Explore every episode of the podcast Table Talk
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Will Beckett | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:29:04 | |
Will Beckett, CEO of Hawksmoor, founded the steakhouse chain with his childhood best friend Huw Gott in 2006. It has since expanded to 13 locations, including three outside the UK, and consistently been ranked one of the best steak restaurants in the world. On the podcast, Will tells Liv and Lara about his journey from working in a bar to breaking America, how farming is the key to a good steak, and why pasta is actually his favourite food. | |||
| With Romy Gill | 13 Aug 2024 | 00:31:37 | |
Romy Gill is a British-Indian chef, food-writer and broadcaster who was awarded an MBE in 2016 for her services to hospitality. She is the author of three cookbooks including her newest, Romy Gill's India, which will be published on 12th September. On the podcast, she tells Liv and Lara about the joys of long train journeys across India, the state of Indian cuisine in the UK and how you can make magic with just cumin and turmeric. Photo credit: Sam Harris | |||
| With Anna Jones | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:24:36 | |
Anna Jones is a food writer, food stylist and author. She is known predominately for her focus on vegetarian cooking, and her new book Easy Wins celebrates a capsule pantry of twelve ingredients. On the podcast she tells Lara about her way in to becoming a food journalist, cooking vegetarian at home, and her desert island meal. | |||
| With Sharmadean Reid | 17 Nov 2020 | 00:34:39 | |
Sharmadean Reid is an entrepreneur and the founder of Beautystack. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about her grandfather's allotment, cooking roasts and trying crab for the first time.
| |||
| With Dan Keeling | 10 Nov 2020 | 00:22:52 | |
Dan Keeling is a wine writer behind the magazine and restaurant Noble Rot. He tells Lara and Livvy about how he discovered his love of wine; working in the music industry; and how to start a restaurant with zero experience. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Olia Hercules | 03 Nov 2020 | 00:18:45 | |
Olia Hercules is a chef and food writer. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about growing up in Cyprus; being disappointed by British ingredients; and teaching her son to love Ukrainian cooking.
| |||
| With Ian Rankin | 27 Oct 2020 | 00:20:24 | |
Ian Rankin is a bestselling crime writer, most known for his Inspector Rebus novels. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about living in a motel during his first year at university; how eating curry for the first time was 'a revelation'; and the snacks that keep him going while he writes. Tell us your thoughts on our podcasts and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Pol Roger champagne by filling out our podcast survey. Visit spectator.co.uk/podcastsurvey. | |||
| With Dolly Alderton | 20 Oct 2020 | 00:44:23 | |
Dolly Alderton is an author, journalist and podcaster who hosts 'The High Low' podcast. On the episode, she talks to Lara and Livvy about campaigning for gender equality (and cooked breakfasts) at her boarding school; how taste in food can make or break the attractiveness of a man; and the importance of planning a desert island dish. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Annie Gray | 10 Aug 2020 | 00:36:59 | |
Annie Gray is a historian, cook and writer who specialises in food from 1600 to present day. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Olivia about a childhood of eating 'frisbee-like' omelettes, why male hares are inedible, and how an episode of Antiques Roadshow nearly jeopardised the release of her new book. Annie Gray's Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill's Cook, is out now. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. | |||
| With Skye McAlpine | 13 Jul 2020 | 00:29:15 | |
Skye McAlpine is a Sunday Times columnist and the author of two cookbooks. She joins Lara and Olivia down the line from Venice, where she grew up. On the podcast, she talks about moving to the city as a child, her favourite Venetian meals, and why, despite being a dinner party maestro, she doesn't believe in starters. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. | |||
| With Rory Sutherland | 29 Jun 2020 | 00:44:25 | |
Rory Sutherland is the vice-chairman of the renowned advertising firm, Ogilvy, and the Spectator's 'Wiki Man' columnist. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about everything and anything from the dreadful British food of the 70s, why he loves chain restaurants, and the best and worst kitchen gadgets. As well as his incredibly eclectic and international death row meal. The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at www.spectator.co.uk/innovator. | |||
| With actress and poet Greta Bellamacina | 15 Jun 2020 | 00:27:19 | |
Greta Bellamacina is an actress and poet, who has published numerous collections and made her acting debut in Harry Potter. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Olivia about what it was like to be on set for Harry Potter, growing up with four siblings, and why her favourite restaurant is an over-priced Chinese restaurant in Paris. Click here to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher. | |||
| With author Rhik Samadder | 02 Jun 2020 | 00:23:32 | |
Rhik Samadder is an actor and columnist for the Guardian, where his column Wellness or Hellness? reviews kitchen gadgets and life hacks. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about his mother's adventurous dinner table, his teenage battles with anorexia, and the worst kitchen gadgets he ever reviewed (including a mug which had a biscuit compartment). Click here to try a month of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger. | |||
| With Gennaro Contaldo | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:24:01 | |
Gennaro Contaldo is an Italian chef, cookbook author and television presenter. He is also known as Jamie Oliver's mentor and Antonio Carluccio's travel partner on Two Greedy Italians. His latest cookbook Gennaro's Verdure – which celebrates seasonal vegetables – is out now. On the podcast he tells Liv and Lara about his upbringing on the Amalfi coast, what he's learnt from Jamie Oliver and how he came to love fish and chips. Photo credit: David Loftus | |||
| With Ritz chef John Williams | 19 May 2020 | 00:46:19 | |
John Williams is the ebullient Executive Chef at the Ritz. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about breaking into the London fine dining scene as a boy from Tyneside, how the Ritz is as far from rustic as you can get, and his friendship with Margaret Thatcher, when she lived at the hotel in her last years. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Rory MacLean | 05 May 2020 | 00:28:12 | |
Rory MacLean is a historian and travel writer. His latest book, Pravda Ha Ha, is out now. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about how his mother was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's Miss Moneypenny, singing a duet with David Bowie, and the time he was taken to lunch by a Vietnamese drug lord. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Ryan Riley | 21 Apr 2020 | 00:28:15 | |
Ryan Riley is a chef and entrepreneur, whose organisation Life Kitchen gives free cookery classes to people with cancer. On the podcast, he talks about his own mother's struggle with cancer, how the best ideas always come on Tuesday nights (and with a drink), and why umami is the key to cooking for people with taste. Ryan's cookbook with favourite recipes from Life Kitchen is out now. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. | |||
| With Camilla Fayed | 31 Mar 2020 | 00:20:32 | |
Camilla Fayed is an entrepreneur, restaurateur, and daughter of Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods department store. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Olivia about her childhood love of Finnish cuisine, interning in the Harrods kitchens, and Farmacy, her vegan restaurant chain. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. | |||
| With Valentine Warner | 17 Mar 2020 | 00:28:23 | |
Chef, writer, and broadcaster Valentine Warner has worked in numerous London restaurants, presented programmes such as the BBC's 'What to Eat Now', and author of five books, the latest of which is 'The Consolation of Food'. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about how growing up on a farm inspired his love for food and nature, and he left the world of art to become a chef. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Chris Atkins | 03 Mar 2020 | 00:38:08 | |
Chris Atkins is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, whose work on the tabloid media led him to give evidence in the Leveson Inquiry. In 2016, he was sentenced to five years in prison for tax offences. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about food in prison - why it was doomed to taste bad, how tuna was used as a barter currency, and cooking curry in a kettle. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. | |||
| With Jon Atashroo | 18 Feb 2020 | 00:25:23 | |
Jon Atashroo is Head Chef at the Tate Modern, whose culinary career began with proving dough on a radiator at university. His latest creation is a tasting menu inspired by the Tate's upcoming Andy Warhol exhibition, featuring dishes such as Coca Cola Jelly and Tuna Fish Disaster. On the podcast, he talks to Olivia and Lara about his Persian sweet tooth, how a degree in economics influenced his culinary career, and bringing artists like Picasso and Olafur Eliasson to the Tate restaurant menu. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. | |||
| With Skye Gyngell | 04 Feb 2020 | 00:23:14 | |
Skye Gyngell is an Australian chef best known for her work as food editor for Vogue and for winning a Michelin star at the Petersham Nurseries Cafe. She is now the founder of Spring at Somerset House and the culinary director of Heckfield Place. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Livvy about being subjected to a 'macro-biotic' diet as a child, how winning a Michelin star wasn't such a blessing for Petersham Nurseries, and how a 20th century Austrian philosopher influences her work now. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Sarah Langford | 21 Jan 2020 | 00:36:16 | |
Sarah Langford is a barrister and author of the best-selling In Your Defence, which follows 11 real-life cases in the criminal and family courts. On the podcast, Sarah tells Lara and Livvy about her family's background in farming, the vending machine diet of a barrister, and how MeToo killed the drinking culture in chambers. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Mark Diacono | 07 Jan 2020 | 00:32:14 | |
Mark Diacono, food writer, farmer and photographer, who is the founder of Otter Farm in East Devon. The author of seven books, his latest, 'Sour', is out now. He talks to Lara and Livvy about what inspired him to start growing food, how to turn 17 acres of land into a farm producing Szechuan peppers, mulberries, and many things in between, and his love for all things sour. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Alex Jackson | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:29:11 | |
Alex Jackson is the founder of Sardine and currently head chef at Noble Rot, Soho. His cookbook Frontières: the food of France's borderlands is available now. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv why the smell of chip fat reminds him of home, how his interest in cooking was ignited during time spent at university France, and divulges his desert island meal. | |||
| With Kate Young | 17 Dec 2019 | 00:23:47 | |
Kate Young is a food writer and chef, whose cookbooks take recipe inspiration from literary classics, recreating favourite dishes of Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, and more. She runs a catering company with Olivia Potts and, on the podcast, tells all about an Australian's idea of Britain, why she left the theatre to go into cooking, and, from personal experience, which dishes only work in fiction. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. | |||
| With Max Pemberton | 03 Dec 2019 | 00:39:34 | |
Max Pemberton is a Daily Mail columnist and medical doctor specialising in mental health and eating disorders. On the podcast, he talks about his milkman father and activist mother and what family mealtimes were like, remembering to eat on shifts as a junior doctor, and dissuading patients with serious eating disorders of the 'clean eating' religion.
| |||
| With Will Lander | 19 Nov 2019 | 00:14:38 | |
Will Lander is the owner of the beloved restaurants Quality Chop House, Clipstone, Portland, and the new Amelia. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about growing up with the FT's restaurant critic for a father (not many trips to McDonalds), a childhood dream to become a restauranteur, and the secret to traditional British cooking. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. | |||
| Sichuan cuisine with Fuchsia Dunlop | 05 Nov 2019 | 00:25:18 | |
Fuchsia Dunlop is a writer and chef specialising in Chinese cuisine, especially that of Sichuan. She tells Lara and Livvy about the international lodgers who trained her adventurous palate growing up, why some Chinese foods can be so challenging for westerners (hint: it's the texture!), and the 23 different types of Sichuan spicy. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Alexandra Shulman | 22 Oct 2019 | 00:19:55 | |
Alexandra Shulman is the former Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue. On the podcast, she talks to Olivia and Lara about her mother Drusilla Beyfus's etiquette tips, wining and dining as a journalist in the 80s, and how doughnuts never lasted long at Vogue. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Isabel Vincent | 08 Oct 2019 | 00:24:45 | |
Isabel Vincent is an author and Canadian investigative journalist for the New York Post. Her book, 'Dinner with Edward', charts the unlikely friendship she struck up with her recently widowed ninety-something neighbour. Theirs is a friendship struck through mutual grief (Vincent's own marriage was breaking down at the time) and good food. The film adaption, starring David Souchet, is under production. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Jessie Burton | 24 Sep 2019 | 00:24:15 | |
Jessie Burton is the bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse. In this episode of Table Talk, she tells Lara and Livvy about growing up with her dad's packed lunches, the diet of a budding actress, and her dislike for marzipan (despite The Miniaturist!). Jessie's new book, The Confession, is out now. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Kavi and Shamil Thakrar | 13 Sep 2019 | 00:29:53 | |
Kavi and Shamil Thakrar are cousins, and they're also the co-founders of restaurant chain, Dishoom, inspired by the cafes of early 20th century Bombay. They join Lara and Livvy to celebrate the launch of their first cookbook, and chat Bombay street food, the risks of profit-maximising, and the great British curry house. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Jose Pizarro | 23 Aug 2019 | 00:32:38 | |
Jose Pizarro is a Spanish chef, writer, and restauranteur. He came to London in 2000 and opened a series of well-loved Spanish restaurants, including Jose's Tapas Bar. He is the author of five cookbooks. In this episode, he talks to Lara and Livvy about growing up on a farm in Spain, why he loves sherry, and bringing tapas to Britain. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Olivia Potts | 09 Aug 2019 | 00:27:44 | |
Lara speaks to Olivia Potts, Spectator Life’s Vintage Chef and co-host of the Table Talk podcast, about Olivia’s new book, A Half-Baked Idea. Before she became a food writer and Cordon-Bleu trained chef, Olivia was a former president of the Cambridge Union and a high-flying criminal barrister. But her mother’s death changed all that. Tune in to hear a story of love, grief, hope, and cake.
Presented by Lara Prendergast.
| |||
| With Thomas Robson-Kanu | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:28:48 | |
Thomas 'Hal' Robson-Kanu is former professional footballer who was part of the Welsh team that reached the semi finals of Euro 2016, thanks largely to a memorable goal he scored against tournament favourites Belgium. He is also the founder of The Turmeric Co. On the podcast, Thomas tells Lara and Liv how his Welsh and Nigerian heritage influenced the food he ate as a child, how turmeric was the miracle cure to an injury-ridden early career and how footballers prepare nutritionally for big games. | |||
| With Tracey MacLeod | 26 Jul 2019 | 00:34:22 | |
Tracey MacLeod is a broadcaster and food critic, known for hosting the BBC's The Late Show and for regularly guest starring in Masterchef. She is friends with Helen Fielding, who based the character of Jude from Bridget Jones on MacLeod. In this special edition of Table Talk, brought to you live from the sofas of Latitude Festival, MacLeod talks about her life through food. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Jeremy King | 09 Jul 2019 | 00:31:08 | |
Jeremy King, one half of the restaurateurs Corbin and King, is behind some of the most iconic restaurants in London, including the Ivy, the Delauney, and Fischers. In this episode, he talks about why he left banking for hospitality, how he redecorates restaurants according to their architectural influences, and people watching in his establishments.
| |||
| With Tom Parker-Bowles | 21 Jun 2019 | 00:28:12 | |
Lara and Livvy talks to food writer Tom Parker-Bowles about his mother's roast chicken, prep school gruel, and why, as a food critic, he still loves McDonald's. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Jo Thompson at Chelsea Flower Show | 03 Jun 2019 | 00:12:00 | |
Jo Thompson is a prize-winning garden designer, whose upcoming book 'Rhubarb Rhubarb' is a correspondence between a hopeless gardener and a hopeful cook, taking a look at both gardening and cooking. Jo tells Livvy about the fresh buffalo mozzarella in her family home in Italy, her father's Italian restaurant, and the one dish she can make with her eyes closed. Presented by Olivia Potts. | |||
| With Cressida Bonas | 21 May 2019 | 00:18:48 | |
Actress Cressida Bonas talks to Lara and Livvy about growing up on shepherd's pie and pop-tarts, her trypophobia, and the best curry she's ever had. | |||
| With Nathan Outlaw | 14 May 2019 | 00:28:21 | |
In this episode, Michelin star chef Nathan Outlaw joins Lara and Livvy to talk about his love for Cornwall and seafood, training under celebrity chef Rick Stein, and how he totally didn't help his ten year old daughter win a baking competition. | |||
| With Adrian Chiles | 20 Apr 2019 | 00:30:49 | |
In this episode, broadcaster and writer Adrian Chiles joins Lara and Livvy to discuss a childhood of Croatian home cooking, how an incident with a Turkish lamb turned him vegetarian, and why he prefers 'mindful drinking' to 'drinking responsibly'. | |||
| With Alissa Timoshkina | 12 Apr 2019 | 00:31:19 | |
Alissa Timoshkina is a chef, food and film writer, and the founder of the KinoVino supper club. Today she joins Lara and Livvy to discuss Soviet food culture, her journey from film to cookery, and ‘the cabbage myth’. | |||
| With Jeremy Lee | 02 Apr 2019 | 00:36:59 | |
Jeremy Lee is the chief proprietor of the landmark Soho restaurant, Quo Vadis. In this episode, he talks to Lara and Livvy about why he was such a bad waiter, what it is like to cook and eat with Simon Hopkinson and Alistair Little, and his undying love for puddings. | |||
| With Rachel Johnson | 19 Mar 2019 | 00:28:45 | |
Journalist and author Rachel Johnson joins Lara and Livvy on this episode to talk about what it was like to share with a student house with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, then budding student chef, about cooking rice found in a Greek bin for her children, and why 'American food' is an oxymoron. | |||
| With Professor Charles Spence | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:33:41 | |
Professor Charles Spence is an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on how an in-depth understanding of the human mind will lead to the better design of multi-sensory foods and products. He is the author of several books including his most recent, Sensehacking: How to Use the Power of Your Senses for Happier, Healthier Living. On this episode he talks about how he started experimenting with food and the human senses, working with Heston Blumenthal, and how he doesn't understand ice-cream. | |||
| With Ella Risbridger | 04 Mar 2019 | 00:40:07 | |
In this episode of Table Talk, Lara and Livvy talk to Ella Risbridger, chef and writer, whose new recipe book is Midnight Chicken: & Other Recipes Worth Living For. It's part memoir, part cookery; exploring mental health, friendship, love, and the redemptive power of food and cooking. On the podcast, Ella talks about the man that she moved from Dubai to London for, what it's like to be the cover girl of Aga Living (can you tell she grew up with an aga?), and the recipe for the best roast chicken in the world. Please note that this podcast features a candid discussion of suicide and suicide ideation. | |||
| With LBC presenter Iain Dale | 18 Feb 2019 | 00:32:30 | |
Lara and Livvy talk to broadcaster and writer Iain Dale about his life through food and drink. Or rather, the food and drink he doesn't like. It turns out that Iain is the fussiest eater to come on the podcast, but he tells us about the food and drinks that he does like (chicken fajitas, German schnitzels, and Lilt) as well as about what it was like to grow up on a farm, being food poisoned in Russia, and why he buys his crisps from eBay. | |||
| The Sophia Money-Coutts Edition | 14 Jan 2019 | 00:28:43 | |
Sophia Money-Coutts is former features editor at Tatler magazine, and now columnist for the Sunday Telegraph. Her new book, The Plus One, came out earlier this year. In this episode of Table Talk, Lara and Livvy talk to Sophia about how cheese fondue helped her get through her parents' divorce as a child, how an ex-boyfriend berated her poppadom manners, and the best way to juggle a clutch bag and canapés at writers' parties. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts. | |||