Merlin Labron-Johnson - From School Cook To Creating 'Osip' The Best Rated Michelin Starred Restaurant In The UK!

In this episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, we sit down with one of Britain’s most brilliant young chefs, Merlin Labron-Johnson—the visionary behind OSIP, the tiny Somerset restaurant recently crowned Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide. Merlin opens up about his move from the intensity of London’s dining scene to the calm of the countryside, explaining why creativity needs “mental and physical space” and how the stars over Somerset matter more than Michelin ones. He reflects on leaving the chaos of Portland and Clipstone behind to build something truer to his roots—a farm-led restaurant that grows almost everything it serves.From learning to cook school lunches at 14 after being kicked out of multiple schools, to enduring the brutal kitchens of France and Switzerland, Merlin’s story is one of resilience and redefinition. He shares vivid tales of his early mentors—Michael Caines’ “Thai puree” at The Abode, and the revelatory salt-baked celeriac at In De Wulf in Belgium, where a chef finally asked him, “How are you feeling?” That question, he says, changed everything about how he cooks and how he leads.Merlin also pulls back the curtain on life at OSIP today—where there’s no menu, dishes arrive as surprises, and the chefs might also be the ones who picked your carrots that morning. He talks about resisting culinary clichés (“Everyone needs to relax on caviar”), his devotion to balance and storytelling on the plate, and the creative discipline of cooking from what the land gives. From his love of Fergus Henderson’s prose to his dream pub pint of nameless cider at the Seymour Arms, this is an episode that captures the soul of a chef who’s rewriting what fine dining can mean.-------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben’s favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a Go-To Food Podcast first — we’re coming to you from the hottest new opening of the year, Dockley Road in Bermondsey, where the doors officially open this week. We sit down with Emily Chia (Ex Head Chef at St John) & Alex Keys (Ex Head Chef at Rochelle Canteen) the creative minds behind this much-anticipated spot, to hear about them coming together to open this wonderful new restaurant. The result? A lively, behind-the-pass chat about friendship, food philosophy, and how years of experience in world-class kitchens have come together to shape one of London’s most exciting new restaurants.From banh mi terrine inspired by Parisian-Vietnamese bistros to Lancashire hot pots inspired by St John's famous mince on toast and local stout, the chefs take us through their playful, thoughtful menu. They talk about sourcing from Bermondsey’s legendary suppliers, collaborating with cocktail wizard Nick Strangeway, and why this space fills a gap London didn’t know it had — a place to eat, drink, and shop the city’s best produce all in one spot.There are plenty of stories too: burning soup on trial shifts at St. John, cooking for Anthony Bourdain, and learning the realities of restaurant ownership the hard way (hello VAT bills). It’s an episode packed with wit, warmth, and the kind of culinary energy that makes London’s dining scene so electric. Whether you’re a chef, a foodie, or just someone who loves a great opening night story, this one’s a feast.---------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben’s favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ravneet Gill joins The Go-To Food Podcast with an episode full of chaos, charm, and honesty. She tells the hilarious story of how she met her now-husband Matty while developing menus at Llewellyn’s—he didn’t like her at first, unfollowed her on Instagram, and fell for her only after a passive-aggressive argument about blue roll on the hob. She relives his rainy proposal at Frieze Art Fair, the parking ticket that came with it, and their wedding filled with food from Lily Vanilli, Happy Endings, and half the London pastry scene. And of course, she shares the madness of opening Gina, their new restaurant in Chingford—five-star reviews from Faye Maschler, half a million pounds spent before serving a single plate, and one unforgettable Sunday when bad potatoes caused a local uproar.Rav opens up about life behind the pass—what happens when trolls flood your Google reviews, when diners complain the “fish has bones,” and when a burger brings in the wrong crowd. She talks about juggling motherhood, TV, and restaurant life, plus the unexpected secret to keeping her marriage strong: living apart during opening month. There’s also the surreal story of being scouted for Junior Bake Off through a random DM she nearly ignored while private cheffing in Greece, only to sneak home in the night after her furious client found out she’d landed the gig.She also rewinds to her sweet-toothed childhood above her dad’s corner shop, where Crunchies and chocolate-covered raisins ruled, and the fateful moment at 14 when she stopped being a fussy eater. From her first days at St. John (where Fergus Henderson once handed her a doodle of a pair of breasts that inspired a Paris-Brest dessert) to surviving bullying kitchens that pushed her to create Countertalk, Rav tells it all with warmth, humour, and absolute candour. --------Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Blinq—POS made simple: £69/month, unlimited devices, 24/7 UK support, no contracts or hidden fees. Use code GOTOBLINQ for a free month. Got a true kitchen nightmare? Send it in—Ben’s favourite wins a year of Blinq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Go-To Food Podcast, Freddy and Ben sit down with the extraordinary Diana Henry, whose food writing has shaped how we cook and think for over two decades. With warmth, humour, and striking honesty, Diana shares stories from a life steeped in flavour — from her mother’s soda bread and Sunday puddings in Northern Ireland to her teenage awakening in France, where vinaigrette and apple tarts revealed food as art, culture, and freedom.She recalls her early dinner parties — prawn cocktails, ratatouille, and Hamlyn cookbooks spread open on the counter — and the thrill of discovering writers like Claudia Roden and Alice Waters, who showed her how recipes could tell human stories. London brought new worlds: barrels of olives, tahini epiphanies, and a stint on TV Dinners, where she helped stage surreal futuristic feasts with silk and sandpaper.There’s the pivotal Friday phone call that changed everything: being asked to ghostwrite Antonio Carluccio’s Vegetables, which proved she could build a book from scratch. That led to Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons, her breakout success — a deeply personal collection shaped by mood boards, travel dreams, and an instinct for beauty that made her one of the most admired voices in food.In one of her most moving stories, Diana opens up about her time in hospital — the serious illness that almost ended her career, the long, slow recovery, and how the act of cooking helped her return to herself. Even at her weakest, she found comfort in ingredients and the language of recipes, proof that creativity and appetite can endure when everything else falls away.This conversation is rich with memory, resilience, and joy — from French tarts to Carluccio’s kitchen, from the ICU to her writing desk. It’s a portrait of a life lived through food, and a reminder, as Diana says, that “there’s always something worth cooking for.”Around the Table - 52 Essays on Food & Life by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, £20--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Tobias joins us at Café Deco with a rollicking origin story: letters to Jeremy Lee straight out of Oxford, a crash-course at Blueprint Café (including emergency ice-cream runs mid-service), and the Garden Museum saga that sparked an industry-wide outpouring of support. From Hong Kong lettuce-wrap memories to Lower Saxony kale festivals, Anna’s food map is as eclectic as her menu—anchored by that now-iconic egg mayonnaise (halved, dolloped, criss-crossed with anchovy) that made the New York Times list of must-eat London dishes.We get under the hood of Café Deco’s quietly fanatical seasonal rhythm—veg first, always—then the “wet meat/dry meat” dance, beany stews that show off the market, and why the late-summer-into-autumn handover is peak cooking season. Anna talks River Café discipline, becoming head chef at Rochelle under Margot Henderson’s watchful, open mind, and the P. Franco stint that sharpened her own voice. She’s candid on staying relevant once the new-opening glow fades, the realities of PR, and why trends (hi, crudo) can flatten a city’s food culture.There are stories galore: floods as true kitchen nightmares, the one thing that makes a customer instantly “worst,” and the trust Café Deco builds with regulars who come for comfort done properly. We finish with travel and nostalgia—Madrid’s surprise-hit cod tripe rice, and the all-time Hall of Fame dish: her mum’s broth with semolina dumplings—before Anna cues up our outro with Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” If you care about London cooking with backbone, this one’s essential listening.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step into Soho’s most storied dining room with executive chef Neil Borthwick — Scottish straight-talker, lover of demi-pints, and guardian of The French House’s old-school rules: no phones, no music, proper conversation only. He walks us through the thrill of a handwritten, daily-changing menu and the cult dishes that vanish by Friday — calves’ brains with beurre noisette and capers, that famously crispy pork jowl, a parsleyed ham terrine pricked with ox tongue — and yes, a rum baba to finish. We even learn the two sacred days when pints are allowed (April Fool’s and Pride), why four halves is a “rubbish” order, and how the vibe stays gloriously convivial because of it.At The French House, Neil has built something rare — a place where the food feels both deeply French and completely unfussy, rooted in seasonality and memory rather than trends. The menu changes daily but always reads like a love letter to proper cooking: Dover sole meunière with caviar-laced velouté, pigeon pie, or a bone marrow–crumbed beef plate that regulars pray will reappear. From Gordon Ramsay’s Amaryllis to Phil Howard’s The Square, Anne-Sophie Pic’s three-star temple, and a formative stint with Michel Bras, Neil’s CV reads like a greatest-hits of modern gastronomy. He unpacks the legend of Bras’ gargouillou (no tweezers required), the origin story of molten chocolate cake, and a philosophy that rejects “cool” in favour of nourishing, seasonal food done beautifully well. Expect dish-by-dish storytelling, laughter, and the tale of how a Paris lift kiss with Angela Hartnett, a near-fatal cycling accident and seven-day coma, and a hard-won recovery led him to the kitchen that finally feels like home.------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step into the world of London’s most iconic cheese emporium with Patricia Michelson, founder of La Fromagerie, as she joins The Go-To Food Podcast. From a single wheel of Beaufort cheese smuggled home from a disastrous ski trip to running three of London’s most beloved food destinations, Patricia shares how a moment of serendipity sparked a movement that transformed how the city eats. Hear how she turned her garden shed into a “cheese cave,” won over Michelin-starred chefs, and built a thriving, independent food business — all without investors, all on instinct.In this conversation packed with stories and flavour, Patricia recounts her early days selling cheese at Camden Lock Market, the birth of her Marylebone café culture, and the surprising musical history of her family — including her brother’s 1960s restaurant, Mr. Love, on Brook Street, where Jimi Hendrix once stayed upstairs. From those heady Soho days to her invention of “small plates” years before it became a trend, Patricia’s journey is a love letter to creativity, connection, and courage in the world of food.From truffle pasta and toasted cheese made with a splash of white wine to tales of chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver discovering the joys of raw milk, Patricia brings the spirit of London’s culinary scene to life. This is a story about taste and tenacity, told by the woman who taught a city how to eat cheese — with a rock’n’roll twist.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Maison François founder Francois O’Neill shares what it really takes to keep restaurants thriving amid rising costs, changing diners, and constant uncertainty. From the realities of staffing and margins to the return of brasserie theatre — foie gras “burgers,” dessert trolleys, and caviar-topped chicken nuggets included — Francois reveals how optimism, generosity, and beautiful chaos keep his world turning.Beyond the food, Francois is candid about the realities of running a restaurant today — the impossible margins, soaring ingredient costs, and the new normal of 35% staff overheads. But his optimism shines through as he explains how Maison François has weathered every storm: through generosity, energy, and human connection. He takes us from the flickering lights of Brasserie St Quentin, where a towering French chef named Marcel used to eat from the stockpot, to today’s buzzing St James’s dining rooms where corner booths, dessert trolleys, and champagne carts help guests “order with their eyes.” It’s a love letter to old-school glamour made relevant again — and a reminder that theatre and warmth are as vital as the food itself.In a wide-ranging conversation, we hear about the breakfast hustle that went from one table to 200 covers, the behind-the-scenes of Frank’s, his quietly brilliant Borough Market venture, and the power of saying yes to single diners. Francois opens up about the grind and the gratitude — from crisis-era reopenings to future plans at Frieze London, and from late-night service lessons to the Brazilian beach barbecue that still defines his idea of heaven. It’s rich, funny, and full of texture — a portrait of a restaurateur who still believes in beauty, hospitality, and a good bit of butter.-------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From punk rocker to pasta sauce pioneer, Loyd Grossman has lived many lives—and he tells the stories with all the colour and humour you’d expect. In this episode, Loyd looks back at his unlikely journey from fronting a chart-climbing band to backing Van Morrison on stage, before swapping guitar strings for restaurant reviews and TV stardom. His take on the difference between the US and UK punk scenes alone is worth the listen.Food, of course, is never far away. Loyd recalls arriving in 1970s London, a time often maligned for its bland cooking, and sets the record straight with tales of surprising sophistication: Margaret Costa’s influential writing, brilliant trattorias, and the early days of Le Caprice, when he was sometimes the only diner in the room. He explains how these restaurants, along with innovators like Peter Langan and Anton Mosimann, transformed London into a truly global dining city.There are TV tales too. Loyd shares the accidental phone call that led to him co-creating Through the Keyhole with David Frost—an idea born in Camden over steak and chips that went on to become one of Britain’s biggest entertainment shows. Then came MasterChef, which he fronted in its gentler, pre-competitive era. He reflects on why he stepped away when the format shifted, and on how the food people cooked on those early episodes reflected changing British tastes.And then, of course, the sauces. Loyd reveals the unlikely beginnings of his now 30-year-old range—how factory trials first turned out “absolutely bloody awful,” why supermarket buyers balked at olive oil, and the moment someone told him his sauces had “too much flavour.” Add to that his failed but fascinating battle to improve NHS food, and you’ve got an episode packed with stories of grit, wit, and the power of perseverance.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £64 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Corrigan has lived through—and helped shape—the restaurant revolutions that made London one of the world’s great food cities. From his early days with the eccentric genius Stephen Bull at Blanford Street, through his game-changing decade at Lindsay House, to opening Corrigan’s Mayfair on the very day he closed Lindsay House with a party, Corrigan’s career is a story of grit, brilliance, and survival. He remembers the 90s buzz alongside Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes, and Marco Pierre White, when Michelin stars were scarce, small kitchens did the impossible, and London’s dining scene finally came alive.In this wide-ranging and unfiltered conversation, Corrigan recalls the madness and magic: Marco Pierre White denying he sat for a portrait—until it was bought by the National Portrait Gallery; Gordon Ramsay standing in his tiny Lindsay House kitchen asking how he pulled it off; and the supermodels who ran out mid-meal when told their limousines had arrived. He shares his passion for honest cooking, his disdain for overblown tasting menus and foodie fads, and his belief that hospitality is about turning even the worst customer into a loyal friend. Along the way, he dishes on everyone from Jay Rayner to Faye Maschler, from the King of Jordan to Kate Moss.Always outspoken, Corrigan cuts through the noise with clarity. Pizza, he insists, “isn’t dinner, it’s just bread.” Long lunches are a dying art. And the future of food lies not in obscure herbs or gimmicky “Scandi bowls” but in intelligence, honesty, and produce that sings. Whether cooking for three prime ministers, the Queen, or just another guest with a bad day to forget, Corrigan has never lost sight of what matters most: generosity, joy, and a little bit of sea salt in his pocket, just in case.-------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £64 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that’s always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you’re live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.