Desert Island Dishes

I've admired Asma and her work for many years now, I absolutely loved her episode of Chefs Table on Netflix, Ihighly recommend if you haven’t seen it.  So it really was a pleasure to sit down with her and hear her story first hand. The work she does is truly amazing and it feels like she's only just getting started. I hope you enjoy todays episode. Thank you to our sponsor Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are so confident you’ll see a difference with their Food Grown supplements that they’re offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

Nicola is the best selling author and pastry chef behind the Sunday Times bestselling Sift and also her hugely successful newsletter Kitchen Projects. Her knowlege of baking is hugely impressive having trained at top London and New York bakeries including Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel and Little Bread Pedlar.  Thank you so much to our sponsor for this season of Desert Island Dishes - the brilliant Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply. If you don't already come and follow me on instagram @desertislanddishes and sign up for my newsletter at www.dinnertonight.substack.com

Martha is something of an anomaly these days. She grows (a lot of) her own food… and is an avid urban gardener from London.  With over 1 million followers on Instagram, Martha’s straightforward and calming approach to growing your own food is digestible and relatable to the masses. Not only is it informative, but I find Martha’s content is such a celebration of what nature can do and how a little bit of sunshine can grow the most wonderful ingredients. Her debut book Give It A Grow has been an instant success, climbing to a top spot immediately in Amazon gardening books. It has chapters on veg, fruit, herbs, flowers and wildlife, with over 40 of her favourite projects to make the most of your garden, patio or balcony plus bonus recipes for how to cook with your produce. Thank you to our sponsor Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are so confident you’ll see a difference with their Food Grown supplements that they’re offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

My guest today is Natalia Rudin otherwise known as Nats Nourishments  Shooting to social media stardom, gaining over a million followers in 1 year, Nat is a personal chef turned food creator, having travelled the world with clients, she now translates this knowledge into her easy, home cooking videos and recipes. Having taken an untraditional route into the culinary world, she started out with a mission to bring retreats to her clients rather than her clients going off to retreats. She combined being a trainer, yoga teacher and chef and travelled the world – from the Bahamas, Canada, France and beyond.  Eventually, all this travel caught up with Nat and she decided to commit to posting 3 times a week on Instagram to grow a following. The success soon came, and Nat now has over 2 million followers on social media. Her debut book Cooking Fast and Slow is a celebration of recipes that are simple and delicious, guaranteed to comfort, nourish and delight. It’s out in May 2025. Thank you very much to our sponsor Wild Nutrition who are offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off a 3 month subscription for their food grown supplements. Head to www.wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes and if you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

As Gordon prepares to open his most ambitious project to date, 22 BISHOPSGATE, Margie got the chance to sit down with him and talk about the dishes that have shaped his life.  He’s a chef, restaurateur and television presenter, known for Kitchen Nightmares, Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen. He’s one of the most famous and recognisable chefs in the world with the kind of success most only dream of, and yet you may not know that he did not have the easiest start in life. Him and his siblings were on lunch vouchers at school, they moved house 15 times and a difficult relationship with his father marred his childhood.  With a strong sense of purpose from a young age, and a determination to make a better life for himself, Gordon was a talented footballer with a bright future ahead until an injury on the pitch changed things overnight and he was back to square one. He set his sights on culinary school and it was the Banbury round table charity that bought him his first set of chefs whites and knives in order for him to start work.  He went on to open his own restaurant , Aubergine, at the age of 27 and within 3 years it was awarded 2 Michelin stars. He then opened his flagship restaurant Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in 1998 which very quickly earned him the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars and Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London’s longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and he is one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars.

My guest today is José Pizarro. José has been been cooking in the UK for over 25 years. He grew up in the outermost Western province of Spain and never thought of working in food, in fact he was all set to become a dental technician before fate intervened. He arrived in the UK in 1999 seeking to expand his horizons as a chef and has since become one of the industry’s best-loved characters. He worked at several Spanish restaurants, including Brindisa, where he was executive chef. Then, in 2011, he opened two restaurants of his own on Bermondsey Street, south-east London: a tiny tapas bar named José and the larger Pizarro, both instant hits. Many more restaurants and cookbooks have followed all championing Spanish cuisine. In recognition of his “extraordinary services to Spain”, Pizarro was awarded the officer’s cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic by the Spanish ambassador in London. He says when it comes to cooking, he has a mantra, “Buy the best and don’t mess it up” - often described as The Godfather of Spanish cuisine in the UK. If you enjoy Desert Island Dishes make sure to subscribe and I will see you next week.  Thank you for listening! This episode was a Rutherford Production.

Ferne is a TV presenter, reality TV star, social media sensation and entrepreneur. She shot to fame on hit reality series The Only Way is Essex where she quickly became a fan favourite. She’s gone on to front her own ITVBE series Ferne Mccann - First Time Mum which ran from 2018 - 2024 and documented her journey into motherhood with her two daughters. Since then she has graced our screens on shows like I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Celebrity SAS - who dares wins.  She made it to the semi final of Celebrity Best Home Cook and says that food is her love language.

Gwyneth won an Oscar for her role in Shakespeare in love at the age of just 26 and she has since gone on to become an entrepreneur as the founder of the digital media, e-commerce and lifestyle brand and behemoth Goop. She founded  Goop at the age of 36 which grew from a simple newsletter into one of the most influential businesses in the world.  She’s hosted TV shows, starred in some of the most iconic films and tv shows we all know and love, and has written multiple best selling cookbooks. We explore the story of how she got to where she is today and her passion for cooking, her love of food and the belief that family really is everything. Thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode and I will see you next week.  Find me on instagram @desertislanddishes and @desertislanddishespodcast

We have a bonus episode for you today in the form of Nuno Mendes. Described as the chefs chef, Nuno has had an incredible career. He thought of becoming a marine biologist but quickly changed direction and after enrolling at culinary school, he's never looked back. He has worked with some of the world’s leading chefs, such as Wolfgang Puck before moving to London and opening the cult ground breaking Loft Project and world famous Chiltern Firehouse. His latest restaurant Lisboeta is an ode to his home country and has already made waves since it’s opening. Thank you so much to Comté Cheese for sponsoring this episode of Desert Island Dishes. Comté Cheese is genuinely one of my favourite cheeses in the world. It’s a delicious cheese to eat on its own, worthy of any cheese board but it’s also so brilliant to cook with. I love it with baked pasta, or gratins or the most amazing toasted cheese sandwiches. The taste and texture changes as it ages - so you get some young Comté that tastes buttery and almost with caramel notes and then more matured Comté is a bit more nutty and slightly fruity. So incredibly good. And the best news is they are now available at all major supermarkets.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week on The Dream Dinner Party is Georgina Hayden. Georgie was on Desert Island Dishes a few years ago now, well worth going back and having a listen if you haven't heard it before. I love her food and her writing and I feel confident she would throw a very good dinner party! Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more at www.maldonsalt.com Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. Find more at https://desertislanddishes.co/ This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the season finale and my guest today is Manon La Greve. Born and raised in France, Manon came to the UK to work as an au pair and then rose to fame as a quarter finalist on The Great British Bake Off in 2018 and has become known and loved for her delicious French inspired recipes. Described as a culinary sensation, she’s now the author of  two cookbooks,  She says she takes inspiration not only from her French heritage, and her London discoveries, but also from her travels around the world. When asked to describe her cooking style in 3 words she’s said it is French food made easy. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week on The Dream Dinner Party is Melissa Hemsley. Melissa was on Desert Island Dishes a few years ago now, well worth going back and having a listen if you haven't heard it before. Melissa is such a warm and lovely person, I felt sure she would throw a brilliant dream dinner party. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more at www.maldonsalt.com Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. Find more at https://desertislanddishes.co/ This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-selling author, award winning producer and philanthropist. For over 30 years she has been committed to being a voice for forgotten children around the world. She founded Children in Crisis in 1993 and the charity has educated over 1.4 million children. The Duchess also champions the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Children’s Air Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation and Julia’s House to name just a few and it was recently announced she is now a patron of Prevent Breast Cancer, as patron, she will focus on spreading the word about the importance of early detection. Over the course of her career, she has written over 70 books and her latest children’s book Wonder in the Woods - a joy filled celebration of the power of community and being connected to the world around you is out now. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleanor Wilkinson is this weeks guest on our mini episode and I loved hearing about her Dream Dinner Party. Eleanor is the Queen of One Pot One Portion cooking so I was very intrigued to find out about how she cooks for a crowd. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more  Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. Find more at https://desertislanddishes.co/ This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Melissa Thompson  Melissa is a writer, author and broadcaster. A columnist for BBC Good Food magazine, she is also ambassador for Weber Grills and an award-winning writer covering food for publications including The Guardian, Waitrose Magazine and Stylist.  Her debut book Motherland was published in 2022 to critical acclaim. It is an extraordinary combination of recipes from Jamaica and an exploration into the island’s history and the influences on the food.  By others she’s been described as "a creative powerhouse" : On her own website Melissa describes herself as a London-based food & drink writer with a love of ice cream, fried chicken and anti-racism. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Adlard, social media star and self taught pastry chef talks us through his Dream Dinner Party this week. The concept is simple: who would you invite to your Dream Dinner Party if you could invite 4 people, dead or alive? We ask a different guest every week and find out exactly what the menu would be at their Dream Dinner Party. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. Find more at https://desertislanddishes.co/ This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Marco Pierre White. The original rock and roll chef, Marco Pierre White was the chef who cooked like an angel, looked like a rock star and changed the way the world thought of British food. Born in Leeds, to a chef father and Italian mother he was the third of four sons. As a teenager he travelled to London with just £7.36 in his pocket to pursue a career in cooking.  He trained under some of the most famous chefs in the world - Pierre Koffman and Albert Roux. He opened his own restaurant in 1987, aged 25 and at the age of just 33 he became the first British chef to win 3 Michelin stars and the youngest chef in the world to achieve such a thing...He would also be the first chef to hand back his Michelin stars. He now runs the Rudloe Arms in Bath where we are today working with his daughter. He says family is the driving force behind everything he does.  Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Smith is this weeks guest on the Dream Dinner Party.  Ed is a cook and food writer based in London. He writes award winning cookbooks, recipe columns for magazines and newspapers, create content on Instagram, and for over a decade ran rocketandsquash.com as a celebrated recipe and restaurant blog. He now writes on Substack under the same name. Ed was on Desert Island Dishes a few years ago and if you enjoy today's episode, it's well worth going back and having a listen. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. Find more at https://desertislanddishes.co/ This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Eleanor Wilkinson.  Eleanor is a content creator and recipe developer from East Yorkshire. Having always loved food and cooking she made the decision to quit her job in the charity sector and embark on turning her passion into a full time career. She started her series, One Pot, One Portion - recipes for people who eat, cook, or live alone but are tired of washing up and was soon getting millions of views on social media and quickly amassed some 600,000 followers on Instagram. She has now released a cookbook of the same name and counts the one and only Nigella Lawson as a huge fan. Nigella described the book as a “brilliant, beyond brilliant idea” and we know Nigella is never wrong. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party and our guest today is Gizzi Erskine This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party. They are allowed to invite 4 guests – dead or alive because really I think personally 5 people is the optimum number for a great dinner party. And they are going to be talking us through their dream menu – what are they going to serve when there are no limits or practicalities to think about. We have a returning guest for you this week in the form of Gizzi Erskine. Gizzie was a guest on Desert Island Dishes quite a few years ago now – in the early-ish years – so well worth scrolling back and having a listen to that as Gizzie is a lot of fun, she’s very passionate about food and there were some delicious dishes in there. I should say that I know some of you listen to desert island dishes as a family – maybe you have it on the speaker when you’re cooking Sunday lunch and this one – it’s not risqué or anything but there are things talked about that perhaps you wouldn’t want young ears to hear or enquire about. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Matt Adlard Matt is a self taught baker, author and social media pastry sensation. You may have known him in the early days online as The Topless Baker and he’s known for hosting his own show on the Food Network as well as being a judge on various different baking shows including the BBC’s Platinum Pudding Competition.  Despite growing up above his fathers Michelin starred restaurant, Matt says he had little interest in pursuing a career in food and fell into baking as a hobby while studying at university. He is entirely self taught and now teaches his millions of followers how to to become a professional level baker through his videos and courses. He has an online cooking school called Bake it Better and published his first book last year with the same name.  Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party. They are allowed to invite 4 guests – dead or alive because really I think personally 5 people is the optimum number for a great dinner party. And they are going to be talking us through their dream menu – what are they going to serve when there are no limits or practicalities to think about. These mini episodes are really fun to record – and I do feel like they give us another insight into the guest. Who you choose to invite, and why is really interesting and how you approach the whole question. Clare as you will know probably already but also because she was on Desert Island Dishes last week – is a 3 starred Michelin chef so as you can imagine her menu did not disappoint. I only have to hope it wouldn’t be me picking up the bill at the end. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Ruby Wax Ruby really needs no introduction from me, she’s a household name. She’s a woman of so many talents - she’s a comedian, Actress, author, writer and mental health activist. Her life in show business began when she went to the RSC - she says of herself she doesn’t think she was a good actress but Alan Rickman saw in her a talent for comedy and that was what started her on her road to success. She went on to become a TV star interviewing some of the world’s most famous people from Donald Trump to Goldie Hawn, The Spice Girls and OG Simpson. Her second career has been as a mental health campaigner. She trained as a psychotherapist and got a Masters from Oxford in mindfulness based cognitive therapy. Her dissertation formed the basis for her first sell out stage show, she launched the Frazzled Cafe in 2017 and was also awarded an OBE in 2015. For tickets to Ruby's show find out more on her website here and follow her on instagram here. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party. They are allowed to invite 4 guests – dead or alive because really I think personally 5 people is the optimum number for a great dinner party. And they are going to be talking us through their dream menu. We have a returning guest for you this week in the form of the brilliant Sunday times best selling author Dawn O'Porter. I was lucky enough to catch Dawn in the lead up to her brand new book being published. Honey Bee has been described as Funny, relatable and incredibly entertaining - much like Dawn herself! It's a gorgeous celebration of female friendship. Another brilliant novel from Dawn - she is a woman of many talents, and so much fun to talk to. Buy Honey Bee from all good bookshops or find it here.   I hope you enjoy today's episode if you do – it’s worth going back and listening to dawn’s main episode of desert island dishes as it’s a goodie. A few years ago now but that’s the nice thing about these interviews, they are evergreen. Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Clare Smyth (MBE). Clare is one of the world's most respected chefs. She is the first and only British female chef to be awarded three Michelin stars which she achieved for her restaurant Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill. Growing up on a farm in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, her passion for food began at a young age and even inspired some of her most famous dishes from her restaurant.  By the time she was 17 she had graduated from culinary school and moved to London to work with and learn from the world best chefs. She went on to train in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the world including with Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay. She would go on to break new ground by becoming Chef Patron of three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay before going on to open her own restaurant in 2017. It took less than 3 years for her to be awarded her own 3 Michelin stars. Clare has received numerous awards including the title of the World's Best Female Chef 2018 And in 2013 Clare was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry.  Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

My guest today is Bee Wilson. In all honesty, Bee is one of the most interesting and thought provoking food writers and historians we’ve ever known. She is the author of 8 books about food and eating. Her books have won multiple awards, and she’s won 5 Guild of food writers awards for her journalism. After over 20 years of food writing, this year she released her first cookbook, The Secret of Cooking, something she says she’s dreamt of doing since the age of 8. She has been described by Yotam Ottolenghi as "the ultimate food scholar" and writes brilliantly about all aspects of our current food culture.She counts Nigella and Diana Henry as friends (and fans) and I so enjoyed getting to chat to her and hear her Desert Island Dishes. I hope you enjoy this one and thank you so much for listening. A huge thank you to our sponsor HG Walter for bringing the podcast to you this month - visit them at www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have Zena Kamgaing on The Dream Dinner Party. I love bringing you Desert Island dishes but I also selfishly do love the dream dinner party – it’s a just a little bit of fun, I love how everyone of the guests have really embraced the theme and taken it seriously – in a very unserious way. Zena was no exception – I love the sound of her dream dinner party – there is a part in this where she gets me to play one of the games she likes to play but we cut out the actual game part as I would have given away the answers and potentially ruined your fun. Hope you enjoy listening to the dream dinner party as much as I enjoy bringing it to you and I always want to hear from you the listener about who you would be inviting and what you would be serving! Thank you to our sponsor for this month – the brilliant family run butcher HG Walter. www.hgwalter.com So there we have it Gennaro’s dream dinner party is over, the food has been eaten and the guests have gone home. I do hope you enjoyed todays episode and make sure you’re subscribed to catch all episodes of The Dream Dinner Party and Desert lsland Dishes. Thank you so much for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is the world famous photographer David Loftus. David is one of the most influential photographers of all time often fondly referred to as Lord Loftus. Award-winning and internationally acclaimed, David has done the photography for the books of Jamie Oliver, Rachel Khoo, Gennaro Contaldo, Elizabeth David and April Bloomfield. For over 20 years, David has photographed over 150 books including all but one of Jamie Oliver’s international best-sellers. His work with Jamie Oliver alone has resulted in book sales of over 30 million copies. You will have looked a David’s photographs even if you were unaware of it at the time.  Thank you so much to HG Walter for sponsoring this month of Desert Island Dishes. Head to www.hgwalter.com for nationwide delivery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi I’m Margie Nomura and welcome to another episode of our side 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. And this week we have the one and only Rick Stein – I know so many of you loved his episode of Desert Island Dishes so I’m thrilled he also joined us to share his Dream Dinner Party. I think Rick would be a popular choice on lots of people Dream Dinner Party guest list so it was so interesting to hear who he would pick. Love that Ricks dinner parties all include a lot of dancing and also some very good tips about the actual art of hosting in this one – ensuring you don’t run out of time and that you don’t want to be still cooking when people are there, which I very much agree with.  Thank you to our sponsor for this month – the brilliant family run butcher HG Walter. www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back! For a short mini series but back nonetheless! I missed you! And I'm very excited that today my guest today is Claudia Roden. Described as the food writer who never goes out of fashion. She began collecting recipes in 1956, while a student in London. The Suez crisis of that year turned many people from Egypt into refugees: preserving the food culture of the Jewish community was as much practical as it was emotional.  These recipes led to her debut masterpiece A Book of Middle Eastern Food which really cemented Claudia’s future as one of the greatest food writers we’ve ever known. Her book revolutionised Western attitudes to the cuisines of the Middle East. Her books have been loved by not only home cooks but also have laid the foundation for many of the most ambitious professional kitchens, and heavily influenced some of the most well known chefs working today, from the River Café, to Ottolenghi, Alistair Little and Moro to name just a few. Claudia’s talent for mixing up the scholarly with the practical is what really has set her apart. Often described as an anthropologist as well as a historian, essayist and poet - her books are as much about culture an anthropology as they are about recipes. But she says she doesn’t follow scholarly rules, and didn’t go to university, she is a food writer through and through who simply finds a dish and wants to learn all about it.  What is clear is that she is the Master of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours and a hero for the industry and people who love food.  Thank you so much to our sponsor HG Walter for helping us to bring the show to you. Find them here: https://www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Rick Stein. A highly requested guest, I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did recording it. Rick is, of course, a chef, restaurateur, cook book author and television presenter. He has written over 25 cookery books, a memoir and made over 30 television programmes. His latest cookbook, Simple Suppers is out now. It has been nearly 50 years since he first opened The Fish Restaurant in Padstow, an area of Cornwall he fell in love with at a young age and has made his home.  Despite his successes, Rick describes himself as an accidental restaurateur – who never planned on a career in food. And yet how lucky we are that his dreams of running a nightclub were quashed by the local authorities and led instead to the Stein restaurant empire we know today.  He is the man who could pretty much entirely be credited with bringing an appreciation of fish to the UK masses, something he says he didn’t set out to do intentionally, it just made sense at the time. Despite his obvious success, Rick has said, “I’ve definitely got a sense of not being very good at stuff. It’s sort of absurd because, you know, I’ve done really quite well for myself, but I still really doubt myself. It’s just the way I am.” Simple Suppers is out now, available at all good bookstores. And don't forget if you want to enter our Fortnum and Mason giveaway with the chance to win one of their Magic of Christmas Hampers worth £300 sign up for the newsletter via the website www.desertislanddishes.co and I will be sending out more information. Thank you to Georgie my producer for all her hard work and thank you for listening! xx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have Donna Hay on the mini episode The Dream Dinner Party. Donna is the much loved and respected queen of cooking in Australia – she’s got a new cookbook out Even More Basics to Brilliance – which is the follow up to her first of this series. I was honoured to host Donna's supperclub at Fortnum and Mason a few weeks ago where we talked about the new book and then were served the most delicious food all from the book. Donna is extremely fun and she did not disappoint with her Dream Dinner Party which i think I describe as amazing many times in this but I just couldn’t get over how – well amazing (!) sounded.  I do hope you enjoyed today’s 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.

My guest today is Zena Kamgaing. Zena describes herself as a passionate home-chef, recipe creator and food enthusiast. Before going full time as a freelance recipe creator, She worked for a charity and ran their anti human trafficking initiative, worked for a food media company as head of ops before working at Mob kitchen – the food media platform. Zena burst onto the food creator scene when she appeared on Jamie Oliver’s Cook Book Challenge and since then her career has gone from strength to strength. She has since appeared on Lorraine, has garnered a huge online following and this seems to be just the start. Thank you very much to our sponsor for today's episode, Nestlé Carnation. Head to their website for a whole load of recipe inspiration: https://www.carnation.co.uk Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter Dinner Tonight - you can sign up via the website www.DesertIslandDishes.co and find me on instagram @desertislanddishes.co And thank you to my brilliant producer Georgie for all your help as always. https://www.rutherfordproductions.co.uk Thank you for listening! Margie x 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 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 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 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.

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 Sarah Wilson Sarah started I Quit Sugar in 2011 as a lifestyle experiment for a column she was writing. This led to an e-book, then three New York Times bestsellers and a business that saw 1.5 million people signing up to an eight-week nutrition programme. But as time went on, Sarah wasn’t enjoying it anymore. She says, ‘The business got to a point where it had gone from being a joy – creating, inventing, connecting with people – to a business concern. It felt soul-destroying. It felt wrong.’ And so in February 2022 she sold off the business and its assets and gave everything to charity. She now donates the money to carefully researched charity projects that target inequality, indigenous issues and the climate crisis. Sarah consumes essentials only, has never owned a handbag and doesn’t own a car. Her career has been extraordinary, she became the editor of Cosmopolitan Australia at 29, hosted the most-watched TV series show in the nation’s history -the first season of Masterchef Australia – and wrote the international bestseller First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, which Mark Manson described as “the best book on living with anxiety that I’ve ever read”. Her most recent book This One Wild and Precious Life, is also a prize winner and Sarah has been ranked in the top 200 most influential authors in the world (two years in a row). 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.

This week we have Madeleine Shaw, is a nutritional therapist based in London as the guest on this weeks episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. Interesting fact for you, I’ve done one live recording of Desert Island Dishes and Maddie was the guest! So if you want to go back and listen to her episode of desert island dishes, it was a few years ago now but that one was recorded in front of a live audience. I actually don’t know how I managed to record it as I didn’t have anyone helping me and it’s a miracle! But yes, we love a returning guest and I do hope you enjoy hearing about Maddie's dream dinner party. Rowan Atkinson – if you're listening I sincerely apologise for what you're about to hear and please know I am a huge fan and meant no offence.  Really hope you enjoy!  Follow me on Instagram @desertislanddishes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may well know Jon from his friendly, down-to-earth cooking videos online where he has amassed a huge following of avid fans but what you may not know is that Jon is where he is today through a lot of hard work and determination to turn his life around completely. He left school at the age of 16 with no idea what he wanted to do, he found himself hanging out with the wrong crowd and was constantly getting into trouble with the police. In 2008 he was sentenced to 6 ½ years in a young offenders institute. He said he had two choices: spending 23 hours a day in a cell or signing up for everything he could. He signed up for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and in that moment he changed the entire course of his life. Jon became the first person to ever earn a gold Duke of Edinburgh award whilst in prison receiving the award from Prince Philip himself. Jon went on to work for Jamie Oliver, where his passion for food was really ignited and now 16 years on, he runs a successful food business working as a chef and has just released his first cookbook. Thank you to our sponsor Cru Kafé for supporting us this episode and helping us to bring the show to you every week. Visit their website here. Don't forget to come and find us on Instagram and Tiktok @desertislanddishes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi I’m Margie Nomura and welcome to another episode of 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 its impossible to listen without thinking of your own answers This week we have Matt Rodbard who is a critically lauded writer, editor and author of food and culture books s well as the host of the this is taste podcast – a show which features culturally relevant and surprising discussions about food and drink. There’s nothing matt doesn’t know about restaurants and what’s hot – so it was fun to sit down with him and talk all about dinner parties and his dream dinner party.  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, and thank you to Kru Cafe coffee for sponsoring this weeks episode. You can find them online at crukafe.com where you can currently get 50% off their discovery box. And they are also available at Waitrose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Tara Wigley Tara spent a decade working in publishing–before going to cookery school in Ireland. Where she spent 3 months with her twin toddlers and her dog. She has developed, tested, and writen recipes for Ottolenghi’s weekly column in the Guardian magazine and monthly New York Times’s columns, as well as for his cookbooks.  She is the co-author of the award-winning Falastin, - in-house writer of Team Ottolenghi, Yotam’s co-author on eight of the biggest food books, including the million-seller, Ottolenghi Simple.. and mother of teen twins and a tween. Her hilarious and often biting ditties on Instagram have won her a new audience which is interested more in her own voice; How to Butter Toast is a recipe book without recipes, a rhyming route through the how-tos of cooking which is both reassuring and entertaining.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have the queen of dinner parties and a woman who has the knack for making everything look so completely gorgeous – Skye Mcalpine. We recorded this in Skye’s kitchen, which if you follow her on Instagram you will know is just absolute heaven – a kitchen of dreams with a long flowing table, the prettiest plates and crockery piled high in a dresser and adorning the walls. She had cakes waiting for us, which were delicious of course. Her third book came out earlier this year – A Table Full of Love which explores the connection between food and love and Skye’s love language is definitely food which we explore in todays episode.  Really hope you enjoy today's episode. Don't forget you can find me on Instagram @desertislanddishes and sign up for the newsletter at www.dinnertonight.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thom Bateman started his career as a chef at the age of 17, after training at Buxton College and gaining a knowledge of the classical techniques. He quickly rose through the ranks and became head chef at the tender age of 18. In 2009 Thom decided to leave the culinary world behind him, in order to protect his mental health and get a change in scene, a chance to travel to learn more about the world but also himself. 10 years later, Thom started a food blog page known as Bboxfood reigniting a passion for cooking. Through this, he began working with big brands and before long, he had amassed a large and loyal following. That following now sits at close to 3.5 million followers. Heading back to his roots… Thom decided to open the ‘The Flintlock’. His critically acclaimed restaurant, it’s a family affair and It’s from here he creates all his recipes and videos. He’s appeared on The Great British Menu where he was invited to compete to represent Staffordshire. With all this success and yet, it seems like he’s only just getting started. Thank you to our sponsor Deliveroo for supporting us this season and helping us to bring the show to you every week. Don't forget to come and find us on Instagram and Tiktok @desertislanddishes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi I’m Margie Nomura and welcome to another episode of our Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party.  We find out everything from their dream guest list to what they would serve as the menu and where it would be held. This week we welcome Poppy O’Toole to tell us all about her dream dinner party and her choice of guests and the venue are guaranteed to make this a very fun dinner party. Poppy O’Toole, also known as Poppy Cooks, is a Michelin-trained professional chef, who turned to tiktok upon losing her job in 2020 to fill some time. 3 years later, Poppy has amassed over 4 million followers on tiktok and her second cookbook is about to be released. She is a judge on Junior Masterchef and as the self-proclaimed Potato Queen, teaches her audience to make all sorts of potato delights as well as a whole host of other lovely recipes that aim to make cooking and food accessible to all audiences. There is no right or wrong way to host a dinner party, whether it’s a dream one or not. A casual take away with your very closest friends or a full on affair where you impress people you’ve never met. The term dinner party can be a bit loaded, but in my mind it encompasses every occasion and every way of doing it Subscribe to the newsletter Dinner Tonight here. Follow us on Instagram @desertislanddishes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Jane Dunn. You may know her through her recipes online as Jane’s Patisserie. She has amassed a following of over 1.3 million with her easy to follow but super indulgent recipes for all levels of bakers. From her large Instagram following, regular This Morning stints and record breaking stats, Jane’s hugely engaged following make her this generation’s go-to baker and have her being called the Mary Berry of the Instagram age.  Her debut book, Jane’s Patisserie, became the fastest-selling baking book of all time, selling 44,000 copies in its first 3 days after publication. Outselling some of the biggest names out there and she ddid this without the support of a TV show or a huge publicity drive. Pretty impressive stuff from the woman who found her way into baking after ending up in cookery school on a fluke.  Her blog attracts 8 million views a month and when asked the secret to her success, Jane has said "I think my selling point is I am a down-to-earth young woman and these recipes are accessible to anyone.” Her second book Jane’s Patisserie Celebrate! became an instant Number 1 bestseller and she’s just written her third which has just been released! Available from all good book stores.    Thank you so much for listening. Find us on instagram @desertislanddishes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Nadiya Hussain comes back to tell us all about her Dream Dinner Party. Nadiya's episode of Desert Island Dishes was a few years ago now but if you haven’t listened to it you must – she’s so warm and open and it’s a lovely listen.  Her new book Nadiya’s Simple Spices is out now and is packed with beautiful breakfasts, lunches and extraordinary family food in the form of Bombay potatoes, crispy leek biryani and we will hear about some of the dishes in todays episode. 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.