A Bolder Podcast: Recent Episodes
Nigel Bolding
Interviews with bold and interesting people in the world of wine, travel, cuisine and entertainment.
nigelbolding.substack.com
Alan 'Lambie' and I first met in auspicious circumstances. England v Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1987 when England won the match, the series and the Ashes within 3 days. In the post match excitement I managed to get into the England dressing room to personally congratulate the whole team which I thought they would appreciate. Having been told to pack my bags by David Gower I then bumped into Elton John on the way out so it was quite a moment.
This fascinating 50 minute chat takes us around the world looking at Lambie's cricketing career, characters he has met and how he has since moved into the world of sport, food and wine travel. It's a tough job but someone has to do it and who better than Lambie.
With current Covid restrictions however, the sports travel market has completely dried up. There isn't much optimism for live events taking place in 2021 with spectators - most disappointingly for rugby fans the 2021 British and Irish Lions Tour that looks like it will be played in empty stadia. Pity - there would be no-one better than SA native Lambie to take a group of sports aficionados around his home country of South Africa.
Looking further ahead we look at his plans for the Rugby World Cup in France 2023 as tickets have recently gone on sale and hotels are beginning to fill up on the key weekends. For those interested in more information please contact Lambie via info@lambassociates.co.uk
So it has been 40 years of a stellar cricket career with 2 World Cup Finals and a steely reputation at the crease forged from his ability to cope with the fearsome West Indies fast bowling attack back in the 80s. Lambie has a room named after him at the Northampton County Cricket Ground and you will enjoy his story of discovering this in a rather unique manner. Since hanging up his cricketing whites Lambie has continued to travel the world and re-visit many of the places that he was fortunate enough to represent England in. Some would say that he played international/professional cricket at a perfect time. Players may not have been as well remunerated as they are now but at least back then they were able to mix playing for their country with the opportunity to see some of their hosts' countries as well. Enjoy listening to Lambie and apologies for some early technical and connection issues!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
I first met Jennifer in Hong Kong in the mid 80s when she was an investment banker. We lost contact until the early 2000s when I was attending the African travel show, Indaba, in Durban. I couldn't quite figure out why this erstwhile investment banker was attending a travel show but it transpired that Jennifer had created and invested in Thornybush Game Lodges in the Kruger National Park. I was working on our 3rd book in the Chic Collection, southafricachic. Jennifer was living in Johannesburg and I was a frequent visitor so our friendship re-ignited and we see each other as regularly as distance permits now that she is back in Sussex in the UK.
Jennifer's passion has always been wildlife conservation and especially saving the African rhino population from continued poaching. This is her main passion and commitment and being involved with Thorneybush allows her to get to do something positive on the front line of this awful fight whilst building a special place to stay at Thorneybush. I was lucky enough to visit 2 years ago and can't wait to get back; as Jennifer points out there is nothing better or indeed more appropriate in these pandemic times than being able to go on safari - be in one's own private bubble if required - and most importantly to enjoy the habitat and environment of some very special and endangered animals.
We caught up recently for a long overdue chat about the challenges Thornybush is facing in the current environment with barely any international travel; how they are able to stay open and keep their loyal staff employed and what these strange times have meant for the ongoing struggle against the poachers. Enjoy this 50 minute chat and book a trip to Thorneybush as soon as we can travel long haul again!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Two years ago Raphael and Gemma left Paris to start their new 'restaurant with rooms' project in the Dordogne. After almost a year of work on the building they finally opened in early 2019 and I recently spent an entertaining morning with them discussing progress so far followed by the main event: tasting some of Raphael's creative cooking. A separate video will follow on my blog that hopefully does justice to his culinary skills!
Dix is a very different restaurant concept from what you would normally expect to find in the Dordogne or indeed anywhere in rural France. The kitchen is open so it feels as if you are in their home - which indeed you are. The cooking is light, gifted and fun if that sounds like a song but Raphael will make your tastebuds sing as we found out with a sublime dish of glazed salmon accompanied by an apple and beetroot sauce, lemon gel and a scattering of diced peanuts. This was followed by a magnificent vegetarian ravioli that will convince even the hardest core carnivorians!
If your travels take you to the Dordogne then you must put Dix on your list of places to eat and stay as they have three delighful rooms to choose from so discover the delights of Ste Alvere during the day in order to work up an appetite for dinner in the knowledge that you will only have to walk upstairs at the end of a memorable dining experience!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Stephanie and her husband Philippe (Chairman of Relais and Châteaux) own probably the most beautiful and exclusive place to stay in the Dordogne. Perched on a rock above the Dordogne river this is a stunning château that has been in the family since 1982 and it took 3 years to get the building into good enough shape to open. They joined Relais and Châteaux in 1992 and haven't looked back. 50% of their guests come from overseas and from many diverse markets. In normal years the US market is crucial but of course this is not a normal year. Stephanie tells us all about the history of the building and what they have to do when they close for substantial and ongoing expert renovation work every year. Chateau de la Treyne is an archetypal Relais and Chateaux property with only 18 rooms and a Michelin starred restaurant. Enjoy this lovely 30 minute chat with Stephanie and make sure you plan a visit there in 2021 when they reopen.
Simon has had a distinguished career on and off the rugby pitch. With 23 caps for England he can be considered both unlucky with injuries and the centre pairing of Carling and Guscott at the time. In the amateur era combining an international rugby career with a career in the City wasn't easy and Simon wrote about this with his book City Centre in 2013.
Blessed with a business brain and elite sporting ability, both at rugby and cricket by the way, Simon has combined these assets to now steer the European Professional Club Rugby body with its showpiece tournaments the European Champions Cup and the European Challenge Cup whose delayed finals take place later in October. Sadly they are to be played behind closed doors in Bristol but are indeed two mouth watering Anglo French encounters between Exeter and Racing 92 for the Champions Cup and Bristol v Toulon for the Challenge Cup. They would have taken place in Marseille in May in normal times and the thought of the south of France being invaded by half of Englands West Country is a delightful thought. Perhaps next year as Marseille will now host the 2021 finals weekend.
In addition to this Simon has created and grown the Sporting Wine Club which, as its name suggests, brings together sport and wine rather cleverly. As a spectator great sporting events are best accompanied by a glass or two of something equally spectacular and Simon has brought together these two hugely important elements with some fine wines produced by some stellar sportspeople that for now sadly we have to drink at home until we are allowed back into stadiums. Enjoy this 45 minute chat with a glass of red is my advice.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Marc, former Interim CEO and Chief Operating Officer at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in Dubai, oversees the operations of around 50 luxury hotels for Accor in Europe and 9 properties under development. This includes top tier brands like Raffles, Fairmont, SO/, Sofitel and others as well as flagship properties such as Raffles Europejski Warsaw, Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam and The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel in London.
Marc is an accomplished hotelier with nearly four decades of global hospitality experience in both hotel and real estate groups. Earlier in his career, he worked with Ritz Carlton, then Emaar Hospitality, where he collaborated with Giorgio Armani to shepherd the expansion of the Armani brand into hospitality with ultra-luxury hotels in Dubai and Milan. Marc has also been involved in developing unique luxury and lifestyle brands such as The Address Hotels and Resorts, Patina Hotels & Resorts and Zabeel House.
Throughout his career, Marc has been recognized with several industry awards and commendations, such as the Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award (Middle East); CEO of the Year, by the Hospitality and Tourism Sector, CEO Middle East; and General Manager of the Year by Hotelier Middle East. Originating from France, Belgium and Switzerland, Dardenne studied at the Hospitality School in Lausanne and is fluent in English, French and German.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Its been 15 years since Sean and Caro Feely bought their run down (back then) winery on the slopes of the Saussignac commune - nestled between Monbazillac and St Emilion. It was a high volume but low price producing chateau with 25,000 bottles of wine being sold. Given the soil and the height (Chateau Feely sits atop a hill with views back to the Dordogne valley) Sean and Caroline knew they could produce good premium wine if they were to reduce production and to focus on quality not quantity.
They had originally planned to find a wine farm in their native SA but when Caroline was transferred to Dublin by her employees they set their sights on France and began the search for an affordable chateau to acquire. The year was 2005 and the adventure was just beginning. Several books on their journey later, various wine courses and a sharp reduction in quantity of output has led them to 2020 and even though the world is having a year off from anything their sales are ever more robust. Part of the reason for this is their focus on smaller wine merchants, restaurants and direct sales to consumers. So generally Feely wine is sort of hard to find unless you go directly to their website and order online or you are lucky enough to find a bottle or two in a favourite restaurant. It's well worth looking for! Better still book into one of the two delightful little cottages on the winery - the wine lodge for 4 people or the wine cottage for 2 and then you don't have to go anywhere!
So please enjoy this 45 minute chat with Caroline Feely as she prepared for another full day of curious visitors and the early start of the 2020 harvest. When they bought Feely the harvest pretty much started around September 20. Nowadays the harvest is well over by then. The 2020 harvest started around the 20th August so a sad indication of global warming.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Olivier was born in Grasse, the global capital of the perfume industry. His family have been in the world of perfume for more than three generations and Olivier's mother was appointed the first female 'nose' in the industry back in the 60s. Nose being the equivalent of a Master of Wine so the very top of the profession. The industry ratio is now more 50/50 men to women but 50 years ago the notion was that women may not maintain their nose through pregnancy - although this may have been a myth created by men to protect their position surprisingly! Olivier covers many aspects of his profession and the industry in our conversation including whether you are born with or trained to develop sufficient ability or sense of smell to become a perfumer.
The industry used to be dominated by a select group of families so that entry to the profession was difficult. Whilst this is no longer the case there is no doubt that it is a very traditional industry and this is a fascinating insight into one of the world's most mysterious and brand led worlds.
So if you have read the book Perfume, or seen the film, or were affected as I was by the poetry of Charles Baudelaire who claims that the sense of smell is the most important then this will be a fascinating podcast to listen to and may change your perception of this most noble of industries. For instance why Grasse is the capital of the perfume industry and it turns out that the scent of flowers in the Grasse area was in the first instance used to conceal the scent of leather, particularly gloves as the smell of raw leather really wasn't very nice. So having mixed lavender and roses and juniper to mask the smell of those gloves the rest is history!
Oliver was visiting Beaumont as he is perfumer to Prudence Paris. Prudence's shop is in Beaumont du Périgord and all of her products are available online at:
http://prudenceparis.com
More on my blog at: www.bolder.travel
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Aman has long been considered the coolest hotel brand in the world - ever since the opening of Amanpuri in Phuket in the late 80s. Different challenges abound these days with some properties shut or, if open, only partially so. With 32 properties worldwide and a number in the pipeline I caught up with COO of Aman, Roland Fasel to discuss the challenges that the group faces with the opening of their flagship property in New York on hold and how Aman is facing up to the new normal of infrequent long distance travel, more focus on local markets and how they can continue to 'slow time down' with their inimitable Aman style. If anyone can provide luxury in a bubble then it is surely Aman.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nigelbolding.substack.com
Pip is based in Edinburgh but spends some time every summer in the Dordogne. For over 20 years he has been catering to the elite in Scotland doing private shooting and hunting parties in lodges as well as private events in Edinburgh. We sat down to discuss his career to date, comparing his native Australia to his adopted home in Scotland and his holiday retreat in the Dordogne. Is French food the best in the world or is it to be found in Melbourne? And is France really still the global capital of cuisine?