Clara Latham has built her career in some quite radical startups, including Bounce protein balls and Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits. Today, she is focused on what she sees as the most significant consumer health gap: fibre. Like protein 15–20 years ago, fibre is a fundamental but neglected macronutrient: over 90% of people don’t hit the ~30g daily target, and one in three struggle with gut issues at any given time.

Clara argues that fixing fibre intake is a problem worth addressing. She argues that boosting the intake of prebiotic fibres will ultimately support digestion, immunity, mood, energy, and long-term disease risk. Deeply is her answer: a simple, delicious, routine-friendly way to “close the fibre gap.” The product is a ready-to-drink, smoothie-like prebiotic fibre shot made from whole fruits and vegetables (no concentrates, preservatives or added junk) delivering 7.5g fibre per serving—about 25% of a day’s need. It comes in approachable flavours (e.g., carrot-ginger-turmeric; kiwi-spinach-seaweed) as single grab-and-go shots for retail and a seven-measure aluminium bottle for subscriptions. The big idea is changing habits: the bottle is designed to live in the fridge door, so you take your dose at the start of the day. If a health product isn’t effortless and enjoyable, people won’t take it daily. Deeply is built to be both.

Strategically, Clara applies the “halo, then scale” playbook she honed at Seedlip. In early years, you win with narrow-and-deep distribution and high-influence advocates (e.g., Whole Foods, members’ clubs, premium cafés, best-in-class retailers) to build credibility, trial, and education. Clara believes that expanding too soon leads to low awareness, a poor rate of sales, and delistings that are hard to reverse. Category creation requires patience, education, and roots before shoots—think bamboo that grows underground for years, then suddenly rises.

Looking forward, Clara expects “fibre-called-out” claims to proliferate across foods, just as protein did. But this isn't perceived to be a problem as Deeply is clear on what it can offer. A simple way to hit your fibre goal and that is a win, because when fibre goes up, the gut thrives, and when the gut thrives, everything else tends to follow.

Throughout the conversation, Sarah emphasises her mission to support small-scale farmers who often struggle to sustain their livelihoods in a market dominated by mass production and profit-driven motives. This purpose is her true north, not a desire to sell the business and achieve an impressive exit. She passionately advocates for regenerative agriculture, which focuses on restoring soil health and promoting biodiversity. Sarah highlights the challenges of balancing quality with accessibility, acknowledging that while her oils are premium products, there is a growing need for more affordable options that do not compromise sustainability.

Sarah elaborates on the craftsmanship involved in producing exceptional olive oil, noting that each bottle represents the hard work and dedication of the farmers behind it. She shares her experience in sourcing oils that meet high flavour standards and align with ethical farming practices, creating a product that consumers can feel good about purchasing. The episode discusses how the olive oil industry has evolved, with a growing awareness of the importance of quality and the stories behind the products we consume.

One of Citizens of Soil's standout features is its innovative subscription model, the Olive Oil Club. This program allows consumers to explore different oils each month and learn about the unique characteristics of each variety and the farmers who produce them. By fostering a sense of community, Sarah aims to create a deeper connection between consumers and producers, enriching the overall experience of using olive oil. 

As the conversation progresses, Sarah reflects on the broader implications of food choices and the importance of supporting sustainable practices in the food industry. She believes that by prioritising quality and ethical sourcing, consumers can contribute to a more sustainable future while enjoying the richness and flavour that high-quality olive oil brings to their kitchens. This episode ultimately serves as an inspiring reminder of the power of food to connect us to the land, the people who cultivate it, and the shared values of sustainability and community.

Fonio is not just any grain; it's a “gluten-free ancient grain that cooks in five minutes and is drought tolerant," emphasises Philip. Women in West Africa traditionally cultivate the grain as a subsistence crop. However, Philip and his business partner, legendary NY chef, Pierre Thiam, envision fonio as a grain that can support livelihoods through sustainable agriculture. Their mission began when Pierre tried to create a cookbook using authentic ingredients and realised there was a broader opportunity to create something altogether new with Teverow.

Teverow explains that fonio has challenges at its core: "It's very easy to grow, but hard to process due to its tiny grain size." The technical complexity of processing fonio involves removing an inedible hull from a minuscule grain. Despite these obstacles, the potential market for this grain appeals to major food companies, not just for its nutritional properties but also for its alignment with organisations' sustainable development goals.

The journey from conception to commercialisation began when they found a willing retail partner. “Whole Foods became our testing ground,” Philip explains, where they started by promoting fonio in a single Harlem store as a raw ingredient. The grain and its incredible story immediately got media attention, bringing Yolélé into the spotlight. Pretty quickly, global food companies started showing interest in incorporating fonio into their products, but there is still a lot of work to be done regarding the process.

The driving factor in fonio's potential lies in its versatility and its environmental promise. “Fonio can substitute for less sustainable grains, like rice or corn,” states Philip, highlighting its minimal water and carbon footprint. Its adaptability is evident in sectors beyond just whole grain consumption, finding its place in brewing, as well as in making crisps and flour and Yolélé already offer a number of these products direct to consumers. 

Philip’s approach resonates with a broader outlook: supporting smallholder farmers in West Africa while maintaining the identity of fonio as an indigenous crop. Despite the steep capital required to scale processing, the commitment to fully industrialise production persists, balancing their commercial scale with the sustainability ethos.

Philip envisions a food system where fonio is just the beginning. He aims to incorporate multiple crops into this new regenerative agriculture model to support biodiversity and sustainable farming practices.

Amelia initially disliked beans until an unexpected experience, inspired by Nigel Slater during her Erasmus exchange in Madrid, altered her perspective. "I spooned one straight from the jar, and it was this mesmerising moment," Amelia recalls. Initially, this did register as a significant life-changing moment. However, a stint working with chefs showed her that there were better solutions to the trend towards meat alternatives, and the journey towards Bold Beans began.

Amelia rightly believes in beans' broader global, cultural and culinary roles. She recognises the international appeal of beans and sees beans as an excellent vehicle for embracing diverse flavours and inherently healthy recipes. "Beans are a cornerstone of how civilisation got here," she explains, portraying beans as an essential global food staple.

One of the core themes Amelia discusses is the brand's approach to health and sustainability through the lens of pleasure. "I want people to be tempted into buying it because they want to do it, not because they should," she states, emphasising the importance of taste over health benefits. 

Amelia also sheds light on their marketing strategy, which is less about overtly highlighting the health benefits, which are a given, and more about creating a genuine love for beans. Their Instagram presence and content creation, led by Hannah Wilding, are central to this, driven by a belief that sharing delicious recipes goes beyond just selling a product. "Our mission is to make people bean obsessed," she explains, noting that early content creation efforts were based on trying to help friends cook with beans even before the brand existed as a real product.

Another fascinating aspect of Bold Beans is how they are battling quite established brands like Merchant Gourmet and Belazu in the core beans category and taking on giants like Heinz. In tackling the challenge of broader competition, Amelia finds confidence in focusing on beans exclusively. "Brands like Merchant Gourmet and Belazu can't own beans in the way that we can own beans." This singular focus allows Bold Beans to optimise quality and innovation within their niche, ensuring they remain leaders in flavor and sustainability.

As Bold Beans continues to innovate and educate about the versatility of beans, one senses that the team will not only shake up the bean category but also redefine what it means to eat sustainably and deliciously.

Botivo is crafted on Lannock Farm in Hertfordshire, where co-founder Sam Paget Stevenson and his team handcraft each batch. Imme describes Botivo as a “British big-sipping botanical aperitivo” and highlights the brand's commitment to quality and flavour. “We are the only drink in the category which has no flavourings, essences, or preservatives,” she states, underscoring the brand's dedication to doing this with the love and attention needed to create a truly special product. This focus on authenticity results in complex taste profiles that rival premium crafted alcoholic beverages. Imme adds, “When you look at the reviews, the reaction is intense,” with many consumers declaring it “the best drink in the world.”

Sustainability is another cornerstone of Botivo's mission. Imme emphasises that while the product is healthy and sustainably minded, the primary focus is on delivering a remarkable taste experience. “We believe that taste is the priority,” she states, reflecting the brand’s philosophy that quality should never be compromised. 

Imme envisions Botivo as a brand that fosters inclusivity, where everyone can enjoy a crafted beverage, regardless of their alcohol preferences. “I want Botivo to be the bottle at every dinner party,” she says, highlighting the brand’s aspiration to unite people in shared experiences. 

Botivo's innovative approach includes its marketing, which often features a giant yellow piano, challenging the notion that sampling experiences are generally dull. At festivals, entertainers perform while attendees gather to enjoy the drinks and often burst into song. This engaging approach highlights the brand's playful spirit and commitment to creating memorable interactions, making Botivo stand out in the non-alcoholic beverage market.

The episode concludes with Imme sharing exciting plans for Botivo’s future, including upcoming limited-edition launches and collaborations with renowned brands. She expresses her commitment to maintaining a focused strategy prioritising quality and taste over rapid expansion. As Botivo grows, Imme’s insights reveal a brand poised to redefine what it means to enjoy sophisticated, alcohol-free beverages, blending authentic flavours, sustainability, and a sense of community in every bottle.

Griddle's range started with waffles, featuring whole grain and protein-rich options, and is planning to expand into pancakes and croissants. As expected, the brand has a clean-label philosophy and is committed to sustainability. Not surprisingly, it is a B-Corp and is being very well received by retailers who see it as a truly differentiated offering. Ella even dares to imagine a time when freezers aren’t just at the back of stores but integrated into aisles, which could genuinely change how consumers think about bakery.

They are also keen to democratise quality food and with a punchy price point of only £2.00 for six waffles at Asda, they are also targeting a broad consumer base rather than the usual Waitrose foodie. One senses exciting times lie ahead for this team.

Edited: Stella Gent

Historically known for its premium chestnuts and puy lentils, Merchant Gourmet is one of the brands driving the growing shift toward culinary curiosity with easy-to-prepare, often microwaveable options. This evolution not only addresses consumer desires for quality and flavour but also taps into the trend of reducing meat consumption.

Richard highlights how the brand stays true to its roots by focusing on excellent taste while subtly integrating health benefits. By expanding their range to include diverse global cuisines, Merchant Gourmet invites consumers to experience dishes from around the world with ease. They are also not scared to take on established brands like Tilda in rice with products that they think are just more interesting than the competition. 

They are now in 30 plus categories including frozen and have recently expanded into the the world of beans. As they continue to inspire consumers , Merchant Gourmet is committed to making supermarket shelves and home-cooked meals more exciting and make it easier for consumers to eat a more plant-forward diet.

Edited by Stella Gent

Pukpip launched in 2023 to shake up the ice cream industry by integrating more fruit into consumers' diets in fun and innovative ways. At the core of Pukpip's offering are chocolate-dipped frozen bananas, a nostalgic nod to Zara's childhood favourites prepared by her mother.

Zara and her team are breaking ground by creating a new category—indulgent frozen fruit—within the UK's snack market, something tha is alreadey developed in the US. Despite formidable competition from giants like Mars, Zara's Pukpip stands out by promoting health-conscious alternatives and reducing food waste through its unique up-cycling approach. The company turns 'wonky' fruit into a delightful snacking experience by sourcing bananas in Ecuador, absurdly rejected by standard export processes.

The brand caters to a health-focused, younger audience seeking permissible indulgence that combines taste and wellness. The brand is an excellent example of how there are solutions that can be delicious and healthy. However, one challenge for Pukpip is educating consumers about this new category, which might be getting easier now that new competitors have arrived.

Edited by Stella Gent

Ed Morrison's journey with Roots Allotment began serendipitously during a pre-lockdown gardening talk in Lyme Regis, where he encountered no-dig gardening pioneer Charles Dowding. This meeting ignited Morrison's interest in sustainable food cultivation, leading him to propose a market garden on unloved land in his grandmother’s garden.

Roots Allotment is not just about growing vegetables; it's about fostering community and inclusivity. With nine sites across England, in places like Bristol, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, Bath, Stourbridge, Chelmsford and Croydon, each allotment buzzes with human and insect life. Morrison's ambition is to develop a network of over 100 sites with over 100,000 people growing their own food within a decade. With every location fostering a sense of community,, this vision has the potential to impact more than just the way some people eat.

Converting land into allotments isn’t without its challenges, from sorting members' seeds into tiny packets to accessing quality compost. However, Morrison highlights that one of the most pressing issues is finding suitable land amid the competition from housing developers and other edge-of-town developers. 

If all this sparks a desire to have a Roots Allotment near you, visit their website and complete an application form - apparently, all it takes is 300 signatures from friends to influence where their next site is! 

Edited by Stella Gent

Paul talks about the way that coffee prices are often manipulated by markets, leaving farmers squeezed and struggling. To counter this, PACT Coffee has established direct relationships with farmers, cutting out the middlemen and ensuring fair compensation. By paying premiums significantly above Fair Trade rates, PACT Coffee secures high-quality beans and supports the farmers' livelihoods.

They also discuss the best way to brew a coffee, some new innovation that Pact have coming out soon which leads them to the espresso martini!

Edited by Stella Gent

The brand began as a pop-up in food markets and gleaned broad consumer feedback, allowing significant product iteration and optimisation. It is now sold in a wide range of supermarkets and has recently collaborated with ManiLife to create the ultimate peanut butter granola product. The brand also plans to launch a healthier family cereal this autumn while maintaining competitive prices.

Edited by Stella Gent

He has now released a cookbook, called For the Love of Food that is firmly rooted in his Michelin starred restaurant without being too fancy or complex. It is all sharing plates and clever takes on dishes that the family will love. His food is deeply rooted in his training with some of the best chefs in the UK but leans towards a relaxed and fun approach to food that he is known for.

Joining Ollie, who he knew back in the day when Great British Chefs was in its infancy, they talk about the changes in the food scene and the importance of backing small food and drink businesses. Both of them believe passionately in getting kids into food early and trade tales of culinary adventures of their kids. 

Edited by Stella Gent

He founded Goodrays because he believed there was an opportunity to offer high-quality, accessible CBD products, focusing on beverages as the most mainstream and effective format. He believes passionately about the need to educate both consumers and regulators on the potential benefits of CBD. 

The brand which is positioned around the idea of offering a "deep breath for your brain," takes a very natural approach to the category rather than being explicitly counter-cultural. They offer a very strategic set of products designed to meet the key consumer needs of the day: oils (morning and evening), drinks (throughout the day), and gummies (on the go). They are the only CBD drink in Tesco and are expanding into Europe, working very closely with their retail partners to establish these emerging product forms.

As one of the most talked about ingredients of recent years, Eoin has a unique perspective on the CBD journey of the last 10 years.

The Trussell Trust is campaigning and working towards a vision where we no longer see food banks in communities. Their network of 1,400 food banks, all run by independent charities, provide emergency support and food parcels to people who are left without enough money to afford the essentials. Danni explained how around 75% of people referred to their food banks have some sort of disability or someone in the house has a disability.

Whilst the actual number of food banks in the UK is pretty static, the level of need and the number of people being pushed through their doors is increasing year on year. In fact, last year they distributed 3.1 million emergency food parcels through their network, which is the highest level ever, and over a million of those were for children. This reflects a 94 per cent increase over the last five years.

Despite getting both Ollie and Susie depressed by all the statistics and need - it is clear that people want this issue changed. It feels like their is increasing will to tackle some of these long term challenges and whilst this podcast was recorded before Labour's landslide election win, the idea of change was already feeling like a reality.

Edited by Stella Gent

Dogtooth, are working on a revolutionary plan, which involves bringing robotics to farming. This isn't a far off dream, it is actually happening and at scale in farms in the UK. Using computer vision and machine learning, they are creating robots that can pick ripe soft fruits. Imagine an army of robots, often working through the night, collection the best berries, under the watchful eye of human managers who make sure things don't go wrong.

Dogtooth, doesn't want this kind of technology to be limited to mega farms and is exploring ways of working with small scale producers too. Is it possible that in 20 years all the strawberries at Wimbledon will picked by robots?

Edited by Stella Gent

There are a few food and drink brands that are doing this, Magnum Ice Cream being a rare exception.  In crowded categories, where brands are pumping out digital content, there is a need to be strategic in both the images you pick and the sounds you choose. If you have ever wondered how to start this process it is worth listening to Freddie's experience in this area as it is certainly gets one asking questions.

Edited by Stella Gent

He had to be patient at the beginning, paying himself tiny amounts, exhibiting at trade shows to get close to his consumers and ultimately living within his means. He got a local Welsh packaging agency to create his early designs for £500 and admits that he didn’t even know what a brief was when he first started.  He has taken a radical approach for a challenger brand where he has decided to be cheaper than the market leader and fundamentally better, on taste and method of production.

Scott thinks too many brands splash the cash and waste money on getting people to buy their products once. He thinks he hasn’t made a sale unless someone buys his brand twice. He is a committed employer and only recently got his B-Corp status to allow him to talk more meaningfully about their approach to business. As he says, it matters to him that his team can afford to live well, and in a small town, everyone knows how you run your business. 

The business recently did a big packaging refresh with Big Fish. He has waited this long because it is only now that he thinks the business is ready, as it knows where it is going and has the funds to do this. As the saying goes, it is often the tortoise that wins the race.

Edited by Stella Gent

In her chat with Ollie Lloyd, she talks about innovative businesses like Dizzie, which is creating reusable packaging for groceries, and Notpla, which is manufacturing single-use compostable sachets from seaweed (that the CEO will eat on stage to show how good they are)! 

They discuss the positive benefits of personally getting involved by volunteering with charities like The Felix Project and apps like Olio. There is so clearly a community of people who have the time and will to go the extra mile to make an impact and lead from the front. 

There is also a debate about how banana bread is better when made with blackened bananas and why moths are great as they encourage people to do visible mending, something Ollie has tried from time to time.

Edited by Stella Gent

He chats with Ollie Lloyd on the FoodTalk Show about his home experimentation with herbs and how a £50 home distilling kit purchased online led to something bigger. Sometimes, things felt completely out of control, and rarely, for an entrepreneur, does he admit to hating these moments. But he persevered and ultimately sold the business to Diageo but is still involved to this day.

However, he has now started something new, Seasn, that is as he describes it, the "Salt & Pepper" for drinks. He is taking on an industry that has been dominated by one player, Angostura, for ever but believes that now is the time for change.

As if this isn't enough, he has recently set up a podcast, the Hidden 20%, that is trying to tell engaging stories about Neurodiversity. Having recently being diagnosed with ADHD he felt he had the opportunity to give back and encourage the 80% to understand more about Neurodiversity.

Edited by Stella Gent

He writes a column for the Guardian on Food waste, founded a zero-waste restaurant in Bristol, has lived off-grid with his family and recently created a genuinely Happy Meal with the Soil Association.

He catches up with Ollie Lloyd and recounts stories of cooking with the legendary Francis Mallamann, milking goats as a child before school and his plans for a new ice cream brand.

Edited by Stella Gent

Their business is taking a somewhat different approach to many challenger food brands. It tackles an incredibly old-fashioned category, having been invented in 2000 BCE or maybe earlier, and is trying to modernise it by returning to the basics. They are focused on lovingly creating a product with some truly committed farmers (Brue Valley) that is organic, twice-churned, hand-salted and sometimes flavoured. They are taking on a category dominated by one mega player, Arla (who makes butter for other brands and retailers), which has been neglected for too long and, in some people’s eyes, is irrelevant.

After a year, they have more social media followers than all other butter brands combined and are focused on creating content that inspires people to cook. Retailers are giving them listings, and they are raising money to fuel their ambition. Their product is premium, but at less than £3, you could easily argue that it is an affordable luxury that packs a punch in the kitchen. 

At ten, he became interested in food, designing his own restaurant/club as part of a school project. He has worked at several top rated restaurants, from Winteringham Fields to Cliveden, before establishing Thompson's on the Isle of Wight. He was one of the first chefs to work with us at Great British Chefs and cooked a memorable lamb carpaccio at our press launch event and a smoked eel puff in Old Street (London) the day we launched the website. During lockdown, he re-invented his business with a chef-designed food box called You Be Chef, which he continues to run. 

In his chat with Ollie Lloyd, he discusses the changing nature of food on the Isle and how people's expectations have changed due to various factors, such as Instagram, home cooking trends, supermarkets expanding ranges, and the cost of living crisis. Making things work in the hospitality sector is not easy, but Robert is committed to making it work. He is incentivising his team so that they are part owners of the business, is about to launch two new restaurants and remains dedicated to working with a growing list of local suppliers. 

Edited by Jasper Schofield

He has now embarked on another career branch by writing a murder mystery novel about a chef who has an unexpected experience running a cooking school in Belgravia.

Edited by Stella Gent

Ben Davies is the founder of VYPR, a consumer research business that is designed to metaphorically put the consumer on the shoulder of brand leaders as they optimise their mix or launch new products. 

Ben is a serial entrepreneur and an ex-supermarket buyer who passionately believes that most innovation processes are designed to produce sub-optimal products (and this is backed up data, as 85% of product launches fail after 12 months across Europe). He believes too many run processes that are rigid, take too much time and cost too much money. His platform encourages brand owners to ask lots of little questions, evolve their hypotheses over time and truly understand via A/B testing what is really working. Put another way he wants people to adopt a more agile way of developing products.

He shares with Ollie Lloyd a whole host of examples of categories where most brands are getting things wrong and argues that a new approach can deliver a genuinely more interesting and successful outcome. The truth is that too often brands add too many reasons to believe on their packs, are more focused on what other brands are talking about than what consumers actually need and want. Decisions are made quickly and so brands need to get their messaging at shelf right or products fail. VYPR is a great example of a business that is trying to help brands get things right from the start. 

Edited by Stella Gent

Tempeh is a weirdly neglected Indonesian product that is made from fermented soybeans. Whilst it is a stable of Indonesian cuisine it hasn't been embraced around the world even though it has a higher content of protein, fibre and vitamins than tofu.

Already stocked in a broad range of retailers, from Tesco to Lidl, they have strong momentum and are focused on helping people understand that meat free products don't have to be highly processed.

During his chat with Ollie Lloyd on The Food Talk Show he explained how he is focused on improving their core products rather than getting obsessed by the excitement of innovation. He champions the idea of EFD (Existing Food Development) rather than NPD or NFD (New Food Development) as he calls it. He loves to climb into the metaphorical weeds of his supply chain to find the best possible ingredients. He hates fake meats and believes they are doing immeasurable harm, something it is hard to challenge. His approach is different but it is having a major impact and is winning with customers and retailers. A business that more should be looking to emulate.

Edited by Stella Gent

Edited by Stella Gent

Already working with 70 farms and food hubs across the UK, his business is helping growers connect with local communities. He believes passionately that this model has the potential to create new employment opportunities on farms, help people get closer to the food they eat and also provide a new revenue stream for small scale growers. 

Episode edited by Stella Gent

Graze was one of the early innovators in D2C, dropping boxes full of healthy snacks through consumer’s letterboxes. Nowadays D2C only makes up 20% of its business and it plays a more nuanced role. The team use it as a way of collecting data, for media targeting, product testing and selection and as a recruitment vehicle for a cohort of fans that can spread the word on social media.  

The story Joanna tells, reminds us that the brands trying to do the right thing from a sustainability and health perspective are choosing the harder road. It just comes down to consumers to back these choices, which isn't always easy during a cost of living crisis.

It is by far the world’s largest cheese-only event and the 34th competition was held at the ICC Wales in Newport this year. There were a record-breaking 4,434 entries; sent to Wales by boat, truck, train, and plane via 19 consolidation points around the world, ensuring as many artisan cheese producers can enter as possible.

AJ is in her seventh heaven and Susie doesn't really talk much this week as she keeps stealing all the cheeses on offer in the studio, amongst them the world's best cheese (official!). Again they are joined by Christabel Cairns of the Guild of Fine Food who are organisers of the World Cheese Awards and Tom Chatfield who represents the World Champion Cheese La Gruyère Surchoix AOP.

Customers can choose from a huge selection of online recipes, then the ingredients (in the correct amount) appear on their doorstep ready to cook. As well as offering high levels of personalisation, this could be the ultimate low-waste business – Gousto boasts an impressive 0.35% waste rate in the supply chain and factory. Could this be the shopping mechanism of the future?

Calum discusses the art of pie making and we also talk to Matt from Kentish Mayde who make thousands of pies a day, all by hand for very happy customers. 

Once they’ve finished sampling some tasty treats from Sheila’s native Lancashire, the pair get talking about Sheila’s remarkable life in food and the media. After starting out with a very public critique of her college’s unappealing dinners, Sheila’s career was driven by a passion for exploring the food industry and its impact on consumers.

She spent time in Finland and then the US where she helped break down more barriers in her pursuit of gender pay equality. Alongside some colleagues, Sheila brought a class action against her employers in publishing for equal pay – and won. 

Don’t miss this classic edition of The FoodTalk Show. 

The first and only British chef to feature in Netflix’s ‘Chefs Table’, Asma has earned huge plaudits in the cooking world thanks to her amazing Asian cooking skills. She's even been voted the no.1 Coolest Person in Food and Drink by Business Insider. If you’ve ever visited the hugely popular Darjeeling Express you’ll know what we mean.

There’s so much more to Asma than her cooking though  . . . see how her roots make this story even more unlikely.

Asma Khan, founder of Darjeeling Express, joins us to discuss her story and foodie trends of 2019.

Chocolate? Expiring Turkey trimmings? Cheese? Crisps? What’s filling up the bins outside your property as we head into a brand new year with bleary eyes and a sincere fear of going to work?

Don’t worry, we know that January is a horrible month and we want to make things a bit easier for you. Alas, we have the first FoodTalk podcast of 2019 here which is live and ready to be downloaded.

For this one, we are looking into our crystal ball and trying to gauge what foodie trends will sweep the nation in 2019. There are a few surprising shouts from Ollie Lloyd, our presenter with the crucial Great British Chefs stats, so make sure you note his comments and set an alarm for December to see if they come off.

It’s not that we didn’t value the views of our regular team of Sue, Ollie and Holly, but we did want some fresh perspective on it all too. So to help us we were delighted to welcome Asma Khan into the studio. As well as looking at predicted foodie trends, she told us her incredible story.

Due to feature in Netflix’s ‘Chefs Table’ soon, Asma is earning huge plaudits in the cooking world thanks to her amazing Asian cooking skills. If you’ve ever visited the hugely popular Darjeeling Express in Soho’s Kingly Court, you’ll know what we mean.

There’s so much more to Asma than her cooking though…click play on this episode to see how her roots make this story even more unlikely.

It’s a brand new year and we’d like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2020.

To kick off the year, Ollie and Sue have invited two brilliant guests who are both at exciting stages in their food careers.

Marianne Lumb is a chef who reached the final of BBC’s MasterChef in 2009, going on to open her own London restaurant and also be a finalist in 2018’s Great British Menu series. The Saturday Kitchen Live regular is now considering her next gastronomic adventure and another restaurant could be on the menu, so watch this space…

Once they’ve finished devouring Marianne’s delicious cake, Sue and Ollie welcome Oliver Familoe of Oli’s Nectarous. This company won the Young Producer category at last year’s Future Food Awards with a range of amazing vegan-friendly, plant-based, gluten-free desserts made with natural sugar.

Oliver’s mum was a patisserie chef with Coeliac disease, so the young business graduate spotted a niche in the market for gluten-free, vegan desserts that genuinely tasted amazing.

Finally, the group discuss their foodie trend predictions for 2020. Will they come true or just be pie in the sky?

Food writing is the topic for this show – which book will be our flavour of the month?

Ollie is absent from the studio this week – off on one of his “hippy jaunts”, as Sue so delicately puts it – but the delightful Holly Shackleton is here and ready to talk all things food. As an added bonus, the pair are joined by an absolutely fabulous guest presenter and friend of the show, Kumud Gandhi.

Not only is Kumud the founder of The Cooking Academy, she’s also a published food author, which is pretty handy given our topic this week. Sue and Holly want to talk about the phenomenon that is food writing, in all its diverse forms.

Both Holly and Sue are, of course, published food writers but they want to hear from renowned foodie, Felicity Cloake, who is vice-president of the Guild of Food Writers. 

In the digital age, it’s never been easier for food bloggers to find an audience, but are they any good? And is it really that hard to write a cookbook?

Well, it turns out that writing your own recipe book is a true labour of love. Felicity should know, as she’s recently written a new book herself. Fortunately, Sue, Holly and Kumud don’t have to just look at the pictures, as Felicity has brought in some divine delicacies from the book for them to try.

Plus the team take a look at a selection of new food books that cover such fascinating regions as the Black Sea and Ethiopia.

This week Sue and Ollie have got guests from both ends of the flavour spectrum: sweet chocolate and savoury noodles. The one thing they have in common is that both producers love to experiment with exotic flavours.

Master chocolatier Paul A Young makes a very welcome return to the show and he’s brought more of his incredible treats for Sue and Ollie to try. Although he’s seriously famous and renowned in the foodie world now, Paul has not been tempted to abandon his artisan roots.

Inspired by the sights, smells and sounds of European patisseries, Paul’s unique and mouth-watering chocolates are still manufactured onsite at his three London shops but no oompa loompas in sight. Sue can’t wait to give her verdict on the buttered toasted hot cross bun flavour… 

Another familiar face returning to the studio is Damian Lee, the man behind Mr Lee’s Noodles. If you thought that noodles in a pot were just the preserve of students, think again. Mr Lee’s Noodles don’t contain the preservatives and ‘nasties’ like MSG and high salt and sugar levels that are found in many rival brands.

Damian talks about the challenges that his company has faced as a disruptor brand in the noodle space and how his noodles are now being served to the entire Australian Defence Force. He could even be about to attain the ultimate achievement of selling noodles to China!

Robin Moxon of Moxon’s Fishmongers knows pretty much all there is to know about fish and the buying habits of the Great British public. Surprisingly, it seems that Brits are more adventurous with fishy flavours than Sue had realised – you’ll never guess the subject of Great British Chefs’ most popular Instagram post!

This kicks off a conversation about whether it’s difficult to cook fish at home and why people aren’t doing so much of it anymore.

If you like a bit of foodie TV, you’re bound to have seen our second guest at some point. Adam Byatt has appeared on the likes of Saturday Kitchen, Celebrity MasterChef and Great British Menu, but he’s not just a media man. His Clapham restaurant Trinity has one Michelin star and has won countless other awards, so he knows a thing or two about meat.

Sadly, the number of butchers in the UK has declined by 60% in the last 25 years. Yet it seems that in the meat world too, people are keen to break out of their comfort zones and try the weird and wonderful. Adam reveals his approach to getting the best out of food and even gives us some tips on the most underrated British produce – velvet crabs, anyone?

Who ate all the pies? Not Sue, Holly or Ollie, because Calum forgot to bring any with him. The extraordinarily talented pie maestro, who is the Executive Chef at the Holborn Dining Room, breezed into the radio studios to talk all things pastry covered. The star of the short film The Geometry of Pie has opened the Pie Room at Holborn with a new menu dedicated to perfectly crafted pies. Sue just cannot contain her enthusiasm and reckons that steak and kidney pudding is probably the best dish in the whole world ever. Calum's 80,000 followers on instagram might well agree.

Pie could go with sprouts but we're not talking Brussels! Sprouts are seeds that germinate to become young plants after a few days and are extremely nutrient. They're great in salads, soups, pasta sauces, wraps and stir fries and are becoming increasingly popular. How do you use these type of sprouts?  Ratna reveals all.

Only Sue and Ollie have managed to struggle into the studio today, with straining stomachs after the usual Christmas excess.

However, they’re never too full to enjoy some fresh flavours, so they’re delighted to extend a festive welcome to three fascinating guests.

Charlie Holland from Gusbourne Estate in Kent has brought in some of their fantastic sparkling wine to keep the party going, which sparks a conversation about the quality of English wines today. How do our home-produced sparkling wines compare with France’s output?

If you’re looking for less alcoholic alternatives to beer or wine, you’ll be glad to hear about Binary Botanical. Boasting a prosecco-like taste, this lower calorie table beer is gluten and sugar-free and suitable for vegans. Danielle Bekker joins the team to explain more.

For those who are still in the mood for a cocktail, Tipplesworth produce “fun, faff-free” products to make mixology a breeze. Their range of ‘just add spirits’ cocktail mixers are quick and easy to use. Frankie Snobel has brought in a hot cocktail for the team to try, plus she reveals the secret of a great espresso martini with a Canadian twist.

This week’s show is a very special edition because we’re meeting not one, not two, but three categories winners at the Future Food Awards.

Dorset Snails took the Farm to Fork crown when the judges were wowed by the incredible taste and texture of their produce. The company’s entire farming process also impressed the panel, so Sue, Ollie and Holly want to know more about this innovative firm.

David Walker is on hand to give us an insight into Dorset Snails’ methods and reveals some fascinating snail facts that leave our presenters speechless!

Astonishingly, half of the baby food packaging found in UK supermarkets can’t be easily recycled. Little Freddie stormed the Food Packaging category with their innovative pouches that can be effectively recycled and help to reduce parents’ carbon footprint.

Next, the team try out some vegan honey that’s been made from, wait for it – brown rice. Bee Approved won the Food Innovation category with its delicious honey alternative and the good news is, they’re thinking about launching a beer too!

Food history and writing are both under the spotlight this week, as two culinary wordsmiths share their very different outlets for gourmet expression. 

Sam Bilton is a freelance food historian, writer and cook who also runs a supper club, Repast, where she showcases her modern interpretations of historical food. If you fancy a blast from the past, you need to get a seat at Sam’s table, but what is her own favourite gastronomic era? Her answer might just surprise you…

Once they’ve finished tucking into yesterday’s delicacies, Sue, Ollie and Holly welcome Zeren Wilson, acclaimed writer of Bitten and Written, which was crowned Best Food Blog at the 2019 Guild of Food Writers Awards.

After a lively discussion about the do’s and don’ts of negative restaurant reviews, Zeren’s experience in wine selling leads the team to explore the role of beverages throughout the ages.

While Sam and Zeren are no strangers to adding colour to their writing, Exberry has been doing that in a more literal sense for over 40 years. By using fruits, vegetables, edible plants and water, Exberry helps food manufacturers to make their products look amazing, the natural way. Paul Collins is here to tell us more about the company’s colourful history.

It’s just two weeks to go until Christmas and Sue, Ollie and Holly are getting into the festive spirit. There’s talk of turkey versus chicken, the best Christmas breakfast and – most controversially – how early is too early to break out the alcohol?

Well, with the UK non-alcoholic drinks market on the rise, you might decide not to risk a Boxing Day headache at all. Innovators like today’s guests are working to offer drinks that won’t leave you feeling like you’ve been on Santa’s naughty list, just because you want to bypass the booze.

Ellie Webb is here to add a far-flung flavour to Christmas with Caleno, a tropical non-alcoholic spirit that balances exotic botanicals with citrus and spice.

Beer drinkers are becoming ever more discerning, but do you need to have the alcohol in order to enjoy great taste?

In the studio to contribute to the debate is Chris Hannaway from Infinite Session, a beer lover who wanted the freedom to enjoy both alcoholic and booze-free ales. Chris has brought with him samples of Infinite Session’s IPA, pale ale and pilsner varieties, to see if he can convince the team to down some alcohol-free pints this Christmas.

This show begins with some fond reminiscing as Sue recalls the best meals she’s ever had at London’s Moro restaurant.

Luckily, among today’s guests is Sam Clark, who founded Moro with his wife in 1997 to celebrate the food of the southern Mediterranean. Both Sue and Ollie are huge fans, so they’re delighted to welcome a true food hero to the studio.

They’re joined by another chef with a very different style – Nick Deverell-Smith, whose menu at the Churchill Arms in Chipping Campden reflects its beautiful Cotswolds surroundings.

Nick has brought some fabulous spiced pear Bakewell tart for everyone to try, which goes brilliantly with our third guest’s offering. Coconuts Organic make all-natural ice cream from coconut cream and refined coconut sugar. It’s a vegan-friendly dessert that has an amazing taste and texture to rival traditional brands.

This sparks a fascinating conversation about the evolution of food and the way that vegan sensibilities are – or aren’t – requiring chefs to adapt their menus to keep in step.

It’s a family affair in the studio today, as the team are joined by Ollie’s sister, Antonia – who just happens to be a BAFTA award-winning producer who has worked on many of the UK’s top food and drink programmes.

She gives us some behind the scenes glimpses of life in foodie television, such as MasterChef: The Professionals and The Great British Menu. Plus, we hear from two other guests who are no strangers to the small screen. Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE is BBC Radio 2’s resident GP and has appeared on numerous TV shows, while Sally Bee is a well-known healthy cook for ITV.

So, what are the greatest TV programmes about food ever made? Opinions vary as Sue, Ollie and Holly share their personal favourites and discuss the heroes and villains of the genre.

Looking to the future of food programming, Sally and Dr Sarah certainly know where they would like the spotlight to rest. As members of the advisory team to Lo Salt – the all-natural alternative that has 66% less sodium than regular salt – Dr Sarah and Sally want to see delicious, healthy food getting more coverage in mainstream cookery shows.

Sally has survived five heart attacks, so she knows about the importance of raising awareness and feels that TV has a huge role to play.

Ever since CBD, or cannabidiol, products started to hit the UK market following law changes a few years ago, the media has been full of conflicting stories about its safety and efficacy. Is it a dangerous way of supplying cannabis to an unsuspecting public, or a harmless yet effective alternative to traditional medicines?

There are strict legal guidelines in the UK around the medical claims that can be made for CBD. But Sue and Ollie are intrigued enough to invite three experts into the studio to try and answer some pressing questions.

Why is CBD legal in the UK but cannabis isn’t? Will taking CBD products make you high? What conditions and ailments can it allegedly help with?

Michael Fitzgerald from Body and Mind Botanicals, Tony Calamita from Love Hemp and Charlotte Nielsen from Little Rick are here to answer all these questions and more. They also discuss the future of the CBD industry and the need for greater public education, in order to demystify and destigmatise CBD, so that more people feel confident trying it out themselves.

If you’re curious about the truth behind CBD, tune into this episode to learn more.

Our host Sue Nelson is beyond excited for this very special, festive edition of The FoodTalk Show. She’s joined by legendary food journalist, Sheila Dillon, who has been presenting BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme for over 20 years.

Once they’ve finished sampling some tasty treats from Sheila’s native Lancashire, the pair get talking about Sheila’s remarkable life in food and the media. After starting out with a very public critique of her college’s unappealing dinners, Sheila’s career was driven by a passion for exploring the food industry and its impact on consumers.

Time spent in Finland and the US was followed by a return to the UK, where Sheila broke down more barriers in her pursuit of gender pay equality. Back in the 1970s, alongside some colleagues, Sheila brought a class action against her employers in publishing – and won.

After two decades on The Food Programme, the multi-award-winning journalist has some interesting thoughts on women’s rights, food trends of the future and a few pet peeves concerning food entertainment! She also shares her experience of using food to benefit her health after being diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.

Don’t miss this audience with a real food heroine – then go and have yourself a very Merry Christmas!

Sue’s adopted home of Kent is the focus of this week’s show, with two great guests who share her passion for the south east county.

First up is Amanda Cottrell who, alongside many other prestigious titles, is patron of both Visit Kent and Produced in Kent. After 50 years living in the Garden of England, she’s highly knowledgeable about the country’s produce and a true champion of local producers.

Sue decides to test her guests and co-presenters on Kent delicacies – who knows what Kentish rarebit or Canterbury tart is? – before Amanda shares her bounty of incredible cheeses from around the county. Oh, and just wait for her story about driving sheep across London Bridge…

Next we hear from Lee Desai from Dr Legumes, a Folkestone restaurant dedicated to plant-based food. Not only is the eatery part of the amazing foodie renaissance that’s taken the seaside town by storm, Lee also believes that food and education can bring communities together. Well, maybe we’ll go and check out his nettle pesto and pea ballotine, just to be sure!

Listen in to find out whether Suffolk-and-proud Holly has been sold on Kent by the end of the show.

There’s a serious challenge in store for Sue and Ollie this week, as the FoodTalk studio becomes a full-blown gin palace. Will they stay sober until the end of the show? The dynamic duo is made of pretty stern stuff so, fingers crossed!

Not one, but two gin experts have paid FoodTalk a visit, bringing with them tantalising tipples to test anyone’s temperance. Sue has some fun gin facts to share first – did you know that sales of gin have tripled since 2009? – before she and Ollie meet today’s ginspiring guests.

Jack Wareing is the only Englishman in Scottish company Porter’s Gin, which has embraced both the old and the new with its distillation techniques. By both harking back to Victorian preservation methods and exploring the latest thinking in gin production, the firm has produced gins to really tickle the taste buds.

Sue is particularly fond of the intriguing Tropical Old Tom, but steady on Sue, there’s more to come…

The geniuses at Pinkster Gin don’t just create the most delicious pink gin, they also take a ‘nose to tail’ approach to plants. When this sustainable ethos results in alcoholic raspberries, you’ll get no argument from us!

It’s Hari’s last week as guest presenter on the show, so she’s making the most of the goodies our guests are offering up. Black pudding and milkshake make a bit of an odd combination… But hey, why not?

The first mention of black pudding can be found way back in Homer’s Odyssey. The family business of our first guest, Colette Twomey, doesn’t go back quite that far, but Clonakilty Blackpudding Company certainly has an impressive history.

Founded in the 1880s and still family run, the company produces truly delicious black pudding, along with equally tasty sausages. When she fails to get the secret family recipe out of Colette, Sue has a few questions about how a business retains authentic quality when their product becomes Ireland’s favourite black pudding.

With a farming background, Andy Howie knows plenty about sausages, but he’s now a connoisseur of the dairy side. Inspired by the poor quality of drinks on offer at a festival, Andy and his wife Jodie launched Shaken Udder Milkshake. They wanted to create something that was worlds apart from the instant powdered stuff and holy cow, have they succeeded – what’s more, they’ve done it without any investors.

The consuming public’s love affair with British farmhouse cheeses has been flourishing for some years now, so the team are delighted to see that Jason has brought a selection of the company’s UK and Irish-produced stock for sampling.

There follows a masterclass on the various types of cheese available too, so pay attention – who knew that different parts of the same cheese could boast different flavours? Oh, and if you’re using clingfilm to store your cheddar, stop immediately!

Here to offer some insight into Polish cheeses and to talk about his country's native food and vodka is Jan Woroniecki from Kavka Vodka, a Polish distillery that has turned to the production methods that were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The result is a distinctive, characterful taste, which Sue admits wasn’t quite what she was expecting.

With all the cheese in the studio, this naturally sparks a debate about the best drinks to pair with cheese. You might be surprised to learn that the consensus is – not red wine!

Ollie is wearing a noticeably flowery shirt to the studio this week, which may draw some amused comments from Sue but is also remarkably apt.

One of this week’s brilliant guests is the gloriously named Peverel Manners, from Belvoir Fruit Farms. Their refreshing fruit cordials and presses are supermarket staples today, but it all started in 1984 with the humble elderflower.

Pev tell us how to make the perfect cordial – which is pretty tricky when, like Belvoir, you refuse to add artificial flavourings, colours or preservatives. Sue has made elderflower gin (of course) but not cordial, so this is educational stuff. 

Ever felt guilty about the amount of food waste you throw out of your kitchen? Well, maybe you should, but not quite as guilty as the food sector, which chucks 3.4 million tonnes every year.

Too Good To Go is tackling this huge problem by connecting consumers with restaurants and stores that have unsold food available at the end of the day. People can simply download the app, go and ‘rescue’ the perfectly good, edible food and feel like a waste warrior at the same time. What’s not to like?

The lost arts of home cooking and proper use of salt

Sue has finally returned from her exotic adventures in South Africa, with lots of stories to tell. You’ll need to tune in, if only to hear about the bath on the train…

Our first guest, Rosalind Rathouse, hails from South Africa originally but her mission is not an exotic one. As the founder of Cookery School at Little Portland Street, Rosalind wants to encourage more people to get into the kitchen and get cooking.

Apparently, one in eight people in the UK avoids cooking from scratch, but with the school’s help, they can learn the basics of good home cooking and discover the joy of real food. Oh, and Rosalind has brought in some samples, of course.

Another key basic of cooking is how to use salt, yet it’s something that a surprising number of home cooks don’t really understand. Jess Lea-Wilson, from Halen Môn, is here to shed some light and tell us more about their natural Anglesey sea salt.

Sue and Ollie are delighted to find that Beth-Anne Smith of The Lismore Food Company has also brought some tempting wares, in the form of their amazing sweet and savoury biscuits.

Ultra convenience and almost zero food waste – the food solution that has supermarkets on the run.

After presenting The FoodTalk Show together for about a year, it’s finally occurred to Sue and Ollie that they don’t know much about Holly’s day job. As the editor of respected industry magazine Speciality Food, we know she’s a bit of a food expert, but what does it take to pull a top magazine together?

This leads the team to discuss the delicate balance that must be achieved between editorial integrity and essential advertising revenue. Getting relevant press coverage is always tough for new food and drink companies, so listen in for some useful insights.

Someone who knows about taking on the big boys in a difficult market is Tim Boldt from Gousto, a company that has been offering an alternative to the supermarket for seven years. 

Customers can choose from a huge selection of online recipes, then the ingredients – in the correct amounts – appear on their doorstep, ready to cook. As well as offering high levels of personalisation, this could be the ultimate low-waste business – Gousto boasts an impressive 0.35% waste rate in the supply chain and factory. This may well be the shopping mechanism of the future.

Ollie, Holly and Sue admit that today's taste combinations are not exactly well planned, but they decide to push on ahead anyhow. Watercress and iced coffee are today's topics. While we now have a great coffee culture in the UK, we're still way behind the Scandinavians who are easily the biggest consumers of coffee in the world. It must be all that cold weather.

Jimmy Cregan is mad on iced coffee rather than the hot stuff. He was travelling around Australia trying his best to be a surfing hero, when he discovered the stuff and became obsessed with it. He couldn't find just what he wanted when he came back to the UK though, and so started making his own and selling it in his sisters cafe in Christchurch. Jimmy's Iced Coffee is determined to take on Starbucks and all those high street chain and he's now heading to a turnover of £5 million.

Meanwhile James Harper, the Commercial Manager at The Watercress Company explains how to grow the perfect watercress and why it's so damn good for you. Based in Dorchester in Dorset, they have a team of 300 from seasonal staff to technical specialists. They have even started to grow wasabi, which apparently is pretty tricky in the UK weather - who knew?

Two great British products, but probably not best consumed together.

We're incredibly lucky to welcome Paul McFadyen to our studio. Paul is a master of cocktail mixing and a brand ambassador for Maison Ferrand – a producer of fine spirits.

Not only did he tell us a bit about the brand and educate us on alcohol, he also whipped up some amazing cocktails for our gracious presenting team. We know you can’t taste these through the airwaves, but just take our word for it, they're delicious.

Sue got a bit carried away and already feeling merry on the cocktails, was delighted to welcome the amazing Pippa Murray back on to The FoodTalk Show. You can’t have missed her Pip & Nut peanut butters in all of the major supermarkets, and here she tells her amazing story from museum worker to award winning entrepreneur.

How are those resolutions going?

Whether it’s eating healthier, exercising more, saving money, or committing to giving to charity – statistically its estimated that 80% of resolutions fail by the time you turn your calendar over to February. So, as we’re nearly at mid-January, we can safely say that around 40% of you have failed already.

A popular resolution for many is to partake in Dry January (just forget any drinks you had during Auld Lang Syne with Jools Holland), so it would be pretty mean of us to feature booze on this episode. Sorry folks, we’re going to be mean and please the 40%.

We’ve got not one, but two companies that specialise in varying types of booze for this episode. Sue, Ollie and Holly didn’t put up too much of a fight when they saw the schedule.

First up, we had the fantastic Jane Peyton with us. As far as drinking buddies go, she is pretty premium. Jane is an alcoholic drinks expert, broadcaster, pub expert, writer, public speaker, and founder of the School of Booze. The school is the education establishment that everybody wishes they spent six (or so) years at. Beer, cider, wine, sherry or champagne tasting sessions – there’s something to satisfy any tipple.

All good things come in pairs. Our other guest also knows more than a thing or two about alcohol production. Mardi Roberts has been with the fantastic Ridgeview Wine Estate for almost 20 years.

Ridgeview has been at the forefront of the recent evolution of English sparkling wine production. Based in the South Downs National Park, their wines are exported around the world and served at many prestigious occasions.

Cheers to the 40% - we’ll raise a glass to the 60% who can join us in a few weeks.

Coffee capsule machines are big business these days and everyone seems to have one (except Sue). But they are, in the opinion of Lex Thornley from Blue Goose Coffee, the next environmental disaster just waiting to be acknowledged.

Blue Goose coffee capsules are compostable, while still being compatible with many of the popular machines on the market. In addition, their boxes are all sustainable sourced, printed with vegetable ink and assembled with plastic-free glue.

Most importantly, of course, he’s brought along some of his delicious coffee for Sue and Ollie to taste.

Frugalpac are also driving the environmental cause forward with their product, which is the only paper cup that can be recycled as part of the mainstream waste process. George Rumble is here to explain how their unique manufacturing process makes a cup that is easily recycled and to discuss what the future holds for the recycling issue.

Coffee is a big deal in Ollie’s world, so Guy Wilmot from Bird & Wild Coffee is under pressure to impress. Luckily, he’s up to the challenge – Bird & Wild is the UK’s only bird-friendly and shade-gown coffee.

Although coffee naturally grows in the shade, it’s commonly grown in the sun by commercial producers in order to increase yields and speed up the process. This has a negative impact on bird populations, due to the removal of nesting sites and the presence of insecticides and pesticides.

Once Sue and Ollie are amped up on coffee, it’s time to chill out with some amazing treats from Prodigy Snacks. The chocolate is plant-based and vegan-friendly, plus it’s free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar. It’s even plastic-free, thanks to the recyclable packaging.

Prodigy are on a mission to reinvent the classics, so you can enjoy the taste of your favourite chocolate bars while consuming only low levels of natural sugar. Sue thinks they’re out of this world…

There’s a spicy atmosphere in the studio this week and for once, it’s got nothing to do with Ollie’s shirts.

Arun Kapil from Green Saffron has brought in an array of fabulous spices, which the company provides in a variety of different blends. They aim to create blends that bring out the best in each element on a plate and treat spice as a flavour ingredient, not just a regional touch.

Jack Galliano of Galliano Dining is well aware of the challenges of keeping the spice in mass catering – how do you feed 600 people and still serve up top quality food? Jack has some interesting insights into feeding the masses, along with his views on the new dining trends to watch.

Inspired by 12 years of doing PR for innovative food brands, Hannah Glasson has launched the new INTUNE range of fruit and botanical drinks to share the benefits of CBD. Having found that CBD helped to boost her concentration at work while undergoing medical treatment, Hannah wanted to share her discovery with the world in a tasty, refreshing way.

Ollie has temporarily moved house and he’s now living above an amazing bakery. But there’s no time for Sue and Holly to feel jealous, because there’s some delicious bread right here in the studio.

Lovingly Artisan Bakery has a mission to return bread to the centre of the table. Baker Aidan Monks makes incredible double fermented artisan sourdough from heritage grains that has been a huge hit with discerning shoppers. Of course, he’s brought some along for the team to try, much to Sue’s delight.

We all adore a good love story and there’s a true romance behind the origins of Manchester Gin. You’ll have to tune in to hear Seb Heeley’s tale, but suffice to stay it has resulted in a fabulous brand that started life in his dining room and is inspired by Manchester’s industrial heritage.

What’s your favourite Spanish or South American tipple? Lucy Shaw, editor of The Drinks Business, is here to share her love of these countries’ produce and give her views on the impact of the burgeoning English sparkling wine industry.

Sue starts this week’s show with a pop quiz – can our hosts and guests guess at the bestselling spirit brands? Or the most popular lagers, tonic waters and soft drinks? There may be a few surprises in there…

One of today’s guests has some insider knowledge about this topic. Richard Chamberlain from Drink Warehouse has some interesting insights of his own to add, along with a top tip for low and no-alcohol drink producers.

Fran Pearce is no stranger to fun alcoholic products, thanks to her work with Smith and Sinclair. But today she’s here to talk about a new venture, Pollen, which is taking the growing trend for CBD products one step further by exploring the use of CBD in cocktails and gummies.

Finally, Jess Latchford from Waste Knot explains how they’re helping to build relationships between farmers and chefs. When farmers have surplus fruit and vegetables that they can’t sell through their usual channels, Waste Knot can connect them with chefs who are looking to buy great quality produce – thus reducing food waste in a big way.

Where can you get the best cheese toastie around? Or the most delicious doughnut? Or the most sensational sushi?

Well, it’s time to share your recommendations because a new app is taking the guess work out of making your next gourmet discovery.

Originally inspired by a hunt for raspberry sorbet, Eaten compiles user reviews of dishes, rather than restaurants. So, if you’re in the mood for a great Sunday lunch and don’t have time to search endless restaurant reviews or websites, Eaten can cut out the middle man and take you straight to the best roast joint in town. Co-founder Jeeho Park is in the studio to tell us more.

The world of fast-moving consumer goods, or FMCG, is a pretty daunting one, but it’s also where more and more food start-ups are making their debut. Young Foodies is a business hub and community that helps start-ups deal with the challenges of getting their products onto retailers’ shelves and scaling up when the big players come calling, as Theadora Alexander explains.

This week’s show gets underway with a discussion about alcoholic drinks, including a truly heroic cocktail recommendation from Ollie.

It’s not the most apt start though, as this episode focuses on healthy alternatives that don’t involve alcohol. Rosh Amarasekara from Humble Warrior is here to tell us about her range of plant-based drinks aimed at the health-conscious adult soft drink market.

Using extraordinary plants to create extraordinary flavours – such as reishi and pineapple – Humble Warrior is offering a really different alternative to booze and sweet soft drinks.

Luhv Drinks is taking health beverages to a whole new level and they won the Drink Innovation category at last year’s Future Food Awards.  Through their collaboration with Kings College London, they’ve created drinks that benefit particular parts of the body – currently these focus on the skin, the heart and the mind, with more in the pipeline. Chris Beech joins the team to explain more.

The line-up is completed by another Future Food Awards winner in Seaweed & Co, which triumphed in the Mission Driven category. Dr Craig Rose, aka Doctor Seaweed, tells us why he’s so passionate about seeing this Eastern food staple become as popular in the West. He also reveals the rather surprising reason why he decided to study marine biology…

So, how are your New Year’s resolutions going? If you’ve fallen off the sugar wagon already, don’t worry – our first guest will make you feel good about giving in to gourmet chocolate.

Edinburgh-based Coco Chocolatier not only allow its visionary chocolatiers free rein to explore amazing flavours, they also work with artists to create fantastic designs for the packaging.

Calum Haggerty is in the studio to tell us more about the brand, which sources ‘origin made’ chocolate from Colombia. This enables more of the product to be created at the source, rather than just the beans, resulting in a fairer and more sustainable trade.

We get to the real meat of the matter with Thomas Whitaker from award-winning Tempus Foods, a charcuterie company founded in 2014. Both Thomas and his co-founder Dhruv Baker are MasterChef finalists, with Dhruv having won the title in 2010. 

He fills Sue and Ollie in on the secrets of the charcuterie world, ways to do it at home and how to avoid the common pitfalls of amateur curing.

Don’t miss this show if you love chocolate, as there’s a special discount available for FoodTalk listeners at Coco Chocolatier – but you’ll have to listen in to get it!

Holly has finally given up her globetrotting in order to re-join Sue and Ollie in the studio. Once they’ve checked in on how their New Year’s resolutions are going, they take a look at tomorrow’s world by investigating the hot foodie topic of artificial intelligence (AI).

From self-service supermarket checkouts to the algorithms that push online advertising at us, we interact with AI every day. But how is it being put to good use in the food sector?

Markus Stripf from Spoon Guru explains how his company set out to become the “Google of food”, enabling consumers to search for the products that suit their particular dietary needs.

How often have you visited a restaurant or ordered a takeaway and struggled to understand which dishes are truly right for you? Helping people to eat with convenience, control and transparency is a passion for Nick Popovici of Vita Mojo. The company provides an ultra-personalised menu, allowing customers to control macros, calories and quantities.

What does gut health mean to you? Possibly not very much, so it’s good that Helena Rogers from Troo is on hand to explain why it’s so important to our wellbeing. The vegan-friendly brand has created high-fibre products that contain no potential gut irritants, plus they’re a plastic-free company.

There’s a packed studio this week as three fantastic guests drop in to chat with Sue, Ollie and Holly.

First up, we hear from Nourish3d – the cutting-edge company that wowed the Future Food Awards judges enough to be unanimously voted Supreme Champion. Melissa Snover explains the science behind the world’s first truly personalised 3D printing daily nutrition stack, plus she’s brought in a sample that has been specifically tailored for Sue’s needs.

Once Sue has had her vitamin boost, she can’t wait to introduce the next guest. Jason Hirst from Evogro has been impressing some of the country’s top chefs with his plant growing system, which enables the production of perfect, delicious herbs and salad leaves right there in the kitchen. It’s not long before the team are clamouring for an Evogro of their own…

Finally, we get a glimpse of tomorrow’s talent with a visit from Bianca Tia Mesuria, who met some pretty impressive standards in order to win the prestigious Julia Child Scholarship with Le Cordon Bleu training schools. Luckily, the team don’t just have to trust that she’s highly talented – Bianca has brought in a tasty example of her cooking talent to prove it!

Until fairly recently, cordial has had a bit of an underwhelming reputation. If you associate it with elderly ladies or over-sweet squash drinks, this week’s show has a surprise in store.

Natasha Steele is in the studio to share the story of Urban Cordial, a brand of which Sue is already a big fan. For centuries, cordials were viewed as medicinal concoctions and in some parts of the world, the term refers to a tonic, syrup or low-alcohol beverage.

Not only is Urban Cordial making a big splash in the non-alcoholic market with refreshing flavour combinations – Raspberry and Rosemary is a particular hit in the studio – the company is also committed to sustainable production.

After starting out as a hobbyist, making cordials from the produce of her own allotment, Natasha made the decision to take her idea to market. Concerns about the huge food waste problem, however, prompted her to use surplus fruit in the production of Urban Cordial. To date, the company has saved over 40 tonnes of fruit from going to landfill.

In this week’s show, Ollie gets his first taste of Urban Cordial’s delights and also reveals some rather odd drinking habits that leave Sue and Holly scratching their heads…

The team are busting myths and testing preconceptions all over the place this week, starting with the much-adored truffle.

Perhaps surprisingly for a foodie, Ollie isn’t a big truffle fan and isn’t sure if they’re worth the (often very expensive) price tag. Nigel Whitehouse from Truffle Hunter is in the studio to see if he can tempt Ollie over to the dark – or light – side with a selection of tasty truffle-based treats.

From mayonnaise to cheddar, there is a veritable smorgasbord of delicacies for the team to try. You’ll have to listen to find out whether any of them are successful in winning Ollie’s approval…

If you feel increasingly confused by the wealth of conflicting information about diet and nutrition, Check Your Food could be heaven sent. Designed to make nutritional information accessible and understandable, the website allows you to check out the chemical and biological makeup of foods and make smart choices about your diet.

Matt Wright is here to tell us more and there are a few surprises as he reveals the truth about some of our favourite foods – how will milk, carrots and even the doner kebab line up?

It’s a full complement in the studio this week, as Holly takes a break from her gastro adventures to rejoin the team. What a great week to return, too – with food and drink that has the potential to split the crowd…

First, we meet the person with probably the best job title in the world: Head of Beer. Andrew Morgan from Beer Hawk Fresh explains just what it means to be head honcho of hops and introduces the team to some exceptional beverages. It’s a mixed reaction to the peanut butter milk stout, which Andrew washes down with a fascinating insight into American hops. Next, we find out which tipple would be his ‘desert island beer’ – we hope you’re taking notes!

Does wasabi go well with beer? Sue, Ollie and Holly are about to find out, as Nick Russell from The Wasabi Company provides an education in what the Oriental staple should really look and taste like. As experienced watercress farmers, the company has great expertise in growing plants in flowing water, so tasting the products turns out to be a bit of a life-changing moment for the team.

Plus, we hear about finger limes, Buddha’s hands and some exciting news for vodka fans.

Try as they might, Sue and Ollie just can’t stay away from the booze. Or rather, the booze can’t stay away from them.

This week, it’s an Italian liqueur that’s tempting our intrepid twosome. Italicus is a sour treat based on bergamot that makes incredible cocktails – as Sue is to find out, thanks to the generous mixology skills of Adamo Vobaro (phonetic). This time-honoured tipple is very well-known in Italy and its versatility is certainly impressing our co-presenter…

There will be more promising discoveries to be made on 7 November, when FoodBytes! comes to London. This live pitching event is the most incredible showcase for food and agriculture start-ups, where they can meet investors and possibly get the big break they need to crack the market.

Sue is appearing at FoodBytes! to help bring brilliant exposure to these promising innovators, so tune in to find out more from Maarten Ooms and learn how you can be there.

Plus, the team and guests chat about some fascinating facts thrown up by Great British Chefs’ latest research into the ecological values of the buying public.

Hands up if you had a granny who made the most incredible soup that could cure any childhood ailment? Recipes and delicacies from days gone by tend to get left behind as food trends and technology surge forward. But there’s a lot to be gained from looking at the time-honoured knowledge we used to have about food.

So says Fiona Esom of Product Chain, an FMCG retail sales agency that works to bring food and drink innovation to the British public. Although the company is passionate about the flavours of tomorrow, Fiona also believes that bone broth has an important place on today’s menus.

That’s the thinking behind Boosh, a high-protein and very nourishing food that Fiona wants to see in homes, care establishments and hospitals everywhere.

Breaking into the food or drink market, even with an established concept, can be incredibly tough. Fiona is well-placed to shed light on the do’s and don’ts of launching a new product.

Everleaf is already making a splash in the non-alcoholic drinks market. Created by bartender Paul Mathew, the aperitif Everleaf aims to offer consumers the complexity of flavour and texture that is so often missing from soft drinks or spirit alternatives. Will Sue and Ollie agree?

Ollie is back from his recent jaunt to Indonesia and he’s full of tales about the country’s amazing foodie offerings. If anyone knows of a great Indonesian restaurant in London, do let us know…

What is a microbiome? What damages it and what can we do to reverse that damage? How can you tell if a goat is happy?

These critical questions and more are put to gut health expert Shann Jones of Chuckling Goat, the UK’s number one producer of kefir. She’s brought some of the company’s products to try and it’s safe to say that Sue’s reaction won’t disappoint. But you’ll have to tune in to see whether Shann can convert Sue and Ollie to kefir by the end of the show.

After discussing the admirable attributes of goats, the team turn to investments – specifically, what to do with that spare £100,000 they’ve got lying around. Sue wants to know which areas of food tech are on investors’ radars right now if they want to stand a chance of good returns in the future.

Luckily, food entrepreneur and business growth advisor Rekha Mehr has popped into the studio to offer her expertise on the food trends of today and tomorrow.

This week’s show starts on a sad note as it’s Kumud Ghandi’s last appearance as guest presenter. But what a week to go out on, as the presenters discover two products that might just change their lives.

Sue’s not a sandwich or wrap fan, finding that the carrier often out-stodges the filling. Anishya Kumar, founder of Zinda Foods, shares this view, which is why she created the incredible AirWrap. Light, simple and delicious, could this have the power to transform lunch forever?

The small company has already broken into a supermarket chain, but scaling up can be tough for innovative food and drink firms. So, it’s interesting to hear from Rupert Holloway of Dorset-based Conker Spirit. His company launched its first gin at the very beginning of the gin revolution, so didn’t have too much competition to start with.

Times have changed a bit since then, so it’s fortunate that Conker’s Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is proving such a hit. Hailed as the foundation of the perfect espresso martini, it’s certainly made a big impression on our presenters – we think Sue may actually be in love…

With Olly still away, Sue, Holly and Kumud Ghandi are ruling the roost in the studio and they’ve got plenty to talk about.

This week the team are joined by Tara Mei from Bread & Jam, the UK’s first festival for food founders. If you’re an emerging business in food or drink production, you need to be at this two-day conference on 3 and 4 October – Tara explains why the experience can be life-changing for fledgling innovators.

Tune in to find out how you can access invaluable expert advice, as successful figures in the food industry offer their feedback to entrepreneurs – but you need to book your spot, so don’t miss out! And of course, there’s the Grand Final of the Future Food Awards to look forward to as well.

There’s another transformative experience in store as Eric Woods from Loma Linda offers a vegan plant-based alternative to tuna. Loma Linda in California is one of the world’s five ‘blue zones’ where people tend to live longer and veganism could be contributing to their longevity.

It’s got the texture but not the smell – will it win over the presenters? Or will they find Tuno a bit fishy?

Even if a soft drink has a relatively low sugar content, the flavour profile is bound to lean towards the saccharine and sweet drinks kill flavours. So, how do you find a non-alcoholic alternative that won’t ruin your lovely meal?

David Begg from Real Kombucha reckons he has the answer and he’s here to win Sue and Ollie over. Kombucha is a fermented tea that’s been around for thousands of years and David believes it offers a delicious option for those avoiding booze.

Another interesting aspect of kombucha is that it is a probiotic and can apparently be good for your gut health. A tasty, low calorie beverage that boosts your microbes – what’s not to love!

Sue’s a big fan of sour tastes in cocktails so she’s going to love this, right? Well, it’s fair to say that while Ollie enjoys the kombucha, Sue isn’t so sure… Although, is that a second glass we can hear being poured by the end of the show?

But despite Koj’s love of traditional Japanese cuisine, you won’t find any sushi on the menu – Sue and Ollie are dying to know why!

Our other guest this week is also treading his own path by taking things right back to nature. Fred Thorneycroft has been foraging ever since he started making nettle beer at university, which led to an enduring interest in herbs, wild fruits and other overlooked ingredients.

Based in Macclesfield, Fruits of the Forage makes incredible chutneys, cordials, beers and wines with foraged treasures and just about anything they can find. Of course, Fred has brought some samples into the studio for the team to taste. Sue can’t get enough of the Sloe Seville Marmalade, while Ollie is intrigued by the Pickled Wild Garlic Buds.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing though, as Fred reveals with an interesting story about his Hogweed Curry Chutney! Oh, and there’s some exciting news about the company’s future plans too.

Ollie has chosen to wear a rather fashionable shirt for today’s show, which is apt because Sue wants to talk about that most trendy of summer activities – the festival. 

But this is no ordinary festival. This week Sue and Ollie are joined in the studio by Katie Bone, founder of PX+ Festival, an event created to bring together chefs, producers, sommeliers and many more from the culinary industry for one brilliant three-day extravaganza.

Alongside 65 chef headliners, the festival, which takes place from 17 – 19 August, also welcomes speakers from other industries to encourage the sharing of knowledge and expertise, check out #mouthfulallweekend

Katie explains why she wanted to host a gathering specifically for the hospitality community and also gives us the secret behind the festival’s name.

Among the headliners is our second guest, Jan Kanonetzki, who is Director of Wine at the rather fabulous Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square. Not only does Jan give us his take on the PX+ Festival, he also answers such pressing questions as, what does a director of wine do? What does the future look like for sommeliers? And do you really need a huge wine list?

Sue, Ollie and Holly are going nuts in the studio this week – or rather, nuts about nuts. Unless you’re unfortunate enough to have a severe allergy, you probably love nuts as much as our hosts do. But are you clued up on how to make the best of these tasty, oily treats?

Sian Porter from the California Walnut Board has popped into the studio to shed light on the benefits of eating walnuts. Some people avoid them due to the fat content, but did you know just how good they can be for your health. A registered dietitian, Sian has some cracking advice for us.

A conversation about the challenges of eating healthily brings us to the next guest, Franco Beer, the creator of Boka cereal bars. Shocked by the amount of sugar, fat and salt in many supposedly healthy cereal bars, Franco set out to disrupt the market. Now, Boka products are the only bars to have all four green lights in the traffic light nutrition system. But how do we use the traffic lights to optimum advantage?

Maria Whitehead from Hawkshead Relish joins Sue, Ollie and Holly in the studio to talk about their delicious award-winning preserves, relishes and pickles, which are produced in the heart of glorious Cumbria. With over 120 acclaimed products, Hawkshead Relish’s range is a leading example of the fantastic food coming out of the Lake District – but it hasn’t been an easy road to success, as Maria explains.

Chutneys are a familiar part of Indian cuisine, at least here in the UK, but are they authentic? Chef Sarah Ali Choudhury is well-placed to answer that question, having been the youngest Asian female to manage an Indian restaurant.

But things really hot up when she tells us about her new health-focused products – including a “Viagra curry”, which aims to keep things spicy in the bedroom. Poor Ollie is somewhat outnumbered by women in the studio, but maybe he can take a bit home without anyone noticing…

Holly is back from her holidays and full of food stories that are making Sue and Ollie’s tummies rumble with envy. Having been immersed in one of the world’s most beloved cuisines, she’s ready to get back to discovering the best of British. 

Kiron Phillips set up RK Vodka with his brother Zan to produce a simple yet delicious new vodka. They use sugarbeet rather potatoes, which gives the tipple a more characterful taste. He even reckons that RK Vodka has converted a few confirmed gin and whisky drinkers to the cause!

Because the company deals directly with stockists, from fine dining restaurants to village pubs, they can offer bespoke packages. This sparks a lively conversation about food pairings and what tasty treats go well with vodka. Kiron also enlightens us about his single distillation process and explains the science behind reverse osmosis filtered water (whatever).

Finally, you can’t talk about vodka without devoting a little time to cocktails. This versatile ingredient is very popular for creative alcoholic concoctions, so Kiron tells us more about the magic of mixology and the mystery of flavoured sugar syrups.

Research has shown that home cooks are becoming more adventurous, both in terms of flavours and techniques. But as a nation, are we equipped with the basic skills to be truly competent in the kitchen?

To discuss this, Sue and Ollie welcome to the studio Colin Westal from Le Cordon Bleu, the world’s largest network of culinary and hospitality schools. Colin explains that the focus for students is more on learning classic French techniques, rather than recipes, as these are the essential tools for gastronomic success.

Luckily for the team, Colin has also brought in a sneak preview of Le Cordon Bleu’s upcoming plant-based course – which, much to Sue’s delight, takes the form of two absolutely delicious dishes in which the veggies are the heroes.

It takes a lot of courage to switch from one career to another, so Anna Richey’s tale of transformation from journalist to liquid egg white producer is quite the story. She comes out of her shell to discuss the success of Two Chicks and, of course, Colin is on hand to give us all the secret of a perfect poached egg.

Ollie’s back from Morocco and after his taste of the exotic, he’s keen to get stuck into the best of British once again. It’s just as well neither he nor Sue have had breakfast, as the studio is full of food – and alcohol!

Gill Hall from Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses boasts an incredible family history in the cheesemaking industry. It all started with her grandparents back in 1932 and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first time Gill’s mum made the company’s flagship Lancashire cheese.

She tells us about the joys of running a family business and gives us an insight into the challenges of perfecting Blacksticks Blue, a fabulous cheese that is going down rather too easily in the studio…

Jason Barber from Black Cow Vodka grew up on a farm and also has cheesemaking in his blood, but now he focuses on dairy waste rather than dairy produce. He’s taken whey, an under-valued by-product and turned into an award-winning tipple.

Does vodka go with cheese? Rather surprisingly, it does, very well – so much so that vodka sceptic Ollie is now a convert.

When Warner’s launched their gin brand in 2012 – with a mission to “save the world from mediocre gin” – the market was very much an emerging one. However, sales of gin in the UK have tripled since 2009 and we spent £461 million on the tipple last year.

Is the gin market saturated? With 315 distilleries operating in the UK, how does an artisan brand stand out from the crowd? Tom Warner pops in to tell us how their “graft gin, not craft gin” got in early and why authenticity is so important if you want to make a splash in the market.

Craft gin isn’t so popular in the US yet, but they do like their food. Unfortunately, not everyone else does… Sue confesses to knowing nothing about American food, so it’s lucky that the man behind Stafford’s Bank House Restaurant by Chef Jonathan – Jonathan Cushing himself – has popped in to educate Sue on the rich history of American cuisine.

The San Francisco native has brought an authentic Chicago deep dish pizza for Sue and Hari to try, with the hope of banishing a few stereotypes about the US of A’s foodie credentials. We think he might have succeeded…

This week they have the great pleasure of chatting to Kumud Gandhi, founder of The Cooking Academy and widely recognised as “the Spice Queen”. Hailing from a family of spice merchants and chemists, Kumud is fascinated by the “alchemy of food” and she has brought along some samples of her amazing cookery to share with Sue and Hari.

Statistics reveal that 18% of people cook from scratch less than once a month, or even never. So, how can The Cooking Academy help to inspire home would-be cooks to get into the kitchen? 

Social media has transformed the way we communicate, connect and consume over the last 10 years or so and the first guest is social media success personified. Olivia Wollenberg certainly hit the ground running when she founded Livia’s Kitchen in 2014, with the aim of producing indulgent treats that wouldn’t trigger her food intolerances.

Just 11 weeks after having the idea for the business, Olivia was launching her Superfood Crumbles exclusively in Selfridges. Her subsequent recipe blog went on to attract 300,000 hits in the first month. Sue and Hari want to know how she did it!

Plant-based diets are gaining momentum among consumers, so restaurateurs and food manufacturers are having to respond with more, tastier plant-based options. Joining Sue and Hari to shed light on the burgeoning industry is Vishal Madhu from Qwrkee, who claims to have created the world’s first probiotic snack.

Inspired by his wife’s desire for a high-protein diet, Vishal explains how he set about developing a nutritious beef jerky – without the meat. There’s also a range of probiotic puff snacks designed to boost your gut, which Vishal calls “your second brain”.

Also in the studio is Peter Ahye from Freaks of Nature, which aims to satisfy sweet teeth with delicious puddings that are certified vegan and vegetarian, and dairy and gluten-free. If Sue and Hari can stop eating the desserts for long enough to ask any questions, we’ll find out how…

This show is the second of two, with the team dissecting the results to find out what UK consumers are thinking, their motivations and what they're buying and eating in 2019.

Is alcohol consumption really on the decline? What’s the story about the interest in plant-based food and just what do foodies have in their store cupboard? The team give their views and for a copy of the full GBC research click here.

This show is the first of two, with the team dissecting the results to find out what UK consumers are thinking, their motivations and what they're buying and eating in 2019.

Is alcohol consumption really on the decline? What’s the story about the interest in plant-based food and just what do foodies have in their store cupboard? The team give their views and for a copy of the full GBC research click here.

British charcuterie was a bit of an oddity when Shaun started out. The general perception was that you couldn't possibly make charcuterie in the UK because the weather conditions "weren’t right". Well, just like British cheese, we now have a burgeoning charcuterie industry and according to Shaun we're rather good at it.

He takes Sue and the team through a tasting feast of extraordinary British bresaola, air dried hams and chorizos. All from animals that are free range and ethically reared. Eating all this charcuterie made Sue extremely thirsty, so thank goodness Talula was in the studio. If you're overwhelmed by the range of weird mixers that now populate the supermarket shelves and can't work out the perfect combination to go with your Sipsmith, Talula has solved the problem. Sekforde make the perfect mixers to go with a range of spirits and she's enlisted the help of Sharon to make some gin combinations to prove it.

Ollie and Holly are then stunned by Sue's knowledge of the UK countryside and how little of it is actually built on. We are a rural country after all and no one knew. Did you also know that agriculture in the UK uses 69% of the country’s land area but we produce less than 60% of the food we eat. Crazy. Will has joined us to talk all things farming and agriculture and explain his mission to promote the work of farmers and why they are so important to us all.

Sue also reveals that she goes to Harrods to get her favourite beef dripping in the world, from James Whelan butchers of County Tipperary. Ollie is aghast at this revelation.

From Ireland to Greece as Sally Dorling of Tim's Dairy explains how they make traditional greek yogurt in the heart of the Chiltern Hills. Chris, Peter, Bides and Tony Timotheou have brought traditional Greek methods to producing the finest yogurt in batches using fresh pasteurised British milk, natural ingredients and bio-live cultures. 

Ollie's research shows 56% of committed foodies are trying to stick to more of a plant-based diet (January 2019), and most especially basing their weekday meals around health. As a nation we are undeniably reducing our meat intake and these trends look set to continue.

After the plant-based discussions we are joined by Rob Berry of Asterley Bros, a company that Ollie describes as "Brexit's dream". He's worked through London’s history of tonics and liqueurs to painstakingly recreate (with his brother Jim) a unique drink with Sicilian influence - the ‘hybrid amaro’. Why has Ollie called it "Brexit's dream"? Listen and find out.

In such a health-focused time, more and more people are giving up alcohol during the week or abstaining altogether. Ollie reveals that nearly a quarter of millennials don't drink at all, so what are the alternatives? The consensus in the studio is that consumers are ill-served when in bars, restaurants and pubs with a disappointing selection of non-alcoholic drinks.

Laura is on a mission to give inspiring ideas and support to those who want to socialise and 'fit in' when on the wagon. Meanwhile Chris explains how is dedicated to producing plant-based drinks and juices which are good for the heart, skin and mind.

Unfortunately, Gouri from Holy Llama Spice Drops, is stuck on a train on route to the studio, so we have thrown Simon Griffiths in the spotlight for this one even though he's been invited to the studio as a bit of a palm oil and nut expert.  

Once he's told us about his favourite spices he takes us through the Meridian Foods story. They're probably most famous for their peanut butter but they make dozens and dozens of nut-based products. They've made a decision not to use any palm oil in their whole product range and Simon explains why it's so important to them. To finish off Ollie explains why tahini is no longer just for new Labour supporters and urges Simon to move peanut butter beyond "the toast moment"?!

In 2018 we managed to win a penalty shootout in a football game, we didn’t finish bottom of Eurovision and globally we continue to be the best at queuing. In fact, we even produce the best food-related podcast in the world (us, obviously).

One of the things that we haven’t been famed for, until recent years, has been making wine. However, over the course of the last 20 years or thereabouts we've been climbing up the quality ladder. We could even claim to be among the best at creating sparkling wine.

What about normal red and normal white though? We're not as famed for that yet, but we’ve found a company to rival the French, Spanish and Portuguese – they're the Redhill Farm Estate.

Henry Boorman came to walk us through their story and explain how they're the only vineyard in the country to produce more red than white wine. We had a bit of a taste too…obviously.

Another string to Redhill Estate’s bow is their sustainability. Their wines have a unique cork made from sugar cane waste and they don’t have a plastic capsule on the bottle. Their sustainability angle is thanks in no small part to Paul Foulkes-Arellano. Paul works for the design consultancy company, Precipice, and they're working with a whole host of manufacturers in the hope of ridding plastic from the planet.

Wine – good. Sustainability – good. Anti-plastic – good. This week’s FoodTalk episode – good!

This week we're discussing our favourite cookbooks. Ollie explains his favourites and despite some fabulous examples there really are some bad ones out there too. Holly has some that are really close to her heart and Sue has a couple that no one else has ever heard of.

The cookbook topic is one of the many tangents we head down when we record these shows, but the real star this week is Catherine Conway – thanks to her amazing Unpackaged company.

We're long-term haters of single-use plastic, but we also understand that, as a consumer and retailer, it’s difficult to avoid. Unpackaged are helping clients to become ‘zero waste stores’ and on a smaller scale can supply refill systems for supermarkets, delis and farm shops.

Will we be going back to the days of taking along our own tubs, jars and bottles to be filled at our nearest food shop? And if so, how are the retailers going to cope? Don't even mention health and safety.

It’s absolutely freezing outside, snow has covered most of Scotland and so we should have invited somebody who makes stew, hot chocolate or something like that…but Coconuts Naturally are producing such damn good ice cream that we just had to invite Cecily Mills into the studio. We're fighting ice with more ice.

100% organic, 100% vegan…their reputation for creamy excellence is growing too. The South West made treats are already available in Ocado and expect to see more of them as the mercury starts to rise. 

From Ice Cream to chocolate (a warning to diabetics), our other guest is producing comfort food which is just as good. We admit it's not hot although it does give a warm glow.

Oli Shorts (another Oliver in the studio) came to visit us with his amazing Seed & Bean Chocolate. They don’t specialise in just one variety; white, mild, dark, pure cacao – they are producing brilliant chocolate bars across the board.

We hope you find this podcast as sweet as we do…

We didn’t check our calendars accordingly – it’s Burns Night tomorrow and we don’t have any Scottish specialities to enjoy on this episode. Before reading/listening any further, you’d best google some appropriate food.

It got us thinking though, what’s your favourite Scottish delicacy? Haggis, neeps and tatties, shortbread…whisky? They probably wouldn’t admit it, but we bet Sue, Ollie and Holly would secretly demolish a battered Mars bar.

So, we don’t have anything Scottish on this show, but we have plenty of Devonshire. Jane Devonshire to be precise. You will probably recognise the name if you’re a fan of BBC show Masterchef. She won the competition back in 2016.

You might think of Masterchef entrants as the types of people who have the application dates etched into their minds and wait by the phone for the producers to give them the green light. In fact, it was rather different for Jane, she described how her children did it all behind her back and only informed her at the last minute. Then, when producers did call, she’d forgotten all about it. Not the ideal preparation for winning, but she did it.

From TV show fame, Jane is now a champion of gluten-free cooking – something she's always done because of her son's health issues. Not only did she bring us her cookbook, she had been cooking at home for us and bought plenty of goodies made from the book. Blue Peter style. We like Jane.

We also like Jamie Burrows, but for different reasons. He's created Vertical Future. They produce MiniCrops, using agri-technology to reduce food miles and provide fresh, consistent, sustainable produce to households and restaurants. He's a food hero too.

An apology…we know it’s getting to that point in January where those food and drink-related resolutions start to buckle under the pressure, and we didn’t help ‘Dry January’ participants with our boozy episode last week. We’re making amends this week though, particularly to those challenging themselves to Veganuary.

That’s right…whether it’s going fully vegan, partially vegan or just a simple pledge to cut down on meat consumption, we are offering a safe zone.

There’s not a drop of alcohol in-sight either, much to our presenting team’s displeasure.

There is, however, a drop of something quite wonderful though. Gold is something associated with being the best and Morocco Gold are certainly the best olive oil producers that we have ever come across; they even medalled in our FoodTalk Awards in 2018.

Gordon Davidson came to the studio to educate us all about the UK’s favourite cooking oil. Some of the learning was frightful, especially hearing about some of the cheaper brands you pick-up from the supermarkets. Looking for the best? It has to be Morocco Gold’s superior quality, single estate, extra virgin olive oil from olives grown and pressed in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Case closed. 

From North Africa, our next guest is producing something just as lovely but a little bit closer to home. Camden’s street-food offerings have paved the way for similar foodie hubs to thrive and Pop Brixton is now one of the most popular foodie destinations in the capital.

Out of the vibrantly-decorated former storage containers, some great food is being cooked-up – none better so than Ross Forder’s Halo Burger unit. They boast the accolade of being the “world’s first” fast-food burger joint dedicated to serving only the “bleeding” vegan Beyond Burger. We strongly urge you to visit.

Brexit has gone bonkers, the Prime Minister is under the cosh, a couple got married and are now expecting a child, football nearly came home and we sizzled in summer as the mercury rose above the levels of Spain. Have we missed anything?

It has also been an incredibly yummy year too. We have had an awful amount of with The FoodTalk Show in partnership with Great British Chefs and, recently, the Speciality Magazine.

We met new and interesting guests every week and we are putting the cherry atop our year by presenting some of our favourite moments from the past 12 months.

Fatbergs, seaweed, cow auctions, sweetie horror stories, stinky cheese, and weedkilling…just some of the many things that standout. We hope you enjoy this special episode and be rest assured that we are working on some new and great material for 2019.

Like these snippets and want more? Below is a list of the guests in order of their appearance with links to their full interviews.

1. Tessa Stuart
2. Dr Seaweed
3. Rubies in the Rubble
4. Rootwave
5. The Jealous Life
6. Neil Nugent – Iceland Foods
7. Hilltop Honey
8. Growing Underground
9. FOGcheck
10. Feltham’s Farm
11. Cawston Press
12. Brewers Association
13. Keelham Farm

Fancy an early Christmas present? Go on then…don’t tell anybody – it’s probably bad luck if you believe all that stuff.

We’ve got a very special interview to get you in the Christmas spirit nice and early. One of the perks of the job for Sue is that she gets to travel around the country meeting some fabulous foodies who all have a great story to tell.

However, with that being said, the stories probably don’t come too much more interesting than William Chase’s. You will have heard of Tyrells crisps and you might have tasted something boozy from the Chase Distillery, but have you ever wondered how one person could build those brands?

Craziness, brilliance, hard-work? As Sue found out, it was a little bit of everything. She caught up with him at the fabulous Bread and Jam Festival for foodies recently. William was on-stage at the founders festival to receive a bit of a grilling from our presenter so we captured it for FoodTalk as it’s too good to miss. It’s an amazing story which encompasses the many lows and highs of the food industry.

Make sure you listen to this podcast, but you can also find out info on William here. Tickets are available for the Bread & Jam Festival in 2019; it’s a wonderful event that shouldn’t be missed, find more information here.

Can we just ban any talk of Brexit now? It’s really dampening the festive spirit – we want to see The Grinch, Elf or A Miracle on 34th Street splashed across our screens, not the dour and dreary crew who work in those grandeur buildings of Westminster. 

To be fair, it’s a topic that stirs up some anger from our presenters. However, with two weeks until the guy in the red suit comes along, Sue, Ollie and Holly have promised to rein it in. 

If they go on about it too much, there won’t be any sweeties in their stockings on December 25th. We kept a secret stash back from Imran Meza and his amazing Jealous Sweets.

This may surprise you to know, but the majority of big brand sweets are actually far from being vegan-friendly, which seems crazy but it’s all to do with the gelatine used. The Jealous Life are here to satisfy vegans with a sweet tooth now though. Their amazing tasting range is also free from a lot of traditional nasties and is generally just perfect!

As a kid, you’re always told not to have too many sweets before dinner as it will ruin your appetite. Luckily, we caught up with Neil Nugent of Iceland Foods before we raided the sweets.

Here’s a fun stat for you…Neil is thought to be responsible for feeding around 50% of the nation at one time or another. He is currently the head of product development at the frozen food specialists but has held similar roles with other major supermarkets in his career too.

The world of supermarket food is always a contentious topic with our presenting team and Neil fielded some tough questions but provided some fantastic responses which really help you understand the challenges that the big shops face.

Honesty hour…the noise of cardboard being popped and cracked filled the living rooms of homes across the UK on Saturday to mark the start of the advent period but, hands-up, who has eaten a little more than their fair share of windows so far? Shame on you.

We do get it though. When you have something marked in your calendar for ages and ages, you just want it to happen already – how do you think we cope with patiently waiting for the FoodTalk podcast to be released every Thursday at 4pm?

It could be worse though, you could have an alcohol-filled calendar just like Sue, Ollie and Holly – they really know the feeling of being merry around the Christmas period, even if they claim it’s due to the excitement of this week’s guests.

Our starter has a distinctly Japanese feel to it. It’s a type of cuisine that continues to gain popularity in this country quicker than Usain Bolt on a 100m track – thanks in large part to companies like Tazaki Foods, who are making it more accessible to every day home cooks. They launched the Yutaka brand, which you’ll definitely recognise from the supermarket aisles – Andrew Chesters walks us through their story.  Sushi, anybody?

From one food that originates in Japan, our other guest is an advocate for food a little closer to home. Ben Aveling runs the fantastic Radmore Farm Shop. Their ethos is simple but brilliant; local produce, no mess, no fuss, great taste – happy food. Along with his wife, Ben runs a butchery and bakery – there’s something for everybody.

Enjoy this podcast while munching your way through the 20s of your calendar. You can always get a new one and they’re probably reduced too.

It’s party season...as offices start spilling merrily (in more than once sense of the word) into the pubs and clubs, it also marks the point where there’s no turning back on the dieting front. You won’t be this skinny again until at least the end of January when that ‘new year, new me’ regime starts to take shape. 

We fully endorse the idea of listening to this podcast with a large glass, tab or bag of something rather yummy. Neither Sue, Ollie nor Holly need to be told twice.

To be fair, our first featured product is something that you definitely cannot consume. It’s actually an amazing bit of kit, and a perfect wildcard to kick off this week’s FoodTalk podcast.

Andrew Diprose is the CEO of the fantastic RootWave. It’s the leading solution to organically kill weeds without using chemicals; obviously a fantastic tool for farmers and gardeners alike. We could tell you more techy stuff, but you can check out their video to get a proper feel for it all.

Our second guest brings us something that is very easy to drink down…beer. We’ve met lots of UK beer companies in the past, but this time we’re learning about the state of beer from over the pond.

Lotte Peplow came to us to explain the role of the Brewers Association in the USA and how they help small and independent craft brewers at a time where the beer boom shows no sign of slowing. Bottoms up!

The last seven days have been completely dominated by Brexit…cabinet this, no-deal that. One imagines that being an MP at Westminster has probably never been more exciting, even if the rest of us are sick of hearing about it.

One of the rumours to come out of the whole saga is that we, the UK, could have a bit of a food crisis on our hands. Whichever side of the fence you sit though, you can only admire some of the homegrown delights that there are to enjoy. So, you know what, stuff your Brexit for one hour. We want to talk UK food. 

Sue Nelson, Ollie Lloyd and Holly Shackleton don’t need to be told twice. Our three-strong presenting team were delighted to get chatting with our two guests this week.

Our first guest is somebody who has her finger on the pulse in the world of food and food sensitivity in particular. Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, on the back of a dairy allergy diagnosis in the family, has written countless books and created 1000s of recipes for people with allergies. Most of her great work can be seen in her own online magazines, such as Foods Matter. Michelle also created the FreeFrom Awards.

Our other guest has enjoyed less time in the business but has had an amazing start and is already being stocked in the supermarkets. Jesse Wilson explained how he and his co-founder were sick of drinking the same old lagers on the market, so decided to take matters into their own hands

As a result, Jubel Beer was created. The brief…not to be like everything else on the market. Well they’ve certainly cracked that. Their two brews, Urban and Alpine, are brewed with elderflower and peach respectively – they taste amazing.

Crack open a cold one (or two) and forget about bloody Brexit!

Urgh, it’s unavoidable…Christmas. Decorations are in the stores, adverts are on the television and, if you scroll through your social media feed, you’ll see plenty of crazy people who have already done their shopping. People…it’s mid-November. 

Make the right decision.

That’s right, rather than spending your most recent payslip on presents for others, we’re advocating that you spend it on yourself and, specifically, on plenty of great food and drink. Thankfully this episode gives you some pointers.

This particular recording took place at the end of a busy day in the bustling capital. Therefore, it was a complete result that our guest, Dipna Anand, bought us some incredible treats from her restaurant, Dip In Brilliant.

Dipna is an award-winning chef who has graced our tv screens, so there are few better to talk us through some Punjabi cuisine. Just listening to this one will have you salivating.

While statistically the most-ordered curry in the UK is a Chicken Korma, there are plenty of amazing curries suitable for vegetarians up and down the country – it sets the scene nicely for our next guest.

Charlotte Downs was on-hand to introduce us to More Than Carrots. This platform has been created for pretty much anybody who is keen to cut down on meat consumption, be it through flexitarian(ism), vegetarianism or veganism. It allows users to easily scan through a whole host of popular local restaurants to see what the non-meat offering is like; whether you’ll have one mushroom risotto choice or a whole dedicated menu. Very handy indeed.

Now…back to the Christmas shopping.

There have been plenty of fireworks whizzing and popping around this week, and although Guy Fawkes night has passed, this podcast will have you doing cartwheels.

That’s right…it may now be dark when you leave the office in the evening but we still strive to lighten your lives with a bit of FoodTalk.

This week we’ve got a brand that you should all be quite familiar with. With the numbers of people who drink alcohol dropping, there is plenty of room for growth in the soft drinks industry. Cawston Press are definitely taking advantage.

Steve Kearns came to our studio to explain how the brand have managed to rise above their many competitors to install themselves as a regular fixture in our fridges and cupboards with their sparkling juices.

Also on the show this week is a company looking to help you this winter. As already discussed, it’s dark when you leave the office and it’s barely bright when you wake up in the mornings. The last thing you want to be doing in the evening is heading to a supermarket. 

Online grocery shopping is undergoing a huge boom at the moment and we heard from Kevin Srithevan, who is winning plaudits with his Früt company. Keep your eyes on these guys...delivering to a doorstep near you soon.

Ollie is upset…he thinks people are lying to him.

We’ve all heard the shocking stat that 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption is thrown away but, ever the one to jump into the mind of foodies, Ollie’s Great British Chefs research shows that we aren’t all sticking our hands up and admitting responsibility.

Whether you are honest or not, there’s no denying that food waste is a massive problem. Our half hour podcast won’t give us enough time to fix it all, but we’re hearing from some companies that are trying their very best.

Michael Minch-Dixon is not a stranger to The FoodTalk Show. We heard about his fruit rescue snack bars back in our early days, he also won a FoodTalk Award earlier this year thanks to his compostable packaging. He’s here to give his thoughts on how the big-boy companies can cut their food waste stats.

Alongside Michael is Precipice Design’s Miles Hawley – the company have also been on with us in the past. Their design consultancy business is pointing them towards lots of fantastic and innovation companies who are designing systems to keep the waste down.

As producers of this show, we often take pleasure in arranging our recording days so that our presenters are drinking some sort of strong alcohol early in the morning.

Maybe we’ve turned a new leaf now though, because we arranged a session which was quite breakfast themed…and this was recorded on a sunny London morning. Go us! 

It was good timing for Holly Shackleton, who joined for the first time as guest presenter. The Editor of the Speciality Magazine came to us on an empty stomach…shame on her.

You don’t need much introduction to our guests…Tiptree and Hilltop Honey are two brands which have cracked the supermarkets in UK and both are favourites of ours when it comes to a breakfast spread.

We were delighted to chat to Liz Baker from Wilkins & Sons – makers of the Tiptree brand. They know what they’re doing; they’ve been going since 1885, have survived two World Wars, a hurricane, and have even had a visit from The Queen. Like your jams and preserves…these guys are for you.

Next up, there was a buzz around the studio…who can guess what we were talking about? That’s right honey, we bee talking honey.

We had Scott Davies of Hilltop Honey come to the studio to explain how he turned from ‘normal’ jobs to be a beekeeper and the maker of some amazing honey products. We learned the difference between normal products and ‘Manuka Honey’ but there was one taster which had Sue running for the water…

Special deliveries are the theme of our podcast this week.

One impending special delivery hit the headlines this week. You might have successfully avoided the Royal Wedding volume two (sequels are always rubbish – sorry Prince Andrew), but it wasn’t safe to pop your head above the parapet. Royal baby coverage is even harder to avoid.

That’s right, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been…busy…creating a new entry into the royal succession line. Cue seven months of incessant news bulletins and magazine inches. Listeners, please pass us the wine. 

In fact, why don’t you send us the wine? We love new innovations in the food & drink industry and creating a wine bottle that can fit through a letterbox is right up our street.

Founder, Santiago Navarro, is the inventor of full-size, flat wine bottles; innovative, slimline designs in 100% recycled PET. Remember the name of Garçon Wines – we absolutely love this idea.

Needless to say, Ollie and Sue were quite taken with this one. Ollie even bought some dodgy looking spirit in the studio to celebrate…we won’t be putting that in Santiago’s bottles anytime soon.

This week’s podcast is also available on YouTube – so check out the bottle for yourself by clicking here.

Did somebody say Takeaway?

It’s only Thursday, but we’ve got the menu out one day early and we’re ready to enjoy a tasty special podcast from the Takeaway Expo.

With Ollie Lloyd busy (probably dining at London’s fanciest establishments as per usual), Sue Nelson took a trip to London’s Excel Arena to hear from some of the most interesting companies who are advancing the world of food.

Over the course of the next half hour, we can promise plenty of variety, a world’s first, something to make you wish it was still summer and something else that might just put you off food for the rest of your life (we’ll let you find out more by pressing play, but be thankful that smells don’t transfer through computers.)

We’ll drag Ollie away from his fine dining adventures to make sure that we are back to the usual format next week.

It’s dark by dinnertime, it’s dark when the alarm goes off, Halloween seems more pointless every year and, yep, Christmas bits are popping up everywhere. Hunker down guys, we’re in for a long winter. We’ve been spoilt by summer which makes it so much more difficult.

Surely there’s a last hurrah though – we’re ready to push for it with some summery drinks.

Poor Sue though, she reckoned herself to be a rose between two thrones for this episode or, more accurately, a Sue between two Olivers. Please sir, we don’t want any more. 

Why so much Oliver though? Joining our presenter and GB Chefs CEO Ollie Lloyd was this week’s guest and drinks entrepreneur, Olly Bolton. His company, Waterbomb, are quenching the thirst of health conscious soft drinkers across the country with their products.

Their flagship brand, WhatAMelon Water, is sweeping the country and already has listings in M&S, Co-op, Sainsburys, Ocado, Waitrose and others. Not just keen to conquer the watermelon world though, they are also pushing Drink Fact – an all-natural, zero sugar sparkling water, and we were privileged to be given a taste test.

It all started with a story… the first few minutes of this podcast could easily be mistaken for an audiobook but, trust us, Sue’s true story about the French Soldiers in the Isle of Wight refusing to fight unless they’d had their garlic is relevant. Anyway, if the Brexit stories are to be believed, war and food could soon become commonplace!

Sue’s story is a pre-curser to our conversation with Dr Seaweed (seriously, he has a PhD in Marine Biology)… Dr Seaweed also goes by the name of Craig Rose. He’s come to the studio to tell us about his Weed & Wonderful brand. Their goal? They want to bring premium Scottish Seaweed to plates across the country. 

You’re probably thinking about crispy seaweed that you get from a Chinese takeaway at this point, but this is different (and better). While we aren’t ready to stomach a full plate of seaweed just yet, Craig explains how their healthy seaweed oil and capsules are gaining popularity in this country. Most importantly, it passes Sue’s taste test. 

From oil to spices (this is a bit of a pantry special) – did you know that there used to be wars over spices? Now the average foodie has up to 40 in their cupboard alone. Alas, we were delighted to finally chat to Trusha Patel. We first came across Spice Sanctuary over a year ago for our inaugural FoodTalk Awards – their spicy milk blends were certainly a new sensation for our palate, but certainly something that we think will take off. 

***Video won’t kill the radio star – however, we are delighted to say that this episode is also available on YouTube. Have a nose around the studio and see Sue & Ollie trying some seaweed and spices here.***

It’s that super busy time of year for the food industry – the school holidays have ended and the trade exhibitions are coming thick and fast. We wouldn’t have it any other way though. 

After spending the last fortnight enjoying the action from the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, we are back in the comfort of our London studio and revert to our usual format and, oh what a shame, we’ve got some booze for Sue and Ollie to enjoy. We recorded this one on a rainy morning too…work calls.

To get Sue and Ollie off to a bit of a flier we welcomed one of our FoodTalk Awards winners. Now, full disclosure, we’d committed the crime of having never heard of Longflint Drinks before we did the awards but gosh we know them now (now you see why we do the awards) – they are creating the most amazing craft spirits and their Hibiscus & Gin Tonic won our Gold Award. James Law talks us through the story of how he went from beer to spirits… oh and he bought us lots of drinks to try. We like James. 

We probably should have lined our stomachs beforehand, but we did what our parents told us not to do and had food after alcohol. It was pretty damn good food though. 

You might have seen Jeremy Pang on your television screens as the Asian cooking expert on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch show, but we had him in our radio studio to give his full thoughts on the state of Asian cooking in the UK and told us how he managed to grow his School of Wok.