268: Career Conversations: The musical prodigy who became Quorn's Executive Chef
Stu Henshall has cooking (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/are-we-teaching-kids-enough-about-food-podcasts/) in his bones, but it didn't always look as though he would end up being Executive Chef at two of the world's biggest meat-free (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/the-best-vegan-plant-based-meat-alternatives/) brands. His early years were spent helping out his mum ...
20m May 25, 2022
20m
267: The history of english wine - and its sparkling future
The history of English wine (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/why-is-wine-not-vegan-the-guide-to-understanding-wines/) has been a bumpy one, and it starts much further back than many people would believe. There is evidence that the Romans grew grapes for wine in English soil some 2,000 years ago. For many hundreds of years after that there have been numerous attempts to make Engli...
36m May 24, 2022
36m
265: The intoxicating history of whisky - with the man behind World Whisky Day
Blair Bowman (https://www.blairbowman.com/) thinks there is something magic about whisky, and when you look into its history, it's hard to argue with him. "A single cask, single malt whisky, is totally unique," he tells Stefan Gates (https://foodmatterslive.com/person/stefan-gates/) in this episode of the Table Talk podcast. "The fact that a cask is organic, means every cask is different. If ...
1hr 7m May 19, 2022
1hr 7m
266: Career Conversations: How to get ahead as a food technologist
"I really love to see a client that's satisfied," says Tessa Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-anderson-bsc-hons-fifst-73a716139/?originalSubdomain=uk) . "That they're in a much better position than when I first met them." Tessa is a qualified food technologist (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/sustainability-food-jobs-green-jobs-food-technologist/) and is Managing Direct...
20m May 18, 2022
20m
264: Foodvalley: 'The global food system has to change'
For years, the Netherlands has had a particularly important role to play in the global food system - but how is that role changing as sustainability becomes an ever more pressing issue (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/ipcc-report-april-2022-plant-based-food-tech-investment-good-food-institute-europe/) ? The Dutch food production system has historically been the envy of the world, ...
39m May 17, 2022
39m
263: How Israel became a world leader in food tech innovation
Whenever there's a conversation taking place about the cutting edge of the food industry, the name of one country keeps cropping up - Israel (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/the-startup-nation-the-ecosystem-israel-foodtech-sector/) . Whether it's discussing plant-based innovations (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/best-plant-based-vegan-protein-sources/) , start-ups an...
45m May 12, 2022
45m
262: Career Conversations: Creating content for Tony's Chocolonely
"I feel privileged to be occupying a role... where you get to be emersed in all the brand love," says Micah Douglas, Content and Community Manager at Tony's Chocolonely (https://tonyschocolonely.com/uk/en) . Micah has only be in the role for two-and-a-half years but he can't speak highly enough of the place. In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, he reveals all about how ...
20m May 11, 2022
20m
261: Post-pandemic - how shifting relationships are influencing consumer trends
After two years of a pandemic, and the massive behaviour change it forced on all of us, how do companies in the food industry look to the future and identify opportunities for positive innovation? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, made in partnership with Accenture (https://www.accenture.com/gb-en) , we talk to the people behind the influential Fjord Trends report to find out. Fjord ...
43m May 10, 2022
43m
260: Food poverty - the teenagers fighting to be heard
The right to food is recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but in 2019 in the UK 5m people were living in food poverty (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/uk-government-criticised-over-food-security-and-poverty/) . Many of those affected are children, and in this episode of the Table Talk podcast, we meet two extraordinary teenagers who are campaigning to make the ...
40m May 05, 2022
40m
259: The baker turning young people's lives around
Max Tobias is co-founder of The Dusty Knuckle (https://www.thedustyknuckle.com/) , a social enterprise bakery in London. "It's not for the feint-heart," he tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series. Max says the jobs is "very demanding" and really is a 24/7 endeavour: "People need their daily bread." It's fair to say Max has been slogging his guts out along...
19m May 04, 2022
19m
258: Gunhild Stordalen: 'The food system is killing us, but we can fix it'
There are fewer challenges bigger than trying to transform the global food system to make people and the planet healthier, but for Dr Gunhild Stordalen it's a challenge worth taking on. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates meets the founder of non-profit organisation EAT (https://eatforum.org/) to discuss what motivates her, and how she stays driven to achieve her goals in t...
38m May 03, 2022
38m
257: Career Conversations: Shaping the next generation of sustainable chefs
When Ben Christopherson was travelling, shortly after going to catering college, he knew he wanted to work in pastry - but nobody would let him have a go. "On the continent they just would not let you in the pastry kitchen if you didn't have experience or a qualification. I didn't have either of those," he tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, made in as...
20m Apr 29, 2022
20m
256: Ramadan - is the UK food industry missing an opportunity?
Millions of Muslims around the world have been marking the holy month of Ramadan, with celebrations reaching a crescendo with Eid al-Fitr (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/ramadan-uae-fasting-iftar-feasting-and-fighting-food-waste/) . Food is central to Ramadan, and in this episode of the Table Talk podcast, we look at some of the history and tradition, but also the vital role of n...
55m Apr 28, 2022
55m
255: Is the history of beer at the heart of human civilisation?
Just how important is the history of beer when it comes to looking at the history of human civilisation? It might seem like a flippant question, but there's evidence that beer-making has played a crucial role in our species' past. The art of beer making is thought to go back as much as 12,000 years, with different cultures and societies all around the world brewing their own varieties. In th...
46m Apr 26, 2022
46m
254: Career Conversations: 'How I became Head of Sustainability at Nestlé'
What's it like to be Head of Sustainability at a huge company like Nestlé UK and Ireland (https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb) ? To mark Earth Day 2022 (https://www.earthday.org/) , we've been speaking to the woman who holds that role, Dr Emma Keller. Emma started out doing a biology degree at Imperial College London (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/) but, by her own admission, "was useless in a labora...
20m Apr 22, 2022
20m
253: Could switching to a climatarian diet really save the planet?
Could adopting a climatarian diet be the biggest single change each of us could make to reduce global warming (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/ipcc-report-april-2022-plant-based-food-tech-investment-good-food-institute-europe/) ? It's a big question, and possibly a big change for many of us, but James Hand, Co-Founder of Giki Zero (https://zero.giki.earth/) , thinks it could have ...
30m Apr 21, 2022
30m
252: Palm Oil - why banning it might not be the answer
The destruction of tropical rainforests to make way for palm oil plantations (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/iceland-removes-its-palm-oil-ban-due-to-sunflower-oil-shortages-caused-by-russia-ukraine-war/) is a growing environmental crisis. It's forecast that by 2050, worldwide production of palm oil will triple, leading to the continued large-scale loss of habitat and rising CO2 e...
36m Apr 19, 2022
36m
251: The dark history of sugar
The history of sugar is inextricably linked to the horrors of the slave trade. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by evolutionary biologist and food historian, Neil Buttery, to reflect on that history. Sugarcane originated as a crop in New Guinea around 8,000 BC, but quickly spread through Asia. It played a role in the economy of the Persian Empire and was even...
55m Apr 14, 2022
55m
250: Career Conversations: "The food industry is a fantastic place to work"
"The food industry is a fantastic place to work. It can be challenging, but it can be so much fun. You will always be learning." So says Rachel Auty, New Product Development Controller at Greencore (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/the-biggest-company-youve-never-heard-of-food-podcasts/) . Greencore make all sorts of food products that end up being sold in supermarkets, from soups...
19m Apr 13, 2022
19m
249: Quick Commerce - is super-fast delivery here to stay?
Quick Commerce, online services that deliver products to your door in minutes, appear to be booming at the moment. Boosted by a huge shift in consumer habits during the pandemic, new companies have been sprouting up all over the place. In some parts of the UK, it's possible to get groceries delivered to your home in just 10 minutes (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/10-most-successf...
41m Apr 12, 2022
41m
248: How food shapes our Easter celebrations
Easter is an important time of year for the food industry, and is one of the pillars of the calendar for any company working in the sector. But the role of food goes way beyond planning stock or staffing restaurants, it has always played a key role in how Easter is celebrated. Easter symbolism is laced with food at almost every turn, from Shrove Tuesday, to Lent, Easter Eggs and the Holy Comm...
32m Apr 11, 2022
32m
247: The turbulent history of gin - and where it's heading
The history of gin has seen the drink rise and fall in popularity, and rise and fall in social status. Initially developed in the Netherlands (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/creating-a-sustainable-food-system-the-netherlands/) as a medicine, it was drunk by soldiers there, giving birth to the phrase "Dutch courage". It quickly became popular in the UK, and a quirk of the tax (ht...
45m Apr 07, 2022
45m
246: Career Conversations: The architect turned food illustrator
"When I knew I was dyslexic.. and I read about it, everything made sense. Every condition that we have makes us unique and special." Rocio Egio, food illustrator and artist, has an infectious energy and attitude to life. She signs off all her emails "delightfully dyslexic" and tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations series: "All the capacity that I have now is because I ...
20m Apr 06, 2022
20m
245: A new frontier - how tech is changing grocery retail
The Coronavirus pandemic caused a shock to the grocery retail sector (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/what-do-consumers-want-from-grocery-retailers-as-we-move-forward/) like none we've seen before. But with great challenges, often come great innovations. Technology now plays a bigger role in the average consumer's shopping experience than ever before and the changes we were all fo...
42m Apr 05, 2022
42m
244: Career Conversations: The Black Farmer – ‘Audacity is key to success’
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, AKA, The Black Farmer, is a force to be reckoned with. A child of the Windrush generation, he left Jamaica (https://foodmatterslive.com/event/webinar-the-caribbean-your-source-for-immune-health-and-sustainability/) and moved to Birmingham where he lived with 10 family members in a two-up two-down. Nobody would have believed then that he would go on to become a wildly s...
19m Apr 01, 2022
19m
243: Do labels and packaging really affect what we taste?
How much do labels and packaging (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/only-16-of-britons-understand-healthier-food-and-drinks-labels-according-to-new-research/) affect what we taste when we eat food? It's a question that Christopher T Simons, Associate Professor in Sensory Science at The Ohio State University (https://www.osu.edu/) , has given a lot of thought to. In his latest study...
33m Mar 31, 2022
33m
242: Career Conversations: The woman behind Mamamade
"I've learned to welcome (people saying) no. Each 'no' brings you a little closer to the next yes." It takes a lot to launch a successful food brand, but Sophie Baron, founder of Mamamade (https://mamamadefood.com/) , says she couldn't have done it alone. She says she was lucky to have mentorship (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/career-conversations-mentors-food-podcasts/) from w...
19m Mar 30, 2022
19m
241: Creating a sustainable food system - why all eyes are on the Netherlands
How do you go about making a sustainable food system that is net positive when it comes to carbon emissions? How much comes down to changing consumer behaviour versus manufacturing practices? And if you are to change the entire food system, how do you go about getting all stakeholders onboard? None of these are easy questions to answer, but that's where a project in the Netherlands comes in....
37m Mar 29, 2022
37m
240: Career Conversations: Meet the self-taught vegan chef
"The early part of my career was in food marketing roles, which I absolutely loved. But I really felt like I wanted to work for myself." And so began a hugely successful career as a vegan food (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/most-parents-support-vegan-school-food-options-according-to-a-vegan-society-report/) blogger, author and podcast host for Niki Webster. Perhaps just as well...
20m Mar 25, 2022
20m
239: The challenge of increasing shelf-life without additives
In the battle against food waste, increasing the shelf-life (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/uae-national-food-waste-reduction-initiative-expo-2020/) of products is one weapon we have at our disposal. The latest figures suggest we still produce around 143kg of waste per person per year in the UK.  But many traditional methods of increasing shelf-life don’t fit with consumer conce...
17m Mar 24, 2022
17m
238: Salt reduction - could nature hold the answer?
The amount of salt (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/70-of-uk-meal-deal-snacks-are-too-high-in-fat-salt-and-sugar-says-new-study/) , or specifically sodium, we consume is a global health problem. The World Health Organization (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/who-report-plant-based-diets-healthy/) says most people around the world consume double the recommended amount e...
23m Mar 22, 2022
23m
237: Career Conversations: Why going it alone doesn't mean doing it all
Does being an entrepreneur in the food sector (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/women-in-business-founders-investors-mentors-food-and-drink-industry/) mean doing everything yourself? Not according to Ayesah Grover, CEO and founder of strp'd (https://www.strpd.com/) , a company that makes flour, milk and flakes out of tigernuts. In the episode of the Career Conversations series, Ay...
19m Mar 18, 2022
19m
236: Keto Diet: Exploring the science and busting the myths
The ketogenic diet is everywhere you look, promoted as a quick way to lose weight. It seems to tap into something within many of us and comes with the added attraction of appearing to be based in some scientific theory. There is also the fact that there is evidence that, under proper medical supervision, the low-carb diet can be effective for children with drug-resistant epilepsy. But is it ...
27m Mar 17, 2022
27m
235: What rising inflation means for the food industry
Rising inflation (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/uk-food-price-inflation-reaches-highest-rate-in-nearly-a-decade/) is hanging over every household and business in the country. In January 2022, overall prices were rising at around 5 per cent, with food a key contributor. So how will rising prices affect the food industry? (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/consumers-st...
39m Mar 15, 2022
39m
234: Career Conversations: Working for 'the biggest company you've never heard of'
When Mark Whalley was doing his degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, he had no idea that he would end up happily working as Consumer (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/all-change/) Insights Controller for a major food company. "I didn't know what consumer insights was," he tells Elisa Roche in the latest Career Conversations episode. "I thought I would be a primary sch...
20m Mar 11, 2022
20m
233: Career Conversations: 'How I turned my baking hobby into a job'
Benjamina Ebuehi says for a long time, she never saw baking (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/cooking-with-nostalgia-the-comeback-of-traditional-british-foods-of-yesteryear/) as a career. "I didn't want to work in a restaurant kitchen or run a bakery," she says. "And I didn't really know what else I could do with it." So she carried on with her degree in Economics at the University...
19m Mar 08, 2022
19m
232: The changing face of plant-based food in 2022
The market for plant-based food and drink is undoubtedly growing, but what does that mean for the types of products we might see on the shelves in 2022? This year's Veganuary was the biggest ever (https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/veganuary-2022-sees-the-largest-number-of-participants-ever/) , and Marks and Spencer alone has added 175 new plant-based products to its range this year....
44m Mar 07, 2022
44m
231: Are we teaching kids enough about food?
How do we inspire young people to become fascinated by food? It's a question food teachers up and down the country are answering every day - but is their work being valued? In England, there has been a big decline in children taking a GCSE in food and nutrition, and it is the only national curriculum subject that doesn't have an A-level. That's despite the crucial role learning about food and...
51m Mar 04, 2022
51m
230: Career Conversations: The "euphoric moments" of working in NPD
As work placements go, it's fair to say Laura Bradshaw wasn't too impressed when she was sent to a chicken producer in her third year of university. "All my peers were going off to well-known brands like Cadbury's, Nestle and M&S," she tells Elisa Roche in this episode of Career Conversations, "and I was going off to a chicken factory." But, Laura now says it was a pivotal moment in her caree...
19m Mar 03, 2022
19m
228: What role can probiotics play in sport performance?
What role can probiotics play in helping all of us, whether we're casual runners or elite athletes, achieve our fitness goals? The link between diet and sports performance is a fascinating area.   At its heart is the gut microbiome - that colony of microbes that digests our food and regulates our metabolism - it can also affect our behaviour, our emotions, and our overall health. In this epi...
26m Mar 01, 2022
26m
229: Insects for dinner: Do we have a duty of care?
It's well known that insects are a good, and abundant, source of protein. But just because we can eat them, should we be considering whether we should? And if we should eat them, do we need to start thinking seriously about how we farm them? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by Adam Hart, Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucestershire. ...
45m Feb 26, 2022
45m
227: Career Conversations: 'How I launched a drinks brand'
It's not every day you get a phone call that changes the course of your life, for Ellie Webb it left her "half over the moon, half terrified". Sainsbury's were calling to say they wanted to stock her new non-alcoholic drink, Caleño. At this point, Ellie was working alone, making the drink in her kitchen - Sainsbury's wanted to stock it in each of their 500 stores. "I thought to myself, I eit...
19m Feb 25, 2022
19m
226: Food labelling - how much information is too much?
Is the amount of information on food labels helping or hindering us when it comes to making choices about what we purchase? Consumers are said to be demanding transparency regarding the foods they eat – from animal welfare to sustainability and health and nutrition information, they want to know it all.  Surely a better-informed consumer can make better choices for their health, right?  This...
29m Feb 24, 2022
29m
225: Transforming the desert into fertile land
What do you do about food security if your country is mostly surrounded by desert? It's a growing problem, particularly for the United Arab Emirates. It's estimated that around 120,000 square kilometres of land is lost to the desert each year. Countries like the UAE rely heavily on imported food, but efforts are being made to turn desert land, into fertile land. In fact, it's already happen...
30m Feb 21, 2022
30m
224: Career Conversations: The man elite athletes turn to for nutrition advice
"I used to struggle at university," Dr James Morehen says. "I really had to put the effort in if I wanted to get a good grade." James says that struggle remained part of his studies through his undergraduate degree, his Masters and his PhD. "I had to re-sit a module during my Masters," he tells Elisa Roche in the latest in our Career Conversations series. But he says that was when he knew he ...
20m Feb 18, 2022
20m
223: The refugee chefs taking Malaysia by storm
An innovative company in Malaysia is aiming to transform the lives of refugees in the country, through food delivery. PichaEats, based in Kuala Lumpur, helps refugees who can cook to sell their food and make an income. Suzanne Ling is the company's co-founder and she puts it simply: "They can cook but don't have access to the market. We have access to the market, but we can't cook." And she ...
37m Feb 17, 2022
37m
222: Tackling food poverty in Japan without handouts
There is an organisation in Japan which is taking a different approach to helping people living in food poverty. Second Harvest's Marugohan initiative doesn't simply deal in handouts, it asks for something back in return. That could be a good deed, or even, paradoxically, a small donation of food. The idea is to give people in need, some agency, a sense that they are not merely the receivers...
34m Feb 16, 2022
34m
221: The dark history of chocolate
Millions of people will be giving and receiving chocolate on Valentine's Day, and even more will be doing so around Easter. But do we really understand the true history of it? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by food historian, Emma Kay, to reveal the often very dark history of chocolate. The slave trade was used to exploit millions of people, who were forced ...
39m Feb 14, 2022
39m
220: Career Conversations: 'The food sector needs people'
"I was worried at the time. I didn't know what I wanted to do." Kate Halliwell was in her twenties and, despite studying biochemistry at Oxford, she wasn't sure which career path to follow. So she upped sticks and went travelling for two years. "I refer to it as my quarter-life crisis," she tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations series. It wasn't long before Kate was b...
19m Feb 11, 2022
19m
219: What does the future look like for CBD?
It's clear that the use of CBD in food and drink products in the UK is rising rapidly, but just how big can the market become? In this second Table Talk episode focussing on CBD, Stefan Gates is joined by two experts on how the supplement can be put to use. Lauren Lovatt is Founder of Plant Academy, and Dave Gibson is Founder of Gibsons Goodology. Both have extensive experience in the opport...
35m Feb 10, 2022
35m