
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.
Latest episodes

Nov 8, 2018 • 44min
Donna Hay: World-renowned food publishing phenomenon and the undisputed Queen of cookery in Australia
My guest today is Donna Hay.
Donna is a world famous food publishing phenomenon and most definitely the undisputed Queen of cookery in Australia.
She has published 27 cookery books which have sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 10 different languages. And her TV shows have been broadcast in more than 14 countries.
She launched her own magazine to critical acclaim which ran for 17 years and 100 issues. It’s safe to say that with her easy to follow and delicious recipes, simply prepared and beautifully photographed Donna has inspired a whole new generation of cooks.
I found a quote that said “at the age of eight, Donna Hay skipped into a kitchen, picked up a mixing bowl and never looked back”.
Find Donna on Instagram here: (https://www.instagram.com/donna.hay/)
Find me on Instagram here: (https://www.instagram.com/margienomura/)
Head to the brand new website www.desertislanddishes.co and have a look around!
And you can find Donna's incredible new book here: (https://amzn.to/2OwaTqp)
Thank you so much for listening. If you’re listening and you haven’t yet left a review – now’s your chance! It really is quick to do. I know people bang on about it a lot but 5* ratings and subscribing to the podcast really does boost it in the rankings and it really does help me out – so thank you!
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Nov 1, 2018 • 49min
Niki Segnit: Author of the Best Selling and Beloved Flavour Thesaurus and the brand new book Lateral Cooking
My guest today is Niki Segnit.
Niki is the author of two books: the first being the Flavour Thesaurus which has sold more than 250,000 copies and has been translated into 14 languages which is just amazing.
Her latest book is Lateral Cooking which I’m sure is going to follow in the foot steps of her first and it’s already received rave reviews.
Niki counts Heston Blumenthal, Nigel Slater and Ottolenghi as fans and according to an article I found online – Kate Winslet too.
The Sunday Times said of Niki’s first book:
The Flavour Thesaurus is a deceptively simple little masterpiece, set to take its place by McGee on Food and Cooking as a household Bible.'
It really is that good: find Niki’s books here (https://amzn.to/2qlbZfd) and here (https://amzn.to/2PB6OG8)
If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you will definitely have heard me banging on about the Flavour Thesaurus – it’s such an amazing book and my copy is very well thumbed – and so I was giddy with excitement to meet Niki and talk all things flavour. Get ready to hear me being a proper fan girl!
This is your friendly little reminder and request to ask you to leave a little 5* rating and maybe even a review if you fancy it as it really makes me so happy reading them and more importantly it helps others to find the podcast which is obviously great. Thank you so much!
Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or nosing through supermarket trolleys and fridges – just in constant search for food inspiration and finding out what people are eating! I love it!
As always head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots of recipes and that’s all from me for now,
Thank you for listening! Bye
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Oct 25, 2018 • 34min
Magnus Nilsson: Two Michelin starred Head Chef of Faviken
My guest today is Magnus Nilsson.
Magnus is the head chef of the Faviken restaurant in Northern Sweden. He initially joined as a sommelier and within a year he had taken over the running of the restaurant.
At the age of 34 he has 2 Michelin stars and has been featured in PBS The Mind of a Chef and Netflix’s The Chef’s Table
He has just published his third book – the Nordic Baking Book which showcases over 450 recipes gathered by Magnus.
You can find his book here: https://amzn.to/2RetSry
Time magazine states that he is routinely counted among the world’s greatest chefs.
Thank you so much for listening! If you’re have been enjoying desert island dishes – can I ask a small favour? Just pause what you’re doing and take just 30 seconds to leave a 5* rating and a little review. It really helps to spread the word about the podcast and I really appreciate each and every one.
Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.
Thank you for listening, see you next week, Margie x
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Oct 18, 2018 • 41min
Rosemary Shrager: TV and Restaurant Chef and Cookery Teacher
My guest today is Rosemary Shrager.
Rosemary is a chef, food writer and TV personality. She is both a cooking and food enthusiast
Rosemary began her career in restaurant kitchens, working under Pierre Koffman and Jean-Christophe Novelli, and now runs her own cookery school and patisserie
In terms of cooking – she’s really done it all - from cooking over a campfire in the Australian jungle on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here to cooking for royalty. Rosemary has decades of experience in the kitchen and believes that anyone can be a better cook!
If you’re listening and have been enjoying desert island dishes – please do take 30 seconds just to leave a 5* rating and a little review as it really makes the world of difference. I know its very sad but reading your reviews makes me so happy and ive only just figured out how to read the reviews from other countries and it’s so cool that people are listening all over the world – hello! And thank you!
Isn’t Rosemary fun? What a career – so many impressive things in there and I am very very much in favour of the idea of starting businsesses or new careers whenever it might be in life – there is no wrong time and I love that Rosemary is showing us how its done.
You can buy her book here:
(https://amzn.to/2CnTCNL)
Come and find me on instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or nosing through supermarket trolleys – yup that’s a thing, I’m doing it, come and have a look.
As always head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for lots of recipes and that’s all from me for now.
Thank you for listening!
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Oct 11, 2018 • 41min
Saliha Mahmood Ahmed: Masterchef winner, Author of Khazana and Junior Doctor
My guest today is Saliha Mahmood Ahmed
Saliha was the winner of Masterchef last year in 2017 and she won whilst also working full time as a Junior Doctor – often turning up to film the show straight off the back of a night shift. In addition she also has a young son – so the whole thing was really rather impressive.
Known for her big and bold flavours – Saliha wowed the judges with food steeped in her family’s heritage. She’s written her first cookbook – Khazana – meaning treasure trove and it certainly is that.
In an interview with the Times she was quoted as having said:
“The other day when I was tired I gave my husband a jacket potato and I had one too, and I felt really miserable afterwards. I thought, ‘this surely can't be life!"
I’ve learnt something from each and every episode of desert island dishes – and for none is that more true than today’s episode where I discovered so much I really had little to no idea about before and that made it really fun! Please ignore my extreme English accent and I’m sure I pronounce things in an extreme anglicised way so I hope you forgive me and enjoy today’s episode!
Saliha's book is out now and you can get it here:
https://amzn.to/2ytYIod
Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.
I’m working hard on my website at the moment and I’m excited to show you but in the meantime there are lots of easy, delicious recipe ideas on there including the recipe that was inspired by todays episode. The website is www.desertislanddishes.co .
Thank you for listening! x
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Oct 4, 2018 • 40min
Gizzi Erskine: Chef, Food Writer, Restaurauteur
My guest today is Gizzi Erskine
Gizzi is a chef, a TV personality, a cookbook author and now business owner and restaurauteur.
This has been an extremely busy year for Gizzi with the opening of her first ever permanent project, Mare Street Market in Hackney, which is a very cool food space that houses a restaurant, deli, record shop and a florist.
On top of that – she also has a new book coming out. Slow, of which Gizzi says is the best she's ever written.
Of her cooking Gizzi has said:
"Domestic goddesses have their place, but I’m a professional cook, plus, I’m not domestic at all – my house looks like a bomb’s hit it."
If you’re listening and have been enjoying desert island dishes – please do take 30 seconds just to leave a 5* rating and a little review as it really makes the world of difference and helps other people to find the podcast which is always exciting!
Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.
I’m working hard on my website at the moment and I’m excited to show you but in the meantime thee are lots of easy, delicious recipe ideas on there including the recipe that was inspired by Gizzi. The website is www.desertislanddishes.co .
Thank you for listening! x
Byee
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Sep 27, 2018 • 42min
Prue Leith: Judge on Great British Bake Off, Cookery Writer, Novelist and Founder of Leith's
My guest today is Prue Leith.
Prue is a restaurateur, a writer of both novels and cookbooks, a business woman, a TV presenter and of course judge on the Great British Bake Off.
A champion of food and a passionate charity supporter - there was many great quotes from Prue on the record – whole articles dedicated to Prue quotes but one that stuck out for me was on food trends in the Telegraph where she was quoted as having said:
“I don’t give a toss for drizzles and fizzles, that’s not food. I like real food.”
Now if you watched last weeks episode of Bake Off – you will have heard Prue say she never wanted to taste chocolate again. In light of that I took the somewhat bold step of baking her some brownies. I was expecting her just to put them in her bag but she ate them in front of me and I instantly got really quite panicky and nervous – but I pleased to report that she’s very polite and said they were really good. There may even have been two really’s…but hey who’s counting!
If you’re listening and have been enjoying desert island dishes – please do take 30 seconds just to leave a 5* rating and a little review as it really makes the world of difference and helps other people to find the podcast which is always exciting!
Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura where you can probably find me cooking something for a fridge forage or a quick one pot wonder.
I’m working hard on my website at the moment and I’m excited to show you but in the meantime thee are lots of easy, delicious recipe ideas on there including the recipe that was inspired by Prue. The website is www.desertislanddishes.co
Thank you for listening! x
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Sep 20, 2018 • 40min
Theo Randall: Chef and Restauranteur
My guest today is Theo Randall.
It’s safe to say that Theo is one of the nation's most beloved chefs.
Inspired by the food of his childhood trips to Italy, Theo has developed a life-long passion for Italian food. He spent 17 years at The River Café and was Head Chef when they won their Michelin star.
In 2006 he left to set up his own eponymous restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel in London to great critical acclaim.
An interview online states: “In a world full of swagger, quick tempers and massive egos, Chef Theo Randall, is a breath of fresh air.”
We recorded today’s episode in Theo’s restaurant at the Intercontinental in London where they were preparing for a busy days service. Theo is a legend in the food world and I think there’s always a slight assumption that seriously successful people might not be that nice – but if that is how the theory goes Theo completely proved that wrong.
Thank you for downloading and listening to the podcast – don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe – it might seem like a minor thing but it makes a big difference!
Come and have a look at the desert island dishes website (www.desertislanddishes.co) – exciting things are going to start happening – and there are lots of recipes including – of course – a delicious pasta recipe inspired by Theo.
And other than that, thank you for listening. Tell all your friends, and come and see me on Instagram @margienomura
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Sep 13, 2018 • 45min
Donal Skehan: TV Chef and Food Writer
My guest today is Donal Skehan.
Donal is blogger turned TV chef, cook book author and general star of the food scene.
He has written no less than 8 cookbooks, has nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram, 750,000 on his Youtube channel and has done countless TV shows. He is known for his simple no nonsense approach to home cooking and is adamant he is a cook rather than a chef.
Even with the release of his first cookbook way back when, he was dubbed Irelands answer to Jamie Oliver.
Head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for more information about Jack's choices, and to find the recipe inspired by this week's episode.
Thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and if you enjoyed listening please do leave a 5* review as it really does help people to find the podcast and get the word out there.
In the meantime, come and find me on instagram @margienomura and I will see you next time x
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Sep 6, 2018 • 49min
Jack Monroe: Cooking on a Bootstrap: Food Writer & Activist
We are back from the Summer break and hitting the ground running with today's guest.
My guest today is Jack Monroe.
Jack made her name as a food blogger writing the recipes she created with the £10 a week she had to feed both her and her young son. The recipes Jack created were both cost effective and delicious and they provided such a crucial service to so many people. Jacks recipes are healthy, delicious and, importantly, varied.
Jack now has million of visitors to her blog, has written three best selling cook books is now a well respected journalist, campaigner and activist.
You can get Jack's book here: https://amzn.to/2PjcN2a
Head to the website www.desertislanddishes.co for more information about Jack's choices, and to find the recipe inspired by this week's episode.
Thank you so much for listening! Dont forget to subscribe to the podcast and if you enjoyed listening please do leave a 5* review as it really does help people to find the podcast and get the word out there.
In the meantime, come and find me on instagram @margienomura and I will see you next time x
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.