Home//Country Life/16-Dec-2020/In This Issue
Country Life|16-Dec-2020All together nowAS Christmas approaches and we prepare for it as best we can, parish priests face peculiar challenges. What will a carol service without carols be like? Will a socially distanced Nativity lack narrative coherence? Will the astringent odour of sanitiser be off-putting for those receiving Christmas Communion?Will we even be able to offer Christmas Communion at all? I very much hope we will. Locked churches—an oxymoron in the best of times, but particularly in these —have seemed desperately inadequate. Yet there are difficult choices to make when you are, on the one hand, trying to protect people from the risk of infection and, on the other, providing for the cure of souls, our solemn charge.It is not the first time this has happened, of course. On the south wall of…6 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Mystery on the riverbankA ROW has erupted over who is responsible for the excavations and felling on the banks of the River Lugg in Herefordshire. Two weeks ago, it was revealed that extensive works had been carried out along one mile of the Lugg, which involved trees being removed, banks being flattened, gravel being scraped from the riverbed and the curve of the river being straightened. At the time, a lawyer for the charity Salmon and Trout Conservation described the works as ‘one of the most egregious acts of ecological vandalism’ he had seen. The police, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Forestry Commision moved in to stop further damage.However, it was revealed last week that the EA may have had some knowledge that the works were to take place, with the…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Over the sea to the green islandTHE clan MacLeod is getting greener, as it was announced that the ancestral seat of Dunvegan Castle and Gardens has been awarded a £1 million grant from the Scottish Government and the EU for a woodland creation scheme on the Isle of Skye.The project has taken some 1½ years of development and will be overseen by Scottish Woodlands, which will plant the scheme and hopes to be finished by 2021. The scheme is the first phase of the MacLeod estate’s rewilding strategy and is ‘one of the most ambitious projects of its kind’ on the island, according to the estate.The first phase will be transforming Dunvegan’s former farm into a 600-acre native woodland area, which will be three times the size of the existing contiguous woodlands surrounding the castle. A…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Town MouseBY mid December, Christmas Day normally feels like a light at the end of the tunnel; an oasis that promises a family feast and some rest after a month of frenetic activity. This year, its prospect is no less welcome, but the journey there seems increasingly unfamiliar. London is dressed for Christmas, but the associated heaving crowds of shoppers and revellers are appreciably diminished. There are few carols to be heard. Meanwhile, as if in defiance of the circ*mstances, the streets around us have optimistically erupted with unprecedented quantities of outdoor Christmas lighting, neon Santas and projections.It adds to the slight surrealism of the moment that it’s impossible to plan for anything amid so much uncertainty. Last week we had one, then two children home from school, then a few…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The way we wereUnpublished 1922Two worlds collide: in a scene Eliza Doolittle would recognise, lines of horses stand next to their transportation successors, trucks, outside St Paul's, Covent Garden. Although the horses and the flower market have long since left, the piazza remains a vibrant spot, hosting, in normal times, street performers who entertain thousands of tourists every day.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 to clpicturelibrary @futurenet.com…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Haphazard by starlightADVENT is a time of waiting and we have become a congregation of experts. I nominate the people of Planet Earth for the Nobel Prize for Waiting. Even in a country smaller than Montana, we have modified our motto ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ to ‘Keep Waiting and Stay Home’.We have waited for Brexit negotiators to come up with a deal, for test and trace to slow down the virus and waited for schools, theatres, restaurants and shops to re-open. Then, after they opened and closed again, with stoic hearts, we began another wait. We’ve waited for reunions with our loved ones and old friends and, with hope against hope, we have waited for a miracle: a vaccine to save us from a deadly virus.‘This Advent, the vaccine feels like…5 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Snow survivalWhen an Inuit is caught in the snow, according to the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, he will make himself comfortable, conserve energy, sit with his back to the wind and, if he can, build an igloo. He will sleep as much as possible. Once the storm abates, he will carry on to his destination. When a European is caught in the snow, however, he will instinctively keep going, building up a sweat and tiring himself out. As he works away, his perspiration will turn to ice, which could easily kill him.If you would like to learn how to build an igloo, the National Film Board of Canada produced a film on the subject (How to Build an Igloo) in 1949. It contains this fantastically patronising piece of commentary: ‘Chupak and…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Riches not measured in coinAT about 6.30pm on April 17, 1786, the west end of Hereford Cathedral collapsed under the weight of its tower. The disaster had seemingly been long expected and no one even troubled to interrupt a dinner party of cathedral clergy with the news. It took three further days for the Hereford Journal to report the collapse of ‘that beautiful and magnificent structure’. It judged that: ‘The ruins, though awful, afford a pleasing view, especially to behold the statues of kings and bishops resting one upon the other.’This disaster marked a turning point in the story of the cathedral, one of the most ancient church institutions to survive in Britain. In its aftermath, there began a prolonged sequence of restoration campaigns, which transformed the appearance of the building. Before that, the…11 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020How to cook a nativeThere are significant differences between cooking a heavy commercial bird and a native, narrow-breasted one, explains Hannah Moss. This is because, typically, the latter will have been growing for almost twice the time, so its bone structure will be more developed and its cavity larger. ‘The bones make the heat travel, so there is more hot air going into the cavity of a narrow-breasted turkey, which is why I never stuff my birds, because it stops the heat getting into the cavity,' she clarifies.Narrow-breasted turkeys don't take as long to cook-Mrs Moss says it can take as little as 1hr 45 minutes for a 9kg (nearly 20lb) bird-so the chef can have a lie-in. ‘For the first half, I cook the bird breast down on root vegetables. Then I turn…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The boy, the mole, the fox, the horse and meCHARLIE MACKESY insists he isn’t any good at small talk: ‘I’m useless. I like talking about things that really matter. I love conversation. That’s how all of this started—I was talking with a very good friend about courage. I began drawing that conversation and, from there, I let it unfold.’The illustrator and author is referring to his bestselling book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, which has become something of a phenomenon. The touching tale of a curious boy and his journey with a cake-obsessed mole, a world-weary fox and a wise horse is told through the conversations between these four unlikely companions, their adventures brought to life by the author’s own exquisite illustrations. Each turn of the page presents another scene framed by calligraphic messages of…6 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Six more to seeSt Mary’s, Attenborough, NottinghamshireScenes of battle and fleeing refugeesApplegarth Church, Dumfries & GallowayTwo windows, one featuring a war zone with scattered crossesChurch of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Edward, Lyndhurst, New ForestThe design includes three uniformed soldiersSt Just-in-Penwith Church, CornwallA dying soldier gazes at the crucified Christ. To the right, buildings are ablaze above a rural landscapeSt Wilfrid’s Chapel, Church Norton, West SussexTwo deceased soldiers, named, are depicted as knights; the wife of one of them, deceased in 1918, is in betweenMethodist Church, Arnside, CumbriaThe Peace Window shows Christ the King, with knight in armour…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas treeBuying your tree• For a classically shaped and scented Christmas tree, the Norway spruce is a sound choice• If you have small children or pets, the Nordmann fir has better needle retention and softer foliage• Make sure you buy a British-grown tree. Grown in Britain runs a certification scheme ensuring trees are fresh and grown responsibly in the UK (www. growninbritain.org/christmas-treesuppliers)• Look for real Christmas trees carrying the LEAF Marque certification, as these have been grown sustainably with due care and consideration for the surrounding environment (www.leaf*ck.org)Caring for your tree• An evergreen's natural habitat at this time of year is outdoors in cool air, so don't place it too close to any radiators• Make sure your tree stand has watering facilities and don’t let the tree dry out. It will…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The Editor’s Christmas quizSo that was 20201) In May, police warned the public not to drive in order to check what?2) Which tea brand voiced support for the Black Lives Matter movement, messaging a Twitter user to say: ‘Please don’t buy our tea again’?3) Who made headlines in September merely by joining Instagram?4) In which month was the first case of Covid-19 confirmed in the UK?5) As Keir Starmer took over as Leader of the Opposition, who was named his deputy?6) After some 50 years, Argos announced that it will no longer provide what for shoppers?7) In June, which businessman officially registered his baby son’s name as X Æ A-XII?8) In April, the limit for contactless card payments in shops was raised from £30 to what amount?9) Knighted for his fundraising efforts, who…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020All I want for ChristmasMatthew DennisonIT was more than an icicle. More like an icy boulder, oversized and murkily white, faceted like a cartoon jewel and, shortly, dripping. It had lurked beneath a low stone bridge at the bottom of the wood, where sycamore thickets bald for winter gave way to mud and a mountain-fed stream, quick with meltwater. Of course we took it home, this Christmas trophy discovered by an enterprising four year old small enough to stand upright under the bridge.We paused for photographs in the hall, gumboots making puddles on the stone floor, the ice boulder obscuring the red cheeks of its proud finder, then lovingly consigned it to the only tiny corner of the freezer unoccupied.How crisp are the outlines of this memory of the finding of the ‘ice rock’.…23 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The birds, the birdsDECEMBER birdwatching is a bit hit and miss. Nothing stirs, then, all of a sudden, the air is filled with birds like that Hitchco*ck film. The songbirds have flocked together to protect themselves from the hawks and move around the farm in a great chattering phalanx. The starlings split into platoon-sized patrols to feed on our fields by day before assembling each evening for a brigade-sized murmuration at their roost two farms away. The geese either fill the sky in their thousands or are largely absent.We were very pleased with ourselves when we took some friends for a walk along our foreshore on Sunday and went through the bird bingo card. The tide was high, but looking-glass smooth under a mother-of-pearl pink sky. The waders flew up and down, entertaining…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Ham it upSTUFF turkey and bin the mince pies. Out, vile pudding and get ye away, cranberry sauce. Because the traditional British Christmas lunch must be the least festive feast on earth, a turgid study in barely edible gloom. Now, I realise this view is not exactly infused with festive cheer. And yes, there are a few magnificent turkeys, all sweet succulence and dark, gamey depth. But no one will ever convince me of the charms of mincemeat, be it entombed in buttery pastry or enshrouded in a pudding cloth.I blame the Victorians, with their po-faced morality and bourgeois distrust of sybaritic pleasure. Because, once upon a time, the Christmas festival was a 12-day orgy of wanton bacchanalia, with mischief and merriment aplenty. So what’s changed, I hear you cry? Well, back…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Jilly Goolden’s mulled wineServes 8 (two glasses each)2 bottles (75cl each) fruity red wine50g caster sugar (add more if required on tasting)10 clovesCinnamon stick¾tspn nutmeg, freshly gratedPared skin of one orangeJuice of six oranges60cl (two-thirds of a bottle) ruby PortAdd the wine, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel and orange juice to a pan. Heat gently until steaming, but not boiling. Remove from heat, cover and leave to infuse for about 15 minutes. Before serving, warm the mixture, add the Port and heat through, again until steaming. Remove the peel, cinnamon and cloves. Pour into glasses and add a squeeze of fresh orange juice to each glass. Garnish with a slice of orange.…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020InteriorsFOR the past 20 years, Tim and Kit Kemp’s weekend home has been a 1930s house overlooking the Beaulieu River in Hampshire. Kit, the creative director and co-founder of Firmdale Hotels, is quick to acknowledge that, externally, it’s ‘not beautiful by any means’, but through a series of renovations, including removing walls and adding a staircase, the couple have improved the layout. ‘The views are glorious,’ Kit adds; on calm days, the masts of sail boats can be seen bobbing past the end of the garden.‘We wanted this room to be a really comfortable space to sit and talk with friends, so there’s no television. In the winter, the French fireplace—sourced in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and placed unusually at eye height —becomes a focal point for everyone.’The room is furnished with a…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Luxury NewsThe drive of your lifeFOR adrenaline junkies looking for an unforgettable present this Christmas, try Palmer Sport, which holds one-of-a-kind race days at Bedford Autodrome. Plucky guests will be able to get behind the wheel of one of the company’s exclusive collection of performance cars and race against the clock.With the luxury of space around the course, drivers can go faster than almost anywhere else in the world (with coaching from the experts and utmost safety precautions, of course). Top-notch breakfast, lunch and a fine afternoon tea are served, too—if you can stomach food in the excitement. Vouchers from £594 (01403 733999; www.palmersport.com).Skin deepIT can be tricky giving anti-ageing products as Christmas presents, but I promise you that Dr Sebagh’s Christmas gift sets are absolutely legitimate, each one guaranteed to…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020On keeping things trimEdith Barnes and her team start trimming the 11 miles of box hedges in July/ August. This takes six weeks, then they tackle the beech hedges and Portuguese laurels over about 10 days. Next-to avoid biting wintry winds when up a 56ft hoist-the 14 towering leylandii are neatly cut into a fastigiate style, although the tallest is left until the 62ft hoist needed for an ancient yew is brought in. Finally, they tackle the dozens of English and Irish yew topiary, and the hollies, which don't mind being cut in frosty weather. ‘We like to be finished by Christmas,' says Miss Barnes. ‘But we never are.'…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The secret of a harmonious homeMARK Howorth has built an interiors practice with a reputation for creating harmonious, multi-functional spaces for living, working, exercising, meditating and spending time with family and friends. It’s an approach that is perfectly in step with the spirit of the times, offering homes that are a sanctuary in this uncertain, challenging year.‘It’s an approach that is perfectly in step with the spirit of the times, offering homes that are a sanctuary in this uncertain, challenging year’Having started his career in California, Mark has a trul ygl obal perspectiveand now has studios in London, Manhattan and the South of France. One project that beautifully demonstrates his abilities is a listed, three-storey Arts-and-Crafts house, which was remodel led to combine the best of od and new and to embrace Indian influences in…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Brush up your ShakespeareAT this time of year, I usually award the ‘Billies’, marking the best and worst of the theatrical year. Given the dearth of productions in 2020, I have instead devised a Christmas quiz. No prizes are on offer: simply the pleasure of testing your knowledge of what, in Show Boat, they call ‘life upon the wicked stage’.1 What linksa) Sarah Bernhardt, Frances de la Tour, Maxine Peake and David Tennant?b) Glenda Jackson, Kathryn Hunter, Ian McKellen and John Gielgud?c) Mark Rylance, Tallulah Bank-head, Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave?d) Ken Dodd, Laurence Olivier, Eric Porter and Tamsin Greig?e) Ring Round The Moon, Irma la Douce, Titus Andronicus and Seneca’s Oedipus?f) The King’s Theatre Glasgow; the Grand Opera House, Belfast; Hackney Empire; and the London Coliseum?2 From which famous plays are these…4 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020A high road to clean energyTHE path to ending fossil-fuel emissions by 2050 is ‘ambitious and affordable’, according to a report published last week. The roadmap laid out by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) would see 50% of cars on the road being electric by 2030 and 10,000 wind turbines in the North Sea. The CCC says that cost savings from not having to purchase oil and gas would offset the £50 billion a year investment required to boost low-carbon power generation, transport and heating. Promisingly, the CCC analysis shows no increase in people’s energy bills until 2030, after which they would fall as renewable energy becomes cheaper. However, the CCC forecasts that the Government will need to intervene to encourage people to remove gas boilers and install low-carbon heating systems.‘The price is manifestly reasonable.…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Bad week forHygienic hornetsThe war between honeybees and hornets is hotting up, as scientists find that Asian honeybees are using animal poo to repel attacks by giant killer hornets. Understandably, the hornets are repulsed by the excrement and scientists are surprised that bees, usually very clean animals, would stoop so lowThe internetGoogle Trends has released its list of the most searched-for terms for 2020. Unsurprisingly, ‘bread recipe' and ‘how to cut your own hair' were very high up the list, as was ‘how to cook eels', after a challenge on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, and ‘where does vanilla flavouring come from?' We'll let you figure that one out on your own, but here's a hint-beavers…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020When lockdown turns to goldONE of the unexpected side effects of lockdown has been an increase of people digging up their own back gardens, according to the British Museum. The museum has announced a boost in ‘garden finds’ and in digital recording during lockdown, when metal-detecting was prohibited or restricted. Finds include two significant coin hoards, as well as various other items, such as a Roman furniture fitting with a well-preserved face of the god Oceanus and a medieval forgery of a bishop’s seal matrix. One gardener in Hampshire was engaged in a spot of weeding when they uncovered 63 gold coins and one silver coin, ranging from Edward IV through to Henry VIII, deposited in about 1540.As well as successful treasure hunting in the garden, the British Museum also revealed this year’s Portable…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020An odd Christmas, but one to rememberWE’RE all finding it odd preparing for Christmas this year: everything at arm’s length, shopping in a mask, virtual present planning, deciding who can and who can’t stay—it’s so unlike anything we have experienced before. Instead of open house and any excuse for a party, it’s two other families with no waifs and strays, no unexpected guests and no popping in on our neighbours.Not that it’s a time for blame. Whatever else the Government’s got wrong—and we’d best not go there—dealing with Covid-19 is something we shouldn’t wish on anyone. Indeed, it’s difficult to pick any administration—with the possible exception of particularly well-placed New Zealand —as an exemplar, and quite a few, notably Brazil and the US, have clearly done worse. This does, therefore, seem the time to quit grumbling,…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020‘You’ll always hear the sound of this building’IN the era of Covid-19, all is changed, even time-honoured fixtures of the calendar such as A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, performed before a live audience and broadcast on BBC radio and, later, television on almost every Christmas Eve since 1928. Health guidelines mean there won’t be any audience this year and that will affect the sound of the choir, says the director of music, Daniel Hyde. ‘There will be a far more resonant acoustic than is the case when there are more than 1,000 people in the chapel,’ he notes. ‘And, of course, there won’t be the usual points when the congregation joins in to sing the big carols.’A ‘more resonant acoustic’ isn’t a heavy cross to bear, but, sadly, another casualty…5 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Let it snow, let it snow, let it snowCAN there be a more exciting way to wake up than to pull back the curtains and find that it has snowed heavily in the night? I feel the same thrill today that I felt as a child. The same wonder at a world so completely transformed. A strangely silent world, in which every sound is muffled, so the crack of ice or the bark of a distant dog seems intrusive. A completely white world in which all ugliness has been hidden and everything is clean and perfect.On the first morning after new snow, routine is banished. Each habitation, whether of Man or beast, is like an island, private and cut off. The same blanket of snow that obliterates also reveals. The fox’s morning hunt, the rabbit’s visit to his…7 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The language of snowHow many words are there for snow? According to some experts, there are more words in Inuit for snow than in any language—more than 100, starting with aput (snow on the ground) and ending with utvak (snow carved in a block). The English language, however, has plenty of words, too. Fallen snow alone can be described as powder, slab, windpack, slush and sastrugi. Interestingly, some English terminology isn’t that old. The word ‘blizzard’, for example, seems to have come into use in the mid 19th century in the US, where it meant a hard blow, which may in turn have derived from the German for lightning: blitz…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Oh sing, choirs of angelsIT was two hours after midnight on Christmas Day, 1774, when, across dark, wintry fields of the Vale of Clwyd, Dr Johnson’s friend, Hester Thrale, noticed lights being lit in cottages and scattered farmhouses. Her hosts explained that villagers were preparing for a Plygain service, which would begin an hour later.In Welsh churches, the Plygain is a service traditionally held between the hours of 3am and 6am on Christmas morning. It is almost as ancient as the hills and valleys in which it takes place. In celebration of Christmas, villagers have sung carols and recited poetry in services of similar format since the 13th century. Catholic in origin, the Plygain has survived both the Reformation and the later non-conformist movement.‘It comes from an emotional place deep in the heart and…4 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Five reasons turkeys are cool1 Turkeys are classified as grazers—they keep grass trimmed—and are kinder on the garden than chickens; they can be easily reared as organic2 Turkey eggs (slightly bigger than a chicken’s) are delicious and low in cholesterol; they don’t have a ‘taint’ to them and can have a pleasingly brown-speckled, creamy-white shell3 Turkeys will ‘display’ prettily like a peaco*ck, but they’re rather more useful and not nearly as raucous4 Turkey poo is good for the soil and not as messy as a duck’s5 Turkeys are funny—if you gobble at them, they will gobble back…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Remembrance through rose-tinted glassTHERE’S the familiar clunk as the latch on a sturdy village church door is sprung. Inside, my footsteps echo in a centuries-old silence. This morning, the location is the intimate space of St Nicholas Church at Ickford, Buckinghamshire, but what’s about to happen holds true for country churches across Britain. Another search for examples of First World War memorial windows ends in a shattering of that silence.The ferocious battle into which my imagination is plunged this time around was fought at Épehy (on the Somme) on September 18, 1918. The inscription below the neo-Gothic, stained-glass Virgin and Child relates as much in remembering a local victim of the action: 2nd Lt Edward Vernon Staley of the Royal Field Artillery. Son of the rector of Ickford, Staley died at the age…7 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Rockin’ around the Christmas treeAS time renders childhood an increasingly distant speck on the horizon, memories grow fonder. Together with the Advent calendar, nothing evokes the feverish anticipation of December 25 more poignantly than the arrival of the Christmas tree. Specially selected from a nursery or, perhaps, a street trader in the village and brought into the garden—receiving, hopefully, an approving nod (‘It’s a nice shape’)—there’s then the ritual of shovelling soil into the tub and getting the tree standing straight (‘Blasted thing’s still crooked’). This trial overcome, the tree is brought inside for the big moment little hands have been waiting for, the enormous responsibility of decorating the branches with silver tinsel and glittering baubles. From the wonderful, fresh pine aroma to the hazard of fallen needles spiking fingers and knees when playing…6 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Who killed co*ck robin?AS is so often the case, it began with legend, when the robin’s bold frontal display was interpreted as blood. The compassionate little bird had perched on the shoulder of Christ on the cross, singing a melody to console him and trying to pull out the thorns of the crown that pierced his brow, thereby covering its face, neck and breast in gore. This tale goes way back. It was related in the 6th century, if not sooner, by Kentigern, Bishop of Cumbria ( COUNTRY LIFE , May 27), who is remembered there with six churches dedicated to him and four more in Scotland, including Glasgow Cathedral. Also known as Mungo, St Kentigern was famed for bringing back to life by prayer a robin so tame it was fed by…7 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020On the first day of Christmas, my true love read to meFINE old Christmas, with the snowy hair and ruddy face, had done his duty that year in the noblest fashion, and had set off his rich gifts of warmth and colour with all the heightening contrast of frost and snow.’‘The dinner was served up in the Great Hall, where the Squire always held his Christmas banquet.’‘“The most beautiful crime I ever committed,” Flambeau would say in his highly moral old age, “was also, by a singular coincidence, my last. It was committed at Christmas.”’My mother loved to read aloud—as Strickland Gillilan wrote more than 100 years ago: ‘You may have tangible wealth untold. Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be… I had a mother who read to me.’ For the holiday season, she…6 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Born to be wild‘The advice, in plain English, is not to mess with a wildcat when its claws are out’TOUCH not the cat bott a glove,’ warns the motto of the confederation of smaller Highland clans that make up Clan Chattan. The moggie referred to is a wildcat and the advice, in plain English, is not to mess with one when its claws are out. The question today, however, isn’t so much what to do when in a tight corner with Felis sylvestris sylvestris, the Scottish version of the European wildcat, but where to find one in the first place.There are estimated to be fewer than 100 specimens of Scotland’s apex predator left in the wild, concentrated in the northern and north-eastern Highlands, in Morven and the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the western Highlands.…5 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Because you’re mine, I walk the lineThe little mouse comes out and nibbles The small weed in the ground of stubbles Where thou lark sat and slept from troubles Amid the storm The stubbles ic’el began to dribble In sunshine warm Address to a Lark Singing in Winter by John ClareFIRST light. Below, down in the village, a co*ckerel crows. Far away over the stubble of millet, a tawny owl yaps in the black wood. Otherwise, a world of silence.The stars are still alight, alchemising the puddles, which sprawl around the geometric precision of the strawy spikes, into silver mercury. Noughts and lines. There is a binary bleak beauty to a stubble field in midwinter. The millet heads were harvested, back in October, for flour.It is breath-blowingly cold. First light is a strange time of day…4 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Coca-Cola hamServes 8IngredientsFor the ham2kg mild-cure gammon joint1 onion (peeled and cut in half)2 litres Coca-ColaFor the glaze1 handful of cloves1 heaped tbspn black treacle2tspn English mustard powder2tbspn demerara sugarMethodI find now that mild-cure gammon doesn’t need soaking, but if you know that you’re dealing with a salty piece, put it in a pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil, then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the co*ke. Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, although not tightly, and cook for just under 2½ hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Just suck it upANYONE who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening.’ So said Greta Garbo, but when it comes to maintaining a sunny disposition despite a life of unrelenting pressure and ill-treatment, the starlets of Golden Age Hollywood experienced nothing compared with the kind of punishing work rate to which another household name continues to be subjected. It’s also highly unlikely that, despite her desire to be alone, Garbo ever had to live in a darkened broom cupboard.For this is the life of Henry the hoover. Loyal as we may be to this smiling, anthropomorphic appliance (we’ve spent the past 40 years depending on him and his ever-increasing family to keep our domiciles clean), we expect toughness and fortitude in return.The idea for a smiling…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Decorative delights1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020High 5Sapphire and diamond drop earrings, £3,300, Susannah Lovis (020–7493 2008; www. susannah lovis.com)Palais gold and diamond earrings with turquoise guilloché enamel, £8,640, Fabergé (07818 507911; www.faberge. com)Turquoise and diamond drop earrings, £8,500, Bentley & Skinner (020–7629 0651; www. bentleyskinner.com)Tourmaline diamond and pearl earrings, £2,700, Jessie Thomas (07962 305109; www. jessiethomas jewellery.com)Diamond and sapphire drop earrings, £5,795, Julia Lloyd George (020–7373 5093; www. julialloyd george.com)…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Winter havensSurrey, £835,000Many things age well, such as red wines, cheeses or Madonna, but few things so well as By The Way in the village of Witley, which can trace its roots back to the 16th century. Externally, the property is still bursting with Elizabethan character, being of brick-and-timber construction, with sloped roof and mullioned windows. Inside, period features remain, mixed in with a light touch of modernisation, including an extension to create a ground-floor bedroom suite with its own external door. That external door will see a lot of action, as the gardens and grounds are a playground of separate areas, such as the ‘secret garden' that is enclosed by mature beech hedges, the main lawn and a sunken garden with a well-stocked fishpond and waterfall. Hamptons (01483 905232)Essex, offers…4 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020A gardener’s Christmas alphabetTHE garden has been a saviour for so many of us during this strange year of lockdowns and self-isolation. Over Christmas, we can take stock, indulge ourselves and look eagerly forward to a brighter new year.But there are seasonal preoccupations, too. I offer a checklist—a Gardener’s Christmas Alphabet, which provides cheer and challenges in equal measure.A is for the angst that champion vegetable growers will feel if their other half does not let them disappear into the greenhouse on Boxing Day to sow their prize-winning onions.Bis for the birds that have eaten all the berries that formed in such generous quantities on holly bushes inC is for the Christmas roses (Helleborus niger), which, despite their festive name, never quite manage to open for December 25.Dis for the dogged determination to…4 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Holding out for a heroHOW to go about the daunting task of choosing the 50 greatest film heroes and heroines of all time? First, there must be some ground rules—we’re not talking superheroes and animation is out. It’s important to bear in mind that the focus is on the character, not the actor, nor the film, so commercial success and Academy Awards are irrelevant. Next comes the question of what it is that makes a hero truly heroic —not as easy to define as one may think, but, surely, it should be something along the lines of decency, sheer nerve and a determination to make the world a better place, no matter the personal cost.Then, we get to the real challenge: arranging our noble heroes in order of brilliance. It is near impossible to…10 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020ANSWERS1 a) All have played Hamlet; b) All have played King Lear; c) All have played Cleopatra; d) All have played Malvolio; e) All were directed by Peter Brook; f) All were designed by the architect Frank Matcham 2 a) ‘Hamlet’; b) ‘Look Back In Anger’; c) ‘No Man’s Land’; d) ‘Macbeth’ 3 a) ‘King John’; b) ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’; c) ‘Waiting for Godot’; d) ‘Saint Joan’ 4 a) ‘Uncle Vanya’; b) ‘Albion’; c) ‘The Welkin’; d) ‘Leopoldstadt’ 5 a) John Galsworthy; b) J. M. Barrie; c) Somerset Maugham; d) A. A. Milne 6 a) ‘A Doll’s House’; b) ‘The Holly and the Ivy’; c) ‘Season’s Greetings’ 7 a) ‘Peter Pan’; b) ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’; c) ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’; d) ‘Cats’ (above) 8 a) Jean Brodie in…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Smell the turpentineA PARTICULAR atmosphere haunts places where artists have lived and created—it can be felt powerfully even by those who are not themselves artists. It lingers in places that have been remodelled, as well as those that have become museums or shrines to their creators, such as Leighton House and the other, only slightly less magnificent, palaces of eminent Victorian painters around Holland Park. I hope that James McBey’s Notting Hill studio has not been exorcised; when I visited, it was as he had left it 50 years earlier. Sorolla’s house is one of my favourite places in Madrid; the engraver Thomas Bewick’s birthplace at Cherryburn, Northumberland, may be humbler, but is no less a delight; and Turner’s house on Chelsea Embankment still has an atmosphere despite alterations—I had an unforgettable…4 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Small is still beautifulTHINK small: it’s more beautiful. Years ago, I was chased around a dining table in Shad Thames by a feisty publisher called Anthony Blond, one of the last of a generation who believed in three-bottle lunches and flying by the seat of his pants. I was rescued only by the timely arrival of his wife.Blond published Simon Raven and Jennifer Patterson, Jean Genet and Harold Robbins, but perhaps his finest moment came when he accepted a dog-eared manuscript called Homecomers: Economics as if People Mattered and published it, instead, under the title Small is Beautiful. Small, too, was the response, until Governor Jerry Brown of California got hold of a copy and passed it to Jimmy Carter, who subsequently invited its author, E. F. Schumacher, to the White House. The…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Good week forNottinghamAn ‘urban rewilding' scheme has been proposed for Broadmarsh shopping centre in Nottingham, which would see the derelict structure transformed into wetlands, pocket woodlands and wildflower meadows. The proposal, which would cost £3m–£4m, was proposed by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts and designed by Influence Landscape ArchitectsBisonNumbers of European bison, the Continent's largest land mammal species, are starting to recover, thanks to conservation efforts. In 2003, there were some 1,800 in the wild, but, by 2019, there were more than 6,200Fake it till you make itA John Constable sketch that was believed to be a fake has been identified as genuine and auctioned for £91,000. The sketch, Dedham Vale with Brantham Mill, may have been preparatory for his famous Dedham Vale, MorningFor all the latest news, visit countrylife.co.uk…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020A winning presentLOTS of us enjoy a flutter when we go to the races, but this Christmas one lucky punter might win an entire racehorse, thanks to the Racehorse Lotto. The Christmas raffle by the company offers the chance to win a two-year-old filly for the 2021 Flat-racing season, which will be ridden by Hayley Turner and trained by James Ferguson. The filly ( above ), which the winner will get to name, is the daughter of Territories and out of Newbury Super Sprint runner-up Satsuma. Furthermore, the winner will get to design their own silks and all training fees are covered by Racehorse Lotto. Tickets cost £10, with 20% of sales going to the Racing Welfare charity. For more information and to enter, visit www.racehorselotto.com; the draw is open until 3pm…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Country MouseONCE, I was a geologist and my first job was gold prospecting in Perthshire. The land yielded some of the precious metal, but not enough to make it worth mining. I was disappointed at the time; but, today, I am thankful those hills remain ancient and lonely without the fist of man cracking their skulls.Geology is about rocks and time, yet not the sort of time invented by humans. The Jurassic period lasted 56 million years and gave the world dinosaurs and Cotswold stone; the Cretaceous spanned 79 million years and left us the South Downs and our continents. Geological time cannot be explained in human terms.We are in a new geological age known as the Anthropocene, the age of man. Scientists, recently published in Nature, say the weight of…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020AthenaGlowing in the memoryA FEW weeks ago, Athena had the opportunity to enjoy a grand Georgian interior by candlelight. It proved to be a magical experience. As six great brass candelabra and scores of sconces were lit—the process, starting just before sunset, took about 40 minutes to complete—the whole room became suffused with brazen light. Hours later, the candles began to burn low, a reminder that historic night-time events might possess a natural, in-built ending.There is something quite exceptional about the quality of candlelight in grand architecture. A stage lighting designer once explained to Athena why that was the case. More significant than the colour of the flame, apparently, was the effect of having countless sources of relatively low-intensity light (as opposed to a handful of powerful beams projected from…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The Archbishop of YorkStephen Cottrell is the Archbishop of York. His book on Stanley Spencer’s ‘Christ in the Wilderness’ paintings is published by SPCK‘My favourite Spencer paintings are usually religious, but if I had to pick one, it would be Love Letters . Painted when he was long separated from his now deceased, beloved Hilda, he depicts the couple kneeling in joyful ecstasy. Hilda pulls from her breast the letters she and Stanley wrote to each other almost daily and he doesn’t merely read them, he buries his face in them, intoxicated by the love they convey. This painting isn’t only about the enduring power of love; it is about the power of the written word to communicate love. Oh, how benighted is the current generation with only texts, emails and Facebook messages…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020All white on the night: 10 great British snow events1991 The wrong kind of snowWhen James Naughtie interviewed British Rail's director of operations, Terry Worrall, for Radio 4 and asked him about the weather-related service disruptions, the latter admitted: ‘We are having particular problems with the type of snow.' Mr Naughtie's inimitable response was: ‘Oh, I see, it was the wrong kind of snow.' This led to a newspaper headline: ‘British Rail blames the wrong type of snow'1981 The Queen is strandedOn December 13, the snow was so bad that The Queen and her entourage were forced to take refuge in a 14th-century posting inn, the Cross Hands, Old Sodsbury, Gloucestershire, when returning from Gatcombe Park. Reportedly, she partook of chicken-liver paté, Dover sole and a gin and tonic1978–79 The winter of discontentIn January 1979, snow covered the whole…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Words on the white stuff‘“As though there were not enough to worry us already. This snow-” “Snow?” “But yes, Monsieur. Monsieur has not noticed? The train has stopped. We have run into a snowdrift. Heaven knows how long we shall be here”'Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express‘Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?'The Book of Job‘In the afternoon we had battles with the Tugs with snowballs… in the school yard. I received several cuts but gave as good as I got. Tarve major… had his eyes so knocked about that he is perfectly blind… several others, colleges and Oppidans, have black eyes and swelled noses'Melville Lawford, Eton schoolboy, 1843‘Another arctic day… I went to... Harrods, knowing that they generate their own electricity. At the centre… is a large hall with rows…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Let’s talk turkeyNOT many poets are moved to compose odes to the turkey, but the creatures sparked something in Benjamin Zephaniah, who, in 1995, penned the immortal lines ‘Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked/ An every turkey has a Mum’. As well as observing that ‘Turkeys just wanna play reggae/Turkeys just wanna hip-hop’, the Rastafarian writer makes the more serious point that the birds are more than Christmas lunch and have a right ‘Not to be caged up and genetically made up’.The prospect of restricted Christmas gatherings means that the smaller, naturally produced, native-breed turkey, which was first raised centuries ago by the Aztecs, might come into its own this year, music to the ears of those valiantly promoting these legacy breeds whose precious genes are the foundation of the commercial turkey…5 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Weighty issuesThe heavy mobBourbon Red stags, with their striking, mahogany and white-tipped plumage, can hit 33lb, hens 18lb. The Bronze, probably the most popular breed and the one that most closely resembles the wild turkey, is a really big bruiser: males can weigh up to 40lb, hens 26lb. The Narragansett, with bars of black, white and steel grey that could have been painted on by Bridget Riley, has a top weight of 33lb (or 23lb for females).The lighter lotThe pure-bred British White (most are commercially hybridised), which was once fruitlessly pursued by the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard in an episode of Dad’s Army, weighs 20lb–28lb and the handsome Buff-once so popular it had its own breed club, but now diluted and in need of improvement, according to the RBST-18lb–28lb.The Norfolk Black (right,…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Did you know…• It wasn’t until the start of the 20th century, with the availability of commercially produced, electrically powered Christmas tree ‘lamps’, that big, outdoor trees, centrally placed in city, town or village squares, became a possibility• Queen Victoria and Prince Albert popularised the use of silver tinsel (used to represent snow against the starry lights of the candles), which originated in Germany in the 17th century• The world’s first large outdoor or communal Christmas tree is believed to have been in Pasadena, California, US, in 1909• Britain’s tallest living Christmas tree is claimed to be a 118ft giant redwood, planted in 1890 at Wakehurst in West Sussex. The 1,800 lights are so bright, pilots use it as a beacon for landing at nearby Gatwick Airport• Christmas trees took a dive…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Seeing red: robins in numbers• Robins have been around for a long time, with fossil evidence for them from 120,000 years ago. The bird was classified as Melophilus rubecula by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and is one of nine global sub-species. ‘Our' robin is known to ornithology as the European robin, Erithacus rubecula, is distributed throughout Europe and ranges north into Scandinavia, south to Algeria and west to the Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Azores• British and Irish robins remain mainly resident, although small numbers of females migrate to southern Europe. Russian and Scandinavian robins escape harsh winters by migrating south-west and some make it to Britain, identifiable by greyer upper feathers and duller orange breasts• Attempts in the 19th century to introduce the European robin to North America, Australia and New Zealand…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Christmas comes but once a yearThe gift-wrapperTinsel graduated with a first in PPE and this wasn’t how she envisaged her first employment, but the repetitive smoothing of shiny paper and primping of velvet ribbons is surprisingly soothing when you get the hang of it. Once Mr Bauble, the floor manager at Shepherd & Wiseman, had stopped shrieking ‘No, no, no! Fat fingers!’ and becoming hysterical about imaginary creases, she’s come to appreciate his insights into human nature; he treats muddled old ladies buying bubblebath for their cleaners with gentle kindness and shifty men purchasing expensive trinkets for mistresses with a glacial froideur. Tinsel’s appalled at the waste, however; her family will be receiving presents wrapped in the pages of her father’s yellowing issues of COUNTRY LIFE , secured with string and adorned with pine cones…7 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020The wildcat's whiskers‘I do not know a more harsh and unpleasant cry than that of the wildcat, or one more likely to be the origin of superstitious fears in the mind of an ignorant Highlander,' said the distinctly patronising Charles St John. However, Highland myths and legends concerning wildcats abound• Their ferocity led Highlanders to suppose wildcats had a claw in the tip of their tail• It was believed that tom wildcats that mated with domestic cats would return later to kill the litter• The all-black Kellas cats seen in Morayshire and sometimes mistaken for pumas on a Saturday night were thought to be a species of wildcat—in fact, they are hybrid or feral cats• The cat sith, the fairy cat of Scottish Gaelic tradition, may derive from the wildcat. It was…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Five of the best hamsSandridge FarmThis Calne-based curer is an old-school master of ham (and bacon). I worship the smoked Golden rind and the Bradenhamstyle Brumham (01380 850304; www. sandridgefarmhousebacon.co.uk)Dukeshill Ham CoAnother ham master, which has everything from mild, sweet Wiltshire ham and orange-glazed St George's to a traditionally smoked, breadcrumb-clad York (01952 607770; www.dukeshillham.co.uk)Emmett’s StoreEmmett's has been curing great hams for more than 200 years at its Suffolk shop, so knows a thing or two about the art. I adore the smoked, wet-cured Christmas ham, as well as the rich Suffolk Black (01728 660250; www.emmettsham.co.uk)DaylesfordDaylesford's organic Gloucestershire ham is a masterpiece of the curer's art, sweet, rich and subtle. I love the Smoked Black, too (01608 731700; www.daylesford.com)James Whelan ButchersThe Whole Heritage Cure Irish ham is sweet and meaty, but not oversalted, with…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Sugar, spice and all things niceTHE taste was slightly bitter, like the memory. It was some time in the early 1990s and an enterprising teacher had organised a re-creation of an Edwardian classroom, long before anyone had coined the phrase ‘immersive theatre’. The experience involved chewing a clove. (Another, possibly now illegal, element required unfortunate pupils to stand in the corner wearing the cone-shaped hat marked with a ‘D’ as the class hurled abuse.)The fibrous buds were used as a breath freshener and catch-all cure for toothache, predating mouthwash and modern dentistry. Dunce cap notwithstanding, our ancestors were on the right track: cloves have been used for centuries as a natural remedy, for pain relief and oral hygiene. Today, homeopaths are more likely to use cloves as part of an oil or paste. The solution…3 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Clean the floor with them• Numatic claims that 60 million cubic metres of air are vacuumed in testing every year—that’s sufficient to keep the entire human race alive for 60 seconds• Henry's crime-fighting properties were deployed in Derby in 2016, when police released footage of a pharmacy worker fending off a baseball-bat-wielding robber with their vacuum cleaner• One customer returned her Henry to Numatic to be repaired after using it for 30 years. The hoover in question now resides in the company museum• Henry has a role beyond the home: in 2018, one was spotted dangling 100ft above the ground in Westminster Abbey, as cleaners set him to work sucking dust from the arches• Now 80 years old, inventor Chris Duncan is currently ranked 846th on The Sunday Times Rich List, with a fortune…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020In the makingFOR the winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year 2020, an award claimed in 2019 by powerhouse Veuve Clicquot, the dream started with John Langham and his small-scale vineyard in Crawthorne, Dorset.In 2009, his son, Justin, planted 30 acres of land and, now, the perfectly placed south-facing vines, their roots in chalk soil and basking in a perfect micro-climate, possess all the ingredients for producing the classic Champagne grape varieties—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Most important to Mr Langham and his team is the low intervention approach to growing. This is wine that truly reflects its terroir . Nothing is rushed and the quality sings through. Pinot Meunier, £37 (01258 839095; www.langhamwine.co.uk).…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020A few of my favourite thingsMy friend Alex Pole is an amazingly talented blacksmith and forger of knives. Both my favourite knives were made by him; the first he gave me as a gift and the second we designed together. I love them equally and use one or other (and often both) every day (07947 184016; www.alexpoleironwork.com)Kombucha changed my life! This fermented tea-based drink is brewed from a live scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and is helpful for boosting the diversity of your healthy gut bacteria and, therefore, your immune system (‘What rotten luck!’, October 21). It has a lovely tart taste and lends itself to delicious flavouring by adding fruit and herbal infusions. It's been so useful in helping me cut down my drinking and commit to two or three alcohol-free days…2 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Outlandishly beautifulFOR generations, uninitiated visitors have come to the top of the double steps at the edge of the cobbled courtyard of Drummond Castle and gasped in admiration at the hitherto hidden and extraordinary garden below the terraced rocky outcrop on which it stands. ‘Hearing the exclamations when you are working in the area is phenomenal,’ says Edith Barnes, head gardener since 2014, who has witnessed more than a few ‘wows’ in the 40 years she has been working there.Give or take periods of sequestration and wartime abandonment, the formal gardens have been impressing onlookers at Drummond, near Crieff in Perthshire, since at least the early 17th century. The present layout was originally created in the 1830s under the auspices of Clementina Drummond, who inherited the estate from her father, Lord…5 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Horticultural aide memoire Bring flowers indoorsIf you can get into the garden today, do so and stay there as long as possible. Your friendly reception on returning will be assured if you bring an armful of seasonal flowers and foliage. Among these are Viburnum tinus , which supplies both; holly, especially if there are any berries left; the winter honeysuckles, with their sweetly scented blooms; and the evergreen shoots and fragrant flowers of Sarcococca , the aptly named Christmas Box. Be sparing in your harvest, so that your work leaves each shrub apparently untouched. Get on with the arrangements, and keep them in a cool place until the great moment. SCD…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Make ’em laugh, make ’em laughWilliam Shakespeare (1564–1616)It is well known that Queen Elizabeth was a great admirer of the immortal Shakspeare, and used frequently (as was the custom with persons of great rank in those days) to appear upon the stage before the audience, or to sit delighted behind the scenes, when the plays of our bard were performed. One evening, when Shakspeare himself was personating the part of a King, the audience knew of her Majesty being in the house. She crossed the stage when he was performing, and, on receiving the accustomed greeting from the audience, moved politely to the poet, but he did not notice it! When behind the scenes, she caught his eye, and moved again, but still he would not throw off his character, to notice her: this made…8 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020She has a haloAS anyone who has prepared for or performed in a Nativity play knows, making a halo is a troublesome business. I have hazy recollections of tinsel falling off a wire coat hanger, roughly shaped into a circlet that sat uncomfortably around my head. My own children probably have equally unflattering memories of the haloes I attempted to create for them.The difficulty of making a human child into an angel, however briefly, is easy when compared with the magical combination of circ*mstance and chance that produces haloes in the natural world. In this context, a halo is an optical effect created by the refraction of light through various weather effects, such as dew drops, mist and clouds. Blink, and you’ll have missed it. A natural halo is so special and so…7 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020Pick of the weekAn exhibition giving a seasonable aspect is online until the end of the year and, if you happen to be in Amsterdam, can be viewed physically, too. Morsink Icon Gallery (www.morsink.com) was founded by Jan Morsink and, since his death in 1994, has been run by his sons Simon and Hugo, who have built the gallery into a world leader for Greek and Russian icons. The brothers have collaborated for this show with the Dutch Old Master dealer Kunsthandel P. de Boer to compare and contrast ‘The Birth of Christ-When East meets West'.It is interesting to see Orthodox and Roman traditions and iconography side by side, as in this pairing of a Madonna and Child attributed to the Master of the Mansi Magdalene (left), a painter working in Antwerp from…1 min
Country Life|16-Dec-2020First in lineaCUBA is the land of paradox —a country where contradictions co-exist and seemingly diametrically opposed opinions are reconciled as a matter of course. The success of Cuba’s most emblematic product is founded on the fundamental paradox that one of the world’s remaining bastions of socialism is the locus classicus of the prototypical plutocrat’s accessory: the cigar.This year, the paradox that greeted me at the XXII annual Festival del Habano was that Havana had a new elite cigar, but it was neither new nor elite. For years, it has been widely accepted that the best-selling Havana was the Montecristo No 4, an unobtrusive Volkswagen Passat of a cigar, the sort of thing a non-cigar smoker will try once a year. I was, therefore, quite astonished to sit in front of the…4 min
