Working your gundog successfully is a matter of straightforward common sense. Keep it simple, avoid these common errors and you will have a wonderful shooting season ahead. 10 basic blunders when retrieving Not using a proper whistle For precise commands in all weathers and situations, without disturbing game, use a…
Partridge biryani recipe A perfect dish for using up freezer stash. Ingredients Partridge marinade 100ml plain yoghurt 75ml light game stock 1 clove of garlic, grated 10g ginger, grated ½ tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp chilli powder 2 tsp garam masala ½ tsp ground cumin ½…
The Regency era produced some spectacular eccentrics who managed to gamble and drink their way through vast fortunes. However, none were as potty or as tragic as John ‘Mad Jack’ Mytton. Mytton was born in 1796 at Halston Hall in Shropshire to an ancient squirearchal family. His father died when…
I have come across three nice old fountain pens that belonged to my mother: a Conway Stewart fountain pen, a Waterman fountain pen and a Swan, all dating from the late Twenties. I cannot find anyone prepared to supply new bodies and do general repairs. Any ideas? JP, by email
Unsurprisingly for someone who has spent most of his life gripping a paintbrush, pen or gun, it’s with a firm handshake that William Garfit greets me on the doorstep to his studio: a treasure trove befitting such an artist and countryman. Paintings of rivers, coastlines and flowers adorn the walls…
Your first day’s driven shooting is invariably memorable. However, for one friend of mine this was for all the wrong reasons. The much-anticipated outing dawned cold and frosty, and it was still dark when he loaded up his elderly Land Rover with gun and dog. Unfortunately the vehicle refused to…
The best stalking bags are invaluable equpiment for a day on the hill. Dominic Griffith seeks out the best on the market. (Read: DSC1 is vital for anyone serious about stalking.) BEST STALKING BAGS An invitation to stalk brings with it the worry of what kit to carry and how…
Hot whisky, tea, cider and spice Serves 4 Ingredients 2 English breakfast teabags 700ml medium cider 3 cinnamon sticks 2 cloves 2 star anise 1 tbsp cardamom pods, lightly crushed 20g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 1/2 nutmeg, grated 1 orange, zest peeled into thick strips then juiced 2-3…
How nice to see a weimaraner working.” It was a comment directed to me as a nervous novice in the beating line but I still remember this remark, made by a gun on a formal shoot near the Domesday village of Westerham in Kent. It was pleasing for three reasons.…
