1794 at the Bear Hotel in Devizes, a town that still has strong links with the descendent squadrons. Its nearly 200 years of history – which eventually led to the regiment merging with two others (the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars and the Royal Devon Yeomanry) in 1967 to form the Royal Wessex Yeomanry, the 50th anniversary of which falls this April – are peppered with interesting events and…

LIONEL EDWARDS ‘drew and painted what he loved doing and his remarkable eye for country was that of a man who sees the landscape from the saddle’. So wrote his obituarist in The Times on 14 April 1966. The British Sporting Art Trust has taken this idea as the central theme of its exhibition at the Osborne Studio Gallery: ‘Lionel Edwards: Seen from the Saddle’ from 13 April to 1 May 2021. Edwards claimed to have imbibed his love of horses from his foster-mother’s milk. He was born in 1878 at a time when artists were using the conventional rocking-horse style to depict galloping horses. He had to respond to what the camera was telling him about the movement of the horse, which led to his early preoccupation with capturing…

THIS month’s homily comes with a massive Government health warning. It goes like this: if I was as wizard at antique dealing and predicting future investment trends as I am at opining about them, I’d live in a medieval castle (some dealers do), fine bronze cannon on the battlements, walls festooned with ancient armour and weapons. Which, sadly, I don’t. Aeons ago, after transitioning – great word that, redolent with politically amazingly correct meanings – out of the Army, I went to Law School. We had a brilliant commercial law tutor. In one lecture he analysed company structures and the stock market, telling some great stories; great for law, at least. Dead impressed, someone asked whether he played the markets as he was so knowledgeable. “Are you mad?” he answered.…

NOT many years ago, the Fiat 500X range featured a diesel-powered, four-wheeldrive model, which quickly developed a cult following as a dark horse soft-roader. No surprise, really, bearing in mind it shared its platform with the Jeep Renegade (built in the same factory). Times have changed, however. The diesel has gone and the all-wheel drive has gone, too. The 500X range’s new standout model is about as far from being a mudplugger as is possible: it’s the ‘Sport’. On the outside are fancy body-coloured side skirts and wheel arches, a diffuserstyle rear bumper and a dual chrome exhaust. Luckily, Fiat hasn’t changed the 500X’s smile-inducing looks. Underneath, the firm has tuned the suspension, dropped it by half an inch and put some rubber-band, 40% tyres on. Inside are sport seats…