60 years of commitment to hosting meets

A farming family recently celebrated 60 years of hosting a meet by welcoming their local pack of hounds for the annual meet at their farm near Whitchurch in Buckinghamshire.

It was 1964 when the Parrott family first hosted the Whaddon Chase hounds, before the pack amalgamated with the Bicester and Warden Hill in 1986 to form the Bicester with Whaddon Chase. Since then, the family has hosted the meet held on the first Monday after the opening meet every single year, including most recently on Monday, 11 November, where a minute’s silence was held on Remembrance Day.

Hunting has been a part of this family for even longer than the hosting of meets. John and Mabel Parrott - the grandparents of current hosts Mark and Phillip Parrott, along with their sister Sue - walked foxhounds from 1930 before Dennis and Rona Parrott hosted the first meet on the farm in 1964. During this time, they have seen 29 masters and six huntsmen including Albert Buckle (pictured on foot) and David Barker (pictured on the horse to the left).

Polly Portwin, the Director of the Campaign for Hunting at the Countryside Alliance, said:

“Families like the Parrotts are the backbone of so many hunts, creating a real sense of community by generously entertaining both mounted and foot followers as well as neighbouring farmers and friends. Hosting a meet for 60 years on virtually the same day and time each year is quite extraordinary.”

“The generosity of meet hosts and those who permit hunts to access their land cannot be praised highly enough,” continued Polly. “Meets are not just about gathering ahead of a day’s trail hunting, they provide a chance for social interaction which plays such an important part in people’s physical and mental well-being, particularly for those who live in isolated or rural areas.”

“The Parrotts epitomise all that we admire in a host,” explained Kess Skinner, joint-master of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase. “We really look forward to their annual meet which is attended by supporters from all over our hunt country. They provide the best food, cooked by top chef Sue, the best pre-meet hospitality and ultimately the tea they put on at the end of the day is truly one of a kind. We are so lucky to have families like these within the Bicester with Whaddon Chase.”

The Parrott family run a successful butcher’s shop on their farm which was nominated this year for a Countryside Alliance award under the “best butcher” category. The family butchers have been established in this area for more than a century. They provide their beef from their own prize-winning herd, the Beechmoor Herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle and provide an array of different products which fuel the local community and beyond.