This week's edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: After recent talk of burnout amongst Premier League players who appeared at the World Cup, we ask if there's too much football. The food: open breakfast granary baps, with sausage, bacon and a peppered poached egg. Provided - as the description suggests - by Nicky Hinchcliffe. Get in touch with the podcast via twitter @setpiecemenu Email setpiecemenu@gmail.com Or we're on Facebook - just...
Oct 17, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: What I said last week - Part Two. Such was the response to our episode about the legitimacy of who you support, we decided to carry on the conversation, thanks to your correspondence. The food: chilli and lime chicken wraps, with no avocado (contrary to the recipe's suggestion), as Steve doesn't like it, and Rory thinks it's nature's most pointless fruit. Oh, and chocolate from the Cadbury's staff shop...
Oct 10, 2018•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Time for the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: If you don't support your local or inherited team, can you still be called a legitimate fan? Has localism and tradition made way for a more modern way to select your favourite club, and if it is, is it being frowned upon ? The food: Rory's oven-bottom muffins filled with a selection of meats and additional optional items (a combination apparently known as a sandwich), with a range of lubric...
Oct 03, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Does European football need fixing? The Champions League and Europa League are back as the latest forms of European club competition, and they've undergone several tweaks in recent years, but do they need to change further to work? Plus - Rory's big idea. We commit to tape the competition format Rory thinks will change the face of European club football. Mainly because he's worried someone will steal i...
Sep 26, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: S**thouses. Does every team need one, and do we all grudgingly respect their prowess in the dark arts? Comes in association with Sergio Ramos, and with apologies to Ray Atteveld. The food: falafel, samosas and hummus (so much hummus). These are provided by Rory's wife Kate, and are served with homemade cookies, which are made at home, by Kate's husband Rory. Thanks for all your tw...
Sep 19, 2018•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: in what guise is the game at its most beautiful - and who's to say what style of football we should admire above all others? Plus Chinch reveals the zen-like preparation that helped him hone a left foot that could "open a can of beans", and Set Piece Menu bingo returns for the 2018/19 season. The food: chocolatey goodness from Mrs Ferris' latest business trip to Croatia. Trips that are in...
Sep 12, 2018•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Anatomy of a Pundit. We've had Andy Hinchcliffe masterclasses before, now for a mission statement. Chinch analyses what makes a successful football pundit and co-commentator, and details the dos and don'ts of the gantry. He's so determined to raise the standard that there's bullet points, pie charts and a strangely feminine pair of reading glasses. The food: Bacon sandwiches - cold for Ro...
Sep 05, 2018•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Was it a good idea to shorten the Premier League's transfer window? And if not, is it the fault of the Premier League clubs who voted for the change? The team also wonders if it's possible to win or lose in a transfer window, and features a slightly upsetting daydream about Daniel Levy. The food: Rory (he's back!) provides a salted caramel cheesecake, because he's on a cured meats and har...
Aug 29, 2018•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: SPM Book Club. Writer Sanj Shetty becomes the first guest in pod history, as he's invited on to talk about the tactics discussed in his book Total Football, a book that Chinch has actually read. The food: An abundance of Indian snacks, provided by Sanj, and an abundance of banoffee pie, provided by (Mrs) Chinch. Everybody finds room for an abundance of both. Get in touch: @setpiecmenu setpiecemenu@gmai...
Aug 22, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Thanks to your help, we complete our 'Inappropriately Skilled XI', named after Shane Long, managed by Paul Jewell. We get some extra help from a Tuscany-touring Rory Smith, and also find out who Andy Hinchcliff is. Yes, without the 'e'. The food: The final thing to be cooked in Steve's oven before the builders get at it, and the first thing to be cooked for the team by Steve's kids. The Prem...
Aug 15, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk about football over food. The football: Relegation - should we be so hung up on not going down? The team are reunited (kinda) to bring in the new Premier League season, and to ask whether relegation is all that bad after all. The food: chocolates from Croatia. A gift from Hugh's wife, not a consolation present from the country to four Englishmen. We'll have your suggestions for our 'Inappropriately Skilled XI' next week, so keep sen...
Aug 08, 2018•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: SPM's Inappropriately Skilled XI. We'd like your help in constructing a team of players who are good footballers, but just not in the position they play. You know - keepers who can't save, strikers who can't score. The team make a few suggestions, and you can make yours to @setpiecemenu or setpiecemenu@gmail.com The food: a choice between a white chocolate and lemon tart and a tiramisu ca...
Aug 01, 2018•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The England World Cup debrief. Football didn't come home, but why, how, and should it even have been a thing in the first place? Hugh and Steve get all sanctimonious, while Chinch admits he didn't even notice it happening from his Woodford bubble... The food: Biscotti from, as the label says, Eataly. Next week we open entries to the Set Piece Menu Premier League Predictions League - yes it's...
Jul 25, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: an 'I can't believe THAT happened' post-World Cup special. Yes our predictions during the tournament were terrible, but despite that lack of foresight, we can deliver plenty of hindsight on a World Cup that had plenty of surprises (including actually being quite good). The food: chicken and gammon pie, bought from one of those fancy farm shops in the countryside. Please get in touch via twitter: @se...
Jul 19, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the final part of a Summer Special Series from Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The People Who Helped To Shape Modern Football (Part Four) - Silvio Berlusconi. Rory proposes the TV magnate turned football club owner turned politician as one of game's (albeit self-serving) visionaries. The food: a two, maybe three, course lunch at local vegetarian establishment Greens, that Chinch pays for because he has a very understanding accountant...
Jul 11, 2018•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest edition of the Summer Special Series from Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The People Who Helped To Shape Modern Football (Part Three) - Arsene Wenger. The former Arsenal boss transformed a team, a country, and a way that both prepared for and played their football. The food: the team are now perusing the menu for their lunchtime treat, courtesy of Chinch, while trying to convince Steve that he is indeed allowed to eat vegetarian f...
Jul 04, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the latest episode of a Summer Special Series from Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The People Who Helped To Shape Modern Football (Part Two) - Walter Crickmer. Steve tells the story of the man, who as Manchester United club secretary, helped Matt Busby to begin the journey of English teams in Europe. The food: we are a step closer to our lunch-on-Chinch. Two more episodes and we'll be gourmet dining, veggie-style. This is the second ...
Jun 27, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a Summer Special Series from Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The People Who Helped To Shape Modern Football (Part One) - Jimmy Hill. The team discusses how as a player, manager, chairman, presenter and pundit, Jimmy Hill changed the game almost like no other. The food: a promise from Chinch to take us all out for lunch, as a reward for completion of our summer spectacular. This is the first part of four on the people who helped shape...
Jun 20, 2018•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy the latest edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: World Cup Special (Part Two) - is the World Cup still the pinnacle of the game, and are the football and tactics we see as developed as at club level? The food: Rory's "peppers and onions" have miraculously become Huevos Rancheros, the first repeat meal in 80 episodes of Set Piece Menu (apart from minibites), which Rory claims is because brunch is a limiting meal concept. Send us a ...
Jun 13, 2018•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: World Cup Special (Part One) - is the World Cup a blessed relief from all the tribalism and twitter trolling of club football? The food: peppers and onions, as described by Rory, which until Hugh was able to purchase peppers en route, was going to be just onions. Get in touch with the team via twitter @setpiecemenu Or email setpiecemenu@gmail.com Please rate and review us on iTunes, we reall...
Jun 06, 2018•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The Set Piece Menu Awards - tying a light-hearted, slightly truncated bow around the end of the club football season. Light-hearted because the categories won't be ones you've seen anywhere else (and Ashley Young is nominated for two of them); and slightly truncated owing to time constraints and a sudden departure from Rory... The food: fajitas. So many fajitas. Provided by Steve, who allows lubrica...
May 30, 2018•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Support Staff. Are great players enough to make your team successful, or are they only able to reach their potential with a good, and ever increasing backroom team? Medical staff, ground staff, nutritionists are all discussed, as are taxidermists for some reason. The food: left over birthday cake, fresh lemon meringue pie, and millionaire shortbread (a slice of which has an unfortunate, watery end.....
May 23, 2018•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Soccer hot takes and takeaways! What have we learnt from this season in the Premier League? The food: a typically impressive three-course affair courtesy of Nicky Hinchcliffe. Antipasti, prawn and chorizo linguine, banoffee pie. Wowsers. Also on the pod - we reveal the winner of our Set Piece Menu Premier League Predictions League! Where did you finish? Head to www.tinyurl.com/setpiecemenu Want to b...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Who or what will make next season's title races in Europe interesting? Have we entered a period of utter predictability, and is the Champions League our best hope for jeopardy and uncertainty? The food: Rory Smith's Chicken, Brie and Rocket quesadillas, with a red pepper sauce. Every bit as good as it sounds. And custard doughnuts. Keep the emails and tweet coming, we include as many as we can, and you could b...
May 09, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Sorry seems to be the easiest word. Why are so many players, managers and now organisations apologising? Do they mean it, and do fans demand it more now than ever before? The food: A giant party ring biscuit. Genuinely. Courtesy of a cake shop in Uppermill, the Bramhall of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham area. Thanks for all your emails and tweets! You can send them to @setpiecemenu or setpieceme...
May 02, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: When is the best time to get a manager's job? With Arsenal needing a new boss, the team wonders if the circumstances mean it's the most attractive position a manager could ask for; and also if the pool of elite clubs, and elite coaches, is getting ever smaller. The food: chocolate swirls (baked not grilled), muffins (lemon, blueberry, chocolate flavours), and a bacon and cherry tomato sandwich. All ...
Apr 25, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to another episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: What's The Point? So many fans support a team that'll never win anything, reach Europe, or maybe even play good football; some will follow a club that might get promoted, but then get relegated straight away. So what's the point, and why do we still love our team? The food: a New York-themed brunch from Steve, even though he returned from the city (that's famously off the beaten t...
Apr 18, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: How should we rate managerial success? Not everyone has a 'way', but does that mean we underestimate the achievements of those who favour pragmatism over philosophy? Case study: Zinedine Zidane. The food: chocolate fairy cakes, which leads to an argument, because Hugh refuses to eat one. Plus - a soccer story about royalty, and we all have a go at pronouncing Kevin de Bruyne following some expert gu...
Apr 11, 2018•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: With Ronaldo and Messi in their thirties, is there a new generation of superstars waiting in the wings, or will the team ethic become more important than the talent? The food: Cake, four ways. A post-lent indulgence, with a pressing sell-by date. Thanks for all your tweets and emails; keep them coming, along with as many 5-star reviews you can muster on iTunes! @setpiecemenu and setpiecem...
Apr 04, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Nerves. How nervous do players get? Is it healthy? And what does that mean for life after football? Andy Hinchcliffe gives us a fascinating insight into what it's like to have your playing career dominated by fear. The food: an anti-Steve lunch, featuring everything he wouldn't eat - quiche, salad and coleslaw - while he's away in NYC. Thanks for all your comments following our VAR episode, and do keep...
Mar 28, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
