Country Life UK Magazine - November 15, 2017

In this issue

In this issue:

Revealed: Our Gentleman of the Year PLUS The leech cure, bagging a buck at Woburn and a botanical revolution

Ken Follett’s favourite painting The novelist chooses a moving
tableau from ‘the mother of all strip cartoons’

Vanishing acts Some brilliant—and surprisingly pertinent—plays of the past are being shamefully neglected, says theatre critic Michael Billington and much more...

MSPs In Hot Water Over Scottish Salmon

THE names of the salmon farms worst hit by the ‘sea-lice crisis’ have been released to Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TC Scotland) after it emerged, earlier this year, that the weight of Scottish salmon farmed in the last three months of 2016 dropped significantly. The identities of the farms were initially withheld by Scottish ministers.

2 mins

Monks Moving Into Modernity

The monks’ accommodation at Ampleforth Abbey (above), North Yorkshire, is undergoing a major renovation for the first time in 120 years.

1 min

Ever Decreasing Circles

This week, I’ve been reading a book about wabisabi, which is not, as I initially believed, something you might order in a Japanese restaurant, but a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay. I wish I’d known about it sooner, as it provides a fantastic excuse for avoiding chores: ‘sorry, I can’t mow the lawn/paint the gates/ mend the shed, as it would destroy the wabi-sabi.’

3 mins

Out Of The Woods

At dawn on a still autumn morning, Nick Hammond joins the deer keepers at Woburn Abbey to harvest a fallow buck and enjoy a proper stalker’s breakfast

5 mins

How To Deliver The Promised Land

The new CLA president on farming’s future and landowner responsibility

4 mins

The Love Bite Of A Leech

Closely related to earthworms and used for hideous bloodletting since the Middle Ages, the transgender medicinal leech now helps to control scar tissue following reconstructive surgery.

3 mins

A Shot In The Dark

Heading out with a gun in search of one for the pot on a dank November day, John Lewis-Stempel lets a pheasant get away, but bags a plump pigeon

4 mins

The Menus That Made History

From turkey with all the trimmings to chocolate-biscuit cake, the dishes served at grand occasions aren’t always as high-faluting as you might expect

5 mins

Read all stories from Country Life UK

Country Life UK Magazine Description:

Country Life; architecture, gardens, countryside, property, the very best of British life Published by IPC Media. Country Life, the quintessential English magazine, is undoubtedly one of the biggest and instantly recognisable brands in the UK today. It has a unique core mix of contemporary country-related editorial and top end property advertising. Editorially, the magazine comments in-depth on a wide variety of subjects, such as architecture, the arts, gardens and gardening, travel, the countryside, field-sports and wildlife. With renowned columnists and superb photography Country Life delivers the very best of British life every week.