Most of us are familiar with the field to fork journey or even nose to tail cooking but this week on the Kitchen Café, Chef Tom Hunt joins Jenny MacPherson to talk about his root to fruit philosophy and we hear about easy ways in which we can all eat and cook more sustainably. Also, Jenny takes a trip to Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland to get a taste of the Caribbean and Simon Preston finds out why macaroni pies go so well with a traditional Caribbean dish called chicken brown down.

A taste of the Caribbean and root to fruit eating

How often do you come across tins of food right at the back of your cupboard that you just don’t quite know what to do with? Author of Tin Can Magic, Jessica Dennison tells us how we can transform humble tins of food into hearty delicious meals for any night of the week. Simon Preston visits one of Leith’s newest charcuteries, Chef Neil Forbes tells us how to make your own home made bacon and Ghillie Basan cooks us up a delicious chocolate fridge cake.

How often do you come across tins of food right at the back of your cupboard that you just don’t quite know what to do with? Author of Tin Can Magic, Jessica Dennison tells us how we can transform humble tins of food into hearty delicious meals for any night of the week. Simon Preston visits one of Leith’s newest charcuteries, Chef Neil Forbes tells us how to make your own home made bacon and Ghillie Basan cooks us up a delicious chocolate fridge cake.

Pantry staples to hearty meals!

Fancy a bit of “healthy hedonism”?!  Food writer Signe Johansen explains to Jenny Macpherson why cooking for one can be fun and describes how we can create simple solo meals without it feeling like a chore.Chef and big brunch fan Alfie Little shows us how to create a bistro-style brunch at home by making a simple frittata and a delicious espresso smoothie.Simon Preston finds out why passionate bakers Lesley Pert and Cecilia Young give up their time to make cakes for kids.And Jenny learns some tips and tricks from baker Kaitlyn Taylor on how to easily transform an ordinary cake into something quite spectacular!

Fancy a bit of “healthy hedonism”?! Food writer Signe Johansen explains to Jenny Macpherson why cooking for one can be fun and describes how we can create simple solo meals without it feeling like a chore. Chef and big brunch fan Alfie Little shows us how to create a bistro-style brunch at home by making a simple frittata and a delicious espresso smoothie. Simon Preston finds out why passionate bakers Lesley Pert and Cecilia Young give up their time to make cakes for kids. And Jenny learns some tips and tricks from baker Kaitlyn Taylor on how to easily transform an ordinary cake into something quite spectacular!

Healthy Hedonism, Brilliant Brunches & Decadent Decorating

Does having your kids cooking in the kitchen from an early age always have to result in kitchen chaos? Jenny MacPherson talks to food blogger Foodie Quine and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani about different ways we can encourage children to become more involved in family cooking.Chef Steven Devlin cooks up a delicious spaghetti carbonara -  the first dish he learned to cook as a 13 year old -  and he talks about how his love of food took him from a 13 year old kitchen porter to later becoming a restaurateur. Scotland’s National chef and 'Master Chef: The Professionals' Winner Gary Maclean joins Jenny to talk about his new BBC Scotland series, Corner Shop Cook Off.

Does having your kids cooking in the kitchen from an early age always have to result in kitchen chaos? Jenny MacPherson talks to food blogger Foodie Quine and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani about different ways we can encourage children to become more involved in family cooking. Chef Steven Devlin cooks up a delicious spaghetti carbonara - the first dish he learned to cook as a 13 year old - and he talks about how his love of food took him from a 13 year old kitchen porter to later becoming a restaurateur. Scotland’s National chef and 'Master Chef: The Professionals' Winner Gary Maclean joins Jenny to talk about his new BBC Scotland series, Corner Shop Cook Off.

Kids In The Kitchen!

Chef Kirsten Gilmour has set herself a bit of a “5-mile challenge”, buying as much produce as possible from her local high street.  She loves to support local businesses and cut down on the food miles but just how do-able is it?  What little steps can we all take to shop more sustainably?  And is it a case of being more organised and getting more creative with what IS available round the corner?Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Ruth Barry shares her foodie favourites in Berlin.Organic?  Biodynamic?  Vegan?  Sustainable?  Fancy going a bit more “green” with your wine purchases but finding the terminology a bit perplexing?  Simon Preston rummages through the shelves of his local wine shop to see what’s available while wine expert Nikki Welch helps us unpick what the labels mean and just what we’re getting in terms of taste, cost and environmental impact.

Chef Kirsten Gilmour has set herself a bit of a “5-mile challenge”, buying as much produce as possible from her local high street. She loves to support local businesses and cut down on the food miles but just how do-able is it? What little steps can we all take to shop more sustainably? And is it a case of being more organised and getting more creative with what IS available round the corner? Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Ruth Barry shares her foodie favourites in Berlin. Organic? Biodynamic? Vegan? Sustainable? Fancy going a bit more “green” with your wine purchases but finding the terminology a bit perplexing? Simon Preston rummages through the shelves of his local wine shop to see what’s available while wine expert Nikki Welch helps us unpick what the labels mean and just what we’re getting in terms of taste, cost and environmental impact.

5-Mile Food Challenge & Sustainable Wines

Do you want to save £440 per year?  We can help you to be more cash savvy in the kitchen! Ylva Haglund from Zero Waste Scotland is on hand with lots of simple money saving tips.  Radio Scotland's 'Clever about Cash' presenter Kim McAllister is set the 'yellow sticker challenge' to hunt out bargains in the local supermarket.As Valentines Day is on the horizon, Jenny MacPherson and Scotland's very own spice girl, Ghillie Basan explores what it means to cook with love as they create a delicious meatball tagine and discover why cooking with love can enhance your eating experience.

Do you want to save £440 per year? We can help you to be more cash savvy in the kitchen! Ylva Haglund from Zero Waste Scotland is on hand with lots of simple money saving tips. Radio Scotland's 'Clever about Cash' presenter Kim McAllister is set the 'yellow sticker challenge' to hunt out bargains in the local supermarket. As Valentines Day is on the horizon, Jenny MacPherson and Scotland's very own spice girl, Ghillie Basan explores what it means to cook with love as they create a delicious meatball tagine and discover why cooking with love can enhance your eating experience.

Saving cash in the kitchen!

Does the sandwich you brought to work today feel like something really special? If not, on the Kitchen Café this week we’ll be finding out what makes the ultimate sandwich and we’ll be giving you some ideas of how you can make your own gourmet sandwich on the cheap. Selecting the right bread is essential so David Hoyle from the Findhorn Bakery will be talking about the various grains he uses and how that changes the flavour and texture of the bread. Are you looking for food that will give you a bit of a hug this week? Chef Alfie Little from River House restaurant in Inverness will be cooking up a mouth-watering Haddock Welsh Rarebit served on a bed of crushed potato and samphire.

Does the sandwich you brought to work today feel like something really special? If not, on the Kitchen Café this week we’ll be finding out what makes the ultimate sandwich and we’ll be giving you some ideas of how you can make your own gourmet sandwich on the cheap. Selecting the right bread is essential so David Hoyle from the Findhorn Bakery will be talking about the various grains he uses and how that changes the flavour and texture of the bread. Are you looking for food that will give you a bit of a hug this week? Chef Alfie Little from River House restaurant in Inverness will be cooking up a mouth-watering Haddock Welsh Rarebit served on a bed of crushed potato and samphire.

The Ultimate Sandwich!

Fed up of stodgy comfort food but not quite ready for spring salads?  Step forward the blood orange – bang in season and sure to put a zing into your cooking!  Chef Neil Forbes shows Jenny MacPherson how to make a warm pigeon breast and blood orange salad – just 20 minutes from start to finish!Avacados - love ‘em or loathe ‘em?  They’re a bit of a "marmite" food so how does Dave Griffiths manage to devote an entire café to those squidgy green beauties?  Emma Gryczka meets him to find out more while food writer Claire Jessiman offers ideas on what else we can do with them beyond avo on toast.  Neil and Claire share their thoughts on the sustainability issues surrounding avocados and how they offset the food miles that produce like that bring with it…Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Jenny Soep shares her foodie favourites in Stockholm.And in this week’s “green hack” Kilted Chef Craig Wilson offers a handy tip for what we can do with leftover yoghurt.

Fed up of stodgy comfort food but not quite ready for spring salads? Step forward the blood orange – bang in season and sure to put a zing into your cooking! Chef Neil Forbes shows Jenny MacPherson how to make a warm pigeon breast and blood orange salad – just 20 minutes from start to finish! Avacados - love ‘em or loathe ‘em? They’re a bit of a "marmite" food so how does Dave Griffiths manage to devote an entire café to those squidgy green beauties? Emma Gryczka meets him to find out more while food writer Claire Jessiman offers ideas on what else we can do with them beyond avo on toast. Neil and Claire share their thoughts on the sustainability issues surrounding avocados and how they offset the food miles that produce like that bring with it… Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Jenny Soep shares her foodie favourites in Stockholm. And in this week’s “green hack” Kilted Chef Craig Wilson offers a handy tip for what we can do with leftover yoghurt.

Blood Oranges, Avocados & Stockholm's Food Scene

If you think Burns night is all about haggis, neeps and tatties then think again......Chef Neil Forbes joins Jenny MacPherson to give haggis a complete makeover,  Ryan Van Winkle talks about how food and poetry are the perfect pairing and  Emma Gryczka heads along to Aberdeen's indoor market where she gets a pasta masterclass from Francesco Di Nicola.

Burns night but not as you know it!

January is a time where many of us have to think about tightening the purse strings so Lorna Cooper joins Jenny MacPherson to talk about her new book "How To Feed Your Family On £20 A Week", and Mary Contini, having grown up in a large Italian family, gives us some great hints and tips on how to make your food go further. Plus, Simon Preston visits Glasgow’s first Hellenic Pie shop to learn how to make a traditional Greek Spanakopita pie.

Feed your family for £20 a week!

Helping you get the best from Scotland's wonderful natural larder with weekly recipes, reviews, tips and delicious ideas from some of Scotland's top chefs!

Love this podcast. Interviews are great, recipes are mouth watering, and listening is so easy and relaxing. If you’re a foodie and love Scotland, you’ll love this podcast!

Thank goodness for the mic that picks up cooking noises

My daughter and I love listening to this podcast. She is 7 and she especially loves Flora!

Awesome Show

The Kitchen Café

If you think that salad means iceberg lettuce, sliced cucumber and a quarter of a tomato, Chef Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are going to make you think again! They have some mouth-watering sensational salads on the Kitchen Café menu that will transform your summer eating. Also, Flora Shedden helps Chef Kirsten Gilmore to cook up a delicious Lebanese chicken salad and Chef Steven Devlin shows Gillian Russell how to make a warm seared tuna salad with fresh mango.

Sensational Salads

As its Father's Day on Sunday, Chef Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are joined in the garden by chilli sauce entrepreneur Gennaro D'Onofrio to cook up some deliciously marinated chicken kebabs and hand-dived scallops on the barbecue. Also, spice girl Ghillie Basan and her friend Bernie prepare lunch over an open fire using an upside down wok and food innovator Simon Preston visits Reekie's Smokehouse in Edinburgh to hear how they are using chopped up whisky barrels to flavour their meats.

Sharing a tune and some food together this St. Andrews Day, Scottish traditional music legend and curry fanatic Phil Cunningham joins Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan on the Curry Club to indulge himself in his lifelong obsession with curry.On the road in the early days of Silly Wizard the only places still open to get food after a gig were the curry houses of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Before long the band had become connoisseurs of the takeaway menu. In the years that followed Phil and good pal Aly Bain started making their own curries, roasting their own spices and using each other as guinea pigs for their latest curry experiments in the kitchen. While they have both become global legends of the Scottish music scene, within the traditional music world, Phil is now a curry king. He describes his love to Sumayya and Ghillie while getting some top tips for his own kitchen. To keep our stomachs full for St. Andrews Day celebrations, Sumayya and Phil make a Scottish take on shalgham ghost together, a spicy version of venison stovies. Meanwhile, Ghillie explores a very Scottish spice, juniper.

Sharing a tune and some food together this St. Andrews Day, Scottish traditional music legend and curry fanatic Phil Cunningham joins Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan on the Curry Club to indulge himself in his lifelong obsession with curry. On the road in the early days of Silly Wizard the only places still open to get food after a gig were the curry houses of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Before long the band had become connoisseurs of the takeaway menu. In the years that followed Phil and good pal Aly Bain started making their own curries, roasting their own spices and using each other as guinea pigs for their latest curry experiments in the kitchen. While they have both become global legends of the Scottish music scene, within the traditional music world, Phil is now a curry king. He describes his love to Sumayya and Ghillie while getting some top tips for his own kitchen. To keep our stomachs full for St. Andrews Day celebrations, Sumayya and Phil make a Scottish take on shalgham ghost together, a spicy version of venison stovies. Meanwhile, Ghillie explores a very Scottish spice, juniper.

Curry Club

Flora Shedden, Neil Forbes, Sumayya Usmani, Ghillie Basan and Simon Preston - meet BBC Radio Scotland's Kitchen Cafe team of experts!Bake Off's Flora Shedden, award winning chef Neil Forbes and acclaimed cookery writer Sumayya Usmani join forces with international spice expert Ghillie Basan and food innovator Simon Preston in this weekly celebration of Scotland's fabulous seasonal larder.Haggis, oats, seafood or perhaps even berries... Cook and food writer Sue Lawrence is tasked with choosing Scotland's finest ingredient. Chef Neil Forbes cooks up a Scottish classic using smoked haddock as he tries to convince Sue that smoked haddock should be at the top of her list, however, Chef Mark Greenaway sweetens things up when he gives Sue one of his mouth-watering strawberry tarts as he puts his argument across that berries are by far Scotland's best ingredient.

Flora Shedden, Neil Forbes, Sumayya Usmani, Ghillie Basan and Simon Preston - meet BBC Radio Scotland's Kitchen Cafe team of experts! Bake Off's Flora Shedden, award winning chef Neil Forbes and acclaimed cookery writer Sumayya Usmani join forces with international spice expert Ghillie Basan and food innovator Simon Preston in this weekly celebration of Scotland's fabulous seasonal larder. Haggis, oats, seafood or perhaps even berries... Cook and food writer Sue Lawrence is tasked with choosing Scotland's finest ingredient. Chef Neil Forbes cooks up a Scottish classic using smoked haddock as he tries to convince Sue that smoked haddock should be at the top of her list, however, Chef Mark Greenaway sweetens things up when he gives Sue one of his mouth-watering strawberry tarts as he puts his argument across that berries are by far Scotland's best ingredient.

A Taste of Scotland

Chef Neil Forbes is joined by whisky enthusiast Roy Duff to give us a beginner's guide in choosing the right whisky for your palate and Ghillie Basan takes a trip to the heart of whisky country where she caught up with Ann Miller to hear how Speyside has developed such a strong identity as a whisky producing region.

Whisky for Beginners

Spice girls Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani are in Edinburgh to talk to food vendors Scott Kirkham and Hal Prescott, the driving force behind Edinburgh's street food scene. Hal shows us how quick and delicious street food can be when he cooks us up fresh crab with tarragon, mayonnaise and mint slaw served on a bed of fries. Also, Chef Neil Forbes hears about how stripped back cooking can be when he talks to Thomasina Miers about her new cook book, Home Cook.

Street Food

Chef Neil Forbes is joined in his garden by gardening expert Nicola Singleton to celebrate the whole journey from nature to plate. Also, Ghillie Basan and her son Zeki do a bit of wild foraging in the shadows of the Cairngorms before cooking up a delicious Italian classic.

Nature to Plate

If you're looking for some inspiration on the festive food front, Scotland's National Chef Gary Maclean cooks us up a couple of delicious starters including citrus prawns and pan seared mackerel.  Mary Contini has some great ideas for Christmas nibbles to keep you going while you slave over a hot stove and Simon Preston meets up with wine expert Davy Zyw for some advice on what festive fizz we should have on our Christmas tables this year.

Christmas starters and Festive nibbles!

Bread and butter are one of life's simple pleasures so this week, Flora Shedden shows us how to make a sourdough starter, Chef Neil Forbes visits a farmer in East Lothian who grows, harvests and mills his own wheat and Sumayya Usmani heads for Dumfries to meet up with Barry Graham at the award winning Loch Arthur Creamery to find out how to make butter.

Bread and Butter

We're celebrating Scottish classics on The Kitchen Cafe, with dishes which have nourished our collective history and unite us through time and geography. Flora Shedden and Neil Forbes are joined by Sue Lawrence to enjoy the best of Scottish baking. Flora whips up a batch of fresh fruit scones, while Sue Lawrence prepares a classic Selkirk Bannock, and Simon Preston meets Jennifer Hunter of Edinburgh bakery Pinnies and Poppy Seeds to sample her best-selling shortbread. Plus, Ghillie Basan talks to Liz Ashworth about her new book, "The Book of Bere: Orkney's Ancient Grain".

Kitchen Cafe Classics: Bakes

Flora Shedden and Sumayya Usmani go absolutely tomato-tastic as they celebrate British Tomato week. Flora makes a delicious bruschetta lunch-time treat and Sumayya talks us through how simple it is to make different tomato chutneys. Also, Pennie Latin joins Ghillie Basan to make a Mediterranean classic melanzane alla parmigiana and we've drafted in gardening expert Nicola Singleton to give Neil Forbes some handy tips on growing tomato plants.

Tomatoes

Praveen Kumar grew up in a small village outside Hyderabad on the family spice farm. His father grew spices like chillies, coriander, mustard and cumin. As a young man Praveen left the village farm behind to follow his dream of working the hospitality industry. Years later he found himself making his treasured family recipes in some of the world's most regarded hotels. Now based in Scotland, he gives Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani a culinary guide to some of favourite family recipes and the food of south India.Traditional music legend, Phil Cunningham is widely known to love his curry as much as he does music. His favourite southern Indian dish is a ghee roasted dosa, a light pancake made from fermented batter. But it was one of the few dishes that this curry king hadn't mastered in his own kitchen until he joined the Curry Club for a quick masterclass.

Praveen Kumar grew up in a small village outside Hyderabad on the family spice farm. His father grew spices like chillies, coriander, mustard and cumin. As a young man Praveen left the village farm behind to follow his dream of working the hospitality industry. Years later he found himself making his treasured family recipes in some of the world's most regarded hotels. Now based in Scotland, he gives Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani a culinary guide to some of favourite family recipes and the food of south India. Traditional music legend, Phil Cunningham is widely known to love his curry as much as he does music. His favourite southern Indian dish is a ghee roasted dosa, a light pancake made from fermented batter. But it was one of the few dishes that this curry king hadn't mastered in his own kitchen until he joined the Curry Club for a quick masterclass.

Ghillie Basan shows us some inspiring ways in which we can use up our leftovers in a pot of soup and Fife food ambassador Christopher Trotter is on hand to give us some expert advice on how to create the perfect stock.  Also, Christopher Mullin tells Andrew Thomson about his one man mission to revive the ancient tradition of making mead in Scotland.

Soup and using up the leftovers

Neil Forbes, Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani celebrate autumnal berries and get creative in the kitchen with their favourite fruits. Ghillie introduces us to rowan gin, Sumayya makes a quick and easy raspberry ketchup, and Neil prepares a venison steak with blackberries from his garden. Meanwhile, we send Simon Preston on a foraging adventure with Rupert Waites, head chef at the Edinburgh-based pop-up restaurant Buck and Birch, to follow the story of their wild elderberry liqueur.

Autumnal Berries

There's a real buzz about this week's Kitchen Café! Chef Neil Forbes and gardening expert Nicola Singleton explore the versatility of one of the jewels in our Scottish larder, honey! Also, Ghillie Basan speaks to food writer Liz Ashworth about Scotland's historical relationship with honey while Megan Lancaster visits bee keeper Mark Noonan in Blairgowrie to find out why some honey cost more than others.

Honey

There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that are so versatile. There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that can be so easy to get so wrong. But whether you are making an omelette, a meringue or simply boiling them, eggs are part of our daily diet.We consume millions of eggs each year and for some the labelling we find in the supermarket about the different types of egg can be confusing. Simon Preston goes to an egg farm to find out about the differences and what they mean to the taste of the eggs.Back in the kitchen, Neil Forbes gives us a quick masterclass in the art of the perfect poached, a brilliant boiled, super scrambled and fantastically fried eggs.If you've ever wondered about whether you should keep your eggs in the fridge or not or if a duck egg might be better to use in your baking than a hen's eggs then Fiona Burrell has some perfect eggy do's and dont's.

There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that are so versatile. There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that can be so easy to get so wrong. But whether you are making an omelette, a meringue or simply boiling them, eggs are part of our daily diet. We consume millions of eggs each year and for some the labelling we find in the supermarket about the different types of egg can be confusing. Simon Preston goes to an egg farm to find out about the differences and what they mean to the taste of the eggs. Back in the kitchen, Neil Forbes gives us a quick masterclass in the art of the perfect poached, a brilliant boiled, super scrambled and fantastically fried eggs. If you've ever wondered about whether you should keep your eggs in the fridge or not or if a duck egg might be better to use in your baking than a hen's eggs then Fiona Burrell has some perfect eggy do's and dont's.

Eggs

Tomato and basil, sprouts and bacon, avocado and toast, cheese and oatcakes some of the greatest food combinations to pass our lips. A good cheese on the perfect oatcake is one of life's luxuries. In today's Kitchen Cafe Neil Forbes explores the right oatcake for the right cheese with Chris Young. Flora Shedden and Kirsten Gilmour combine mascarpone cheese with some biscuits to make a sweet and delicious baked cheesecake with topped macadamia nuts. While Simon Preston explores the much unsung delight of cottage cheese with cheesemaker David Mitchell and Edinburgh's Michelin starred chef Paul Kitching to find out not just what cottage cheese is but how we can use it on more than just a baked potato...in some leek and potato soup or with a wee drop of tomato sauce perhaps?

Cheese and Oatcakes

Spring is in the air so this week Neil Forbes is joined by raw baker Laurianne Giteau to celebrate food in its freshest form, raw. Gardening expert Nicola Singleton takes a stroll round Neil's garden to see what jobs need done and Ghillie Basan talks to Kaori Simpson from Harajuku Kitchen about the Japanese philosophy behind eating raw food.

Raw Food

Calm

It may still be November… and you might not want to hear the C word … but trust us, your Christmas food planning and cooking will be a lot less stressful with Beth Kempton’s guide to a calm Christmas.  And it starts right now!Food writer and lover of all things Italian Vicky Bennison has spent years travelling across Italy, meeting the nonnas and finding out their culinary secrets.  Discover just how simple it is to cook like a “pasta granny” in your kitchen at home!Nigel Slater explains why the humble cheese grater has a special place in his heart!And wrapping up Soup Month, Chef Kirsten Gilmour makes an apricot, carrot, rosemary and red lentil soup.  Yes, really – apricots in a soup!

It may still be November… and you might not want to hear the C word … but trust us, your Christmas food planning and cooking will be a lot less stressful with Beth Kempton’s guide to a calm Christmas. And it starts right now! Food writer and lover of all things Italian Vicky Bennison has spent years travelling across Italy, meeting the nonnas and finding out their culinary secrets. Discover just how simple it is to cook like a “pasta granny” in your kitchen at home! Nigel Slater explains why the humble cheese grater has a special place in his heart! And wrapping up Soup Month, Chef Kirsten Gilmour makes an apricot, carrot, rosemary and red lentil soup. Yes, really – apricots in a soup!

Creating A Calm Christmas Kitchen!

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