Buy your advance entrance tickets now

The organisers of the Festival of Hunting and the 135^th Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show, along with the Chairman and committee of The Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show Society (PRFSS), and key sponsor Countryside Alliance, encourage everyone with only eight weeks to go that you ensure this key date is in your diary:

1. buy your ticket https://festivalofhunting.com/buy-tickets/ to attend the blue-ribboned hound show of the summer, on Wednesday 19^th July 2023
2. shop til you drop, there’s always time around the hound classes for whatever you need to buy. Our amazing array of trade stands won’t disappoint. Whether a pair of new riding boots, replacing last season’s breeches, treating the Labrador to a new leather collar, buying next year’s Christmas cards, finding the most delicious bottle of Rhubarb Gin, or buying a fine piece of art work – it’s all to be found amongst our artisan businesses https://festivalofhunting.com/shopping-village/
3. you won’t go hungry or thirsty  – there’s the Vice President’s lunch marquee for pre-booked luncheons, the food court of local larder producers, our hunt bar area to slake that thirst or celebrate red rosettes in the rings, or if your hunt is hosting a picnic in the lorry park you could win the Stirrup Cup Case of port for your opening meet for the best picnic spread as judged  by our eminent panel from the Field magazine, weekly Country Life and a local award winning food author – no limp sandwiches.
4. it’s an equine knock out  – cheer on your Senior or Junior hunt team in the Inter Hunt Relay – make sure they’ve entered, https://festivalofhunting.com/interhunt-relay/ it’s fast, furious, fun and loud but you can just sit back in a deck chair, with a Pimms or G&T and cheer them on in the sun.
5. hounds, hounds and more hounds – this is why the Festival of Hunting is our equivalent to Crufts where the best hounds are judged and awarded being the best in show, whether Modern Foxhounds over in the Fitzwilliam Foxhound Enclosure, Old English Foxhounds in ring 2, Harriers and Beagles in rings 4&5, Bassett Hounds in ring 3. Show your support to all those hard working hunt staff who work tirelessly to turn out their hounds through the summer showing season. Red rosettes are coveted but showing at Peterborough is still winning https://festivalofhunting.com/schedules/
6. and the next generation can never be forgotten to secure our future – make sure you show your support in ring 1 at 3pm where passionate youngsters who help out at kennels have the chance to try their hand at showing hounds https://festivalofhunting.com/young-handlers-class/
7. there’s always more to those different hounds competing – meet up close some Sealyham Terriers, Fell Hounds and witness a large parade of sight hounds.
8. Meet those that make this spectacular day  happen – key sponsor The Countryside Alliance https://www.countryside-alliance.org welcomes all Festival of Hunting visitors to drop by their stand opposite the main Hunt Marquee and event organiser the East of England Agricultural Society  https://www.eastofengland.org.uk can be found in the Show Office. And finally a huge thank you to all the volunteers that steward and make the day possible – their passion, time and knowledge helping is priceless – so look out for our amazing stewards on the day.

Eight weeks to go and eight reasons to come – you don’t need any more – the Festival of Hunting is one of the highlights of the rural summer calendar as a day packed with action, tradition, delicious cuisine, socialising and retail therapy.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW AND HAVE A GREAT DAY OUT AT THE SOCIAL EVENT FOR THE RURAL COMMUNITY– there’s something for everyone.”

Admission to the Festival of Hunting will be by prior online ticket sales only with tickets available now https://festivalofhunting.com/buy-tickets/

The Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles is delighted to announce the 2023 Peterborough Harrier and Beagle Show judges are:

Harrier Dog Hounds: 

M. Rumney, Esq, M.H.

Mrs. K. Higgs, M.H.

Harrier Bitch Hounds:

N. D. B. Peel, Esq.

Mrs. E. A. Pinney

Beagle Dog Hounds:

W. O’Brien, Esq.

P. A. Eakers, Esq. M.H.

Beagle Bitch Hounds:

M. R. Wright, Esq., M.H.

P. C. Sever, Esq., M.H.

The recently amalgamated Badsworth, Bramham, York South Hunt (BBYS) were in the mood for celebration as their picnic was judged the top offering at last week’s Festival of Hunting, claiming the title and a prize of the Stirrup Cup crate of port for their opening meet, donated by the East of England Agricultural Society, as well as copies of Jenny Jefferies’ books, ‘For the Love of the Land’ and ‘For the Love of the Sea’.

With over 15 picnics to judge, over lunch the hot ticket was in the hunt lorry park, where the annual Hunt Picnic Competition was judged by local award-winning food writer Jenny Jefferies and Octavia Pollock, writer and chief sub-editor at Country Life magazine. All hunts entering the classes at the 134^th Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show, be that in the foxhound classes, or the Inter Hunt Relay competitions, were encouraged to enter the Hunt Picnic Competition as the hunt staff and their supporters came together over a range of delicious homemade dishes celebrating the best of their local land.

The BBYS picnic was coordinated by Jean MacQuarrie, with chairman Andrew McCloy on chief carving duties for the home-reared beef and ham that was so well received by the judges, who also commended the strawberries collated from kitchen gardens across the BBYS country, and delicious pies. The judges were also impressed by the team effort and lovely feeling of the picnic, including top marks for flowers and a very attractive stuffed fox, as the BBYS came together to celebrate their recent union.

Jean MacQuarrie, picnic coordinator, said: “Everything we do as the newly amalgamated BBYS is as a team, so to win the Hunt Picnic Competition on the merit of our dishes as well as the team spirit we displayed is thrilling news! It was such a fun and delicious lunch because everyone contributed to it.”

Cheers! With judges Octavia Pollock and Jenny Jefferies – photo credit Amelia Woolford, East of England Agricultural Society.

Some of the spread on offer with the BBYS Hunt picnic, overseen by an eager pair of eyes – photo credit Amelia Woolford, East of England Agricultural Society

Highly commended went to the Belvoir Hunt for their excellent ‘fox pie’ and homemade Elderflower ‘Champagne’, and the Cotswold Hunt for their homemade puddings.

Spectators that were not affiliated with a particular hunt were well-served too, with this year’s ‘Local Larder’ food and drinks suppliers providing ample opportunities to enjoy catching up with friends and acquaintances from across the rural community. The range of retail trade stands were popular too, with spectators enjoying some retail therapy across high quality hunting apparel through to country clothing, art and gifts, perhaps via a tipple of two at the Hunt Bar.