What’s the purpose of restaurant reviews? The Food Chain looks at who is qualified to write a review, how helpful they are today and the impact they can have on a business. In this programme Ruth Alexander speaks to Giles Coren, restaurant critic for The Times newspaper in the UK, Opeyemi Famakin, online reviewer and influencer in Nigeria, and Ana Roš, chef and owner of the Hiša Franko restaurant in Slovenia which holds three Michelin stars. If you would like to get in touch with the show, pleas...
Mar 27, 2025•26 min
Saffron - the world's most expensive spice - is treasured for its rich aroma, vibrant colour, and unique flavour. But why does it command such a high price? In this episode of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander uncovers the story of saffron from crocus flower to kitchen, finds out about the labour-intensive harvesting process, and learns about the innovations in lab-grown saffron that could change the industry forever. Iranian chef and author Najmieh Batmanglij shares saffron's culinary and cultural...
Mar 20, 2025•26 min
Why do brands have such power over us? Ruth Alexander talks to the designers influencing your decisions about what and where you eat. Renowned graphic designer Paula Scher shares her insights on what it takes to create a visual identity that stands the test of time, including her work on the US fast-food restaurant Shake Shack. And Arjen Klinkenberg, the creative mind behind Dutch company Tony’s Chocolonely, tells us how he designed its distinctive chocolate bar wrapper in just 10 minutes. Toget...
Mar 13, 2025•26 min
What makes a noodle? Is it the shape? The ingredients? In this programme Devina Gupta explores the history of noodles, tracing their origin back to Third-Century China. She finds out how they came to be eaten in so many different ways in so many different places. Devina enjoys a Tibetan-influenced noodle dish in Delhi’s Monastery Market, a long-time home of Tibetan restaurants and businesses in India. She hears how noodles were one of many foods to travel the silk trading routes in the region. J...
Mar 06, 2025•26 min
John Laurenson explores the enduring appeal of stock. A century and a half ago, a butcher at the big Parisian food market Les Halles started selling beef broth – ‘bouillon’ in French - to the people who worked there. In a few years this had developed into what was perhaps the world’s first restaurant chain. By the end of the Nineteenth Century there were hundreds of ‘bouillons’ in Paris. Today, with inflation making traditional French restaurants too expensive for many people, these big, afforda...
Feb 27, 2025•26 min
What motivates someone to dedicate years of their life to learning one skill? Ruth Alexander finds out what it takes to master a craft, the exacting standards one must meet, and why it's all worth it. Sushi chef Eddie Chow tells us how it took more than ten years to achieve the title of 'master sushi chef', and the pain of getting there. What does it take to become an illustrious master butcher in Germany? Claus Bobel explains the importance of tradition, and his daughter Yulia tells us why she'...
Feb 20, 2025•26 min
We find out the secret recipe that goes into some of the TV food shows watched by millions around the world. From hiring snake wranglers in South Africa to fending off flies in Sweden, three top producers lift the lid on what it takes to serve up a feast of culinary entertainment. Seasoned professionals Avril Beaven (Great British Menu), Irene Wong (Man Fire Food) and Jane Kennedy (Masterchef South Africa and My Kitchen Rules South Africa) explain the people skills needed to manage big personali...
Feb 13, 2025•26 min
People have been eating out in restaurants and bars for hundreds of years, and some of those early establishments are still open today. This week Ruth Alexander meets the people running some of the world’s oldest restaurants. When so many close within the first 12 months of opening, what’s the secret to centuries-old success? Antonio Gonzales Gomez runs Botin, in the Spanish capital Madrid. The restaurant is judged as the oldest by the Guinness World Records, and he tells us how he and his famil...
Feb 05, 2025•26 min
Why do we enjoy foods that crunch? Listener Sheila Harris contacted The Food Chain with that question and asked us to find out if the food texture has any benefits. Ruth Alexander speaks to Danielle Reed, Chief Science Officer at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, US, who says that crunchy foods signal freshness and help our brains decide if a food is safe to eat. Paediatric dentist Ashley Lerman in New York, US says crunchy fruit and vegetables can act as a natural tooth cleaner...
Jan 30, 2025•28 min
Around 100 countries have official dietary guidelines, and more are on their way. But who is following them? Ruth Alexander asks how realistic healthy-eating advice is as she explores how official recommendations are developed, what they’re trying to achieve, and the obstacles standing in our way. We hear from Fatima Hachem, Senior Nutrition Officer at the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, about how her team offers support to countries designing dietary guidelines. Chiza Kunwend...
Jan 23, 2025•26 min
Rice is the main staple for over half the world’s population. The crop has problems though – it is vulnerable to climate change, whether that’s drought or flooding. It’s also a crop that contributes to climate change, as it uses more water than other grain crops and is frequently grown in flooded conditions. Rice production is also a big source of methane emissions. In this programme Ruth Alexander hears about the possible solutions to these problems. Dr Yvonne Pinto, Director General of the Int...
Jan 16, 2025•30 min
When there are so many recipes available for free online, why does anyone still buy cookbooks? In this programme we look into the business of selling cookbooks, what future the format may have and hear about the treasured tomes you turn to time and time again. Ruth Alexander visits Books for Cooks, a specialist cookbook shop in London, to chat to Eric Treuille who cooks lunch for his customers from a different cookbook each day. She speaks to cookbook writers Mogau Seshoene in South Africa, auth...
Jan 09, 2025•29 min
Prosecco flavoured crisps? Eggnog chicken? Sticky toffee pudding trifle? The innovation for novelty Christmas products seems endless, but is there the appetite? Ruth Alexander lifts the lid on an industry churning out festive food hits, and flops, in the race for Christmas tastebuds. She visits the Good Housekeeping Institute in London to take part in an opulent dessert testing event, deciding which puddings are the best on the shelves this year. Eric Nummelin and Mike Vahabi from Hela Spice in ...
Dec 19, 2024•26 min
Which food do you associate with your favourite sport? Pie and chips at an English football match, biriyanis at the cricket in Pakistan or grilling meat in the parking lot outside an American football game – there are some tasty traditions which go hand-in-hand with sport across the world. Ruth Alexander hears how a traditional rice dish can bring two rival nations together over a game of cricket, and how a disappointing sausage roll before a football game led one man on a country-wide quest for...
Dec 12, 2024•26 min
Crookie, anyone? Cronut, croffle? Ruth Alexander looks at the rise of the dessert café and the extraordinary creations it’s spawned. She visits one such café in Manchester with roses adorning the walls, and chocolate adorning almost everything else. And speaks to a food blogger in Dubai and a café owner in USA about the latest trends and the businesses who have been serving puddings for decades. Find out what the latest fashions are in dessert, and how quickly a new invention can sweep the world...
Dec 05, 2024•26 min
From America to Mongolia, you can go into a restaurant run by a global fast-food chain, and buy the same meal. So how did fast food become so successful? Across the world, last year we spent more than 900 billion dollars on fast food. The USA, where it all began, consumes the most, but even in France, despite its history of haute cuisine, more than half of households regularly enjoy burgers and fries. Julia Paul learns about its origins in the USA, and hears how it spread globally, thanks to the...
Nov 28, 2024•26 min
We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from the past decade. Fishing to stay alive, chopping onions in remembrance, and tasting people’s names – these stories and more tell us something about our relationship with food and how it helps us connect with one another. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Ruth Alexander (Image: A chocolate birthday cake with number 10 candles on top. Credit...
Nov 21, 2024•29 min
Dull? Boring? Plain? Vanilla is a byword for something which is ordinary or standard. In this programme Ruth Alexander finds the story of the popular spice is anything but normal. Originating in Mexico it’s travelled the globe and taken over, and is now one of the most valuable commodities available. It’s gone from being highly sought after and the height of luxury – even serving as an aphrodisiac for Mesoamericans and a European monarch - to ubiquitous and considered “regular”. Despite its repu...
Nov 14, 2024•26 min
How do our work habits shape what we eat? In this programme Izzy Greenfield discovers the history of the workplace lunch and the ways in which society has reshaped it. Historian Megan Elias of Boston University in the US explains how lunches have evolved from the factories of the 19th century Industrial Revolution to sandwiches eaten at the desk in 20th century offices. Izzy visits an office and co-working space in Manchester, run by Department, a company that operates office spaces in the North...
Nov 07, 2024•29 min
Water scarcity is an increasing problem on every continent, according to the United Nations. Around half the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year, according to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Global warming and population growth is expected to make the situation worse, so what is it like to run a home or a business amid water shortages? Ruth Alexander hears from households and businesses in Karachi, Pakistan and Bogata, Col...
Oct 23, 2024•27 min
Did you share a flat, house or kitchen as a student or professional? Is it the shared meals and conversation that stay with you, or the piles of dirty dishes and missing food? This week Ruth Alexander has a look around shared kitchens all over the world. We hear the good, bad and dirty – and give advice on how to build cooperation in your shared kitchen. Ruth hears from a former housemate what she was really like to share with, as well as a surprise revelation about her unappetising meal of choi...
Oct 16, 2024•28 min
Do you know how much you should drink? Many global guidelines recommend approximately 2 litres a day for women and 2.5 litres a day for men, including food. But scientists say there is actually huge variation in how much each of us need as individuals. Ruth Alexander speaks to Professor John Speakman at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, who explains why your age, sex, weight, and other environmental factors such as air temperature, humidity and altitude all make a difference. Dr Nidia Rodr...
Oct 09, 2024•26 min
Is it possible to taste a place? A listener wonders whether the French concept of ‘terroir’ can apply to food and, if so, what the science behind it is. Ruth Alexander goes in search of the answer, exploring how growing conditions and practices can develop flavours unique to a location. She also hears about why the value you give to certain flavours might also be cultural. Ruth speaks to a honey expert who is mapping the flavours of the sweet syrup across the world, a barley geneticist working w...
Oct 02, 2024•29 min
Fancy starting a food truck? It can be a way to trial new food concepts and see if your business has potential before committing to a restaurant premises. Ruth Alexander finds out what its really like running a food truck or van. She meets customers queuing for over an hour for the SpudBros van in Preston, north-west England, where brothers Harley and Jacob Nelson have drummed up business for their jacket potatoes on social media. Ruth speaks to Anna Brand who runs a vegan food van Vege Bang Ban...
Sep 25, 2024•26 min
An Indian curry house is one of the most popular places to go out for a meal in the UK, and is part of British life. But many people do not know their origins lie in what is now Bangladesh, after a wave of migration from there in the 1970s. Devina Gupta traces their history and flavours on Brick Lane in east London, where many people settled and started restaurants. Many have closed over the years, but their legacy lives on. And now more diverse and authentic flavours are becoming popular in the...
Sep 18, 2024•27 min
Ruth Alexander learns about ‘forever’ foods - stocks, soups and sourdough starters that can be replenished again and again and used for weeks, months or even years. Ruth hears about a beef soup in Bangkok that has been maintained for 50 years, and she bakes a loaf of sourdough bread using a 69-year-old starter that has been kept going by Hobbs House Bakery in the south-west of England. Cookbook writer Fuchsia Dunlop in London, UK, talks about the tradition of cooking with an ‘everlasting’ broth ...
Sep 11, 2024•26 min
Social media is awash with videos of people trying out new recipes at home and exploring the best hidden foodie gems in cities around the world. The stream of content seems endless – so how do the people making these videos keep up? Ruth Alexander speaks to three people in the UK, USA and Vietnam about having six meals before 10am, the relentless pressure to keep up with viral trends, and what they cook for themselves when the camera is off. Tod Inskip, Lylla Nha Vy and Jackie Gebel share the hi...
Sep 04, 2024•26 min
If you’re a light or moderate drinker, the World Health Organization wants you to know that no level of alcohol is safe for your health. But just how big is that risk and might it be one you’re willing to take? And what happened to the idea that a glass of red wine might be good for you? In this programme Ruth Alexander finds out about the studies the guidance has been based on, and the statistical risk of dying from alcohol-related disease. Dr Tim Stockwell, Scientist at the Canadian Institute ...
Aug 28, 2024•31 min
Is it worth taking collagen? With cosmetic companies and A-listers claiming it can slow the effects of ageing, the market for collagen supplements is booming. How sure is the science though? Ruth Alexander speaks to experts about what we do and don’t know about what these powders, gels and capsules are doing inside our bodies. She hears from a personal trainer and runner in her 50s about why she takes it daily, and speaks to the CEO of a company selling collagen products in this increasingly com...
Aug 21, 2024•26 min
Have you visited a food hall recently? It’s a venue bringing together multiple independent food and drink businesses, often with communal seating. We look at the ways in which food halls are being used to bring consumers and spend to new areas, raising the value of surrounding offices, apartments and other businesses. In this programme Devina Gupta visits Society food hall in Manchester in the UK, where she meets Julia Martinelli, who manages the pizza offering from Noi Quattro restaurant and Re...
Aug 14, 2024•26 min
