Episodes
Discover the unexpected, peculiar and funny origins to some of the best loved brands on the planet.  From Nachos to Coke, Digestives to Mustard, explore the stories behind the foods we all love. 
Published 07/18/22
Published 07/18/22
Take a trip back in time to explore the weirdest dishes ever served, as Jay and James are joined by Food Historian Marc Meltonville to delve into the strangest techniques, ingredients and ideas ever presented for dinner.  
Published 07/11/22
Jay and James are joined by one of the world's most successful food bloggers this week, to explore some of the most extraordinary food experiences the world has to offer with Chef Dennis.  From camel milk to Gooseneck Barnacles and ice cream floats, it's a globe trotting trip across the food world.  Plus they explore how you become a food blogger and the future of food teaching in schools.  
Published 07/04/22
Join the guys as they take a trip deep into your spice rack, to discover the blood soaked history of our most popular spices.  From invasions to modern day organised crime it's an amazing, often unexpected story.  Plus they delve into the new 'rare' spices, that are now worth as much as gold. 
Published 06/27/22
This week the guys are introducing another hugely influential chef into their Hall of Fame, this time Adolphe Dugléré, pupil of Careme, a man who has both a fascinating life story and a big impact on how we cook today.  Master of the kitchen he is most renowned for the incredible Dinner of the Three Emperors, a truly remarkable piece of cooking.  So don you tallest chef's hat and join a trip back to the 19th century France. 
Published 06/20/22
Join Jay and James as they delve into healing foods on the podcast.  Exploring both the good and bad of dining cures.   Firstly they chat about James' recent dining experience flying first class, before opening the history books to explore hang over cures from both ancient Rome and ancient Egypt.  Before then holding a quiz to see if James can guess the top 10 healthiest foods on the planet.  
Published 06/13/22
Join Jay and Marc live from a very noisy pub, as they delve into the fascinating history of the mainstay of British life that is the magnificent PUB!  From its murky beginnings in people's living rooms to the open plan 'gastro' world we see today, it's a unexpected journey that says as much about the Brits as it does about the pub itself.  So grab your pint glass, pull up a stool and come pub time travel
Published 06/06/22
In celebration of the jubilee the guys delve behind the scenes of Buckingham Palace to discover the guilty food pleasures of the royal family.  Plus they delve inside the menu of the world's most expensive restaurant, coming in at a whopping £2500 PER PERSON.   They also delve inside the mysteries of Manchester Tart and their school dinner memories.   
Published 05/30/22
Take a trip inside the life of Escoffier, arguably the most influential chef ever, as the guys induct him into their 'chef hall of fame' and reveal his incredible life story, full of glamour, innovation and controversy, that sounds like a Hollywood movie.  
Published 05/23/22
Get ready to binge, as Jay and James discover what are the very worst foods that we can eat, entering the remarkable realm of 'ultra processed foods' and counting down the top eight most sinful - what's on the list may very well surprise you!  So loosen your belts and get ready for a walk on the wrong side of food.
Published 05/20/22
Jay and James are joined by the delightful owner of Myrtle restaurant and Irish cooking Queen, Chef Anna Haugh, for an insightful chat into everything from the perfect ingredients in an Irish stew to spotting rancid butter in Michelin Starred restaurants and finding joy in cooking wherever you grow up.  Dive in for a wonderful trip to the cooking delights of the emerald isle.  
Published 04/29/22
This week the guys take a trip to New York to put forward their first suggested entrant for their new 'Chef Hall of Fame'.  Stepping back to the glory days of the city to explore one of the most glamorous restaurants in the world and its charismatic head chef Charles Ranhofer.  From inventing new dishes to hosting the famous and powerful of the time, he's a fascinating character with a big story in an amazing town. 
Published 04/04/22
This week the guys are again joined by Marc Meltonville as they take a trip inside some of the most remarkable food experiences they've be lucky enough to have.   From the depths of the rainforest to the middle of the ocean, the top of mountains to inside royal palaces, this is a trip into the amazing breadth and wonder that food can bring.  
Published 03/28/22
Sit up straight on the podcast this week, as the guys are getting a lesson in historical table manners from expert Marc Meltonville.  Learning how to eat 'properly' at the table of Henry the 8th.  From the origins of 'keeping elbows off the table' to the importance of not farting the 'wrong way', this is how to fit in when hanging out at the royal palace.  So grab your napkin and best serving knife and take a seat for a lesson in manners, Tudor style.  
Published 03/21/22
Delve inside the world of food magazine magic on the pod this week, as the guys are joined by one of Britain's most respected and talented food magazine editors, to explore how she transforms food from the plate to the pages of a magazine.  From the tricks used on photographing the food to how they select the stories that grab your attention, how they spot trends to the best way to deal with complaints.  Plus Jay and James are presented with another terrible food TV idea.  
Published 03/14/22
This week Jay and James chart the rise and fall of the celebrity chef, from the very first to possibly the last, in a bid to answer the question, is the time of the celeb chef over?  Along the way they will discover the selling power of the big cookery names over the years, how some of the best have fallen away and what the next wave of celeb cooks might look like.  They also celebrate their 100th episode by looking into James' new gig on local radio and  ahead to future shows.  So grab your...
Published 03/07/22
The guys welcome in historian Marc Meltonville to delve inside the oldest cookbook in the English language, exploring the recipes and ideas from 1390, including medieval salads that will surprise you and a meat dish that will shock you.  Plus they invite in Darwin and Galileo to try and win a spot at their dream dinner party.
Published 02/28/22
Jay and James are joined by the delightful 'First Couple' of wine, Master of Wine Susie and Peter, to discuss everything from the amazing explosion in English wine producers to the nostalgic Blue Nun and Babycham brands.  Plus they'll be exploring what it takes to start your own vineyard (clue you'll need some cash!) and how you become a master of wine.  So grab your glass for a journey to the centre of wine.
Published 02/21/22
This week the guys are joined by the fabulous Chef Fernando Stovell, Mexican cooking genius and host of Master Chef Mexico, to explore all the hidden secrets of Mexican food.  From using ants, worms and crickets to using lava cooking implements and top tips on chilli selection, it is a delicious delve into a rich and delightful cuisine.  Plus Fernando will be revealing what it's like to cook for the Queen and other heads of state and celebrates and James will be taking us on an exclusive trip...
Published 02/14/22
Grab your baseball hats, we're heading to America!  Jay and James are joined by Frank Clark, Master of Historic Food at Colonial Williamsburg, the incredible living history town that's more like WestWorld than a museum, to explore the beginnings of American food.  From the hidden influence of Africa to the impact of British gentlemen and grumpy French chefs, it's an unexpected journey back to a time we know so little about.  Plus they'll be exploring new discoveries about Panda's eating...
Published 02/07/22
Welcome to WW2, as the guys sit down with Winston Churchill (and the rest of Britain) during the dark days of the 1940s, and delve into what rationing tasted like, with resident historian Marc Meltonville.   From fake Crab Sandwiches to Mock Duck, cases of Champagne to incredible increases in flatulence, this is an eye opening trip into how our ancestors ate as the bombs fell.   Grab a tin hat for a journey to the centre of rationing.  
Published 01/31/22
Join Jay and James this week as they discuss the past and future of food television.  From Fanny, to Jamie, Ramsey to Masterchef, they pull back the curtain to reveal how food TV shows are first put on screen and analyse the legacy of the biggest shows from the past 80 years.  Then they look into their crystal balls to try and figure out what the future of food television might look like and if there even is one!   So grab your remote and settle back for a journey into food television.  
Published 01/24/22
Joining Jay and James this week is Mr Truffle, one of Britain's leading truffle experts and the perfect person to explain the dodgy, delightful and delicious business of truffles.  From spending 60k on a single white truffle to trading thousands on them in nighttime car park deals, where to find them in the forest to the right time to hunt them , it's an amazing trip inside this hidden world.  Plus two famous ladies join the Dream Dinner Party, one with the most amazing table you'll ever...
Published 01/17/22
This week the guys step onto the front line of the restaurant world, to discover the scale of the crisis facing the industry today, with Chef Cyrus Todiwala.   One of the most respected, successful and experienced chefs in Britain, Cyrus reveals the issues facing the food industry and how, as the owner of the Cafe Spice Namaste group, he is adapting his business to survive.  Plus they take a trip back to Cyrus' food origins in India and delve into some of his award winning food work,...
Published 01/10/22