The Go To Food Podcast

• Loyd Grossman: From Rocking with Van Morrison to MasterChef, Through the Keyhole & Pasta Sauce Fame!

  From punk rocker to pasta sauce pioneer, Loyd Grossman has lived many lives—and he tells the stories with all the colour and humour you’d expect. In this episode, Loyd looks back at his unlikely journey from fronting a chart-climbing band to backing Van Morrison on stage, before swapping guitar strings for restaurant reviews and TV stardom. His take on the difference between the US and UK punk scenes alone is worth the listen.Food, of course, is never far away. Loyd recalls arriving in 1970s London, a time often maligned for its bland cooking, and sets the record straight with tales of surprising sophistication: Margaret Costa’s influential writing, brilliant trattorias, and the early days of Le Caprice, when he was sometimes the only diner in the room. He explains how these restaurants, along with innovators like Peter Langan and Anton Mosimann, transformed London into a truly global dining city.There are TV tales too. Loyd shares the accidental phone call that led to him co-creating Through the Keyhole with David Frost—an idea born in Camden over steak and chips that went on to become one of Britain’s biggest entertainment shows. Then came MasterChef, which he fronted in its gentler, pre-competitive era. He reflects on why he stepped away when the format shifted, and on how the food people cooked on those early episodes reflected changing British tastes.And then, of course, the sauces. Loyd reveals the unlikely beginnings of his now 30-year-old range—how factory trials first turned out “absolutely bloody awful,” why supermarket buyers balked at olive oil, and the moment someone told him his sauces had “too much flavour.” Add to that his failed but fascinating battle to improve NHS food, and you’ve got an episode packed with stories of grit, wit, and the power of perseverance.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £64 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Richard Corrigan - Part 2 - Supermodels, Primeministers & Michelin Star Mayhem!

  Richard Corrigan has lived through—and helped shape—the restaurant revolutions that made London one of the world’s great food cities. From his early days with the eccentric genius Stephen Bull at Blanford Street, through his game-changing decade at Lindsay House, to opening Corrigan’s Mayfair on the very day he closed Lindsay House with a party, Corrigan’s career is a story of grit, brilliance, and survival. He remembers the 90s buzz alongside Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes, and Marco Pierre White, when Michelin stars were scarce, small kitchens did the impossible, and London’s dining scene finally came alive.In this wide-ranging and unfiltered conversation, Corrigan recalls the madness and magic: Marco Pierre White denying he sat for a portrait—until it was bought by the National Portrait Gallery; Gordon Ramsay standing in his tiny Lindsay House kitchen asking how he pulled it off; and the supermodels who ran out mid-meal when told their limousines had arrived. He shares his passion for honest cooking, his disdain for overblown tasting menus and foodie fads, and his belief that hospitality is about turning even the worst customer into a loyal friend. Along the way, he dishes on everyone from Jay Rayner to Faye Maschler, from the King of Jordan to Kate Moss.Always outspoken, Corrigan cuts through the noise with clarity. Pizza, he insists, “isn’t dinner, it’s just bread.” Long lunches are a dying art. And the future of food lies not in obscure herbs or gimmicky “Scandi bowls” but in intelligence, honesty, and produce that sings. Whether cooking for three prime ministers, the Queen, or just another guest with a bad day to forget, Corrigan has never lost sight of what matters most: generosity, joy, and a little bit of sea salt in his pocket, just in case.-------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £64 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Richard Corrigan - Part 1 - From A Rural Irish Farm To Becoming One Of London's Most Celebrated Chefs & Restaurateurs

  Richard Corrigan is a chef who has lived many lives, each one bound by resilience, tradition, and an uncompromising love of food. In this conversation, he shares the stories that have shaped him, offering a rare glimpse into the philosophy behind one of the most distinctive voices in British and Irish hospitality.From oysters and stout to the centuries-old legacy of Bentley’s, Corrigan speaks with passion and precision. He rails against culinary shortcuts, celebrating instead the perfection of a native oyster with lemon, pepper, and brown bread. As custodian of one of London’s great institutions, he reflects on Bentley’s survival through war and hardship, and his mission to keep its traditions alive. His plan to take the London oyster championships on the road captures both his entrepreneurial spirit and his conviction that food culture should be open, mobile, and inclusive.The conversation also explores Ireland in vivid detail: his childhood on a small farm, learning the hard realities of food through animal slaughter and the making of black pudding, and his candid reflections on Ireland’s politics, diaspora, and culinary renaissance. Corrigan recalls his formative years in kitchens—from peeling potatoes in a local hotel at 14, to stepping into the Hilton Amsterdam at 17, and later forging a reputation in London that drew the attention of Albert Roux.As the stories unfold—late nights at Lindsay House, his thoughts on the madness and magic of Irish hospitality, and the fine line between toughness and kindness in professional kitchens—what emerges is a portrait of a chef who has never lost sight of his roots. This is Richard Corrigan at his most unfiltered and insightful: a man who believes in the value of tradition, the dignity of work, and the enduring power of food to connect us to place, to people, and to life itself.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Tomos Parry - How He Created 2 Of London's Greatest Restaurants - Brat & Mountain + The Craziness Of Working At Noma & Being Papped By Gary Oldman!

  Tomos Parry—chef of London landmarks Brat and Mountain—joins us on location at fforest in Pembrokeshire for a special Brat × Mountain residency episode. We dive into his fire-led cooking and the thrill (and chaos) of bringing 30 team members to West Wales to cook with the producers who shape his food: think lobster caldereta cooked a stone’s throw from the boats, raw-milk fresh cheese that only exists for a week, and vegetables lifted straight from the farm. Tomos traces the sparks that forged his style—The Ledbury’s edge-of-service creativity, River Café’s seasonal discipline, a formative summer at Noma—and how he builds rounded chefs who understand sauces, fire, P&L and life after the pass. We talk the rise of British terroir restaurants, why Basque cheesecake became a London icon, the cult of dairy cow steak, and the nerve-jangling night he nearly smoked out the Royal Academy. Quick fires take us from Soho’s tiny Jugemu to blowout plates at Ikoyi, Galicia as the dream weekend, corn ribs as a hard no, and a play-out salute to Super Furry Animals.Recorded at fforest, West Wales.Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben’s favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Atul Kochhar - The First Indian Chef To Win A Michelin Star - Weight-Loss Drugs & The Devastating Fire That Almost Ended It All!

  Our guest today is none other than Atul Kochhar, the genius who redefined Indian cuisine in Britain and became the first Indian chef in the world to win a Michelin star.You’ll hear Atul laugh about an American guest who demanded “the spiciest dish you can make”—only to then bring his own vial of mysterious black liquid so fiery it nearly sent Atul to Mars. You’ll hear the story of him landing in London over 30 years ago, shocked at the state of “curry houses,” and how he helped transform the UK’s perception of Indian food from late-night lager fodder to multi-course, white-tablecloth artistry.Atul also opens up about the education that made him: growing up in a Punjabi-Bihari household in Jamshedpur, where neighbours from every corner of India introduced him to a mosaic of regional flavours; moving as a teenager with a single iron trunk to Chennai, where he fell in love with idlis, dosas, and the tang of tamarind; and the brutal but life-changing discipline of the Oberoi Hotel kitchens, where he worked under Thai, Chinese, and French Michelin-starred chefs. These years gave him the precision, speed, and ingredient-driven ethos that he would later use to revolutionise Indian fine dining.And then there’s the leap of faith that changed everything: being scouted to London, helping launch Tamarind, and winning that fateful Michelin star. Atul recalls the dizzying pride of the moment—how overnight he became a national hero in India, and how his father, a catering man who’d seen failure more than once, inspired him to push forward even when the business of running restaurants nearly broke him. From early struggles with sourcing the right onions in Britain to discovering the joys of cooking with venison, hare, and game birds, his stories are as textured as the dishes he plates.Of course, no Atul story is complete without the drama of restaurant life. He shares nightmare days where gas pipes flooded on a Saturday service, or worse—the devastating fire that shut down his flagship for six months. He remembers the pain of sitting helpless in insurance limbo, and the joy of loyal friends and partners who stepped in to keep his dream alive. There’s humour too—like the “rudest customer” who managed to be offended even when given a bigger table on their anniversary, or his bemusement at Britain’s national dish, chicken tikka masala, which he insists is delicious but—make no mistake—a British invention. Atul speaks candidly about adapting menus for a world where more diners are on weight-loss drugs, why smaller plates and non-alcoholic cocktails are the future, and how he sees the new wave of Indian chefs in India itself taking innovation to dazzling heights. There are also tender moments: memories of litti chokha eaten by hand and soaked in ghee, evenings when six Thai chefs “adopted” him as their little brother in Delhi, and the bittersweet guidance of Mrs Khanna, the royal-blooded matriarch who taught him the secrets of true Patiala cuisine.--------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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