Bee Wilson, food writer and historian on what comfort food means to her, the joy of potatoes and her 7 Desert Island Dishes

Desert Island Dishes

Food, Food Interview, Desert Island, Desert Island Dishes, Arts, Food Podcast, Dish, Interview, Society & Culture, Cooking, Chef, Personal Journals

4.8 • 780 Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2024

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My guest today is Bee Wilson. In all honesty, Bee is one of the most interesting and thought provoking food writers and historians we’ve ever known.

She is the author of 8 books about food and eating. Her books have won multiple awards, and she’s won 5 Guild of food writers awards for her journalism. After over 20 years of food writing, this year she released her first cookbook, The Secret of Cooking, something she says she’s dreamt of doing since the age of 8.

She has been described by Yotam Ottolenghi as "the ultimate food scholar" and writes brilliantly about all aspects of our current food culture.She counts Nigella and Diana Henry as friends (and fans) and I so enjoyed getting to chat to her and hear her Desert Island Dishes.

I hope you enjoy this one and thank you so much for listening.

A huge thank you to our sponsor HG Walter for bringing the podcast to you this month - visit them at www.hgwalter.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Desert Island Dishes is brought to in partnership with the independent
0:04.3	family-run butcher, HG Walter. Now, I'm particularly excited about this because for over 10 years,
0:10.6	I have been a customer of HG. Walter for both my cooking jobs and also for at home too.
0:16.4	They are one of the most respected butchers in the UK, supplying some of the best chefs and restaurants
0:21.2	in the country. So it's quite cool to know that you are getting restaurant quality meat at home.
0:27.0	And I know I've said this a million times before, but if you start with good ingredients,
0:31.6	your life as a cook is so much easier. You barely have to do anything for it to taste delicious.
0:37.1	And we know that good
0:38.6	quality meat is more important than ever. If you're anything like me, you are thinking more and
0:43.6	more about the provenance of the food you eat. And so having a butcher you can trust like
0:48.1	HG water is just a very comforting thing. Also, never underestimate the knowledge of a butcher. If you don't know how to
0:56.5	cook something, ask when you're in there. They know so much they can advise about cooking times,
1:02.0	the weight you need, and they'll always have delicious ideas for how they like to serve something.
1:07.1	I found this kind of information absolutely invaluable when I was starting out as a chef.
1:12.5	So I am thrilled to be telling you all about HG Walter today.
1:16.8	They're based in London, but they deliver nationwide and you can find out more at
1:20.9	www.hgwater.com.
1:23.9	Thank you very much.
1:27.6	Hi, I'm Margie Nomura and welcome to the Desert Island Dishes podcast.
1:32.8	This is the podcast where every week I ask my guest to choose their seven desert island dishes.
1:38.9	These range from finding out about the dish that most reminds them of their childhood,
1:43.1	the best dish they've ever eaten,
	...

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