The FoodTalk Show, Food Radio Broadcaster of the Year 2021

Conversations about how Britain really eats

The FoodTalk Show is a podcast about the people changing what we eat and drink, presented by Ollie Lloyd. Over more than 330 episodes we have talked to founders, farmers, chefs, buyers, importers and campaigners, from the start-up with a single product to the companies that feed the nation. The through line has always been curiosity: why does this food exist, who made it happen, and what does it tell us about where Britain’s appetite is heading?

About Ollie

I have spent my career in food, from a decade at Unilever across the UK, the US, India and Thailand, to founding Great British Chefs, to my current role leading the innovation team at Hot Pickle, where I help some of the world’s biggest food and drink companies work out what comes next. I first appeared on the show as a guest in 2017, joined as a presenter soon after, and took over as lead presenter in 2023. I am, unapologetically, obsessed with food and drink, and the show is where I get to indulge that with people who know far more about their corner of it than I do.

Where it began

The FoodTalk Show was founded in March 2016 by Susie Warran-Smith, who set out to showcase food innovation and champion artisan producers at a time when very few people were giving them a microphone. Over four years Susie built the show into one of the UK’s best-known food podcasts, and it was named Food Radio Broadcaster of the Year along the way. Many of the brands you now see on supermarket shelves had their first proper interview sitting across from her. The show would not exist without her, and the archive of those early episodes is still here to listen to.

How we work

Nobody pays to appear on The FoodTalk Show and we take no advertising. Guests are chosen because their story is interesting, not because someone is selling something. The conversations are relaxed, usually around forty minutes, and recorded as a chat rather than an interview: no scripts, no prepared answers.

Listen and get in touch

You can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts, or listen here on the site. If you know someone we should be talking to, drop me a line at hello@foodtalk.co.uk.