Podcast

Table Talk

Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts interview notable guests about their life, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Lara is the Food and Drink Editor of Spectator Life and Olivia is Spectator Life’s Vintage Chef.

Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts interview notable guests about their life, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Lara is the Food and Drink Editor of Spectator Life and Olivia is Spectator Life’s Vintage Chef.

Table Talk

With Fred Smith

Fred Smith is Head of Beef at Flat Iron. Having trained at several of London’s top restaurants, he later became Head of Food at Byron. He then joined the Flat Iron series of restaurants in 2017.  On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv about how his love of steak developed, how he got into

Play 31 mins

Table Talk

With Jess Shadbolt

Jess Shadbolt is part of the celebrated trio behind King and Jupiter restaurants in New York City. Originally from Suffolk, she worked at the River Cafe and trained at Ballymaloe cookery school before heading to new York, where she is now one of the most venerated chefs in America.  On the podcast, she tells Lara

Play 30 mins

Table Talk

With Sir David Hempleman-Adams

Where to begin with Sir David! An English industrialist and explorer, he was the first person to complete the ‘Explorer’s Grand Slam’. This means he has completed both North and South Poles as well as traversing the seven highest peaks across the seven continents. He has received the Polar Medal twice, from Queen Elizabeth II

Play 26 mins

Table Talk

With Hadley Freeman

Hadley Freeman is a journalist and author. She writes for The Sunday Times, having previously written for The Guardian. Her books include House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family and Good Girls: A Story and Study of Anorexia. Her new book, Blindness: October 7 and the Left, is out now.  On the podcast, she tells

Play 24 mins

Table Talk

With Theo Randall

Theo Randall is a Head Chef, restaurant owner, and food writer. He’s currently the Chef Patron of Theo Randall at the InterContinental, and he was famously awarded a Michelin star at The River Cafe. He specialises in Italian cuisine, and his new book Verdura: 10 Vegetables, 100 Italian Recipes, is available now.  On the podcast he tells

Play 24 mins

Table Talk

With Tim Hayward

Tim Hayward is an award-winning food writer, a broadcaster, and proprietor of the bakery Fitzbillies in Cambridge. He writes regularly for the FT Magazine and often appears on BBC Radio 4. Following the bestsellers Food DIY, Knife, and Loaf Story, his eighth book, Steak: The Whole Story, is out on the 23rd May.  On the podcast, Tim tells Liv

Play 44 mins

Table Talk

With Michael Zee

Michael Zee is an author, cook and the creator of SymmetryBreakfast, which started as an Instagram account, before amassing over 670,000 followers and becoming one of the ‘most popular food books of 2016’. He is now based in Italy and known for his particular brand of British-Chinese fusion food. His third book, Zao Fan: Breakfast of

Play 28 mins

Table Talk

With Joel Golby

Joel Golby is a journalist who has written for – among others – Vice and the Guardian, where he has a regular column, the watcher, reviewing television. He has since translated his skill for wry observations and self-reflection into the new book Four Stars: A life reviewed which hilariously grapples with our fascination with opinions On the podcast Joel tells

Play 39 mins

Table Talk

With Anna Jones

Anna Jones is a food writer, food stylist and author. She is known predominately for her focus on vegetarian cooking, and her new book Easy Wins celebrates a capsule pantry of twelve ingredients.  On the podcast she tells Lara about her way in to becoming a food journalist, cooking vegetarian at home, and her desert island meal. 

Play 25 mins

Table Talk

With Gennaro Contaldo

Gennaro Contaldo is an Italian chef, cookbook author and television presenter. He is also known as Jamie Oliver’s mentor and Antonio Carluccio’s travel partner on Two Greedy Italians. His latest cookbook Gennaro’s Verdure – which celebrates seasonal vegetables – is out now.  On the podcast he tells Liv and Lara about his upbringing on the Amalfi coast, what

Play 24 mins

Table Talk

With Alex Jackson

Alex Jackson is the founder of Sardine and currently head chef at Noble Rot, Soho. His cookbook Frontières: the food of France’s borderlands is available now.  On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv why the smell of chip fat reminds him of home, how his interest in cooking was ignited during time spent at university France,

Play 28 mins

Table Talk

With Thomas Robson-Kanu

Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu is former professional footballer who was part of the Welsh team that reached the semi finals of Euro 2016, thanks largely to a memorable goal he scored against tournament favourites Belgium. He is also the founder of The Turmeric Co. On the podcast, Thomas tells Lara and Liv how his Welsh and Nigerian

Play 29 mins

Table Talk

With Professor Charles Spence

Professor Charles Spence is an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on how an in-depth understanding of the human mind will lead to the better design of multi-sensory foods and products. He is the author of several books including his most recent, Sensehacking: How to Use the Power of Your Senses for Happier,

Play 34 mins

Table Talk

With Edward Stourton

Edward Stourton is a broadcaster who has worked as foreign correspondent for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITN. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Program, and presented the Today Program for ten years. He has authored eight books including his most recent, Sunday: A History of Religious Affairs through 50 Years of Conversations

Play 25 mins

Table Talk

With Alexandra Collier

Alexandra Collier is a Melbourne-based writer who has written for theatre, screen and print. She is a MacDowell fellow and a recipient of the RE Ross Trust playwrites’ award. Her memoir Inconceivable, about her journey to becoming a solo Mum by choice, is out now.  On the podcast she tells Lara and Liv why restaurants are

Play 24 mins

Table Talk

With Philip Hensher

Philip Hensher is a novelist and regular contributor to The Spectator’s books pages. His books cover a variety of subjects and often deal with important historical change, such as the fall of the Berlin wall and the war in Afghanistan. His most recent novel is To Battersea Park.  On the podcast, he discusses how he developed an affection

Play 31 mins

Table Talk

With Michel Roux Jr

Michel Roux Jr. is an English-French chef and is the chef patron of Le Gavroche, the first restaurant in the UK to received one, two and then three Michelin stars. Earlier this year it was announced that Le Gavroche will close its doors in January.  On the podcast, he recalls how his father would hand

Play 29 mins

Table Talk

With Tara Wigley

Tara Wigley is the in-house writer for the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, she also has a weekly column in the Guardian and a monthly column in the New York Times which she shares with Yotam Ottolenghi. On the podcast she reminisces about her father’s ‘egg in the cup’, the secret to a great Ottolenghi recipe, and takes Lara and Liv

Play 32 mins

Table Talk

With Celia Walden

Celia Walden is a journalist, novelist and critic whose most recent novel, The Square, is out now. On the podcast she tells Lara and Liv why lentils are her ultimate comfort food, explains the joys of a buttered scotch pancake and discloses her husband Piers’ signature dish, ‘spaghetti Morganese’. 

Play 17 mins

Table Talk

With Victoria Hislop

Victoria Hislop is a bestselling author and a lover of all things Mediterranean. Victoria’s first book ‘The Island’, came out in 2005 and became an immediate international best-seller. Victoria’s subsequent novels have explored the Spanish Civil War, Cyprus and the Greek islands, and she’s celebrated for cleverly combining history, culture, family, time and place into fascinating

Play 30 mins

Table Talk

With John Nichol

John Nichol is a former RAF Tornado navigator who, during the first Gulf War in 1991, was famously shot down, paraded on television and held prisoner by Saddam Hussein. John wrote movingly about his experience in his first book, ‘Tornado Down’, and has gone on to write fifteen more best-selling books. His latest, ‘Eject, Eject’, is out now.

Play 35 mins

Table Talk

With Ewan Venters

Ewan Venters is the former chief executive of Fortnum & Mason and is now the CEO of Artfarm and Hauser & Wirth. Ewan is launching Artfarm’s first London venture combining food, drink and art which will also mark the revival of the historic Mayfair landmark, The Audley. Presented by Olivia Potts.Produced by Linden Kemkaran.

Play 37 mins

Table Talk

With Diana Henry

Diana Henry is a critically acclaimed, multi-award winning cook, food writer and author of 12 books including the classic cookbook ‘Roast Figs, Sugar Snow’, which has just been updated and re-released twenty years after it was first published. Diana also writes for newspapers and magazines, and presents food programmes on TV and radio. On this podcast

Play 41 mins

Table Talk

With Philip Khoury

Philip Khoury became the head pastry chef at Harrods in 2018. He made it his mission to pioneer the creation of plant-based desserts, calling it the ‘last frontier’ of vegan cuisine. He’s just written a book ‘A New Way to Bake’, which came out on 31st August 2023, and which focuses on creating masterpieces out of vegan

Play 22 mins

Table Talk

With Sir Nicholas Mostyn

The Hon. Mr Justice Mostyn was a British high court judge who left the Bench just a few weeks ago. Nick Mostyn enjoyed a long and distinguished career and earned the nicknames ‘Mostyn Powers’ and ‘Mr Payout’ after winning vast sums for ex-wives in high-profile divorce cases. Recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he went on to form

Play 40 mins

Table Talk

With James Dreyfus

James Dreyfus is an actor, best known for his roles in TV sitcoms The Thin Blue Line and Gimme Gimme Gimme. James also appeared in the film Notting Hill and has a long and distinguished stage career. On the podcast, James talks about his early memories of food living between France and America; some of the catering throughout his acting

Play 22 mins

Table Talk

With Ebru Baybara Demir

Ebru Baybara Demir is a Turkish chef with a big dream; to introduce tourism to Mardin, a municipality in the Kurdish region of Turkey. It was a brave decision as Mardin is a city beset by terror-related security issues, boasting very little local agriculture and dealing with huge border problems due to the war in

Play 23 mins

Table Talk

With Jimi Famurewa

Jimi Famurewa is a British-Nigerian journalist, writer, broadcaster and food critic. In 2020 Jimi became chief restaurant critic for the Evening Standard and he has also won the restaurant writing awards at both the Fortnum and Mason and Guild of Food Writers awards. On the podcast they discuss Jimi’s new book Settlers: Journeys Through the Food, Faith and

Play 36 mins

Table Talk

With Amy Newsome

Amy Newsome is a Kew-trained horticulturalist, beekeeper and author of the new book Honey: Recipe’s from a beekeepers kitchen.  On the podcast, she tells Lara and Liv how beekeeping saved her mental health, why you should always keep at least four types of honey in your pantry and details her desert island meal. 

Play 38 mins

Table Talk

With Ingrid Newkirk

Ingrid Newkirk is a British-American activist, who founded People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980.  She speaks to Lara about her earliest memories of food, the joys of a Greggs vegan sausage roll, and defends PETA’s controversial tactics. 

Play 21 mins