Archive for wildlife

My first shooting season

I spent the winter learning about shooting

I spent the winter learning how to shoot

I grew up in the countryside, so it may seem strange to call this my first shooting season. But this is the first time I’ve actually held a gun. Read more

Gregg Wallace didn’t like my vegan shepherd’s pie, so I made a real lamb roast

 

Wild soay sheep

Wild soay sheep

This blog is about to get bloody. Sorry, but I did say I was writing a book about only eating animals I have killed myself. This means at some point I will have to kill something. The point is to do it in as humane a way as possible and to educate people about where meat comes from.  Read more

H is for Human too

H is for Hawk has won the Samuel Johnson prize

H is for Hawk has won the Samuel Johnson prize

The world is going crazy for H is for Hawk, the first memoir to win the Samuel Johnson Prize. I think I know why. Read more

A class bird: Learning how to cook pigeon with MasterChef Natalie Coleman

Pan Roasted Pigeon with Orange Braised Lentils, Chicory & Hazlenuts

Pan Roasted Pigeon with Orange Braised Lentils, Chicory & Hazlenuts

If you want to only eat animals you have killed yourself, the traditional place to start is learning to shoot a pigeon. I was fortunate enough to also learn how to cook one with the former winner of MasterChef. Read more

Grouse shooting: The vainglorious 12th

A walked-up grouse shoot beneath the wind turbines

A walked-up grouse shoot beneath the wind turbines

Since I have pledged to only eat animals I have killed myself, I decide to go grouse shooting on the Glorious 12th and start off the project with a bang. It doesn’t quite go to plan…

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Shucking oysters: A soft start to the kill-to-eat diet

Shucking oysters

I didn’t mean to match my nail varnish to the oyster knife…

Oysters are possibly the most “raw” food experience you can get, in fact they are probably still alive when you eat them… Read more

Late spring in the Highlands: Blooming rhododendrons

Rhododendrons frame the Torridon hills

Rhododendron blooms frame the Torridon hills in June.

The rhododendrons are in bloom across the Highlands and I must admit they look beautiful – but they look better in a bonfire. Read more

A winter in the Highlands: Or how I learnt to love waterproofs and hate rhododendrons

Stunning views out to Ben Alligin now the rhododendrons are cleared.

Stunning views out to Ben Alligin now the rhododendrons are cleared.

Apologies if I have been a wee bit quiet on the blogging front. Rather embarrassingly for an environmental journalist, I have been involved in a major deforestation project. Read more

Book Review: Badgerlands by Patrick Barkham

Badger16

What is it about Patrick Barkham finding himself in compromising positions to spy on wildlife?

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