Episodes
In episode six of the Sustainable Food Stories podcast series, Patrick Holden is joined by Gunhild Stordalen, founder and executive chair of the EAT Foundation and one of the world’s leading environmentalists and food campaigners. On the eve of COP26, Patrick and Gunhild discuss how the world can transition into a more sustainable food system, and by working together, will help advance this transition.
Published 10/29/21
In this latest Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden talks to Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and a fellow, organic farmer in Wales. On the premises of Fir Farm in the Cotswolds, Patrick talks to Sue about her journey into farming, from her Welsh heritage, to attending Atlantic College, and later becoming the Chief Executive of the FFCC.
Published 10/13/21
In this week’s podcast, Patrick is joined by Lord Benyon, the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DEFRA. Lord Benyon is himself a farmer and landowner and was a Member of Parliament for 15 years, serving as Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries during the coalition government. During the conversation, Lord Benyon shares his thoughts on regenerative farming, the land sharing vs land sparing debate and the importance of small, family farms. 
Published 09/17/21
In our latest episode, Patrick is joined by Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of the recently re-published book Defending Beef. Nicolette began her career as an environmental lawyer and was a vegetarian for 33 years before becoming a cattle rancher and an advocate for the role of livestock in sustainable farming systems. 
Published 09/03/21
In episode two of our second podcast series, Patrick is joined by Tom Watson, former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Tom was also a speaker at The Sustainable Food Trust's 2019 Farming and Climate Change event at Fir Farm in Gloucestershire, during which he shared his health journey. Tom and Patrick discuss challenging orthodoxies around nutrition and ag-riculture as well as the recent publication of the UK’s National Food Strategy.
Published 07/23/21
In the opening episode of our new podcast series, Patrick Holden is joined by vegetarian cook and bestselling author, Anna Jones. The conversation begins by exploring a question that is on the minds of many, ‘what should I eat to be healthy and sustainable?’. While Anna and Patrick’s responses to the question differ slightly, they remain for the most part united by a shared goal – the transition to more sustainable food systems.
Published 07/09/21
In the final podcast of the series, Patrick Holden speaks to John Sauven, the Executive Director of Greenpeace, about transforming food and farming systems in order to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss - touching on the land sparing vs land sharing debate, as well as true cost accounting and sustainable diets.
Published 03/18/21
In this week’s podcast, Patrick speaks to Dr Harpinder Sandhu – global expert in food and farming systems, based at the University of South Australia, in Adelaide. Harpinder talks about his pioneering work on measuring farm sustainability, before moving on to address the ongoing farmer's protests in India. 
Published 03/12/21
In this week’s podcast, Patrick speaks to Alice Waters – founder of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, Vice President of Slow Food International, and widely celebrated for her work with the Edible Schoolyard Project. Alice's revolutionary understanding of food as a political act and a tool to influence positive change underpinned the various subsequent stages of her remarkable career and she believes now is the time for a ‘delicious revolution’. 
Published 02/26/21
In this week’s podcast, Patrick Holden speaks to Dr Zach Bush – the internationally renowned, multi-disciplinary physician, founder of Farmers’ Footprint. Together, they discuss the intricate intersections between the microbiome, nutrition and chronic diseases, highlighting the devastating impact of chemical herbicides and pesticides on both soil and human health.
Published 02/11/21
In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to Tim Mead, founder and CEO of Yeo Valley - the UK's largest organic dairy brand, based just outside of Bristol, at Holt Farm.
Published 01/29/21
In our first podcast of 2021, Richard Dunne, The Harmony Project’s Director of Education, speaks to a very special guest - Lord John Bird, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Big Issue who in 2015 became a people’s peer in the House of Lords. 
Published 01/15/21
In this pre-Christmas podcast, Patrick speaks to a very special guest - his daughter, Alice Holden. Currently working as head grower at Dagenham farm, Alice is considered one of the UK’s pioneering female growers.
Published 12/18/20
In this week’s podcast, Patrick speaks to Guy Hayward, the Director and Co-Founder of the British Pilgrimage Trust,  a charity dedicated to renewing the ancient tradition of pilgrimage in Britain. Patrick and Guy discuss the intersections between pilgrimage, food and farming and explore the idea of journey across agricultural landscapes that ‘makes food sacred again’. 
Published 12/04/20
In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to Darina Allen, renowned chef, best-selling author, and co-founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School on the South coast of Ireland. Based upon the slow food philosophy and ‘farm-to-fork’ cooking, the school aims to teach about cooking within the wider context of the landscape, the seasons, and agricultural sustainability.
Published 11/06/20
In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to Sophie Throup, the Head of Agriculture, Fisheries and Sustainable Sourcing for Wm Morrison plc. Morrisons is the UK’s 4th largest supermarket chain, with almost 500 stores across the country.
Published 10/23/20
In this week’s podcast, Patrick talks to James Rebanks, farmer and best-selling author of The Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District (2015) and English Pastoral: An Inheritance (2020). 
Published 10/09/20
In this week's podcast Patrick talks to Livia Firth MBE, Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC). During the conversation, Patrick and Livia discuss the parallels between the social and environmental footprints of food and fashion, and how consumers can use their purchasing power to affect change and transform the fashion industry. 
Published 09/24/20
In this podcast, Patrick speaks to his long time friend, fellow environmentalist and campaigner Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future, and former Director of Friends of the Earth. The conversation touches on differences in opinion between conservation organisations and farming groups, and the ways in which this may have led to a separation of policy and public understanding of the relationship between food production and nature. 
Published 08/13/20
In this week's episode Patrick speaks to author and former Conservative member of the European Parliament Stanley Johnson. Since 1951 his family has farmed on Exmoor, on the Devon-Somerset border, and Stanley still manages the farm there today. During the conversation, Stanley and Patrick discuss agricultural trade with the European Union, the opportunity for food and farming to form a central part of COP21, animal welfare standards in relation to the Agriculture Bill and the current 'war on...
Published 08/02/20
This week Patrick is joined by scholar and environmental activist Dr Vandana Shiva. Together they discuss the influence of Sir Albert Howard on sustainable farming principles, the de-colonisation of agriculture as well as the importance of biodiversity and true cost accounting. "If you change the metric, you realise that cultivating biodiversity can heal the earth" says Vandana, adding that "good food [also] cultivates the wilderness of our gut microbiome".
Published 07/16/20
In this episode, Patrick speaks to author and wellbeing entrepreneur, Liz Earle. Liz is a passionate advocate for sustainable and regenerative agriculture and how this impacts our own personal health as well as that of the wider environment. During the conversation, Patrick and Liz discuss how our food choices impact our health and the environment, what it means to 'buy local', and the opportunity to change our food and farming systems.
Published 07/02/20
In this week's podcast, Patrick speaks with young horticulturalist Huw Richards, who tends an 11 acre plot in West Wales and shares his growing experiences with a large online audience. Huw shares what led to his childhood passion for growing, his ambition to "make food growing less complicated" and his belief that "seasonal and local diets are the most sustainable". 
Published 06/19/20
During this special podcast, The Harmony Project's Richard Dunne speak to Serena Murdoch, a 16 year old from Kent, passionate about climate justice and environmental activism.  Serena is a volunteer for the UK Student Climate Network and the Teach the Future Campaign. She is also involved with the charity Action for Conservation, and is part of the Youth Leadership Group for the conservation initiative, the Penpont Project, in Wales. 
Published 06/19/20
In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to the founder of Square Food Foundation, Barny Haughton - a chef, teacher and food educator who believes that food education should be playing a central role in health and education policy both at local and national government level. "If we want resilient food systems, we need resilient communities and if we want resilient communities, we need a food educated society" says Barny.
Published 06/12/20