This Rural Life

In a rare in-depth interview, Joules founder Tom Joule shares the story of his glorified market stall that grew into an icon of rural life and a darling of the City.

With the business turning 30 this year and motoring on an extraordinary rate, I joined Tom at the Head Office in Market Harborough for a cup of tea and a chinwag.

Get amongst it please.

Of all the things to be known for, building famous companies and exiting them with piles of cash, repeatedly, would be close to the top of most people's list. William Kendall has had the kind of career that if proposed in a movie script might be poo-pooed by the studio as being 'too farfetched'.

But with New Covent Garden Soup Co and Green & Blacks, the farfetched was made a reality. Who would bet against his current businesses, Cawston Press and LA Brewery? Not I. If you are interested in anything to do with farming, food, trends, entrepreneurialism, careers and life planning then this will not be a wasted hour.

Armed with nothing but a flask of tea, a homemade cinnamon muffin and my trusty digital recorder, I made for the Bluebell Woods. I had hoped to experience a British dawn chorus at its best and I wasn't disappointed.

Feel free to join me from the off for some pre-chorus prattle and again at the end for some closing jabber. But the stuff to savour happens when I hand over sole control of the mic to the birds from minute 5 to minute 37. OMFG. Lush tings.

James Herriot inspired at least two generations of children to become large animal vets. Tom Hume was one such wide-eyed youth. He recognised a desire to be intimately connected with nature and to understand how it functions. He then had the foresight to nurture that desire, channeling it towards his ultimate goal.

Its rare to be able to speak to someone so in love with their work. It's doubly rare for that person to be at the very top of their game. Aside from being every mother-in-law's dream, Tom is by all accounts an excellent vet. Hopefully you will enjoy our chinwag!

He's worked with Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Pete Postlethwaite and Helena Bonham Carter and continues to write on (and be terribly secretive about) upcoming projects for the BBC and Channel 4. Billy Ivory went from bin man to Baftas and, of course, has a tram named after him in Nottingham.

Together, we rabbit on about threatening village cricket teams, the Netflix model, addiction, actors, writing and a load of other codswallop. Tuck on in!