The Food Programme

Sheila Dillon explores Africa's forest foods, both an emergency larder and source of wonderful flavours. With the support of Comic Relief and funds raised through Red Nose Day work is underway to tap into the potential of this neglected food source. From Shea butter to Maringa, Sheila tastes her way through this story with Tony Hill of the charity Tree Aid, and Malcolm Riley, "the African Chef", w...

Hectic lifestyles are increasing the demand for ready-made, 'grab n go' convenient foods. Today's time pressed commuters buy bagels at the station or carry breakfast bars in their briefcase. Retailers have led this change - offering snack size portions and handy grab packs to stave off hunger. Gourmet 'food on the go' has been identified as a key growth sector and sales are increasing. Sheila Dill...

It's an ingredient that is key to many cuisines of the world, and has a prominent role in folklore and traditional medical systems- although some people avoid it because of the passions that it is said to arouse. Sheila Dillon explores a bulb which provokes strong feelings - both culinary and otherwise - and is now to be found in most of our kitchens: garlic. The United Kingdom is importing five t...

Sheila Dillon investigates the food lives of people surviving on the basic state pension. To fully understand the experience of living on a small income and feeling the limitations of older age, food writer Andrew Webb volunteered to spend a week living as his 80 year old self. Kitted out in a suit that replicates some of the physical challenges of someone twice his age Andrew shopped, cooked, ate...

Sheila Dillon reports on fresh developments in the horsemeat scandal. As more tests reveal large amounts of horsemeat in beef products, Sheila investigates the supply chain. Producer: Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon with an exclusive food interview with former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney. More than thirty years since becoming a vegetarian he reflects on his life through food. He describes his early life in the terraced council house, 20 Forthlin Road, now owned by the National Trust and where the McCartney kitchen, circa 1955, has been restored. Paul McCartney recalls meals of pork chops, liver an...

Ireland's horsemeat burger scandal makes the guarantees on traceability and product standards by some supermarkets look unreliable. The discovery may also be a wakeup call for the Food Standards Agency. In a special edition of The Food Programme, Sheila Dillon talks to former regulators and experts on food processing to find out how it could have happened and what kind of meat supply chain it has...

Traffic light labelling - whether red lights will stop us eating bad foods. Sheila Dillon investigates whether this year's change in food labelling will encourage us to improve our diet. Sue Davies from Which? explains the change to food labelling. This year a consistent system will be adopted across supermarkets. The labels will show a combination of guideline daily amounts, colour coding and "hi...

Sheila Dillon presents a special New Year, "From our Own Food Correspondent" with stories from China, France, Italy, Britain and the United States that reflect our changing attitudes towards the food we eat Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Dan Saladino explores the cocktail, a story which begins with 18th century Indian punch and keeps on evolving with new wave flavours being developed in the bars of New York , London, Bristol and Manchester. After years of being out of fashion and misunderstood, the cocktail is making a comeback. Drinks that had been forgotten for decades, like the Sidecar, the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan have...

Christmas Necessary Pleasures - Sheila Dillon hears from leading chefs and writers on their favourite Christmas foods. Jamie Oliver, Angela Hartnett and Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood are among the top chefs who create an imaginary banquet of Christmas delicacies. Food writers Tom Jaine and Kirsten Rodgers discuss these foods, and hear about past Christmas traditions from food histori...

Cheap veg - the surprising stories behind humble British vegetables. Sheila Dillon enlists three experts to uncover the hidden side of our veggies. Ethno-botanist James Wong argues that rhubarb is the only uniquely British indigenous vegetable. Agricultural expert Dr Oliver Moore discovers the work that a seed bank in Ireland is doing to increase variety in our potatoes. And food writer Andrew Web...

Sheila Dillon looks at the role food plays in different faiths and how increasingly churches, temples and mosques are being tasked with feeding people who have fallen victim to recession. Producer: Maggie Ayre.

A Winning Meal - the menu behind the Food and Farming Awards. Chef, Arthur Potts-Dawson tells the story behind a celebratory meal created using ingredients from UK food producers who were nominated for the BBC Food and Farming Awards. Presented by Sheila Dillon. Produced by Emma Weatherill.

Originally the street food of German immigrants to the United States, the hot dog was the original artisan sausage in the late nineteenth century before going 'downscale' and becoming the cheap food for the masses. Now not just a watery, synthetic thing from a can, a new breed of pedigree frankfurter is on the rise. Tom Parker Bowles reports. Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Sheila Dillon meets finalists in the BBC Food & Farming Awards offering ideas for our food future, from making more local food available online to redistributing spare food. Joining Sheila to explore these ideas are Kath Dalmeny, research director of Sustain, and Christine Tacon, former CEO of the Coop's farms. Under discussion are Growing Communities in East London, Riverford Organics in Devo...

From Moroccan food to traditional British puddings. Valentine Warner and Charles Campion taste their way through the BBC Food & Farming Awards "Best street food or takeaway" category. The judges had the challenge of travelling and eating their way around the three finalists very different stories in what turned out to be something of a "food road trip" . Charles and Valentine, find out about n...

Loving lard - Tim Hayward delves into the guilty pleasure of eating animal fat. Lard is so unfashionable that the word is used as an insult. But Tim goes on a mission to reclaim lard and argue that it can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet. Science journalist Gary Taubes is researching saturated animal fats and says that eating lard is healthy. Food writer Oliver Thring visits restaurant Quo Vad...

John Inverdale looks at innovations in the food offerings at football grounds that aim to give fans and players alike a better eating experience than the traditional burger and pie. He visits League Champions Manchester City who are leading the way in the food revolution. Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Tim Hayward glimpses the future of the domestic oven. After decades of remaining relatively unchanged, ovens will soon be intelligent , with probes, steam and user interfaces. Mary Berry gives Tim some tips on how best to use your oven, and food historian Bee Wilson explains how ovens used to be so cutting edge that people were afraid of them. Presenter: Tim Hayward. Producer: Emma Weatherill.

Tristram Stuart reports on the latest ideas to tackle our growing mountains of food waste by thinking creatively and producing good food from surplus produce Producer: Maggie Ayre.

British blue cheese is aspiring to move from niche to mass market. Blue cheese has been made on the continent since Roman times. But in the UK, blue in cheese was historically viewed as "white cheese gone wrong". Now, British blue cheese producers are trying to make creamy, sweet, salty cheeses in a European style to compete with the continental imports of Gorgonzola, Cambozola and Danish Blue. Sh...

Cook and food writer Valentine Warner reveals this year's line up of finalists in the BBC Food & Farming Awards. For the past four months the team of judges including chef Angela Hartnett, drinks writers Pete Brown and Victoria Moore as well as Valentine have all been sifting through nominations and selecting the potential winners of awards. Who they've chosen and why is all in this special ed...

Tom Parker Bowles looks at the cinema eating experience: from popcorn and nachos to three course meals, there's now every kind of food available to nibble on whilst at the movies. But is it right that we should eat in such a distracted way? Isn't it a ticket to obesity? Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Sheila Dillon finds out why sourdough bread is undergoing a major revival. It is the world's oldest leaven bread dating back to Ancient Egypt and it is now experiencing a renaissance. Baker Dan de Gustibus explains how the bread is made from a sourdough starter, a mixture of flour and water which is left to ferment until wild yeasts and bacteria start breeding. But there are many myths around this...