Where should you go to nab a Macnab? These estates offer you the best chances of success

Hoping to bag a Macnab this year? The Field’s Challenge, in association with Blaser, is the ultimate test of sporting prowess. Maximise your chances of success by taking Mungo Ingleby’s advice on the best Macnab estates.

For all the details on how to enter the 2018 Challenge, visit our website – and there’s plenty more advice, from the inspiration of past successes to exactly what kit to pack. We look forward to hearing from fieldsports’ bravest sportsmen and women.

BEST MACNAB ESTATES

I would wager that a significant proportion of The Field’s readership would be able to name the constituent parts of the Macnab Challenge. Most, I suspect, would have given passing thought to completing said challenge but few will have progressed further. One reason for this is that the number of Macnabs completed each year is low. It is generally a difficult challenge to complete, but therein lies its appeal. Conditions on the day, wind and water, are in the lap of the gods and often unhelpful. It is nothing short of miraculous if one of the three species concerned does not deviate from its usual pattern of behaviour.

However, one element within your control is the location. What are you actually looking for? A family holiday from which a Macnab opportunity may emerge? A more serious enterprise? A single day in the diary booked well in advance? The longer you can devote to the enterprise the greater your chances of success will be. The following options are by no means exhaustive but should provide food for thought.

GANNOCHY

Gannochy, year on year, delivers more Macnabs than any other estate in Scotland. In some years its total is close to that of all other estates combined. Principally, this is due to the fact that Gannochy’s fishing, stalking and grouse are all of a high standard. There are no chinks, barring a prolonged dry spell, in its sporting armour. If conditions are good, Gannochy’s enthusiastic and skilful team approach the day with confidence and confidence breeds success. The estate caters for eight guests, either sharing in Auchmull Sporting Lodge or in individual rooms spread over the Lodge and two cottages, which more than match the quality of sport on offer. It is a special package for a small team looking for the best. Vacancies are rare.
www.gannochyestate.co.uk

GLENCALVIE

Renowned salmon river the Carron runs through the Glencalvie estate.

A stunning sporting estate covering 20,000 acres of Sutherland. The lodge offers luxury perfectly in keeping with its surroundings and sleeps up to 14; the principal pursuits are fishing and stalking. The estate has two fishing beats: the home beat is Glencalvie, which fishes two rods; and just downriver Gruinards fishes an additional four. With water, a pre-breakfast fish should be a given. In more challenging conditions there are more than enough nooks and crannies to explore and waylay a taker. Glencalvie can put out two rifles and has superb stalking ground. Sutherland makes you walk for your grouse and they are all the more satisfying for it. It is, however, informed walking, the estate knowing their haunts, making Macnabs very achievable.
Weekly lets from £7,500. Tel 01463 224343; www.glencalvieestate.co.uk

GLENMUICK

The House of Glenmuick in Royal Deeside is a spectacular sporting lodge that sleeps up to 20 guests.

Although it is located just an hour from Aberdeen airport, the estate can deliver a quintessential Scottish experience for parties of up to 20. Glenmuick is let by the week and the house and beautiful gardens sit in 14,000 acres at the heart of Royal Deeside. With the River Dee and its tributary, the Muick, on the doorstep, a grouse moor that is on an upward trajectory and delivers both driven and walked-up sport, and the ability to put out two stalking parties every day, there is a good chance of a Macnab in the right conditions and a wonderful week’s sport whatever the weather.
Weekly lets start at £10,200 inc VAT for Glenmuick House. Sport is additional and agreed with the estate prior to the commencement of any let.
Tel 01335 350279; www.glenmuick.com

AMHUINNSUIDHE

Magnificent Amhuinnsuidhe Castle on the Isle of Harris, which has 12 bedrooms.

The scene of The Field’s Macnab attempt in 2016. The team was unsuccessful but the estate has a significant rollcall of past glories. Unusually, the salmon will likely be caught from a loch rather than a river and with six river/loch systems to choose from, estate pointers to close on the wild island grouse and a healthy red deer population, there is every chance of success. There is no better place to celebrate than in the Castle’s dining room and Amhuinnsuidhe is a destination that every sportsman should visit at least once. The Castle is available on an exclusive-use basis or there are occasional weeks during which individuals can book rooms and enjoy the sport, including “single day” Macnab attempts.
Single occupancy room accommodation from £285 per night; £1,500 for a Macnab attempt, which includes one stag. Further attempts are charged at an additional £400 per stag. Tel 01859 560200; www.amhuinnsuidhe.com

MORSGAIL

This is a classic example of an estate that can produce a “Macnab” over the course of a sporting week. It is not something that the estate will target on a specific date in the diary but rather something that will reward longstanding weekly tenants. Such tenants  (and, indeed, the same could be said for all attempts) benefit from being able to play the conditions as they find them. With the pressure off, Macnabs tend to evolve and even surprise and can be all the more memorable for it. Morsgail is a compact lodge sleeping 10 across five en-suite bedrooms. It is true wilderness and a location that really does recharge, revive and feed the soul.
Weekly lets from £4,450 for 10 guests.
Tel 01859 560200; www.morsgail.co.uk

URRARD

The Urrard estate in Perthshire holds a surprising number of stags for its size (2,500 acres).

A compact and easily accessible Perthshire estate that, in the right conditions, offers a really hot chance for a Macnab. The estate has a short stretch of the River Garry with three main pools. In the autumn, when the water is fining down after a spate, these are a real banker. The Garry drops quickly so if it is too high in the morning it will fish in the afternoon. Urrard’s grouse are left largely undisturbed. It is only during Macnab attempts that they are pursued. As the season progresses, Urrard starts to hold a surprising number of stags for its size. The ingredients are all there. If the attempt is booked well in advance be open to hedging your bets and taking fishing on the Lower Tay. Should the Garry be dead low this will add another string to the bow of the attempt.
The cost is £2,000 per attempt, accommodation can be arranged.
Tel 01796 470451; www.urrardestate.com

SOUTH CHESTHILL

Situated in Glen Lyon, the estate takes in 6,500 acres of steep and varied ground plus several miles of the River Lyon, a tributary of the Tay. The lodge has been refurbished and sleeps up to 15; it is an excellent, central base for a week of mixed sport. The estate takes around 50 stags a year off the hill and puts on a handful of walked-up grouse days. Whilst steep, there is good access to the high ground, which gives you an edge if time is against you. If your party has half an eye on a Macnab, remember that the moment when the river starts to rise for the weekly “freshet” (when the hydro creates an artificial spate) is a superb moment to catch a fish.
Weekly lets cost from £4,250.
Tel 020 7193 1466; southchesthill.com

Glenmuick’s antlered games room; deer are managed carefully to promote a healthy, sustainable population.

KINLOCHEWE

At the southern end of Loch Maree, the estate covers 35,000 acres of spectacular, wild scenery. The lodge is a traditional building that sleeps up to 18. In respect of the stalking, Lochrosque, Cabuie and Nest of Fannich have some of the most challenging grounds in Scotland. It is an estate with a loyal following. With any luck you could waylay the grouse on the long pull back from the hill. If not, there are more miles to cover. The fish can be caught from Loch Maree or, in the latter months of the season, the Kinlochewe, Bruachaig or A’Ghairbhe rivers. In total, there are 11 miles of river with a number of holding pools but rain, as in all upper catchments, will greatly aid your chances.
Weekly lets cost from £5,000.
Tel 01738 451600; www.sportinglets.co.uk

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS: ABERDEENSHIRE, ANGUS AND PERTHSHIRE

In an ideal world, all sport will be sourced from the same estate. There is an emotional buy-in from the estate and those who work there and it is impossible not to get caught up in the endeavour. There are, however, many more estates with two rather than all three of the ingredients. With an early start and the rifle zeroed the night before, it is possible to engage more than one estate in the enterprise. Deer and grouse are often happy bedfellows but a quick 45 minutes in the car might also put you in striking range of a salmon. In these circumstances, if you have not taken the beat for a week, please take all available rods on the day in question. It will significantly increase your odds if there is no-one else fishing and it will give you peace of mind that you are not interfering with the sport of others.
The cost can vary but is likely to be more than a Macnab attempted in one place.

Mungo Ingleby is an associate of Galbraith Sporting Lets, specialists in letting Scottish sporting estates. Contact him at: mungo.ingleby@galbraithgroup.com; www.sportinglets.co.uk

The Field, in association with Blaser, are delighted to launch The 2018 Field Macnab Challenge. Are you up for the ultimate test of sporting prowess, asks Alexandra Henton

The clarion has sounded for fieldsports’ bravest sportsmen and women. The Field, in association with new partner Blaser, are delighted to announce that the ultimate sporting test is underway once more. The 2018 Field Macnab Challenge requires a salmon, a stag and a brace of grouse within one daylight day. Are you ready to bag a Macnab?

To prepare you properly in your quest for a Macnab, The Field’s website is brimming with advice. Study up on the rules, take note from previous successes, pick your estate and prepare the kit. And for some real inspiration, watch the video of The Field’s greatest sporting adventure, when we journeyed to the Outer Hebrides with a Macnab in mind.

THE 2018 FIELD MACNAB CHALLENGE

As August rolls around, many people start beetling off towards rocky Cornish beaches, the flat broads of Norfolk or Pembrokeshire’s delightful coast. Not at Field Towers. Here, August heralds the most revered time of year, the start of the sporting season and our favourite sporting adventure, The Field’s Macnab Challenge, is underway again.

John Macnab, written by John Buchan in 1925, is a tale of derring-do and robust spirit that still inspires sporting sorts today and is required reading for any aspiring Macnabber. The Challenge, based on the notion of Buchan’s book, has long been on sporting bucket lists.

The Classic Macnab entails catching a salmon on the fly, grassing a stag and bagging a brace of grouse between dawn and dusk. The rich colours of the purple heather, home to the grouse, the blood of the grassed stag and the silver flash of the salmon are found in The Macnab Club’s Livery and our club tie. They will also mark the pages of our Macnab content in every issue it appears, so those keen to keep up to date can see at a glance where their favourite content lies.

This year we are delighted to announce a new partnership with Blaser, makers of fine sporting shotguns, rifles and the appropriate sort of clothing kit to see you from a dawn start dashing to the river to crawling through the heather and taking your final shot.

For those unfamiliar with the Macnab Challenge, there are 11 types of Macnab you can attempt, so if, like many of our Macnab Club members, you have already mastered the Classic version, why not try a different format, from the Macmarsh to the MacAfrican? But if you are set on the Classic Macnab then read on, to find out where you stand the best chance of success this season. To blood!

MACRULES

The Macnab must be completed within one daylight day.

• The Classic Macnab: A salmon on the fly, a stag and a brace of grouse.
• The Real Macnab: A salmon on the fly and a stag, as the trio did in John Buchan’s John Macnab. They must be “poached” in a legal, sporting manner from a pre-warned owner who accepts the challenge.
• The Southern Macnab: A couple of snipe, a sea-trout and a roe buck.
• The Macmarsh: A foreshore goose, a pike and a fallow buck.
• The Macvermin: An impressive rat, a pike on the fly and a brace of magpies (to be shot).
• The Macscandi: A moose, a capercaillie and a trout on the fly.
• The Macargentinian: A golden dorado, 100 brace of doves and a wild pig. This is the northern Argentinian Macnab.
• The Macafrican: A brace of sandgrouse, an impala and a tigerfish.
• The Maccharlie: Riding to foxhounds, the harriers and staghounds.
• The Corinthian Macnab: Riding to hounds in the morning, shooting a brace of partridges in the afternoon and then catching a trout on the fly.
• The Macnorfolk: A brace of wild greys, a fallow buck and a bass on the fly.

For rules, how to enter and more information on The Field’s Macnab Challenge in association with Blaser, go to: www.thefield.co.uk/macnab-challenge

Intent on following in the footsteps of her late father, Professional Hunter Désirée Lantz has trained hard to be both an impressive shot and dog handler

Désirée Lantz, determined to follow in the footsteps of her late father, is both an impressive shot and dog handler. Qualified as a Professional Hunter, she managed hunting on an estate in Sweden and now works organising hunting trips.

For more sporting Dianas, seriously sporting ladies offering advice and encouragement, Dani Morey launched Ladyfisher to encourage more women to fish. And Annie Oakley was a talented athlete, role model and woman ahead of her time.

DESIREE LANTZ

I’m so divided about this huntress term. Of course, anything that is positive and brings us closer to the equality of the sexes is great. But a nurse is a nurse, if you know what I mean, and I am a hunter.

I grew up in Sweden and it was normal for my father, grandfather and uncle to take children out and share their lifestyle, teaching us about nature, wildlife, predator control and gamekeeping. I was out hunting with them every week before I could walk. My mother left when I was one and my father retained custody. When not in kindergarten or at school I was his shadow while stalking, his carrier while shooting rabbits or birds, and picked up the shells at the shooting range. My father was a gunsmith and worked for Garbi in Spain, so my love for handcraft, the dark stocks and the beautiful engravings came early. Before Christmas, aged nine, he let me shoot with his side-by-side 12-bore for the first time using soft ammunition. On New Year’s Day he died, leaving me and our German wire-haired behind.

I started gamekeeping college at 15, with the kind support of my uncle, studying for my hunting licence so I could walk in my father’s footsteps. I bought my first shotgun and hunting dog, a stubborn Münsterländer. Twice a week at college we had scheduled hunts and as much predator control as we wanted before and after class. The school had 800 hectares of land and I shot roebuck, wild boar, fallow deer, moose and small game, and went on driven hunts with my uncle every weekend. Shooting and hunting became my life and I wanted to learn more and become a better shot and dog keeper. At university I secured a place on the board of the university’s own hunting association.

Désirée is following in the footsteps of her late father, who was a gunsmith.

I’ve hunted all possible species in our vast country and have been tracking, beating and retrieving with my dogs and shooting at several big estates. I am a fan of the German wire-haired, you can use it for everything. The little German jaktterrier is also a favourite for driven wild boars and fox hunting. My family and friends tell me that I have a special gift for training dogs. I don’t know. For me it feels quite natural. The more obedient my dog, the more freedom I can give him and the more success we have. I enjoy working with them and their company is far better than that of most people.

My father always said there are three ways to get invited: to be a great shot; have good dogs; or a lot of contacts. I love shooting and I am a pretty good shot with rifle and shotgun. I started off with my father’s old Husqvarna .30-06 and now have the privilege of being sponsored by Krieghoff, who provide a double rifle for safari and their Semprio for driven game. There is nothing more beautiful and elegant on a bird shoot than a side-by-side. But I shoot clays with a Krieghoff K80.

As a woman you always have eyes on you and I used to feel nervous. Now, my dogs and shooting speak for themselves. I feel comfortable in my own skin and I know that I have more knowledge of nature and animals than most hunters my age.

After university, I qualified as a Professional Hunter in Sweden and South Africa. It never feels like work. I managed the hunting on an estate in the south of Sweden, where I put out ducks and pheasants. But I love to travel and full-time gamekeeping is not for me. I now work for the hunting trip portal Rainsford Hunting in Denmark and during the season spend time in France, helping mostly with driven hunts. Some clients come to Sweden for roebuck and I may continue organising hunting trips in Sweden.

It is important to stick together and understand that hunting is a sensitive subject. We should be kind and humble in our actions with each other but especially towards people around us who don’t understand, know or share our way of life.

TOP TIP: Know your weapon. I worked in a hunting shop for a few years and was surprised by how little people know about weapons and ammunition. For example, how important it is to zero your rifle when you change ammo. You need to be a great shot as you owe the animal a clean, quick death. Practise in different environments and simulate stalking by shooting with a beating heart, run or jump a few times then shoot. Learn to know and control your body and breathing.

With the results of The Field Gundog Awards to be announced this month, David Tomlinson offers advice on producing a winning entry in the photographic category

Whether you are hoping to triumph with a worthy picture for Gundog Photograph of the Year or simply want to take a pleasing snap of your companion in the field – gundog photography doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow David Tomlinson’s golden rules on how to photograph your gundog for a picture you’d be proud to hang in the downstairs loo.

To discover the picture that took the ‘Gundog Photograph of the Year’ title, read The Field Gundog Awards 2018 winners and highly commended.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR GUNDOG

One of the frustrations of judging a competition is not being able to enter it, as I have found as one of the judges of The Field Gundog Awards. Not that my spaniels would be contenders for any of the more serious awards but I would enjoy having a crack at the Gundog Photograph of the Year. I’m a professional writer, not photographer, but I’ve long found satisfaction in illustrating my articles with own photographs.

Dog photography is fun and not difficult. However, my best shots have always been taken by chance rather than design, when light, background and subject have all combined successfully. I’ve set up numerous shots but, perhaps reflecting that I’m an amateur, they have rarely been as pleasing as spontaneous photographs, especially those taken on a shooting day.

Today, almost everyone has a camera, even if it is only on their phone. Smartphones are capable of taking stunning pictures. To use one effectively, observe the golden rule of dog photography: take pictures at the dog’s own eye level. Photographs taken looking down on a dog simply don’t work. The standard rules of photography also apply, such as not shooting into the light, avoiding sunshine or shadows, and trying to compose a pleasing picture rather than grabbing a snap.

Take all these factors into consideration, plus a photogenic dog, and it’s difficult to go wrong. The chief limitation of phone photography is the difficulty of taking action photographs, for which you really need at least a bridge camera or a digital single lens reflex (DSLR). I specialise in action shots, for which modern autofocusing DSLRs are perfect. My success ratio with a manual focus camera and long lens was never great but the latest DSLRs will focus accurately on a dog galloping straight towards you.

Phone photographs feature a huge depth of field, with everything sharp and in focus from inches in front of you to infinity. There are times when this contributes to the success of the photograph but one of the many advantages of using a DSLR is that with a long lens and large aperture (the f setting) you can throw the foreground and background out of focus, so only the subject is sharp. This is particularly useful for dog photography – portraits invariably look best with nothing to detract your eye from the dog. Combine a long lens with a slow shutter speed and swing the camera through the dog as it runs, as if you were shooting a rabbit, and you can take photographs that really give a sense of movement. Such pictures are often more atmospheric than a pin-sharp picture captured with a high shutter speed.

PHOTOGENIC DOGS

If you experiment with your photography you will soon find that some dogs are more photogenic than others. Photographing black dogs is a nightmare, as the camera’s built-in light meter becomes confused. My best labrador photographs are invariably of yellow or fox-red dogs, both of which are perfect for pictures, just like golden retrievers. The latter also score highly as they have a higher head carriage than a labrador, which makes them more photogenic.

Spaniels offer great opportunities for action photographs but are a real challenge. Cockers are particularly tricky as they change direction as quickly as a stoat; springers, being bigger, are easier. Perhaps the most exciting dogs to photograph are pointers and setters working on a grouse moor. Because they tend to work a set pattern they are relatively predictable, so action shots are easier than you might imagine.

Arguably the ultimate gundog photograph is of the retrieve. Don’t be tempted to take a stiff bird out of the game larder, as they never look good in photographs. The best pictures are always of a bird that has just been shot. By all means take the freshly shot bird and hide it again to get that perfect photograph but don’t be tempted to do this with a bird shot even half an hour before, as it just won’t look right.

One ambition was to photograph a setter retrieving. In this country it’s rare to ask pointers or setters to retrieve, as it’s generally thought that finding and pointing the quarry is sufficient work for them. On most moors spaniels or retrievers do the picking-up. That’s not the case on the Continent, so when I spent three days pursuing willow grouse with Irish red setters in northern Sweden I was optimistic that I would get my shot. Frustratingly, I failed. The dogs were accomplished retrievers but the grouse proved far too elusive and not a single bird was shot.

However, there is a growing tend for British handlers to train their dogs to retrieve, mainly because Continental competitions insist that all dogs can hunt, point and retrieve. I finally got my shot of an Irish setter retrieving a grouse on a Yorkshire moor three seasons ago, a highly satisfying moment.

Entries for this year’s Gundog Awards have closed but that gives you plenty of time to take the shot that will win next year’s competition. And don’t forget that The Field also features photographs of the month – so why not have a go?

So, 12-bores are for men and 20-bores for women, right? Some of today’s top lady shots offer their opinions to Janet Menzies

12- bores are for men and 20-bore are for women – isn’t it obvious? No it isn’t, argues today’s top lady shots. Gender equality is rooted in choice, and both bores are fit for purpose for sporting Dianas taking to the field. So what is best – 12- or 20-bore? Janet Menzies sizes up the options.

Read our Sporting Dianas column for more advice and encouragement for ladies taking to the field. Désirée Lantz is following in the footsteps of her late father, as a qualified Professional Hunter and impressive shot and dog handler. And Dani Morey launched Ladyfisher to encourage more women to take up fishing.

12- OR 20-BORE?

According to my shotgun certificate, the Menzies arsenal currently includes: 1 x Beretta Silver Pigeon 12-bore over-and-under; 2 x Churchill 20-bore side-by-sides; 2 x Arietta 20-bore side-by-sides. And, since you ask, officer, there is indeed a very good reason why I need each and every one of my five shotguns. The Churchills are for grouse and partridge shooting early in the season (and for showing off); the Ariettas are for driven pheasant as the season progresses and rough shooting over my dogs; the 12-bore is for clay shooting and lending to guests of a results-oriented persuasion. So far so incredibly spoilt.

Sporting clay champion Hannah Gibson.

What I dread is the next government crackdown that will force me to choose to keep just one of my double-barrelled friends. Would it be the Churchills for their beauty, vintage, craftsmanship and speedy swing? Or the Ariettas for the ease of lugging one up yet another Monroe? Or the 12-bore, because anyone can use it? Should the dreaded day ever come, you can be sure that one thing will not be considered among my selection criteria, and that is the fact that I am a girl. Yet ever since women began to get seriously involved in shooting in the 1980s, it has been assumed (by men) that gender would be the first element considered when buying a gun. And, worse still, that taking that into account would mean always selecting a 20-bore.

Heads up, chaps: the continuing stream of medals brought home by our girls from shooting competitions all over the world have all been won using 12-bores. Following her recent ISSF World Cup Gold medal in
Siggiewi, Malta, Amber Hill (who is a petite 5ft 2in) commented: “I finally got my hands on the ISSF World Cup Gold Medal… It was definitely one of the trickiest comps I have ever shot.” She was generous in her praise of her (pink) cartridge suppliers, Eley, and, most of all, she hearted Beretta, makers of her 12-bore skeet gun.

ISSF World Cup Gold Medal winner Amber Hill favours a Beretta 120-bore.

Other top female competition shots include FITASC champion Cheryl Hall and Sporting clay champion Hannah Gibson. Like all other clay shooting competition specialists across the disciplines, male or female, they shoot 12-bores. Anything else would simply be uncompetitive – not a look that appeals to our girls. Perhaps the most competitive of them all is Nicola Heron, multiple champion and national director of the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association. Yet, when asked about shotgun selection for women, she doesn’t consider the choice of 12-bore or not to be the most important decision. “Any woman can shoot any type of gun providing it fits them perfectly,” stresses Heron. “The most important consideration is whether you are shooting for fun or for competition. For example, if you want to shoot any Trap disciplines seriously you won’t progress far using a Sporting gun. Likewise, a long-barrelled Trap gun would not really be suitable for an Olympic skeet shooter. And, in reality, as your skills improve, your choice of what you want to shoot may change. So, girls, look forward to changing guns or adding to the stable.”

PRIZE FITNESS FOR PURPOSE

There are more uses for a shotgun than shooting competition clays, or shooting fun clays, or driven pheasant. You might not even be shooting pheasants at all but rabbits over a spaniel, grouse over a pointer or basically anything that moves and is legal. You can have big fun with a big gun in clay disciplines where the target is easy to access, predictable and pre-mounting is an option. But when the quarry could pop up as you fight your way through a bramble thicket and mounting at all is a bit sketchy, manoeuvrability is paramount. So women have learnt to be flexible in the choice of gun and to prize fitness for purpose over any amount of big numbers and technical specifications.

Emma Perrott’s main shooting activity is rough shooting.

Sporting publicist Selena Barr is typical of the modern female gun: “I tend to change gauges depending on what I am doing. I am only 5ft 3in so I like to surprise people by shooting with a 12-bore. The 12-bore is ideal for clays, especially now that manufacturers are bringing out models specifically designed for women. But for walked-up I do prefer a lighter gun, especially on grouse where the terrain can be very rough. The smaller size of the 20-bore is easier to carry around – some of the longer barrelled 12-bores can be quite cumbersome in the heather.”

Lucinda Southern is a keen gameshot as well as the founder of Gundog Girls. She stresses the need for the smaller, less noisy bores when dog training, “especially when you come to shooting over the dogs, I would use a 20-bore. But really it’s a matter of preference and dependent on the quarry. If the gun fits, so to speak. And a 12-bore is my choice for the peg.”

Emma Perrott’s experience is a working example of fitting the gun to the shooting requirements rather than to a preconceived idea of 12-bore or 20-bore being “better”. Her main activities are deer control and rough shooting in upland Britain, and her expertise is behind new wild food restaurants in Stratford-on-Avon and Bath. As a hardy stalker, Perrott isn’t impressed by size. Instead, her shotgun shooting is with a 20-bore. “It was my first ever gun of my own. I use it for various game shooting and also clays. It fits me really well and I get on with it so it’s never occurred to me to change it. I am only 5ft 1in so it’s far more in proportion for me to handle than my dad’s 12-bore Silver Pigeon that he used to teach me with.”

Nicola Heron, national director of the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association.

Professional shooting instructor Charlotte Morrison agrees: “I get a lot of women coming to me who have had bad experiences at the start, having a couple of lessons from their husbands, shooting his 12-bore, and not only is it big and heavy but it doesn’t fit. So I switch them down to a 20-bore to get their confidence. Once you have got going with your shooting it is really a matter of personal preference – right from .410 through 28-bore to 20 or 12. But if you are shooting only clays, and especially competition clays, a 12-bore has a much wider shot pattern leading to more broken clays. The tighter pattern of the 20-bore lends itself to desirable cleaner kills when game shooting.” Natalie Cannon took up shooting mainly as an extension of her work with spaniels, and this has certainly been her experience. “I am quite green to shooting but I really like my little 20. I have shot with it all season and had the pleasure of driven birds, walked-up and duck – and even killed a brace of geese. I have lately started to use a 12 sometimes, and I can see the advantage, but I think if I had to choose it would be the 20.”

Anne-Marie Heelis is having a gun custom built.

Gunmaker Elaine Stewart, of Longthorne Guns, points out that modern 12-bores don’t have to be heavy. “We have a model that we have engineered down to just 6lb 4oz. We are using a solid block of steel to make our barrels and so we have been able to reduce recoil and muzzle flip in the guns that we build. But, to be honest, we get very, very few women coming in for a bespoke gun. Where the men are comfortable spending £20,000 to £30,000 on a gun, women don’t spoil themselves. If you think of it there is a knock-on effect because it means there aren’t the women’s guns out there for a girl to inherit in the way that a man might inherit his father’s gun.”

CUSTOM-BUILT GUN

Anne-Marie Heelis is contributing a new woman’s gun to the legacy of female stock by having her own gun custom-built for her by Boxall & Edmiston. Given that Heelis hasn’t had to make compromises over gun selection, it is illuminating to hear her values in making her choice. She explains: “I have girl friends who shoot 12-bores and male friends who shoot 20-bores. My previous gun was from the 1920s. Then I got a Beretta 20-bore and thought I will never need to buy another gun, it will last forever. It wasn’t perfect, though. With shooting experience I formed a very clear idea of exactly what I wanted in a gun, and nothing off-the-peg had all the features I wanted. Then, at a gun show, I saw a bespoke 20-bore and it was so beautiful and also ticked all the technical boxes. I loved it, it was a work of art. I thought about it for a year, trying to justify it to myself. Both my parents died quite young and it has taught me to live in the present. So I have given it to myself as a 45th birthday present and hope to enjoy it for 30 years at least.

FITASC champion Cheryl Hall, like all other clay shooting competition specialists, male or female, shoots a 12-bore, which is more competitive.

“For me, it is just as much about how it looks, because you are handling a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. So although I wanted an over-and-under, I did still want all the craftsmanship you would expect with a traditional side-by-side – that is colour case hardening and lockplate engraving and gold filigree, and when I saw they had produced that with a round action combined with modern functionality, that is the marriage of form and function I wanted. On my previous 20-bore I was getting barrel flip, and Peter Boxall has solved this. And he has engineered a solution to the problem you get reloading so many over-and-unders that the bottom barrel isn’t always opening fully for quick reloading. I can also fire heavier loads through it without noticing any difference in recoil or the way the gun behaves. I like to be individual and I get great satisfaction from knowing that my gun is equally individual.”

Heelis has pinpointed what is probably the only real difference in the sexes when it comes to gun choice. Women are not geeky about guns. Size in itself does not impress them. Arts & Crafts designer William Morris said: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful,” and we feel the same about what we have in our gun cabinets. Gender equality is all about the right to choose. Many men choose to shoot with a 20-bore or a .410. Many women shoot with a 12-bore. It’s not a question of the relative merits of the gauge, it’s all about how you identify. Personally, I identify as 20-bore, perhaps a little 12 curious.

BIG FUN V POCKET ROCKET

12 because it’s effective
12 because it can take heavy loads
12 because it’s consistent
12 because I can

VS

20 because it’s highly portable
20 because it’s quiet
20 because it swings quickly
20 because I want to

The season has commenced, so prepare to brine and dine with Philippa Davis' brined roast grouse with warm chard and sheep's cheese salad

The season has started so prepare to brine and dine. Philippa Davis’ brined roast grouse with warm chard and sheep’s cheese salad makes delicious use of your first brace. Brining is a simple process and allows the meat to take on extra moisture, ensuring that your grouse won’t be dry or tough. For lean meat such as game, this helps the muscle fibres to relax and become more tender.

Roasting your grouse is the best use of those young birds. Follow our traditional roast grouse recipe for a fail-safe game supper guaranteed to impress.

BRINED ROAST GROUSE WITH WARM CHARD AND SHEEP’S CHEESE SALAD

Serves 4 as a main

• 4 oven ready grouse
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 400g chard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 200g sheep’s cheese

Brine

• 110g fine sea salt
• 110g demerara sugar
• 200ml cider
• 1.8 litres cold water
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 dsp crushed peppercorns
• 1 dsp crushed caraway
• 1 dsp crushed juniper
• 1 orange, peel only, cut into large strips (keep the juice for the grouse dressing)

Grouse dressing

• 1 tsp sherry vinegar,
• 1 orange juice only
• 1 tbsp butter
• Splash of cold water

Place all the brine ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. Leave to cool completely.

Place your oven-ready grouse in the brine and weigh them down to submerge fully. Leave in the fridge for 45 minutes. Remove the grouse from the brine. At this stage you can leave for 12 hours or cook straight away. Discard the brine.

To cook the grouse, preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. In an oven-friendly frying pan, sear the grouse on all sides on a medium heat in the oil, season with salt and pepper then roast in the oven for
14 minutes.

Leave to rest for a couple of minutes before transferring the grouse to a plate.

Put the pan back on a medium heat and add the grouse-dressing ingredients. Shake the pan to help the sauce emulsify and check the seasoning.

For the chard, blanch the chard in a large pan of salted boiled water for a couple of minutes and then drain.

In a pan, sauté the garlic in the butter and oil until just golden then add the chard and season.

To serve, lay the chard on a warmed plate. Carve the grouse into breasts and legs and place on top, then drizzle with the dressing.

Top with shards of sheep’s cheese and eat straight away.

Katrina Slack’s work does more than simply depict environmental concerns – it incorporates them, as she explains to Janet Menzies

As we begin to tackle the enormous damage inflicted on sealife by our excessive use of plastic, Katrina Slack is turning that very refuse into beautiful, and upsetting, art, as she tells Janet Menzies.

For more sporting artists, Susan Leyland has created a sculpture to remember the equines that fell during World War I. And Archibald Thorburn’s paintings are unique from the Golden Era of fieldsports.

KATRINA SLACK

Summer is here and it’s time to head down to Cornwall and then to the beach. Roll up your trousers and go paddling; enjoy the little sea creatures nibbling at your toes. While you’re doing that, think about Art, because those nudges and tickles against your feet are more likely to be chunks of discarded plastic waste than charming crabs or shrimps. And that’s where St Ives-based artist Katrina Slack comes in, making beautiful sea-life sculptures from the very refuse that is threatening the animals’ lives.

In 2014, Katrina Slack was commissioned by the World Animal Protection to make sculptures from “ghost gear”, including this Whale.

The shores of Cornwall have always been inspirational, especially to the creative communities at St Ives and Newlyn. Artists such as Walter Langley and Stanhope Forbes were drawn not just by the light and natural scenery but also the colourful lives and environments of the fishermen and their families. These weren’t always depicted sentimentally, there was no shying away from the dangers and sometimes tragedies associated with working the sea. Today, it is the humans inflicting damage on the sea and Slack’s work is both beautiful and upsetting.

“My large sculptures of sea creatures are all made out of ghost fishing line,” she explains. “My first piece was a dolphin, which I had on display down here, made from fishing-line refuse I find on the beach. By coincidence, someone from World Animal Protection was staying and saw the dolphin. As a result, I was commissioned to make several more sea-life sculptures to publicise the organisation’s Sea Change campaign. I think my leatherback turtle has become quite high profile now. It was used outside the Houses of Parliament to raise awareness and then went to the Natural History Museum and is now going on to Los Angeles.”

Slack’s first piece was a dolphin, made from fishing line refuse found on the beach.

Slack’s turtle made from ghost fishing gear looks frighteningly like real photographs of turtles on the Sea Change website, showing the animals enmeshed in shrouds of highly coloured plastic fishing line. It took the Blue Planet documentaries to engage the general public with the devastating consequences of plastic waste at sea but Slack’s work has been campaigning ever since she came to St Ives. “Living down here you can’t help but be aware of the state of the seas. But the real problem is invisible to most of us because the plastic gets caught up in the centre swells out in the ocean, even though so much is also washed up on the beach. I don’t mind a bit if people are jumping on the bandwagon of an issue that I have been raising in my art for a long time – it’s a good bandwagon to be on. It was fantastic to see the way the documentaries raised awareness.”

RESPONDING TO THE ENVIRONMENT

Slack started out as a photojournalist and even played in a band for a while before diverting into art. She says: “I found myself in St Ives and everybody who lives in St Ives is a painter, so…” But Slack’s journalistic awareness quickly led her away from the traditional Cornish seascape, although she still paints these. “My work responds to my environment just as every artist’s does, but perhaps the expression is different. For example, there was a spillage from a cargo ship and hundreds of orange plastic spoons were washed up on the beach, so I made a big sun picture from them. Whenever I come across something, I think, ‘Oh, I could make something out of that.’ I’m a hoarder of things for the same reason – I may see something in them one day.”

Even with her collecting tendencies, making one of her ghost-gear sculptures is demanding for Slack, requiring intensive beachcombing to gather all the fishing line. “I also use copper wire that comes out of old washing machines,” she adds. Another project, making smaller sculptures of birds and land animals out of disused chicken wire, came to hand more easily. “It was just loads of old stuff the previous owners of my house left in the garden when they moved.”

One of Slack’s “cave paintings”.

It’s as though those litterbug owners had walked away from a treasure trove. Slack found material sculptures have an extraordinary, jewel-like quality. Her turquoise seahorses have exactly the fragile delicacy of the living animals, while her kingfisher’s wire and plastic plumage is every bit as electric blue as the real bird.

Recently, Slack has begun working on her own version of cave paintings, depicting extinct animals as though on a cave wall. “The art of prehistoric people was the first thing that defined us as humans. I love the way those early painters captured the animals so sympathetically and got them so correct. Those cave paintings show their love of the animals and the environment surrounding them.”

Prehistoric man fished and managed to hunt and feed himself without compromising his natural larder – a skill that we have since lost.

Check out www.katrinaslack.co.uk to find out where to see Slack’s work and for news of her latest projects. To find out more about the Sea Change campaign, visit
www.worldanimalprotection.org or www.seachangeproject.com

Long a subject of heated debate, is cutting or burning the best way to improve the quality of a grouse moor? Andrew Griffiths investigates the contentious grouse moor management debate

It’s a contentious question – is cutting or burning the best way to improve a grouse moor? Andrew Griffiths looks at both side of the grouse moor management debate.

For more, read about The Gift of Grouse campaign – who are highlighting the positive impact that managing grouse moors offers to wildlife and local communities, as well as guns.

THE GROUSE MOOR MANAGEMENT DEBATE

Sonya Wiggins is on a mission. She wants to tell the world about grouse shooting – not just the sport itself but how it benefits the moors managed for the shoot and how much it means to communities in the uplands, both socially and in terms of the pounds in their pockets, which are not easily come by in these dwindling rural communities. She also wants to share the fact that grouse is pretty good to eat.

Her Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group was formed in 2015, alongside many other such groups in England and Scotland at the time. “There was a lot of bad press going on and people had just decided that it was time to shout about the benefits,” she explains. So a group of estates in the Dales got together and with her gamekeeper husband, Harvey, they decided to pursue two strategies. First, they would take local school children up onto the moors in early summer when there was lots to do and chicks to see; second, later in the year, they would promote the eating of grouse in local pubs and restaurants. “It is so easy to preach to the converted, especially at these country shows that we attend, but there is a massive percentage of people who live in Grassington but have zero idea about what is going on,” she says. “It was time to educate people about what is happening, especially the younger generation.”

Andrew Walker of Yorkshire Water with Stephen Ramsden, owner of Middlesmoor estate.

Two things struck me after talking to Wiggins. First, how little the local communities know about what is going on up on their own moors. (“A lot of these children had never even been on the moor, they had never seen heather up close, and they are children from the Dales,” says Wiggins.) Second, pubs that could open their windows and hear the cackle of grouse were seemingly unaware of their presence and had no idea what to do with them when given a few brace. When, after persuasion, grouse made its way onto the menu it was billed as “locally reared”, rather than wild. (Wild rice sells to the chattering classes, wild meat doesn’t: discuss.)

So, the message is that the message about grouse shooting is clearly not getting out there and people involved with shooting spend most of their time talking to themselves. But perhaps this doesn’t matter. It is a niche sport, practised by relatively few and mostly on land that is privately owned.

Andrew Walker is on a mission, too. He is catchment strategy manager for Yorkshire Water. Walker’s mission is to deliver good-quality water while keeping all other land users happy – that is the farmers who want good grazing, the shoots that want habitat to produce good grouse numbers, and the conservationists and ecologists who want to restore the moorland bogs so that they absorb carbon from the atmosphere and help mitigate global warming.

THE LANDSCAPE AND THE WATER INDUSTRY

I met Walker on the Middlesmoor estate in Upper Nidderdale, along with Stephen Ramsden who owns the 5,500-acre estate with brother Ben; it comprises farm tenancies and a grouse moor. The estate was bought by their great-grandfather, a businessman who made his money in the Manchester collieries, for its sporting prospects.

On a beautiful, sunshine and showers autumn Dales day, Ramsden drove us up a farm track towards Scar House Reservoir. As the track took a sharp, steep right and started to test the truck’s suspension, the odd cock grouse just coming into winter plumage scurried off ahead into the cover of heather. Ramsden parked us up at a vista overlooking Scar House. Walker had been explaining the significance of this landscape to the water industry: 45% of Yorkshire Water’s supply comes from these uplands and the one catchment we were now in accounts for 10% of their daily needs. If the moors are in poor condition and the peat erodes and enters the water supply, it colours it. This is not just a cosmetic concern – the peat combines with chlorine to form carcinogenic compounds and the water companies have to spend a small fortune to remove them. It makes far more sense to address the problem at the top of the hill – hence the extensive investment in moorland restoration by the utility companies along the Pennine spine.

The heather-covered moor at Nidderdale.

This was significant also in that it was one of three experimental sites investigating the effects of heather burning and cutting on water quality and other aspects of moorland management. The first phase, a five-year project, is being funded by Defra and is the most extensive yet to investigate these factors.

We climbed out of the truck and looked out across the Dales scene. The farms with their “40 miles of dry-stone walls” (Ramsden had all the estate statistics at his fingertips) leading up to the marginal land and then the grouse moors themselves. “It is getting that balance right, between getting the farmers an income and getting the shooters an income,” says Ramsden. “Because, at the end of the day, there are about 30 farmers in Nidderdale and about 12 or 13 gamekeepers. So those 40-plus people are looking after all this landscape that we see in front of us and they have been doing it for two or three generations.

“Without the Middlesmoor shooting, the Middlesmoor pub would have long gone. A hundred years ago this village had 120 people in it. Today, it is around 40. It used to have two pubs and three shops, now it is down to one pub. Community is a very big issue to me. It is paramount,” says Ramsden.

The decision to burn on blanket bog has caused fierce disputes and legal challenges.

Getting that balance right has been fraught with difficulties. However, another step has just been taken in that direction with the publication of a guide for land managers about blanket bogs, produced by the Uplands Management Group (UMG), which provides practical advice to the Uplands Stakeholder Forum (USF) run by Defra. This is the latest development in a line that can be traced back to a time that marks the lowest point in relations between the conservationists and the grouse-shooting community, following the row that erupted about burning blanket bog and draining on Walshaw Moor, above Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire in 2012. This resulted in the RSPB making a formal complaint to the European Commission, which then began legal action against the UK Government. The Gore-tex-tweed divide had never been wider.

A further 2014 meeting in Leeds descended into chaos. Andrew Walker was at that meeting and remembers the two sides screaming at each other – one that it was going to ban burning on blanket bogs altogether; the other shouting back over their dead bodies they were, or rather more choice words to that effect. “It was the worst meeting I’ve ever been in,” says Walker.

A GLIMMER OF HOPE

But some glimmer of hope did emerge. They agreed in future to leave the cauldron of the meeting room and take to the moors and see if the different interest groups could agree on a landscape that fulfilled all their needs. The result was a strategy that gave equal weight to five key outcomes: the capture and storage of carbon; the flow and quality of water; biodiversity; a healthy grouse population; and, good-quality grazing. The one habitat that seemed to keep everybody happy, from the conservationist to the gamekeeper, was that provided by a healthy blanket bog.

“We stood on a piece of moor and, for me, it was a nice healthy blanket bog with a lot less heather and a lot more sphagnum, so I was happy with it,” says Walker. “Because it had lots of sphagnum we knew it was sequestering carbon. From a biodiversity point of view, it was a lot more rounded and species rich than a heather-dominated moorland so Natural England is happy. The gamekeeper was really happy because he didn’t have to do anything with it, and the grazier was happy. So the conclusion was: well, hang on, we are really not that far apart.”

Blanket bog consists of spiky rushes, carpets of moss and peaty soils, the layer of peat being at least 40cm thick. It is a vital habitat for many bird and butterfly species.

Amanda Anderson, director of the Moorland Association, was at that first meeting on the moor at Nidderdale and would later go on to chair the group tasked with producing this first outcomes-based Land Management Guidance. The aim of this practically based “toolkit” is to help a land manager identify blanket bog (peat over 40cm deep), to determine what state it is in and to suggest ways to get from where they are now to a healthy, functioning blanket bog. Burning is discouraged in favour of cutting. The ultimate aim is to create a wetter moor, more varied in terms of vegetation with less heather and more sphagnum moss. This, the theory goes, should be better for everybody – including those rearing grouse.

But mention less heather to some grouse-moor managers and it is fighting talk. Yet, interestingly, in some areas there is more heather cover now than in the glory days of driven grouse shooting in the first half of the 20th century. This is because of the massive drainage – or gripping – of the Yorkshire moors in the 1970s and ’80s. This dried out the moors and, ultimately, allowed the heather to become dominant.

Paul Leadbitter, who is with the North Pennines AONB, is leading a £6m moorland restoration project funded by the EU and water-utility companies. He estimates that in the Forest of Bowland, Yorkshire and North Pennines, 20,000km of grips were dug, all for agricultural purposes, in the 1970s and ’80s. So what is proposed now is not so much radical change as restoring the grouse moors to the way they used to be in their heyday. But for a sport that clads itself in tweed, it is slow to take on this mantle of its own tradition.

The income and employment from grouse shooting is vital to small villages in the uplands. Middlesmoor’s one surviving pub would suffer badly if it lost the revenue from those involved in shooting.

A significant part of the problem is that since the ravages of the strongylosis worm have been largely contained by the introduction of medicated grit (on some estates) in 2010, grouse shooting has seldom been better. On the Middlesmoor estate, for instance, Stephen Ramsden tells me that the past five years have seen the best bags since 1961.

“Like all things, if there is a perception that something is really good and then someone comes along to say you need to change what you are doing, then people will question that and say why would we want to change?” says Amanda Anderson. “If you think about the age of keepers it is actually quite young,” she adds, explaining that many have come into the profession being told that heather burning is key. “It is only quite recently that we have distinguished between management for the dwarf shrub and for blanket bog, and you can’t necessarily tell the difference on the surface, you have actually to shove in a stick and say: oh, hang on a minute, this is a different habitat. We didn’t know until quite recently it had all these other special functions, that if wet enough it helps out climate change, carbon storage, biodiversity for blanket bog species, flood and water quality, and all these other great things that, of course, anybody would want to provide,” she says. “If you are going to ask for cultural change and change somebody’s perception that what they think they are doing is good for grouse but, actually, if you change it this way it could be even better for your grouse, you have to give them that positive lever,” says Anderson.

WRONG TO GENERALISE

It is wrong to generalise about grouse moors. There are several types of moor and the estates manage them in different ways. There are some who say that their heather-dominated moors are producing the grouse they want and that they have long been designated as SSSIs, SPAs and SACs so they must have been doing something right. The science, almost by definition, is inconclusive, too – the moors beat to a different clock. We want science to perform a single trial and tell us whether burning of heather or cutting is best for water quality, for instance. But it doesn’t work like that up here. The space between cause and effect can sometimes be decades. But the longer-term trials now seem to be favouring cutting where practical – on blanket bog, at least.

The longer-term trials now seem to be favouring cutting, where practical.

But Brexit is looming ever closer and will be hugely disruptive to the way the uplands are funded. The grouse-shooting community needs to ask itself how likely is it that the pieces will fall back into the old patterns?

There is an opportunity for the sport to really make a high-profile contribution to the services the moors provide to those who live downstream – which is practically everybody. There should be nothing to
hide, once that raptor-killing thing is sorted out, that is.

Sonya Wiggins received such a positive response to the children’s day on the moors on her Facebook page that adults were asking when they were going to do something similar for them? “So we are in the process of putting together an open day throughout the Dales, getting as many of the estates involved as possible and picking a day in springtime to get adults to come and get them out onto the moor and look at wildlife, and explain the management side of moorland,” says Wiggins.

There really could be something for the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group to shout about, too.

Finish off your summer supper party with Philippa Davis' roast plum mousse with pistachio praline

Philippa Davis’ roast plum mousse with pistachio praline is the perfect final flourish to your summer supper party.

If the heatwave and need to dine al fresco has bullied you to BBQ, try our barbecue piña colada for pud – it can be left cooking while guests enjoy the savory courses.

ROAST PLUM MOUSSE WITH PISTACHIO PRALINE

For me, this is the perfect mousse in flavour and texture as the tart and fruity plums work perfectly with the softly whipped cream and egg whites.

Serves 4

• 4 plums
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp sloe gin
• ½ tsp ground cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 75g caster sugar plus 1 tbsp
• 400ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla powder

Pistachio praline

• 100g caster sugar
• 50g pistachios

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Mix the plums, honey, gin, cardamom and cinnamon in an ovenproof dish and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Leave to cool then blitz until semi smooth.

Using an electric whisk, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar and the tablespoon of sugar until at soft-peak stage.

In a pan on a low heat, gently melt the 75g of sugar with a tablespoon of water until melted then increase the heat and boil until thick but not coloured.

With the motor running, trickle the hot sugar into the whipped egg whites, whisk for five minutes.

In a large bowl, whip the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla powder until stiff. Swirl in two-thirds of the plum purée then fold in the egg whites in three stages.

Divide between eight glasses and leave to chill for 2 hours.

For the pistachio praline, cover a flat baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

In a pan, cook the sugar on a low heat until it turns a deep golden brown; add the nuts and stir.

Spread onto the tray and leave to cool.

Pulse in a food processor so you have a mix of small and medium pieces.

Just before serving, spoon the remaining third of purée onto each mousse and then sprinkle with praline.

It may come with quirky spelling and two-wheel drive but Charlie Flindt finds Skoda’s latest SUV quite appealing – if, indeed, it is an SUV

Charlie Flindt looks past the silly spelling and two-wheel drive, and finds he quite likes the new SUV on the block. But is the Skoda Karoq really an SUV?

Part of the Karoq’s appeal is its similarity to the Skoda Kodiaq. Read our review of the Skoda Kodiaq, which even managed to win over partying teenagers.

SKODA KAROQ

The list of reasons why I was definitely not going to like the Skoda Karoq was short but comprehensive. First, it’s a victim of Skoda’s silly spelling regime. Second, my test car was only two-wheel drive and therefore not a proper SUV at all. No more justification needed.

However, once the Karoq arrived in the yard, it began to win hearts. It’s a sort of watered-down version of the Kodiaq (see spelling niggle above) and, if anything, is even easier on the eye. It’s not at all unlike the original BMW X3, which I loved but no-one else seemed to.

Ruthlessly efficient dashboard.

But it didn’t win points by being spectacularly good at anything. It was just really good at being capable. The seating position was raised but not by too much, which meant that climbing in and out was
a doddle. The view out is excellent and not just because of that high seat – the pillars are slim. Why some manufacturers can pass safety tests with slim pillars while others need metalwork the size of telegraph poles baffles me.

The inside is unexcitingly pleasant. There’s the usual ruthlessly efficient Skoda dashboard, a proper key start and plenty of room. Even the infotainment seems a bit BBC2 but that’s no bad thing. Everything falls nicely to place and is easy to read, which is how it should be. The electric parking brake, like all electric parking brakes, failed to persuade me why we should all have electric parking brakes.

The petrol engine seemed slightly weedier that the on-paper figures suggested, and sixth gear was definitely one to slot into when no further acceleration was needed – more like an old fashioned overdrive. Even in the other gears, a fairly heavy right foot was needed to get anything going satisfactorily. Fuel consumption suffered accordingly and, at the end of our week, the average MPG was a very long way from the theoretical combined figure. But it’s what we must get used to, as diesel is loudly demonised by the same people who only a couple of decades ago were hailing it at the saviour of the planet.

It has a raised seating position.

The Karoq had to endure a very strict examination by the Ladies Who Walk and their tumult of dogs. The boot was subjected to a volley of flatcoats and black labs that, it has to be said, didn’t spend a lot of time in it; room is fairly tight and the high lip is off-putting to packs that are used to the flat floors of bigger, “proper” SUVs.

But that’s the secret to enjoying the Karoq. It’s somehow more honest in two-wheel drive. It’s not actually trying to be an SUV. True, the brochures are full of achingly PC families romping through forests but it’s more like a really big Golf (still the benchmark for every beast that sets tyre on Tarmac), with extra room and a great view out. And that’s nearly a big enough compliment to make up for the annoying spelling. Nearly, but not kwite.

SKODA KAROQ 1.5 TSI

Engine: 1,498cc 4-cyl petrol
Power: 150PS
Max speed: 127mph
Performance, 0 to 62: 8.4 seconds
Combined fuel economy: 52.3mpg
Insurance group: 15E
Price: £22,230

Cloaked with heather, our moorlands look glorious. But the health of these vital habitats can be dependent on traditional cropping and grazing – and it is vital to get the balance right, as Tim Field explains

August is here and the moorlands look glorious, cloaked by the heater’s purple glow. But these are vital habitats that require traditional cropping and grazing to remain healthy. Tim Field discusses the balance needed to get this exactly right.

For more on moorland management, read grouse moor management debate: the burning question.

TRADITIONAL CROPPING AND GRAZING ON MOORLANDS

The magnificent, early summer wildflower displays of our species-rich pastures have dwindled, first setting seed and then falling victim to hay cutting or a mob of ruminants. Leggy grasses in the margins and untended setaside appear strikingly scorched with their desiccated seed heads. Mown and grazed pastures crave a drop of moisture to green-up again. As the splendour and beauty of these floral displays pass the heat of summer intensifies and our attention turns to the management of our most precious flower-rich farmland.

More than 400 plant species – a quarter of Britain’s total floral diversity – are found in meadows and grasslands and many would be absent without management. Grazing livestock is the most important tool to maintain this conservation interest; the hay maker a close second. Traditional cropping and grazing of pasture, notably without herbicides or artificial nitrogen, creates an assemblage of nondominant grasses and herbs that thrive when more competitive grass species and weeds, such as docks and thistles, are routinely knocked back. Meanwhile, more intricate ecological interactions occur out of view, such as the semi-parasitic yellow rattle that sucks the energy from dominant grasses.

General theory dictates that grasslands are cropped annually (baled for hay and/or grazed) and where there is any risk of ground-nesting birds, wait until the middle of July to allow chicks to fledge. There are nuances in management depending on the type of meadow: be they on floodplains, chalk or limestone, by the coast, a wet rush or, more typical, neutral meadow. In upland areas, spring grazing is traditional prior to “shutting up” for hay. Where no hay is taken – notably in the wetter parts of western Britain where a good crop is harder to rely upon – animals can graze lightly all year round or heavily in the late summer and autumn. The type of animal is equally as important, with variance in grazing motion, selectiveness and mechanical action of the hooves. Cows tear whereas sheep bite.

MODERN DAY PRESSURES

Whilst these habitats were formed from centuries of traditional grazing regimes using native breeds, a challenging market for extensively reared meat is putting pressure on the natural and cultural heritage that they serve to maintain. What is more, we should cherish grazing livestock as grassland ecologists rue the adverse impact of rabbit population declines. During four years of studying at St Andrews, with the occasional hack around a golf course, I was regularly reminded of the cultural impact that grazing animals have left behind. Where once grazing rabbits and other livestock tended to a tidy grass carpet, amongst ridges or “links” of dunes forming sand bunkers, water hazards and dotted with a sequence of bunny burrows, the Old Course has arisen as the home of golf.

August arrives and anyone with an interest in grouse or bees celebrates the swathes of hillside that glows purple. The treasured heather is in bloom. However, those lucky enough to care for a piece of moorland have their challenges. Woolly maggots (sheep) and deer can conflict with heather management where an imbalance in grazing sees bracken and purple moor-grass overcome the flowering plants. Ten years ago, I had the great pleasure of staying with The Right Honourable Lord Pearson of Rannoch in the Highlands. Perhaps better known for his political persuasions, Lord Pearson is also hugely enthusiastic about the revival of heather moorland. Not just for grouse interests but also to “sweeten” the land and improve the condition of the burns for depleted fish stocks.

As one theory goes, mixed grazing with cattle at low stocking densities would have prevailed before the Highland Clearances led to a seismic shift in land use. Unlike the abundant sheep and deer that now reside, cattle are less selective and eat the purple moor-grass. Grazing and stocking rates were a determining factor in historical heather coverage, so we should reflect on this as we tackle heather moorland into the future. Trials at Rannoch investigated the effect of summer cattle grazing on heather moorland with positive results.

Whilst I have visited other moors that could benefit from light cattle grazing, I appreciate scalability in the uplands is somewhat less realistic. However, the point is made; grazing is a delicate balance that for centuries has sculpted the flora and fauna of our cultural and environmental landscape. Those calling for global veganism might want to bear that in mind before righting off the fortunes of a quarter of the UK’s floral diversity.

Follow Tim and Agricology @agricology

As a campaign manager at the Countryside Alliance, this former Master and hunting editor can lend even greater support to the sport she loves

A former Master and hunting editor, Polly Portwin started campaigning when the right to hunt was being threatened. Now as the Countryside Alliance’s campaign manager, she is encouraging and helping others to stand up and make their voices heard.

For more sporting Dianas, seriously sporting ladies offering advice and encouragement, Désirée Lantz is following in the footsteps of her late father and is a qualified Professional Hunter, impressive shot and dog handler. And Dani Morey launched Ladyfisher to encourage more women to fish.

POLLY PORTWIN

Coming from a farming background the die was cast early on but it was perhaps when, at my first mounted Boxing Day meet at four years old, I was told I couldn’t be let off the lead-rein to just follow the hounds alone that my real passion for hunting was borne.

A couple of wonderful – if not a little enthusiastic at times and rather ’andsome is as ’andsome does – ponies followed that had to double-up as Pony Club allrounders to compete in Area teams as well as taking on whatever fences were put before them following the Vale of Aylesbury hounds.

Having a supportive district commissioner (also hunt secretary) meant that many fellow Pony Club members hunted regularly. A number of lifelong friendships were forged watching hounds work while devouring cherry brandy from the dinkiest of hip-flasks. We must all continue to encourage communication between hunts and their associated Pony Clubs to ensure a healthy relationship between the two remains.

Being actively involved in a variety of sports suits my competitive nature, which tends not to show until put to the test in a match situation. A spell on the county hockey squad was short-lived when a decision had to be made between training and matches on Saturdays or hunting. Hunting won and hockey went onto the back burner, although I continue to play netball regularly at club level and am enjoying dabbling with triathlons during the summer months.

It was while supporting my husband, Guy, during his mastership of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase and latterly the Vale of Aylesbury that I really got involved in any form of campaigning for hunting. Like all those whose right to hunt was being threatened, I attended any rally, protest or gathering where numbers were required to show our strength of feeling, having organised many a coach-load to visit various places around the country full of like-minded people who also wanted to express their views.

At the age of 25 I joined the Bicester with Whaddon Chase mastership. It was a four-day-a-week pack but it only felt right to hunt as many days as I could find horses for – a mantra I continue to stand by and recommend to anybody. I soon learnt that whatever I thought I knew about hunting was only a patch on what I was about to learn over the next 11 seasons during my spell in the mastership, and will hopefully continue to learn until I can no longer follow hounds.

It was during my first season, shadowing our Thursday country Field Master, Derek Ricketts, with Ian McKie MFH hunting hounds, that I jumped the biggest hedge I’ve ever faced, on a neighbour’s 15hh working hunter. Quite how he grew wings in mid-air to clear the barbed-wire fence several feet out on the landing side I shall never know, but it was the downfall of many others that day.

Organising hunting days with huntsman Patrick Martin, a consummate professional who was hunting hounds four days a week after McKie moved north – was an absolute pleasure, despite having to endure the dark days leading up to, and after, the enforcement of the Hunting Act in February 2005.

During the campaign to save hunting, as we knew it, it was a surprise to be invited to Chequers alongside a Joint Master from the Vale of Aylesbury to have a meeting with Tony Blair over a drink following a rather successful last-minute protest on the night of Cherie Blair’s 50th birthday party. With hunt-supporter’s vehicles blocking all routes to the Prime Minister’s residence, many of their famous guests were redirected to the local supermarket car park until our discussions were completed. We agreed to call off the demonstration, having made our point quite clearly, however, I’m still not sure my comment to Blair, that I was surprised his handshake was quite as firm as it was, was entirely appropriate.

This particular demonstration and subsequent meeting was well-reported in the national press and after that I began to work more closely with the Countryside Alliance and the Masters of Foxhounds Association in order to help promote hunting wherever possible, both locally and nationally.

After retiring from the mastership in 2013, and with the death of my father to whom I was incredibly close, I found myself wanting a new challenge that enabled me to continue to campaign for a future for hunting and help fill the gap that being heavily involved in all aspects of organising a four-day-a-week pack involved. Horse & Hound was recruiting a hunting editor at this time and having been offered the position I was delighted to take it on. For three years I enjoyed visiting hunts as a hunting correspondent before I was approached to join the Countryside Alliance team in 2016.

TOP TIP: Get involved, make your voice heard and stand up for what you believe in.

Stories of farmers successfully restoring wildlife on their land make a powerful case for Government funding in exchange for public benefits post Brexit

The achievements of the RSBP’s nature reserves are well known, while the excellent conservation work happening on private land and individual farms and estates is often forgotten. Joe Dimbleby tells the stories of conservation farmers and their successes, and explains why this work offers a powerful case for Government funding post Brexit.

For more on the future opportunities for farming, read our farming column on post-Brexit agricultural policy: the opportunity of a lifetime.

CONSERVATION FARMERS

I recently travelled across the UK to interview farmers and gamekeepers for a new collection of case studies published by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). These “working conservationists” are engaged in a range of different businesses, from Mark Chattey farming beef on 284 acres in Devon to Tom Orde-Powlett managing conservation projects on the family’s 12,500-acre estate in Wensleydale, but all share common ground in their passion for nature. The GWCT champions such individuals because the future of British wildlife depends on them and others taking their lead.

Beef farmer James Mulleneux, who is in a Natural England-funded Higher Level Stewardship scheme.

The RSPB rightly states that, “Nature reserves and protected areas are a good start. But on their own, they are not enough to deal with these challenges.” The issue is one of scale. When you consider that farmland covers around 17.2m hectares, or 70% of the UK, whereas RSPB and Wildlife Trusts nature reserves combined cover less than 250,000 hectares, the vital importance of private stewardship becomes clear.

ENRICHING THE LANDSCAPE

Individuals can achieve extraordinary things in relatively small spaces. A shining example is Count Konrad Goess-Saurau, whose 2,000-acre Temple Farm estate on the Wiltshire Downs was devoid of nature when he arrived. He said, “When I first came it was desolate and so windy I didn’t get out of the car. There was nothing you’d expect from an English estate, not so much as a mouse.” Now, after planting more than a million trees, digging 11 ponds and planting 23 miles of hedgerow he has created a wildlife haven. The farming is profitable and though the conservation measures might mean a slight reduction in revenue, for Goess-Saurau the enriched landscape more than compensates.

Temple is an example of where red-listed species are bucking the trend. Current approaches to conservation are failing to reverse the general pattern of wildlife decline as the bleak picture painted in the latest State of Nature 2016 report makes clear. Public support for wildlife conservation is strong, as demonstrated by the fact that the combined annual income of the 50 conservation organisations that produced the report is in excess of £1bn and they can boast more than eight million members between them, yet we have lost more than half our wildlife since 1970 and one in 10 British species is threatened with extinction. The public knows all about RSPB nature reserves thanks to the BBC granting them primetime slots on Springwatch, but much less about the wonderful conservation work that happens on private land, on individual farms and estates. We aim to change that with these case studies and thank The Field and its readers for helping to promote them and tip the balance back a little.

Charlie Mellor, headkeeper on the Duke of Norfolk’s estate, inspects a sweep net.

Another outstanding case is the Duke of Norfolk’s Peppering Partridge Project in West Sussex, where red-listed skylarks have gone up by 57%, linnets by 94%, yellowhammers up 20% and lapwings up 71%. Readers will have read past coverage in The Field of the project winning the Purdey Awards for Shooting and Conservation and its wild partridge shoot, run by headkeeper Charlie Mellor, underpins this extraordinary restoration. But the project is also one of the best examples of public-funded, agri-environment schemes delivering the goods. Estate manager Peter Knight recently entered Natural England’s new Higher Tier Stewardship Scheme after he came to the end of a 10-year HLS agreement and manages 20 different options alongside a highly complex commercial rotation. It takes hours of planning and a huge commitment on the part of the Duke, Knight, Mellor and the whole team, but they have proved it possible to combine profitable intensive cereal production with successful conservation.

The need for agri-environment schemes to work in practice as well as theory was a common concern among the working conservationists I interviewed. The farmers’ stories all contained an instance where regulation proved inflexible to the detriment of the conservation work. One example is Alastair Salvesen, who farms 2,500 in Midlothian. Whitburgh Farms is a study
area for the Partridge Project led by the GWCT and Salvesen has built up a wild grey population from nil to 400 pairs, with a shootable surplus for the first time last season. However, a rule forbidding the use of glyphosate in grass margins risks hampering his efforts at partridge restoration. He said, “We had to abandon the five-year agri-environment scheme where you had to top the thistles instead of spraying, because if you cut them in the breeding season, you risk killing the partridges and after that it is too late, the seed has spread on the wind.” The lesson from such stories is that where our wildlife is concerned, sitting back and doing nothing is no longer an option. A risk-averse approach to conservation can itself be harmful and stifle innovation.

A harvest mouse nest on a farm in the Selborne Landscape Partnership.

The farmers featured in the collection are experts at producing biodiversity in the field margins and less productive bits of farmland. Beef farmer James Mulleneux, who is in a Natural England-funded Higher Level Stewardship scheme, including an option for arable reversion to grassland, said, “In the old days we used to let grassland grow to a seed-head, so you had different levels of sward. There were nettles and piles of vegetation lying around. The way we manage the landscape has changed hugely. These days it is manicured with machinery and I have to make a conscious effort not to cut everything back in the margins.” However, Mulleneux was keen to stress that success will not be achieved by trying to turn back the clock. It should be a case of applying the latest research to maximise space for nature alongside more efficient farming at the core.

Several of the working conservationists are in landscape-scale conservation partnerships and all commented on the value of working with teams on the farm, neighbours, local communities and the public at large. There is increasing recognition that individual species recovery depends on the health and integration of large-scale eco-systems.

Another working conservationist, Kate Faulkner, represents the family farm on the Selborne Landscape Partnership, which was one of the first Farmer Clusters, initiated by the GWCT and Natural England. For one of its projects, the cluster chose to improve habitat for harvest mice, inspired by the famous naturalist Gilbert White, who lived in nearby Selborne and first identified harvest mice as a separate species. This kind of joined-up approach with community engagement has the potential to create what are, in effect, huge new nature reserves across the country at relatively low cost.

A huge commitment by the Duke of Norfolk’s team has successfully combined cereal production and conservation.

As our ever-shrinking countryside is increasingly contested, spaces will have to work harder by performing several different functions simultaneously and it’s right that farmers and landowners should be paid to deliver a wide range of public goods. Tom Orde-Powlett’s many conservation projects at Bolton Castle estate include helping to protect breeding curlew, which are in dramatic decline elsewhere. In addition to the conservation of some of our rarest bird species, the grouse moor run by Orde-Powlett’s father, Lord Bolton, offers public access to a wildlife rich habitat, provides employment, supports the local economy and traditional rural communities, offers grazing for sheep farmers, traps carbon through peat restoration and helps avert flooding, all at relatively little cost to the taxpayer. Orde-Powlett said, “If we can show we can hold up one million litres of water here and delay a peak flow down in York for three hours, that’s going to reduce the extent of flood damage and you can start to put a price on that.”

In his introduction to the case studies collection, former Defra Minister of State Sir Jim Paice writes: “We must never forget that farmers’ main aim is to produce food and to make a living from doing so. If our farmers are to survive outside the protection of the CAP and against cheaper imports then they must be properly rewarded for the environmental
measures they provide. It is expensive not just in terms of direct costs but in foregoing crop income and in management time. So whatever schemes the Government brings forward must recognise that.”

Projects at Bolton Castle are helping to protect the curlew, numbers of which are in decline elsewhere.

Currently, signs from Government are encouraging. Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove wrote in his foreword to the collection that, “when we leave the Common Agricultural Policy we will be able to follow evidence like this with even greater ambition – we will be able to incentivise the kinds of collaboration and innovation that bring the transformative, landscape-scale changes outlined in our 25 Year Environment Plan.”

GAMEKEEPING TECHNIQUES

The GWCT’s guiding principle of a “working conservation” is that wildlife can thrive alongside other land uses. Early on, the organisation recognised that gamekeepers were the champions of this multiple-outcomes approach as farming modernised to meet the post-war demand for food. It studied carefully how they began to use their range of techniques, from trapping to growing small strips of cover crop, to maintain their bird numbers without hindering farm production. Today, these gamekeeping techniques are valuable conservation tools because they make space for wildlife in a working countryside and it is no accident that very often there are shoots on the farms where wildlife declines are being reversed.

The grouse moor run by Tom Orde-Powlett’s father, Lord Bolton, offers a rich wildlife habitat as well as support to the local economy and rural communities.

These case studies show that given financial support and encouragement as well as freedom from red tape and fear of fines or getting things wrong, land managers can deliver both food production and countryside restoration. In every case specialist knowledge is a key ingredient of success and backed by scientific research, GWCT advisers provide practical advice on how to manage land with a view to improving biodiversity. Few organisations have the same degree of trust from land managers developed over generations and with ever greater pressure on the countryside to increase food production, provide space for housing and deliver a range of public benefits, the survival of our wildlife will depend on that trust.

Without exception, the working conservationists talk about the importance of “your heart being in it” and the collection shows the power of private individuals working together to make a difference. Former hill farmer David Thomas, who is helping to restore grouse and a range of upland birds to heather moorland in Powys, spends 18 hours a day on the hill but to him it’s worth it. He said, “We have managed to increase curlew broods on the hill, which I am delighted by. When the birds call on the moor at the end of February, it’s the first sign of spring and I stop to admire the sound.”

To join the GWCT – or to order a copy of Working Conservationists – call 01425 651024 or go to: www.gwct.org.uk

Nothing looks as well in the shooting line as a proper tweed coat, but heritage fabric can have limitations. Musto's new technical tweed brings its functionality right up to date.

TECHNICAL TWEED

Nothing encapsulates a heritage aesthetic quite like tweed. The fabric offers incredible performance qualities. It is naturally water- and wind-resistant, and has excellent heat-retentive properties. There is nothing we would rather wear in the shooting line. For the new season, Musto is pushing the boundaries of its already incredible technical tweed collection to its limits. With Gore-Tex now engineered as a new season update across the line, the best just got better.

ARE YOU GAME READY?

Technical tweed keeps its shape, and offers exceptional performance in the field.

MACHINE WASHABLE TWEED

Tweed’s wool fibre construction features microscopic scales that lock together and agitate when washed resulting in a stiff and coarse handle. When these fibres are damaged, tweed garments lose their shape and structure, resulting in a worn look. And who wants baggy breeks and a shapeless coat? To hold back the tide of degradation when it comes to machine washing tweed, most fabrics are treated with chlorine gas. However, this gassing process, known as Chlor Hercoset, can only be made using dull coloured yarns and can result in a coarse, stiff cloth.

Musto have come up with a solution for their technical tweed. In order to preserve the vibrancy and quality of the yarns that make up Musto’s tweed fabric, the brand has developed an exclusive plasticising process alongside the Scottish Mill. This innovative process coats the fibres and the scales, making them smooth and flexible, rather than coarse and stiff. This consolidates the cloth and ensures that the original quality, vibrancy of colour and shape are maintained when washed at 30°C. The result is a highly durable, easy-to-clean tweed garment that maintains the full integrity of its aesthetic for years to come. Benefit from this technology with the Lightweight Machine Washable Gore-Tex Tweed Jacket, which also features an exceptional two-layer Gore-Tex Z-Liner for complete weather protection.

Wearing the right kit on a shoot day. The Musto range combines heritage and performance with style.

STRETCH TECHNICAL TWEED

Musto stretch tweed garments, such as the Stretch Technical Gore-Tex Tweed Jacket, have such an exceptional spectrum of motion built into them that they don’t require an action back. The premium Lovat Scottish Mill lambswool construction of these garments, combined with polyamide and Lycra, increases the high tensile strength and stretch of the tweed. Combine the jacket with the Stretch Technical Tweed Waistcoat and the Stretch Technical Gore-Tex Tweed Breeks for complete comfort in the field.

Voting is open for the inaugural Eat Game Awards 2018. Select your winners today to crown the champions of British game

Voting is now open for the inaugural Eat Game Awards 2018. With ten nominees to choose from across ten different categories, including Best Added Value Game Product sponsored by The Field, cast your vote before 30 September to crown the winners.

Click HERE to cast your votes today.

And for inspiration on how to use your own game, take a look through The Field’s website for the recipes you need to see you through the season.

EAT GAME AWARDS 2018

The Eat Game Awards 2018 is a brand-new initiative, the brainchild of three leading British businesses – James Purdey & Sons Ltd, Boisdale Restaurants and Taste of Game. By bringing together the shooting, game meat and hospitality sectors, together they want to find the unsung heroes of British game.

The Awards have launched a national search to find and reward the champions of British game, those that use innovation and passion while working with this natural, countryside harvest. Ten nominees have been selected across ten categories, and now is your chance to select the winners.

James Purdey & Sons Ltd, Boisdale Restaurants and Taste of Game have come together to crown the champions of british game.

To reflect the ever-growing use of wild game, ten different categories have been selected and are as follows. The Field is proud to sponsor Best Added Value Game Product.

• Best restaurant regularly serving game
• Best pub regularly serving game
• Best game chef regularly cooking game
• Best game farmers market stall including street food vendor
• Best added value game product
• Best multiple retailer selling game
• Best small retailer selling game
• Best game butcher
• Game Hero
• Champion of Champions

Click HERE to vote in the Eat Game Awards 2018.

The Field is delighted to be sponsoring the category for Best Added Value Game Product.

James Horne of Purdey said, “The consumption of game meat is a great joy to those that have enjoyed the spoils during the game season. We are determined to broaden the awareness of the delights this meat brings and encourage its wider consumption across the UK. The Awards are a tremendous way of recognising the significant breadth of game use and innovation that so many ordinary people, chefs, restaurants and companies have brought to our table.”

Ranald Macdonald of Boisdale said, “The eating of game is integral to the survival of the Great British countryside, the rural economy and our way of life. It is also delicious and nutritious. For everyone’s benefit we need to encourage the consumption of British game.”

Annette Woolcock of Taste of Game: “We are very excited by the Awards and hope the shooting and game meat industry will get behind them by nominating and voting for their favourite businesses and individuals. There are some great businesses now using game and we want to reward and showcase them through these Awards”.

GET INVOLVED

To vote, click here and select your winners in each category. Voting closes on 30 September.

The results will be announced at the Eat Game Awards dinner at Boisdale Canary Wharf on 9 October, presented by BBC’s Adam Henson and JB Gill, alongside William Sitwell, Rose Prince and Mark Hix. Tickets are available at standard price for £149, premium for £195 and VIP tickets for £249. Buy your tickets here.

The breed dates back to 1868 and a litter of puppies bred by the first Baron Tweedmouth. An anniversary trial showed how the dogs are faring today

What are considered the first golden retriever pups were born 150 years ago, and enthusiasts marked the occassion with an anniversary trial. David Tomlinson joined the celebrations, while considering how golden retrievers are faring today.

Dogs don’t have to be from working stock to be successful in the field. Read in praise of show-bred gundogs, as David Tomlinson joined show-bred golden retrievers on the moors and found them to be impressive workers.

GOLDEN RETRIEVERS

Is the golden retriever a lost gundog? This was a question posed to me by a friend, who remarked that they were popular when he started shooting 40 years ago but, in recent years, he’s hardly seen one in the shooting field. Most of those he has encountered have been show-bred individuals that were “very white, very big, and quite dim”. He added, “they have a reputation – well deserved – for uncertain temperament. A friend summarily shot his after it attacked his two-year-old child.”

Paler show dogs at Crufts in 2015.

That’s a pretty damning indictment of one of the most handsome of all the gundog breeds, but is it fair? I’m not sure that it is, and I speak from some experience. Some years ago I wrote an article lamenting the fact that most of the so-called golden retrievers that I had seen at Crufts that year weren’t golden at all, and suggested that the majority would probably bolt at the sound of a gun.

These comments didn’t go down well with a number of exhibitors, and I was sent numerous photographs of show-bred yellows (sorry, goldens) working in the shooting field. I was even challenged to get out and see some of these dogs in action. As a result, I joined one of my critics, Angie Cooper (now secretary of the Golden Retriever Club UK), for a day picking-up grouse on the North Yorkshire moors. She was accompanied by a dozen goldens, of which eight were bred from show lines, one was pure working and three of mixed show/working stock.

A show-bred golden retrieving – the writer couldn’t spot any variation between show-bred dogs and those bred to work.

It was easy to tell the working from the show dogs by their lighter build. Show goldens are not only bigger and heavier but almost invariably have paler coats, too. If you see a dog that’s a burnished golden then it’s almost certainly a working-bred animal. I was amused to discover that goldens like to be as dark as possible and when Cooper’s dogs are out on the moor they never fail to wallow in any water they can find, and the muddier it is the happier they are.

When it came to working, well, I couldn’t really tell the difference. All the dogs, regardless of their breeding, worked with equal enthusiasm. Perhaps the working-bred dogs were a little quicker or sharper on the whistle but if they were I didn’t notice. These were dogs that performed impressively throughout a long day, and they would have been an asset on any shoot. This is, of course, a reflection of the fact that they had been well trained but also proof that they hadn’t lost their working ability.

POPULAR BREEDS

Quite how many show-bred goldens get the chance to work is debatable, but I suspect that it’s more proportionately than is the case with labradors. Though the golden may be our second most popular breed of retriever, just 7,846 puppies were registered with the Kennel Club last year, compared with more than 35,000 labradors. When it comes to the show ring, the golden is the most popular breed of all, invariably outnumbering labradors.

Dorset dog Windowrker’s English Teak, owned and handled by Diana Lambertz, taking part in the test.

What is strange is why we don’t see more golden retrievers in the shooting field, as a good golden, trained to the highest standard, is every bit a match for even the best labrador. They first ran in field trials in 1910 or 1911 but it was to be a number of years before they began to make their mark. It wasn’t until 1937 that one won the IGL retriever championship for the first time. This was a three-year-old dog called Haulstone Larry, handled by Mrs J Eccles. Since then, three others have repeated the feat, in 1954, 1982 and 2006. The 1954 winner was June
Atkinson with her home-bred dog FTCh Mazurka of Wynford. Atkinson remains the doyenne of the breed, having qualified dogs for the championship on 36 occasions, a total only bettered by the two Johns (Halstead and Halsted). Atkinson’s famous Holway kennel is continued by her son, Robert.

The 2006 IGL winner was FTCh Marcus May Be of Wadesmill, owned by Max Wright and handled by his son, Andrew. In recent years, three or four goldens have usually qualified for the championship but in a competition so heavily dominated by labradors the odds are long against a golden win.

Grayspeed Fairys Secret, owned and handled by Sabine Heise, awaits her turn to run.

Quite why the labrador is so much more popular as a shooting dog is something of a mystery. It’s certainly less expensive to buy a well-bred labrador than it is a golden, while the fact that there are not many working-bred goldens available is also a drawback. One disadvantage of the golden retriever is the long, lustrous coat, which requires far more attention than that of a labrador. Goldens also moult profusely, leaving numerous blond hairs behind them. They are not the ideal breed for working on muddy shoots. When it comes to health, there’s not a lot to choose between the two breeds, with cancer the major killer for both. The average length of life is similar, with most reaching 11 or 12.

It has been suggested that the golden retriever’s good looks have been its downfall as its popularity has led to unscrupulous breeders producing puppies purely for profit, neglecting such important aspects as temperament, let alone working ability. Golden-retriever rage syndrome is a fact but is rare, and it should never be forgotten that the breed is one of the most versatile, excelling in such disciplines as medical sniffer dogs (cancer), PAT dogs, Help the Heroes assistance dogs, Canine Partners, 9/11 Rescue Dogs, Mountain Rescue Search Dogs and Guide Dogs for the Blind (the later favours a golden crossed with a labrador, “producing the most successful guide dog of all, combining many of the great traits of both breeds”). Such is the breed’s success it’s all too easy to forget that this was a dog originally bred to be a tough, working gundog.

CIRCUS HERITAGE

As with so many gundogs developed in the 19th century, its history and origins are far from clear. For many years it was believed that the ancestors of the breed were a troupe of dogs from a travelling Russian circus. According to an article published in The Field in 1912, Dudley Marjoribanks (later first Baron Tweedmouth) “saw them in a circus in Brighton in the year 1858, where they were shown by their Russian owner. They were such splendid creatures that Mr Marjoribanks determined to posses himself of them, and he bought the lot, transferring them to his deer forest in Inverness. They were found to possess the required qualification of retrieving and tracking.”

Owner Andrew England sends Lizwend Ashley at Dairycott out on a retrieve.

It’s a great romantic story but these days largely discounted. However, there’s no doubt that Lord Tweedmouth was the founding father of the breed, mating his dog Nous, a wavy-coated retriever (that did apparently come from Brighton) with Belle, a Tweed water spaniel. Four yellow puppies were born, called Crocus, Cowslip, Primrose and Ada. He kept two of them, gave one to his son and presented the fourth, Ada, to the fifth Earl of Ilchester, who went on to create the Ilchester line of golden retrievers.

Nous and Belle’s puppies were born 150 years ago, in 1868, and it is this date that golden-retriever enthusiasts recognise as the start of the breed. And it explains why hundreds of golden retrievers, plus their owners, gathered on the Ilchester Estates in May this year to celebrate the anniversary. They were guests of The Hon Mrs Charlotte Townshend, the great-granddaughter of the fifth Earl. Ada’s grave can be seen in the grounds of Melbury House and many of the participants in the celebrations went to pay homage to it.

Karnoosty in the Rough.

Gwen Knox, the field trial secretary of the Golden Retriever Club UK, told me that the idea for the anniversary party came from the Golden Retriever Club’s Centenary celebrations in 2013, which featured a one-day international open-standard test. “I was well aware that many overseas competitors love running against the UK competitors but weren’t able to get into their official country teams. So for this year’s 150th Breed Anniversary we decided to organise a two-day event to make it worthwhile travelling, and to incorporate all classes from puppy, novice, open to veteran.” Anyone who wanted to compete was welcome. The response was terrific: there were 167 entries, half of which were from overseas, including, France, Germany, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, while one enthusiast travelled from Arizona (without a dog) to spectate.

Anja Heuer from Germany won the Open Test with her bitch Duckflight Eye on Gadwall. Just two weeks before, Heuer had won the Skinner’s World Cup with the same bitch, though on this occasion she had had to beat some of the best labradors in the country, a reminder that the best golden retrievers can compete with, and even outperform, labradors. Fittingly, the sire of Heuer’s bitch was Robert Atkinson’s FTCh Holway Cider. On the Saturday evening, participants enjoyed a party at Holway Farm, which belongs to the Atkinson family.

Hanans Kertis competing in the open.

The Golden Retriever Club was founded in 1911, with the breed registered by the Kennel Club two years later as Retrievers (Golden or Yellow). There’s more than a touch or irony in the fact that the word yellow was dropped in 1920, as these days there are probably more yellow or pale-cream golden retrievers than there are genuine golden ones. I think that there are few dogs more handsome than a genuine golden golden retriever but fashion and the demands of the pet industry have led to dogs being bred that are almost white, looking like small polar bears. When you have a dog with such wonderful colouring as a golden retriever, why change it? Incidentally, the breed standard allows any shade of gold or cream, with a few white hairs on the chest permissible. It says nothing about white all over.

However, fashions change and I’m optimistic that golden retrievers will become gold once again. I will give the last word to a friend who has owned, and worked, goldens for all his life. “It’s difficult to explain why I like them so much, but whether seeing a working golden chasing down a runner or even something as simple as one just walking to heel, there is an elegance and style that you just don’t get with other breeds.” His is a persuasive argument, while I hate to think what Lord Tweedmouth would have made of the white ones.

Ensure your partridge supper is tender and moist by pot roasting the bird. Try Philippa Davis' pot roast partridge with figs, honey and balsamic

It’s September – and time to start enjoying plenty of game suppers. Philippa Davis’ pot roast partridge with figs, honey and balsamic is a clever way to keep the bird perfectly moist.

For more inspiration on partridge suppers, read the 10 best partridge recipes, for the top ways to pot roast, stuff and stew your brace.

POT ROAST PARTRIDGE WITH FIGS, HONEY AND BALSAMIC

I have noticed over the years that guests are far more likely to eat all of the bird if it has been carved up for them before serving. Cooking it whole, however, and pot roasting gamebirds is a great way to ensure that they stay perfectly moist.

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 partridges
• 1 red onion, peeled and chopped into 1cm dice
• 100ml white wine
• 100ml light game/chicken or veg stock
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
• 200g yellow cherry tomatoes
• 4 figs, cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp honey
• Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp each of freshly chopped basil and parsley to serve

In a heavy-bottomed pot on a medium heat sear the partridges on all sides in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil then season.

Remove from the pan and place to one side. In the same pot, no need to wash, sauté the onion in the other tablespoon of olive oil until just softened then add the white wine, stock, chickpeas, tomatoes, figs, honey and chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Return partridge to the pan and bring to a simmer. Gently cook for about 20 minutes until the meat is cooked and tender.

Leave to rest for 10 minutes then remove the partridge onto a cutting board.

Carve off the breasts and legs then place them back into the pot

To serve, spoon a pile of the chickpea, fig and tomato stew along with the jointed partridge into a bowl.

Drizzle with a few drops of quality balsamic and finish with a sprinkle of the fresh parsley and basil.

Creating a childhood stable of model ponies served Juliet Cursham well when secretarial skills evaded her, as she explains to Janet Menzies

From creating model ponies from plasticine and felt to crafting the trophies for the World Elephant Polo Association, Juliet Cursham explains to Janet Menzies why travelling was the best form of training.

For more sporting artists, Katrina Slack’s work doesn’t just depict environmental damage, but incorporates it. And Susan Leyland has created a sculpture to remember the equines that fell during World War I.

JULIET CURSHAM

Equestrian sculptor Juliet Cursham would have quite liked to go to art college. Instead, she travelled the world, from Australia to Nepal, Hong Kong and Brunei, mingling with maharajas and playing polo on elephants – all of which has turned out to be exactly the right training to develop her skills as one of our most popular sculptors, working in bronze, silver and even gold.

Cursham cheerfully admits she was not well suited to the more conventional career her parents had planned out for her. “It was decided I would be ‘finished’ with a secretarial and cookery course. But I turned out to be the world’s worst secretary and I was always getting sacked for being useless. Eventually I went to Australia and New Zealand and played polo and did polo grooming, which my Pony Club training had fitted me for.

Polo pony.

“By the time I came back to England I was determined not to be a secretary again, so I went to work in Newmarket for the racehorse trainer Gavin Pritchard-Gordon and ended up meeting lots of the Newmarket trainers. Gavin’s house was full of bronzes and I found myself thinking: I could do that myself.”

This proved to be a turning point. Not content with simply day-dreaming in the way most people do about being artistic, Cursham set out to discover what was involved. “I asked a sculptor how to make the bronzes and she said you start out with Plasticine.”

Having spent her childhood making Plasticine ponies, Cursham knew exactly how to do that. “As a child I always made and drew horses. Eventually, I did have a real pony but until then I made all my ponies out of Plasticine or felt or anything I could find. My friend and I had a whole string of Julip horse models and we made them stables out of cardboard, which attracted an influx of mice. So, really, it’s never stopped – I’m always trying to make horses!”

TRAVELLING TO TRAIN

She concedes that even had her parents been able to predict her future as a successful equestrian artist, art college might still not have been the right thing for her. “Looking back, I don’t think art school would have suited me. I am a representational artist, I want to represent what an animal looks like. I don’t really get the conceptual art thing, and so art school may have helped me less than what I learned on my travels. And, of course, all those jobs have helped me build a great client base.”

Armed with help from horse-racing sculptor Philip Blacker and with a copy of George Stubbs’s Anatomy of the Horse tucked under her arm, Cursham set to work; commissions soon followed. “I was helped by Gavin’s brother, Grant Pritchard-Gordon, and got the commission to sculpt Dancing Brave. That really got me started. I was also introduced to Guy Watkins at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and he commissioned me to do some bronzes, including some life-size works. I have two large pieces, life-size horses, under way in China right now, being built. They are in the new Conghua Training Facility in Guangzhou, which will be opened in September. I am a bit worried – I’m not sure how they are getting on with them. And then the Sultan of Brunei’s youngest brother bought some pieces from me, but said he wanted something in a nicer colour – which meant gold. So I had to go and team up with some goldsmiths to get that done.”

Elephant polo.

But for sheer adventurous glamour it is hard to top Cursham’s commission to sculpt the trophies for the World Elephant Polo Association. Just the phrase “elephant polo” conjures up images of wilder times, when fun was enjoyed without the benefit of health and safety intervention. The late, moustachioed, maverick comedian Jimmy Edwards was a founder of the original tournament, having come up with the idea after completing a particularly gratifying Cresta Run. Cursham remembers: “I was invited to go out to play in 1990. They wanted to give a special present to one of the maharajas, which was an elephant in silver – you black the finish which gives a great impact. The other pieces I made sold out very quickly. You don’t have to know how to play polo to play elephant polo. You have a mahout who sits in the front and you are strapped on to a great big mattress and you sit up behind. The polo sticks are so long you have to bind them to your arm. Billy Connolly said it was like playing polo on top of a London double-decker bus with four flat tyres. You change elephants and have a Bloody Mary between chukkas.”

Really the perfect artistic life, much more interesting than starving in a garret.

To contact Juliet Cursham, call 07836691302 or go to: www.cursham.co.uk

Tomatoes are at their very best right now. Take advantage with Philippa Davis' starter course of tomato sorbet

Savoury sorbets make a great starter course. And with tomatoes at their very best right now, even served frozen they pack a flavourful punch. Try Philippa Davis’ tomato sorbet for your next supper party.

It is always best to eat seasonally. So make use of your apple glut with the 9 best apple recipes for your harvest. No need to start a pie production line.

TOMATO SORBET

Savoury sorbets make a great starter as they are light, refreshing and can be made in advance. I find the tomatoes are at their best at this time of year as they have had the maximum amount of summer sun and so even when served frozen, as in this sorbet, they provide an impressive burst of flavour.

Serves 6 as a starter

• 800g ripe fresh tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• 25g caster sugar
• 50ml water
• 30g ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 15g basil leaves
• 1 tbsp tarragon
• 5 fresh sprigs of basil, to serve

Roughly chop the tomatoes and place into a bowl, including any seeds and juice.

In a saucepan on a medium heat, gently sauté the garlic and shallots in the olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Add half of the tomatoes with their seeds and juice, the caster sugar and water, season with salt and pepper then, stirring regularly, simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes – or until the mix has thickened slightly.

Take off the heat and add the grated ginger, basil leaves and tarragon.

Blitz in a blender and strain the juice through a fine sieve then check the seasoning and adjust as necessary. Remember, cold or frozen food has a less-pronounced flavour so it is all right if the mixture tastes quite strong.

If you have an ice-cream maker, churn the strained juice then freeze it for at least three hours before serving.

If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, freeze the juice then blitz in a food processor after a couple of hours or once the mix has partially frozen. This will help break up the ice crystals and make it a smoother texture. Then, freeze for at least another three hours.

Serve balls of the sorbet in chilled glasses with a fresh sprig of basil on top.

From wooden tubs to marbled temples, the collision of luxury and hygiene has transformed the country house bathroom, says Jeremy Musson

From drafts, cold water and wooden tubs to decadent levels of comfort today, country house bathrooms have been transformed says Jeremy Musson. But what are the essentials of luxury country house bathrooms?

For more on Britain’s country houses, read about the small dogs ruling the stately roosts. Read terriers at the top: small dogs in stately homes.

LUXURY COUNTRY HOUSE BATHROOMS

The British aristocracy and squirearchy took a while to adapt to the idea of the fitted bathroom with hot and cold running water. In truth, it took some comfort-loving American heiresses really to change the scene. This battle was still being fought in the 20th century and when one duke met Nancy Lancaster, the Virginian-born chatelaine of Kelmarsh and Ditchley (who had gone on to own Colefax & Fowler), he called her “a very dangerous woman” to her face. When asked why, he replied, “before you came on the scene, our shooting party guests were content with one or two bathrooms a floor, now they want one en suite; if you own several large houses as I do, that’s quite an expense”.

But the comfortable, generously appointed bathroom – preferably hung with pictures (artistic, sporting or humorous) and often still with an open fire – has become part of the country house dream, expected by family and guests, both private and commercial. Sarah Callander Beckett of Combermere Abbey in Shropshire says: “The restoration of the North Wing at Combermere meant we could create a wonderful, stress-free master bathroom. My tip to people who get the chance is to have his and hers basins, thus avoiding any morning queues and grumpinesses – an added bonus would be a separate shower and bath. I prefer a shower to wake up and a bath to relax.”

The bathroom at Aldourie Castle.

Roger Tempest of Broughton Hall in Yorkshire is a firm believer in the importance of bathrooms. “Bathrooms are really important and should be en suite but also generous; in my view, the baths should always be big enough to get two people in, for comfort and conversation. The world has changed a lot. People are no longer prepared to walk miles to find the bathroom. Reliable hot water is also an essential feature and a really good shower. They should be places of style.” At Broughton, he has bathrooms with themed picture hangs: one is hung with Osbert
Lancaster cartoons; another with Country Life’s Tottering-By-Gently cartoons drawn by his sister, Annie Tempest.

Roger Tempest also oversaw a much-admired revival and restoration of Aldourie Castle on the shores of Loch Ness, which he sold in 2014. Here he made the bathrooms (with elegant new baths in traditional style supplied by Drummonds) an unforgettable feature, signifying the full, triumphant return of the traditional and generously scaled bathroom, especially important as the house is let for exclusive-use house parties.

At Holkham Hall in Norfolk, the Earl of Leicester recalls: “Although Holkham’s Family Wing is said to be famous for having the first bath to be fitted in Norfolk, when my father took over, the Stranger’s Wing – our guest wing – was nearly all made up of bedrooms and dressing rooms, with two small bathrooms. He converted dressing and bedrooms so that there were six bedrooms and five bathrooms. The best is the one off the Parrot Bedroom, with a hugely long bath set centrally in an 18th-century room; after a day’s shooting and tea, many guests like to settle in a long, hot bath, and go over the best shots of the day; we always keep a small decanter of whisky in each bathroom, too.”

The “bath in the dressing room” tradition has also been revived at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, where James Hervey-Bathurst carried out a major refurbishment. “We created a bathroom in the dressing room for the State Bedroom, where the third Earl Somers and his wife would have had their hip bath. We found a cast-iron bath in the cellars and had it restored, with special taps made by Adams and one of those columnar wastewater releases that you twist and pull. A fire can be lit and there are good paintings in the room, including one splendid Italian lady – but not by Bellini!”

A PART OF COUNTRY-HOUSE LIFE

Washing was always a feature of country-house life. Water was brought in by servants at the required hour, by hand, and from 1800 a metal tub placed in front of a roaring fire was the norm (before 1800 they had usually been wooden tubs). Although grim work for servants, it is possible that the pleasures of such pampering put a brake on enthusiasm for new discoveries in plumbing in the 19th century – though it was often hard to fit new plumbing conveniently into the older castle.

The bathroom at Broughton Hall.

At the top of the scale, fixed baths, equipped with hot and cold water, were installed at the Palace of Whitehall and Chatsworth in the late 17th century. Diarist Celia Fiennes described it in the 1690s, as in the finest marbles “as deep as one’s middle on the outside, and you go down steps into ye bath big enough for two people. At ye upper end are two cocks to let in, one hott water ye other cold water to attemper it as persons please.”

But for the 18th century the warm bath was not an expected feature of country house life. On the contrary, the vogue was for cold “plunge baths” (surviving examples can be see at Kedleston and Wimpole), which were good for stimulating the blood. Early showers were also usually cold for the same reason. Many showers were in demountable stacked sections, which may well have been developed for use on military campaigns and then brought home – a servant could tip water in the upper basin, and then the showeree pull a cord to get a dousing.

Naturally, some aristocrats grasped the opportunities for luxury early: the Countess of Moira had a bathroom and separate wc off her dressing room at Donington Park in Leicestershire from 1813, furnished with “a gilded wash-hand stand, a dressing stand with gilded basin and ewers, a rosewood book stand, a thermometer and a copper tea kettle”. But it was a matter of personal taste. Stoke Rochford Hall had only two bathrooms in 1839 and as late at 1873 Carlton Towers still had none. Only advanced thinkers had more than a couple. But by the middle of the 20th century, sparkling new classical Middleton Park, Oxfordshire, designed by Lutyens in 1935, for the Earl of Jersey, had no fewer than 14 bathrooms. Lord Curzon liked to sort out bathrooms for his houses and had quaint little rooms created out of Tudor panelling at Montacute in Somerset.

Holkham Hall in Norfolk is famous for having the first bath in the county. Today, its Parrot Bedroom offers the most impressive washing facilities.

Some sense of the importance of washing generally can be gauged by old etiquette manuals, most amusingly in that written by Stanley Ager, the mid-20th century butler to the St Levan family of Cornwall, who had been trained up in the full Edwardian splendour of country house life: “You should bathe or shower every day and wash your hair as soon as it looks dirty”, and he recommended always bathing (and men shaving) before an evening meal in company.

He felt his strictures were worth repeating, especially in a world with a much-diminished number of well-trained staff. He especially recalled picking up one of his titled charges at Eton: “When I fetched young Trotter from Eton, I would send him to the men’s lavatory to wash before he came back with me, because Etonians, like most other boarding school boys, have an unclean, doggy smell clinging to them. In many ways a man remains a little boy – he likes to play with mud and doesn’t mind getting dirty.” Hence the importance of the best baths. Naturally, this was no less significant for hunting-mad ladies, who had to move seamlessly from hours out on the damp, muddy hunting field to the full length for an evening reception, smelling of roses or the fashionable equivalent.

LUXURY BATHROOMS TODAY

Since the 1990s, the country house bathroom has received a lot of attention (partly spurred by the need to use country houses more commercially). The long walk to find the bathroom for your corridor has become a thing of the past (that’s if you could remember where it was and don’t have the courage to open random doors to find one).

The cast-iron bath in the State Bedroom at Eastnor was discovered in the cellar and then restored.

Lady Caroline Percy of Hotspur Design has a great deal of experience of what works and what doesn’t. “At all costs,” she says, “avoid placing the bath in the bedroom itself, which has had its fashion but in my view is the ugliest idea possible. The most important thing is warmth. If a large bathroom, one big or two heated towel rails with the largest bath towels – this is based on my own memories of the freezing country house bathrooms of years ago. Baths should also not be too high and at least 75cm wide. Personally, I prefer off-white or ivory baths and sinks, as much softer and warmer looking than stark white.” Lady Caroline also advises: “no fitted carpet, that was fashionable 1950s to 1980s: tiles, marble, Amtico-type flooring with a flat weave rug, or cotton dhurrie type rug or kelim.” The walls should be closely hung with prints or painted with exotic trompe l’oeil murals: “Bathrooms are a place for escaping and at the very least for having a few moments’ personal peace away from the hurly burly of life.”

Designer Ben Pentreath, one of the UK’s most-followed, English-style gurus and author of English Decoration, says: “The country house bathroom used to be renowned for chilly, hard lino, Victorian tiles, inadequate heating, no showers and either the hot or cold tap on the bath failing to work at all. Nancy Lancaster, who brought unprecedented levels of luxury to the austerity of the English country house style, was the first person to put paid to those miseries. Fifty years later, has the pendulum swung too far in the other direction? So many new country houses have taken on the qualities of a small foreign boutique hotel. I’m a firm believer in slightly simpler luxuries: what could be nicer than a plain, old-fashioned bath (with no lavish joinery or marble), piles of interesting books and magazines to read, and some good pictures on the walls – and a geranium, that is constantly in flower, enjoying the warm atmosphere and sun streaming in through a west-facing window overlooking a long lawn with distant topiary?” What indeed. But a tip from the top: don’t forget a small decanter of whisky.