Food Rebels

What happens when a chef discovers a food trend in New York years before anyone in the UK has heard of it?

This week on Food Rebels, AJ Sharp meets Dan Shearman, founder of Wilderbee, the brand behind the UK's original hot honey. What started as a homemade chilli-infused honey for a food truck menu has grown into a fast-rising food brand stocked in major retailers including Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Whole Foods, Co-op and now W...

What does “sustainable seafood” actually mean and are we being misled about the fish on our plates?

This week on Food Rebels, AJ Sharp meets chef patron Ben Champkin from Catch at The Old Fish Market in Dorset. After training in some of the world’s top kitchens including L’Enclume, The Newt and three Michelin-starred Meadowood in California, Ben returned to the South West with a mission to champion truly sus...

This week on Food Rebels, AJ Sharp is joined by chef, recipe developer and content creator Lungi Mhlanga, founder of Lungi’s Always Baking.

From growing up in a food-obsessed Zimbabwean household to running bakeries in Shoreditch and Soho, Lungi’s journey has been full of creativity, graft and glorious kitchen chaos.

AJ and Lungi talk about viral toast cookies, ADHD, confidence, failure, Substack, baking without rules a...

What really happens behind the scenes in Britain’s restaurant chains?

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp sits down with Andrew Macleod, founder of Emilia’s Crafted Pasta, to explore why so much casual dining restaurant food is far more processed than customers realise and why he chose ...

This week we’re rerunning one of our most talked-about conversations. What are ultra-processed foods really doing to our health, our kids and our food culture?

In this powerful episode, AJ Sharp sits down with Dr Dolly van Tulleken to unpack the rise of UPFs and the complex mix of politics, marketing and industry influence that keeps them on our plates.

Dolly shares her journey into food policy, reveals how decisions are shap...

What happens when three brothers ditch the safe path to chase a sausage dream?

In this episode, AJ Sharp sits down with Olly and Max Kohn, two of the three brothers behind The Jolly Hog, the British meat brand that’s gone from a Kenwood sausage machine in a one-bed flat to shelves in every major UK supermarket.

They share the real story behind the growth, from unpaid early days and street food graft to cracking retail, buildi...

Join us in this week, as we revisit our interview with Charlotte Miller, founder of Caroboo, shares her inspiring journey of revolutionising chocolate!

She delves into the challenges of balancing parenting and entrepreneurship while creating healthier treats for families. Discover the story behind Caroboo's unique products and learn about their innovative approach to marketing. Tune in to hear about the mission to transform childre...

What’s really driving the way we eat and why does it feel so hard to get it right?

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp sits down with nutritional therapist Nicola Moore to unpack metabolism, mindset and modern eating. From ultra-processed foods and gut health to cravings, cortisol and GLP-1s, this is a straight-talking look at what’s actually going on inside our bodies.

They explore why we’re constantly hungr...

What happens when food justice stops being a conversation and becomes a political mission?

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp sits down with Sarah Bentley, founder of Made in Hackney, to go way beyond the usual chat on ultra-processed food and “better choices”. 

Sarah announces on the show that she is now standing as a Green Party candidate, taking everything she’s learned from the front line of food ju...

Why does Denmark seem so far ahead when it comes to cutting ultra-processed food, serving better plant-rich meals and making sustainable food choices feel normal rather than niche?

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp sits down with Anders Nicolajsen from the Danish Agriculture & Food Council to dig into how Denmark has built a food system where organic, seasonal and plant-rich food is not just an aspiration, but something ...

In this final Women Changing the World episode, AJ Sharp sits down with chef and restaurateur Ayesha Kalaji to talk about building a career on her own terms, from studying Middle Eastern politics to earning four consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands at Queen of Cups in Glastonbury.

They get into the realities of being a woman in professional kitchens, the outdated stereotypes that still linger, and why real change in hospitality has t...

In this episode of our Women Changing the World series, AJ Sharp is joined by Emma Loder-Symonds of Nonington Farms in Kent, a regenerative arable farm proving that producing food and restoring nature can go hand in hand.

Emma and her husband James are challenging conventional, high-input agriculture by putting nature back at the centre of every farming decision. It’s about community, collaboration and why more women are help...

This is the first episode in our special International Women’s Day series, Women Changing the World, sponsored by Fox and Bloom.

On this week’s Food Rebels, AJ Sharp is joined by Mex Ibrahim, founder of Women in the Food Industry, an organisation championing equity, visibility and real opportunity for women across every corner of food and drink.

From Michelin-star gatekeeping to boardroom representation, from profession...

What happens when a professional contemporary dancer gets fed up with "healthy" snacks that are actually just sugar-laden, ultra-processed disappointments? She starts a revolution in her own kitchen.

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp sits down with Claire Hindley, the powerhouse founder of Claire’s Amazeballs. Based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Claire is on a mission to prove that "convenient" doesn't have to mean "chem...

This week on Food Rebels, AJ Sharp interviews Alex Emmanuel-Jones, Commercial Director of The Black Farmer, to unpack the real story behind one of the UK’s most recognisable challenger brands.

What started as Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones’ bold response to assumptions about who “belongs” in farming has grown into a nationally stocked brand found in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Ocado, alongside urban farm shop...

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, AJ Sharp ditches the clichés and pulls together a Food Rebels gift guide that’s all about flavour, story and genuinely thoughtful food and drink. Joined by Claire Pope, editor of Taste Kent Magazine, AJ explores gifts that actually mean something, whether you’re buying for a partner, a friend, family, or yourself.

The episode is packed with standout recommendations, inc...

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp interviews Matt Harris, founder of Pickle Project, who shares his journey from racing car driver to food innovator. The conversation delves into the science of flavour, innovative techniques like ultrasound in pickling, and the challenges of launching a food product. Matt discusses his vision for the future of Pickle Project, emphasizing sustainability and the importance of quality ingredien...

In this episode of Food Rebels, AJ Sharp speaks with Clara Latham, founder of Deeply Foods, about the critical importance of fibre in our diets and the alarming fibre gap affecting 96% of the population. Clara shares her journey in the food industry, the founding of Deeply Foods, and the innovative products designed to address gut health through fibre-rich nutrition. The conversation delves into the challenges of being a founder, t...