Country Life 27 September 2023

Here's a look at what's inside:

Here’s one I trained earlier

Has your over-excited pup left you red-faced on a shoot day? Katy Birchall has the answer: a perfect, pre-trained gundog

And the beat goes on

Beaters have the most fun, says Simon Lester, as he joins the happy behind-the-scenes crew that is crucial to any driven day

Last of the summer wine

John Lewis-Stempel reflects on a pilgrimage to the final resting place of peasant poet John Clare

The magic carpet goes electric

The Rolls-Royce Spectre is so smooth you won’t spill a drop of Champagne, promises Toby Keel

Sholto Kynoch’s favourite painting

The pianist immerses himself in a work of conflicting emotions

Loved to life

A new Jacobean drawing room is the crowning glory at Shilstone, Devon, discovers John Goodall

Native breeds

Kate Green is enchanted by the Exmoor pony, a national-park icon

The need for tweed

A true Hebridean hero weaves his magic to create an ‘estate’ Harris tweed for David Profumo

Under pressure

Charles Harris charts the history of barometers and altimeters, ingenious instruments credited with saving countless lives

You’ve got to roll with it

The much-maligned woodlouse has a pivotal role to play in our gardens, reveals Harry Pearson

Just another day in paradise

The lure of Meikleour is strong as lady anglers have a heavenly day on the Tay, finds David Profumo

Luxury

Scottish tweeds and technical innovation for the new season, plus lustrous pearls and a few of Theo Randall’s favourite things

Interiors

The brilliant yet enigmatic Robert Kime, plus a timeless new kitchen

The nurseryman’s nursery

Tilly Ware finds garden inspiration at the marvellous Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson on pears

Following the North star

Carla Passino marvels at the life of Marianne North, a Victorian artist who forged her own path

And much more