Shows
CountrySlide57: 2025 Christmas Gift GuideThey say that you should only repeat good things, but we decided to rebel and repeat our Christmas Gift Guide format once again this year! If you're reading this in 2035 then I apologise that we have now repeated it 10 times...Following the usual format, Richard, Callum and Richard have each chosen a gift under £10, one under £100 and one over £100 and then proceed to question or better each others choices (all links below). So if you're struggling to find something for the person you love - why not ignore everything that the guys say and just buy a gift pat...
2025-12-121h 09CountrySlide55: The Budget, BBC and Leslie DolphinThe dream team discuss budget predictions, the farmer's protesting in London, announcements about minimum wage and the impacts on many rural businesses, martial arts, an insider's perspective of the BBC (thank you to Anna Jones and Andy Wilman) and it's balanced representation of stories. Negus even manages to squeeze in a mention of Suffolk's own Leslie Dolphin.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun...
2025-11-281h 00
Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant CarePoisonous Plants and Their LoreWe all love plants, right? We give them names, talk to them like they’re our friends, and basically treat them like family. However, a lot of plants out there can actually really hurt you. That’s what we’re going to talk about today with my longtime friend and fellow plant podcaster Jane Perrone, host of ‘On the Ledge’ podcast and author of ‘Atlas of Deadly Plants.’ We’ll talk about poisonous plants, their chemistry, history, and their complicated relationship with us! Let's get right to it! In this episode, we learn:[02:39] How Jane became “Head...
2025-11-1154 minCountrySlide43: Back to School...in France?After a month off from regular podcast recording, we've wrangled Richard N and Callum into giving us the lowdown on what they did over the summer holidays. Callum has been to France in search of fine food, family friendly lakes and adventures with his son. Meanwhile Richard has been learning more about the wider nature writing audience through his book tour.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions...
2025-09-051h 06
Country LifeWhat the hedge can tell us about the countryside, with Richard NegusHedges are fascinating because they are like buildings. They are pretty much everywhere in rural England, Scotland and Wales, and yet do we ever really stop and think about what they are and what they do?One man who thinks a lot about what they are and what they do is Richard Negus, a professional hedgelayer and writer from Suffolk. His recent book, Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside aims to shine a light on these great green structures that define and demarcate our green and pleasant land. Not...
2025-08-1936 minCountrySlide35: A Brief History of Scribehound with George BrowneGeorge Browne joins Richard P and Callum this week to talk about Scribehound, fishing, herding writers, curating varied content, the future of Scribehound, digital vs print magazines, American influences on fieldsports and much more...CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.Send us photos of your interesting trinkets that your other half wants to burn or bin as submissions to the calendar or for fun at: contact@countryslide.co.uk Links- George on Instagram- Scribehound on Instagram
2025-07-1857 min
The Origins Foundation PodcastEpisode 576 - Emily Graham and Ian Coghill || Fighting For The Moorlands, Part 1Grouse hunting on moors is likely one of the most heated hunting topics in the United Kingdom. Every year the industry comes under attack, and they have to stand up and fight to highlight the benefits that come from Grouse shooting on moors. In Part 1 of a series on "Fighting for the Moorlands", Robbie connects with two key individuals in the "Why Moorlands Matter" movement - Emily Graham and Ian Coghill (or commonly referred to as Coggers). If you have ever been interested in learning more about the fight against hunting in the United Kingdom, have heard about grouse...
2025-07-1757 min
grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friendsThe joys of growing and gardening with kids with Anna Greenland - Episode 228Between starting out at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, a spot on Alan Titchmarsh’s new TV show, and raising two young daughters, organic grower Anna Greenland is a modern horticultural heroine.Returning to ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ this month, Anna joins Sarah to share how she inspires her children to grow with her, tips for encouraging younger family members to embrace gardening, and what to sow or harvest now to enjoy the kitchen garden’s greatest gifts.In this episode, discover:How Anna became a passionate vegetable grower and her journey from front of house a...
2025-06-1225 min
A Question of DeathDying for Dinner - An Interview with Valentine WarnerAbout the EpisodeIn this episode we discussed the ethics around eating meat, hunting for food and the cycles of life. Should we honour the sacrifice of the animal on our plate or have we gotten so far from the earth and what it provides that we can consider meat and fish as just another item in a nutritional profile?This was a wide ranging discussion which also included the death of a close family member and funeral plans as well as environmental challenges.Valentine Warner is Food Writer & Chef...
2025-06-1226 min
The Gardener Ben PodcastS2E14 Matthew Pottage, from the Royal Parks and formally of RHS WesleyTake a listen to episode 14 of season two of my podcast, now streaming on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and on my YouTube channel.Don’t forget, there’s also a bonus episode slipped into the schedule that I recorded last week @bbcgwfair.On this week's episode, I had the pleasure of talking to the very knowledgeable @matt.pottage, who, although being an incredibly busy man, managed to take the time to join me for an informal and very enjoyable conversation.Mathew is the head of hort...
2025-05-1251 min
On The LedgeEpisode 304: A life update (RIP Wolfie) plus a preview of my new podcast, Scribehound Gardening's Deep DiveFind out what's been happening in On The Ledge Towers since the last episode of the podcast in September 2024, and listen to a preview of my new podcast. For full show notes visit https://www.janeperrone.com/on-the-ledge/dee-dive-podcast-preview Want to find out more about Scribehound Gardening? Why not take out a trial subscription here: there's more info here. Subscribe to the Scribehound Gardening Deep Dive podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can listen to the rest of the Ben Dark episode here. Say farewell to OTL mascot Wolfie the l...
2025-05-0233 minCountrySlide23: Crinkle Crankle, Fossil Hunting and Reliable News SourcesWe share a whole host of suggestions on where to get your worldly news from, after spending the first half of the show sharing our own news...Callum's been making sacrifices for his children but on the plus side got to eat donuts and ice cream before hunting for fossils.Richard N finally has more to talk about than hedgelaying and visited an excellent restaurant in Lambeth.Richard P has just about recovered after a week of mini digger hire shenanigans and improving some old drainage ditches for wildlife.CountrySlide is a...
2025-04-251h 11CountrySlide21: Hormonal hawks, illegal foraging and new ag policy with Clare as PMThere was a plan for the episode this week, it involved everyone bring a little bit of something along to talk about. It ended up with a long ramble which included each little thing at some point along the journey.Expect to hear about staircase lining parties, Aldi drinks, port cocktails, technical issues, massive trees, foraging in spring, attack hawks, fashion choices, illegal foraging, who should be in the cabinet next, and cats....CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.If you would...
2025-04-111h 15CountrySlide5: The Shameless Christmas Gift GuideThe guys talk Christmas gifts in this episode of Countryslide, find out what Richard Negus, Callum McInerney-Riley and Richard Prideaux recommend for the foodie, dog loving hunter and conservationist in your life.CountrySlide is a podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.Show Notes and LinksEmail us with your stories or thoughts: countryslide@ruralandoutdoor.co.uk- Subscribe on Patreon for extra content (you can cancel at any time)- If you enjoy what we...
2024-12-131h 33CountrySlide4: We've got Wood - The future of growing trees in the UKCountrySlide is a new podcast that looks at farming, conservation and life in the British countryside.In this episode Richard Negus, Callum McInerney-Riley and Richard Prideaux welcome Harry Hoblyn from Rymer Trees and Hedging to the show to talk about all things trees.The group discuss:- Growing trees without the use of Peat- How many trees the UK needs to produce to hit government targets- Education about tree management- and much more......
2024-12-061h 12
Wild Food People11: The Long Lost Truffles of North Wales with Jonathan McGowanAt the end of September we met up with Jonathan McGowan and Tembo to try our luck at Truffle hunting in North Wales.Jonathan is in the truffle hunting business and last year he found the first known wild truffle in North Wales for over 70 years. We spent several hours with Jonathan, following Tembo around a couple of woodlands local to us which have the right sort of habitat for truffles and talking about everything related to truffles, fungi and the legalities of truffle hunting in the wild.We also learn about the iconic lagotto romagnolo...
2024-11-0345 min
Stuart and AlexanderSeason 3 Episode 4: Surprising ourselvesSeason 3 Episode 4:
This podcast contains some info about a new project for Grace, Scribehound Gardening. You can take advantage of a special offer for £1 for the first month and then 50% off for the first year here. (Valid until 1 November 2024. £6.99 a month after that.)
In
Moleskine diary
Disney plus -
Rivals
Only Murders in the Building
BBC -
Ludwig
Out out:
The Story of Emily
The Ne...
2024-10-2736 minStuart and AlexanderSeason 3 Episode 3: Becca’s specialist subject & the party of the yearThis podcast contains some info about a new project for
Grace, Scribehound Gardening. You can take advantage of a special offer for £1 for the first month and then 50% off for the first year here. (Valid until 1 November 2024.)
In:
Arbon socks
Corrymore socks
Sweet peas:
Eagle Sweet peas
Somerset sweet peas
Out:
Akebia quinata
Out out:
Calcot Spa
Ozleworth Park
James Rebanks on tour
2024-10-1931 minStuart and AlexanderSeason 3 Episode 2: The secret is out & Becca’s top three sweet peas This podcast contains some info about a new project for
Grace, Scribehound Gardening. You can take advantage of a special offer for £1 for the first month and then 50% off for the first year here.
In:
Tips about scented pelargoniums
Out:
Sweet pea Sunday, where Grace is sowing and Becca’s top
three must have sweet peas
Out out:
Becca has been to Hauser & Wirth in Bruton
https://www.hauserwirth.com/locations/10068-hauser-wirth-somerset/
We also talk a b...
2024-10-1140 minWild Food People9: Preparing for Autumn ForagingThis episode was recorded at the end of August with autumn just around the corner; Richard and Amy discuss the species highlights to look out for over the next few months.Wild fruits start appearing in summer with strawberries and raspberries being the first obvious candidates, Bilberries follow soon after and then as we edge to the end of summer and into autumn the different fruits available start to overlap. For us autumn means a season of collecting and preserving foraged fruits, from sweet and juicy plums to elusive fungi.Richard runs through his mental calendar...
2024-09-021h 11
Voices of the CountrysideCharlie Jacoby: Might Hunters and Hawkers be a Protected Group Under the Equality Act? [6 min Listen]You may have seen the story: the 2010 Equality Act could protect people who hunt. Here’s how it could play.
An interview at the Carter Jonas Game Fair Theatre has led to column inches and TV debates. Ed Swales of Hunting Kind, a group dedicated to ‘natural hunting’ with hound, ferret and hawk, obtained legal opinion which says that people who hunt could have “protected characteristics” under the 2010 Equality Act and that they must establish cases of discrimination against them. He announced his findings at the Game Fair.
Thanks to the publicity, the UK’s media has ent...
2024-08-2806 min
Voices of the CountrysideCharlie Flindt - Tigger the Terracan: From Farm Workhorse to Retirement Riddle [11 min listen]My faithful farm truck sits in the yard, not exactly sure how it is supposed to spend its days - or justify its hefty running costs. What's the future for such a loyal beast?
Join me, if you will, in some automotive anthropomorphism, and spare a thought for Tigger the Terracan, who sits in the farmyard, having a bit of an existential crisis.
Tigger, you see, is my farm 4x4, and, since our semi-retirement, it hasn’t had much in the way of work. When we were full-on farming, it was out and about most da...
2024-08-2710 min
Voices of the CountrysideCamilla Swift - A Year in the Life of a Huntsman - and a foxhound [8 min listen]The life of a huntsman can sound idyllic – but life in kennels is tougher than it might look
For many a young thruster, or a hound-loving puppy walker, being a huntsman is the ultimate dream job.
To have your very own pack of hounds who look to you for instruction; to lead the pack in your scarlet coat, and uncover the mystery of the ‘golden thread’ – the so-called invisible connection between a huntsman and his hounds. Surely that doesn't sound like a chore?
The pomp and the ceremony are all very well, and watching th...
2024-08-2608 min
Voices of the CountrysideSimon Reinhold - Into the Wild: Quail Hunts, Verdant Valleys, and Hidden Graves [7 min listen]We pay a high price for the privilege of getting lost in the back country - but is it worth it?
I was not new to it - it was my third day hunting quail in Arizona so I knew what I should expect, but the frigid air that hit me was a surprise. I had never had to travel in the small hours before. It was necessary to get where we were going and leave enough of the early morning for hunting.
Joe appeared out of the night. His Ford F150 truck, fully tricked, c...
2024-08-2507 min
Voices of the CountrysidePatrick Laurie - The Glorious Twelfth - the new season is here [8 min listen]Looking ahead to the new grouse season, I think about my own birds in Galloway and the national picture at a time of great change and upheaval in Scotland.
The signs are set for a decline into autumn, and the moor grass has turned into straw. The start of the grouse season is upon us, and there’s a certain amount to look forward to in the hills of home. Despite some rough weather in the middle of June, the hatch in Galloway was fine and clear when it came in the last week of May. There wer...
2024-08-2408 min
Voices of the CountrysideRichard Negus: Crafting a Future - The Need for Rural Apprenticeships [9 min listen]With record numbers of A level students shunning University courses, can Modern Apprenticeships be the means of filling the gaps in our 'lost rural skills'.
For over one million young Brits, the next few days will be a time of heightened nervous excitement and anticipation. They wait on tenterhooks for the 15th August, when the results of their A level, T level, and AS levels are released. The sounds of rip and tear as they open envelopes, the whoops of self congratulation or gasps of disappointment are the soundtrack to an end of childhood. Alice Cooper pumps out f...
2024-08-2309 min
Voices of the CountrysideJonathan Young - My Bid for Olympic Gold [7 min listen]Come the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, I shall be in Team GB - so long as they change the events
What impressed you most at the Olympics opening ceremony this year? Axelle Saint-Cirel’s magnificent rendition of La Marseillaise, surely the world’s most stirring national anthem? The can-can dancers? Or perhaps Alexandre Kantorow tinkling away on his piano despite the deluge?
For me, I’m ashamed to say, it was my unfamiliarity with some of the countries represented. Yes, I have my Geography O-level and an old Times Atlas bought at the village church fete but...
2024-08-2206 minVoices of the CountrysideBeyond the Hedge: How Can we Engage Young People in the Countryside?In today's increasingly urbanised and digital society, young people are more disconnected from nature and the countryside than ever before. But in the absence of any kind of national plan to re-engage them with wildlife and ecosystems, how can parents and caregivers encourage kids to take an interest in the natural world, and what are the pitfalls to watch out for?
George Browne and Marcus Janssen discuss how they have shared their love of fieldsports with their children, and how this has fostered a love of nature in them. They swap theories about the right approaches - e...
2024-08-2130 min
Voices of the CountrysideAndy Ford: A Rum Diary (or Why Cricket and Fishing are the Same) [21 min listent]What does a country boy and angler do on holiday when he’s left his rods at home and is reading a book by Hunter S.Thompson? The answer is to reflect on really unimportant things in life, like why are cricket and fishing actually the same.
Shit it’s hot. It’s 35 degrees out there, the sand burns the skin off the bottom of my feet, and I could do with a large rum in a glass full of ice.
I want to write about stuff I like - and I want to do it in...
2024-08-2121 min
Voices of the CountrysideEmily Graham: Stories from the Moors - the Good, the Bad, and the Fluffy [10 min listen]Sharing some of my personal experiences and stories from the moors of ground nesting birds, their parenting skills and what I have learnt along the way!
One of the Scribehound team once told me that one has 3 seconds to capture to someone's attention on social media otherwise they move on. A rather sad but true indictment of our society today. The irony is not lost on me when comparing the hours I spend with moorland birds.
My favourite and best technique is to try and spend time with them with the car switched off, allowing...
2024-08-2010 min
Voices of the CountrysideOwen Williams: Give power back to farmers - the solution to Britain's nature and climate crises [16 min listen]With demands on the public purse being extremely high, should politicians be doing more to fund and facilitate bottom-up land management solutions such as Farmer Clusters which are proven to deliver more bang for the conservation buck?
My solitary four-hour drive home from Oxford to Aberystwyth marked the end of a week engaged in conversation about future land management in the UK. This started at the Royal Welsh Show and ended at the Game Fair at Blenheim Palace. In a reflective mood, I recalled a time, not long ago, when both these major countryside shows were untroubled...
2024-08-1915 min
Voices of the CountrysidePete McLeod: Ghillies vs Fishing Guides - Deciphering Roles [9 min listen]As a fishing agent, I'm often asked what the difference is between a ghillie and a fishing guide. While the two roles are similar, there are important differences.
When out fishing it is often common to have a ghillie or a guide available to aid you in your adventure. The differences between the terms “ghillie” and a “guide” can sometimes cause confusion, and even become a bone of contention. It is a question I get asked a lot, so at the risk of putting my head above the parapet I am going to attempt to define each role as...
2024-08-1808 min
Voices of the CountrysideIan Coghill: Rewilding - a Great Tool but a Dangerous Religion [20 min listen]Rewilding is swiftly becoming a religion - a belief system with little evidence to support its claims - but is this a sane way to manage our landscapes?
Re-wilding is a very clever idea. It is very difficult to be against re-wilding. It would be a bit like being against nostalgia. It has a vague warmth about it. It has no downside because whatever happens, it will be what nature intended.
It has another trick. It is whatever you want it to be. Anything from the local council stopping cutting the kerbside grass, through bison in...
2024-08-1720 min
Voices of the CountrysideMark Firth: The Rural Roots of Olympic Glory With a Side of Old-Fashioned Manners [3 min listen]How Olympic history should never forget it's rural roots, integrity, or the source of so many of our medallists
24 years ago, I experienced a wonderful example of good manners - and all about a sporting event taking place the other side of the world.
As Chairman of the Campaign for Shooting, I had been approached by Ian Coley, the Alex Ferguson of the British Olympic Clay Team, for sponsorship to rent the team an Australian base where they could quietly prepare for the Sydney Olympics, without any outside brouhaha.
The young star of th...
2024-08-1603 min
Voices of the CountrysideFrancis Fulford: Revolutionising House Building - Timber Frame vs Traditional Methods [7 min listen]It is time that the building industry embraced change. Good for the planet and good for their profits. And good for government building targets.
Currently we are building about 150,000 houses a year. The new Government plan to raise that to 300,000 houses a year to help house the 3 million odd immigrants let into the country over the last few years by the previous government. Not to mention of course all the future ones they are planning to let in.
Incidentally that equates, at an average housing density of ten an acre, to 30,000 acres of mostly agricultural...
2024-08-1507 min
Voices of the CountrysideGiles Catchpole: Decoying Pigeons Sucks - Here's Why [9 min listen]Wood pigeons are rightly regarded as a top-tier sporting bird, but what with wasps, nettles, the need for truckloads of clobber and the quarry's uncooperative nature, decoying them can be a pain in the proverbial
Anybody will tell you that there is no better sport to be had than decoying pigeons. In fact, everybody will tell you that there is no better sport to be had than decoying pigeons. I've said it myself. And I'll stand by it: there is no better sport to be had than decoying pigeons.
If you leave aside shooting driven...
2024-08-1409 min
Voices of the CountrysideRoger Morgan-Grenville - Five Minutes in Heaven: Swifts Return to my GardenI got bored of waiting and got lucky with hope and practical activism
Don’t laugh, but I once nearly went into mainstream politics.
Never mind when and for whom, but let me reassure you that the dream was a short one. I came to the early conclusion that there was a limited amount that a thin-skinned Etonian of no settled world view and the attention span of a mayfly had to offer people fighting real battles in their everyday lives, let alone deal with volcanically unpredictable leaders elsewhere in the world.
Besides, the...
2024-08-1209 min
Voices of the CountrysideSam Carlisle - From First Fish to Global Conflict: What's Really Changed in 30 Years of Salmon Conservation??Finding a copy of Trout & Salmon from 1994 shows that we’re still talking about the same environmental, and geopolitical, issues three decades on.
A wormy start
“Look what I’ve found Papa!” I held up an oozing earthworm, my hands blackened by Hebridrean peat. The year was 1994, I was five years old, and we were on a family holiday to the Isle of Lewis. My enthusiasm for a day spent trout fishing was waning. We’d seen and caught nothing and I couldn’t really get this casting lark. My father took the worm from me, squished it onto the hook...
2024-08-1107 min
Voices of the CountrysideGuy Adams - One Man Went to Mow: An Idiot's Guide to Meadow-makingCreating a wildflower meadow will put you in touch with nature and feed the soul. Here's how any old fool can do it...
At the bottom of my garden there’s a long wooden fence that, in my mind’s eye, performs a vaguely-similar function to the Berlin Wall of the late 1970s.
On one side, you find a small paddock grazed by half a dozen Jacob sheep. They belong to my parents, who live next door, and this particular area is the German Democratic Republic of our situation: it’s a world of order and con...
2024-08-1018 min
Voices of the CountrysideRichard Negus: Mink Hunting: A Father's Legacy Passed DownA day out with the Eastern Counties Mink Hunt is never dull nor dry. I ventured out with this wonderful group of eccentrics to recapture my lost youth and pass on the mink hunting baton to my son
I learned many life lessons on river banks in my early teens. I gleaned the art of stealth and concealment when watching wild trout and chub take naps, the only indication their piscine hearts still pumped was an occasional wave of a pectoral fin as they lay in their riffle beds.
I discovered if I shut up a...
2024-08-0910 min
Voices of the CountrysideAndy Ford: The Lynx Effect - Conservation, Rewidling and Land Reform by StealthThe latest plan to help Scotland get back in touch with its true wild self is to reintroduce lynx, a big cat and apex predator, to control deer numbers. But can Scotland follow Switzerland's lead? Or is this all just land reform by stealth?
Tales of the riverbank with a difference - the story of the beaver, the big cat and the eagle.
Sounds like the kind of story that would be written by Kenneth Grahame, with illustrations to match by Ernest H.Shepherd. To add to the romance of it, I’ve just been ch...
2024-08-0821 minVoices of the CountrysideBeyond the Hedge: Hunting, Nature Restoration and the Power of StoriesA few months ago, I wrote a column on Scribehound called Ancient Hunting Stories: The Origins of Human Culture?. In it I explored the idea that aside from opposable thumbs, the thing that really sets humanity apart from other animals is our love of stories.
Stories follow (or subvert) patterns, and our brains are essentially pattern recognition engines, so we see narratives everywhere we look. What’s more, we are suckers for a good story, and we instinctively find an argument made through the medium of storytelling more compelling than one that is laid out in a...
2024-08-0734 min
Voices of the CountrysideGeorge Browne: Clarkson Was Right - We Should Put Teenagers to Work on FarmsWorking summer jobs on farms did me a world of good. Could a programme to put 18 year olds to work on farms make the country a better place and help to fix our food systems?
I’m sorry to bring up the election again - it has been a fortnight so I’m sure you’ve been happily getting on with your life not thinking about politics, but something that was in the headlines in the early stages of the campaign has been gnawing away at me over the last few weeks.
You may recall that on...
2024-08-0612 min
Voices of the CountrysideSimon Reinhold: The Lost Art of the Walking Gun [9 min listen]Some love it; some hate it; but is the ‘back gun’ a symptom of a wider problem in game shooting?
I have a confession: walking gun is one of my favourite places to be on a game shoot. I say that even as a member of the gun trade who, when asked to ‘go with the beaters’ invariably ends up with a performance review committee of customers past and present scrutinising one's every miss. It is at times like these that the ability to turn electric ear defenders off and mute the inevitable abuse is a godsend.
Ye...
2024-08-0506 min
Voices of the CountrysideZoe Colville: Farming Glastonbury & Regen Cults: A Look Inside [9 min listen]Before I continue I'd like to just confirm I couldn't smell any patchouli (or BO) and there were no hairy armpits on show (to my knowledge). Back to this in a moment.
The first was a screening of Isabella Tree's Wilding. A documentary shot at the Knepp Estate in Horsham, West Sussex. The second, I was on a panel at a local agricultural college hosted by Royal Agricultural Society of England and Innovation for Agriculture, the title was Farm of the Future.
Next we went to a screening of Roots So Deep. An American 'documentary s...
2024-08-0409 min
Voices of the CountrysideClaire Taylor: How the BBC shaped my path in farming journalism [8 min listen]This July marks my ten-year anniversary working in the media and rather self-indulgently, I have been reflecting on the very exciting, albeit chaotic journey my life has taken and where it all began, at the BBC.
I’m aware that the BBC often gets a bad rep in farming circles, receiving criticism for not showing enough interest in rural issues or sensationalising headlines around agriculture’s impact on the environment.
I have at times been on the side criticising my former employees and have even sat down with the Head of BBC Scotland News, sharing my c...
2024-08-0307 min
Voices of the CountrysideJamie Blackett: Preserving Family Farms: Countering the Threat Posed by Starmer. [15 min listen]One of my favourite sayings is, “Live as if you will die tomorrow; farm as if you will live forever.” And I have tried to follow that policy as far as my finances have allowed.
There is always a temptation to think short-term and scrimp, or take a shortcut. To avoid thinning a young plantation or re-establishing a grass ley, or carry out building repairs with cheap materials that won’t last, or use manky bits of wavy pipe without much gravel for drainage jobs rather than twin-wall pipes with gravel to the top of the trench. But som...
2024-08-0214 min
Voices of the CountrysideIan Coghill: The RSPB's Intimate Ties to the UK's Water Firms [11 min listen]If you sup with the devil, use a long spoon. The RSPB has an odd approach to polluters. If you are big enough and rich enough it may not be a deal breaker to pour untreated sewage into rivers and lakes.
United Utilities obviously has a very poor relationship with many of the people it is supposed to serve. This is not just because of how it treats longstanding shooting tenants, who have run their affairs exactly in line with UU's instructions, and delivered excellent outcomes for water quality, biodiversity and species abundance. It is a far bigger issue...
2024-08-0111 min
Voices of the CountrysideEmily Graham: The Countryside Needs Commercial Shoots but They Must Adapt [13 min listen]We all know commercial shooting is often one of the Achilles heels of the shooting debate but why do they need to survive, who do they help, what benefit do they bring and how do they need to adjust?
Commercial shooting seems to be a close second when it comes to criticism of the shooting community by the shooting community, as well as from outside it. Number One being raptor persecution. I do not shoot, and I could easily be swayed to be as negative about commercial shoots as I am about raptor persecution if I did not take...
2024-07-3113 min
Voices of the CountrysideFrancis Fulford: Carbon Capture Comes to Rewilding [7 min listen]Damage a tree and its reaction is to try to heal itself. A lot of this action happens below ground in increased root growth. This leads to 'Carbon Capture.' So next time you see a tree, bash it and help save the planet. So goes the new theory...
Coming soon to a cinema near you, Wilding. According to The Guardian, this is “The film about the farming couple who struck gold through rewilding.” Not, real gold you understand, but lots of lovely lolly from me and you. The taxpayer,
It is the story of the Knepp Castle es...
2024-07-3007 min
Voices of the CountrysideMark Firth: The Fragile Beauty of Our Chalkstreams is Under Threat [6 min listen]Decades of mismanagement and poor policy has left our rare and precious chalkstream environments in a perilous state
Two rare environments are close to my heart – Heather Moorland and Chalkstreams. Both are almost unique on a global scale and thus massively important.
You might think these are two very different environments; well, yes, they are – but there are many similarities. They are also supremely delicate; lack of management or the wrong sort can lead to damage taking a decade or more to repair.
I’ve been involved with grouse moors all my life – and have...
2024-07-2506 minVoices of the CountrysideBeyond the Hedge - When the Government Banned Cheese and How the Industry Bounced BackIt’s hard to believe but during the Second World War it was only legal to make one type of regulation Cheddar in Britain – making any other sort of cheese was banned. Sixty years on, however, the British cheese industry is flying. There are over 750 different types, some of them ancient and others very new, and prizes for cheesemaking are hotly contested.
Patrick sets off for Norfolk to visit Mrs Temple, an environmentally-conscious dairy farmer and renowned cheesemaker. She shows him around the dairy and then takes him to see her Brown Swiss cattle that graze in the w...
2024-07-2446 min
Voices of the CountrysideJonathan Young - Bagging a Macnab: the ultimate and very affordable challenge [6 min listen]The classic Macnab - salmon, stag and grouse - may be costly but try one of the variants and the experience will never be forgotten
What would be your choice for Desert Island Discs? I pondered on this while the Sealyhams worked a brash pile for a rat. Plastic Bertrand’s Ca Plane Pour Moi definitely, along with Noel Coward’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen if the BBC allowed it (unlikely). Then the sound of curlew in winter. And next, the scream of my old Sharpe's of Aberdeen trout reel.
The old girl was built almost 30 years ago and s...
2024-07-2306 min
Voices of the CountrysidePete McLeod: After the Mayfly: Taking on the Challenge of Educated Trout [7 min listen]When June weedcut is done and peace returns to the chalkstreams the trout become fickle and the fishing is engrossing
The time of the Mayfly hatch on the chalkstreams has long been one of the highlights of our fishing calendar. Normally through May and early June this wonderful insect that even us uneducated entomologists can identify have fishermen headed to the banks for their nearest river to participate in “duffer’s fortnight”.
For some it is the period after June weedcut and Mayfly is done that we look forward to most. Once again the river seems...
2024-07-2207 min
Voices of the CountrysideOwen Williams: Blessed are the Treeplanters [20 min listen]What if our uplands are already producing good biodiversity and tree planting will damage this and their potential to capture carbon? Is there time to rethink, or has the expensive rewilding express train already left the station?
Whilst few could argue that our country needs more woodland, the difficulty is agreeing on where we plant all those trees. We frequently hear politicians uttering the well-worn cliché “the right tree in the right place” in the hope that they won’t be pressed to expand upon that platitude. Politicians face difficult choices and whilst some progress is being made to...
2024-07-2120 min
Voices of the CountrysideRoger Morgan-Grenville: From Doom to Dreams: The Five Types of Nature Writing [9 min listen]I unearth some home truths about nature writing and try to explain why it matters
For the last three mornings, I’ve been up at 4.00 am murdering adverbs.
I have just finished my book on Britain’s coastline, and my agent thinks I need to reduce the word count by about 4,000, of which at least a quarter will come from adverbs. She is right. Adverbs are what I do when I want to use emphasis to camouflage uncertainty (‘absolutely’), indicate humility when I don’t necessarily feel it (‘possibly’) or can’t think of anything else (‘actually’...
2024-07-2009 min
Voices of the CountrysideSam Carlisle: Kill a Salmon, Close a River: Norway's Pain Must be a Lesson [10 min listen]The Norwegian Government has shut down salmon fishing on some of the country’s most storied rivers. Should it serve as a warning to us all?
Tom’s grandfather had a fine death. He was discovered lying on a gravel bank of the river Orkla in Norway, his hat tilted to shield his face from the sun. His fishing rod rested neatly beside him, and next to that was a bright 42lb salmon.
The family theory is that after fighting such a fish, at such an age, he decided to take a nap and dr...
2024-07-1910 min
Voices of the CountrysideGeorge Browne: The Art of the Bodge - Rural Problem Solving at its Finest [9 min listen]Living and working in the countryside often requires a creative approach to problem-solving, best demonstrated by the improvised solutions we come up with. They may not be pretty, or even terribly safe, but they get the job done
You will, I am sure, be familiar with the concept of a ‘life hack’. Social media and the press are awash with videos and listicles called things like ‘The 93 life hacks that will change your life’. Many of these hacks use standard household items for a purpose different to the one for which they were originally designed. Using a loo-roll...
2024-07-1809 min
Voices of the CountrysideCharlie Jacoby: What are we to Expect for our Wildlife from the Labour Government? [15 min listen]Fieldsports, along with Israel and private schools, are red meat for the rabble of Labour backbenchers. As a public-school-educated trophy-hunter with a Jewish surname, I'm off to an internment camp.
Good intentions are wonderful things. In June 2024, they paved the way for 60,000 people to march in London alongside Chris Packham, Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and the National Trust. They enjoyed a minestrone of competing ambitions and differing ideas on how to achieve them. Prior to the march, both the RSPB and National Trust defended their decisions to share a platform with organisations such as Extinction Rebellion...
2024-07-1715 minVoices of the Countryside"Pigeons Cost Farmers £75m a Year" In pursuit of the extraordinary wood pigeonWe’ve undoubtedly all seen wood pigeons but did you know they are one of Britain’s biggest agricultural pests? It’s estimated they cause over £75m-£100m worth of damage to farmers’ crops every year. They are also delicious and are highly prized, gastronomically, in pubs and restaurants.
Patrick sets off for the Cotswolds to shoot some pigeons over a pea crop they’ve been feasting on. He spends an afternoon with Tom Payne who probably knows more about pigeons and pigeon shooting than anybody else in the countryside today. Tom tells him all about the history of pigeon sho...
2024-07-1040 minVoices of the CountrysideTalkin' 'bout regeneration - What is regenerative farming and will it save the world?We’ve probably all heard the term ‘regenerative farming’ but what does it actually mean, how do you farm regeneratively, and what does it achieve?
Patrick heads to North Norfolk to meet Jimmy Goodley, a farmer in the Stiffkey Valley who is trying to create a financially viable and sustainable farming business for his young children to one day take on. Patrick and Jimmy discuss wheat, why Jimmy has no interest in farming ‘organically’, and whether it's possible to grow enough food for the nation while farming in an environmentally friendly way.
Patrick then heads...
2024-06-2656 minVoices of the CountrysideWill we lose the turtledove? The battle to save part of England's soulIt's often said that, within 25 years, the turtledove will be gone from England's hedgerows. When they go, if they go, we will lose something that is a huge part of British culture – they are present in our folk songs and our poetry and for centuries the sound they make, a sort of sweet purring, has been synonymous with springtime. But in Suffolk, on the old road to Norwich, Graham Denny, a small-scale farmer is fighting to save them.
A love of turtledoves, he explains to Patrick, is something that he has shared with grandfather and his father and now he shar...
2024-06-121h 00Voices of the CountrysideThe challenge of being a tenant farmer in modern BritainAround half of Britain’s farmers rent some or all of the land they work, but in Britain's changing agricultural landscape, where significant profits can be made through rewilding, tree planting and renting out rural properties to city-dwellers, it is becoming harder and harder for aspiring farmers to find any ground. They were once a cornerstone of rural society but tenant farmers are becoming a rare breed.
Patrick Galbraith meets two tenant farmers in Hampshire at different ends of their careers. First he speaks to Charlie Flindt, a recently retired tenant on the Hinton Ampner Estate, which is...
2024-05-2943 min
Eat WildCountryside CommunicationIn this month's episode we speak to George Browne, he is Editor of GunsOnPegs and Head of Inspiration at Scribehound. He is also host and producer of The GunsOnPegs Podcast. We discuss the importance of communicating the brilliant work that is carried out in the countryside.
2024-05-2336 minVoices of the CountrysideHow To Save The English Village - In Search of Lost Pubs and Egg Vending MachinesInspired by the chance discovery of an egg vending machine deep in rural Norfolk, Patrick Galbraith reflects upon the changes to village life that have occurred over the last hundred years or so.
Patrick goes in search of the farmer who owns the pickled egg dispenser - David - and discovers that his family has farmed the land around Great Snoring (yes, really) for the last 150 years, and that David remembers a time when the village had a pub and when he knew who lived in every house. Today the pub is gone, the houses are occupied b...
2024-05-1557 minVoices of the CountrysideHow to win the Grand National - Horses, tears, and the men who can’t give upPatrick Galbraith meets Marcus Armytage, Grand National-winning jockey and Scribehounder, at his home in Berkshire to find out what it takes to win the most famous horse race in the world. Patrick learns about Marcus’ route into racing and why he never made the step from amateur to professional, despite still holding the record for the National.
Next Patrick visits legendary National Hunt trainer Oliver Sherwood, who trained two Hennesey Gold Cup winning horses, Arctic Call and Many Clouds. Oliver explains what it takes to become a successful National Hunt trainer and why dealing with owners is suc...
2024-05-0143 minVoices of the CountrysideEating on the Wild Side: Cooking Squirrel Offal and Foraged FennelPatrick Galbraith learns about offal and why chefs love cooking with it. First, he heads to Norfolk with his friend Sachin Kureishi to shoot some woodpigeons and some squirrels. Mission accomplished, he returns to London where the young butcher, chef, and offal devotee, Flossy Philips, comes over to his flat to cook some really impressive dishes, using squirrel and pigeon offal as well herbs foraged in the local park.
Flossy, who runs an offal project called ‘Floffal’, believes that innards are the very essence of a creature and they should be treated with as much gastronomic respect as th...
2024-04-1731 minVoices of the CountrysideEnglish Wine: The Art of Doing Things DifferentlyPatrick Galbraith plunges into the fascinating world of English wine. He chats to Henry Jeffreys, the celebrated drinks journalist, about his highly-acclaimed new book Vines in a Cold Climate: the people behind the English wine revolution. Henry tells him that the world of English wine is still very much in its infancy – he also paints a picture of an industry full of extraordinary people who will stop at nothing to produce the best product they can. Henry tells Patrick about the history of wine in this country and how important it is that winemakers get their branding right.
Patr...
2024-04-0343 minVoices of the CountrysideBritain’s Deer Problem: Can We Eat Our Way Out Of It?Patrick Galbraith shoots a Chinese water deer and learns about Britain’s growing deer problem. There are more deer in this country than there’ve almost ever been and they are causing all sorts of problems. In Scotland they are destroying pine forests and in England they are browsing out scrub and bramble where nightingales used to sing.
It’s very easy to say that we simply need to start eating more venison. After all, deer are a very sustainable and environmentally-friendly source of protein but through chatting to Paul Childerley, a deer manager in Bedfordshire, and Jack S...
2024-03-1942 minVoices of the CountrysideBlackthorn, Billhooks and Protest - Hedges and What They Really MeanPatrick Galbraith learns about hedges and what they actually mean. With the help of Dr Leonard Baker, who is an expert on enclosure and those who rose up against it, and Richard Negus, a Suffolk-based conservationist, Patrick discovers that the history of the hedge is thorny and very political.
In the nineteenth century hedges were seen as symbols of oppression and across the country they were torn down and were even paraded through the streets while ‘rough music’ was played.
But the countryside is always changing and in the years that followed the War, just a cou...
2024-03-0546 minVoices of the CountrysideGot Beef - Can Buying a Steak Be Good for Nature?Patrick Galbraith delves into the world of sustainable farming and its impact on Britain's rural landscape. With the help of a farmer, an upland conservationist, a restaurateur and a butcher, he explores the environmental benefits and gastronomic delights of native cattle.
Patrick begins his journey by meeting up with fellow Scribehounder and best-selling author Patrick Laurie, who has a herd of Riggit Galloway cattle. Patrick Laurie shares his love of these hardy beasts and explains their cultural significance in South West Scotland. He also reveals some of the wonders of organic cowpats and some of the hard f...
2024-02-2154 minVoices of the CountrysideSavour the Shot: Woodcock Hunting, Cooking, and ConservationPatrick Galbraith goes out in search of the mysterious woodcock, a beloved bird of hunters, chefs and nature lovers the world over.
Patrick's journey begins in Suffolk with farmer, conservationist and writer Sam Carlisle, and Sam's Hungarian Vizsla, Merlin. The trio head into the woods in an attempt to bag a couple of birds for their lunch.
Later, Tim Maddams, the former River Cottage chef, offers his woodcock-cooking tips, and Sam shows Patrick his favourite way of preparing these remarkable and delicious birds.
Finally, Patrick catches up with Owen Williams, a painter and w...
2024-02-0649 min
The GunsOnPegs PodcastIntroducing Beyond the Hedge - Writing the CountrysideWe're thrilled to share with you something that we have been working on for a few months now - a brand new podcast from Scribehound: Beyond the Hedge.
Subscribe to Beyond the Hedge wherever you get your podcasts.
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The documentary-style podcast is hosted by Scribehounder, writer and former Shooting Times editor Patrick Galbraith, who will be going in search of the places, people, traditions and tales that make rural Britain extraordinary.
Join Patrick as he heads out along the backroads to meet publicans, writers, hedgelayers, b...
2024-01-2349 minVoices of the CountrysideWriting the CountrysidePatrick Galbraith explores how writers depict the countryside. Who are the very best writers on the countryside today and what’s the difference between “rural writing”, “nature writing” and “sporting writing”? Why do so many so-called “nature writers” dislike the term?
To help him to understand the subject, Patrick enlists the help of some old-hands. First he heads to Hampshire to speak to Jonathan Young, who edited both Shooting Times and The Field, Britain’s oldest sporting titles. Jonathan shares his thoughts on how sporting magazines have changed over the years and he reveals the three essential pieces of equipment th...
2024-01-2247 min