The Go To Food Podcast

In Part Two of our extraordinary conversation with Marcus Wareing, we pick up his story as his career begins to explode. Marcus takes us inside the chaos of 1998, when he was suddenly fired despite holding a Michelin star, before Gordon Ramsay led a walkout that left the restaurants reportedly losing £15,000 a day and ended in a £1 million lawsuit. He also reveals how a chance walk into a near-empty restaurant led to the creation of Pétrus, and recalls the infamous £44,000 dinner that became one of the most talked-about restaurant bills of its era.Marcus then charts the extraordinary rise that followed, from Pétrus and the Berkeley to taking over the Savoy Grill and helping breathe new life into some of London's grandest dining rooms. But behind the Michelin stars, the relationship with Gordon was beginning to fracture. Marcus opens up about becoming the “black sheep” of the business, the bitter split that followed and a feud that would ultimately last around 15 years, before an unexpected signed book from Gordon finally began to bring the two old friends back together.Finally, Marcus explains why, despite all the accolades, he has always considered himself a businessman before a chef and why he believes that mindset may have stopped him ever winning three Michelin stars. He reveals why the flame eventually went out at his own restaurant, his frustration with the silence and “fucking tweezers” of modern fine dining, why he never wanted to die at the stove, and why walking away at the top felt like the right way to end one of British cooking's great restaurant careers.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part One of our exclusive two-part interview with Marcus Wareing, we sit down with one of the most influential chefs of his generation to trace the extraordinary story of how a shy teenager from Southport became one of the defining figures of modern British cooking. Marcus takes us from working in his father's fruit and veg warehouse as a boy to leaving home at 18 for The Savoy, before literally knocking on the door of Le Gavroche and asking for a job in one of the greatest kitchens in the world.Marcus then takes us inside the brutal, exhilarating kitchens that forged an extraordinary generation of British chefs, and recalls the first time he encountered a young Gordon Ramsay, describing him as a “f***ing machine” who nobody else in the kitchen could come close to. He reveals what it was really like becoming Gordon's right-hand man at Aubergine, why they gave a young Angela Hartnett just two weeks to survive, and how the relentless intensity eventually pushed Marcus towards burnout.It's a remarkable insight into a lost era of cooking: kitchens with no recipe books, where everything was done by eye, touch and feel, and where careers were forged through obsession, instinct and sheer endurance. Part One takes us all the way to Marcus winning his first Michelin star alongside Gordon, setting the stage perfectly for Part Two, where Marcus finally opens up about the explosive breakdown of their relationship and the 15-year feud that followed.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Naz Hassan, the chef behind two of London's most talked-about Italian restaurants, Lupa and Ornella, alongside co-founders Ed Templeton and Theo James. Naz tells us how a drunken conversation at a Christmas party somehow turned into opening restaurants with one of Hollywood's biggest stars, why Lupa being fully booked for its first three months became both a blessing and a curse, and what it really takes to survive the hype surrounding a major London opening. Born in Bangladesh and raised in Milan, Naz also opens up about rejecting his Bengali identity as a teenager, experiencing racism in Italy and eventually finding his place in London's restaurant world. We hear about his years in some of the city's toughest kitchens, the infamous chef's kitchen where he considered quitting almost every day, and how working with Chet Sharma helped him reconnect with his South Asian heritage. Plus, we get into chef egos, restaurant culture, the Bengali restaurant he still dreams of opening and the greatest dishes he's ever eaten.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we sit down with the extraordinary Mursal Saiq for a conversation that goes far beyond food. Mursal takes us from a childhood shaped by war in Afghanistan and arriving in Britain as a refugee, to the devastating separation of her family at the UK border and the years that followed. She recalls the extraordinary places life subsequently took her — from Hackney to India and Italy, living on a fishing trawler in Portsmouth and even spending time with English showman families who couldn't pronounce Mursal and instead called her “Roger” — before eventually finding her place in food.Her route into restaurants has been just as unconventional. We hear how she immersed herself in American barbecue, eventually took Afghan-Texan BBQ to competitions in the United States and remarkably finished second at the World Food Championships in Texas — beaten by a team of US Air Force veterans. She explains how Cue Point was born, how it survived the pandemic and why combining the food of Afghanistan with the techniques of American barbecue became about much more than creating something delicious: it became a way of preserving recipes, memories and a culture she fears could otherwise disappear.And then things get fiery. Mursal explains why Gordon Ramsay's use of the word “authentic” infuriates her, and questions why an Afghan chef cooking outside Afghan cuisine can be challenged while celebrated white chefs are free to cook food from anywhere in the world. She reveals why her entire kitchen wears grey in protest at the hierarchy she believes traditional chef whites represent, discusses race and class within Michelin kitchens, the industry figures who told her to stop mixing conversations about race and heritage with food, and why she believes hospitality still excludes far too many of the people it claims to welcome. Funny, furious, moving and completely unfiltered — this is one of our most thought-provoking conversations yet.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Layo and Zoe Paskin, the brother-and-sister duo behind Studio Paskin and some of London's most celebrated restaurants, including The Palomar, The Barbary and Michelin-starred Evelyn's Table. Before restaurants, they were at the heart of London nightlife, helping build legendary nightclub The End into one of the most influential clubs of its era. They reveal why they chose to walk away at the absolute peak of its success, the huge offer that tempted them to close the doors, and why, looking back, Layo wonders whether they made the right decision.We hear how the lessons they learnt in nightclubs became the blueprint for their restaurants: creating atmosphere, treating people generously and making sure guests leave in a better mood than when they arrived. Zoe recalls being told she wasn't qualified to run a restaurant because she'd “only” run a nightclub, before the siblings travelled to Jerusalem and began putting together the idea that would become The Palomar. They also open up about its extraordinary launch, the messy split with their original chef partners and why they believe the mid-2010s really were a golden era for eating out in London.All of this unfolds over a feast at The Barbary Notting Hill, as we get stuck into lamb taftoon, Cornish cod, pork and the restaurant's legendary hash cake. We discuss the rise of counter dining and open kitchens, winning a Michelin star at Evelyn's Table, why they'd rather keep creating new restaurants than simply roll out 25 identical Barbaries, and what they think has become far too ubiquitous on London menus. Plus, Layo makes the case for Hanoi as one of the world's great food cities — and may accidentally talk himself into his next restaurant concept.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt joins us for a raucous live edition of the Go To Food Podcast, recorded in front of a packed audience at Bird House Brewery. The man behind Trinity, Bistro Union, Charlie's at Brown's, and the newly opened Rosina reveals how his latest restaurant secured 11,000 reservations and opened at full capacity from its very first service.Adam explains why every great restaurant needs a signature dish, how he built a social media audience of more than one million followers without compromising his craft, and why telling his own story has proved more powerful than traditional PR. He also shares his philosophy on Michelin stars, profitability, hospitality, and his ambition for Trinity to remain the very best one-star restaurant in the country.We travel back through Adam's extraordinary career, from discovering food on a childhood exchange trip to France and entering the Claridge's kitchen at just 15, to the rock-and-roll atmosphere of The Square in the 1990s. He opens up about pioneering small-plate dining at Thyme, losing everything after moving the restaurant to Covent Garden, and rebuilding his career through resilience, determination, and the creation of Trinity.There is also an exclusive first look at Adam's new Trinity cookbook, Ben attempts to impress him with homemade tongue tonnato and tiramisu, and Adam reveals his ultimate restaurants, comfort foods, death-row meal, and surprisingly controversial post-run Weetabix recipe. A funny, honest, and deeply insightful conversation with one of Britain's most respected chefs, brought to you by Blinq and Dojo.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we join Keiran Mustafa at Kismet in Borough Market, surrounded by bulgur kofte, fried liver, lamb neck, chicken shish and what may be the greatest spread we've ever had on the podcast. Keiran reveals how a completely mad three-day trip through Cyprus and Istanbul with Dom helped inspire the restaurant, and explains the meyhane culture of meze, raki, music and long nights that they are bringing to London. Keiran tells us about Sundays with his Turkish-Cypriot nan in Edmonton, where he was instructed to sit down and eat continuously before being sent home with bags of leftovers. We hear how those meals, particularly her bulgur kofte and dangerously addictive Turkish-Cypriot lasagne, eventually led him towards cooking. His first pub kitchen was microwaving cream and Stilton to pour over steaks and spooning jarred salsa onto frozen crayfish flatbreads, but his next job began with half a lamb on the worktop on day one and a lesson in filleting fish on day two. From there came Chez Bruce, where a pig's trotter on his trial was repeatedly sent back until it was properly “mahogany”, followed by a year on the notorious vegetable section doing an almost unimaginable amount of onion work.We also discuss the endless Scotch egg production at The Harwood Arms, the job advert that took him to Le Bab, pitching his own Turkish restaurant idea to JKS and deciding within five minutes of meeting Chet Sharma that he had to work with him.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're joined by Only Scrans — one of the UK's biggest and most engaged food creators, with more than 1.5 million followers and one of the most unusual career stories we've encountered. Jonny has toured the world as a guitarist, helped build LADbible's audience past 100 million, launched FoodBible, worked with some of Britain's biggest celebrities, built his own agencies and turned Only Scrans into a major food platform. Most recently, he has taken the ultimate step from commenting on hospitality to living it, opening his own sports bar and discovering exactly how difficult it is to make money from bricks and mortar.Jonny reveals why he spent £40,000 of his own money filming a huge long-form YouTube series across America, Canada and Mexico, visiting historic restaurants, Texas barbecue institutions and some of the world's greatest taco spots. He explains why he refused to compromise the films with intrusive sponsorship demands, why he believes creators must be prepared to invest in themselves and how YouTube videos can suddenly return from the dead and collect another 100,000 views. He also takes us inside the obsessive world of retention graphs, thumbnails, titles and trial reels — while sharing the less glamorous reality of eating at 20 restaurants in a matter of days, including a disastrous final day in Mexico City after weeks of grasshoppers, tripe tacos and relentless filming.We also get into Jonny's belief that food influencers should have to pass a test before they are allowed to review restaurants. He explains why somebody tasting their first-ever scallop has no business immediately declaring it a ten out of ten, calls out creators who deliberately attack brilliant independent restaurants to manufacture millions of views and comes to the defence of Bleecker after watching it receive a baffling six-out-of-ten review. At the same time, he acknowledges the extraordinary impact creators such as Eating With Tod can have on small businesses, explains why TopJaw's combination of beautiful filmmaking and a divisive presenter works so well, and gives his verdict on the recent “shawarma wars” consuming the online food world.Jonny is equally candid about opening his sports bar, GO. The venue turned over £1 million in its first year, but he explains why that impressive figure looks very different once the money has gone back out again — leaving a profit of roughly ten per cent and nothing yet taken by Jonny personally. He recounts discovering chaotic wiring hidden above the ceiling, air-conditioning containing an illegal refrigerant and renovation costs that more than doubled almost overnight. Despite the financial pressure, he describes the extraordinary feeling of watching supporters stand on tables during England games, the pride of creating memories for customers and his ambition to expand the business rather than simply take the money.Finally, Jonny takes us back to his previous life in major-label rock band Blitz Kids. He reveals how the band could appear glamorous from the outside while its members were living on riders, drinking from morning until night and earning almost nothing, leaving him with memories of touring Helsinki, Stockholm and the rest of the world that he can barely recall. He speaks openly about alcohol, reaching a dark point and eventually becoming sober in his late thirties — before realising that he genuinely did still love food and football without the drinking attached. We then hear how he walked away from the band while living in his mum's attic, joined LADbible as its eighth or ninth employee after an interview involving FIFA and several beers, created a viral livestream by melting ice lollies on a roof, used audience data to inform campaigns involving Craig David, and later found himself writing viral social posts for Georgia Toffolo. An extraordinary conversation about food, risk, addiction, creativity, hospitality and understanding what makes the internet click.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Freddy and Ben head to Shoreditch for a special episode of Mise en Place from Appalachia, one of London's most exciting new restaurant openings. They are joined by head chef Ali Borer and restaurateur Ryan Sheehan to discover how the cooking traditions of the Appalachian Mountains have inspired a bold new menu in the heart of London.Ali serves up some of the restaurant's most talked-about dishes, from a three-day pig's head and ox tongue skewer to his curried crab omelette, pimento cheeseburger and butter-brined chicken with grits. He explains why flavour will always matter more than elaborate presentation, how using every part of an animal keeps the menu affordable, and why diners should not be afraid to eat with their hands.The conversation then traces Ali's remarkable journey from growing up in Anglesey and learning to butcher venison at 17, to Australia, London and the kitchens of Le Pont de la Tour, The Modern Pantry, Jinjuu and Smoking Goat. He opens up about becoming a head chef at a young age, the exhaustion and personal loss that eventually forced him to step away, and how disappearing from the spotlight helped him rediscover what he actually wanted from cooking.They also discuss the emotional rollercoaster of receiving three major restaurant reviews in one week, Ali's experience on Great British Menu, the London restaurants and chefs he most admires, and why chefs need to understand the numbers behind their food. Plus, Ali reveals his hatred of unnecessary caviar, his perfect post-service sandwich, his favourite food destinations and the surprisingly simple dish that created his first unforgettable food memory.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexis Gauthier spent decades at the summit of classical French cooking, training under Alain Ducasse, earning Michelin stars and building one of London's most celebrated restaurants. Then he did something few chefs of his generation would dare to do: he removed meat, fish, dairy and every other animal product from his menus.When Gauthier Soho became fully plant-based, Alexis says he lost 99% of his existing customers. In this remarkably candid conversation, he explains why he took the risk, how he rebuilt the restaurant around compassionate French gastronomy and why his greatest regret is not making the change sooner.We also discuss the brutal economics of running a London restaurant, why fine dining may be safer than the middle market, whether Michelin-starred restaurants are finally improving their vegan food and the unexpected challenges of operating an entirely animal-free kitchen, from wine and honey to seaweed and figs.Alexis also looks back on his extraordinary childhood in Avignon, where horse steak cooked in brown butter was an everyday lunch and a glass of horse blood was considered medicine. Funny, provocative and deeply personal, this is the story of a chef who completely overturned everything he had been trained to believe.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Go To Food Podcast, we're joined by one of the most fascinating figures in British food today: Cynthia Shanmugalingam, founder of Rambutan, the Borough Market restaurant that's redefining how London experiences Sri Lankan cuisine. From studying economics at Cambridge and working at HM Treasury to building one of the UK's most celebrated restaurants, Cynthia's journey is anything but conventional.We dive into the extraordinary story behind Rambutan, from losing her first restaurant site during the pandemic to spending six months travelling around Sri Lanka researching family recipes and village cooking for her award-winning cookbook. Cynthia shares why opening an open-fire kitchen in Borough Market was so important, the realities of running a thriving restaurant in today's hospitality landscape, and why she already has plans for what's next.Along the way, we explore the food that shaped her—from childhood meals in Coventry and her grandmother's cooking to the incredible breakfasts, curries and street food of Sri Lanka. She explains why "rice and curry" is far more complex than people realise, reveals the dishes she'd love to bring to London next, and gives us the ultimate guide to eating your way around Colombo.Plus, we chat meal deals, supermarket pork pies, Borough Market favourites, why oysters might be the most overrated thing on restaurant menus, and the economics behind building a successful restaurant. It's a brilliant conversation about food, family, culture and entrepreneurship with one of the industry's most original voices.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was it really like growing up as Rick Stein's son?This week we're joined by Jack Stein for one of our favourite conversations yet. From washing pots aged 12 and accidentally deleting his dad's first cookbook, to training in Paris, Sydney and Japan before returning to help lead one of Britain's most iconic restaurant groups, Jack tells the stories you've never heard before.We dive into the reality of family businesses, the pressures of carrying one of the biggest names in British food, why Michelin stars were never his obsession, and the lessons he brought back from some of the world's greatest kitchens. Along the way there are hilarious tales of Wimbledon, Padstow, kitchen disasters, late-night bowling, and the drink he'd choose every single time.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a remote dairy farm in New Zealand to the most feared kitchens in the world, this week we're joined by one of the greatest chefs you've probably never heard enough about. Josh Emett spent over a decade as Gordon Ramsay's right-hand man, helping lead Michelin-starred restaurants across London, New York, LA and beyond before returning home to build one of New Zealand's most celebrated restaurant groups.Josh takes us inside the reality of life at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay during its golden era, working alongside chefs like Paul Ainsworth and James Knappett, the pressure of chasing Michelin stars, opening iconic restaurants like The Savoy Grill, and the brutal kitchen culture that shaped him. He also shares incredible stories from New York, including running Gordon's restaurants through union disputes, launching Michelin-starred kitchens in America and why working for Ramsay was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.We also dive into what life looks like after leaving one of the biggest names in hospitality. Josh explains how he built a thriving restaurant empire in New Zealand, why he's rethinking how hospitality businesses should be run, and the financial model that's transforming staff culture. Plus, we hear about cooking with Gwyneth Paltrow at her house, judging MasterChef New Zealand, and why Michelin finally arriving in New Zealand is such a landmark moment.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chef. Filmmaker. Bestselling author. Restaurateur. Streetwear pioneer. Former lawyer. Former drug dealer. There aren't many people who have lived as many lives as Eddie Huang. In one of our favourite conversations ever, Eddie joins us for an unfiltered deep dive into the decisions, failures and moments that shaped one of food's most original voices. This is funny, brutally honest and completely unpredictable.We talk about everything from opening BaoHaus and changing the perception of Taiwanese food in America, to why he fell out of love with restaurants before rediscovering his passion for cooking. Eddie also explains why he believes modern food has become over-styled, why "don't fool people with shrubbery" has become his plating philosophy, and what actually makes a great restaurant in 2026.Away from food, the stories are unbelievable. Eddie reveals how getting fired as a corporate lawyer led him to dealing weed on the streets of New York, promoting comedy nights, building clothing brands and eventually creating the career that made him a cultural icon. He also opens up about the making of Fresh Off the Boat, why he hated the TV adaptation, directing films in Hollywood, and what Quentin Tarantino unknowingly taught him while living across the street.This is Eddie Huang at his absolute best: hilarious, provocative, deeply thoughtful and never afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. Whether you're obsessed with food, fascinated by creativity, or simply love hearing extraordinary life stories from extraordinary people, this is an episode you won't want to miss.Thankyou to the Standard Hotel for hosting us for the recording - you can check out more - https://www.standardhotels.com/BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margaux Aubry has quietly built one of London's most influential neighbourhood restaurants. As the owner of Naughty Piglets, she's spent the last 12 years helping redefine what modern London dining can be: brilliant produce, fearless cooking, incredible natural wine and a restaurant that genuinely feels part of its community. In this episode, she joins us to tell the remarkable story behind one of the capital's most beloved independent restaurants.We dive into her journey from growing up in Lyon to arriving in London as a teenager, falling in love with hospitality and eventually opening Naughty Piglets with almost no blueprint to follow. Margaux shares the highs and lows of building an independent restaurant, why she's happier running the business on her own terms today, the famous jambon beurre that has become a London institution, and why Paris still pulls at her heartstrings every time she visits.As always, the conversation is packed with brilliant food stories. Margaux reveals her favourite bistros in Paris, the dishes that defined her childhood, why Comté might just be the perfect cheese, the legendary fox that once became trapped inside the restaurant overnight, and the wild days serving millionaire yacht owners on the French Riviera. We also chat natural wine, London's changing restaurant scene, and why she believes the industry's constant negativity risks putting off the next generation of restaurateurs.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most influential restaurateurs of the last decade joins us on the Go To Food Podcast. Mario Carbone, co-founder of Major Food Group, sits down for a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from building one of the world's most sought-after restaurant empires to why hospitality should feel more like theatre than dinner. From Queens to New York, London and beyond, Mario shares the philosophy behind Carbone, the power of storytelling, and why every detail in a restaurant matters.We dive deep into the psychology of great hospitality, including the famous "moves" that define the Carbone experience—from the snacks that land on your table before you've even opened the menu to the theatrical tableside service that's become their signature. Mario explains why generosity with the small things creates unforgettable memories, why guests should feel like the star of their own movie, and reveals how Goodfellas inspired the atmosphere inside every Carbone restaurant.Mario also doesn't hold back on the state of the restaurant industry. He gives his unfiltered thoughts on Michelin stars, restaurant critics, why tasting menus have fallen out of fashion, and why restaurateurs shouldn't be ashamed of building profitable businesses. He also shares hard-earned lessons on scaling globally, why alcohol remains essential to the restaurant business model, and what separates restaurants that survive from those that don't.Along the way, we hear stories from Mario's early days working in Michelin-starred kitchens, his obsession with restaurants as a teenager, his favourite places to eat in London, why he believes New York serves the world's best Italian food, and what it really takes to create restaurants people can't stop talking about. This is a masterclass in hospitality, branding, storytelling and building experiences that guests remember long after the last plate has been cleared.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From winning a Michelin star at Pidgin to walking away at the height of her success, Liz Haigh has had one of the most fascinating journeys in British hospitality. In this episode of Go To Food, Liz joins us to discuss her unconventional path from studying architecture and appearing on MasterChef to becoming one of the UK's most celebrated chefs. We dive into the realities of life in Michelin-starred kitchens, the pressures of creative cooking, and why she ultimately chose a different route.Liz opens up about building her own vision through Mei Mei in Borough Market, where she's championing Singaporean food and culture with dishes inspired by her family and heritage. We discuss why Borough Market remains one of London's most exciting food destinations, the challenges of running an independent food business, and how she's introduced thousands of people to authentic Singaporean flavours through her cooking.The conversation also explores some of the most difficult moments of Liz's career, including the controversy surrounding her cookbook Makan and the plagiarism allegations that led to the book being withdrawn by its publisher. Liz shares her perspective on navigating a very public challenge, the impact it had on her personally and professionally, and how she chose to rebuild rather than walk away from the industry she loves.Along the way, we talk about Michelin-star kitchens, burnout, leadership, Singaporean hawker culture, the future of restaurants in Britain, and Liz's favourite places to eat. Honest, insightful, and packed with great food stories, this is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, and what it really takes to build a lasting career in hospitality.Buy Mei Mei's incredible sauces - https://www.meimeigoods.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopX0SPooHS3c9dSa5dptPACvYeBK2fgvqr3xDVuBCkOIhCZfz37BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode of Mise en Place, we sit down with one of London's brightest culinary talents, Chef Abbie Hendren, Head Chef at the much-talked-about Teal by Sally Abé in Hackney. Having spent 15 years honing her craft in some of the capital's finest Michelin-starred kitchens, Abbie shares the remarkable journey that has taken her from a teenage kitchen porter in rural Rutland to leading the kitchen at one of London's most exciting new restaurant openings.Abbie opens up about her experience working alongside the legendary Sally Abé, the challenges of launching a new restaurant from scratch, and the philosophy behind Teal's celebration of classic British cooking. From reinvented Victorian dishes like the Penny Lick to the restaurant's now-famous Scotch Egg and Marmalade Ice Cream Sandwich, we explore how nostalgia, seasonality, and modern technique combine to create one of the city's most exciting menus.The conversation also dives into Abbie's appearance on Great British Menu, where she cooked dishes inspired by iconic British films and caught the attention of Sally Abé herself. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from the competition, the highs and lows of restaurant life, and the lessons learned from working at acclaimed kitchens including La Trompette, The Glasshouse, and L'Enclume.Packed with chef stories, restaurant insights, industry wisdom, and plenty of laughs, this is an episode not to be missed. Whether you're a hospitality professional, aspiring chef, or simply love great food, join us as we discover what drives one of the UK's most exciting culinary talents and hear why Teal by Sally Abé is quickly becoming one of London's must-visit dining destinations.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE ON MONDAY 27TH JULY - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Working the Floor, we sit down with hospitality heavyweight Martin Kuczmarski, the man behind some of London's most sought-after restaurants: The Dover, Dover Street Counter, and Martino's. Drawing on nearly three decades in hospitality, including 15 years helping build Soho House into a global phenomenon, Martin shares the philosophy that has made his own ventures such runaway successes. From handwritten reservation books and frozen martini glass swaps to triple-layered tablecloths and mouthwash in the bathrooms, every detail is designed with one goal in mind: making guests feel happier when they leave than when they arrived.Martin reflects on why he left Soho House, what inspired him to bring "old-school hospitality" back to modern London, and why he believes the industry has become too focused on trends at the expense of genuine service. He discusses the creation of The Dover, a restaurant built around timeless elegance, simple food done exceptionally well, and an unwavering commitment to hospitality. Along the way, he shares stories about designing chairs through dozens of prototypes, reviving classic dishes like spaghetti meatballs and prawn cocktail, and why instinct—not market research—has guided every major decision in his career.The conversation also explores the future of hospitality, the challenges facing London's restaurant scene, and Martin's views on members' clubs, pricing, staff culture, and what separates great operators from struggling ones. Packed with insight, humour, and a few perfectly made martinis, this episode is a masterclass in creating memorable experiences. Whether you're a restaurateur, hospitality professional, or simply someone who loves great restaurants, Martin's passion for people and service shines through from start to finish.BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorWatch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Go To Food, we sit down with the extraordinary Andi Oliver for one of the most captivating conversations we've ever had. From growing up between Cyprus, Norfolk and Suffolk to becoming one of Britain's most influential food voices, Andi takes us on a journey through a life filled with adventure, resilience, music, family and incredible food. Her stories are as rich and layered as the dishes she creates.Andi shares unforgettable memories from her childhood, including beach picnics in Cyprus, discovering the connection between sea and plate while watching fishermen pull squid straight from the Mediterranean, and learning to cook Sunday roasts and Bakewell tarts as a teenager navigating a difficult upbringing. She opens up about overcoming racism, finding solace in books and food, and hosting dinner parties at just 12 years old, long before she ever imagined a career in hospitality.We also dive into her remarkable music career, from London's wild club scene and the legendary Hot Style nights in Soho to joining Rip Rig + Panic alongside Neneh Cherry. There are brilliant stories about raising a young Miquita Oliver while touring, Miquita's unexpected rise to fame on Popworld, surviving the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand, and the incredible cast of characters that passed through Andi's life during one of the most creative periods in British culture.Along the way, Andi reflects on the loss of her beloved brother Sean, her own journey through grief and recovery, the evolution of Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, and why preserving endangered food traditions has become such an important mission.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen.And remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set.Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorWatch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's episode of Go To Food, we're joined by two of the most influential chefs in modern British cooking: Sam Clark and Sam Clark of the legendary Moro. As the iconic Exmouth Market restaurant approaches its 30th anniversary, the pair sit down to reflect on the extraordinary journey that transformed London's food scene. From introducing ingredients like pomegranate molasses, preserved lemons, sumac and tahini to British diners long before they were supermarket staples, the Clarks reveal how a passion for authentic Mediterranean and Moorish cooking changed the way the country eats.The conversation takes us back to the very beginning, when the newly married couple bought a campervan and spent three months travelling through Spain and Morocco, collecting recipes, discovering ingredients and immersing themselves in local food culture. From learning the art of making delicate Moroccan warqa pastry in Marrakech to surviving Saharan sandstorms and driving across Morocco without a windscreen, their adventures became the foundation of Moro's groundbreaking menu and enduring philosophy. Many of the restaurant's most celebrated dishes, including the famous Crab Brick, can be traced directly back to those formative travels.We also explore the remarkable London restaurant landscape of the 1990s, from their time at the River Café alongside a young Jamie Oliver to opening Moro in what was then a rough-and-ready Exmouth Market. The Clarks share stories of wood-fired ovens that have barely stopped burning in three decades, the evolution of London's dining culture, and why they consistently turned down opportunities to expand Moro into a global brand. Their commitment to remaining independent, hands-on and fiercely focused on quality has made Moro one of Britain's most respected restaurants.Alongside memories, laughter and plenty of food talk, the episode offers a glimpse into the future. With a new cookbook in development and plans to retrace their original campervan journey across Spain and Morocco, the Clarks remain as curious and passionate about food as ever. This is a fascinating conversation about travel, hospitality, craftsmanship and staying true to your vision — a must-listen for anyone who loves great restaurants, great stories and the people behind them.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Spiteri family are hospitality royalty. Between them they've shaped some of London's most beloved restaurants and pubs, from The French House and Rochelle Canteen to Caravel, Sessions Arts Club and Koya. Now, for the first time, the entire family has come together under one roof to create The Latimer — one of London's most exciting new pub openings. In this special episode, we sit down with John, Melanie, Molly, Lorcan and Finneas Spiteri to hear the story behind the project and what it takes to build a family-run hospitality business in 2025.John and Melanie reflect on decades spent at the heart of London's restaurant scene, sharing stories from The French House, St. John, Rochelle Canteen and beyond. From wild events in Moscow to the changing face of British hospitality, they discuss the realities of opening a pub in today's market, the challenges facing independent operators and why genuine hospitality still matters more than ever.The next generation then takes over. Lorcan, Finneas and Molly reveal how they're putting their own stamp on The Latimer, from the food and drinks menus to the day-to-day realities of working alongside parents and siblings. We dive into the dishes already becoming favourites, the thinking behind the pub's distinctive approach to drinks and the lessons they've learned from previous ventures including the hugely popular Caravel.Along the way, we hear stories about London's greatest restaurants, unforgettable meals, industry legends and the secret to creating places that people return to decade after decade. It's a fascinating conversation about family, hospitality and building something designed to stand the test of time. Whether you're a restaurant obsessive, pub lover or simply interested in the people shaping London's food scene, this is an episode you won't want to miss.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Go To Food Podcast, we sit down with restaurateur, landlord and former head chef of the legendary Bibendum, Jamie Younger. Fresh from the opening of The Victory on Lordship Lane, Jamie takes us inside the challenge of reimagining one of South London's most beloved neighbourhood institutions, Franklin's. From preserving its character while creating a new identity, to navigating the pressure of opening a major new venue in East Dulwich, Jamie shares the realities of taking on a local icon.We also explore the remarkable journey that took Jamie from a family-run restaurant in Cornwall to some of London's most celebrated kitchens. He reflects on his formative years under Simon Hopkinson at Bibendum, the lessons that shaped his approach to cooking, and why great ingredients and simplicity remain at the heart of everything he does. Along the way, we hear stories from The Wolseley, The Palmerston, and the highs and lows of building a career in hospitality.No conversation with Jamie would be complete without discussing The Begging Bowl. Long before Thai food became one of London's most exciting dining scenes, Jamie and chef Jane Alty were championing authentic regional Thai cooking in Peckham. He explains how his travels through Thailand inspired the restaurant, why he wanted to challenge the clichés of British Thai dining, and how The Begging Bowl became one of South London's most influential restaurants.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Go To Food Podcast, we're joined by one of the most influential figures in British food: Thomasina Miers. From becoming the first-ever MasterChef champion to building the iconic Oaxaca restaurant group, Thomasina has spent more than two decades transforming the way Britain thinks about Mexican food. Recorded live at the Ballymaloe Food Festival, this is a conversation packed with passion, honesty, and unforgettable stories.Thomasina takes us back to the moment a chance conversation with the legendary Clarissa Dickson Wright changed the course of her life, leading her to Ballymaloe Cookery School and eventually to Mexico. She shares the adventures, missteps, and inspirations that shaped her career, from making cheese in Ireland and shaking cocktails in Mexico City to launching one of the UK's most beloved restaurant brands.We also dive into the challenges facing hospitality today. Thomasina speaks candidly about rising costs, government policy, sustainability, regenerative farming, and why restaurants play a far bigger role in society than simply serving food. It's a fascinating look at the realities of running a successful restaurant group in one of the toughest trading environments the industry has ever seen.And of course, there are plenty of food recommendations along the way. From her favourite restaurants and dream foodie destinations to the ultimate Thomasina Miers feast, we cover it all. Insightful, inspiring, funny, and fiercely passionate, this is an episode every food lover, restaurateur, and aspiring entrepreneur will want to hear.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, recorded live at the Ballymaloe Food Festival, we sit down with award-winning food writer, columnist, cookbook author, and now novelist, Felicity Cloake. Best known for her legendary How to Make the Perfect series and her food-focused cycling adventures across France, Britain, and the United States, Felicity reflects on the journeys that shaped her career. She shares stories from the road, including memorable encounters across America, the challenges of solo travel by bike, and why her coast-to-coast culinary exploration of the US remains one of the most rewarding projects she has ever undertaken.We also dive into Felicity's debut novel, The Underdog, a light-hearted foodie love story set between London's restaurant scene and the west coast of Scotland. She explains how the idea emerged during lockdown, discusses the freedom of writing fiction after years of journalism, and reveals the joy of inventing restaurant menus, eccentric chefs, and culinary drama. Along the way, we talk about social media, restaurant criticism, the realities of food writing, and the changing landscape of publishing and content creation.Finally, Felicity takes us behind the scenes of her 17-year run writing How to Make the Perfect, sharing how a simple debate about whether to prick sausages evolved into one of Britain's most beloved food columns. We discuss recipe testing, cookbook legends, food controversies, dream meals, favourite restaurants, and her hopes for future cycling adventures—possibly even Japan. Packed with wit, honesty, and plenty of food opinions, this is a conversation full of insight for cooks, writers, travellers, and anyone who loves a great food story.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Go To Food Podcast, we sit down with the legendary Darina Allen — founder of the iconic Ballymaloe Cookery School, pioneer of modern Irish cuisine, and one of the most influential food voices of the last half century. Recorded live at the Ballymaloe Festival of Food, Darina takes us through the extraordinary journey that helped shape Ireland's food culture as we know it today.From the rise of Irish cooking on the global stage to the importance of seasonal ingredients, Darina speaks passionately about food education, farming, sustainability, and the forgotten skills that modern life has left behind. We dive deep into the philosophy behind Ballymaloe, why local food systems matter more than ever, and the growing movement of people leaving cities in search of a slower, more connected way of life.Darina also reflects on the early struggles that led to the creation of Ballymaloe Cookery School, the chefs and food personalities who have passed through its doors, and the accidental path that turned her into Ireland's first celebrity chef. Along the way, she shares hilarious stories, hard-earned wisdom, and an infectious enthusiasm for everything from raw milk and sourdough to oysters and homemade butter.Warm, funny, fiercely intelligent, and endlessly inspiring, this is a conversation about much more than food — it's about community, purpose, craft, and living well. Whether you're a professional chef, a home cook, or simply someone who loves hearing from true pioneers, this episode with Darina Allen is one you won't want to miss.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From tiny Parisian dinner parties to becoming one of the most recognisable food voices on television, this week we sit down with the incredible Rachel Khoo for a deeply honest, funny and nostalgic conversation about food, identity and building a creative life from scratch. Rachel takes us back to the beginning — leaving London with barely any money, studying pastry at Le Cordon Bleu, hustling her way through Paris and eventually creating the now legendary Little Paris Kitchen. We talk about the highs and heartbreaks of television, cookbook publishing, and why she decided to self-publish her powerful new memoir.This episode is packed with unbelievable stories: Austrian mountain summers fuelled by butter and strudel, Malaysian family feasts in 1980s Bromley, breakdancing crews in Paris, and the reality of building a career in food before Instagram existed. Rachel opens up about the challenges of working in TV, navigating rejection, motherhood whilst filming Bake Off Australia, and why meaningful hospitality matters more than fancy food. There's also plenty of talk about pastries, Swedish comfort food, Paris markets, cookbook politics and the restaurants she keeps returning to after all these years.Alongside one of the most fascinating food journeys we've ever heard, Rachel also gives us her ultimate go-to meals, favourite bakeries in Paris, dream dim sum orders and the philosophy behind hosting unforgettable dinner parties. It's warm, hilarious, emotional and full of wisdom for anyone chasing a creative dream. Rachel Khoo is every bit as brilliant as you hope she'll be — and this might be one of our favourite conversations we've ever recorded.The Smallest Restaurant in Paris - A memoir by Rachel Khoo £18.99 available at all good bookshops - https://geni.us/order_TRSPWatch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodGet 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackson Boxer and Eduardo “Lalo” Yishima joined us at TAQ to talk about relaunching one of London's original Mexican restaurants into something far more ambitious, produce-led and reflective of modern Mexican cuisine. Jackson explained how the former Taqueria had become trapped trying to compete on cheapness rather than quality, despite having an incredible location and loyal following. The pair discussed how London's understanding of Mexican food has transformed over the last 20 years, with diners now far more educated and excited by authentic flavours, proper tortillas and regional cooking. Bringing Lalo back from Mexico to lead the kitchen allowed them to completely rethink the menu, from nixtamalized heritage corn tortillas to carnitas, tuna tostadas and deeply flavourful salsas that feel genuinely rooted in Mexico while using exceptional British produce.A huge part of the conversation centred around ingredients and the realities of running restaurants in modern London. Jackson spoke passionately about using rare breed pork, Yorkshire grass-fed beef and whole Cornish tuna across the restaurant group, while Lalo described the emotional significance of properly nixtamalized tortillas and imported Mexican chilis. The pair explained how London diners are now sophisticated enough to appreciate bold, complex Mexican flavours and why TAQ's relaunch focused on quality and value rather than racing to the bottom on pricing. Jackson also opened up about the pressures restaurateurs face today — from social media expectations to shrinking margins — while teasing his upcoming Exmouth Market opening, Vespa, where dishes like coal-grilled squid stuffed with pork and prawn boudin will headline the menu.To close, the conversation drifted into travel, comfort food and personal inspirations. Jackson recommended an Italian train journey through Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples as the ultimate food weekend, while Lalo made a passionate case for Buenos Aires and Argentina's bakery, pizza and wine culture. Their “Go To Hall of Fame” dishes perfectly reflected the emotional core of the episode: Lalo chose his mother's pozole, a deeply nostalgic Mexican soup tied to his childhood, while Jackson described his mother's fruit tarts made with hand-grated frozen butter pastry as one of the greatest things he's ever eaten. Across the episode, what stood out most was the pair's shared belief that food is ultimately about generosity, memory and craft — whether that's a taco, a trompo, a tart or a late-night tortilla folded around cheese and hot sauce.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Mellor joins Go To Food for a brilliant, booze-soaked, risotto-fuelled conversation from inside his acclaimed new Soho restaurant, Osteria Vibrato. Once hailed as the king of London's wine scene — and still very much hailed by us — Charlie's journey has taken him from Australian-born, classically trained opera singer to sommelier, restaurateur and one of the most charismatic hospitality minds in the capital.In this episode, Charlie talks about the rise and closure of The Laughing Heart, why neighbourhood restaurants have become such a brutal game, and why Soho felt like the right place to return with something romantic, generous and unmistakably Italian. He explains the thinking behind Vibrato's £3 coperto, its olive oil obsession, late-night ambitions, boozy lunches, and a wine list built to make serious bottles genuinely drinkable.We also get into the realities of opening a restaurant in 2026: linen bills, no-shows, soft-launch chaos, risotto sections, assembling a front-of-house Avengers squad, and the importance of making every guest feel like everything is going to be okay. Along the way, Charlie shares stories from opera, Melbourne dining, late-night London, and his family's legendary Cornish pasties.Expect strong views, big hospitality energy, Palermo tips, plenty of wine chat, and one of the best explanations you'll hear of what makes a restaurant truly generous. Charlie is thoughtful, theatrical, sweary, deeply hospitable — and Osteria Vibrato sounds like exactly the kind of place London needs right now.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, we're joined by one of the most important voices in pizza culture: Frank Pinello. The founder of Brooklyn's legendary Best Pizza, host of The Pizza Show and now Pizza with Frank, Frank joins us fresh from a huge week eating across London — and gives an unfiltered verdict on why the city has quietly become one of the great pizza destinations in the world. From Vincenzo's and Dough Hands to New York aesthetics taking over London, Frank explains why British pizza makers are now genuinely earning respect from New Yorkers.But this episode goes way beyond pizza rankings. Frank tells the unbelievable story of almost becoming a stockbroker straight out of school — working in a real-life Wolf of Wall Street-style boiler room on Long Island, standing all day cold-calling strangers about fake IPOs while managers shouted slogans like “motion creates emotion.” He talks about turning up in suits thinking he'd made it, only for the entire operation to eventually get raided by the feds. Before pizza fame, before Vice, before Williamsburg — there was Frank trying to survive among future federal inmates.We also go deep into old New York food culture: growing up in Bensonhurst, the smell of Sunday sauce hitting the hallway before you even reached his grandmother's basement, annual tomato canning traditions, animal heads in the kitchen, Sicilian cauliflower pasta with cinnamon breadcrumbs, and learning early that food meant love. Frank opens up about his first pizzeria jobs, burning his leg so badly on his first day in a serious kitchen that the skin peeled off — but hiding it for 12 hours because he didn't want chefs to think he was weak. He talks about culinary school feeling like military training, becoming obsessed with Thomas Keller and Ferran Adrià, and then slowly realising pizza could be treated with the same seriousness as fine dining.There are incredible stories throughout: consulting on pizza at Chiltern Firehouse before it opened, meeting Nuno Mendes and Patrick Powell, seeing Roberta's completely change global pizza culture, and building Best Pizza during the wild early Williamsburg years of artists, hipsters and old Italian families living side by side. We get Frank's thoughts on Dave Portnoy, hot honey, pizza dips, New York slice etiquette, why ketchup should never touch a hot dog after the age of 10, and the exact technique for folding and attacking a slice. Plus Ben cooks a full Sunday sauce for Frank on the studio floor — ribs, sausages, chops and meatballs included — while the conversation descends into debates about crust strategy, baguettes, greasy pepperoni cups and whether pizza should ever be taken too seriously at all.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning British chef, writer, broadcaster and campaigner, best known as the creator of River Cottage. He joins the Go To Food podcast fresh from the release of his new book, High Fibre Heroes, before settling into a gloriously wide-ranging conversation full of stories from a life spent cooking, eating, questioning and occasionally causing national outrage.Hugh looks back on childhood in Gloucestershire, learning to cook alongside his mother, helping make shepherd's pie from leftover roast lamb, and later becoming the “pastry chef” for her 1970s dinner parties. He shares tales from Oxford dinner parties, smoked haddock obsessions, and his time at the River Cafe, where he made lemon tart for Rose Gray and secretly doubled the chocolate in Elizabeth David's chocolate cake — only to be politely rumbled by Elizabeth David herself.The conversation also revisits Hugh's early television years, from Cook on the Wild Side to TV Dinners, including the infamous placenta pâté episode that earned an Ofcom complaint and became part of British food TV folklore. He reflects on the beginnings of River Cottage, moving from London to Dorset, learning from farmers, foragers and local characters, and building a world that helped change the way Britain thought about food, farming and self-sufficiency.Along the way, there are stories of roadkill rumours, wild boar charcuterie, Gordon Ramsay's pigs, Jamie Oliver, school food, restaurant culture, barbecue hogget, decorative garnishes, and why you should never put an oyster shell on mashed potato. Funny, thoughtful and occasionally surreal, this is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at his storytelling best.Order Hugh's new book High Fibre Heroes - https://shorturl.at/9Wk19Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honey & Co founders Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich join us for a brilliant, chaotic and deeply honest conversation about food, marriage, restaurants, reinvention and the realities of building one of London's best-loved hospitality groups.From opening the original Honey & Co in 2012 without proper recipes, to turning family cooking, Middle Eastern flavours and sheer instinct into a restaurant empire spanning delis, restaurants, cookbooks, classes and podcasts, they tell the story of how it all began — and how it nearly broke them.We get into the rebirth of Honey & Smoke, the closure of the deli, floods, wine, tablecloths, growing older with your customers, why London restaurants are having to change, and how they've built a business around care, quality and the refusal to cut corners.Plus: childhood food memories in Israel, Ottolenghi, brutal old-school kitchens, the second-site nightmare, Greece, burrata backlash, banana hatred, vomit stories, legendary cheesecake and why hospitality needs to start respecting itself a lot more.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Max Halley joins The Go To from Max's Sandwich Shop in Finsbury Park — a place he describes as “a surprisingly serious restaurant masquerading as a silly sandwich shop.” From the ham, egg and chips sandwich Tesco tried to copy, to focaccia engineered for mayonnaise, juice and structural integrity, Max explains the thinking behind one of Britain's most joyful food institutions.In this episode, Max talks about his new book Cooking with Sausages, built on the revelation that sausages are really just pre-seasoned mince waiting to be liberated. He serves up a Morteau sausage, explains why he boils rather than grills, and takes us through sausage lasagne, Le Pig Mac, mortadella cheeseburgers, porchetta tacos and hangover macaroni designed to be eaten with a spoon.We also hear how Max nearly made a TV show called Chicken Lips and Salmon Legs before losing out to Taskmaster, why his first sandwich shop idea was called “Out Here on the Dance Floor,” and how an awkward licensing dispute became one of his greatest restaurant moments: a customer told to “get up and fuck off” to a round of applause.There are stories from Le Coq, Keira Knightley's alleged praise, Raymond Blanc being angry about missing tarragon, electric toothbrushes for sale outside Finsbury Park Tesco, cold lasagne in a croissant with honey, and a childhood memory of eating sheep on a spit in a French village. Expect sausage philosophy, sandwich engineering, strong opinions on cheese, and plenty of Max's “little pleasant splashes” of joy.Pre-Order Max's "Cooking With Sausages" Book Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Sausages-Delicious-Everything-Chipolatas/dp/0241794692Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're joined by Gary Usher — the chef behind a North West restaurant empire, award-winning gastropubs, and one of the most honest voices in hospitality today.We sit down in Liverpool to talk about the evolution of his restaurant Wreck — from a derelict site to one of the busiest spots in the city — and the moment everything changed. After months of standing outside asking passers-by why they weren't coming in, Gary discovered people thought “Wreckfish” was a seafood restaurant. A simple rebrand, clearer signage, and the business jumped 30% almost overnight. Beyond the success, this episode goes deep. Gary opens up about crowdfunding his restaurants, selling meals in advance to raise hundreds of thousands, and how that early community became fiercely loyal regulars. But he's equally candid about the darker side — closing multiple sites, navigating debt, and the harsh reality that many restaurants today aren't failing because they're quiet, but because they're too expensive to run. It's an unfiltered look at an industry under serious pressure.We also get the full journey: from struggling with dyslexia at school to finding his place in kitchens, working at Chez Bruce, learning under Angela Hartnett, and even the wild years in Ibiza plus much much more....Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Edwards joins the pod for a hilarious, story-packed episode from Belzan, covering the wild journey from all-day chaos at Filter and Fox to building one of the North West's most respected hospitality groups. There are tales of 7 a.m. coffees turning into midnight Manhattans, meeting future business partners across the bar, and the painful but necessary decision to close beloved venues at the right time.Chris reflects on Liverpool's changing scene, the magic and madness of running restaurants, starstruck moments with Duncan from Blue and Lord of the Rings cast members, plus Will Ferrell's visit during Eurovision. He also talks candidly about lockdown, break-ups, tough customers, staff loyalty, expansion, risk, VAT, and why giving great people room to grow is what keeps the business moving.Expect plenty of laughs, martinis, cosmic Scousers, Guinness John, Amsterdam stag-do warnings, Marco Pierre White blocking the pod, New York pilgrimages, and the greatest play-out song choice in podcast history.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Allan joins the latest episode of the Go To Food Podcast for a no-holds-barred conversation that spans decades at the very top of British hospitality. From stripping lead off a school roof as a teenager to becoming one of London's most influential fishmongers and restaurateurs, Tony's journey is anything but ordinary. He reveals how he transformed the way chefs bought fish, built a booming supply business, and went from market trader to multimillionaire in what felt like overnight.This episode is packed with incredible stories — from supplying legends like Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay, to explosive fallouts, court battles, and chance encounters that defined his career. Tony shares what it was like opening the very first restaurant in Borough Market, the insane growth from one site to 25 restaurants in just a few years, and the brutal impact of events like September 11 attacks on the industry. There are also wild moments involving racing bets, celebrity friendships with Vinnie Jones, and behind-the-scenes chaos from the golden era of London dining.It's funny, raw, and brutally honest — from tales of late-night phone calls with fiery chefs to building and losing fortunes, then starting again. Tony also gives his unfiltered take on the state of hospitality today, from staffing crises to rising costs, and how he's adapted with a booming takeaway business. If you want real insight, proper storytelling, and one of the most entertaining voices in the game, this is a must-listen episode of the Go To Food Podcast.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part two with the legendary Raymond Blanc is every bit as honest, funny and revealing as you'd hope. With nearly 50 Michelin-starred chefs having passed through his kitchens, we had to play our favourite game again: what were they really like before the fame? Raymond opens up on a young Marco Pierre White — the wild hair, the swagger, the intensity — and shares what it was actually like employing one of Britain's most combustible culinary talents. From football-match bust-ups to kitchen power struggles, the stories are as outrageous as they are unforgettable.But this episode goes far deeper than kitchen gossip. Raymond reflects on what separated the greats from the merely gifted, why Heston Blumenthal was one of the most unique talents he ever encountered, and the crucial lesson he believes he taught Marco: taste. It's a fascinating look inside the mind of a chef who didn't just mentor future superstars, but helped shape the DNA of modern British gastronomy. Expect brilliance, big opinions and some of the sharpest insights into cooking, leadership and creativity you'll hear anywhere.And because it's Raymond Blanc, the conversation doesn't stop there. He talks about the changing face of hospitality, the guests who left the biggest impression on him — from the Queen Mother to Stormzy — and the dishes, restaurants and food destinations he still dreams about. It's warm, passionate, hilarious and full of wisdom from a man who has stayed relevant at the very top for more than four decades. Part two is a masterclass in food, culture and what it really takes to last.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few chefs in the world can match the Michelin legacy of Raymond Blanc. With over 40 years of continuous Michelin-starred excellence at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, he stands among the most consistent and influential figures in global gastronomy. Yet, as he reveals in this episode, he never chased stars—only excellence. The stars, he insists, were always a by-product. From the electric moment he was told mid-service that he'd earned his second star, to his conscious decision to walk away from a Michelin star at his first brasserie concept because it didn't align with his vision, Blanc's relationship with the guide is anything but conventional.Behind those accolades lies a story that is equal parts grit, instinct and extraordinary luck. Blanc takes us back to his early life in France—hunting, foraging and selling wild ingredients as a teenager before stumbling into his first transformative restaurant experience. From there, his path is anything but linear: training as a nurse, talking his way into a restaurant job by boldly claiming he'd become the best chef in the world, and starting at the very bottom as a cleaner. He recounts learning wine from leftover glasses, studying cookery books obsessively at night, and enduring the brutal realities of old-school kitchens—including the moment a chef smashed a pan into his face, ultimately pushing him to leave France and start over in England.What follows is a series of almost unbelievable turning points. Arriving in Britain to what he describes as a “frightening” food scene, Blanc quickly found himself cooking after a disastrous kitchen vacancy—despite never formally training as a chef. He shares vivid, often hilarious stories: witnessing chefs mixing trifle with their bare hands, opening his first Oxford restaurant in the economic chaos of the late 70s, scrubbing tar from the walls and discovering rats in the fridge, then somehow winning a Michelin star within two years. From there came the leap to Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons—funded largely on reputation and belief—followed by the pressure, failures and triumphs that built it into one of the most revered restaurants in the world.Now stepping back after decades at the top, Blanc reflects with honesty and warmth on legacy, leadership and letting go. He discusses choosing his successor, the philosophy behind training dozens of future Michelin-starred chefs, and his determination to reshape kitchen culture into something kinder, more supportive and more human. Along the way, he shares the wild story of how a near-disastrous TV deal led to the creation of the London Cocktail Club, his deliberate reinvention of casual dining with Brasserie Blanc, and why hospitality, at its core, is about giving people the best moment of their lives. This is a portrait of a chef who didn't just earn stars—he redefined what they mean.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AdeJoké Bakare joins us for a truly special interview at Chishuru, the Michelin-starred Fitzrovia restaurant that has become one of London's most exciting dining destinations. As the UK's only Black female Michelin-starred chef, and only the second in the world, Joké's rise is extraordinary not just for what she has achieved, but for how she got there: without the traditional fine-dining route, without years in elite kitchens, and while building a style of cooking that many people in Britain had never properly encountered before.In this conversation, she takes us through the long road to Chishuru, from growing up in Nigeria and studying biomedical sciences, to moving to the UK in 1999 and spending years with food as a private obsession rather than a full-time profession. She shares stories of selling fish and chips from a cart at university, cooking around church communities, hosting punishing early supper clubs, and eventually taking a chance on a Brixton Market pop-up after winning a competition in 2019. From there, the story only gets wilder: learning on the job, persuading landlords to take her seriously, opening her first proper restaurant, and then winning a Michelin star just five months later.But what makes this interview so rich is the way Joké talks about the food itself: the memories tied to it, the regional Nigerian dishes she felt compelled to preserve, and the resistance she faced from diners who expected one version of West African cooking and found something far more personal, historical and ambitious. She speaks beautifully about introducing guests to dishes they may not know how to approach, translating flavours that do not fit neatly into European ideas of balance, and protecting culinary traditions that risk being lost. The result is a conversation packed with humour, honesty and emotion — a portrait of a chef who has not only changed London dining, but has done it entirely on her own terms.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Mise en Place, we sit down with Jan Ostle of Wilson's in Bristol for a conversation that stretches far beyond the pass. Recorded inside the restaurant's remarkable 100-year-old bakery, this is a vivid, funny and deeply human story about how one of the UK's most exciting restaurants came to be — and the messy, unpredictable journey behind it.Jan takes us right back to the beginning: leaving school early, feeling out of place, and discovering a sense of belonging for the first time in the chaos of a professional kitchen. From pot-washing in Oxford to the intensity of kitchens like Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and The Square, he speaks with total honesty about failure, fear, addiction and the long, uneven path to finding his voice — not just as a chef, but as a person.At the centre of it all is Wilson's — a restaurant built not on polish or perfection, but on instinct, partnership and community. Jan shares the story of building it alongside Mary, taking on the old bakery next door during Covid, and shaping something that reflects their values rather than the expectations of the industry. It's a story about family, about Bristol's support for independent restaurants, and about creating a place that feels genuinely welcoming rather than exclusive.This is Jan Ostle unfiltered: thoughtful, self-deprecating, chaotic and deeply sincere. He talks openly about the pressures of running a restaurant, the emotional weight of responsibility, and why — despite everything — he still loves this industry. Honest, moving and often very funny, this is one of our most revealing conversations yet.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Mise En Place, we head to Bristol for one of our most chaotic (and delicious) recordings yet with Dan O'Regan, the man behind Bank and Lapin. Sat inside the container-yard madness of Wapping Wharf, what starts as a gentle chat quickly turns into a full-blown hospitality war story — complete with lager-and-Picon drinks, soufflés inspired by Le Gavroche, and a running argument about why everyone in Bristol doesn't already have Blink.Dan's story is what makes this episode properly compelling. He didn't come up through kitchens — he was made redundant from coffee during Covid, opened a restaurant anyway, and promptly lost eye-watering amounts of money. He talks us through losing £80k in year one, another £40k the next, and staring down the barrel of closing Bank completely. There's a brilliant moment where he describes deciding to “dig until there's nothing left,” like a cartoon prospector — only for things to finally turn after landing in the Good Food Guide Top 100. It's a proper reminder of how close success and failure sit in this industry.And then there are the service stories — the kind you genuinely couldn't make up. A head chef leaving mid-service for hospital with sepsis, a 21-year-old holding down the kitchen alone, Dan jumping on pans while hand-washing plates for 60 covers, all while the dishwasher breaks and he's worrying about finding another £8k he doesn't have. Or the customer who complains about everything — lighting, music, even the pass lights — before shouting at staff and leaving a one-star review. Dan's take? If you're aggressive, you're out. Hospitality goes both ways.Food-wise, it's relentless. We get deep into Lapin's philosophy — classic French done properly, food that “eats well,” no anxiety on the plate — while working through gougères, wild garlic soufflé, Orkney scallops, and what might be one of the best glasses of Chablis we've ever had on the pod. There's also a great tangent on why restaurants shouldn't rely on minimum spend, how no-shows quietly wreck the atmosphere, and why most people misunderstand just how thin margins really are. It's funny, brutally honest, and packed with insight — the kind of episode that reminds you restaurants aren't just about food, they're about surviving the madness behind it.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ivan Orkin joins Mise en Place for a brilliant, wide-ranging conversation on ramen, restaurants, and the realities of hospitality. Recorded in London over bowls of tonkotsu, fried chicken and aubergine, this episode finds the New York-born chef reflecting on the journey that took him from Manhattan to Tokyo, where he became one of the most unlikely success stories in modern food: an American cook opening a ramen shop in Japan and earning the respect of one of the world's most exacting food cultures.Across the episode, Ivan talks about his first life-changing bowl of ramen in Shibuya, the obsessive craft behind a great broth, and why ramen is one of the most misunderstood dishes in the business. He explains why a proper bowl has to be eaten fast, why the details matter so much, and how he built a style that was rooted in tradition without ever being trapped by rules. From oven-roasted tomatoes and deep umami to the pressures of pricing, labour and running restaurants across Tokyo, New York and London, it is a masterclass from a chef who has truly lived every side of the industry.It is also a deeply personal conversation. Ivan opens up about loss, reinvention, moving back to Japan, and the path that led him to build Ivan Ramen into a global name. He speaks candidly about the challenge of opening in Tokyo as an outsider, the moment the queues started forming, and how Chef's Table changed everything. What comes through most is his honesty: about the hardships of the trade, the economics of hospitality, and the responsibility restaurant owners feel towards the people who make service possible.Along the way there are plenty of gems: his love for London, his thoughts on Tokyo neighbourhoods, his dream 48-hour food trip, his views on “bad customers,” and the pizza place he says might serve some of the best in the world. Funny, sharp, and full of wisdom, this is an episode for chefs, restaurateurs and anyone who cares about what makes a meal memorable. Ivan Orkin at his very best: generous, opinionated, and completely devoted to the craft.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleanor “Ells” Henson joins Mise en Place for a brilliant, wide-ranging conversation from the stunning dining room at Spring in Somerset House — the restaurant created by the late, great Skye Gyngell and now guided by one of her closest protégées. In this episode, Ells reflects on what it means to lead one of London's most influential kitchens, the weight and privilege of carrying Skye's legacy forward, and the mentorship, clarity and sense of purpose that still define the restaurant today.At the heart of the conversation is Spring's deeply thoughtful approach to food. Ells shares the story behind the restaurant's much-loved Scratch Menu — a daily-changing, four-course menu built from offcuts, surplus produce and pure kitchen imagination — and gives a rare, honest look at what it really takes to run a restaurant rooted in genuine seasonality. From muddy vegetables arriving fresh from Wales to the challenge of absorbing entire harvests from partner farms, this is a fascinating portrait of produce-led cooking without compromise.The episode also explores the figures and philosophies that shaped Ells as a chef, including the profound influence of Darina Allen and Ballymaloe. Ells speaks beautifully about Darina's role in opening up a whole way of thinking about food, farming and education — not just for chefs, but for ordinary people at home — and about how Ballymaloe helped form her understanding of seasonality, accessibility and the wider food system. Alongside Skye Gyngell's example, Darina's impact comes through as a major thread in Ells's cooking life and leadership.And because it wouldn't be Mise en Place without some glorious detours, there's plenty of that too: anti-soup hot takes, biodynamic baked potato ambitions, private chef horror stories, dogs ordering steak, dolls being served at table, and a dream West Country weekend taking in The Three Horseshoes and Osip. It's thoughtful, funny and full of strong opinions, sharp insight and proper hospitality heart — a must-listen for anyone who cares about restaurants, ingredients and the people who make them matter.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Moore joins the Go To Food podcast for a barnstorming conversation that spans 35 years of restaurant history, from opening Pied à Terre in just two weeks to turning it into London's longest-running Michelin-starred restaurant. In this episode, he tells the real story of life at the sharp end of hospitality: the punishing economics of today's trade, the rates bill that made him cry, the disappearing profit margin, and why simply surviving in this market now feels like an achievement. It is brutally honest, brilliantly dry, and full of the kind of perspective only someone who has genuinely seen it all can give.But this is not just an industry analysis, it is packed with outrageous stories. David remembers growing up around his mother's hotel in Ireland, hanging sirloins, slicing steaks, and dreaming of becoming a chef before realising the front of house was where he belonged. He talks about his formative years at Le Manoir, living with Bruno Loubet, staging at Alain Ducasse's Louis XV, learning luxury service on carpets so thick they hurt your legs, and discovering what real fine dining looked like. He also shares the origin story of Pied à Terre itself, from late-night chess games and leftover wine with Richard Neat to quietly sounding out would-be investors from the dining room floor, including some very famous names.The episode is full of proper restaurant folklore. There are stories about chefs vanishing on “Tesco runs” and never coming back, the chaos of rewriting menus daily before in-house printing existed, diners walking into Pied à Terre expecting an Indian restaurant because they kept the old phone number and awning, and the extraordinary intensity of the kitchens David helped build. He reflects on working alongside and around huge figures including Raymond Blanc, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Tom Aikens and Shane Osborne, and opens up about pivotal moments that shaped the restaurant's history, from the jump to two Michelin stars to the fallout from kitchen scandal, devastating fire, and a wine fraud scam involving fake wealthy clients and disappearing bottles of Cristal.And because this is Go To Food, the whole thing is laced with food, wit and obsession. David arrives with a beautiful scallop and beetroot ceviche-style dish, talks through the first ceviche he ever put on a menu in London, gives his view on Michelin stars and why there should be decimal points, names the restaurants he most admires, and shares his dream food weekend on Île de Ré with oysters and Muscadet. He even reveals his ultimate final meal, from smoked eel cheung fun to roast turbot and plum tarte tatin. If you want war stories, hospitality wisdom, Michelin gossip, and one of the great restaurateurs speaking with total candour, this is an episode you need to hear.Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodOrder Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conor Gadd has just opened Burro in Covent Garden, and this episode captures him right at the start of that journey—equal parts excitement, pressure and controlled chaos. Only weeks into service, he reflects on what it feels like to step out from behind the scenes and suddenly be the person everyone wants a piece of. It's a rare, honest snapshot of a chef adjusting not just to a new restaurant, but to a completely new role within it.The conversation leans into the reality of opening: the moments that don't make the press release. Conor recounts a second night so disastrous he genuinely considered shutting the whole thing down, complete with broken lifts, missing tickets and a dining room running blind. He describes the process like sailing across the Atlantic—periods of calm, sudden storms, and the constant temptation to fix everything at once, even when you know that's the one thing you shouldn't do.From there, it opens up into a series of unforgettable stories from his career. There's the Trullo service interrupted by a full Home Office raid, the entire KP team legging it barefoot into the night, and the surreal calm of carrying on service as if nothing had happened. Elsewhere, he reflects on early kitchen days filled with relentless banter, flying onions and hard-earned respect, and the formative experiences that shaped both his cooking and his outlook on the industry.What emerges is a portrait of a chef grounded in instinct, humour and long-term thinking. Conor speaks candidly about what actually sustains a restaurant over decades, why consistency matters more than trends, and how much of the job is simply about people—staff, guests, and the culture you build around them. It's funny, chaotic, occasionally brutal and full of perspective: a conversation driven by stories, not soundbites, with one of the most compelling voices in hospitality.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From royal roots in Calcutta to building one of London's most inspiring restaurant stories, Asma Khan is a force of nature. Fresh off a flight from India and fasting during Ramadan, she joined the GoToFoodPod to reflect on a life shaped by fierce family values, extraordinary food, and an unshakable sense of purpose. She spoke movingly about growing up between Rajput warrior heritage and Bengali royal lineage, while being raised not as a princess, but as a fighter — encouraged by her parents to play cricket, ignore cruel expectations, and understand that true leadership means protecting your people.Some of the most unforgettable stories came from her childhood in 1970s Calcutta, where her mother's catering business filled the house with everything from traditional Muslim wedding feasts to turkey dinners for expats and High Commission parties. Khan painted a vivid picture of a city unlike any other: prawn cocktail, chicken à la Kiev, Armenian dolma, Afghan breads, Indo-Chinese dishes from Tangra, and the legendary tutti frutti ice cream that she still dreams about. Her memories captured Calcutta as a culinary crossroads shaped by British, Portuguese, Persian, Chinese, Afghan, Armenian and Jewish influences — a place where food told the story of migration, generosity and cultural exchange.The emotional heart of the conversation came when Khan described arriving in Cambridge at 22 for an arranged marriage, isolated, homesick, and unable to cook. In a cold, unfamiliar world, she found comfort not in status or education — despite later earning a PhD in British constitutional law from King's College London — but in learning to recreate the aromas of home. That journey eventually led to her supper club, then her first restaurant, and a now-iconic all-female kitchen team she refused to abandon when others told her to replace them with “professionals.” Her story of opening a restaurant at 48, backed by women who had stood by her from the beginning, became a rallying cry for anyone who has ever been overlooked.But this episode was not just nostalgia and triumph — it was also a call to action. Khan spoke powerfully about racism, misogyny, gatekeeping and abuse in hospitality, challenging the industry's silence and hypocrisy with extraordinary honesty. At the same time, she shared exciting news about her move to Rupert Street, where she plans not only a bigger restaurant, but a basement kitchen designed to train and employ women who are shut out of the workforce. Alongside stories of serving King Charles and Queen Camilla, feeding refugee families, charming Paul Rudd and nearly getting Danny DeVito as an investor, Khan proved exactly why she remains one of the most compelling voices in food today: fearless, funny, deeply humane, and determined to change the system from the inside.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're joined by Patrick Withington, founder and head chef of Manchester's cult favourite Erst. Fresh off welcoming a new baby and about to turn 40, Patrick sits down with us in the restaurant everyone told us we had to visit during our 36 hours in the city. Tucked into the heart of Ancoats, Erst has become something of a pilgrimage for natural wine lovers and food obsessives alike — the place locals insist you visit if you're anywhere near Manchester.Patrick's route into cooking is far from conventional. A former plumber who didn't start in professional kitchens until his late twenties, he built his way in through supper clubs, travel-inspired cooking and a belief he could create the kind of restaurant he wanted to eat in himself. That idea became Erst in 2019. After a quiet start, a turning point came when Patrick had to call diners to cancel bookings ahead of lockdown — including restaurant critic Jay Rayner, who promised he'd return. When he did, his glowing review helped ignite the buzz around Erst and cement its place as one of the most exciting restaurants in the city.In this episode we talk about the journey from Sirocco Supper Club to Trove to Erst, the dishes that have become cult favourites (including the famous beef-fat flatbread), and why natural wine became such a big part of the restaurant. Patrick also shares his favourite Manchester spots, the realities of opening a restaurant, service horror stories, and what his ultimate three-course meal would be. It's a conversation about instinct, hospitality, and building a restaurant that stays true to what you actually want to eat and drink.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're joined by the wonderful Henry Harris fresh back from Sri Lanka — complete with tales of dog bites, hoppers, sambals and chicken curry for breakfast — Henry arrives in glorious form, reflecting on the journey that took him from the dining room floor to becoming one of the most admired chefs in Britain. From his early days around his father's restaurant Le Grand Gésier in Brighton to falling in love with hospitality over long lunches and simple French food, this episode is packed with the stories that shaped him.Henry looks back on the pivotal people and places that defined his career: the magic of Karl Lauderer at Manley's, the terrifying but transformative start to his cooking life, and the years spent learning under the legendary Simon Hopkinson at Hilaire and Bibendum. He recalls topping and tailing endless French beans in silence, watching great classical cooking up close, and later finding himself surrounded by an extraordinary generation of chefs who would go on to shape British food culture. There are wonderful glimpses of old restaurant London here — a time of Bobendum lunches, roast chicken revelations, and a generation of cooks learning that true greatness often lies in doing the classics absolutely right.At the heart of the episode is the story of Bouchon Racine: how a failed pub project, a false start in Farringdon, and one overlooked pub near the station eventually became the home of one of London's most beloved dining rooms. Henry speaks beautifully about building the restaurant with Dave Strauss, doing the maths on a spreadsheet, keeping expectations modest, and discovering that what they had created was somehow outperforming even their most hopeful plans. He shares the philosophy behind the blackboard menu, the joy of cooking the food people actually want to eat, and the pleasure of running a restaurant full of character rather than polish — a place with good bones, brown carpet, old mirrors, cycling prints and the unmistakable feeling that you are in safe hands.The conversation wanders delightfully through stories of Racine, restaurant politics, pub culture, set lunches, offal, tartare, tongue sandwiches, and the dishes Henry believes never go out of style. He talks with disarming honesty about business partners, missed opportunities, Michelin disappointment, and the changing face of London, but always comes back to the same idea: restaurants should restore people. Warm, generous and full of hard-won wisdom, this is a portrait of a chef at the happiest point of his life — still cooking, still caring, and still finding enormous meaning in feeding people well.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're joined by Andrew Clarke of Acme Fire Cult for an episode that goes everywhere — from fire cooking and restaurant building to addiction, recovery, music, and the moments that change a life. This is a conversation with a true original: chef, restaurateur, former Maverick of the Year, co-founder of Pilot Light, plant medicine facilitator, and owner of what may well be the best facial hair in London.We recorded this one at Acme Fire Cult in Hackney, and Andrew paints the full picture of how the restaurant grew from a scrappy lockdown car park operation into one of London's most unique dining experiences. He talks about starting with barely any money, serving on palm leaf plates because proper crockery was out of reach, and slowly reinvesting every pound back into the space. There are brilliant details throughout — the dark walk down Abbott Street before you reach the yard, the old wine bar they inherited, the butternut squash cooking overnight in residual heat, the signature leeks with pistachio romesco, Marmite bread made from brewery yeast, and the way Acme turns into a “curry house” each winter inspired by his travels through Mumbai, Goa and Kerala.But what makes this episode really special is just how much Andrew gives us. He shares stories from his childhood eating pie, mash and liquor, his early years wanting to be a professional musician, playing in metal and hardcore bands, DJing to fund his record habit, and drifting into kitchens almost by accident. He takes us through working at places like The Square, St. John, Anchor & Hope, Rita's, Brunswick House and St Leonards, with all the chaos that came with it — tattooed chef prejudice in old-school kitchens, sleeping on banquettes, wild post-service nights, and the intensity of trying to create great food while his life was unravelling behind the scenes.This episode also gets incredibly raw. Andrew speaks movingly about depression, cocaine addiction, telling his dad he didn't want to live anymore, and the long road back through honesty, friendship, therapy, men's circles and plant medicine. He tells unforgettable stories — a terrifying first ayahuasca ceremony in a blacked-out room in Essex, reviving a collapsing croquembouche at a wedding, a non-paying table turned into tequila-shot regulars, and the mad reality of building restaurants with brilliance and dysfunction happening at the same time. It's hilarious, heavy, generous and packed with hard-won wisdom — and by the end, you'll understand why Andrew Clarke is one of the most compelling figures in hospitality today.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Caines joins Go To Food for one of the most raw and revealing conversations we've ever had. Fresh from winning a Michelin star at The Stafford just months after opening — and still chasing that elusive second star at Lympstone Manor — he breaks down the realities of modern fine dining. From why tasting menus might be getting too long, to why à la carte is far from dead, to the financial tightrope of running a destination restaurant in rural Devon, this is Michael in full flow: honest, sharp and unapologetically ambitious.He takes us back to the beginning — a young lad from Exeter set on joining the Royal Marines before a last-minute pivot to catering college changed everything. We hear about staging at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, walking an hour each morning from a B&B just for the chance to cook for Raymond Blanc, and then heading to France to work under Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon. The brutality of those kitchens, the silence, the stove inspections, the mind games — and a young Gordon Ramsay in the same brigade — it's a masterclass in what elite training really looked like in the 90s.Then comes the moment that changed his life forever. Driving home exhausted, a split-second lapse, the car flipping — and waking up to see his arm gone. Michael recounts the crash in chilling detail: running from the wreckage, asking surgeons if they could save his arm, and returning to the kitchen just two weeks later with no insurance payout, no safety net. Teaching himself to cook left-handed. Learning to fillet fish and truss pigeons again. Being written off — and refusing to accept it.Four years later, he wins his second Michelin star at Gidleigh Park. A crowning moment earned through pain, grit and sheer bloody-minded belief. From building the Abode hotel brand, to rethinking pricing strategy with sold-out lunch offers, to explaining why too many chefs obsess over micro-herbs and tweezers instead of flavour — this episode is packed with stories, lessons and hard truths. It's about resilience, reinvention, and why great chefs — like great restaurants — survive by evolving.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we sit down with a man who is reshaping how the world sees Middle Eastern cuisine: the one and only Fadi Kattan. Born in Bethlehem, classically trained in Paris, and now leading acclaimed restaurants in London and Toronto, Fadi is more than a chef — he's a storyteller, a cultural historian, and one of the most important voices in food today. From his grandmother's kitchen to Michelin recognition, from Venetian influences to Palestinian terroir, this is a conversation about identity, resistance, generosity, and flavour — with a side of glorious beard and just enough nicotine to get us started.We dive deep into his London restaurant Akub in Notting Hill — a place where Palestinian produce and philosophy meet seasonal British sourcing. Fadi talks us through slow-cooked short rib with feta, coarse-textured hummus (the way it should be), mansaf with fermented jameed — the “Arab umami” — and eggs with sumac that honour sacred breakfast rituals with his father. He unpacks the politics of shakshuka, the beauty of kaleid mandala, and why hummus has absolutely no business being chocolate. It's food rooted in Bethlehem's old souq, in farmers knocking on the door at 7am, in adapting to what's available — never cherry tomatoes in January.But this episode goes far beyond the plate. Fadi opens up about launching a gastronomic restaurant in Bethlehem during the Second Intifada, cooking by head torch when the electricity was cut, refusing to overcook 40-day-aged lamb, and building a wine list that proudly features Palestinian producers. He reflects on brutal kitchen culture in 1990s Paris, the scars — literal and emotional — that shaped him, and why culinary education must return to mothers' kitchens instead of espuma machines. There's sharp commentary on food appropriation, trends, terroir, and what it really means to cook with integrity.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.