Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i The Field

IN 1822, the UK parliament passed the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act, promoted by Irish fox-hunting MP ‘Humanity Dick’ Martin, which is the first recorded example of animal-welfare legislation anywhere in the world. In the 200 years that have followed, Britain has continued to lead the world on the welfare of animals and Parliament has passed reams of animal-welfare legislation that protects and therefore recognises the sentience of vertebrate animals and some invertebrates. However, in 2017, when ministers decided not to incorporate directly into UK law Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which states that the EU and its member States “shall, since animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals”, the Government was accused of denying that animals…

HIGH CHIMNEYS HURST, BERKSHIRE This is the five-bedroom wing of a Grade II-listed former hunting lodge with a oneacre garden. The north wing originates from the Jacobean/Elizabethan era with later Victorian additions. It has been renovated, retaining period features such as the original staircase, exposed timbers, high ceilings and solid oak floors. The property has a triple garage with games room above. Agent: Savills Tel: 01491 843000 Guide price: £1.17m BEAR COTTAGE FRITWELL, OXFORDSHIRE This is a stone-built, Grade II-listed home in a North Oxfordshire village, six miles from Bicester and 15 miles from Oxford. Running to more than 2,000sq ft, the house has five bedrooms and three reception rooms. The living room has a beamed ceiling and a fireplace with a wood-burning stove on an exposed stone wall. The…

Anyone who has taken a child into the field knows that it’s what is inside their pockets that will make or break the day. A mini Mars is akin to gold dust but fob them off with a banana and you’ll regret it as soon as the rain turns horizontal. Our pick of the best kit for smalls will at least give you a head start when it comes to keeping pint-sized sporting stars snug and spirits high. BEAUFORT WAXED JACKET BARBOUR Meet the mini-me of the iconic Barbour waxed jacket world, complete with classic cotton tartan lining and a corduroy collar. ♦ Price £119 ♦ Tel 0800 917 3000 ♦ barbour.com ANGUS GILET LITTLE GROUSE Keep the smallest additions to the field snug with a fully-lined fleece gilet. It…

An audible shudder rippled across the countryside when the Government trumpeted a free-trade deal with Australia recently. Diehard Remainers tweeted, “I told you so,” and anxious discussions have since been taking place around many farmhouse kitchen tables. The reality of Brexit – if not yet any adverse impact on prices – is starting to hit home. The history of British agriculture has been punctuated by events, such as the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, that have sent farming businesses in a markedly upwards or downwards direction. Exit from the suffocating, yet ultimately protectionist embrace of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy is in that league. British farming has generally flourished under protectionism and declined when there has been free-trade – hence the longer faces than usual at the mart.…

IF there was ever to be an official artist of the field, surely the appointment would be given to Jonathan Armigel Wade. His landscape scenes of British sporting life are both personal and universal in a way that is beguiling. September Mist shows Guns arriving on their pegs for a partridge drive, which I feel I must have reported on for The Field a while ago. And isn’t that me standing by the rails in At the Point-to-Point? Or, if not me, definitely my friend, Charlotte. A self-effacing Wade explains: “It is not so much about the horses hurtling over the fences – the girl at the front with a pint of beer cheering is the side of life I want to capture. I am trying to include that angle,…

WHICH came first, the breed standard or the breed? It’s a bit like the conundrum of the chicken and the egg, but the truth is that certain breeds evolved long before anyone had ever thought of a breed standard for them – the saluki is a good example – while others were bred selectively to conform to their breeder’s written vision of what they were trying to produce. The classic example is the Korthals griffon, a Continental pointing dog. Edward Karel Korthals, the breed’s creator, wanted a versatile hunting dog. He regarded the existing British breeds as too fast, the Continentals too slow, so sought to combine the two in a tough, adaptable animal. Thirty years of rigorous selective breeding, culling any animals that didn’t reach his expectations, led to…

MINIATURE CHAMPION Determined small Milly Herdman clearing a hunt jump in West Percy country (from Make way for the young thrusters, August issue) received an enormous amount of Instagram likes and comments. “What a pony and gutsy rider!” raved one poster, with another adding: “Very brave, both of them”—much to the joy of the young rider’s mother, who declared herself “very proud”. We know who we’ll be following next season… FOWL PLAY Tessa Waugh’s claim that “chickens have become a status symbol in the way Agas were” (Ladies supplement, August issue) found widespread agreement, judging by the significant number of likes it received on Instagram. However, one dissenting voice piped up in the comments: “We had chickens. Happiest day of my life when that phase ended.” TRADING PLACES Jaws fell…

Fish In Need: a group of fish lovers that includes angling author John Bailey, actor Paul Whitehouse (pictured), Farlows’ former chairman Richard Hewitt, lawyer Simon Clark and environmentalist Dr Mark Everard has set up a new conservation and education charity. Fish In Need (FIN) intends to revive, rescue and restore fish populations across the UK, supporting initiatives to improve freshwater habitats. “The idea is to award grants to anyone who has a worthwhile and credible project in mind,” says Bailey. For details, go to: fishinneed.org.uk…

IN 2003, a man called Stuart Robertson changed the face of cricket forever. As head of marketing for the English Cricket Board, he devised a game called Twenty20 (T20) to be trialled by the English counties. Just 20 overs would be bowled by each team. It would be fast and furious. And, most importantly, it would bring back the crowds. Test Cricket, no matter how beautiful the climax can be, is a slow-burner. Five long days of batting, bowling and fielding that can ultimately end in a draw. A game of attrition, it is taught to be played with patience and caution. One-day cricket, as the name suggests, still takes a full day for both teams to bat and bowl. Both formats, especially in county cricket, were bringing in dwindling…

It was Mark Hanbury Beaufoy (the Liberal MP and vinegar manufacturer) who wrote the now famous poem A Father’s Advice in 1902. Framed and illustrated it graces an inordinate number of loos and boot rooms, and remains universally applicable today. The first verse is particularly pertinent, when it comes to how to hold your gun safely in the field: Never, never let your gun Pointed be at anyone. That it may unloaded be Matters not the least to me. The first shotgun I fired was under the watchful eye of a great family friend and my shooting mentor, the late ‘Uncle John’ Pickering. He, along with my father, were my instructors and between them ensured that the importance of safety was clearly understood. To this day, I remember being told…

“I hope you all have a restful half term. Oh, and a reminder for those of you whose trout are in the school freezer: please take them home with you but whatever you do, don’t forget to take them out of your kit bag.” Such announcements – this one made by Robert Lankester, headmaster of Maidwell Hall in Northamptonshire – are commonplace in prep schools around the UK where the focus is as much on the countryside as the curriculum. They accommodate not just those pupils who shoot for the stars but also the ones who aim for the clays, where the emphasis is jumping over poles on a pony as much as through hoops for exams and where the children are allowed to be as free range as the…

When I first started raising Gloucester Old Spots for their delicious pork it was but a short journey from their home in the orchard to an unassuming abattoir in the local village. They had been killing pigs, sheep and cattle there for more than half a century, but after the owner passed away no one came forward to take it on. The lack of enthusiasm was unsurprising, given the increasingly onerous regulations involved with running an abattoir, especially, it seems, one that is rural, traditional and small. That year, instead of driving my porkers on a fiveminute journey to Nunnington, I took them an hour east towards Scarborough where a small slaughterhouse stood behind a butcher’s shop celebrated for pork pies. Next came an even longer haul to the other…

THERE is little better in the way of a jolly day out than The Game Fair. This year’s at Ragley Hall, in my part of the world, was no exception although the dreaded virus was doubtless to blame for it being about half its normal size. Gunmakers’ Row thronged with stands and buyers although the Fishing Village had shrunk to little more than a tiny encampment that, for this enthusiast at least, was a major disappointment. I go each year ready to spend large on replacements for all those flies I lose up trees and, this year, I was in the market for a rod as well. I’ve recently developed a nasty, and expensive, tendency to break my 11ft to 12ft, 8wt, salmon/sea-trout rods (plural). And so it was that,…

BANANAS were still scarce in the early post-war years and, being one of seven children, sibling rivalry and a taste for bananas instilled an early but strong competitive urge that was nurtured further by a childhood immersed in the fringes of F1 motor racing. My earliest and happiest childhood memories were of endless days spent exploring our large paddock, but the pride in my jam jar full of worms evaporated in an instant when my father produced our first pony. I learned to ride the hard way but I learned quickly, progressing from gymkhanas to the hunting field, showjumping to eventing, always driven by that urge to improve and win. My parents were not overly happy about the prospect of me racing point-to-point or obtaining a competitive motor-racing licence, so…

IT’S fortunate for Ineos that out here in the sticks we have immeasurable patience and are happy to take things slowly. After all, it has been some years since multimillionaire industrialist Sir James Ratcliffe, after a boozy lunch in The Grenadier pub, decided to make his own Defender replacement (and name it after the pub; what a shame that the meeting wasn’t in The Flowerpots or The Gay Hussar). Since then, we’ve had a trickle feed of information on this new 4x4. We know that it will have a BMW six-cylinder diesel or petrol engine (slight overkill), the ubiquitous ZF gearbox (complete overkill) and lots of proper off-road essentials: beam axles, low-ratio boxes and hose-out floors. We’ve even had a picture or two (90% Defender, 5% G-Wagen, 5% Jimny) and…

Moorland organisations have welcomed a study that shows grouse shooting is the best form of upland management. Published in August by the University of Northampton, the research compared different management models against the three sustainability criteria – economic, social and environmental – set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It established that integrated moorland management, including driven-grouse shooting, supports ‘an increasingly rare assemblage of plants, animals and invertebrates’, such as mountain hares, curlew, lapwing, merlin and hen harriers. This didn’t come as a surprise to the Moorland Association’s Amanda Anderson. “The biodiversity benefits of grouse moors are well documented. This year, for example, nearly 80% of hen harrier nests are on grouse moors – testament to the work conducted year-round by land managers for the benefit of numerous…

Farms and estates have an important role to play in stemming global warming, but with the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cautioning that we are already experiencing more extreme weather events, it would also serve them well to become more resilient. With summers set to become much hotter and drier, while winters get warmer and wetter, water management becomes paramount. “It’s about finding a way to use innovation so we can hold back that [winter] water and use it in time of drought.” Managing soil is a key part of this: “People are finding healthy soils absorb more water and keep holding it until the time of drought, so you’re mitigating against both flood and drought by maintaining soil health.” Livestock farmers should consider the…

This is a sporting and amenity estate on the north-west coast of Scotland. Morefield extends to 4,650 acres between fishing town Ullapool – the gateway to the Western Isles – and the village of Ardmair. There are eight lochs in the sale, running to 298 acres, the largest being Loch Dubh, with amenity value and trout fishing. Gardens include mature trees and a stream, with mature woodland providing habitat for migratory woodcock. The majority of the Highlands estate is subject to crofting grazing rights, so there are various parties with third party rights over the land. The house has four bedrooms and a secondfloor tower room, with renewable energy in the form of a wind turbine and solar panels. Morefield is 60 miles from Inverness. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel:…

My experience selling shotguns suggests that a prospective client’s eyes are usually drawn towards two features: the wood and the engraving. Gunmakers have long known that attention can be swayed easily by pretty, contrasting details and a slab of exhibition-grade walnut attached to the end of a gun is always a crowd-pleaser. Similarly, the subtle art of engraving and the skill that the best craftsmen can demonstrate on the metalwork of guns can be truly astounding. Beyond the aesthetics, however, engraving and pretty wood don’t necessarily make a shotgun any better. Your pattern won’t be affected by upgraded wood, nor will your swing be impacted by the intricate engraving on the lockplates. It’s strange then that so many clients pay so much attention to this and so little to the…

Wheather it be beating through gorse, clambering over stiles or pushing through gaps after hounds, a rural lifestyle can wreak havoc on attire. Blackthorn, barbed wire and fish hooks snatch at threads like a homesick child clinging to departing parents. Wearers are likely to have invested – often emotionally as well as financially – in the clothing required for their pastime. What other folk would keep patching up greatgrandpa’s first ratcatcher despite it being held together by more safety pins than Liz Hurley’s dress? Yet while ‘make do and mend’ may already be an established way of living for many country-oriented people, how much more sustainable can and should our kit be? For worn, torn favourites, be realistic over whether the repairs are worth it. As John Sugden from Campbell’s…

Of all the great wisdoms of hunting, perhaps the finest is the observation by Surtees that “more people are flattered into virtue than are bullied out of vice”. We have all made our mistakes on the hunting field, and hopefully learned from them, but it is more often than not a quiet word from the Master that we remember best rather than a fullon blowing up in front of the mounted followers, which can often lead to an embarrassed silence. “The edge of severity is blunted by repetition,” is another Surtees saying, which, it may be hoped, all Masters understand. Yet, given the pressures on Masters on a hunting day, sometimes a flash of exasperated temper is understandable. Getting too close to hounds, the cardinal sin of kicking one, having…

ROBERT PINCKNEY was a farmer living in Amesbury, a village just south of Stonehenge. The Amesbury Coursing Club was established in 1822 and held its annual meetings in the shadow of the ‘Stones’. In 1845, the year of this painting, Amesbury held its first Open Meeting. The hares on Salisbury Plain were nicknamed ‘Old Druids’ because they were so strong they must be possessed of the spirits of the priests of the Ancient Britons. Whatever the reason, Amesbury produced some of the best long-distance courses ever run. There was perfect going on downland turf and the hares ran straight and true for miles. Interest in long-distance courses dwindled through the 19th century as spectators preferred shorter courses at enclosed grounds, such as Kempton Park and Haydock Park. Ploughed fields, barbed…

TODAY, it is often taken for granted that there is a huge market for smallbore rifles chambering the ubiquitous .22 in Long Rifle cartridge. In an age where conversion kits and multicalibre firearms are commonplace, it is easy to forget that the popularity of miniature rifle shooting is a relatively recent phenomenon. One of the objects in the collection of the Royal Armouries shows how rapidly the landscape changed in the late-19th century. The rifle itself is a fairly typical commercial Martini-Henry made in .45 calibre by the National Arms and Ammunition Company of Birmingham – yet attached to this is a complete example of Richard Morris’s sub-calibre conversion system, designed in the early 1880s. This system, known as the Morris Aiming Tube, consists of three main components. The .230…

THIS month’s test focuses on the latest, aesthetically modified, version of the well-established and popular Beretta EELL over-and-under. Designated the 687 EELL ‘Classic’, the gun under the spotlight is a 20-bore with 30in, multichoked barrels. It weighs in at 6lb 3oz, so might be classed as a lightweight by modern standards. The EELL has proved to be a most successful model since its introduction in the 1980s (the EL preceded it). It’s known not just for its ‘bells and whistles’ – sideplates and upgraded wood – but as an especially desirable yet practical game gun. Many good game shots use it; indeed, I know several who have returned to their faithful and boringly dependable EELLs after flirtations with bespoke productions that have not been reliable when used intensively. The EELL’s…

WHEN introducing newcomers to the joys of eating game, I usually turn to pheasant as the ‘gateway’ meat to get them hooked. After I have given them my assurances that the flavour will not be overpowering (and that it will not come with a side of maggots), I like to throw in a few nutritional facts. My favourites being that pheasant has more protein, less fat and lower cholesterol than chicken. If they are still hesitant, it’s time to show not tell. Few people can resist a steaming, aromatic bowl of familiarlooking curry like the coconut and green chilli recipe below. To show off its excellent and impressive nutritional values, the fresh and modern salad recipe with beetroot and spelt will work wonders and makes the most of the meat…