The good life

Wild boar and even wilder woodcock are welcome additions to the menu

- Jamie Tusting

I have been repeatedly surprised at where my next meaty meal has come from during my meat self-sufficient year. I was very lucky to be invited boar shooting in 2019 to mark the launch of Wild Boar Fever X, a MyOutdoorTV series.

Last year, with travel and meet-ups limited, I was invited to attend the virtual launch of Wild Boar Fever XI, more than 50 hunters, journalists and Instagrammers from all over the world meeting on Zoom to talk about their shared passion of hunting and the outdoors. To mark the launch of WBF XI, we were all sent a stunning House of Bruar Christmas hamper, filled with boar-related goodies. Having not had such an exotic offering on my table since March, the salamis and cured meats were such a welcome addition.

My shooting days were mightily scuppered by COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. But a last-minute decision to head north to Yorkshire for a day was a welcome distraction. My good friend and partner in crime, Freddie Braithwaite-Exley, and I set off early from Stamford in the pouring rain, with the A1 running like a river.