It could have been worse…
After the rain and the snaking line by what seemed like a prison of finely crafted glass and the rush to get by and say something meaningful and profound, the response could have been “What a muppet” or “You utter pillock”…
It was none of those things. It was a welcome of “How do you do” and what seemed to be a genuine and pleasant surprise when he learned I had been to his pub (The Royal Oak Swallowcliffe).
There were multiple plans or scenarios in my head leading up to this adventure to meet James May at a burb of Richmond, Virginia ABC store.
There may have been an impromptu car show outside the store as most everyone knew James from the car shows so, logically (in my head), there would be some cool cars to see parked in the lot. Well… Not so much. A Mercedes, A BMW or three, a Tesla… Lots of regular SUVs and crossover type, standard issue American, oversized common denominators.
There could have been a conversation about the stay at the Royal Oak… The stay was marvelous, the food was great and the classic English pub styling was there in loads. Time then, as now, was jammed so just one afternoon, night and English breakfast the next morning and we were back on the road to further our “Grand Tour” of the UK. This drive to meet Mr. May was to, maybe, make up for him not being at his pub while we were. Imagine…
There could have been a quick reference to the name on the business card and the web domain that has been registered since around 2008 or so. “Missed Gear” is and always has been a tongue in cheek “stolen” reference to “Top Gear”. It’s now a Virginia based collection of visits to and reports from race tracks and automotive bits, shows and people.
The self-appointed task of documenting May’s visit to this Virginia outlet of spirits was even a little tighter than anticipated. There were way more people on hand than the two hour event could handle so there were either more tickets than minutes or there were an awful lot of “standby” visitors hoping to make it. The police security were, understandably perhaps, rather pointed about lingering about so it was shoot and duck documentary style. (Shoot… with a camera. Let’s be clear.)
So… To sum up. The best laid plans were laid to rest rather quickly and improvisation on a stopwatch was the baseline. The mission, as it was, became the minimum with no frills. The brief hello, the autographs on bottles of gin, a mention of Legos and my daughter and the pub and a visit and some photos, courtesy of Lucy Brown.
Ms. Brown… Another not quite. She is the assistant, the videographer, the getter of getting things for James as needed… She seems to be a keeper of James so he doesn’t get in trouble. Maybe… She is a feature on much of the James Gin / James May content on the FaceTube…
There was a plan to have a photo with both May and Lucy Brown but time and rush to get folks through put that idea off the burner. She was, for mostly the most part it looked like, helping folks get their photos with James and being, perhaps, out of the photos on purpose…? Either way, it was another possible plan that did not shake out. She was taking photos with peoples’ phones for them and, in my case, with my camera.
So… There it was. A lot of possibilities distilled down to the minimum. A good time…? Sure. Yes. No more or less than any “star” schedule event with a “meet & photo” opportunity. However, for all that was and did go on. The staff, security (Understandably stiff… Lots of alcohol and lots of people), Lucy Brown… All were keeping things moving along as best as could.
The gin… James Gin. Two flavors were currently available. Asian Parsnip and American Mustard. The same flavors purchased earlier in April when it became available in Virginia. The ‘parsnip” has a bit of a slight bitter edge and the “mustard” has a hint of pickle. There are a batch of recipes on the website and other flavors available. The recipes will need some sampling…
The “grand” plans and possibilities for the day were cut from necessity of circumstance and surroundings. The cost of fuel, two bottles of James Gin, time… were not really large but much larger than not spending at all. With that, as much as the shows that made James May famous and able to travel to exotic locations like Short Pump, Virginia…
Ambitious… But rubbish.
The result… Not the gin. Right.
Photos from James Gin – James May at Virginia ABC, Short Pump, Virginia (May 11, 2026)
