The FoodTalk Show

Staying sharp with new food trends

Savernake Knives founder Philip Shaw is joined by Jamie Crummie of Too Good To Go and Paul Woodward of Green Cola

 

Happy Easter everybody. It’s time to celebrate your four-day weekend with a starter of chocolate, a main of roast dinner and a side of the FoodTalk podcast. As ever, we have a weird and wonderful variety of guests.

 

Kicking the show off, Sue was holding a knife – which is never a good sign. Thankfully, there was good reason. Philip Shaw was there to help demonstrate his amazing range of Savernake Knives. Incredibly, he knew nothing about knives when he started out but has learnt along the way how to become an expert.

 

Over the Easter break, there will probably be a lot of food waste, which is not good! We should all take a leaf from Jamie Crummie’s book (or app) and check out his Too Good To app. They have linked with hundreds of restaurants around the world to offer clients meals at cheap rates which would otherwise go on the bin. Perfect.

 

Finally, we needed a bit of a caffeine boost but not from those guys at Coca Cola – there’s a new kid on the block and it’s much healthier. Green Cola are one of our FoodTalk Awards finalists and it’s easy to taste why – they’ve done it all without any sugar either.

 

***Fancy tasting some Green Cola? You’d better head online to this link and bag a few tickets to the FoodTalk Awards****

Who are the FoodTalk Awards finalists?

We run through our FoodTalk Awards finalists but also chat Press Juices, vending with Vendease and baking at Bakehouse at 124.

 

In a week where a London cake baker made national news for being asked to do her job by a Royal couple, we are here to shout about the foodie news that really matters. An hour never seems to be enough for us these days.

To kick us off, we ate some food…obviously. Ollie Lloyd picked the wrong week to be MIA, because we rattled through the FoodTalk Awards finalists and had a bit of a sampling session to whet the appetite. It’ll get your taste buds tingling and, luckily enough, you can now buy tickets to the event on June 15^th. You should probably get your skates on though.

It was then time to slap some wrists. Ed Foy picked the right week to be on-air with all of the delicious food in the studio, but unfortunately, he never entered his Press juices into the awards. There’s always next year though and these tasty drinks would be a strong contender for one of our gongs. 

From our London studio, we travelled back in time and visited the garden of England too. Sue was recently invited to the fabulous artisan bakery named ’Bakehouse at 124’ in Tonbridge. Owner Claire Barton fed her some pizzas and they talked all things baking. 

We ended the show with a new beginning. We’ve never talked about vending machines before, but Jonny Holmes was on-hand to tell us about the impending vending revolution, led by his company Vendease . Frozen or fresh, they have you covered.

Bread, jam, gin

Will Edge talks Greensand Ridge gin and Jason Gibb talks about Bread & Jam. 

 

All manner of exciting foodie things are coming soon. Tickets for the FoodTalk Awards are open as of today (buy them here), BBQ season is approaching and so are the food expos and festivals –  so let’s celebrate with some gin.

We may have enjoyed some gin on last week’s show too – but booze is one of those things that  it’s (almost) acceptable to binge on. Sue, Guy and Ollie weren’t complaining anyway. 

Will Edge was nominated to bring us the fantastic produce from the Greensand Ridge Distillery this time around. Most of our food founders have weird and wonderful routes into the industry; from banking to law but Will bucked the trend. He actually got a Masters’ Degree in distilling & brewing. We think he’s put it to good use.

We were then joined by somebody who has seen and done it all in the food industry. Jason Gibb is a Brand Manager for The Black Farmer, produces olive oil and also heads up the Bread & Jam Festival – the UK’s first food founders’ festival, which runs every year in London. What a busy bloke.

Make sure you don’t miss next week’s show when we profile our FoodTalk Awards finalists.

Gin, grappa and good advice

Cosmo Caddy gets our presenters tipsy with his Still on the Move & Claire Brumby talks us through her food consultancy business. 

 

After a week of scary cold weather, we are ready to kick-start spring in the best possible way. We’ve got lots of booze to give us that warm fuzzy feeling and some great discussion to go with it.

Our first guest seemed to be on a mission to get us stinking drunk, he succeeded too.

Cosmo Caddy has founded Still On The Move – he has a unique vehicle which can travel anywhere in the UK to create your very own bespoke gin, flavoured with your choice of a variety of spices and botanicals. He also creates his very own Dappa Grappa. You understand how we got so drunk now, right?

While we were swaying left and right, we needed something to sober us up. Thankfully we had Claire Brumby on the case – and we had plenty of her crisps to eat during the break. Claire founded Scrubby’s Crisps, but now focuses on her fantastic food consultancy.

She has experienced all of the highs and lows of the industry – so there’s plenty of tips and advice to be taken from this one.

Cooking for royalty & reading The Grocer

We met Emily Few Brown of Spook Catering, Stefan Cuomo from Macknades and Emma Wenbren, Food Trends Editor at The Grocer

 

 

This week has been snow joke…the white stuff has been falling and it’s caused disruption up and down the country. However, we are made of stronger stuff here at FoodTalk. Both our presenters and our guests fought their way through the blizzards to record this winter warmer for you.

 

Our first guest provided us with a topic that we don’t cover all too much on the FoodTalk Show – event catering. We’re not sure why we’ve not talked about it before; it’s such a huge consideration when it comes to weddings, parties and all things eventing.

 

To help us lose our catering virginity was Emily Few Brown who runs Spook Catering. Emily guides us through the intricacies and difficulties of cooking for large numbers (including royalty).

 

Our next guest is a bit of a hero of Sue’s. Stefano Cuomo has a rich family heritage in the food industry and has taken on the fantastic Macknades store in north Kent. If you love local, fresh and tasty food this is well worth a trip south of the city.

 

Bringing the show to a close, we indulged a little bit. The Grocer Magazine is essential reading for us, obviously, and we were delighted to chat with Emma Weinbren, their food trends editor.

Great British Chefs Research 2018: Part 2

Tom & Jerry, Venus & Serena, Steak & Chips, Food & Talk – don’t you see? All the best things come in twos! That’s exactly why we couldn’t let there be just one special show focused around The Great British Chefs’ brilliant research.

Last week’s podcast only just scratched the surface on some of the fascinating insight into themind and life of a UK foodie – so this week we’ve got some more for you.

We also welcomed another FoodTalk favourite onto the show, following Carolyn Steel's return last week. Julie Jenson Bennett is something of a futurist in the food industry and helped us to understand some of the facts and figures and what they might mean for the future of food. 

One interesting discussion point was the use of tech equipment in cooking – something which Sue had prepared in advance for by bringing the fruits of her recent Sous Vide labours to the studio.

Reminder: We gave you an extension on the FoodTalk Awards entries – the final close date is tomorrow (23^rd February) at midnight.

Great British Chefs research 2018

Ollie Lloyd presents the Great British Chefs' 2018 research with help from Carolyn Steel. 

 

 

Question: How many of you will love hearing this special FoodTalk podcast with research conducted by Great British Chefs?

 

Answer: 97% of you (the other 3% accounts for all of the people who don’t know a good podcast when it hits them).

 

We first met presenter Ollie Lloyd, CEO of the platform, around this time last year when their 2017 documents were released and we’ve marked the research’s return with two special shows.

 

In this first part, we are joined by Hungry Cities Author, TED Talk speaker and now FoodTalk favourite, Carolyn Steel.

 

How many people think Government should intervene in food safety matters? How many people are cooking Spanish food? How many people never chop vegetables (yep, that’s right, NEVER). You’ll find all the answers in this fascinating podcast.

 

You can also download Ollie’s research here too.

Designated driver delights

Becky Kean, co-founder of Nirvana Brewery, is joined by Alastair Jessel - founder of Taywell Ice Cream and advocate of food hubs. 

The famous Big Mac turned 50 this week but please, do us a favour, shun that rubbish and turn your attention to our tasty podcast instead. We can be your guilty pleasure instead.

We kicked this week off by revisiting a subject that causes a bit of a stir between Sue, Guy and Ollie – why can nobody develop an alcohol-free beer that doesn’t taste like something that could pass for artificially-flavoured water?

It just so seems that we might have found the answer with Nirvana Brewery. We welcomed Becky Kean into the studio, she is one of the founders of the non-alcoholic brewery – the first of its kind in this country. Becky was armed with a range of alluring bottles – including Karma, Sutra and Tantric. Saucy.

They say that beer before wine is fine, so we had no worries about moving on and listening to Sue’s interview with Peter Franz of Sensible Wines that was recorded recently ahead of the World of Wine awards.

Moving from beer to wine might be fine, but throw some ice cream into the mix and it could all go wrong. Luckily, we survived this time. Alastair Jessell once founded the well-known Taywell Ice Cream brand, but he now champions food and drink hubs. Fresh from setting one up in Kent, Alastair explains to our presenters what they are and why we need them.

 

Sous Vide sensations

We try out Sous Vide Tools, talk Heartier and get eco-friendly with The Planet Mark

 

The deadline day in football may have passed now, but there’s still a limited amount of time available to sign yourselves up to The FoodTalk Awards before the entries close on February 16^th. Don’t dawdle anymore, apply now, apply here.

 On the awards night, you’ll be able to meet Sue, Guy and Ollie but, for now, you’ll have to be content with hearing them get stuck into some foodie chat.

First up, we are introduced to the brilliant Heartier platform thanks to founder Stefan Porter. ‘Get your meat here’ – that’s Sue’s advice. There are so many goodies to be found on ‘everyone’s local farmshop’ online.

So, once you have all of the Heartier goodies in your kitchen, how would you cook them all up? If the answer isn’t Sous Vide Tools then you’re wrong. Alex Shannon talks us through his fantastic (and seriously cool) instruments – from smoke guns to dehydrators, they have it all.

To end the show, we went eco-friendly. Our main offices have recently teamed up with The Planet Mark and we decided to invite founder Steve Malkin on to the show to discuss the project. We talk to so many companies about sustainability, so listen back to the podcast to find out how your business can do the same.

Currying favour around the world

Eating curry with Lajina Masala and future gazing with Julie Jenson Bennett. 

 

 

Days don’t tend to get much better than National Pie Day, which we all enjoyed on Tuesday, but we reckon we’ve topped it already with this show.

 

January has been cold, wet and miserable so far but we had some guests that put a smile on the faces of Sue Nelson, Guy Routledge and Ollie Lloyd.

 

First-up, we were delighted to meet Lajina Leal from Lajina Masala. She makes sauces that are to die-for. Our studio has never smelt quite this good before. Lajina experiments with all different kinds of spices and seems to have struck up the perfect formula for great tasting curry.

 

With bellies now full of fire, our presenters were primed and ready to get stuck into a chat with our next guest. Julie Jenson Bennett describes herself as a food futurist and sparked debate with our presenters over food trends that we can expect to see in 2018.

 

***TOP TIP*** If you own a business that produces innovative products like Lajina’s, you should be applying for this year’s FoodTalk Awards. It’s so simple to apply that you would easily finish your application in the time it takes to enjoy this podcast. Entries close on February 16^th, so don’t miss out. All the info you need is here: http://foodtalk.co.uk/the-foodtalk-awards-2018/ 

Vegan delights and coconut creations

Rachel Hugh and Neil Potts introduce their Vurgers, while Jacob Thundil talks Cocofina.

 

The other day it was announced that the UK would be ridded of plastic packaging within 25 years, and this makes us excited for a few reasons…

1)    The whales from Blue Planet will be happy, yay.

2)    We’ve met some amazing companies in the past who have been leading this fight. Yay for them too.

Sian Sutherland of ‘A Plastic Planet’ is one of our anti-plastic friends – check back on her podcast here. Fresh from her plastic fight, she’ll be one of our judges for The FoodTalk Awards. Entries close on February 16^th, so get your skates on – details here.

Anyway, back to the podcast, we’ve got another fantastic show for you…

A transport disaster prevented Sue Nelson, Guy Routledge and Ollie Lloyd from trying one of The Vurger Co’s vegan burgers but they’ll be making a visit to their Spitalfields stall soon to try one fresh and hot. Rachel Hugh and Neil Potts described the amazing story so far.

Our other guest may have a recognisable voice. Why? If you’ve watched Dragons Den, he’s been on there and if you listen to national radio, he’s had an advert on there too. Jacob Thundil is the man behind the voice and he introduced the Cocofina brand to us. Coconuts galore.

 

Collectiv foodie pleasures

Jeremy Hibbert-Garibaldi from CollectivFood joins to talk all things about foodie supply chains. 

 

In a week where Cauliflower Steaks have been the biggest headlines in the world of food, our presenters risked similar ridicule with a poor shot at a start of year quiz.

Sue Nelson pitted Guy Routledge and Ollie Lloyd against each other, with neither covering themselves in glory. Much homework needed for next time.

After that little venture failed, we decided to stick to what we know by getting stuck into some proper foodie chat. We were delighted to chat with Jeremy Hibbert-Garibaldi from CollectivFood.

They are a great team of chefs, restauranteurs, food producers and innovators with a big mission. Their aim is to improve on an the old-fashioned and inefficient and opaque exisiting supply chain and offer restaurants high quality ingredients at exceptional prices.

Getting brands on the dining Tabl

2018 is here and we are kicking it off in style. Last year will be difficult to match in terms of cracking content but we gladly accepted the challenge with a jam packed show to kick us off for 2018. 

 

There wasn’t a Turkey, chocolate or block of cheese in-sight for Sue Neslon and Guy Routledge and  Ollie Lloyd from Great British Chefs.

 

First up, we welcomed somebody who can help you with the January blues. Kimberly Hurd runs the brilliant Tabl website. It’s an online platform for foodies and industry experts to share recipes, showcase new products and much more. Nice stuff.

 

Another thing that we’re looking forward to in 2018 is the FoodTalk Awards. We held our first event back in June, but we’ll be going bigger and better this time. IFIS will be joining us on the night, and you’ll be able to discuss their work with them then, but in the meantime we were delighted to be joined by Marta Cesar and Joanna Becker who work on the firm’s valuable Escalex database which keeps foodies companies in the know when it comes to the all-important rules and regulations.

 

Last, but certainly not least, we had a chance to catch-up with Tessa Stuart properly. We’ve met the brand guru quite a few times before but, criminally, never had the pleasure of having her on the show! She tells us how she has helped some massive names to get prime placement along the supermarket aisles.

 

FoodTalk 2017 - the best bits (part 2)

One hour wasn't enough to run through the highlights for the past 12 months, so here is another special show for your enjoyment. 

We hope you've enjoyed Christmas - here's one last present for you...catch the likes of Pinky Lilani, Willie Harcourt-Cooze, Dalston Cola, Emily Crisp, Toast Ale, Brindisa and Moma. 

We'll be back to our normal format next week. 

 

FoodTalk 2017 - the best bits (part 1)

What a year 2017 has been for us!

We have been incredibly lucky to meet some brilliant guests from all around the food and drink industry, from perfect producers to dazzling disruptors and intelligent influencers.

As Christmas draws nearer, we have decided to play back our highlights from the last 12 months. One show won’t be enough, so we’ll have the same next week too.

Sue Nelson has sat down with fellow presenters Guy Routledge and Ollie Lloyd to pick their favourites. Check the credits to see the running order of this first episode.

 

Scaling up your snack business

Tony Goodman talks 10 Acre, while Dan Pawson introduces Sea Chips and Mirela Sula champions women in the food industry

Food Matters Live 2017 part 2

Over the course of the next hour, you’ll hear from Bingham & Jones, Motion Nutrition, Simply Ice Cream, Skinny Brands and Cricke.

 

We just knew that one hour of Food Matters Live highlights show wouldn’t be enough. There were so many fantastic companies at London Excel, so we’re back with the best of our second day of interviews.

 Sue Nelson and Guy Routledge had quite the mixed bag once again. Among other things, they ate crickets, and ice cream  washed down with some low-calorie lager. Amazing.

 Enjoy this second special. We’ll be back to normal next week with plenty of fantastic guests.

Food Matters Live 2017 special

Check out the highlights from our first day at Food Matters Live 2017

 

As Christmas trees start springing up across the country – we’ve got a special show to get you in the festive mood.

An early Christmas gift for them…rather than a couple of guests, Sue Nelson & Guy Routledge had two whole days of interviews at the Food Matters Live event at Excel recently.

This will be the first of our two special shows. In this episode, we present our highlights from the first day of interviewing.

Over the next hour, you’ll hear everything from a revolutionary water brand to a sugar-fighting hero. Enjoy.

 

Getting saucy with biscotti

Jim Fennell talks us through his Salubrious Sauces and Paul Rostand introduces some exciting biscotti

 

If you’re an English Cricket fan, you’re probably reading this through bleary and tired eyes. Which bright spark let Australia host the Ashes? Anyway, we’ve got something to go along with your coffee today.

We aren’t sure whether Sue Nelson or Guy Routledge are cricket fans, but we’ll have a root around before next week.

Controversially, we’ll start with our second guest fist. Why? It’s all to do with coffee. If you’re looking for something to dunk – look no further than Paul Rostand and his Great British Biscotti. They have all sorts of flavours to put a crunch into your day.

Back to our first guest and he’s got a real treat for you too. A lovely aroma was filling the studio. Imagine a dreamy sauce to go with your full English, a combo sauce to improve your Sunday Roast and a curry sauce to put on your cod and chips. Jim Fennell has it sorted with the Salubrious Sauce Co.

 

Jim Jamming your way to success

Kevin Bath from Jim Jams is joined by Simon Fordham and Food Innovation Solutions' Mike Faers

 

While some z-list celebrities, cash-light notable people, and Amir Khan head to an Australian jungle to eat crocodile testicles and Kangaroo anus for a couple of weeks, we are keeping our menus a bit classier. We had another fantastic podcast with great-tasting food for your enjoyment – much to the relief of Sue Nelson and Guy Routledge.

Our first guest needs little introduction – you’ve probably seen them all over the major UK supermarket shelves already – JimJams are going up against the big-boys with their chocolate spreads. Kevin Bath explains how he quit his job in London to create a product with 80% less sugar and 80% better taste than the market leaders. It might even be closer to 180% better…

Our next guest reckons Kevin has done everything that, as an business advisor, he would advise against, but succeeded against all the odds. Simon Fordham from Fordham Henderson is an expert in consultancy and had a few handy tips based on his vast experience in the food industry.

Finally, we heard from Mike Faers of Food Innovation Solutions. Imagine being given carte blanche to create menus, spaces and ideas for some of the biggest brands and restaurants in the country…yep, that’s their game