In the first chapter, Shoot & Stalking Days, we look at the gamekeepers involved in deer and grouse management along with pheasant and partridge shooting. The variety and extent of skill sets required in today’s ever-changing world of keepering and deer management is eye-opening, plus to perform these roles takes dedication, perseverance, pride and a lot of time, usually during incredibly unsocial hours.

 Behind the Trigger then looks at the individuals and businesses involved before a shot is taken. Again, the skill sets of each are astounding, as is the passion which individuals have to run their businesses as they do. Mediocrity is not a word in any of their vocabularies and they are all pushing themselves to find ways of improving performance and quality, and this is true from tweed maker to gunmaker, leather goods maker to artist, gun engraver to stick maker. They all want to make a difference and indeed they do.

The next chapter, Beyond the Trigger, covers everything after a shot has been taken. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) sets very high standards for all animals entering the food chain in Great Britain. The benefit of that is that all venison and game meat arriving at the game dealer, butcher or restaurant is sourced with high traceability in the same manner as food coming from farms. Again, the skill sets are superb and varied.

 The Rural Landscape covers everywhere from Caithness to Cornwall: we could have produced a book on this alone, such is the sheer size and extent of the wonderful landscapes we have. It’s vital to shine a light on this: our landscapes look like this because of shooting, stalking, and farming, not in spite of them. The management of our landscape has been going on since the 17th century; it’s nothing new.

 The penultimate chapter, The Supporting Cast, features some of the flora and fauna in the UK, together with a handful of the characters without whom this book wouldn't have been possible. Without the flora and fauna that fill our landscape it would be meaningless. Dr Stephen Tapper, formerly of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, wrote a superb book called simply A Question of Balance, which is exactly what this industry is about: game and its role in the rural landscape.