Good for: Racing fans, shooting parties, stately home visits. In days gone by you might have found Spectator ‘Low Life’ columnist Jeffrey Bernard being propped up by the bar, and…
Country House
Claridge’s London
“Oh, I think you’re going to be very happy,” confided our twinkly-eyed check in host. I was feeling fairly jolly already, having entered the hallowed Foyer from Brook Street and…
The Fife Arms hotel
The Fife Arms Good for: Highland charm, country sports, art enthusiasts There is a pleasing familiarity on arrival at The Fife Arms. The gillie team, as the staff are known,…
Best Ear Defenders For Shooting
Even the very best ear defenders for shooting are a relatively inexpensive bit of sporting kit but absolutely vital. Shoots are noisy places, and guns should never underestimate the potential,…
The Painswick hotel
The Painswick Good for: Luxury Stopover Fine dining On a sporting pilgrimage, whether it is towards Gloucestershire for Badminton or south for the trout, finding somewhere decent to stay on…
The Jockey Club Rooms reviewed
Few of us can resist the chance to go places usually out of bounds or take a peek inside institutions normally closed to the public but Newmarket offers just that.…
Billiard table restoration
A reader writes: We have a tired and battered billiard table which we would like to have re-baized and restored for our growing grandchildren. The table has been stored in…
Country Christmas interior design ideas
Christmas is the time of year to bring the outside in. Fragrant pine trees are decorated with twinkling fairy lights and placed in the corner of sitting rooms and the…
How to keep a pointsettia flowering after Christmas
Q: At about this time every year I buy poinsettias to give as Christmas presents. Do they come in colours other than red or white and is it worth trying…
The Best Christmas Crackers
The best Christmas crackers Nothing encapsulates the jollity of the festive period quite like Christmas crackers: the silly hats, often sillier jokes and the keepsakes hidden inside. Here, The Field…