Beyond the Hedge: The People and Stories that Shape the British Countryside Scribehound

Patrick Galbraith learns about offal and why chefs love cooking with it. First, he heads to Norfolk with his friend Sachin Kureishi to shoot some woodpigeons and some squirrels. Mission accomplished, he returns to London where the young butcher, chef, and offal devotee, Flossy Philips, comes over to his flat to cook some really impressive dishes, using squirrel and pigeon offal as well herbs foraged in the local park. 
Flossy, who runs an offal project called ‘Floffal’, believes that innards are the very essence of a creature and they should be treated with as much gastronomic respect as the most expensive cuts of meat. 
You can follow Flossy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/floffal/
The wine they drink, which comes from Walsingham Vineyards, can be found here: https://walsingham.co/collections/wine

Patrick Galbraith plunges into the fascinating world of English wine. He chats to Henry Jeffreys, the celebrated drinks journalist, about his highly-acclaimed new book Vines in a Cold Climate: the people behind the English wine revolution. Henry tells him that the world of English wine is still very much in its infancy – he also paints a picture of an industry full of extraordinary people who will stop at nothing to produce the best product they can. Henry tells Patrick about the history of wine in this country and how important it is that winemakers get their branding right.  
Patrick then, based on Henry’s recommendation, drives to Flint Vineyard, on the Norfolk / Suffolk border, where hares lollop among the vines and sheep eat the weeds. Flint is one of the most interesting English winemakers around. They do things their way and the results, Patrick learns when they get a few bottles out, are extraordinary. 
Henry Jeffrey’s book is available to order here.----more----
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Patrick Galbraith shoots a Chinese water deer and learns about Britain’s growing deer problem. There are more deer in this country than there’ve almost ever been and they are causing all sorts of problems. In Scotland they are destroying pine forests and in England they are browsing out scrub and bramble where nightingales used to sing.
It’s very easy to say that we simply need to start eating more venison. After all, deer are a very sustainable and environmentally-friendly source of protein but through chatting to Paul Childerley, a deer manager in Bedfordshire, and Jack Smallman, a venison wholesaler from the South Downs, Patrick discovers that it’s not easy. Not least because supermarkets often insist on selling farmed venison that’s shipped here from halfway across the world rather than selling venison from the British countryside. 
But things are changing, A growing number of  people are keen to get into deer management and it increasingly feels like veganism and vegetarianism are out and sustainable diets, which include meat, are in. Could it be venison’s moment? Patrick, after cooking up some Chinese Water Deer burgers, thinks that if people got a chance to try it, they’d certainly be back for more.

Patrick Galbraith learns about hedges and what they actually mean. With the help of Dr Leonard Baker, who is an expert on enclosure and those who rose up against it, and Richard Negus, a Suffolk-based conservationist, Patrick discovers that the history of the hedge is thorny and very political.
In the nineteenth century hedges were seen as symbols of oppression and across the country they were torn down and were even paraded through the streets while ‘rough music’ was played. 
But the countryside is always changing and in the years that followed the War, just a couple of centuries after farmers had hedges planted in the name of agricultural improvement, they were grubbed out for the very same purpose. Bigger fields were thought to be better.
Nothing stays the same though and currently, hedgelayers like Richard – who has just finished writing his first book – are out there in the fields with their billhooks and chainsaws, restoring old hedges and planting new ones. If we want nature to recover, Richard believes that good hedges are vital.
For more great rural stories in the form of engaging daily reads from some of the best countryside writers around, subscribe to ScribehoundRichard Negus' debut book is available to pre-order here

Patrick Galbraith delves into the world of sustainable farming and its impact on Britain's rural landscape. With the help of a farmer, an upland conservationist, a restaurateur and a butcher, he explores the environmental benefits and gastronomic delights of native cattle.
Patrick begins his journey by meeting up with fellow Scribehounder and best-selling author Patrick Laurie, who has a herd of Riggit Galloway cattle. Patrick Laurie shares his love of these  hardy beasts and explains their cultural significance in South West Scotland. He also reveals some of the wonders of organic cowpats and some of the hard financial reality of small-scale farming. 
Next up is conservationist, Phil Warren, a research scientist specialising in the plight of black grouse. Phil digs down into claims that livestock farming is bad for the environment and shares the findings of some of his work on native cattle and nature restoration. 
From the wilds, Patrick heads to London to visit Sophie's Steakhouse, a Soho institution which specialises in serving native breed beef. He learns why these beasts produce, according to Sophie, the best steak around.
Finally Patrick catches up with specialist butcher Ian Warren to get a butcher's perspective on beef. Veganism, Ian tells him, has been a brilliant thing for those in the trade who are selling a good product.

Patrick Galbraith goes out in search of the mysterious woodcock, a beloved bird of hunters, chefs and nature lovers the world over.
Patrick's journey begins in Suffolk with farmer, conservationist and writer Sam Carlisle, and Sam's Hungarian Vizsla, Merlin. The trio head into the woods in an attempt to bag a couple of birds for their lunch.
Later, Tim Maddams, the former River Cottage chef, offers his woodcock-cooking tips, and Sam shows Patrick his favourite way of preparing these remarkable and delicious birds.  
Finally, Patrick catches up with Owen Williams, a painter and woodcock conservationist. Owen discusses the complexities of woodcock management and helps Patrick to understand why the question of whether shooting woodcock is sustainable is more complicated than it might appear.Subscribe to Scribehound