Rachel McCormack is a broadcaster and writer, known mostly as a panelist on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. The proud daughter of a Macallan drinker, Rachel was introduced to whisky via flu-alleviating hot toddies from an alarmingly early age and has never looked back. In her first book Chasing The Dram, Finding The Spirit of Whisky Rachel sets out to discover why Scotland had no tradition of cooking or eating with whisky. Rachel visited us at Honey & Spice to impart her newfound wisdom on the subject. We tried some whisky and heard all about her year-long adventure across Scotland in search for the spirit of whisky.

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Fuchsia Dunlop is a cook, food-writer, broadcaster and author of some of our favourite books, specialising in Chinese cuisine. Fuchsia visited us at Honey & Spice where we talked about her latest book, Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China which is full of beautiful recipes from the Jiangnan province in eastern China, where she likes to eat in Chinatown and the best tools and ingredients for cooking authentic Chinese food in your own kitchen. 

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We’ve been following Mark Ogus and Owen Barratt of Monty’s Deli across London for the last few years now – from their Maltby Street market stall to their place under the railway arch and now to their long-awaited bricks and mortar place in Hoxton – all for the joy of their bagels. One of the few places to make their own salt beef and pastrami, the guys have also perfected their own bagel recipe, pickles, house mustard and of course chicken soup, all inspired by the food of Mark’s Jewish grandfather, Monty. Mark joined us to chat pickles, crowdfunding and Jewish soul food. 

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Nasrin Rooghani is a chef with Mazi Mas, the social enterprise that hires female immigrant chefs in the UK to be part of a roaming restaurant. Born in the north of Iran next to Azerbaijan, she later moved to Tehran, so grew up eating and learning about Azeri and Iranian cuisines. Taking influence from her mother and grandmother’s cooking, she taught herself to cook as a teenager. Nasrin explains the impact of war on her childhood, how it feels to belong to two countries, and shares her secret saffron tips.

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Ed Smith from the hugely influential blog Rocket & Squash joined us in our deli, Honey & Spice, to talk about life in the food blogosphere and about his excellent new cookbook, On The Side, a book that puts side dishes centre stage. Ever since we got this book we wanted to cook a meal consisting of side dishes only, as the selection in this book is so good it really doesn’t need a main course. Listen to hear about Ed's best hangover cure, how he transitioned from lawyer to food writer and how the programme 'Ready Steady Cook' influenced his career. 

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Olia Hercules was born in the south of Ukraine. After studying and working as a journalist in the UK, she retrained as a chef at Leiths. Olia visited us earlier this year talk about her first book Mamushka, a personal journey that celebrates her family recipes from Ukraine and across eastern Europe. This time she visited us to chat about her new cookbook Kaukasis - a culinary journey through Georgia, Azerbaijan and beyond. Olia explains how the Soviet Union affected the cuisine of the region, her eventful research trip and how to cook this food at home. 

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Angela Frenda is the Food Editor of the prestigious Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Angela has been at the forefront of the relatively new world of food writing in Italy. She has also written two cookbooks, Racconti di cucina (Cooking Stories) and La Cucina Felice (The Happy Kitchen). Angela tells us about her transition from political journalism to food, why food writing is still new to Italians, and even shares her favourite places to eat in Italy.

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Dr. Annie Gray is a food historian, cook, broadcaster and author. She often appears on BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet as their resident food historian. She came to Honey & Spice to tell us all about her latest book, The Greedy Queen, part culinary-biography, part-gastronomic exploration of Queen Victoria. Annie tells us all about her deliciously varied career, Queen Victoria's complex relationship with food and the most extravagant dishes eaten at the monarch's famous banquets.

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Chetna Makan was a semi-finalist on series 5 of The Great British Bake Off, wowing the judges and the audience with her advance techniques and use of complex flavours. Since the Bake Off she has been extremely busy. She came to Honey & Spice to talk about her newest book Chai, Chaat & Chutney, a journey through the street foods of India. Chetna talks to us about the differences between the street food of Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai, how she has taken inspiration from the dishes and created delicious recipes and what it was like to be a contestant on the country's favourite baking show.

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Rachel Roddy is a multi award-winning Guardian food columnist and author based in Rome and Sicily. She speaks to us about her new cookbook Two Kitchens: Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome. Her book celebrates the simple, everyday dishes from her two distant but connected kitchens. We hear all about her favourite ingredients and recipes from tomato and salted ricotta salad, caponata and baked Sicilian pasta to lemon crumble.

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