Food Matters Podcast

Pete Russell was running a 12m dollar-a-year food company when, suddenly, he had a “road to Damascus” moment.  Pete realised that he was a part of a broken food system that was loaded against small food producers, and he knew that he wanted to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

When we work with, rather than against nature, great things can happen: soil is healthier, biodiversity richer, and crop yields higher. Perrine Hervé-Gruyer learned this first-hand when she and her husband created The Bec Hellouin farm in Normandy, France in 2006. Determined to work in harmony with nature, and with no previous farming experience, they gave up their successful careers to build a market garden based on the principles of permaculture. And the results have been ground-breaking.

Mark Diacono found his life’s purpose and direction through food and
he has dedicated his life to growing, cooking and writing about it.
Having been involved in the early days of River Cottage, Mark went on to
pursue his dream of creating his own farm, turning two blank fields in
southwest England into 17-acres of diverse fruit and veg plots, orchards
and forest gardens.

Cork-born Karen O’Donoghue is a woman with a mission: to improve people’s gut health through the bread she bakes at The Happy Tummy Co. in Westport, Co Mayo. Her baked goods are the culmination of a long and sometimes painful journey involving the loss of her mother to cancer, years spent suffering through poor mental and physical health, and ultimately teaching herself all about optimum nutrition.

Sally Barnes is both a force of nature and a champion for it.  One of Ireland’s most iconic artisan food producers, Sally runs the last smokehouse in Ireland that deals exclusively with Ireland’s diminishing stock of wild fish. Sally started out by smoking fish in a tea chest in the early 1980s as a way of preserving unexpected gluts, and in the years that followed she has taught herself the techniques of the trade through trial and error and lots of experimentation. Today, Sally is renowned for her top quality, award-winning produce and passion for nature and food sustainability.

Get the jars, vinegar and flavourings at the ready because Caitlin Ruth is about to inspire you to start pickling and preserving everything you can get your hands on. Caitlin worked as a professional chef in many kitchens in many places, but her childhood love of pickling and fermenting always came with her.

They say that size doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts. And when it comes to growing our own food, that’s certainly the case. Renowned gardener Huw Richards and highly accomplished chef Sam Cooper have spent the last two years working out how we can all grow as much fruit and veg as we can eat, on just a small plot of land. They share this perfect growing formula, along with practical tips, recipes and month by month growing plans in their new book, The Self-Sufficiency Garden: Feed Your Family and Save Money.

A fascinating panel discussion from GIY’s Harvest festival where four experts in food production and sustainability discuss the global issues that have been affecting us in recent years.

The food given to the sick, or those in institutional care, says a lot about the value we place on it in society. Hospital food has long exemplified a degraded view of food, but Joyce Timmins‘ efforts at Rotunda Hospital have won her awards and sparked a new conversation.

Chefs play a major role in determining food trends. Advocacy specialist Paul Newnham works to mobilise chefs globally to take action towards addressing SDG2, Zero Hunger.