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Country Life Today: How Prince Charles’s garden at Highgrove has raised millions for charity

Alexandra Fraser Alexandra Fraser

Highgrove's huge contribution; a new burger that looks, tastes and even 'bleeds' like meat; new research on zebra stripes; and happy birthday to Henley Royal Regatta, which began 180 years ago today.

The millions raised for charity by HRH Prince Charles at Highgrove

It’s exactly 25 years since HRH Prince Charles opened his garden at Highgrove to the public – in that time £7 million has been raised for charity. Some 40,000 people a year visit the garden.

See the full story (Daily Telegraph) and then read what our gardens editor found when she went for herself (Country Life)

The zebra’s plan: Look cool, stay cool. Literally.

Zebra, Etosha National Park, Namibia

A zebra at the Etosha National Park, Namibia. Credit: Alamy

If you thought you knew why zebra have stripes, think again. And again. And again.

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A new theory joins the 18 already existing theories, which include attracting a mate, hiding from predators and confusing potential parasites. Now amateur naturalist Alison Cobb and her zoologist husband Dr Stephen Cobb believe that the markings help keep zebra cool under the heat of the sub-Saharan sun. The black stripes on a zebra’s coat can be raised, aiding convection currents between the stripes, which make for more efficient evaporation of sweat.

Recent studies around the topic support the Cobb’s findings, but iNews say that their research, published in the Journal of Natural History, ‘is the first-time zebras have been assessed in their natural habitat to investigate the role of stripes in temperature control’.

Mrs Cobb says that the purpose of the zebra’s unique patterning has fascinated her ever since she read Kipling’s How the Leopard Got His Spots, aged 4. ‘Of course, there is much more work to be done to gather evidence and fully understand how the stripes help zebras control temperature’ she says. ‘But I am 85 now, so that’s for others to do.’

Full story (iNews)

There must be a better way to get fit for the summer…

On This Day: The first Henley Regatta

Posh picnic at Henley Royal Regatta. Image shot 2015. Exact date unknown.

It is 180 years today since the start of the first regatta at Henley. The Henley Royal Regatta, as it has been known since it was granted royal status by HRH Prince Albert in 1851, is one of the most famous boating events in the world, hosting crews from just about everywhere. Make your way down to the end of the course on foot, or better yet, by boat. But bare your knees at your peril.

Click here for Country Life’s guide to Henley

How the world’s first ‘bleeding’ vegan burger aims to replace animal-sourced meat by 2035

With a company called ‘Impossible Foods’, it’s not surprising that Pat Brown has some pretty incredible views when it comes to our current food chain. Namely, following the creation of the first vegan burger that looks and tastes like actual meat, Dr Brown aims to make the world meat-free by 2035.

Dr Brown reads our next thoughts like we’ve spelled them out in sky writing, as he tells the EAT Food Forum in Stockholm ‘You laugh but we are absolutely serious about it and it’s doable.’

Dr Brown’s plans marry up well with a recent survey by AT Kearny, who predict that ‘novel vegan meat replacements and cultured meat have the potential to disrupt the $1,000 billion conventional meat industry’, with the Telegraph foreseeing that ‘two thirds of the meat people will eat in 2040 will be either grown in labs or replaced by plant-based alternatives’. Doesn’t that sound yummy?

The theory, while not the most appetising of thoughts, has merit. Almost half of all food crops are used to feed livestock, and by reducing livestock’s dominance in the food chain, more farmland will be free to feed a growing population. Livestock is also a major producer of greenhouse gases – we all know the theory that cow, er, toots are the real cause of global warming.

Full story (The Telegraph)

And finally… some guilt-free alcohol ahead of Father’s Day

The new Highland Park ‘Ness of Brodgar’s Legacy’ whisky will truly ‘honour the proud spirit of Orkney’ with it’s latest partnership, launching 5,000 bottles of the new tipple, with a percentage of proceeds from the sale going to the Ness of Brodgar Trust.

Full story (The Scotsman)