The Go To Food Podcast

Mary-Ellen McTague is one of the driving forces behind Manchester's modern food scene: a chef, restaurateur and community builder whose cooking is rooted in place, craft and proper hospitality. In this episode, she joins the go-to food podcast to talk about the city she helped shape, the dishes she can't stop thinking about, and the hard-won lessons behind building restaurants that people genuinely love.Her story runs from cooking for touring bands at Manchester's Roadhouse as a student, to breaking barriers at the Michelin-starred Sharrow Bay Country House, and then into Heston Blumenthal's inner circle at The Fat Duck. From the intensity and precision of a two-then-three-star kitchen to an R&D role exploring Britain's food history at The Hind's Head, Mary-Ellen's career has been defined by curiosity, grit, and an obsession with flavour that actually means something.Back home, she became synonymous with Manchester's dining renaissance—opening trailblazing restaurants, earning national acclaim, and feeding not just thousands of happy punters, but (as the hosts proudly put it) well over 150,000 people across the city. She shares what it's really like to build a “rotation” of ambitious young chefs in Manchester, why a dish like Lancashire hotpot can carry identity and memory, and how her love of simple, brilliant produce started with a life-changing stint in rural Provence.The conversation also goes deeper: burnout, resilience, an ADHD diagnosis that “explained a lot,” and the purpose-led work of Eat Well MCR—turning surplus food and community energy into meals for people who need them most. Expect big laughs, kitchen war stories, and plenty of menu envy—especially when Mary-Ellen breaks down her PIP snack essentials and that signature hotpot (with oyster ketchup) that might just be the most “her” dish of all.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 on the Go To Food Podcast, we sit down with the godfather of Spanish food in London, José Pizarro. From carving jamón door to door in the 90s with a bottle of Rioja under his arm, to building a Bermondsey Street empire that changed how Britain eats, José's story is one of graft, instinct and relentless belief in the flavours of home.We dive straight into Andalucía and his unforgettable Cádiz food trips during bluefin tuna season, unpacking the 3,000-year-old almadraba tradition, divers herding 450 kilo fish, and the almost mythical morillo cut from just above the eye. He explains how he would cook it, plancha, good salt, bread, maybe a perfect anchovy, and why that single bite can be one of the greatest things you will ever eat. We talk sangria with cava not prosecco, gin tonics done properly, and why Cádiz right now might be Spain's most exciting region.Then we rewind to Extremadura: milking cows at dawn, sucking warm milk straight from the cow, cream skimmed thick off the top for toast and sugar, migas fried for hours in olive oil, and baby goat stewed simply with garlic, paprika and wine. He tells us about hating his mum's lentils with chorizo as a child, only for them to become one of the last meals he would ever choose. We hear about concentration struggles at school, nearly becoming a dentist, the moment he realised he could not face a desk for life, and the six-month gap that changed everything when he fell in love with kitchens from the sink up.There are brilliant London stories too: arriving unable to speak English, nearly going home, wild Gaudí era parties, Air Brothers and the simplicity that shaped him, Brindisa and those electric early Borough Market mornings frying eggs, potatoes and jamón for shoppers with proper bags. He reflects on opening José and Pizarro before Bermondsey was Bermondsey, cooking for artists at White Cube, earning the Royal Cross of Isabel la Católica from the King of Spain, and still having his 92-year-old mum gently judging his cooking. Add nightmare kitchen floods, brutally honest takes on government and hospitality, a whistle-stop guide to where to eat in Cádiz, Galicia and Seville, and a perfect sign-off with Paco de Lucía, and you have one of the richest, funniest and most heartfelt episodes we've recorded.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.

Karan Gokani is one of London hospitality's great shape-shifters: a former corporate lawyer who walked away from the safe path, then built something with genuine soul. We meet him inside Hoppers' newest opening, a total reimagining of the old Lyle's space, and talk about what it feels like to inherit “hallowed walls” without being haunted by them. The result is not a tribute act. It's a new chapter, with a fresh personality, a different rhythm, and Karan's fingerprints all over it.This conversation is a masterclass in why his restaurants never feel like “branches” (a word he hates). Karan explains how each site has its own character, shaped by postcode, clientele and timing, while still sharing a common DNA. From Soho's starry-eyed early days to the evolution of the group into something closer to a family, he lays out what it actually takes to scale without turning sterile.We also get deep into the food and the thinking. Karan unpacks why he's gone harder on hyper-regional South Indian cooking, why “dosa isn't just a dosa”, and how research trips across India fed directly into new dishes you can only get at this opening. Expect stories from Mangalore to Chettinad to Chennai, plus the details that make it all feel lived-in: antiques carried back in luggage, a biryani with a deliberate spelling difference, and a menu built to guide you through discovery without turning into a high-street checklist.Finally, this is a proper behind-the-scenes look at modern restaurant craft: the “three-mile test”, the psychology of service, and why Karan thinks the lazy answer is simply pushing prices up. He talks about accessibility, kindness and value, the staffing reality post-Brexit, and the obsession with guest experience over ego. It ends with Bangkok as his ultimate food city, a dream of opening a pizza concept, and a Springsteen play-out that feels exactly right.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.

The Go-To Food Podcast, brought to you by Blinq, the UK company revolutionising the POS game, and today we are joined by a man who has lived about five careers in one life. From scaffolder to delivery driver, chef to publican, and now the force behind two of London's most-loved neighbourhood landmarks: The Plimsoll and Tollington's Fish Bar. Ed McIlroy is funny, blunt, properly self-aware, and, crucially, he is building places that feel like they belong to the city, not the trend cycle.This episode starts with a tease that will have every North Londoner leaning in: a new opening is coming, and soon. Ed gives just enough away to be dangerous, but what follows is even better, a sharp take on originality, why design and personality matter more than “owning” a dish, and how he looks further afield for inspiration without playing copycat down the road. If you have ever rolled your eyes at another identikit “minimal” restaurant, his rant alone is worth the listen.Then it gets properly good: Ed explains how the Plimsoll burger went viral, why he is totally unbothered by internet backlash, and what it really means to run restaurants as a business. He talks candidly about money, margins, dishwashers breaking, and the bizarre shame people project onto hospitality owners for admitting they need to make profit to survive. There is also the legendary influencer story, the police station address, the morale boost, and the moment it all kicked off online.And underneath all the jokes is a serious blueprint for modern hospitality: build local, earn trust, offer value, and make people feel looked after. Ed talks about why pubs feel warmer than restaurants, why service is about to matter more than ever, and why he would rather open a dingy late-licence dive bar than chase Soho rent. If you care about restaurants, running a business, or just want to understand how London's best neighbourhood spots actually happen, this is one you will fly through.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Otway has built one of the most exciting restaurant groups in the country, and in this episode he tells the full story, properly. From Brighton to Manchester by way of Cape Town, New York, San Francisco and Copenhagen, Joe charts the long, obsessive road that led to Higher Ground, Bar Shrimp and Flawd. We meet him fresh off national recognition and immediately get into what really matters: not lists, not PR, but full dining rooms and food that actually moves people.At the heart of the conversation is Higher Ground's farm-led philosophy. Joe explains how Cinderwood Market Garden shapes everything, from baby cabbages grilled hours after picking to a cheddar tart that's never left the menu. He talks candidly about putting offal ragu on the menu, expecting guests to run a mile, and instead watching the North embrace it. It's serious cooking without the theatre, light-hearted on the surface but absolutely ruthless underneath.The origin story is wild. Joe and his partners meet at Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns, get snowed in during a historic freeze, and decide they are going to build something together. What follows is an education in chaos and intuition: farm chores, goose slaughter, no written menus, thirty-five dish services changing daily. He then stages at Benu just before it wins its third star, learns brutal discipline in an Indian kitchen back in Brighton, and eventually lands in Copenhagen at Relæ, where the four-day week model reshapes how he thinks about leadership and life in restaurants.Along the way there are smashed windows in Copenhagen, racist guests thrown out in Cape Town, bike thieves, nightmare services, and a brutally honest take on chasing accolades in modern hospitality. We finish with Joe's ultimate three-course meal, from cockles on Brighton beach to chicken biryani and rhubarb and custard, and a glimpse at what might come next: a Manchester deli and farm shop to rival anything in London. It's funny, sharp and properly revealing, and if you care about where British food is heading, this is one you need to hear.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From washing pots in Cumbria to cooking at The Square, Hof van Cleve and Geranium, and winning the Roux Scholarship along the way, Tom Barnes has taken the long road to the top. In this episode, he reflects on patience, loyalty and why not rushing your career can still lead you to the very highest level. It's a rare, honest look at what two decades in elite kitchens actually teaches you, long before you ever open your own restaurant.That journey now culminates at SKOF, one of only two Michelin-starred restaurants in Manchester. Tom talks about opening the restaurant he always wanted to eat in, celebrating his first star with a no-frills Chinatown Chinese, and designing an experience that feels warm, fast-moving and generous rather than formal or intimidating. From hot broths arriving within minutes to a dining room full of return guests, SKOF is built around instinct, rhythm and pleasure.We get deep into the detail. Why there are three menus. How a 17-course tasting can still feel light and brisk. Why there's no such thing as a filler dish. Tom breaks down blending their own beer, structuring services so guests are never left waiting, and hiding a confit duck leg inside bread because great food should still have moments of joy and surprise.The episode finishes on something deeply personal. Tom shares the story behind Barney's tiramisu, a dessert he still makes exactly as he once did for his dad, now served as a quiet tribute at the end of the meal. Add in football chat, non-alcoholic pairings done properly, hot towels, frozen plates and a city finally getting the food scene it deserves, and this is a conversation that shows how the long way round can be the right way.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Carter does not do the neat, pre-packaged rise. In this episode, he takes us from a childhood shaped by Barbados heat and roadside grills, through Toronto and LA, into London kitchens where the stakes were real and the pressure unforgiving. He talks candidly about cutting his teeth at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, realising hotel life was never going to satisfy him, and why layers of process can kill creativity stone dead. It is a sharp, funny look at how those early years formed his instincts, his impatience with bullshit, and his obsession with food that feels alive.From there, the conversation opens up into the brutal reality of building something from nothing. David relives the years of juggling failing cafés, overnight smoking shifts, 4am meat-market runs and festival chaos that eventually became Smokestak. He talks honestly about being stretched to breaking point, why “washing its face” can still drag you under, and how chasing too many ideas at once nearly sank him. There are big lessons here about focus, knowing when to let something go, and why making one thing excellent beats doing five things badly every single time.Finally, David unpacks the thinking behind Manteca, Agora and Michelin-starred Oma. From why fire is non-negotiable in his kitchens, to how queues, bread, price points and design quietly create “vibe”, this is a masterclass in building restaurants people actually want to be in. He explains why the Michelin star was never the goal, why nothing changed when it arrived, and why excellence, generosity and energy still matter more than any accolade. Presented by Blinq, this is one of those episodes that will change how you think about food, leadership and what success really looks like.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From ballet dancer and Billy Elliot hopeful to Michelin-starred chef, Michael O'Hare's journey is anything but conventional. In this episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, Michael traces his path from Middlesbrough to the top of British fine dining via aerospace engineering, Jamie Oliver cookbooks, formative kitchen years and time spent at Noma, before blowing the doors off the scene with The Man Behind the Curtain. It's a story shaped as much by instinct and curiosity as by rebellion against tradition.Michael speaks candidly about what success really costs. He breaks down the brutal economics of Michelin-starred restaurants, the impossible margins, the pressure to keep raising prices, and the moment he realised that even full dining rooms no longer meant financial survival. For the first time in detail, he explains the HMRC debt that followed the closure of his restaurants, how his wages became reframed as loans, and what it actually means to “go bankrupt” in modern hospitality. It's a rare, unfiltered look behind the headlines.Beyond the business, Michael unpacks his philosophy on food and creativity. He rails against homogenisation in restaurants, arguing that haute cuisine has slipped into fast-fashion thinking, where identity is lost and trends are copied plate for plate. He challenges ideas around seasonality, menu poetry and performative complexity, and tells the stories behind some of his most infamous dishes, from raw prawns and potato custard to why a “tikka prawn” can be more honest than something that looks clever on paper.The conversation moves effortlessly between the serious and the absurd: chaotic kitchen stories, onion-ring addictions, shower cups of tea, the strangest customers he's ever faced, and why he believes restaurants should feel more like homes than institutions. We also hear about his new chapter, a radically intimate restaurant built around balance, control and cooking purely for joy. Funny, fierce and deeply human, this is Michael O'Hare as you've never heard him before.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carl Clarke is the sort of guest who makes you pause mid-intro and think: how is one person allowed to have this much life on a CV? DJ, chef, author, filmmaker, raver, and yes, a full-blown chicken deity, Carl has lived about six parallel careers, usually at the same time, often on zero sleep, and always with a story that somehow gets even more unhinged as it goes on. Carl takes us from a 15-year-old runaway with £200 and a half-baked plan for France that accidentally ends in Jersey, to the brutal, hilarious reality of old-school hotel kitchens (including a banquet tale involving a missing blue plaster that you will not forget). From there it is trench-foot potato prep, the Marines, and a world suddenly cracked open: ships, Florida, discipline, trouble, and the kind of hard-won perspective you only get when you have been dropped into the deep end repeatedly and survived.Then comes the rave years: Turnmills, illegal parties, global gigs, and a Buenos Aires night so surreal Maradona is literally standing behind the decks while Carl is stretching out Donna Summer like a religious experience. And just when you think he will stay in the chaos, he swerves back into kitchens because he cannot help himself. Marco. Fear. Perfectionism. The cold larder. The kind of intensity that makes you laugh while you are quietly grateful you are not the one on the pass.From there, the stories go truly international: Dublin's Clarence during its moment, improvised custard hacks that somehow impress the right people, Harvey Nichols in Istanbul, envelope-thick cash, and the kind of hospitality madness you only hear from someone who has actually been there, lived it, and can tell it with zero varnish. And threaded through it all is the thing Carl does better than almost anyone: taking serious technique and turning it into food people really want, paving the way for the pop-up boom and ultimately giving London Chicken Shop royalty in Chick 'n' Sours and Chicken Shop. Strap in, because this one is a ride.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're at the Michelin-accredited Mambow, home of the brilliant Abby Lee, a chef with more grit, talent and sheer force of will than most people manage in a lifetime. We start at the beginning: Abby arriving in Lewisham at 14, completely alone, trying to find her feet, her voice, and a sense of belonging in a new country. Then comes the proper immersion: Singapore, then Italy, where the romantic fantasy of the trattoria quickly gets replaced by the brutal reality of kitchen life. When Abby talks about Italy, she doesn't romanticise it for a second. She tells the truth about the kitchens, from the intensity and long nights to the darker, uglier realities, including male chefs forcing her to watch porn while she was just trying to do her job. It's shocking, infuriating, and vital to hear, especially when set against the myth of the idyllic European food pilgrimage.Back in London, Mambow is born, and it's a wild ride: early hype, big reviews, and then the kind of nightmare you wouldn't wish on anyone, including a genuinely traumatic incident where customers are held at knifepoint in a shared market space. And just as the restaurant begins to soar, Abby is hit with a breast cancer diagnosis. She speaks with huge honesty about chemo, losing her taste, the psychological shock of being taken out of the kitchen, and the slow, ongoing work of rebuilding a new relationship with food, her body and her life. It's one of the most powerful conversations we've ever had!Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Harneet Baweja: restaurateur, operator, and the man behind some of London's most-loved restaurants. Over the last decade he's built an absurdly good line-up: Gunpowder, Empire Empire, Moi et Toi, Fortune Fried Chicken, and the recently opened Master Jackie back in his hometown of Kolkata. It's a 10-year anniversary conversation with proper bite. Harneet talks about celebrating Gunpowder's first decade by doing something borderline outrageous: rolling back the menu to 2015 prices, with some dishes down around 70%. It's not a stunt. It's a clear-eyed look at what restaurants are up against right now, and what it takes to pull off something generous without collapsing, from suppliers pitching in to the team simply trying to keep the wheels turning.You also get the origin story that explains everything: the tiny Spitalfields site, the chaos of opening, doing everything yourself, and the scrappy early days that shaped how he runs a business now. Harneet unpacks what it was like trying to convince London that Indian food could sit outside the old stereotypes, and how a community of regulars, critics, and champions helped put Gunpowder on the map. He's funny, blunt, and refreshingly unpolished about the luck, the grind, and the moments that could have gone either way.Harneet also runs through his actual go-to orders and favourite spots, the drinks he really wants (whiskey, barely any water), his love for Old Monk rum, and the ultimate nibbles he'd put out for friends, from the rasam bomb to those famous lamb chops. There's Kolkata food intel, Chinatown history, late-night favourites, nightmare service stories, and a whole lot of heart underneath the swagger. Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Benton is usually the man behind the mic, but this week the Go-To Food Podcast flips the script. In a special episode, Ben steps into the hot seat as the guest to celebrate something properly massive: his debut book, All You Can Eat: The Search for a New British Menu. PRE ORDER IT NOW - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1805221523?psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDpBefore food took over his life, Ben had already lived a few careers. He started out in the City during the financial crash, walked away from it, then poured everything into launching a clothing brand, only for it to collapse and leave him bankrupt. That brutal reset sent him into kitchens, where he cut his teeth at Margot Henderson's Rochelle Canteen and went on to work for Stevie Parle at The Dock Kitchen, learning the reality of food from the inside out.Since then, he's cooked, written, tested and built menus for some of the most influential names in modern food, from Meera Sodha to Max Halley, stacking up years of chaos, graft, disasters and hard-won knowledge along the way. Now all of that lived experience pours directly into All You Can Eat: The Search for a New British Menu, a book that is less about best restaurants and more about what Britain actually eats. Ben drives the length of the country in a car, deliberately avoiding the obvious destinations and big-name kitchens, stopping instead at markets, roadside cafés, seaside towns, village shops and places you would normally drive straight past. Along the way he eats seafood pulled straight from cold water, jollof rice served far from any food trend, kebabs, curries, faggots and peas, smoked fish, market sandwiches and meals that are brilliant, baffling, occasionally awful and often unexpectedly moving. The result is a funny, honest and sharply observed portrait of modern Britain, told through food, where regional habits, migration, class, comfort and taste collide. It is a travelogue, a memoir and a food book rolled into one, capturing the chaos, boredom, joy and small moments of connection that come from eating your way through a country without a plan.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, we are joined by Neil Rankin, the chef behind some of London's most talked-about restaurants: Pitt Cue, John Salt, Smokehouse, Bad Egg and, of course, Temper. We trace the slightly unconventional route that took him from a sandwich business and a proper career wobble into Michelin kitchens, then on to finding his true groove via BBQ, fire-cooking and big, bold flavours.Neil Rankin speaks candidly about the darker realities of the industry. Bullying versus brutality, kitchens that nearly broke him, and the moments where power, ego and silence caused lasting damage. There are stories here that are genuinely shocking, including one workplace experience he describes as the worst of his life, and others that reveal how close he came to walking away altogether.We also get into the headlines. Neil talks about publicly calling out Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White, what prompted it, and why he still stands by the wider point, even if the internet reaction was slightly more chaotic than intended. It is candid, funny in places, and full of the kind of context you only get from someone who has been in the middle of it.Neil is brilliant on what it actually takes to build hit restaurants, and what people never see. The reality of learning fast, long shifts, the difference between hard kitchens and outright bullying, and how a good head chef can change everything. ------Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by one of the most compelling chefs working in Britain right now: Alex Dilling. With a pedigree that runs through Alain Ducasse and Hélène Darroze, and two Michelin stars at his incredible restaurant Café Royal, Alex's story is one of intense kitchens, huge pressure, and an almost obsessive pursuit of precision.We talk through his journey in depth, from brutal early days in New York and the shock of stepping into major leadership roles in his twenties, to the highs and lows of overseeing Michelin-starred kitchens in London and Paris. Alex opens up about the realities of elite fine dining, the fear of losing stars, navigating business instability, and what it really feels like to carry the weight of a famous dining room on your shoulders. There are vivid stories from the pass, from kitchen disasters to career-defining moments, told with honesty and humour.Food, of course, is at the heart of it all. We dig into the thinking behind his most iconic dishes, his love of classic flavours treated with modern restraint, and his famously generous approach to caviar. Alex talks about menu evolution, portion size, keeping creativity alive in a tasting-menu format, and how his cooking has grown lighter, calmer and more confident over time. It's a wide-ranging, revealing conversation with a chef at the very top of his game, and one who's still clearly hungry to push things further.Pre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a deep dive into the wild reality of being Toby Inskip aka Eating With Tod, where eating a burger can spark headlines and a Christmas market can become a national talking point. He unpacks the moments that blew up online, the backlash that followed, and why being relentlessly positive in public somehow makes people angrier than outright criticism.We get into the controversies properly. Working with brands like McDonald's and the reaction that always follows. Why fast food is treated like a moral failing online. The Daily Mail pile-on over pricing and “value”, and how quickly outrage ignores the jobs created, traders supported, and businesses kept alive. Tod is candid about the UK's obsession with tearing people down once they succeed and how jealousy, rage-bait, and bad faith criticism fuel the algorithm.There are big stories too. A last-minute call from F1 that derails a holiday and drops him into celebrity chaos. Filming with drivers, speed laps after far too much food, and casually bumping into Gordon Ramsay who already knows exactly who he is. Plus the moments that never make camera. Restaurants that nearly closed before a video changed everything. Others he quietly chose not to post because one bad review could sink a family business.It also gets self-reflective. The power food creators now hold compared to traditional critics. Whether social media prioritises spectacle over taste. Why he refuses to chase negativity even though it drives clicks. How he built the account while working full-time in construction, posting every single day for years, and why most of his videos are still just him, an iPhone, and a stranger holding the camera. If you want to understand the pressure, privilege, and responsibility of modern food influence, this one goes there.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.comPre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, we travel to Guernsey to sit down with Nathan Davies at his restaurant Vraic. After walking away from the world's most intense kitchens, Nathan chose the island to build something entirely his own. What he has created is confident, generous and already one of the most talked about new dining rooms in Britain.A huge part of Nathan's story is his formative years working alongside Gareth Ward at Ynyshir. He speaks candidly about the brutality and brilliance of that period, the pressure, the creativity, and the uncompromising standards that shaped him as a chef. It is a rare, honest look inside one of the most influential kitchens of the last decade, and what it really takes to survive and grow in an environment like that.At Vraic, those lessons are everywhere, but filtered through Nathan's own voice. The menu blends Welsh roots, Japanese influence, live fire cooking and Guernsey produce into something deeply personal. He talks about why flavour always comes before ego, why generosity matters more than luxury signalling, and how he has taken the best parts of his past without trying to replicate them.This episode is about ambition without arrogance, discipline without fear, and building a restaurant on your own terms after working at the sharpest end of fine dining. If you want to understand how chefs carry their mentors with them while forging something new, this conversation is essential listening. Recorded at Vraic in Guernsey and powered by Blinq.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.comPre Order Ben's Incredible Book - All You Can Eat - By Clicking Here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-You-Can-Eat-British/dp/1805221523 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Set deep in the Suffolk countryside, the Greyhound Inn is the kind of place that immediately feels special. Over 400 years old and restored with quiet confidence, it balances the warmth of a proper English pub with the ambition of a serious food destination. The welcome is generous, the bar stacked with thoughtful bottles, and the room hums with the sense that hospitality comes first. This is not a place chasing trends, but one grounded in time, community and craft.At the heart of it all is chef Adam Spicer, whose cooking is rooted in hyper-seasonality, nose-to-tail thinking and an obsessive respect for produce. Menus change weekly, sometimes daily, depending on what local farmers, gamekeepers and fishermen bring to the door. One night might feature wild halibut, venison shot by a family member, or rabbit offal cooked with confidence and restraint. When ingredients are this good, Spicer's philosophy is simple: do as little as possible and do it well.Spicer's journey here has been anything but conventional. Largely self-taught, he honed his fundamentals while cooking at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, before testing himself on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2019. The experience sharpened his focus rather than defining him. What sets his food apart now is not showmanship but depth, from long-reduced bone sauces to perfectly judged offal dishes that feel both generous and precise.Underpinning it all is a shared belief in hospitality over margin. Wine is priced to be enjoyed, not hoarded, with a list leaning towards small, organic producers. Regulars mix easily with visitors from London, including the occasional appearance from local fan Ed Sheeran. With its roaring fires, serious cooking and unpretentious charm, the Greyhound Inn feels like a pub that knows exactly what it is and why it matters. It is a reminder that some of the most exciting food in Britain is happening far from the capital, quietly and confidently. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He cooked at El Bulli at its absolute peak, worked side by side with Albert Adrià, and lived through a kitchen so intense you had to physically fight just to plate food. In this episode, Rob Roy Cameron strips away the mythology of the world's most famous restaurant and tells the unfiltered truth about what service was really like behind closed doors.From running an illegal bakery as a child in southern Africa to becoming one of Spain's most in-demand chefs, Rob Roy's career is anything but conventional. He opens up about brutal mentors, impossible standards, creative obsession, and the moment he realised molecular gastronomy had lost its magic. There are war stories, near-meltdowns, and a nightmare service with Spain's greatest chefs watching every move.Now head chef of Alta in Soho, Rob Roy reflects on walking away from the El Bulli universe, cycling solo through conflict zones, and why today's diners crave simplicity over spectacle. This is a rare, honest conversation about ambition, burnout, creativity, and what really matters once the hype fades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From corporate law burnout to one of London's most influential independent restaurants, this episode dives into the extraordinary journey of Mandy Yin, founder of Sambal Shiok. Broadcasting from her Holloway Road laksa bar, Mandy tells the story of how a chicken satay burger at a street food market sparked a complete career pivot, and how Malaysian food became her vehicle for creativity, survival and cultural expression in the UK.At the heart of the conversation is laksa. Not as a trend, but as a mission. Mandy breaks down the obsessive detail behind Sambal Shiok's signature curry laksa, made entirely in house from paste to broth, including a vegan version designed with the same depth and care as the original. She also lifts the lid on the brutal economics of hospitality, explaining why a £22 bowl of noodles is not excess but the bare minimum required to keep a restaurant alive.This episode captures Mandy at her most candid. She talks about the physical grind of street food, the transition to bricks and mortar, the impact of Covid, and the moment she went viral explaining how VAT quietly cripples independent restaurants. There is frustration, but also clarity, particularly around kindness, sustainability and the widening gap between what diners expect and what restaurants can realistically deliver.Come for the laksa, stay for the honesty. From nasi lemak and sambal Brussels sprouts to pandan cake and salted banana caramel, this is a conversation about flavour, resilience and refusing to compromise. It is an essential listen for anyone who loves eating out and wants to understand what it really takes to keep the doors open in modern hospitality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, The Go-To Food Podcast closes out the year inside one of London's most talked-about dining rooms. Recorded at Café Cecilia on the canals of Hackney, the episode finds hosts Ben and Fred sitting down with chef owner Max Rocha at the height of Christmas service. It is warm, chaotic, funny and deeply human, the sound of a restaurant in motion as one of Britain's most influential young chefs reflects on how he got here.Rocha speaks with striking honesty about his journey through Spring, River Cafe and St. John, and the mentors who shaped him, particularly the late Skye Gyngell. He unpacks how Café Cecilia exploded from a modest, family-run opening into one of the hardest tables to secure in the country, without PR, without hype chasing, and without compromising on food that is rooted in simplicity, seasonality and care. This is a masterclass in building something quietly exceptional, one plate at a time.The conversation goes far beyond the pass. Rocha opens up about burnout, addiction and the pressure of sudden success, describing how sobriety and exercise quite literally saved his life and his restaurant. He talks about rewriting kitchen culture, setting boundaries, banning hangovers, and creating an environment where young chefs can learn properly, from butchery to bread, rather than just survive service. It is one of the most candid discussions of mental health in hospitality you will hear this year.Along the way, there is food, a lot of it. Guinness bread and butter, fritti with anchovy and sage, deep fried bread and butter pudding, big steaks, Dublin restaurants worth travelling for, and the dish Rocha would put in the Go-To Hall of Fame. Thoughtful, generous and quietly profound, this episode is a fitting end to the year and essential listening for anyone who cares about cooking, creativity and staying human in a brutal industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of our conversation with the legendary Mark Hix is here and it is absolutely packed. This episode dives deep into the roaring early days of the Ivy, the madcap menu development, the cult dishes, the shepherd's pie that became a national obsession, and the wild creativity that defined a generation of London dining. If you care about how modern British cooking was shaped, this chapter with Mark is essential listening.We pick up right where the chaos and brilliance left off. Mark takes us inside the culinary revolution that lifted Britain out of its prawn cocktail fog, the rise of the gastropub, his unlikely journey into food writing, and the unfiltered truth behind working with giants like Corbin and King. There are stories here that have never been told quite like this, from scooter dashes between dining rooms to the menu decisions that still echo across the industry.And of course, Mark opens up about striking out on his own and building a restaurant empire at full tilt. The risks, the rush, the mistakes, the insane highs, the legendary parties, the kitchen tales that feel almost mythic. He talks candidly about advice for young restaurateurs, about what British food has become, and even about the infamous final lunch of Keith Floyd which led to one of the most talked about menu tributes in London.This episode is Mark Hix in full flight. Honest. Hilarious. Fiercely passionate. Brilliantly unapologetic. So settle in and enjoy the ride. And if you are listening on Apple, Spotify or YouTube, take two seconds to leave us a comment and subscribe. It really helps us grow the show. Thank you for supporting the Go To Food Podcast brought to you by Blinq, the greatest POS system in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Hix's Part 1 is basically a greatest hits album of British restaurant stories, told by the bloke who lived them. From boozy late nights at the Groucho with Richard Corrigan, to being Tonksed at 3 a.m, the episode opens in full chaos mode. From there, you get deep into the London years. Hix walks us through the Ivy, the Caprice, Scott's and J Sheekey, the creation of dishes like the crispy duck and watercress salad that started life as pork, and a black ink risotto that made Jonathan Meades sit up and take notice. He tells the story of Challenge Hix in the Tram Shed kitchen library, where head chefs cooked against him under a 30 minute clock, and the rules were simple: no more than three main ingredients on the plate and a menu line that actually tells you how a dish is cooked. His disgust at the modern “ingredient, comma, ingredient, comma, ingredient” menu gets a full, glorious rant.The episode is packed with the kind of stuff chefs whisper about. Mark remembers the days when critics like A. A. Gill, Faye Maschler and Jonathan Meades could make or break a restaurant, from rave reviews to absolute shockers. He talks about Gill slagging off the Tram Shed, texting him mid review over oyster details, and the surreal moment he opened a Sunday paper to see his cookbook recipes lined up against Gordon Ramsay's pub dishes in a double page spread. There are tales of the Rivington Grill as a near empty bar that had to “rent a crowd” of Shoreditch artists, his art-for-food deals, and the moment he texted Damien Hirst for a sculpture and ended up with a giant cow and chicken in formaldehyde at the heart of Tram Shed.Underneath the mischief there is a harder story too. Hix talks about growing up in Bridport, watching his grandfather run the local pub and paint business, getting steered into catering college by a family friend, and grinding through the Hilton staff canteen, the Grosvenor House and the Dorchester before landing at the Caprice. He also begins to lift the lid on the brutal side of restaurant ownership, from insane London rents to the moment his business partners put his restaurants into administration two days before lockdown, leaving him to stand in Tram Shed and tell 130 staff they no longer had jobs. It is funny, furious, nostalgic and very human. Part 1 feels like sitting at the bar with Mark Hix while he finally tells you how it all really happened.-------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we sit down with Carl McCluskey, the quietly obsessive mastermind behind Crisp, the cult London pizzeria that has gone from a backstreet Hammersmith pub to one of the most sought after tables in the city. Carl walks us through the whirlwind first three weeks of his new Marlborough site and the sheer graft behind bringing a tiny pop up operation into a polished, high pressure restaurant setting. From staff struggles and stretching stations held together with rope to finally stepping into a dream kitchen, it is a rare look at the leap from local hero to full scale powerhouse.Carl breaks down the craft behind his pizzas, including the infamous Vecna, born by accident during a chaotic Halloween party when he grabbed hot honey and burrata as a last minute experiment. He shares the Reddit conspiracies about his secret hydration levels, the ongoing myth that his dough sits in trays, and why he refuses to reveal the tiny tweaks that make Crisp different. He explains how his cousin Pedro became the best oven man in the world, how the team makes up to forty litres of hot honey a week, and why scaling too fast would destroy the magic.The conversation turns to the business side, where Carl opens up about the heartbreak of leaving the original Hammersmith pub after impossible lease demands from Stonegate. He tells the wild stories that came with success, from seven hour queues to customers offering a thousand pounds in cash for a table. He recalls the day Dave Portnoy's 8.1 review changed everything, the surreal moment an American number rang asking for margaritas, and the sudden global spike in calls from fans desperate to try his pizza. There is also the now legendary saga of the toilet graffiti that became a t-shirt, a Wi-Fi code, and a small legal dispute.Carl's life story threads through the episode, from his days as a semi pro footballer playing alongside the Wealdstone Raider to being raised in his nan's old school London pub. He reveals the New York and LA inspirations behind his food, why an all day John and Vinnie's style concept could be his next move, and the places he eats on his own perfect food weekend. Honest, funny, and completely unguarded, this is Carl McCluskey at his best. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few journeys in British food are as dramatic as that of Nathaniel Mortley, better known as Natty Can Cook. In this episode Natty takes us from being a naughty kid in Peckham to becoming one of the most exciting young chefs in the country. He opens up about the night he was stabbed at just sixteen, the trauma and anger that followed, and how those years pushed him toward the streets, knives and choices that spiralled far from the kitchen he once loved.Natty speaks candidly about losing his passion for cooking, getting arrested outside a rave in Vauxhall and receiving a five year prison sentence that could easily have ended his story. Instead, it became the turning point. He takes us inside Belmarsh and Brixton for a brutally honest look at prison life: the violence, the bullying, the humiliating controlled feeds, the strange economy of mackerel currency and the wild creativity of microwave cheffing and the legendary jail cake. His memories of the wing are gripping, raw and impossible to forget.But this episode is also about redemption through food. Inside Brixton's Clink restaurant, Natty rebuilt his confidence, his discipline and his love of cooking while teaching men who had never set foot in a kitchen. He describes the emotional shock of returning to the same prison years later to cook a four course tasting menu for 80 diners and a team of inmates who had no idea he once slept in those cells. It is a full circle moment that hits with incredible force.Today Natty is on the Michelin radar, self funded, uncompromising and creating some of the most exciting Caribbean food in the country. From the chaos of his 200 cover soft launch to the rise of his viral Luxe Roast Challenge, from his pimento duck to his strict dress code and the unbelievable customer stories, this episode is a front row seat to a chef who fought his way back from the edge and is now aiming for history. It is powerful, emotional and completely unmissable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bjorn Frantzen walks into the studio with nine Michelin stars behind him and the swagger of someone who has genuinely changed the direction of modern dining. The world calls him the greatest chef alive and for once the hype feels almost understated. In this episode of The Go To Food Podcast, Bjorn opens up about the journey from professional footballer to culinary architect and the heart condition that forced him to pivot from the pitch to the stove. What follows is a portrait of a man who rebuilt his entire life around flavour, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence.Throughout the conversation, Bjorn breaks down the philosophy that powers his restaurants. He shares how early lessons in teamwork shaped him, why cooking a la minute remains his obsession, and how he designs dining experiences that feel electric from the moment a guest rings the doorbell. From moving diners between rooms to maintaining a kitchen that creates dishes in real time, Bjorn explains how fine dining becomes theatre, emotion, and engineering. He even reveals the thinking behind his legendary ingredient box, his seasonal discipline, and the creative engine that keeps three restaurants at the very top.Bjorn also dives into the realities that most chefs never discuss. He recalls the brutal early days in London kitchens, the heartbreak of leaving football, the pressure of chasing a third star, and the even greater pressure of keeping it. He talks candidly about the partnership strain that played out on national television, the intense Nordic work culture, and why staying creative matters more than staying comfortable. Whether he is describing cooking scallops like meatballs on his disastrous first day or the thrill of a perfect langoustine, he delivers honesty with the confidence of someone who has earned every lesson.This episode is a rare chance to hear one of the most influential chefs of his generation speak with total clarity about ambition, sacrifice, and joy. Bjorn Frantzen is a creator, a disruptor, and a force who refuses to settle. If you want to understand what greatness looks like in real time, pour yourself a drink, settle in, and enjoy a master of his craft at full power.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step inside one of the wildest careers in modern British cooking as we sit down with Tommy Banks, once the youngest British Michelin starred chef, Great British Menu champion, author, farmer, preservation obsessive, cricket prodigy in a past life, and the man behind both The Black Swan at Oldstead and Roots in York. From hand milking cows on a tiny family farm to being crowned TripAdvisor's number one restaurant in the world, Tommy charts the long, strange path that took him from near-empty dining rooms to global recognition. Along the way we hear about the early days of The Black Swan, complete with RAF chefs who bullied teenage Tommy at the sink, and his twenty-something imposter syndrome phase where he cheerfully admits to cooking straight out of Phil Howard's cookbook before finding his own style.The stories in this episode are the stuff of modern kitchen folklore. Tommy talks us through the heartbreaking illness at eighteen that ended his cricket dreams, the fierce work ethic that followed, and the moment Kenny Atkinson sat down for dinner and told him he had to get on Great British Menu. We hear about the ferocious creativity behind his fermentation rooms, the Douglas fir desserts, the legendary crab and beetroot dish, and the umeboshi-style strawberries now copied across the country. There is also the infamous pie-van heist that turned into a national news frenzy with Tommy fielding calls from Radio 1 through Radio 5 on the same day as he begged thieves to at least give the five thousand pies to charity. And of course the blackmail era of two-year waiting lists after The Black Swan went viral.Tommy also gives us a hilarious and honest tour of life running an expanding Yorkshire empire. From the diners flying in by helicopter to tell him his restaurant is not the best in the world, to the email from an industry “expert” advising him to shut down the General Tarleton immediately, to his strict refusal to cook vegan food because he cannot grow lemons on the farm, the stories land one after another. We dig into Yorkshire pub culture, his dream blowout dinners, his disdain for truffle, and the perfection of a proper Sunday roast at The Abbey Inn. This is Tommy Banks in full flow: sharp, grounded, funny, straight talking, wildly inventive, and endlessly proud of his little corner of Yorkshire. A genuine must-listen.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for a new week with a riot of energy as we sit down with the endlessly charismatic Robin Gill, the chef who helped reshape modern London dining. Fresh from opening his vibrant new Bar Brasso in Nine Elms and on the eve of his forty sixth birthday, Robin talks candidly about the craft, chaos and creativity that have defined his twelve years at the top.In a breathless tour through his career, Robin revisits the brutal Dublin kitchen that almost broke him, the three star intensity of Marco Pierre White's Oak Room and the militant precision of Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir. He shares what it is really like to cook every garnish a la minute, to send salt baked pigeon to the dining room with military timing, and to learn from mentors who combine obsessive standards with deep humanity. Along the way, he unpacks why vegetables are more interesting than meat, why bread should be a sacred pause in the meal, and how a single review and its unhinged comment section changed the trajectory of The Dairy.We also dive into MasterChef Ireland war stories, viral nightmare customers, and why neighbourhood restaurants are the real engine of London's food scene. Robin riffs on Dublin and Malaga as under appreciated food cities, on the death of the endless tasting menu and the rise of fast, shared, snacky eating, and on why value and atmosphere matter more than ever in a tough market. Packed with humour, grit and wild detail, this episode will leave you hungry, inspired and slightly desperate to book a table at Bar Brasso.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rick Stein arrives on the Go To Food Podcast in full storytelling flow, and from about five minutes in it just does not let up. He takes us from backpacking through Mexico in his teens, blown away by the balance of proper tacos piled with slow-cooked meat, fresh coriander, raw onion and searing chilli, to the smoky mangals of Istanbul and the small-plate culture of Turkey and Greece. Along the way we get leftover turkey tinga tacos from his new Christmas book, the reality of Australian road trips clocking up thousands of kilometres in New South Wales, cooking lamb beyond “the back of Bourke,” and a wild dinner where a whole “pest” deer is cooked over fire and served to laughing locals. It is a world tour of appetite, told with that calm, amused Stein delivery.Then he pulls us right back to Cornwall and the making of a food institution. Rick relives the chaos of turning a failing nightclub into The Seafood Restaurant in the mid seventies, flyer-ing caravan parks with a megaphone to fill tables in a ten week season, and keeping lobsters in improvised beer cooler tanks while local fishermen quietly pinched them and sold them back. There are shark steaks on early menus, mountains of hot crab in scallop shells, the birth of oyster chorizo shooters, and monkfish heads with beautiful cheek meat that British fishermen still throw away. He talks about closing in winter to travel and write English Seafood Cookery, training at college while hiring serious chefs, and quietly helping turn Padstow into a true food destination long before “staycations” were a thing.The episode also digs into TV, culture and how the industry has changed. Rick remembers the brilliance and self-destruction of Keith Floyd, the blokey, unscripted magic he built with legendary producer David Pritchard, and filming trips where they would rather stay joking in the minibus than roll cameras. There are scenes of chaotic kitchens with lobster tanks by the back door, early fame when the phones would not stop ringing after his first BBC series, and brutally honest talk about the state of restaurants today: 2 percent profit margins, fish so expensive it is almost unsellable, and a sector hammered by taxes and costs. He jokes about truffle oil as the tomato ketchup of the middle classes, explains why street food in India is often safer than hotel dining, and even tells the story of inviting a harsh YouTube fish and chips critic down to Padstow and winning him over in person. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Go-To Food Podcast, where we're joined by Alison Roman — chef, writer, and creator of some of the most talked-about recipes of the last decade. Alison takes us back to her first kitchen job at Sona in Los Angeles, working under David Myers for $7.25 an hour, crying daily but learning fast. It was a tiny, nine-person kitchen that ran like The Bear, long before The Bear existed. From there she went to Milk Bar in New York, then the Bon Appétit test kitchen — reverse-engineering photo-shoot dishes into recipes home cooks could actually make. The early days were brutal, pre-Instagram, and anonymous. No bylines, no fame, just biscuits, burnouts, and a deep sense that if you showed up more than anyone else, something would happen.In London, Alison's been eating with purpose — Café Deco's anchovy-studded little gem, a quiche that insists it's a frittata, and a beef stew she calls one of the best she's ever had. She weighs The Devonshire against The Pelican and The Hart. There's a fascination with pub culture, a debate over sharpened pencils at hotel reception, and a reminder that the best meals aren't always on “the list.” We get her take on TikTok chefs, the chaos of phones in kitchens, and an unnerving AI ad that generates recipe ideas without authors — proof, she says, that food without humanity just doesn't taste the same.We talk legacy too. From Dining In to Nothing Fancy to Sweet Enough, Alison's cookbooks built a blueprint for the way people cook now — easy, intuitive, quietly confident. She admits the dessert book nearly broke her, but Something for Nothing came easily because it mirrors how she actually cooks. There's a new tomato sauce line born from her husband's refusal to cook, a love letter to anchovies, and an argument for doing one thing well instead of a thousand badly. We end with her perfect menu: shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, ribeye in brown butter and lemon, and a slice of key lime pie — the ultimate Alison Roman meal, simple, specific, and unapologetically human.------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for a live podcast recorded at the Opentable Hospitality Summit at a sold-out Barbican, where we're joined by a heavyweight trio from the heart of UK dining. Please welcome Hawksmoor co-founder and CEO Will Beckett, Dom Hamdy of Ham restaurants, and Florence May Maglanoc, founder and chief executive of Donya and Panadera. Our panel lifts the lid on what really matters right now. Will reveals the story behind Hawksmoor St Pancras and what London can learn from the high-voltage hospitality of New York and Chicago. Dom breaks down the shift toward high-value, high-theatre experiences that make dinner feel like a show without the ticket price shock. Florence speaks to the joy and grind of running both restaurants and bakeries, the rise of 45 past the hour bookings, and how to keep service swift without losing soul. Together they tackle the big questions. Earlier dining, smaller plates, smarter bar food, and the art of making guests feel not just comfortable but special.Then we go under the hood. Operations, margins, and the tech that actually helps. From AI-powered fixes on a broken ice machine to the real game of showing up where diners now search, our guests map the road ahead. Expect sharp takes on perceived value, pre and post theatre flows, relentless incremental improvement, and how to keep regulars coming back with names remembered and off-menu surprises. If you want the blueprint for hospitality that wins in 2025, this live episode is your seat at the table.----- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're delighted to be joined by Michelin starred chef and restaurateur the wonderful Chris Galvin, who has been one of the important chefs in London over the last 40 years, from winning Sir Terence Conran his only ever Michelin star to launching one of the most famous restaurants in history in 'The Wolsely' with Jeremy King and Chris Corbin.Stories tumble out. Michel Roux Sr. once told a 19-year-old Chris never to take a restaurant with fewer than 70 seats. Anthony Worrall Thompson was already running a small-plates playground that felt like the future. At The Ritz, Michael Quinn flipped menus into English and put British cheese on a pedestal. Later, Chris joined Jeremy King and Chris Corbin to sketch The Wolseley after a whistle-stop tour of Europe's great cafés, locking in icons like the schnitzel and even commissioning hand-wrapped chocolate coins with pastry star Claire Clark. Sir Terence Conran's notes sharpened Chris's eye. Pierre Koffmann's grouse with ceps still sits in his personal hall of fame. It is a roll call of British gastronomy and the impact still echoes through London dining rooms.Chris is clear-eyed about the business. He tracks the return of the long lunch after the hits of Brexit, the pandemic, and a thinned-out City week. He talks about value in a Michelin-starred room, why sharing plates suit how people want to eat, and why consistency is the quiet superpower. He is honest about the ledger too, from paid-by-the-hour labor to ingredient costs that keep faith with farmers and winemakers under climate pressure. Strikes can wipe out six figures in a day. Even so, he argues the restaurant table is one of the last places we look each other in the eye, do deals, celebrate, and live fully in the moment.------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Go To Food Podcast returns with a legend. Margot Henderson OBE joins us for a gloriously frank, funny, and deeply human conversation about the craft of hospitality. From the early days at The Eagle and The French House to the white heat of opening St. John with Fergus Henderson, Margot traces the rise of modern British cooking, the joy of whole-animal kitchens, and the art of building atmosphere without gimmicks. Expect big stories, bigger flavours, and the kind of kitchen wisdom only a lifetime in service can teach.We record at The Three Horseshoes in Batcombe, Somerset, where the tomatoes burst like fireworks and the faggots arrive wrapped in caul and pride. Margot lifts the lid on a life spent nurturing chefs who fly the nest, the realities of PR, and why a great waiter can save a meal. She celebrates the producers around Bruton, tips her hat to Wescombe's cheddar cave, and recalls the art world and Anthony Bourdain putting rocket fuel under St. John. This is a rolling feast of memories, mishaps, and moments that changed the way Britain eats.There are love stories too. Sweetings proposals, bar counters, the rhythm of service, and the calm conviction that simple food, cooked honestly, can move a room. -------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, we sit down with one of Britain's most brilliant young chefs, Merlin Labron-Johnson—the visionary behind OSIP, the tiny Somerset restaurant recently crowned Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide. Merlin opens up about his move from the intensity of London's dining scene to the calm of the countryside, explaining why creativity needs “mental and physical space” and how the stars over Somerset matter more than Michelin ones. He reflects on leaving the chaos of Portland and Clipstone behind to build something truer to his roots—a farm-led restaurant that grows almost everything it serves.From learning to cook school lunches at 14 after being kicked out of multiple schools, to enduring the brutal kitchens of France and Switzerland, Merlin's story is one of resilience and redefinition. He shares vivid tales of his early mentors—Michael Caines' “Thai puree” at The Abode, and the revelatory salt-baked celeriac at In De Wulf in Belgium, where a chef finally asked him, “How are you feeling?” That question, he says, changed everything about how he cooks and how he leads.Merlin also pulls back the curtain on life at OSIP today—where there's no menu, dishes arrive as surprises, and the chefs might also be the ones who picked your carrots that morning. He talks about resisting culinary clichés (“Everyone needs to relax on caviar”), his devotion to balance and storytelling on the plate, and the creative discipline of cooking from what the land gives. From his love of Fergus Henderson's prose to his dream pub pint of nameless cider at the Seymour Arms, this is an episode that captures the soul of a chef who's rewriting what fine dining can mean.-------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a Go-To Food Podcast first — we're coming to you from the hottest new opening of the year, Dockley Road in Bermondsey, where the doors officially open this week. We sit down with Emily Chia (Ex Head Chef at St John) & Alex Keys (Ex Head Chef at Rochelle Canteen) the creative minds behind this much-anticipated spot, to hear about them coming together to open this wonderful new restaurant. The result? A lively, behind-the-pass chat about friendship, food philosophy, and how years of experience in world-class kitchens have come together to shape one of London's most exciting new restaurants.From banh mi terrine inspired by Parisian-Vietnamese bistros to Lancashire hot pots inspired by St John's famous mince on toast and local stout, the chefs take us through their playful, thoughtful menu. They talk about sourcing from Bermondsey's legendary suppliers, collaborating with cocktail wizard Nick Strangeway, and why this space fills a gap London didn't know it had — a place to eat, drink, and shop the city's best produce all in one spot.There are plenty of stories too: burning soup on trial shifts at St. John, cooking for Anthony Bourdain, and learning the realities of restaurant ownership the hard way (hello VAT bills). It's an episode packed with wit, warmth, and the kind of culinary energy that makes London's dining scene so electric. Whether you're a chef, a foodie, or just someone who loves a great opening night story, this one's a feast.---------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ravneet Gill joins The Go-To Food Podcast with an episode full of chaos, charm, and honesty. She tells the hilarious story of how she met her now-husband Matty while developing menus at Llewellyn's—he didn't like her at first, unfollowed her on Instagram, and fell for her only after a passive-aggressive argument about blue roll on the hob. She relives his rainy proposal at Frieze Art Fair, the parking ticket that came with it, and their wedding filled with food from Lily Vanilli, Happy Endings, and half the London pastry scene. And of course, she shares the madness of opening Gina, their new restaurant in Chingford—five-star reviews from Faye Maschler, half a million pounds spent before serving a single plate, and one unforgettable Sunday when bad potatoes caused a local uproar.Rav opens up about life behind the pass—what happens when trolls flood your Google reviews, when diners complain the “fish has bones,” and when a burger brings in the wrong crowd. She talks about juggling motherhood, TV, and restaurant life, plus the unexpected secret to keeping her marriage strong: living apart during opening month. There's also the surreal story of being scouted for Junior Bake Off through a random DM she nearly ignored while private cheffing in Greece, only to sneak home in the night after her furious client found out she'd landed the gig.She also rewinds to her sweet-toothed childhood above her dad's corner shop, where Crunchies and chocolate-covered raisins ruled, and the fateful moment at 14 when she stopped being a fussy eater. From her first days at St. John (where Fergus Henderson once handed her a doodle of a pair of breasts that inspired a Paris-Brest dessert) to surviving bullying kitchens that pushed her to create Countertalk, Rav tells it all with warmth, humour, and absolute candour. --------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, Freddy and Ben sit down with the extraordinary Diana Henry, whose food writing has shaped how we cook and think for over two decades. With warmth, humour, and striking honesty, Diana shares stories from a life steeped in flavour — from her mother's soda bread and Sunday puddings in Northern Ireland to her teenage awakening in France, where vinaigrette and apple tarts revealed food as art, culture, and freedom.She recalls her early dinner parties — prawn cocktails, ratatouille, and Hamlyn cookbooks spread open on the counter — and the thrill of discovering writers like Claudia Roden and Alice Waters, who showed her how recipes could tell human stories. London brought new worlds: barrels of olives, tahini epiphanies, and a stint on TV Dinners, where she helped stage surreal futuristic feasts with silk and sandpaper.There's the pivotal Friday phone call that changed everything: being asked to ghostwrite Antonio Carluccio's Vegetables, which proved she could build a book from scratch. That led to Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons, her breakout success — a deeply personal collection shaped by mood boards, travel dreams, and an instinct for beauty that made her one of the most admired voices in food.In one of her most moving stories, Diana opens up about her time in hospital — the serious illness that almost ended her career, the long, slow recovery, and how the act of cooking helped her return to herself. Even at her weakest, she found comfort in ingredients and the language of recipes, proof that creativity and appetite can endure when everything else falls away.This conversation is rich with memory, resilience, and joy — from French tarts to Carluccio's kitchen, from the ICU to her writing desk. It's a portrait of a life lived through food, and a reminder, as Diana says, that “there's always something worth cooking for.”Around the Table - 52 Essays on Food & Life by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, £20--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Tobias joins us at Café Deco with a rollicking origin story: letters to Jeremy Lee straight out of Oxford, a crash-course at Blueprint Café (including emergency ice-cream runs mid-service), and the Garden Museum saga that sparked an industry-wide outpouring of support. From Hong Kong lettuce-wrap memories to Lower Saxony kale festivals, Anna's food map is as eclectic as her menu—anchored by that now-iconic egg mayonnaise (halved, dolloped, criss-crossed with anchovy) that made the New York Times list of must-eat London dishes.We get under the hood of Café Deco's quietly fanatical seasonal rhythm—veg first, always—then the “wet meat/dry meat” dance, beany stews that show off the market, and why the late-summer-into-autumn handover is peak cooking season. Anna talks River Café discipline, becoming head chef at Rochelle under Margot Henderson's watchful, open mind, and the P. Franco stint that sharpened her own voice. She's candid on staying relevant once the new-opening glow fades, the realities of PR, and why trends (hi, crudo) can flatten a city's food culture.There are stories galore: floods as true kitchen nightmares, the one thing that makes a customer instantly “worst,” and the trust Café Deco builds with regulars who come for comfort done properly. We finish with travel and nostalgia—Madrid's surprise-hit cod tripe rice, and the all-time Hall of Fame dish: her mum's broth with semolina dumplings—before Anna cues up our outro with Blondie's “Heart of Glass.” If you care about London cooking with backbone, this one's essential listening.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step into Soho's most storied dining room with executive chef Neil Borthwick — Scottish straight-talker, lover of demi-pints, and guardian of The French House's old-school rules: no phones, no music, proper conversation only. He walks us through the thrill of a handwritten, daily-changing menu and the cult dishes that vanish by Friday — calves' brains with beurre noisette and capers, that famously crispy pork jowl, a parsleyed ham terrine pricked with ox tongue — and yes, a rum baba to finish. We even learn the two sacred days when pints are allowed (April Fool's and Pride), why four halves is a “rubbish” order, and how the vibe stays gloriously convivial because of it.At The French House, Neil has built something rare — a place where the food feels both deeply French and completely unfussy, rooted in seasonality and memory rather than trends. The menu changes daily but always reads like a love letter to proper cooking: Dover sole meunière with caviar-laced velouté, pigeon pie, or a bone marrow–crumbed beef plate that regulars pray will reappear. From Gordon Ramsay's Amaryllis to Phil Howard's The Square, Anne-Sophie Pic's three-star temple, and a formative stint with Michel Bras, Neil's CV reads like a greatest-hits of modern gastronomy. He unpacks the legend of Bras' gargouillou (no tweezers required), the origin story of molten chocolate cake, and a philosophy that rejects “cool” in favour of nourishing, seasonal food done beautifully well. Expect dish-by-dish storytelling, laughter, and the tale of how a Paris lift kiss with Angela Hartnett, a near-fatal cycling accident and seven-day coma, and a hard-won recovery led him to the kitchen that finally feels like home.------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step into the world of London's most iconic cheese emporium with Patricia Michelson, founder of La Fromagerie, as she joins The Go-To Food Podcast. From a single wheel of Beaufort cheese smuggled home from a disastrous ski trip to running three of London's most beloved food destinations, Patricia shares how a moment of serendipity sparked a movement that transformed how the city eats. Hear how she turned her garden shed into a “cheese cave,” won over Michelin-starred chefs, and built a thriving, independent food business — all without investors, all on instinct.In this conversation packed with stories and flavour, Patricia recounts her early days selling cheese at Camden Lock Market, the birth of her Marylebone café culture, and the surprising musical history of her family — including her brother's 1960s restaurant, Mr. Love, on Brook Street, where Jimi Hendrix once stayed upstairs. From those heady Soho days to her invention of “small plates” years before it became a trend, Patricia's journey is a love letter to creativity, connection, and courage in the world of food.From truffle pasta and toasted cheese made with a splash of white wine to tales of chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver discovering the joys of raw milk, Patricia brings the spirit of London's culinary scene to life. This is a story about taste and tenacity, told by the woman who taught a city how to eat cheese — with a rock'n'roll twist.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Maison François founder Francois O'Neill shares what it really takes to keep restaurants thriving amid rising costs, changing diners, and constant uncertainty. From the realities of staffing and margins to the return of brasserie theatre — foie gras “burgers,” dessert trolleys, and caviar-topped chicken nuggets included — Francois reveals how optimism, generosity, and beautiful chaos keep his world turning.Beyond the food, Francois is candid about the realities of running a restaurant today — the impossible margins, soaring ingredient costs, and the new normal of 35% staff overheads. But his optimism shines through as he explains how Maison François has weathered every storm: through generosity, energy, and human connection. He takes us from the flickering lights of Brasserie St Quentin, where a towering French chef named Marcel used to eat from the stockpot, to today's buzzing St James's dining rooms where corner booths, dessert trolleys, and champagne carts help guests “order with their eyes.” It's a love letter to old-school glamour made relevant again — and a reminder that theatre and warmth are as vital as the food itself.In a wide-ranging conversation, we hear about the breakfast hustle that went from one table to 200 covers, the behind-the-scenes of Frank's, his quietly brilliant Borough Market venture, and the power of saying yes to single diners. Francois opens up about the grind and the gratitude — from crisis-era reopenings to future plans at Frieze London, and from late-night service lessons to the Brazilian beach barbecue that still defines his idea of heaven. It's rich, funny, and full of texture — a portrait of a restaurateur who still believes in beauty, hospitality, and a good bit of butter.-------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From punk rocker to pasta sauce pioneer, Loyd Grossman has lived many lives—and he tells the stories with all the colour and humour you'd expect. In this episode, Loyd looks back at his unlikely journey from fronting a chart-climbing band to backing Van Morrison on stage, before swapping guitar strings for restaurant reviews and TV stardom. His take on the difference between the US and UK punk scenes alone is worth the listen.Food, of course, is never far away. Loyd recalls arriving in 1970s London, a time often maligned for its bland cooking, and sets the record straight with tales of surprising sophistication: Margaret Costa's influential writing, brilliant trattorias, and the early days of Le Caprice, when he was sometimes the only diner in the room. He explains how these restaurants, along with innovators like Peter Langan and Anton Mosimann, transformed London into a truly global dining city.There are TV tales too. Loyd shares the accidental phone call that led to him co-creating Through the Keyhole with David Frost—an idea born in Camden over steak and chips that went on to become one of Britain's biggest entertainment shows. Then came MasterChef, which he fronted in its gentler, pre-competitive era. He reflects on why he stepped away when the format shifted, and on how the food people cooked on those early episodes reflected changing British tastes.And then, of course, the sauces. Loyd reveals the unlikely beginnings of his now 30-year-old range—how factory trials first turned out “absolutely bloody awful,” why supermarket buyers balked at olive oil, and the moment someone told him his sauces had “too much flavour.” Add to that his failed but fascinating battle to improve NHS food, and you've got an episode packed with stories of grit, wit, and the power of perseverance.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £64 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Corrigan has lived through—and helped shape—the restaurant revolutions that made London one of the world's great food cities. From his early days with the eccentric genius Stephen Bull at Blanford Street, through his game-changing decade at Lindsay House, to opening Corrigan's Mayfair on the very day he closed Lindsay House with a party, Corrigan's career is a story of grit, brilliance, and survival. He remembers the 90s buzz alongside Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes, and Marco Pierre White, when Michelin stars were scarce, small kitchens did the impossible, and London's dining scene finally came alive.In this wide-ranging and unfiltered conversation, Corrigan recalls the madness and magic: Marco Pierre White denying he sat for a portrait—until it was bought by the National Portrait Gallery; Gordon Ramsay standing in his tiny Lindsay House kitchen asking how he pulled it off; and the supermodels who ran out mid-meal when told their limousines had arrived. He shares his passion for honest cooking, his disdain for overblown tasting menus and foodie fads, and his belief that hospitality is about turning even the worst customer into a loyal friend. Along the way, he dishes on everyone from Jay Rayner to Faye Maschler, from the King of Jordan to Kate Moss.Always outspoken, Corrigan cuts through the noise with clarity. Pizza, he insists, “isn't dinner, it's just bread.” Long lunches are a dying art. And the future of food lies not in obscure herbs or gimmicky “Scandi bowls” but in intelligence, honesty, and produce that sings. Whether cooking for three prime ministers, the Queen, or just another guest with a bad day to forget, Corrigan has never lost sight of what matters most: generosity, joy, and a little bit of sea salt in his pocket, just in case.-------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £64 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Corrigan is a chef who has lived many lives, each one bound by resilience, tradition, and an uncompromising love of food. In this conversation, he shares the stories that have shaped him, offering a rare glimpse into the philosophy behind one of the most distinctive voices in British and Irish hospitality.From oysters and stout to the centuries-old legacy of Bentley's, Corrigan speaks with passion and precision. He rails against culinary shortcuts, celebrating instead the perfection of a native oyster with lemon, pepper, and brown bread. As custodian of one of London's great institutions, he reflects on Bentley's survival through war and hardship, and his mission to keep its traditions alive. His plan to take the London oyster championships on the road captures both his entrepreneurial spirit and his conviction that food culture should be open, mobile, and inclusive.The conversation also explores Ireland in vivid detail: his childhood on a small farm, learning the hard realities of food through animal slaughter and the making of black pudding, and his candid reflections on Ireland's politics, diaspora, and culinary renaissance. Corrigan recalls his formative years in kitchens—from peeling potatoes in a local hotel at 14, to stepping into the Hilton Amsterdam at 17, and later forging a reputation in London that drew the attention of Albert Roux.As the stories unfold—late nights at Lindsay House, his thoughts on the madness and magic of Irish hospitality, and the fine line between toughness and kindness in professional kitchens—what emerges is a portrait of a chef who has never lost sight of his roots. This is Richard Corrigan at his most unfiltered and insightful: a man who believes in the value of tradition, the dignity of work, and the enduring power of food to connect us to place, to people, and to life itself.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tomos Parry—chef of London landmarks Brat and Mountain—joins us on location at fforest in Pembrokeshire for a special Brat × Mountain residency episode. We dive into his fire-led cooking and the thrill (and chaos) of bringing 30 team members to West Wales to cook with the producers who shape his food: think lobster caldereta cooked a stone's throw from the boats, raw-milk fresh cheese that only exists for a week, and vegetables lifted straight from the farm. Tomos traces the sparks that forged his style—The Ledbury's edge-of-service creativity, River Café's seasonal discipline, a formative summer at Noma—and how he builds rounded chefs who understand sauces, fire, P&L and life after the pass. We talk the rise of British terroir restaurants, why Basque cheesecake became a London icon, the cult of dairy cow steak, and the nerve-jangling night he nearly smoked out the Royal Academy. Quick fires take us from Soho's tiny Jugemu to blowout plates at Ikoyi, Galicia as the dream weekend, corn ribs as a hard no, and a play-out salute to Super Furry Animals.Recorded at fforest, West Wales.Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben's favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest today is none other than Atul Kochhar, the genius who redefined Indian cuisine in Britain and became the first Indian chef in the world to win a Michelin star.You'll hear Atul laugh about an American guest who demanded “the spiciest dish you can make”—only to then bring his own vial of mysterious black liquid so fiery it nearly sent Atul to Mars. You'll hear the story of him landing in London over 30 years ago, shocked at the state of “curry houses,” and how he helped transform the UK's perception of Indian food from late-night lager fodder to multi-course, white-tablecloth artistry.Atul also opens up about the education that made him: growing up in a Punjabi-Bihari household in Jamshedpur, where neighbours from every corner of India introduced him to a mosaic of regional flavours; moving as a teenager with a single iron trunk to Chennai, where he fell in love with idlis, dosas, and the tang of tamarind; and the brutal but life-changing discipline of the Oberoi Hotel kitchens, where he worked under Thai, Chinese, and French Michelin-starred chefs. These years gave him the precision, speed, and ingredient-driven ethos that he would later use to revolutionise Indian fine dining.And then there's the leap of faith that changed everything: being scouted to London, helping launch Tamarind, and winning that fateful Michelin star. Atul recalls the dizzying pride of the moment—how overnight he became a national hero in India, and how his father, a catering man who'd seen failure more than once, inspired him to push forward even when the business of running restaurants nearly broke him. From early struggles with sourcing the right onions in Britain to discovering the joys of cooking with venison, hare, and game birds, his stories are as textured as the dishes he plates.Of course, no Atul story is complete without the drama of restaurant life. He shares nightmare days where gas pipes flooded on a Saturday service, or worse—the devastating fire that shut down his flagship for six months. He remembers the pain of sitting helpless in insurance limbo, and the joy of loyal friends and partners who stepped in to keep his dream alive. There's humour too—like the “rudest customer” who managed to be offended even when given a bigger table on their anniversary, or his bemusement at Britain's national dish, chicken tikka masala, which he insists is delicious but—make no mistake—a British invention. Atul speaks candidly about adapting menus for a world where more diners are on weight-loss drugs, why smaller plates and non-alcoholic cocktails are the future, and how he sees the new wave of Indian chefs in India itself taking innovation to dazzling heights. There are also tender moments: memories of litti chokha eaten by hand and soaked in ghee, evenings when six Thai chefs “adopted” him as their little brother in Delhi, and the bittersweet guidance of Mrs Khanna, the royal-blooded matriarch who taught him the secrets of true Patiala cuisine.--------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step inside Covent Garden's beating heart with this week's episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, where we sit down with Will Palmer and Ian Campbell – the masterminds behind London's legendary wine bar 10 Cases, the seafood temple Parsons, and the ever-buzzy Baudry Greene These two friends-turned-restaurateurs didn't just build businesses, they created a street corner empire that has shaped how London eats and drinks. And their story? It's as intoxicating as the wines they pour.From the genius simplicity behind the 10 Cases name – only ever buying 10 cases of a wine and moving on once it's gone – to the unforgettable proposal that unfolded at the very table where we recorded, Palmer and Campbell reveal the mix of romance, chaos, and grit that comes with running some of the capital's most beloved spots. Expect tales of burnt toast experiments, staff dramas, and the exact moment Jay Rayner's stinging review became the tough love they needed.But this isn't just a nostalgia trip. The duo dive into the hard truths of hospitality: how to keep wine lists fresh, why chasing percentages is a trap, and why value – not markups – has been their secret weapon for 14 years. Along the way, you'll hear about the scallop slider so good it nearly stops the interview, the cocktail that reinvents a Negroni, and the young drinkers still hungry to learn despite the headlines of wellness and sobriety. Whether you're in hospitality, a wine obsessive, or just someone who loves a brilliant behind-the-scenes story, this is an episode not to miss. Pour yourself a glass, settle in, and discover how two mates with no master plan ended up creating a corner of Covent Garden that Londoners can't stop talking about.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Go-To Food Podcast—brought to you by Blinq (the UK POS rebels)—we sit down with fire-obsessed chef Lennox Hastie, the man behind Sydney's cult restaurant Firedoor and the pintxo-loving Gildas. From starring on Chef's Table to earning two Chef's Hats (Australia's Michelin-adjacent kudos), Lennox has built a career on cooking everything over live flame—no gas, no charcoal, just wood, nerve, and precision.Lennox takes us back to the Basque Country, where a chance overheard conversation in a bar sent him up a mountain to Asador Etxebarri—and straight into Victor Arguinzoniz's inferno. He shares how he went from three-Michelin-star kitchens to a tiny grill line where the ovens roasted your back and the fire seared your front, translating for Anthony Bourdain and learning that wood choice is as crucial as the cut. You'll hear why turbot belongs flat on the grill (not in a cage), how prawns can stop time, and why simplicity hits harder when the flames are perfectly tuned.Back in Australia, Lennox fought a four-year, site-by-site battle to open Firedoor the uncompromising way—100% wood-fired or nothing. He breaks down the nerdy magic of ironbark vs. oak, why the team builds log-cabin fires every morning, and how prep dances around rising and falling embers. Expect goosebump dishes and surprising ideas: live-marron split and kissed by heat, grilled lettuce that eats like a revelation, long-aged beef that hums with prosciutto-y depth, and flame-finished desserts that prove pastry belongs in the fire, too.We also detour through San Sebastián and Sydney's best bites—pintxos culture, tomato salads worth a pilgrimage, vermouth-forward Marianitos, and Lennox's go-to Korean and Japanese haunts. It's a story of obsession, patience, and learning to “slow dance” with fire—from mountain grills to a packed open kitchen where every lick of flame is on show. Plug in for craft, chaos, and crackling honesty—and leave hungry.---------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few pubs capture the soul of London like The Marksman in Hackney, the first pub ever to win Michelin's coveted Pub of the Year. In this episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, hosts Ben and his team sit down with Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram, the duo behind the pub and its sister restaurant, Lahden, to mark a milestone worth raising a pint to: ten years at the helm. What started as a battered old boozer has become a London institution, seamlessly blending the warmth of a classic pub with the ambition of a dining room that redefined “pub food.”Harris and Rotheram reflect on the long journey from St. John—where they cut their teeth alongside Fergus Henderson—to transforming The Marksman into a space that honors pub tradition without ever losing its soul. Listeners will hear the hilarious story of the pub's “ghost beer” (Fosters hidden behind the bar for the die-hard locals), the painstaking effort to keep the old regulars happy, and how their menu evolved into a roll call of modern classics—pressed pig's head, sardine buns, and the now-legendary brown butter tart.The conversation also digs into the hard realities of running restaurants today. From weathering the pandemic to adapting with steak nights and daily specials, Harris and Rotheram reveal how they've had to stay nimble without compromising quality. Their reflections on St. John's unique kitchen culture—calm, familial, and entirely unlike the macho fine-dining stereotype—shine a light on why so many great chefs have emerged from that school of thought. It's a reminder that longevity in hospitality depends not just on food, but on people, care, and culture.Finally, the duo share glimpses of what's next: a new pub on the horizon, a celebratory cookbook, and a continuing mission to prove that pubs can be both egalitarian and exceptional. With candid stories—like falling into a canal after one too many post-service drinks—and insights into London's evolving dining scene, this episode is as comforting, surprising, and deeply satisfying as the perfect Marksman pie.----------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Adam Handling sits down for The Go-To Food Podcast, you know you're in for fireworks. The Michelin-starred chef pulls no punches, opening up about landlords who tried to strong-arm him, staff who faced his infamous “card machine punishment” for costly mistakes, and the emotional nights he locked himself in the restaurant bathroom and cried after service disasters. The Michelin-starred chef relives the moment he took legal action against a trendy London bakery for using the “Frog” name, and the breakdown he suffered during COVID when he thought his entire restaurant group might collapse. Brutally honest, occasionally explosive, and always compelling, Adam holds nothing back about the cutthroat world of food and hospitality.Adam also shares the rollercoaster of building his restaurant empire — from landlords evicting him overnight to resurrecting Ugly Butterfly 2.0 on the Cornish cliffs, and from bursting power supplies that shut Frog Covent Garden mid-service to dealing with chefs who jump kitchens every few months. And then there are the customers. From finger-snappers unceremoniously kicked out mid-service to diners outraged when crab butter replaced his signature chicken butter, Adam has seen it all. Brutally honest yet fiercely passionate, he reminds us why restaurants are the most exhilarating, maddening, and life-affirming places on earth. This is an episode every foodie — and anyone who's ever worked in hospitality — needs to hear.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £49 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Go-To Mise en Place we are joined by chefs George Williams and Beth, the duo behind The Fat Badger, one of London's most talked-about upstairs pubs and dining rooms. They set the record straight on that infamous “invite-only” myth, explain why they threw out the idea of menus altogether, and relive the chaos of their early days—from disastrous potato “risottos” to running a full service with no water.We hear about starry guests from Cesc Fàbregas to Raymond Blanc and Lewis Capaldi, the Ballymaloe roots that shaped their cooking, and how they've evolved from pub toasties to a £85pp tasting menu that changes nightly and even features a KP-invented Hasselback technique. Along the way, George recalls a gruesome pasta machine accident, Beth tells the story of a missing plaster in 150 kilos of sourdough, and both deliver some sharp words on chef egos.There's travel chat too, from pints and sea swims in Galway to Mexico City tacos, plus their pitch for why London desperately needs a proper hot-dog joint. And don't forget—you can win a year of Blinq POS by sending us your most chaotic hospitality nightmare day. DM @thegotofoodpod or email competition@thegotopodcastcompany.com.-----Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £49 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seafood maestro Nathan Outlaw joins The Go-To Food Podcast for a candid conversation that charts his rise from washing dishes alongside his chef father in Maidstone to becoming the only British chef with two Michelin-starred seafood restaurants. Along the way, he recalls formative stints with culinary icons Gary Rhodes, Éric Chavot and Rick Stein—where he learned the art of speed, precision, and never sending a sauce in batches.Nathan shares the behind-the-scenes tales that shaped his cooking: a wild TV adventure across Europe with Valentine Warner that inspired Fish Kitchen; the madness of breaking down 200kg tuna like a side of beef (“320 plates from one fish”); and why he actually loved cooking breakfast for guests at his Cornwall guesthouse. He opens up on the decision to step away from two Michelin stars after COVID, choosing freedom and flavour over formality, and explains why his menus now change daily depending on what the boats bring in.This is Nathan Outlaw as you've never heard him before: talking honestly about the challenges of luring diners to Cornwall in winter, the sheer joy of a perfectly made crab sandwich, and why most home cooks are terrified of fish. From his Cornish hit list of must-visit restaurants to his nostalgic go-to meal (toad in the hole followed by trifle—“the best kept secret breakfast”), it's a rollicking, generous episode with one of Britain's most influential seafood chefs.----------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £49 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.