The Kitchen Café

Most of us are familiar with the field to fork journey or even nose to tail cooking but this week on the Kitchen Café, Chef Tom Hunt joins Jenny MacPherson to talk about his root to fruit philosophy and we hear about easy ways in which we can all eat and cook more sustainably. Also, Jenny takes a trip to Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland to get a taste of the Caribbean and Simon Preston finds out why macaroni pies go so well with a traditional Caribbean dish called chicken brown down.

How often do you come across tins of food right at the back of your cupboard that you just don't quite know what to do with? Author of Tin Can Magic, Jessica Dennison tells us how we can transform humble tins of food into hearty delicious meals for any night of the week. Simon Preston visits one of Leith's newest charcuteries, Chef Neil Forbes tells us how to make your own home made bacon and Ghillie Basan cooks us up a delicious chocolate fridge cake.

Fancy a bit of “healthy hedonism”?! Food writer Signe Johansen explains to Jenny Macpherson why cooking for one can be fun and describes how we can create simple solo meals without it feeling like a chore. Chef and big brunch fan Alfie Little shows us how to create a bistro-style brunch at home by making a simple frittata and a delicious espresso smoothie. Simon Preston finds out why passionate bakers Lesley Pert and Cecilia Young give up their time to make cakes for kids. And Jenny learns some tips and tricks from baker Kaitlyn Taylor on how to easily transform an ordinary cake into something quite spectacular!

Does having your kids cooking in the kitchen from an early age always have to result in kitchen chaos? Jenny MacPherson talks to food blogger Foodie Quine and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani about different ways we can encourage children to become more involved in family cooking. Chef Steven Devlin cooks up a delicious spaghetti carbonara - the first dish he learned to cook as a 13 year old - and he talks about how his love of food took him from a 13 year old kitchen porter to later becoming a restaurateur. Scotland's National chef and 'Master Chef: The Professionals' Winner Gary Maclean joins Jenny to talk about his new BBC Scotland series, Corner Shop Cook Off.

Chef Kirsten Gilmour has set herself a bit of a “5-mile challenge”, buying as much produce as possible from her local high street. She loves to support local businesses and cut down on the food miles but just how do-able is it? What little steps can we all take to shop more sustainably? And is it a case of being more organised and getting more creative with what IS available round the corner? Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Ruth Barry shares her foodie favourites in Berlin. Organic? Biodynamic? Vegan? Sustainable? Fancy going a bit more “green” with your wine purchases but finding the terminology a bit perplexing? Simon Preston rummages through the shelves of his local wine shop to see what's available while wine expert Nikki Welch helps us unpick what the labels mean and just what we're getting in terms of taste, cost and environmental impact.

Do you want to save £440 per year? We can help you to be more cash savvy in the kitchen! Ylva Haglund from Zero Waste Scotland is on hand with lots of simple money saving tips. Radio Scotland's 'Clever about Cash' presenter Kim McAllister is set the 'yellow sticker challenge' to hunt out bargains in the local supermarket. As Valentines Day is on the horizon, Jenny MacPherson and Scotland's very own spice girl, Ghillie Basan explores what it means to cook with love as they create a delicious meatball tagine and discover why cooking with love can enhance your eating experience.

Does the sandwich you brought to work today feel like something really special? If not, on the Kitchen Café this week we'll be finding out what makes the ultimate sandwich and we'll be giving you some ideas of how you can make your own gourmet sandwich on the cheap. Selecting the right bread is essential so David Hoyle from the Findhorn Bakery will be talking about the various grains he uses and how that changes the flavour and texture of the bread. Are you looking for food that will give you a bit of a hug this week? Chef Alfie Little from River House restaurant in Inverness will be cooking up a mouth-watering Haddock Welsh Rarebit served on a bed of crushed potato and samphire.

Fed up of stodgy comfort food but not quite ready for spring salads? Step forward the blood orange – bang in season and sure to put a zing into your cooking! Chef Neil Forbes shows Jenny MacPherson how to make a warm pigeon breast and blood orange salad – just 20 minutes from start to finish! Avacados - love ‘em or loathe ‘em? They're a bit of a "marmite" food so how does Dave Griffiths manage to devote an entire café to those squidgy green beauties? Emma Gryczka meets him to find out more while food writer Claire Jessiman offers ideas on what else we can do with them beyond avo on toast. Neil and Claire share their thoughts on the sustainability issues surrounding avocados and how they offset the food miles that produce like that bring with it… Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Jenny Soep shares her foodie favourites in Stockholm. And in this week's “green hack” Kilted Chef Craig Wilson offers a handy tip for what we can do with leftover yoghurt.

If you think Burns night is all about haggis, neeps and tatties then think again......Chef Neil Forbes joins Jenny MacPherson to give haggis a complete makeover, Ryan Van Winkle talks about how food and poetry are the perfect pairing and Emma Gryczka heads along to Aberdeen's indoor market where she gets a pasta masterclass from Francesco Di Nicola.

January is a time where many of us have to think about tightening the purse strings so Lorna Cooper joins Jenny MacPherson to talk about her new book "How To Feed Your Family On £20 A Week", and Mary Contini, having grown up in a large Italian family, gives us some great hints and tips on how to make your food go further. Plus, Simon Preston visits Glasgow's first Hellenic Pie shop to learn how to make a traditional Greek Spanakopita pie.

Left over chicken on a Monday, mince and tatties on a Tuesday, macaroni on a Wednesday and baked potato on a Thursday… Does this sound familiar? Chef Andy Cumming and food writer Sumayya Usmani join Jenny MacPherson to make dull dinners a thing of the past as they provide inspiration to shake up your weekly menu. Also, if we shop in the same places and buy the same ingredients then it's likely we'll cook the same things so Simon Preston visits an international supermarket in an attempt to jazz up his shopping basket. And to get your taste buds going, Chef Neil Forbes cooks us up a quick and delicious beef shallot recipe.

Jenny Macpherson and the team get the new year off to a cracking start with some fresh foodie inspiration! Kilted chef Craig Wilson explains how we can all make our kitchens and our cooking more sustainable with some simple everyday tips. Food writer Felicity Cloake offers advice and ideas for getting the most out of our food on a city break, from the markets we shop in to the street food we try out ... and from the cafes we sample coffee in to the restaurants we dine at. Local resident Arnar explains the best foodie experiences in Reykjavik. Chef Kirsten Gilmour shows Gillian Russell how to create a delicious but easy perfectly sexy quiche!

If your palate is in need of a bit of a lift after all the festive indulgence then cook and food writer Ghillie Basan is on hand to spice up your Boxing Day dinner with a delicious gado gado, guaranteed to get your taste buds going! Chef Julie Lin lets us sample some of her mouth-watering Malaysian mee hoon goreng and explains why she chose it as her Boxing Day dish... Jenny MacPherson hears about how other cultures from around the world celebrate food throughout the festive period here in Scotland.

If you're looking for some inspiration on the festive food front, Scotland's National Chef Gary Maclean cooks us up a couple of delicious starters including citrus prawns and pan seared mackerel. Mary Contini has some great ideas for Christmas nibbles to keep you going while you slave over a hot stove and Simon Preston meets up with wine expert Davy Zyw for some advice on what festive fizz we should have on our Christmas tables this year.

Festive food inspiration - from sides you can freeze ahead to pudding ideas and cheeses! Chef Alfie Little cooks some Christmas side dishes you can make now and freeze ahead of the big day, baker Jeni Hardie makes a cranberry chocolate brownie for those who want a change from Christmas pudding and cheese expert Phoebe Weller shares her tips on creating a memorable festive cheeseboard!

Jenny MacPherson, Claire Jessiman and Simon Preston review some of this year's Christmas cook books, chef Neil Forbes cooks us up a delicious festive Ecclefechan tart and Carina Contini is on hand to give us tips on creating some tasty, edible Christmas gifts.

It may still be November… and you might not want to hear the C word … but trust us, your Christmas food planning and cooking will be a lot less stressful with Beth Kempton's guide to a calm Christmas. And it starts right now! Food writer and lover of all things Italian Vicky Bennison has spent years travelling across Italy, meeting the nonnas and finding out their culinary secrets. Discover just how simple it is to cook like a “pasta granny” in your kitchen at home! Nigel Slater explains why the humble cheese grater has a special place in his heart! And wrapping up Soup Month, Chef Kirsten Gilmour makes an apricot, carrot, rosemary and red lentil soup. Yes, really – apricots in a soup!

Ghillie Basan shows us some inspiring ways in which we can use up our leftovers in a pot of soup and Fife food ambassador Christopher Trotter is on hand to give us some expert advice on how to create the perfect stock. Also, Christopher Mullin tells Andrew Thomson about his one man mission to revive the ancient tradition of making mead in Scotland.

The Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers talk to Jenny about their new book 'One Pot Wonders' and as November is soup month on The Kitchen Café, chef Alfie from River House restaurant in Inverness shows us how to make a quick fish soup, using only 5 ingredients. Also, as part of Children In Need week, Jenny speaks to Carol MacLennan from the Elgin Youth Café to hear about the difference their cookery classes are making to the young folk of Elgin.

Join Jenny MacPherson and the team for more great foodie ideas, stories and inspirational tips. This week Nigel Slater shares his passion for autumn and winter cooking with a whole bunch of fresh, inspiring recipe ideas. He explains how the plant-based recipes in his new GreenFeast book are comforting, satisfying and certainly not puritanical! Oh, and some pudding-for-breakfast confessions like: “I have been known to open the fridge at 7 o'clock in the morning and glory, there's yesterday's trifle…!” With the clocks changing and winter fast approaching, we've declared November to be Soup Month on The Kitchen Café! Chef Neil Forbes shows us how to make a simple but delicious lightly spiced parsnip soup. Meryl Gilbert from Glasgow's SWG3 talks about their fresh approach to eating out. The dining space at the Acid Bar is taken over by different chefs and cuisines every few months – like a pop-up restaurant but for longer than one night only! It mirrors the shared space in the rest of the building and allows for greater flexibility and creativity with the food … and a chance for us to broaden our horizons with what and how we eat.

Chef Andrew Barnett shows us how to have fun with food at Halloween and Jenny MacPherson speaks to Ailidh Forlan about her new book, 'Street Food Scotland' and hears how the street food scene is expanding throughout the country. Claire Jessiman then shows us how to put your pumpkin seeds to good use as she roasts them with maple syrup and spices!........and Andrew Thompson investigates why there's no pumpkin in a pumpkin latte!

James Morton shows us how simple it is to make and keep your sourdough starter alive and dietician Kirsty Hickson tells us some of the health benefits of eating sourdough breads. Also, Jenny MacPherson takes a wander around an orchard just north of Inverness, to see how they're turning their apples into cider.

The Kitchen Café is back – the perfect place to head for your weekly dose of foodie news, tips, inspiration and interviews! An awareness of plastic pollution is a hot topic right now but what can we do if we want to reduce our own usage of it? Kelly Wright from the Refillary explains to Jenny Macpherson the simple ways we can all use less plastic when we're out shopping and in our kitchens. Simon Preston meets passionate baker and author James Morton to hear about his love of sourdough. The chaps then visit one of James's favourite bakeries - Cottonrake - to find out more about this long-forgotten but now fashionable bread. Jenny visits the recently-opened cafe Utopia and hears from owner Kevin Paterson about why having a cafe right in the heart of the community is so important to him. Kevin then demonstrates how to make a quick but delicious charred tomatoes on sourdough dish.

Instagrammer Sophia Thain speaks to Jenny MacPherson about how through social media she's trying to inspire other students to make better food choices. Simon Preston heads to a café in Edinburgh to find out why ‘overnight oats' has become a hashtag hit! Porridge purists beware…….the days of adding salt and water are long gone! Also, street food chef Jamie Ross flexes his mussels in studio and explains why cooking shellfish is easy. He'll be serving up mussels in a curry sauce and mussels in ale, Delicious!

The Kitchen Café is back – the perfect place to head for your weekly dose of foodie news, tips, inspiration and interviews! This week Jenny MacPherson hears from Kyle Steel about the idea behind his street food social enterprise project Dockyard Social. Which cuisines and cultures can we expect to sample there and just how much is street food changing the way we eat here in Scotland? Spice expert and author Ghillie Basan explains why whisky and spice go so well together, which types of food lend themselves to matching with whisky and how go about pairing different spice flavours – in food and whisky – in our own kitchens at home. Coffee fan Vincent Davies shares the story behind his new venture – brewing fresh coffee from a converted horsebox in Poolewe, Wester Ross. And Ghillie cooks an Indian coconut and mango porridge, a one-pot dish from her childhood … which goes perfectly with a wee dram!

What is it about getting towards winter which makes you want to reach for food which gives you a great big fat cuddle? This week as the nights draw in Pennie Latin searches through the Kitchen Café recipe archives for ideas to make you want to cosy up. So on the menu we've got cauliflower cheese with Stilton from Castle of Mey; Neil Forbes has the ultimate crowd pleaser with pot roast chicken; Jak O'Donnell is turning dauphinoise potatoes into a dish to cuddle up to by adding black pudding and goats cheese while Mark Greenaway makes the ultimate happy food with his hot chocolate fondant. Food which makes you feel good about the arrival of winter!

What would your perfect weekend breakfast or brunch dish be? This week Pennie Latin searches through the Kitchen Café recipe archives in search of ideas so delicious you'll actually want to get out of bed for them! So Neil Forbes conjures up a creamy, indulgent mushrooms on toast; Kirsten Gilmour makes New Zealand style savoury muffins and Andy Cumming goes for what he thinks is the ultimate cure for the night before - kedgeree - plus we've got a recipe for smoked salmon omelette perfection from Lara Bross. Go on, treat yourself, join us for breakfast and brunch on this week's dive into the recipe collection!

Fast food fun but with all that homemade flavour packed in too! This week Pennie Latin searches through the Kitchen Café recipe archives for recipes inspired by a weekend takeaway. So if you want to make the best burger ever then Neil Forbes has the perfect formula; queen of Italian cooking Mary Contini has an utterly simple but delicious pizza on her menu while Sue Lawrence provides the how-to on the ultimate treat night pud with Orkney fudge cheesecake. Loads of delicious ideas with a nod to the naughty for when you're feeling like treating yourself but keeping it homemade!

Chef Peggy Brunache and food innovator Simon Preston fire up the barbecue and their imaginations as they attempt to recreate the tastes of a US style Barbecue pit using just a domestic oven and a £20 BBQ. We hear from the Yorkshire couple who have fallen so far in love with the smokey flavours of US style outdoor eating they've imported a smoker and started up a BBQ Pit in Auldgirth in Dumfries. Does Barbecue always mean beer? Not necessarily - Simon finds the red wines that can cope with even the smokiest flavours. Peggy tells us about the history and regional variations in US barbecue culture. Why there is no such thing as "barbecue sauce" - we find out about three totally different authentic taste sensations that will enliven even the most wretched hunk of charred meat. In a nod to our unpredictable weather we find out how to always be barbecue ready in just one hour.

This week spice expert Ghillie Basan and the team are delving into the world of DIY summer drinks. From Kombucha to lassi and homemade lemonade. Simon Preston's continuing his series on summer wines with a look at great white wines while Kiwi chef in the Cairngorms Kirsten Gilmour shares the secrets behind her sensational pops, presses, juices and award winning smoothies! Kick back, raise a glass and quench your thirst with the Kitchen Café team!

Flora Shedden goes in search of summer flavours to put into chocolate with chocolatier Charlotte Flower; Simon Preston is learning to love Rose wines with a selection of deliciously different wines to look out for over the summer months plus Pennie Latin has a few lessons in how to taste olive oil from oil sommelier Wilma Grinsven - if you thought all oils were created pretty much equally, you're in for a surprise!

There's a real buzz about this week's Kitchen Café! Chef Neil Forbes and gardening expert Nicola Singleton explore the versatility of one of the jewels in our Scottish larder, honey! Also, Ghillie Basan speaks to food writer Liz Ashworth about Scotland's historical relationship with honey while Megan Lancaster visits bee keeper Mark Noonan in Blairgowrie to find out why some honey cost more than others.

There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that are so versatile. There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that can be so easy to get so wrong. But whether you are making an omelette, a meringue or simply boiling them, eggs are part of our daily diet. We consume millions of eggs each year and for some the labelling we find in the supermarket about the different types of egg can be confusing. Simon Preston goes to an egg farm to find out about the differences and what they mean to the taste of the eggs. Back in the kitchen, Neil Forbes gives us a quick masterclass in the art of the perfect poached, a brilliant boiled, super scrambled and fantastically fried eggs. If you've ever wondered about whether you should keep your eggs in the fridge or not or if a duck egg might be better to use in your baking than a hen's eggs then Fiona Burrell has some perfect eggy do's and dont's.

This week on the kitchen café we are on a summer holiday forage. No not a forage where you pull up leaves, rinse of dog wee, and pretend dandelions really do taste great, oh no, this week Ghillie Basan and Pennie Latin are foraging for ingredients among the holiday makers at Granny's Heilan Hame in Embo just north of Dornoch and they'll be trying to convince them that a holiday from home doesn't need to be a holiday from eating great homemade food. Also, one great thing about going away is it gives you a chance to discover local foods, in particular local cheeses. And Scotland does great cheese! Frankie Vaughan caught up with roving fromagiere Phoebe Weller to find out more about which Scottish cheeses to look out for this summer...

As this week's Kitchen Café is all about taste, Simon Preston visits the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University to find out about food tasting and testing. In a nutshell who decides what food appears on our supermarket shelves and whether we're likely to like it. Also, we'll be telling you all about a really simple test you can do at home to see if you're one of Scotland's elite supertasters. When it comes to marrying sweet, sour, bitter, salty or umami, Thai food has it all. So Ghillie Basan and her daughter Yazzie are set to make your mouth water with one of their favourite Thai dishes...

Gary Maclean joins Simon Preston and a class of budding future chefs from Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School in Glasgow to cook up a vegetable risotto for lunch. Gary talks about his role as Scotland's first National Chef and what he hopes he can achieve for Scotland as a food nation. He'll also be talking about the Food for Thought project and how its bringing business and schools together to change how we think about our food. Meanwhile pupils from another Glasgow school, Garnetbank, are busy taking their new cookery skills to the next level but turning cookery classes into their own Youtube films.

Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner, Food is something that unites us all, it's often at the heart of family life. This week on the Kitchen Café Sumayya Usmani visits the Glasgow Gurdwara, a Sikh temple in Glasgow to see how food is not just bringing families together, but entire communities. Also, Simon Preston meets up with Emma Black, project coordinator of Meal Makers, an organisation that is connecting elderly people with volunteer cooks throughout Scotland.

Pennie Latin introduces this delicious dive into the Kitchen Cafe recipe collection with top Skye chef Michael Smith, writer Sue Lawrence, food consultant and writer Christopher Trotter and international spice expert Ghillie Basan. So if you're bored of cooking the same thing week after week and are after inspiration you've come to the perfect place! This week Sue Lawrence is on the starter, a sensational pear and red pepper soup. Chef Michael Smith draws on his wife's north African heritage to show us how to make the perfect cous cous. Staying in North Africa Ghillie Basan gives us the low down on ras el hanout spice mix then Christopher Trotter treats us to lamb's liver with lime. And if you've still got room after all that then how about a favourite family recipe from Pennie's own kitchen, berry slump!

Stress, Anxiety, Pressure, Worry, Oh and not forgetting the dread.... Yes, it's that time of year when students all over the country have got their heads buried deep in books preparing for exams so on this week's Kitchen Cafe, Chef Neil Forbes is joined by nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness to give university students Maeve and Cameron lots of practical advice on how to keep their brains and bodies firing on all cylinders.

Chef Neil Forbes is joined by whisky enthusiast Roy Duff to give us a beginner's guide in choosing the right whisky for your palate and Ghillie Basan takes a trip to the heart of whisky country where she caught up with Ann Miller to hear how Speyside has developed such a strong identity as a whisky producing region.

Flora Shedden puts a major zing into her Spring baking with a tart bursting with seasonal freshness. So if you want to find out how to make a tart which packs in the flavour with peas, caramelised shallots, spring onions, mint and Serrano ham then listen up! Simon Preston's back on the road and this time he's stopping in Edinburgh Botanical Gardens for the story of how Malawi's coffee industry has its roots firmly planted in Scotland plus Ghillie Basan heads for Elgin to meet Mr T - the male Home Economics teacher who's persuading his pupils that its cool to be good at cooking. Listen, learn, bake, eat and enjoy a packed Kitchen Café this week!

Simon Preston goes from creel to kitchen with two of Scotland's seafood goliaths, crab and lobster. One perhaps seen as too luxurious for the everyday and the other so intimidating many of us wouldn't know where to start picking through its carapace and claws for its soft sweet white meat or the strong rich brown meat. But could all that change? Starting on the harbour wall in North Berwick Simon explores a local lobster hatchery. Set up and run by fishermen it's aim is to give nature a helping hand in increasing the local lobster population because they recognise the value of the lobster to the local community. It has led to lobster becoming a local delicacy enjoyed by all who visit the village. At the other end of the price range local brown crab is becoming more and more popular. But it's the cracked claws that people want to buy. Determined to find every last morsel from the shell Dan Holland heads north to Kylesku to find out how to pick a crab, claw meat, white meat and the beautifully rich hidden away brown meat. In her Kitchen at home Sumayya Usmani uses some of the white crab meat to make a quick orange dressed crab and paprika potato salad hash while Ghillie Basan recalls collecting crabs across the sandy shores of the Indian Ocean as a child and a crab ice cream as she scuttles round the world with a look at crustacean cuisine.

Master Chef? Or Disaster chef! How confident are you in the kitchen? Simon Preston is joined by best friends Kaye Adams and Nadia Sawalha to hear how they've written a cook book which has turned Kaye's cooking calamities.... into culinary delights. Also, someone else who's never felt entirely at home in the kitchen is producer Phil so hoping to conquer his culinary demons, he met up with his pal Raymond Smart, who also happens to be blind for a master-class in confident cooking...

For some people Easter is about chocolate eggs, on The Curry Club we're crazy about chocolate and spices. From the traditional chocolate and ginger to the experimental chocolate and Nepalese Timur, chocolatier Charlotte Flower takes Sumayya and Ghillie on flavour expedition around her world of combining spices and wild flavours with chocolate. But what spice would Ghillie and Sumayya really like to combine with chocolate? They set Charlotte a spiced chocolate challenge. Ghillie makes a Nepalese egg curry while Charlotte recalls her time living in Nepal and the food she so enjoyed eating there, which for part of the time was based solely on potatoes and onions. Want some curry comfort food for those lazy evenings on the sofa with some poppadoms? Elgin based sisters Sharan Dhesi and Manju Dhesi-Dhami make a very quick Masala Jhinga.

Could you tell the difference between a ribeye or a rump? Or what about a sirloin from a fillet? This week steak loving Dads Douglas and Allan join Neil Forbes at the Chop House in Leith to find out the best ways to choose, prepare and cook the perfect steak. Also, Ghillie Basan visits Glen and Gilli Allingham at the Really Garlicky Company in Nairn to find out why Scotland's climate is perfect for growing garlic.

Spring is in the air so this week Neil Forbes is joined by raw baker Laurianne Giteau to celebrate food in its freshest form, raw. Gardening expert Nicola Singleton takes a stroll round Neil's garden to see what jobs need done and Ghillie Basan talks to Kaori Simpson from Harajuku Kitchen about the Japanese philosophy behind eating raw food.

Neil Forbes and Flora Shedden celebrate Mothers' Day with Larah Bross of Bross Bagels. Having grown up in a Jewish family, Larah can testify to the key role that mothers play in Jewish food culture. Sumayya Usmani digs deeper into Jewish food traditions with Glasgow mother Sora Jacobs, while Frankie Vaughan meets Sarah Bodenheim, Jewish Student Chaplin for Scotland, as she prepares a Shabbat dinner.

For many of us, cooking and eating are great sources of joy and comfort. This week on The Kitchen Café, we're celebrating the food that makes us feel good. Simon Preston meets Melissa Hemsley to celebrate her new book, "Eat Happy". Meanwhile, Neil Forbes and Flora Shedden are joined by amateur baker Nadia Cassar and Charlotte Maberly, programme co-ordinator of the MSc Gastronomy course at Queen Margaret University, to dig deeper into the relationship between food and mood.

Praveen Kumar grew up in a small village outside Hyderabad on the family spice farm. His father grew spices like chillies, coriander, mustard and cumin. As a young man Praveen left the village farm behind to follow his dream of working the hospitality industry. Years later he found himself making his treasured family recipes in some of the world's most regarded hotels. Now based in Scotland, he gives Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani a culinary guide to some of favourite family recipes and the food of south India. Traditional music legend, Phil Cunningham is widely known to love his curry as much as he does music. His favourite southern Indian dish is a ghee roasted dosa, a light pancake made from fermented batter. But it was one of the few dishes that this curry king hadn't mastered in his own kitchen until he joined the Curry Club for a quick masterclass.

Chef Julie Lin serves up a Malaysian cooking masterclass with Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani. From sticky rice to spicy sambal, Julie guides us through the flavours and cultures of Malaysia, while Ghillie Basan invites her friend Bernie round for a traditional Sarawak lunch.

Neil Forbes and Frankie Vaughan are joined by Chef Graeme Pallister to share the food that represents love in their lives. From the ingredients with which we love to cook, to dishes that remind us of our favourite travels, and the meals we make to nourish friends and family, food means a lot to all of us in different ways. On this week's Kitchen Café, we celebrate the food we love, and the people we love to feed.