The Food Chain
Episodes
How not to run a brewery
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you are a beer lover, the idea of running your own brewery might sound like the stuff of dreams. And it might seem like the perfect time to do it ...
The mystery of mukbang
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What's the fascination with watching total strangers eat plate after plate of junk food? Is it a grotesque and irresponsible spectacle, or could it be...
The end of the road for street food?
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Street food is one of the many charms of South East Asia, but there are signs this much-loved way of life and much-needed source of food is on the dec...
Fried chicken: Fast food champion
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fried chicken is loved the world over - it’s the most popular dish in global fast food, according to industry analysts, eclipsing even the burger. F...
Made in space
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why are companies blasting bottles of alcohol and crops into space? Are they just publicity stunts, or are there some serious scientific discoveries t...
Why are people putting chemicals in our food?
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever looked at the ingredients on your microwave meal and wondered what dextrose and sodium nitrite are doing in your dinner? These are some ...
Nobu Matsuhisa: My life in five dishes
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nobuyuki Matsuhisa has more than 40 restaurants spread across six continents, many of them frequented by some of the world’s top celebrities. His bu...
Why is wheat making people sick?
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Gluten-free is booming – it’s become a multi-billion dollar industry, supermarket aisles are crammed with products, with a number of high-profile...
The tipping point
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In some corners of the world tipping a waiter or waitress would be considered an insult. In other countries, the exact opposite is true. So why did th...
Fantasy, fiction and food
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Lady and the Tramp have in common? Both use food in subtle ways to immerse us in their stories an...
What's climate change doing to cows?
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's bushfires are thought to have killed more than one billion animals, and although many of the country's wild species have been worst affect...
Eat the year
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
New Year's resolutions about food often involve cutting down on something, or giving something up, but how about committing to trying something new fo...
Samin Nosrat: My life in five dishes
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The award-winning star of Netflix series 'Salt, Fat, Acid Heat' and author of the best-selling cookbook of the same name tells us about her life throu...
I hate Christmas pudding!
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Does your stomach turn at the thought of a Christmas pudding? How about pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving? Foods like these, commonly served at annual celeb...
Can chocolate be clean?
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The bittersweet world of chocolate is complex - cocoa beans are produced by some of the poorest people on the planet and turned into chocolate for som...
Sommeliers: Wine waiters uncorked
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sommeliers are to a restaurant’s wine what a head chef is to its food. These waiters taste and study thousands of bottles, and the best can even tel...
Marcus Samuelsson: My life in five dishes
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning chef, restaurateur and writer Marcus Samuelsson describes his extraordinary culinary and personal journey from one of the world's poores...
Can palm oil be sustainable?
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the world’s most consumed vegetable oil, used for everything from frying food to making it last longer – but can palm oil be produced in a ...
Bakers: Earning a crust
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Running a bakery is hard work - you’re up all night mixing, kneading, proving and baking, and then when the sun rises you need to actually sell your...
Can you have your plate and eat it?
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The food industry has a big problem with packaging, but what if you could simply eat your wrapper or coffee cup instead of throwing it away?Could pack...
How dangerous is your food delivery?
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How dangerous is your takeaway?If you ever order food through an online delivery service like UberEats, DoorDash, or Deliveroo, you probably think onl...
Will robot pickers change our fruit?
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Across the world, as fruits ripen, teams of pickers set out across the fields. Without them, produce would be left to rot and farms profits would plum...
How to date a vegan
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How can you have a successful relationship with someone whose eating habits you find repulsive, infuriating, even morally abhorrent? What do you do wh...
How to cook for a megastar
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What do the most famous names in film, sport and politics eat for dinner, and what does it say about who they really are? Three private chefs give us ...
Down on the farm: Suicide, stress and farmers
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Farming has some of the highest suicide rates of any profession in many parts of the world. Emily Thomas explores why depression and stress amongst f...
Ken Hom: My life in five dishes
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Hom is a Chinese-American cook who became famous for introducing Chinese cooking to the British public through a BBC TV series in the early 1980s....
Eating with Etna
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What’s it like to live and farm on one of the world’s most active volcanoes? Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, regularly erupts, blasting lava and ash ...
Foraging: Pleasure or profit?
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us have no need to hunt in the wild for our food, so why is foraging seeing a resurgence in some parts of the world? Emily Thomas speaks to pr...
Ritual slaughter under threat
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Belgium is the latest European country to put restrictions on religious slaughter methods. For many this is purely an animal welfare issue, but others...
The young pub bosses reviving the British boozer
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For decades we’ve been warned about the demise of the British pub, but despite this the number of young people signing up to run them appears to be ...
Dynasties
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What’s it like to have food in your blood? Would you want to spend all day working with your family, even if it was in a brewery or a chocolate fact...
Blogs! Money! Power!
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Social media hasn’t killed off the food blog apparently. Emily Thomas meets three food writers from three continents, who reveal their power and inf...
Food under siege
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If access to a city is blocked food supplies can quickly plummet, electricity and water can become scarce, and people can be forced to find new ways t...
Baristas: The daily grind
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is the person making your coffee secretly thinking about you? Which orders make their heart sink?Emily Thomas is joined by three top baristas in ...
Angela Hartnett: My life in five dishes
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Hartnett is one of the UK's most high profile chefs. She tells Emily Thomas about her life through five memorable dishes, from learning to cook...
The pig plague
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A deadly and highly contagious disease is sweeping across Asia, killing millions of pigs and destroying the livelihoods of millions of farming familie...
When is a burger not a burger?
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Vegetarian and vegan food companies are under attack for using words like ‘burger', ‘sausage’, or ‘steak’ to describe their meat-free produc...
The quest for black gold
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How powerful can a steaming pile of rotting food be?One third of the world’s food is lost or wasted, greenhouse emissions are warming our planet, an...
How not to run a restaurant
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a dream shared by many a food lover - a restaurant of their very own. A showcase for their skill and creativity. A passion that also pays the ...
Lunches changing lives
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of children in India risk being deprived of a good education because of hunger. Poverty means they often go to school on an empty stomach, ma...
Finding a food champion: The finalists
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The world faces a daunting challenge - how to feed a growing population without harming the planet, our economies, or our health. With a billion peopl...
Samin Nosrat: My life in five dishes
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The award-winning star of Netflix series 'Salt, Fat, Acid Heat' and author of the best-selling cookbook of the same name tells us about her life throu...
Bitter sweets
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Could candy be the next target in the global fight against rising levels of obesity and diabetes? Dozens of governments have already imposed taxes on ...
Food on the streets: London and Los Angeles
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How do you eat when you have no home? Nowhere to store food, nowhere to cook, no table to eat at?In this episode we are with homeless people in two of...
Organic Inc
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At heart, the organic movement is driven by ethics, not market-forces. It started out as a reaction to large-scale industrial agriculture, with an ant...
Widowed: Food after loss
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of two James Beard Award-winning episodes on food and grief, Emily Thomas explores the food experiences of the widowed.In parts of the w...
Raw grief
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Thomas explores how food can help us navigate through the darkest of times - the days, weeks, and even years following the death of someone we l...
The pot washers
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know who’s washing your dishes? Emily Thomas talks to pot washers from around the world, about what they love and loathe about life at the si...
An inspector calls
11 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Restaurateurs with guns, chefs wielding knives, and severed heads in bin bags. Life as a food inspector is a lot more fraught than you might think. Em...
How to tell a food story
04 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when food meets fiction? In this programme from the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival, presenter Emily Thomas is joined by a panel of g...
Gut feelings
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are trillions of bacteria living in our guts and there's growing evidence that they can have a major impact on our mental well-being. So could w...
When breast isn't best
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Breastfeeding is highly recommended for babies the world over and in many countries it's seen as a mother's duty. No wonder, then, that women who cann...
How to feed the Falklands
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How does a tiny community living on a series of rugged, windswept islands in the south west Atlantic Ocean manage to eat a varied diet? The Falkland I...
When foods get famous
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some fruits and vegetables achieve superstar status, appearing on T-shirts worn by celebrities, or in tattoos adorning some of the biggest name...
A senseless generation?
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are processed foods and urbanisation numbing children’s sensory abilities, and should we teach them to smell, touch, taste and even listen to their ...
Untold food stories: Rohingya and Uighur cuisine
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Rohingya people in Myanmar and the Uighur people in China are familiar to many of us through news reports. And usually their story is told by jour...
High Stakes Cakes
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What drives people to stake their livelihood on sponge? Three cake makers discuss the pressure and privilege of creating show-stopping centrepieces fo...
André Cointreau: My life in five dishes
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
André Cointreau had a very privileged start in life, born into two illustrious French drinks dynasties - Cointreau and Rémy Martin. But his decision...
Uncut: Butchers Talk Chop
24 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Carving up carcasses and slicing up flesh. Day in, day out. Doling out blood for pet leeches, and helpings of animals brains. What drives people to do...
Is Product Placement Getting in Your Face?
17 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When a cool character cracks open a can of a well-known branded drink on screen, do you barely notice or roll your eyes? Whatever your reaction, their...
The New Food Bank Frontline
10 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Giving away unwanted food to people who need it, sounds like it should be easy. But in this episode we find it throws up some peculiar challenges. Wha...
After Party: A Look Back
27 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Find out what happens after the show ends.Emily Thomas catches up with some people who’ve appeared on The Food Chain over the past 12 months and hea...
Taking the Buzz out of Coffee
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A former-coffee lover goes on the hunt for a decent cup without the buzz, and discovers why it's so hard to get flavour without a fix. Emily Thomas de...
Can a Strong Drink Revive a City?
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Does bourbon have the strength to reinvigorate a whole city? And is it really wise to seek answers at the bottom of a barrel?Kentucky produces 95 perc...
Why the Heat about Meat?
29 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we get so angry when we talk about food? When conversation turns to meat in particular, it doesn’t take long for debate to become heated and ...
Million Dollar Mouths
22 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Who gets to decide what our food tastes like - and what gives them the authority to do so?Emily Thomas meets three people who are employed by the food...
Inside the Abattoir
15 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode includes audio of the slaughter of farm animals, which some may find upsetting. But if you happily eat meat, should you be willing to lis...
Behind the (Food) Scenes
08 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Three top food stylists - all of whom have ghost-written and cooked on behalf of the world’s top chefs - step out from behind the scenes. More oft...
I Took on the Food Industry
01 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A powerful colossus is controlling most of what we eat. Who has the guts to take it on?Emily Thomas meets three people who have gone up against the fo...
I'm with the chef
25 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you think you’d like your other half to be able to cook like a Michelin-starred chef, this episode might make you think again. When a professiona...
Aristocrats and Archaeo-Food Nerds
18 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt the urge to share exactly the same culinary experience as your ancestors? Do you care what ancient Roman bread tasted like? Or what...
Not Just a Rich White Woman’s Problem
11 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Thomas explores a stereotype with potentially life-threatening consequences - the idea that eating disorders are a problem that only affects whi...
Unseen: The Rise of Eating Disorders in China
04 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
From diet pills to vomit rooms, the Food Chain investigates the rise of eating disorders in China. Is this an inevitable consequence of economic devel...
Restaurant Critics: The Ungarnished Truth
27 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Thomas brings together a straight-talking crowd who are not afraid to ruffle a few feathers - even when they belong to the world’s most succes...
Going Off Cow's Milk?
20 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Thomas asks whether we’re on a slow but steady path to abandoning our pervasive, long-standing, and arguably slightly peculiar habit of drinki...
Widowed: Food After Loss
13 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of two episodes on food and grief, Emily Thomas explores the food experiences of the widowed.In parts of the world where widowhood is se...
Raw grief
06 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of two episodes on food and grief, Emily Thomas explores how food can help us navigate through the darkest of times - the days, weeks, an...
Rethinking the Celebrity Chef
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Thomas asks whether the curious phenomenon of the celebrity chef, is undergoing a metamorphosis. The modern celebrity chef has their finger in a...
The Invisible Ingredient
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We’re killing time on The Food Chain this week. From crops that grow in just eight weeks, to whole meals that can sit on the shelf at room temperatu...
José Andrés: My life in five dishes
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the Michelin-starred chef who, when he hears word of a natural disaster, jumps on a plane to get there, rolls up his sleeves, and mobilises thous...
Kelis: My life in five dishes
08 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We sit down with one of R&B’s most eccentric and compelling artists, Kelis. Over the past 20 years she has produced era-defining hits like Milks...
Claudia Roden: My life in five dishes
02 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Food Chain listens back to My Life in Five Dishes with the renowned Egyptian cookery writer Claudia Roden - originally broadcast in January 2018. ...
Gordon Ramsay: My life in five dishes
26 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Food Chain listens back to My Life in Five Dishes with chef and broadcaster Gordon Ramsay, originally broadcast in January 2018. Gordon is world-f...
Antonio Carluccio: My life in five dishes
19 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Antonio Carluccio describes his most memorable dishes in his last ever interview. The cook, restaurateur and writer, known as the 'Godfather of Italia...
Madhur Jaffrey: My life in five dishes
12 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for five unforgettable dishes from one extraordinary life as the food writer and actress Madhur Jaffrey reveals some rather surprising mealtim...
Jeremiah Tower: My life in five dishes
04 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the pioneering, opinionated and inscrutable Jeremiah Tower, one of the most controversial figures in modern American cuisine. Emily Thomas hears ...
#MeToo Food
28 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Has the #MeToo movement permeated our food chain?Emily Thomas explores the hidden problem of sexual harassment and abuse in our fisheries and fields, ...
The Real Junk Food
21 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is the story of a man who struggled with homelessness and addiction, before being hit by a bold vision of ending food waste and world hunger.The ...
Pony Tales
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Should we eat more horse meat? In some parts of the world it is a food taboo, while in others people think little of munching an equine burger. Would ...
I am the Bread Man
30 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Saladino meets the mastermind behind one of biggest bread research projects ever undertaken. Nathan Myhrvold spent four years researching, baking ...
Kelis: My life in five dishes
24 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We sit down with one of R&B’s most eccentric and compelling artists - singer-songwriter Kelis. Over the past 20 years she has produced era-defin...
Critical Mass Catering
16 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In a nod to the British royal wedding, we are super-sizing the Food Chain this week as we explore cooking on a grand scale.Emily Thomas visits a Sikh ...
Absolute Food: Part II
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Food is propaganda in this episode of The Food Chain.In the second part of our two week exploration into the relationship between political power and ...
Absolute Food: Part I
03 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How do authoritarian regimes use food to control and manipulate? In the first of two episodes exploring food and power, we find out how changes to the...
Fussy Old World
26 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The fussy toddler refuses to eat her vegetables, has a tantrum and throws the food on the floor in protest. It’s a familiar scene that haunts parent...
Claudia Roden: My Life in Five Dishes
20 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We meet the woman who’s been credited with revolutionising western attitudes to Middle Eastern and Jewish food. Claudia Roden talks to Emily Thomas ...
Food Confidential
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Trade secrets are jealously guarded by the food industry – and confidentiality is becoming ever more important. The Food Chain is on a mission to fi...
Eating Blockchain
04 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
*This is a repeat of a programme that first aired on 22nd February 2018Blockchain technology has been heralded as the answer to a safer, fairer and mo...
A Poisonous Business
29 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Food poisoning meets economics in this episode of the Food Chain. And it's a toxic mix.We'll explore how an outbreak can bring down a company, badly d...
Do Not Feed the Animals
22 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Food waste can have a huge impact on some wild animals, changing their diets and behaviours, and often bringing them into closer contact with humans. ...