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Mushroom gin, Lego houses, and dull men and women, with James May

James Fisher James Fisher

That bloke off Top Gear joins the Country Life Podcast to talk about making his own gin, how to run a pub, why dull men and women are anything but and why he hates the North Pole and suitcases with wheels.

For me, a kid who grew up in the early noughties, Top Gear was essential viewing every Sunday at 8pm. I liked cars and I liked to laugh. Jeremy Clarkson may have been the main event, and Richard Hammond may have been, well, small, but my favourite of the trio was always James May. 

There was something about his candid demeanour and his revulsion of excess that always resonated with me, more than the others. I also enjoyed his child-like wonder at looking at things and trying to understand how they worked. Fast forward a decade or two, and I decided to see if he fancied doing the Country Life Podcast, now that I am a serious journalist at Country Life Magazine who occasionally writes about cars.

Like all serious journalists, James used to work for Country Life and write about cars. It didn’t go very well, but I think we can all agree he bounced back rather well. As well as Top Gear and the Grand Tour, he went on to make many other TV shows, including his latest, James May and The Dull Men. He’s also been busy making his own gin. And he bought a pub. It’s called the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe.

Credit: James Gin

James Gin started off as something to pass the time during Lockdown, but it soon got a bit serious, as people wanted to drink it. I can only imagine his frustration. He joined me to discuss the intricacies of gin making, as well as why he’s chosen some unusual flavours, such as mushroom. There’s a bit where he gets quite serious about parsnips, but don’t let that put you off.

We also talk about Dull Men, why cans of baked beans are the wrong size and why he doesn’t think it’s acceptable for suitcases to have wheels. All very serious research that only he has been brave enough to undertake. He’s also very well travelled, having visited Mauritania, the North Pole, and many other unusual destinations. When we asked him where his favourite place in the world was, well, the answer might surprise you.

It was a fantastic chat with one of our favourite ever guests. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to it.