Country Life

When it comes to travel, few know more than our very own Rosie Paterson. She has been to many places, and seen many things. And that’s just this year.

She also has her finger on the pulse when it comes to places people might like to go in the future. Imagine how smug you would feel telling friends at a drinks party that, actually, ‘Japan is a bit overdone at the moment; south-west China is where it’s at’. These are the kinds of insights you could gain if you listen to this week’s episode.

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Other insights include, but are not limited to, hiking with leopards in Sri Lanka, walking with wolves in Montana with a man named Randy, plus some of the best spots in New York City, Greece, Rome and the UK. 

It’s a must listen if your thoughts are already turning towards where to spend some time next week. Below is a bunch of links to all the establishments mentioned, so you can check them out for yourself. And we very much hope you enjoy the episode. 

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher
• Guest: Rosie Paterson
• Editor and Producer: Toby Keel
• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay; Another Pineapple Please - The Fly Guy Five via Epidemic Sound

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Interior designers Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, better known by their company name Salvesen Graham, have earned a reputation as some of Britain's most sought-after interior designers, developing an aesthetic which blends classic principles with modern touches.

Yet as well as having a great love of beautiful rooms and objects, they're both firmly rooted in how people actually live day to day in their homes.

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'You have to be hugely practical, and you have to have a love, and want to create something and solve a problem,' says Nicole. 'My love of it came from how people live in a home, how they want to use it.'

'I think people are almost surprised actually that it's almost the practical side of it that we tackle first,' adds Mary. 'The decorative side is layered on top of that.'

It makes for a fascinating episode of the Country Life Podcast as Nicole and Mary speak to our host, James Fisher, talking about everything from fabric samples and paint colours to one of Britain's great design resources: the shops that line the Pimlico Road in central London.

You can find out more about Salvesen Graham at their website, follow them on Instagram, and see one of their projects — a house in Berkshire — which was featured in Country Life.

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher
• Guests: Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham
• Editor and Producer: Toby Keel
• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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I suppose we all remember the house, or houses, we grew up in. Where we learned to walk, or first explore the garden, or climb some stairs.

Most houses are quite small. Some are quite big. And then there are houses like Cluny Castle in Abderdeenshire.

I was joined on the podcast this week by its owner, Cosmo Linzee Gordon, who grew up there. Cosmo agreed to answer the questions that I imagine I am not alone in wondering: what exactly is it like to grow up in a big castle? What is hide and seek like when you have more than 20 rooms to get lost in? And is it really freezing all year around?

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Not only did Cosmo grow up at Cluny, he also took over running the house and estate in his early 20s, meaning that he is also well placed to answer another important question  —  what’s it like to keep it going? Because big houses — just like small houses — love nothing more than breaking, and are tremendously expensive to fix. They are more than just homes, they are monuments to architecture and the Arts that need preserving, a task that is easier said than done.

For Cosmo, it meant diversifying into a wedding business, that means that people from the UK and abroad can fulfil their fantasy of a fairytale wedding (I mean seriously, look at the pictures of this place: it is the very definition of ‘castle’).

There's something else too: what’s it like to know that there is a certain future set in stone for you? Maybe Cosmo would have wanted to become an astronaut, or a rock star. Sadly, he never really got the choice. I mean, there are worse things in life to be lumped with than a castle and estate in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, but it’s not everyone’s dream.

These are just some of the many questions we discuss in this week’s podcast, which basically boils down to ‘the secret stories of growing up and living in a big castle’. We like to ask the important questions here at Country Life. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to the important answers.

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher
• Guests: Cosmo Linzee Gordon
• Editor and Producer: Toby Keel
• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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What is the fundamental job of a writer? 'We try to turn the world into language,' according to the poet, broadcaster and writer Ian McMillan.

Ian, one of Britain's best-loved poets and writers, as well as the presenter of The Verb on BBC Radio 4, joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast in what is one of the most entertaining and wide-ranging chats so far.

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James and Ian start off by discussing Under the Changing Skies, a collection of highlights from The Guardian's long-running Country Diary series. It's a collection for which Ian has penned the foreword, despite admitting that he'd be 'no good at all' at writing the column himself.

'You've only got 200 words, 200-and-odd words,' says Ian. 'I'd still be clearing my throat at 250 words, and might just be ready to go at 300 words.'

Ian and James go on to talk about an amazing: nature, writing, inspiration and more, with some wonderful anecdotes added in from an illustrious career (Ian's, that is; not James's). There's also a chance for Ian to explain why he chose John Cage's 4 minutes 33 seconds of silence when he appeared on Desert Island Discs — a quirky choice to put it mildly, and one which might conceivably have had some rather alarming unintended consequences.

Under the Changing Skies: The best of The Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is out now, published by Faber (£20)

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Organising a literary festival is no mean feat. You've got to book the right guests, organise plenty of activities, and find somewhere to host it.

Vicky and Charles Rangeley-Wilson joined the podcast this week to talk about exactly that, ahead of the upcoming Literature and Landscape Festival in Norfolk. With a star-studded lineup, there was plenty to talk about.

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From discussions on the future of farming and the environment, to getting children to count insects in rivers, it turns out the literary festival isn't just boring old men reading from their novels. Thank goodness for that.

The Literature and Landscape Festival takes place in Wells-next-the-Sea, from October 4-6. Tickets can be found here

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guests: Vicky and Charles Rangeley-Wilson

Editor and Producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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The bushmaster snake is on the one hand, very polite: it announces its presence with a two-tone whistle.

On the other hand, however, it's utterly merciless: a creature which will chase humans through the jungle, attack aggressively, and should it miss with its fangs will leap on to its intended prey and attempt to whip them in to submission.

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This is just one of the extraordinary tales shared by Lucy Shepherd, the brilliant young explorer who has travelled through both the Antarctic and the Amazon. She joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about her life growing up in rural Suffolk, to the high-adrenaline life she now leads, blazing a trail through impenetrable jungle. You'll like her.

Lucy's latest exploits are the subject of an upcoming show on Channel 4 called Secret Amazon: Into the Wild, which is scheduled to air on October 7th at 10pm.

You can also catch up with Lucy on Instagram at @lucysheps

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Lucy Shepherd

Editor and Producer: Toby Keel

• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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We were thrilled to discover that Charlie Bigham is a real person. It's a bit like meeting Aunt Bessie, and asking how she does her Yorkshire Puddings, or running swapping tips with Ronald McDonald about how to get your fries crispy.

But real person he is, and he's a man with a fascinating story to tell, from ditching a hugely promising career in order to drive a campervan to India, then to return to Britain and become a household name in the world of pre-prepared meals.

Food for many people is a source of comfort, and it certainly is too for Charlie, who joined the Country Life Podcast this week to talk about cooking, his business and his new cookbook Supper With Charlie Bigham, which is out on Thursday September 12.

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In the book, you can cook classics from his range (including the lasagne, rejoice) as well as plenty of other dishes that he makes for his family and friends at home. Which is neat. A risk too, perhaps, because if you could whip up a Charlie Bigham meal on cue then your friends and family will constantly be coming around. We can only imagine how annoying it is for him already.

We also spoke about his decision to leave his consulting work in 1994 and go traveling. It was that journey, and a love of cooking, that inspired him to set up his business in the first place. We chatted about creating the world’s most expensive fish pie, known as the ‘Swish Pie’, the importance of sustainable business and caring for the planet, and his favourite place in the British countryside.

Charlie has always been the guy behind the wooden tray. It was great to finally meet him. We hope you’ll enjoy listening.

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher
• Guest: Charlie Bigham
• Editor and producer: Toby Keel
• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
• Special Thanks: Adam Wilbourn

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Here at the Country Life Podcast, we like to think we deliver a useful and necessary service. We want to discuss the important issues. We want to talk to Norman Foster about why architecture matters. We want to speak to farmers about how they can help tackle the climate crisis. We strive to compress the beauty of nature into an audio format so we can learn to cherish and appreciate the world around us.

Sometimes, however, we have to ask important questions such as: ‘How can you sneak onto a yacht party at the Monaco Grand Prix?’. Thankfully, we know just such an expert. Adam Hay Nicholls has spent decades travelling the world, driving fast cars, reviewing fancy hotels and writing about Formula One. His answer? Confidence, good socks, and knowing the name of the owner of said yacht. Either that, or pretend you’re from pest control. Even fancy yachts have rats, apparently.

To complement this week’s Horsepower Issue, Adam joined me for a chat about all things cars, travel and F1. What are some of his favourite cars that he’s driven? What’s it like owning a vintage Bentley? Why was he at the opening of a hotel in Dubai with Beyonce? Why is he currently trapped in a log cabin in Northumberland? All very important questions as I’m sure you’d agree.

We also spoke at length about his trip around England, Scotland and Wales to complete the Three Peaks challenge. If that doesn’t sound very luxurious, don’t worry, we sent him off to do it in an Aston Martin.

We’re not yet sure whether CountryLife.co.uk will be able to hire an ‘Editor of having a jolly good time’, but if we do, Adam certainly has the resumé for the role. We think you’ll enjoy listening to what he’s been up to.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Adam Hay-Nicholls

Producer and Editor: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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If it wasn’t for The Stage, there’s every chance that Britain and, indeed, the world may have been deprived of such great names as Kenneth Brannagh, Harold Pinter, Michael Caine, Sharon D Clarke, Idris Elba, The Spice Girls and Steps.

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It goes to show the importance of trade publications, especially those that work in the Arts. I was very lucky to be joined this week on the Country Life by The Stage’s editor Alistair Smith to talk about all things theatre and the performing arts, as well as the Edinburgh Fringe. Full disclosure, he is also my friend and neighbour, and sometimes he feeds my cat while I’m on holiday.

Nevertheless, he is an expert in his field, having started working at the newspaper 20 years ago on work experience, before rising through the ranks to the top job. Over the years, he’s seen it all, from mime shows to the Kit Kat club to a Fringe performance that took place entirely in a lift.

We talked about The Fringe, the state of the Arts in the UK and what can be done to help them, his work for the charity Get Into Theatre, how he got his big break in journalism thanks to a juggler and how to get Ian McKellen to take your picture.

As always, it’s a supremely engaging listen and you can download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Alistair Smith

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Special Thanks: Adam Wilbourn

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It’s important to think about the past. I think about it often. Usually when I’m lying in bed and my brain decides that’s the best time to think of mistakes I’ve made, loves that have been lost, and, of course, the Roman Empire.

A lot of history is about kings, queens and battles. Which is very interesting in its own way. But is it real history? After all, most of history doesn’t involve kings or queens or battles. Most of history is just normal people going about their business, trying not to be too hungry, too cold, or too sick. That’s real history.

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That’s why it’s important to talk to people such as Ruth Goodman, who is less interested in kings and queens and battles. She likes to learn about normal people, doing normal things, in the past and what that says about us.

She came on the Country Life Podcast to talk to us about normal people doing normal things in the past, and how she learns so much about them. The secret is to put yourself in their shoes. She cooks dinners over an open fire. She once lived according to a ‘Tudor body-cleansing regime’ for three months and apparently it wasn’t so bad. To her, the study of the people of the past is a type of anthropology; after all, to us, the Tudor is a different society altogether.

It was extremely eye opening and interesting. We also discussed her work around restoring a former ‘ragged school’ in Fulham that has been redeveloped into something called KYN Hurlingham. It’s an interesting focal point of how working-class people worked together to improve their own lives, in the face of indifference from the wealthy and the government.

It was a wide-ranging and interesting chat. You’ll love it. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Ruth Goodman

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Special Thanks: Adam Wilbourn

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