Comment & Opinion

Curious Questions: What is mock turtle soup? And did it come before or after 'Alice in Wonderland'?

Martin Fone delves into the curious tale of an iconic Victorian delicacy: mock turtle soup.

Plan properly, build well, and even the NIMBYs can't object to the solution to the housing crisis

Reforming planning and embarking on a large-scale house building plan is one of the great challenges for the new government — but a blueprint is already out there for exactly what they need to do, says Country Life columnist Athena.

‘The teacher asked us to paint "like we were having sex"': How to kill seven days 'voyaging' on the Queen Mary 2

Pamela Goodman on the unique challenges — and opportunities — of spending seven days afloat while crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2.

Curious Questions: Where does the phrase 'daylight robbery' come from? It's literally about the theft of daylight

Martin Fone tells a tale of sunshine and tax — and where there is tax, there is tax avoidance... which in this case changed the face of Britain's growing cities.

Carla Carlisle: If Jeremy Clarkson was on the ballot, he'd win the farming vote easily

Our columnist from across the pond reflects on the turbulent state of politics, and retains hope for a more predictable future.

The truth about rewilding, by seven of Britain's most influential farmers, landowners and conservationists

Although the term 'rewilding' is contentious, most agree that our countryside could be better managed for wildlife. Yet what should we actually be doing to improve it?

Curious Questions: Is there a way to win at rock, paper, scissors?

John Lewis-Stempel: 'Rewilding is a poor, pathetic box of tools for fixing the state of nature'

Turning the countryside into an eco-Disneyland ignores plenty of problems — most notably, where is our food going to come from?

Patrick Galbraith: We are a brilliant and terrible species who messed it up a long time ago — and that means we have to do things we don't want to

Our columnist laments the painful decisions on culling wild animals which he argues have to be taken if we're to manage the countryside and maintain biodiversity.

Tanks, tulips and taxidermy: The strange lives of Britain's most eccentric collectors

Five collectors of unusual things, from taxidermy to tanks, tulips to teddies, explain their passions to Country Life. Interviews by Agnes Stamp, Tiffany Daneff, Kate Green and Octavia Pollock. Photographs by Millie Pilkington, Mark Williamson and Richard Cannon.

Curious Questions: When does summer actually start?

You'd think it would be simple. It's anything but, as Martin Fone discovers.

The M25 and A3 junction's 'wildlife bridge' shows the way forward for Man and Nature

We must ensure that the UK’s first ever heathland green bridge, straddling the A3 and a lifeline for diminishing wildlife, isn’t the last of its kind to open, says John Lewis-Stempel.

Minette Batters: The Peppering Project is a 'blueprint for delivering food and Nature security across the country in a way that rewilding on its own never will'

The ex-NFU president reflects on a recent visit to the pioneering nature-recovery project being undertaken by the Duke of Norfolk in West Sussex.

Curious Questions: Is being left-handed an advantage?

10 ways to save the planet, according to Country Life

There are many practical ways in which we–individuals, groups and Government–can make a difference to our planet, both locally and nationally. As the General Election looms, we present 10 areas where improvement is badly needed.

Jonathan Self: Gossip, atheists, and the cheating husband caught on his own CCTV cameras

Heard it on the grapevine? Then you're simply making use of one of your great evolutionary advantages, says Jonathan Self.

'By the time I wanted to know about the war that had swept over the world and redefined lives, I’d left it too late for first-hand accounts'

Carla Carlisle reflects on the 80th anniversary of D-Day and its legacy of gratitude and awe.

Jason Goodwin: I always give the snails a flying chance at new life — but with slugs, I am merciless

It's all very well being At One with Nature, but when they start feasting on your pelargoniums, they've crossed a line says Jason Goodwin.

'The sound of ripping cloth confirmed there was a crisis. And then I remembered I had come as no-knickers-Norma'

Joe Gibbs has a night to forget. Which is ironic, since anyone who reads his account will remember it for years...

'I didn't realise quite what we were getting into': how to make cheese in Norfolk and what it says about us

Patrick Galbraith visits a cheesemaker in Norfolk and leaves wondering what 'a hard day's work' really means.