Glitz and glamour

MANY joys have been lost as a result of coronavirus this year, and hunt balls are definitely among them.

Not only are they enormous fun, getting dolled up and eating delicious grub while recounting the day’s hunting action before frolicking the night away, they are also vital for raising much-needed coffers for the hunt.

Traditionally, hunt balls were held in the grand country houses of the masters who owned the hunt, hounds and land.

“In the 19th century, the master would invite people to his annual ball, so you were guests in his own house,” says former H&H editor Michael Clayton. “As hunts became subscriber-based, the committees ran them and they became an important means of raising money for the hunt.”

Formerly, hunt balls were a dance at a smart house after a dinner party elsewhere.

“I can remember when people had dinner parties at home and then