Innholdsfortegnelse for 12-Feb-2020 i Country Life

HOW times have changed. Once the world’s culinary kicking boy, a dyspeptic punchline to the same old joke, British food is thriving (‘Around Britain in 50 foods’, page 36). Exports continue to soar, our national produce synonymous with quality, craft and the very highest of welfare standards. Not so much coals to Newcastle as cheese to France, chocolates to Belgium, even tea to China. For decades, British cooking was a term of abuse, a culinary cuss, a byword for the drab, dreary and institutionally dull. Not any more. Our chefs and restaurants astonish with their skill, ingenuity and passion, as gastronomes the world over come to bow their heads at the altars of St John, The Fat Duck, Rules, Ynyshir and Core. And with good reason. We may be a…

WHEN my sister, Christelle, and I were children, our lives revolved around ponies, dogs and pet rabbits. Growing up as daughters of a gamekeeper ensured easy access to all the freedom and natural wonder that the countryside offers. However, although our dad’s job led to our love of fieldsports, we have our mum to thank for introducing us to equestrianism, in the shape of a small grey pony called Tinkerbell. Together, we contested gymkhanas, hunter trials, clear-round competitions and showing classes—revelling in the brushing, washing, plaiting and polishing as much as the riding itself. Eventually, my sister established her own competition yard and I attained my first job in magazine journalism as Pony Club editor on Horse & Hound. Latterly, however, my interest waned—not least after an accident when my…

THE night illustrations in your issue of January 31st show the artistic effects possible on a wet night when plenty of street lamps are included in the pictures. These represent photographs made with short exposures of five to ten minutes. Equally attractive photographs are possible even though no street lamps are included. In the photograph of the National Gallery the only source of light is that of lamps outside the radius of the lens. Even with this small amount of reflected illumination pictures can be made. Thirty-five minutes were necessary, but the exposure was spread over an hour and a quarter, the lens capped for passing vehicles, since these create the white lines seen in most night pictures. 1) Aurora/Sleeping Beauty 2) Tittle 3) South Africa 4) Lincoln Cathedral 5)…

Be on guard I WELCOMED the commitment by all parties during the General Election to plant trees (Leader, January 8), but can’t we do something about the use of tree guards? The Conservatives’ pledge to plant 30 million per year until 2024 is to be commended, but I am filled with horror at the thought of the same number of plastic guards littering the countryside. One needs only to look at our verges to see trees and shrubs spilling from ugly guards they have outgrown. Surely, someone can come up with a biodegradable version or perhaps Highways England or county councils should be required to collect the guards, once they have served their purpose? Johnny Fountain, Leicestershire County pride I WAS very pleased to see the dragon or wyvern…

Artist Viktor Wynd is proprietor of the Museum of Curiosities. His new book, The UnNatural History Museum, is out on March 5 ‘My obsession with Spare dates back to a party at Jimmy Page’s Tower House in the early 2000s, when I was blown away by a brooding 1927 self-portrait hanging in the loo. When I brought this drawing proudly home and propped it up in my bedroom, my lover awoke in the middle of the night to find the devil at the end of our bed, improbably sticking his tongue out. Since then, it has dominated the collection of his work in my museum. Spare was a peerless draughtsman, hailed as the New Michelangelo. This is, I think, one of his finest drawings and I find it hard…

Moss can be shy and tends to show up where it wants, rather than where you put it. If you struggle to establish it, try these alternatives for groundcover Asarum europeaum Wild ginger is a mat-forming, evergreen perennial with a mass of glossy, kidney-shaped leaves. It enjoys the same neutral-to-acid, shaded conditions as moss and works beautifully as an edging plant or under roses. Performs best in a sheltered spot Saxifraga Whitehill Alpine groundcover suits dry, gritty gardens. This AGMwinning, silver-edged saxifrage has evergreen, purple-flushed rosettes that shoot up airy white flowers in spring. It will colonise a sunny site and prefers chalky/sandy, alkaline soils with good drainage. Hardy to -15˚C Thymus serpyllum Minor Paths and paving cracks are perfect for dense, deep-green hummocks of thyme.…

One of the world’s most famous cruises—Cunard’s transatlantic crossing with Queen Mary II— is honouring the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, in partnership with The Greatest Generations Foundation. Guests on the seven-night trip (August 21–28, 2020) will be offered the opportunity to attend daily discussions and meet veterans who served in the conflict. The voyage, from New York to Southampton, costs from £1,469 per person in a Britannia Balcony stateroom, including flights and transfers (www.cunard.com) How many candles on your cake? FIVE hundred years ago, the strait of Magellan—arguably the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans—was crossed for the first time. To celebrate the occasion, Australis (a two-ship, Patagonian specialist fleet) has organised a series of themed journeys, featuring talks by…

Getting around the countryside A £20m trial for on-demand buses in rural and suburban areas was announced this week, allowing passengers to order rides through an app. Some £30m of further funding will be spent to improve or restore bus services that have been cut. The Government hopes all buses will be electric by 2025 Theatre-going seals A wild grey seal has been recorded ‘clapping’ on camera, creating ‘shotgun-like’ sounds. The male was filmed off the Farne Islands; scientists believe the display attracts females, as well as scaring away potential competitors Rare beans The Prince of Wales plans to preserve rare plants for future generations by planting two varieties of endangered seeds at Highgrove. They are the Mrs Lewis Purple Podded Climbing French bean and the Black Valentine Dwarf bean…

THE mystery that surrounded a so-called ‘moo-dunnit’ has been solved using DNA profiling. Dyfed-Powys Police have reunited a stolen heifer with its owner and claims to be the first force in the UK to use DNA from a cow in a criminal case. The £3,000 animal went missing from a field in St Clears, Carmarthen-shire and suspicions soon fell on a neighbouring farmer, David Aeron Owens. Mr Owens initially denied that the animal was on his land, but the bovine’s owner recognised it and identified his cow to local police officers. The animal had been re-tagged by Mr Owens in an effort to evade prosecution. Police tested blood samples from the disputed cow and a cow from the owner’s farm, which proved they were siblings. Based on the results, charges…

MY alarm is set for 6:30am, but I’m up at 6am precisely, because that is when my housemate, on her way to work, slams the door with the power and ferocity of a first-rate’s broadside. The house shakes, my bed lifts off the ground, dogs start barking, car alarms begin to wail and, oh, hark! The herald neighbours’ baby sings now, too, and I am up and ready to start the day. We’re small, us mice, but we still need to share space in the city. It’s nice to live with friends, but co-habitating has its amusing (sometimes) idiosyncrasies. London is busy, with lots of us scuttling about, here and there, and often, at the end of the day, what a treat it would be to simply be at home,…

Going stag Q I’m getting married this year and have told my best man that I absolutely do not want a stripper at my stag do. He nods along, but with a face that implies I should definitely expect a stripper. How can I make him see how much I genuinely don’t want one? I find the whole concept deeply unpleasant. S. A., West Sussex A What has happened to this country? If you’re having a stag night at all, strippers come with the territory. The lady has chosen a career that really isn’t as ‘deeply unpleasant’ as that of an arms dealer, a Mexican drug baron or a battery-chicken ‘grower’. Strippers of my acquaintance are intelligent comediennes, their performances laden with wit, meta-theatrical commentary and female empowerment. Tell…

AS the early tulips begin to appear in florists’ windows, I am reminded of the large penny pieces that were a necessary part of flower arranging in my childhood. The difficulty with tulips is their propensity to flop in the vase, but help was always at hand. First, we cut the bottom off the stems, then, once they were arranged in the vase, slipped an old penny into the water. As if by magic, next morning, the tulips would be standing upright. Today’s decimal one-penny and two-penny pieces will do the same trick. In return, the sap from the tulips cleans the copper coin, so it looks brand new. Occasionally, rumours suggest the Royal Mint may, at some stage, cease to circulate these copper coins—I suggest a few are kept…

IN the year before Sir Roger Scruton’s death on January 12, the conservative philosopher threw his considerable energy into the Building Better, Building Beautiful commission, which he co-chaired with Nicholas Boys-Smith. Heartfelt tributes to him were paid when the commission’s report, Living with Beauty, was launched late last month. Unlike some other reports, it strikes Athena that its recommendations stand a fair chance of coming into effect. That’s partly because it was clear from the launch press conference that Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, doesn’t need persuasion of the general drift. Furthermore, some recommendations don’t need primary legislation, but can be introduced to the planning system by ministerial fiat. There are some revolutionary aspects to this approach. At the most obvious level, there is…

1 Comber earlies The botanist William Coles wrote in 1657 that ‘the soyle of Ireland doth so well agree with them [potatoes], that they grow there so plentifully that there be whole fields overrun with them’. These small potatoes, earthy, sweet and nutty, are planted in January—two months earlier than other types in Northern Ireland—and harvested in July. The spuds are specific to an area once known as the Hamilton Montgomery Lands (after two Ulster-Scots families) in the temperate climes around Strangford Lough. (EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status) 2 Spoot The spoot—or razorfish—is big in the Orkneys, where it’s as prized as a truffle, although most people buy it from the fishmonger these days, rather than scrabble around in freezing, wet sand. The time for gathering the long, thin…

RANK by rank they go, forward and back, wheeling and turning and lining up again, their precision defined by their black bearskins. No matter how the sun beats down, their lines do not falter. We wonder how they fare under that tall, traditional headgear, but the guardsman’s bearskin, officially a ‘cap’, is mercifully not as weighty and ungainly as it appears. The covering, black skin from a Canadian bear culled to control numbers, is stretched over a lightweight frame woven from Somerset willow—3,500 acres of the Levels are devoted to the moisture-loving trees. The cap weighs only 1½lb. ‘The oldest surviving willow artefact, the Antrea net, has been dated to 8,540bc’ There are willows and willows. Botanical observation over the centuries added steadily to the family members. Pliny described eight…

Counting up The Abacus wall light in polished brass is a new addition to the Soane Britain portfolio of elegant fittings. It costs £1,100, plus shade (020–7730 6400; www. soane.com) In style The Edith wall light, £264 plus shade, comes in Indian Red, Ochre or Black, perfect for adding a touch of style, from Porta Romana (01420 23005; www. portaromana.com) Hot note These candle shades in Burnt Orange Hunstanton velvet, £16.70 each, will add an uplifting accent of warm colour to a room, perfect for brightening the gloomiest of days, from Jim Lawrence (01473 826685; www. jim-lawrence.co.uk)…

February 15 Light Music Society concert featuring the music of Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Johann Strauss and Liszt at Fairfield Halls, Croydon (www.lightmusicsociety. com) February 16 Schubert Society concert with Madeleine Mitchell (violin), Joseph Spooner (cello) and Philip Pilkington (piano) playing Schubert, Rachmaninov and Ireland at Lancaster Hall Hotel, 35, Craven Terrace, London W2 (www. schubert-society.org.uk), plus further concerts at the same venue on March 4 and March 15 February 23 Chopin Society piano recital by Ashley Fripp, at Westminster Cathedral Hall, W1 (020–3144 0033; www.chopin-society.org.uk) February 25 The Wagner Society presents The Kupfer Ring, a lecture on Harry Kupfer’s Bayreuth Festival Ring Cycle, at Swedenborg Hall, 20–21, Bloomsbury Way, WC1. Tickets £20, £5 for students (www.wagnersociety.org) February 27 The Mahler Society is hosting an illustrated recital by Prof Michael Trimble…

TEEMING’, ‘breeding’, ‘bearing’, ‘big-bellied’, ‘great with child’, ‘in an interesting situation’, ‘rising of the apron’. These are only some of the historic descriptions for pregnant women. One might add ‘bun in the oven’, ‘up the duff’, and, a favourite of my friend with three children under six, ‘in the pudding club’. A new exhibition at The Foundling Museum introduces us to 500 years of expectant mothers and their bumps. From the Angel Gabriel greeting Mary to Beyoncé announcing her imminent twins on Instagram (1.4 million ‘likes’ in half an hour), curator Karen Hearn has gathered portraits of pregnant women, some blooming, some glowing and some looking thoroughly fed up. The scheme first came to her almost 20 years ago, when, as curator of 16th- and 17th-century British Art at Tate,…

IN the small hours of the night, when the roads are silent and empty, a car careens down a village street. The driver’s face is dimly lit by the map light, which shines behind the windscreen. Under the single village streetlight, he pulls over, kills the engine and almost immediately gets out of the car, leaving the door open. He goes round to the boot. He looks inside, closes the boot, opens the passenger door and leans in. Eventually, he straightens up, looks around and gets back into the driver’s seat, slamming the door. The engine starts. The driver takes one last look around, turns off the map light, puts on the headlamps and pulls away. As his rear lights trail, glaring, into the darkness and the throb of the…

• Under current plans, only fully electric or hydrogen vehicles may be purchased from 2035 • In December 2019, 4,054 battery electric vehicles were registered, up 203.9% from December 2018, but still only making up 2.7% of total vehicles sold that month. In 2019 as a whole, battery electric vehicles made up 1.6% of registrations • According to Scottish Power, the UK will need 25 million electric vehicle chargers by 2050. As of February 6, there are 30,347 points at 10,815 locations, according to the website www.zap-map.com • The Office of Budget Responsibility estimates that, this financial year, fuel duty will raise £28.4 billion. There has been no announcement as to what, if anything, will replace it • The Nissan Leaf, which is made in the UK, is the most…

Going to the loo David Cameron’s bodyguard left his gun in the loo of a British Airways flight from New York to London. A terrified passenger found the 9mm Glock 17 pistol. Mr Cameron left his own daughter in the loo of a Buckinghamshire pub in 2012 Michael O’Leary A UK advertising watchdog has banned a Ryanair advert that claimed the company had the lowest carbon emissions of any airline in Europe. Ryanair says it abided by the UK advertising code Portcullis House carpets A fox broke in to the offices of MPs, climbing an escalator before doing its business outside the office of (anti-hunting) Labour MP Kerry McCarthy. The fox was apprehended by police before being released back into the city. Phoebe Bath…

Food-friendly Errazuriz, Sauvignon Blanc, Aconcagua Valley, Chile 2018. £9, Morrisons, alc 13% If you prefer a more mineral and food-friendly style of Sauvignon Blanc, this one is a delicious choice. Limey and rather savoury, it has flint and struck-match aromas leading to fresh herbs, crunchy green apple and more lime on the palate. Light and aromatic Calvet, Brut Rosé, Crémant de Bordeaux, France 2015. £12.99, Ocado, alc 11.5% A light, aromatic crémant made in the traditional method from Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Crunchy strawberry and raspberry flavours with a touch of biscuit, fine bubbles filling the mouth, balanced acidity and a rounded finish. Great as an aperitif—worth trading up from cheaper options. Cracking value Pata Negra, Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2015. £15.99/150cl, Aldi, alc 13.5% Excllent value for a…

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Currently, certain national foods and drinks, from the Vale of Clwyd Denbigh plum to English wine and Stornoway black pudding, are protected from competition from inauthentic replicas by an EU protected-name scheme. Unsurprisingly, there has been some anxiety among producers about what will happen to the system now that Britain has left the EU. Defra has stated that it anticipates all UK foods with Geographical Indication status will continue to be protected under EU law. There will be new UK logos, introduced over a three-year period and simply designed so the public can recognise them as a mark of quality, as well as a new UK-based appeals process. EU spirit drinks legislation will be converted into UK law.…

WE find it quite difficult to project a face onto a skull,’ admits Caroline Wilkinson of Liverpool John Moores University. Through a mixture of science and sculpture, she has taken the skulls of Richard III and Robert the Bruce, then shown how they would have looked in their prime. ‘Seeing someone’s face is a really good way of interacting and communicating with them,’ she continues. ‘It also creates a sense of empathy and understanding and has been used by museums as a way of drawing the attention of the audience, of connecting them with people from the past.’ Facial reconstructions have been around since the late 19th century, at first as a strand of forensic science and then, in the same way that dental records might be used, as a…

The intending sweet-pea exhibitor should now step forward. Your pots of healthy seedlings have been sitting tight in the shelter of the cold frame all winter, unprotected except for a mat over the glass on frosty nights. Remove them and bring them into the potting shed. Knock out the contents of each pot and move each teased-out seedling into its own pot, preferably a deep one to allow for those desired long roots. Keep a rigorous eye on labelling, as all the plants look identical at this stage. Pot them up in batches, water and return to the frame.…