Keeping It Local: A Suffolk Story

Keeping It Local: A Suffolk Story

Author: BBC Radio 4 October 31, 2025 Duration: 42:07

It's twenty years since the Aldeburgh Food Festival began. Sheila Dillon examines its impact in this small Suffolk seaside town where food producers work together to forge strong local supply chains. She speaks to the festival's co-founder Lady Caroline Cranbrook who has been a passionate advocate of Suffolk's rich food ecosystem. She goes on a shopping trip with local restaurateur and hotelier George Pell, a self-styled "blow-in" from London. They visit a fishing family, a butcher and a farmer supporting a start-up serving crullers in a town where collaboration is king.

Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin Markwell


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

The Food Programme
Podcast Episodes
Food Stories From Terra Madre [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:30
From the indigenous food of the USA to extraordinary cheeses from Ukraine, the wonders of fermentation to a revolutionary network of bakers, Dan Saladino shares stories of food and biodiversity at Slow Food's global gath…
Eating on the Spectrum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:06
Leyla Kazim explores how neurodivergence can affect the way people eat and experience food.The programme visits Aubergine Café in Cardiff, which is owned and run by autistic individuals, to meet the staff who explain why…
The Champagne of Dairy and other drinks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:19
Jaega Wise travels the country to meet the three finalists in the Drinks Producer category in this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards. Her journey takes her to Belfast and the Bullhouse Brewery which began life in a farm…
A Food Revolution in Ten Ideas. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:37
Dan Saladino looks at 10 potentially planet changing ideas for the future of food, from a farm out at sea to a pioneering rethink on how we can feed cities. Dan meets the scientists, entrepreneurs and risk-takers focused…
The Brain Gut Connection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:25
Why does food do our heads in? This episode is a panel recording from 2024 Abergavenny Food Festival with a live audience.Sheila Dillon is joined by Chef Heston Blumenthal, who recently went public about his diagnosis of…
Nuts about Nuts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:01
Leyla Kazim traces the journey of this unassuming wonder food, from its health benefits to its origins. Nuts, which once would have been central to the diet of our ancestors, are now often treated as a nice-to-have healt…
The Sourdough Library [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:31
Dan Saladino visits a unique collection of sourdough bread starters from around the world and explores a hidden world of grains, yeasts, bacteria and their influence on our health.Produced and presented by Dan Saladino
Fresh Food Ideas? Some new MPs look ahead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:29
As MPs return to Westminster after the summer recess, The Food Programme catches up with three of the newer recruits to discuss future food policies. Sheila Dillon meets Dr Simon Opher MP (Labour), Aphra Brandreth MP (Co…
Food Waste: New Answers for Old Problems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:10
Food waste isn't a new story. So why cover it again? Well, in the UK, we are still wasting over 10 million tonnes of food a year. That's food that could have been sold, eaten, cooked and enjoyed. Clearly this is a proble…
Taste the World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:06
Food, identity, myths and reality. In a globalised world can a dish reflect who we are and where we live? Dan Saladino explores fascinating stories of food, music and tradition in an ever changing and fast moving world.…