Show Notes
Desi pubs, boozers run by people of South Asian heritage, have been around since the 1960s. Originally a safe haven for immigrant drinkers during a time when they were often barred or excluded from pubs, they are now celebrated as successful businesses and diverse spaces. They are also food destinations serving some of the best grills and curries in the country. In this programme, Jaega Wise visits desi pubs in London and the Midlands to talk to landlords and drinkers about why these places are so special. She also interviews author David Jesudason on his books Desi Pubs: A guide to British-Indian Pints, Food and Culture. Pubs featured: The Gladstone Arms, Borough in London The Red Lion, West Bromwich The Red Cow, Smethwick The Regency Club, Queensbury in London She also talks to journalist Nina Robinson and curator/historian Raj Pal. His podcast with Corinne Fowler is Only in Birmingham Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Sam Grist
More from The Food Programme
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Typically British, a comforting ritual and a calorific onslaught - the Sunday Roast is part of the weekly routine for many. Jimi Famurewa assesses the combination of meat, potatoes, sides and all-important gravy to examine why we keep coming back for more. He visits the Bank Tavern in Bristol where table bookings are harder to come by than Glastonbury tickets. Jimi explores the global appeal of the Yorkshire pudding with food writer Elaine Lemm and takes a trip to a branch of the self-styled "home of the roast" the Toby Carvery. Along the way food historian Annie Gray explains how roasts cemented themselves in British culture. Also, Irish "roast detective" podcasters Emer McLysaght and Esther O'Moore Donohoe reveal the language they've devised to describe the carvery experience while touring Ireland on the hunt for the perfect roast dinner. Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Robin Markwell. The poem "In Praise Of Yorkshire Puddings" written and performed by Ian McMillan "Roast Beef Of Old England" performed by Jerry Bryant
Dan Saladino reports on big ideas from the food world, ranging from a farming system that produces a climate friendly rice to a fermented yeast that releases an oil and could help prevent deforestation. The innovations are being recognised by the judges of this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards and Sweden's Food Planet Prize. All have the potential to make a positive impact on the future of food. Also featured is a rethink on how we buy fish and the species we get to eat, efforts in the American mid-west to integrate more trees into farms and a project that's removing barriers to people cooking. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino,
Sheila Dillon is joined by a panel at Abergavenny Food Festival to ask - why is food costing so much more than it used to, and what would it take to build a food system that works better for everyone? Food prices in the UK have risen dramatically in recent years, while healthier food remains out of reach for many families. At the same time, farmers, growers and food businesses say they are struggling with rising costs, squeezed margins and growing uncertainty. So who is benefiting from the current system? Who is under pressure? Are we paying too much for food, or in some cases not enough? And what would a fairer, more sustainable food economy actually look like? Joining Sheila Dillon are Food Programme presenter and award-winning journalist Dan Saladino; Vicki Hird, one of the UK's leading food policy experts and Strategic Lead on Agriculture at The Wildlife Trusts; and Welsh food writer, broadcaster and food strategist Simon Wright, who is currently developing a National Food Strategy for Wales. Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Each year The BBC Food & Farming Awards celebrates food producers who are going above and beyond to create delicious and sustainable food. They are examples of how food can be a force for good, improving our local areas, health and environment. In this programme judges Sheila Dillon and Paula McIntyre meet the three finalists and announce the whole of this year's Awards shortlist.