Eating Together

Eating Together

Author: BBC Radio 4 February 20, 2026 Duration: 42:51
The Food Programme
ArtsFood

A year after sharing a £10 supper with 200 strangers in Copenhagen’s Absalon - an old church turned community hub - Sheila asks whether that experience could be recreated in the UK. After all, communal meals here are often one-offs, sometimes pricey, or feel like generous soup kitchens.

In this edition, Sheila meets people determined to change that; Ingrid Wakeling and Phil Holtam from Sussex Surplus are running trial communal dining events in Brighton, using surplus food to bring strangers together. Anna Chworow from Nourish Scotland is helping shape two pilot public diners - subsidised, everyday restaurants designed for everyone, while Jon Harper from Future Foundations explains how CanTeam is turning school canteens into community dining rooms.

Sheila also visits The Long Table in Stroud - a pay-what-you-can community restaurant - to meet co-founder Tom Herbert, and is joined there by zero‑waste chef Max La Manna and Carly Trisk‑Grove from The Public Plate, who want every community to have their own low‑cost restaurant. Together, they discuss what it would take to make their dreams reality - and why they believe it matters.

Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan.

More info:

Communal Dining -Part 1: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028l2c The Long Table: https://thelongtableonline.com/ The Public Plate (Carly Trisk-Grove's project): https://www.thepublicplate.com/about Nourish Scotland project: https://www.nourishscotland.org/projects/public-diners/ Right to Food Commission (Ian Byrne MP's project): https://www.ianbyrne.org/rtfcommission Sussex Surplus (Brighton): https://www.sussexsurplus.org/ CanTeam: http://www.canteam.org/

NB: Be aware these links take you to external non-BBC websites.


The Food Programme from BBC Radio 4 digs into the stories behind what we eat. This podcast moves beyond recipes and restaurant reviews to explore the entire ecosystem of our meals. Each episode is a reported journey, examining the cultural, historical, economic, and personal forces that shape food production and consumption. You might hear about the surprising science of flavor, the future of farming in a changing climate, or the revival of a nearly forgotten culinary tradition. The series connects the dots between the field, the supply chain, and the dinner plate, offering a deeper understanding of the choices we make as consumers and citizens. Listen for insightful interviews with growers, chefs, scientists, and policymakers, all framed by thoughtful narration. It’s for anyone curious about the true cost and value of their food, providing context and conversation that changes how you think about your next bite. Tune in for a consistently engaging exploration of one of life’s fundamental pleasures and its complex global impact.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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