Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i The Field

OLD sayings become old because they stand the test of time. “If you want something done, ask a busy person” is no more than an accurate statement of fact. As is the related rule, as infallible as Newton’s Laws, that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. The trick in life is to find and cherish the busy 20%. That is true whatever you are running, be it a hotel or a hunt, a shooting estate or a nature reserve. All depend on the industrious one in five. Nor are these people who make everything possible limited to employees, important though they are. Without volunteers – the great unpaid army – much of what goes on in the countryside would grind to a halt, never to…

ONE OF the conundrums of the great and varied British countryside is whether or not the land is more important than the literature it inspired. Or is the literature at least of equal importance for guiding us back to the land with our hearts and minds full of yet further inspiration? We all accept that Dorset is Hardy Country, that Wordsworth wandered the Lake District and when you go to Warwickshire you are ‘Welcome to Shakespeare’s England’. Exmoor belongs to Lorna Doone, the north Cornish coast to John Betjeman’s poetry and the Highlands to Sir Walter Scott and John Buchan, whose John Macnab gave rise to The Field’s own Macnab Challenge. But almost every county has literature that can heighten our love of landscape and it is a worthwhile odyssey…

THIS month’s test gun is a 20-bore Browning 525 Game Tradition Light, tipping the scales at just under 6lb 5oz (so, light but not ultralight). It is distinguished by an American walnut stock, 30in barrels with a narrow rib, flush-fitting Invector Plus multichokes and an alloy action with scroll and game scene engraving. There is an inertia-operated single trigger and the usual Browning/Miroku top-strap safety-cum-barrel-selector. The gun came to us for testing courtesy of David Stapley from International Sports Brands, the agent for Browning International. First impressions are fine. The aesthetics and form are most pleasing. The machine engraving is not quite what I would specify – I tend to prefer scroll alone on industrially made guns – but it is in keeping with a field model. Gamebirds adorn both…

PIGEON have been an easy-to-find source of protein across the world for centuries. Available all year round, they are very much considered a sustainable food and for most people can be a local option. The birds’ tendency to forage from farmland firmly tips them into the ‘pest’ category but this lifestyle, along with a wilder natural diet, makes their meat incredibly flavourful and characterful. Pigeon is rich in vitamins and minerals – particularly iron, which is important for boosting immunity. It is also low in fat and so, depending on how it is cooked, it can be considered a healthy option. I tend to serve a whole pigeon each for a main course; one breast per person is enough for a starter, or two breasts for a lunch. The carcasses…

AT FIRST glance the new Honda HR-V could be mistaken for being rather dull. It didn’t help that my test car arrived in Abigail’s Party beige (Honda bravely calls it ‘sand khaki pearl’) but the exterior comes with a refreshing lack of ‘spoilers and slash’ styling. Yet it’s a look that soon grows on you; the front is a handsome and restrained grille, and the back is free from frippery. And it has a high-riding chunkiness with big wheels that suggests (wrongly, of course) that four-wheel drive might be on offer. The interior continues with the same theme. The dashboard is clear and simple, and the seats – in a slightly retro twill/plastic mix (let’s stop calling it ‘synthetic leather’, shall we?) – are comfortable and practical. And it’s only…

FARRIER IS UK’S MOST WATCHED TIKTOKER Sam Dracott, a professional farrier who regularly shares his satisfying day-to-day work on video-sharing app TikTok, had the most viewed UK content of 2022. The video, which shows him cleaning and trimming a horse’s hoof, accumulated more than 273 million views over the year. A ROCKY BERETTA Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone has received his own custom Beretta shotgun. The SO Sparviere ‘Rocky’ features engravings that celebrate the Rocky films, including a bas-relief of Stallone in the iconic role. The film star is said to be pleased with the gun, calling it “a work of art”. FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM @thefieldmagazine FACEBOOK TWITTER The Field Mag Subscribe to our exclusive newsletter SCAN THE QR CODE WITH YOUR PHONE ▸ TO CONTACT THE NEWS…

Eating out RESERVATION THE WALNUT TREE INN Where: Llanddewi Skirrid, Abergavenny NP7 8AW What: A destination Michelin-starred restaurant in the rolling borderlands of Wales. Award-winning chef-owner Shaun Hill has been at the helm since 2008 pairing elegant dining, which showcases local and seasonal ingredients, with a warm and unpretentious welcome. At this time of year look out for mallard and woodcock on the menu or Hill’s take on a partridge pudding: a partridge mousse steamed in a dariole mould then served with game gravy, deep-fried sage leaves and streaky bacon. In the winter months, many regulars like to enjoy the roaring fires and hustle-bustle of the bar area, while later in the year the views over the Welsh countryside are a sight to behold if the temperature allows for al…

There was a welcoming atmosphere at Gallery 8 off St James’s Street in London when it hosted the first private view of artist Charles Church’s new exhibition ‘Pastures New’. It was Church’s first exhibition in five years and he spent most of the night thanking clients and guests alike. “We had almost 100 people walk through the doors,” says Church, who featured as one of The Field’s Sporting Artists in our November issue. “It was a great atmosphere, a proper party all the way through the evening.” Passers-by were drawn in by Church’s splendid painting Charolais Bull under Bulbarrow, which was strategically placed in the window. Scrumptious canapés were provided by Sabrina Sampson Private Catering and included scallop ceviche and fillet of beef with wasabi and slow-cooked tomato, all washed…

STAR BUY This property and farm runs to 227 acres in total, including pasture, woodland and game cover, with the potential for a family shoot. There is a millstream at the front of the house running down to an old mill house that could be converted, subject to planning. There are extensive lawns, a lake, a kitchen garden, an orchard and a tennis court. There is also a collection of modern family buildings, with potential for alternative uses, and equestrian facilities, including stables and a tack room. Mill House was converted in 1998 from a red brick agricultural dwelling into a country home. Features of the five-bedroom property include a central turret with a seating area affording views across the farm, natural flagstone floors and a stone spiral staircase. Agent:…

THERE’S a snuffling and a scuffling, a snort and a shove coming from the other side of a pig pen in a farmyard on the Doddington Hall estate, near Lincoln. Three Hungarian Mangalitza pigs, genetic cousins of the now extinct Lincolnshire Curly Coat with hair that looks rather like wool, have just spent their first night at Doddington. “Do they have names?” I ask Isobel Wright, manager of Doddington Hall’s rewilding project, Wilder Doddington. She suggests that it would be best not to get too attached. The unnamed pigs are destined for a life of turning the soil and digging for worms. It’s all part of the rewilding programme that was started by Doddington’s owners, James and Claire Birch, in 2021. Claire Birch, who spent her twenties “wearing a ‘Save…

GOLF and jump racing may seem like unlikely bedfellows but it’s a marriage that leading National Hunt trainer Ben Pauling believes works rather well. Having started out in 2013 with just eight horses, Pauling moved to his state-of-the-art yard, Naunton Downs in the Cotswolds, in April 2022. He’d been looking for an existing yard to move his burgeoning string to when an 18-hole golf course came up for sale in his ideal location with hills for fittening horses. “We had the vision of doing two things in one place – why not?” says Pauling, 39. “People thought we were bonkers but as the golf course was already a commercial property, it was much easier than turning farmland and old barns into a business.” This gave Pauling the scope to dream…

This impressive map by Christopher Saxton drew upon his county surveys and is the first printed one of the counties of England and Wales. It had flaws, as in the coverage of the neighbouring areas of southern Scotland, eastern Ireland and the Isle of Man, but showed Wales more accurately than did Humphrey Llwyd’s map [featured in The Field’s February issue]. The coasts are full of shipping and large sea monsters, providing pictorial detail to complement the land, where 52 counties are differentiated by colour and identified by their Latin names in a numbered index. A History of Britain in 100 Maps by Jeremy Black, published by British Library Publishing, hardback (£40)…

EARLIER this winter, I was walking my spaniel along a footpath when she stopped as suddenly as if she had run into a brick wall. There was no visual barrier – she had clearly run into strong scent. Sure enough, an impressive covey of 15 grey partridges lifted from the cover crop in the adjoining field. They were at least 150 yards away. Perhaps they had recently crossed the path but, even if they had, it was a reminder of the extraordinary scenting abilities of a working-bred gundog. It’s no wonder that spaniels can register scent that is far beyond our own capabilities. Dogs have more than 100 million sensory receptor sites in their nasal cavity, compared with the measly six million or so that we have. What’s more, the…

AT FIRST sight this dagger looks rather unprepossessing with its plain wooden grip and simple, acorn-shaped quillons. However, first impressions can be misleading as closer examination reveals the blade has been etched with a now-some-what-indistinct design of Tudor roses and pomegranates. These were the badges of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, whose marriage was famously annulled in 1533 as a result of the King’s desire to wed Anne Boleyn. Having been happily married for around 16 years, their relationship had begun to deteriorate by the mid-1520s, making it highly unlikely that the dagger was made any later than about 1525. It seems originally to have been fitted with a stag-horn grip, but in 1960 the few remaining fragments were replaced with the wooden one together with…

THERE are some places one longs for in a locale, and they come with certain characteristics. A mellow stone exterior, at least one open fire, low beams, creaking leather settles and a menu that’s as much a part of the countryside as the locals at the bar, while being thoroughly welcoming to visitors, too. The Kings Arms in Rutland stands out. Nestled in the picturesque village of Wing, this pub with rooms is a local, as locals should be. The pub in its current iteration opened in 2004 and is run by James (Jimmy) and Kate Goss and their dedicated team. “It’s so important not only to eat game but to allow people to ‘get’ the countryside,” says James Goss. So in place of scampi or bangers ’n’ mash the…

FOR DAYS the gamekeeper on a distant beat had implored us to come and shoot some of the swarms of woodpigeons that showed up so clearly against the dark green of the spruce and larch trees, of which those particular coverts were composed. But knowing of old the innate cunning of these birds, we refrained from any invasion of their haunts until a cold equinoctial gale came blowing up from the westward, and all the countryside became bleak and drear from the blinding snow showers. With a brief postcard to half a dozen of the neighbouring keepers, requesting that they might fire a shot or two during the afternoon to keep the birds astir, we loaded our cartridge bags and drove away a mile or more in the dogcart to…

The avian flu outbreak is showing no signs of slowing, with concerns that prevention measures and gamebird shortages could continue to disrupt shooting next season. The H5N1 strain has killed more than 140 million birds, making it the largest avian flu epidemic recorded. The virus also appears to be accelerating. Data shows that in Europe in autumn 2022 the number of infected farms was 35% higher than at the same time the previous year. However, in more positive news for shoots that rely on reared birds, it is hoped a change in trade regulations between the European Union (EU) and non-EU countries will reduce delays to importing gamebirds from France and Spain. Under the change, which came into effect on 6 February, the surveillance period and restriction for exporting poultry…

The Petitions Committee debated an e-petition in January calling for a ban on the use of snares. Nick Fletcher MP, who led the debate, explained how a humane cable restraint, pioneered by the GWCT, differs from a traditional snare and is a better way to manage wildlife in the UK. The session closed with a call for improved information about the correct use of snaring. Speaking to The Field, Patrick Bartlett, a gamekeeper in Wiltshire, had concerns over what the debate will mean for fox control. “There needs to be an effective tool to manage populations. If the data proves that the cable restraint is more effective, I shall follow the guidelines; however, there needs to be a plan in place if it doesn’t.”…

RIVER COTTAGE STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, WARWICKSHIRE River Cottage is two miles from Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse. The property sits on the banks of the River Avon and comes with 240ft of waterside frontage. The house has five bedrooms and four reception rooms and has been extensively refurbished. The gardens extend to just under ⅓ of an acre, with a mix of lawns and herbaceous borders as well as a paved seating area. Agent: Vaughan Reynolds Tel: 01789 292659 Guide price: £2 million PORTLAND TOWERS STONEYGATE, LEICESTER, LEICESTERSHIRE Portland Towers is close to Leicester Racecourse and is on the market for the first time in more than 40 years. It is a Victorian property, built in 1860 and sitting in just over ½ an acre of land. Features of the four-bedroom house include original stone…

PIGEON shooting has become something of a vocation ever since Archie Coats wrote his famous work on the subject, Pigeon Shooting, in 1963. Many dedicate themselves solely to the pursuit of Columba palumbus. These native birds are reactive and tough. Driven pheasants and partridges ‘come to be shot’; you have to look for the ones that will challenge. Woodpigeon are far more wily and will take instant evasive action. Pigeon shooting demands good fieldcraft. First you have to put yourself in a situation where you can shoot them. You have to gather intelligence and do reconnaissance. Find where they are coming from, where they are going, where they are feeding and upon what. Discover their flight paths. Consider the wind and the position of the sun (preferably both on…

Mystery surrounds the first extinction of capercaillie in Scotland around 1770, although the disappearance of what would most likely have been an indigenous subspecies has been attributed to the loss of Caledonian forest. It wasn’t until 1837 that capercaillie reappeared in Scotland, when Norfolk squire SirThomas Buxton arranged for his Irish gamekeeper, Larry Banville, to travel to Sweden to capture capercaillie for release on the Earl of Breadalbane’s estate at Taymouth Castle in Perthshire. The reintroduction was a great success and the population expanded its range widely. British Birds (1930) lists them as spread throughout the Tay area, most of the Clyde, West Forth, Dee, Moray and north of East Ross-shire, with stragglers recorded from Wigtown and Dumfries in the south and Elgin in the north. Big bags were recorded…

IF I look to the right while at my desk there are shelves upon shelves of books, read and unread. There are classics (Peter Scott’s Morning Flight), favourites (Simon Blow’s Fields Elysian), treatises on hunting, shooting, tweed and English history. There is fishing, stalking and Scottish dancing; gunmaking, horse racing and botany. Some Hemingway, Mitford and a well-thumbed murder mystery. Books are a smorgasbord; they make up our world like a slightly dysfunctional family, but together they form an essential backdrop. What rarely finds its place on my shelves is what one might traditionally call nature writing, much of which is a little too mawkish and a little too twee. I once threw a book on geese across the room, so frustrating I found its inability to connect with the…

AS EASY AS PIE Q I am rather embarrassed to ask such a simple question of you but I would like a recommendation for a tasty, easy-to-make pheasant pie. I’m not much of a cook anyway and have never cooked pheasant before but, with a new partner to impress, I feel it’s time to start. I have looked at a few recipes but they all seem so complicated. Can you help? LD, Devon A One can’t go wrong with this recipe for pheasant and leek pie. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/Gas Mark 7. Heat 50g butter in a casserole dish, add 150g smoked bacon cut into strips, cook for a couple of minutes and then add 4 sliced leeks, 3 sliced celery sticks, 4 sliced carrots and 2 bay leaves.…

MY LOVE of gamekeeping and the land started at my grandfather’s knee. He had spent many happy days working the hills around his home in Glenfeshie. His tales of the Highland garrons and life as a gillie always captured my imagination. He was also a keen fisherman and could often be found with a rod in his hand around the lochs of north-west Sutherland when he visited our family home near Kinlochbervie. It was this, plus the rugged landscape where I grew up, that sparked my interest in country sports. I first held a rifle at 14 while shooting rabbits with my father on our family croft. It is a remote setting but what we lack in modern-day conveniences, such as cinemas and shopping centres, we make up for in…

REAL art is real. Even if not figurative, it is an authentic depiction of what the artist saw or experienced. Here is Lucy Boydell describing the moment she met her stag: “He walked across the grass and I turned to watch him; he was coming across the clearing and he had his little harem of hinds around him. They broke, and he walked on through and came prancing past. Then he turned and looked at me, eye to eye, and his eyes were blue. He looked straight at me with his head up and I nearly passed out.” Boydell set out to recreate that moment of connection in her chosen medium of charcoal and chalk at near life-size, so now that split-second of imperious glance stares out at us all,…

ARE there just too many daffodils in the world? Every March, I ask myself this question as I drive down country lanes near my home in the English Midlands. Here and there, the grass verges are punctured by clumps of shouty, yolk-yellow ‘Golden Harvest’, ‘Dutch Master’ or ‘King Alfred’ daffodils. These, sadly, will flower every March until the crack of doom. And my heart sinks lower with every cheery yellow wave I pass. No doubt these bulbs were planted with the best of intentions. But, for me, their in-your-face obviousness detracts from the quiet beauty of smoke-white blackthorn and burgeoning fresh-green hawthorn leaves. I guess those bulbs that have been deliberately planted, rather than just dumped from nearby gardens, are to ‘cheer up’ the landscape before the trees come into…