The Food Programme

Danny Trejo is a Hollywood legend appearing in hundreds of films mostly playing tough guys, convicts and henchmen. He has starred in some of the greatest action films of all time like Con Air with John Malkovich and Nicolas Cage and Heat with Robert De Nero and Al Pacino. Life wasn’t easy for Danny growing up. He started taking hard drugs and committing serious crimes from a very young age. He ended up in some of the most violent prisons in America but through finding God and sobriety turned his life around. He became a drugs counsellor and through a series of unlikely events worked his way into Hollywood as an actor.At 80 he is also the owner of a chain of taco restaurants as well as a number of food and drink brands. In the programme Jaega meets him in the last branch of Trejo’s Tacos and talks to him about his memories of food growing up, brewing hooch in prison and filming Old El Paso adverts in Mexico.We also hear from food historian and writer Chloe-Rose Crabtree about why eating tacos in London has become a thorny issue for Americans and BBC entertainment reporter Colin Paterson on the history of celebrity restaurants.Presented by Jaega WiseProduced by Sam Grist for BBC Audio in Bristol

Sheila Dillon hears stories of how headteachers are transforming food in their schools in difficult economic conditions, as well as how flagship universal free primary school meal policies in Scotland and London are playing out so far.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Jimi Famurewa meets the Hong Kongers who are serving, growing and eating the food of their home country to connect with their own food heritage and find a new sense of belonging.Almost 200,000 Hong Kongers have arrived in the UK since a new government visa offered safe passage and the chance of a new life in January 2021. And, as they settle into communities across the UK, including in New Malden, Manchester and Reading, there’s been a noticeable impact on food culture. At Holy Sheep, in Camden, Jimi tastes the spicy rice noodles beloved by this new generation of Hong Kongers, before visiting Hong Kong's most famous organic farmer who relocated and now helps new migrants grow the culturally-significant Choy Sum and other Asian vegetables.As he talks to Hong Kongers about the role food has played in settling into the UK, Jimi also finds out how, for some, food has become an act of resistance and a way to express political solidarity. From the so-called 'yellow economy' of pro democracy restaurants and food shops in Hong Kong, to choosing to travel miles to buy ingredients that don't come from China, Jimi starts to realise how food has become more than just a taste of home. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

How much does what you choose to eat come from what social class you were born into, or identify with now? In this episode, Sheila Dillon takes on the often uncomfortable conversation about social class in the UK, British people's obsession with it, and what it's doing to our health via the way we choose to eat. Sheila is joined at an east London pie and mash shop by the food historian Pen Vogler, whose book "Scoff: A History of Food and Class in Britain" charts the way these class markers were established and continue to be upheld. She explains how many foods have moved between classes, and why we pedestal imported foods, including fast foods from America. After a 'posh' Afternoon Tea overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral, Sheila heads to the studio to understand more about the impact of these class markers. How has the food industry used these links to sell more food? and what’s being done to break these connections between food and social class? Joining her are five guests whose life experiences help illuminate the topic, they are the food campaigner Kathleen Kerridge, TikTok chef Nathan Smith (Grubworks Kitchen), Masterchef judge and food writer William Sitwell, Anna Taylor from The Food Foundation and Dr Maxine Woolhouse, a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University specialising in food, class and gender. So can we ever give these class markers up? Sheila's final visit is to a Community Garden in Hoxton, The Growing Kitchen, where everyone is welcome. Here she meets chairman Tony and member Carmel who share the secrets of their classless community of gardeners and cooks. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

Amsterdam and Leeds are two of the only places in the world to have cut rates of childhood obesity — and they’ve not done it by focussing just on diet. Sheila Dillon finds out how these two locally-based policies worked, and why the political circumstances around them were just as important as the policies themselves. She speaks to parents, academics, policy experts and public health leaders to find out what we can learn from these two remarkable interventions.In Leeds, the local authority has prioritised health in the early years over the last 20 years, and part of that is working with the charity HENRY (Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young). HENRY has trained council staff to deliver courses helping parents to teach their kids healthy eating right from the start. In 2019 Leeds made national headlines becoming the first city in the UK to see a small, but significant drop in childhood obesity, and a bigger drop of 10% in the most deprived areas. The data shows that overall between 2009 and 2017 obesity dropped from 9.4% to 8.8% in four-to-five year olds, while levels remained unchanged in similar cities. When it comes to improving children’s health, Amsterdam’s Healthy Weight Program attracted a lot of interest from around the world, becoming the shining example of what can be done to tackle high levels of obesity though action on a city-level. The Program’s main principle was ‘the healthy choice should be the easy choice’, aiming to reduce childhood obesity through healthy food and drink, exercise and better quality sleep. From 2012 to 2015 the percentage of children who were overweight or obese went down 12%, from 21% to 18.5%, with the biggest fall amongst the lowest socio-economic groups.In the programme we hear from: Alice Wiseman, Joint Director of Public Health for Gateshead and Newcastle, and Vice President of The Association of Directors of Public Health; Dr Dolly Van Tulleken, policy consultant and visiting researcher at the MCR Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge; Jaap Seidell, Professor of Nutrition and Health at The Free University in Amsterdam; and Kim Roberts, Chief Executive of the HENRY charity.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

From the explosion in sport food and drink, to the food diaries and routines of some of the UK’s top athletes, Leyla Kazim investigates food in the world of sport today. How do elite sport nutritionists prep their athletes and what can we learn from them? What should we eat for energy? What’s the deal with protein? We hear from sport stars in rugby, netball, triathlon and football, to find out. For an everyday athlete without a performance nutritionist, eating for sport can be confusing. Over a pre workout lunch, sport nutritionist Matt Gardner answers some Food Programme listener questions and shares stories from his days working with elite rugby players and extreme adventurers. But sport food is no longer just the domain of gym cafes and sport clubs. There has been an explosion of energy drinks and 'hi protein' bars sold anywhere from Post Office counters to the check outs of sport fashion shops. Leyla sends three young food activists, who have been looking into this issue, out onto the streets of Reading to see what they can find on sale. Producer Nina Pullman takes their findings to professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Bath, Javier Gonzalez, who looks at the ingredients in more detail. To explore the bigger links between sport, public health and food marketing, next we drop in on public health policy consultant, Dan Hunt, who explains the appeal of sport from a commercial point of view. Finally, Leyla reflects on how food works as fuel, ahead of the summer of sport to come. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Physical checks will soon be carried out on some foods being imported from the EU, but how will it impact the rest of the UK's food supplies? Jaega Wise investigates.

Jaega Wise delves into the history, traditions and culture surrounding the birthday cake, meeting bespoke baker Adam Cox, and attending a traditional Mexican "cake smash" along the way. She'll also find out what happens when a cake historian takes on the task of baking a traditional roman-style cake, and pick up some tips for the best birthday bakes from none other than Dame Mary Berry. And there's a very special delivery for one 13 year old girl from a community network of bakers trying to ensure that absolutely all children get a birthday cake. Produced by Tory Pope for BBC Audio in Bristol

Footballing legend, broadcaster and our host for lunch… Gary Lineker makes his famous 'gambas al ajillo' for Leyla Kazim at his home as she hears how he learnt to cook nine years ago and never looked back. They also discuss food memories from his professional football career, from playing and eating around the world to unorthodox pre-match lunches, Spanish-style. Along the way, she hears stories from Gary’s friends and family as a little-known side to Gary’s character as a newly passionate cook and self-confessed foodie gradually takes shape. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Although chocolate eggs and Hot Cross buns take centre stage at Easter, millions of people also sit down to share a joint of lamb to celebrate. In this episode, Sheila Dillon finds out more about the tradition for eating lamb at Easter with Welsh food writer Carwyn Graves, and hears how despite its prominence on Easter tables, the timing of lamb production doesn't always fit with when the festival falls on the calendar. So should we be considering eating other types of sheep meat at this time of year? Sheila speaks to sheep farmer Steve Lewis from Pembrokeshire Lamb whose lambs are being born at this time of year, and is currently selling customers last season lamb and hogget. She also visits Spanish restaurant, Asador 44 in Cardiff to learn from chef Owen Morgan how to prepare older cuts of sheep meat, including 8 year old mutton from The Cornwall Project. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

Stouts and porters, dark malty beers maybe used to have a reputation of being a bit stuffy but there has been a recent trend of these drinks growing in popularity.Guinness, the biggest player in the market, has seen a big increase in sales, for a period being the bests selling pint in pubs for the first time. There’s been a big interest in it from young people, there is a whole genre of social media influencers comparing pints and even Kim Kardashian was photographed with one in London last St Patricks day. In this programme, Jimi Famurewa looks at how a drink that is so ubiquitous and established becomes a cool. Jimi goes to the wildly popular Devonshire Arms to meet Oisin Rogers and drink the arguably best pint of Guinness in London. The story of dark beer starts with porter in London and Jimi talks to beer writer Laura Hadland about the history of porter and stouts between the UK and Irish capitals.Adding nitrogen to stout and porter is a huge part of Guinness’s success. Jimi visits Anspach and Hobday, brewers who are taking on Guinness with their own nitro porter, London Black.Jimi also look at the history of stout and porter in West Africa with Eko brewery who are taking inspiration from the continent including the Guinness brewed in Nigeria.Social media is a huge part of the interest in Guinness. Jimi sits down with a pint to talk to Ian Ryan who runs the shitlondonguinness Instagram page and has written a book One Man's Search for the Perfect Pint of Guinness, who is credited in having a big part in this trend.Produced in Bristol by Sam Grist

The last decade has seen an explosion in the trend of plant-based eating, from the growth of plant-based products in supermarkets and vegan options on menus, to celebrities and diet influencers making plant-based cool on social media. In this programme, Leyla Kazim explores some of the cultural and social impacts from the plant-based diet trend, including the rise of the flexitarian way of eating, the impact on the vegan movement, and the evolution of the diet culture wars in the media.Presented by Leyla Kazim and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

What’s really in your spice rack? In this exclusive investigation by The Food Programme, Jaega Wise investigates the authenticity of spices sold by a number of high street, online and health food chains. Using brand new technology outside of the lab for the first time, she will test herbs and spices from some of the biggest household names and retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Amazon and more. Plus, we hear from leading experts on the UK’s food defence frontline to find out just how challenging it is to detect fraud and police this lucrative area. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

A message from Delia Smith takes the Food Programme team to Norfolk to see how a network of social supermarkets is helping people out of food poverty.Nourishing Norfolk, is a project linking a large number of smaller shops, or food hubs around the county. The shops use the "social supermarket" model, providing free fruit and vegetables and cut price food and many other essentials including cleaning and hygiene products, and smokeless coal. During the team's tour, they hear how being linked has given the hubs more buying power, and they have been able to team up with more local businesses who are able to help - by offering warehouse space, larger scale donations and even logistics. The hub volunteers then have more time to do what they are good at; offering support, guidance and community to those who need it. Since the shops are all independently run, they are also able to try out and develop ways that can help with the specific problems faced by people in poverty in their area, which has included the setting up of a mobile food hub. Delia wrote how she had been blown away by the work that is happening there - where people are not only being provided with affordable food, but also help and assistance at all levels. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

Getting people to engage with food and ideas for agricultural change can be really difficult - but that’s the hope of a major new arts project called We Feed The UK. Farmers, poets and photographers have collaborated to tell ten stories to celebrate custodians of land, seed, soil and sea from all corners of the country. The project is being coordinated by the charity The Gaia Foundation – with a mission to elevate stories of farms and food producers that show positive solutions to climate change, the biodiversity crisis and social justice in the food system.Jimi Famurewa joins conversations between farmers, food producers and poets, who are collaborating as a part of the project, to hear a selection of these poems and ask how poetry can help the public think twice about how food is grown.Presented by Jimi Famurewa and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Appetite suppressant, glucose control and inflammation antidote... The scientific research around the power of bitter foods may sound far-fetched. But new studies are continuing to add to our knowledge of what this food group, disliked by many, can do for our health. To find out more, Leyla Kazim speaks to Italian taste scientist and self-confessed ‘bitter enthusiast’, Gabriella Morini, who has been studying this area since the eighties. Can, and should, we learn to love bitter? Leyla spends a morning cooking with chef and MasterChef finalist Alexina Anatole, whose new book Bitter is on a mission to help us do just that. After cooking with bitter greens, Leyla tracks their journey from plate back to field. While salad might seem an unseasonal thing to be eating in winter, British soils and temperature are actually well suited to growing a huge variety of winter salads, notable for their fresh taste as well as their resilience. She meets a specialist mixed leaf salad grower and hears how choosing these varieties could help reduce our reliance on Spanish salad, where climate change is making winter growing increasingly erratic. In many ways, understanding the power of bitter foods is regaining knowledge that was used by our ancestors; while bitter herbs and leaves are still used in traditional medicine in Indigenous cultures across the world. Leyla speaks to food historian Dr Neil Buttery to retrace some of the history of bitter flavours. Finally, calling in on nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson, Leyla hears tips on how to apply our more modern day understanding of bitter to everyday meals and lifestyles.From old folklore to new scientific research, and from cooking to growing, Leyla discovers how there is plenty more to bitter flavours than might well meet the eye, or the taste bud.Presented by Leyla Kazim. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

From warming aphrodisiacs in the early modern period, to date-night oysters and champagne or a loving dish of hot macaroni cheese, sharing food has always been a way for people to connect, and in some cases it can make us feel loved or even in the mood for romance.. In this programme, Jaega Wise seeks to uncover some of the reasons why this connection between food and love exists, and asks whether it's what's on the plate that is doing something inside us, or if it's all placebo, and it’s the act and ritual around eating (the setting, the conversation etc..) that can give us these feelings of love. Featuring aphrodisiac and absinthe pairing at The Last Tuesday Society (east London) with historian Dr Jennifer Evans (University of Hertfordshire); romantic dining at London Shell Co; chef José Pizarro and partner Peter Meades; food writers Clare Finney and Skye McAlpine; experimental psychologist Prof Charles Spence plus research from The Good Housekeeping Institute on the relatively modern Valentine's day institution of dine-in meals for two. Presented by Jaega Wise Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

Many of us are travel looking for food experiences and we often want to eat something that is authentically of that place. So we seek out the local delicacy which hopefully reflects the local landscape, history and people. However many of the foods we think of as quintessential ‘destination’ foods are elevated in the 20th century with the rise of easier travel and more and more tourism. On the other hand, it’s easier than ever to access to ‘global’ food in the towns and cities we live in. Sheila Dillon explores what travelling to eat looking for authentic experiences means in an increasingly globalised world.We start the programme hearing the story of Nashville Hot Chicken from journalist Zach Stafford. In recent history, Hot Chicken went from an obscure speciality of a specific community in North Nashville, Tennessee to one if it’s most iconic symbols. Zach tells the story of how Hot Chicken became part of the ‘Disnification’ of Nashville as it has become a popular tourist destination. But like so much of American culture the story is racialised with new white owned businesses making money from a food created by a black community.Sheila then travels to Brussels to become a food tourist herself. Guided by Elisabeth Debourse, Editor-in-Chief at Le Fooding she explores whether the search for the elusive ‘authentic’ local food is helpful in trying to get a good meal. She visits Rue des Bouchers and restaurant Les Brigittines.Someone who’s thought a lot about food and place is food writer Anya von Bremzen. It’s something she explores in her latest book is National Dish. She talks about how many iconic foods linked to place are much more modern than we might think.The Food Programme is based in Bristol and although the city has a distinct culture, it doesn’t have an iconic ‘destination food.’ Sheila talks to is an actor, born and bred Bristolian and the new presenter of ‘A Proper Bristol Breakfast,’ the Radio Bristol morning show about Bristol’s eclectic food identity.Produced by Sam Grist for BBC Audio in Bristol

Sheila Dillon investigates what we can learn about food and public health from the extreme case of Nauru. It’s the world’s smallest republic yet has the highest rate of obesity.

In the dark nights of January, celebrating the work of poet Robert Burns by feasting, toasting and speaking poetry has become a much-loved tradition in Scotland and around the world. Sheila Dillon joins Scottish-Malaysian chef Julie Lin in Glasgow as she hosts friends for Burns Night 2024 to share food and ways of celebrating. She also visits the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow to hear more about Rabbie Burns himself. Who was he? And where do the Burns' food traditions come from? After hearing Burns' famous 'address to a haggis', we call in on the recently-crowned world's best haggis maker, Simon Broadribb, at his butcher's shop in Southampton, to see his award-winning recipe in action. Time for a wee dram? Finally, we hear from whisky expert and 'Master of the Quaich' Ann Miller on what to drink alongside your Burns supper, and discover Burns' own links with the whisky industry. Presented by Sheila Dillon. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Jaega Wise is on a mission to find out what she should really be eating while pregnant - from conception to birth. Presented by Jaega Wise Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

Seaweed farming could be a huge boon for the UK, restoring biodiversity, cleaning the sea and could even be capturing carbon. Seaweed is healthy and delicious but UK grown seaweed has a very low profile with only a handful of farms across the country and few people eating it. In this programme Leyla Kazim finds out why this is and what a future focused on seaweed could look like.She talks to Vincent Doumeizel author of The Seaweed Revolution who believes seaweed is an answer to many of the crises we face as a species. In St Austell bay, Cornwall she meets Tim van Berkel from the Cornish Seaweed Company and sees one of the few seaweed farms in the UK. What is the current state of Seaweed farming? We hear from Elisa Capuzzo CEFAS. Leyla meets Douglas McMaster at his restaurant Silo to talk about seaweed as an ingredient. She also talks to Olly Hicks, adventurer and seaweed farmer who has a licence for a huge seaweed in Devon but is currently selling the seaweed for use in agriculture.Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sam Grist

Join Leyla Kazim for a tour of New Year’s Eve food traditions around the world, from eating lentils in Italy, scoffing 12 grapes in Spain, slurping soba noodles in Japan and Kransekage in Denmark and Norway.We hear from food writer, Rachel Roddy; owner of Japanese Cookery School Hashi Cooking, Reiko Hashimoto; Spanish chef, Omar Allibhoy; co-founder of ScandiKitchen, Brontë Aurell; and author of National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home, Anya Von Bremzen. Presented by Leyla Kazim and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Cooking at Christmas is so much more than just the main meal, so this year Sheila Dillon, and chef Thomasina Miers, show us how to do more with less. Sheila Dillon joins chef Thomasina Miers in her kitchen who shows her why she thinks some of the most delightful meals at Christmas are made with the leftovers, and she shares her family tradition for doctoring mince pies, to make a much more extravagant treat. Plus the pair connect with friends whose lives this Christmas feel far from normal, to hear how tradition and food can bring joy, even in the most strained situations. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

Jaega Wise reflects on her findings and a few surprising moments during the making of this week's rum programme, with producer Nina Pullman.

A refreshing mojito? Rum punch? Maybe just a simple rum and coke? Many of us might think no further about rum than how to mix it within a drink. But it actually has a unique story within our history through its links with slavery and the navy, where it was used as a currency and became an integral part of the maritime trade in people and sugar. Fast forward to today, and the popularity of rum is still rising. But amid the flavours, brands and a vast range of rum-based drinks, there is very little information about how it’s made and where it comes from. In this episode, Jaega Wise visits two British rum producers making it in very different ways. One, Goldstone Rum, is the latest addition to a new group of distillers making rum from scratch in the UK. The other, the BBC Food and Farming Award-winning Isle of Wight Distillery, is part of a long tradition of blending and spicing rum made in the Caribbean. But while rum has a sociable, sunny image thanks to its Caribbean heritage, not many people want to talk about its darker history and how it was once used as currency to buy enslaved Africans, who in turn worked on the sugar plantations that were the source of rum itself. Who better to hear about the history and culture of rum than global rum ambassador Ian Burrell, who meets Jaega at RumFest to explain more about its origins, the rum scene in the UK and mix a cocktail or two. Throughout this journey of rum, Dr Christy Pichichero, professor of history and expert in Black studies at George Mason University, explains why understanding the true story of rum is an important part of our shared history, and what it means to rum makers and drinkers today.Presented by Jaega Wise. Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Dan Buettner believes that "when a ritual lasts for hundreds or thousands of years, like prayer before a meal, it serves some purpose". Dan is the best-selling author of and founder of The Blue Zones; five parts of the world where people tend to live much longer and healthier lives, many into their hundreds. In this programme, Leyla Kazim finds out more about the culinary aspects of his research, discovering what is eaten in the Blue Zones, what isn't being eaten, and some of the practices that exist around meal times. She also meets two academics whose work focuses on how to help people living in the UK live longer and more healthily. Liz Williams from the Healthy Lifespan Institute at the University of Sheffield explains that although the current life expectancy for people in the UK is just over 81 years - our average 'healthy life' expectancy is much lower, at around 63. Dr Oliver Shannon from The University of Newcastle explains how some of the Blue Zones observational findings are consistent with research they have been doing into the impact of the Mediterranean diet on brain health. The promise of a long healthy life is all well and good - but as we know the reality of diets is that they are impossibly hard to keep to. So could choosing to make a 'lifestyle' change be any easier to stick with? Leyla hears from Jean Newton who in her 70s has done just that. Presented by Leyla Kazim Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Over a coffee in community arts space The Place in Newport, south Wales, The Food Programme presenters Sheila Dillon, Leyla Kazim and Dan Saladino choose two books each from the year: one that has made them cook, and one that has made them think. Sheila also meets George Harris, creative director of Tin Shed Theatre Company, to hear why food has become part of their work, and leaf through a very special cookbook that has been passed down through George's family.Wondering what the next generation makes of food books, Sheila visits a group of young food activists from the organisation Bite Back 2030, to debate one of the top food books of this year - Henry Dimbleby's Ravenous. Meeting at Bite Back HQ, in north London, they also discuss whether TikTok spells the end of an era for recipe books and share their own recommended reads.Dropping in on cookbook buyer at Topping books in Bath, Kathleen Smith, we find out what's been selling this year and how trends vary according to region. Plus, scattered throughout, we hear the personal book recommendations from best-selling food writers and chefs including Rukmini Iyer, Poppy O'Toole and other familiar faces, picking their own favourite new releases from 2023.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Sheila Dillon looks at what the current conflict in Gaza has done to food supplies in one of the most densely populated places on earth. After Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, the Government of Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza, and launched a ground offensive. To date, more than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run government. Hundreds of thousands of others have been displaced to the south of the territory, where vast numbers are living in make-shift camps. Aid agencies say hunger is spreading, as shops have been emptied of food, and a lack of fuel is restricting how much food can be distributed around. In this programme, recorded while the situation in Gaza is still changing on a daily basis, Sheila Dillon seeks to find out how people are feeding themselves and their families, how resilient the population is given the uncertainties they face, and what long abandoned food ways can they fall back on as supplies run low. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

Jimi Famurewa talks to men learning or rediscovering cooking later in life, maybe due to a change of circumstance or loss of a partner, to hear how it's changing their lives.In the programme we meet the participants of the latest Man with a Pan cookery course, run by Community Chef at Lewes Community Kitchen, as well as a weekly class run by Age UK in north London. Jimi also chats to the team behind Men’s Pie Club, which uses food as a tool to help tackle loneliness and social isolation with men, getting them in a room once a week, to make a pie, connect and meet people.Presented by Jimi Famurewa and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Dan Saladino explores the Mexican spirit mezcal and the diverse world of agave spirits.Contents include: Gary Nabhan (Agave Spirits book): https://www.garynabhan.com/Agave Road Trip Podcast: https://agaveroadtrip.com/Sin Gusano: https://www.singusano.com/storyKol: https://kolrestaurant.com/El Pastore: https://www.tacoselpastor.co.uk/Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon presents more winners from the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023, including who was crowned Best Streetfood, Takeaway or Small Eatery and the winner of the Food Innovation Award. We also hear stories of the amazing finalists and winners in the Community Food and Young Countryside Champion Awards. Finally, the winner of this year's prestigious Derek Cooper Outstanding Achievement Award is revealed in recognition of their impact on the UK's food and farming.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Join Sheila Dillon from the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport for the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023.In this first episode from the ceremony, we hear the winners of awards including Best Food Producer, Best Drinks Producer and the brand new for 2023 Digital Creator Award.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.

A pilot public health scheme in south east London is prescribing fresh fruit & veg to people with chronic disease and mental health conditions. Sheila Dillon meets Dr Chi-Chi Ekhator, an NHS GP and lead at the A.T Beacon Project, to hear how the prescriptions are working, and how it’s a part of their mission to bring healthcare out of GP surgeries and into the heart of Lambeth’s most hard-to-reach communities.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Dan Saladino finds out what happened to people who embarked on a wild food adventure, including chef and Arctic explorer Mike Keen and a group of British foragers involved in the Wild Biome Project. After three months, their physical health has been analysed, including their gut microbiomes. Are there lessons for us all?For more information on the test results: Mike Keen's Arctic exploration: https://www.mikekeen.co/#Greenland-Expedition Wild Biome Project: https://monicawilde.com/the-wildbiome-project/Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Kombucha has been around for a while but it has not had huge success in this country like it has in the US and Australia.In this programme, Jaega Wise looks at why that may be as well as sampling some drinks from our BBC Food & Farming Awards finalists and investigating the health claims of kombucha.This programme features Old Tree Brewery, William Kendall, Mark Ilan Abrahams, Paul Cotter, Lucy George from Peterson Tea and Kara Monssen.Presented by Jaega Wise and produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sam Grist

Local food networks thrived during lockdown with more people turning to local producers, farm shops and veg box schemes as supermarket shelves ran dry. But how are they doing now? The Covid pandemic was a reminder that localised networks give our food system resilience during disruption, but also that they pay farmers fairly to produce food in a nature friendly way, and helps them stay in business. The cost of living crisis has been one of the biggest difficulties for this system recently, as consumers pay a higher price at the till.Sheila Dillon visits Growing Communities, a local food network in Hackney, East London who run a veg box scheme, to hear what’s needed to help networks like theirs to expand. She also talks to Rana Foroohar, global business columnist and associate editor at The Financial Times, about what the Biden administration is doing to decentralise the food system in the US. Nigel Murray, Managing Director of Booths Supermarket, explains how they support smaller producers and local supply chains in the North West of England and Yorkshire. And we hear from the Food Producer finalists in the 2023 BBC Food and Farming Awards, about how they are carving out their own diverse network of customers outside the supermarket system.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

25 years ago two Monmouthshire farmers had a plan. BSE had hit the rural area hard, and they wanted to create a food festival to showcase the area's produce. They set about putting it together in the relatively unknown town of Abergavenny. 25 years on and the event is now one of the UK's best known food festivals that attracts a star-studded line up of chefs and producers, hosting demonstrations and discussions and much more. Sheila Dillon has been going to the festival for many years, and in this programme finds out why Abergavenny Food Festival has had such success, how it continues to stay relevant, and what impact it has beyond the town. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

Judges have been visiting the finalists in this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards. This episode of The Food Programme celebrates the businesses shortlisted for the street food and take-away category. This year it's been extended to include small eateries as well. Chefs Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn won the award eight years ago. Now they're back as judges. We sample Malaysian rendang cooked in a traditional clay pot at Joli in London; meet the cooks at Maasi's in Cardiff who've invented the "naanwich" in their Pakistani cafe; and try curries from DabbaDrop in East London, which are delivered by bike.Presenters: Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn Producer: Rebecca Rooney

Dan Saladino judges the The Food Innovation Award part of the BBC Food & Farming Awards. He is searching for big ideas that can change the food system. In this programme he meets the three finalists:Wildfarmed grow cereals, alongside farmers that share their values, using a regenerative farming method that prioritises the health of the soil. They are aiming to create an alternative to industrial farming.Too Good To Go is an app that lets you rescue unsold food from bakeries, cafes and supermarkets that would have otherwise been thrown away, at a much lower cost.The Alexandra Rose Charity aims to support low-income families by providing fresh fruit and veg through a voucher scheme and prescription scheme through GPs. The vouchers can be spent in local markets, helping the local economy.

As summer draws to a close, Jaega Wise heads to the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) to learn what goes into feeding the thousands of fans gathered for the Green Man festival. Over the past 20 years or so, the food at music festivals has evolved from mostly burgers, chips and noodles, to an array of traders cooking foods from all over the world, sit-down banquets, and chefs on the line up. So what has driven this change, and can it continue to thrive while the cost of everything involved in producing it has risen so much? What has the evolution of better festival food meant for sustainability? And what do you do if you don’t want to spend a fortune on food at a festival, but still want to eat well? Comedian George Egg has some answers. Presented by Jaega Wise Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

If food is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and also a lens through which we can interpret our history and how we live now, then surely it deserves a museum? The UK has only just got its first permanent Food Museum. It’s in Stowmarket in Suffolk, recently rebranded from The Museum of East Anglian Life. Sheila Dillon visits its beautiful 84 acres, with its historic buildings, crops, orchard, kitchen garden, water mill and animals to find out how the museum team are reinterpreting its collections to connect people to where our food comes from.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Wedding food is one of the biggest costs on the big day but the sit-down three-course dinner is making way for food trucks and festival-style take-aways. We explore how the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have affected couples and caterers. We find out why it's called "a wedding breakfast" - even though the reception's rarely in the morning and ask what's happened to the traditional wedding cake. We also meet a chef who's campaigning to stop food waste and caters for weddings with food that would have been thrown in the bin.Presenter = Jaega Wise Producer = Rebecca Rooney

World leaders met in Rome to fix the food system. Dan Saladino reports on what happened at the United Nations summit and looks at some of the big ideas put forward for change.Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Mushrooms like Chaga, Reishi, Lion’s Mane and Turkey Tail are popping up all over the place at the moment, in supplements, powders, and even coffee. These are the so-called medicinal species of mushroom that have been used for centuries by our ancestors, and currently today in Traditional Chinese medicine. Sheila Dillon started taking these mushrooms a decade ago as part of diversifying her diet after becoming seriously ill, but they weren’t that easy to buy then. Now they seem to be everywhere. And some of the health claims you can find online attached to these medicinal species go way beyond what can currently be backed by modern science.In this programme Sheila finds out how medicinal mushrooms went from ancient wild food, to the latest hot health and wellness trend. We hear from Professor Nik Money, mycologist at Miami University in Ohio, about Lion’s Mane and what we currently know about the claims that it’s supposed to be good for our brains. To taste the freshest UK-grown medicinal species in the flesh, Sheila visits specialist mushroom grower Forest Fungi in Devon. And she has a mushroom coffee with Dr Emily Leeming, Scientific Researcher at Kings College London, to discuss mushroom supplements, and what we know about the nutritional benefits of mushrooms and their impact on the gut microbiome.Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Dan Saladino and psychologist Kimberley Wilson explore the latest science about food, mental health and boosting our brain power. Featuring Professor Michael A Crawford (Imperial), Professor Felice Jacka, Professor Felice Jacka of the Food & Mood Centre, Deakin University, Australia and Professor Ted Dinan, psychiatrist at University College Cork. Also, from the Radio 4 archive, Dr Bernard Gesch, Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford (featured in The Food Programme 2005), Dr Simon Dyall, nutritional neuro-scientist at the University of Roehampton (Just One Thing) and Allesandra Borsini, Senior Research Fellow at Kings College (All In The Mind). Produced by Dan Saladino

Ultra-Processed Food makes up more than 50% of all calories consumed in the UK - but UPFs are being linked with obesity and disease, and there are calls for tougher regulations. In this programme, Sheila Dillon meets the Conservative MP for Stourbridge, Suzanne Webb, who says current government guidelines about healthy eating do not go far enough. She says regulators need to stop focussing on individual ingredients, and should focus on health outcomes. The term Ultra-Processed Food, or UPF, was coined more than a decade ago to describe foods that are highly processed, contain many ingredients that are not found in ordinary kitchens and are often wrapped in plastic. They are most supermarket cereals, bread, ready-meals, ice-cream, fruit yoghurts and desserts. Diets high in these foods are being associated with several illnesses including obesity, cancer, depression and heart disease. Several countries are now advising consumers to limit their consumption of UPF, but in the UK there are no plans to change advice. Last week, the Government's scientific advisors on nutrition published a statement on (ultra-) processed foods and health, concluding that although research consistently associates increased consumption of UPFs with ill-health, there are uncertainties around the quality of the evidence available. The Government says it is already taking action to limit the consumption of foods that are high in salt, sugar and fat, which will include many UPFs. So it seems better research is needed - but as Sheila Dillon hears, researching in this area is painstakingly complex. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

The practice of smoking is one of the world’s oldest food preservation methods, but which techniques are catching fire today, while other processes risk being extinguished? We hear from producers bringing diverse barbecue and smoking techniques to new audiences, as well as those keeping traditional processes alive. Leyla Kazim visits Cue Point to hear from Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney about their unique ‘British Afghan Fusion BBQ’ that brings an inclusive style of smoking to a wider audience while drawing on diverse culinary heritages. Melissa Thompson, writer, cook and author of Motherland, discusses the central role smoke plays in Jamaican cuisine, and why food and history in the Caribbean are so intertwined. Author of the Barbecue Bible and Project Smoke, Steven Raichlen, traces the history of smoking from its Palaeolithic origins to present day, and argues that cooking with fire was one of the greatest technological advances in the history of humankind. Helen Graves, editor of Pit Magazine and author of Live Fire, explains why she has made it her mission to champion the broad range of diversity in open fire cooking, and the reasons she tends not to follow the trend of US-style barbecue. Producer Robbie Armstrong heads to Fèis Ìle, Islay’s annual whisky and music festival, to hear about the renaissance of peated whiskies with Ardbeg’s visitor centre manager Jackie Thompson. He speaks to Arbroath smokie producer Iain R. Spink about reviving ancient methods on the verge of being snuffed out. Christian Stevenson, better known as DJ BBQ, tracks the popularity of US grilling and smoking in the UK. Leyla and Robbie sit down to taste some smoky drinks, while pondering the future of traditional methods, and how to balance the world’s love for peated whiskies with peatland restoration. Leyla discovers that while some processes born out of necessity may be less popular today, it’s clear the practice of smoking is showing no signs of dissipating. Presented by Leyla Kazim. Produced by Robbie Armstrong.

Dan Saladino hears from the bakers in Ukraine supplying fresh bread to the frontline, and journalist Felicity Spector travels across the country to visit the bakeries supplying people in need, the elderly, displaced and soldiers.Produced by Dan Saladino.

Eighty six year old Fergie MacDonald remembers shooting Red deer as a nine year old boy. The Second World War was on and food was scarce in his home village in the rugged Moidart peninsula, in the Scottish Highlands. It was of course a crime, as he freely acknowledges - the deer belonged to the local estate. But his family had to eat. His mother roasted, boiled and salted the venison and, as Fergie says, "you acquired a taste for it."Today he's still eating vension, but it comes from animals shot legally by his son John, who is a deer manager, stalker and butcher. John has been running his own wild venison business since 1998 and in that time he's seen immense changes. He says there's much more public awareness about the benefits of eating a lean, protein-rich meat, amid concerns about the environmental damage caused by red deer over population. John sells venison cuts to passing trade from his roadside shop as well as providing meat for the family's hotel, Mingarry Park, run by his wife Emma. Emma says venison dishes are always on the menu and vegetarians have even been willing to try them. But John's business is not without its headaches. He tells Sheila Dillon he has to work within strict culling targets imposed by the Scottish government and he's concerned that deer numbers locally are falling too quickly. Since Covid and Brexit, he finds it hard to get staff, so much so, that Fergie regularly helps out in the shop and his 73 year old Mum, Maureen, still makes all the burgers.Further north on the shores of Loch Ness, campaigners have been giving school children an introduction to the complexities of deer management and venison production. Earlier this year, in a project called 'Hill to Grill', pupils at Glen Urquhart High School joined a deer stalker on the hills and were shown how the animals are butchered and processed. Back in school, they devised their own recipes and took part in a Dragon's Den-type competition to market and brand their dishes.One of the organisers, ecological consultant, Dr Linzi Seivwright, says it was a fantastic learning experience for the children. "It's vital to move away from the traditional image of venison as a food for the wealthy and to show local communities that it is an affordable and versatile choice." Sheila complimented the teenage chefs.. "These are so moist and delicious - so much nicer than burgers from a fast food chain," she said. Hundreds of miles away in Gloucestershire, the environmental problems caused by large deer herds are much more critical, according to leading campaigner and deer manager, Mike Robinson. He says that numbers have got out of control, particularly since Covid and that culling targets are more difficult to enforce in England than in Scotland, because estates are smaller and fragmented. He shows Sheila some of the damage in an estate forest caused by grazing deer.He estimates that there may be nearly 3 million deer in England, mainly fallow, roe and muntjac and that stricter controls are necessary. He says the Westminister government is now using a carrot and stick approach with landowners – offering woodland grants which are conditional on professional deer management plans – and he's hopeful that this will be effective. As well as managing deer, Mike Robinson is a chef and restaurateur with several award-winning restaurants. He specialises in wild food and recently launched The Wild Venison Project – an initiative to get more chefs across the UK to put venison on their menus and to persuade the public to buy and cook it at home. He cooks several recipes for Sheila to demonstrate the versatility of the meat and he says: "I suppose you could say I am obssessed with vension. It just makes so much sense to eat a meat which is wild, healthy and nutritious and which also helps address environmental problems." Mike runs Deer Box, an online food site and believes selling directly to the public is the most cost effective and efficient way for producers to operate because most supermarket chains have their own internal purchasing systems which are difficult for small producers to work with. He set up Deer Box during Covid, with a state of the art processing unit and offers everything from expensive steak cuts to mince, steak pieces and burgers. He is also a patron of The Countryside Food Trust, a charity which distributes game to food banks and communtiy projects. It's not the first time Sheila Dillon has reported, for The Food Programme, on efforts to increase the consumption of wild venison. Will they have more success this time? Given the growing interest in food sustainability and environmental concerns, campaigners Mike Robinson, John MacDonald and Linzi Seivwright are convinced their message is finally beginning to pay dividends.