STYLE AND SUBSTANCE 'IT'S WONDERFUL BEING OFF-GRID, BUT IT'S HARD WORK'

ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEUR JO WOOD TALKS ABOUT HOW SUSTAINABLE LIVING CAN BE STYLISH, WHY OLDER IS BETTER AND HOW SHE LIKES TO STAY FRIENDS WITH EXES

-  GEMMA MCCARTNEY

Ditching London life to live off-grid in the Northamptonshire countryside isn’t what you’d expect from rock goddess Jo Wood, but the 68-year old is embracing her new lifestyle. Jo moved to her old farmhouse in 2019, and when OK! catches up with her, it’s clear she’s enjoying every second of country life.

“I wanted to move out of London,” she tells us while Zooming from her office, which has been converted from stables. “I wanted to go to the country and be more organic. I started looking around Oxfordshire but none of them were quite right. I sat on my bed one night, browsing RightMove, and this little house popped up. It said, ‘Off-grid farmhouse in Northamptonshire.’

“I knew nothing about living off-grid. The guy walked me around and said, ‘There are solar panels up there and a generator down here.’ The house was very white inside, no character, and I thought, ‘Gosh, it really is a blank canvas for me to do what I want and create something more in keeping with the old farmhouse.’”

Jo was delighted when her offer on the Grade II-listed property was accepted, but it took a lot of work to create a home that suits her rustic, eccentric tastes – and there were many lessons learnt along the way, including being responsible for her own power.

“I’ve learnt so much and it’s wonderful to be off-grid, but it’s hard work,” she says. “You have to be responsible, but I like that.”