Our January issue is one big country house party brimming with top-quality sporting action and everything you need to make New Year’ festivities go with a bang. We visit the Allerton Project in Leicestershire for a bracing day of sport at a shoot where farming and game shooting work in harmony to the benefit of wildlife. Janet Menzies hunts with the New Forest Hounds, a pack steeped in history that has recently converted to bloodhounding, while John Bailey presents his month-by-month guide to unmissable fishing spots together with the lowdown on where to stay and the best guides.

The behemoth banks of Cornwall and Devon once attracted huge crowds – and even Royalty – to the counties’ point-to-points. Serena Cross takes a peek at this long-gone sporting spectacle’s heyday. We serve up all the ingredients that make up a hunt ball to live in the memory for generations, while Johnny Ray reveals how to make your fizz go further when hosting a party.

Rory Knight Bruce meets the ultimate country house canine companions: the diminutive dogs that rule the roost. Ever wondered what lies behind some of our favourite sayings? Mary Skipwith has the answer, while Alec Marsh gets wrapped up in the soft and cosy world of uber-luxurious gentlemen’s dressing gowns. All this and much, much more.