Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från The Field

Adrian Dangar Adrian Dangar was first published in The Field 41 years ago and has written for us ever since. After hunting the Stowe Beagles he became Master and huntsman of the Spooners, Sinnington and Quorn hunts before launching Wild & Exotic, a bespoke travel company with a reputation for hair-raising riding adventures around the globe. Adrian is a keen shot who cannot hit a tame pheasant to save his life but is slightly better on woodcock, teal and grouse. He has fished all over the world, written five books and is a board member of the British Hound Sports Association. What does September hold? “Following three weeks chasing stags and silver in the Highlands, it’s back to Yorkshire for autumn hunting, wild duck and the last of the trout.”…

The GWCT was well represented in HM The King’s 2024 Birthday Honours List. Former Trust adviser Peter Thompson was awarded an MBE for services to farmland, ecology and wildlife conservation, while vice-president and former GWCT trustee Hugh Oliver- Bellasis was made an OBE for services to nature conservation and rural community. “Hugh was our longest-serving trustee and did a huge amount for us in that time,” said Teresa Dent, the GWCT’s chief executive. “With his unstinting support, the GWCT became one of the foremost farmland ecology research organisations in the UK.” Dr Mike Swan, the GWCT’s senior adviser, added of Thompson’s award: “This MBE is richly deserved. Peter has made a huge contribution to conservation in the living and working countryside. His enthusiasm has inspired people to get on and…

3-8 RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show Woking, Surrey Tel: 020 3176 5800 rhs.org.uk 5-8 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire Tel: 01780 752451 burghley-horse.co.uk 7 Alresford Agricultural Show Tichborne, Hampshire Tel: 01962 738748 alresfordshow.co.uk 7 Moreton-in-Marsh Show Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire Tel: 01608 651908 moretonshow.co.uk 8 Frampton Country Fair Frampton on Severn, Gloucestershire Tel: 01452 740152 framptoncountryfair.co.uk 9-29 WildFish 2024 Online Auction Tel: 07496 358016 wildfish.org 11-15 Cornbury House Horse Trials Charlbury, Oxfordshire Tel: 01608 490124 cornburyhousehorsetrials.co.uk 12-15 St Leger Festival Doncaster Racecourse, Leger Way, Doncaster Tel: 01302 304200 doncaster-racecourse.co.uk 14 Romsey Show Broadlands Park, Hampshire Tel: 01794 517521 romseyshow.co.uk 19-22 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials Woodstock, Oxfordshire Tel: 0344 579 3016 bpiht.co.uk 21-22 Autumn Show & Horse Trials South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex Tel: 01444 892700 seas.org.uk…

IT IS generally agreed that Friday night at The Game Fair will be spent in convivial company. At the 2024 event, held at Blenheim for the first time in 10 years, that was no different. As the show wound down after a busy first day, guests made their way up to the South Lawn of Blenheim Palace for The Field’s much-anticipated Friday drinks party, this year held in conjunction with BASC. British summer had decided to stick at the crease, and guests were able to mill contentedly on the lawn before the Palace as the BASC team did a sterling job of keeping everyone well supplied with Tanners champagne and game canapés – useful blotting paper after a long day at the show. BASC chairman Eoghan Cameron made a short…

WILL GREEN is in a Cape Town hotel monitoring his youngest son Hector’s demolition of the breakfast buffet as we talk about woodchips, biomass boilers and the wider issues of renewable energy capacity and delivery. Green’s worlds collide as the former rugby international follows the progress of his eldest son, Arthur, who was in South Africa playing for England in the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship, scoring a try against France in a hardfought final that England would go on to win – a woodchip off the old block. Green retired from rugby in 2007 after a trophyladen career as a prop forward with Wasps and Leinster, securing four England caps along the way. But his favourite places are not just the dark alleys of a scrum but shooting pegs…

ANYONE in gloomy despair at behaviour in Westminster or Washington might take exception to Aristotle’s assertion that ‘man is by nature a political animal’. Yet, while 21st-century Britain is a long way from fourth-century BC Greece, human nature has changed very little. Forget the word ‘political’ as we understand it now; Aristotle didn’t want us all to become politicians but rather active members of our ‘polis’ or local community. Today we prefer to delegate the business of politics to elected representatives but our political engagement shouldn’t end at the ballot box. What’s more, many of the issues affecting our countryside are best tackled not in London but closer to home. Your MP may be a fleeting figure but there’s a good chance that you rub shoulders on a more regular…

A covey of grouse some 50 or 60 strong suddenly appeared flying parallel to the line. Approaching the flankers, the birds turned and in an instant were across the team IF A SHEEP’S worst enemy is another sheep, then a decent grouse is the gun’s boon companion. Arkleside Moor (Latin motto ‘Pessimus inimicus ovis alius ovisest ’) is a long, thin stretch of some 800 acres in the Yorkshire Dales National Park eight miles south-east of Leyburn and, along with the neighbouring West and East Scrafton moors, is owned by a local Coverdale family. On the morning of the shoot, dark clouds menaced the guns over their early start at the Blue Lion Inn in East Witton, famous for hosting shooting parties (there were three there on the day in…

Hallin Fell: For fine views with little effort try Hallin Fell (1,271 feet), near Howtown, Ullswater. You cannot get lost on the short, clear track up its rounded cone. Helvellyn: Helvellyn (3,118 feet), via the famous rocky ridge called ‘Striding Edge’, is a proper mountain experience, with exhilarating views and exposure. It is not hard if you have a head for heights. Descend a different way. Catbells: Catbells (1,481 feet), near Keswick, was Wainwright’s ‘family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together’. Not every granny will manage the short top scramble, but with Derwentwater to its east and fine, rolling mountain views to its west, there is plenty to look at while the children do. Scafell Pike: England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike (3,210 feet) is ‘rough and…

ONE OF the best places in the bustling hubbub of London for a moment of quiet reflection is Room 34 of the National Gallery. Right in the middle of it hangs Whistlejacket, George Stubbs’ three-metre-tall portrait of Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham’s chestnut stallion. Whistlejacket must be seen to be believed: it lends itself to the role of therapist – just as real-life horses are always able to do. In life, Whistlejacket, foaled at Belsay Castle in Northumberland, was temperamental and not particularly successful at stud. Immortalised in oil in 1762 and hung in his very own room at Wentworth Woodhouse, Rockingham and then the Fitzwilliam family’s South Yorkshire palace, he was a private icon for more than 200 years. When the painting’s transfer to the National Gallery was…

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“IF YOU want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman,” declared Margaret Thatcher in 1965. A scene of an army of industrious ladies working away tirelessly – be that on the factory floor or at a hunt fundraiser – while a chap issues orders, taking centre stage and too often all the credit, might be familiar to many but perhaps less so than it would have been when Thatcher made that statement nearly 60 years ago. The fieldsports sphere is one rich in tradition and, undoubtedly, a degree of conservatism yet women have progressed rapidly; advancing from predominantly preparing teas and then increasingly participating to leading fields and, crucially, now taking their place at the top table in the administration of our world. Trailblazing…

“RIVER, go back!” Sophie Griffiths is training her young springer right in front of me. Except that she’s not – not quite. Her voice is emanating from my phone and a video posted on Instagram, shared with her 11,100 followers. Griffiths, 31, a make-up artist from Wallasey, is one of a growing number of female content creators transforming the entry-ways to gundog work. Their approaches are honest and non-confrontational, force-free and friendly – so much so that this online community has spread out into real life, welcoming novice gundog owners from across the country. They share their highs, their lows and their dogs’ hunting patterns, as well as a genuine insight into life among the best dogs in the world. I found Griffiths and her three spaniels last winter while…

Conch pearls: Though known to the Incas, conch pearls didn’t become big jewellery news until much later. Rare and expensive, these pearls are not easily cultured and do not occur naturally as readily as others, perhaps because irritants are less likely to get stuck in the spiral shell of the Queen conch than in a bivalve. Pinks are the most sought-after colours and though they can be liable to fade, the structure is tougher than that of oyster pearls. Tahitian pearls: Found in the warm waters of the South Pacific, the black-lipped Pinctada margaritifera oyster produces especially large, dark and lustrous pearls. Often referred to as black pearls, they usually appear more green, grey/silver or aubergine. Farming them began in the late 20th century in French Polynesia and they remain…

INELEGANCE can befall even the most poised modern Artemis. It can be literal, in the sense of a crashing fall. One friend insists her red lingerie is a godsend when tempering the ignominy of a trip to accident and emergency. Another pal, who was rendered unconscious on an Irish hunting trip, came to just in time to dodge the offer of assistance from a male gynaecologist, instead choosing the local vet to deliver the prognosis. Tumbling can also be metaphorical: when the mantilla of elegance, femininity and allure slips. Indeed, it can positively perish with one false move. A ‘comfort stop’ while crossing country can fox even the most hardened huntress. Just as you’ve coaxed your breeches off with freezing fingers, hounds trot merrily into view. Seasoned advice calls for…

DAMSON GIN Foxdenton Northamptonshire, Herefordshire and Kent damsons; deliciously jammy.  Price £27.50 for 70cl foxdentonestate.co.uk SLOE GIN NO 15 Gin In A Tin Super-smooth gin made from wild English sloes.  Price £35 for 50cl gininatin.co.uk ENGLISH GARDEN EXPRESSION GIN Silent Pool Traditional juniper-base gin with sweet peach and citrus notes. Price £45 for 70cl silentpooldistillers.com CLARIDGE’S BAR GIN Claridge’s Infused with chamomile and Yorkshire forced rhubarb. Price £75 for 70cl shop.claridges.co.uk PINOT NOIR DRY LONDON GIN Mallard Point Tasty grape-infused gin in an upcycled and reusable, returnable bottle. Price £44 for 70cl mallardpoint.co.uk…

Letters may be edited for clarity or space We should be wary over weir removal Across Britain, the Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency seem keen to embark on wholesale weir removal based on the recommendations of the European Union’s (EU) Water Framework Directive. In her article Where there’s a weir… [May 2024 issue], Jo Caird suggests that ‘if each of the 1,000-plus clubs around the country took out just one of the weirs in their waters, the impacts for fish migration and habitat fragmentation would be huge’. This is inarguably true, though not always in a good way. She is clearly correct in some cases, of course – a prime example being the huge Snake Lane weir on the River Derwent that was an obvious barrier to fish movement.…

IMAGINE the scene. It is a crisp autumn morning on a 150-bird day. The horn has sounded for the end of the first drive. You are standing pegged at number four and counted two pheasants down behind you. Another jinked in the air, wing tipped, but you marked it down by a tree in a distant hedge. Beside you, your black labrador, Bob, sits patiently. It is the fourth day out this season, and he has proved himself to be a reliable and steady peg dog. You sleeve your gun, glance behind and are just about to indicate to Bob which bird you want retrieved first when two other black labradors burst through the hedge in front of you. The first dog picks the nearest cock, the hen is collected…

ART CAN be exciting, and bronze and silver sculptor Ian Greensitt’s experiences would make a great British heist movie. He describes how a gang carried out a raid on one of his favourite foundries where many of his pieces were in various stages of completion. “They stole 23 tonnes of bronze,” he reveals. “They drilled in through the wall and got away with lots of my work. It was all melted down and the metal went to Bulgaria – it was a crime syndicate.” It must have been a massive operation, and you can imagine the masked gang turning up over a weekend disguised as workmen like something out of a Guy Ritchie film. Crime capers are not the only reverses Greensitt has suffered in his work. “Another foundry burnt…

Send queries to Rosie Macdonald, Country Queries Editor, The Field, Future Publishing PLC, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR. For more, visit: thefield.co.uk Email country-queries@hectareshouse.co.uk Follow Rosie on Instagram @dizzy_m It’s crunch time Q I’m always interested to read the recipes in The Field and wonder if you might help me. I appreciate it’s not game related but I am looking for a tasty, easy granola recipe. Many of my guests are now keener to eat this as part of their breakfast rather than a traditional full English. PKL, by email A Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/Gas Mark 5. In a bowl, combine 340g large rolled oats, 170g pecans, 120g pumpkin seeds, a teaspoon of fine sea salt and a heaped teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Gently melt 170g coconut…

Pot-roast partridge with apples, crème fraîche, lardons and tarragon Pot-roasting a whole partridge gives you a little more flexibility with timings as, on the bone, the meat doesn’t dry out quite so quickly. This recipe uses lots of herbs, creamy, tangy crème fraîche and some fruity cider, which helps keep it lighter than a normal casserole or stew. Perfect for those warmer September days. Serves 2 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil2 oven-ready partridges100g smoked lardons4 large shallots, peeled and finely sliced1 medium-sized Braeburn apple, cored and cut into eight20g tarragon10g parsley, finely chopped6 sage leaves, finely chopped100ml dry cider100g crème fraîche100g spinach 1 Place a heavy-bottomed, lidded saucepan on a medium heat and put in the oil. Season the partridge and brown on all sides before removing to a…

How Herbs Healed the World I’ve long felt that herbs are a bit Marmite: if I slip mint into anything, my husband is reduced to paroxysms of rage, while I can happily do without parsley tainting any dish, ever. But I think we’d agree that this book is both beautifully illustrated and fascinating. Connor Smith has taken 75 herbs and examined how they have enriched our lives; he looks at ‘their healing properties, historical uses, folklore and present-day applications, and [summarises] scientific research into their uses, benefits and dangers’. Grouping the herbs according to usage (culinary, healing, narcotics and so on), Smith offers the reader extraordinary detail. So we learn about the importance of rosemary in Hungary, where it was thought to have been of particular significance to Elizabeth of…

SINCE its inception The Field has always navigated a path between tradition and breaking new ground; never more so this year with our first ever Field Junior. And so Artemis seemed the perfect title for the latest iteration of our dedicated supplement for the sporting woman. Not one to be stuck in the past, this ancient goddess of the hunt also lends her name to NASA’s lunar exploration programme. While keeping our feet on terra firma, we celebrate those who have blazed a trail for others to follow. Diana Berry, Teresa Dent, Tiggy Pettifer and Polly Portwin talk about gender parity and breaking through glass ceilings in the professional world, while Janet Menzies profiles the sporting Dianas guiding others in the field. Sustainability and seasonality might be modern buzzwords but…

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National day for trail hunting The British Hound Sports Association is organising a National Trail Hunting Day on 14 September at 30 venues around the country. For details of participating hunts and how to support them, visit: bhsa.org.uk NGO membership for PM The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer offering him honorary membership of the organisation. It was recently revealed that Sir Keir comes from a long line of gamekeepers, including his great-grandfather, Gustavus. Call to stop horse smuggling World Horse Welfare has launched a pledge to stop horse smuggling across Europe after the last of five pregnant ‘Dover 26’ mares gave birth to a healthy filly foal. To sign the pledge, visit: bit.ly/StopHorseSmuggling Grouse licensing goes live Scottish grouse shoots are being urged…

On 4 September two legends of the conservation and wildlife management world will come together to speak at Women Who Work in Fieldsports’ (WWWF) In Conversation event. Teresa Dent from the GWCT and Tiggy Pettifer of the Atlantic Salmon Trust (AST), both trailblazers who appear in The Field’s Artemis supplement in this month’s issue, will discuss in detail their remarkable careers, including the challenges they have faced, their successes and their advice for women aspiring to enter the conservation field. Dent was the first female chief executive of the GWCT and has served in the role for more than two decades. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in conservation and wildlife management, and will provide invaluable insight into being the only woman with a seat at the table.…

DAVID Howden is regarded by many as the insurance world’s answer to Richard Branson. His dynamism has shaped Howden, the insurance company he helped found 30 years ago, into the empire it is today. However, it’s not the likes of Necker Island and taking to the skies that occupy him but somewhere more grounded: his family and the countryside along with all it has to offer, including food, farming and fieldsports. Tall, charismatic and floppy-haired, he moves with the fast-forward action of someone embracing life at twice the pace of the rest of us. Given his eye-poppingly busy schedule that, like insurance, covers many aspects of life, from horses and houses through to the hedgeland and humans, he needs to be. Howden is up with the sparrows to get to…

Dear Freddie, YOU TELL me that you were fascinated watching the falconry at The Game Fair, and ask for information about this noble art. Falconry is one of the fastest-growing country pursuits, with 25,000 people (5,000 of whom hunt with hawks) involved, who between them keep about 75,000 birds of prey. There are more than 35 falconry centres and five national clubs (of which the British Falconers’ Club is the largest and oldest) plus a number of regional clubs. These offer opportunities to meet experienced falconers, learn about training and flying birds of prey, and attend field meets and social events. Falconry is currently inscribed by Unesco for 24 countries as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The sport of falconry is immensely ancient – the first hunting birds of…

The wind was stronger, and swirling as it had been on the first drive. With pickersup standing well out of range there was plenty of space to shoot behind, which was just as well, as the partridges were not just fast but flushing quickly. “The topography is wonderful and it makes every drive different” LAST NIGHT I dreamt I went to Yattendon. Olympic double trap gold medallist Richard Faulds was loading. The shoot lodge was a perfect 1930s Arts and Crafts building. The birds flew beautifully against a perfect grey sky with exactly the right amount of wind. Your brace to take home was already dressed, and there was even a bottle of craft beer brewed on the estate. Things tipped slightly toward anxiety when it turned out one of…

Knightor Trevannion 2022 Very original – in a good way. Fans of Alsace Gewürztraminer will recognise the lychee and rose-petal aromas with a touch of spice that sits harmoniously alongside bright acidity and delicate off-dry style. £19.95, shop.knightor.com Stopham Bacchus 2022 A good introduction to the variety that England has made its own. There’s no excessive grassiness here, just a vibrant pea-shoot aroma and satisfyingly peachy breadth that would make an excellent Sauvignon Blanc stand-in. Try with summer salad or fresh goat’s cheese. £15.95, stophamvineyard.co.uk Black Chalk Rumour Has It Chardonnay 2022 An impressive debut vintage from this star Hampshire producer. Yes, there’s that lively English acidity but wrapped in beautifully ripe fruit with just a dash of oak texture to support. It’s the same price as decent Chablis and…

SO, I BET you didn’t know that it’s International Grenache Day this month. Hmm, no, I’m not surprised. Neither did I. I doubt many do. And those who do know seem unable to agree on which day it falls anyway. I only learned of its existence when I heard two winemakers arguing about the date upon which such an auspicious, wine-soaked occasion should be celebrated. Some claim it should be Tuesday, 17 September, which coincides with World Patient Safety Day – a rather incompatible match, I’d have thought. Others believe that International Grenache Day (IGD) should be marked on the third Friday of the month, which this year falls on 20 September. Someone even told me with great authority that the correct date is Sunday, 15 September. But that would…

7,000BC: Female hunters in Peru buried with their hunting weapons, as revealed by recent excavations. 1822: Polly Fishburn, or ‘Black-eyed Polly’ as she was known, becomes the keeper at Cannon Hall, Yorkshire, after starting as a beatkeeper for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, at Holkham. 1870s: Annie Oakley begins work as a buffalo hunter, probably aged less than 10 years old. 1870s: Alma, Countess Breadalbane, joins in the cull on Black Mount, Rannoch Moor, with a record six stags for six shots. 1880s-1890s: Annie Gillard becomes a beatkeeper for Lord Cowdray at Cowdray Park in Sussex. Ann Holland is employed as grouse keeper to the 5th Earl of Rossmore on Mountain Lodge, Co Monaghan. Mary Bayman becomes headkeeper for William Deacon on his Poynters estate at Cobham, Surrey. 1900s:…

DIAMONDS may well be forever but our enduring appreciation of the softer, more subtle pearl is quite extraordinary. Pliny the Elder was unequivocal: “The topmost rank among all things of price is held by pearls.” That said, he apparently came to deride a vulgar excess of pearls strung about the nouveau riche of the first century BC, so perhaps one can go over the top, though nobody told Queen Alexandra. At their coronation Edward VII’s consort gave Elizabeth I a good run for her money in the pearl stakes, and it would seem that for members of royal houses, more is in fact more when it comes to pearls. Cleopatra, having astonished Anthony with the opulence of her banquet, would have appalled a more frugal guest by dissolving a pearl…