Desert Island Dishes

Desert Island Dishes

What would you choose as your last meal? Chef Margie Nomura talks to a special guest about the seven dishes that have shaped their lives. In this podcast you will find conversations with interesting people from the world of food and beyond uncovering the seminal dishes and experiences that have shaped who they are today. We will find out about their favourite childhood dishes, the dishes they eat the most often, and the dishes that mean the most to them. And of course we will also discover what their last dish would be before being cast off to the desert island. read less

Our Editor's Take

If cast off to a desert island, which one meal would you eat beforehand? This question was the idea and essence behind this podcast. Desert Island Dishes examines people's favorite foods and meals. Each week, chef Margie Nomura poses this question (among many others) to a guest. This person is often a noteworthy, high-profile individual. They're not only food experts, either. Everyone from actors to business founders and in between joins the show. Audiences will learn about the guests' favorite dishes, trusty meals, and best food memories. Plus, of course, what they'd eat before a desert island trip.

One of the best features of Desert Island Dishes is that it combines food with conversation. Host Nomura asks her guests about the foods that influenced their life. What meals feel like home? What do they love eating on their birthday? What do they eat most often? What is their ultimate sandwich? Who would they invite to their dream dinner party? Nomura's hosting style is refreshing and informal. She keeps the content playful, fun, and entertaining.

Desert Island Dishes is easy to listen to. It's effective for finding new dishes and hearing about celebrities' favorite foods. It's the type of show listeners might begin because they're fans of a guest and want to hear from them. Then the entertainment and light-hearted conversation may draw them to other episodes.

Guests on the podcast include iconic fashion model Twiggy and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Shorter episodes of the podcast are known as "Side Dish" episodes. These are only around fifteen minutes long, while the standard episodes are an hour. The Side Dish episodes focus on one aspect of the guest's favorite thing about dining, like their dream dinner guests. The standard episodes cover all the details of that guest's favorite foodie delights.

Desert Island Dishes is a podcast about good food, great tastes, and incredible dishes. Nomura has also created an online community with the same name as the podcast. People can visit the website for recipes, to learn more about the show's guests, or to connect with other fans.

read less
ArtsArts

Episodes

S16 Ep9: Superstar chef Nuno Mendes on the dishes that have shaped his life, his greatest success and the best dish he'd ever eaten
12-12-2024
S16 Ep9: Superstar chef Nuno Mendes on the dishes that have shaped his life, his greatest success and the best dish he'd ever eaten
We have a bonus episode for you today in the form of Nuno Mendes. Described as the chefs chef, Nuno has had an incredible career. He thought of becoming a marine biologist but quickly changed direction and after enrolling at culinary school, he's never looked back. He has worked with some of the world’s leading chefs, such as Wolfgang Puck before moving to London and opening the cult ground breaking Loft Project and world famous Chiltern Firehouse. His latest restaurant Lisboeta is an ode to his home country and has already made waves since it’s opening. Thank you so much to Comté Cheese for sponsoring this episode of Desert Island Dishes. Comté Cheese is genuinely one of my favourite cheeses in the world. It’s a delicious cheese to eat on its own, worthy of any cheese board but it’s also so brilliant to cook with. I love it with baked pasta, or gratins or the most amazing toasted cheese sandwiches. The taste and texture changes as it ages - so you get some young Comté that tastes buttery and almost with caramel notes and then more matured Comté is a bit more nutty and slightly fruity. So incredibly good. And the best news is they are now available at all major supermarkets.  Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S16 Ep7: Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York on the dishes that have shaped her life
19-11-2024
S16 Ep7: Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York on the dishes that have shaped her life
My guest today is Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah is a Sunday Times and New York Times best-selling author, award winning producer and philanthropist. For over 30 years she has been committed to being a voice for forgotten children around the world. She founded Children in Crisis in 1993 and the charity has educated over 1.4 million children. The Duchess also champions the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Children’s Air Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation and Julia’s House to name just a few and it was recently announced she is now a patron of Prevent Breast Cancer, as patron, she will focus on spreading the word about the importance of early detection. Over the course of her career, she has written over 70 books and her latest children’s book Wonder in the Woods - a joy filled celebration of the power of community and being connected to the world around you is out now. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S16 Ep5: Marco Pierre White: The original rock and roll chef
05-11-2024
S16 Ep5: Marco Pierre White: The original rock and roll chef
My guest today is Marco Pierre White. The original rock and roll chef, Marco Pierre White was the chef who cooked like an angel, looked like a rock star and changed the way the world thought of British food. Born in Leeds, to a chef father and Italian mother he was the third of four sons. As a teenager he travelled to London with just £7.36 in his pocket to pursue a career in cooking.  He trained under some of the most famous chefs in the world - Pierre Koffman and Albert Roux. He opened his own restaurant in 1987, aged 25 and at the age of just 33 he became the first British chef to win 3 Michelin stars and the youngest chef in the world to achieve such a thing...He would also be the first chef to hand back his Michelin stars. He now runs the Rudloe Arms in Bath where we are today working with his daughter. He says family is the driving force behind everything he does.  Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Gizzi Erskine (mini episode)
24-10-2024
Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Gizzi Erskine (mini episode)
Welcome to another episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party and our guest today is Gizzi Erskine This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party. They are allowed to invite 4 guests – dead or alive because really I think personally 5 people is the optimum number for a great dinner party. And they are going to be talking us through their dream menu – what are they going to serve when there are no limits or practicalities to think about. We have a returning guest for you this week in the form of Gizzi Erskine. Gizzie was a guest on Desert Island Dishes quite a few years ago now – in the early-ish years – so well worth scrolling back and having a listen to that as Gizzie is a lot of fun, she’s very passionate about food and there were some delicious dishes in there. I should say that I know some of you listen to desert island dishes as a family – maybe you have it on the speaker when you’re cooking Sunday lunch and this one – it’s not risqué or anything but there are things talked about that perhaps you wouldn’t want young ears to hear or enquire about. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S16 Ep3: Matt Adlard the self taught pastry chef and former Topless Baker on the best dosh he's ever eaten and the dishes that have shaped his life
22-10-2024
S16 Ep3: Matt Adlard the self taught pastry chef and former Topless Baker on the best dosh he's ever eaten and the dishes that have shaped his life
My guest today is Matt Adlard Matt is a self taught baker, author and social media pastry sensation. You may have known him in the early days online as The Topless Baker and he’s known for hosting his own show on the Food Network as well as being a judge on various different baking shows including the BBC’s Platinum Pudding Competition.  Despite growing up above his fathers Michelin starred restaurant, Matt says he had little interest in pursuing a career in food and fell into baking as a hobby while studying at university. He is entirely self taught and now teaches his millions of followers how to to become a professional level baker through his videos and courses. He has an online cooking school called Bake it Better and published his first book last year with the same name.  Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Clare Smyth (mini episode)
17-10-2024
Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Clare Smyth (mini episode)
Welcome to another episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party. They are allowed to invite 4 guests – dead or alive because really I think personally 5 people is the optimum number for a great dinner party. And they are going to be talking us through their dream menu – what are they going to serve when there are no limits or practicalities to think about. These mini episodes are really fun to record – and I do feel like they give us another insight into the guest. Who you choose to invite, and why is really interesting and how you approach the whole question. Clare as you will know probably already but also because she was on Desert Island Dishes last week – is a 3 starred Michelin chef so as you can imagine her menu did not disappoint. I only have to hope it wouldn’t be me picking up the bill at the end. Thank you so much or listening.Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S16 Ep2: Ruby Wax on her life, career, comedy and the dishes that have shaped her life
15-10-2024
S16 Ep2: Ruby Wax on her life, career, comedy and the dishes that have shaped her life
My guest today is Ruby Wax Ruby really needs no introduction from me, she’s a household name. She’s a woman of so many talents - she’s a comedian, Actress, author, writer and mental health activist. Her life in show business began when she went to the RSC - she says of herself she doesn’t think she was a good actress but Alan Rickman saw in her a talent for comedy and that was what started her on her road to success. She went on to become a TV star interviewing some of the world’s most famous people from Donald Trump to Goldie Hawn, The Spice Girls and OG Simpson. Her second career has been as a mental health campaigner. She trained as a psychotherapist and got a Masters from Oxford in mindfulness based cognitive therapy. Her dissertation formed the basis for her first sell out stage show, she launched the Frazzled Cafe in 2017 and was also awarded an OBE in 2015. For tickets to Ruby's show find out more on her website here and follow her on instagram here. Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Dawn O'Porter (mini episode)
10-10-2024
Side Dish: The Dream Dinner Party with Dawn O'Porter (mini episode)
Welcome to another episode of our side dish: The Dream Dinner Party. This is the mini episode where we invite a guest to tell us their dream dinner party. They are allowed to invite 4 guests – dead or alive because really I think personally 5 people is the optimum number for a great dinner party. And they are going to be talking us through their dream menu. We have a returning guest for you this week in the form of the brilliant Sunday times best selling author Dawn O'Porter. I was lucky enough to catch Dawn in the lead up to her brand new book being published. Honey Bee has been described as Funny, relatable and incredibly entertaining - much like Dawn herself! It's a gorgeous celebration of female friendship. Another brilliant novel from Dawn - she is a woman of many talents, and so much fun to talk to. Buy Honey Bee from all good bookshops or find it here.   I hope you enjoy today's episode if you do – it’s worth going back and listening to dawn’s main episode of desert island dishes as it’s a goodie. A few years ago now but that’s the nice thing about these interviews, they are evergreen. Thank you very much to our sponsor for this season: Maldon Salt. Maldon Salt are passionate about the love of food and helping connect people in moments of pleasure from food and drink and so are the perfect match for Desert Island Dishes. Find out more here. Thank you so much or listening to the dream dinner party, these really are fun to do so I hope they're fun to listen to. This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S16 Ep1: Clare Smyth, the first and only female British chef to be awarded 3 Michelin stars on the dishes that have shaped her life
08-10-2024
S16 Ep1: Clare Smyth, the first and only female British chef to be awarded 3 Michelin stars on the dishes that have shaped her life
My guest today is Clare Smyth (MBE). Clare is one of the world's most respected chefs. She is the first and only British female chef to be awarded three Michelin stars which she achieved for her restaurant Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill. Growing up on a farm in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, her passion for food began at a young age and even inspired some of her most famous dishes from her restaurant.  By the time she was 17 she had graduated from culinary school and moved to London to work with and learn from the world best chefs. She went on to train in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the world including with Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay. She would go on to break new ground by becoming Chef Patron of three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay before going on to open her own restaurant in 2017. It took less than 3 years for her to be awarded her own 3 Michelin stars. Clare has received numerous awards including the title of the World's Best Female Chef 2018 And in 2013 Clare was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry.  Thank you so much to the brilliant Maldon Salt for sponsoring this season of Desert Island Dishes. I am a huge fan and long-time genuine customer so to be working with them is a dream come true. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe if you enjoy today's episode and you can find me over on Instagram @Desertislanddishes or over on the website www.desertislanddishes.co. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send you one easy and delicious weeknight recipe over at www.dinnertonight.substack.com This episode was produced by Rutherford Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.