Motley Matters

Our new gates are in, the vineyard is looking amazing and we're so close to opening now! Why is it that bookies make your life a nightmare when betting on the horses, does anyone else just seem to have no luck with it whatsoever! I this weeks Motley Mixology section I also break down this weeks cocktail - the Gin Ramos Fizz, a drink steeped in fame and history as one of New Orleans most popular cocktails. It's also famously a pain to make but hopefully I'll help make it easier for you, be sure to watch the YouTube video, so you can easily re-create it! You may also find your new favourite summer drink! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfzCrEtjlK4

The boys are back to battle it out in the race to the perfect cocktail! Coming into this episode they were neck and neck at 1-1. There's certainly some interesting “cocktails” if we can call them that being made in this one. I think they're actually getting worse... Clearly a week spent in the beer gardens hasn't done their skills any good! There is, however, a clear leader after todays episode. Find out who now! 

In this episode, I chat to Ed Barlow. Ed and I went to school together but this is the first time we've caught up in years! No stranger to adventure I had to ask Ed about his experiences on the Mongol Rally, driving from Goodwood to Mongolia. Needless to say he had plenty of stories to tell from breakdowns to being kicked out of what he thought was a bar but turned out to be a brothel and witnessing Mongolians strip and eat a horse... We also chat about his latest adventure, bringing a 19th century country farmhouse and Estate on exmoor back to life and the challenges he's faced bringing it back from almost certain death in quite remarkable circumstances. I hope you enjoy! 

Hey guys, I'm back with another update from Motley Cru HQ - Kenton Park Estate. From podcasting to modelling we've done it all this week... The race to get everything finished for re-opening is going to come right down to the wire and a little bit of magic is happening in the vineyard! Who else has been nursing a chocolate hangover so far this week!? I've been back to rugby, a nice little wake up for the lungs that was... and of course I chat Motley Mixology, discussing this weeks cocktail, “Breakfast in Paradise”. On that there's some more exciting news on the cocktail front you don't want to miss out on!Enjoy!

It's episode 2 of the mini series “Race to the Perfect Cocktail”. The boys are back with Mitch knowing he has to up his game this week! We've also got Rachel back on the pod as a guest judge. We chat about getting back to rugby, “Seaspiracy”, modelling and what the boys have been up to in the last couple of weeks before getting to the challenge. This time round Mitch has created what he likes to cool a “Bloo passport” accompanied by an interesting BOJO imitation and Josh takes us to city beach Barcelona for his rendition of a Watermelon Sugar... This week I'm also going to be trying to rejig and improve their creations, can I do it? Who will come out on top at the end of week 2? Find out... Enjoy!

Today I'm chatting with Seb Slade. I've known Seb long enough to know that there's never a dull conversation with him! A lot of you will have heard of Seb's brother Henry Slade, a professional rugby player for Exeter Chiefs and England. Seb though is taking on a very different challenge, trying to crack an acting career. Having almost graduated from the the extremely prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, a school with a pretty impressive list of alumni... Dame Judi Dench, Andrew Garfield, Riz Ahmed and Kit Harrington to name a few, Seb's had the opportunity of working on a host of impressive projects and develop interesting characters. His most recent success is a character called Michael Tetleigh AKA “Teabag”, a professional teabag tosser and if you haven't seen the short films on his instagram page or Seb's, they're well worth a watch! It was fascinating talking to Seb about the nuances of acting, I was blown away by how much is involved. There's some brilliant stories in here some particularly funny memories of an attempt at stand up comedy so with out further a do... enjoy! 

Another little update from the Motley Cru HQ at Kenton Park Estate. This week we've been busy coming up with new recipes to go on the menu at the cafe bar... never eaten so much good food in my life! I've finished the cocktail menu in readiness for this years Friday night pizza and cocktail evenings. More exciting news in that we've finished blending this years cider release which will be available soon, who doesn't love a little boozy tasting session!? We also talk Motley Mixology and break down this weeks Friday Night Cocktail - The Orchard Collins. Enjoy! 

Welcome to the first episode of the new series, “Race to the perfect cocktail” I've pitted my two mates Josh and Mitch against each other in a challenge to create the best cocktail over the course of several episodes. Their cocktail experience is limited to say the least so will we ever get to the perfect cocktail... I doubt it but it will be a laugh along the way. This week Mitch comes in with a “Baby Darkfruit” and Josh creates the perfect drink for anyone who's had a good gym sesh and is now looking to get on the sesh... or fancies a heart attack in a glass. Who will come out on top in week 1!? Let's find out... 

A fun new series for the pod, I'm going to be  joined by good mates Josh and Mitch in a challenge to see who can create the best cocktail over the course of several episodes. To say their background in making drinks is limited to say the least is an understatement which is what makes this so funny. Who will come out on top? Just how bad will some of these creations be? Who knows I may be pleasantly surprised... Not holding my breath on that one. Either way it's going to be a good laugh and a good catch up with boys so join us as these two muppets battle it out in the race to the perfect cocktail!

For some reason I've finally let him on the pod! Today I'm joined by Mitch for a seriously entertaining pod. Mitch and I have known each other a long time now and have been lucky enough to do some pretty cool things together! We take a look back at some of the best stories from our time travelling, embarrassing moments, points of insanity and how we somehow came out of it all still as good mates. Ollie also goes into detail on the challenges he faced while cycling from Lands End to John o' Groats for charity - a mammoth task, we talk about the highs and lows and then dive into how on earth he ended up competing in arguably the most challenging endurance race on the planet - an Ironman. Fuelled on a diet of cigarettes and a cheeky meal deal from the petrol station we have to ask how the hell he thought he could pull it off and just how daunting was it staring down the barrel of a 3.9km swim, 180 km bike ride and of course a casual marathon to finish it all off. Enjoy, this ones a cracker!

The purpose of these little bite size episodes is to fill you in on all things Motley Cru in between our guest interviews. We'll talk about what's been going on recently, any exciting projects we're working on etc... In this episode I chat about cold therapy, it seems to be all the hype at the moment and why its not for me despite the benefits. Has anyone else be lulled into a false sense of security by this weather recently? It wants to be Pimms weather but is that really acceptable and of course we talk about finally being able to re-open the cafe bar. There's been so much work going on behind the scenes over the winter like the creation of our tasting room and barrel room as well as a Brandy, so I fill you in on all of those. Enjoy!

Ollie Massy-Birch is the director of Fortis Clothing, a British company specialising in high quality outdoor performance gear. The company originally started out producing rear tyre and seat covers for 4x4's. Since Ollie took over the company in 2016 Fortis has gone from strength to strength, producing gear for special forces all over the wold including the British SAS as well as unbeatable clothing for the civilian outdoor enthusiast and now branching out into a more fashion driven line, attracting attention from France to Japan. Running a small business, Ollie is no stranger to challenges and we dive deep into the highs and lows of running the company on its incredible transformation from where it all started to where it is today. There's some brilliant stories, being an avid adventurer himself, we had to talk about some of the adventures Ollie's been on including the awesome Rickshaw Run across India. Listening to Ollie tell all is certainly inspiring and you'll no doubt take something away from this chat and apply it to your own life whether that be in business or adventure or both. Enjoy!

We're back for a new season, this time with me (Ben) as the sole host. In this season we're going to be focusing on talking to people with fascinating stories, people that inspire me and will definitely leave you with something to take away. There's going to be plenty of funny stories, life lessons and much more. We're also going to keep up to date with the antics of my team and family the Motley Cru here on the vineyard as we attempt to bring a dream to life.

He's back! Josh makes his long awaited return to the pod, the boys chat about a busy week on the vineyard, arse pains after a first return to the gym, the arrival of puppies into the "Motley Cru" and Josh signing up to the Marines. They also talk about the importance of planning for the worst case scenario and hoping for the best, Ben describes how not to do it with an epic tale from one of his last Wine in the Wild paddle boarding adventures and Josh breaks Ben's brain with some riddles. Enjoy!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

In this episode, Ben is joined by Rachel, Josh has done a runner and thrown a tantrum so we've had to roll Rach in as an honorary guest. They chat about their weekend away in Cornwall, the infamous nightclub and ropey dancing story of how they first met, the success of Cocktails and Pizza night, how on earth Rach survived 4 months of Lockdown with Ben and much much more. As always the they round out the podcast with the Motley Mishap and Highlight of the week!Enjoy! 

In this episode the boys chat through a busy week in the vineyard and cafe bar, pesky horseflies cause problems in private areas! They also look into some of the news from this week, in particular the issues facing sports teams such as the Washington Red Skins and the Exeter Chiefs over rebrands in wake of the Black Lives Matter movement with people taking offence to examples of cultural appropriation. Should Swing Low be abandoned as the rugby anthem of England?In this weeks Motley review, the boys look at the importance of re-charging your batteries, switching up your routine in order to re-assess and come back ready to smash your goals and achieve success.They talk about opening up the bar for the inaugural cocktails and pizza night as well as re-starting vineyard tours.A "Who wants to be a Millionaire" style quiz makes an appearance and of course the boys round off the podcast with the Motley Mishap and highlight of the week. Enjoy!

In this episode Ben chats to Rob Kalisiak, founder of Wolds Wine Estate in the first live interview of the podcast. Rob has recently finished planting the vineyard culminating a fantastic story. After being made redundant, Rob and his wife Louise decided to go travelling, doing a lot of volunteering in South East Asia, landscaping for schools and re-forestation. It's here that their passion for the outdoors and a career using their own 2 hands to build something really started to blossom and so upon returning to the U.K when a nearby piece of land came up for sale, the opportunity was too good to miss. And so the came the conception of Wolds Wine Estate. It's been a whirlwind of a first few months, starting up a new business with twins on the way and all in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic. We hear the challenges they've faced in the first few months, with late spring frosts and ant infestations alike as well as looking forward to the future of the Estate. This is a fantastic story and shows how perseverance through tough times can pay off in the most extraordinary ways... Enjoy!

In this episode the boys chat about how to keep fit during the lockdown period and what's worked for them as well as good habits that they've picked up that they'd want to keep after lockdown has ended, it hasn't all been doom and gloom. Josh asks why Ben has never been to a music festival and what he has against them... They also look at how they can enter the music festival scene with the business, festival trucks, mobile bars, classic tunes and terrible dancing... They talk about opening up the cocktail bar in a few weeks time as well as looking to the future and running viticulture courses. Ben attempts this week's lockdown quiz and they round it off with this week's Motley Mishap and highlight of the week, teasing something special for next week's episode! Enjoy.

In this episode the boys chat about how Ben's feeling after completing his olympic triathlon in aid of the Black Lives Matter campaign. They talk about which NFL players would make it in rugby after a claim from one NFL player that he could "dominate rugby". We pick out 3 positive news stories to come out of the lockdown saga. In this weeks Motley Review we attempt to settle some household arguments, pineapple on pizza, fries in your milkshake, should chocolate be kept in the fridge or the cupboard, milk or cereal first and many more, it was a lot of fun recording this one! Ben's back as quizmaster for this week's lockdown quiz and the boys round out the podcast with this week's Motley Mishap and Highlight. Enjoy!

In this rollercoaster of an episode the boys discuss a busy week in the vineyard, shops re-opening and whether or not easing lockdown is the right thing to do. They also take a deeper look into the race riots that have been happening recently and debate whether it's a shame that the use of blackface in today's T.V is so offensive, is it all part of the so called "snowflake"generation where nothing can be taken with a pinch of salt? They debate the pressures of choosing a 'Social bubble' and on a completely different note, they also discuss where they would go if they could time travel and whether or not they'd want to see their future.  Ben talk's about his upcoming triathlon in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign, Josh is back as quiz master in this week's lockdown quiz and the boys round off the podcast with the 'Motley Mishap and highlights of the week'. Enjoy!

In this episode the boys chat about opening up the café bar for takeaways, Ben's new cocktail recipes, accidental puppies as well as diving into the chaos going on right now with Minneapolis abolishing the police force, they ask what would a system of public safety look like without a police force? Would we enter an era of the Purge...? They also look at what they'd be doing if everything went back to normal tomorrow and in this week's Motley Review they take an in depth look at where they see themselves in 5 years... Royal Marines, Shows, Festivals and theatrical bars, they tell all their ambitions and dreams and look back at what's inspired them. there's also a new-style pressure timer quiz for Josh to take a stab at and the boys round the podcast off with the Motley Mishap and Highlight of the week. Enjoy!

In this episode, the boys touch on the race riots happening across the globe, Elon Musk and SpaceX's leaps forward in space travel and how exciting it would be to live in an era where space exploration is a major deal again! They also go into detail about starting a Gin brand and how to make a Gin stand out as well as discussing Ben's new found love of rum after weeks of Josh's persuasion and what could possibly topple Gin as the king of the Spirits?There's another instalment of the lockdown quiz and they round it off with the Motley Mishap and highlights of the week. Enjoy!

The boys are back with another jam-packed episode! It's been a busy week with Ben hosting his first online cocktail making class as well as running a half marathon in aid of the NHS. After watching the I-land on Netflix, they talk about whether prisoners on death row deserve a second chance at life and whether a simulation to create that would be socially acceptable in today's society. Also in discussion is what the boys would do if they were stranded on a desert island and they take a closer look at one of Ben's toughest endurance challenges to date, a 105-mile slog from coast to coast across the Scottish highlands and he shares his memories and tips. They also answer some brilliant questions from the public like what the expectations are of running a vineyard vs reality, another great round of the lockdown quiz, the motley mishap and highlights of the week and so much more... enjoy!

in this episode, the boys chat through this week's news from the Estate including an unexpected accident with the pigs, work in the vineyard and how they're feeling 1 week into pre-season training. They also discuss veganism, looking at, is the vegan diet healthier? Can you take a life humanely? etc...Find out what the boys got up to on World Whisky Day and there's an in-depth look at how you can become a bartender and why you should definitely learn how to make cocktails as Ben recalls his trip to Miami on a 4-week bartending course. There's plenty of stories in this jam-packed episode as well as another lockdown quiz and of course the 'Motley mishap' and highlights of the week. Enjoy!

In this episode, the boys chat about some of the more crazy news stories from the week, the state of their haircuts with no barbers opening until July, why in this day in age we can't seem to get a decent photo of a supposed UFO sighting? As well as looking at some of the more bizarre events you'll be missing due to the lockdown extension. They also take a trip down memory lane, recounting some of the best stories and adventures from their time travelling the likes of France, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. The Lockdown quiz is back again with the scores being tied at 1-1 and they round it out with a particularly 'piggy' motley mishap of the week. 

A bumper episode this week! The boys chat about the birth of another ram lamb, "Hoagy", another infamous "Gundog Escape" and some of the incredible achievements coming out of the lockdown period. They also discuss a potential return to boxing for "Iron Mike" as well as taking a deeper dive into this week's Motley review... focusing on the story of Kenton Park Estate's cider and how to use what you have at your disposal to maximise profit. The lockdown quiz also makes a return this week and the boys answer your most burning questions! Enjoy...

In this episode, the boys discuss Trump's moment of madness, what were we supposed to do for Earth Day? Who'd be better on Love Island? The return of celebrity SAS who dares wins as well as having a go at putting together their ultimate rugby XV. They also dive into this week's topic focus on how to handle pigs as beginners, sharing their experiences as novice's with funny stories along the way. They also answer your questions and round-up with the "Motley Mishap" and Highlights of the week. 

In this episode, the boys introduce themselves and the podcast. We talk about how our life on an English Vineyard and farm came about, chasing dreams and the adventures of having our very first sheep. Other topics include the Instagram challenges doing the rounds at the moment, the dangers of a zoom pub quiz and getting back in shape for rugby with the feared deck of cards workout. To round things off we finish with the Motley Mishaps and highlights of the week.