James May — is perhaps best known for his encyclopedic knowledge of cars, his love of finely crafted things, and his unwavering belief that everything should be done properly. But in 2020, he added a rather unexpected title to his CV: co-owner of a proper British country pub.

Tucked away in the quiet Wiltshire village of Swallowcliffe, near Salisbury, stands The Royal Oak — a handsome, Grade II-listed 18th-century inn that James now part-owns (he famously described it as buying "half a pub"). He stepped in during the pandemic, partly browbeaten into it by circumstance, but mostly because he realised that without his intervention, there'd be no pub within walking distance of his nearby home. And in James May's world, a life without a local pint is a life that's become, in his words, "meaningless".

He doesn't treat The Royal Oak as an investment — quite the opposite. James has repeatedly said he takes no money out of it, viewing the pub more like owning a nice painting or sculpture: something done for self-gratification and quiet civic duty. The place "washes its own face" these days (pub speak for breaking even), thanks to excellent food, beautifully crafted furniture by local maker Mathew Burt, luxurious bedrooms for overnight stays, and a regularly changing menu that mixes elegant pub classics with sophisticated twists. There's even a dedicated dog menu — because of course there is.