Crazy Sexy Food

This week, New York is in the house!!! I have the King of the Slurp, Ivan Orkin, over to chat all things ramen, Japan, Chef’s Table and what a proper noodle slurp actually is. Ivan found himself in Japan, as a New Yorker and did the thing most of us wouldn’t; he went and opened a ramen joint in Tokyo. Ramen and especially noodles are a Japanese delicacy. I wanted to find out the challenges he face...

This week I am so excited to have Paul McKenna on the podcast! The worldwide renowned, celebrity hypnotist is known for helping some of the most successful people in the world overcome habits, addictions and phobias.  He has had a hugely successful TV career as well as selling over 10 million copies of his books. In fact his book, I Can Make You Thin is the best-selling self-help book of all time!...

Welcome back to the Crazy Sexy Food podcast SEASON 9!!! I cannot believe we’re into the 9th season, and I’m back bigger and better than ever. What better way to kick things off than with Nancy Silverton; the queen of bread, the sandwich making maestro, the pizzaiola extraordinaire. Since opening La Brea Bakery in LA, Nancy brought artisanal breads and pastries to America. She’s won a James Beard F...

This week I am joined by one of the funniest women alive, Ronni Ancona. Best known for her time on the BBC’s The Big Impression starring alongside Alistair McGowan, Ronni’s impressions of some of the most famous faces in pop culture has made her a bit of a national treasure! I thought it would be a brilliant, lighthearted episode to end the season with, as she talks about her childhood growing up...

I am finally joined by Hollywood royalty!! It only took 8 seasons to get there! Paul Feig popped over for a chat, and a couple cocktails to talk all about directing Bridesmaids (my fav film ever!), what the life of a director is really like and why he prefers his martinis stirred NOT shaken. Paul Feig has been a main player in the entertainment industry for years, and has put his hand to the likes...

I am incredibly honoured to bring you a very special episode this week. I’d like to highlight that this is a very emotional and sensitive conversation between myself and Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina, the ladies behind #CookForUkraine; the global movement of supper clubs, restaurants and chefs supporting the people of Ukraine, since the atrocities began earlier this year. It was a privilege...

This week the powerhouse that is Clare Smyth MBE, joins me in my humble kitchen to talk all about being a Michelin starred chef, running 2 restaurants on opposite sides of the world and what it’s really like for a female chef in the restaurant industry. This was a real honour for me and I was definitely fan girl-ing! Clare is the only female chef in the UK with 3 Michelin stars and is a fierce, fa...

This week, Lerato Umah-Shaylor joins me to talk all about the beauty of African cooking. Her new cookbook, Africana, takes us on a journey from north to south, east to west; celebrating all that the continent has to offer. We discuss the politics of jollof rice, and I blow her away with my own jollof rice, which she loved! She opens up about her incredibly interesting childhood both here in the UK...

What a gorgeous woman Maimie McCoy is! The British actress came over for a chat about her childhood growing up in a restaurant in Yorkshire, her nostalgic memories of both our childhood restaurant San Lorenzo, and how she learns her lines for each production she’s on. We talk about her brilliant career, working on productions such as ITV’s Van der Valk, the BBC’s The Muskateers and the film The Vi...

You are in for SUCH a treat this week my lovely listeners. The OG TV chef, the king of the cooking show, Ainsley Harriott joined me at the kitchen table to talk all about growing up in South London, his short career as a singer in a band, why hula hoops are the best crisps ever and why Ready, Steady, Cook is still the best cooking show of all time! Ainsley is also back on our screens at the moment...

This week I am joined by the wonderful Amanda Wakeley! The fashion designer is known the world over for her clean and glamourous signature style. She has dressed some of the most famous women in the world including Princess Diana, Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie. Most recently, Amanda has delved into the podcasting world launched her debut show, Amanda Wakeley: Style DNA, which sees her delve in...

I am so excited to introduce you to Lorraine Copes, the founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality. BIH is a non-profit organisation set up to advance racial inequality in hospitality, food and drink. Launched in 2020, Lorraine’s background working some of the most well known restaurant brands, has paved the way for her to really shine the light on the lack of diversity within the industry and make the m...

I’m back for Season 8!! I cannot believe we’re here already and I have one of the best line ups for you this season. I am kicking things off with the one and only Melanie Blatt from All Saints. Her and the other girls were part of one of the best selling girl bands of all time and are known for their killer tunes Never Ever, Bootie Call and Pure Shores. In recent months, Mel competed on Celebrity...

To commemorate the Season 7 finale, I have my mum, Susan Young, on!! You are in for such a treat to get to meet the woman who has inspired me, fed me and loved me my whole life! I felt like after 7 seasons it was time to introduce the queen in my life, my best friend, my “momager”, my disco diva! Mum delves into her incredible childhood between Iran, Norfolk and London and how it set her up for li...

I met Chris Baber over food - of course - at an amazing party at Nobu full of the best canapes! We positioned ourselves right by the kitchen doors – in the firing line, and now it was time to get him over for a chat! Chris reminisces being a child cooking in Northumberland with his granddad; he was influenced by the greats like Ainsley, Gordon and Rick! He went on to win a cooking competition on t...

I’ve followed Sabrina Ghayour’s career for a while now, and so it was a huge pleasure to finally have her on the podcast. She’s just launched her new cookbook, Persiana Everyday, which was a tough process to write as she wrote it through lockdown, whilst dealing with all the things complexities that have come with the last 2 years. It was also challenging to actually write down the recipes she was...

I am so happy I have finally met the man himself, Glyn Fussell. And he came to my house. And he loves my granola! The LGBTQ+ trailblazer joined me to talk all about his epic brand and club night, Sink the Pink, co-founding the festival The Mighty Hoopla, and more recently his new podcast and debut book, Manifesto for Misfits. Glyn grew up in Bristol in a huuuuuge family – he’s one of seven! And it...

Clodagh McKenna oozes the most joyful energy, she has the perfect sultry Irish accent, and she came with a signed cookbook for me. What more could you want?! Arriving straight from the This Morning studios, where she’d been whipping up delicious food, the self-proclaimed farmer runs an entire farm at her home in Hampshire. She has it all; animals, fruit and veg and even her own pub! Clodagh remini...

Every now and again I sit down with someone who has a profound effect on me. Jo Malone is one of those people. As the founder of Jo Malone London and Jo Loves, she is the queen of fragrance with her sixth sense of knowing how scents work, and putting different notes together to create some of the best smells in the world. This was an incredibly open and honest conversation, and at times emotional....

I sat down with one of my childhood culinary heroes (and my dad’s!), Ken Hom. He recorded from his gorgeous house in France, where he splits his time between there and Thailand. Ken is one of the most celebrated TV chefs of our generation, bringing the flavours of Chinese cooking to our homes. We cover his life in food; how he got into the culinary scene and why he’s still traumatised from his fir...

What an honour to have Asma Khan on this week’s podcast. The star – and only British  and  female chef to be featured on Chef’s Table on Netflix! Asma is a leader in the culinary world; speaking up about women in food, putting women in the kitchen and making space for us! She emotionally opens up to me about writing her new book, Ammu, and how it was a dedication to her mother, the love...

I absolutely loved sitting down with my good friend, Eric Lanlard, the French pâtissier extraordinaire. We recorded from his baking school in South West London, Cake Boy, which is the cake emporium you need to know about! Growing up in North West France, Eric knew what he wanted to do since he was 5 years old and signed up to his local patisserie to make sure he was taken on as an apprentice as a...

It was a pleasure to host Shiza Shahid at my home, the co-founder and owner of Our Place – the cookware brand taking the world by storm. But Our Place is a mere fraction of what this incredible woman stands for. She also co-founded the Malala Fund in 2013, and has fought for women’s rights and the right for education for young girls since she was a teenager.  She is completely in line with my...

What better way to bring in episode 2 than with my first ever couple! And they’re not just any couple… Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Richard Jones are the ultimate couple of all couples! They work together; Richard plays base in Sophie’s band, they parent together; they have 5 children (not 3, Hannah!! Listen in to hear my huge mess up!), and they have now written a cookbook together; Love Food Family!...

I’M BACKKKK!!!!! And it feels so good! Thank you for sticking around this long! How are we onto Season 7 already?! I thought I’d treat you all and kick the season off in style, with the sultry tones of Grace Dent, the restaurant critic, broadcaster and author! I have officially given her the title of National Treasure; a name she is beyond excited to receive. She discusses her show with Ainsley Ha...