My guest today is the founder of Hoppers - Karan Gokani. Combining his passion for cooking with his love of the country of Sri Lanka he has built a restaurant empire celebrating the food of Sri Lanka and Southern India. I went to Sri Lanka last year for the first time and completely fell in love with the food. I’ve been to Hoppers many times so I kind of knew what to expect but honestly it’s just the most amazing country and the most delicious food so it was brilliant to hear from Karan about his love for it it too.

I know I told you that this was going to just be a little short season for the month of February but already we have come to the last episode of this mini season – it’s gone very quickly but fear not as we are already recording the next – so hopefully wont be too long to wait. 

Another reminder to any one listening – if you haven’t yet subscribed to my newsletter Dinner Tonight, please do think about it. It’s one easy weeknight recipe, often one pan, mostly 30 minutes or less and I look forwards to writing it every week and it’s honestly amazing that there are so many people reading it. Over 22,000 of you now which is amazing but there’s always room for more. https://dinnertonight.substack.com/

I do hope you enjoy todays episode and thank you for listening. If you don’t already, come and follow me on Instagram @desertislandishes and you can sign up for the newsletter and find a whole host of different recipes at www.desertislanddishes.co 

Thank you again to HG Walter our sponsor for this month of Desert Island Dishes, and thank you for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have Ravneet Gill on The Dream Dinner Party– she is an extraordinary pastry chef who just makes the most amazing cakes and puddings. She’s also a TV presenter and cook book author – her third – Baking for Pleasure is out now and it’s all about baking for the pure joy of it. She has been a guest on Desert Island Dishes – a few years ago but well worth a listen. I knew Rav loves to entertain so was great to hear more about that and how she envisages her Dream Dinner Party.

Thank you to our sponsor for this month – the brilliant family run butcher HG Walter. www.hgwalter.com

I do hope you enjoyed todays episode and make sure you’re subscribed to catch all episodes of The Dream Dinner Party and Desert Island Dishes. Thank you so much for listening bye!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have Clodagh McKenna on our mini episode: The Dream Dinner Party. Clodagh is so much fun. She makes the most delicious food but she also makes the setting and everything look so beautiful. You’ll have seen her cooking on ITVs this morning, as well as her brilliant instagram videos she did during lockdown that brought a lot of cheer to people. I think she is one of the only dream dinner party hosts where I have actually been to a dinner party she hosted and it was so much fun. A lot of dancing, mainly to Tina Turner and so I knew her dream dinner party would be very special.

Clodagh has just announced that her Irish Tea Brack has launched - you can order it from her website www.clodaghmckenna.com and it will be delivered 24 hours after it comes out of the oven! Delicious!!

Don't forget to leave a review if you havent already. And sign up for the newsletter at www.desertislanddishes.co - there are now over 12,000 of you on the newsletter which is so so exciting to me. THANK YOU!

And a huge thanks to my amazing producer Georgie - find her at www.rutherfordproductions.co.uk. She's the best and I'm so grateful for all her help with bringing this to you each week.

See you next time for more Desert Island Dishes x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Chris Smalling.

Chris is a Manchester United and England International footballer. He’s been playing professional football for the last 8 years having played more than 300 games for Man United. He talks to me about turning his dream to become a footballer into reality and what it’s like to represent your country on the pitch.

In January 2018 Chris made the decision to turn vegan for a number of different reasons which we discuss. He is a pioneer of plant based eating in sport and is part of a growing list of vegan sports stars – including formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, boxing champion David Haye and tennis star Venus Williams.

I cant quite believe it but Chris is the first professional sportsman we’ve had on Desert Island Dishes and although it may come as a bit of a surprise to a lot of you - I am a big football fan, I love watching it and my husband is a huge Manchester united fan so we made a day trip of it and went to the Man U training ground to meet with Chris.

I hope you enjoy!

Thank you so much for the amazing reviews you’ve been leaving on Itunes recently – they really do make my day and give the show a little boost and help others to find out about the show! If you haven’t yet left a 5* rating now is your moment!

So there we have it – another delicious day of Desert Island Dishes! Don’t forget you can find me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura) and you can sign up for the newsletter at (https://www.desertislanddishes.co)

And I will see you next week!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Isaac Carew

Isaac is a chef, Instagram sensation and has also been working as a model for the last decade modelling for some of the world’s biggest fashion brands. He’s been described a chef-turned-model-turned-chef again

He trained at culinary school for two years and received his big break in 2007 cooking alongside Angela Hartnett at The Connaught before being scouted as a model at the age of 22.

He is one half of an impossibly cool and glamarous duo – with his girlfriend being the music superstar Dua Lipa. In 2018, Evening Standard named him as one of London's most influential people in the Tastemakers: Eat and Drink category.

Hope you’re all well and that you’ve had a lovely week. If you haven’t yet left a 5* rating for desert island dishes and you’ve been enjoying listening – then consider it your good deed of the day – I read all of them and it genuinely does make a big difference, so thank you.

My first newsletter went out last week – and now I hope its going to be a weekly occurrence – there will be an exclusive recipe in there each week plus little bits and bobs that I think you might be interested in – from what’s in season and what you can cook with it, homewares worth lusting after, podcasts, books and everything in between. If you fancy signing up, go to (https://www.desertislanddishes.co) and you can sign up there. The more the merrier and it just feels a bit more intimate and fun than social media does, so I’m glad I’m finally doing it.

Don’t forget you can find me on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura/)

Thank you so much for listening! I will see you next week!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Jason Atherton

Jason started cooking at a very young age in the seaside hotel run by his family. At 16 he ran away to London and got a job at a Michelin-starred restaurant -- all while living in a youth hostel.

After years of working under esteemed chefs such as Pierre Koffmann, Nico Ladenis, Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay, he began building his own global restaurant empire just seven years ago. First in London with the award winning Pollen Street Social and now in Hong Kong, Shanghai, The Phillippines, Dubai, Sydney and New York. He has 17 restaurants so far and counting.

He has been described as a world class culinary alchemist and Marco Pierre Whie is on the record having said of Jason:

“Jason is a realist not a fantasist. He has turned his dreams into reality”

Hope you’re all well and that you’ve had a lovely week. If you haven’t yet left a 5* rating now is your moment! And your good deed for the week could be recommending Desert Island Dishes to your friends and colleagues. I love bringing it to you every week and your reviews really do make the world of difference.

Having talked about it for a while now I have been beavering away on my newsletter you won't want to miss it – so do head to (https://www.desertislanddishes.co) and you can sign up - come and join the gang and I promise to try and make something that you actually look forwards to getting in your inbox - however sporadically…

So there we have it – another delicious day of Desert Island Dishes! Don’t forget you can find me on instagram @margienomura

Thank you so much for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Joe Wicks.

Otherwise known as The Body Coach - Joe has taken the fitness world by storm in just 5 years he has gone from personal trainer doing bootcamps in the park that sometimes people wouldn’t show up for – to a bonafide fitness guru with his own empire.

He has written 7 cookbooks and is a multi million best selling author having sold 3 million copies to date. His first book was the second best selling cookbook on record and he’s even been named the second most influential person in food in the UK.

He boasts millions of followers across social media and has had the kind of success most people only dream of but through it all he says his mission has remained the same from day one and that’s "to get the world off diets, become more active and to eat proper food”

Joe has recently become an investor in the meal delivery company (https://www.gousto.co.uk) which is another really exciting step in his career. He walked away from a huge deal with a supermarket in order to work with Gousto and we find out why that was such an important thing for him to do both personally and for his business.

If you haven’t yet left a 5* rating for Desert Island Dishes - now is your moment! It really does only take a few seconds to do and makes such a differecne and helps other people to find out about the podcast which is amazing and I also really love reading your reviews!

Thank you so much for listening – don’t forget you can visit the website www.desertislanddishes.co for all the recipes and lots of kitchen tips and tricks
and you can find me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura/)

X

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Chetna Makan.

You may remember Chetna from The Great British Bake Off Season 5 where she made it through to the semi-finals and really stood out for her exciting use of flavour, creativity with her dishes and the fact that many of these dishes were completely new to her.

She has gone on to write three cookbooks all showcasing the food of India in different and exciting ways. She has her own successful Youtube Channel “Food with Chetna” where she shares her love of cooking all inspired by Indian cuisine.

Of Indian food Chetna says:

Many people still think of Indian food as unhealthy takeaways or elaborate tedious recipes to prepare. I want to show that everyday Indian food, as I cook in my own kitchen, can be extremely delicious while being easy to prepare and healthy”.

Hope you’re all well and that you’ve had a lovely week. If you haven’t yet left a 5* rating now is your moment! It makes such a difference and I really love reading your reviews!

This was the first episode we have recorded at my house and Chetna came over armed with Portuguese custard tarts which are the way to my heart – and we drank tea from teacups. All this to say this it was very sophisticated. We nibbled on brownies and custard tarts as we chatted with the Spring sunshine pouring through the window. (I think it’s always nice to set the scene a little isn’t it??)

Thank you so much for listening – don’t forget you can visit the website (https://www.desertislanddishes.co) for all the recipes and lots of kitchen tips and tricks and you can find me on Instagram @margienomura

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Clodagh McKenna

Clodagh is a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and a broadcaster.

Originally from Ireland, she’s been cooking professionally for 20 years. She is the author of 7 cookbooks – her latest one Clodagh’s Suppers came out at the start of this year and is really brilliant.

In Spring 2018 she became the weekly food columnist for the Evening Standard and she has regular slots on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch in the UK, The Today Show and the Rachael Ray show in America plus several more in Canada.

Her most recent TV show, Clodagh's Irish Food Trails gained more than 15 million viewers on PBS in America and has really helped to establish her in America.

I only recently met Clodagh after following her career from afar when I got to go to the most delicious dinner party at her house. She really is the hostess with the mostess – there was dancing between each course and the most delicious food. As it’s Valentines day today – whether you are celebrating that – or galentines - or palentines day – Clodagh has got a delicious menu suggestion for what you should make if you’ve got someone in your life you would like to impress!

Find Clodagh's latest book here: (https://amzn.to/2DEp21H)

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – please do as it really does give the show a little boost. And you will make my day. Thank you!

Thank you so much for listening – don’t forget you can visit the website www.desertislanddishes.co for all the recipes and lots of kitchen tips and tricks and you can find me on Instagram (https://instagram.com/margienomura)

x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Madeleine Shaw.

Madeleine is a bestselling cookery writer, a nutritional therapist and leading wellness blogger.

She was really at the forefront of blogging when it all took off and has been a pioneer in the world of wellness.

She’s written 3 best selling cookbooks, launched an app, amassed a huge following online, trained as a yoga teacher – had a baby and has just released The Good Gut Guide.

It’s not for nothing she’s regularly called a guru.

I was so happy to not only get Madeleine on the podcast but also to have her as the guest on our first live recording of Desert Island Dishes. It was so much fun. I was really nervous which I think you may be able to hear in my voice at the beginning but we had so many people there and everyone was so lovely and they all seemed to enjoy it so that made it even better and so now we can get planning some more. If you might be interested then go to the website desertislanddishes.co and sign up for the newsletter which at the moment is very sporadic but it will be the first place we announce more live events.

So we recorded the podcast in the same manner – it’s the same other than the fact its been recorded in front of an audience and I’ve left in a bit of the intro so you can get a feel for what it was like.

Madeleine was absolutely lovely and a true professional – so hope you enjoy! And thank you for listening.

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a 5* review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do I promise and really makes such a big difference and means I can keep making the podcast each week.

You can find me on instagram - (https://www.instagram/margienomura) and you can visit the website (https://www.desertislanddishes.co) for the full list of episodes , lots of recipe ideas including the one inspired by Maddie.

See you next time!

Bye

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Georgina Hayden.

Georgie, otherwise known as "Georgie Pudding n Pie" to her hoardes of loyal followers and fans on Instagram.

She is a hugely successful cook, Food writer and stylist from North London.

Growing up above her grandparents’ Greek Cypriot taverna in Tufnell Park, Georgie developed a passion for cooking. She studied Fine Art at university, but after graduating – she landed a job as a food writer and stylist on Delicious magazine.

She went on to join Jamie Oliver’s food team where she worked for nearly 12 years. She writes, develops and styles for magazine features, books, television projects and campaigns.

She published her first cookbook Stirring Slowly a few years ago and we are now only a mere few months away from the publication of her new book - Taverna.

Preorder Georgie’s new book here: (https://amzn.to/2DJFAq4)Get your hands on Stirring Slow here: (https://amzn.to/2DIGuTE)

Thank you for all the lovely reviews you’ve been leaving – genuinely I read all of them – cool person that I am – and they really do brighten my day. It’s very quick and easy to do – and it helps others to find the podcast which is brilliant veauce obviously I want to be able to carry on bringing the show to you each week. So if you are enjoying listening – and you felt like doing your good deed of the day – well that would be fab.

As Georgie mentions – we did actually record this episode about a year and a half ago – she was one of my first ever guests but we never put it out and I was so happy to be able to re-record and have a bit of a catch up with the lovely Georgie and so many exciting things have happened since then.

So grab a cup of tea and maybe a biscuit and settle in for today’s episode.

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do I promise. Thanks so much for listening!

You can find me on instagram - (https://instagram.com/margienomura) and you can visit the website (https://www.desertislanddishes.co) for the full list of episodes , lots of recipe ideas and kitchen tips and tricks

See you next time!

Bye

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Ainsley Harriott.

Ainsley is a chef, a TV presenter, a business man and cookbook author. He has sold more than 2 million cookbooks worldwide and he now has his own range of supermarket foods, including couscous, risotto, soups and cereal bars.

He won the heart of the nation during his time presenting Ready Steady Cook and became one of the most recognised TV personalities – he is back on our screens with a new series called Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen – Sunday’s on ITV at 11.30am if you fancy tuning in.

Such is Ainley’s popularity that back in 2015 there was a petition to get him on the new £20 note and it gained more than 25,000 signatures.

Hope you enjoy today’s episode!

The link to get tickets to the live event next weekend where I will be interviewing Madeleine Shaw is here:

(https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/desert-island-dishes-live-with-margie-nomura-and-madeleine-shaw-tickets-54533277501?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)

Thank you to Robert Welch for sponsoring this episode of Desert Island Dishes. Don’t forget to use the discount code DISHES10 – to get an extra 10% off the Camden Cookware Range on robertwelch.com.

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do. And it really helps other people to find out about the podcast which is also great – and I read all of them and they really do brighten up my day – so it could be your good deed of the day!

Thanks so much for listening!

You can find me on instagram - @margienomura and you can visit the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots of recipes and kitchen tips and tricks.

You can find Ainsley @ainsleyfoods

See you next time!

Bye

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Tom Kerridge.

Tom is a 3 star Michelin chef – his pub the Hand and Flowers in Marlow was the first pub to be awarded 2 Michelin stars.

He’s been in the business for 27 years and my goodness has he done a lot of things. His second pub in Marlow, The Coach also has a Michelin star - he has a butchers / pub and last year he opened his first London restaurant – Kerridge’s Bar and Grill at the Corinthia Hotel London.

As if this wasn’t enough, Tom has written best selling cookbooks, appeared on and hosted many TV shows, he started a food festival and has a catering business.

The cherry on the top is that The Sun describes him as “The culinary master”, Metro has said he is a “national treasure” and GQ says he is a “human sunbeam”.

You can find Tom’s book here: (https://amzn.to/2RMGtWQ)

Thank you to Robert Welch for sponsoring today’s episode. Don’t forget to use the code DISHES10 at checkout on (www.robertwelch.com) for an extra 10% off their sale of Campden Cookware.

Also if you would like to come along to Desert Island Dishes live – I will be interviewing Madeleine Shaw on the 2nd February at Mortimer House, London and I would so love to see you there! You can get brunch too – yay! Here is the link for tickets:

(https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/desert-island-dishes-live-with-margie-nomura-and-madeleine-shaw-tickets-54533277501?aff=ebdssbdestsearch)

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do. And it really helps other people to find out about the podcast which is also great!

Thanks so much for listening!

You can find me on instagram - @margienomura (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura) and you can visit the website (www.desertislanddishes.co) for the full list of episodes , lots of recipe ideas and kitchen tips and tricks

See you next time!

Bye

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Ed Gamble

Ed is a comedian, an actor, host of the Off Menu podcast amongst others, and judge on the Great British Menu. He can now also add author to his bio of credentials as his debut book Glutton has just been published.

His career in comedy began at Durham university performing with the Durham revue before heading to the Edinburgh fringe for the first time in 2011 

His stand-up comedy is largely observational comedy, often aimed at himself, including discussion of his diabetes, which he was diagnosed with as a teenager. He says his humour was honed by a fixation with all things sitcoms and stand up.  Ed has been a regular panellist on the BBC panel show Mock the Week , has acted for shows on the BBC and hosted several radio shows. The Off Menu podcast which he hosts with James Acaster has been a phenomenal success which has seen him become somewhat of a household name. 

When asked what made him get into comedy, Ed replied, The perfect mix of a terrifying ego and an astonishing lack of self-esteem. I can’t tell day to day whether I’m arrogant or I hate myself, but I think somewhere in-between is absolutely ideal for a comedian.

Do hope you enjoy today's episode. Come and find me on Instagram @desertislanddishes and don't forget to sign up to the newsletter Dinner Tonight by going to the website www.desertislanddishes.co

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Amelia Freer

Amelia is a one of the leading nutritional therapist in the U.K. She has treated hundreds of clients through her private practice and clients rave about her approach to nutirion which is motivational, extreremely knowdeleable and done in a way which makes incporpating healthy food into every day life, enjoyable.

Her client list is very impressive as some of her clients have included Victoria Beckham, Sam Smith, Boy George and James Corden.

She is also the author of 3 best selling books.

Amelia divides her time between her busy practice in central London and her home in Wiltshire, where she says you will most likely find her pottering around in her vegetable garden. So this is a lovely episode that I’ve been looking forwards to for a long time! I’m a big fan of Amelia, and she was kind enough to invite my sausage dog Digby along. He was obviously delighted but as predicted he wasn’t the most helpful co-host – so apologies if you can hear him.

If you haven’t yet left a 5* rating now is your moment! And your good deed for the week could be recommending Desert Island Dishes to your friends and colleagues. I love bringing it to you every week and I really want to carry on doing so and that means we need to spread the word.

Find Amelia on instagram here: (https://www.instagram.com/ameliafreer/)

Find me on Instagram here: (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura/)

And you can buy Amelia's book's here: (https://amzn.to/2A5hwMn)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Laura Jackson

Laura is a TV presenter, a designer of clothes and homewares. In fact she has been described by Work Work Work - as a creative polymath with a career spanning food, fashion and TV.

Since 2014 she has started a supperclub with her work wife – the other half of Jackson and Levine - Radio 1’s DJ Alice Levine. The pair brought out their gorgeous cookbook last year in 2017 and have since gone on to design several ranges for Habitat.

So this is a lovely episode – we recorded in Laura’s dreamy house – which I’ve seen many pictures of but its even better in the flesh and her gorgeous whippet Barry sat with his head on my lap the entire recording which made it even better. We talk everything from cooking disasters, the best restaurants in London, the joy of cake batter and why we love bread.

You can find Laura’s book here: (https://amzn.to/2zH2Our)

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a 5* review – please do as it really does give the show a little boost and is genuinely very much appreciated.

Thank you so much for listening. Don’t forget to go to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode and loads more beside that.

Come and say on Instagram @margienomura (https://instagram/margienomura) and tell all your friends – the more the merrier.

Thanks so much for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Felicity Cloake.

Felicity is an award winning freelance journalist and writer. You may know her from her infamous Guardian column How to Make the Perfect:” or perhaps from her column in the New Statesman or perhaps from her many other writing features.

She has written 5 books – with more in the pipeline. Her writing and recipe testing is meticulous and has made Felicity one of the biggest names in food writing today with her recipes being some of the most trustworthy around. I was so excited to sit down with Felicity this week and when I described her as one of the biggest names in food writing I could see her immediately recoil at that because she’s very modest but it’s true and I stand by it.

To back up my statement I can tell you that she has been crowned the “Nation’s Taster in Chief” and Jan Moir says: “She oozes trustworthiness the way a figgy pudding oozes spicy fumes” which both Felicity and I decided was a pretty impressive accolade.

There’s all sorts in this one – from dishwahers, to chicken kievs, melon ballers, eyeballs and everything in between. On that note: I would love to know where you lot stand on melon ballers? Now I’m not saying they are an essential piece of kit – but who doesn’t love little tiny balls of melon??

You can find Felicity's new book here: (https://amzn.to/2Pan5xL)

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a 5* review – please do as it really does give the show a little boost and is genuinely very much appreciated.

Thank you so much for listening. Don’t forget to go to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode and loads more beside that.

Come and say on Instagram @margienomura (https://instagram/margienomura) and tell all your friends – the more the merrier.

Thanks so much for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Gino D’Acampo

Born into a large family in Napoli in the South of Italy – he came to London at the age of 19 back in 1995.

You may know him from his regular appearances on This Morning where he cooks up a storm, or perhaps from his early days on Ready Steady Cook. He’s a TV regular, a best selling author and a successful restaurauteur. He has written over 16 cookbooks, holds six Guiness world records (one of them is for walking on custard) and he was crowned King of the Jungle in the 9th series of I’m a Celebrity Get me out of here.

Gino is often described as the UK’s favourite Italian chef.

He has over 40 restaurants in the UK and he’s currently got 3 television series on our screens at the moment alone. He’s just published a new book Gino’s Italian Adriatic Escape.

I thought I knew Gino from watching him cook on TV but I learnt so much about him in this episode and finding out about how he got to where he is today was so much fun, not least discovering that he was George Michael's private chef! Which is very cool.

Oh and pasta for breakfast is going to be a thing! You heard it here first...The Margie - cannot even tell you how my dreams would come true to have a pasta dish named after me!

You can find a copy of Gino’s new book here: (https://amzn.to/2QX1PwW)

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do.

I know people bang on about it a lot but 5* ratings and subscribing to the podcast really does boost it in the rankings and it really does help me out – so thank you!

Thank you so much for listening Don’t forget to go to the website (https://www.desertislanddishes.co) for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode. Oh and its brand new – so do head over and have a look because it’s taken me an age!

Come and say on Instagram @margienomura and other than that, Thanks so much for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Ed Smith.

You may know him by his pen name – Rocket and Squash.

Ed gave up a high flying career in law around 6 years ago to pursue a career in food and I think this is a good listen for anyone thinking about changing career whether into the world of food or beyond.

Ed is the author of the hugely popular and award winning website Rocket and Squash – which is sort of a smorgasbord of delicious things from recipes, to restaurant reviews and cookery news. He has now written 2 cookbooks to much acclaim and regularly writes for a multitude of publications. And in 2015 Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards named him ‘Best Online Restaurant Writer’ and shortlisted him for ‘Best Cookery Writer’. Which is all pretty impressive!

You can find Ed's first book here (https://amzn.to/2PqAAya)

You can find his second book all about Borough Market here (https://amzn.to/2Thia1h)

If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do. I know people bang on about it a lot but 5* ratings and subscribing to the podcast really does boost it in the rankings and it really does help me out – so thank you!

Thank you so much for listening Don’t forget to go to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode. Oh and its brand new – so do head over and have a look because it’s taken me an age!

Come and say on Instagram @margienomura and other than that,

Thanks so much for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Donna Hay.

Donna is a world famous food publishing phenomenon and most definitely the undisputed Queen of cookery in Australia.

She has published 27 cookery books which have sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 10 different languages. And her TV shows have been broadcast in more than 14 countries.

She launched her own magazine to critical acclaim which ran for 17 years and 100 issues. It’s safe to say that with her easy to follow and delicious recipes, simply prepared and beautifully photographed Donna has inspired a whole new generation of cooks.

I found a quote that said “at the age of eight, Donna Hay skipped into a kitchen, picked up a mixing bowl and never looked back”.

Find Donna on Instagram here: (https://www.instagram.com/donna.hay/)

Find me on Instagram here: (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura/)

Head to the brand new website www.desertislanddishes.co and have a look around!

And you can find Donna's incredible new book here: (https://amzn.to/2OwaTqp)

Thank you so much for listening. If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do. I know people bang on about it a lot but 5* ratings and subscribing to the podcast really does boost it in the rankings and it really does help me out – so thank you!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Niki Segnit.

Niki is the author of two books: the first being the Flavour Thesaurus which has sold more than 250,000 copies and has been translated into 14 languages which is just amazing.

Her latest book is Lateral Cooking which I’m sure is going to follow in the foot steps of her first and it’s already received rave reviews.

Niki counts Heston Blumenthal, Nigel Slater and Ottolenghi as fans and according to an article I found online – Kate Winslet too.

The Sunday Times said of Niki’s first book:

The Flavour Thesaurus is a deceptively simple little masterpiece, set to take its place by McGee on Food and Cooking as a household Bible.'

It really is that good: find Niki’s books here (https://amzn.to/2qlbZfd) and here (https://amzn.to/2PB6OG8)

If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you will definitely have heard me banging on about the Flavour Thesaurus – it’s such an amazing book and my copy is very well thumbed – and so I was giddy with excitement to meet Niki and talk all things flavour. Get ready to hear me being a proper fan girl!

This is your friendly little reminder and request to ask you to leave a little 5* rating and maybe even a review if you fancy it as it really makes me so happy reading them and more importantly it helps others to find the podcast which is obviously great. Thank you so much!

Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or nosing through supermarket trolleys and fridges – just in constant search for food inspiration and finding out what people are eating! I love it!

As always head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots of recipes and that’s all from me for now,

Thank you for listening! Bye

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Magnus Nilsson.

Magnus is the head chef of the Faviken restaurant in Northern Sweden. He initially joined as a sommelier and within a year he had taken over the running of the restaurant.

At the age of 34 he has 2 Michelin stars and has been featured in PBS The Mind of a Chef and Netflix’s The Chef’s Table

He has just published his third book – the Nordic Baking Book which showcases over 450 recipes gathered by Magnus.

You can find his book here: https://amzn.to/2RetSry

Time magazine states that he is routinely counted among the world’s greatest chefs.

Thank you so much for listening! If you’re have been enjoying desert island dishes – can I ask a small favour? Just pause what you’re doing and take just 30 seconds to leave a 5* rating and a little review. It really helps to spread the word about the podcast and I really appreciate each and every one.

Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.

Thank you for listening, see you next week, Margie x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Rosemary Shrager.

Rosemary is a chef, food writer and TV personality. She is both a cooking and food enthusiast

Rosemary began her career in restaurant kitchens, working under Pierre Koffman and Jean-Christophe Novelli, and now runs her own cookery school and patisserie

In terms of cooking – she’s really done it all - from cooking over a campfire in the Australian jungle on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here to cooking for royalty. Rosemary has decades of experience in the kitchen and believes that anyone can be a better cook!

If you’re listening and have been enjoying desert island dishes – please do take 30 seconds just to leave a 5* rating and a little review as it really makes the world of difference. I know its very sad but reading your reviews makes me so happy and ive only just figured out how to read the reviews from other countries and it’s so cool that people are listening all over the world – hello! And thank you!

Isn’t Rosemary fun? What a career – so many impressive things in there and I am very very much in favour of the idea of starting businsesses or new careers whenever it might be in life – there is no wrong time and I love that Rosemary is showing us how its done.

You can buy her book here:

(https://amzn.to/2CnTCNL)

Come and find me on instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or nosing through supermarket trolleys – yup that’s a thing, I’m doing it, come and have a look.

As always head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots of recipes and that’s all from me for now.

Thank you for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Saliha Mahmood Ahmed

Saliha was the winner of Masterchef last year in 2017 and she won whilst also working full time as a Junior Doctor – often turning up to film the show straight off the back of a night shift. In addition she also has a young son – so the whole thing was really rather impressive.

Known for her big and bold flavours – Saliha wowed the judges with food steeped in her family’s heritage. She’s written her first cookbook – Khazana – meaning treasure trove and it certainly is that.

In an interview with the Times she was quoted as having said:

“The other day when I was tired I gave my husband a jacket potato and I had one too, and I felt really miserable afterwards. I thought, ‘this surely can't be life!"

I’ve learnt something from each and every episode of desert island dishes – and for none is that more true than today’s episode where I discovered so much I really had little to no idea about before and that made it really fun! Please ignore my extreme English accent and I’m sure I pronounce things in an extreme anglicised way so I hope you forgive me and enjoy today’s episode!

Saliha's book is out now and you can get it here:

https://amzn.to/2ytYIod

Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.

I’m working hard on my website at the moment and I’m excited to show you but in the meantime there are lots of easy, delicious recipe ideas on there including the recipe that was inspired by todays episode. The website is www.desertislanddishes.co .

Thank you for listening! x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Rachel Belle

Rachel is an award winning journalist with over 20 years of experience. She lives in Seattle and is the creator & host of Your Last Meal, a James Beard Award finalist for Best Podcast, 

Her food writing has been published in places like Lucky Peach, Eater and The Stranger, she has appeared on The Cooking Channel (as a taco expert!) Rachel says she loves traveling the world, hiking through wildflowers, campfire cooking, and trying as many dumplings and pizzas as possible. On her website Rachel says her relatives invented both the bagel dog and the tube top which are both equally intriguing!

To find more of Rachel be sure to check out her podcast Your Last Meal wherever you get your podcasts.

And find us at www.desertislanddishes.co and on Instagram @desertislanddishes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Gizzi Erskine

Gizzi is a chef, a TV personality, a cookbook author and now business owner and restaurauteur.

This has been an extremely busy year for Gizzi with the opening of her first ever permanent project, Mare Street Market in Hackney, which is a very cool food space that houses a restaurant, deli, record shop and a florist.

On top of that – she also has a new book coming out. Slow, of which Gizzi says is the best she's ever written.

Of her cooking Gizzi has said:

"Domestic goddesses have their place, but I’m a professional cook, plus, I’m not domestic at all – my house looks like a bomb’s hit it."

If you’re listening and have been enjoying desert island dishes – please do take 30 seconds just to leave a 5* rating and a little review as it really makes the world of difference and helps other people to find the podcast which is always exciting!

Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.

I’m working hard on my website at the moment and I’m excited to show you but in the meantime thee are lots of easy, delicious recipe ideas on there including the recipe that was inspired by Gizzi. The website is www.desertislanddishes.co .

Thank you for listening! x

Byee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Prue Leith.

Prue is a restaurateur, a writer of both novels and cookbooks, a business woman, a TV presenter and of course judge on the Great British Bake Off.

A champion of food and a passionate charity supporter - there was many great quotes from Prue on the record – whole articles dedicated to Prue quotes but one that stuck out for me was on food trends in the Telegraph where she was quoted as having said:

“I don’t give a toss for drizzles and fizzles, that’s not food. I like real food.”

Now if you watched last weeks episode of Bake Off – you will have heard Prue say she never wanted to taste chocolate again. In light of that I took the somewhat bold step of baking her some brownies. I was expecting her just to put them in her bag but she ate them in front of me and I instantly got really quite panicky and nervous – but I pleased to report that she’s very polite and said they were really good. There may even have been two really’s…but hey who’s counting!

If you’re listening and have been enjoying desert island dishes – please do take 30 seconds just to leave a 5* rating and a little review as it really makes the world of difference and helps other people to find the podcast which is always exciting!

Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.

I’m working hard on my website at the moment and I’m excited to show you but in the meantime thee are lots of easy, delicious recipe ideas on there including the recipe that was inspired by Prue. The website is www.desertislanddishes.co

Thank you for listening! x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Theo Randall.

It’s safe to say that Theo is one of the nation's most beloved chefs.

Inspired by the food of his childhood trips to Italy, Theo has developed a life-long passion for Italian food. He spent 17 years at The River Café and was Head Chef when they won their Michelin star.

In 2006 he left to set up his own eponymous restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel in London to great critical acclaim.

An interview online states: “In a world full of swagger, quick tempers and massive egos, Chef Theo Randall, is a breath of fresh air.”

We recorded today’s episode in Theo’s restaurant at the Intercontinental in London where they were preparing for a busy days service. Theo is a legend in the food world and I think there’s always a slight assumption that seriously successful people might not be that nice – but if that is how the theory goes Theo completely proved that wrong.

Thank you for downloading and listening to the podcast – don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe – it might seem like a minor thing but it makes a big difference!

Come and have a look at the desert island dishes website (www.desertislanddishes.co) – exciting things are going to start happening – and there are lots of recipes including – of course – a delicious pasta recipe inspired by Theo.

And other than that, thank you for listening. Tell all your friends, and come and see me on Instagram @margienomura

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Donal Skehan.

Donal is blogger turned TV chef, cook book author and general star of the food scene.

He has written no less than 8 cookbooks, has nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram, 750,000 on his Youtube channel and has done countless TV shows. He is known for his simple no nonsense approach to home cooking and is adamant he is a cook rather than a chef.

Even with the release of his first cookbook way back when, he was dubbed Irelands answer to Jamie Oliver.

Head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for more information about Jack's choices, and to find the recipe inspired by this week's episode.

Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and if you enjoyed listening please do leave a 5* review as it really does help people to find the podcast and get the word out there.

In the meantime, come and find me on instagram @margienomura and I will see you next time x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back from the Summer break and hitting the ground running with today's guest.

My guest today is Jack Monroe.

Jack made her name as a food blogger writing the recipes she created with the £10 a week she had to feed both her and her young son. The recipes Jack created were both cost effective and delicious and they provided such a crucial service to so many people. Jacks recipes are healthy, delicious and, importantly, varied.

Jack now has million of visitors to her blog, has written three best selling cook books is now a well respected journalist, campaigner and activist.

You can get Jack's book here: https://amzn.to/2PjcN2a

Head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for more information about Jack's choices, and to find the recipe inspired by this week's episode.

Thank you so much for listening! Dont forget to subscribe to the podcast and if you enjoyed listening please do leave a 5* review as it really does help people to find the podcast and get the word out there.

In the meantime, come and find me on instagram @margienomura and I will see you next time x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Rachel Khoo

Rachel is a British cook, writer and broadcaster. She rose to fame in 2012 when she published The Little Paris Kitchen. Later, The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo, was commissioned as her first TV series with the BBC.

The book became a best seller, millions of people watched her on TV and the rest as they say, is history. Rachel has gone on to write many more books with her 6th book – The Little Swedish Kitchen having just come out. She has presented and created many more TV series and she is firmly on the map as a well known TV personality and chef.

As if that weren’t enough, Rachel is also the founder and editor-in-chief of online lifestyle magazine Khoollect.

Rachel describes herself as a ”food creative with a fresh approach to all things edible”.

I hope you enjoy this episode, don't forget to come and say hello on Instagram @margienomura and visit the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots of recipes and more info on the guests.

Thank you so much for listening!

Don't forget to leave a review and I will see you soon x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My  guest today is Laura Freeman.

Laura is an art critic, a writer and an author.

Her book which came out earlier this year called The Reading Cure is a very brave and thoughtful memoir about how reading about food helped her on her road to recovery from anorexia.

Laura is a truly excellent writer – having gained a double first from Cambridge and her book has had an amazing reaction.

A review in the independent said of her book :

“The Reading Cure is the work of a true-blue bibliophile, and it's impossible not to be seduced by Freeman's love of prose. It's essential reading not just for those who love food, but words.”

This was a different kind of chat in many ways – but one that I think it really important and really interesting. We do all have different relationships with food and I think its important to explore them and to talk about them and I learnt a lot from Laura plus there are some delicious goodies in here too.

Food is so much more than just the food itself – which is what this podcast talks about a lot -  I for one - remember my life through the meals I’ve eaten and the best moments with friends, or celebrating happy occasions or holidays are often centred around meals, around food and it’s such a central character in the story of so many of our lives. However, it’s wrong to think that everyone’s relationship with food is straight forwards and obviously everyone is different – there is no completely shared experience.  Laura has struggled with her appetite for food but her appetite for reading never went away and ultimately it was this that saved her and that makes for an incredibly interesting read and a very different outlook on food which I hope you will enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Jenny Dawson Costa

Jenny founded Rubies in the Rubble back in 2011 which started out as a stall in Borough Market and now her products are stocked in Waitrose, Selfridges, Harrods and many many more places.

Jenny studied maths at university before working for a hedge fund in the City for two years. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her degree, but knew she wanted to start something of her own and do something she was passionate about.

After coming across the fact that half of all the food we produce is never used and yet billions of people don’t have enough to eat, Rubies in the Rubble was born.

Desert Island Dish Japanese feast from Eat Tokyo Cheese Platter with condiments All sorts of ice cream

I first came across Jenny and her amazing business years ago now and genuinely just thought it was the best idea ever for a business and it’s been so inspiring to see her go from strength to strength. I just love speaking to these amazing entrepreneurs and hearing how they got to where they are – I find it so inspiring and I know you will enjoy hearing from Jenny – the condiment queen. That’s not her official title, but I’m going to go with it.

I mean, isn’t it a cool business? I love how the power of a word – from chutney to relish can change a business. You hear that kind of thing all the time – I mean I guess it’s the whole premise behind marketing but it’s kind of fun when you hear about it in action. I can vouch for the deliciousness of the spicy tomato chutney which is genuinely amazing – so so good in a sandwich, and with just about anything. It’s so fresh and well it’s just great.

I almost edited out her recommendation of Eat Tokyo which happens to be one of my favourites but I like you all so wouldn’t deprive you of an excellent recommendation like that!

Thank you for listening, don’t forget to subscribe and do leave a review as it really helps more listeners to find the podcast.

Thank you!

Margie x

Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura and check out the website at www.desertislanddishes.co

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Anna Jones

Anna is a cook, a food writer and a food stylist. She decided to quit her day job after reading an article about following your passion in the newspaper. Within weeks, she was signed up on Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen apprentice programme. She went on to be part of Jamie’s food team has cooked for royalty and politicians.

She has written not one, not two but three best selling books and has been hailed The Queen of Greens.

Her food has been described as “ cosmopolitan, strengthening the passion for international cuisine but with a twist as all her recipes are exclusively vegetarian".

Anna is defintiely the woman of the moment, the cookery writer everyone is talking about and who I have been dying to meet and to get on the show. Anna was every bit as wonderful as I thought she would be and we sat in her lovely garden on a hot Summer's day talking all things desert island dishes and it was dreamy.

I also having stopped thinking about the pizza oven in her garden and now I know I NEED one!

Desert Island Dish: South Indian Thali with brown sugar meringies with cherries and whipped yoghurt

Cookbook to add to the Desert Island Dishes hall of Fame: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat, Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak, and The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

If you’re listening and you haven't yet left a review please do – it only takes a few seconds – and I know im always banging on about it but it genuinely is very much appreciated and I read them all.

Thank you so much for listening Don’t forget to go to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode,

Come and say on Instagram @madebymargie and other than that,

Thanks so much for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Annabel Karmel,

Annabel is the best-selling children's food author and television personality

She has written a whopping 41 books which have sold millions of copies worldwide. She has also created supermarket food ranges, weaning equipment and smartphone apps. With her app being the number 1 food app in Britain.

Annabel was awarded an MBE in June 2006 in the Queen's Birthday Honours for her work in the field of child nutrition.

She has been described as the undisputed category queen in baby food and It’s not for nothing that Annabel is known as the Princess of the Purees.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Russell Norman 

Known as The Restaurant Man. He is a writer, broadcaster and award winning founder of celebrated restaurants with first THE POLPO restaurant group and now BRUTTO. 

Hailed as “London’s coolest restaurateur” and having been described as the man who saved restaurants after the financial crash, Russell is a restaurateur with over 20 years experience in London restaurants – he worked his way up from bartender, to waiter, maître d, general manager and operations director at Caprice Holdings before opening his first restaurant Polpo. 

Never one to follow trends, in fact he sets them…it was Russell that started our love affair with small plates, sharing platters and a move away from the fussiness of fine dining. It was also Russell that started the strict no reservation policy that spread like wild fire. 

Russell has said, "A lot of people fantasise about opening their own restaurant, thinking it is going to be a bit like a dinner party but with a till, but it’s a fallacy” The reality is 18 hour days and they would be tired and miserable”. And yet he says for him, the feeling of running a restaurant is as though “someone’s plugged into the mains”.

Hope you enjoy today's episode. Don't forget Russell's beautiful book Brutto is out now.

Thank you very much to Nestlé Carnation for sponsoring this weeks episode. Head to their website www.carnation.co.uk for lots of recipe inspiration and there’s even a free downloadable recipe book waiting for you there too.

You can find me @desertislanddishes and the website at www.desertislanddishes.co

Thank you for listening!

Margie x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Martha Ortiz

Martha is a chef and cookbook author who is famous for her imaginative approach to food and her historical research into Mexican food traditions. Having written 8 cookbooks she is passionate about food that shows Mexico’s spirit and sense of identity.

She recently opened her restaurant Ella Canta in London after the success of her restaurant in Mexico City which is regularly listed in Latin America’s top 50 restaurants.

It really comes as no surprise that Martha is one of Mexico’s most famous celebrity chefs and has a starring role on Top Chef México, when she says such brilliant things as..

‘Chilli is like a lover — you really need to feel its presence”

Thanks for listening!

Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe as it really does make all the difference. And head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots more recipes.

You can find me on Instagram and Twitter, @madebymargie.

See you next time! x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Melissa Hemsley

Melissa is described as a kitchen pioneer, and she is one half of Hemsley and Hemsley – the bestselling cookbook authors who had their own TV series on Channel 4 and have their own café in London’s Selfridges. 

She has released her first solo cookbook this year, Eat Happy, which focuses on 30 minute feel-good food.  

Melissa is a proud supporter of lots of different charities including the Prince’s Trust and Cook for Syria.

Marie Claire has described Melissa as “the Queen of the kitchen.”

Desert Island Dishes:

1.    prawns dipped in vinegar. Or anything Filipino – Chicken tonola2.    Stephanie’s tomato sauce or scrambled eggs3.    Cambodian fish ammok curry4.    Egg mayo or classic cucumber or New York Reuben5.    Roast chicken and all the chicken leftovers6.    Watermelon salad

Desert Island Dish:

Pan of bolognaise with chicken livers and lots of red wine

Luxury item: really amazing olive oil

Most treasured cook book: anything by Madhur Jaffrey

Thanks so much for listening. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe and tell your friends about Desert Island Dishes.

See you next week and in the meantime come and say hi on Instagram @madebymargie and check out the latest Desert Island Dishes inspired recipe on www.desertislanddishes.co

x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Ruth Rogers.

Ruth is the Chef and co founder of the River Café . She is without doubt, one of the most respected and celebrated chefs in the world.

In 1987, Ruth, along with her friend and business partner, Rose Grey opened the River Café in what was then a fairly unfashionable part of London in what used to be a warehouse on the bank of the River Thames.

The pair became famous for simple, authentic Italian food and 30 years later the River Café has grown to be one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Quite an achievement for two friends who weren’t trained chefs, and who started out with a space big enough for just 9 tables.

To mark 30 years of the river café, Ruth has brought out a new book. River café 30. Of the book Ruth writes: ‘Change is timeless. A good restaurant is alive. It lives, It grows and so do its recipes. We have grown. We have a new vision, but the same conclusion: with good ingredients and a strong tradition change and recipes can be timeless. “

Desert Island Dish: Chocolate nemesis cakeLuxury item: Olive oilCookbook: Marcella Hazan’s first book

Don’t forget to go to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode.

Come and say on Instagram @madebymargie. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review us on itunes as it really does make a difference!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*This was recorded back in December but it's one of my favourites so I wanted to share it with you again for anyone that missed it. Forgive the Christmassey references at the beginning, I hope it doesnt make you feel too discombobulated but Levi is a superstar, and I didnt want you to have missed out by not hearing it.

My castaway this week is Levi Roots.

Levi was born Keith Valentine Graham in Jamaica. After his parents moved to the UK when he was 4, he was brought up by his grandparents until he eventually moved to Britain at the age of 11.

He shot to fame in 2007 by appearing on Dragon’s Den with his famous Reggae Reggae sauce. He wowed the dragon’s and managed to secure a £50,000 investment from Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh.

Within 4 weeks his Reggae Reggae sauces were outselling Heinze tomato ketchup in Sainsbury’s and since then his business has gone from strength to strength. He now has so many products ranging from sauces, to snacks, to seasonings and ready meals. He’s written 7 books, released 4 albums and opened a successful restaurant. He does a lot of work with the Prince’s Trust and is a key figure in the Brixton community.

We recorded this at Levi’s restaurant in Westfield Stratford so you can hear a little of the hustle and bustle of the restaurant in the background which I kind of like.

Levi has a whole host of delicious Desert Island Dishes in his selection and oh my goodness – Levi’s final desert island dish sounds like complete heaven. I love the sound of the porridge his grandmother used to make, and his choice of sandwich was not what I was expecting at all. I think Levi’s story is really inspiring, and he talks so eloquently about his time in prison and how to worked to turn his life around with huge success.

I just thought there were so many interesting and inspiring nuggets in there.

Hope you enjoyed listening to Levi.

Desert Island Dish:

Jerk chicken, rice and peas with coleslaw and plantain

Luxury item: guitar

Don’t forget to check out the website www.desertislanddishes.co to see which recipe has been inspired by Levi’s desert island dishes and I will see you next time for another exciting episode

In the meantime come and say hello on Instagram, you can find me @madebymargie.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guests today are The Hairy Bikers, whose real names are Dave Myers and Simon King.

Dave previously worked as a make-up artist, for the BBC where he specialised in prosthetics. Si worked for many years as an Assistant Director and Locations Manager for film and television, including the Harry Potter films.

The pair met on the set of a TV drama 23 years ago and discovered that they found they shared a love of riding motorbikes, cooking – and eating. Since then their popularly has soared, they have gone on to have countess TV shows and they have written more than 20 successful cookbooks which is pretty impressive!

Desert island dish:

starter: Italian Salumi

Main Tournedos Rossini

Pudding: banana crème brulee and cheese board

Luxury item:

Dave: motorbikeSi: Sharp knives

I definitely had a little fan girl moment trying to invite myself to supper – pretty sure I wanted to nominate myself to be the 3rd hairy biker – but I don’t quite have the beard for it…

Don’t forget to come and find me on Instagram. I’m @madebymargie where I share recipes, more desert island dishes inspired food and I’d love to see you there.

Thanks for listening!

Bye!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Bettina Campolucci Bordi

Bettina is a qualified vegan raw chef having trained at the Matthew Kenny Culinary Institute over in Los Angeles.

She was born with a passion for food and cooking she says has remained a constant pleasure in her life. Brought up by a Norwegian father and a Danish-Bulgarian mother Bettina’s food is inspired by the countries she’s lived in.

She’s worked in the catering industry for over a decade, has a wildly popular blog filled with fast, fresh, simple, vegan recipes, has amassed an army of followers and she’s just released her very first cook book Happy Food.

Ultimately Bettina’s philosophy on food is simple…she believes that food is meant to make you happy.

Desert island dish:

Large bowl of Asian noodle soup with hearty broth and lots of noodles or rice Vegan salted caramel ice cream

Luxury item: notebook and pen and /or a phone

Cookbook: Any book by Rene Voltaire

Find me on Instagram @madebymargie

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Naomi Smart

Niomi is a lifestyle blogger and Youtube sensation who aims to help her audience to look, live and feel better.

Niomi has garnered a very impressive audience of more than 1.7 million followers on her YouTube channel and 1.8 million followers on her Instagram.

She inspired millions of youtube videos with her popular video series ‘What I Eat In A Day’ which in turn inspired Niomi to write her own recipe book ‘Eat Smart’, which was released in September 2016 and which is packed full of plant-based recipes.

Desert island dish:

Starter: chocolate and beetroot cake

Main: Mauritian red curry

Luxury item: a puppy

Best cookbook: the Happy Pear cookbook

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and do come and say on Instagram @madebymargie

And most importantly, thank you for listening! Margie x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Jo Elvin

Jo was the Editor of Glamour of Magazine for 17 years. With Jo at the helm, Glamour sold more copies in its sector than any other in Europe. Jo has recently become the editor of the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine. Throughout her career, Jo has won many awards including being voted one of the 100 most powerful women in Britain and Jo has been awarded ‘Editor of the Year’ no less than five times by the British Society of Magazine Editors

She is without a doubt one of the most respected editors in the industry today.

Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in the early 90s and we are very glad she did.

Desert island dish:

Main course: Hamburger with several kind of cheese with a side of sausages

Salted caramel truffles

Pudding: Ultimate rice pudding

Luxury item: space food sticks

Don’t forget to come and find me on Instagram. I’m @madebymargie where I share recipes, more desert island dishes inspired food and I can often be found waffling on Instagram stories and I’d love to see you there.

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Lucy Williams

Lucy is one of the UK’s most successful bloggers. She is a fashion journalist turned style blogger, writer and stylist. She lives in London but travels the world and shares her adventures through her blog Fashion me now.

Lucy started out as a fashion assistant at places such as Sheerluxe.com and Instyle Magazine, before working as a assistant fashion editor for Stylus before she took the leap to go freelance and has now amassed over 324,000 followers on instagram alone. Which is just amazing!

Desert island dish:

Starter: Arancini balls with truffle, smoked salmon blinis

Lasagne – classic with really good garlic bread and salad

Fish lasagne – her mum’s version. Fish pie mix with lots of dill, layered with lots of cheese and pasta. With loads of garlic bread

Pudding: really good gelato with treacle tart

Luxury item: kindle full of books and some suncream

Don’t forget to go to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes plus the recipes I’ve created inspired by each episode.

Come and say on Instagram @madebymargie

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Skye McAlpine

Skye is a Venice based food writer, blogger and photographer. She is the author of the successful blog “From my Dining table” and has written for many of the big named publications like The Sunday Times, vanity fair and The Guardian. She spends most of her time in Venice, where she writes, teaches cookery workshops and practices her photography.

She has called Venice home since early childhood and with her debut book, “A table in Venice”, she provides over 100 recipes and brings to life the food of Venice in the most romantic, intriguing and just plain wonderful way.

Skye has said:

As is the way for those who love to eat, my happiest childhood memories are centred on food. Little has changed for me on that front as I;ve grown older. I remain the kind of person who rememebers life through what they ate and how it was cooked.

Come and find me on Instagram @madebymargie and head to www.desertislandishes.co for lots of recipes and more details on the full list of episodes.

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast, please do leave a review and don’t forget to subscribe! See you next week x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest on The Dream Dinner Party is Donal Skehan who is so much fun and who has been on Desert Island Dishes before – a few years ago but defiitrly worth having a listen to his main episode as it’s a goodie. I think he was in the very early days when I just turned up with basically a little Dictaphone recorder and hoped for the best. Donal has a new book out called Home Kitchen and honestly Donal’s books are really great – I don’t know how he does it, I tried to get him to give me all his secrets but instead I did persuade him to tell us all about his dream dinner party and this is a very fun one. I’m also going to be posting Donal’s Little Black Book on instagram which is a new little feature we are trying out and I thought might be fun so keep an eye out for that and show it some love if you like it.

You are listening to our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us all about their dream dinner party. This is a game I know a lot of people have played on long car journeys or maybe first dates so it’s really fun to sit down with a different guest each week and hear who they would invite and what they would serve. You’re allowed to invite 4 people – anyone you want, and I think it’s impossible to listen without thinking of your own answers!

Thank you for listening!

Find us on Instagram @desertislanddishes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Clemmie Hooper

Otherwise known as Mother of Daughters, Clemmie is the brains behind the extremely popular blog Gas and Air. She is a trained NHS midwife and her first book, “How to grow a baby and push it out” was unbelievably successful with 3 reprints before it was even published. With it Clemmie has helped thousands of women around the world. She has just released her 2nd book – A journal of how to grow a baby.

She is the mother of 4 daughters and she’s paving the way and flying the flag for a more honest approach to how parenthood is portrayed online.

I do a lot of cooking for new and expectant parents and my weeks are filled with filling their fridges and freezers with delicious things so that they don’t have to think about cooking. As time is in short supply! So I was really excited to speak to this weeks guests about how she juggles being the mother of four with a busy career and lots of exciting things going on work wise and at home.

I love speaking to people from the world of food but I also love speaking to interesting and inspiring people who are out there doing amazing things and finding out about the food that has shaped their lives and how they got to where they are.

Desert island dish:

Really amazing breakfast. Bacon, chorizo, avocado, grilled tomatoes, Portobello mushrooms cooked in garlic butter, white toasted sourdough. With Tabasco. Pot of tea.

Luxury item: A phone filled with podcasts.

Don’t forget to treat yourself and any babies you know to some goodies from Willa and the Bear using the special discount code DID25

Thanks for listening and if you haven’t already, do subscribe and leave a review and it can count as your good deed of the day!

Come and find me on instagram @madebymargie. See you next time x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Tommy Banks

Tommy is a Michelin-starred chef and Great British Menu champion.

He is the head chef at his family restaurant – the black swan, in 0ldstead North Yorkshire. He started cooking at the age of 17 and at just 24 he became the youngest chef in Britain at the time to win a Michelin star.

Last year Tommy's restaurant The Black Swan was voted #1 Restaurant in the World by Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice Award, the first time since the award launched that a UK restaurant has won.

Tommy has just released his first cookbook, entitled Roots, which is they say, perfect for “foodies, foragers and cookbook collectors”.

Desert island dish:Really good rib of beef, hollandaise sauce with blue cheese in it –Pudding: lemon tart

Luxury item: his dog Penelope

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review, and tell your friends about Desert Island Dishes to spread the word!

Thank you for listening x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Tim Anderson.

Tim, at the age of just 26 was the youngest ever winner of Masterchef. Since winning back in 2011, Tim has carved out a very impressive career in food working as a chef, a consultant and a food writer. He is, much to my enormous envy and admiration a staple of the Radio 4 food panel show The Kitchen Cabinet.

Tim has said his proudest career moment has to be the launch of his first cookery book Nanban: Japanese Soul Food and the opening of his acclaimed restaurant of the same name, in the heart of Brixton.

During his time on Masterchef, the judges declared that Tim gave them the ‘best culinary explosion” they had ever seen on the show.

Desert Island Dish:

Ploughman’s with a good Ale. Pork pie, good onion chutney, many cheeses – sharp cheddar, brie, camembert, pears and lots of good bread.

Luxury Item: His cat Baloo

Thank you so much for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review and importantly….tell your friends! Podcasts grow by word of mouth so if you are enjoying listening, do tell your friends about Desert Island Dishes.

Head to www.desertislanddishes.co for the full list of episodes and lots of recipes inspired by the all the guests we’ve sent to the desert island.

See you over on Instagram @madebymargie

Bye! x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.