Honey & Co: The Food Sessions is back for season 11 with a brand new theme: JOY.

In this episode we talk to our neighbour, British fashion designer Oliver Spencer, the self-taught tailor and shopkeeper behind Oliver Spencer menswear. He left art school to run a stall at Portobello Market, which left him with an enduring love of garments, fabrics and shopkeeping. After a decade running formalwear brand Favourbrook, he started Oliver Spencer menswear out of a shop on Lamb’s Conduit St, to offer contemporary tailoring with a relaxed, modern style, which has now expanded to three shops, and an international online business, stocked in Liberty and Selfridges. In 2023 he co-founded adventure travel magazine Secret Trips, indulging his life long love of travel, featuring recommendations from a collective of writers, photographers, stylists and publishers for under-the-radar destinations, independent hotels, and the restaurants the locals don't want you to know about.

This was such a wonderful conversation and one we could have continued for hours. We talked about the joy of shopkeeping and of building small businesses, the simple pleasure he found in taking the helm at the barbecue on a recent photoshoot, and his early memories of St Mawes, a place full of memories and many firsts. It was a pleasure to talk trader to trader about the world of shopkeeking and retail, Itamar made a sartorial confession, and we got to the bottom of that special feeling that putting on a tailored suit brings. Outside of the fashion world, we discussed Oliver's love for travel, what a Spencer family holiday looks like, and how this lifelong adventure has turned into a new venture, Secret Trips.

Thank you for listening to this latest episode of our season all about Joy. In times like these, when the world can feel a little overwhelming, it’s more important than ever to seek out and savour the joy wherever we can find it. Working in restaurants, we have three moments in a day to bring joy: breakfast, lunch and dinner, but what about the moments in between? This question is at the heart of the latest season of The Food Sessions which sees us sit down with brilliant people from all walks of life: chefs, broadcasters, comedians and fashion designers to not only talk about what they do day-to-day, but also to explore the passions that enrich their lives.

This season is sponsored by Square, the point of sale system that we use in all our restaurants. You can use their software and hardware for payments, sales, inventory, bookings, orders, reports and more. Square are currently offering £4,000 worth of free hardware to eligible businesses, so if you're ready to get your business in better shape, head to square.com to learn more and book a demo with the team.

Hosts: Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich

Producer: Miranda Hinkley

Sound Mixer: Paul Brogden

Additional Sound: Paul Ford

Theme Song: Daniel Winshall

Honey & Co Team: Louisa Cornford & Winnie Thomas

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

Honey & Co: The Food Sessions is back for season 11 with a brand new theme: JOY.

In times like these, when the world can feel a little overwhelming, it’s more important than ever to seek out and savour the joy wherever we can find it. Working in restaurants, we have three moments in a day to bring joy: breakfast, lunch and dinner, but what about the moments in between? This question is at the heart of the latest season of The Food Sessions which sees us sit down with brilliant people from all walks of life: chefs, broadcasters, comedians and fashion designers to not only talk about what they do day-to-day, but also to explore the passions that enrich their lives.

In this episode we talk to Sarah Winman, a British actor and author of some of our favourite books, including the critically acclaimed bestseller Still Life. She grew up in Essex and now lives in London. She attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to act in theatre, film, and television, but she decided that she wanted to write a novel. While taking an ‘Exploring Fiction’ course at City Lit, Sarah realised she was already writing what was to become her highly acclaimed debut, When God Was A Rabbit. Sarah went on to write Tin Man, A Year of Marvellous Ways and Still Life, which she is currently adapting for TV.

We love Sarah! We talked about joy as an act of rebellion, her first memories of joy, the serenity of the sea, morning pages, her love for Italy, singing, playing football and the trilogy: gratitude, joy and beauty. It was a true tonic to talk to Sarah, we hope you enjoy.

This season is sponsored by Square, the point of sale system that we use in all our restaurants. You can use their software and hardware for payments, sales, inventory, bookings, orders, reports and more. Square are currently offering £4,000 worth of free hardware to eligible businesses, so if you're ready to get your business in better shape, head to square.com to learn more and book a demo with the team.

Hosts: Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich

Producer: Miranda Hinkley

Sound Engineer: Melis Uslu

Sound Mixer: Paul Brogden

Additional Sound: Paul Ford

Theme Song: Daniel Winshall

Honey & Co Team: Louisa Cornford & Winnie Thomas

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

Honey & Co: The Food Sessions is back for season 11 with a brand new theme: JOY.

In times like these, when the world can feel a little overwhelming, it’s more important than ever to seek out and savour the joy wherever we can find it. Working in restaurants, we have three moments in a day to bring joy: breakfast, lunch and dinner, but what about the moments in between? This question is at the heart of the latest season of The Food Sessions which sees us sit down with brilliant people from all walks of life: chefs, broadcasters, comedians and fashion designers to not only talk about what they do day-to-day, but also to explore the passions that enrich their lives.

In this episode we talk to London-based chef, presenter and writer, Alexina Anatole. Alexina is of mixed heritage: the granddaughter of chicken farmers from Cambridgeshire and Saint Lucian grandparents. She worked in finance for a decade before deciding to apply for MasterChef in 2021. After reaching the final, she made a brave career change from the trading floor to the food world. Alexina has written two cookbooks – Bitter and Sweet, with more on the way – and she also writes Small Wins, a Substack newsletter that enhances your cooking and your life in small, manageable ways. We talked about the joy of growing up in Paris, of picking blackberries with her grandparents and working in a fishmongers as a teen, all things that fed into her love affair food. We talked about the simple pleasures of working away to perfect a meringue recipe and the excitement of exploring new places to eat, plus the turning point at which she felt ready to make the switch from finance to the food world and finding her place within it.

This season is sponsored by Square, the point of sale system that we use in all our restaurants. You can use their software and hardware for payments, sales, inventory, bookings, orders, reports and more. Square are currently offering £4,000 worth of free hardware to eligible businesses, so if you're ready to get your business in better shape, head to square.com to learn more and book a demo with the team.

Hosts: Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich

Producer: Miranda Hinkley

Sound Engineer: Melis Uslu

Sound Mixer: Paul Brogden

Theme Song: Daniel Winshall

Honey & Co Team: Louisa Cornford & Winnie Thomas

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