Housemates

Housemates

Author: BBC World Service October 17, 2024 Duration: 27:38

Did you share a flat, house or kitchen as a student or professional? Is it the shared meals and conversation that stay with you, or the piles of dirty dishes and missing food?

This week Ruth Alexander has a look around shared kitchens all over the world.

We hear the good, bad and dirty – and give advice on how to build cooperation in your shared kitchen. Ruth hears from a former housemate what she was really like to share with, as well as a surprise revelation about her unappetising meal of choice.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Ruth Alexander. Produced by Hannah Bewley.

(Image: five students sat on sofas in their shared living space eating a meal they have cooked together. Credit: BBC)


There’s a story behind every meal, and The Food Chain from the BBC World Service goes out to find it. This isn’t just a series about recipes or restaurant reviews; it’s a deep and often surprising exploration of how food shapes our world. Each episode follows a single thread, whether it’s the economic forces that decide what grows in a field, the hidden science in your kitchen, or the profound cultural traditions carried in a family dish. You’ll hear from farmers, chefs, economists, historians, and scientists, all contributing pieces to a larger picture about our global relationship with what we eat. The conversations reveal the complex journey from source to table, unpacking the labor, innovation, and sometimes the controversy, involved in feeding communities. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a well-reported global conversation, one that changes how you think about the next thing you’ll eat. It connects the personal act of eating to vast systems of business, culture, and science, making the everyday subject of food endlessly fascinating.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Food Chain
Podcast Episodes
Giving it all up for food [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Ruth Alexander meets three people who gave up well-paid, high-flying careers to start all over again in the world of food. Nisha Katona left a career as a child protection barrister behind to start Mowgli, a chain of Ind…
The story of the sandwich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Shattering the myth of its aristocratic origins and exploring some of the boldest creations; Ruth Alexander finds out about the history, culture and family ties wrapped up in the sandwich. Josh Veasey, co-owner of Rack i…
Small kitchens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
From Michelin starred kitchens to Hong Kong’s high rise tower blocks, via informal settlements in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Ruth Alexander hears from people making the best out of the cramped and tiny spaces they’re co…
The risk takers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Every food company starts with a gamble - and not all of them pay off. In this episode Ruth Alexander speaks to business owners about the risks they’ve taken to get where they are today, from financial leaps to personal…
How to write a recipe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:41
We all have recipes we turn to again and again, perhaps from the stained pages of our favourite cookbooks, or handed down through families. But have you ever wondered about the work that’s gone into writing that set of i…
Can you learn to love the foods you hate? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Most of us have foods we refuse to eat - think coriander, or maybe olives. But where do those strong dislikes come from, and is it possible to change them?In this episode of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander sets out to fin…
Fermented foods: A beginner's guide [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:47
Fermented foods are fashionable – kimchi, kefir, kombucha – they're all having a moment, many thousands of years on from where they were first produced. But how much do you know about how they're made? Do you know your S…
Dinner unboxed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Meal kits have become a familiar part of food shopping in many countries, offering pre-portioned ingredients and recipes delivered to the door. But how widespread are they, and what do they reveal about how people are ea…
Should we all eat the Mediterranean way? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:27
The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, pulses and olive oil and traditionally includes small amounts of fish and very little red meat. Thousands of studies back its health benefits. In fact, it's considered to be…
Tweaks for 2026: How to eat better [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Ruth Alexander gathers the most useful, actionable nutrition advice from our episodes of 2025 to help set you up for 2026. Things like how to nourish your brain, keep an eye on portion sizes, and why it’s important to fo…