Why go to culinary school when you could learn on the job?

Three trained chefs-turned teachers make the case for learning the basics and getting a qualification that could open doors in a competitive world.

In this programme Ruth Alexander hears what it takes to be a great culinary teacher. She speaks to Gary Maclean, Executive Chef at City of Glasgow College in the UK, he’s Scotland’s national chef and won the BBC’s Masterchef the Professionals in 2016; Suzanne Storms, Assistant Professor at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong where she manages the culinary arts and management degree; and Alexandra Didier, Chef Instructor at Le Cordon Bleu Paris.

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Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a chef instructs a student in a kitchen classroom. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

How can you be sure you’re eating what you think you’re eating? In most cases, food fraud won’t make you ill, but you won’t be getting quite what you’re paying for.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

(Image: A row of jars of spices, but the one in the middle is highlighted. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The world’s first octopus farm is being planned by a Spanish seafood multinational.

The intelligent creatures are difficult to rear in captivity, but numerous companies around the world have been trying and Nueva Pescanova has announced it’s close to making an octopus farm a reality.

Scientists and animal welfare groups have objected to the plans.

Nueva Pescanova says the company’s priority is to guarantee animal welfare by applying to the cultivation process the conditions of the species in the wild.

Ruth Alexander finds out more about both sides of the debate with the BBC’s Environment and Rural Affairs correspondent, Claire Marshall, who has been closely following the story from the beginning.

She speaks to Dr Heather Browning, Lecturer in Philosophy at Southampton University in the UK and former zoo-keeper, about the capacity of octopuses to experience feelings; and how we form our opinions about what we should and shouldn’t farm.

And she finds out why octopus is central to Japanese cuisine with food writer and host of Japan Eats! podcast, Akiko Katayama.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: an octopus with curling tentacles. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The crowning of a British monarch calls for an official dish. In 1953, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, it was a curry and mayonnaise chicken dish. This time around, King Charles III has selected a quiche - the principle of the shareable tart being to inspire the public to join in a celebratory lunch.

It may sound fairly simple, but as Ruth Alexander discovers in this programme, a lot lies behind the commemorative dish.

Ruth asks why the new King wants his crowning moment to be marked with home-baking, what opportunities royal-inspired food offers, and what the monarch’s culinary choice might tell us about this moment in time.

She visits a farm shop in Warwickshire, in the British Midlands, where owner Michelle Edkins has been baking and serving up a spread of dishes to mark the big occasion.

Muhammed Ali, the owner of an Indian restaurant in the neighbouring county of Staffordshire, tells Ruth about a new Coronation-themed curry he’s put on his menu to capture the moment.

Food historian, Dr Rachel Rich, puts the official quiche into historical context.

And Dame Prue Leith, South African-British celebrity cook and judge, gives her verdict on the dish and considers whether its simplicity and choice of ingredients signal something about the new monarch.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: King Charles III having tea. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

Genetically-modified food has long been a subject of debate. It was first introduced to market in the United States in the mid 90s.

Since then, some governments have approved the cultivation and sale of GM food, whilst others have had bans in place.

In this programme, we look at attempts by India and Kenya to approve genetically-modified food crops, and ask if lessons can be learnt from the United States where GM foods have been consumed for decades.

Today there are lots of different genetic-engineering techniques in use. Generally, genetic modification refers to organisms created with particular characteristics, using some genetic material from a different organism.

Ruth Alexander is joined by Devina Gupta, from Business Daily on the BBC World Service, who can explain the latest developments in India, where the government wants farmers to plant genetically-modified mustard.

Ruth also speaks to Roy Mugiira, chief executive of the National Bio Safety Authority Kenya, the government appointed regulator for GM products. In Kenya, the government has lifted a 10-year ban on GM, and approved the use of GM maize, a staple crop.

And Professor Jennifer Kuzma, co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University, talks about how labelling can help give consumers choice over whether they eat GM.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: field of corn. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Every day, humans make multiple choices about what to eat. Some of those decisions will be better for our health than others - but what if we allowed a machine to decide for us?

In this programme, Adam Shaw explores what would happen if we let artificial intelligence (AI) design our diets and whether that might improve our health.

Adam visits a laboratory in the UK to meet AI researcher Dr James Neil, from the Centre for Nutrition Education & Lifestyle Management, whose company is developing machine-learning systems to create personalised diets.

He speaks to dietician Pennie McCoy, to find out how a digital therapist called ‘Hope’ is learning to help Australians stay on track with their weight-loss goals.

Dr Mariette Abrahams, dietician and CEO of Qina, a company in Portugal which offers strategic advice on the personalised nutritional market, tells Adam about the potential and the pitfalls of the new tools.

And Dr Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine and executive vice president of Scripps Research in the US, considers whether AI-driven diets will be used for a small group of people, or whether the technology could fundamentally change everyone’s approach to food.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: A robot hand and a human hand both reaching out to grab an apple. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Presenter: Adam Shaw

The British "caff" - slang for café, and home of the breakfast fry up, or "full english" - is under threat. Many have closed, struggling to compete with changing tastes and the success of chains.

Many of Britain’s historic caffs opened in the 1940s and 50s, run by Italian migrants. Some of these original caffs are still trading, run by second and third generation Italian families.

In this programme Ruth Alexander hears stories of the famous caffs that have closed for good, and goes in search of caffs still going. She’s joined by actor Michael Simkins, who has relied on hearty caff fare during a 40-year career in the theatres of London’s West End, and meets actor and director Mark Gatiss, who is finding it increasingly hard to find a good cup of tea in the capital.

Ruth visits cafes that have been operating for decades – Bar Bruno in Soho, and Dino’s Café in east London, to learn exactly what their customers love so much about the traditional British caff.

Restaurant sector consultant James Hacon describes the changes seen in the hospitality industry in the last twenty years, and why caffs now face such stiff competition.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email - [email protected].

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: Ernie Fiori proprietor of Dino’s Café at New Spitalfields Market, East London, holding up his tea pot. Credit: BBC)

What’s the best way to produce affordable food, that’s good for the planet, and can feed us all? Is it even possible to have all three?

In this programme, Grace Livingstone visits small and large farms in England and Argentina. She hears the case made for organic farming, and asks if it’s feasible for organic farms to produce enough food to feed a country.

At a larger farm, she hears about why farmers rely on fertilisers and herbicides to produce large volumes of affordable food. Is it possible to farm in a way that increases biodiversity and protects the environment, whilst also remaining competitive?

And what can we do as consumers to encourage and support greener farming?

(Picture: Farmers Lizzie and Rob Walrond standing by a farm gate)

Presented and produced by Grace Livingstone

Dark kitchens are the multi-block commercial units allowing virtual brands and events companies to prepare and deliver food. They’ve got a mysterious reputation, sometimes also called ghost kitchens, so The Food Chain wanted to see how they have expanded since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this episode, presenter Rick Kelsey speaks to chefs who buy a place in them, and to the owners who build them. Gini and Eccie Newton run Karma Kitchen, one of the fastest growing dark kitchens in Europe. They describe how much it costs to move in, how the model has changed, and respond to the restrictions put in by local governments on the kitchens in Barcelona, France and the Netherlands.

Peter Cook is someone who knows the owners of the biggest dark kitchens in the world. He has recently returned from Amsterdam where he ran the Ghost Kitchen conference, and explains how PR around the kitchens is improving as they become more open spaces.

And Yousif Kurdi runs Your Kitchen across the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam. He tells Rick how working with the locals is always good for business.

(Picture: A woman packing a paper delivery bag. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Presented and produced by Rick Kelsey

Long days, unsociable hours, a hectic and pressurised workload – the working environment for health care staff is full of challenges. Maintaining a healthy diet in those conditions is tough.

Two shift workers talk honestly about what they eat on the job, and get advice from a dietician.

Ruth Alexander speaks to Scott Christmas, who’s on his eighth year of overnight shifts, to Tom Gibbons, a paramedic, and to Dr Linia Patel, dietician and performance nutritionist.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: A pair of hands holding a stethoscope and an apple. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy