Marcus Wareing is a celebrated, Michelin-starred chef, a judge on Masterchef: The Professionals and Chef Patron at Marcus in Knightsbridge. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about eating in school canteens, working with Gordon Ramsay, and catering during coronavirus.
Sharmadean Reid is an entrepreneur and the founder of Beautystack. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about her grandfather's allotment, cooking roasts and trying crab for the first time.
Dan Keeling is a wine writer behind the magazine and restaurant Noble Rot. He tells Lara and Livvy about how he discovered his love of wine; working in the music industry; and how to start a restaurant with zero experience. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
Olia Hercules is a chef and food writer. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about growing up in Cyprus; being disappointed by British ingredients; and teaching her son to love Ukrainian cooking.
Ian Rankin is a bestselling crime writer, most known for his Inspector Rebus novels. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about living in a motel during his first year at university; how eating curry for the first time was 'a revelation'; and the snacks that keep him going while he writes. Tell us your thoughts on our podcasts and be in for a chance to win a bottle of Pol Roger champagne by filling out our podcast survey. Visit spectator.co.uk/podcastsurvey ....
Dolly Alderton is an author, journalist and podcaster who hosts 'The High Low' podcast. On the episode, she talks to Lara and Livvy about campaigning for gender equality (and cooked breakfasts) at her boarding school; how taste in food can make or break the attractiveness of a man; and the importance of planning a desert island dish. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
Annie Gray is a historian, cook and writer who specialises in food from 1600 to present day. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Olivia about a childhood of eating 'frisbee-like' omelettes, why male hares are inedible, and how an episode of Antiques Roadshow nearly jeopardised the release of her new book. Annie Gray's Victory in the Kitchen: The Life of Churchill's Cook , is out now. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox ev...
Skye McAlpine is a Sunday Times columnist and the author of two cookbooks. She joins Lara and Olivia down the line from Venice, where she grew up. On the podcast, she talks about moving to the city as a child, her favourite Venetian meals, and why, despite being a dinner party maestro, she doesn't believe in starters. Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday....
Rory Sutherland is the vice-chairman of the renowned advertising firm, Ogilvy, and the Spectator's 'Wiki Man' columnist. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about everything and anything from the dreadful British food of the 70s, why he loves chain restaurants, and the best and worst kitchen gadgets. As well as his incredibly eclectic and international death row meal. The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by...
Greta Bellamacina is an actress and poet, who has published numerous collections and made her acting debut in Harry Potter. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Olivia about what it was like to be on set for Harry Potter, growing up with four siblings, and why her favourite restaurant is an over-priced Chinese restaurant in Paris. Click here to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher....
Rhik Samadder is an actor and columnist for the Guardian, where his column Wellness or Hellness? reviews kitchen gadgets and life hacks. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about his mother's adventurous dinner table, his teenage battles with anorexia, and the worst kitchen gadgets he ever reviewed (including a mug which had a biscuit compartment). Click here to try a month of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger....
John Williams is the ebullient Executive Chef at the Ritz. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about breaking into the London fine dining scene as a boy from Tyneside, how the Ritz is as far from rustic as you can get, and his friendship with Margaret Thatcher, when she lived at the hotel in her last years. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
Rory MacLean is a historian and travel writer. His latest book, Pravda Ha Ha, is out now. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about how his mother was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's Miss Moneypenny, singing a duet with David Bowie, and the time he was taken to lunch by a Vietnamese drug lord. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
Ryan Riley is a chef and entrepreneur, whose organisation Life Kitchen gives free cookery classes to people with cancer. On the podcast, he talks about his own mother's struggle with cancer, how the best ideas always come on Tuesday nights (and with a drink), and why umami is the key to cooking for people with taste. Ryan's cookbook with favourite recipes from Life Kitchen is out now . Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast....
Camilla Fayed is an entrepreneur, restaurateur, and daughter of Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods department store. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Olivia about her childhood love of Finnish cuisine, interning in the Harrods kitchens, and Farmacy, her vegan restaurant chain. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast.
Chef, writer, and broadcaster Valentine Warner has worked in numerous London restaurants, presented programmes such as the BBC's 'What to Eat Now', and author of five books, the latest of which is 'The Consolation of Food'. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about how growing up on a farm inspired his love for food and nature, and he left the world of art to become a chef. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
Chris Atkins is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, whose work on the tabloid media led him to give evidence in the Leveson Inquiry. In 2016, he was sentenced to five years in prison for tax offences. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about food in prison - why it was doomed to taste bad, how tuna was used as a barter currency, and cooking curry in a kettle. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast.
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 culinary career, and bringing artists like Picasso and Olafur Eliasson to the Tate restaurant menu. Pre...
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 for Petersham Nurseries, and how a 20th century Austrian philosopher influences her work now. Presen...
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.
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 Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
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. Presented by Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 production. Presented by Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts.
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.
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.
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.
