Mrs H and I set off for the Shropshire Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust evening hosted by Kevan and Joy Fox and family at Upper Shadymoor.  We arrived in good time for a cast on the trout pools before dinner.  Now Mrs H is a bit of a dab hand at fishing, as you may know, but I thought that lake fishing might be a challenge too far for her.  Again I was wrong.  With the help of two excellent ghillies (Ivor and Lloyd Fox) she managed to land two rainbow trout, two and three and a half pounds respectively, in short order.

Game for a Fox

The evening was off to a good start and no end of trouble had been taken to make us feel at home in the form of much fettling and attention to detail.  The signage was in place from the A49 and even I could not get lost!  The hedges and verges on the lane leading up to Upper Shadymoor had been cut back and the potholes in the drive repaired.  The house and garden looked a picture with the marquee beautifully laid out to seat about 80 people.

Now when did you last go out to dinner to be offered venison lasagne, grouse, curried rabbit, partridge, duck and wild boar all on the same plate?  The problem was where to put the salad and vegetables.  This was followed by a variety of puddings and cheese and biscuits to finish, all beautifully cooked and quite simply delicious.

The promises auction that followed dinner was interesting and competitive.  Charles Jardine, the local and very famous fishing expert, will be most disappointed that my bid for £175 was topped and he will not have the pleasure of my company for a day's fishing. But, I'm delighted to say, the Fox family will have to put up with me and a young gun on their shoot in December as I did manage to hold off all bidders for lot 18.  I am sure that the days shooting will be fun but it was the bit about lunch included that kept me waving my hand at the auctioneer!

Stephen Habershon is Forestry Consultant to Balfours and can be contacted through Balfours' Offices in Craven Arms on 01588 673314.