The FoodTalk Show

Sogud

Christie Ellis and Sue Nelson meets Terri Petrie of Sogud in the FoodTalk booth at Speciality and Fine Food Fair, Olympia London. Christie is almost overwhelmed by the intense aroma of carob in these gluten and sugar free bars, which were born out of a desire for a genuinely healthy snack. Christie is reminded of flapjacks and Sue enjoys both the texture and natural sweetness. Sue gets a warm feeling as Sogud evokes images of lunches packed by mum and Christie is pleased to have found something that is both filling and satisfying.

Babease

Having been working mothers of young babies, Christie Ellis and Sue Nelson are very interested in the cleverly named Babease range of baby food. Tom Redwood started out making proper food into baby food as a bit of a joke, but was surprised to find that there was very little veg based food on the market. Christie and Sue fondly remember the difficult days of weaning their toddlers whilst learning about what busy, overloaded parents have really been giving their children. Christie ends up palming some baby food into her mouth and Sue gets a sense memory of choo choo train feeding.

Amadeo Claris of Mercato Metropolitano

The FoodTalk team meet Amadeo Claris at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Olympia, London 2016.

Sue Nelson talks to Amadeo Claris about his passion for sticking to simple, good quality food. Amadeo's belief in nutritious and sustainable produce has led to him creating a not for profit organisation that aims to be an educated movement which nurtures a cohesive community. Sue is in awe of the new, social foody haven that he has established in Elephant and Castle which is helping to rejuvenate a previously dead zone. Bonding over their shared interest in food tech, Sue and Amadeo are excited to see who will be pushing the industry forward.

A Speciality and Fine Food Fair Special 2016 (part 2)

We're back for round 2 of our Specialty and Fine Food Fair round up!

First up to the mark meeting Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews is Phillip Yau who makes Bonnie Yau authentic Chinese sauces, born out of trying to create traditional flavours that are fully inclusive. Forgetting that it's closer to breakfast than dinner, Paul dives in to the satay sauce and is surprised to discover that it's nut free and it doesn't even cross Sue's chilli threshold. Paul is keen to find out how versatile the sauce is and is pleased to discover it should be a hit at his next barbecue.

Sue and Paul discuss their vastly different breakfasts and Sue's new interest in trying a gluten free diet, before meeting Steph Windmill of Delicious Alchemy who make gluten free flour blends. Sue is keen to find out exactly how they combat the crumble and make gluten free bread with a bit of elasticity and the FoodTalk team get a lesson in how to process oats to make them safe for coeliacs, whilst Paul wolfs down some Victoria sponge.

Sue discovers her new favourite thing ever when she meets Kylie of black saffron, something neither her nor Paul had previously heard of. Sue gets Kylie to give Paul some tips to use when he next considers attempting to to experiment with this exotic spice. We learn about saffron as a mood lifter, and Sue challenges Kylie to describe the taste of saffron, which she does much more eloquently than expected. Now he knows what it is, Paul wants to learn more about the difference between the saffron hidden in his cupboard and the black saffron in front of him and Sue ends up inspired to get cooking with saffron.

Howard from Little Moons Mochi meets our presenters Lucy Ellis and Paul Andrews with his bite sized super premium ice cream. A popular product in Asia which is made using glutinous rice flour, Howard is hopeful the new flavours they're filling it with will help mochi be the next big thing in the UK. Lucy nearly climbs over Paul, eager to try some and it evokes some familiar yet undefined feelings in Paul - and then suddenly there were none left!

Kicking off the second half, Paul and Sue get to meet Speciality and Fine Food Fair pop stars Roots Collective. Sue loves vegetable juice and is pleased to discover from Susie that unlike most juices, these ones aren't topped up with sugary fruit juices. Paul has a good sniff of the blends and tells Sue off for jumping in for a swig. We find out that Roots collective started as a way to use up waste, but has somehow magically evolved into a premium product. Sue tries to impart the health aspect of the juices to Paul, but he's far too excited about trying the chilli one.

Adele Wilkinson of Miss Miller's Marvellous Marshmallows is next to tempt Sue and Paul with her beautiful wares. Sue discovers that marshmallows aren't the dry spongy things she remembers from her childhood and is surprised to find that these artisan offerings are much more luxurious and indulgent and come in 14 different flavours! Paul accidentally scoffed the lot and is keen to see if these posh marshmallows would toast better than the mallows of old.

Jerome shares the origin story of Phrooti with Sue and Paul and the huge influence his fruit loving friend Rachel had on him over tea one day. Sue is shocked to discover that there's actually very little fruit in a fruit tea, and is curious as to how this powdered fruit tea differs from the average. Paul loves the berry flavours and Sue is surprised to realise that up until now she'd been disappointed with her fruit tea experiences. Who knew?

Finally we have our first ever unboxing on FoodTalk. Jules Quinn of Popaball keeps quiet whilst Paul and Sue try to work out exactly what to do with a telescopic straw and some caviar-like fruit balls. Sue let's Paul be the guinea pig and try popping a Popaball first. Whilst having fun sucking up these juicy balls, Jules almost keeps a straight face and gives the team some great tips for a proper tasty ball eating experience. 

A Speciality and Fine Food Fair Special 2016 (part 1)

The team hit Speciality and Fine Food Fair 2016 at Olympia in London for a FoodTalk special featuring 7 different guest producers.

Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews catch up by sharing their gluttonous food show behaviour and take a look at the huge variety of weird combinations they indulged in over the 3 days. Sue's adamant that it's not as glamorous as people may think.

Firstly we hear Christie and Lucy Ellis interview Cecily from Coconuts Naturally, who is a big believer in harnessing the energy from food and chooses the most natural ingredients to make feel good, vegan ice cream. Christie loves the little coconut man picture on the branding and is surprised to find that Coconut Naturally is more decadent tasting than she expected and Lucy loves the smoothness. The pair love the texture and think it sets Coconuts Naturally apart from other vegan ice creams.

Next Sue and Christie meet Mark from Mr Filberts and try his really interesting snacking olives and nuts. Mark tells us about the health benefits of snacking Mediterranean style and Sue is loving that the olives come in an oil-free packet and not a greasy pot. Sue tries to wangle some trade secrets out of Mark, but he's staying tight lipped! 

Next we have Hilary from Botanique who's non-alcoholic, posh fizz which may well have been created just to save Sue when she's got to drive. Hilary loves and knows her wine, so has created a guilt free way of feeling like you've indulged without getting carried away. Christie is loving the dry, refreshing taste and both her and Sue are having fun speculating about what flavours may actually be in it - just like wine tasting.

Completing the first half of our interviews this week is Tom Barnes from Biddenden Vineyards which has been in his family since his grandparents. Sue's keen to find out what this new and interesting cider they've recently brought out is, and how it is naturally red.

Punishing Sue for not letting him taste the chocolates, Paul admits that he played the wrong segment of the show first and Sue resolves to check his work before letting him loose on the controls. Sue admits to sneaking Biddenden cider as a teenager and Paul carefully selects the next segment of the show.

We start the second half of today's show with Russell Pullen of 5th Dimension Chocolates, which are possibly the most beautiful, handmade chocolates in the world. Sue likens Russell's craftsmanship to that of a sculptor and Christie dribbles with chocolatey anticipation as the team try the unusual sounding miso and mint flavour, which everyone is surprised works so well and compare it to salted caramel, except Russell has his own version of that already - soy caramel. Sue is loving the hidden surprise element of the experience whilst letting Christie try the curry and raisin one first, and then getting carried away and continuing to try almost all of the flavours 5d has to offer.

Next up we meet Britain's first ever producer of cold pressed rapeseed oil, Duncan Farrington of Farrington's Mellow Yellow. Sue and Duncan educate Christie on the benefits of using rapeseed oil and discuss the subtle nutty flavour and the rare few who pick up hints of butter. Christie's palette is apparently close to Jamie Oliver's as she notices that it's clean tasting and doesn't hang around on the tongue. Duncan lets us in on a few cold pressing secrets and how they keep all of the goodness in without diluting it with nasty processes.

Finally Paul and Sue meet Frankie Fox of Foraging Fox with their shared nemesis beetroot, but in a ketchup form. We find out that Frankie's dad Roland was a forager and that's where the idea for Foraging Fox was born. Paul is surprised to find that he would actually use a beetroot ketchup on a burger whilst Sue's lack of chilli tolerance betrays her with the spicy version. Frankie gives some brilliant serving suggestions and makes us all rethink the use of ketchup, and Sue finds that the smoked ketchup is her favourite.

practically homemade curry in a box and how badgers make vegan egg mayonnaise

It's another hot day - thank goodness for air conditioning in the FoodTalk studio! Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews are catching up and sharing curry facts in preparation for our first FoodTalk guest.

Famously not a fan of ready meals, Sue meetsLisa Sohanpal with her beautiful prepared global themed dinners both adultsand children. Nom Noms is not a stereotypical ready meal, and more like a traditionalfamily recipe created with help from a spice expert and presented in adecorative box, so we’re all hopeful that we’ll be able to change Sue’s mind.It even looks like we may have entirely rebranded ready meals by the end of theshow. Paul is known for loving a curry and is convinced that Nom Noms tastesexactly like home cooked food- quite an accolade for a ready meal, eh Sue? Thehosts even get a quick lesson on tiffin tins. 

Next up we have Emily from Eating Kent witha no fuss, no bake, tasty fruit and nut slice. Suitable for breakfast, lunchboxes or dessert and can use up any dry fruit or nuts to make a tasty and crowdpleasing snack.

How do you make egg mayonnaise without eggsor mayonnaise? Sue and Paul are stumped, but are about to find out becauseBadger of Badger’s Dairy Free has created one- what witchcraft is this? It’snot just egg mayo either, he’s also got coleslaw and potato salad, but Sue isreally impressed with the eggless egg mayonnaise. Discussing the growingnumbers of vegans and the increasing demand for alternative options when eatingout, Sue questions whether food providers really are becoming more consciousabout what they’re serving?

Lovely Kentish summer beers, some excitingly flavoured jerky and a quick and easy veggie dinner

On this national burger day, Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews start today's show by looking at the business aspect of the currently very fashionable micropub.

First up on FoodTalk today, we have American raised William Francis Yates who is the creator of Billy Franks jerky which is made in East London with grass fed, native bred cows. Sue is very impressed with the bespoke, gourmet style of this traditionally cheap, dehydrated project. With a range of unusual and interesting flavours Paul Andrews nearly scoffs the lot whilst waxing lyrical about how "real" this jerky tastes and is much better than most readily available competitors. Paul is annoyed that Sue is keeping the jerky just out of his reach before nearly having a spicy flavour overload!

For this week's We Hate Heston, Emily Bailey visits Lucinda Gillespie-Tomasevic of Lonvegity in Chilham who makes a quick and easy gluten free, vegan, pesto pasta dinner- phew! What a mouthful! Try it if you need a new simple midweek staple which is suitable for nearly all diets- Emily nearly ate the plate.

Finally, Sue and Paul meet Anne Mildon of gold award winning small brewery, Wantsum. Sue finds out how a chemist came to start a brewery with Kent themed beers and Anne explains to us what a firkin is and is surprised to learn that Wantsum produce 120 of them every week. Anne explains to us the marvellous historical meanings behind each beer's name and Sue encourages Will to match his bespoke jerky products with each beer she tastes. 

a most unusual berry juice and how to make sure food never goes to waste

After discussing the joys of a British summer, Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews are amazed to discover that today's show includes a food stuff that neither of the greedy pair have ever come across before.

Andrew Tickle of Aronia UK is our first guest with his mysterious aronia berries and the myriad f the beautiful purple products he makes with them. This plant is usually native to America and Andrew is the first grower in England with an aronia berry plantation. Sue is surprised to find that this hardy plant isn't as prickly as she thought it might be and Paul is enjoying being able to join in with the drinks this week. Both of them are surprised to find that the juice has the body of wine without any of the alcohol. It's even supposed to be a superfood!

Next we're back at the Allergy and Free From Show with Barry Honeycombe of More Than Meat making one of his vegan jerk burgers for Emily Bailey and Jeremy Eames. Emily is surprised by the meaty texture and finds the smell almost too delicious, whilst Jeremy gets to indulge in the final product.

Our second guest on today's show is Sophie Andre of Elysia Catering who hand makes breakfast products and food aperitifs and delivers them locally by bicycle. Sue Nelson loves this truly innovative and environmentally friendly concept, which uses surplus products from Artisan producers to make something entirely new. Paul Andrew enjoys learning about rescued food and how food waste isn't about what's in the bin.

A proper craft beer renaissance and the world's best peanut butter

The Olympics are underway and Sue Nelson and Paul Andrews catch up over tales of food woe in Rio. The pair reminisce about all of the craft beer producers we’ve already met and the days when Kent was a beer producing hub.

Sue and Paul then meet phone guest Greg Wells of London Craft Beer Festival who shares his opinions on why he thinks craft beer is having a renaissance.  People are more demanding about having a choice and the modern beer drinker can now pick their favourites based on taste alone. Paul is pleased that for the first time ever we’re featuring alcohol and he’s not the only one without a taster.

We’re back at the Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia for our We Hate Heston slot where Emily Bailey meets Nishma Shah from Shambhu’s whilst she whips up a delicious vegan bean burrito recipe where Jeremy Eames gets to eat his first bite of cheese since being dairy free.

Finally Sue and Paul welcome Neil Samuel of Perrin’s Fine Foods to the studio with his delicious 100% peanut butter. With no palm oil, sugar or any other nasties, Paul is in peanut butter heaven, especially with the chilli spread- and no clarty mouth either! Lovely! So lovely Paul can’t stop raving about how wholesome it tastes and finished all but the toast crumbs.

Delicious, traditionally smoked meats and how to freeze booze

Sue Nelson is back to normal after last week's post-holiday show and Paul Andrews is certain that Sue has deliberately booked even more booze on the show.

After a bit of music by Squeeze, Paul and Sue talk to phone guest Helena Hills of the innovative Truestart Coffee, which is coffee for athletes and the only natural caffeine source that has a measured amount per cup. Plus we all learn that caffeine is the most researched legal performance enhancement drug- who knew?!

Andrew Wickham of Weald Smokery who talks about the long term effects of smoking food, which venison is best for smoking and how to achieve fine flavours with strong meats. Paul Andrews declares his preference for smoked foods over the usual cold cuts and Sue finds out more about the difference between cold and hot smoking.

Finally, Noah Geeves and Harry Stimpson drive their specialised Lic van to the studio just so Sue and the Breakthrough Funding team get to have some 10% proof adult ice lollies on a sunny afternoon. We also discover the difficult process these two young men went through to learn how to successfully freeze alcohol to make delicious frozen cocktails. All inspired by Harry's mum. Fabulous.

Frill

Christie Ellis and Brady Last patiently queued up to meet Khosro Ezaz-Nikpay from the very popular Frill stand at the Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia. The ladies marvel over the bold and eye-catching branding and try the delicious frozen smoothies discovering why it's so popular.

Fat Gay Vegan

Christie Ellis and Brady Last are joined by Fat Gay Vegan in the FoodTalk booth at the Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia. Sean - Fat Gay Vegan - talks about the London Vegan Beer Festival, inclusivity and how to discover more about veganism.

Creative Nature

Christie Ellis and Paul Andrews meet Julianne from Creative Nature Superfoods at The Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia in July. Creative Nature was born out of Julianne's response to her own anaphylaxis and desire to be able to eat tasty food that she wouldn't react badly too. 

a2 Milk

How do you solve a problem like milk intolerance? Christie Ellis and Brady Last meet the people who are breeding out the negative human reactions from their dairy cows and learn that most people who have an adverse response to milk are probably reacting to just one particular protein. 

Lauren Loves

Christie Ellis and Brady Last meet Lauren Tibbetts at The Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia in July where she launched her new food brand Lauren Loves. Christie and Brady find out what exactly low FODMAP is and discover what replacements for onion and garlic are used in her tasty sauces that she's created for IBS sufferers on particularly restrictive diets.

The FoodTalk Show 28th July - Making booze out of toast and ice cream out of booze

FoodTalk is back to it’s usual live running status and Sue Nelson is back from her holidays to join Paul Andrews in the studio. For an alcohol laden special. 

Toast Ale

Julie Prebble’s innovative Toast Ale makes use of waste bread donated from unsold bakery stock and turns it into an entirely new product- a delicious pale ale which gives all profits to food waste charity, Feedback. Amazing stuff. And yes, they do actually toast it all!

Big Juice

Emily Bailey and Jeremy Eames meet Harri Grewal of Big Juice and try their first ever turmeric and wheatgrass shots with surprisingly stimulating effect.

Boozy Udders

Sarah Ward joins our hosts with a variety of exotically flavoured Boozy Udders ice cream. Sue gets to indulge, but poor tea-total Paul misses out on the tasters again. Sorry Paul, at least they look nice! Apparently both Paul and Boozy Udders started out as porn stars, so there’s an area they can bond over! Only joking, inspiration actually came from the lovely Nigella Lawson.

FoodTalk Show 21 July 2016 - Allergy & Free From Show Special (part2)

We're back with the second part of our Allergy and Free From Show special at Olympia and are lucky enough to meet a variety of amazing producers.

Christie Ellis and Paul Andrews catch up and discuss a recent wine tasting before letting us listen in on their talk with Vicki- otherwise known as the Free From Fairy- who has the world's first gluten free, rice free wholegrain flour blend- phew! what a mouthful! Next they meet the wonderful Kevin from Free'ist who plies Paul & Christie with all of his delicious sugar free sweet treats, as you can imagine they didn't protest too much! Lucy from Honest Eats talks about the wide range of products suitable to pretty much any diet you can imagine, and even let's us have a sneaky discount code...

For the second half of the show Brady Last and Christie Ellis get to try some gluten free rice noodle pots from Mr Lee's Noodles and are surprised at both the aroma and the quality for a dried noodle product, Paul Andrews even loves the branding! Our final Allergy and Free From show guest is Shami from Grub which led us to the discovery that Paul Andrews is quite partial to a bowl of roasted crickets- who knew?!

Mr Lee's Noodles

Mika and Kasia from Mr Lee's Noodles take time out of their busy day at the Allergy and Free From Show to have a quick chat with Christie Ellis and Brady Last about their 100% tasty 0% nasty noodle cups. Christie and Brady marvel at the size of the freeze dried prawns and try a few of these tasty new gluten free noodle pots.

Honest Eats

Honest Eats is a free from diners dream shopping website. Here Lisa meets Christie Ellis and Brady Last at the Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia and discusses the child that inspired the birth of Honest Eats. It's all about inclusivity and quality, and if you listen carefully you might even get 10% off.

Free'ist

Paul Andrews and Christie Ellis meet Kevin of Free'ist at The Allergy & Free From Show held at Olympia in 2016. He shares with us his guilt free tasty treats that are all either sugar free or low sugar. Paul loved the popcorn and the team marvel at how they've got such sweet treats without the added sugar.