BBC journalist Max Cotton spent an entire year eating only what he grew, raised, or made on his small farm in South West England. In this conversation, we explore what that experiment revealed about self-sufficiency, agency, community, and the quiet rebellion of choosing local.
Whether you’re a city dweller, a backyard grower, or simply curious about living closer to the source, this episode offers grounded wisdom, practical entry points, and a deeply human story of reconnection.
⏱️ Chapter Markers
0:00 – A New Midlife Story
0:22 – Meet Max Cotton
1:09 – Why A Year Of Total Self-Sufficiency
3:42 – Self-Sufficiency As Spectrum And Mindset
11:28 – Food, Landscape, And Culture Reconnected
14:11 – Cows, Climate, And Farming Systems
22:46 – Seasonal Eating And Soil Health
28:23 – Getting Started: Scale, Time, And Reality
36:03 – Ethical Dairying And Micro-Dairies
44:06 – Cost, Community, And Division Of Labour
51:09 – UK-Only Eating And Urban On-Ramps
57:46 – Agency, Simpler Living, And Closing
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