Hungry for something good to listen to? From foodie chats to fascinating food stories, these podcasts are serving up plenty of flavour.
Whether you’re cooking dinner, stuck in traffic or simply looking for something entertaining to listen to, a good food podcast can make the time fly. Podcasts take food beyond recipes by exploring the people, places, businesses and stories that make what we eat so fascinating.
Table Manners: Pass the Gossip
Hosted by singer-songwriter Jessie Ware and her mom Lennie, Table Manners combines relaxed celebrity conversation with a love of home cooking. Guests talk about their favourite meals and memories around food, making each episode feel like you’re eavesdropping on a very entertaining dinner party. They’ve chatted to everyone from Nigella Lawson to Dolly Parton; it’s as much about personality as it is about food.
A Table in the Corner: Inside SA Food
For a distinctly South African listen, start with A Table in the Corner. Hosted by food journalist Russel Wasserfall, the podcast sits down with the people shaping the country’s food and hospitality industry. It’s particularly good for anyone curious about what happens beyond the dining room, with a focus on sourcing ingredients and running restaurants to the realities of building a career in hospitality.
South African Food Stories: Food, with a Story
SA Food Stories is well worth adding to your queue. Hosted by Nicci Robertson, the podcast explores the country’s food culture through conversations with industry leaders and entrepreneurs. Nicci emphasizes the stories behind the businesses and personalities and covers passion, perseverance, creativity and the challenges involved in building South Africa’s food and hospitality industry. Recent episodes have featured Ina Paarman, making this a particularly appealing listen for anyone interested in the people behind South African brands.
The Food Programme: Food for Thought
For something more investigative, BBC’s The Food Programme explores ingredients, food trends, culinary traditions and the wider culture surrounding what we eat. It’s the kind of podcast that can turn an everyday ingredient into a fascinating story, taking listeners from farms and kitchens to restaurants and communities around the world. If you find any interest in the history and politics of food as much as the indulgence of eating, then this is one to have on your list.
Dish: Dinner with the Stars
Dish from Waitrose is an extraordinary choice featuring broadcaster Nick Grimshaw and Michelin-starred chef, Angela Hartnett. Together, they host a weekly meal with a celebrity guest, combining relaxed conversation with plenty of food talk. With Angela cooking a meal inspired by their guest and Nick keeping the conversation flowing, listeners catch a glimpse into real stories about careers, favourite foods, culinary disasters and success stories. Guests have ranged from Gordon Ramsay to more recently, Daisy Edgar-Jones for an all-round range of conversation.
