What would you choose as your last meal? Chef Margie Nomura talks to a special guest about the seven dishes that have shaped their lives.
In this podcast you w...
S18 Ep6: Martha Swales the Gardening Guru on the dishes that have shaped her
Martha is something of an anomaly these days. She grows (a lot of) her own food… and is an avid urban gardener from London.
With over 1 million followers on Instagram, Martha’s straightforward and calming approach to growing your own food is digestible and relatable to the masses. Not only is it informative, but I find Martha’s content is such a celebration of what nature can do and how a little bit of sunshine can grow the most wonderful ingredients. Her debut book Give It A Grow has been an instant success, climbing to a top spot immediately in Amazon gardening books. It has chapters on veg, fruit, herbs, flowers and wildlife, with over 40 of her favourite projects to make the most of your garden, patio or balcony plus bonus recipes for how to cook with your produce.
Thank you to our sponsor Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are so confident you’ll see a difference with their Food Grown supplements that they’re offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money. Ts and Cs apply.
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S18 Ep5: Natalia Rudin, the social media sensation Nats Nourishments on the dishes that have shaped her
My guest today is Natalia Rudin otherwise known as Nats Nourishments
Shooting to social media stardom, gaining over a million followers in 1 year, Nat is a personal chef turned food creator, having travelled the world with clients, she now translates this knowledge into her easy, home cooking videos and recipes.
Having taken an untraditional route into the culinary world, she started out with a mission to bring retreats to her clients rather than her clients going off to retreats. She combined being a trainer, yoga teacher and chef and travelled the world – from the Bahamas, Canada, France and beyond.
Eventually, all this travel caught up with Nat and she decided to commit to posting 3 times a week on Instagram to grow a following. The success soon came, and Nat now has over 2 million followers on social media.
Her debut book Cooking Fast and Slow is a celebration of recipes that are simple and delicious, guaranteed to comfort, nourish and delight. It’s out in May 2025.
Thank you very much to our sponsor Wild Nutrition who are offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off a 3 month subscription for their food grown supplements.
Head to www.wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes and if you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money. Ts and Cs apply.
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S18 Ep4: Gordon Ramsay: One of the World's Greatest Chefs on the dishes that have shaped him
As Gordon prepares to open his most ambitious project to date, 22 BISHOPSGATE, Margie got the chance to sit down with him and talk about the dishes that have shaped his life.
He’s a chef, restaurateur and television presenter, known for Kitchen Nightmares, Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen. He’s one of the most famous and recognisable chefs in the world with the kind of success most only dream of, and yet you may not know that he did not have the easiest start in life. Him and his siblings were on lunch vouchers at school, they moved house 15 times and a difficult relationship with his father marred his childhood.
With a strong sense of purpose from a young age, and a determination to make a better life for himself, Gordon was a talented footballer with a bright future ahead until an injury on the pitch changed things overnight and he was back to square one.
He set his sights on culinary school and it was the Banbury round table charity that bought him his first set of chefs whites and knives in order for him to start work.
He went on to open his own restaurant , Aubergine, at the age of 27 and within 3 years it was awarded 2 Michelin stars. He then opened his flagship restaurant Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in 1998 which very quickly earned him the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars and Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London’s longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and he is one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars.
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S18 Ep3: José Pizarro
My guest today is José Pizarro.
José has been been cooking in the UK for over 25 years. He grew up in the outermost Western province of Spain and never thought of working in food, in fact he was all set to become a dental technician before fate intervened. He arrived in the UK in 1999 seeking to expand his horizons as a chef and has since become one of the industry’s best-loved characters.
He worked at several Spanish restaurants, including Brindisa, where he was executive chef. Then, in 2011, he opened two restaurants of his own on Bermondsey Street, south-east London: a tiny tapas bar named José and the larger Pizarro, both instant hits. Many more restaurants and cookbooks have followed all championing Spanish cuisine. In recognition of his “extraordinary services to Spain”, Pizarro was awarded the officer’s cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic by the Spanish ambassador in London.
He says when it comes to cooking, he has a mantra, “Buy the best and don’t mess it up” - often described as The Godfather of Spanish cuisine in the UK.
If you enjoy Desert Island Dishes make sure to subscribe and I will see you next week.
Thank you for listening!
This episode was a Rutherford Production.
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S18 Ep2: Ferne McCann, TV presenter and reality TV star on the dishes that have shaped her
Ferne is a TV presenter, reality TV star, social media sensation and entrepreneur. She shot to fame on hit reality series The Only Way is Essex where she quickly became a fan favourite. She’s gone on to front her own ITVBE series Ferne Mccann - First Time Mum which ran from 2018 - 2024 and documented her journey into motherhood with her two daughters. Since then she has graced our screens on shows like I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Celebrity SAS - who dares wins.
She made it to the semi final of Celebrity Best Home Cook and says that food is her love language.
What would you choose as your last meal? Chef Margie Nomura talks to a special guest about the seven dishes that have shaped their lives.
In this podcast you will find conversations with interesting people from the world of food and beyond uncovering the seminal dishes and experiences that have shaped who they are today. We will find out about their favourite childhood dishes, the dishes they eat the most often, and the dishes that mean the most to them. And of course we will also discover what their last dish would be before being cast off to the desert island.
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