The Food Chain

Latest Episodes:

I Can't Taste! Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

If you could not taste your food, what would you eat? Would you even want to? Taste disorders are rare, but they can have devastating impacts on people's lives. They can also tell us a lot about our food.

Emily Thomas meets a cookery writer who says she wanted to die after a car accident robbed her of taste. But as the sense slowly returned she became a more experimental cook.

And a man who has not been able to taste anything for five years, explains how it has changed his social life, and how he has found innovative ways to enjoy his food.

Plus, we hear calls for more research to develop treatments for these disorders, and how taste could be key in the early diagnosis of dementia.

(Photo: A hand holding a black apple. Credit: Getty Images)

Gordon Ramsay: My life in five dishes Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

Chef Gordon Ramsay is world-famous but, he tells us, people no longer want to talk about his food. The celebrity has become known as much for his cookery programmes, his fiery temper and explosive outbursts, as for his culinary skills.

This week, the focus is back on the food, as Gordon speaks to Emily Thomas about the five most memorable meals he has ever had and how they have shaped him as a chef - from his mother’s macaroni and cheese on a council estate in the West Midlands, to smuggled cheese soufflés at Le Gavroche.

Gordon's dishes are: Mum's Mac and Cheese with smoked bacon; soufflé Suissesse at Le Gavroche; braised pigs' trotters with cabbage at Casa Del Pescatore near Verona; rum baba at Le Louis XV; and his own chickpea curry.

(Photo: Gordon Ramsay. Credit: BBC/Getty Images)

In Search of Wine's 'Holy Grail' Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

Wine has been getting more and more alcoholic in recent decades, driven by consumer tastes and climate change. This has big implications not only for public health, but also the quality of the bottle.

But making a lower alcohol wine that is still full of flavour is extremely complicated, especially when growing grapes in rising temperatures – some have called it the profession’s Holy Grail.

Emily Thomas meets those trying to solve the puzzle: a Chilean vineyard owner; a climate change and grape variety academic; and an Australian scientist whose raspberry-flavoured Chardonnay could hold the key.

(Picture: Wine cellar. Credit: Getty Images)

The Comedy of Food Jan 04, 2018

Show notes

Does food ever make you laugh out loud? We try to stand up the theory that food is getting funnier because modern diets make it a richer sauce of comedy.

Comedy about food seems to have moved a long way from oddly shaped vegetables and Charlie Chaplin slipping on a banana skin, to something more nuanced. Now we seem to be laughing at the way we eat - with ever more comedy acts, TV programmes and YouTube videos poking fun at diet trends, restaurant customs and cookery shows. Has the way we eat become so obsessive and complicated - that food has quite literally become a laughing stock?

Emily Thomas meets comedians JP Sears, Tats Nkonzo and Alex Thomopoulos, and comedy expert Delia Chiaro to explore the comedy potential of food. You know, just for laughs.

(Photo: A king feasting alone in a banquet hall. Credit: Getty Images)

Big Tech Wants Your Food Shop Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

Technology giants are gobbling up the online grocery market - and over the past year we’ve seen Amazon and Alibaba getting their teeth into bricks and mortar too.

But do they want to transform the supermarket experience, or is this about harvesting even more consumer data?

And what will all of this mean for farmers, your pocket, and the quality and sustainability of your food?

Emily Thomas discusses with Brittain Ladd, a strategy, supply chain and logistics expert who formerly worked for Amazon leading worldwide expansion for Amazon Fresh, Pantry and Groceries; Scott Marlow, senior policy specialist for Rural Advancement Foundation International, a non-profit organization based in North Carolina supporting family farms; and Amanda Long, Director General of Consumers International, which works to empower and champion the rights of consumers.

Plus, we visit Farmdrop, a London-based startup which aims to give customers a more ethical online shopping experience.

(Photo: a picture of the hand of a young man holding an ice lolly against a pink background. Credit: Getty Images)

Food Chain: The Quiz 2017 Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what to do with a watermelon outside the kitchen? Or how many hot dogs a person can eat in 10 minutes?

It's time to find out with The Food Chain Quiz 2017. Get ready for some strange but wonderful food stories and play along with our two teams: chef Cyrus Todiwala and La Fromagerie founder Patricia Michelson versus food historian Marc Meltonville and Ghanaian food writer and TV cook Fafa Gilbert.

Emily Thomas hosts this challenging and at times bizarre battle for the coveted wooden spoon.

Rounds include: What Happens Next? What’s this Sound? And back by popular demand …. The Lucky Dip.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

How to Make a Farmer Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

Fancy a career change? If you're not doing it already, what would it take to make you a farmer? Would smart technology, matchmaking websites or reality TV do it?

In our second episode to explore the problem of the world’s ageing agricultural workers Emily Thomas hears about some innovative and surprising attempts to re-brand farming.

Is education or technology the answer, does farming need a re-brand, OR is it just too hard for most farmers to make a living - and does the global food system itself need to change?

It matters - if the farmers die out, where will you get your food in the future?

(Picture: Young farm girl. Credit: Getty Images)

I Won't Farm! Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

The average age of farmers globally is thought to be around 60, and rising. So where have all the young farmers gone and who is going to farm our food in the future? It’s an issue that could affect every single one us and the food we eat.

Emily Thomas meets families in Kenya, the UK and the Netherlands to find out how farmer’s sons and daughters really feel about taking over the family business. How much of a role do economics, regulations, lifestyle and public perceptions play in driving them from agriculture?

This is the first of two episodes to explore why so many young people across the globe are turning away from farming, and what can be done to tempt them back.

(Photo: Young woman standing in an empty ploughed field. Credit: Getty Images)

Where's my African Takeaway? Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

Why have so few African cuisines made it onto the world’s culinary stage? Whether it's Michelin stars, popular restaurant chains, or even takeaways and street food, the continent’s gastronomy isn’t anywhere near as prominent as Chinese, Italian or Indian in many parts of the globe.

Emily Thomas talks to chefs from Nigeria, Senegal and Eritrea to hear what they think is holding their food back from achieving global prominence - is it economics, culture or taste? And what can be done about it?

(Photo: Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam displays his food in New York City. Credit: Getty Images)

The 'Disneyland' of Food? Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

We're in Bologna, Italy as FICO Eataly World opens its doors to a curious public. Its mission is to educate people about Italian food, and attract 6 million tourists a year. But is a shopping mall really the best way for the Italians to reclaim the authenticity of their food?

Italian food is known and loved across the world, but much of what is consumed doesn't actually come from Italy. Could what some are calling 'the Disneyland of food', be the answer to increasing understanding and boosting exports?

Emily Thomas takes a trip around the park, speaks to the people behind the project, and visits local producers in Bologna.

(Photo: Chef with pasta. Credit: Getty Images)

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