Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be writing about it on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! This month: London Feeds Itself, edited by Jonathan Nunn. This episode features Kurdish chef and writer, Melek Erdal, one…

A meandering exploration of what surrounds our food: its packaging, history and meaning for our world. Featuring Hugo Lynch, Sustainability Lead at Abel and Cole, Alice Kain, curator at Museum of Brands, Renée and Anshu, founders of Dabba Drop and Sohini Banerjee, chef and founder of Smoke and Lime supper clubs. Dabba Drop are offering 50% off the …

Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. This month: Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman by N.S. Nuseibeh. Namesake is a collection of essays exploring what it means to be a young, secular Muslim woman today, told through the lens of s…

A reflection on learning – and teaching – the fermented arts at the School of Artisan Food. You can find a transcript for this episode at leckerpodcast.com. Support Lecker by becoming a paid subscriber on Patreon, Apple Podcasts and now on Substack. You can buy zines on BigCartel. You can also order print-on-demand merch at Teemill. Music is by Blu…

Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be writing about it on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! This month: Piglet by Lottie Hazell. I first came across Lottie’s writing when she contributed to the first Lecker zine I…

Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be writing about it on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! This month: Ramen Forever by Tim Anderson. Ramen has ended up as a cornerstone of Tim Anderson’s life. As he writes in th…

Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be writing about it on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! In Made in Taiwan, Taipei based journalist Clarissa Wei beautifully captures the food and spirit of this proud island nat…

Is it possible or productive to organise around a common language in order to reimagine how we produce grain and bread? In the third and final part of Good Bread, Kim and Ruth reflect on some of their experiences working on the project and consider what the future of good bread might look like. Good Bread is a three part series made with Farmerama …

Consistency is at the heart of industrial bread production, from the field to the mill to the oven. But what is it costing us? Good Bread is a three part series made with Farmerama exploring The Body Lab, a participatory arts and research project by baker Kimberley Bell and artist Ruth Levene considering standardised grain testing and the possibili…

How is the quality of bread measured by the system that produces and consumes it? Good Bread is a three part series made with Farmerama exploring The Body Lab, a participatory arts and research project by baker Kimberley Bell and artist Ruth Levene considering standardised grain testing and the possibility of reimagining measurement within the syst…

Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be writing about it on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! Conversations around food often - rightly - touch on attribution, ownership and identity, especially when it comes to cer…

Stories of moving house, and moving kitchen. Episode contributors: Ruby Mason Ruby is an editor at SAND, a Berlin-based journal of contemporary writing and art (www.sandjournal.com) Margaux Vialleron Margaux writes the newsletter The Onion Papers: https://theonionpapers.substack.com/ Maria Agiomyrgiannaki Maria is originally from Crete, now living …

Welcome back to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be cooking from the book and writing about that on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! On this edition of the Lecker Book Club: Fliss Freeborn's Do Yourself A Flavour. Did you go t…

Welcome to the Lecker Book Club. Every month I’ll pick a newly released food related book and talk to the author about the process of writing it. I’ll also be cooking from the book and writing about that on Substack and Patreon. Join me there as well! On the first edition of the Lecker Book Club: Maria Bradford’s Sweet Salone. Maria grew up in Sier…

An audio exploration of the most enigmatic meal of the day. Thanks so much to the guests on this episode: Bre Graham Bettina Makalintal Gurdeep Loyal Dan Hancox and Dr Kasia Tee Thea Everett Lara Lee You can listen to the full versions of all the Breakfast Season conversations by becoming a paid subscriber on Patreon, Apple Podcasts and now on Subs…

This is a preview of an episode of the excellent Cursed Objects podcast, featuring me, Lucy, talking to Dan Hancox and Dr Kasia Tee about the great British institution of Meal Deals. Listen to the full version on Cursed Objects.By Lucy Dearlove

I’m delighted to bring you a very short sweet taste of a conversation I had recently with the food writer Gurdeep Loyal. I’ve followed Gurdeep’s work for a few years now, and have always been in great admiration of what he does; not only in his own writing, and not even just in his platforming of other people’s work on his site and instgram page Mo…

Ginger and apple bircher, toast toppings, Australian pancakes; writer Bre Graham talks about being a breakfast person. Her debut cookbook, Table for Two, is out now! This is the first episode in a new interview series all about BREAKFAST! Future episodes will be available exclusively on the Lecker Patreon. For £3 a month you can get access to all e…

A mythical-looking beast to be found on the hills of the Isle of Man; the loaghtan is a fascinating heritage breed sheep whose story is intertwined with Manx culture and history. Katie and Lucy meet farmer Jenny Shepherd from Ballacosnahan, who have one of the biggest loaghtan flocks on the island, make loaghtan croish cuirns with artist Rosie Wood…

Katie and Lucy take a deep dive to the heart of the Manx fishing industry to meet a true Isle of Man legend: the herring (skeddan in Manx). Blasstal is a podcast series by Lecker about food and folklore on the Isle of Man, supported by Culture Vannin. Hosted and produced by Lucy Dearlove and Katie Callin Podcast theme music by Mera Royle Podcast ar…

In episode 1 of Blasstal, Katie introduces Lucy to the vegetable at the heart of Hop-tu-Naa traditions of the Isle of Man. They explore the island's folklore with poet and folklore expert Annie Kissack, attend a Hop-tu-Naa celebration at Cregneash, carve their own moots, and finally head out Hop-tu-Naa-ing around Peel. Blasstal is a podcast series …

Welcome to Blasstal! A podcast series by Lecker about food and folklore on the Isle of Man, supported by Culture Vannin. Launching 31st October. Hosted and produced by Lucy Dearlove and Katie Callin Podcast theme music by Mera Royle Podcast artwork by Vicky WebbBy Lucy Dearlove

The writer and cook Melissa Thompson talks about her book Motherland; a very personal history of Jamaica. Melissa weaves the history of the country so elegantly with her own story in a way that makes it impossible to ignore that the violent history of colonialism in Jamaica is to do with all of us in Britain. As you’ll hear us talk about, she uses …

The writer and editor Thea Lenarduzzi talks about her book Dandelions; a family history of migration, cooking, living. So much of personal writing in food focuses on heritage and family - and rightly so! But - down, no doubt to the very white, middle class status quo - there can be a tendency towards simplification - of dishes, or even a narrative,…

A conversation between Angela Hui and Rebecca May Johnson, recorded just after their respective debut non-fiction books had been published. An exploration of the importance of valuing and demonstrating labour within cooking, of novelty versus repetition, and of the idea of rejecting food writing as a category. You can find Takeaway by Angela Hui an…

What's the secret of a successful cooking school? Jeremy Pang, founder of School of Wok, lets us in on it. This episode was hosted by Adrienne Katz Kennedy and produced by Lucy Dearlove. You can find out more about Jeremy Pang at jeremypang.co.uk and his new book, Jeremy Pang’s School of Wok is out now, wok clock illustrations and all. Ben McDonald…

A love letter to the beating heart of Ugandan food, Matooke. With Katasi E. Kironde and Nakigudde Elizabeth Kibalama. Katasi is the founder of Elevate 256, an organisation that creates and curates inspiration content and events centred around Uganda. She was also a co-host on Unsavoury Ethnic Types podcast, who did a great episode about Ugandan foo…

Helen Graves talks about illegal rooftop barbecues, the joy of cooking and eating together outdoors, and why tenderstem broccoli is the thing everyone needs to grill. Helen's new book Live Fire is published by Hardie Grant. Helen Graves is a food and recipe writer and editor and she used to write a much loved blog called Food Stories. The Guardian …

An audio exploration of our love of citrus, with chef Selin Kiazim and writer Nina Mingya Powles. Three: Acid, Texture, Contrast by Selim Kiazim and Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles are both out now! Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove You can find a full bibliography for this episode on the Lecker website. Ben McDonald creat…

There's one detail that everyone's picked up on in Claire Kohda's debut novel: the fact that the main character, Lydia, is a vampire. But it's actually much more about food than it is about vampires. Claire explores how the book relates to ethnic identity and colonialism, and the othering of Asian cultures which happens so frequently, and explains …

You’ve eaten hot pot at a restaurant, or at the very least seen it offered at restaurants near you. But did you know that thanks to the minimal prep required, it’s actually the perfect dinner party meal to have with friends at home? Melanie Xu, a lifelong fan and staunch advocate of Chongqing Ma La hot pot, makes the case. Thank you to Mel and Andr…

A look back at the 2017 episode recorded at Granville Community Kitchen with Leslie Barson and Dee Woods. While Leslie and Dee prepared a community meal of Peruvian inspired pork stew, beans, rice and salad they shared how their work addresses fundamental and system issues of oppression, poverty, land use, farmers' rights and the environment. And t…

How can the practice of eating together secure a sustainable future for our kitchens? In the final episode of the series, Joanne MacInnes and Betul Piyade from the community centre West London Welcome describe what it's like for refugees and asylum seekers to live indefinitely in hotel rooms without kitchens. And academic and "food crisis responder…

Does it matter what fuels our fire in the kitchen? Javon Bennett explains how his family adapted their cooking when they moved from Jamaica to England, and Carwyn Graves explores open fire cooking and other Welsh kitchen traditions. A full transcript is available on the Lecker website. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove Thanks to the c…

Prefabs – built to help counter the post war housing shortage - were actually some of the earliest examples of fitted kitchens in the UK, and came with built in fridges at time when this technology was unaffordable to most people. Jennie Thomas reflects on growing up in a post war prefab in Hackney, and Alice Wilson, whose academic work examines ti…

Why are so many of our kitchens so unsociable? Lucy meets Johnny Grey, a kitchen designer who’s been fighting for decades to make kitchens a place for leisure not work, and Katie Pennick, a disability campaigner whose work has changed the face of London transport – but who still can’t cook in her own kitchen. Plus Sean Warmington-Wan reflects on th…

Kitchens are inextricably linked with the woman of the house. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that the fitted kitchen was literally designed as a workspace to fit around a woman’s body. But what does this mean for women - and men - now? How are traditional gender roles built up and broken down by the kitchen itself? Michael Etheridge reflects on the …

Aspirational kitchens are an integral part of our food media, but where did they come from? And what does it mean for those who can never attain a beautiful, cookbook-worthy kitchen? Design historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan explores what came before the fitted kitchen, and how the room itself has shape-shifted drastically over the 20th century.…

Wall-mounted cabinets, continuous work surfaces, oven, hob, sink, fridge. Maybe a table, often not. Could this be describing your kitchen? The fitted kitchen is ubiquitous in British homes. But we all have different lives, tastes, needs; we cook different foods. How did we all end up with the same kitchen? Rooted in the memories and personal storie…

Many people have celebrated special occasions differently this year, finding ways to recreate communal food traditions for themselves. Our feasts may have shrunk, but we're still joined together through the kitchen and through the plate. In this episode, hear four stories of personal food rituals reimagined and recreated in 2020: Jane's bread sauce…

Anne Willan has more than 60 years experience as a teacher, author, and culinary historian, and over 30 books to her name. Speaking to me around the release of her new book, Women In The Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined The Way We Eat from 1661 to Today (Simon & Schuster), she shared some stories from her amazing life in food.…

TV chef and cookbook author Rachel Khoo talks about privilege, being mixed race in the UK food industry and her new show Simple Pleasures. You can buy the Simple Pleasures eBook for £5 here, with all proceeds going to the Film and TV Charity UK.By Lucy Dearlove

Although she’s originally from the Isle of Man, Katie Callin has never made the most traditionally Manx of all foods: the bonnag - a soda raised baked good with links to the nation’s pre-industrial past, and to its folklore too. She returns to her family home in St Johns on the west coast of the island to enter the World Bonnag Championships and, u…

Sean Blake is (in his own words) a part time food and drink photographer, music producer, low skilled worker and full time dad. He’s a big advocate for making food and drink more approachable and less wanky, and he makes the best cocktails of anyone I've ever met. Having managed the bar and designed menus for the likes of the Polpo group, Brunswick…

When our food supply is threatened, or feels like it is, preserving fresh produce is a natural response. Jelena Belgrave, whose fermentation class I took part in over Zoom last week, grew up with communal preservation traditions in her native Serbia; she explores via voicenotes how the instinct to store food for herself and her family is rooted in …

In these strange times I’ve been thinking about food almost constantly. Unable to go out to eat (or go out much at all), food dominates my waking life even more than normal. Like many people on the internet, I’ve started using the solid blocks of time I have at home to start learning to bake sourdough, and I’ve been thinking a lot about why I’m so …

Catherine Ross and her daughter Lynda-Louise Burrell are the founders of Museumand, a Nottingham-based a social history and community 'museum without walls' dedicated to preserving Caribbean history, heritage and culture in original and unusual ways. I joined them for a Friday afternoon sweet tea to talk about the influence - and ingenuity - of sla…

Tokyo: a symphony for the ears. Of Pachinko, cicadas and Taro's tea ceremony. With thanks to Taro and Tomoko (and Rory). Follow @leckerpodcast on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to the Lecker tinyletterBy Lucy Dearlove

The Italian author Livia Franchini reflects on edible themes in her debut novel Shelf Life, and considers the prescriptiveness of Italian cooking. Read more about this episode at leckerpodcast.com. Sign up to the Lecker tinyletter for an extra bite, this time about tomatoes. You can find Livia's recipe for Orecchiette ai Cimini di Rapa here. Livia …

The food blogger and Burmese cookbook author MiMi Aye remembers the UK online food writing movement of the mid 2000s and shares the sour delights of Burmese food. Read more about this episode at leckerpodcast.com. Sign up to the Lecker tinyletter for an extra bite, this time about the secrets of Burmese tofu. You can find the recipe for Coconut Chi…