Meet James Farnell, an Englishman with impeccable style and a great appetite for madeleines. He’s a role model for taking time to enjoy the slow moments and valuing small routines at home. These include having marmalade mornings accompanied by a good book, taking his time grooming, assembling a three-piece suit before heading out for a dinner reservation, and playing jigsaw puzzles with his wife on a slow weekend afternoon in the comfort of his Inabo slippers.
James works in food and drink PR, and he himself is quite the cook. Not only can he assemble a beautiful Chou Farci, but he has also won silver in the World Marmalade Awards. Let’s pick the brain of a true insider!
You are a self-proclaimed knitwear addict, and as an observer, I would agree! You have a great collection of beautiful knits. What is your relationship with knitwear? Do you have any favourite brands you recommend and how do you collect them?
My love for knitwear is a year-round affair, from chunky cable knit jumpers in winter to breezy knitted polos in the summer. There is such a rich heritage of knitwear in the UK and so much potential for fun patterns and colours too. More than anything though my love for knitwear represents an appreciation for slow fashion. Wool is a sustainable and natural material, making knitwear not only flattering to wear but beneficial to the environment. Some favourite brands include Campbell’s of Beauly, Scott Fraser Collection and Chateau Orlando.
We often see you in a suit as well. Please tell us more about your style and what inspires you?
A lot of my style inspiration comes from films. I grew up watching classic Bond movies and films with amazing men’s fashion like The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) which really inspired me to develop a kind of timeless style of my own, of which suits play a major role. I think there’s a misconception that suits are overly formal and boring but in reality, there’s a suit for all occasions and so much scope for individuality. I’m a big advocate for people wearing a suit casually if that’s what makes them feel good because let’s be honest everyone looks better in a suit.
Since your style includes looking put together while not compromising on comfort, having a pair of Inabo slippers seems just natural. How do you use your slippers at home?
I think there’s a lot to be said for investing in daily luxuries. Objects that may never leave the house but bring you joy to use every day. This may be a fancy bar of soap, a comfy duvet or even a pair of Inabo slippers. Slippers epitomise comfort and whether that’s putting them on first thing in the morning to amble into the kitchen for my morning coffee or putting my feet up in the evening with a good book my Inabo slippers add to the luxury of my daily routine.
Can you share a bit about your journey into food and drink PR? What drew you to this industry?
In a way my journey into food and drink PR was quite a natural one. Like so many students in London, I worked in hospitality while studying. Bar work meant I could attend lectures in the day and then work at night, no idea how I had the energy to do that, but it worked! When I finished my studies, I had two degrees but no idea what I wanted to do. I continued working in restaurants. Eventually, tired of the long unsociable hours, I entered the world of PR. I am now a Digital Executive at a leading food & drink PR agency, and I work with multiple brands to help run, plan and create content for their social channels. It really is the perfect fit, I’m still in the kitchen developing recipes but now I get weekends.
The annual World Marmalade Awards carefully select the best marmalade of the year and have over 3,000 contenders from across the world. You have managed to receive both third and second place in your category with your Peated Scotch Whiskey Marmalade! Please let us in on your secret for making your marmalade, and can you tell us more about your interest in marmalade?
This may sound cliché but the secret to making a good marmalade is patience. I’m sure there are a million hacks to help save you time but if it’s worth doing it’s worth taking your time with. My biggest tip would be to soak your orange rind overnight to make it soft. I love making jam generally as it’s such a therapeutic process, but marmalade presents more of a challenge. Unlike berry jams, with marmalade you are taking the hard skin of an orange which is usually discarded and making it into something not only edible but spreadable, which is quite magical really.
You seem to have a particular sweet spot for madeleines. What draws you to them, and is there a special story behind your love for these treats?
Well, I have quite a sweet tooth to begin with. I drink black coffee every day and I always enjoy having something sweet with it like a biscuit or a slice of cake. My love for madeleines though goes back to my childhood, we used to travel to France quite often and there was nothing I enjoyed more as a treat than those sticky, sweet, scalloped shaped sponges. I’ve only recently started baking them myself and was shocked by just how easy they are to make. It’s dangerous really because I know at any time, I can have 12 fresh madeleines on the table in 15 minutes…
Slow living seems to be something you aspire to and have succeeded in incorporating into your everyday life. How did you come to embrace this philosophy, and what advice would you give to someone looking to slow down and appreciate the small moments in their daily life?
For me, slow living isn’t necessarily about doing less, it isn’t a result of not having enough to do, but rather about prioritising the things that really bring you joy and savouring those moments. Whether this is simply making a morning coffee, cooking a dish from scratch or taking time to read a book. It’s so easy, especially living in a big city, to be constantly busy and forever on the move which is why I make an active effort to schedule in time to do the things I love.
