I’m rather pleased with myself. Last weekend, not only did I shoot two cocks and two hens during the beater’s day I attended (my best ever total on a shoot), but I also plucked, de-breasted and then cooked two of the birds all by myself!

Whilst I think it’s great that the likes of Waitrose are now selling more and more game (and long may it continue) it occurred to me as I was eating the birds (with a side of mustard mash, garden peas and squash) that this was possibly the most organic and environmentally friendly meal I had eaten in my entire life.

Barring the clentched fist of the picker-up, no one other than I had ever touched the birds before. They had been housed and fed like bird royalty from the moment they arrived at the shoot and were all dispatched humanly.

They had been hanging in my garage, so there was no need to recycle any containers. Add this to the fact that we walked between most drives on the day, my carbon footprint must have been about as deep as an inflatable fawn wearing a pair of padded Ugg boots…low in order words.

How many other sports can be this environmentally friendly I wonder?