Innholdsfortegnelse for 21-Apr-2021 i Country Life

WHOOSH! You could almost hear a year’s suppressed energy being released, as people rushed to do long-forbidden things: meeting friends, staying away overnight and eating in—or to be precise, outside—restaurants. How gloriously true to the national character that these new-found freedoms can only take place in the open air. We have a proud tradition of stoicism when it comes to outdoor events. Together with picnic baskets, we pack rugs, which inevitably end up wrapped around our shoulders. We shiver by the seaside. Ladies put on summer dresses and broad-brimmed hats to attend summer events, despite the goosebumps raised as the temperature drops—oh, the weddings, the cricket matches we have all attended under louring skies. Usually, there is a place of refuge, such as the pavilion, if the weather gets really…

Driving in style Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has reported the highest-ever first-quarter sales results in its 116-year history, up 62% on 2020 Animal acclaim Derbyshire's Chatsworth Farmyard -home to Suffolk Punch and Shire horses, Eriskay ponies, Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, Bagot goats and Cream Legbar chickens, among others-has been awarded RBST accreditation for its sterling contribution to helping rare native breeds thrive Living beside the seaside The Cornish town of Newquay has the fastest-moving property market in the UK, says Rightmove, with 80% of all homes listed since the start of the year now sold Getting the right message across Blue Peter has stopped telling children to ‘go meat-free' after a farmer complained; now, the pledge is to ‘choose a couple of vegetarian meal options during your two weeks as part…

• Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and then add sliced Portabellini mushrooms. Cook them until lightly browned and then add chopped pancetta pieces. • After a few minutes, push the mushrooms and pancetta to one side of the pan and add the walnuts (either halved or roughly chopped, depending on the preference). Pour a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses over the nuts and then fry to caramelise. • Bring the mushrooms, pancetta and walnuts together, then remove from the heat. • Arrange lightly dressed rocket leaves on a plate. Top with warm mushrooms, pancetta and walnuts. Serve with bread.…

THE aggravating thing about farmers is, to misquote Thomas Hardy, that ‘although they are never more than half right, they are never more than half wrong’. Living in the country, you learn at a pretty young age not to ask a farmer how business is going unless you accept that, whatever the circumstances, things are never all good. There’s always some part of the enterprise that’s in trouble; market conditions, a weather event or some international complication that bodes ill. We shouldn’t blame them for their pessimism, because it is the unconscionable degree of uncertainty that really marks agriculture out from almost every other way of making a living—something we have seen in spades this week. ‘Weather, geopolitics, disease, Brexit and Covidgood for some, bad for others’ Lamb prices have…

MAN’S best friend is also Man’s oldest friend. According to some archaeologists, the grey wolf—FidoandFluffy’sancestor—was tamed as long ago as 30,000bc. Other experts maintain this timescale is barking up the wrong tree and the wolf was brought in from the wilderness cold about 12,000 years ago. Either way, the dog was the first domesticated creature and its woof announced the Anthropocene, the era when humans have manipulated Nature, rather than Nature manipulating them. When we, and indeed Rover, departed noble savagery. The contretemps over the date of doggie domestication is an indictment of how little we truly understand our canine companions, of which there are a billion or so worldwide and 10 million in the UK. It is only in the past decade that the innermost workings of the canine…

IT has been argued that the national food forms the national character,’ thunders Frederick W. Hackwood in Good Cheer, ‘in proof of which have often been put forward the contrast between the smooth, slippery volatile character of the soup-, snail- and frog-eating Frenchman and the heavy, stolid and imperturbable character of our own beef- and pudding-eating countryman.’ He may have been writing in 1911, but there seems to be precious little evidence of any good cheer. Rampant and misguided culinary nationalism aside, the French are indelibly and eternally associated with this delectable gastropod. Paris wouldn’t quite be Paris without a dozen of the beauties, ordered at some favourite, faded brasserie, drenched in garlic butter and served so hot that they blister the tongue and flay the skin from the roof…

Back on track THIS is Washington DC’s year, not only because it has a new president: Amtrak, the country’s national railroad that has its headquarters in the capital, is celebrating its 50th birthday and the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, its 175th. Amtrak’s most famous passenger? That new president Joe Biden, who, as a senator, commuted by train from Delaware to Washington DC, every working day for 36 years. This year, tourists are being encouraged to explore the north-east regional route, which links the diverse landscapes of Virginia (check out Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Mountains), Washington DC, Maryland (don’t miss Chesapeake Bay and the platters of fresh oysters and blue crab) and Massachusetts (www.amtrakvacations.co.uk). Green is for go The Government has confirmed that…

IF you drive through Midhurst in West Sussex, you’re likely to spot a house or two with their timbers painted neatly in saffron yellow. There has long been a tradition for estate owners to paint exterior timbers to signify ownership, but Cowdray’s yellow must surely be the most recognisable. It derives from when Liberal politician Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray inherited the Cowdray estate in the 1920s and matched his political colours to his cottages—painting the roses yellow, so to speak. What we think of as ‘estate colours’ are a relatively new phenomenon, explains the historic-paint consultant Patrick Baty. Thanks to new technologies, ‘in the second half of the 20th century, a wider selection of brighter colours that could withstand ultraviolet light and weathering were produced’. A century ago, country-house…

WHEN, in May 2008, Combe Florey House, near Taunton, Somerset, last appeared in the property pages of Country Life, the striking red sandstone Georgian house, set in 35 acres of parkland overlooking the Quantock Hills, looked more or less the same as it does today. The interior, however, was a very different story. The house was being sold on behalf of the Waugh family, whose forebear, the notoriously difficult writer Evelyn—described in his Encyclopedia Britannica entry as ‘regarded by many as the most brilliant satirical novelist of his day’—bought the house in 1956 and died there, suddenly, 10 years later. He was succeeded by his journalist son, Auberon, who bought the house from his mother and moved there with his family in 1971. There, he and his wife, Lady Teresa,…

THERE’S something of the gypsy rover about Ed Brown, a serious twinkle in the eye and a rugged, outdoor constitution born out of hard work on the family’s Evesham-based nursery, Cotswold Garden Flowers in Worcestershire. Mr Brown has a serious obsession for elderberry trees and has built up a National Collection of 147 sambucus species and cultivars since 2008. His journey began early, aged only eight years old, when he met an chap in his eighties who had found a white-berried elder on an estate in Surrey. That discovery sparked the boy’s imagination and, when he found himself with land to spare on the nursery, he approached the previous National Collection holder at the National Trust’s Wallington in Northumberland for permission to take elder cuttings. He was offered the entire…

WE can go to the pub and the hairdresser, but not yet to the theatre. Plays, however, come to us in many forms via the small screen and there have been rich pickings lately. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that it is crazy for television habitually to ignore the theatre. I recently interviewed the 100-year-old Derek Granger, formerly head of drama at Granada, who reminded me that the station once presented the best work (Hobson’s Choice, Hindle Wakes, Mary Broome) of the Manchester school of dramatists, as well as a six-play season produced by Laurence Olivier. Could you imagine such events happening today? To be fair, television has done its bit to cheer us up during the year-long play pause and one of the best things I’ve…

THE Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) has acquired and, if funding can be secured, plans to restore the 2½-acre plot of overgrown gardens that were once a landscaped idyll between Lansdown Crescent and Beckford’s Tower. William Beckford (1760–1844) was the richest man in England when he inherited his fortune at the age of nine and is famously known for draining his coffers by building Gothic Revival Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire, which he later sold. But his legacy in Bath, where he spent the final 22 years of his life, stretches beyond the 120ft neo-Classical tower he had Henry Edmund Goodridge build to house his library and art collection. Beckford saw Lansdown Tower, as it was then called, as his personal retreat from a society from which he was largely outcast—this would…

Quiz of the week 1) A zebroid is a cross between a zebra and what? 2) Who played the emperor Commodus in the 2000 film Gladiator? 3) The plant Nicotiana tabacum is more commonly known by what name? 4) In which year was the Great Fire of London? 5) How many tennis Grand Slam titles has Andy Murray won? Time to buy Word of the week Colewort (noun) A brassica such as kale that forms no head A novel note ‘Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out, and have nothing to worry about, except the next page of whatever she was reading’ The Invisible Library, Genevieve Cogman Another log on the fire By Oliver Preston…

The soft cooing of the wood pigeon is one of the most soothing sounds of spring and summer (although it's often accompanied by repetitive courtship and much loud flapping of wings). The nest is an untidy pile of sticks, usually high in a tree and somewhat precarious for the likely pair of white eggs. If they don't or get by predators, chicks will hatch at 2½ weeks. The name Linnaeus gave it, Columba palumbus, sounds somewhat weighty-indeed, this is our largest pigeon and our most common. Mainly a soft mid-grey, with a russet-washed breast and dabs of white on the neck and wings, wood pigeons make devoted parents, often pairing for life and feeding their chicks a nutritious liquid ‘milk' from the crop. Sometimes considered ‘greedy', they have big frames…

Fit for a corgi FURTHER to the subject of dog showers (‘It’s a dog’s life (and his sofa)’, April 7), having tried to fit a corgi into a Belfast sink, I realised something larger was required. A zinc cattle trough was purchased and my builder inserted a plug hole and overflow. The ‘sink’ was placed on stands next to my garage sink and drainer. A shower was attached and we now have a dog bath/Wellington-boot washer/generally useful piece of equipment (above). Our corgi is washed and lifted onto the drainer to dry—muddy paws, tummies and boots are a thing of the past. Ruth Canning, Powys Showing the ropes ALWAYS take me there’ (March 24) reminded me of when we lived within a few miles of the rope-operated ferry at Bannfoot.…

FOG in the Solway, the United Kingdom cut off.’ I now paraphrase in my head that famous Times headline about the continent every time I lose sight of the English coastline, only nine miles away across the Firth from our kitchen window. As I write, there are 3½ weeks to go before the Scottish election, which may be the last in which Scots vote as British citizens. I am standing as a candidate for All For Unity, a cross-party alliance that unites all those who oppose the end of Great Britain. It lends a surreal quality to this spring. Daffodils, primroses and cuckooflowers put on their shows in all the familiar places. Bluebells and garlic flowers are about to pop in the woods and we search the skies as usual…

AT last, there is a roadmap out of lockdown—schools have opened their doors, hairdressing appointments have been secured and pub tables hastily booked. However, as we creep towards the light at the end of the tunnel, spare a thought for our canine companions. For them, it has been a remarkable year of round-the-clock family time, but, as restrictions ease, it is crucial to help our dogs adjust to post-lockdown life. ‘We should expect that behavioural issues will rise with young dogs and puppies, particularly with separation anxiety and socialisation,’ cautions Sean McCormack, head vet of dog-food brand tails.com. ‘Our lives have changed, as have those of our dogs, so it’s not surprising that older dogs may also experience anxiety.’ Indicators might include your dog becoming distressed when you go through…

ON April 1, 1995, the UK was thrown into a short-lived panic due to an alarming announcement printed in the press that Polo mints would no longer be produced with holes. Justifying its controversial action, the manufacturer stated it was acting ‘in accordance with EEC Council Regulation (EC) 631/95’, a ruling that required ‘producers of tubular foodstuffs’ to remove holes from their products. As far as April Fools’ pranks go, it was an undeniable stroke of genius that doubled up as a successful marketing campaign. It served to remind a relieved nation exactly how highly it regards ‘the mint with the hole’ —an early advertising slogan that stuck. Retrieved at the drop of a hat from the uncharted depths of a wax-jacket pocket or glove compartment, Polos have become a…

What is your earliest holiday memory? Riding on the beach in Ireland with my cousins. Which is your favourite hotel? Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Italy. Have you had any travel disasters? At 18, I travelled by train from Hong Kong to Beijing, China. It wasn’t a disaster—just a very, very long way. Once, I also slept on a rooftop in Varanasi in India. What is top of your travel bucket list? See the cherry blossom, eat shojin ryori and visit the zen temples and the shrines in Kyoto. What do you never travel without? Sunglasses, camera, baseball cap and a fresh crisp white shirt. A cold or hot holiday; beach or culture? All! Don’t make me choose, but if I really had to, culture always wins. Give me…

Surrey £15 million Located in the fine Surrey countryside just outside Farnham is the magnificent Arts-and-Crafts home of Kingsmead. With some 32 acres of gardens and grounds, plus some eight bedrooms, the property is one for those who are looking for a home with which they can impress family and friends alike-downsizing this is not. Inside, the bedrooms are headlined by the master suite, which includes a his-and-hers dressing room and a private staircase leading to the second floor. The heart of the home is undoubtedly the kitchen/breakfast room, from which the drawing room, family room, study and indoor pool complex can all be accessed. Outside, the gardens are a dream for wildlife, with woodland and wildflower meadows allowed to expand freely; formality only creeps in on the lawned…

BORN into a musical and bohemian London family, John Craxton was a nomad child who longed to roam and paint in Greece. He achieved his goal and an enduring sensual joy coloured his ensuing pictures. His was a life of gifts. Superbly talented and supremely fortunate, he cashed in on charm to live pretty much as he wished, depicting the ongoing party of an enviable existence. Craxton’s favourite sounds were conversation over meals and purring cats. Not that peace prevailed—in sailors’ tavernas, talk turned to singing, dancing and drawing as plates and glasses flew. An anarchic and heroic hedonism was shared with his friend and fellow roamer Patrick Leigh Fermor, whose books he brilliantly decorated. The fourth of five sons—before his parents got a daughter, as they had desired all…

I NOTICE that a correspondent in your last issue blames the blackbirds for spoiling his primroses. I would not use such a strong word as ‘criminal’ about birds doing this, but the birds that I have seen doing it during the last two or three weeks are partridges. There is a cluster of primroses in the herbaceous border which I survey every morning. The partridges love the border and make a visit to it almost every morning. Before changing their quarters they invariably make a hearty breakfast of the flowers, which shows they have tastes roughly corresponding to those of the great Beaconsfield. His admirers will have celebrated Primrose Day before this appears, but it will be recollected that one of his sayings about the flowers was that they make…

1943 December 10 Published height World War, COUNTRY LIFE invited readers to send in examples of Victorian photography, such as this ‘Old Shropshire Mansion', 1878, from Mrs Cotton, Priestland, Tarporley, Cheshire. The sheer density of ornament is astonishing and, doubtless, a nightmare to dust. Note the Japanese parasol as a fire screen. The Country Life Picture Library contains 120 years' worth of photography and articles from the world's leading architectural and gardens experts. We are delighted to note that works are again available to license or purchase in print form, from £35 plus VAT. Please email enquiries futurenet.com…

HAROLD FALKNER is commemorated in Farnham Museum by a display of memorabilia, including one of the shapeless felt hats that he habitually wore; next to it is an affectionate sketch of him by Sir John Verney, in which he is shown waylaying two puzzled-looking girls from the art school, no doubt to deliver an impromptu lecture on conservation. The architect had spent much of his professional life refashioning the town of Farnham, on the Hampshire border of Surrey, as a Georgian jewel. Not only did he design several buildings there, including the town hall, but, as a result of his badgering and persistence, the town improved its appearance in myriad small ways. Born in 1875, Falkner lived at a time of national reinvention, in which old buildings became treasured and…

IT is hard to think of a dwelling better suited to these socially distanced times than a treehouse. There has been a huge surge in demand for glamping, but treehouses have, quite literally, always been at a higher level of experience. Less the preserve of the backwoodsman than of the aesthete and aristocrat, they have, throughout history, more often been built for the pleasure or repose of parents than for the amusement of their children. In classical and Renaissance Europe, tree-houses delighted by their perfect combination of Nature and artifice. Odysseus’s matrimonial bed was skilfully and secretly fashioned out of a living olive tree and the Emperor Caligula enjoyed dining among the branches of an enormous plane tree in a room he nicknamed ‘the nest’, which accommodated 15 guests, servants…

• The consumer-services team at Nestlé receives several calls a year from those wondering what happens to all the Polo middles-they may be mildly disappointed to learn that there isn't one to begin with, as each mint is created with a hole • In 2004, the recipe was tweaked to make the Polo 13.063% mintier-a development dutifully relayed to the country via a £400,000 radio-only advertising campaign • Polo is available in the original peppermint, spearmint, fruit and sugar-free varieties, but has also dabbled in ice, tropical and citrus flavours-none, however, could compare with its dependable minty cousin • In India, Polos have been manufactured in flavours such as paan (a betel-nut mix), lime mojito, watermelon sorbet and peach schnapps • When Nestlé lost an appeal case in 2004 to…

SET among the wide, open plains of the Alentejo, where black pigs roam under oak trees and huge stork nests perch atop squat olive trees, this working farm offers a slice of real Portugal. Lived in and loved by the Soares family (the children created the memorable in-house wine labels featuring plump and cheerful cows), the estate stretches as far as the eye can see in all directions. Days can be spent riding glossy Lusitano horses, racing quad bikes, hot-air ballooning or wine-tasting. Last year, six farm buildings were renovated into country-chic houses, each with a private pool. They join the existing 10-bedroom hotel that opened more than a decade ago and are all different—mine, Casa das Artes, had two bedrooms and was full of Portuguese craft pieces, sourced by…

ONLY a few years ago it seemed that Cork Street, W1, for so long home to London’s modern and contemporary art galleries, was doomed to go the same way as neighbouring Bond Street, where art and antiques were largely being supplanted by fashion. West End rents and the establishment of major international contemporary-art businesses away from Mayfair, like superstores on ring roads, already threatened the Cork St dealers and, when major redevelopment began, their time seemed to be up. Several, as had others in the Bond Street area, relocated to St James’s or to the west of Berkeley Square and some decided to operate from home. The arts press, including COUNTRY LIFE, raised a stink with little expectation that it would make any difference. I was certainly one of the…

Mention of sea and sun above draws my eye to a painting that makes one want to rush to the beach at Ramsgate. The 30½in by 43¾in canvas by Charles Pears is with Darnley Fine Art of Cecil Court, WC2. The last time that I mentioned Pears here was in connection with his painting of the 1940 sinking of the Lancastria during the evacuation of St Nazaire. That was a powerful reminder of Britain's worst ever marine disaster, but here he is recording pure joy only five years earlier, in a commission for Southern Railway. The way Pears painted the shallow sea over sand is entirely his own, and very effective. The gallery will open an exhibition, ‘The Art of Moonlight', on May 4.…