Episoder

  • In the last episode of Series 3, Lois and Matthew mull over health and diet - how we are what we eat and therefore why what we eat is so important to us; what’s good for us; what’s not so good; and what’s actively bad; and why what’s not so good may not actually be so bad for you as long as you don’t eat to much of it. They debate the virtues of organic vs non-organic ingredients, and chat about favourite cookery books (him, of course) and recipe websites (her, of course). And they reminisce fondly about their culinary disasters.


    Tuck in and stay tuned for Season 4: Kitchen Diaries. That'll give them something to talk about.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • This week, it's Tom Parker Bowles. Fabulous food writer, dedicated food explorer lover of horror films, Mexican dishes and chillies. And an old pal.


    Lois and Matthew hitch a ride on a conversation that’s fluent and funny and informative. They start with breakfast and finish with dinner and explore the delights of the 3 Martini lunch along the way. Tom reminisces about food growing up; reflects on being sacked; how he started writing about the ever-interesting topic; his passion for food books; meeting with Matthew on Market Kitchen; feeding his children; explains why he loves chillies, and Mexican and Thai dishes; points out the pitfalls of tasting menus; and lists his favourite value-for-money eateries. Altogether it’s a box of delights. 


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • This week, it's Forts on Fish.


    A lot of people approach the business of cooking fish with a certain amount of trepidation. Not Lois and Matthew. They share tips on buying fish, preparing fish, cooking fish. They discuss the pros and cons of fish farming, and why we should never eat farmed salmon. They list the fish that you can eat with a clear conscience and what fish is good for what method of cooking, suggest a few easy fish sauces, ponder why on we don’t eat more fresh water fish.


    And if that isn’t enough, here are a few of Matthew's favourite websites where you can find more information:


    https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/news-views/sustainable-seafood-uk/

    https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/ukbi-b2-sustainable-fisheries

    https://fishyleaks.eu/en/

    https://www.nffo.org.uk/

    https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/

    https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/shopping-sustainably/article/how-to-buy-sustainable-fish


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome back to Forts on Food.


    This week, the Forts are joined by none other than the wonderful Andi Oliver. Chef, broadcaster, singer, actor, restauranteur, host of GBM - is there anything she can't do?


    Tune in to hear about Andi's career beginnings in the post-punk band Rip Rig and Panic; life as a broadcaster; cheese toasties and sea shanties; joining Matthew on the Great British Menu; the influence of her caribbean heritage on her cooking; her brilliant new cookbook, and of course, her dirty dish. (Note: a pie MUST have a bottom and a top to be considered a pie.)


    Andi's long awaited debut cookbook, "The Pepper Pot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table", is available on the 27th April 2023.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 3: What's in Store.


    All about salts, peppers, spices, oils (at least 3), vinegars (many), relishes, condiments, garlic granules, dried beans, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, harissa, English mustards, French mustards, tomato sauce and/or HP sauce, tins of this, tubs of that, pots of the other, all those condiments we use to add zip and zap and base and bottom to our cooking. Lois & Matthew discuss their store cupboard essentials and less essentials and list some of the dishes they use them for. Matthew tells how he discovered how to make vinegar (it involves a Mother accidentally dropping in) and gives away his secret of pheasant ham. Lois reveals her passion for soya sauce and Lancashire sauce and they both discuss how long you can keep your spices for. Opinionated and informative as ever. 


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome back to Forts on Food.


    Series 3 of Forts on Food kicks off with Lois and Matthew talking to the great Tom Kerridge, chef, proprietor, judge, tv star and all round good egg. He tells about growing up in Gloucester and how lucky he was to discover his passion for cooking; how this led to being a competitor in the Great British Menu which led to becoming judge in the same show; about establishing the Hand & Flowers, the first pub to get two Michelin stars; the challenges and rewards of the hospitality industry; the influence that René Redzepi has had on cooking in this country; and how his marriage to artist, Beth Cullen-Kerridge, has been central to his success. Oh, and his dirty dish of choice and a whole lot more. A man worth listening to.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • The last in the present series of Forts on Food embraces the spirit of Christmas with gusto and brio. Lois and Matthew are joined by Lois’s partner, Peter, and producer, Teän, for memories, mirth and mayhem. They chew over triumphs and disasters. They reflect on their own family’s Christmas traditions. They reminisce about Christmases at home and elsewhere. They meditate on what to cook and what to drink (and what to drink with what to eat). There’s a little bit of history. There are tips galore. And if there’s not quite all you need to have an absolutely cracking Yuletide, Xmas, Christmas, it’ll put you in the mood to do so.


    And we wish the merriest of Yuletides, Xmases & Christmases to all our gracious followers.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • This week, Matthew & Lois talk, reminisce and ruminate on various aspects of the British food scene with the charming host of Saturday Kitchen, marvellous Matt Tebbutt.


    Matt talks about his early days as the chef/proprietor of The Foxhunter Inn (that Matthew reviewed back in the day); on his appearance on the Great British Menu; on happy days co-presenting Market Kitchen;  and his most uncomfortable interview ever (with a vegan). Lois asks some searching questions about food programmes on TV and whether Matt’s children share his passion for food, finishing on why Matt feels that British food is in a pretty good place and how he might fulfil his last, great unfulfilled ambition.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In Part 2 of the conversation with Heston Blumenthal and Professor Mark Thomas, Lois & Matthew move onto the challenge of Quantum Gastronomy; Heston’s latest book, Is This a Cookbook? (Note Heston’s familiar question mark); serious observations about the Best Restaurants in the World; Heston’s Dirty Dish (that involves a rather unorthodox approach to cheese making) and Mark’s Dirty Dish (which is much more orthodox); and general reflections that food is a portal for looking at the world and that there’s a great deal more to talk about. 


    Isn’t that always the case?


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    Heston's new book "Is This a Cookbook?" is available now at all major retailers.


    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In this episode, Lois & Matthew talk to that chef of chefs, Heston Blumenthal and his pal, Mark Thomas, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at University College London - perhaps not the first pairing you might think of. But then with Heston, it's probably best to expect the unexpected. In fact, so unexpected was the conversation that we decided to release the podcast in 2 parts. The first covers such subjects as the size of human brains, the birth of Heston’s first child, the importance of memory and emotions in cooking and food, food and evolution and much else besides. In Part 2 we move onto - well, wait and see. And listen.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In this week’s episode Lois and Matthew talk all things kitchen gadgets. Or are they utensils? Or appliances?


    Dad n’ daughter attempt to categorise these as as they discuss their most used, such as trusty silicone spatulas, the Kenwood Chef or TONGS, and the useless (?) - garlic crushers, honey twirlers, herb blitzers and others. And what about the bigger ticket items? The microwave, ice-cream machines or even the one-stop shop Thermomix? There to help or hinder…?


    Have a listen and you may find yourself diving into your own kitchen “danger drawer” to see what’s lurking beneath the counter!  


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome back to Forts on Food with Friends. This week, Matthew and Lois are joined by YouTube sensation and dear old friend Max Fosh.


    Max Fosh has been richer than Elon Musk (for 7 minutes); a member of the royal family (for 43 minutes); spent 24 hours with an elephant in the room; ran for Mayor of London (unsuccessfully); and got a speeding ticket on a bicycle... for Jeff Bezos. Max Fosh is a comedian, prankster and YouTube sensation. He has 1.47 million subscribers and his videos have over 121 million views. Lois and Matthew have a candid chat with this master of modern media and his rather surprising views on food. (Max tried to persuade Matthew to appear in video about collecting, cooking and eating a road-killed pheasant. Sadly Matthew had to refuse and so missed out on being viewed 2.8 million times.)


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Lois and Matthew settle down to discuss the joys and sources of comfort food. What goes into a comfort dish? Novelty or nostalgia? Hot or cold? Is there such thing as a light comfort dish? (Probably not, given Matthew’s choice of egg & bacon sarnie made with cheap bread fried in bacon fat and Lois’s choice of cheesy pasta with ham and peas). And what do we mean by comfort anyway? Dad’s & daughter’s opinions vary as always but if you need light as well as heat on a dreary, miserable day, just settle down on a sofa or armchair (definitely not a table), with a bowl (not a plate) and a spoon (not a fork), tuck into your favourite comfort food and take comfort from Forts on Food.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome to Forts on Food with Friends. This week, Matthew and Lois are joined by none other than Dame Prue Leith.


    Prue Leith is campaigner, chef, broadcaster, novelist, restaurateur cooker writer, cookery school founder, journalist, queen of GBBO, once of GBM and total charmer and the very first guest Matthew & Lois have asked to join them on Forts on Food. They chat about Bliss on Toast, Prue’s latest cook book, that raises toasted snacks to delicious heights, the past glories of the Great British Menu, how food in the UK has changed over the years, why Bake Off has been such a success, the joy of afternoon naps, growing up in South Africa, the Prue Leith Travelling Road Show, the travails of the food campaigner, adoption and Prue’s very own Dirty Dish. And much, much more.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • They’re back, Matthew & Lois, dad’n’daughter, old ’n’ young, chatting about this ’n’ that just so long as it’s about food. In Episode 1 of Season 2, they catch up with what they’ve been cooking and eating since the end of the first series in July; fondly reminisce about a barbecued shoulder of lamb; sea bass baked in salt crust; and the epic magnificence of a fish stew they made together. There’s a bit about dinner at Kebab Queen eaten without cutlery or plates; a celebration lunch at the Clipstone Restaurant; what’s a Dirty Dish; and they introduce their first guest, Prue Leith.


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    Follow us on Instagram: @fortsonfood


    Hosted by Matthew Fort and Lois Fort


    Produced by Teän Stewart-Murray


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Welcome to the season finale of Forts on Food.


    In which: dad & daughter cook together in dad’s kitchen; each has to prepare a dish based on results of an Instagram poll on how much people spend on weeknight supper - around £10 or £15 -£20; Lois goes veggie; Matthew takes the meat option; pricing the ingredients; cooking step by step; why each is doing their dish; the timing of soft boiled eggs; running commentary on the how’s and why’s; the importance of tasting as you go; time to judge; Lois’s boyfriend, Peter, has the last word; the pleasure of cooking together. 


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In which: dad and daughter tackle waste: how much we waste; why we waste it; the waste of waste; what we can do about it; planning; changing pattern of shopping; social and work pressures; how supermarkets sell us more than we need ; most portions for two or more;- tyranny of eat by, use by dates; delegation of food responsibilities to supermarkets, hygiene experts; why we should learn to trust ours senses again; the lost art of complaining; the consequences of cheap food; the love of baked beans.


    Lois’s tip: juicing up; Matthew’s tip: fried breadcrumbs; joint tip: keep a watch on waste. 


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In which: daughter and dad wonder why they go to restaurants; ponder on the importance of service; dwell on the delights of the Yummy Yummy Noodle Bar, Dorego’s and the magic of the Fat Duck; Lois remembers lunch at the Locanda Cipriani; Matthew remembers lunch at the station at Villarosa in Sicily; examine why we go to different restaurants on different occasions for different reasons; celebrate the theatre of restaurants; hail pubs, pop ups and the golden age of current British chefs; bewail the burden of the restaurant critic.


    Lois’s tip: think small. Matthew’s tip: booze buster


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In which: dad and daughter deliberate on the difference between diet and diets; Lois sings about the joy of Sri Lanka fish curry and sticky rice; Matthew laments the relationship between fish curry and gout; Lois talks about her vegan detox; Matthew explains the mysteries of micro-biome and touches on the links between diet and mental health; they both agree that variety is the spice of life and that it’s better to eat better but eat less; Matthew reveals that the true Mediterranean diet involved dollops of pig fat.


    Tips: Lois: what to do with plastic gloves; Matthew: his favourite kitchen implement. 


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • In which: Matthew talks about some of his food hates and the history of Lollo Rosso; and Lois talks about her food hates; dad lectures daughter on food and guilt; they agree to disagree on words and phrases commonly used to describe food; Matthew mentions Franz Kafka, the demon chewer; Lois moans about butter pies, chip butties and the Wigan kebab; Matthew mentions his mother’s recipes for deep-fried suet cakes. Lois lists her food loves and Matthew lists his; they disagree about garlic powder.


    Matthew’s tip: putting zip into a Bloody Mary. Lois’s tip: putting zip into a gin and tonic. 


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.