Stuff or savour?

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way back from a trip to the Outer Hebrides to shoot grouse over a headstrong Gordon setter. For the most part, it’ll just be a case of chasing a dog around the hill for

20 or so heavy-going miles, but it’s everything that I love about shooting. The scenery is idyllic, there’s no phone signal and the birds are as wild as they come.

I’ve been a few times now and every time I go, I always think that I will get a brace of grouse stuffed and cased. They are such beautiful birds and I like taxidermy. I always think of it as being such a great celebration of the wonder of the natural world.

The only trouble, though, is that as much as I like the idea of having a stuffed grouse to admire, I also really like eating them. With the exception of ox tongue, it’s possibly my favourite dinner. Perhaps this year will be one of plenty, and the Gordon setter will be steady enough for me to get on to a few birds — sufficient, hopefully, for the table and the taxidermist. Either way,

I’ll let you know in due course.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @paddycgalbraith