Table Talk

Surely needing no introduction to Spectator listeners, Michael Gove has been a staple of British politics for almost two decades. As a Christmas treat, he joins Lara Prendergast to talk about his memories of food including: the 'brain food' he grew up on in Aberdeen, his favourite Oxford pubs and the dining culture of 1980s Fleet Street. He also shares his memorable moments from his time in politics from dining with Elizabeth Hurley and Donald Trump's first state visit to his reflections on food policy as a former Education and also Environment Secretary.

Plus – what has he made of the Spectator's parties since joining as editor?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Tom Gilbey, the internet’s most charismatic wine expert, sits down with Olivia Potts for Table Talk. Tom is a winemaker, merchant, educator – and also an author. His new book, Thirsty, is part-memoir, part guide to his life through wine in 100 bottles, and is available now. 

On the podcast, Tom discusses his family’s love for winemaking that stretches back to the nineteenth century, and how he became captivated by the trade thanks to Beaujolais and a pike’s head. He explains how a glass of pinot gris in an ice bath propelled him to social media fame – where he’s known for taking a fun approach to wine tasting. Tom also reveals the best way to pair drinks with dishes and the unconventional way he’ll be cooking his turkey this Christmas. Plus: how did the English sparkling wine industry take off?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and James Lewis.

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A woman that needs no introduction for regular Spectator readers, Tanya Gold has been the Spectator’s restaurant critic since 2011. On the podcast she tells Lara why – while it might be annoying – fellow critic Jay Rayner is never wrong, why the pandemic was ‘disgustingly great’ for food critics and how she has become ‘enslaved' to her aga. Plus, she discusses her favourite restaurants from Hampstead to Cornwall – though it sounds like she would trade them all in for the mini egg, which she calls 'the highest form of food’.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Sandrine Zhang Ferron is a tech entrepreneur and founder of Vinterior, the online marketplace for antique and vintage furniture. She joins Olivia Potts on this episode of Table Talk. 

Sandrine shares her memories of growing up with Chinese and French cuisine, a fusion which has influenced her cooking and hosting style today. She also shares advice on how to furnish spaces fit for hosting dinner parties, and reveals her daughter's sophisticated taste in seafood. 

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Stephen Harris, a self-taught chef who has run the Michelin-starred restaurant The Sportsman for over 25 years, sits down with Olivia Potts on Table Talk. Based just outside of Whitstable in Kent, The Sportsman has won national restaurant of the year multiple times, and Stephen is also an executive chef at Noble Rot. The Sportsman At Home is his second cookbook, available to pre-order now and out everywhere from the 6th November.

Stephen tells Liv about his earliest memories of food from school dinners to sweets, how he started out as a history teacher and in the City of London – before getting his big break, and which restaurants he loved most in 1980s London – from Marco Pierre White's to Pierre Koffmann. He also reveals the influences he has had from France, from the Kent countryside and even from the Domesday Book. Plus, Liv reveals she celebrated her 30th birthday at The Sportsman and can remember every thing she ate!

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Broadcaster, writer, actor – and former MP – Gyles Brandreth joins Lara Prendergast on this episode of Table Talk to discuss his memories of food, from hating dates and loving 'bread sandwiches' to his signature dish of fish fingers and his love of eating baked beans cold from a can.

Gyles also tells Lara about getting permission to eat swan, his encounter with Raymond Blanc and his friendship with a former editor of The Spectator. Plus – Gyles bemoans the lack of freebies that come with recording a Spectator food podcast (sorry Gyles!).

Gyles's new biography of A.A. Milne, Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear, is out now.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Writer Andrew Turvil is the former editor of the Good Food Guide, the AA Restaurant Guide and the Which? Pub Guide. His new book Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears: The Story of the 1990s Restaurant Revolution is out now.

On the podcast, Andrew tells Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast about how his journey began through journalism, the importance of Marco Pierre White's influence on food culture in the 1990s and which red flags he looks for when reviewing a restaurant. Plus: why did he decide to buy a pub?

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In a bumper episode, the legend that is Raymond Blanc joins Olivia Potts and Lara Prendergast. The self-taught chef heads up the double Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, has trained chefs from Heston Blumenthal to Marco Pierre White, and received an honorary OBE in 2008. His new book Simply Raymond Kitchen Garden is out now.

The chef tells Liv and Lara about his earliest memories of food – from eating worms to easter eggs, how his love of food is connected to the garden and why he owes his existence to General de Gaulle. He explains how he ended up becoming 'exiled' to Great Britain, how he fell in love with Le Manoir and why he would have to choose an English chef to cook his dream meal. Plus: Lara's daughter makes a guest appearance.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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Ben Lippett is a chef and food influencer whose recipes and cooking tips are hugely popular online. His new book How I Cook: A Chef's Guide To Really Good Home Cooking is out on the 2nd September.

On the podcast, Ben tells Lara and Olivia about how he went about writing his debut cookbook, what makes really good online food content, and his grandma’s birthday cakes.

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Brett Graham is the man behind the Michelin-starred The Ledbury in Notting Hill, which is celebrating 20 years this year. He’s also the director of The Harwood Arms in Fulham, London’s only pub with a Michelin star.

On the podcast, Brett tells hosts Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts about why being in the kitchen is like being in the army, what it was like for The Ledbury to receive its third Michelin star and the trials and tribulations of learning food production – including ending up with 127 piglets.

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