A Slice of Bread and Butter

When Tracy moved from Working Tax Credits to Universal Credit, nothing about her circumstances changed – she was still a single mum working as a support worker on national living wage. Yet suddenly, she found herself without access to free prescriptions, dental care and glasses that she'd previously relied on. "I had emergency dental treatment more or less as soon as I migrated over to u...

What drives a 15-year-old boy to flee his home country alone, crossing dangerous borders in darkness to reach safety thousands of miles away? For Farid, it was the Taliban's targeting of his family due to his father and brothers' work with Afghan special forces. Nine years after that perilous journey, Farid has built a life in Newcastle – a city he chose for its "chill" atmosph...

What happens when working full-time simply isn't enough to feed your family? Tracy's powerful story exposes the harsh reality many working parents face in today's economy. As a single mother of five working as a property assistant for Kirklees Council, Tracy embodies the growing demographic of "working poor" – those doing everything society expects yet still struggling to...

Lorraine Smith's journey from social worker to service user reveals the profound ways life can change when health challenges arise unexpectedly. After receiving six different diagnoses in six months, this Manchester-born professional found herself navigating the very support systems she once guided others through. The conversation takes us through Lorraine's fascinating background – born...

The face of financial hardship is changing. Meet David - data analyst by day, heavy metal musician by night - who embodies a troubling economic trend that's sweeping across the UK. David and his wife both work full-time professional jobs. They don't drive, don't have children, and live modestly. Yet they frequently find themselves struggling financially, sometimes unable even to aff...

Meet Tracy, whose metal heart valve ticks audibly throughout our conversation - a constant reminder of the life-threatening surgery that became a turning point in her already challenging financial journey. Tracy's story offers a rare glimpse into how debt becomes not just a circumstance but an identity. Having become a mother at 17 and growing up with a mother who was always in debt, Tracy&ap...

Vic and Mark welcome Hayley, Assistant Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Manchester, for a candid conversation about the changing face of financial hardship in Britain today. The discussion reveals a troubling shift in who's seeking support – it's no longer just people out of work, but increasingly those in employment who find themselves unable to make ends meet. "People who are in...

The stark reality of our broken food system comes to life as Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation, sits down with Mark and Vic to unpack the findings from their eye-opening Broken Plate report. What emerges is a troubling picture of how our food environments systematically disadvantage those on lower incomes, creating a perfect storm of health inequalities. Anna introduces us to...

Not only is it National Volunteer Week but it's also our 50TH EPISODE(!) so we had to make it an extra special one. This week, it's all about Erin, sign language interpreter by day, community hero by heart. She’s not only founded a food bank in her town but also set up our Thorney hub, all whilst working with big-name broadcasters and raising two children as a single parent. Join Mark an...

Behind every food bag at Bread and Butter is a dedicated volunteer like Zosia. Having escaped living under martial law in Poland, Zosia arrived in the UK in 1982 and immediately took on multiple jobs without seeking government support. This self-reliance continued as she raised three children while working. Join Mark and Alex as they talk about managing on a modest pension, property prices and fin...

Singer, vocal coach and part-time carer, Colette doesn’t fit the typical image of someone needing food support. After a divorce in 2021, she faced sudden financial strain but has slowly rebuilt her life. Despite juggling three jobs, a mortgage, and raising two children, she struggled to stay afloat and was without a permanent home for five months. Join Mark and Alex as they talk “mystery dinners”...

As part of our Slice of Life campaign and our mission to make life more affordable for working families, this week’s episode focuses on James. James is a support worker and devoted young dad doing everything he can to make sure his little boy is well fed, “I’ve lived off beans for two days to make sure my son eats properly”. Even with two incomes and careful budgeting, James and his partner still...

From hospital wards to hub volunteering, Sarah bulldozes her way through life with tonnes of energy, honesty and humour. Despite working 12-hour shifts as a healthcare assistant, she makes time every Saturday to volunteer at our Neon hub in Oldham.  Join Mark and Alex as they chat about the reality of working full-time yet still struggling, challenge assumptions about who needs food support and Pi...

Tucked away in leafy Cheshire, Broken Cross Primary's Headteacher Donna is leading a quiet revolution in how schools support struggling families. Like so many schools these days, it offers so much more than education.  With nearly half of its pupils qualifying for free school meals, Donna's team are trained to spot signs of need to make sure no child slips through the cracks. Join Mark a...

"Smell it, smell it, use your eyes and use your nose!" declares James, this week's entertaining podcast guest. After precisely "50 years, 9 months and 13 days" in engineering across the Merchant Navy, Army, and food production industries, James now keeps himself out of mischief with Bread and Butter and tending to his allotment. Join Mark and Alex as they enjoy James'...

Penny Walters tells it like it is. It's this Northern grit, honesty and fearlessness that's made her the go-to community figure in Byker that she is today. Join Mark and Alex as they chat with Penny about her incredible journey from working 70-hour weeks at a supermarket, surviving on pasta with margarine to speaking at Westminster about food insecurity as a Food Foundation ambassador.

The final in our Team Talk mini series takes you behind the scenes to hear directly from the team at Bread and Butter HQ. Whilst these guys might not be out in our hubs everyday, they're busy making sure that things get to where they need to be and at the right time. This includes the all important food, organising the trucks carrying the food, texts to order the food and making sure people g...

What happens when affordable food becomes the catalyst for community connection? In the second of our Team Talk podcast mini series, we catch up with some of the seasoned veterans of Bread and Butter and our Chair of Trustees to unpick the magic that powers the organisation. From Dan's fondness for Flixton to Alicia's five North East faves, each team member reveals how these hubs have no...

This week's podcast lands with a bit of a difference. Mark and Vic are joined by guest host, Frazer McKinstry from Swissport along with a few of our newest team members for a noisy sharing of life stories. And of course there's a special appearance from Mark's dog, Blue!  This exchange was captured at our most recent bi-annual gathering, and provides a behind-the-scenes snippet of t...

 Ahead of this week's government announcements, Mark and Vic catch up with Kath, who is living with multiple chronic health conditions and the fear of financial ruin if welfare reforms cut her benefits. Relying on her wife Viv as a full-time carer and Bread and Butter for affordable healthy food, they battle the overly complicated benefits system whilst struggling to eat healthily on a tight...

Ever wondered why a banana curves? Or how long it takes for a pineapple to mature before its voyage to the UK?  Join Mark and Justin as they get geeky about tropical fruit with Sophie and Shania from Fyffes.  Enjoy a glimpse behind the scenes of Europe's largest banana importer with a few weird and wonderful science secrets revealed along the way. The 7000km journey the banana goes on to reac...

This week, Mark and Alex sit down with Marie, a dog-loving, community-driven retired nursery nurse who’s only recently discovered pension credits after months of financial struggle. Tune in as we chat about the importance of being a good neighbour, the challenges many retirees face, from rising living costs to the lack of awareness around available benefits and, of course, Mark’s favourite topic (...

Welcome to the second part of our Slice of Bread and Butter podcast Impact specials! Once again, we’re joined by the brilliant Dr. Megan Blake, Senior Lecturer and Food Insecurity Scholar from the University of Sheffield. This time, we’re chatting about how food clubs are helping change eating habits and improve health.  We’ll be diving into the results of our recent annual survey, exploring how f...

Welcome to the first edition of our Impact special two-part Slice of Bread and Butter podcast! This week, we are joined by our friend and all round accessible food expert, Dr. Megan Blake from the University of Sheffield. As part of our Impact launch, Megan joins us to unpack the differences between food banks and food clubs.  We dive into the fascinating generational shifts in attitudes toward fo...

Meet Kelly, a spirited WASPI woman whose life took a life-altering turn after a carjacking incident. We caught up with Kelly about being at the mercy of government sudden shift in pension age, the aftermath of a traumatic event, chocolate blancmange and side hustling on the small screen.