The Food Chain

Latest Episodes:

The recipe translators Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

Many chefs reach global status, with international demand for their latest book. Spare a thought for the translators, tasked with making their recipes accessible across barriers of language, culture and cuisine.

Translating a recipe isn’t as simple as getting the dictionary out, you need to understand the different terminology and ingredients used in each country, whilst staying true to the original dish.

We speak to Rosa Llopis, a Spanish translator who specialises in gastronomy and has translated a number of cookbooks. Cristina Cigognini is an Italian translator who usually specialises in literary translation of novels, but brought her skills to two cook books published by the chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Nawal Nasrallah is an Iraqi living in the US who translates medieval Arabic food texts, bringing those historic recipes to new audiences.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

Shop like the Queen Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

As Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II marks 70 years on the throne, we find out how you get a royal warrant.

It’s an official seal of approval granted to the suppliers of goods and services to the Royal household.

In London we visit one of Britain’s oldest cheese shops, Paxton & Whitfield, established in 1797. Managing director James Rutter tells us about the royal warrants the business has held since Queen Victoria was on the throne. We also visit Windsor, home to Windsor Castle one of the Queen’s many properties and Windsor & Eton brewery, which was awarded a royal warrant in 2018. Owner Will Calvert tells us what it takes to get this royal recognition.

Royal Warrant holders can’t tell you much about what the royal household buys or likes, we try to fill in the gaps with royal and social historian Caroline Aston, features writer for Majesty Magazine.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

Feeding the imagination May 25, 2022

Show notes

What do writers eat to stoke their creative fires?

George Orwell is said to have had a penchant for plum pudding, while Agatha Christie was partial to sipping cream while at the typewriter.

Food is fuel for an author but also serves as inspiration; often finding its way on to the page.

In this episode of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander speaks to novelists Avni Doshi and Abi Dare about their relationship with food and drink and how that influences their writing.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Image of an apple and two bananas on a laptop screen. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

How a stoma changed my life May 18, 2022

Show notes

Thinking about how food passes through your body may not be something that crosses your mind, but for people who have had stoma surgery, they’re aware of it at every meal. Tamasin Ford explores what it’s like to live with a stoma bag and how it redefines your relationship with food. We speak to three women who have had lifesaving operations to have a stoma bag fitted. The surgery tends to involve either the small or large intestine, with a stoma creating an opening on the skin of the abdomen to bypass the normal digestion process. Instead digested content is diverted to a pouch, worn on the outside of your body. We find out how they learned to eat again after having surgery, what they're doing to fight the stigma around stomas, and how they’re embracing their new lives with stoma bags. Joining us are Aisha Islam in Saudi Arabia, Alisa Kuivasto in Finland and Gill Castle in the United Kingdom. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Woman with stoma bag. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Producer: Sarah Stolarz Presenter: Tamasin Ford

The problem with wheat May 11, 2022

Show notes

Wheat is one of the most important grains worldwide: you’ll find it in bread, biscuits, pasta, sauces, sweets and more besides. Indeed, take wheat products off supermarket shelves and they would look rather bare. But recent global events – not least the war in Ukraine - have caused crop prices to soar.

Ruth Alexander charts how a humble grass grown in the Fertile Crescent became a commodity traded worldwide, and she explores whether we have become too reliant on this “mega crop” for our food supplies – and what alternatives there might be. She talks to Cathy Zabinski, professor of plant and soil ecology at Montana State University, US; Frank Uekotter, professor of environmental humanities at the University of Birmingham, UK; and Augustine Sensie Bangura, CEO of Sierra Agri Foods, Sierra Leone.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: An ear of wheat blowing in the wind. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The hot sauce sensations May 04, 2022

Show notes

Hot sauce can inspire fervent passion in its devotees. It’s a global obsession that translates to billions of dollars of sales a year. But with so many on the market, how do you create a taste that becomes a global hit? In this programme, Ruth Alexander explores the origin stories of two iconic brands – Sriracha and Lao Gan Ma. How did these sauces - born in humble circumstances in Vietnam and China in the 1980s - come to sit on dining tables around the world today? We explore their extraordinary stories and ask what their popularity tell us about changing global tastes.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Large red chilli. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Producer: Sarah Stolarz

Contributors

Stephanie Li, blogger and YouTuber at ‘Chinese Cooking Demystified’

Andrea Nguyen, cookbook author and publisher of Vietworldkitchen.com

The cost of 'getting ripped' Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

The man with carefully sculpted six-pack is everywhere: in Hollywood action films, on magazine front covers, in your social media feed, on dating apps. And so are the online ads telling you how to get the look. But what does it really take to get a washboard stomach? This week, Ruth Alexander hears from three men about the reality of getting ‘ripped’ and how much of it is down to what you eat. They reveal how deeply the experience can affect your relationship with food, your loved ones and yourself

(Picture: Male torso ripped in half. Credit: Getty/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

Graham Isador, writer

Florian Gaffet, massage therapist

Matthew Todd, author ‘Straight Jacket: Overcoming Society’s Legacy of Gay Shame’

How to date a carnivore Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Can the love of eating meat ever get in the way of a relationship?

You may have heard the phrase ‘the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach’, but what happens if the foods they eat are wildly different from yours?

Tamasin Ford explores what it’s like to date a carnivore. Not just someone who eats meat, but someone who loves meat. Someone who has been brought up to eat meat in every meal.

We speak to two couples whose diets can sometimes be the source of their most heated arguments to find out how they navigate meal times and social events. Can tolerance win out over frustration?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Steak on a plate. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Producer: Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

Barbara Friend

Molly Savard

Charlie Pears-Wallace

Joe Deeney

Tasting climate change Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

Wine producers say a warming planet can be detected in the glass.

The owners of long-established vineyards are having to adapt their methods to preserve the taste of their wines, but experts say change is inevitable and already tangible.

Ruth Alexander finds out how climate change is challenging some of the world’s most famous wine regions, while providing opportunities for new producers emerging in the most unlikely places.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: woman holding a glass of wine. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Sally Evans, Chateau George 7, Bordeaux, France

Dr Greg Jones, wine climatologist and CEO of Abacela vineyards and winery in Oregon, United States

Bjorn Bergum, Slinde Vineyard, Sognefjord, Norway

Food poverty in a rich country Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

As food prices are rising around the world, along with the cost of energy, even people living in some of the world’s wealthiest countries are struggling to manage.

In this episode, three UK citizens discuss how difficult it can be to feed a family on a low income.

Single parents Sue and Dominic tell of how they have had to skips meals themselves to ensure their children are fed, and how food insecurity has at times left them with feelings of shame.

And Kayleigh Maughan, the founder of the charity End Holiday Hunger, explains how the donations she relies on to make up the food parcels she sends to families in need are dwindling as supermarkets and households feel the pressure of the rising cost of living.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: hand holding a shopping basket. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Sue Stalker

Dominic Watters

Kayleigh Maughan