The Sustainable Food Trust Podcast

Julius Roberts – a first-generation farmer and chef with a passion for seasonal cooking and self-sufficiency – joins Patrick Holden for this episode of the SFT podcast.

After studying sculpture at university, Julius worked as a full-time chef in London before moving to a smallholding in Dorset where he now farms. He keeps a range of livestock, including goats, sheep and pigs, and grows a wide variety of vegetables. He’s also amassed an online audience of over one million followers, where he shares delicious, seasonal recipes, inspiring people to think more about the seasonality and provenance of their food. In 2023 he published his recipe book, The Farm Table, which is now a Sunday Times bestseller.

During the conversation, Patrick and Julius discuss a range of issues, including the pressured but inspiring time that he spent working as a full-time chef in London, the role of restaurants in providing a “home for good farming”, and humans’ responsibility to ensure a good life and death for the animals that provide our milk, cheese, meat and more. Talking about his animals, Julius comments, “I feel very privileged to be so close to my food. When you rear animals on the scale that I do, they become companions... and they should be respected... What has happened to the world of meat to make it cheap for us and an everyday commodity is a scar on humanity.”

They also explore the power of storytelling and social media in connecting people with the story behind their food, as well as touching upon the current farmer protests taking place in Europe and the UK.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.

Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, sits down with Patrick to discuss the challenges facing the world, key among them the impact of agriculture. In a wide ranging conversation, they consider what needs to be done to fix ‘our broken planet’, to borrow a phrase from the museum’s current exhibition looking at ways to repair the world. Gurr aims to inspire people to become advocates for the planet. The discussion – sometimes challenging and contentious – considers the role of the museum in our culture and how it can look forward as much as back.

Gurr started as director at the Natural History Museum in 2020. He came from a background in business, notably working for Amazon UK and Amazon China, but has long supported the work of charities such as the British Heart Foundation, the National Gallery, the Science Museum and others, as a board chair or trustee.

In this week's podcast Patrick talks to Livia Firth MBE, Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC).

During the conversation, Patrick and Livia discuss the parallels between the social and environmental footprints of food and fashion, and how consumers can use their purchasing power to affect change and transform the fashion industry.

An important part of this transformation is an understanding of the provenance of our clothing. "Natural products have superiority over synthetic fibres" says Livia, calling herself a "huge fan of wool".

In this week's podcast, Patrick talks to President of the National Farmers Union Minette Batters about what we can learn from coronavirus pandemic in terms of the Agriculture Bill, as well as discussing the potential for re-establishing the local food agenda, the role of livestock in sustainable farming systems, and whether or not food should be considered a public good.

In this weeks episode Patrick is joined by Simon Wright, a restauranteur, food writer and broadcaster living and working in West Wales. Simon’s current business, Wrights Food Emporium supplies local and sustainable produce. During the conversation, Simon explains how the current pandemic has affected the business, and shares his commitment to supporting the transformation of the food system in Wales.