A wise man once said to me, about buying a house, that you ‘have to remember that this is the most money you will spend on anything, ever, so you want to make sure you get it right’. It’s probably best, therefore, to make sure that the people advising you know a thing or two about the market and property, and come loaded with bags of experience about the finer workings of buying and selling your home.

This week, on the Country Life Podcast, I sat down with Oli Custance Baker, head of Strutt & Parker’s National Country House Department, and Sarah Brown, director of Strutt & Parker’s south west region, to chat about houses. Considering this is Country Life, the time felt right.

Boasting decades of experience between them on buying and selling the finest homes in the country, they seemed like the obvious choice to break through the noise and get

some answers on the finer workings of property.

We discussed their careers to date, chuckled at anecdotes on some of the stranger things that have happened during sales, put some myths to the test about the best ways to buy and sell a house, and locked in on why, exactly, having an expert in your corner is the most important thing when it comes to moving home.

This episode of the Country Life Podcast is sponsored by Strutt & Parker. It is produced, as normal, by Country Life and Future. You can watch the video version of the podcast at countrylife.co.uk/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Depending on who you ask, the food and drink scene in London is either in a state of despair or it's never been in better health. As always, when there is this much noise, it's best to get an expert on to cut a path through the metaphorical fog. Who could be better than Leonie Cooper, food and drink editor at Time Out London, and co-host of Messy Lunch with Gizzi Erskine.

Where can you meet a man called Otto, wear a viking hat, and grind up a pigeon into a sauce? Where was ground zero for the natural wine movement? Where are the best pubs in our capital? You'll agree, all very important questions, and thankfully Leonie has all the answers. Somehow, we even get into the contents of her fridge, which will no doubt impress plenty of our regular listeners.

Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Spotify

Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Audible

We also talk about messy lunches (should we be having more of them? Are they allowed? Why were they ever allowed?) and her new show Messy Lunch, which she co-hosts with Gizzi Erskine. Messy Lunch sees Leonie and Gizzi take the great and the good from the world of music and interview them over a slap-up meal, greasing the wheels of gossip and drawing out the best stories from some of the nation's most famous musicians. Not only will it make you hungry, it will also make you wonder why you ever took a job in accounting.

I don't say this often, but Leonie has been one of the best guests we've ever had on the podcast, so make sure to tune in and listen. And then go and book a decent restaurant afterwards. Or become a rockstar. Or both.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Leonie Cooper

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each year, the Country Life Top 100 names the very finest country house architects, interior designers, landscapers, garden designers and craftspeople in Britain. It's one of the magazine's undisputed highlights of the year, with our interiors expert Giles Kime spending months alongside experts from across the country to produce the final list.

We're delighted, then, that Giles joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast this week to talk about the 2026 list, to explain how it's evolved and developed for its latest iteration.

Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Spotify

Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Audible

This year, the most striking change is in the number of artists, craftspeople and artisans who've earned recognition. Giles explains to James why that is, why craft is so important and becoming ever more so, and highlighting some of the wonderful people who are in this year's Top 100.

You can see the full Country Life Top 100 here; and to see Giles in person you can book a ticket for his conversation with Kit Kemp — a designer on the Top 100 list — at the Winchester Book Festival in April.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Giles Kime

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.