man with ear defenders looking into car boot

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, permanent damage that can be done to their hearing. Protecting hearing Sir Johnny Scott advises all young shots to take…

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 route can be a challenge. I’m a great believer in trying to make the journey as enjoyable as the destination.…

Patrick Grant

Patrick Grant goes through life at quite the clip. Brought up in Edinburgh, he played rugby for Scotland at under-18 and under-19 levels. An injury ended his career but not his love of adrenaline, and after graduating from the University of Leeds in materials science he worked in Vail as…

Partridge, bacon and scallop chowder

Originating from the coastal regions of France and England, chowder is now a staple on most traditional menus across New England. My recipe is made with a flavourful partridge stock, soft potatoes and lashings of cream topped with crispy bacon and luscious, buttery scallops. Partridge, scallop and bacon chowder Partridge…

Beretta A400L

I have been looking at the latest, scroll-engraved version of the Beretta A400 semi-automatic: the A400L. The gun is 3in chambered for high-performance steel (as well as standard loads), and attractively stocked in what Beretta calls ‘Grade 2.5’ walnut. It weighs in at 7.8lb – midweight for a repeater –…

The Jockey Club

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. Racing’s ‘headquarters’ has heritage and famous faces (both equine and human) in spades, and The Jockey Club Rooms are no…

The Holland & Holland Edition by Overfinch

The year was 1970, the Beatles had tragically broken up and Apollo 13 had narrowly avoided the same fate. Into this tumultuous decade launched two innovative new products that were to redefine transport for a generation: the Boeing 747 and the Range Rover. While the last ‘jumbo jet’ rolled off…

Browning B25 Superposed

The word ‘legendary’ is often applied promiscuously to sporting guns but is well deserved in the case of the Browning B25 Superposed, which has just celebrated its 100th birthday. The first mass-produced over-and-under, it remains a flagship for Browning with around 350,000 manufactured in Belgium and some 30 bespoke guns…

spicy pheasant taquitos

This Mexican-inspired dish of fried flour tortillas stuffed with cooked pheasant, cheese, herbs and spice can be prepped in advance and cooked just before serving. Serves 8. (See our other make-ahead recipes here.) Spicy pheasant taquitos Ingredients 2 tbsp cold-pressed rape or olive oil 4 skinless pheasant breasts, sinews removed…