Nick Curtis-Davis, Head of Brand Development, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
“The most accurate way to estimate the world's population is by counting all the podcasts and dividing that number by three”.
It’s an old one but like all good jokes there is an kernel of truth in here. It’s hard to move these days without tripping over a new podcast. In the fifteen years since Apple first made podcasts available on iTunes the medium has well and truly become mainstream. Of course this success brings its own problems, chief amongst them being the challenge of sifting through the mountains of choice to find the podcasts worth spending your precious spare time on. For every RadioLab or Song Exploder there are industrial quantities of Z-list options also vying for your attention. Where to start?
If you are interested in the world of food and drink and the people and businesses around it you are well catered for in podcast-land. To save you ploughing through the landfill, in no particular order, here’s a five course taster menu of notable Food and Drink based podcasts for you to sink your teeth into.
Having started as a weekly BBC radio programme all the way back in 1979 this podcast has a first class pedigree and deserves its frequent appearances in ‘top 10’ lists. A wide ranging show which sets out to “investigate every aspect of the food we eat”. Recent episodes include an exploration of the possibility of micro-algae becoming an important food source in the future, a look at whether the Cornish Pasty is really Cornish and an investigation into wild Atlantic salmon's possible extinction within the next 20 years.
The show has been presented by Sheila Dillion for over 20 years and her deep knowledge of the food world perfectly complements the episodes’ in-depth coverage of food news and topical content. The podcast also benefits from being a BBC production, yielding unrivalled access to archives, research and famous food names.
The Kitchen Sisters Present… kitchensisters.org
“The Kitchen Sisters have done some of best radio stories ever broadcast” —Ira Glass.
Ira Glass is podcast royalty, not least for his pioneering work on NPR’s ‘This American Life’ so his recommendation is worth paying some attention to. Another long-running show, the Kitchen Sisters Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva first came together and began producing radio together over 30 years ago. Now available as a podcast their award winning show looks into food and its history and traditions under the broader banner of how communities come together through food. In their episode ‘The Keepers – Emily Dickinson’s Hidden Kitchen’ they explore the archives of Harvard’s Houghton Library and discover that Emily Dickinson was better known by many as a baker than a poet in her lifetime. Their show ‘Kimchi Diplomacy: War and Peace and Food' was awarded the Webby Award for Best Documentary Podcast.
“It’s not for foodies, it’s for eaters" This podcast’s tagline sets the tone; hosted by Dan Pashman, The Sporkful is another chart-topper. “Each week on the show, we use humour and humanity to approach food from many angles, including science, history, identity, culture, economics, and lengthy debates on the best way to layer peanut butter and jelly in a sandwich”.
There is something for everyone in this podcast’s episodes. In ‘American St. Patrick’s Day, Through Irish Eyes’ writer and comedian Maeve Higgins speaks about how she handles meals alone or with a sad friend, and explains why she still feels more Irish than Irish-American. In ‘Live: Notes From A Young Black Chef’ we meet Kwame Onwuachi, one of the fastest rising star chefs in America to hear the story of how he got to where he is today. It's a story so incredible, it's being made into a movie.
The Artisan Food and Drink Business Show
The Food and Drink Business Show is Artisan Food and Drink business owners “tell their brand stories and share the secrets of their success”. Mayo born host Catherine Moran talks to artisan producers about their businesses, and the challenges they face. This podcast has a tighter target audience than some of the other recommendations on this list but will be of interest to anyone interested in the world of artisan food.
One business recently featured was The Little Milk Co., a 10-strong group of organic farmers, set-up to establish a route to market and to add value to their organic milk. These ten farmers supply milk to selected artisan cheese makers who then turn the milk into delicious cheeses.
Off Menu with James Acaster and Ed Gamble
To finish we’ll have some food and drink based comedy. Stand-up comedians and self-professed food-lovers James Acaster and Ed Gamble invite a special guest into their imaginary restaurant to choose their dream starter, main course, side dish, dessert and drink. Previous diners have included TV Writer and Director Armando Iannucci, Jess Phillips MP and fellow Comedian Dara O’Briain.