Table Talk

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 cul...

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...

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. Become a Spectator subsc...

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 Prende...

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....

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access t...

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. Become a Sp...

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. Become a Spectator...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/...

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 product...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today t...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber...

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. Become a Specta...

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.   Presen...

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 Prend...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access th...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contac...

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. Become a S...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go...

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'. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts,...

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’. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more...

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. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree t...

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 g...