The history of the pheasant is as long and exotic as his tail. Do you know your pheasant history? Read on, you will be surprised...

The history of the pheasant has its origins over 2000 years ago. Just when the history of the pheasant started, and how pheasants arrived in Britain, is a matter of considerable debate. Mike Yardley examines the origins of the sporting bird below. You may also be interested in the history of the shotgun and shooting, a story that goes hand in hand with the story of the pheasant.

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: ROMAN BRITAIN

When did the history of the pheasant in Britain begin? Phoenician traders, coming from what is now called Lebanon, have been mentioned. The most widely touted and perhaps most plausible theory is that pheasants were imported to these shores – and to France – by Roman officers who bred them for the table (the bird having been brought to southern Europe from Asia, possibly with Greek assistance).

As far as post-Romano Albion is concerned, the first documentary evidence of the pheasant’s existence, a starting point for the history ofthe pheasant,  is an order of King Harold who offered the canons of Waltham Abbey a “commons” pheasant as an alternative to a brace of partridges as a specific privil-ege of their office in 1059. A record exists relating to the monks of Rochester who, in 1089, received from Bishop Randulfus 16 pheasants, 30 geese, 300 hens, 1,000 lampreys, 1,000 eggs, four salmon and six sheaves of wheat.

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: 1066

Pheasants may have been esteemed for their gastronomic potential in pre-Norman England, but it is clear that they were not yet that widely distributed. The Normans and their gaulieters were notable pheasant fanciers, nevertheless, and passed stringent laws to protect these and many other species. These evidently worked to a degree, with pheasants appearing on the menus of many medieval banquets. Henry I granted the Abbot of Amesbury near Stone-henge the right to kill pheasants in 1100, shortly after the abbey was founded. Thomas Becket famously dined on pheasant the night before his infamously violent death in 1170.

Pheasants remained popular table-birds during the 14th and 15th centuries, their approximate cost going from a maximum (as decreed by law) of one shilling and four pence early in the 14th century to a shilling towards the end (a price also mentioned circa 1500). And what of the pheasant’s sporting role? Nearly all the references relate to ecclesiastical eating fests. Perhaps the most extraordinary was that of Neville, Archbishop of York, whose inauguration banquet in 1465 featured no fewer than 200 pheasants, not to mention 12 porpoises and seals, 104 peacocks, 400 swans, 500 stags, 2,000 geese, 4,000 mallard and teal and six boar among many other culinary treats.

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: TUDOR TABLES

Henry VIII, the second Tudor king, appears to have kept a French priest as a “fesaunt breeder” according to his privy purse accounts for 1532 and it is clear from contemporary records that they were better established in some localities – Wiltshire, East Anglia and Yorkshire – than others such as Cumberland. Polydore Vergil, an Italian émigré, who published a history of England, Historia Anglica, in 1534, was struck by the English taste for flesh of all sorts and noted in particular how Englishmen kept pheasants “fostered in the howse as [sic] breeding in their woodds”. This and other references suggest that they may have been managed in a similar manner to rabbits in their warrens.

For how best to eat them now try one of our top 10 best pheasant recipes.

PRESERVING THE PHEASANT: JAMES I

In Scotland in 1594, James VI – later James I of England and Ireland – legislated to protect pheasants and other species from being taken by various means including the use of firearms. This is significant but must be qualified.

Strict game laws notwithstanding, it is likely that sitting and perching pheasants were sometimes shot for the pot with bows in the Middle Ages as well as captured by other means as later mentioned by Markham. In the pre-firearms era they may also have been shot for sport with crossbows.

Practical hand-held firearms arrived on the British scene circa 1500 – we know Henry VIII was an enthusiast – and it seems probable that pheasants and other creatures were shot sitting or perching from this point on. Shakespeare makes reference to “birding” in The Merry Wives of Windsor, first published in 1602, (an allusion that may denote shooting). During the Civil War years game populations were generally depleted by foraging soldiers (armed, as far as their guns were concerned, with heavy matchlock muskets).

Shooting flying is most likely traced to the Restoration, coming to England with Charles II’s returning courtiers, who brought lightweight flintlock guns, but did not become really popular until the late 18th century. The first illustration of a shot pheasant in Britain may be found in Blome’s Hawking or Faulconry, 1686, but the bird appears to have been killed with the old static shooting technique of gun and stalking horse.

Gervase Markham’s English work of 1621, Hunger’s Prevention or The Whole Art of Fowling by Water and Land, also considers the use of guns but pays more attention to capturing birds by means other than shooting at them. He informs us that there were three common methods for taking pheasants – netting, liming and the use of “particular engines” (traps). We also know that by the early 1500s at latest, and possibly for centuries before, they were being taken for sport using trained birds of prey.

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: IRELAND

Meanwhile, in Ireland, pheasants were being reared from at latest the 1590s as confirmed by the Itinerary – the work of English soldier of fortune Fynes Moryson. “In that country,” he noted, “such plenty of pheasants that I have known 60 served up at one feast”. Pheasants were introduced into Pembrokeshire from the south of Ireland in the 17th century rather than from England as one might expect.

Robin Knowles tells me that he once unearthed a manuscript in a library in Northern Ireland concerning Sir John McGill of Gill Hall in Co Down. In 1674, McGill held a grand pheasant-shoot on his estate which had been stocked with 900 birds obtained by natural hatch and from eggs hatched under broody hens. He invited 64 guns – a nobleman and a commoner from each of Ireland’s 32 counties – to shoot and they bagged 300 pheasants in a day. The event is also notable because it emulates the “show hunts” then popular as a demonstration of wealth and power on the Continent, and which would later provide the inspiration for the organised pheasant “battue” in Britain.

‘PRESERVING’ THE PHEASANT

In the 1700s the history of the pheasant faced a blip. Pheasants declined in both England and Ireland as a result of woodland clearance and the drainage of marshes, while hare, rabbit and partridge populations increased. The problem was recognised and remedial action, taken to save and improve the common bird (Phasianus col-chicus). A fashion for “preserving” became apparent in England from about 1800 and was supported by tough game laws, which were not reformed until 1831.

The rise of the pheasant also owes something to the Enclosure Acts of the 18th and early 19th century. The squire often acquired the local woods and these were most easily stocked with pheasants – more amenable birds to manage than native species – for sporting purposes. Unlike grouse and partridges, they were not likely to flock when driven and could be held to the ground with relative ease. It may be conjectured that this – as well as their exotic appearance- was a major factor in their sporting success.

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: IMPORTING NEW PHEASANT BREEDS

The modern pheasant has many different breeds in its ancestor bank.

Pheasants started being reared by artificial as well as natural means, with new species and sub-species being introduced. The Chinese ringneck (Phasianus torquatus) – first called the “ring pheasant” – was imported from southern China in 1768 as all things oriental came into vogue. In the 1790s Lord McCartney, the first British ambassador to Peking, brought back means of artificial incubation. What these were has eluded my research to date, but they were probably jars or something similar. The decorative, long-tailed Reeves’ pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) arrived in 1831 thanks to John Reeves, a keen naturalist and tea collector for the East India Company based in Canton.

The Japanese southern green (Phasianus versicolor) was introduced in 1840 by Lord Derby, who acquired a cock and a hen for his menagerie at Knowsley Park, then situated outside Liverpool but now set within its urban sprawl. Derby’s hen died and the cockbird was then mated to an ordinary hen. The versicolor (green) female progeny were offered back to their father. The incestuous mating was repeated until the birds were as green as possible. This may be where our melanistic mutants originate from – though there are other theories.

Derby died in 1851 and his collection was dispersed. The best stock was carried off to Italy by a Russian nobleman, while the crossbred birds were acquired by the elder JH Gurney, a Norfolk Quaker and banker, and certain other gentlemen. Gurney corresponded with Darwin on the subject, the fertility of offspring of Japanese birds crossed with common pheasants being discussed in the latter’s famous work on natural selection. Some of Gurney’s birds were released in his woods at Easton near Norwich and the eggs laid in his aviary were also hatched in his preserve.

In 1864 black-necked cross-verticolors were bred at Hurst Green in Sussex under the auspices of the Acclimatisation Society – a group set up by Frank Buckland and Richard Owen, FRS, that included many well-known landowners and naturalists of the day in imitation of a French model La Societé Zoologique d’Acclimatation. Buckland et al were not interested in birds only but much else including buffalo, muntjac, sika, various gazelles, and catfish. To this day, there are acclimatisation societies in Australia and New Zealand.

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: THE RISE OF THE BATTUE

It was in the third quarter of the 19th century that the driven-pheasant battue really established itself. Essentially a Continental import – the traditional British method was to walk-up over setters or pointers or to flush birds from cover with spaniels – the battue was first popularised by the Prince Consort in the 1840s, 50s and 60s and taken up by his wayward but trend-setting son, Edward Albert (notably at Sandringham). The early form had been to walk in line with the beaters through a prepared wood, which was typically netted to the sides and back. Later, post 1860 or thereabouts, guns and beaters were split into different parties along modern lines. Bags increased with demand and possibility as much faster-firing breech-loaders were introduced after the Great Exhibition.

QUEST FOR PERFECTION

As both ornithology and “covert” shooting – as the battue came to be called – increased in popularity, more pheasants were imported, notably more Japanese birds. They were not especially hardy and were crossed with Chinese and Mongolian pheasants (the latter being a large, hardy type, arriving about 1900). In the mid 1880s the Prince of Wales pheasant (Phasianus principalis) was encountered in swampy areas of Afghanistan by members of the Afghan Boundary Commission, and shot in some numbers. It was soon brought home – thanks to the endeavours of a Colonel Sunderland – and named in honour of Edward Albert. Phaisianus sunderlandis
might have been more appropriate.

By the late 19th century the use of incubators was well known, though hatching under broody hens was still more usual. It is also worthy of note that pheasant rearing became a serious commercial endeavour from the mid 19th century. Early gamebird dealers included Jamrach off London’s Commercial Road (who also sold sika deer to Lord Powerscourt in Co Wicklow). By 1900 millions of birds were being reared each year though not on the scale of today’s estimated 20 million to 30 million.

There have been new imports, most famously the Michigan bluebacks, which are tough Chinese pheasants from Michigan (the introduction of the pheasant to the United States is a story worth telling but space precludes it). Today’s most popular British bird is a cross between the Michigan and the already mongrel common species (which sometimes has a ring these days). The result is a smaller, more agile quarry that flies well. The quest for perfection – a bird that flies well and holds its ground – continues.

In the words of one modern game farmer: “Just about every species and sub-species has been crossed by now. Everyone’s still trying to improve flying and holding qualities. Sometimes they get it wrong and the birds are too wild and stray off. You get big English ‘turkeys’. They have a strong following in Northumberland – where they have the hills for them – but they won’t fly on flatter ground. Japanese greens are nice but they are not that fertile and don’t produce as many eggs. The Michigans are good on fertility and rearing but exceptionally wild… and there are dozens of crosses in between.”

HISTORY OF THE PHEASANT: THE MODERN BIRD

The bird that we know today must be considered within the context of the Victorian passion for collecting, classification and hybridisation as well as an ancient heritage. Let us end by considering two of the most recent introductions: Danish birds and so called “Polish blacks”. The former look like the common pheasant but have a silver sheen on their wing feathers. The Poles are ring-necked and have probably been taken from French stock quite recently. Both are reared in colder climates where summers are shorter and it is harder to find protein. This inclines them to be tough like our own fen birds. Much may yet be written, but one thing is sure – the pheasant is an old immigrant to Britain and one that has enriched our sporting life.

Knowing how best to dry your waders is a very useful tip. To avoid purloining the hairdryer take a look at The Field's suggeststion

Knowing how best to dry your waders is a very useful tip. Filling boots with newspaper and resting them against a warm radiator is surely the best way to dry waders? The Oak and Rope Company have something better in mind.

If a succesful drying routine promts a weekend of fishing, read our article on how to despatch a fish effectively.

QUERY: I am trying to find a suitable and attractive solution for drying waders.
I usually stuff them with paper and hang them in all sorts of odd places but this is really only satisfactory for one pair. Is there an obvious solution I am missing?
WT, Hampshire

HOW TO DRY YOUR WADERS

ANSWER:

A The problem of drying waders has been solved by The Oak and Rope Company.

It is in the process of producing a wader rack based on its successful welly rack. The wader rack will be available in two styles, the traditional version and a travel version. The traditional rack will have longer uprights than the welly rack, though there can be a combination of short and long uprights. The rack can be made any length to fit any number of pairs of waders. The two-pair Wader (right) costs £380 including VAT, with any engraving required, such as dates, names, house names. It costs £75 for each additional pair of uprights. The compact travel version has dowels that screw together for length and comes in a choice of walnut or oak. There is room for initials to be engraved, which is included in the price of £210. The welly rack can also be made in any size from two to 12 pairs. The standard boot rack costs £230 for the four-pair size. For more information on how to dry your waders and more information about the company, call 07951 742265 or visit www.theoakandropecompany.co.uk.

If you enjoy your favourite tipple with friends on a shoot, you might appreciate a personlised engraving on your shoot cup.

With the joy of present buying all year round and Christmas on the horizon, knowing how to get your shoot cup engraved is handy. A personalised shoot cup makes the ideal present for the keen hunter, rider or polo enthusiast.

It is likely that the night before your shoot, you will have raced through most of the alcohol and need a few drinks to keep you standing.  Nothing seals the sporting bond better than a good tipple with friends, preferably with something homemade inside. Sloe gin is a favourite drink to take shooting at this time of year so try making your own homemade damson gin if you have the time. If you are looking for a new hip flask, take a look at The Field’s recommended best hip flasks. 

After your shoot it is important to clean your shoot cups and hip flasks to prevent a tainted brew, The Field has a few tips on how best to clean your hip flask.

QUERY:  I would like to have a simple family crest engraved on some stainless steel cups that we use on shoot days. However, I am having trouble finding someone who can engrave anything other than script. Can you help please? SP, Gloucestershire

WHERE TO GET YOUR SHOOT CUP ENGRAVED

ANSWER:

A Brunel Engraving can do the job but doesn’t recommend engraving on a satin finish; however, mirror-polished stainless steel is suitable. There is a charge for converting the crest into an engravable format. Engraving costs will depend on item and size. Our engraving craftsmen are trained to the highest standards in the UK using the very latest computer controlled engraving machines, including laser and glass, as well as sublimation and anodic print. 

Contact Brunel Engraving: Brunel Engraving, Britannia Way, Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 6QH.

Tel: 01275 871720

Website: www.bruneltrophies.co.uk.

Now the rut is in full swing, stags are roaring and stalkers stalking where should you be booking for next season's sport in Scotland? Here are the places that you need to book early...from Harris to Pitlochry. Our list of where to go stalking in Scotland in 2016.

Find out where to go stalking in Scotland 2016. The most popular stalking destinations will always attract an eager crowd. So make sure you book now for next year’s fun. And if you need (unlikely, but hey…) any added inducement to take to the hill, read Duff Hart-Davis’ evocative feature on the romance of the stag, stalking red deer in the Highlands. Most importantly, if you head to one of the places listed below remember to consult our list of the 10 things to take to the hill when stalking.

STALKING IN SCOTLAND IN 2016

Most of the best forests are fully booked for this season. It is advisable to book now for 2016. Prices given here do not include VAT.

• Amhuinnsuidhe Castle Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides HS3 3AS, tel 01859 560200, info@amhuinnsuidhe.com. Take the whole estate for a week in September: £28,000 for 18 people. Otherwise, double rooms about £330 per night, incl packed lunch, tea and dinner. Stalking without accommodation, £400 per stag, stalker included. No stag, £100 per day.

• Letterewe Loch Maree, Achnascheen, Ross-shire IV22 2HH, tel 01445 760207, barbaraletterewe @tesco.net. Stags £480. Letterewe Lodge, £4,554 per week, maximum 17. Carnmore Lodge, £2,880 per week, maximum eight. Both self-catering.

• Forest Lodge Blair Atholl, Pitlochry PH18 5TH, tel 01796 481355. Eight miles by private track up Glen Tilt, fully catered lodge sleeps 20. A typical week in September or October, with 10 stags, costs £8,000.

• Glenaladale Glenfinnan, Fort William, Inverness-shire PH37 4LT, tel 01397 722411 . Single days or weeks. £350 per stag. Room in owner’s house from £65 per night incl breakfast, piece and dinner. Maximum six.

• Eagle Brae Struy, Beauly, Inverness-shire IV4 7LE, tel 01463 761301, 07738 076711,  info@eaglebrae.co.uk. Four- and two-berth log cabins. Self-catering, £1,485 per week. Minimum two nights. Stags £415.

• East Haugh House Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5TE tel 01796 473121. Stags up to 11 points £595; 12 points and over £2,340. If no suitable beast seen, day £250-£300. Can do Macnabs. £129 b&b for two, 13 rooms.

• Gaick Lodge Kingussie, Inverness-shire, tel 0131 476 6500. Fully catered lodge sleeping 12, £4,250 per week. Stags £395. Walked-up grouse available.

• Conaglen Ardgour, By Fort William, Inverness-shire, PH33 7AH; www.conaglen.co.uk Two rifles per day, stags £415. Accommodation in Conaglen House for up to 12, approx £5,500 per week. Macnabs possible. Self-catering cottage with stalking, £540 per week.

• Ardechive House Achnacarry, Spean Bridge, PH34 4EL, tel 07766 694672. Early stags £475, rising to £575 in the rut. Accommodation in Clunes Lodge or Ardechive House from £600 per week.

• Weiroch Lodge Marypark, Ballindalloch, Morayshire AB37 9BP, tel 01807 500797. Self-catering, sleeps eight. One week for two guests £686, for eight, £1,147. Stags £500. Single days available.

A Side-saddle Dash, in aid of Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, kindly sponsored by the Andy Stewart Charitable Foundation, takes place at Wincanton on 25 October 2015. And the winning lady jockey will take home The Field Cup

The inaugural SSIT Side-saddle Dash, kindly sponsored by the Andy Stewart Charitable Foundation, is set to be an extraordinary spectacle.  For the first time an on-course side-saddle race will be run on a British racecourse. Wearing traditional side-saddle dress, 11 plucky Dianas will pound the turf in a thrillling one mile two furlong gallop to the finish. Be sure to put 25 October in your diary.

Advance tickets start from £16 and are available at www.wincantonracecourse.co.uk or by calling 0844 579 3014. Children aged 17 and under race free when accompanied by an adult. Gates open at 11am on Sunday, 25th October with the Dash scheduled to take place before the first official race at 1:25pm.

SSIT SIDE-SADDLE DASH

The race, organised by jeweller and sidesaddle afficionado Philippa Holland, is an adaptaion of the Dianas of the Chase Cup. The Dianas of the Chase side-saddle steeplchase, first held in Somerset in 1924, has been revived over the past two years. The race is now an annual Leicestershire fixture and will run this year on 29 November.

The late October fixture at Wincanton has long been synonymous with a charity fixture. For the past two years Wincanton has been assciated with the SSIT.
Sally Moger, Charity Manager at the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, said:

“Our partnership with Wincanton Racecourse is a fantastic way for us to help more people with spinal cord injuries.  All the side-saddle riders are fundraising for the charity, and donations can also be made at our website  or at our Virgin Money Giving page.  Our much-needed funds are used to provide grants that help injured people buy specialist equipment to make a real difference in their daily living.”

SIDE-SADDLE DASH: THE FIELD CUP

The winning lady jockey will be presented with The Field Cup, kindly donated by The Field Magazine and presented by actor Martin Clunes. The second placed jockey will receive a side-saddle whip supplied by The Vintage Tack Shop and a Longmans cheese board for third.  All riders will receive a posies kindly donated by Sprout & Flower florist and a special Dianas of The Chase silver arrow brooch.

Martin Clunes will present The Field Cup to the winner of the SSIT Side-saddle Dash at Wincanton on 25 October.

SIDE-SADDLE DASH: RUNNERS AND RIDERS

They have elegance by the bucketfull and barrow loads of grit. The 11 lady jockeys have a wealth of point-to-point, hunting and side-saddle experience.  Ladies will race on appropriate thoroughbreds, largely ex racehorses. They will be led down to the start by the legendary Big Bucks ridden by Lucy Tucker.

Amanda Soar (Leeds)
Amanda (28) has a rich background in all things equine from hunting, showjumping to team chasing  After leaving school, Amanda worked in horseracing andis currently a work rider for Richard Whitaker.  She also trains and rides point to pointers, and recently rode in a charity race at Doncaster.  Amanda hunts regularly sidesaddle and won the Bedale Hunt Ride this year.  She is looking to compete in the Melton, Golden Button and Diana’s of the Chase.  Horse:Bkeen.
 
Aiofe Byrne (Norfolk)

Aoife Byrne, from Norfolk, will take to the track for the inaugural SSIT Side-saddle Dash.

Irish born, Aiofe Byrne(33) lives in Norfolk where she works as a veterinary surgeon at Chapelfield Equine Clinic specialising in stud work, internal medicine & ophthalmology.  She has been riding side-saddle for 20 years and frequently enjoys hunting in England and Ireland.  Aiofe has been lucky enough to ride in two Diana of the Chase Cups and will be borrowing a thoroughbred for the SSIT Side-saddle Dash.

Clare Gundry (Dorset)
Clare (32) has ridden over 130 winners point-to-pointing and under rules.  Four times leading lady point to point champion in Ireland where she representedthe country in the 2009 Fegentri Series.  Claire had ridden side saddle since a child and continues with a successful career as jockey / trainer.

Georgina Preston (Taunton, Somerset)
Georgina is a highly experienced rider with a French horse called Nil De Mee which ran under rules before coming over to the UK to point-to-point.  The duo took part in a charity flat race – finishing close second.   She continues to hunt with the Taunton Vale and has participated in the Golden Button Cross Country Race.   Georgina is currently at the Royal Agricultural University.

Lizzie Harris (Leicestershire)
Lizzie has ridden all her life and has won the Ingarsby (Diana’s of the Chase) side-saddle Cross Country Race.  She is also a keen point-to-point rider.
Horse: Wild West formerly trained by Jonjo O’Neill with a successful career under rules ridden by champion jockey, AP McCoy in the infamous green and yellow striped silks of JP McManus.   Lizzie has retrained him for side-saddle and team chases.

Lucy Holland (Bicester, Oxon)
She has ridden side-saddle for 13 years and hunts with the Bicester Pack.  Lucy is a regular member of the side-saddle chase team and has ridden in Golden Button twice.  Her horse, Harry Up, is a former flat racehorse which now events, team chases, hunts and plays polo!

Philippa Holland (London / Dorset-based)
Philippa is the race organiser and has ridden in many renewals of Diana’s of the Chase Cup.  Philippa hunts and team chases side-saddle regularly.  She has ridden in many point-to-points and also rode in the charity Magnolia Cup at Glorious Goodwood on three occasions.

Rachael Harding (Gloucestershire-based)
Another rider with a history of all things equine!  As a sixteen-year-old, Rachel was introduced to the art of side-saddle and has competed in a number of Diana’s of The Chase Cups.  She also rode at Cheltenham Festival in the 2013 charity flat race raising money for Cancer Research UK.
Horse: Where’s The Boss, another former association with Jonjo O’Neill.   Rachel has retrained him to sidesaddle and hunts regularly.

Sarah Jane Townend
For the last five seasons, Sarah has competed in many point-to-points and in a charity flat race at Doncaster.  As work ridden for Mark Johnston, she has an abundance of race-riding skills and tactics!  Sarah has hunted side-saddle for eight seasons and competed in the 2014 Diana’s of the Chase Cup.

Susan Oakes (County Meade)
Susan broke the world record sidesaddle jump at almost six foot eight inches – not very relevant to Wincanton’s SSIT Side-saddle Dash – but still highly impressive!   She won the inaugural running of the Diana’s of the Chase Cup and lives and hunts side-saddle in Ireland as continues to ride in point-to-points.

Tabby Prest
Tabby is a keen sidesaddle team chase rider and was second in last year’s Diana’s of the Chase Cup.  OC Cup last year.   She will ride former pointer -American Eagle.

SIDE-SADDLE DASH: WINCANTON RACECOURSE

The SSIT Side-saddle Dash and Wincanton racecourse are a fitting partnership, as Huw Williams, Wincanton Racecourse’s General Manager, explains:

“I love the originality of this inaugural Side-saddle Dash – the uniqueness of the race and its strong rural association really reflections all things Wincanton, and we very much hope the Dash is the first of many.  I am sure that the day will raise a huge amount for the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, which is sure a worthwhile cause in the region.”

Wincanton Racecourse is situated in the heart of Somerset – home to rural jump racing. Wincanton stages 17 meetings each season.  Please find more details on the website and through Twitter (@WincantonRaces) and Facebook facebook.com/WincantonRaces.

This take on pheasant could not be more simple. Take three ingredients and just add pheasant - the older the better.

Pheasant Guidwife could not be simpler to cook. If you are at a loss how to tackle your birds then start with this truly tasty one pot recipe. It is one of our very best top 10 best pheasant recipes. Just add three ingredients to the pheasant you have and the job is well and truly done. The only admin needed from the chef is slicing onions and scooping out spoonfuls of chutney and sneaking a glass of red. One for the pot, one for the cook…

For something slightly more modern try our Italian pheasant recipe. Or if your taste in bird differs our 10 best partridge recipes instead.

 PHEASANT GUIDWIFE

Cook a vat of rice (there is a secret way of doing this in the Aga that is hard to master – ed.) and feast contentedly.

This pheasant Guidwife recipe originally came from a cousin who had links with South Africa and brought back bottles of Mrs Ball’s Original Peach Chutney in her luggage when she travelled there; mango also works well.

It’s perfect for the “old stager” pheasant with spurs a mile long, and it freezes brilliantly.

Serves 4

■ Salt and ground black pepper
■ 2 pheasants (old is best)
■ Sunflower or other oil for frying
■ 3 large onions, peeled and sliced into rings
■ 6-8 tbsp peach or mango chutney or other fruit chutney
■ 11⁄2-2 large glasses red wine
■ 1-2 tsp cornflour if needed

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 3. Salt and pepper the pheasants and then in a large, flameproof, cast-iron casserole (a Le Creuset one with a lid is perfect), brown the birds all over in the oil and set aside.

Then fry the onion rings gently in the same pot until slightly coloured and soft, stirring to make sure they don’t burn. Sit the browned pheasants, breast up, on top of the onions and spread a thick layer of chutney over them. Pour over the red wine, then pop on the lid and cook for 1½-2 hours. It will work perfectly in a clay pot if you have one. If you want a slightly less runny sauce, you can thicken it with a teaspoon or so of cornflour.

Serve it with rice or mash to soak up the juices, and plenty of vegetables.

When should a picker-up send in their dog? When should a gun demur? Mutual respect between guns and pickers-up should be the default state of play. That’s not always the case, laments Adrian Dangar. What is the etiquette of picking-up on a shoot?

The etiquette of picking-up on a shoot can be beset with problems. When should a gun send in their gundog? When should a picker-up keep still? The Field has tips on what you should know before you start working a gundog. And for guns keen to perform their best, read our 11 pheasant shooting tips for the best day possible on the peg. For those who want to know the ins and out of the etiquette of picking-up, and where the writer stands, read on.

ETIQUETTE OF PICKING-UP ON A SHOOT

Last season a quiet word with the headkeeper at the start of a family shoot confirmed I was welcome to pick-up my own birds, much to the delight of my 11-year-old step- daughter, Bobbie, and her cocker spaniel, Sid. “Just let the pickers-up know, and they’ll leave you to it,” the keeper had said, and so it was for the first three drives of the day. The etiquette of picking-up on a shoot seemed to be working well.

On the last drive of the morning all except one bird gave my peg a wide berth. I watched the unlucky cock crash into a tangle of briars beyond a beck brimful in spate and suggested that the bridge 100yd upstream might be the safest way across. As soon as the whistle’s blast signalled the end of the drive Bobbie and Sid were off like sprinters from the block. I watched them race over the rickety bridge and bash their way towards the fallen bird through waist-high brambles – at which point a trilby hat appeared and waved his team of smart gundogs into the undergrowth as if the child and her spaniel were not there. It was a dejected duo that plodded back over the bridge leaving the trilby and his dogs to their work.

From what I hear in the shooting field and beyond, my experience that day was hardly unique. The etiquette of picking up has become something of a minefield. That is regrettable, for in this era of big bags and corporate days the opportunity for a gun to indulge in a little fieldcraft should be actively encouraged. This is certainly the view of respected Kennel Club panel judge Graham Stephenson, whose skills are much in demand both here and abroad. “Picking-up is fieldcraft with its own etiquette,” he explains. “It’s not just about working dogs, it’s also about understanding game – how it’s going to react, where it’s going to hide. With regard to gun dog etiquette, I’m delighted when guests bring their own dogs and participate in such an important aspect of shooting – I want them to enjoy their day and return next year.”

Who’s dog will get there first?

Stephenson points out that the pickers-up must conduct themselves differently when looking after guns who wish to gather their own game. “I don’t want to be anywhere near a gun with his own dog,” he says, “and I never get involved with birds close to the peg until the guest has picked-up what he wants as there is nothing worse than dogs charging about the line during a drive. My place is hundreds of yards back looking out for anything pricked or wounded – no one wants any suffering, or birds unaccounted for.”

Award-winning keeper George Thompson, who has looked after Spaunton grouse moor in North Yorkshire for more than 20 years, is of the same persuasion when it comes to the etiquette of picking-up. “If a gun wants to collect his own birds there is nothing more insulting than someone else’s dog running in and snaffling them before he has the chance,” he says. “I position our pickers-up a long way behind the line, and when I blow the whistle to-wards the end of a drive that is also cue for our beaters to put their dogs on leads. Guns are then asked politely if they would like their birds picked, or if they prefer to do so themselves. It may be the guest’s only day of the season but our beaters are going to have plenty of chances.” With that attitude to the etiquette of picking-up it is easy to appreciate why Thompson won the CLA’s gamekeeper of the year award, although he does point out the frustrations caused by poorly trained gundogs, particularly those that find and drop game, as dogs sweeping up after the gun has moved on often decline to re-trieve birds that have been mouthed previously.

MUTUAL RESPECT: THE ETIQUETTE OF PICKING-UP

Mutual respect between guns and pickers-up should be the default state of play; however, that is not always the case. A friend invited to shoot on the Yorkshire Wolds last year became increasingly frustrated by the behaviour of a picker-up who was gathering his birds as fast as they fell, seemingly oblivious to the labrador waiting patiently beside his master for the opportunity to work. After the drive was over my friend wandered over to ask if the picker-up would mind leaving him a few birds. The response was not what he expected. “Listen, mate,” said the picker-up behind an aggressively pointed finger, “you do your job, and I’ll do mine.” A word with the headkeeper resulted in the offender being moved to exasperate another guest but my friend has no wish to return to that shoot as, in his own words, “Working my dog is more than half the fun.”

Kennel Club panel judge Graham Stephenson runs a training session.

I recounted this tale to Stephenson, who was unequivocal in his response. “That’s just plain wrong, and it puts the headkeeper in a bad position,” he said. “I wouldn’t tolerate such behaviour from a member of any team I was in charge of.” Crack northern shot and owner of three super-fit labradors, George Winn-Darley, recalls a similar experience with a picker-up obsessed with standing in his shadow and collecting each bird as it fell. “It became a bit of a competition as whose dog got there first,” he remembers. “When a cock bird came down a long way back the man refused to go for it so I went and picked the bird myself, which became a bit of a talking point.” The un-happy situation was resolved when the of-fender stormed off to his vehicle, climbed in and slammed the door. “Best result all round,” says Winn-Darley. “Anyone behaving like that on my shoot would never set foot on it again.”

PICKERS-UP ARE VITAL TO THE SHOOTING DAY

Such incidents surrounding the etiquette of picking-up should not be allowed to colour our respect and gratitude for a group of men and women whose skills are crucial to our sport, for it is more important than ever to make sure every bird that comes down is accounted for as humanely as possible. That is achieved time and again by remarkable dogs brilliantly handled by men such as Brian Thompson, a Northumbrian who works up to a dozen dogs at a time much farther back from the line than is normal. He is described as “quiet, persistent and systematic, moving his gundogs like a pack of hounds and never giving up until the last bird has been found”.

The etiquette of picking up also extends to the guns adn their dogs. Pickers-up may also have reason to question the conduct of guests and their dogs, the most frequent grievance being that guns often forget to say how many birds are missing – and their whereabouts – before they move on, having had their fun. Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn, who picks-up throughout Northumberland and beyond, says, “I like to see guests working their own dogs, although it can be frustrating when they don’t tell you what’s left to pick – a quick word is common courtesy and doesn’t take a minute. But if pickers-up encourage their dogs among guns while they are still shooting what do they expect? It then becomes an impossible task.”
Some pickers-up may occasionally let themselves down but few could rival the outrageous behaviour of a regular gun at a shoot where game was costed by the head. This man’s dog retrieved all his birds but on the last drive of the day he was spotted surreptitiously chucking several brace over a drystone wall in order to reduce the bill. Many years ago, when Duncombe Park shoot in North Yorkshire was leased by a succession of wealthy tenants, a regular foreign guest was accompanied by an aggressive bull terrier that was loosed at the end of each drive. “That dog only picked fights – never birds,” remembers John Masterman, headkeeper at Duncombe Park since 1977. “It attacked everyone else’s dog and caused no end of trouble. One lunch-time the lads sought revenge by feeding it sausages and mustard, and that evening it made a terrible mess all over its owner’s hotel room – we know that because the chambermaid complained.”

Let the pickers-up know what’s left to pick, “a quick word is common courtesy”.

This season Masterman will run more than 90 driven days, each attended by up to eight regular pickers-up under the supervision of his wife, Sue. “We don’t mind guests bringing dogs,” Masterman says, “but as a gun might shoot 20 or 30 birds in a drive it can take some time if he picks them all himself and we may need to step in and help – but we never have dogs running up and down the line during a drive; a dead bird is going nowhere.” As a rule of thumb the bigger the day the less likely guns are to bring dogs, as the most expensive days are often taken by those whose lives are too busy – and mobile – for a canine companion. But Sue Masterman makes sure that anyone who does arrive with a dog is given the chance to work it by instructing her team to give the gun plenty of space. “Guests have not brought their dogs along to sit and watch,” she says, “and we mustn’t forget that if they were not shooting we would not be picking-up.” A valuable assertion and one to remember when thinking about the etiquette of picking-up.

Not all shoots are as canine friendly as Duncombe Park and Ravenswick, where shoot organiser Julian Boddy’s policy of four drives per day allows time for guns to work their dogs. Some shoots don’t just discourage guests’ dogs – they ban them altogether. This ensures no time is wasted between drives, but if the gain is a large bag quickly achieved, the loss is the sport’s, whose close links with purpose-bred dogs date back to the 17th century.
Some guests feel obliged to check whether they may bring their dogs when accepting an invitation to shoot but there’s no need to ask George Winn-Darley that question if you get the call up from him. “I’m astonished when I’m asked if its OK to bring a dog shooting,” he says. “That’s like checking if its all right to wear wellie boots. Stopping someone from bringing their dog to a shoot is like inviting a friend to Wimbledon and telling them they cannot watch the final set of a match.” Has the etiquette of picking-up found central ground again?

It is hard to know whether gundog coat colour actually matters. David Tomlinson is less than enthralled by some selectively bred shades.

Gundog coat colour is crucial to some when it comes to choosing a suitable gundog. Chocolate labradors have only recently rectified their reputation as being lazy and overweight and are slowly being recognised as hard working and atheltic. But does colour really tell on the field? David Tomlinson gives his opinion below. And once you have decided on colour of you favoured breed the next questions is should your gundog live in or out?

DOES GUNDOG COAT COLOUR MATTER?

These working clumbers now show some colour.

A trialling friend assures me that the fashion for nearly white springers has passed and that there’s now a trend to bring back more traditionally marked dogs. I have bred a few litters of springers and it’s been notable that all buyers – both pet and working – have preferred well-marked puppies. My springers are invariably born sharply black and white but black hairs soon invade the white, leading to spots and dappling that in a cocker would be called roan.

Springers are permitted three colours only: black and white, liver and white or tricolour. In contrast, cockers can come in almost any colour you can think of, from solid black, brown or gold all the way through to lemon and white or orange roan. Such variety makes breeding cockers great fun; you can never be sure what colours you’ll get. Solid black is currently the fashionable colour for working cockers but this could change in a few years.
Look at the Victorian paintings of clumbers and it’s evident that these spaniels, apart from being half the size of their modern descendants, were also attractively marked with lemon or orange. Selective breeding for the showring has largely abolished any colour at all, though I’m delighted to note that working clumber enthusiasts have successfully reintroduced it.

One of the traps for the unwary is describing a gundog coat colour correctly. Put the word golden in front of lab and you instantly expose your lack of knowledge of the breed. You can just about get away with calling a liver-and-white springer brown and white, but a German longhaired pointer is always brown, never liver. English setters are similarly confusing. A black-and-white dog, for example, is called a blue belton, while there’s also lemon belton and liver belton, plus tricolour.

The chesapeake is the only breed of gundog that comes naturally camouflaged. The breed standard suggests that the gundog coat colour should be “dead grass (straw to bracken), sedge (red gold), any shade of brown, or ash”. They are perfect colours for a ’fowling dog. However, should you want to take your pale-yellow lab or cream golden retriever shooting, you could buy it a Realtree-patterned neoprene coat, proving that no dog can really be a bad colour, at least for a shooting man.

Jonathan Sainsbury paints the birds we see around us. It started in childhood when he went to stay with a shooting farmer.

Jonathan Sainsbury paints birds beautifully. They are his speciality, just as horseflesh is the chosen subject for Sir Alfred Munnings and Africa treads realistically accross the canvas of David Shepherd.

JONATHAN SAINSBURY

Jonathan Sainsbury’s work makes me realise how lucky I am that the cherry tree outside my window has died. A wren now picks among the moss at its base; a tree creeper patrols the trunk for insects; twittering flocks of long-tailed tits and goldfinches are busy among the lichen-covered upper twigs. It’s a scene straight from one of Jonathan Sainsbury’s paintings.

Laughing, Jonathan Sainsbury agrees: “Where I live in Perthshire everything is damp and wet, so you get dead wood. We have an oak tree that must be about 300 years old and the bottom branches have died. It gives me a lot of inspiration and I have done a whole series of paintings of branches.” The branches and bramble bushes he paints feature birds like the long-tailed tits – “bumbarrels” as the poet John Clare calls them – or just starlings. You won’t see macaws or hoopoes suddenly brightening the humdrum beauty of his pictures. “I think one of the appeals of my work is that everything I do is familiar,” explains Sainsbury. “I am interested in what is around us, what makes us and completes us. And they are part of our experience. I like that. I try to show a lot of that in my work. For example, with the bumbarrels painting, where it is divided into nine separate panels, I wanted to emphasise the fragmentary view you see of them through binoculars as they flutter about, first three coming in, then one going out, constantly busy.”

By coincidence, it is exactly the view I get of the long-tailed tits through my window. This ability to recognise the essential joys we all see helped Jonathan Sainsbury to get started as a professional artist. He remembers: “My first clients were farmers. It was the time of subsidies, so they had some spare cash. If I painted a yellowhammer, a farmer would say, ‘Yes, I saw one just like that the other day when I was haymaking,’ and he would buy the painting.

“The farmers I knew in those days were really hands-on, where today everything is mechanised and contracted out, so that farming has become almost disconnected. It is easy for a young lad to be sitting on his tractor with the earphones on all day with almost no awareness of the countryside around him. I think there is a kind of loss going on at the moment.” Sometimes that loss is more dramatic, as in the off-shore oil spill disasters that happen on our coasts. Sainsbury remembers two in particular, both in the Nineties: “The Braer went down off Shetland and there was an oil spill, then soon afterwards, the Sea Empress grounded and about 6,000 scoters got killed.
“I remember looking at them, and with the oil you get that rainbow effect. You can reproduce that with acrylic paint and, of course, acrylic paint is a by-product of the petrochemical industry that had caused the disaster in the first place.” The irony was not lost on Jonathan Sainsbury, whose moving painting, Reciprocal Arrangement, commemorates the disaster. “The painting was exhibited in Wisconsin at an annual exhibition, Birds in Art, which is basically the most prestigious exhibition for bird painters globally. These are the pictures I care about.”

While Jonathan Sainsbury was still at Leeds College of Art in the Seventies, he was already using his work as a concrete expression of his environmental concerns – literally so in some cases: “I made a piece called Tiger Bricks, which was bricks painted in tiger stripes and weighed 365lb, the exact weight of the Javanese tiger, which had recently become extinct.”

From the beginning though, birds captured Sainsbury’s imagination: “It all started when I was about eight years old and went to stay on a farm. I went out with the farmer while he shot a couple of brace of English grey partridge. They were laying on the kitchen table and I was fascinated by them, they are such beautiful birds. The farmer’s wife suggested I painted them, and that fired me from then onwards.”

And thinking again of that dead tree so full of life outside my window, I realise how lucky we are to have Jonathan Sainsbury to help us see it.

What makes the perfect shoot lunch? The best shoot lunch will keep visiting guns coming back for more. Robert Gibbons reveals the ideal shoot menu.

The best shoot lunch can be hearty or meagre, on the hill or in the hut, stewed in port or fizzing with the best Champagne. It all depends what fits best on your sporting day. But, it’s not all about lunch.  Ensure you look the part too with our what to wear when shooting feature. And take heed of our pheasant shooting tips in order to make the best of your day. Even if not much makes it to the bag, the best shoot lunch is sure to be fun. Robert Gibbons tells us what to serve to make a lunch that goes with a bang.

THE BEST SHOOT LUNCH: 19TH CENTURY

Everyone has their own opinion of what makes the best shoot lunch. The other day I was thumbing through one of those books espousing the pleasures of the so-called “Golden Era” before the First World War. Long hot summers, languorous days by the river, garden parties, calm and contentment all over the land. One of the photographs of a best shoot lunch showed a shooting party having lunch in a field, with attendant staff. The large table was laid with a cloth and piled with food, ice buckets and wines, and all were dressed as if for church. The caption read, “Earshed Hall 1908”. It must have been a grand shoot on a great estate to warrant all that linen and silver. In a lifetime’s shooting I have never sat at such a table – I doubt one still exists – and yet lunch on a shooting day remains a welcome break in the day’s sport as well as an event in itself.

THE BEST SHOOT LUNCH: SUCKLING PIG

The best shoot lunch has to compete with the three main rival categories: the good, the mediocre and the inedible. On the good side, I can recall only one lunch that could be described as a sumptuous best shoot lunch. It was given on a shoot in Yorkshire by a friend who had the good fortune to head up a major international hotel group and therefore had access to staff, ingredients and facilities not readily available to the normal shooting host. The shoot was a two-day affair, double guns. We were put up at a local hotel, a former coaching inn, which had been more or less taken over for the occasion.

After four drives there were 300 pheasants in the bag when we stopped for lunch. When we went into the oak-beamed dining-room and saw the table laid with crystal and silver amid a huge flower display, I knew we were in for something special. The chef had come up from a West End hotel. We started with pâté de foie gras with warm brioche rolls and an ample glass of chilled Château Yquem. This was followed by suckling-pig accompanied by tiny apples (which, at first, I thought were potatoes) and a delicious light gravy which, I was told, aficionados call a “drizzle”, to soften the crackling. There was quite an exceptional St Emilion served in balloon glasses on the thinnest of stems followed by fresh raspberries with kirsch. A large blue Cheshire cheese, celery, pickled walnuts and ginger cake were then passed round with a choice of vintage port or an aged calvados. The repast was finished off with coffee, dark bittermint chocolates and Havanas. A similar feast was served the following day.

The glorious setting certainly enhances a shoot lunch.

By way of contrast, my shooting invitations as a young man invariably advised to bring your own “piece”, certainly in the north. There was little chance of a best shoot lunch. This could have been as a result of food rationing. Nowadays invitations always state “lunch provided”. For the most part, even the best shoot lunch no longer involve three or four courses. On very cold days some hosts provide a soup followed by a casserole, no pudding but a good cheese. However, I take exception to being served pheasant casserole on a pheasant-shoot. That is taking economy too far. If soup is not provided, the main dish is usually followed by a good pudding; crumbles seem to be the fashion, although I have noticed an increase in the popularity of bread and butter pudding. There is always a reasonable cheese to end up with, coffee and sometimes a piece of cake. The custom of having Stilton accompanied by ginger cake seems to be dying out, which is a pity as they make a great combination.

One thing I have never understood it is why some hosts who provide a best shoot lunch seem intent on serving the cheapest wine they can find. I have been on too many shoots where the red wine not only smelled like paraffin but tasted like it as well. Given the overall cost of a shoot, whether one is a guest or a paying guest, there is no reason to be poisoned by a bottle of Bela Russe red. Those who still serve port can also err in this way by providing either a ruby red concoction or a deep black simulated vintage, both of which would happily find a place on the official Poisons List held by any High Street chemist. I recall having a particularly revolting red wine which smelled so strongly of paraffin with a TCP aftertaste that I had qualms about lighting my cigar near the bottle. Apart from exceptional cases, homemade liqueurs should be avoided. The cloudy pourings described by the host’s wife as “simply delicious” are the very opposite. I never, ever did get the stain out when I spilt a droplet of homemade blackcurrant brandy on my Harvey & Hudson.

THE BEST SHOOT LUNCH: CURRY AND COCKROACHES

Then there are those who seek to create a best shoot lunch by serving something different based on the mistaken assumption that people are bored with shepherd’s pie, beef casserole, sausage and mash, steak and kidney pie, and so on. Curry and rice, Chinese, Tibetan, Thai or Indian food do not have their place at a shooting lunch. I have a friend who serves pheasant curry with rice followed by mint ice-cream at his shoot lunches. Should you accept an invitation to travel in his Range Rover you get the odour all day. I have told him I will not attend again until he changes his menu. This certainly does not rank on my list as a best shoot lunch.

There is little excuse not to serve a hot meal during the winter. Cold ham and roast beef are most welcome on grouse days and even with September partridges, but won’t make the ranks of a best shoot lunch on a January shoot. Well-made sandwiches, baps or bread rolls can be welcome on the hill but, even if accompanied by a Penguin chocolate biscuit or a Mars bar, do little for one’s temperament if presented in a plastic bag on a December day, however good the soup. It does not mean that one cannot be innovative without causing offence. One of the best cold lunches I’ve had was some years ago, shooting partridges in early September, when the host provided chilled champagne and cold kippers, brown bread and a delicious Vacherin cheese.

Two lunches I can never forget occurred one after the other, albeit on different shoots and with different hosts. The first was in Hampshire on a lovely late-September partridge day, with the lunch served in a splendid room converted for the purpose from a stable. The casserole was tasty until some of the crunchy bits turned out to be cockroaches. The other occasion was in Gloucestershire when what looked like ap-petising individual steak and kidney pies were inedible despite the application of piping-hot gravy. The microwave had failed to beat the deep freeze so that, once the outer crust had been attacked, the contents were frozen solid, as were the accompanying chips and sprouts.

Apart from the shooting lunch itself, the location is not unimportant. There is nothing better than sitting in the heather on a warm day with tablecloth spread out and cold pork pies, hams, beef, salad, some quail’s eggs and the like arrayed before you with cold white wine which the host has carefully kept chilled in the burn and cans of McEwan’s Export for those who want it. Some hosts are brave enough to invite the guns back into the dining-room for lunch. This has its problems, particularly on wet days, as it usually involves changing, which can be avoided if there is a separate lunch hut or bothy, barn or stable. Any of these can serve just as well as a luncheon room.

THE BEST SHOOT LUNCH: THE IDEAL

After a busy day double-gunning a good lunch is appreciated. What does Robert Gibbons suggest as the best shoot lunch?

What, then, constitutes the best shoot lunch? In winter I think a good hot dish is essential and at home this usually means shepherd’s pie made with venison, Brussels sprouts and carrots, with Worcestershire sauce on the table for those who want it. This is followed by a good pudding and we usually opt for an apple and blackcurrant crumble, cheese and biscuits, Stilton cheese with some brown ginger cake, damson gin or whisky (we don’t do port at lunch) being the preferred option. On the hill we usually retire to lunch in a hut near one of the lochs and on warm grouse days cold ham and beef with sometimes a plate of smoked trout, local crab from Oban, summer pudding and a good Mull cheddar satisfies most appetites.

When it comes to drink, in every instance there should be available a modest chablis, although personally I favour a dry white graves and a respectable middle-range claret to wash the lunch down, whatever it is. Beer and cider should be on standby and the usual spirits.

All in all, the shooting lunch should be neither extravagant nor poorly. I admire a friend of my late father who had a delightful shoot near Andover, whose invitations always read, “do come to lunch and bring a gun”.

Do you have a family painting you'd love to share but also want to keep? Knowing how to copy a painting is useful information to have.

Knowing how to copy a painting is important if you have family artwork that you want to share. To ensure that every member of the family can fully enjoy the painting, having high quality copies is the only answer. Richardson Paintings can provide this very solution.

If you are looking to acquire a new piece of art, consider Jonathan Sainsbury or James Gillick.

QUERY: I wish to copy a painting for my family twice. The original is to stay with me, so I bear the burden of the insurance until it is eventually sold but my two children, who both adore the picture, can have the joy of it hanging in their homes without the worry. I want to the copies to be very high-quality and identical to the original. Can you advise how to copy a painting?
WR, Buckinghamshire

HOW TO COPY A PAINTING

ANSWER:

Richardson Paintings may be the solution to the problem of how to copy a painting.

Richardson Paintings has a group of about 80 artists worldwide, all classically trained, who paint from high-quality photographs and transparencies or even from the original painting if available. It regularly carries out work for Sotheby’s, Christie’s and other large establishments around the world. Oliver Richardson says that more than 95% of the work is done from transparencies and photographs as often the original is not available for long enough.

Initially, send a good set of photographs to Oliver so he can select an artist who is an expert in the period, style and subject of the painting you wish to have copied. The cost varies from £500 to £2,000 for a 3ft by 4ft canvas, but a quote is given in the first instance. Frames are priced separately. The whole process should take about two months. For more information call 01491 629549.

This poached pheasant recipe brings traditional game together with Far Eastern flavours. Philippa Davis goes oriental with this restorative broth.

Poached pheasant makes for a warming dish now the shooting season is underway. For more inspiration, take a look at our top 10 best pheasant recipes.

Here Philippa Davis shares one of her postcard recipe. Sign up on the Philippa Davis website to get every new postcard recipe sent straight to your inbox for free.

This week I am delighted to be back up in the magnificent highlands cooking for various grouse, partridge and pheasant shoots.

Pheasant season opens the 1st October and runs to the 1st February. From a chefs perspective I think now is the time you really want to get hold of them. Still young and tender from not too many flights, their meat is really delicious and can be treated like a decent chicken so great for roasting, frying and poaching. As the season goes on they still maintain their wonderfully distinct flavor but become more suited to slow cooking as they will need tenderizing.

This poached pheasant postcard recipe is based on the idea that poaching a tender piece of meat not only gives you a delicious supper but also has the excellent knock on effect of providing a tasty liquid you can then use in broths, soups / risottos / pasta dishes etc….

POACHED PHEASANT WITH GINGER, GARLIC, CHILLI AND LIME

Bring traditional game together with Far Eastern flavours in this dish.

This poached pheasant dish would be great as a restorative lunch broth or you could add noodles/ rice / vegetables / chopped green lettuce to make it more filling.

The sprinkling at the end of raw garlic, lime and coriander totally makes this dish, though is possibly not first date stuff unless you both go for it.

Makes about 4 bowls of broth.

• 1 whole pheasant plucked and cleaned
• 1/2 tbs cardamom pods
• 1 tbs caraway seeds
• 1 tbs fennel seeds
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 50g fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large medium red chili – to taste
• 25g coriander

To serve

• The zest of 2 limes
• 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs finely chopped coriander

Give your pheasant a quick wash then place in a large saucepan with some roughly chopped red chili with seeds and membrane in tact (the amount depends on how hot you like it), the cardamom pods, caraway, fennel seeds, the spring onions ends and the ginger and some salt and pepper.

Fill with cold water to just cover the pheasant then place on a medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Cook for about 30 minutes – the pheasant should just be cooked the best place to check is inside the leg then leave with the heat turned off for ten mins.

Remove the pheasant and cover loosely with foil.

Strain the liquid into another pot then reduce by about a 1/3 then check for seasoning and chili heat. Add the rest of the spring onions finely chopped on an angle.

In a small bowl mix the lime zest, garlic and coriander.

To serve, slice the breasts and take the meat from the leg bones. On a low heat gently warm the meat in the stock.

Ladle some poached pheasant meat and liquid into your serving bowl and sprinkle with the garlic mix.

Knowing how to scale a fish is the first step to turning your catch into a delicious dinner. Follow our tips to avoid a slippery mess.

Knowing how to scale a fish is a skill all fishermen need. Rather than leave it to someone else, learn how to scale and gut a fish so that it can be hooked, caught and eaten all in the same day.

If you need some inspiration for what to put on the table, take a look at our best trout recipes.

QUERY: I do not know how to scale a fish and it is a job that I have little interest in and have never wanted to do, particularly as I am not a cook. I now need to have a go and have read a few pieces in magazines on how to scale a fish but they have been of little help.
FT, by email

HOW TO SCALE A FISH

To scale a fish: hold it firmly by the tail and using a blunt blade scrape vigorously up towards the head, trying not to break the skin. With most fish this dislodges the scales quite easily, but remember to wipe the fish and your knife as needed. The fish is scaled when the skin appears sleek.

To gut a fish: leave the head on as it gives you something to hold on to. Lay the fish on a board and grip the head. Insert a sharp knife just below the gills and slice down to the vent below the tail. Stick the blade into the cavity and scoop out the guts. Rinse the cavity well under cold running water. Make sure the kidney, which sits just below the backbone, is also removed. Some fish have a thick white swim-bladder which must be removed to expose the kidney. When clean, remove the head by slicing off with a slanting cut along the line of the gills to avoid wasting any meat.

Find out where you can purchase a plain woollen tank top for your child that isn't overly fussy.

A woollen tank top is a great way to combat the beginnings of the winter chill. Knowing where to find a miniature sized woolen tank top for your child isn’t the easiest of tasks. Many v-neck sweaters that are geared up for the younger wardrobe are filled with patterns and bobbles.  The royals themselves have displayed a fondness for a patterned woolen tack top on a few occasions.  Little Prince George has been seen to wear his soldier embroided woollen tank top proudly during the winter months. As vibrant as it might be, often we just want simplicity and function. Find out where you can find a plain woollen tank top.

QUERY: I am trying to find woollen, V-neck, sleeveless sweaters for my young grandsons to wear that aren’t navy blue. It seems impossible to find one that is plain, simple and basically a smaller version of an adult’s. They are useful for the young during the shooting season as a light and warm extra layer. If you manage to locate such a company may I have the telephone number rather than website details as I haven’t yet ventured into the world of computers.

KNOWING WHERE TO FIND A WOOLLEN TANK TOP

ANSWER:

Field readers recommend where you can locate yourself a woollen tank top.

A traditional, pure lambs wool, V- neck tank tops made in Britain can be purchased from Bonnie UK. They come in three soft colours (moss, denim and mushroom) for children aged two to eight and cost £36. All of the woolen tank tops are hand designed and made out of lambswool and are manufactured in the UK.  The boys’ jumper range include tank tops, polo jerseys & crew necks.

Contact Bonnie UK at the The Old Bakehouse, Wootton St Lawrence, Hampshire RG23 8PE, tel 0844 4720094. The less computer phobic can visit www.bonnieuk.com.

Rory Knight Bruce has noticed that having a ghost or two adds allure to haunted country houses open to the public. But real mysteries can lie beneath...

Haunted country houses loom large in literature and film. The eerie creaks, the menacing butlers, the silent dread that goes with the first tread on the gravel of a deserted drive. But haunted country houses are just as likely to be inhabited by the vibrant souls of the living. And in some counties it’s all but impossible to miss a haunted country house. Robed monks, jovial ancestors and tragic children all jostle with each other to keep you quaking. But most seem benevolent and set on helping the modern incumbents of the haunted country houses they inhabit. Rory Knight Bruce investigates the lure of the haunted country house.

For a lighthearted take on the feast of All Hallows Eve think less haunted country houses and more costumes…and dogs. Specifically 13 Halloween pet costumes gone badly wrong.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

Borley Rectory — a rare pictorial representation of the Borley haunting showing Borley Rectory, the phantom nun and the ghostly coach and horses. Date: probably 1930s

Like many involved in paranormal societies across Britain, Ghai investigates possible ghosts by using EVPs or Electronic Voice Phenomena. Examples of a ghostly presence are recorded A, B, C or D with A being
the most rare and clearest signs of activity. “I have had a ghost in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane say on stage, ‘Who’s that?” says Ghai. “This is very rare.” At Exeter Castle, once a jail and the court for the 17th-century “Hanging” Judge George Jeffreys’ Bloody Assizes, Ghai had an experience that made him jump out of his skin. He was in the public lavatories, which had been a “suicide cell” for prisoners awaiting trial, when he heard a woman’s curdling scream.

At the oldest pub in Wales, The Skirrid Mountain Inn in Monmouthshire, a rope still hangs on the stairway where Jeffreys is said to have sent some of his victims to the noose. I have stayed there in a room that was once part of the courtroom where more than 180 souls are said to have been condemned to death and it is impossible not to feel an eerie sensation. “The ghost most people see here is of Fanny Pryce, the landlady from the 1830s who died in the inn and is buried 100yd away in the churchyard,” says landlord Geoff Fiddler. “She doesn’t like change and comes back to check on us and the furniture.”

HAUNTED COUNTRY HOUSES: DEVON

Francis Fulford, the 23rd successive male member of his family to occupy his Devon manor house since 1191, is a firm believer in ghosts and haunted country houses. “The dogs can see and sense things that others can’t,” he says. “When I got engaged I could hear them dancing in the attic and they were very cheerful.” (I have stayed in these attic rooms and, while not seeing the dancing maids, can certainly say that they have an ancient, foreboding feel to them).
When he was about five years old, Fulford recalls a girl of about 18 in a nightdress coming into his room. It was, he believes, the ghost of a housemaid. To this day, his sister will stay at Great Fulford only if she sleeps in the room next door to her brother. One has the impression, however, that the Fulford ghosts, in common with many that inhabit older houses, are benign, like Oscar Wilde’s Canterville ghost. “Perfectly sane people have seen things here,” continues Fulford. “My grandmother, during the Great War, saw her brother in full uniform standing one night by her bed. Three weeks later the telegram came to say he had been killed at Gallipoli.” Francis and Kishanda Fulford, like so many owners of houses and haunted country houses that are open to the public, run ghost tours and evenings, which are very popular. “I only wish the ghosts would do something useful like clear away the plates in the dining-room,” says Fulford.

HAUNTED COUNTRY HOUSES: NORTHUMBERLAND

But ghosts can achieve something useful, as Sir Humphry Wakefield of Chillingham Castle in Northumberland can vouch. They add interest to haunted country houses and castles, and provide a valuable income stream from visitors who come again and again to be frightened, thrilled or intrigued by ghostly potential.

Built in the 12th century, Chillingham Castle has a claim to be among the most haunted country houses in England. Mark Fisher’s Chillingham Castle: the diary of an amateur ghost hunter recounts the muffled cries of a child, the ghost of Chillingham’s famous Blue Boy. In the Pink Room, Fisher has heard male voices and experienced feelings of dread when standing next to the Priest Stand in the chapel.  “I really feel the ghosts here are rooting for me,” says Sir Humphry. “Even if things go missing from the castle, it is usually the pull of the ghosts which wins them back to us. Often it is because we have a 16th-century painting by Zurbarán of a Spanish witch who curses those who steal or ‘wish the castel ille’.”

Wakefield’s son, Max, and his guests have often seen a blue flash in the Pink Room and one of his fellow racing driver friends has a photograph of a clear blue spectre of light taken in the adjacent Artists’ Room. Chillingham Castle has three ghost guides, one of whom is deeply psychic, and runs all-night vigils where more scientific visitors come equipped with Geiger counters, which invariably react. We get a complete range coming,” continues Sir Humphry. “Some are looking for cheap thrills in haunted country houses and others are seriously looking for signs from another world.

“The ghosts have contributed hugely to worldwide interest in the castle,” explains Sir Humphry, who started the tours in 1982. He is fascinated by ghost stories and counts the 18th Lord Dunsany’s many magical tales of other worlds among his favourites.

HAUNTED COUNTRY HOUSES: HELL-FIRE CAVES

Carving in the Hell Fire Caves in West Wycombe Buckinghamshire

The Hell-Fire Caves at West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire are one of the most popular ghost-viewing destinations. Their chalk caverns, with 400 metres of underground passages and chambers, attract more than 30,000 visitors a year. Wholly supervised paranormal vigils with respected psychic mediums are run there in an attempt to detect the spirits of the 18th-century aristocratic debauchee members of the Hell-Fire Club.

HAUNTED COUNTRY HOUSES: SIMPLY A MYTH?

While only a cynic would suggest that ghostly tales and sightings are most prevalent in haunted country houses open to the public, there is no question that such homes have their fair share of spectral sightings. At Chavenage House near Tetbury, home to the Lowsley-Williams family since Elizabethan times (and the home of Francis and Elizabeth Poldark in the BBC series), there have been several ghostly sightings of figures dating back to Cromwell.

“My brother George used to camp out on the lawn as a child and clearly recalls seeing figures from an earlier age,” says Caroline Lowsley-Williams. “He has never forgotten them 40 years later.” Two years ago, Lowsley-Williams opened up a small room in the manor that had remained locked and shuttered since Cromwell’s time. “As I went in, I felt a presence and our spaniel started growling,” she recalls. “I cannot say for certain it was the spirit of a Cromwellian general because, shortly afterwards, the spaniel found a dead jackdaw under the bed, so it might have been that which interested him.”

But, she says, you cannot have one family living in a house for more than 500 years without inhabiting it with the spirits of their forebears. During the Second World War, Chavenage was requisitioned as a hospital for severely wounded pilot officers. “Their limbs were repaired but perhaps not their inner souls,” says Lowsley-Williams. Several of the pilots claim to have seen the apparition of a monk in the family chapel.

HAUNTED COUNTRY HOUSES: A CONVERT

Like many people, Roddy Martine, author of Supernatural Scotland and Haunted Scotland, had a healthy scepticism about ghosts until a chance encounter on a train one evening. For some years he had been convinced he’d seen the apparition of a small boy with long hair in his bedroom at his Edinburgh flat. An elderly lady on the train asked where he lived and then told him that had it had been her parents’ flat. “We left it after the First War because my brother, Edward Seaton, died there aged 12.” Martine researched the ownership of his flat, discovering the name Seaton on the deeds from 1917. “To my mind, haunting is not an evil or threatening thing,” he says. “I think ghosts are rather reassuring, as if the soul gets lost in transit and the spirit gets trapped.” He feels the success of Edinburgh’s ghost tours today is down to the fact that the city, with its many underground streets and vennels, possesses centuries of mysterious deaths and tragedies.

HAUNTED HUNTING

January 1955: A group of young men digging at Borley rectory in search of the skeleton of a ‘Phantom Nun’. Original Publication: Picture Post – 7462 – Is This The Borley Rectory Ghost? – pub. 1955 (Photo by Thurston Hopkins/Picture Post/Getty Images)

There is little doubt that animals feel the presence of spirits and ghosts. There are many stories of foxes visiting the graves of foxhunters shortly after the burial. Lady Feversham’s Strange Stories of the Chase was once at every post-war country bedside and the eighth Duke of Northumberland’s The Shadow on the Moor is a chilling tale of a murderous huntsman who rides to a cliff-top death, based on ghostly fact.

The American poet Henry Longfellow summed it up: “All houses in which men have lived and died are haunted houses. These harmless phantoms on their errands glide with feet that make no sound upon the floors.” Not all Americans, it seems, share their compatriot’s fondness for ghosts. Twenty years ago I stayed at a castle in Ireland where the aging baronet eked out a living giving ghost tours while wearing a gothic cape. In one room there was a secret chute in which it was said guests and ghosts would come and go at will. The castle is now a highly successful family hotel. But when I asked if I could write about my experiences of the earlier haunted country houses ghost tours, I was told firmly, “Please don’t. Our American visitors would be terrified.”

Have you stayed in one of the many haunted country houses in Britain? Do you dare?

These Halloween pet costumes have claimed 13 shame faced victims.

An unlucky 13 Halloween pet costumes that took a turn for the worse. As the end of October approaches funny things start to happen. Pumpkins proliferate in kitchens, lanterns are made and spine-chlling stories are read at night. Things start to go bump. But the best thing about Halloween? The chance to don the dodgiest of outfits and tuck into spurious ghoulish grog, perhaps in a haunted country house. But our brethren over the ocean take the worship of the pumpkin and all things spectral to another level. Not a mad monk or a headless Cavalier in sight. This is fancy dress taken to the extreme with some unfortunate doggy collateral.

13 HALLOWEEN PET COSTUMES THAT WENT RATHER BADLY WRONG

1. You don’t even want to think about the things this corgi has seen

Not sure HM THe Queen’s corgi’s would get away with this

2. This disgruntled pup’s costume pinches

He should be lobster red with embarrassment

3. This dachshund is one hot dog this Halloween

A decidedly hot dog

4. “What are we supposed to be again, Bailey?” “I dunno. Just smile!”

Tigers?

5. This poor puppy is a total buzzkill

Bumble-ing along

6. This Yorkiesaurus is off to chase some diplodocats

Ferocious

7. This dog’s outfit is sort of growing on him

Carrots? A pumpkin?

8. These classy canines are ready for a night on the tiles

The three graces

9. This basset hound just isn’t really that into the whole “Halloween thing”

He ain’t nothing but a (poor) hound dog…

10. Just another tiny Pekingese samurai off to save the world…

Turning Japanese

11. This Halloween this chihuahua is going as: “Paul McCartney visits Hawaii”

Wig-tastic

12. Ever wanted to see cleavage on a bulldog? Well, it’s too late now.

Oh dear…

13. This get up is just plain pugly

The pantomime pug

These images are courtesy of Two Little Fleas.

Kick off your kecks and score...a try, with the Liverpool University naked charity calendar

The Liverpool University naked charity calendar shows that rugby isn’t just a man’s game. And it is not all about union. The calendar, one of The Field’s Naked Strewth selection, is a sporting triumph. It joins other classic fundraising efforts such as the Orkney Unseen naked charity calendar and more:

Hi Lost My Clothes naked charity calendar 2015

• July 10, 2015

The Field’s naked charity calendar is something of an institution. The Hi Lost My Clothes naked charity calendar 2015 adds More…

Around the Farm naked charity calendar 2015

• January 12, 2015

The Around the Farm naked charity calendar 2015 is another of the top notch naked charity calendars raising money for More…

LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY NAKED CHARITY CALENDAR

The Liverpool University Women’s Rugby League team are keen to promote their sport to women up and down the country. Funding can be difficult and universities sometimes reluctant. But the Liverpool girls have proved stalwart at encouraging other squads.

In order to help raise funds the girls produced the Liverpool University naked charity calendar. They managed to raise a whopping £2000. Half of the money raised goes to th charity Joining Jack. The charity aims to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition affecting one in 3600 boys.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is one of the most common fatal genetic disorders to affect children around the world. Approximately one in every 3,500 boys worldwide is afflicted with 20,000 new cases reported each year in the developed world.

It is a devastating and currently incurable muscle-wasting disease. Symptoms usually appear in male children before the age of five. Progressive muscle weakness of the legs and pelvis eventually spreads to the arms, neck, and other areas. By age 10, braces may be required for walking, and most patients are confined to a wheelchair by age 12.

Eventually, this progresses to complete paralysis and increasing difficulty in breathing, requiring ventilation. The condition is terminal, and death usually occurs before the age of 30.

The outpatient cost of care for a non-ambulatory DMD boy is among the highest of any disease. There is currently no cure for DMD, but for the first time ever, there are promising therapies in or moving into clinical development.

The Liverpool University naked charity calendar has done a great job of raising awareness for the cause.

At Halloween the orange ball glows wickedly, carved into hideous grimaces. But, as Emily Arbuthnott explains, the pumpkin is a relative newcomer having bested the humble turnip in party popularity.

The pumpkin is a familiar sight at this time of year. It glows at night as a jack-o’-lantern and flavours everything from pies to coffee. This coral-coloured globe symbolises autumn and all things Halloween. But, as Emily Arbuthnott discovers, it was not always this way. The humble turnip was here long before the pumpkin arrived. So how did the orange invader gain the upper hand?

Test your nerves ahead of All Hallows Eve this weekend by reading the stories behind haunted country houses, or if that will leave you lying awake a night, enjoy 13 Halloween pet costumes gone badly wrong.

THE ORIGINAL HALLOWEEN LANTERN

Vikings ate turnips. This hard vegetable is rooted in the British culinary repertoire, be it bashed and served with haggis in Scotland, simmered in Welsh lamb cawl or used as a staple in the standard stew of the English. The original Halloween lantern was a turnip. The Irish gave this idea to the Americans. And there, in the great US of A, turnips gave way to pumpkins as rugby did to American football, as single malt to bourbon.

The Americans, never ones to hide their light under a bushel (or inside a brassica), are more passionate about pumpkins than they are about baseball; and it goes farther than the lantern. In 2013 Americans spent more than $15 million on pumpkin-flavoured beers. Pumpkin-flavoured cider and pumpkin-flavoured Dunkin’ Donuts, bagels, cookies, pretzels and M&Ms are avidly consumed on the other side of the Pond over the Hallowe’en period. Starbucks spiced-pumpkin latte, which arrived in the UK in 2012, has its own Twitter account.

3,000 pumpkins carved by professional carvers as well as members of the public are lit up for Halloween in London.

There is hardly any actual pumpkin content in any of these products. With pumpkins it’s all about the show. Unlike the turnip, you can’t have the lantern and eat it. When saw comes to scoop pumpkins are, in fact, rather hollow. The majority of US pumpkin pie fillings come from tinned purée as to make your own involves roasting, skinning and then puréeing the fresh vegetable, leaving nothing from which to create a lantern. As a result, many redundant lanterns are discarded rather than devoured, which is a shame. Hubbub, founder of Pumpkin Rescue, which is organising the #pumpkinchallenge to “squash” food waste, argues that 18,000 tonnes of perfectly edible vegetable is tipped straight into the bin every Hallowe’en: the equivalent weight of 1,500 double-decker buses. No such scandal taints the turnip. Admittedly, a few fingers may be lost in the process of hacking out the solid flesh but once the job is done, that’s supper sorted: a bit of buttery mashed neeps with sausages.

THE CRAFT OF PUMPKIN CARVING

Guinness World Record pumpkin carving champion, Dave Finkle, puts the finishing touches to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s faces, which he is carving out of a pumpkin, at Dobbies Garden Centre in Gillingham, Kent.

It follows that carving pumpkins has become more than a ritual; it has become a craft. Dave Finkle, the double world champion pumpkin carver, explains: “There is a great amount of intricate detail involved. You need to be very patient and have a very steady hand, like a surgeon. Every pumpkin I carve takes up to four hours. Americans carve over a billion pumpkins each year but we are catching up.”

Finkle’s first foray into pumpkin sculpting happened when his village, Little Barrow in Essex, decided to hold a charity pumpkin-growing competition. “My mother-in-law beat me. So, not to be outdone, I organised a carving competition, which I won, and that’s where it all started.”

Before you can say “book group”, local carving classes and competitions are gathering momentum the length and breadth of the UK with an estimated 95% of the 10 million UK pumpkins grown being scored into something scary. One carver, Georgina Burke, even managed to etch a picture of Pippa Middleton’s bottom from the royal wedding on to her pumpkin. Finkle himself has crafted pumpkins for an array of clients from Fortnum & Mason to Harrods and Tate Modern. “The BBC telephoned and asked if I would carve the face of each Strictly Come Dancing judge into a pumpkin, for their Halloween special.” Finkle is aware of rumours that his world championship title will be challenged this year but he is unfazed and remains inundated with requests. “What blows people’s minds with my creations is that they can make little sense of what I have sculpted in daylight; then, once the candle in the pumpkin is lit and the lights are off, the whole thing transforms. It’s like magic.”

Dave Finkle’s pumpkin lanterns featuring AP McCoy and Paul Nicholls.

THE TURNIP: A DANGEROUS VEGETABLE

The same can’t be said for a turnip, which is pretty terrifying-looking before the scalpel has been sharpened. Success is to have scored something resembling eyes and a mouth and still have both hands intact. But then turnip carving is not for the faint-hearted. When Just-Eat polled customers to coincide with National Food Safety week the turnip topped the most dangerous vegetable list. There is something immensely satisfying in that. Children stand back! Kitchen knife, turnip and tea light are all that is needed here. One of the pros of the pumpkin is meant to be its “child-friendly” aspect but do adults really surrender their keyhole saws for cutting off the top, wood gouges, hole cutters and power drills to their interfering offspring?

The turnip might not have mass market appeal, its own emoji (yet) or come in an array of varieties and colours with names such as “Cinderella” or “Munchkin”. Nevertheless, there is something rustically charming, un-assuming and traditional about the turnip; it’s a toy soldier to the pumpkin’s Barbie. There is no denying the gritty, deep-rooted heritage of a neep that stirs that wonderful form of British patriotism – we had to suffer them and so can the next generation.

Looking for some inspiration on how to cook a pumpkin? The Field's three best pumpkin recipes are spookily super, from a stunning savoury pie to muffins.

These three best pumpkin recipes will ensure your Halloween lantern is devoured rather than dumped. Every year, over 18,000 tonnes of pumpkin is wasted as lanterns are discarded. See that yours is put to good use this All Hallows Eve by trying out The Field’s three best pumpkin recipes.

To find out more about pumpkins, and how they trounced the British turnip read our feature on the pumpkin: how it stole the turnip’s thunder.

BEST PUMPKIN RECIPES: PUMPKIN, STILTON AND BLACK PUDDING PIE

One of the #PumpkinRescue best pumpkin recipes from food blogger NotWasted. For more of their best pumpkin recipes and Pumpkin Rescue information can be found on the website www.hubbub.org.uk.

Serves 4

For the filling

• Half large pumpkin
• 500g (171⁄2oz) squash (eg onion squash)
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 red onion
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 sprig rosemary, plus a little extra
• 1 bay leaf
• 300g (101⁄2fl oz) cream
• 75g (21⁄2oz) Stilton
• 3 medium-sized eggs, beaten
• 30g (1oz) black pudding
• 6 sage leaves

For the pastry

• 250g (9oz) butter (softened)
• 300g (101⁄2oz) flour
• Pinch sea-salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Milk
• 50g (13⁄4oz) black pudding
• 1 medium-sized egg, beaten, for wash

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Peel, deseed and dice the pumpkin and squash, discarding the bruised areas for composting. Chop off the top of the garlic exposing the tips of all the cloves, and slice the onion about 1cm (2⁄ in) thick from the root.

On large oven tray combine half the pumpkin, the squash, sliced onion and garlic bulb. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle on chilli flakes, salt and pepper and cook until soft and caramelised (roughly 50 minutes). Decrease the oven heat to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 5.

To make the pastry, combine the butter, flour and salt until evenly distributed – a sandy-like texture. Mix in the egg until it comes together into a dough, adding a little milk if too dry. Finely dice the black pudding and knead into the dough gently to retain the flecks of the pudding. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll out into a 12in tart case, leaving the edge rough for a rustic looks. Blind bake for 10 minutes (cover pastry with baking parchment and fill with rice). Then take it out of the oven and brush with egg wash using one egg, and return to the oven for a further five minutes or until the pastry is golden.

To make the pumpkin mix using the retained pumpkin, place it in a saucepan with a garlic clove, sprig of rosemary, bay leaf, salt, pepper and the cream. Simmer until soft, then add a third of the Stilton and blend until smooth. Once cool whisk in 3 eggs and set aside.

Change the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 4. Take the garlic from the roasting tin and separate the cooked garlic from the skin, chop roughly and combine with the pumpkin mix, adjusting the seasoning if needed. Pour the pumpkin mix into the tart case, and fill with the roast chopped pumpkin and squash and onion. Crumble over black pudding, remaining Stilton, the sage leaves and a bit of rosemary, drizzle in oil and put in oven until set (approximately 30 minutes).

Don’t let the whole pumpkin go to waste. In the right recipe it is truly delicious.

BEST PUMPKIN RECIPES: RUBIES IN THE RUBBLE PUMPKIN CHUTNEY

What better way to preserve pumpkin than to make chutney with it?

• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 80g (24⁄5oz) fresh ginger
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 400ml (14fl oz) cider vinegar
• 150g (51⁄5oz) sultanas
• 500g (171⁄2oz) sugar
• 750g (261⁄2oz) pumpkin, diced 1cm (2⁄5in)
• 400g (14oz) apple, peeled, diced 1cm (2⁄5in)

Put the oil in a pan with the chilli flakes, cinnamon, fresh ginger, paprika (and pumpkin seeds if adding). Heat through being careful the spices don’t burn.

Add the chopped onion and cook through for five minutes, then add the vinegar, sultanas and sugar. Stir until boiling and the sugar dissolves. Add the pumpkin and apple and cook until the chutney is thick and the pumpkin is cooked through (this could take two hours).

Taste and vary spices according to your liking, then put into dry, clean jars and start decorating your label.

BEST PUMPKIN RECIPES: PUMPKIN MUFFINS

It seemed only right to give a nod to pumpkins’ roots with this mighty muffin recipe.

Serves 12

• 400g (141⁄2oz) pumpkin deseeded and roughly chopped
• 350g (121⁄4oz) light soft brown sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• Sea-salt
• 300g (101⁄2oz) plain flour, unsifted
• 2 heaped tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 175ml (6fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
• 300g (101⁄2oz) icing sugar, sifted
• 50g (13⁄4oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125g (42⁄5oz) cream cheese, cold
• Pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cases.

Place the pumpkin in a food processor and add sugar and eggs before blending.

Add a pinch of salt, the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and olive oil and pulse together until mixed.

Fill 12 muffin cases with the cake mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.

Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric hand whisk and then add the cream cheese, keep whisking until the frosting is fluffy.

Ice muffins when cool and scatter pumpkin seeds on top.

While the turnip is a popular vegetable in Britain, its role in the autumnal festivities has been overshadowed by the pumpkin. Take inspiration from The Field's three best turnip recipes to get this neep back to the centre of the table.

These three best turnip recipes offer inspiration for warming dishes and put a surprising twist on a classic pudding. You may be busy carving pumpkin lanterns for Halloween, but don’t forget about the turnip. Rather than setting it aglow, use it to make something delicious.

Did you know that originally Halloween lanterns were made from turnips? Find out more by reading the pumpkin: how it stole the turnip’s thunder.

BEST TURNIP RECIPES: LILLY HIGGINS’ LAMB AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

Ballymaloe-trained Lilly Higgins found fame through her hugely successful food blog, which has led to regular Irish national food columns and the publication of two best-selling cookbooks. One of her best turnip recipes is a killer casserole.

Serves 6-8

• 300g (101⁄2oz) carrots
• 300g (101⁄2oz) turnip
• 300g (101⁄2oz) potatoes
• 300g (101⁄2oz) sweet potatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300g (101⁄2oz) stewing lamb, diced
• 300ml (1⁄2 pint) red wine
• 2 x tin chopped tomatoes
• 11⁄2 – 2 pints stock or water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary

Use turnips to make a warming casserole as the weather gets colder.

Peel the carrots, turnip, potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut into bite-size chunks. Slice the onions.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Fry the onions for a few minutes before transferring to an ovenproof casserole dish or lidded pan.

Brown the lamb in the pan. Transfer this to the casserole dish.

Deglaze the pan by pouring in the wine. Next add the tomatoes, stock and herbs.

Heat until almost bubbling, then pour this tomato mixture over the lamb.

Add the carrots and turnip and place in the oven for 2 to 2 1⁄2 hours.

Next, add the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Add salt and pepper to season and return to the oven for another hour.

Serve in bowls, unaccompanied or with buttered cabbage.

BEST TURNIP RECIPES: STEAMED GOLDEN SYRUP SPONGE PUDDING

This is one of the best turnip recipes because of how unexpected it is. Have diners guess your secret ingredient!

The best turnip recipes include a surprising twist on an old favourite.

Serves 10

• 250g (9oz) golden syrup, plus a further 3 tbsp for the base of the pudding
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 250g (9oz) topped, tailed, peeled and grated turnip/swede (the purple one)
• Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 150g (51⁄5oz) white rice flour
• 50g (13⁄4oz) ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp salt

Put a full kettle of water on to boil.

Take a sheet of foil about 30cm square (12in square) and another of baking parchment the same size. Place the foil on top of the parchment. Make a pleat about 6cm (21⁄3in) wide in the middle of both layers, so that the two are pleated together and the steam can billow up into the pleat. Grease the parchment side of the lid. Set aside.

Take another length of foil, roughly 40cm (16in) long. Fold it over to make a solid strip of roughly 9cm (31⁄2in) wide and set aside.

Lightly grease a 2 litre (31⁄2 pint) pudding basin. Pour the 3tbsp of golden syrup into the basin. Set aside. Beat the remaining golden syrup and eggs for four minutes, before adding the grated turnip and lemon zest. Whisk for another minute. Finally, add the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine.

Pour into the basin and place the foil-and-paper over the top, foil-side up. Wrap string twice around the lip of the basin, making sure you leave no gaps where water could get through. Tie the string firmly with a knot.
Trim the parchment and foil layers so that only a couple of centimetres (approx 3⁄4in) protrudes below the string line.

Lower the basin into the saucepan with the help of your home-made length of foil, making sure the basin sits squarely on top of the foil strip.

Pour boiling water from the kettle into the pan around the pudding until the water level reaches the lip. Turn on the heat to a rolling simmer and put a lid over the saucepan.

After 1 hour and 30 minutes, remove the pudding and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

The pudding is delicious served with crème anglaise.

Use these best turnip recipes to make restorative dinners for the whole family this autumn.

BEST TURNIP RECIPES: TURNIP SOUP

This soup is one of the best turnip recipes, based on the hugely popular Neep Bree created by Shirley Spear of the much-lauded The Three Chimneys, Skye.

Serves 6

• 50g (13⁄4oz) butter
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 large turnip (swede), peeled and diced to the weight of 500g (171⁄2oz)
• 2 in peeled whole root ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp marsala wine
• 1 orange juiced and rind grated
• 1 litre (13⁄4 pint) chicken stock
• 125ml (4fl oz) full fat milk
• 125ml (4fl oz) double cream to serve
• Chopped chives or fresh coriander

Melt butter in large pan, so it does not burn. Add onions and sweat them on a low heat until soft, not brown. Add the turnip, ginger, marsala wine and some salt and pepper before putting on a lid and simmering for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Pour in the orange juice and rind and stir well. Add the stock. Bring to the boil before reducing the heat and simmering for up to an hour. Keep lid on.

Add the milk and liquidise. Check seasoning and stir cream through. Heat through before serving and sprinkle the chives or coriander to garnish.