Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från The Field

Farmed salmon production in 2022 was almost a fifth lower than in 2021 despite a near-equal number of smolts being put to sea, new figures released by the Scottish government have revealed. Rachel Mulrenan, Scotland director at WildFish, said the record drop in farmed salmon production volume was not surprising “considering that 2022 was the deadliest year on record for Scottish salmon farms, with 16.7 million farmed salmon dying in the water”. She added: “What is concerning is that this year is looking even worse than last, with 10.5 million deaths already reported from January to August – 2.7 million more than the same period last year.” Salmon farming company Bakkafrost has put the declines down to “biological risks”. In a statement, it said: “There have been some challenges in…

TO SAY I worship at the altar of serendipity is an understatement. How I came to gallop once again with the Grafton, in its glorious country that stretches across Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire bordering the Pytchley, Oakley and Bicester with Whaddon Chase, is a textbook example: a raft of wondrous threads woven together. The bloodlines of the pack can still be traced to the original hounds, named after their founder – the Duke of Grafton – whose influence extended far beyond the woodland and hedgerows of central England. His legacy is safeguarded by chairman and Master Charles Smyth-Osbourne and huntsman David Seels, who together keep tight lines on the breeding of this mixed pack of 241/2 couple marrying both old English and modern stock. Going back to the first Duke, Henry…

AS THOUGHTS turn to Christmas and families getting together, there may be worries about a shrivelled turkey or even the odd cross word fuelled by excessive glass-emptying. However, the perfect tonic to such thoughts is the prospect of time spent in joyful outdoor surroundings, whatever the weather, with mad dogs, even more excitable children and a gun in hand as one searches out the spinneys and hedge-rows to fill a gamebag. Those days, hopefully crisp and cold, provide the ideal antidote to frayed Christmas nerves as entire families get together after months, or perhaps even a couple of years, apart. For a start, it makes present shopping for nephews and nieces so much easier. All of my early shooting accoutrements, from cartridge bag and belts to shooting stockings and caps,…

WITH the heady scent of tradition in the air, there can be few things more festive than the meats of the kings of yore. Pheasant, partridge, venison and the rest would each have been found on the historic Yuletide banqueting table and, as a result, all those warm spices and sweetmeats so prevalent in historic cuisine, and nowadays so associated with the flavours of Christmas, are the natural bedfellows to those meats. If the history books are to be believed, we have Henry VIII to ‘thank’ for first adding turkey to the table, but as far as I’m concerned he would have done better to leave it in the Americas where it belonged. He may well have been the first monarch to include it on the Christmas menu but the…

EVERYBODY knows and loves the robin, but despite being our most familiar bird it retains a degree of mystery. Most robins hatched in Britain never move far from their birth-place, but we know that a few fly south in the autumn. One unfortunate bird, ringed in Montgomeryshire, was shot more than 1,600km away in Spain in its first winter. Why do some individuals feel the compulsion to migrate, with all the inherent risks long flights involve, when they are just as likely to survive if they stay at home? Most British robins are sedentary. In contrast their cousins that breed in Fennoscandia and eastern Europe are highly migratory. They abandon the forests in late summer, migrating to the Mediterranean and even Morocco. Some of these birds pass through Britain but…

I DO LOVE Christmas. Or rather, I love the build-up to Christmas as the day itself is riven with too much cooking-related stress and in-law tension to be enjoyable for anyone over the age of 12. And what I relish most are the traditions we observe during Advent. All families have their own traditions and quirks. My own starts on 1 December, not a day earlier and not a day later, and is obsessively observed. I buy and decorate the biggest, fattest tree that can be squeezed through our front door (which invariably means that we can neither sit on the sofa nor see the television, as it fills our drawing room). I dig out the kitsch knitted nativity set my husband and I bought 17 years ago after we…

IT’S HARD to put into words that feeling, walking back at the end of a shooting day with your gun in its slip hanging from your shoulder, a brace dangling from your hand, and your dog finally tired enough to heel. Fortunately Colin Allbrook can put it into a painting. He reflects: “It is all I have ever done for a living, and I just love doing it. You get that light, often at the end of an autumn or winter afternoon, and something you have walked past 50 times suddenly changes and you notice it. It is all about noticing things,” he adds, “things that are always there and part of life as you go round the place, and then you really see them, and that’s when I go…

’TIS THE season to spend money and ’tis no good pushing back against the fact. Nor, I imagine, do we really want to, since we don’t want to be thought a pinchpenny at Christmas. Blame Charles Dickens for that. The trouble is that as our friends and relations get older it’s harder and harder to find something to buy them that is either attractive or useful or, preferably, both. Thank goodness, then, for the keen gardeners among them, since there is never much difficulty in finding something that will make their life easier or more pleasant. On the whole, large garden tools are highly personal things and probably best bought by the user, but secateurs are quite another matter, because there is such a range in quality available. In this…

CATCH AND RELEASE Fourteen-year-old angler Connor Halsa got a surprise when he hooked a wallet containing $2,000 in cash while fishing on a lake in Minnesota. Being a good Samaritan, Connor tracked down the wallet’s owner and returned it, refusing a cut of the money as a reward. PUT OUT TO GRASS A flock of hungry sheep that wandered into a greenhouse in Greece polished off more than 600lb of medical-grade marijuana. After their meal, the sheep were running in circles and “jumping higher than goats”, said farm owner Yannis Bourounis. “My crops have been decimated by extreme heat, floods and now this. I don’t know what to say.” FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM @thefieldmagazine FACEBOOK The Field Magazine TWITTER The Field Mag Subscribe to our exclusive newsletter SCAN…

Eating out RESERVATION FREEMASONS AT WISWELL Where? 8 Vicarage Fold, Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9DF What? A rural, Ribble Valley inn with a relaxed but stylish feel – think flagstone floors, muted heritage colours and period paintings – situated in an equally picturesque village. Chef owner Steven Smith makes the most of the abundance of game available within a 50-mile radius of the inn. “We very much serve what our local contacts bring us, and it is wonderful to be able to showcase the best of the British countryside,” he says. This passion is shared via the inn’s regular ‘Chef for the Day’ experiences for budding chefs. Look out for? The likes of spiced game broth, venison haunch bolognese, oxtail and beef cheek and a fine selection of local cheeses…

STAR BUY This sporting estate on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty extends to 545 acres in total. At its centre is a Grade I-listed 16th-century manor house with nine bedrooms, sitting in landscaped gardens. Period features of the house include oak panelling and stone fireplaces, while one of the bedrooms has a concealed priest hole. The estate’s sport includes a pheasant shoot across mixed mature woodland, a flightpond and roe stalking. There are two cottages in the sale, both with three bedrooms, while Lawkland Hall Farm, including a farmhouse and about 459 acres, is let on a farm business tenancy agreement until 2048. The estate is for sale as a whole or in three lots. Agents: Strutt & Parker…

FEARGAL Sharkey is the man: the Genghis Khan of modern water warriors. He’s fearless, passionate, tireless and endlessly prepared. He’s the water crusader that we have been crying out for. For many, this one-time rock star has changed the landscape of protest. His campaigns for clean rivers have been far removed from the polite objections of the past, made in the main by genteel professors and environmentalists. Because of Sharkey, primarily, we all know about sewage in our rivers, off our beaches and the crackpot bonuses that have gone to water company CEOs when the money should have gone into investment. Stop the pussyfooting, Sharkey said years ago. Pure water is truly a matter of life and death for us and the fish alike. Following on from Sharkey, who is…

ADVENT derives from the Latin for ‘coming’ and has been celebrated since the fourth century. Its origins began with converts waiting to be baptised, who used the time to meditate and gen up on their new faith. Gradually Advent formalised into the anticipation of Christ’s birth, officially starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas for Anglicans or the Sunday closest to 30 November, or the feast day of St Andrew the Apostle, for Catholics. This means the patron saint of Scotland – who also happens to play the same role in Romania, Barbados, Ukraine and Russia – kicks off Advent in huge parts of the world. In today’s increasingly secular Britain, to most people’s minds Advent begins on the first day of December. And this is pretty much because it’s…

THIS MONTH spotlights the new Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon V Field imported by GMK, the well-known firm that also brings in Benelli, Franchi, Chapuis, Sako and Tikka firearms. The latest in a long line of Beretta 600 series models, this is an extra-finish 12-bore (the 20-bore version is expected soon) with 30in Steelium barrels that are steel shot proof, a single selective trigger and long Optima HP multichokes. It weighs in at 7lb 6oz, mid-weight for a stack-barrelled game gun, and is distinguished by its acanthus scroll engraving and upgraded wood. Beretta offered a Silver Pigeon V some 20 years ago but it looked significantly different to the test gun, with gold inlaid birds and a chemically coloured action emulating traditional case hardening. The old model is still sought after,…

MISTLETOE DECORATION JESS WHEELER Designer Jess Wheeler wants her pieces to “transcend seasonality and have a conscience”. The beautiful brass and seed pearl mistletoe is one decoration that you will not need, or want, to take down. Each piece is unique and sustainably handmade in the UK. Price: small £25, large £680 Email: studio@jesswheeler.com jesswheeler.com CARAFE AND TUMBLER PETRA PALUMBO Petra Palumbo’s signature carafe and tumbler set has been given a new Christmas livery for the festive season. Made of French glass, hand-painted in the UK and delivered in sustainable packaging for your guest bedroom or to hold a little water with your whisky by a roaring yule log fire. Height: 16.5cm Price: £88 Email: info@petrapalumbo.com petrapalumbo.com BRUSSELS WEAVE CARPET SIBYL COLEFAX & JOHN FOWLER Originally produced by Flemish weavers…

STUDIES have shown that smells can trigger powerful memories. This probably explains why I feel like bursting into a Christmas song when aromas such as cinnamon, nutmeg and citrus waft through a kitchen. I have recently realised that, along with the twinkling lights, carols, concerts and well-stocked drinks cabinets, there are specific scents that I must have associated with the festive season at some point to make Christmas, well, Christmas. One of these is damp tweed, which sparks rather evocative memories for me at this time of year, but I just couldn’t figure out how I would incorporate that particular element into a recipe. Many of the others, however, make an appearance in my column this month, including Cointreau, mulled wine, certain spices and, of course, slow-cooked game. All the…

INNIS & GUNN ORIGINAL (£1.75 per 33cl, Sainsbury’s) My absolute standby at Christmas, the finest of beers that never fails to cheer me up. 2022 LA BAUME ‘CUVÉE FLORENCE’ PIQUEPOUL SAUVIGNON BLANC (£7.99 if you mix six, Majestic) A real crowd-pleaser, full of peach, citrus and herbs. 2022 TANNERS MERLOT (£10.50, Tanners) From the Languedoc, a ridiculously juicy, drinkable red that makes everyone smile. 2022 YAPP WHITE BURGUNDY (£17.25, Yapp Bros) A stunning own-label Chardonnay from the Mâconnais that will absolutely knock your socks off. FLETCHER’S 40-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT (£29.99, Aldi) No need to decant, just uncork and enjoy the softest, nuttiest and tastiest of tawny ports. FRANCK BONVILLE BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT GRAND CRU CHAMPAGNE (£49.95, Lea & Sandeman) One sip and you’ll never look at the big brands…

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced a public consultation on revised proposals relating to the restriction of lead ammunition use in England, Wales and Scotland. Under the proposals there will be no restrictions placed on lead airgun pellets. However, lead shot for live quarry and target shooting could be banned within five years, depending on the outcome of the process. No curbs have been proposed for rifle ammunition but this may change subject to the consultation’s findings. Speaking to The Field, Charles Bull, director of Just Cartridges, said: “The proposals look slightly better than what we had feared. However, nothing is set in stone. If they do not get put into law by the next general election they might change again.” When asked whether the proposals offered sufficient…

A decision by the Scottish parliament to remove the close season for male deer in Scotland in an attempt to reduce soaring deer numbers has been met with concern by the British Deer Society. The organisation said it feared the possibility of “our most enigmatic mega-fauna being treated as pests”. David MacNally, a stalker in the Highlands, was also sceptical of the move, deeming it unnecessary. “This change is pointless; should we need to control male deer out of season we can do so under general authorisation. Plus, the most effective way of trying to reduce the number of deer in the country is managing the females better, not the other way around.”…

The use of snares – or cable restraints – and glue traps has now been made illegal in Wales, with a partial ban in England. Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths said: “The use of snares and glue traps is not compatible with the high animal-welfare standards we strive for here in Wales. These methods can cause a great deal of suffering and harm to all animals.” The decision has been controversial with gamekeepers, many of whom argue that their role in protecting ground-nesting birds and vulnerable species has now been made even harder. Fred Jones, a gamekeeper on a North Wales shoot, told The Field: “It is becoming more difficult to succeed in your job as a keeper in Wales. With so many tactics taken and stripped away,…

CAST-IRON CASSEROLE ’Tis the season of warming stews and comfort food. The best casserole dishes can be used in the oven and on all hobs. Being attractive enough to be placed straight on the table is another bonus. Netherton Foundry, a family-run business in Shropshire, produces traditional, extra-deep, castiron casseroles. “They are ideal for making not just stews but sufficient soup to swim in and delicious pasta dishes, not to mention baking,” says Maddy Currie from the company. “Think crumbles and rice puddings as well as breads.” Cue the tummy rumbles. £195, netherton-foundry.co.uk…

THE GRANARY TO STOCK, SUFFOLK Formerly the gatehouse to Tostock Place, this timber-frame, thatched period cottage, set in ¾ of an acre, dates from the 17th century. The property has been modernised and extended over the years and is mainly single-storey accommodation, with a self-contained guest annexe and a range of outbuildings. Features of the cottage include its vaulted reception room, exposed timbers and oak floorboards. Agent: Bedfords Tel: 01284 769999 Guide price: £699,950 LOWER SOAR COTTAGE MARLBOROUGH, DEVON A Grade II-listed thatched cottage, this three-bedroom property is close to the Soar Mill Cove coastline and open sea, set a little back from the cliffs between Bolt Head and Bolt Tail. The cottage has exposed beams, a stone fireplace with a wood-burner and deep-set window sills. It has front and…

THE IRISH terrier has been described many ways historically: the farmer’s friend, the poor man’s sentinel and the gentleman’s favourite. In Ireland he’s often known as the ‘red devil’, so it is fair to assert that the Irish terrier means different things to different people. What everyone can agree on is that the Irish terrier is a unique dog: a breed as much at home in a city apartment as killing rats and other pest species on a rugged Irish farm, admired for its courage, tenacity and gameness but also its affinity and special bond with children. These adaptable dogs were in existence for some years before being known as ‘Irish terriers’ and were the first terriers recognised by the Kennel Club as a pedigree breed in 1879. They began…

▸ Edinburgh-based George Goldsmith is particularly good on sporting estates, being a keen gun himself. 0131 476 6500, georgegoldsmith.com ▸ The founder of Celtic Castles is Roger Masterson, also known as The Castle Man. 01422 323200, celticcastles.com ▸ Aldourie Castle, Loch Ness Inverness-shire 01463 751309, aldourie.scot ▸ Airlie Castle, Angus 01575 530387, airlieestates.com ▸ Glin Castle, Co Limerick +353 87 442 6140, glin-castle.com ▸ Gordon Castle, Fochabers, Moray 01343 612312, gordoncastle.co.uk ▸ Innes House, Elgin, Moray 01343 842410, inneshouse.com ▸ Kinnaird Castle, Brechin, Angus 01674 810240, kinnairdcastle.co.uk ▸ Mingary Castle, Kilchoan, Highlands 01972 614380, mingarycastle.co.uk ▸ The Landmark Trust 01628 825925, landmarktrust.org.uk…

Try to buy a plant that hasn’t travelled far. Poinsettias suffer from the stresses of importation, spending hours on a lorry and time in cold packing sheds. Don’t buy a plant that has been standing in a draughty spot. Choose one that has been kept in a warm place. Choose a plant that has a good shape with nice green leaves that aren’t drooping. Don’t buy one that has any yellowing leaves. Make buying your poinsettia your last purchase of the day. That way it won’t spend hours in different temperatures or sitting in your car. When home, remove any packaging so that the plant is exposed to light and air. If it is left in a plastic sleeve a build-up of ethylene gas will make leaves curl and drop…

I HAVE a confession to make: I have never given my dogs Christmas presents. This is apparently unusual, as the great majority of Britain’s dogs receive a gift on the big day. A quick check online for canine Christmas presents yielded more than 21 million results, so there’s no shortage of suggestions as to what you can buy your four-legged friend this festive season. Many, as you can imagine, are dreadful. I doubt any dog of mine would want to be seen at the Boxing Day Meet wearing a Father Christmas jumper or, even worse, a ‘ho-ho-ho’ dog lead – ‘the perfect addition to your dog’s winter wardrobe’. There’s a strange selection of toys, too, from squeaky reindeers to pink latex pigs. However, my sprocker Emma would probably appreciate a…

IN THE collection of the Royal Armouries are a number of Napoleon-related firearms, of which the subject of this article is one. It is an elaborately decorated percussion double-barrelled shotgun that commemorates the return of Napoleon’s body to France in 1840 and pays homage to his life and legacy. After his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to the small island of St Helena in the South Atlantic, where he remained until his death in May 1821. It was not until the reign of King Louis Philippe that arrangements could be made to repatriate his body, and in July 1840 an expedition was fitted out to go to St Helena to bring back his remains, to be interred with full honours in Les Invalides in Paris.…

THERE are some places that simply erase worldly cares on admittance. The Nare, nestled on the Roseland peninsula on the south coast of Cornwall, is such a place. Billed as ‘the country house hotel by the sea’ it fulfils its promise at every turn with discreet, efficient service and an agreeable personal charm that keeps guests returning year after year. Arriving on an unseasonably warm October weekend, I was whisked from the station by the hotel Range Rover (they are keen to encourage guests to arrive by train, and will even send cars further afield if necessary). I had missed dinner but the 24-hour room service menu was spot on, and a beautifully laid trolley brimming with sustenance for the hungry traveller arrived with alacrity. Bedrooms channel the essence of…