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All Cheeses Great and Small: A Life Less Blurry
This is the story of Alex James’s transition from a leading light of the Britpop movement in the 1990s, to gentleman farmer, artisan cheese-maker and father of five.
ALL CHEESES GREAT AND SMALL is the follow-up memoir to Alex James's first book, BIT OF A BLUR, the story of his excessive pop star lifestyle during the nineties. But now Alex has grown up, fallen in love and got married. He has also fallen passionately for his new home, an enormous rambling farmhouse in the Cotswolds, set in two hundred acres of beautiful British countryside.
The farm represents not just a new house for Alex, but also a new career. As he breathes new life into the old farm he chances across an unexpected calling: making cheese. His cheeses, Blue Monday, Farleigh Wallop and Little Wallop have received widespread media interest and are now sold through many outlets.
The story culminates with an account of the triumphant reformation of Blur for Glastonbury 2009.
ALL CHEESES GREAT AND SMALL is the follow-up memoir to Alex James's first book, BIT OF A BLUR, the story of his excessive pop star lifestyle during the nineties. But now Alex has grown up, fallen in love and got married. He has also fallen passionately for his new home, an enormous rambling farmhouse in the Cotswolds, set in two hundred acres of beautiful British countryside.
The farm represents not just a new house for Alex, but also a new career. As he breathes new life into the old farm he chances across an unexpected calling: making cheese. His cheeses, Blue Monday, Farleigh Wallop and Little Wallop have received widespread media interest and are now sold through many outlets.
The story culminates with an account of the triumphant reformation of Blur for Glastonbury 2009.
300 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Alex James
2 books29 followersAn English musician and songwriter, as well as a journalist and cheesemaker. Best known as the bassist of the band Blur.
Librarian note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Librarian note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 29, 2014
In saying that this contains some of my favourite writing about the countryside I've read, I don't expect many people to concur. But it does, and this book was among the loveliest things I've read all year. Reading it whilst basking outside in the June sunshine in a garden or park certainly helps. (Perhaps I should have posted about it nearer the time, on the offchance of encouraging one or two others to enjoy it similarly, but 5-star reviews can be the hardest to write.) Not only was it a treat, but starting it before I intended to also lifted me out of a truly awful afternoon.
Much of the enjoyment of this book turns on one's attitude to hearing a really really lucky person be really really enthusiastic about their life and interests. It's just too puppyishly charming and naive and keen to be smug. Still, some would hate having it all waved in front of them, the gorgeous countryside and house and freedom to indulge in things as hobbies which to many are jobs and not easy ones. But as an escapist daydream of what you might do if you won the lottery and were perfectly healthy or/and [insert preferred proviso here], it's the best I've ever encountered in book form (though most people would surely think having five kids excessive). There's always something happening, yet it's also an incredibly relaxing read.
A review like this needs examples. I didn't want to make notes, I just wanted to enjoy it, so here, from opening a few pages at random:
I stomped back to the vegetable garden with trowel-type onion retrievers just as a hot air balloon floated past, very low and large. There was hardly any breeze and it was a victory for the serene and the immaculate . There is something about a hot air balloon passing close by that makes everyone want to run after it. The toddler had dropped her strawberries and was shouting ‘Bawoon! Big big bawoon!’ and involuntarily moving towards it, mesmerised. Claire and I ran over the fields as it gently climbed over the trees and slipped away in slow motion.
[This is better than any relaxation tape ever. I just want to close my eyes and daydream now, not keep typing bits of book to prove a point I'm completely happy with myself.]
Suddenly it was cold, really cold: wet and cold but beautiful. Water everywhere, collecting in puddles, knee-deep in clear pools around farm gates, swelling hidden ditches and working quiet rivers up into torrents. The meadows at the bottom of the valley were gone. Now there was just a huge flat black mirror: the entire landscape transformed, unrecognisable from the week before and full of different-looking plants and animals. Snipe flew up and zigzagged off out of a clump of undergrowth. Midwinter and not a soul in the valley other than startled birds. It was perfectly still, as if it had all been there, unchanged for eternity, all bold primary colours and simple geometry. I thought I’d never see anything as pretty again but then the first hard frost arrived under the spell of a perfect full moon and I woke up inside a Christmas card.
There's a scene in Daylesford Farm organic shop which was briefly notorious in the papers for its pretentiousness, but reading it within the book, I saw a mixture of marvelling and laughing at the place which seems to me a natural reaction to walking into some modern consumer paradise that isn't exactly quotidian for you, a Selfridges, or a luxury hotel, or indeed a very posh and very abundant deli. He doesn't sound used to it, that's the thing. For me, the only bit that grated (oh dear, that's a pun given the title, isn't it?) was a scene which nonchalantly listed various high end cars belonging to visiting friends. Even that was offset, though, by the fact that James himself had a scruffy £2k Volvo estate (no zero missing). That also happens to be what I'd get if I could drive.
There's virtually nothing here about any disagreements with people (e.g. he later parted ways with one of the cheesemakers mentioned here) but I don't mind a little bit of whitewash if the resultant work makes me this happy. (It's usually only music as an art form that has mood-altering properties this strong.) And there was enough loveliness here that it was quite possible to ignore those bits about - as a friend of mine put it - "his friends whom I wouldn't care to socialise with myself".
Much of the content is Cotswold idyll and farming anecdotes, but there are a couple of chapters about music. Having at some point in the last few years got fed up with music writing that wasn't both technically aware and entertaining to read, I found these episodes satisfying, yet they also wouldn't require an average unmusical reader to look anything up.
Even looking through the book to write this, I'm grinning again. I dunno how one person gets that lucky, but he sure as hell appreciates it. And the curiously innocent enthusiasm of the writing means it's very nice to partake of this daydream for a while too.
Much of the enjoyment of this book turns on one's attitude to hearing a really really lucky person be really really enthusiastic about their life and interests. It's just too puppyishly charming and naive and keen to be smug. Still, some would hate having it all waved in front of them, the gorgeous countryside and house and freedom to indulge in things as hobbies which to many are jobs and not easy ones. But as an escapist daydream of what you might do if you won the lottery and were perfectly healthy or/and [insert preferred proviso here], it's the best I've ever encountered in book form (though most people would surely think having five kids excessive). There's always something happening, yet it's also an incredibly relaxing read.
A review like this needs examples. I didn't want to make notes, I just wanted to enjoy it, so here, from opening a few pages at random:
I stomped back to the vegetable garden with trowel-type onion retrievers just as a hot air balloon floated past, very low and large. There was hardly any breeze and it was a victory for the serene and the immaculate . There is something about a hot air balloon passing close by that makes everyone want to run after it. The toddler had dropped her strawberries and was shouting ‘Bawoon! Big big bawoon!’ and involuntarily moving towards it, mesmerised. Claire and I ran over the fields as it gently climbed over the trees and slipped away in slow motion.
[This is better than any relaxation tape ever. I just want to close my eyes and daydream now, not keep typing bits of book to prove a point I'm completely happy with myself.]
Suddenly it was cold, really cold: wet and cold but beautiful. Water everywhere, collecting in puddles, knee-deep in clear pools around farm gates, swelling hidden ditches and working quiet rivers up into torrents. The meadows at the bottom of the valley were gone. Now there was just a huge flat black mirror: the entire landscape transformed, unrecognisable from the week before and full of different-looking plants and animals. Snipe flew up and zigzagged off out of a clump of undergrowth. Midwinter and not a soul in the valley other than startled birds. It was perfectly still, as if it had all been there, unchanged for eternity, all bold primary colours and simple geometry. I thought I’d never see anything as pretty again but then the first hard frost arrived under the spell of a perfect full moon and I woke up inside a Christmas card.
There's a scene in Daylesford Farm organic shop which was briefly notorious in the papers for its pretentiousness, but reading it within the book, I saw a mixture of marvelling and laughing at the place which seems to me a natural reaction to walking into some modern consumer paradise that isn't exactly quotidian for you, a Selfridges, or a luxury hotel, or indeed a very posh and very abundant deli. He doesn't sound used to it, that's the thing. For me, the only bit that grated (oh dear, that's a pun given the title, isn't it?) was a scene which nonchalantly listed various high end cars belonging to visiting friends. Even that was offset, though, by the fact that James himself had a scruffy £2k Volvo estate (no zero missing). That also happens to be what I'd get if I could drive.
There's virtually nothing here about any disagreements with people (e.g. he later parted ways with one of the cheesemakers mentioned here) but I don't mind a little bit of whitewash if the resultant work makes me this happy. (It's usually only music as an art form that has mood-altering properties this strong.) And there was enough loveliness here that it was quite possible to ignore those bits about - as a friend of mine put it - "his friends whom I wouldn't care to socialise with myself".
Much of the content is Cotswold idyll and farming anecdotes, but there are a couple of chapters about music. Having at some point in the last few years got fed up with music writing that wasn't both technically aware and entertaining to read, I found these episodes satisfying, yet they also wouldn't require an average unmusical reader to look anything up.
Even looking through the book to write this, I'm grinning again. I dunno how one person gets that lucky, but he sure as hell appreciates it. And the curiously innocent enthusiasm of the writing means it's very nice to partake of this daydream for a while too.
September 2, 2012
Alex James bought a house, a very big house in the country.
Readers of a book by Alex James, may understandably be initially perplexed that the content is not music related. However he already published that one; it is called ‘A bit of a blur’. If you are expecting more of those music industry, tour bus tales and have absolutely no interest in the workings of a farm or the maintenance of a large house, do not pick this book up. James’ time as a rock star is largely irrelevant here, in fact it is not until the last chapter that it gets more than a passing mention. Instead what we essentially have is a love letter to the English countryside.
Once you accept the book for what it is, there is actually plenty to enjoy, provided you are at least a tiny bit interested in the subject matter. Having spent some of my childhood years living in the English countryside, I got a warm and fuzzy glow of nostalgia from reading this. This is itself a result of the childlike wonder James exudes on every page as he jumps headfirst into his post blur lifestyle. As such, I found it perfect as a light and fluffy feel good bedtime read.
There were a couple of occasions when I found James’ prose a little galling, maybe due to my own political and social views. In particular his description of Daylesford Organic (a kind of posh farm shop/ supermarket for the upper classes) and its patrons was pretty obnoxious. However, overall James has enough charm to pull it off.
As an aside, inspired by the book, I also managed to pick up some of his cheese in the supermarket, and it was pretty tasty.
Readers of a book by Alex James, may understandably be initially perplexed that the content is not music related. However he already published that one; it is called ‘A bit of a blur’. If you are expecting more of those music industry, tour bus tales and have absolutely no interest in the workings of a farm or the maintenance of a large house, do not pick this book up. James’ time as a rock star is largely irrelevant here, in fact it is not until the last chapter that it gets more than a passing mention. Instead what we essentially have is a love letter to the English countryside.
Once you accept the book for what it is, there is actually plenty to enjoy, provided you are at least a tiny bit interested in the subject matter. Having spent some of my childhood years living in the English countryside, I got a warm and fuzzy glow of nostalgia from reading this. This is itself a result of the childlike wonder James exudes on every page as he jumps headfirst into his post blur lifestyle. As such, I found it perfect as a light and fluffy feel good bedtime read.
There were a couple of occasions when I found James’ prose a little galling, maybe due to my own political and social views. In particular his description of Daylesford Organic (a kind of posh farm shop/ supermarket for the upper classes) and its patrons was pretty obnoxious. However, overall James has enough charm to pull it off.
As an aside, inspired by the book, I also managed to pick up some of his cheese in the supermarket, and it was pretty tasty.
August 14, 2013
Alex comes across as an easy-going chap with an attractive boyish enthusiasm for living, whether its wowing them at Glastonbury or sniffing blackberries in his (extensive) hedgerows. He's good at playing the guitar, making cheese and writing about his enchanting life.
If his wife ever gets bored I would like to put myself forward as a replacement.
If his wife ever gets bored I would like to put myself forward as a replacement.
May 9, 2015
I lived beside and helped out on a farm for part of my childhood, so the endless toil Alex captures rings true. However, there's just something about the endless optimism and gushing that started to wear thin about halfway through the book. Some parts are interesting, but his tangents about his love of piles or going shooting can get tedious.
Read
July 13, 2014He may have acquired some friends with whom I wouldn't care to socialise myself, but even aside from the fringe, I could never hate a man capable of lines like "The moon was in a part of the sky where the sun never goes, casting odd shadows and suggesting that great things might be true."
November 23, 2013
Another Fopp bargain, I picked this up as I had enjoyed his previous book Bit of a Blur.
This one opens with him buying a farm, almost on whim, but falling in love with the idea of becoming a farmer.
I knew he was a celebrated cheese maker these days, but it was fascinating to hear how he got to that point from being a bass player in a 90s rock group.
Boy can he wax lyrical about the pleasures of living in the English countryside, and he draws you into his fascinating new lifestyle with ease.
There's a brief mention of Blur reforming, but make no mistake, this is a book solidly about changing lifestyles and finding what's truly important in life.
I'm not sure what the target market for this is: Blur fans will not like the lack of music detail, farmers will be too busy in diggers and tractors to read it, and it will seem too middle class and twee to some people.
I found myself loving his honest and open approach to adapting to a new lifestyle, and slightly envious that he's managed to do it, write so eloquently about it and still come across as a really nice guy who it would be a pleasure to bump into anywhere.
This one opens with him buying a farm, almost on whim, but falling in love with the idea of becoming a farmer.
I knew he was a celebrated cheese maker these days, but it was fascinating to hear how he got to that point from being a bass player in a 90s rock group.
Boy can he wax lyrical about the pleasures of living in the English countryside, and he draws you into his fascinating new lifestyle with ease.
There's a brief mention of Blur reforming, but make no mistake, this is a book solidly about changing lifestyles and finding what's truly important in life.
I'm not sure what the target market for this is: Blur fans will not like the lack of music detail, farmers will be too busy in diggers and tractors to read it, and it will seem too middle class and twee to some people.
I found myself loving his honest and open approach to adapting to a new lifestyle, and slightly envious that he's managed to do it, write so eloquently about it and still come across as a really nice guy who it would be a pleasure to bump into anywhere.
April 16, 2023
It was mostly about farms. The farm. The countryside. Like Clarkson's farm but more self-centred. But the writing style is fresh and easy to read. Every bit as well written as the first book, just not as interesting. But I'm happy for him and was happy to get this insight into this part of his life.
I guess I'd recommend it to a farmer. Not to a blur fan. Or at least most blur fans. Some might like it. But it's got pretty much nothing to do with blur.
I guess I'd recommend it to a farmer. Not to a blur fan. Or at least most blur fans. Some might like it. But it's got pretty much nothing to do with blur.
August 19, 2020
It's an interesting read which is 98% about Alex's life after the main Blur years when he moved away from London to the countryside. If you are looking to read about Blur then this isn't the book for you, his first book covers his Blur years in-depth. Blur are mentioned a little bit in the last chapter of this book and in a few fleeting references now and then but that's it.
The content of this book had the potential to be quite dull but Alex writes beautifully, his writing flows and his description of places, sights and experiences really allows the reader to be immersed in what he is saying and as a result the book is a delight to read. Alex has a child-like wonder about the farm and the countryside in general and this is really infectious, he says himself that he has a tendency to view it through rose-tinted glasses but this just lends to it being a really uplifting, feel-good read. My only criticism of the book and my reason for it being a 4* rating rather than 5 is that at times it feels like Alex has lost touch with reality, he constantly pushes the country lifestyle for all but seems to miss that he is constantly throwing money at the farm for the various things that break or are needed and that it's a lifestyle not attainable to the majority of readers. As a result of this there were a few points where I felt mildly irritated by his lack of understanding of how lucky he is.
The content of this book had the potential to be quite dull but Alex writes beautifully, his writing flows and his description of places, sights and experiences really allows the reader to be immersed in what he is saying and as a result the book is a delight to read. Alex has a child-like wonder about the farm and the countryside in general and this is really infectious, he says himself that he has a tendency to view it through rose-tinted glasses but this just lends to it being a really uplifting, feel-good read. My only criticism of the book and my reason for it being a 4* rating rather than 5 is that at times it feels like Alex has lost touch with reality, he constantly pushes the country lifestyle for all but seems to miss that he is constantly throwing money at the farm for the various things that break or are needed and that it's a lifestyle not attainable to the majority of readers. As a result of this there were a few points where I felt mildly irritated by his lack of understanding of how lucky he is.
July 21, 2023
I read Alex James’s first biography, “Bit of a Blur” about his time leading up to and being part of Blur and really, really enjoyed it. I saw this on a library shelf by accident whilst looking for another book - I was a little apprehensive at first, wondering how interesting making cheese could be…..but persevered and I’m genuinely glad I did. I loved learning about the agriculture, the Cotswolds, his family and friends, the random characters popping up and becoming instilled in Alex’s life, the cheese!
This book I just found wonderfully and deliciously comforting. Alex, his family, his home, his life are all just a joy to read about and now I want to move to the Cotswolds and I’ve also reignited by Blur playlist 😂
This book I just found wonderfully and deliciously comforting. Alex, his family, his home, his life are all just a joy to read about and now I want to move to the Cotswolds and I’ve also reignited by Blur playlist 😂
July 17, 2015
Alex James meets a woman, falls in love with her, and then whisks her off to a farm in the English countryside to live happily ever after. Am I reading my own diary from high school?? That has been my dream since I was 16 and first saw the "She's So High" video in 1990, so in that sense this was a bit of an excruciating read. Looking past my lifelong pining for James...he's a wonderfully descriptive writer and I could visualize the farm and all the kooky characters helping to run it so vividly. It truly sounds like a paradise.
January 11, 2025
Ahhhh.... listening to Alex James (from Blur fame) reading his own book, about his adventures making the move from Britpop glory to life in the English countryside, dealing with a leaking house, sheep, tractors, neighbours and his ever growing family – it's like being wrapped up in a cosy blanket in from of the fireplace, with a cup of Earl Grey in your hands. Better than meditation! And hilarious too, he's very funny and so so good with words.
August 19, 2015
I quite enjoyed this!
March 16, 2016
Nothing can compare to Bit of a Blur. But I like to read about cheese a lot, so this was good. Not enough cheese though. And not enough Blur.
March 28, 2024
Does money make you happy?
Well, judging from this book it does. Especially when you've retired from being a in a famous rock band*, have married the girl of your dreams and are living on an idyllic farm in the Cotswolds - surrounded by other famous retired musicians and villages lauded for their beauty and charm.
This was an excellent bedtime read - James seems genuinely to relish the countryside, his family and his farm. Plus he gets into cheese-making with a passion too and reading about that was fun. Everything he does is larger than life (for instance he goes to see Prince Charles at Highgrove to discusses cheese making with him.)
He has a nicely quirky take on things and I enjoyed his writing.
The only only bit I didn't like was when he talked about going on a couple of shoots to kill pheasants - which he appeared to relish along with everything associated with life in the countryside.
Throughout the book there are also references to his love for music, and I shall end by giving a taster of his writing with one of these snips, when he goes to the midnight carol service at his local church at Christmas.
*James was, and I think is now again, a guitarist with the band Blur.
Well, judging from this book it does. Especially when you've retired from being a in a famous rock band*, have married the girl of your dreams and are living on an idyllic farm in the Cotswolds - surrounded by other famous retired musicians and villages lauded for their beauty and charm.
This was an excellent bedtime read - James seems genuinely to relish the countryside, his family and his farm. Plus he gets into cheese-making with a passion too and reading about that was fun. Everything he does is larger than life (for instance he goes to see Prince Charles at Highgrove to discusses cheese making with him.)
He has a nicely quirky take on things and I enjoyed his writing.
The only only bit I didn't like was when he talked about going on a couple of shoots to kill pheasants - which he appeared to relish along with everything associated with life in the countryside.
Throughout the book there are also references to his love for music, and I shall end by giving a taster of his writing with one of these snips, when he goes to the midnight carol service at his local church at Christmas.
"The stillness of churches is supreme at Christmas, a balm to calm the mad fizz, and I dissolved peacefully into the benevolence.... I was belting out the tune (of Hark the Herald Angels) without a care in the world and quite a big grin on my face already, when quite unexpectedly the girls in the row behind us started to sing the descant harmonies as the first chorus kicked in.
It was the most surprising sensation, as if our singing was being caressed. I looked around and they were all smiling as they sang those exquisite wavering high notes. It was like taking off, becoming completely weightless, leaving the world behind altogether. I closed my eyes and fell into their voices. Singing in harmony at Christmas time. It was bliss."
*James was, and I think is now again, a guitarist with the band Blur.
Read
November 17, 2021I’d enjoyed Alex’s first autobiography/memoir (“A Bit of a Blur”) about his time playing with Blur up to their breakup at the start of the 00s. This second volume covers his purchase of a farm and his embracing of a rural way of life with his new wife.
I was looking forward to reading about his steep learning curve and how he got on running a farm and making cheese… unfortunately he seems to talk around it as much as talk about it. There’s lots of rumination on the beauty of nature and how people in the city don’t take time to notice things and how good the country life is. He seems to mention specifics of getting his farm up to scratch to the point that it can turn a profit almost as an aside rather than the main event.
There’s lots of ‘slice of life’ anecdotes and colourful country characters populating the book that keep it ticking along. But, Alex’s mix of mindless optimism, and the safety of his personal wealth make many of his musings seem a tad naïve and unrelatable to the average reader. He spends a few pages extolling the joys of shopping at a high-end whole food store with exorbitant prices, or going pheasant hunting with billionaires and royalty.
I did definitely find enough parts of it interesting, but not really as good as his first book, and not the best thing I’ve read this month.
I was looking forward to reading about his steep learning curve and how he got on running a farm and making cheese… unfortunately he seems to talk around it as much as talk about it. There’s lots of rumination on the beauty of nature and how people in the city don’t take time to notice things and how good the country life is. He seems to mention specifics of getting his farm up to scratch to the point that it can turn a profit almost as an aside rather than the main event.
There’s lots of ‘slice of life’ anecdotes and colourful country characters populating the book that keep it ticking along. But, Alex’s mix of mindless optimism, and the safety of his personal wealth make many of his musings seem a tad naïve and unrelatable to the average reader. He spends a few pages extolling the joys of shopping at a high-end whole food store with exorbitant prices, or going pheasant hunting with billionaires and royalty.
I did definitely find enough parts of it interesting, but not really as good as his first book, and not the best thing I’ve read this month.
July 29, 2025
Went for the glamour, stayed for the countryside. 4/5
A really enjoyable read, with freewheeling rambling and observations about country life. As he admits, a wealthy rock star buying a farm is a bit of a cliché, however he has an infectious love for nature, animals and the rural lifestyle. I’m a Brit living abroad and reading this was very evocative, with the British countryside shown off in its four-season glory. One of the subtle messages in the book is that you never ‘complete’ farming, as there is always something that needs fixing or investing in. The real joy therefore comes from the process of creating and growing, and Alex genuinely loves the everyday journey (being a multimillionaire with bottomless pots of cash certainly helps!) He makes it clear that living closer to nature is awe inspiring if you take the time to observe and appreciate it, though personally I’d give the posh celebrity wannabes of the Cotswolds a miss! Ultimately this book was a nice paean to creating a home and life you never want to escape from.
A really enjoyable read, with freewheeling rambling and observations about country life. As he admits, a wealthy rock star buying a farm is a bit of a cliché, however he has an infectious love for nature, animals and the rural lifestyle. I’m a Brit living abroad and reading this was very evocative, with the British countryside shown off in its four-season glory. One of the subtle messages in the book is that you never ‘complete’ farming, as there is always something that needs fixing or investing in. The real joy therefore comes from the process of creating and growing, and Alex genuinely loves the everyday journey (being a multimillionaire with bottomless pots of cash certainly helps!) He makes it clear that living closer to nature is awe inspiring if you take the time to observe and appreciate it, though personally I’d give the posh celebrity wannabes of the Cotswolds a miss! Ultimately this book was a nice paean to creating a home and life you never want to escape from.
August 8, 2020
Reflections and lessons learned:
A long term wanted listen as I found him a fabulous story teller from his first music based autobiography, but this agricultural living pros/cons/learning follow up was so lovely too. Analogies between music and country living, and country living and a return to childhood so enjoyable. Reminder that a retirement to rural/seaside combo would be my current dream... and all this as well as the story of cheese! Simply the way he said the word cheese was satisfying but what a great adventure... truly blessed are the cheesemakers
A long term wanted listen as I found him a fabulous story teller from his first music based autobiography, but this agricultural living pros/cons/learning follow up was so lovely too. Analogies between music and country living, and country living and a return to childhood so enjoyable. Reminder that a retirement to rural/seaside combo would be my current dream... and all this as well as the story of cheese! Simply the way he said the word cheese was satisfying but what a great adventure... truly blessed are the cheesemakers
March 29, 2020
James writes enthusiastically, passionately and endearingly about life on his farm, his family and, briefly, about his colleagues in Blur.
Many people who've been in succesful bands have never managed to accomodate themselves to anything else when the band isn't there. Alex James is an exception. More power to him.
PS I'd love to hear from him again. It's eight years since this book was published and I know there's lots to tell.
Many people who've been in succesful bands have never managed to accomodate themselves to anything else when the band isn't there. Alex James is an exception. More power to him.
PS I'd love to hear from him again. It's eight years since this book was published and I know there's lots to tell.
October 2, 2018
Very interesting book about Alex adventure to move from London and set up his own cheese making business
September 19, 2020
I love the way Alex James writes. I ploughed through this book at breakneck speed and then went back and read ‘A Bit of a Blur’ again. What a decadent slut 😉
March 29, 2021
Fantastic read about country life and Alex's life, Interested in either case then read..
September 2, 2023
Charming, but the repeated motifs and turns of phrase betray it’s having been cobbled together from his newspaper columns.
October 16, 2024
Enjoyed listening to the audiobook.
November 8, 2024
I really wanted to like this book more but it was like reading text from an Instagram post - everything was a bit too perfect! Maybe it was ego?
December 26, 2024
Great read, is there another?
August 22, 2012
I loved the book "Bit of a Blur" by Blur's guitarist Alex James, so when I spotted this book (apparently about "what happened next") in London (where I was staying because of a Blur show!), I bought it, of course. And it really is about what came next: Alex James and his wife Claire bought a big farm, on impulse, during their honeymoon. The next 10 years were spent having five children and transforming the farm into a house for the family, stables, greenhouses and a cheese factory. Alex James still has a pleasant writing style (especially speaking about nature), and you feel glad that he seems to have found his place (in the country ...), but some of it is just not that interesting, and it must be said that the book could have done with some more editing: Some statements he makes again and again, and some facts are unnecessarily repeated. Half the book would have been enough! Oh, and he also talks about Blur's reunion, just a little. But most of it is about sheep, tractors, pigs and country people.
May 24, 2013
James is/was the bassist in the Indie group Blur and, although I don't object to a bit of Blur, I was more interested in his account of how he bought a farm after Blur broke up and his adventures in coming to grips with country living, animal husbandry, cheesemaking and the like. I have to say, I find James an evocative writer, not least in his accounts of his childlike wonder and joy at the mysteries and beauty of nature. Of course, one needs to be very rich to buy and run a farm. Indeed, the great irony is that one arguably needs more money to live in the country than in the city. Equally, I was musing, that one can't be anonymous in the country.
May 12, 2016
This is a very engaging ramble - there's not much 'hard' information in it, but it is an insight into hoe Alex James' mind works - he sees things in a poetic fashion. Here he is on the farm keeping him busy:
'The utter boredom afforded by the riches and misanthropy inherent in international rock stardom had been replaced with different troubles. 'Why?' had gradually turned into 'How?' and that's a much better class of problem to have.
'The utter boredom afforded by the riches and misanthropy inherent in international rock stardom had been replaced with different troubles. 'Why?' had gradually turned into 'How?' and that's a much better class of problem to have.
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April 15, 2013‘All Cheeses Great and Small’ tells the story of how Alex James, the former bassist of Brit pop band Blur, made the transition from rock-star to (self-declared) bad farmer. In this memoir James muses on his love for the Cotswolds and newly discovered passion for making cheese... Read More...
August 19, 2013
Really two and a half stars. It was a good read but I could've done with less waffling on about how gorgeous and pretty the farm was/is.
I do like Alex James' style of storytelling though. He makes you feel like he's telling you his life story over a few at the pub.
And I did love the quote about tea and love.
I do like Alex James' style of storytelling though. He makes you feel like he's telling you his life story over a few at the pub.
And I did love the quote about tea and love.
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