The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.
Latest episodes
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26 min ↗
The joy (and pain) of sharing food
Do you love to share food with friends and family? Or resent handing over even one french fry from your plate? Sharing food has a long and proud tradition in some cultures and is r…
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26 min ↗
How to eat well when travelling for work
What does a life on tour do to a stand-up comedian's eating habits? And how do you stay healthy if half of your working life is spent travelling? Ruth Alexander finds out. If you t…
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26 min ↗
Why do I feel hungry?
Are you hungry? How often do you stop to think about why that is and what sort of foods you are hungry for?In this programme Ruth Alexander explores the science of appetite – what…
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26 min ↗
How to eat for success on weight-loss drugs
Weight-loss medication, or GLP-1s as they are also known, are designed to suppress your appetite - so how do you make every mouthful count? Ruth Alexander looks into what happens t…
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26 min ↗
Culture shock
Imagine not recognising the food in the shops, markets and restaurants around you. Moving to a new country to live and work can come with some culture shocks and food can be a big…
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26 min ↗
Is a healthy diet more expensive?
Is it more expensive to eat healthily? You might think the answer is simple: Yes of course, if you buy fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses and cook from scratch. But is it that ea…
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26 min ↗
What do chefs eat?
Ever wondered what the chef is eating? Snacking on the finest produce or surviving on thin air and caffeine? In this episode Ruth Alexander speaks to three chefs about how they get…
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26 min ↗
The regulars
Do you have a local cafe, restaurant or bar that you go to all the time? Maybe the staff recognise you or know you by name, perhaps you even get special treatment. In this programm…
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26 min ↗
Leaving home
Moving out of the family home can be a big first step at whatever age you do it. Paying bills, budgeting, shopping, and importantly cooking for yourself. In this programme Rumella…
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26 min ↗
What can food tell us about the past?
What can food reveal about the people who came before us? From ancient meals and family recipes to the chemical traces left behind in bones and teeth, food offers remarkable clues…
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26 min ↗
Should I cut down on carbs?
Have you ever asked yourself: should I do Keto? Is white rice good for me? Am I eating too many carbohydrates? If so, then this episode of The Food Chain is for you. Carbohydrate-r…
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26 min ↗
When should I eat my evening meal?
When should you eat your evening meal? Is it really better to eat earlier, or does it depend on when you go to bed? And if you do have to eat late, is there anything you can do to…
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26 min ↗
The rise of eating alone
Listener Melanie wrote into The Food Chain to ask us to make a programme about the rising numbers of people who eat alone. She told us she often dines solo and sometimes finds the…
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26 min ↗
What do World Cup footballers eat?
Elite footballers are among the world's most finely tuned athletes. Every meal is carefully planned to fuel training, maximise recovery and prepare for the next match. But it wasn'…
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26 min ↗
How to order a restaurant meal like a pro
With dining out becoming an increasingly expensive luxury, we find out how to order the perfect restaurant meal with top tips from a panel of seasoned pros. The Irish Times food cr…
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26 min ↗
What to eat for a better night's sleep
Many of us have our own theories about sleep. Perhaps it's avoiding coffee after lunch, drinking chamomile tea before bed, or having a warm glass of milk. But what does the science…
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26 min ↗
Why do we love smoky flavours so much?
The history of smoking foods stretches back many years, but when did what began purely for preservation become a highly sought-after flavour? In this episode of The Food Chain, Rut…
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26 min ↗
Can music change the way food tastes?
Music is part of the backdrop to millions of meals every day. But what if it is doing more than simply creating atmosphere?In this episode of The Food Chain, Rumella Dasgupta explo…
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26 min ↗
Can I save the family restaurant?
Running a restaurant is hard. Long hours, tight margins and constant stress. In this week's programme Rumella Dasgupta travels to Edinburgh, Scotland, to meet Lisa He and her mum S…
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26 min ↗
The business of food tours
Food tours are becoming one of the fastest-growing parts of the travel industry, with tourists increasingly choosing to explore cities and cultures through what they eat.In this ep…