How to Cook a Gremlin – Details, episodes & analysis

Jane is a true multi-hyphenate. She is a chef, professional culinary teacher at Leiths School of Food and Wine, pastry guru and inspiring creator of recipe content, janeexplainsforforkssake. She combines self deprecating humour with incredible skills to make her demonstrations mesmerising. 

Jane joins me to talk about the life changing events that led her to working in the food industry. We discuss everything from the tonic of magical friend cookery, high low food combinations, our love of Joanne McNally and sharing the same weird snacking habits as a Spice Girl.

Follow Jane at ticktock.com/@janeexplains.forforkssake

Kate Kindersley founded Hadeda, a unique home collection sourced from artisans across fashion, ceramics, art, weaving, beading and carpentry from Africa and around the globe.  Kate grew up between Africa and the UK. The business is informed by a belief in the enduring value of craft and design over mass production.

In this episode Kate and Sophie discuss heartbreak pizza, the power of a roast and imagine a world where you only ate Greek yoghurt!

You can find more information about this inspiring business on its website and instagram handle: 
https://hadeda.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/hadeda_co/?hl=en

I met this week's guest, Remi Williams in the notoriously relaxed setting of the Masterchef the Professionals kitchen earlier this year?! His creativity and cool, calm demeanour immediately struck me. Following filming I asked him if I could come and do a shift at his restaurant in Tooting, Smoke and Salt which showcases curing, smoking and preserving techniques. 

His menus were utterly inspiring, along with the fact that Remi and his team make everything in house, including all their tasty sourdough bread.  

Remi and I discuss the unsung ingredients beloved in Nigeria, making appearances on London menus. We also candidly talk about the harsh reality of customer criticism, our shared wish for a second chance in the MTCP kitchen, existential crises and staying true to yourself. 

You can check out Remi's insanely delicious food here:
www.smokeandsalt.com
@smokeandsaltldn 
@chefremiwilliams

Chiara sees food differently. She is a disruptor who isn't afraid of taking risks! Chiara draws on her heritage and love of using all of the ingredient - root to tip, nose to tail. After university she went into private cheffing. Chiara then landed her dream job at the River Cottage, where she not only fell in love but ascended to Head Chef at the age of 25. This ascension has not been without its challenges. Chiara shares both her hunger inducing recipes and her frank account of times of feeling isolated and how she's coped with that - or cooked her gremlins!

We bonded during our time on Masterchef the Professionals UK 2024. We share an obsession with cooking and desire to get more women cheffing. You can follow Chiara @chiara__tomasoni

I met Chloe when we worked together at Kitchen W8. Straight away her talent, humour and ambition were clear. I persuaded her to work with me at an independent brasserie in Notting Hill. While this stint was brief - all the chefs there were equally struck by Chloe's culinary gifts - both as a mentor and just an excellent and unique chef. Chloe's star shone bright in the Masterchef the Professionals 2024 kitchen. In fact Chloe was one of the people who encouraged me to pursue the MTCP audition process this year.

Having honed her craft at Kent College, The Glasshouse, Duck and Waffle, The Georgian House, Kitchen W8 and The Princess of Shoreditch Chloe is taking the exciting step to move into private cheffing. I'm thrilled to share that we will be collaborating in the new year and look forward to sharing more information in January. You can follow Chloe @chefchloemccoy

Ed and Moon Hough founded the incredible Safari Series, in the foothills of Mount Kenya to bring a more modern, ecological and equitable safari experience to the country. Their passion and vision are infectious. I was lucky enough to chef at this unique camp for a month this year and it was life changing. Their philosophy, gorgeous team and camp are unique.

Ed is as idiosyncratic and fun as the lodge itself. Never short of a brilliant story or an exciting project, the whole experience grabbed me by the scruff and made it very hard to leave!

Ed and Moon have recently opened a location in Lamu, which is where Ed was talking to me from, in between Dawa cocktails. So you may hear some nature along with more Dawas arriving!

If you would like to learn more about this incredible pair and their visionary work follow them @safari_series or check out safari-series.com.

Ursula is an author, chef and teacher who has written several evocative cook books including Cucina del Veneto, Cuicina di Amalfi and Lemons and Limes. She also contributes beautiful recipes to a number of publications including Red and Delicious magazine.

She started her career demonstrating dishes at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, as an ode to her Nonna's recipes. Fans included Jamie Oliver and later me when she guest lectured at Leiths culinary school where I was studying for my diploma. I will never forget her chocolate and almond cake from Positano which I have made at least thirty times. She was recently honoured with the Italian hospitality award for writing and teaching. The way she describes food is ethereal, whimsical and makes you want to simultaneously eat and read a novel.

I am so excited that she will be popping up with me in the new year! What a way to start 2025. She is an inspiration and you can follow her @ursulaferrigno.

I first bonded with the wonderful and talented Fergus Chamberlain when we traded stories of our time working in Michelin kitchens.

Fergus founded authentic Mexican food company Gran Luchito in 2012 after a trip to Oaxaca changed the course of his life.  Starting his career as a food buyer at Sainsbury’s, Fergus always knew he wanted to run his own culinary business. This dream was not only shaped by his travels to Mexico but his time living in New York where he trained as a chef and experienced the vibrant multi-cultural food scene there - and of course his vision of being the man from Del Monte!

Fergus' passion for introducing authentic Mexican food to British homes saw him initially bringing back samples from Mexico in his suitcase and selling them in food markets. Dogged determination has resulted in Gran Luchito's success including being stocked in Fortnum's, Ocado, Waitrose, internationally and expanding its range of acclaimed products. 

Go to @granluchito to see the delicious products, inspiring blog and vibrant recipes.

Its not every NHS doctor that turns their hand to entrepreneurship but Dr. Jack likes to tread his own path and wring the most out of life. We chat about the impetus that led him to establish acclaimed clinics in London and Scotland with interiors he designed, along with a skincare brand and podcast, Face Values.

His enthusiasm for life is infectious and possibly mirrored by his palate and love of all things flavour and chilli packed.

Join us as we talk about a chance meeting in his clinic that changed the direction of his business and the traumatic event that has propelled him on to achieve his dreams.

You can follow Dr Jack's growing empire on instagram @drdavidjack