This cheery, good-value SUV certainly cleaned up for its Romanian manufacturer – so would it benefit from a revamp? Charlie Flindt reports

The Dacia Duster has done fantastically well, as a competent, cheap’n’cheerful off-roader. Now it has undergone a revamp. Charlie Flindt finds the ride comfortable and looks sophisticated – but could the fancy tech spell trouble?

For more on the Dacia Duster, Charlie Flindt was so impressed by the Dacia Duster Commercial that he believes it could fill a Defender-sized hole.

DACIA DUSTER

The Duster has done fantastically well for Dacia, quickly earning a reputation for value, simplicity and considerable off-road competence. So when the time came for a revamp, Dacia must have had to think long and hard. What could it do to its little 4×4 to ensure that reputation wasn’t lost?

Initial impressions are good: it’s still definitely a Duster, but there have been subtle styling tweaks to make it look a bit more sophisticated. It’s amazing what a slight reshape of the bumpers and grille can do.

As soon as you jump in, one interior change is immediately obvious: the seat. It’s comfortable – the old one was a shocker. Other revisions are more subtle, but – like the exterior changes – make the layout feel much more up to date. But a proper rest for the left foot would be handy and the switch for cruise control and speed limiter are oddly placed down behind the handbrake.

On the move, the Duster is a mixed bag. The petrol engine is a tad weedy on the road, with fifth gear feeling like an overdrive and sixth completely useless. The handling is reasonable, and the controls are fingertip light. Off road, the Dacia seems happier, with first and second gear covering most situations – there’s no low range in the four-wheel-drive gearbox.

THe dashboard offers a fancy sat-nav, air con, parking cameras and more.

You can’t help worrying about the strength of some of the drivetrain and suspension components, which look slightly vulnerable. And the exhaust still snakes under the rear diff, although it has been beefed up considerably compared to the old one. The Dacia gets bonus points for having a full-sized spare wheel and sensible (that is, cheap) tyres.

We had a couple of issues that suggest build quality isn’t what it could be: a brake-system warning light popped on at one stage but the teenagers’ IT cure (“Turn it off, turn it on, job’s a good ’un, problem gone!”) soon sorted that out. And the engine speed stayed high for a second after lifting off the accelerator pedal. Once upon a time, one would have lubricated the throttle cable but such things don’t exist anymore. All I know was that it made me sound like an over-revving hoon. Or a confused pensioner.

But there’s something else not quite right about the latest Duster, and you have to wind back a couple of paragraphs to comments about ‘speed limiters’ and ‘cruise control’. Cast your eyes over the dashboard again. There’s a fancy sat-nav that beeps at you if you’re over the speed limit. (Apparently –never happened to me, of course.) There’s air con, and heated electrical door mirrors, and parking cameras, and all-round electric windows, and – well, you get the idea.

True, my test car was ‘Comfort’ spec and there’s now a lot of fancy kit available, but it comes at a price. It is still undercutting a lot of its more mainstream rivals but not as jaw-droppingly as it used to. The philosophy of cheap’n’cheerful has been lost. It strikes me that Dacia has got to beware of moving the Duster too far up the price range. The last thing we need is another conventional SUV.

DACIA DUSTER SCe 115 Comfort 4×4

Engine: 1,598cc petrol
Power: 115 hp
Max speed: 105mph
Performance, 0 to 62: 12.9 seconds
Combined fuel economy: 40.4mpg
Insurance group: 10
Price: £15,395
www.dacia.co.uk

Serve game to start this Christmas with Philippa Davis' warm partridge salad with pear, brandy and walnuts in parmesan bowls

Add a game twist to your festive table with Philippa Davis’ warm partridge salad with pear, brandy and walnuts in parmesan bowls. This impressive starter is laced with spirit and spice, making it perfect for this time of year.

Partridge is a super bird to introduce newcomers to game. Our top 10 best partridge recipes feature family suppers, festive spreads and enough flavour and spice to have the uninitiated coming back from seconds.

WARM PARTRIDGE SALAD WITH PEAR, BRANDY AND WALNUTS IN PARMESAN BOWLS

Serves 8

Parmesan Bowls

• 320g Parmesan, grated on the large side of the grater

Dressing

• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 100g yogurt
• 100g mayonnaise
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• ½ tbsp finely chopped dill
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Pears

• 3 pears, cored, not peeled, and cut into eighths
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 8 partridge breasts, seasoned
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp brandy

To serve

• 4 heads of chicory, 4 leaves of which should be finely shredded
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 160g toasted walnuts

For the parmesan bowls, preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

On lined baking sheets, make 8 x 15cm circles of parmesan.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until light golden then drape over a greased small up-turned bowl. Leave to harden.

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and season.

For the partridge and pears, in a large frying pan on a medium heat gently caramelise the pears on all side in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan sear the partridge on both sides for a couple of minutes with a tablespoon oil, they should still be pink in the middle.

Return the pears add the honey and brandy then turn off the heat.

Slice each partridge breast into five.

To serve, place one Parmesan bowl on each of 8 serving plates.

Place a few chicory leaves on top and divide the walnuts and pears between them.

Place a sliced partridge breast in each bowl with some of pan jus, drizzle with a little dressing and top with the extra shredded chicory and chives.

Early experiments in fen drainage gave Tim Field a good grounding in the management of water meadows – a bonus for waders and grazers

Finding a functioning water meadow in England is rare these days, but good water meadow management is a bonus for waders and grazers, says Tim Field.

For more on farming, read the alternatives to culling bull calves: the white stuff.

WATER MEADOW MANAGEMENT

Blagging my way through clearing to land a place at the University of St Andrews was lucky enough. To then unearth a long-lost cousin on a farm up the road with an insatiable appetite for disruptive conservation was more like a fairytale. Patrick Bowden-Smith and his game-for-anything enthusiasm to marry conservation, farming and ballistics presented an unrivalled playground. By the time my degree was complete he had dammed, dug and scraped sediment traps, watercress beds, reedbeds, ponds and wetlands that extended an already impressive mosaic of farmland habitat. This formed the basis of my dissertation on the ecological impact of varying farming practices.

Aside from researching the intricacies of Bowden-Smith’s watery habitats, St Andrews led to another valuable education in the wet and mud. Training on a sodden rugby field, at dusk, in bracing easterlies, my mind was often elsewhere. As drills were spilled in the halfbacks and skeins of pinkfoots honked overhead, I found camaraderie in a fellow winger who agreed to reconvene on the neighbouring Eden estuary. It was the start of a great sporting friendship with George, son of the renowned sportsman Graham Downing, and by December we were flighting on the Downings’ magnificent wash near Welney on the Ouse system.

The Ouse Washes is a remarkable system. Built in the 17th century to assist fen drainage, it comprises 2,500 hectares of impounded land that flood in the winter and drain in the summer. Interlinking dykes, sluices and drains divide up each wash, which in drier periods support a permanent pasture worthy of a hay cut and grazing. As with many low-intensity grazing systems, this action prevents the succession of willow and other dominant species and sustains a habitat of international importance.

After leaving Bowden-Smith to cut my teeth in consultancy, I found myself drafting Water Level and Catchment Flood Management Plans for the Environment Agency. It honed my appreciation of the role that floodplains play to provide food, flood storage and biodiversity.

Fast forward to 2017 and my first day at Daylesford. During a recce with farm manager Richard Smith, I was peering from a bridge over the River Evenlode onto a low-lying meadow. This rank, horse-sick pasture was scruffy and occasional flooding rendered it useless for cultivation. Our boss wanted it used – for something – with suggestions of biomass planting being bounced around. With JCBs at our disposal I didn’t have to think twice. A site level was hired for the day and after two weeks with a tracked 360 excavator we had bunds, levees, scrapes and wet ditches in place to create our very own water-meadow system.

A RARE SIGHT

A functioning water meadow is a rare sight in England, where rivers and fields have since been dredged and drained to shoot water away from the land as fast as possible. However, relics of carrier, hatch and stop engineering projects dating back as early as the 16th century can be seen in lowland valleys nationwide. The theory of ‘watering’ a meadow at Christmas – ideally around an inch in depth – and draining it in March, would sustain soil temperatures sufficiently to trigger early grass growth. Frost protection, nutrient deposits and oxygenation were added benefits. A further mid-summer watering can irrigate for a second hay cut in drier periods.

The artery of our new water meadow is a raised ‘carrier’, which intercepts a spring-fed land drain. There is no glamorous, oak-shuttered, brick-built hatch in place – a quite simple 9in drain with an elbow bend to control the flow. An elbow turned 90 degrees from horizontal to vertical gives 18in of depth to play with; two such hatches enable us to flood 17 acres in our perfectly contoured meadows.

Overwintering wildfowl and waders arriving in their hundreds within weeks of the excavator tracking from site was enough evidence of the project’s success. It was everything I’d hoped it could be, inspired by Bowden-Smith’s creativity and Welney magnificence.

Catchment Partnerships nationwide are conducting a plethora of schemes to slow the passage of water and utilise areas of undeveloped valley floor for flood storage, and whilst intensive grazing would not be so forgiving on the land, light stocking densities gain a useful bite. The new water meadows chime of Renaissance engineering, the 16th-century Agricultural Revolution and a nostalgic reminder of my university education, somewhat tenuously academic.

We have a cracking deal on Field subscriptions - the perfect gift for proper sporting sorts. Subscribe to The Field with 35% OFF plus an extra treat at checkout. AND there's still time to buy for Christmas. Don't miss The Field subscription sale

There’s still time to buy a Field subscription for a fieldsports fanatic. CLICK ON THIS IMAGE to see our super deal.

You don’t need to wait for the new issue to drop on your doormat each month for your Field fix. Make sure you are following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The only way to stay right up to date with everything going on in the field. We have shooting tips, delicious game recipes, pictures straight from the hunting field and more dogs than you could shake a stick at. Everything rural types need to see them through the season from their favourite magazine, The Field.

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A subscription to the original, and best, sporting journal makes the perfect gift for every fieldsports fanatic and sporting type this Christmas. Field subscriptions are 35% OFF and there’s still time to gift one for Christmas in our big subscription sale. Hurry, don’t miss this cracking deal. The offer is only available until Boxing Day. So pick yours up today at THIS link.

So treat yourself in The Field subscription sale. We recommend spending your post-sporting evenings making a dish from the top 10 best pheasant recipes and settling down with our latest issue. The perfect post-shoot evening.

Horsham Museum and Art Gallery is offering a timely reminder of Geoffrey Sparrow, a local son and a man of the countryside, as Janet Menzies explains

Geoffrey Sparrow served in the trenches, worked as a country doctor and was a true Corinthian sportsman. He painted ceaselessly throughout it all, offering hunting and country scenes from an insider’s perspective. Now Horsham Museum and Art Gallery are offering a timely reminder of his work, as Janet Menzies discovers.

For more sporting artists, the art of the Soper family provided the backdrop of our childhoods. And Owen Williams is inspired by watching wildlife at a time that belongs to nature rather than humans.

GEOFFREY SPARROW

When the final battle to save hunting was being lost, one of the greatest problems for hunters was that we were fighting for a concept so vanishingly spiritual that it couldn’t be articulated. If only the hunting artist, Geoffrey Sparrow, had still been alive it would have been easier. But he died in 1969, and Horsham Museum and Art Gallery is marking 50 years since then with a major retrospective exhibition of his work and life.

The Little Man at Rowland Ward’s.

Sparrow, born in 1887, was a true Corinthian sportsman. He was a country doctor in Horsham before the arrival of the M25. In the First World War he was decorated with the Military Cross. He served again in the Second World War, aged 53, and again received the Military Cross. Like most hunting folk, Sparrow rarely took himself seriously. Having studied at Cambridge University and St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, he explained: “Something had to be chosen… I was offered the law, medicine or the Church: didn’t like an uncle who was a solicitor, so that was out; our parson was rather stout and greasy and preached long and dull sermons, and away with that, so there remained medicine.”

He sketched and painted unceasingly throughout his life, even during the First World War, and his diaries and account of the war, On Four Fronts with the Royal Naval Division, are littered with drawings and cartoons. His full-scale works concentrate on hunting and country scenes painted from an insider’s perspective – lively, fluid and, above all, authentic. Jeremy Knight, Horsham Museum & Heritage Officer, thinks Sparrow’s genuine engagement with Horsham life is an important reason for exhibiting him. “Sparrow came here in 1919 and he was widely influential and well-respected in the town. Horsham’s museum and art gallery was founded 125 years ago with a mission to collect local material that reflected the area’s culture, heritage and traditions. Sparrow’s work genuinely captures what life was like in the town in his time.”

Now hastes the whipper into the other side of the covert.

Commenting on the enthusiastic community support for the exhibition, Knight explains: “The group of people who are anti-foxhunting find any such imagery like Sparrow’s to be abhorrent but everybody else sees his paintings for what they are, and the community has a lot of nostalgia and warmth for them. We are receiving so many contributions for the exhibition – coming from as far as Spain and as near as the attic of one of our volunteers. Sparrow retired from medical practice in 1948 and there are still many local stories of him. He would ride up to a home visit, hitch up his horse, perform a delivery or take a blood pressure, then mount up and ride off again.

A RURAL COMMUNITY

ECH Dorney Common 1957.

“Horsham in the 1920s and ’30s was a market town that still saw itself as a rural community. The Crawley and Horsham Hunt used to meet in the town centre and the hunt still has foot followers locally known as the Geoffrey Sparrow Club. Although Sparrow’s paintings are related to hunting, really they are scenes of everyday people going about their lives in Horsham. He picked out the human idiosyncrasies of everyday life. His work has great warmth and humour. He would do a sketch for a child of a hedgehog doing the cleaning, or he would portray the cricket greenkeeper.”

Knight points out that Sparrow is really in the tradition of great caricaturists such as Rowlandson and Hogarth: “Like Hogarth, Sparrow’s work would often feature a dog, which was always doing something it shouldn’t be doing. Sparrow was light-hearted though – very accepting of human life and, in a way, almost praising it.”

Crawley & Horsham Carfax Meet ’48.

Sparrow went through many life experiences, from the trenches to the surgery, and his work reflects that, with a multi-layered, inclusive approach to what he saw around him. As the Horsham exhibition shows, hunting was deeply woven into the texture of everyday rural life, not just a bit of elitist fun. Now hunting is lost from the scene Sparrow painted. Insidiously, many more elements of that canvas are blanking out: the wider spectrum of community; the openness of countryside; the sense of tolerance for all; the joy of eccentricity. Sparrow’s life and work sums up the hunting ethos of social responsibility being a vital part of a sporting life well lived. In his autobiography, Foxes and Physic, Sparrow wrote: “I became thoroughly soaked in the tradition of fox hunting and have always held old Jorrocks’ opinion that all time not spent in hunting is wasted.” Luckily for us he “wasted” a good deal of his time being heroic; looking after other people; painting wonderful pictures; and generally enhancing life.

To find out about Horsham Museum and Art Gallery’s collection of pictures by Dr Geoffrey Sparrow, and its forthcoming exhibition, call 01403 254959 or go to: www.horshammuseum.org

Christmas may be over but The Field subscription sale is not. Subscribe to The Field with whopping savings, up to 46% OFF. Don't miss our cracking deal

Feeling the January blues? Christmas may be over, but The Field subscription sale is not. So go on, treat yourself to the original and best sporting journal – the ideal companion for the remainder of the shooting season. Field subscriptions are up to 46% OFF, with prices starting at just £14.49. Pick yours up today in The Field subscription sale BY CLICKING ON THE IMAGE BELOW:

Don’t miss the BIG January sale with whopping savings on Field subscriptions. CLICK ON THIS IMAGE to see our super deal.

You don’t need to wait for the new issue to drop on your doormat each month for your Field fix. Make sure you are following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The only way to stay right up to date with everything going on in the field. We have shooting tips, delicious game recipes, pictures straight from the hunting field and more dogs than you could shake a stick at. Everything rural types need to see them through the season from their favourite magazine, The Field.

THE FIELD SUBSCRIPTION SALE

So don’t give in to the January blues. Did Father Christmas disappoint and not leave a Field subscription under the tree? Treat yourself today. Prices start at JUST £14.49 when you subscribe to The Field, in our big January subscription sale. So hurry, offer ends 6 January. This is one you don’t want to miss out on.

A subscription to the original, and best, sporting journal is the only way to see off the January blues now Christmas is over. Field subscriptions are up to 46% OFF in our big subscription sale. Hurry, don’t miss this cracking deal. The offer is only available 6 January. So pick yours up today at THIS link.

So treat yourself in The Field subscription sale. We recommend spending your post-sporting evenings making a dish from the top 10 best pheasant recipes and settling down with our latest issue. The perfect post-shoot evening.

The best way to cook pheasant breasts will leave them succulent and delicious. Nobody wants a disappointing dry old breast.

The best way to cook pheasant breasts sometimes appears to be a closely guarded secret. It isn’t, one just requires the little know-how below. So whether you use this advice to improve upon the top 10 best pheasant recipes or want to try reviving a dry bird – Roast grouse recipe this method produces top notch results.

The one complaint about substituting pheasant for chicken in a recipe is that it can dry out. But cook it correctly, and that will never be a problem.

We have all eaten pheasant breasts that are dry, tough, stringy and vaguely disappointing. This is because, unlike chicken (with which we naturally compare pheasant), the pheasant lives a real, free-range life and, especially by the end of the season, has flown a fair bit, thus exercising its flying muscles (the breasts). Thus, the only way to ensure a great result is not to overcook it. To this end we will get a little Heston and cook the breasts in an unusual way.

The Field has been the expert in getting game from shot to pot since 1853. With new recipes and expert advice in every issue, never miss one. SUBSCRIBE IN OUR JANUARY SALE and save up to 46%. Click HERE to discover more and subscribe today.

THE BEST WAY TO COOK PHEASANT BREASTS

Serves 4

• 4 undamaged pheasant breasts (skin on)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper
• 1 large ziplock cooking bag
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 drinking straw
• 100g (31⁄2oz) butter (for later)
• Sea salt (for later)

This is more about the cooking of the meat than the actual recipe, and you can serve it with any sauce you like. Mainly, you will be amazed about the juiciness of the meat and how easy this is, once you get your head around it. Essentially you need to know that meat changes from raw to cooked by about 65°C (149°F), so if the cooking temperature never exceeds that point, and we seal in the moisture, then (a) we cannot overcook it and (b) it will be perfect. Try it.
Marinade the breasts in the oil and pepper and slide them into the bag. Add the sprig of rosemary and lay the bag flat. Zip it almost shut, and poke the straw into one corner. Suck out the air, then zip it completely shut. Pop the bag on a roasting tray and put it in the oven at 65°C (149°F) or a pan of water at the same temperature; use a thermometer. Leave it for an hour (more does not matter – it won’t overcook) then remove. The meat should feel firm with no wobbliness. If there is, put it back in the oven.
When done, remove from the bag and pat dry on kitchen paper. Then heat the butter in a non-stick pan. When the butter foams, pop the breasts in skin-side down, then sprinkle over the salt. Cook for one minute, continually spooning butter over. They are ready when golden.

One new love soon led to another for this member of Britain’s muzzle-loading team, who also co-founded Anglian Muzzle Loaders

When Clare Mills found one new love, she didn’t realise it would lead to another. Now this member of Britain’s muzzle-loading team has co-founded Anglian Muzzle Loaders.

For more sporting Dianas, seriously sporting ladies offering advice and encouragement, Anne Woodcock founded Ladies Fishing UK to encourage more women to get into the sport. And Sarah Kate Byrne is a Diana of the Chase with a ‘have a go’ attitude to fieldsports.

CLARE MILLS

When you are approaching your mid-forties and you embark on a new romantic relationship, it helps to keep an open mind and a willingness to embrace new hobbies and interests. Little did I know when I met muzzle-loading enthusiast Martin Crix that a whole new world was opening up to me.

Guns and shooting could not have been further from my mind when we first met. In fact, I had a slight fear of guns that was totally unfounded. Martin had a lifelong interest in all shooting sports and I would accompany him on clay and game shoots, where he would shoot his muzzle-loader. The shooting and gun terminology started to rub off and it wasn’t long before I started to shoot. I found it an extremely frustrating sport but, at the same time, inexplicably rewarding when I did occasionally connect with the target. Fortunately, a few months after starting Martin attended a CPSA Instructor Training Course that not only helped my shooting but probably saved our relationship, too.

I started to shoot muzzle-loaders in 2008, mainly at Lakenheath Clay Target Centre (now re-opened as Eriswell Lodge). The owner at the time, Pete Usher, was very supportive of this minority sport and encouraged us to start a muzzle-loading club at the ground. So, with three founding members – Martin, Bev Keeble and myself – we started Lakenheath Muzzle Loaders (now Anglian Muzzle Loaders following the closure of Lakenheath and subsequent move to Cambridge Gun Club, who have been equally supportive). The club is now in its 10th year and we hold a muzzle-loading clay shoot once a month with some 15 to 20 muzzle-loaders attending regularly.

I started to shoot with the GB muzzle-loading clay team, DTL training at Sywell Range in Northamptonshire. In late 2008, it was suggested that I join the team as a Tyro – someone who had not shot a qualifying score but showed promise. In 2009, I travelled to Valencia with the MLAGB (Muzzle Loading Association of Great Britain) team, consisting of rifle, pistol and shotgun shooters, for my first international championships. It was a proud moment for me when I was asked to be the flag bearer for the GB team at the opening ceremony.

Never look up when loading – what the eye does not see, the heart will not grieve.

My first foray into game shooting was about five years ago, when our friend Derek Richardson invited me to share a peg with him on a shoot near Bury St Edmunds. As this was a new experience for me I took my breech-loader (a side-by-side, 12-bore Charles Lancaster circa 1906). I now go to about five game shoots each season and always shoot my 12-bore Stensby single-barrel muzzle-loader, circa 1850.

On most of the shoots we go to guns use breech-loaders. Martin and I share a peg with our muzzle-loaders, which keeps us in the shooting as once one gun is empty we step back and reload whilst the other stands ‘live’ on the peg. The other guns are always keen to see the old muzzle-loaders bringing down the birds with a big boom and great plume of smoke. A picker-up who stood behind me on a recent shoot timed me loading my single barrel – 35 seconds, which he thought was impressive. The adrenaline of a busy drive makes you load even quicker. It’s important to remember never to look up – what the eye does not see, the heart will not grieve. If you lose concentration and misload, the gun will not go off and you spend the rest of the drive removing the load from the barrel. However, there are no plastic cartridges to collect.

Preparation is key to shooting a muzzle-loader, even more so when you are on a game shoot. It saves loading time if you glue the cards to the wads. I like to travel light on the shoot but there are a few essentials you have to have with you: an unloading stick and a decapper or small pliers to remove the caps during or at the end of the drive.

It is hard to explain the muzzle-loader to people who haven’t tried one. The analogy I use is that of making a mug of coffee at home. If you use instant, the whole process is quick, efficient and clinical. Compare this to making a cafetière of fresh coffee. The difference is as much about the journey as it is about savouring the end product.

Martin and I and our fellow muzzle-loaders attend many game fairs throughout the year offering the public have-a-go opportunities with these guns, and the smiles on everyone’s faces says it all. Although I have several muzzle-loaders, a Banks 13-bore double-barrel, a Pedersoli reproduction flintlock, my choice of gun is the Stensby single barrel. As someone once said to me, “Beware the lady with one gun.”

TOP TIP: If in doubt, pull it out. Keep the muzzle pointing upwards whether loaded or not. Preparation before the day. Don’t look up when loading. Pick your birds carefully – when the gun is empty, it really is empty. Don’t put a wet gun in a sleeve.

www.anglianmuzzleloaders.com
www.mlagb.com

Add some extra spice to your venison with Philippa Davis' venison meatballs with ginger, coconut and spinach

Venison works wonderfully with fragrant spices, says Philippa Davis. Try these venison meatballs with ginger, coconut and spinach for a spicy, weekday supper.

You can’t beat venison with a side of something that kicks. Try our fillet of venison with sloe gin and anchovy sauce, an excellent game supper party main.

VENISON MEATBALLS WITH GINGER, COCONUT AND SPINACH

The flavour of venison mince is perfectly suited to working well with lots of fragrant spices, as is the case with this dish.

Venison Balls

• 500g venison mince
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 lime, zest only
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 egg
• 30g white breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Coconut Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 white onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 30g peeled and finely chopped ginger
• 30g coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 1 lime, juice only
• 260g spinach

To serve

• Naan or flatbreads

For the venison balls, in a bowl, mix all the venison ball ingredients together, except for the olive oil, and form into 16 equal-sized balls.

In a wide pan on a medium heat gently sear the balls in the olive oil. Once nicely browned, remove the balls to a plate and leave to one side while you make the sauce.

For the coconut and ginger sauce, in the same pan on a low heat sauté the garlic, onions and ginger in the olive oil until soft, about 15 minutes, then add the finely chopped coriander stalks. Cook for a few more minutes then add the coconut milk and season.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes before adding back the meat balls and cooking for a further 10 minutes.

Just before serving, add the lime juice and spinach, allowing the spinach to wilt, and check the seasoning.

Serve with the roughly chopped coriander leaves scattered on top. Delicious accompanied with warm flatbreads or naans.

You may have lost the battle to keep that cute puppy in the kennel but that doesn’t mean he can’t be transformed into a good, albeit part-time, gundog, as David Tomlinson explains

Most gundogs are, in fact, part-time workers. The rest of their time is spent as a family companion and pet, but there is no reason that this will make them less proficient in the field. David Tomlinson offers his advice on how to train and maintain a pet gundog.

For more on gundog training, should we use treats while training? David Tomlinson chews over this divisive question in training with treats: chewing over rewards.

HOW TO TRAIN A PET GUNDOG

No doubt most people start with the best of intentions. The decision is made to get a proper gundog, one that will sit obediently at the peg, walk to heel off the lead, retrieve on command and recall instantly on the first pip of the whistle. We have all seen these paragons, rare though they are, and the one factor they all have in common is that they live outdoors in kennels. After much research a suitable litter of labradors is found with a proper working pedigree, a puppy is chosen and, at eight weeks, a delightful and demanding youngster comes home for the first time.

Though the kennel has been prepared it doesn’t take long before all the female members of the family protest that the puppy looks lonely and forlorn, and that it’s cruel to leave it in the kennel. The man of the house disagrees on principle but everyone knows that he is bluffing, so the puppy moves into the kitchen, never to set foot in the kennel again. The latter wasn’t, however, a waste of money, as it’s great for storing bicycles.

Teaching a puppy to sit will help to create a steady gundog.

Though we may be reluctant to admit it, most of us with what we claim are ‘proper’ working gundogs have pets that enjoy the odd day out shooting, whether it’s twice a week or once a fortnight. If we worked as often as they do our bank balances would be in a sorry state. However, though their employment in the shooting field may only be part time, they play an important role as family dogs and companions, even though there are times when they are hard to shift from their favourite sofa.

I once did a census of the dogs on a shoot; the results were interesting and probably typical of most. All but one of the guns’ dogs – eight labradors and two cockers – were indoor dogs. All the beaters’ dogs lived indoors and just two of the pickers-up claimed to kennel their dogs, but they did have rather a lot of them. However, I once met a retired couple who picked up almost every day of the week. They shared their bungalow with no fewer than 21 golden retrievers, so numbers seem to be no bar to dogs living indoors.

MORE RESPONSIVE

The experts will tell you that a dog that lives in a kennel is invariably a far more responsive pupil than one that lives indoors. It regards any excursion out of the kennel and in your company as a treat and as a result soaks up instruction like a sponge soaks up water. In contrast, the indoor dog is so familiar with you that it sees no real reason to take much notice when out training and fails to respond to the whistle because it is busy with a very interesting and important smell.

The truth, of course, is somewhere between the two. Not all kennel dogs come out wanting to learn and there’s no good reason why an indoor dog shouldn’t be responsive and quick to train. I always remember Andrew and Fiona Robinson telling me that the first cocker they made up to be a field-trial champion was an indoor spaniel and all the better for being so. The Robinsons’ Whaupley kennel in North Yorkshire has since made up another four FTChs and gained field-trial awards and wins with more than 38 other cockers in the UK. They still maintain that even top trialling dogs don’t have to be kept in kennels.

Even if your dog is going to be a working pet, or even a pet worker, there are rules that should be followed. Do buy a puppy from working lines. This doesn’t mean that a show-bred labrador or golden retriever, for example, can’t be trained to the gun, but it’s likely to be much harder work teaching it. Though most show-bred dogs do retain the working instinct, rekindling it can be difficult, while their conformation is seldom as suited for work as their more lithe and athletic working cousins.

Do buy your puppy from working lines.

It doesn’t make any difference whether a puppy is destined to be a pet or a worker or a combination of both, as initial training is much the same. Socialisation with humans, other dogs and other animals is the initial priority, along with such simple training as sitting on command. If you can teach your puppy to not only sit but stay sitting, you are halfway to having a steady gundog.

Children love playing with puppies as much as puppies like playing with children, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, there are a few simple rules that must be obeyed. Never, ever, let you children engage in a tug of war with your dog or else you might well find yourself involved in a similar tussle over a retrieved pheasant. Retrieving games are also best avoided, as they can prevent your dog from ever becoming steady. House training is imperative for an indoor dog but not one that lives in a kennel, but it’s always a mistake not to housetrain as there are times when even a kennel dog must be brought inside.

Just because a dog is going to be principally a pet doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be sent off for professional training. It’s a little like sending your children away to boarding school, but a lot cheaper. You are certain to encounter resistance from family members to such a plan and there may be no reason to do so if younger members of the family promise to help with the training. If you do decide to send the dog away, discuss carefully with the trainer how long it should be for. Most will tell you that a month isn’t nearly long enough, but depending on the dog it might well be sufficient for it to learn the basic disciplines for its future (part-time) career.

DAILY REGIME

If the tuition is to be at home, make sure that you stick to a firm daily regime. Most training is two steps forward and one step backwards, so you have to be prepared for setbacks. Also, make sure that all family members give the same words of instruction or the same pips on the whistle. Clever dogs might well be able to adjust to different handlers but it makes life easier for everyone, and especially the dog, if all the instructions are identical.

There is no shortage of excellent books and DVDs on training. I have sat and watched training DVDs with my dogs but, sadly, they never seem to take it all in. I have found that books are best, at least for me. Strongly recommended is a trio of paperbacks by Lez Graham: The Pet Gundog Puppy; The Pet Gundog; and The Advanced Pet Gundog. Graham, training her own pet gundog, noticed that most books on gundog training take the subject so seriously that they fail to consider that the canine pupil may also be a pet. Her approach is radically different but proves that you can have an excellent gundog that still snuggles next to you on the sofa after a hard day in the field.

Christmas may be over but The Field subscription sale is not. Get your New Year reading in order and subscribe to The Field to get 6 issues for JUST £6. Don't miss our cracking deal

Try The Field in 2019 and get your first 6 issues for JUST £6.

You don’t need to wait for the new issue to drop on your doormat each month for your Field fix. Make sure you are following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The only way to stay right up to date with everything going on in the field. We have shooting tips, delicious game recipes, pictures straight from the hunting field and more dogs than you could shake a stick at. Everything rural types need to see them through the season from their favourite magazine, The Field.

THE FIELD SUBSCRIPTION SALE

Beat the January blues by taking advantage of our super subscription offer. Tempted to try a new read for 2019? Look no further than the original – and best – sporting journal. And your first 6 issues will cost JUST £6. So hurry, offer ends THIS SUNDAY. This is one you don’t want to miss out on.

A subscription to the original, and best, sporting journal is the perfect way to spend a post-sporting evening this January. Field subscriptions are 35% OFF and you will get your first 6 issues for just £6.  Hurry, don’t miss this cracking deal. The offer is only available until Sunday. So pick yours up today at THIS link.

So treat yourself in The Field subscription sale. We recommend spending your post-sporting evenings making a dish from the top 10 best pheasant recipes and settling down with our latest issue. The perfect post-shoot evening.

Stay warm this January with Philippa Davis' pheasant chilli with black beans and chocolate - a spicy, rich, satisfying supper

Bleak January evenings call for chilli. Philippa Davis’ pheasant chilli with black beans and chocolate is rich and satisfying, and easy to make for a weekday supper.

Start clearing the freezer by serving up game suppers. Our top 10 best pheasant recipes are The Field’s tried, tested and trusted recipes. From a warming carbonara, to pheasant Kiev for the smalls and an impressive roast when you have a full house, we have plenty of inspiration.

PHEASANT CHILLI WITH BLACK BEANS AND CHOCOLATE

A little touch of chilli is exactly what is called for on cold, dark January nights. The chocolate added at the end gives the dish a delicious richness.

• 1 pheasant
• 2 red onions, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried marjoram
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 500g passata
• 1 tin black beans (240g drained weight)
• 400ml pheasant stock
• 40g dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

To serve

• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 1 dsp chopped parsley
• Tortilla chips

Take the breasts off the pheasant and cut into strips.

Place the rest of the carcass with the legs into a saucepan and add one litre of cold water.

On a medium heat bring to a simmer and cook for one hour.

Strip the leg meat from the bones and keep to one side; strain and reserve the liquid.

Give the saucepan a quick rinse, put back on a medium heat and gently sauté the onions, garlic and carrots with the marjoram, cumin and chilli until soft.

Add the pheasant breast and shredded leg meat and fry for a couple more minutes.

Add the passata, black beans, 400ml of the pheasant cooking liquid and season.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes before stirring in the chocolate and chopped parsley.

Serve hot with a spoonful of sour cream, a few leaves of parsley and a pile of tortilla chips.

Poised mid-stride at full gallop, the latest life-size racehorse and jockey sculpture by Tom Hill is made from sport for sport, says Janet Menzies

The first of three life-size racehorse and jockey sculptures by Tom Hill is made entirely from used racing plates to raise money for the Injured Jockeys Fund, as Janet Menzies discovers.

For more sporting artists, Geoffrey Sparrow offers hunting and country scenes from an insider’s perspective. And the art of the Soper family provided the backdrop of many childhoods.

TOM HILL

Sporting art is generally about sport but now horse sculptor Tom Hill’s latest work has gone a step further: it’s made from sport and in aid of sport. Hill’s life-size racehorse and jockey galloping is made entirely from old racing plates, which have been donated by the farriers, trainers and owners from flat racing’s HQ, Newmarket.

Better yet, every shoe is sponsored by racing lovers in order to raise money for the Injured Jockeys Fund’s (IJF) latest fitness and rehabilitation centre, Peter O’Sullevan House, which is currently under construction at the British Racing School in Newmarket.

The first of what it is hoped will be three horses fighting out a finish was unveiled in the autumn by Injured Jockeys Fund president AP McCoy. Poised in mid-stride at full gallop, the sculpture is full of movement, speed and grace, making us think again about the humble horseshoe.

A roaring stag made out of racing plates.

Hill isn’t quite sure how he saw the potential for art in discarded shoes and confesses: “It’s pretty dirty work when you are using old horseshoes.” Perhaps it is the link between the metal shoe and what it enables the horse to do that inspired Hill to create his athletic, galloping horses. He explains: “I grew up on a farm and have always been around horses. Even though I have never ridden myself, I have always appreciated horses. I try to capture the personality of the animal I’m sculpting.”

Hill faced a technical challenge in welding the shoes together to create a different shape but started small and gradually learnt what could be done. “We had a large pile of horseshoes at the family farm and I started to make small pieces — and a friend showed me how to make garden planters. It progressed from there. I’ve developed my style as I have gone along. I’m continually trying to progress from one sculpture to another. I always try to learn a new technique when I make a new sculpture. It’s hard to pinpoint one particular influence on my work but I appreciate most sculpture.”

SPONSORED RACING PLATES

His love of the medium means Hill is always soaking up new images and ideas, including a move into stainless steel and bronze — which is certainly a bit easier and cleaner to work with than old racing plates. The original idea for the sponsored racing plates came from the Injured Jockeys Fund marketing manager Paul Taplin.

He explains: “It came about because I wanted to find a way for our supporters to engage with what we do and to feel that their contribution will be a lasting part of the centre when it is finished. Those sponsoring a horseshoe will be recorded in an album and will have a chance to come to the centre when it opens in 2019 and see the work that we do — as well as admire the sculpture.”

It was when Taplin came across Hill’s work online that he made the connection between horseshoes and racing, which gave him the idea of a commemorative sculpture made entirely from racing plates. “The trainers and farriers have been so helpful giving us their old racing plates and each one used in the sculpture has been worn by a Newmarket racehorse,” adds Taplin.

Imagine sponsoring a racing plate worn by Cracksman or Too Darn Hot — it’s a wonder the sculpture doesn’t race off into the distance. This is exactly the feel Taplin is aiming for: “We unveiled the first sculpture in the autumn but we want to raise enough money to complete two more so that we can have them riding out a real racing finish.”

Hill has started to use stainless steel and bronze in his work.

This is appropriate for a charity that is all about the thrills and spills of horse racing. Since being founded in the 1960s, the Injured Jockeys Fund has spent more than £18m assisting injured jockeys and their families. For every exciting finish the public enjoys, there is danger behind the scenes — one in every 16 rides over jumps results in a fall for the jockey.

The IJF’s two existing rehabilitation centres, Oaksey House and Jack Berry House, are world leaders in treatment, and Taplin is delighted with the current project. “I’m thrilled with how it is coming along,” he says. “We have already raised £20,000 from the first sculpture. Now we just need to raise enough for the next two and hopefully they will be ready when the centre is opened in late summer or autumn.”

Hill agrees: “I’m looking to start work on the second one in February and follow up with a third. Then my next project is a personal one for me and is one I’ve been planning for a few years. It’s going to be a 30ft tall rearing horse sculpture made entirely from horseshoes — and it will be up for sale once completed.”

To see more of Tom Hill’s work, go to: www.tomhillsculpture.co.uk
To donate to the racing horse sculpture in aid of Peter O’Sullevan House, call 01638 662246 or go to: www.injuredjockeys.co.uk/shoes

This Valencian dish with a game twist gives the nourishment needed in January. Try Philippa Davis' partridge fideuà to try something a little different with your brace

Try something different with your brace by giving a Valencian dish a game twist. Philippa Davis’ partridge fideuà is perfect for a nourishing winter feast.

Partridge is a super bird for introducing newcomers to game, and shouldn’t be left forgotten in the freezer. Our top 10 best partridge recipes are The Field’s favourite suppers, including impressive roasts, a tart fit for a supper party and goujons for the smalls.

PARTRIDGE FIDEUA

This dish is similar to paella but it uses pasta instead of rice. Originating from Valencia, the dish would traditionally consist of shellfish and thin strands of pasta (fideus) and be seasoned with lemon and saffron. Including partridge with its stock is an excellent addition and helps to make it the perfect nourishing winter feast.

• 2 partridges
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 white onions, peeled and cut in to 1cm cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes
• 6 bay leaves
• 80g cooking chorizo, cut in to 2cm cubes
• 160g vermicelli pasta
• 150g squid rings
• 125g raw prawns
• 600ml game stock
• Pinch of saffron

To serve

• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 4 wedges lemon
• A pinch of paprika
• Mayonnaise

Remove the breasts from the bones and keep to one side. Place the carcass with the legs in a saucepan with a litre of cold water.

Bring to a simmer and cook for one hour.

Strain and reserve the liquid and strip the meat from the bones.

In a frying pan or paella dish, gently sauté in the olive oil the onions, garlic, celery and pepper with the bay leaves and chorizo for 15 minutes; the onions should have softened and started to go sweet.

Add the pasta, squid rings, prawns, partridge breasts and shredded leg meat, season with salt and pepper then pour over the stock and sprinkle over the saffron.

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Everything should be cooked and most of the stock absorbed.

Serve straight away with a sprinkle of parsley and paprika, wedges of lemon and a bowl of mayonnaise.

Mazda’s latest estate car is indeed a thing of beauty, finds Charlie Flindt. However, what pleased the eye proved to be less appealing to the ear...

Charlie Flindt finds himself impressed by the Mazda 6 Tourer, even recreating some of the thrills of the MX-5. But what is pleasing to the eye turned out to be less appealing to the ear…

For more on Mazda, read Charlie Flindt’s review of the Mazda CX-3 – a gun compact crossover.

MAZDA 6 TOURER

“Just remember,” said the nice man delivering my Mazda 6 Tourer for the week, “it’s a petrol.” At the time, I assumed he was just trying to help us avoid the ignominy of filling up with the wrong fuel.

But before getting out and about in it, I was far more interested in how lovely the 6 Tourer is. As is now traditional, the Mazda press release is full of weapons-grade drivel about drawing inspiration from 12th-century Japanese philosophies but the end result is a treat for the eye.

Mind you, it looks low and swooping compared with many estate cars, and that is no trick of the eye – it is relatively low to the ground. Fat farmers like me will not leap in and out of it with ease. But once inside, Mazda quality shines through. The seats are lovely and the whole interior feels well put together.

The well-designed interior.

Then there is the dashboard, which immediately shot to the top of my ‘favourite dashboard’ chart, relegating the Hyundai i20’s to number two. At first it seems cluttered but in use is informative and crystal clear with a matching head-up display that is equally effective.

All was going well until I pressed the ‘start’ button, at which point I had a horrible flashback. A couple of winters ago, Mr and Mrs Rat moved into our tractor barn over Christmas; more specifically, they moved under the bonnet of my tractor. They chewed the radiator cowling to the point that when I finally restarted the tractor in the New Year, the fan connected with the plastic cowling and the din of cold diesel engine starting and fan blades meeting loose plastic was deafening. The Mazda’s engine wasn’t dissimilar.

Was it really a petrol? The numbers on the rev counter said yes, the delivery man had said yes but a silent idle it certainly wasn’t. If you’d refuelled by ear, you’d certainly have reached for the heavy oil. His words of advice made sense.

Plenty of boot space.

At low speeds, the gearbox doesn’t seem to know what to make of the engine either, apparently being in constant disagreement about which gear to be in. It is only once you have picked up speed that the 6 Tourer’s dynamic charms match its static beauty. It is an effortless motorway cruiser – once you’ve disabled the over-zealous lane-wandering warning system. But my favourite 6 Tourer moment came when I was blessed with a deserted A40 late one autumn evening. As I wound from Herefordshire into Gloucestershire, it was easy to forgive the low-speed clattering and the dithering auto.

I switched to manual paddle change, put ‘bend prediction’ up on the head-up display, and could easily have been back in our beloved but recently sold MX-5 – Mazda does seem to have built a little bit of that legendary roadster’s DNA into its flagship estate car.

So if we were looking to recreate that MX-5 thrill, the 6 Tourer could do the job – but I would probably choose the conventional manual box and a diesel, to keep the noise down. And there is a phrase I thought I’d never write.

MAZDA 6 TOURER 2.5 194PS GT SPORT

Engine: 2,488 petrol
Power: 194PS
Max speed: 139mph
Performance, 0 to 62: 8.1 seconds
Combined fuel economy: 41.5mpg
Insurance group: 29A
Price: £31,695
www.mazda.co.uk

There is absolute logic to eating more plants and less meat of questionable provenance, says Tim Field. So how do we get our fix of protein from the modern world of food and farming?

While Veganuary and meat-free Mondays may seem less than tempting, there is absolute logic in eating more plants and less meat (or better meat). But how to ensure you get your protein fix? Tim Field discusses the best protein sources from the modern world of food and farming.

For more on farming, read water meadow management: awash with good ideas.

BEST PROTEIN SOURCES

Detoxes and body cleansing: ’tis the season for good intentions and the shelving of bad habits. Among the current torrent of health professionals, environmentalists and animal activists encouraging us to eat more vegetables and less meat (we also say better meat), I have a compulsion to review my diet this year. However, I am loath to allow a dutiful meat-free-Monday drag into an entire month of withdrawal, as many welcome in a new year with Veganuary. There is, of course, absolute logic to eating more plants and less meat of questionable provenance, so how do we get our fix of protein from the modern world of food and farming?

Field beans, or fava beans (pictured) as they are also known, were a main source of protein from the Iron Age to the Agricultural Revolution, when greater numbers of livestock began to be eaten. Nowadays, field beans are rarely grown for our own consumption and the majority end up as livestock feed. What little is grown for eating is mostly exported, with markets in North Africa, the Middle East and even as far as Japan. Modern, international food trends see Middle Britain eating more falafel, houmous and other pulse-derived culinary treats, presenting a growing opportunity for our farmers; albeit substituting the chickpeas and other exotics for the mighty British-grown fava bean. Furthermore, our environmental conscience should tell us the majority of this plant protein is better eaten ourselves and leave cows to get fat on grass.

There are a staggering two million cans of baked beans – the nation’s favourite food – eaten each day in the UK. Sadly, these delicious haricot beans are grown abroad. But we are not limited to beans to provide for the table, and we have a great heritage in pea gastronomy. Peas pudding, mushy peas, carlin peas and many more dishes beyond have their place in traditional pulse cuisine using marrowfat, black, blue, yellow and other varieties of the wonderful pea. Hero of the pulse world, Hodmedod, has been raising the profile of home-grown peas and beans and is scooping numerous awards on the way, from best food producers at the BBC Food and Farming Awards to recognition for its Carlin peas as champion slow food product, also a Slow Food Ark of Taste product. Hodmedod has now produced a British-grown version of the classic baked bean using fava beans.

PULSES AND ACCOMPANYING BIODIVERSITY

The ample protein, fibre and vitamins have nutritional benefits but, for me, the greatest value of a pulse is the accompanying biodiversity they can harbour on the farm. You know instantly when they are in flower as the scent is overwhelming. Field beans provide a welcome source of nectar in late spring and a delicious, light honey for the beekeeper. And as a guest on a day’s shooting in Oxfordshire this season, it was no coincidence to see a covey of wild grey partridges while pegged in a field of germinating winter beans.

By January, the winter field beans have already germinated and the spring crop is lined up for drilling as soon as conditions allow from February onwards. As a broad-leaf plant with symbiotic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, they are a valuable break-crop within cereal rotations, mitigating substantial costs in the subsequent artificial nitrogen fertiliser application. One of the great challenges of growing them is weed burden, as vacant space between rows of drilled seed leaves plenty of bare soil for weeds to establish. The weed inconveniently gains a boost from the fertility of the neighbouring nitrogen-fixing leguminous crop.

With moves to find alternatives to herbicides – either due to threats of efficacy, environmental or regulatory issues – there is now a growing interest to inter-crop beans with a cereal. There have been some positive results where the wheat mops up the natural fertility boost, and it seems the increased demand for nitrogen triggers the bacteria to work harder and produce more fertility. The in-field break-crop could also serve to reduce other pest issues, meaning less need for pesticides, and therefore host more beneficial insects, such as pollinators, predatory beetles and spiders.

The most famous of childhood poems gets it right: “Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart; The more you eat, the more you…” and so on. Flatulence aside, home-grown pulses should be enjoyed for all their worth, on the plate and in the field.

Follow Tim and Agricology @agricology

Delve into the freezer to make Philippa Davis' pheasant Keralan curry, a spicy, warming supper best served generously with rice and naan bread

Philippa Davis’ pheasant Keralan curry makes for a wonderfully warming supper. Delve into the freezer for this one, as it uses all of the meat and save the carcass for stock.

Feeling uninspired but the freezer is over-stuffed? Look to The Field’s top 10 best pheasant recipes – we have suppers for smalls, snacks to share and mains guaranteed to impress.

PHEASANT KERALAN CURRY

This is by far my favourite curry recipe but in order to make the most of all the spices and flavours it is important to follow the process and stages carefully.

Serves 4

Curry

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 20g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2 pheasants, breasts and leg meat taken off the bone and cut into 2cm pieces (skin removed); use the bones to make the stock
• 200g tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 200ml light game stock
• 50ml yogurt, to serve

Paste

• 50g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp red chilli flakes
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 100ml game stock

For the paste, in a blender, whizz the ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli flakes, fennel seeds and ground coriander with 100ml game stock into a rough paste.

To make the curry,  in a pan on a medium heat fry the mustard seeds in the oil for a couple of minutes or until they start to pop, swiftly add the curry leaves and fenugreek. Fry for a few seconds then add the onions and fresh coriander.

Gently fry the onions until soft, about 10 minutes, add the pheasant and ginger paste, fry for a couple more minutes.

Next add the chopped tomatoes, white wine vinegar and stock.

Season and bring to a simmer, cook for 30 minutes then check the seasoning.

Serve hot with a spoonful of plain yogurt and a few sprigs of coriander.

Delicious with rice and naan bread.

This daughter of a gamekeeper and keen deer stalker hopes to educate the next generation through her role at BASC

Louise Farmer spent her childhood assisting her part-time gamekeeper father. Today as a regional officier at BASC, she hopes to educate the next generation and inspire more lady guns to go stalking.

For more sporting Dianas, seriously sporting ladies offering advice and encouragement, Clare Mills co-founded Anglian Muzzle Loaders to share her passion for powder. And Anne Woodcock founded Ladies Fishing UK to encourage more women into the sport.

LOUISE FARMER

My earliest memories of growing up in Northamptonshire are related to the countryside, wildlife and spending time with my father – a part-time gamekeeper on a local shoot. We were out most evenings lamping foxes or rabbits, driving around the farm watching young badgers play by their setts, or just walking the hedgerows.

At an age when I took Ladybird books everywhere I went, I used to sit in the passenger seat of my father’s 4×4 (a white Range Rover, constantly covered in mud and with empty shotgun cartridges and bullet cases rolling around in the footwell). After school, we would park up on a high point of the farm that gave us panoramic views of the fields and hedgerows below, waiting patiently as the sun faded and it turned to ‘foxy time’. I would sit and read my book until my eyes struggled and then join my father watching the evening countryside come to life.

Thinking back, I can’t honestly remember when I first went out shooting with my father nor the first pheasant I shot. However, I’m told I was about nine years old. I do know that I’d shot plenty of rabbits with an air rifle before I ever lifted a shotgun.

When you grow up amongst it, some of the ‘firsts’ seem less significant as they soon become everyday events. Aside from lamping in the evenings, I looked after the pheasant poults throughout the late summer into autumn, and undertook all the tasks associated with running a shoot, I loved it all.

When the game season started, I’d be wrapped up in layers of warm clothing, a wax Barbour jacket (scratched from brambles), cuffs rolled up, pocket full of toffee wrappers, bright gloves (one was often lost during the day), wellies and a little flat cap. Ready for a day spent with the beating team. I was often tied to a labrador and had to be carried over the deep brook or lifted over a bramble patch, but I rarely missed a day.

It’s heart-warming to see more young children included in the beating lines nowadays, even more so when the beaters’ day allows for the younger generation to have an
opportunity to shoot. They, after all, have often walked the furthest on little legs throughout the season and deserve it most.

Through her role at BASC, she hopes to inspire the next generation.

As I grew up, a career in gamekeeping was never in my mind and certainly not promoted when I was at school by the careers staff. However, working in the countryside and with animals was. In my mid-twenties I enrolled on a university course to study Veterinary Health Studies and Applied Animal Science as a mature student. I
juggled work and studies for the three years and self-funded a BSc and subsequent teaching qualification, which led me to become a lecturer in Animal Welfare, which I did for six years.

I was often asked how I could teach Animal Welfare yet be involved in shooting and gamekeeping. In that role I was able to demonstrate how closely the two subjects are interlinked. I was able to teach the students about the need for wildlife management, respect for quarry, habitat creation found on sporting estates and the diversity of wildlife seen as a consequence.

When a role became vacant within the countryside management subject area, I jumped at the chance to move department. My area was all that was game and deer related, a role I had for a further four years. During this time I was also the first female to become a City & Guilds assessor for wildlife and game management, during which I saw a number of gamekeeping apprentices through their qualifications.

On shooting estate visits I was mistaken as the ‘admin lady’ more than once on arrival but when it was explained that I was actually the gamekeeping assessor, it prompted a raised eyebrow. A 5ft blonde possibly wasn’t what they were expecting, however, their scepticism disappeared once a tour of the estate proved I knew my sorghum from my millet and was able to show a weathered keeper of many years how to tighten the wire netting on his release pen using the handle of his pliers.

I loved teaching the students about the countryside but after 10 years I decided a change was due and joined BASC as a regional officer. It is certainly a varied role and extremely interesting as I work with people from all corners of fieldsports and the shooting world. I have also been able to keep my hand in with teaching and try to include as much of an educational input into events aimed at youngsters as possible to ensure safety, respect for quarry and etiquette.

The main focus of my shooting over recent years has been deer stalking. I was introduced to it by a friend around nine years ago and have been lucky to have stalked in most areas of the country, Scotland and been hunting in Sweden. It’s an area that is growing in popularity within the ladies’ shooting scene and I have been working on a programme to make it more accessible for women to get involved. It can be daunting for newcomers and often difficult due to the strict firearms laws and shooting permissions, so opening up opportunities has been a focus – another rewarding project I am proud to be involved in.

TOP TIP: I try and get out shooting one way or another as often as I can throughout the year. However, I get as much satisfaction and enjoyment from mentoring on a youngsters’ game day or taking a novice deerstalker out for their first deer.  

Louise Farmer is a regional officer for BASC.

So is your gundog chocolate or liver? Yellow or golden? And which colours work better in the ring or the field? David Tomlinson consults the colour charts

The best gundog coat colour is a complicated matter. Is your pup chocolate or liver? Yellow or golden? David Tomlinson weighs up showing and working preferences as he consults the colour charts.

Black labradors are trusted and fox-red are trendy. But what about the yellow, chocolate and even silver labradors? Read best labrador colour for David Tomlinson’s advice.

BEST GUNDOG COAT COLOUR

To my eye, no dog has a more beautiful coat than a working golden retriever. On a dull January day when the black labradors merge into the gloom, the burnished gold of the retriever always delights the eye. However, it clearly doesn’t please many show judges. If you go to Crufts, you will find that the great majority of the so-called golden retrievers being exhibited aren’t gold at all but various shades of pale cream, tending towards white. The breed standard requires, ‘any shade of gold or cream’. We think of cream-coloured as a shade of yellow but most cream you buy in the supermarket is white, so it’s not misleading to describe an almost-white golden retriever as cream-coloured.

Quite why anyone would want a white retriever when they can have a proper golden one has long mystified me, but then I’ve never really understood the pleasure that many people get from showing dogs. The golden retriever benches at Crufts always adjoin those of the labradors, and there’s a growing trend for white labradors, too, though they are correctly described as yellow rather than cream.

Curiously, fox-red labradors aren’t popular with show people, though they have become increasingly common in the shooting field. As a photographer, it’s a trend I’m in favour of as fox-red is a great colour for pictures. Chocolate isn’t bad, either, though it is one that has never found much favour with shooting people, though it is popular in the pet market, where chocolates sell for a premium price.

I have always wondered when chocolate labradors changed name, for when the brown-coated dogs first appeared in the 1930s they were called ‘liver’, and they retained that title for many years afterwards. However, chocolate is a much more marketable colour description than liver. When I was a child we ate lots of liver because it was said to be good for us. Today, eating offal is out of fashion, and I suspect that most children wouldn’t even know what colour it is, but they do know about chocolate.

Both springer spaniels and flatcoated retrievers retain the word liver, though on the internet I recently found a couple of references to chocolate flatcoats, a worrying trend. You can still find liver-coloured cocker spaniels, too, though those destined for pet homes are generally called chocolate. One of the great things about cockers is that they come in almost any colour, from lemon roan to black, and every shade inbetween.

It may be show enthusiasts who favour white labradors and golden retrievers but it’s the working brigade who have done their best to produce springers that are predominately white, perhaps with one brown (sorry, liver) ear. I am told that the white dogs look showier when hunting thick cover, so catch the eye of the trial judge, but I have never been convinced that this is so. I do know that when I have bred litters of springers, it has been the heavily marked individuals that have sold first.

CHOOSING A PUPPY

I did breed one puppy that, at eight weeks, was predominately white. We thought him the least attractive puppy in the litter but a neighbour’s young daughter fell in love with him, so he went off to a good home. He didn’t stay white for long, for as he aged he developed the most attractive roan markings and he matured into an eye-catchingly handsome dog that was much admired.

A puppy’s coat doesn’t always indicate the colour the same dog will be 12 months later. Roan is usually slow to come through, so to get a good idea of what colour the puppy will become when it grows up take a look at its parents. With golden retrievers the rule is that a young puppy will darken to the colour of its ears as it gets older, so if you want a gold dog, beware of white-eared puppies.

Just as Ferraris look best in red, there are some colours that suit certain breeds more than others. I have seen some strikingly handsome German shorthaired pointers (GSP) – the liver-and-white ticked roans are particularly eye-catching – but in recent years solid black dogs have become increasingly popular and sell for premium prices. To my eye, a solid black GSP just doesn’t look right, but clearly many people disagree.

As a writer it is essential to use the correct terms for a dog’s colour. Quite the biggest howler of all is to refer to a golden labrador, as labs can be any shade of yellow but never, ever, gold. However, many owners are unaware of this fact. A quick check on one of the popular internet dog-for-sale sites revealed plenty of ‘golden labrador puppy’s’. The apostrophe says it all.

Liver is the term used for describing German shorthaired pointers but when it comes to German longhaired pointers, it is strictly verboten: liver is almost as bad as describing a labrador as golden. The correct word is brown, something I was told in no uncertain terms many years ago when I was doing a commentary on working gundogs in the ring at the CLA Game Fair. The rule with horses, of course, is that a good horse can’t be a bad colour. That’s only partly true with dogs: can you imagine an (almost) white labrador winning the Retriever Championship? It just couldn’t happen.

Delve into the freezer to make Philippa Davis' warming partridge hot pot, the perfect supper to see you through the winter

Philippa Davis’ partridge hot pot is wonderfully warming, and a great way to clear an overstuffed freezer.  Save for when you are making supper in rush – as it is a meal itself, there’s no need to worry about sides.

Don’t leave your game in the freezer, take inspiration from our recipes and get it onto the table. Our pheasant Keralan curry makes great use of old birds.

PARTRIDGE HOT POT

Besides their beautiful layered crispy tops, what I love most about hot pots is that they are a meal in themselves, so no need to worry about sides.

Serves 4

• 1 onion
• 1 medium leek
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 partridges, meat taken off the bone and cut into bite-sized chunks; use the bones to make the stock
• 2 tbsp flour
• Splash of Worcester sauce
• 100ml white wine
• 250ml light game stock
• 1 ground nutmeg

Topping

• 230g potato, skin left on and thinly sliced into rounds
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 130g small beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
• 130g sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
• Medium-sized casserole dish, ideally with a lid

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

In a frying pan, sauté the onions and leeks with the bay leaves and thyme in 25g of the butter and 1 tbsp of the olive oil until soft, then transfer into the casserole dish.

Coat the meat with the flour then, in the same frying pan, brown it in the remaining butter and oil.

Once brown, add the Worcester sauce, wine and stock, bring to a simmer, season and then transfer into the casserole dish; grate in the nutmeg and mix with the sautéed vegetables.

Layer the potatoes on top in circles, starting from around the edge, season and dot with half the butter and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Layer the beetroots on top around the outside, a ring of sweet potato inside and finish the centre with a ring of beetroots.

Season and dot with the rest of the butter and olive oil.

Cover with a lid or tightly with foil and cook for 1½ hours or until the topping is cooked.

Uncover the dish, turn the oven up to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and cook for a further 30 minutes to brown.