Innehållsförteckning för March 2019 från The Field

NEW BREEDS AT CRUFTS The Braque d’Auvergne, White Swiss Shepherd Dog, Black and Tan Coonhound and Russian Toy (pictured) are competing at Crufts (7-10 March) for the first time this year in the Imported Breed Register classes. The gundog classes are on the opening day (7th), working and pastoral group will be shown on the Friday, terriers and hounds on the Saturday and utility and toys on the Sunday. The event takes place at the NEC in Birmingham. www.crufts.org.uk MALLOCH TROPHY WINNER A 28lb spring salmon caught on the River Teith is the winner of the 2018 Malloch Trophy, awarded for the largest salmon caught on a fly and safely returned during the year in Scottish waters. Perth fisherman Philip Black caught it on 24 March at 4pm with a…

SOMERSWOOD LYDIA BRIDGE, DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK This seven-bedroom property on the edge of Dartmoor sits in just over two acres with frontage to the River Avon and fishing rights for bream and trout. It was built in the early 1800s and has two wings that can be used as annexes. It also has a courtyard of barns. Agent: Marchand Petit Tel: 01803 847979 Guide price: £1m ARDOE AND MURTLE FISHINGS RIVER DEE, ABERDEENSHIRE This is a Lower River Dee beat of about one-and-a-half miles with 11 named pools on one of Scotland’s finest salmon rivers. The 10-year average is 100 salmon and there is an easily accessible fishing hut. The land extends to just over 8½ acres. Agent: Galbraith Tel: 01463 224343 Guide price: £350,000 DAFARN MOELFRE, OSWESTRY, SHROPSHIRE A…

SNAIL CREEP HOUGHTON, STOCKBRIDGE Set in a Test Valley village, Snail Creep comes with architectural detailing and flourishes, including a turret and castellated parapet. It has seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, three reception rooms and an acre of land. There is also a cottage, tennis court and swimming pool. Agent: Savills Tel: 01962 841842 Guide price: £2.65m THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE HURSTBOURNE TARRANT A former school house in the Bourne Valley, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Grade II-listed thatched cottage, with flint elevations, has two bedrooms, a split-level garden and a workshop. The thatched roof was replaced in 2017. Agent: Evans & Partridge Tel: 01264 810702 Guide price: £425,000 CAMP HILL COTTAGE LYNDHURST The cottage dates back 300 years with a 1930s extension. There are four bedrooms,…

Serves 4 Preparation time: 1 hour 10 minutes 4 pigeon (450g each) 4 carrots, peeled and julienned 12 cocktail onions, peeled and kept whole 200g ventreche or pancetta 600g shelled peas 200g butter 500ml chicken stock 1 round lettuce, shredded Salt and pepper Prepare the pigeons for roasting: season inside and smear with oil. Roast in a hot oven (210°C/410°F/Gas Mark 6) turning on all sides for 7-8 minutes. Leave to rest before taking off the bone and trimming. Blanch the vegetables and refresh in iced water, keeping them firm. Blanch the ventreche for 5 minutes then cut into small lardons. Put the peas in a pan with a little butter. In a separate pan, gently fry the ventreche until just starting to colour then add the onions and carrots.…

These are the hounds that got left behind by Noah’s Ark,” my companion, Dickie Power, assures me as we watch the black-and-tan bodies bounding their way over Nicker Hill in front of us on a drizzly Saturday in January. Standing in the grounds of Nicker Church, which is well known for its Passion Play on Good Friday, having passed the grotto and the Stations of the Cross to reach our vantage point, the religious connotations seem apt. Legend has it the hounds hopped off Noah’s Ark as it made its way past these fabled fields, probably wise in the knowledge that if you are a foxhound, then Ireland, namely County Limerick and County Tipperary, are as close to Heaven as one could get. “It is hard to put into words.…

1 small bottle of dry sherry (375ml) 2 x 3cm long medium hot chilli Remove the green stalk from the chilli. Keeping the chilli whole, slice into the flesh with a sharp knife a few times, leaving the seeds intact. Add the chilli to the sherry bottle (you may need to drink some of the sherry first!) Seal the bottle and leave to infuse for at least two weeks, turning the bottle every now and then to help release the chilli oil. After a few weeks, remove the chilli and seal the bottle back up ready for use.…

The anatomy of this fox pouncing on a bird might not be absolutely precise, but the energy it sums up marks the artist out as one of the greatest animal painters of 19th-century Japan. In Japanese folklore, foxes or kitsuneare intelligent beings, which are sometimes human shapeshifters or demons. They can serve as intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds, and it was once common belief that people could be possessed by foxes. It is tempting to read something of these ideas into the intelligent look on this fox’s face. Animal: Exploring the Zoological World , published by Phaidon, is available now (£39.95)…

THERE’S one law that I suspect most owners of sporting dogs have broken on numerous occasions, and that’s the legal requirement for a dog in a public place to wear a collar with the name and address of its owner engraved or written on it, or engraved on a tag. A telephone number is not required but is advised. Failure to so equip your dog can leave you liable to a fine of up to £5,000, although I would be astonished if anyone has ever been charged such a sum. Like all good laws, there are exceptions. Emergency rescue dogs and registered guide dogs are exempt, as are dogs being used by a member of HM Armed Forces, the police or HM Customs and Excise. Sheep and cattle dogs are…

2 Quorn Hunt Ball Whatton House, Leicestershire. For tickets email: quornhuntball@gmail.com 2 Duke of Beaufort’s Point-to-Point Didmarton, Gloucestershire (first race 11.30am). Tel 01225 891293; email carolclift@gmail.com 3 GWCT Cheshire branch lunch and auction Colshaw Hall Country Estate, Cheshire. Email Deborah Sellars at cheshire@gwct.org.uk 4-23 ‘From Genesis to Nemesis’, exhibition of new works by Mick Rooney Fosse Gallery, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire. Tel 01451 831319; fossegallery.com 8 BASC Ladies Shooting Day Mid-Wales Shooting Ground, Trefeglwys, Powys. Cost £65 for members, £75 for non-members. Tel 01244 573029; email sian.mean@basc.org.uk 10 College Valley & North Northumberland Point-to-Point Ratcheugh Farm, Alnwick (first race 1pm). Tel 01890 850266. 10 Suffolk Point-to-Point Ampton, Bury St Edmonds (first race 1pm). Tel 07899807073. 12-15 Cheltenham Festival Prestbury,…

TRAVELLING WITH A GUN I am somewhat surprised and disappointed with Travels with my guns [Young, February issue], especially as you have an article about a man who took his .450 Lancaster to Africa in the same issue. I have travelled with guns on hundreds of foreign trips 33 African safaris alone and in 50 years of international travel I have never lost a gun in the system. It is all very well borrowing a 20-bore Beretta in Argentina but my experience of loan rifles in Africa has confirmed my insistence on using my own rifles on dangerous game, and advising others to do the same. Once, in Zimbabwe, I borrowed a new .450 Rigby bolt rifle, which I had built for a client. The rifle, at the client’s request,…

AMONG the many ancient royal offices – Swan Marker, Grand Carver, the highly desirable Groom of the Stool – there appears no reference to a Keeper of the Pigeon, at least of the quarry kind, though the sovereign remains well served with the racing variety. So, among the Sapphic fumblings and rampant rabbits of Queen Anne’s court, so lavishly portrayed in The Favourite, you will watch vainly for an 18th-century George Digweed, clad in billowing feathers and lace and imparting wisdom on sound gun mount and balanced footwork. The film suggests, however, that an early manifestation of George was at hand to instruct as two of the stars, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, are depicted making short work of thrown rock pigeon with flintlock fowling pieces. The historians amongst us…

A night at the impressive Paschoe House country hotel, less than half an hour away, comes highly recommended. The chef is exceptional (watch out Gidleigh Park) and the hotel is well suited to the sporting gentleman or lady; a particular highlight is its collection of taxidermy. Rooms start from £179 for a single, rising to £189 for doubles in the hotel’s ‘Spacious’ category and £259 in the ‘Sensational’ category, including bed and breakfast. The hotel has three luxury, dog-friendly rooms. To bring your dog costs £15 per dog, per night. Paschoe House, Bow, Crediton, Devon EX17 6JT. Tel 01363 84244; www.paschoehouse.co.uk…

Serves 4 6 pigeon breasts (skin off) FOR THE MARINADE: 150ml olive oil 50ml cider vinegar 1 small bunch wild garlic or 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 stick celery, roughly chopped 1 small red onion, roughly chopped Good twist black pepper 1 tsp salt 2 sprigs rosemary 4 bay leaves Carpaccio is actually rather a recent taste sensation, having only been with us since the 1950s. The dish was born when one Countess Mocenigo walked into harry’s Bar in Venice (also the home of the Bellini) and informed the proprietor that her doctor had recommended she eat only raw meat. The dish that Giuseppe Cipriani, the then owner, produced was so named because the colours of the final dish reminded him of the paintings by…

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 2 large onions, finely sliced Few drops of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp sugar 500g spinach, shredded 4 x 20cm flatbreads 4 juicy tomatoes, quartered 125g feta cheese, diced 12 black olives, stoned 4 tbsp pine nuts 4 woodpigeon breasts ½ - 1 tsp chilli jam 100g Greek yoghurt Sprigs of mint, finely chopped Sea salt crystals Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar, cook for 3-4 minutes. Season to taste. Cook the spinach with a tablespoon of water in a large, covered saucepan over a medium heat for about 2 minutes,…

Send queries to Rosie Macdonald, Country Queries Editor, The Field, Pinehurst II, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF. Email: country-queries@hectareshouse.co.uk For more, go to: www.thefield.co.uk BERRY CHRISTMAS Q I often struggle to buy decent holly at Christmas and it can be expensive, so I would like to plant some. Would I have to wait manyyears to pick it with berries on? As a second project, I am also considering incorporating it into a hedge to fill in the gaps. Can you help? HM, Black Mountains, Wales A Plants taken from cuttings tend to berry earlier than a plant grown from a seed. And some hollies berry more freely than others, so try to find one with a reputation for plentiful berries. Bear in mind that only female…

BY the end of the 17th century, hunting throughout Europe had undergone a fundamental change, all thanks to the development, refinement and use of the firearm. The traditional weapons of the hunt, such as the bow and the spear, had been made largely redundant and would ultimately disappear from the scene. The humble hunting sword, however, would stubbornly remain. These so-called ‘hangers’, a term originating in the 14th century and referencing the way in which the swords were carried, were characterised by short, curved, single-edged blades, although straight-bladed hangers did become more common in the 18th century. They were an all-purpose weapon and were popular amongst all segments of society, their relatively small size when compared to the rapier making them much more practical in a number of scenarios. Amongst…

I COME from a non-fieldsports background but when my family moved to Eskdale Green in Cumberland I learnt to ride. Most of my youthful weekends were spent at a local farm riding their ponies and backing youngsters. I attended a couple of West Cumberland Pony Club meets and have vivid memories of trying not to overtake the person wearing the red coat. Our local fell pack was the Eskdale & Ennerdale, which I followed and sent in the occasional report to Horse & Hound. Watching the farmer’s sons prepare deer carcasses may have been what prompted my interest in becoming a vet. Whilst at university in Liverpool I dabbled with .22 rifle shooting but my main sports were badminton and Vets Mixed Hockey (a fieldsport in its own right). As…

THE BOOK OF PEBBLES I was hooked by this book from the first line: “Why do we pick up pebbles on the beach?” I admit, I hadn’t given it any thought at all until I read it there. But glancing at the shelf and windowsill in my office I spotted an assortment of beach-plucked spoils from beneath the big skies of Norfolk, the Scottish wilds and the smugglers’ coves of Devon. Christopher Stocks is a writer but, more importantly, a pebble collector. In this beautifully illustrated volume he sets out to poke into our rocky obsession over 10 short chapters. We find out why Sir Mortimer Wheeler believed that pebbles were used as weapons, the way the size of a pebble can determine your location on Chesil Beach and how…

MOST VIEWED The most popular pack This super, snowy outtake from our Buccleuch hunt report in the December issue, taken by Sarah Farnsworth, has become our most liked Instagram picture ever. The snap of huntsman Tim Allen MFH and hounds leaving for the meet has garnered more than 2,000 likes. “Wonderful picture,” said one Fielder. “Stunning,” agreed another. “Beautiful shot of our local pack,” commented Floors Castle. “Please never, ever let it end,” added one. #THEFIELDMAGAZINE Passion for powder The Editor attended a muzzle-loading day at Slebech Park for the January issue, inspiring readers to look to ancient guns and black powder for excitement. Instagram Fielders loved the lead image, taken by Laurence Squire. Readers were similarly inspired by the January Sporting Diana column, in which Clare Mills shared how…

FAIR play to property consultants, industry bodies and, more specifically, their research teams who continue to pound out data and forecasts from the basement, the hilltop, or wherever these prophets of profit sit to crunch the numbers. These hardy seers carry on regardless in these crazy times, despite the temptation to follow the lead of BBC political journalist Chris Mason who, when talking about what might happen next, regarding Brexit, said: “I haven’t the foggiest idea.” A fog hangs heavy over the housing market and the alphabet pea soup spells ‘uncertainty’, which skews everything from the volume housebuilders sweating over their strategic land banks to a humble first-time buyer who, having finally prised open the vault of the bank of mum and dad, has not the scintilla of a soupçon…

CEDAR COTTAGE CAMBER, EAST SUSSEX This seaside cottage needs complete renovation, subject to planning permission, and can only be viewed from the outside for safety reasons. It is set on a private lane a few minutes’ walk from Camber Sands beach near Rye. It is a 1930s, chalet-style property, built of timber and cedar shingles and south-facing, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Water damage means it is currently uninhabitable and, given the state of and type of property, specialist mortgage advice is recommended. There is hard-standing car parking and a garage, which is also in a state of disrepair. Agent: Phillips & Stubbs Tel: 01797 227338 Guide price: £325,000…

I WENT to pony club camp when I was 12 and I remember coming home after five days ripe. I hadn’t really washed for a week, hours of scrubbing my steed had transferred every last fleck of his grease onto me and I was in stinking bliss. The bath after I washed resembled a stagnant water trough, algae and all. This is fairly standard for horse folk. The acceptance that you will spend hours cleaning up dirt after giant poo machine and mostly exist in the faint waft of ammonia then learn to employ industrial cleaning methods for both you and your bathroom. Dirty bathrooms, particularly baths, appal me. A lifetime spent cleaning stinking beasts is a snip compared to cleaning a bath tub after another human. “You convince yourself…

I have been involved with shooting almost as long as I have been involved with food. Both are a fascination but food comes a close first for my attentions – and wild food is a passion. This month we will be reaping the bounty of spring’s wild greens – wild garlic, sorrel, alexanders, sea beet and more. Shooting, stalking and fishing are a natural extension to foraging for me, so rabbit, rook, venison and pigeon will be making an appearance on the menu as soon as I get all that leftover game out of the freezer (I like to capitalise on the glut of pheasants during the season). Excess gamebirds should never be an issue but as the sport grows and the market for some shot game takes its time…

This recipe is taken from Michael Caines at Home This is a lovely salad that’s good all year round. The pigeon breasts are marinated to add flavour and tenderise them, and the salad is a great combination of flavours, with the freshness of the apple and the crunch and texture from the mangetout and caramelised haZelnuts. Serves 4 4 woodpigeon breasts Olive oil 1 clove garlic, sliced 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves 1 bay leaf Hazelnut vinaigrette 80g mangetout For the garlic chips: 6 cloves garlic Vegetable oil for frying 2 Cox’s apples, peeled and diced Salt and freshly ground black pepper Mixed baby salad leaves Mixed fresh herbs, such as chervil, chives, marjoram 3 shallots, finely chopped Caramelised hazelnuts Planning ahead Marinate the woodpigeon breast at least 6 hours…

1.25kg tomatoes 75g medium-hot red chillies, stems removed 125g garlic cloves, crushed 125g ginger, peeled and grated 850g sugar 125ml red wine vinegar ½ tbsp salt Add the tomatoes and chillies to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Keep it on a low heat for an hour, stirring more frequently as it reduces. Once thickened, pour into sterilised jars. If stored in a cool, dry place, it will last for up to six months.…

200g fresh hot red chillies 150g red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped 5 cloves garlic, peeled 60g light brown sugar 1 tsp sea salt 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce 2 tbsp white wine vinegar Makes about 350ml Blitz the chillies, red pepper, garlic, sugar and salt in a food processor until you have a course paste. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and cover with cling film. Leave at room temperature for about 2 days until it starts to ferment (you will see bubbles appear). Then uncover the chilli mixture and stir well then cover again with cling film. Repeat every day for 3 days. Then pour the chilli mixture into the food processor or blender and blitz until smooth, then push the mixture through a sieve with the…

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MONTH MURPHY, BY ANDREW BROOK: four-year-old Murphy (above) is part of the Ingdalehowl Labradors pack, picking up on estates in East Riding and North Yorkshire. PURDEY, BY BEN  THURLOW: two-year-old cocker spaniel Purdey is seen here waiting for the next drive, having snuck into a hollow tree. If you have a photograph you would like to enter, please email gundogawards@ti-media.com Full terms and conditions apply www.thefield.co.uk/gundog-awards…

I thought I had better go back to school and do a bit of swotting up on the fundamental principles of property rights JUST before travelling to Cape Town for the New Year, I was honoured to hear I had been co-opted onto the Forestry Commission’s North West & West Midlands Area’s Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committee (FWAC). Our remit includes advocating and championing forestry interests, and providing advice, expertise and challenge when it comes to applying national policies to local areas. It includes an impressive and diverse group of characters who I am looking forward to meeting. God, I suspect, still does not know how Brexit will pan out (at the time of writing, Mrs May is still not yet bagged up in Mr Osborne’s freezer), but whatever the…