Table Talk

Surely needing no introduction to Spectator listeners, Michael Gove has been a staple of British politics for almost two decades. As a Christmas treat, he joins Lara Prendergast to talk about his memories of food including: the 'brain food' he grew up on in Aberdeen, his favourite Oxford pubs and the dining culture of 1980s Fleet Street. He also shares his memorable moments from his time in politi...

Tom Gilbey, the internet’s most charismatic wine expert, sits down with Olivia Potts for Table Talk. Tom is a winemaker, merchant, educator – and also an author. His new book,  Thirsty , is part-memoir, part guide to his life through wine in 100 bottles, and is available now.  On the podcast, Tom discusses his family’s love for winemaking that stretches back to the nineteenth century, an...

A woman that needs no introduction for regular Spectator readers, Tanya Gold has been the Spectator’s restaurant critic since 2011. On the podcast she tells Lara why – while it might be annoying – fellow critic Jay Rayner is never wrong, why the pandemic was ‘disgustingly great’ for food critics and how she has become ‘enslaved' to her aga. Plus, she discusses her favourite restaurants from Hampst...

Sandrine Zhang Ferron is a tech entrepreneur and founder of Vinterior, the online marketplace for antique and vintage furniture. She joins Olivia Potts on this episode of  Table Talk.  Sandrine shares her memories of growing up with Chinese and French cuisine, a fusion which has influenced her cooking and hosting style today. She also shares advice on how to furnish s...

Stephen Harris, a self-taught chef who has run the Michelin-starred restaurant The Sportsman for over 25 years, sits down with Olivia Potts on Table Talk. Based just outside of Whitstable in Kent, The Sportsman has won national restaurant of the year multiple times, and Stephen is also an executive chef at Noble Rot. The Sportsman At Home is his second cookbook, available to pre-order now and out...

Broadcaster, writer, actor – and former MP – Gyles Brandreth joins Lara Prendergast on this episode of Table Talk to discuss his memories of food, from hating dates and loving 'bread sandwiches' to his signature dish of fish fingers and his love of eating baked beans cold from a can. Gyles also tells Lara about getting permission to eat swan, his encounter with Raymond Blanc and his friendship wit...

Writer Andrew Turvil is the former editor of the Good Food Guide, the AA Restaurant Guide and the Which? Pub Guide. His new book Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears: The Story of the 1990s Restaurant Revolution is out now. On the podcast, Andrew tells Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast about how his journey began through journalism, the importance of Marco Pierre White's influence on food culture in...

In a bumper episode, the legend that is Raymond Blanc joins Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. The self-taught chef heads up the double Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, has trained chefs from Heston Blumenthal to Marco Pierre White, and received an honorary OBE in 2008. His new book Simply Raymond Kitchen Garden is out now. The chef tells Liv and Lara about his earliest memories of fo...

Ben Lippett is a chef and food influencer whose recipes and cooking tips are hugely popular online. His new book How I Cook: A Chef's Guide To Really Good Home Cooking is out on the 2nd September. On the podcast, Ben tells Lara and Olivia about how he went about writing his debut cookbook, what makes really good online food content, and his grandma’s birthday cakes. Become a Spectator subscri...

Brett Graham is the man behind the Michelin-starred The Ledbury in Notting Hill, which is celebrating 20 years this year. He’s also the director of The Harwood Arms in Fulham, London’s only pub with a Michelin star.   On the podcast, Brett tells hosts Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts about why being in the kitchen is like being in the army, what it was like for The Ledbury to receive its thi...

Charlotte Ivers is the restaurant critic for the Sunday Times; most recently she reviewed Lupa, Fenix and Home SW15. Charlotte started her career as a media adviser in Theresa May’s Number 10, before she moved into the world of radio. She was a political correspondent at talkRADIO and Wireless Group before joining Times Radio.    On the podcast, Charlotte te...

Candice Chung is a food writer whose work has been featured in many publications, including the Guardian . Her first book, Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You , is out now. On the podcast, she tells Liv about her earliest memories of food growing up in Hong Kong, why trying lasagne for the first time was a magical experience, and how Chinese parents show their love through food. Become a Spectato...

Thomasina Miers is a chef, writer and restaurateur who co-founded Wahaca – the award-winning restaurant group that brought bold, sustainable Mexican street food to the UK. Her new book, Mexican Table , is out in August. On the podcast, Thomasina tells Lara about early memories of stirring onion with her mother, why she moved her family across the world to live in Mexico, and why bread is the ultim...

Nadine Dorries is one of the most recognisable Conservative politicians from the past two decades. Elected as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire in 2005, she notably clashed with David Cameron and George Osborne (who she called ‘two arrogant posh boys’) and lost the whip in 2012 when she took part in the reality show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here . Loyal to Boris Johnson, she served in his governme...

Jun Tanaka is a Japanese-British chef with over 30 years’ experience in some of London’s most famous restaurants, including La Gavroche , Restaurant Marco Pierre White and The Square . In 2016 he opened the Ninth , which was awarded a Michelin star two years later. On the podcast, Jun tells Lara why the smell of baking brings back early food memories, how Japanese packed lunch is superior to Engli...

Daria Lavelle was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and raised in New York. Her work explores themes of identity and belonging and her short stories have appeared in The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and elsewhere. Daria is the author of the critically acclaimed new novel Aftertaste which explores food, grief and the uncanny.  On the podcast she tells Liv about her 'inexplicable' love of olives as a child in Ukr...

Mary-Ellen McTague is a chef based in Manchester. She is the culinary driving force behind Aunbury, 4244, the Creameries and her newest venture, Pip at the Treehouse Hotel. Mary-Ellen is also the co-founder of Eat Well MCR, which has delivered almost 100,000 meals across Greater Manchester since 2020 to those sidelined by poverty. On the podcast, she tells Liv and Lara why, as a child, she would o...

Roger Pizey is a baker, chef and one of the most influential pâtissiers in the UK. He started his culinary journey as an apprentice at La Gavroche under Albert Roux before taking on the role of head of pastry at Marco Pierre White’s Harveys, during the time it achieved three Michelin stars. He has since worked at a number of London institutions and now serves as the head of pastry at Fortnum and M...

Gok Wan is a renowned stylist and television presenter. Over the years, Gok has transformed the way we think about style and body image with his much-loved series How to Look Good Naked and Gok’s Fashion Fix – his focus on body positivity was the antidote to the crash-dieting fads which dominated the 2000s. Later in his career, Gok drew upon his Chinese heritage to author books on Chinese cooking....

Loyd Grossman is a man of many talents: from appearing on our screens as the host of MasterChef and Through the Keyhole,  to crafting a beloved line of pasta sauces. Loyd has left his mark on both the culinary and cultural worlds. On the podcast, Loyd talks to Lara about hazy memories of ‘sipping a Shirley Temple cocktail aged 6 or 7’, the secret behind his pasta sauces, and why he loathes school...

Ash Sarkar is a journalist, academic and political activist known for her commentary on social justice and democratic socialism. She is a senior editor at Novara Media , and her work has been published extensively. Ash’s debut book, Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War , examines how ruling elites exploit cultural divisions to maintain power. On the podcast, she tells Liv and Lara about ea...

Emma Fox is the chief exec of Berry Bros & Rudd, the world's oldest fine wine and spirit merchant. A retail veteran, Emma's broad experience has been shaped by a career spanning over 30 years.  On the podcast, Emma tells Liv about early memories of 'sugar butties', what's the best bottle to bring to a dinner party and what she would pair with her desert island meal.  Photo credit: Elena Hearthwick...

Andy Cato is a musician, record producer and DJ, and is perhaps best known as one half of the Grammy Award -winning electronic music duo Groove Armada . Andy is also a farmer and now puts his energy into championing a better food system as co-founder of Wildfarmed, the UK’s leading regenerative food and farming company. Backed by Jeremy Clarkson and hundreds of farmers nationwide, regenerative far...

Jeremy Chan is the head chef and owner of Ikoyi , a West African-inspired restaurant that celebrates British seasonality. He is also the author of a cookbook of the same name. On the podcast, he tells Liv and Lara about growing up with a number of different food influences – from Hong Kong to Canada – and why his two-Michelin-starred restaurant should never be pigeonholed. Photo credit: Danny J Pe...

Julian Baggini is a philosopher, journalist and author. He has served as the academic director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and is a member of the Food Ethics Council. His new book, How the World Eats: A Global Food Philosophy , is out now. On the podcast, Julian tells Liv about why he used to insist that shepherd’s pie was served at his birthday parties, the philosophical view of veganism...