The Sustainable Food Trust Podcast

Julius Roberts – a first-generation farmer and chef with a passion for seasonal cooking and self-sufficiency – joins Patrick Holden for this episode of the SFT podcast. After studying sculpture at university, Julius worked as a full-time chef in London before moving to a smallholding in Dorset where he now farms. He keeps a range of livestock, including goats, sheep and pigs, and grows a wide vari...

In this episode of the SFT podcast, Patrick Holden sat down with John and Alice Pawsey, pioneering organic farmers of Shimpling Park Farm in Suffolk. As well as farming 650 hectares of arable land and 1,000 New Zealand Romney breeding ewes, Shimpling Park also farms an additional 980 hectares of land for neighbouring farmers, all of which are managed organically. Diversifications on the farm inclu...

For this episode of the SFT podcast, Patrick Holden travelled to the Cotswolds to catch up with Dame Prue Leith – renowned restaurateur, cook, novelist and judge on the hugely popular Great British Bake Off . Prue recounts the incredible life she has led, from growing up in South Africa during Apartheid, to living in France where she discovered her passion for cooking. Prue and Patrick's far-rangi...

As we reach the halfway point in this current series of the SFT podcast, Patrick Holden becomes the interviewee in a conversation with Dave Chapman on all things organic. Dave is the co-founder of the Real Organic Project, a farmer-led movement based in the US which aims to strengthen people's understanding of the organic movement, including the traditional values and practices. Dave has devoted m...

Kicking off the new year and marking our fourth episode in the latest SFT podcast series, Patrick Holden meets with Ian Wilkinson at this year's Oxford Real Farming Conference. Ian is the Managing Director of Cotswold Seeds which boasts a bespoke seed catalogue, supplying 15,000 farmers across the UK with green manures, cover crops, herbal leys and more. He is also the co-founder of FarmEd, an org...

For the third episode of the SFT podcast, and closing out 2023, Patrick Holden caught up with Sarah Langford – a criminal and family barrister, turned organic farmer and author of the critically acclaimed book, Rooted : How Regenerative Farming Can Change the World . Sarah spent 10 years as a barrister living in London, during which time she also wrote her debut book, the Sunday Times bestseller I...

While in Dubai at COP28, Patrick caught up with Helmy Abouleish, who – through his work as CEO of sustainable development initiative, SEKEM – has launched a soil carbon credit scheme in Egypt, bringing together around 40,000 farmers who are mainly smallholders farming biodynamically and organically.   With food and agriculture a central theme at this year's COP, the SEKEM model, which honours farm...

In this first episode, Patrick Holden meets Sophie Gregory – one of the UK's most prominent first-generation dairy farmers. With a passion for connecting more people with the origins of their food, Sophie talks to Patrick about how she first got into farming, her plans for her Nuffield scholarship on the future of organic, and why she feels education on food and farming is so essential. Want to fi...

Sebastian Pole is a herbalist, best known for establishing organic tea and supplement brand Pukka herbs. In this episode, Sebastian describes his journey from 'WWOOF' (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) volunteer to herbalist, finding inspiration in India after experiencing the healing powers of herbs first hand. He explains the value high quality, organic herbs hold for those who grow them...

Dr Claire Whittle is a farm vet, Nuffield scholar, but above all, a dung beetle enthusiast.   In the UK, there are 60 species of dung beetle, which fall into the categories of 'dwellers', 'stealers' and 'tunnellers'. Each beetle plays a vital part in breaking down dung, improving soil health, suppressing pests, and even reducing greenhouse gas emissions and flood risk.  A recent study showed that...

This week Patrick is joined by Tim Spector, professor of Genetic Epidemiology, author, and co-founder of personalised microbiome and nutrition analysis company ZOE. They discuss the microbiome of the human gut and its similarities to the microbiome of soil, exploring how farmers might influence the diversity of several microbiomes through their practices, and how legislation might be altered to su...

A special edition podcast covering our 2022 Fir Farm Conference: A Roadmap to Sustainable Farming. Find out about more events on our website.

Arizona Muse is considered an icon in the modelling world and has starred in campaigns for the world's best-known fashion houses. She is an activist, educator and founded DIRT, a charity that promotes and supports biodynamic farming. Arizona has also spent time as an impact-consultant for brands looking to lower their environmental impact. Muse joins Patrick to discuss her journey from super model...

Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, sits down with Patrick to discuss the challenges facing the world, key among them the impact of agriculture. In a wide ranging conversation, they consider what needs to be done to fix 'our broken planet', to borrow a phrase from the museum's current exhibition looking at ways to repair the world. Gurr aims to inspire people to become advocates for...

Journalist and broadcaster Dan Saladino joins us for this episode. Dan is best known for his work as a food writer, and for his long-term contribution to the BBC's Food Programme.    Dan's recently published book  Eating to Extinction:The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them , involved 10 years of travel and research, exploring the plight of unique food systems which are threatened an...

Patrick is joined by Dr Michael Antoniou, leading Molecular Geneticist and Head of the Gene Expression and Therapy Group at Kings College London. A must-listen for anyone interested in learning more about the impact genetic modification, gene editing and pesticides are having on our personal and planetary health.

Climate friendly farming doesn't just impact the food on our plates. This week's guest, fashion designer Anya Hindmarch, recognises that the fashion industry's huge part to play in reducing waste and the use of toxic chemicals, and sourcing materials in a more sustainable way.  Anya explains to Patrick how she was inspired by the closed-loop system that exists in nature to design a compostable lea...

In this episode, Patrick Holden speaks to Simon Fairlie, farmer and former co-editor of The Ecologist magazine. The two discuss Simon's new book, Going to Seed , plus advice on how anyone can get involved in the world of agriculture. Simon advises, "Go WWOOFing and make connections, plus renting land is a lot cheaper than buying. Younger people come to our farm who are looking for something differ...

In the first episode of our new podcast series, Patrick Holden, CEO of the Sustainable Food Trust is joined by life-long activist and former monk, Satish Kumar, who has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. In his 20s, Satish undertook a peace-pilgrimage for nuclear disarmament, walking without money from India to America. Now in his 80s, Satish has devoted his life to campaigning for ec...

In this latest episode, Patrick Holden is joined by Andy Cato, musician and farmer. From gigs to diverse grains, Andy describes his journey into farming and why he founded Wildfarmed.

In this week's podcast, Patrick Holden is joined by Thomasina Miers, co-founder of restaurant chain Wahaca, which has won numerous awards for its food and sustainability credentials. Thomasina's passion lies in food and the environment, co-founding the Pig Idea in 2015 in an effort to tackle food waste, she is a trustee of Chefs in Schools and is an ambassador for the Soil Association. In 2019 she...

This week, Patrick is joined by Josiah Meldrum, co-founder of East-Anglia based Hodmedods, known for their UK grown grains and pulses, but who are also pioneers of food resilience, advocates of a return to long-forgotten crops and initiators of innovation in kitchens across the country. 

Gunhild Stordalen, founder and executive chair of the EAT Foundation and one of the world's leading environmentalists and food campaigners joins the podcast. Recorded on the eve of COP26, Patrick and Gunhild discuss how the world can transition into a more sustainable food system, and how by working together, we can all help advance this transition.

In this latest Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden talks to Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and a fellow, organic farmer in Wales. On the premises of Fir Farm in the Cotswolds, Patrick talks to Sue about her journey into farming, from her Welsh heritage, to attending Atlantic College, and later becoming the Chief Executive of the FFC...

In this week's podcast, Patrick is joined by Lord Benyon, the UK's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DEFRA. Lord Benyon is himself a farmer and landowner and was a Member of Parliament for 15 years, serving as Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries during the coalition government. During the conversation, Lord Benyon shares his thoughts on regenerative farming, the land sharing...