The Food Programme

Is hacking our biology the only solution left to an unhealthy food system and bad food culture? Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon delves into the world of fresh produce wholesale markets – an unseen part of the food system which has provided a steady supply of fruit and veg to greengrocers, corner shops and restaurants during the recent shortages in supermarkets. Could they be game changers in building a better, more secure food system in Britain? Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

Are we still a nation of pudding lovers and does pudding still matter? Join Sheila Dillon in her kitchen where she's joined by some of the UK's best pudding makers to share some of the secrets of great pudding, and why they matter to them. Olia Hercules makes a pudding from her childhood in Ukraine, a cheesecake made from the "cheese of all cheeses"; Regula Ysewijn bakes an early version of a Bakewell Pudding using apricot kernels and sweetmeats; Melissa Thompson brings Jamaican nostalgia into her own pudding invention, Guinness Punch Pie; Jeremy Lee cooks his Granny's Steamed Treacle Dumpling and chef Anna Higham who's book "The Last Bite" is a celebration of seasonal fruit puddings, makes a rice pudding with a rhubarb compote. So what it is about pudding that delights people so much? And why don't we eat them as much as we once did? Sheila speaks to food historian, Ivan Day, who has spent a lifetime researching and recreating puddings from the past, to see what he makes of our relationship with them now. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

Leyla Kazim and producer Robbie Armstrong explore the central role of food in building community, shaping identity and providing culturally appropriate spaces for refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow, resettled in the city as part of the UK Government’s asylum dispersal policy.Leyla speaks to Selina Hales, founder of charity Refuweegee, which distributes welcome packs and emergency food parcels, runs community meals and organises events for people starting a new life in Glasgow. Teresa Piacentini of the Glasgow Refugee, Asylum & Migration Network outlines how the dispersal system works, the changing landscape in Glasgow, and how food is used to establish community, identity and belonging for those seeking refuge or making a new home in Scotland. Ibrahim Kamara and Arij Alnajjar take Leyla out for lunch, where they discuss their experience in the asylum system, and how crucial food has been in helping them reclaim their identity and share their culture and cuisine with friends in a foreign country. Producer Robbie Armstrong visits the Garnethill Multicultural Centre to meet development worker Vivien Opiolka. He attends their community meal, and hears from service users about the importance of shared meals for those in the asylum system. Robbie shows Leyla around his neighbourhood of Govanhill, Scotland’s most multicultural area, and talks about its diverse array of cuisines, restaurants and affordable supermarkets. We hear from councillor Roza Salih, herself a Kurdish refugee and member of the legendary activist group the Glasgow Girls. She visits Kurdish kebab takeaway Shawarma King to toast owner Majed Badrekhan on his takeaway being crowned ‘best kebab in Scotland’ two years in a row. Closer to home, Leyla visits the Cyprus House restaurant in the Turkish Cypriot Cultural Association in Green Lanes, North London, where she reflects on her Cypriot heritage, her dad’s escape from war-torn Cyprus, and why food is a central part of her identity. Presented by Leyla Kazim. Produced by Robbie Armstrong.

Hospital food has long had a bad reputation, but after several high profile campaigns, are things finally starting to improve?In England, new regulations are being implemented which are hoped to transform the meals being served, reduce waste, and make sure staff have access to good food 24/7. 60% of hospitals are already said to be complying - will the rest be able to catch up? But with many hospitals now functioning without real kitchens - can frozen or chilled meals that are simply re-heated in hospital be a part of that? Apetito, one of the biggest caterers, believes they can be, and invited Sheila Dillon to see how they prepare tasty and nutritious food in bulk. While in Cambridge, Sheila meets those working on a brand new Children's Hospital and hears how they want good food to be central to the hospital's philosophy. It plans to give patients and their families access to more dining spaces to avoid children eating meals in bed (when possible), and it plans to have it's own kitchens cooking food from scratch. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

From energy to seasonality, Dan Saladino explores the big ideas prompted by the recent shortage of fresh produce in supermarkets. Is the now time for a major food rethink? Produced and presented by Dan Saladino

Halloumi, or hellim as its known by Turkish Cypriots, is now ubiquitous in our supermarkets, fast food chains and on restaurant menus. We import almost 50 per cent of the cheese produced in Cyprus. But its significance on the divided island from where it hails is bigger than you might imagine, and never more so than right now. In 2021, halloumi gained PDO status which means that any cheese labelled as halloumi within the EU has to be made on the Mediterranean island to a traditional recipe. And as Leyla Kazim finds, the dairy industry is having to adapt fast. But halloumi is more than just an export. On a divided island (there has been a border maintained by the UN since 1964), halloumi (Greek) or hellim (Turkish) is produced by both sides, and has been for millennia. In this programme Leyla travels to Cyprus to meet the people producing hellim and halloumi, to hear about its present and gauge it's future. She’ll watch it being made at scale in factories and in kitchens. She’ll meet dairy farmers and question the officials behind the new PDO status. And most importantly, she’ll taste a lot of halloumi.Presented by Leyla Kazim Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury

The story of how a photojournalist severely injured in a war zone reinvented himself through cooking. Giles Duley is now using food to transform conflict zones around the world. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon is on a trip through 'Delia Country'; Norwich, Norfolk and mid-Suffolk. An area with a rich agricultural past and a vibrant food present, and the place where Delia Smith has lived and worked for more than 50 years. In that time, she has championed local food traditions and food producers, and the broad variety of food and drink made in East Anglia has shaped her recipes.Delia Smith invites Sheila to join her to watch Norwich City's first home game under their new manager. At Carrow Road football club, where Delia and her husband Michael Wynn-Jones are majority shareholders, Sheila meets Delia's Canary Catering team which every match day, serve 1250 sit down meals. She joins fans by the bar at half time and Delia in the Director's dining room. In Norwich city centre, Sheila meets chef and food blogger Zena Leech-Calton and in the Waveney valley, farmer and cheesemaker Jonny Crickmore. They describe the quiet food revolution which has happened in Norfolk and Suffolk. And Suffolk fisherman and restaurateur Bill Pinney and Essex turkey farmer Derek Kelly dwell on earlier encounters with Delia.Presented by Sheila Dillon. Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.Photo by Robert Wilson.

Sales of air fryers, pressure cookers, slow cookers and even microwaves have been increasing over the past year, and it is not hard to understand why. All these gadgets save energy, which has undoubtedly become more important since energy prices shot up. But can using them do more for us than just save money? In this programme, Sheila Dillon meets people who are obsessed with air fryers, pressure cookers and slow cookers. She hears from Belfast's Nathan Anthony about how his social media account "Bored of Lunch" has propelled his slow cooker recipe book to the top of the charts, and she speaks to Bristol's Square Food Foundation to find out why they are considering introducing pressure cookers on their courses. And could the devices help outside the home too? Hospitality businesses are under pressure with rising costs, and customers with increasingly tighter budgets. In Somerset, chef and restaurateur, Nicholas Balfe tests out some low energy appliances to see if they could make any difference in the professional kitchen. Are you now using a low energy cooker again, for the first time, or more than before? Tell us about what difference it's been making on social media. We are @BBCFoodProg on social media, or email thefoodprogramme@bbc.co.uk Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan