Is a healthy diet more expensive?
Is it more expensive to eat healthily? You might think the answer is simple: Yes of course, if you buy fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses...
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Religion & Spirituality
The Food Chain
The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.
Episodes
20 of 558 episodes
What do chefs eat?
Ever wondered what the chef is eating? Snacking on the finest produce or surviving on thin air and caffeine? In this episode Ruth Alexander...
The regulars
Do you have a local cafe, restaurant or bar that you go to all the time? Maybe the staff recognise you or know you by name, perhaps you even...
Leaving home
Moving out of the family home can be a big first step at whatever age you do it. Paying bills, budgeting, shopping, and importantly cooking...
What can food tell us about the past?
What can food reveal about the people who came before us? From ancient meals and family recipes to the chemical traces left behind in bones...
Should I cut down on carbs?
Have you ever asked yourself: should I do Keto? Is white rice good for me? Am I eating too many carbohydrates? If so, then this episode of T...
When should I eat my evening meal?
When should you eat your evening meal? Is it really better to eat earlier, or does it depend on when you go to bed? And if you do have to ea...
The rise of eating alone
Listener Melanie wrote into The Food Chain to ask us to make a programme about the rising numbers of people who eat alone. She told us she o...
What do World Cup footballers eat?
Elite footballers are among the world's most finely tuned athletes. Every meal is carefully planned to fuel training, maximise recovery and...
How to order a restaurant meal like a pro
With dining out becoming an increasingly expensive luxury, we find out how to order the perfect restaurant meal with top tips from a panel o...
What to eat for a better night's sleep
Many of us have our own theories about sleep. Perhaps it's avoiding coffee after lunch, drinking chamomile tea before bed, or having a warm...
Why do we love smoky flavours so much?
The history of smoking foods stretches back many years, but when did what began purely for preservation become a highly sought-after flavour...
Can music change the way food tastes?
Music is part of the backdrop to millions of meals every day. But what if it is doing more than simply creating atmosphere? In this episode...
Can I save the family restaurant?
Running a restaurant is hard. Long hours, tight margins and constant stress. In this week's programme Rumella Dasgupta travels to Edinburgh,...
The business of food tours
Food tours are becoming one of the fastest-growing parts of the travel industry, with tourists increasingly choosing to explore cities and c...
The craft of the cocktail
Making cocktails isn't just about flair - bottles spinning through the air as the bartender puts on a show. It's about precision, perfection...
How to meal prep like a pro
Meal prepping is supposed to save us time, money and stress. It is a huge trend on social media, but how can we make it work in our own real...
Don't underestimate the potato
Potatoes are having a moment. Once dismissed as dull, stodgy or even unhealthy, they’re now back, appearing on restaurant menus, in food mag...
The food writers
Ever wondered how anyone gets a job writing about food? Ruth Alexander talks to Melissa Clark, recipe columnist and newsletter host for the...
Can we eat for exam success?
It's exam season in many parts of the world and with her own daughter studying hard, Rumella Dasgupta began wondering how much food matters...