Desert Island Dishes

My guest today is Tessa Cook Tessa is the co founder of Olio the free food sharing app. Olio was launched back in February 2015 by Tessa and her co founder Sasha Celestial-One. The two founders met at business school in California. They launched the app just a few months after having the idea and gave themselves a year to make it work agreeing that if it hadn’t taken off by then they would go back to their day jobs. Tessa is a farmer’s daughter and grew up on farm where she learnt the value of food from a very young age and became passionate about food waste. Before launching Olio, Tessa worked in various managing director roles across retail, media and the financial services. The idea for Olio came to her in a moment of inspiration and was a genuine lightbulb moment. One of those moments most people only dream of, where the idea seems so obvious you cant believe it hasn’t been done before. After teaming up with her business partner Saasha, the two wasted very little time and launched the app just 4 months later. Fast forward 2 ½ years and they now have 330,000 people using their app and over 15,000 volunteers helping them with their mission. I think this is a really inspiring listen and you cant fail to learn something from Tessa’s story. She recommend the book, “The Lean StartUp” by Eric Ries which I can recommend too and there are some great podcast recommendations in there for entrepreneurs, including one of my favbourites, “How I Built This” with Guy Raz. I love the Tessa talked of bubble and squeak, which is no where near as popular as it should be, and such a good dish when you are doing a fridge raid but still want something warming and delicious. Her triple choice of sandwiches was right up my street. A chip buttie, a bacon butie and a boiled egg sandwich…it doesn’t get more British than that! I love that Tessa cooked for all the guests at her wedding. Such a lovely thing to do - I wonder if I should attempt that too?? She made a delicious veggie filled lasagne and a really great sounding lime and ginger cheesecake which sounded easy and delicious: a winning combination. I think it is Nigella Lawson’s mother who celebrated a second Christmas on Midsummer’s Eve and I think it’s the most lovely idea and one that I might actually adopt too. How fun would that be? Tessa seemed enamoured with the idea anyway as her final desert island dish was an easy one for her to make as she loves a traditional Christmas lunch. Very apt for this time of year, and we didn’t even plan that. What wasn’t quite so traditional was Tessa’s way of having Christmas pudding. She has it with brandy butter. So far, so traditional. Then she adds golden syrup which is unusual but I can definitely get on board with. Then! She tops that with a generous drizzle of white sauce. A white sauce made with butter and flour and milk….very unusual! I loved her idea of freezing the smoothies into lollies for the children (and for the adults) and adding greek yoghurt to the smoothies is a great shout. I am being honest when I say I don’t think I’ve met a bad smoothie which does make them rather fun to make as you know you can bung things in, use up left overs and it will taste great! Desert Island Dish: Full Christmas lunch – with all the trimmings Homemade Christmas pudding with brandy butter, golden syrup and then white sauce (!) Luxury item: Collection of Encyclopedias Have you seen the recipe inspired by Tessa’s desert island dishes? Head to www.desertislanddishes.co for a full collection of delicious recipes. Thank you for listening, and subscribing. Don’t forget to leave a review as it gives me a little boost and I will see you same time next week for another episode of Desert Island Dishes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Nadine Levy Redzepi. Nadine has just published her first cookbook called Downtime: Deliciousness At Home. Nadine knows a thing or two about amazing food, as she is married to Rene Redzepi, co founder and chef at Noma. Noma is thought by many to be the world's best restaurant and Rene is commonly referred to as the King of Food. She has lived in Portugal, France and England as a child before moving to Denmark with her mother which made me excited to hear her childhood food memories. She now lives with Rene and their three daughters in Copenhagen. Nadine has been inspired by a life long love of food and has created a very personal collection of recipes to inspire the every day. This is a book for everyone and through Nadine's reassuring and friendly way of writing she ensures that even the most timid cooks will be able to create sensational dishes without getting stressed. This is a genuinely lovely book written in such a friendly and reassuring way. The recipes are delicious but not daunting and it's full of great tips and tricks to get you feeling more confident in the kitchen. Poaching eggs can be one of those things people get a bit afraid of, and Nadine has a great tip in there for how to poach them perfectly each time....genius. She even gives us the perfect technique for porridge which I need to try. Nadine says to simply make the porridge by bringing the oats and milk to the boil, and then to remove them from the heat immediately and allowing to sit for 10 minutes. She swears this is perfect porridge everytime and do you know what? I believe her. I mean it would be foolish not to. Since meeting Nadine I am now hooked on her favourite sandwich! Mortadella is one of my favourites and I think it's underrated. The simple combination with the rye bread, cream cheese and tomatoes is just perfect. I like it with lots salt and pepper and a small drizzle of olive oil, just as Nadine says. Nadine has cooked for some of the biggest names in food, from world-renowned chefs, to top restaurant critics and everything in between. I can't imagine her every getting into a flap in the kitchen. As she points out, to her these people are just her friends, so she feels more relaxed then perhaps you or I would if we were asked to cook for them. But still. Because of this you feel very reassured when reading her book and her recipes that you are in safe hands. We find out what Nadine cooked for Rene the first time she cooked for the King of Food, which didn't go according to plan in her mind but luckily he loved it, and we discover what the seal the deal pasta he cooked for her consisted of. Desert Island Dish: Nadine would go to Noma for a feast - in particular the scallop fudge Follow by chocolate brownies, pound cake, or do-it-all cake Luxury item: Espresso machine with Elon Musk solar panels Nadine is so lovely and down to Earth, hope you enjoy having a listen. Huge thank you for listening, subscribing. Please do leave a review and rating as it really does help to give me a little boost which is very nice. Come and have a look at the recipe inspired by Nadine's Desert Island Dishes over here at www.desertislanddishes.co Margie x@madebymargie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margie’s castaway this week is Levi Roots. Levi was born Keith Valentine Graham in Jamaica. After his parents moved to the UK when he was 4, he was brought up by his grandparents until he eventually moved to Britain at the age of 11. He shot to fame in 2007 by appearing on Dragon’s Den with his famous Reggae Reggae sauce. He wowed the dragon’s and managed to secure a £50,000 investment from Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh. Within 4 weeks his Reggae Reggae sauces were outselling Heinze tomato ketchup in Sainsbury’s and since then his business has gone from strength to strength. He now has so many products ranging from sauces, to snacks, to seasonings and ready meals. He’s written 7 books, released 4 albums and opened a successful restaurant. He does a lot of work with the Prince’s Trust and is a key figure in the Brixton community. We recorded this at Levi’s restaurant in Westfield Stratford so you can hear a little of the hustle and bustle of the restaurant in the background which I kind of like. Levi has a whole host of delicious Desert Island Dishes in his selection and oh my goodness – Levi’s final desert island dish sounds like complete heaven. I love the sound of the porridge his grandmother used to make, and his choice of sandwich was not what I was expecting at all. I think Levi’s story is really inspiring, and he talks so eloquently about his time in prison and how to worked to turn his life around with huge success. I just thought there were so many interesting and inspiring nuggets in there. Hope you enjoyed listening to Levi. Desert Island Dish: Jerk chicken, rice and peas with coleslaw and plantain Luxury item: guitar Don’t forget to check out the website www.desertislanddishes.co to see which recipe has been inspired by Levi’s desert island dishes and I will see you next time for another exciting episode In the meantime come and say hello on Instagram, you can find me @madebymargie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margie’s castaway this week is Candice Brown. Before we go any further this is a very friendly, gentle nudge to say that if you haven’t already do remember to subscribe to this podcast and while you’re at it you may as well rate it and leave a review… hopefully a nice one. It’s honestly so helpful and helps other people to find the podcast, which is great! This is a lovely episode, chatting to the wonderful and impossibly glamorous Great British Bake Off winner Candice. It was yet another opportunity for me to obsess over all things Bake Off. Candice was the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2016. Born in North London, Candice grew up in the pub that her parents ran – the very pub that she sculpted out of gingerbread for her famous showstopper on the show. Taught to bake by her grandmother, Candice makes the kind of food you really want to eat. With her degree in Sport, PE and Community Studies, Candice was a secondary school teacher when she applied for GBBO and managed to juggle the two even during filming. Candice has now taken a break from teaching, has realeased her first cook book called Comfort and is currently starring on Dancing on Ice. It has been said of Candice, “if you are what you eat, no wonder Candice brown is so sweet”! We discover that both Candice and I have quite a severe mac and cheese obsession. She has lots of delicious dishes in her selection today including a first time appearance for her choice of sandwich. Let me tell you that recording this in the afternoon on a Friday was a mistake. Big mistake. Huge. I’m surprised you couldn’t hear my tummy rumbling on the recording. I thought it was really interesting to hear how you go from winning the GBBO to turning it into your career and what that process looks like. Candice’s luxury item makes me laugh! I just love the thought of Candace sort of masquerading as a coconut on the island – covered in her coconut lotion. I’ve made a delicious mac and cheese recipe for www.desertislanddishes.co as an ode to Candice this week. It’s a goodie, so make sure you check it out, plus loads of other gorgeous, if I do say so myself, recipes there for you to have a look at. Desert Island Dish:Dim sum feastLuxury item: coconut body lotion Thank you all for listening, don’t forget to come and say hello over on Instagram @madebymargie if you fancy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My castaway today is Jasmine Hemsley Jasmine is a well being author and chef. She is one half of the hugely successful Hemlsey and Hemsley brand which she runs with her sister. Together they have amassed an army of loyal followers, they have a popular blog, a range of products, they’ve written 2 cookbooks, they have a café in Selfridges AND they even had their very own show on Channel 4. Last week Jasmines first solo cookbook, East by West came out which is all about Eastern wisdom for western wellbeing and is packed full of delicious looking recipes which all follow the Ancient holistic healing system of Ayuverda. I have to admit Ayuverda was all new to me but I definitely learnt some things and found some good food for thought in there which I hope you will too. There’s some really delicious food in today’s episode so I wouldn’t recommend listening on an empty stomach, but I mean, when is that a good idea?? I love the sound of the of the chicken soup for the soul. Chicken soup really is the remedy for everything. Whether you have a cold, you need a hug, or you just need some comfrt. I love the thought that countries all over the world have their own versions and I loved hearing about all the amazing food inspiredby Jasmine's Filipino heritage. The Filipino version of a chicken soup is called Tinolo and is chicken soup with lots of ginger, which sounds delicious. I also fell in love with the sound of "Adobo" – the dish Jasmine described as chicken cooked in lemon juice, garlic and soy sauce. That sauce defitinitely sounds like something I need to have a go at as it's would be a very versatile sauce you could use on anything. A useful sauce to have up your sleeve, one might say. Though probably not in the literal sense, as that would just be plain silly. I'm sorry to say I did not actually discover the answer to bloating. But, the good news is that Jasmine says it's in the bookso I am reading the book! Desert Island Dish: Filipino feast cooked by her mumLuxury item: a Swiss Army knife…and a silk pillow Thank you so much for listening.Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review. It really does make a difference and I would be very grateful! And don’t forget to have a look at the shiny new website: www.desertislanddishes.co - it’s packed full of information about the castways, their episodes AND there is now a recipe section so for each episode there is a dish I have created inspired by that person’s Desert Island Dishes. Exciting! Have a look and let me know what you think. My email is hello@madebymargie.co.uk See you next time for more Desert Island Dishes Margie x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Jenny Dawson Costa Jenny founded Rubies in the Rubble back in 2011 which started out as a stall in Borough Market and now her products are stocked in Waitrose, Selfridges, Harrods and many many more places. Jenny studied maths at university before working for a hedge fund in the City for two years. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her degree, but knew she wanted to start something of her own and do something she was passionate about. After coming across the fact that half of all the food we produce is never used and yet billions of people don’t have enough to eat, Rubies in the Rubble was born. Desert Island DishJapanese feast from Eat Tokyo Cheese Platter with condimentsAll sorts of ice cream I first came across Jenny and her amazing business years ago now and genuinely just thought it was the best idea ever for a business and it’s been so inspiring to see her go from strength to strength. I just love speaking to these amazing entrepreneurs and hearing how they got to where they are – I find it so inspiring and I know you will enjoy hearing from Jenny – the condiment queen. That’s not her official title, but I’m going to go with it. I mean, isn’t it a cool business? I love how the power of a word – from chutney to relish can change a business. You hear that kind of thing all the time – I mean I guess it’s the whole premise behind marketing but it’s kind of fun when you hear about it in action. I can vouch for the deliciousness of the spicy tomato chutney which is genuinely amazing – so so good in a sandwich, and with just about anything. It’s so fresh and well it’s just great. I almost edited out her recommendation of Eat Tokyo which happens to be one of my favourites but I like you all so wouldn’t deprive you of an excellent recommendation like that! Thank you for listening, don’t forget to subscribe and do leave a review as it really helps more listeners to find the podcast. Thank you! Margie x Come and find me on Instagram @margienomura and check out the website at www.desertislanddishes.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margie's castaway today is Sophie Michelle. Sophie comes from a long lineage of avid foodies and professional cooks. She decided at the ago of 15 to pursue a career in cooking and at the age of just 19 she was crowned “Young chef of the year” Sophie has gone on to cook all over the world for a whole host of A list client including Claudia Schiffer and Leonardo Di Caprio, and both Princes William and Harry to name just a few. Sophie became the UK’s youngest female Executive chef taking over from Mark Hix at Belgraves Hotel in London. She has her own restaurants, and has also carved out a career as a successful TV presenter and food writer. She’s written 5 cook books, and She was part of Channel 4's smash hit show Cook Yourself Thin, and co-wrote the book of the same name that went on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Desert Island Dish:Starter: Chicken liver pateMain: Roast duckPudding: Big cheese board Luxury item: a truffle in her pocket and a case of vodka Thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving me a review. I'm so enjoying doing this podcast and it's so fun to know so many of you are listening each week, thank you!Margie x www.desertislanddishes.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margie’s castaway is Rebekah Hall. She is the founder of Botanic Lab. Botanic Lab was one of the first juice companies in the UK and they make really delicious juices. Genuinely, really delicious. Rebekah is very impressive and I really like the ethos of the brand; they aren’t selling a dream and they don’t pretend their juices will transform you into a Victoria Secret’s model. They just make delicious, finctional drinks, which are both creative and delicious. In the world we live in selling the dream of quick fix weight loss and meal replacements would be the easy option and I admire that they actively stayed away from that. I found it so interesting that Rebekah is a food entrepreneur but is not really interested in cooking (by her own admission I might add). But she knows what she likes and with her friends and family keen to cook for her, it sounds like she has it pretty good. I love finding out how people got to where they are and I think Rebekah’s journey into becoming an entrepreneur is really interesting and hopefully might inspire some of you. Desert Island Dish: Rhubarb crumble with custardLuxury item: pillow We are definitely in agreement over the rhubarb crumble with custard, such a delicious choice. Crumble in general is just the best. The best of the best. And this is most definitely crumble weather which is just yet another thing to be happy about. And sounds like we all need to find a member of Soho House to tag along with and eat the burrata with figs. You just know that will be good. Don’t forget you can find me on Instagram @madebymargie, so do pop over and say hi. And if you want to hear from any guests in particular you can ping me an email at hello@madebymargie.co.uk. Thank you for listening. Double thank you if you have subscribed and left a 5* review (wink wink). See you soon! Bye! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margie’s castaway is Dhruv Baker. Dhruv not only took part in Masterchef back in 2010 but he went on to win the series and his career has gone from strength to strength since then. He’s published a cookbook, presented TV programmes and regularly writes recipes for magazines. Dhruv went to work in some of the UK’s top kitchens, including Le Gavroche with Michel Roux Jr and The Connaught before starting his catering company The Earlsfield Kitchen, which covered everything from fine dining to BBQs before eventually getting their own premises at the Jolly Gardeners in Earlsfield. To say that Dhruv is a great cook is an understatement. John Torode said Dhruv had a, "talent that very few people will ever have" whilst Greg Wallace added, "that Dhruv is probably one of the most amazing talents he’s ever seen. He has the palate of an angel." I recorded this episode last week at Dhruv’s beautiful home, but by the magical powers of the internet I will be on a little holiday in New York by the time you listen to this or read this, which is very exciting. I’m expecting by the time I come back I will be 98% pancake and 2% maple syrup. The dream. I am the biggest Masterchef geek which I think really comes out in today’s episode and I completely geeked out over the trophy. I wanted more than anything to pose with it, but having my photo taken is not one of my favourite things so I chickened out! I settled instead for taking lots of photos of it nestled on a velvet cushion, which I hasten to add is not where Dhruv normally keeps it. Anyway, Dhruv was absolutely lovely and this episode made me really hungry…you have been warned. His love of food really comes across and he has some delicious dishes to talk about. In this episode I said I’ve never tried Mole but I must have done, mustn’t I? Surely? I caused an uproar on my Instagram (@madebymargie) this week by admitting I had only just had my first cannoli. I feel I am slipping. It escapes me how something so calorie laden and delicious could have passed me by all this time. I am hoping my Mole revelation doesn’t have the same effect. Winter BBQs need to happen. In fact, I feel foolish for wasting the last 30 years of my life by only having them in Summer. Mine is getting dusted off and I intend to cook brownies on it immediately, if not before. How this had never been brought to my attention before is beyond me, but the thought of cooking a batch of brownies on the BBQ and eating them hot off the coals with a cool scoop of ice cream just sounds heavenly. *Desert Island Dish:Starter: Fruit de Mer platterMain course: T bone steak with chips, béarnaise sauce and watercress saladPudding: Cheese board Luxury item: Coffee Machine * One final thought…can you imagine if I did actually have to pay for all these meals?? She says, with a somewhat nervous laugh. On my salary, literally everyone would be getting gruel. That’s generous, right? Thank you all so much for listening, do check out the website www.desertislanddishes.co and come and find me on Instagram @madebymargie and I will see you when I’m back from New York! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margie’s guest this week is Georgie Coleridge Cole.  Georgie is the Founder and Editor of SheerLuxe, which she incredibly launched at the tender age of 25. Georgie studied French at university in Edinburgh and worked in beauty marketing before launching SheerLuxe. What started out as a directory for the best places to shop online has become a hugely popular digital magazine spanning fashion, beauty, health, food and careers for modern women.  She lives in south-west London with her husband and three children. Georgie has said: “Starting a business is not the easy option (especially as a mother) but I firmly believe you make your own luck and if you work hard enough good will prevail!” Now, whilst Georgie is super successful she says herself that she is not a great cook: or at least that she is not that interested in cooking. And she’s very apologetic – when there is absolutely no need to apologise! As a chef, I am clearly as huge fan of people who hire chefs! When I started Desert Island Dishes I was determined that my guests didn’t have to be from the world of food. Because we all eat – and what we eat and what food means to us is interesting, I think! We all have dishes that remind of our childhoods and we’ve all eaten dishes that we remember. So I love speaking to people who love cooking and who live to eat – but I also like speaking to people doing great things and find out about how they eat too.  Georgie has her finger on the pulse of the zeigesit – and has lots of delicious food recommendations and some great business tips about how to get started along with some truly delicious desert island dishes. Her recommendation of Eight over Eight is a great one – it’s such a delicious restaurant, although I’ve never had the Pad Thai, so need to rectify that! Georgie also tells us that they do a great lychee martini which is also worth knowing. We also find out about the breakfast that gets Georgie springing out of bed in the morning, and as nut butter and banana are involved, I can completely understand why. I had forgotten how much I love kedgeree – such a great dish. There’s a recipe on Made by Margie for a quinoa version which is really easy and delicious – although there is nothing wrong with the classic version either, of course. There is a common theme here with these super successful people – they just get on and do stuff. The advice seems to be: Don’t spend too long over thinking and procrastinating – just get out there and start making waves.  *Desert Island Dish: Starter: lobster bisque with scallops Main: her mum’s spaghetti bolognaise Pudding: Chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream, pistachio ice cream and mango sorbet *Luxury item: eye mask and earplugs If you enjoyed this episode please do subscribe and rate and review – I know everyone asks you to do that but it’s not an empty request – it would genuinely mean a lot and really help me out! Thank you so much for listening and don’t forget to check out the other episodes – for more details head to www.desertislanddishes.co to see the fancy new website.  Come and say hello on Instagram @madebymargie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.