A quick explanation about why I am bringing Adventures in Journalism back to life. It's bascially because I am busy belting about the place seeing interesting things, visiting beautiful places, and meeting fascinating people.

Now 2026 has arrived, I've decided to restart my podcast series - firstly with some thoughts on warm and sunny places, seeing the weather has been so bad here in the UK.

This first episode visits some out of the way places in the Algarve and talks to a guide who will take visitors to some pretty magical locations down there in Southern Portugal.

We also visit Puglia, where we talk to a farmer who has been nurturing some of the oldest olive trees in the world. Some of them were ancient when Jesus Christ was born!

Well known Somerset cider-maker Roger Wilkins talks to Martin Hesp about Banksy the artist and the great many other celebrities who've been to his old cider-house at Land's End Farm, Mudgeley, overlooking the Somerset Levels 

Sharpham Estate in Devon is famous for its wine and its cheese - but this year, more than ever, it was important to remind tourism providers and other movers and shakers about the fine produce that is made down by the shores of the River Dart in the South Hams 

Anthony Gibson worked for the NFU for an amazing 36 years and in that time he became a very well known figure, not only in the UK agricultural world, but also in the sphere of food and drink. Here he talks to Martin Hesp about the disconnect between local people and local food - and the steps which were taken in the 1980s and 90s to try to overcome that gap

The chef Peter Gorton has just been appointed as a director of Food Drink Devon - here in an interview recorded some years ago he talks to Martin Hesp of RAW Food & Drink PR  about the art of cooking game meat gleaned from the British countryside

Editorial Director of RAW Food & Drink PR Martin Hesp talks with Ben Forte of Masterbuilt about the remarkable new Gravity Series and with well known food photographer Nick Hook about the art of food and drink imagery 

Journalist Martin Hesp visits the rural town of Holsworthy on the Devon-Cornwall border on market day. The visit was made a few years ago before the big cattle market was moved to the outskirts of town - and in those days the small market square in the centre was buzzing with people. This podcast is a short audio history - a glimpse into a disappearing world

A podcast to go with a short film about visiting Petit St Vincent in The Grenadines - seems like a lovely place to be as the UK sinks into another lockdown and the November darkness brings heavy rain

Martin Hesp interviews Jonathon Jones OBE - trading director at Cornwall's Tregothnan Estate - the man behind the amazing and perhaps surprising success story of British grown tea. Here he tells the story of the UK's only major tea plantation

When The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall were celebrating their first quarter of a century as one of the UK's most beautiful and fascinating visitor attractions, Martin Hesp took the opportunity to talk with Sir Tim Smit, one of the main movers and shakers behind the refurbishment of the fabulous demesne... 

Martin Hesp chats to Sir Ferrers Vyvyan who has taken him on a tour of the remarkable Trelowarren Estate in Cornwall and who talks about the weird and wonderful landscape known as Goonhilly Down

We set out to celebrate English Wine Week by visiting the Huxbear Vineyard in South Devon in the company of Wickhams Wine and the wine writer Stephen Barrett

Reminiscences of exploring the West Penwith area at the western tip of Cornwall - and the hamlets of Treen and Porthgwarra in particular - featuring interviews with two long term residents. A bit of social history that could be gone before too long...

This podcast was recorded a dozen years ago when I was a parish councillor and I laid down my thoughts after a meeting one evening. It's all about autumn - lovely, beautiful autumn - in the British countryside

Martin Hesp takes is recorder on a jeep tour through the mountains of Madeira. Listen as the four-wheel-drive Land Rover climbs over high passes to reach the famous cloud forests of that beautiful island...

Martin Hesp records a podcast as he enjoys a guided walk along one of Madeira's magnificent 'levadas' - a series of high level irrigation canals up in the island's scenic mountains

Photographer Richard Austin tells Martin Hesp about his home town of Lyme Regis - the Dorset resort where in normal times you can go out mackerel fishing in the summer

A long time ago Martin Hesp invited some English folk singers to the old house where he lived to perform a number of ancient songs about cider. 

A long time ago Martin Hesp interviewed an old friend who had been a Hollywood starlet and who had led the most remarkable life. This is a brief interview he did with Heidi Beer on a Sony Walkman Professional cassette recorder

Martin Hesp travelled to Switzerland with Sherlock Holmes fans from Britain a few years ago - and a remarkable, if not bizarre, trip it turned out to be, 

Martin Hesp hosts a round-table chat with ex-BBC Archers agricultural story editor Graham Harvey and a handful of enthusiastic and knowledgeable cheese experts to discuss how good old fashioned artisan dairy practices could help reduce climate change.  

Another in a series of short stories written during the Big Coronavirus Lockdown, and read by author Martin Hesp. This one follows a woman who is determined to keep her rural community safe. 

We spend a morning touring the amazing Quicke estate in central Devon with Mary Quicke, the forward -thinking woman who makes some of the best cheddar cheese in the world

The third in a series of short stories written and read by Martin Hesp - all the characters are fictional but this is the sort of thing that might be happening during the lockdown across the UK. The time a well known television journalist goes to ground....

The second in a series of short stories written and read by Martin Hesp - all the characters are completely fictional but this is the sort of thing that might be happening right now in the British countryside. 

We all need some good cheer in these coronavirus times - and we need healthy things to eat. In this podcast Martin meets one of the UK's leading experts when it comes to growing garlic and shallots - he also visits the "happiest village in England" and meets a famous potter who's invented a garlic grater

The first in a series of short stories based on the coronavirus pandemic.

It is a tale about a bloke who suddenly realises he is going to have to walk right across the South West peninsula to see his mother during the coronavirus lockdown. But the journey turns into something else - a transformative pilgrimage in some ways. It's not too heavy, I promise - I just hope anyone who bother to listen to the one hour podcast will enjoy it…

During this time of lockdown in the fight against coronavirus many will feel hard-done-by or maybe claustrophobic - but spare a thought for the men who used to work in isolated lighthouses, totally restricted in every sense for months on end... This is an interview with one of the old lighthouse keepers 

A round-table discussion with several experts on the subject of British cider - made in conjunction with writer Graham Harvey

Travelling the 12 Atlantic miles to the island of Lundy about the MS Oldenburgh to prepare a beach picnic with Dan the Fishman, celebrating his 25 years working with local North Devon seafood

This podcast finds Martin Hesp in Porthgwarra - a tiny fishing cove located just a couple of miles from Land's End - where he ponders the wild Atlantic Ocean and interviews two men who have just rowed from one side of it to the other. Martin also visits the famous old Logan Rock Inn at Treen. Porthgwarra was part of the inspiration for Martin's new novel, The Cornish Sapper: The Granite Mystery

A day and a night out in Hoi An, one of the most historic cities in Vietnam - hear the sounds and soak up the atmosphere in this short podcast

Funchal guide Sophia Maul takes Martin on an eating and drinking tour around her adopted home city, the capital of Madeira

Recorded at the launch of Taste East Devon, Martin Hesp talks to the movers and shakers behind a new group set up to promote the food and drink of one of the most beautiful and fertile areas of the UK - interviewees include Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef Michael Caines and many others

Just because it's midwinter there's no reason why you shouldn't head down to the beach for a barbecue - it's all a matter of teamwork, good ingredients and the right all-weather gear, says North Devon's Dan the Fishman

This podcast tells the story of a unique traditional Christmas carol which is only ever sung in the medieval village of Dunster in Somerset 

Martin Hesp visits the annual Cutcombe Christmas Show - one of the last traditional 'fatstock' Christmas shows of its kind left in the UK - and soaks up the seasonal atmosphere talking to organisers and previous winning turkey breeders

What happens when a journalist deeply rooted in the rural West Country finds himself in the heart of the world's most populous metropolis? In this episode of Adventures in Journalism, Martin Hesp trades the damp hills of Somerset for the neon-lit labyrinth of Tokyo.

Martin isn't just following the tourist trail; he's meeting up with old friend and Somerset native Adam Kennedy, who has called Tokyo home for nearly two decades. Together, they delve into the "real" Tokyo—exploring how a city of millions maintains its unique soul, the fascinating cultural quirks of Japanese life, and what it's like for a West Countryman to navigate a sprawling Asian mega-city.

Whether you're planning a trip to Japan or simply enjoy a "travel guide for the soul," join Martin for an immersive audio journey through one of the most culturally rich cities on Earth.

Discover more stories, photographs, and recipes at martinhespfoodandtravel.com.

"I've done it for 70 years, since I was a tacker... now this fishing will be gone."

In this evocative episode of Adventures in Journalism, Martin Hesp heads to the mudbanks of Topsham to join the very last licensed salmon nets-men on the River Exe. For over a millennium, families have used seine-nets to harvest the "king of fish" from these waters, but a new 10-year ban has brought this ancient way of life to a sudden, silent halt.

Martin spends a day on the water with 81-year-old Terry Rowsell and Ed Williams, witnessing the back-breaking work and the quiet dignity of men seeing their heritage slip away. From the "empty cool boxes" of a day's hard labor to a final, magnificent wild salmon feast prepared by Chef Tom Williams at the historic Salutation Inn, this is a story about conservation, culinary excellence, and the bittersweet end of an English tradition.

In this episode:

• The Seine-Netting Legacy: How the tradition survived from Roman times to the present day.

• The Conservation Crisis: Why the ban was implemented and what the fishermen think is really causing the decline in stocks.

• Wild vs. Farmed: Chef Tom Williams explains why the flavor and color of a River Exe salmon can never be replicated.

• A Final Taste: A look at the simple, respectful ways to cook a fish that has traveled thousands of miles to return home.

For the full article and Tom Williams' wild salmon recipe, visit martinhespfoodandtravel.com.

Listening to former Prime Minister, Theresa May, make a speech in Plymouth the other day, I was reminded of the time I talked to the present PM, Boris Johnson, about his grandmother and grandfather. I knew them well - if you're wondering why I should talk to a politician about their grandparents... 

This brief podcast introduces my new food and travel website 

Martin Hesp spends a couple of days watching the judging in the product classes of the anual Food Drink Devon Awards. It's an exacting process which means thopse stickers you see attached to items on supermarket shelves declaring "Gold" or "Silver" really do mean what they say

Would you be interested in hearing about a new way of food shopping which both pays the farmer fairly and also insists upon environmentally friendly practices in agriculture? Those are the sort of decisions consumer power can make happen - and now it's possible thanks to a new concept which was originally born in France 5 years ago. There, the English name is Who's The Boss - in the UK it's called The Consumer Brand - and the first product has now been launched. Martin Hesp talks to the people behind the iniative...

There has been talk of centralising the control of England's national parks - an idea that will not go down well with local people who live in the remote uplands of places like Exmoor. In this podcast journalist Martin Hesp brushes off an old interview he did with Molly Groves - one of the founders of the Exmoor Revolting Peasants party - a pressure group formed by local people in the early 2000s

Journalist Martin Hesp joins Francis Clarke, the managing director of the highly regarded Trewithen Dairy, on a visit to a South Cornish holding where they are shown the benefits of regenerative farming by expert Tom Tolputt, who explains that the system could actually take carbon out of the atmosphere while at the same time producing fantastically healthy milk and cream, beef and lamb

In his travels as editor-at-large of a daily newspaper in the UK Martin Hesp came across many interesting people working in all manner of industries and trades - in this podcast he looks back at his meeting with the Rowland family - the Royal Warrant wheelwrights of East Devon

Battlegore and Bronze: A Million Words of West Country War and Peace

In this episode, Martin Hesp reflects on a staggering career milestone: 26 years of weekly 900-word columns for the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press. With over 1.17 million words written for his Saturday readers, Martin explores the responsibility of being the "eyes and ears" of the region since 1999.

Digging into his personal archives, Martin connects the modern anxieties of global conflict with his childhood in West Somerset—a landscape literally built on "Battlegore." From the silent, trauma-worn teachers of the 1950s to the cinematic Saxon slaughter of Vikings at Countisbury, this episode examines how history and local legend shape our understanding of the present.

It's a journey through the Somerset marshes, the high hill-forts above Lynmouth, and the evolution of a journalist who has spent a lifetime turning the "rough draft of history" into a legendary Saturday staple.

In this episode of Adventures in Journalism, Martin Hesp takes us behind the lens of his latest novel, The Cornish Snapper: The Granite Mystery.

Can a non-police sleuth still exist in the modern age of forensics and cordoned-off crime scenes? Martin argues they can—if they're carrying a press pass and a digital camera. He discusses the "brainwave" that turned a seasoned, world-weary reporter into the Dr. Watson for a sharp-witted, tech-savvy press photographer's Sherlock Holmes.

Highlights include:

• The 2002 Debate: How a BBC Radio 4 discussion on the "death of crime fiction" challenged Martin to find a new kind of detective.

• The "Snapper" Dynamic: Why the pairing of a veteran journalist and a modern photographer creates the perfect investigative duo.

• A Newlyn Awakening: Listen to an exclusive reading from the book's opening chapter, capturing the salt, grit, and authenticity of a Cornish fishing port at dawn.

• Journalism vs. Fiction: Reflections on how 50 years in the newsroom provides the ultimate toolkit for building a believable mystery.

The Cornish Snapper is available now. For more stories, articles, and to grab your copy, visit martinhespfoodandtravel.com.

Step inside the historic walls of Taunton's Castle Hotel in this episode of Adventures in Journalism. Host Martin Hesp sits down with legendary proprietor Kit Chapman to celebrate the 75th anniversary of his family's stewardship of this Somerset landmark.

Kit shares candid stories from the hotel's "black and white movie" past, including his father's 1950s restoration, the hotel's transformation into a Michelin-starred culinary destination, and humorous encounters with the likes of Henry Blofeld and Keith Floyd. We explore how the Castle has remained a permanent fixture in a changing world, serving as a gateway to the Quantocks, Exmoor, and the Somerset Levels. Whether you are a fan of English heritage, fine dining, or the art of hospitality, this interview offers a fascinating look at one of Britain's most prestigious establishments.