A taste of home

03/09/23 • 31 min

Facing the trauma of having to abandon your home because of war or climate change, how do you find solace in food that is no longer your own?

There are 10 million registered refugees in the world – probably many more - who are living this reality.

In this episode, Ruth Alexander speaks to two families – one Afghan, one Ukrainian - who know what it’s like to lose their food; and to Allison Oman Lawi, deputy director of nutrition at the World Food Programme.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Rumella Dasgupta.

(Image: a selection of dishes enjoyed by an Afghan family living in the UK. Credit: BBC)

Facing the trauma of having to abandon your home because of war or climate change, how do you find solace in food that is no longer your own?

There are 10 million registered refugees in the world – probably many more - who are living this reality.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Rumella Dasgupta.

(Image: a selection of dishes enjoyed by an Afghan family living in the UK. Credit: BBC)

Previous Episode

The joy of feeding birds

Humans have been accidentally feeding wild birds for millennia; any leftover food scraps to be scooped up by opportunistic, feathered friends.

The deliberate feeding of birds, however - placing seeds out on a feeder in the garden, taking crumbs to a nearby park or lake – is a more recent, cultural phenomenon. In some countries, it has deep significance and one of the most popular ways humans interact with wild animals – and it’s big business. In other places, it’s practically unheard of.

So, why do humans feed wild birds?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander delves into the many aspects of this human-animal interaction and asks the question; who’s benefiting more, the birds or us? Ruth speaks to urban ecologist, Dr Darryl Jones, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and to keen bird feeders Dan DeBaun, in Minnesota, US; Fung Sing Wong in Singapore; Bylgja Valtýsdóttir in Reykjavík, Iceland; and Antony Tiernan, in Surrey, UK.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: Blue tit on garden feeder. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

Next Episode

How to photograph food

Anyone who has taken a photo of their plate in a restaurant knows how hard it is to make food look good on camera.

An industry is dedicated to advertising food products on TV, online and in print. What does it take to make a burger look delicious, desirable and realistic? And, most importantly, is any of the food in adverts real?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets a food stylist, a food photographer, and a director of food commercials, who share their industry’s tips and tricks. She’s joined by stylist Claire Ferrandi Smythe in Johannesburg, South Africa, photographer Sue Atkinson in London, United Kingdom and food commercials director Steve Giralt in New York, United States, who has made a name for himself with flying food and robots.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: A hand lifting a slice from a pizza with cheese, peppers, mushrooms and meat. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)