The Go To Food Podcast

How did Dishoom go from an empty restaurant in Covent Garden to one of Britain's most successful and sought-after restaurant empires, with customers queuing for THREE HOURS just to get a table? This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, we're joined by **Dishoom co-founder Kavi Thakrar** to uncover the extraordinary story behind the Indian restaurant phenomenon that's transformed British dining. From watching customers queue outside Jamie Oliver's restaurant next door while Dishoom sat empty, to creating Britain's most iconic breakfast, the Bacon Naan Roll, Kavi reveals the brilliant ideas, unconventional marketing strategies and extraordinary attention to detail behind Dishoom's success. We discover: - 🎲 The genius psychology behind Dishoom's famous dice game, which gives customers the chance to win their entire meal for free. - ☕ Why free chai and three-hour queues have become part of the Dishoom experience. - 🥓 How the legendary Bacon Naan Roll became one of Britain's most famous breakfast dishes. - 🛍️ The surprising reason Dishoom deliberately removed the handles from its delivery bags. - 🇮🇳 Why Dishoom takes hundreds of employees to Bombay and how its unique culture drives success. - 🍛 The astonishing story of eating 693 dishes in just seven days. - 🗽 The ambitious plans to take Dishoom to New York and conquer America. It's a fascinating conversation about hospitality, entrepreneurship, restaurant marketing and the secrets behind building one of the most beloved restaurant brands in the world. Whether you're obsessed with Dishoom, love Indian food or want to understand what makes a truly great restaurant, this is an episode you won't want to miss. **Subscribe to The Go-To Food Podcast** for exclusive conversations with the world's greatest chefs, restaurateurs and food personalities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From selling homemade pâté at a market in Cork to becoming one of Ireland’s best-loved chefs and television personalities, Clodagh McKenna has had an extraordinary journey. This week, Clodagh joins Freddy and Ben to share some of the wildest stories from her career, including how she managed to shut down New York, partying with Bob Geldof, the reality of life on television and the people who helped shape her love of food. We also delve into her incredible 100-acre Hampshire home, Broadspear, where she's built a remarkable working farm, complete with a walled garden, orchards, bees, pigs and cattle. Clodagh discusses her passion for growing and cooking her own food, her latest cookbook Clodagh at Home, and why the simplest things in life often bring the greatest pleasure. Expect hilarious stories, plenty of laughter and a fascinating insight into the life of one of the food world's most infectious personalities. Subscribe to The Go-To Food Podcast for more incredible stories from the biggest names in food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two years of chasing him, we've finally got him! This week we're joined by the brilliant Matt Tebbutt, Saturday Kitchen presenter, former MasterChef judge and one of Britain's best-loved TV chefs, for an outrageously funny and revealing conversation over lunch at Café François. And what a career he's had. Matt takes us back to the wild days of London's great kitchens, including working under Marco Pierre White, who once pretended to be a French waiter just to wind him up, before eventually sacking him in the middle of service. The following day, Marco phoned him demanding to know why he wasn't at work! We hear about his experiences working with some of the country's greatest chefs, his struggles running a restaurant in rural Wales, the moment he found himself in tears wondering how he'd pay the bills, and the unexpected phone call that changed his life forever. Matt also opens up about his controversial departure from MasterChef: The Professionals, revealing how he was told at 5pm the day before a planned appearance on The One Show that he would not be returning. Plus, we get into his fascinating relationship with James Martin, the truth about their supposed rivalry, Saturday Kitchen's most disastrous live television moments, accidentally swearing on air, and the time a particularly heavy weekend involving two enormous Chinese meals ended with him in hospital. There's also his hilarious relationship with Anna Haugh, his worst-ever restaurant customers, tales of working with Bruce Poole, and his dream of escaping to France to open a tiny restaurant of his own. From being sacked by Marco Pierre White to becoming one of the most recognisable faces on British television, this is Matt Tebbutt as you've never heard him before. An absolute belter of an episode. Enjoy! Brought to you by Blinq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chef feuds, restaurant gossip, outrageous rumours and a rather reluctant Thomas Straker... Welcome to the Go-To Food gossip show! To celebrate the launch of our brand-new Patreon, we're giving you a FREE taste of our exclusive weekly gossip round-up, where we discuss everything happening behind the scenes in the food world. Coming to you from Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall, we're spilling the beans on our complicated relationship with Thomas Straker, the latest chef gossip, London's hottest restaurant openings, ridiculous food trends and everything else that's been getting us talking this week. No guests, no scripts, no filters. Just Freddy and Ben letting loose, sharing stories and occasionally saying things we probably shouldn't. Enjoyed this? There's plenty more where it came from! Every week on Patreon, we'll be bringing you an exclusive gossip round-up, alongside ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes content, the chance to ask our incredible guests your own questions and much more. Join the Go-To Food Patreon from just £3 a month! 👉 SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheGoToFoodPodcast/membership Your support helps us keep bringing you the biggest names in food, incredible adventures and plenty more mischief along the way. Thanks for being part of the journey! Freddy & Ben x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why would one of London's most exciting bakeries refuse to sell croissants? This week on the Go To Food Podcast, we're joined by the brilliant Anna Higham, the acclaimed pastry chef behind Quince Bakery and the brand-new Clementine. Having worked in some of the world's most celebrated kitchens, including New York's Gramercy Tavern, Lyle's, Flor and The River Café, Anna has become one of the most exciting voices in British baking. We sit down with her at Quince to uncover the secrets behind its extraordinary success, from the famous brown butter buns and oat cookies to her determination to create a bakery that doesn't follow the crowd. Anna reveals what it was really like working alongside Ruth Rogers at The River Café, including the extraordinary kitchen budgets, spending around £1,000 a month on vanilla, and the pressures of working inside such an iconic institution. We also discuss why she refuses to sell croissants, the problem with Instagram-driven bakeries, the worst day she's ever had in the kitchen, why pastry chefs don't get enough recognition, and how she's taking everything she's learned into her exciting new opening, Clementine. Plus, her controversial opinions on chocolate-covered strawberries, overfilled pastries and the desserts that have changed her life. A fascinating conversation about creativity, ambition, British baking and what it really takes to build a successful independent food business. Subscribe to Go To Food Podcast for more conversations with the world's greatest chefs, restaurateurs and food personalities. #AnnaHigham #QuinceBakery #GoToFoodPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices