From Gut-Rot to Glory: My Wild Cider Awakening
A technicolour introduction to apple-based alcohol has grown into a quest to discover the perfect pint, from Galloway to Galicia. Here's the best of what I've learned... so far!
Patrick Laurie
A hill farmer and writer from the noble Galloway town of Dalbeattie, my 2020 book Native was a Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize and the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature…
Farewell to the Ferrets - the end of a love-affair
We understand that rabbits are declining, but the knock-on implications for a mad-keen ferreting enthusiast spell the end of an era, just as the next generation develops an appetite for learning about nature.
"When the boot is on the other foot" - a tale of trails and trespass
Walking across Northumberland sheds light on issues around land access... particularly when the trail becomes hard to follow. A farmer lost on somebody else's farmland finds the boot on the other foot...
Scaling Suilven: the long way in to Assynt's terrible peak
I'm no hillwalker, but there's an undeniable thrill in climbing across some of Scotland's wildest and most dramatic landscapes... and there's nowhere more dramatic than Suilven.
Home-reared Pork: a love-letter to pigs and pig-keeping
It's hard to justify keeping a few backyard pigs on financial grounds, but spending time around these strangely satisfying animals offers repayment of a different and richer kind.
The Cattle-Killers: recovering a sense of medieval seasonality
Beef is one of the most readily available meats in the UK, and its abundance has made it a controversial bone of contention - but we should remember that all food is seasonal, and our ancestors knew when and how to cut their steaks...
The Roe Boom: making better use of local deer
Roe deer have become super-abundant in Galloway - recreational stalkers like me can afford to be bullish and make better use of these animals, even if only to prevent them from being wasted.
Trees & Black Grouse: is woodland creation all it's cracked up to be?
Moorland managers are often encouraged to plant trees for black grouse along the moorland fringes, but these birds are too complicated for quick fixes and easy answers. Trees are part of the picture, but there's more to consider...
The Beltie-boom: are pretty cows the answer to our problems?
Belted galloways have probably never been more popular across the UK, but is "going native" for nature really all it's cracked up to be?
Chaos and Mayhem at the World Kökpar Championships
Modern twists on an ancient sport as Russia takes on Kazakhstan in the 2024 World Nomad Games, featuring a surprise appearance from a rubber goat...
The Walnuts of Uzbekistan: "Harvest Home" in Central Asia
As autumn sweeps into Uzbekistan, the ancient walnut groves of the Nuratau mountains come alive to the busy sights and sounds of eager people at work on the harvest.
French Rabbits, and "The Best Food You Can Buy"
A visit to Northern France provides a crash-course in manners, language and down-to-earth game cookery - but are we too frightened of being criticised in the UK, and should we learn from the French and care less about what people think?