Michael Caines joins Go To Food for one of the most raw and revealing conversations we’ve ever had. Fresh from winning a Michelin star at The Stafford just months after opening — and still chasing that elusive second star at Lympstone Manor — he breaks down the realities of modern fine dining. From why tasting menus might be getting too long, to why à la carte is far from dead, to the financial tightrope of running a destination restaurant in rural Devon, this is Michael in full flow: honest, sharp and unapologetically ambitious.

He takes us back to the beginning — a young lad from Exeter set on joining the Royal Marines before a last-minute pivot to catering college changed everything. We hear about staging at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, walking an hour each morning from a B&B just for the chance to cook for Raymond Blanc, and then heading to France to work under Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon. The brutality of those kitchens, the silence, the stove inspections, the mind games — and a young Gordon Ramsay in the same brigade — it’s a masterclass in what elite training really looked like in the 90s.

Then comes the moment that changed his life forever. Driving home exhausted, a split-second lapse, the car flipping — and waking up to see his arm gone. Michael recounts the crash in chilling detail: running from the wreckage, asking surgeons if they could save his arm, and returning to the kitchen just two weeks later with no insurance payout, no safety net. Teaching himself to cook left-handed. Learning to fillet fish and truss pigeons again. Being written off — and refusing to accept it.

Four years later, he wins his second Michelin star at Gidleigh Park. A crowning moment earned through pain, grit and sheer bloody-minded belief. From building the Abode hotel brand, to rethinking pricing strategy with sold-out lunch offers, to explaining why too many chefs obsess over micro-herbs and tweezers instead of flavour — this episode is packed with stories, lessons and hard truths. It’s about resilience, reinvention, and why great chefs — like great restaurants — survive by evolving.

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This week, we sit down with a man who is reshaping how the world sees Middle Eastern cuisine: the one and only Fadi Kattan. Born in Bethlehem, classically trained in Paris, and now leading acclaimed restaurants in London and Toronto, Fadi is more than a chef — he’s a storyteller, a cultural historian, and one of the most important voices in food today. From his grandmother’s kitchen to Michelin recognition, from Venetian influences to Palestinian terroir, this is a conversation about identity, resistance, generosity, and flavour — with a side of glorious beard and just enough nicotine to get us started.

We dive deep into his London restaurant Akub in Notting Hill — a place where Palestinian produce and philosophy meet seasonal British sourcing. Fadi talks us through slow-cooked short rib with feta, coarse-textured hummus (the way it should be), mansaf with fermented jameed — the “Arab umami” — and eggs with sumac that honour sacred breakfast rituals with his father. He unpacks the politics of shakshuka, the beauty of kaleid mandala, and why hummus has absolutely no business being chocolate. It’s food rooted in Bethlehem’s old souq, in farmers knocking on the door at 7am, in adapting to what’s available — never cherry tomatoes in January.

But this episode goes far beyond the plate. Fadi opens up about launching a gastronomic restaurant in Bethlehem during the Second Intifada, cooking by head torch when the electricity was cut, refusing to overcook 40-day-aged lamb, and building a wine list that proudly features Palestinian producers. He reflects on brutal kitchen culture in 1990s Paris, the scars — literal and emotional — that shaped him, and why culinary education must return to mothers’ kitchens instead of espuma machines. There’s sharp commentary on food appropriation, trends, terroir, and what it really means to cook with integrity.

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Mary-Ellen McTague is one of the driving forces behind Manchester’s modern food scene: a chef, restaurateur and community builder whose cooking is rooted in place, craft and proper hospitality. In this episode, she joins the go-to food podcast to talk about the city she helped shape, the dishes she can’t stop thinking about, and the hard-won lessons behind building restaurants that people genuinely love.

Her story runs from cooking for touring bands at Manchester’s Roadhouse as a student, to breaking barriers at the Michelin-starred Sharrow Bay Country House, and then into Heston Blumenthal’s inner circle at The Fat Duck. From the intensity and precision of a two-then-three-star kitchen to an R&D role exploring Britain’s food history at The Hind’s Head, Mary-Ellen’s career has been defined by curiosity, grit, and an obsession with flavour that actually means something.

Back home, she became synonymous with Manchester’s dining renaissance—opening trailblazing restaurants, earning national acclaim, and feeding not just thousands of happy punters, but (as the hosts proudly put it) well over 150,000 people across the city. She shares what it’s really like to build a “rotation” of ambitious young chefs in Manchester, why a dish like Lancashire hotpot can carry identity and memory, and how her love of simple, brilliant produce started with a life-changing stint in rural Provence.

The conversation also goes deeper: burnout, resilience, an ADHD diagnosis that “explained a lot,” and the purpose-led work of Eat Well MCR—turning surplus food and community energy into meals for people who need them most. Expect big laughs, kitchen war stories, and plenty of menu envy—especially when Mary-Ellen breaks down her PIP snack essentials and that signature hotpot (with oyster ketchup) that might just be the most “her” dish of all.

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This week on the Go To Food Podcast, we sit down with the godfather of Spanish food in London, José Pizarro. From carving jamón door to door in the 90s with a bottle of Rioja under his arm, to building a Bermondsey Street empire that changed how Britain eats, José’s story is one of graft, instinct and relentless belief in the flavours of home.

We dive straight into Andalucía and his unforgettable Cádiz food trips during bluefin tuna season, unpacking the 3,000-year-old almadraba tradition, divers herding 450 kilo fish, and the almost mythical morillo cut from just above the eye. He explains how he would cook it, plancha, good salt, bread, maybe a perfect anchovy, and why that single bite can be one of the greatest things you will ever eat. We talk sangria with cava not prosecco, gin tonics done properly, and why Cádiz right now might be Spain’s most exciting region.

Then we rewind to Extremadura: milking cows at dawn, sucking warm milk straight from the cow, cream skimmed thick off the top for toast and sugar, migas fried for hours in olive oil, and baby goat stewed simply with garlic, paprika and wine. He tells us about hating his mum’s lentils with chorizo as a child, only for them to become one of the last meals he would ever choose. We hear about concentration struggles at school, nearly becoming a dentist, the moment he realised he could not face a desk for life, and the six-month gap that changed everything when he fell in love with kitchens from the sink up.

There are brilliant London stories too: arriving unable to speak English, nearly going home, wild Gaudí era parties, Air Brothers and the simplicity that shaped him, Brindisa and those electric early Borough Market mornings frying eggs, potatoes and jamón for shoppers with proper bags. He reflects on opening José and Pizarro before Bermondsey was Bermondsey, cooking for artists at White Cube, earning the Royal Cross of Isabel la Católica from the King of Spain, and still having his 92-year-old mum gently judging his cooking. Add nightmare kitchen floods, brutally honest takes on government and hospitality, a whistle-stop guide to where to eat in Cádiz, Galicia and Seville, and a perfect sign-off with Paco de Lucía, and you have one of the richest, funniest and most heartfelt episodes we’ve recorded.

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Karan Gokani is one of London hospitality’s great shape-shifters: a former corporate lawyer who walked away from the safe path, then built something with genuine soul. We meet him inside Hoppers’ newest opening, a total reimagining of the old Lyle’s space, and talk about what it feels like to inherit “hallowed walls” without being haunted by them. The result is not a tribute act. It’s a new chapter, with a fresh personality, a different rhythm, and Karan’s fingerprints all over it.

This conversation is a masterclass in why his restaurants never feel like “branches” (a word he hates). Karan explains how each site has its own character, shaped by postcode, clientele and timing, while still sharing a common DNA. From Soho’s starry-eyed early days to the evolution of the group into something closer to a family, he lays out what it actually takes to scale without turning sterile.

We also get deep into the food and the thinking. Karan unpacks why he’s gone harder on hyper-regional South Indian cooking, why “dosa isn’t just a dosa”, and how research trips across India fed directly into new dishes you can only get at this opening. Expect stories from Mangalore to Chettinad to Chennai, plus the details that make it all feel lived-in: antiques carried back in luggage, a biryani with a deliberate spelling difference, and a menu built to guide you through discovery without turning into a high-street checklist.

Finally, this is a proper behind-the-scenes look at modern restaurant craft: the “three-mile test”, the psychology of service, and why Karan thinks the lazy answer is simply pushing prices up. He talks about accessibility, kindness and value, the staffing reality post-Brexit, and the obsession with guest experience over ego. It ends with Bangkok as his ultimate food city, a dream of opening a pizza concept, and a Springsteen play-out that feels exactly right.

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The Go-To Food Podcast, brought to you by Blinq, the UK company revolutionising the POS game, and today we are joined by a man who has lived about five careers in one life. From scaffolder to delivery driver, chef to publican, and now the force behind two of London’s most-loved neighbourhood landmarks: The Plimsoll and Tollington’s Fish Bar. Ed McIlroy is funny, blunt, properly self-aware, and, crucially, he is building places that feel like they belong to the city, not the trend cycle.

This episode starts with a tease that will have every North Londoner leaning in: a new opening is coming, and soon. Ed gives just enough away to be dangerous, but what follows is even better, a sharp take on originality, why design and personality matter more than “owning” a dish, and how he looks further afield for inspiration without playing copycat down the road. If you have ever rolled your eyes at another identikit “minimal” restaurant, his rant alone is worth the listen.

Then it gets properly good: Ed explains how the Plimsoll burger went viral, why he is totally unbothered by internet backlash, and what it really means to run restaurants as a business. He talks candidly about money, margins, dishwashers breaking, and the bizarre shame people project onto hospitality owners for admitting they need to make profit to survive. There is also the legendary influencer story, the police station address, the morale boost, and the moment it all kicked off online.

And underneath all the jokes is a serious blueprint for modern hospitality: build local, earn trust, offer value, and make people feel looked after. Ed talks about why pubs feel warmer than restaurants, why service is about to matter more than ever, and why he would rather open a dingy late-licence dive bar than chase Soho rent. If you care about restaurants, running a business, or just want to understand how London’s best neighbourhood spots actually happen, this is one you will fly through.

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Joe Otway has built one of the most exciting restaurant groups in the country, and in this episode he tells the full story, properly. From Brighton to Manchester by way of Cape Town, New York, San Francisco and Copenhagen, Joe charts the long, obsessive road that led to Higher Ground, Bar Shrimp and Flawd. We meet him fresh off national recognition and immediately get into what really matters: not lists, not PR, but full dining rooms and food that actually moves people.

At the heart of the conversation is Higher Ground’s farm-led philosophy. Joe explains how Cinderwood Market Garden shapes everything, from baby cabbages grilled hours after picking to a cheddar tart that’s never left the menu. He talks candidly about putting offal ragu on the menu, expecting guests to run a mile, and instead watching the North embrace it. It’s serious cooking without the theatre, light-hearted on the surface but absolutely ruthless underneath.

The origin story is wild. Joe and his partners meet at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, get snowed in during a historic freeze, and decide they are going to build something together. What follows is an education in chaos and intuition: farm chores, goose slaughter, no written menus, thirty-five dish services changing daily. He then stages at Benu just before it wins its third star, learns brutal discipline in an Indian kitchen back in Brighton, and eventually lands in Copenhagen at Relæ, where the four-day week model reshapes how he thinks about leadership and life in restaurants.

Along the way there are smashed windows in Copenhagen, racist guests thrown out in Cape Town, bike thieves, nightmare services, and a brutally honest take on chasing accolades in modern hospitality. We finish with Joe’s ultimate three-course meal, from cockles on Brighton beach to chicken biryani and rhubarb and custard, and a glimpse at what might come next: a Manchester deli and farm shop to rival anything in London. It’s funny, sharp and properly revealing, and if you care about where British food is heading, this is one you need to hear.

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From washing pots in Cumbria to cooking at The Square, Hof van Cleve and Geranium, and winning the Roux Scholarship along the way, Tom Barnes has taken the long road to the top. In this episode, he reflects on patience, loyalty and why not rushing your career can still lead you to the very highest level. It’s a rare, honest look at what two decades in elite kitchens actually teaches you, long before you ever open your own restaurant.

That journey now culminates at SKOF, one of only two Michelin-starred restaurants in Manchester. Tom talks about opening the restaurant he always wanted to eat in, celebrating his first star with a no-frills Chinatown Chinese, and designing an experience that feels warm, fast-moving and generous rather than formal or intimidating. From hot broths arriving within minutes to a dining room full of return guests, SKOF is built around instinct, rhythm and pleasure.

We get deep into the detail. Why there are three menus. How a 17-course tasting can still feel light and brisk. Why there’s no such thing as a filler dish. Tom breaks down blending their own beer, structuring services so guests are never left waiting, and hiding a confit duck leg inside bread because great food should still have moments of joy and surprise.

The episode finishes on something deeply personal. Tom shares the story behind Barney’s tiramisu, a dessert he still makes exactly as he once did for his dad, now served as a quiet tribute at the end of the meal. Add in football chat, non-alcoholic pairings done properly, hot towels, frozen plates and a city finally getting the food scene it deserves, and this is a conversation that shows how the long way round can be the right way.

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David Carter does not do the neat, pre-packaged rise. In this episode, he takes us from a childhood shaped by Barbados heat and roadside grills, through Toronto and LA, into London kitchens where the stakes were real and the pressure unforgiving. He talks candidly about cutting his teeth at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, realising hotel life was never going to satisfy him, and why layers of process can kill creativity stone dead. It is a sharp, funny look at how those early years formed his instincts, his impatience with bullshit, and his obsession with food that feels alive.

From there, the conversation opens up into the brutal reality of building something from nothing. David relives the years of juggling failing cafés, overnight smoking shifts, 4am meat-market runs and festival chaos that eventually became Smokestak. He talks honestly about being stretched to breaking point, why “washing its face” can still drag you under, and how chasing too many ideas at once nearly sank him. There are big lessons here about focus, knowing when to let something go, and why making one thing excellent beats doing five things badly every single time.

Finally, David unpacks the thinking behind Manteca, Agora and Michelin-starred Oma. From why fire is non-negotiable in his kitchens, to how queues, bread, price points and design quietly create “vibe”, this is a masterclass in building restaurants people actually want to be in. He explains why the Michelin star was never the goal, why nothing changed when it arrived, and why excellence, generosity and energy still matter more than any accolade. Presented by Blinq, this is one of those episodes that will change how you think about food, leadership and what success really looks like.

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From ballet dancer and Billy Elliot hopeful to Michelin-starred chef, Michael O’Hare’s journey is anything but conventional. In this episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, Michael traces his path from Middlesbrough to the top of British fine dining via aerospace engineering, Jamie Oliver cookbooks, formative kitchen years and time spent at Noma, before blowing the doors off the scene with The Man Behind the Curtain. It’s a story shaped as much by instinct and curiosity as by rebellion against tradition.

Michael speaks candidly about what success really costs. He breaks down the brutal economics of Michelin-starred restaurants, the impossible margins, the pressure to keep raising prices, and the moment he realised that even full dining rooms no longer meant financial survival. For the first time in detail, he explains the HMRC debt that followed the closure of his restaurants, how his wages became reframed as loans, and what it actually means to “go bankrupt” in modern hospitality. It’s a rare, unfiltered look behind the headlines.

Beyond the business, Michael unpacks his philosophy on food and creativity. He rails against homogenisation in restaurants, arguing that haute cuisine has slipped into fast-fashion thinking, where identity is lost and trends are copied plate for plate. He challenges ideas around seasonality, menu poetry and performative complexity, and tells the stories behind some of his most infamous dishes, from raw prawns and potato custard to why a “tikka prawn” can be more honest than something that looks clever on paper.

The conversation moves effortlessly between the serious and the absurd: chaotic kitchen stories, onion-ring addictions, shower cups of tea, the strangest customers he’s ever faced, and why he believes restaurants should feel more like homes than institutions. We also hear about his new chapter, a radically intimate restaurant built around balance, control and cooking purely for joy. Funny, fierce and deeply human, this is Michael O’Hare as you’ve never heard him before.

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