Spiced apple and cider fruit cake

If you would like to use an English brandy instead I highly recommend the Somerset Cider Brandy Company, which also makes super cider under the Burrow Hill label. My other cider picks include Worleys (Somerset), Butford Organics (Hereford) and Cranborne Chase (Dorset). Much like a classic tea bread, this cake…

pigeon and cranberry terrine with cointreau and hazelnuts

Recipe for pigeon and cranberry terrine with cointreau and hazelnuts Ingredients 80g dried cranberries 50ml Cointreau 4 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 300g shallots, peeled and finely sliced 8 pigeon breasts, skin off and cut into 1cm-thick strips 80g hazelnuts, roughly chopped 60g fresh white breadcrumbs 15g parsley, finely…

port and cheese

Six of the best ports chosen by Jonathan Ray Croft Pink Port (£12.75 per 50cl) The Whisky Exchange No, don’t laugh: pink port is light, fresh, vibrant and gloriously tasty served chilled. Taylor’s Chip Dry White Port (£14.50 per 75cl) Waitrose The original white port, sublime when served with tonic,…

hunting hounds in frosty weather

It was at Labour’s annual party conference a quarter of a century ago that the mask slipped. With an election looming, Tony Blair was again pledging to ban foxhunting. The Prime Minister, wary of needlessly offending rural voters, was judicious in the words he chose. But his deputy, the late…

carving chicken

At a time when the main food source was derived from anything that swam, ran or flew, the art of carving and how to carve meat was elevated to become part of the code of chivalry, with a language as complicated as that of hawking. Every species of fur, fish…

Best shoot lunch 1910

The best shoot lunch can be hearty or meagre, on the hill or in the hut, stewed in port or fizzing with the best champagne. It all depends what fits best on your sporting day. But, it’s not all about lunch.  Ensure you look the part too with our what…

Best turnip recipes pudding

Even Agatha Christie’s most diehard fans would not claim that the title tale of the short-story collection she published in 1960 is her finest mystery. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding does, however, contain her most delightful description of a dessert. Sitting down to Christmas dinner, Hercule Poirot is confronted…

venison casserole

Recipe for venison casserole with prunes, armagnac and crispy chestnuts Ingredients 4 tbsp olive oil 300g shallots, peeled and sliced in half 8 whole medium garlic cloves, peeled 4 sticks celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces 400g carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces 1 tbsp thyme, finely chopped 1 tbsp…