Lecker

A conversation between Angela Hui and Rebecca May Johnson, recorded just after their respective debut non-fiction books had been published. An exploration of the importance of valuing and demonstrating labour within cooking, of novelty versus repetition, and of the idea of rejecting food writing as a category. You can find Takeaway by Angela Hui and Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson at all good bookshops now. Mentions: Cathy Park Hong's part poetry part memoir (Angela) Audre Lorde - Zami (Rebecca) Luce Giard and Michel de Certeau -The Practice of Everyday Life (Rebecca) Ocean Vuong - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Angela) Nuar Alsadir on how to be your own freaky clown (Rebecca) You can listen back to Rebecca on a very early episode of Lecker here... This is the first of three episodes this month about contemporary personal food writing and memoir - stay tuned for more! Ben McDonald creates original illustrations for Lecker - find them on the Lecker Twitter and Instagram. If you’re in a position to,

What's the secret of a successful cooking school? Jeremy Pang, founder of School of Wok, lets us in on it. This episode was hosted by Adrienne Katz Kennedy and produced by Lucy Dearlove. You can find out more about Jeremy Pang at jeremypang.co.uk and his new book, Jeremy Pang’s School of Wok is out now, wok clock illustrations and all. Ben McDonald creates original illustrations for Lecker - find them on the Lecker Twitter and Instagram. If you’re in a position to, please considering supporting Lecker. Buy merch here and become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast. You can find out more about how to support Lecker (including one-off donations) at leckerpodcast.com/support. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions. Full transcript on the Lecker website.

A love letter to the beating heart of Ugandan food, Matooke. With Katasi E. Kironde and Nakigudde Elizabeth Kibalama. Katasi is the founder of Elevate 256, an organisation that creates and curates inspiration content and events centred around Uganda. She was also a co-host on Unsavoury Ethnic Types podcast, who did a great episode about Ugandan food. She also guest-curated a recent issue of Fare magazine all about Kampala. We talked a bit more about a couple of pieces in the magazine, and those bits of the interview are going to be available on the Patreon bonus podcast episode. You can get access to those by signing up for £3 at patreon.com/leckerpodcast Ben McDonald creates original illustrations for Lecker - find them on the Lecker Twitter and Instagram. If you’re in a position to, please considering supporting Lecker. Buy merch here and become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast. You can find out more about how to support Lecker (including one-off donations) at leckerpodcast.com/support. Music i

Helen Graves talks about illegal rooftop barbecues, the joy of cooking and eating together outdoors, and why tenderstem broccoli is the thing everyone needs to grill. Helen's new book Live Fire is published by Hardie Grant. Helen Graves is a food and recipe writer and editor and she used to write a much loved blog called Food Stories. The Guardian podcast I mentioned in this episode is called Let's Eat! Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove Lecker is on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok. If you’re in a position to, please considering supporting Lecker. Buy merch here and become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast. You can find out more about how to support Lecker (including one-off donations) at leckerpodcast.com/support. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions. You can access the transcript for this episode via Audioboom, or at leckerpodcast.com.

An audio exploration of our love of citrus, with chef Selin Kiazim and writer Nina Mingya Powles. Three: Acid, Texture, Contrast by Selim Kiazim and Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles are both out now! Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove You can find a full bibliography for this episode on the Lecker website. Ben McDonald creates original illustrations for every episode of Lecker. Lecker is on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok. If you’re in a position to, please considering supporting Lecker. Buy merch here and become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast. You can find out more about how to support Lecker (including one-off donations) at leckerpodcast.com/support. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions. You can access the transcript for this episode via Audioboom, or at leckerpodcast.com. 

There's one detail that everyone's picked up on in Claire Kohda's debut novel: the fact that the main character, Lydia, is a vampire. But it's actually much more about food than it is about vampires. Claire explores how the book relates to ethnic identity and colonialism, and the othering of Asian cultures which happens so frequently, and explains how food came to be such a central part of a story whose main character physically can't eat it. Woman, Eating is published by Virago. Claire Kohda is a writer and musician; she reviews books for the TLS and her writing was also recently included in the anthology East Side Voices. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove Ben MacDonald creates original illustrations for every episode of Lecker. Lecker is on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok. If you’re in a position to, please considering supporting Lecker. Buy merch here and become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast. You can find out more about how to support Lecker (including one-off donations) a

You’ve eaten hot pot at a restaurant, or at the very least seen it offered at restaurants near you. But did you know that thanks to the minimal prep required, it’s actually the perfect dinner party meal to have with friends at home?  Melanie Xu, a lifelong fan and staunch advocate of Chongqing Ma La hot pot, makes the case. Thank you to Mel and Andrew for their hot pot hospitality! Lecker is on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok. If you’re in a position to, please considering supporting Lecker. Buy merch here and become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast. You can find out more about how to support Lecker (including one-off donations) at leckerpodcast.com/support. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions.

A look back at the 2017 episode recorded at Granville Community Kitchen with Leslie Barson and Dee Woods. While Leslie and Dee prepared a community meal of Peruvian inspired pork stew, beans, rice and salad they shared how their work addresses fundamental and system issues of oppression, poverty, land use, farmers' rights and the environment. And there's an update from Leslie on the Granville's plans for 2022 and beyond. Read more about The Granville and get involved at granvillecommunitykitchen.org.uk Follow Lecker on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok Become a Patron at patreon.com/leckerpodcast See more photos from this episode and view full transcript at leckerpodcast.com/episodes/granvillerevisited

How can the practice of eating together secure a sustainable future for our kitchens? In the final episode of the series, Joanne MacInnes and Betul Piyade from the community centre West London Welcome describe what it's like for refugees and asylum seekers to live indefinitely in hotel rooms without kitchens. And academic and "food crisis responder" Marsha Smith explains why social eating is so important for us as a society, and explains how it's the key to future proofing our eating habits. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove Thanks to my contributors on this episode Betul Piyade and Joanne MacInnes at West London Welcome, and Marsha Smith. West London Welcome is an amazing place. This interview was recorded a few months ago, before the crisis in Afghanistan, and the centre is now working to support newly arrived Afghan refugees, as well as their existing members. You can donate to support their work via LocalGiving here. The transcript of the episode is here. Buy the Kitchens print

Does it matter what fuels our fire in the kitchen? Javon Bennett explains how his family adapted their cooking when they moved from Jamaica to England, and Carwyn Graves explores open fire cooking and other Welsh kitchen traditions. A full transcript is available on the Lecker website. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove Thanks to the contributors on this episode, Javon Bennett and Carwyn Graves.  And also thanks to Naomi Oppenheim who put me in touch with Javon via the British Library Caribbean Foodways project and also to my friend and previous Lecker guest Sian Stacey for telling me about Carwyn’s work. Buy the Kitchens print zine featuring original essays and illustrations! Original music was composed for the series by Jeremy Warmsley, with additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Research and production assistance from Nadia Mehdi. Extractor fan recording by Victoria Ferran Cover collage by Stephanie Hartman If you’ve enjoyed what you heard on this episode, or general

Prefabs – built to help counter the post war housing shortage - were actually some of the earliest examples of fitted kitchens in the UK, and came with built in fridges at time when this technology was unaffordable to most people. Jennie Thomas reflects on growing up in a post war prefab in Hackney, and Alice Wilson, whose academic work examines tiny houses, reflects on the movement as a reaction to the housing situation in contemporary Britain. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove. Thanks to the contributors on this episode, Jennie Thomas and Alice Wilson. Find out more about the OpHouse project. A full transcript is available on the Lecker website. Buy the Kitchens print zine featuring original essays and illustrations! Original music was composed for the series by Jeremy Warmsley, with additional music also by Jeremy, and by Blue Dot Sessions Research and production assistance from Nadia Mehdi. Additional guest research by Sarah Woolley. Cover collage by Stephanie Hartman

Why are so many of our kitchens so unsociable? Lucy meets Johnny Grey, a kitchen designer who’s been fighting for decades to make kitchens a place for leisure not work, and Katie Pennick, a disability campaigner whose work has changed the face of London transport – but who still can’t cook in her own kitchen. Plus Sean Warmington-Wan reflects on the unsociable kitchen in his shared London house. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove. Thanks to the contributors on this episode: Sean Warmington-Wan, Katie Pennick and Johnny Grey. You can find a full transcript for this episode on the Lecker website. Buy the Kitchens print zine featuring original essays and illustrations! Original music was composed for the series by Jeremy Warmsley, with additional music also by Jeremy, and by Blue Dot Sessions Research and production assistance from Nadia Mehdi. Cover collage by Stephanie Hartman If you’ve enjoyed what you heard on this episode, or generally on Lecker,  please consider rating and

Kitchens are inextricably linked with the woman of the house. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that the fitted kitchen was literally designed as a workspace to fit around a woman’s body. But what does this mean for women - and men - now? How are traditional gender roles built up and broken down by the kitchen itself? Michael Etheridge reflects on the distribution of domestic labour in his own home, and food writer Gemma Croffie talks about the narrow definition of accepted womanhood when it comes to domestic work. A full transcript for this episode is available on the Lecker website. The title Meal Machine comes from the companion guide to the 2011 MoMA exhibition Counter Space: Design + The Modern Kitchen: “Meal machine, experimental laboratory, status symbol, domestic prison, or the creative and spiritual heart of the home?” Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove. Thanks to my contributors on this episode: Michael Etheridge and Gemma Croffie.  You can read Gemma’s piece Kitchens on the Pa

Aspirational kitchens are an integral part of our food media, but where did they come from? And what does it mean for those who can never attain a beautiful, cookbook-worthy kitchen? Design historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan explores what came before the fitted kitchen, and how the room itself has shape-shifted drastically over the 20th century. And food writer and author Ruby Tandoh considers the aspirational kitchen in food writing. Episode 1 of Kitchens, a podcast series by Lecker about the most important room in the home. You can find a full transcript for this episode on the Lecker website. Lecker is written and produced by Lucy Dearlove. Thanks to the contributors on this episode, Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan and Ruby Tandoh. There’s also a print zine featuring original essays and illustrations about kitchens released alongside this audio series. Buy a copy now at leckerpodcast.com Original theme music was composed for the series by Jeremy Warmsley, with additional music also by Jeremy, a

Wall-mounted cabinets, continuous work surfaces, oven, hob, sink, fridge. Maybe a table, often not. Could this be describing your kitchen? The fitted kitchen is ubiquitous in British homes. But we all have different lives, tastes, needs; we cook different foods. How did we all end up with the same kitchen? Rooted in the memories and personal stories embedded in people's kitchens, Kitchens is a six part podcast series combining the history of design and food to understand the current context of how and where we cook. Lucy Dearlove meets contemporary academicians such as design historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan and legendary kitchen designer Johnny Grey, along with contributors like disability campaigner Katie Pennick and food writer Ruby Tandoh to explore the past, present and potential future of the British kitchen. The series starts 16th August. Original theme music was composed for the series by Jeremy Warmsley. The collage for the series cover art was designed by Stephanie Hartman.

Many people have celebrated special occasions differently this year, finding ways to recreate communal food traditions for themselves. Our feasts may have shrunk, but we're still joined together through the kitchen and through the plate.  In this episode, hear four stories of personal food rituals reimagined and recreated in 2020: Jane's bread sauce, Emma and Ingrid's Venezuelan ham bread, Adi's Bacalhau com natas and Pratyusha's pongal. Music Quiet Sill by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) Solemn Application by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) The Big Ten by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) A Catalog of Seasons by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) Gusty Hollow by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) Mogul by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) Silent Flock by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)

Anne Willan has more than 60 years experience as a teacher, author, and culinary historian, and over 30 books to her name. Speaking to me around the release of her new book, Women In The Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined The Way We Eat from 1661 to Today (Simon & Schuster), she shared some stories from her amazing life in food. I would be really grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to fill out the Lecker Listener Survey!

TV chef and cookbook author Rachel Khoo talks about privilege, being mixed race in the UK food industry and her new show Simple Pleasures. You can buy the Simple Pleasures eBook for £5 here, with all proceeds going to the Film and TV Charity UK.

Although she’s originally from the Isle of Man, Katie Callin has never made the most traditionally Manx of all foods: the bonnag - a soda raised baked good with links to the nation’s pre-industrial past, and to its folklore too. She returns to her family home in St Johns on the west coast of the island to enter the World Bonnag Championships and, under the guidance of her mum Vanessa, she uncovers the secrets of great bonnag making. Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Chapel Bottom (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - Home Home At Last (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - Stale Case (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - Petaluma (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - Plaid Shapes (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - Cicle Veroni (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - The Spills (https://www.sessions.blue/) Blue Dot Sessions - Flagger (https://www.sessions.blue/)

Sean Blake is (in his own words) a part time food and drink photographer, music producer, low skilled worker and full time dad. He’s a big advocate for making food and drink more approachable and less wanky, and he makes the best cocktails of anyone I've ever met. Having managed the bar and designed menus for the likes of the Polpo group, Brunswick House, Pitt Cue Co, run Sean's Bar pop ups all over London, been a YBF finalist, and co-founded Corals in Peckham with Lerryn Whitfield, I thought he would be a great person to talk to about making the most interesting drinks possible with the dregs of your cupboards. But it turns out there's a much bigger conversation to be had about the future of drinking once this is all over. You can find Sean on instagram @eatseanblake; I'm sharing some of his incredible photography on the Lecker instagram too @leckerpodcast. Support your local bar/pub/distillery/brewery at this time. Sean recommends Sweet Dram, a distillery founded in Peckham, now based in Edinburgh. They n