Borough Talks

Join host Angela Clutton in conversation with Dan Saladino, of BBC’s The Food Programme, discussing his latest book, Eating to Extinction - The World's Rarest Foods & Why We Need to Save Them.  From a tiny crimson pear in the west of England to pistachios in Syria and an exploding corn that might just hold the key to the future of food – Dan shares with Angela some of the produce around the world that is at risk of being lost for ever and tells the stories of the pioneering farmers, scientists, cooks and indigenous communities who are preserving food traditions and fighting for change.Subscribe to Borough Talks and never miss an episode.

The award-winning Honeys – Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich – join Borough Talks to share a culinary journey filled with flavour and fire. They’ll be telling us all about their travels through their favourite cities of the Middle East, collecting recipes and the best of culinary culture along the way – the stories behind their latest book, Chasing Smoke. Join us for beautiful ingredient combinations, age-old tricks and techniques, curious kitchen tools, and clever ‘rainy day’ advice for cooking over fire.

Veganism is often portrayed as being good for planetary and personal health – the implication being that meat production and consumption is, therefore, the problem. There is increasing acceptance, though, that the real picture for us and for the planet is not nearly as simple as that. Join us for a positive discussion of the reality of the environmental nuances of how meat and non-meat are farmed, as we try to unpick and give perspective on this too often polarised debate. Chair Angela Clutton – food historian, writer and host of the hugely successful Borough Market Cookbook Club – will be joined by chef and climate change campaigner Tom Huntand Jan McCourt of Northfield Farm, who has been trading at Borough Market for more than 21 years selling slow-reared, traditional British and rare breed meat.

Food offers a unique insight into community and culture. One of the joys of international travel is discovering a region through its food – not just for the pleasure of eating like a local, but for what doing that tells you about people, place and time. After a year of little if any travel for leisure (and perhaps more travel uncertainty ahead too), our panel will be discussing how the discovery of the foods of a nation impacts our cultural understanding of it – and in turn, how increasing or decreasing international tourism can impact a region’s culinary landscape. Chair Angela Clutton – food historian, writer and host of the hugely successful Borough Market Cookbook Club – will be joined by panelists Russell Norman, who fell in love with Venice through its food and has spent years using the food of that city to communicate a greater understanding of its history and culture; and Yasmin Khan, whose recently published Ripe Figs is typical of her immersive work in food and travel.

Last year brought about huge changes in how we get and consume our food. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, join our panel to consider the possible enduring impact of those changes and what – for better or worse – they mean for our food future. We’ll be considering it all: where and how we get our food shopping; the role of supermarkets and local markets; the impact on both home cooking and dining out culture; and what it all means for the planet, our pockets and our wellbeing. Chair Angela Clutton – food historian, writer and host of the hugely successful Borough Market Cookbook Club – will be joined by panelists Carolyn Steel, whose work on food and cities is world-renowned; psychologist (and Great British Bake Off finalist) Kimberley Wilson, who is well placed to consider the emotional and mental health impact of the pandemic on our food culture; and best-selling food writer Anna Jones, whose cooking encourages all of us to take a more sustainable approach to food.

Mark Riddaway, author of the Borough Market: Edible Histories, joins Ed Smith, the man behind The Borough Market Cookbook, to explore the fascinating history of some of the everyday ingredients found on the Market’s stalls. They discuss how a Persian rhubarb trader came to predict a bright future for tea, the centrality of Italy to the history of food, and why the British were once so suspicious of the tomato.

Chef Olia Hercules and pioneering food writer Elisabeth Luard will be sharing the joys of looking to the seasons when shopping for food and cooking and talking about late-summer cooking ideas, favourite seasonal recipes and insights into the best of summer produce. They will also look more broadly at why seasonality matters – for the land, for producers, and for anyone who cooks.

Three top restaurateurs – Ravinder Bhogal of Jikoni, Elizabeth Haigh of Borough Market's Mei Mei and Bā, and Jack Stein of Rick Stein Group – will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing restaurants in the next phase of the Covid world. The trio will talk about the pivot that many restaurants have done to adapt to lockdown, including collections, deliveries and delis; what their thoughts are on re-opening; and the future for dining out.

The last few months have seen a surge in popularity of comfort foods – from old-school classics that come with a hit of nostalgia to mood-boosting indulgent treats. Best-selling food writer Sabrina Ghayour and John Whaite, food writer and winner of The Great British Bake-Off, will be talking about what comfort foods mean to them and considering why we reach for them in uncertain times.

Britain’s food and farming future in the post-Brexit era are set to be defined by the Agriculture Bill which is currently making its way through parliament. Its system of subsidies designed to reward sustainability rather than scale may have a positive impact on farmers, retailers, the environment and the wider public, but many in the food world are hugely concerned about the Bill’s damaging impact in other areas. We invited a panel of experts from across the food industry to discuss positive aspects of the Bill alongside concerns that the legislation lack. The panel includes: Tom Parker Bowles, Food Critic; Minette_Batters, President of the NFU; Darren Henaghan, MD of Borough Market; and Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London's Centre for Food Policy.  

Kimberley Wilson: Food and mental health

Sami Tammy and Tara Wigley: Falastin, the food and stories of Palestine

Yasmin Fahr, Rachel Roddy and Regula Ysewjin: a global city view on lockdown, food and community

Melissa Hemsley: global impact of food and sustainability in light of COVID-19