Most of us are familiar with the field to fork journey or even nose to tail cooking but this week on the Kitchen Café, Chef Tom Hunt joins Jenny MacPherson to talk about his root to fruit philosophy and we hear about easy ways in which we can all eat and cook more sustainably. Also, Jenny takes a trip to Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland to get a taste of the Caribbean and Simon Preston finds out why macaroni pies go so well with a traditional Caribbean dish called chicken brown down.

How often do you come across tins of food right at the back of your cupboard that you just don’t quite know what to do with? Author of Tin Can Magic, Jessica Dennison tells us how we can transform humble tins of food into hearty delicious meals for any night of the week. Simon Preston visits one of Leith’s newest charcuteries, Chef Neil Forbes tells us how to make your own home made bacon and Ghillie Basan cooks us up a delicious chocolate fridge cake.

Fancy a bit of “healthy hedonism”?! Food writer Signe Johansen explains to Jenny Macpherson why cooking for one can be fun and describes how we can create simple solo meals without it feeling like a chore. Chef and big brunch fan Alfie Little shows us how to create a bistro-style brunch at home by making a simple frittata and a delicious espresso smoothie. Simon Preston finds out why passionate bakers Lesley Pert and Cecilia Young give up their time to make cakes for kids. And Jenny learns some tips and tricks from baker Kaitlyn Taylor on how to easily transform an ordinary cake into something quite spectacular!

Does having your kids cooking in the kitchen from an early age always have to result in kitchen chaos? Jenny MacPherson talks to food blogger Foodie Quine and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani about different ways we can encourage children to become more involved in family cooking. Chef Steven Devlin cooks up a delicious spaghetti carbonara - the first dish he learned to cook as a 13 year old - and he talks about how his love of food took him from a 13 year old kitchen porter to later becoming a restaurateur. Scotland’s National chef and 'Master Chef: The Professionals' Winner Gary Maclean joins Jenny to talk about his new BBC Scotland series, Corner Shop Cook Off.

Chef Kirsten Gilmour has set herself a bit of a “5-mile challenge”, buying as much produce as possible from her local high street. She loves to support local businesses and cut down on the food miles but just how do-able is it? What little steps can we all take to shop more sustainably? And is it a case of being more organised and getting more creative with what IS available round the corner? Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Ruth Barry shares her foodie favourites in Berlin. Organic? Biodynamic? Vegan? Sustainable? Fancy going a bit more “green” with your wine purchases but finding the terminology a bit perplexing? Simon Preston rummages through the shelves of his local wine shop to see what’s available while wine expert Nikki Welch helps us unpick what the labels mean and just what we’re getting in terms of taste, cost and environmental impact.

Do you want to save £440 per year? We can help you to be more cash savvy in the kitchen! Ylva Haglund from Zero Waste Scotland is on hand with lots of simple money saving tips. Radio Scotland's 'Clever about Cash' presenter Kim McAllister is set the 'yellow sticker challenge' to hunt out bargains in the local supermarket. As Valentines Day is on the horizon, Jenny MacPherson and Scotland's very own spice girl, Ghillie Basan explores what it means to cook with love as they create a delicious meatball tagine and discover why cooking with love can enhance your eating experience.

Does the sandwich you brought to work today feel like something really special? If not, on the Kitchen Café this week we’ll be finding out what makes the ultimate sandwich and we’ll be giving you some ideas of how you can make your own gourmet sandwich on the cheap. Selecting the right bread is essential so David Hoyle from the Findhorn Bakery will be talking about the various grains he uses and how that changes the flavour and texture of the bread. Are you looking for food that will give you a bit of a hug this week? Chef Alfie Little from River House restaurant in Inverness will be cooking up a mouth-watering Haddock Welsh Rarebit served on a bed of crushed potato and samphire.

Fed up of stodgy comfort food but not quite ready for spring salads? Step forward the blood orange – bang in season and sure to put a zing into your cooking! Chef Neil Forbes shows Jenny MacPherson how to make a warm pigeon breast and blood orange salad – just 20 minutes from start to finish! Avacados - love ‘em or loathe ‘em? They’re a bit of a "marmite" food so how does Dave Griffiths manage to devote an entire café to those squidgy green beauties? Emma Gryczka meets him to find out more while food writer Claire Jessiman offers ideas on what else we can do with them beyond avo on toast. Neil and Claire share their thoughts on the sustainability issues surrounding avocados and how they offset the food miles that produce like that bring with it… Continuing our occasional series on how to make the most of your food on a city break, ex-pat Jenny Soep shares her foodie favourites in Stockholm. And in this week’s “green hack” Kilted Chef Craig Wilson offers a handy tip for what we can do with leftover yoghurt.

If you think Burns night is all about haggis, neeps and tatties then think again......Chef Neil Forbes joins Jenny MacPherson to give haggis a complete makeover, Ryan Van Winkle talks about how food and poetry are the perfect pairing and Emma Gryczka heads along to Aberdeen's indoor market where she gets a pasta masterclass from Francesco Di Nicola.

January is a time where many of us have to think about tightening the purse strings so Lorna Cooper joins Jenny MacPherson to talk about her new book "How To Feed Your Family On £20 A Week", and Mary Contini, having grown up in a large Italian family, gives us some great hints and tips on how to make your food go further. Plus, Simon Preston visits Glasgow’s first Hellenic Pie shop to learn how to make a traditional Greek Spanakopita pie.

Left over chicken on a Monday, mince and tatties on a Tuesday, macaroni on a Wednesday and baked potato on a Thursday… Does this sound familiar? Chef Andy Cumming and food writer Sumayya Usmani join Jenny MacPherson to make dull dinners a thing of the past as they provide inspiration to shake up your weekly menu. Also, if we shop in the same places and buy the same ingredients then it’s likely we’ll cook the same things so Simon Preston visits an international supermarket in an attempt to jazz up his shopping basket. And to get your taste buds going, Chef Neil Forbes cooks us up a quick and delicious beef shallot recipe.

Jenny Macpherson and the team get the new year off to a cracking start with some fresh foodie inspiration! Kilted chef Craig Wilson explains how we can all make our kitchens and our cooking more sustainable with some simple everyday tips. Food writer Felicity Cloake offers advice and ideas for getting the most out of our food on a city break, from the markets we shop in to the street food we try out ... and from the cafes we sample coffee in to the restaurants we dine at. Local resident Arnar explains the best foodie experiences in Reykjavik. Chef Kirsten Gilmour shows Gillian Russell how to create a delicious but easy perfectly sexy quiche!

If your palate is in need of a bit of a lift after all the festive indulgence then cook and food writer Ghillie Basan is on hand to spice up your Boxing Day dinner with a delicious gado gado, guaranteed to get your taste buds going! Chef Julie Lin lets us sample some of her mouth-watering Malaysian mee hoon goreng and explains why she chose it as her Boxing Day dish... Jenny MacPherson hears about how other cultures from around the world celebrate food throughout the festive period here in Scotland.

If you're looking for some inspiration on the festive food front, Scotland's National Chef Gary Maclean cooks us up a couple of delicious starters including citrus prawns and pan seared mackerel. Mary Contini has some great ideas for Christmas nibbles to keep you going while you slave over a hot stove and Simon Preston meets up with wine expert Davy Zyw for some advice on what festive fizz we should have on our Christmas tables this year.

Festive food inspiration - from sides you can freeze ahead to pudding ideas and cheeses! Chef Alfie Little cooks some Christmas side dishes you can make now and freeze ahead of the big day, baker Jeni Hardie makes a cranberry chocolate brownie for those who want a change from Christmas pudding and cheese expert Phoebe Weller shares her tips on creating a memorable festive cheeseboard!

Jenny MacPherson, Claire Jessiman and Simon Preston review some of this year's Christmas cook books, chef Neil Forbes cooks us up a delicious festive Ecclefechan tart and Carina Contini is on hand to give us tips on creating some tasty, edible Christmas gifts.

It may still be November… and you might not want to hear the C word … but trust us, your Christmas food planning and cooking will be a lot less stressful with Beth Kempton’s guide to a calm Christmas. And it starts right now! Food writer and lover of all things Italian Vicky Bennison has spent years travelling across Italy, meeting the nonnas and finding out their culinary secrets. Discover just how simple it is to cook like a “pasta granny” in your kitchen at home! Nigel Slater explains why the humble cheese grater has a special place in his heart! And wrapping up Soup Month, Chef Kirsten Gilmour makes an apricot, carrot, rosemary and red lentil soup. Yes, really – apricots in a soup!

Ghillie Basan shows us some inspiring ways in which we can use up our leftovers in a pot of soup and Fife food ambassador Christopher Trotter is on hand to give us some expert advice on how to create the perfect stock. Also, Christopher Mullin tells Andrew Thomson about his one man mission to revive the ancient tradition of making mead in Scotland.

The Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers talk to Jenny about their new book 'One Pot Wonders' and as November is soup month on The Kitchen Café, chef Alfie from River House restaurant in Inverness shows us how to make a quick fish soup, using only 5 ingredients. Also, as part of Children In Need week, Jenny speaks to Carol MacLennan from the Elgin Youth Café to hear about the difference their cookery classes are making to the young folk of Elgin.

Join Jenny MacPherson and the team for more great foodie ideas, stories and inspirational tips. This week Nigel Slater shares his passion for autumn and winter cooking with a whole bunch of fresh, inspiring recipe ideas. He explains how the plant-based recipes in his new GreenFeast book are comforting, satisfying and certainly not puritanical! Oh, and some pudding-for-breakfast confessions like: “I have been known to open the fridge at 7 o’clock in the morning and glory, there’s yesterday’s trifle…!” With the clocks changing and winter fast approaching, we’ve declared November to be Soup Month on The Kitchen Café! Chef Neil Forbes shows us how to make a simple but delicious lightly spiced parsnip soup. Meryl Gilbert from Glasgow’s SWG3 talks about their fresh approach to eating out. The dining space at the Acid Bar is taken over by different chefs and cuisines every few months – like a pop-up restaurant but for longer than one night only! It mirrors the shared space in the rest of the building and allows for greater flexibility and creativity with the food … and a chance for us to broaden our horizons with what and how we eat.

Chef Andrew Barnett shows us how to have fun with food at Halloween and Jenny MacPherson speaks to Ailidh Forlan about her new book, 'Street Food Scotland' and hears how the street food scene is expanding throughout the country. Claire Jessiman then shows us how to put your pumpkin seeds to good use as she roasts them with maple syrup and spices!........and Andrew Thompson investigates why there's no pumpkin in a pumpkin latte!

James Morton shows us how simple it is to make and keep your sourdough starter alive and dietician Kirsty Hickson tells us some of the health benefits of eating sourdough breads. Also, Jenny MacPherson takes a wander around an orchard just north of Inverness, to see how they’re turning their apples into cider.

The Kitchen Café is back – the perfect place to head for your weekly dose of foodie news, tips, inspiration and interviews! An awareness of plastic pollution is a hot topic right now but what can we do if we want to reduce our own usage of it? Kelly Wright from the Refillary explains to Jenny Macpherson the simple ways we can all use less plastic when we're out shopping and in our kitchens. Simon Preston meets passionate baker and author James Morton to hear about his love of sourdough. The chaps then visit one of James's favourite bakeries - Cottonrake - to find out more about this long-forgotten but now fashionable bread. Jenny visits the recently-opened cafe Utopia and hears from owner Kevin Paterson about why having a cafe right in the heart of the community is so important to him. Kevin then demonstrates how to make a quick but delicious charred tomatoes on sourdough dish.

Instagrammer Sophia Thain speaks to Jenny MacPherson about how through social media she’s trying to inspire other students to make better food choices. Simon Preston heads to a café in Edinburgh to find out why ‘overnight oats’ has become a hashtag hit! Porridge purists beware…….the days of adding salt and water are long gone! Also, street food chef Jamie Ross flexes his mussels in studio and explains why cooking shellfish is easy. He’ll be serving up mussels in a curry sauce and mussels in ale, Delicious!

The Kitchen Café is back – the perfect place to head for your weekly dose of foodie news, tips, inspiration and interviews! This week Jenny MacPherson hears from Kyle Steel about the idea behind his street food social enterprise project Dockyard Social. Which cuisines and cultures can we expect to sample there and just how much is street food changing the way we eat here in Scotland? Spice expert and author Ghillie Basan explains why whisky and spice go so well together, which types of food lend themselves to matching with whisky and how go about pairing different spice flavours – in food and whisky – in our own kitchens at home. Coffee fan Vincent Davies shares the story behind his new venture – brewing fresh coffee from a converted horsebox in Poolewe, Wester Ross. And Ghillie cooks an Indian coconut and mango porridge, a one-pot dish from her childhood … which goes perfectly with a wee dram!

What is it about getting towards winter which makes you want to reach for food which gives you a great big fat cuddle? This week as the nights draw in Pennie Latin searches through the Kitchen Café recipe archives for ideas to make you want to cosy up. So on the menu we've got cauliflower cheese with Stilton from Castle of Mey; Neil Forbes has the ultimate crowd pleaser with pot roast chicken; Jak O'Donnell is turning dauphinoise potatoes into a dish to cuddle up to by adding black pudding and goats cheese while Mark Greenaway makes the ultimate happy food with his hot chocolate fondant. Food which makes you feel good about the arrival of winter!

What would your perfect weekend breakfast or brunch dish be? This week Pennie Latin searches through the Kitchen Café recipe archives in search of ideas so delicious you'll actually want to get out of bed for them! So Neil Forbes conjures up a creamy, indulgent mushrooms on toast; Kirsten Gilmour makes New Zealand style savoury muffins and Andy Cumming goes for what he thinks is the ultimate cure for the night before - kedgeree - plus we've got a recipe for smoked salmon omelette perfection from Lara Bross. Go on, treat yourself, join us for breakfast and brunch on this week's dive into the recipe collection!

Fast food fun but with all that homemade flavour packed in too! This week Pennie Latin searches through the Kitchen Café recipe archives for recipes inspired by a weekend takeaway. So if you want to make the best burger ever then Neil Forbes has the perfect formula; queen of Italian cooking Mary Contini has an utterly simple but delicious pizza on her menu while Sue Lawrence provides the how-to on the ultimate treat night pud with Orkney fudge cheesecake. Loads of delicious ideas with a nod to the naughty for when you're feeling like treating yourself but keeping it homemade!

Chef Peggy Brunache and food innovator Simon Preston fire up the barbecue and their imaginations as they attempt to recreate the tastes of a US style Barbecue pit using just a domestic oven and a £20 BBQ. We hear from the Yorkshire couple who have fallen so far in love with the smokey flavours of US style outdoor eating they've imported a smoker and started up a BBQ Pit in Auldgirth in Dumfries. Does Barbecue always mean beer? Not necessarily - Simon finds the red wines that can cope with even the smokiest flavours. Peggy tells us about the history and regional variations in US barbecue culture. Why there is no such thing as "barbecue sauce" - we find out about three totally different authentic taste sensations that will enliven even the most wretched hunk of charred meat. In a nod to our unpredictable weather we find out how to always be barbecue ready in just one hour.

This week spice expert Ghillie Basan and the team are delving into the world of DIY summer drinks. From Kombucha to lassi and homemade lemonade. Simon Preston's continuing his series on summer wines with a look at great white wines while Kiwi chef in the Cairngorms Kirsten Gilmour shares the secrets behind her sensational pops, presses, juices and award winning smoothies! Kick back, raise a glass and quench your thirst with the Kitchen Café team!

Flora Shedden goes in search of summer flavours to put into chocolate with chocolatier Charlotte Flower; Simon Preston is learning to love Rose wines with a selection of deliciously different wines to look out for over the summer months plus Pennie Latin has a few lessons in how to taste olive oil from oil sommelier Wilma Grinsven - if you thought all oils were created pretty much equally, you're in for a surprise!

There's a real buzz about this week's Kitchen Café! Chef Neil Forbes and gardening expert Nicola Singleton explore the versatility of one of the jewels in our Scottish larder, honey! Also, Ghillie Basan speaks to food writer Liz Ashworth about Scotland's historical relationship with honey while Megan Lancaster visits bee keeper Mark Noonan in Blairgowrie to find out why some honey cost more than others.

There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that are so versatile. There aren't many ingredients in the kitchen that can be so easy to get so wrong. But whether you are making an omelette, a meringue or simply boiling them, eggs are part of our daily diet. We consume millions of eggs each year and for some the labelling we find in the supermarket about the different types of egg can be confusing. Simon Preston goes to an egg farm to find out about the differences and what they mean to the taste of the eggs. Back in the kitchen, Neil Forbes gives us a quick masterclass in the art of the perfect poached, a brilliant boiled, super scrambled and fantastically fried eggs. If you've ever wondered about whether you should keep your eggs in the fridge or not or if a duck egg might be better to use in your baking than a hen's eggs then Fiona Burrell has some perfect eggy do's and dont's.

This week on the kitchen café we are on a summer holiday forage. No not a forage where you pull up leaves, rinse of dog wee, and pretend dandelions really do taste great, oh no, this week Ghillie Basan and Pennie Latin are foraging for ingredients among the holiday makers at Granny's Heilan Hame in Embo just north of Dornoch and they'll be trying to convince them that a holiday from home doesn't need to be a holiday from eating great homemade food. Also, one great thing about going away is it gives you a chance to discover local foods, in particular local cheeses. And Scotland does great cheese! Frankie Vaughan caught up with roving fromagiere Phoebe Weller to find out more about which Scottish cheeses to look out for this summer...

As this week's Kitchen Café is all about taste, Simon Preston visits the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University to find out about food tasting and testing. In a nutshell who decides what food appears on our supermarket shelves and whether we're likely to like it. Also, we'll be telling you all about a really simple test you can do at home to see if you're one of Scotland's elite supertasters. When it comes to marrying sweet, sour, bitter, salty or umami, Thai food has it all. So Ghillie Basan and her daughter Yazzie are set to make your mouth water with one of their favourite Thai dishes...

Gary Maclean joins Simon Preston and a class of budding future chefs from Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School in Glasgow to cook up a vegetable risotto for lunch. Gary talks about his role as Scotland's first National Chef and what he hopes he can achieve for Scotland as a food nation. He'll also be talking about the Food for Thought project and how its bringing business and schools together to change how we think about our food. Meanwhile pupils from another Glasgow school, Garnetbank, are busy taking their new cookery skills to the next level but turning cookery classes into their own Youtube films.

Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner, Food is something that unites us all, it's often at the heart of family life. This week on the Kitchen Café Sumayya Usmani visits the Glasgow Gurdwara, a Sikh temple in Glasgow to see how food is not just bringing families together, but entire communities. Also, Simon Preston meets up with Emma Black, project coordinator of Meal Makers, an organisation that is connecting elderly people with volunteer cooks throughout Scotland.

Pennie Latin introduces this delicious dive into the Kitchen Cafe recipe collection with top Skye chef Michael Smith, writer Sue Lawrence, food consultant and writer Christopher Trotter and international spice expert Ghillie Basan. So if you're bored of cooking the same thing week after week and are after inspiration you've come to the perfect place! This week Sue Lawrence is on the starter, a sensational pear and red pepper soup. Chef Michael Smith draws on his wife's north African heritage to show us how to make the perfect cous cous. Staying in North Africa Ghillie Basan gives us the low down on ras el hanout spice mix then Christopher Trotter treats us to lamb's liver with lime. And if you've still got room after all that then how about a favourite family recipe from Pennie's own kitchen, berry slump!

Stress, Anxiety, Pressure, Worry, Oh and not forgetting the dread.... Yes, it's that time of year when students all over the country have got their heads buried deep in books preparing for exams so on this week's Kitchen Cafe, Chef Neil Forbes is joined by nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness to give university students Maeve and Cameron lots of practical advice on how to keep their brains and bodies firing on all cylinders.

Chef Neil Forbes is joined by whisky enthusiast Roy Duff to give us a beginner's guide in choosing the right whisky for your palate and Ghillie Basan takes a trip to the heart of whisky country where she caught up with Ann Miller to hear how Speyside has developed such a strong identity as a whisky producing region.

Flora Shedden puts a major zing into her Spring baking with a tart bursting with seasonal freshness. So if you want to find out how to make a tart which packs in the flavour with peas, caramelised shallots, spring onions, mint and Serrano ham then listen up! Simon Preston's back on the road and this time he's stopping in Edinburgh Botanical Gardens for the story of how Malawi's coffee industry has its roots firmly planted in Scotland plus Ghillie Basan heads for Elgin to meet Mr T - the male Home Economics teacher who's persuading his pupils that its cool to be good at cooking. Listen, learn, bake, eat and enjoy a packed Kitchen Café this week!

Simon Preston goes from creel to kitchen with two of Scotland's seafood goliaths, crab and lobster. One perhaps seen as too luxurious for the everyday and the other so intimidating many of us wouldn't know where to start picking through its carapace and claws for its soft sweet white meat or the strong rich brown meat. But could all that change? Starting on the harbour wall in North Berwick Simon explores a local lobster hatchery. Set up and run by fishermen it's aim is to give nature a helping hand in increasing the local lobster population because they recognise the value of the lobster to the local community. It has led to lobster becoming a local delicacy enjoyed by all who visit the village. At the other end of the price range local brown crab is becoming more and more popular. But it's the cracked claws that people want to buy. Determined to find every last morsel from the shell Dan Holland heads north to Kylesku to find out how to pick a crab, claw meat, white meat and the beautifully rich hidden away brown meat. In her Kitchen at home Sumayya Usmani uses some of the white crab meat to make a quick orange dressed crab and paprika potato salad hash while Ghillie Basan recalls collecting crabs across the sandy shores of the Indian Ocean as a child and a crab ice cream as she scuttles round the world with a look at crustacean cuisine.

Master Chef? Or Disaster chef! How confident are you in the kitchen? Simon Preston is joined by best friends Kaye Adams and Nadia Sawalha to hear how they've written a cook book which has turned Kaye's cooking calamities.... into culinary delights. Also, someone else who's never felt entirely at home in the kitchen is producer Phil so hoping to conquer his culinary demons, he met up with his pal Raymond Smart, who also happens to be blind for a master-class in confident cooking...

For some people Easter is about chocolate eggs, on The Curry Club we're crazy about chocolate and spices. From the traditional chocolate and ginger to the experimental chocolate and Nepalese Timur, chocolatier Charlotte Flower takes Sumayya and Ghillie on flavour expedition around her world of combining spices and wild flavours with chocolate. But what spice would Ghillie and Sumayya really like to combine with chocolate? They set Charlotte a spiced chocolate challenge. Ghillie makes a Nepalese egg curry while Charlotte recalls her time living in Nepal and the food she so enjoyed eating there, which for part of the time was based solely on potatoes and onions. Want some curry comfort food for those lazy evenings on the sofa with some poppadoms? Elgin based sisters Sharan Dhesi and Manju Dhesi-Dhami make a very quick Masala Jhinga.

Could you tell the difference between a ribeye or a rump? Or what about a sirloin from a fillet? This week steak loving Dads Douglas and Allan join Neil Forbes at the Chop House in Leith to find out the best ways to choose, prepare and cook the perfect steak. Also, Ghillie Basan visits Glen and Gilli Allingham at the Really Garlicky Company in Nairn to find out why Scotland's climate is perfect for growing garlic.

Spring is in the air so this week Neil Forbes is joined by raw baker Laurianne Giteau to celebrate food in its freshest form, raw. Gardening expert Nicola Singleton takes a stroll round Neil's garden to see what jobs need done and Ghillie Basan talks to Kaori Simpson from Harajuku Kitchen about the Japanese philosophy behind eating raw food.

Neil Forbes and Flora Shedden celebrate Mothers' Day with Larah Bross of Bross Bagels. Having grown up in a Jewish family, Larah can testify to the key role that mothers play in Jewish food culture. Sumayya Usmani digs deeper into Jewish food traditions with Glasgow mother Sora Jacobs, while Frankie Vaughan meets Sarah Bodenheim, Jewish Student Chaplin for Scotland, as she prepares a Shabbat dinner.

For many of us, cooking and eating are great sources of joy and comfort. This week on The Kitchen Café, we're celebrating the food that makes us feel good. Simon Preston meets Melissa Hemsley to celebrate her new book, "Eat Happy". Meanwhile, Neil Forbes and Flora Shedden are joined by amateur baker Nadia Cassar and Charlotte Maberly, programme co-ordinator of the MSc Gastronomy course at Queen Margaret University, to dig deeper into the relationship between food and mood.

Praveen Kumar grew up in a small village outside Hyderabad on the family spice farm. His father grew spices like chillies, coriander, mustard and cumin. As a young man Praveen left the village farm behind to follow his dream of working the hospitality industry. Years later he found himself making his treasured family recipes in some of the world's most regarded hotels. Now based in Scotland, he gives Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani a culinary guide to some of favourite family recipes and the food of south India. Traditional music legend, Phil Cunningham is widely known to love his curry as much as he does music. His favourite southern Indian dish is a ghee roasted dosa, a light pancake made from fermented batter. But it was one of the few dishes that this curry king hadn't mastered in his own kitchen until he joined the Curry Club for a quick masterclass.

Chef Julie Lin serves up a Malaysian cooking masterclass with Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani. From sticky rice to spicy sambal, Julie guides us through the flavours and cultures of Malaysia, while Ghillie Basan invites her friend Bernie round for a traditional Sarawak lunch.

Neil Forbes and Frankie Vaughan are joined by Chef Graeme Pallister to share the food that represents love in their lives. From the ingredients with which we love to cook, to dishes that remind us of our favourite travels, and the meals we make to nourish friends and family, food means a lot to all of us in different ways. On this week's Kitchen Café, we celebrate the food we love, and the people we love to feed.

Neil Forbes is joined by Chef Christopher Trotter and nutritionist Frankie Vaughan to get creative with cauliflower. From cauliflower rice to cauliflower steaks, this ancient veg has undergone a modern renaissance. Join us as Neil, Christopher and Frankie cook up their favourite dishes which demonstrate just how delicious and nutritious the cauliflower can be. Plus, Simon Preston meets Chefs Jonathan MacDonald and Daria Kimak of Baba in Edinburgh to discover why cauliflower is taking the restaurant scene by storm.

Its 'Veganuary', and lots of people are trying a vegan diet this month. Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are joined by Chef John Quigley to celebrate vegan cooking. Simon Preston meets the restauranteurs driving a growing vegan dining scene in Scotland, while Ghillie Basan explores the reasons why friends John and Gary have chosen to go vegan.

How many of us are stuck in a rut when it comes to cooking? Be it the ingredients we buy or the dishes we serve up for tea it is so easy to get stuck on a treadmill churning out the same food week after week. In the spirit of New Year, Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are joined by Chef Andy Cumming to encourage us to try something new in the kitchen. Andy tries his hand at baking with polenta, while Sumayya helps Neil to overcome his fear of cooking with spices. Plus Ghillie Basan teaches Simon Preston a new dish for his repertoire.

Flora Shedden, Neil Forbes, Sumayya Usmani, Ghillie Basan and Simon Preston - meet BBC Radio Scotland's Kitchen Café team of experts! Bake Off's Flora Shedden, award winning chef Neil Forbes and acclaimed cookery writer Sumayya Usmani join forces with international spice expert Ghillie Basan and food innovator Simon Preston in this weekly celebration of Scotland's fabulous seasonal larder. As well as helping you cook up a storm in your own kitchen with sparkling ideas and recipes, it's a series about the stories behind those ingredients - who's producing what, where and how in Scotland. Each week The Kitchen Cafe team delves into a range of topical and seasonal subjects. Alongside great recipe suggestions we'll be exploring food history and trends in food and nutrition as well as recognising - but most of all enjoying - the essential role food plays in all aspects of contemporary Scottish life. From cooking with the kids to feeding the family, treating yourself to a meal out to entertaining friends or creating a romantic dinner for two, we want to help you get the best out of your kitchen and the best out of the amazing range of produce Scotland has to offer. BBC Radio Scotland's The Kitchen Cafe...making radio taste better than ever!

In this special Curry Club, Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani are joined by the Queen of curry, Madhur Jaffrey. Since the moment she first appeared on our TV screens over 35 years ago Madhur made curry go mainstream. She has influenced has influenced home cooks and chefs throughout the western world. Yet lots of her food is deliciously simple, as Ghillie and Summaya find out when Madhur makes them Bazaari Aloo, a version of potatoes with cumin and asafetida Throughout the programme they explore how food gives you a sense of identity, the role it plays in defining community and their mutual love of spice.

Sumayya Usmani, Ghillie Basan and Chef Neil Forbes gather for an international Christmas feast. Bringing together their favourite festive dishes, the team celebrate Christmas food traditions from around the world.

Neil Forbes and Simon Preston celebrate Christmas aboard the Red Bus bistro. Plus Simon meets the founders of the world's most travelled pop-up restaurant, One Star House Party, who have returned to their native Scotland to serve a seven-course tasting menu with favourite dishes from their travels.

Chef Tom Kitchin shares the story of his training project for disadvantaged young people. Simon Preston and Ghillie Basan meet some of the talented young people taking part in the programme, and we join them for a very special dinner at the Citadel Youth Centre in Edinburgh.

Sharing a tune and some food together this St. Andrews Day, Scottish traditional music legend and curry fanatic Phil Cunningham joins Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan on the Curry Club to indulge himself in his lifelong obsession with curry. On the road in the early days of Silly Wizard the only places still open to get food after a gig were the curry houses of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Before long the band had become connoisseurs of the takeaway menu. In the years that followed Phil and good pal Aly Bain started making their own curries, roasting their own spices and using each other as guinea pigs for their latest curry experiments in the kitchen. While they have both become global legends of the Scottish music scene, within the traditional music world, Phil is now a curry king. He describes his love to Sumayya and Ghillie while getting some top tips for his own kitchen. To keep our stomachs full for St. Andrews Day celebrations, Sumayya and Phil make a Scottish take on shalgham ghost together, a spicy version of venison stovies. Meanwhile, Ghillie explores a very Scottish spice, juniper.

We're celebrating Scottish classics on The Kitchen Café, with dishes which have nourished our collective history and unite us through time and geography. Neil Forbes and Sue Lawrence prepare a classic Scotch broth and a barley 'risotto', while Ghillie Basan and chef Kirsten Gilmour experiment with soups from around the world. Plus, Simon Preston meets barley farmer John Weir to find out more about this key ingredient.

We're celebrating Scottish classics on The Kitchen Cafe, with dishes which have nourished our collective history and unite us through time and geography. Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are joined by potato expert Alan Romans and chef, food consultant and potato lover Christopher Trotter to discuss the best of Scotland's spuds. Christopher Trotter cooks up his classic stovies recipe, Neil prepares some posh potato scones, and Sumayya gives potatoes a Pakistani twist with her keema cutlets.

We're celebrating Scottish classics on The Kitchen Cafe, with dishes which have nourished our collective history and unite us through time and geography. Flora Shedden and Neil Forbes are joined by Sue Lawrence to enjoy the best of Scottish baking. Flora whips up a batch of fresh fruit scones, while Sue Lawrence prepares a classic Selkirk Bannock, and Simon Preston meets Jennifer Hunter of Edinburgh bakery Pinnies and Poppy Seeds to sample her best-selling shortbread. Plus, Ghillie Basan talks to Liz Ashworth about her new book, "The Book of Bere: Orkney's Ancient Grain".

Food fashions come and go, and even classic recipes will wax and wane, but the pie remains a passionate favourite with so many of us. Neil Forbes is joined by Sue Lawrence and Martin Burns to celebrate the Scottish pie tradition, while Flora Shedden investigates the story of the Forfar bridie. And Ghillie Basan meets Kirsten Gilmour to give the Scotch pie a Kiwi twist.

We're well into autumn now and our minds are turning towards to the long looming winter ahead. Pickles, preserves and chutneys are perfect for this time of year to lock in those late summer flavours to help you though the winter. So if you've been gathering the last of the fallen apples and collecting some brambles from hedgerows then please don't make a crumble with them. Join Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan on this week's Curry Club as they make apple pakora and a bramble chutney. Christopher Trotter is a passionate advocate of eating seasonal Scottish food and produce from his home country of Fife. But he's a man who's not keen on too much heat. So how does adding a very healthy dose of spice to some of nature's finest ingredients sit with him? Ghillie Basan explores the spice roots of ginger while sisters Manju Dhesi-Dhami and Sharan Dhesi show Dan Holland how to make a staple of the takeaway starter menu, homemade onion bhaji's.

Neil Forbes and Ghillie Basan are joined by historian Susan Morrison and Chef Fred Berkmiller to celebrate all things slimy as they experiment with Scottish oysters and snails. Neil cooks up some simple grilled oysters while Fred prepares a classic French dish using snails from the island of Barra. We send reporter Karen Elder to meet with Gerard Macdonald, who has launched the island's growing snail industry. Plus, Ghillie meets with author Yemisi Aribisala to discuss her first book, "Longthroat Memoirs", which celebrates her native Nigerian culture and cuisine.

Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh celebrate the sweet things in life with Ghillie Basan as they launch their new recipe book "Sweet". In a bid to reclaim the rich culture of baking, Yotam and Helen invite us to embrace all things sweet (in moderation!) Back in the kitchen, Neil Forbes talks to Tony Singh and Struan Stevenson about their new book "The Course of History", which documents ten of the most important meals in human history. Twenty years in the making, this book explores the tradition of 'dining diplomacy', while sharing some of the recipes which have influenced major historic events.

Neil Forbes, Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani celebrate autumnal berries and get creative in the kitchen with their favourite fruits. Ghillie introduces us to rowan gin, Sumayya makes a quick and easy raspberry ketchup, and Neil prepares a venison steak with blackberries from his garden. Meanwhile, we send Simon Preston on a foraging adventure with Rupert Waites, head chef at the Edinburgh-based pop-up restaurant Buck and Birch, to follow the story of their wild elderberry liqueur.

Its the time of year when Autumn fruits come into their own in the Kitchen so if you want some great ideas for getting the very best out of your apples, plums, pears and brambles the Kitchen Café recipe archive has the answer. Sumayya Usmani has a stunning recipe for bramble chutney and apple pakora; Tom Lewis makes venison on toast with caramelised pears; spice expert Ghillie Basan warms us up with ginger and Christopher Trotter has a plum clafoutis so tasty you'll be glad that Autumn's arrived! Packed with fresh ideas and inspiration, join Pennie Latin and the team for a celebration of the flavours of Autumn.

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan joins Flora Shedden and Neil Forbes to share stories of exotic food experiences from around the world as he prepares for his new live tour, "Animal Families and Me". Flora Shedden cooks up a fresh and simple crab linguine, inspired by Gordon's childhood memories of Mull, while Ghillie and Zekki Basan take us on a wild cooking adventure in the shadows of the Cairngorm mountains. Closer to home, Simon Preston expands his own culinary horizons with his first taste of hare from Ridley's Fish and Game in Edinburgh, and Neil Forbes invites us all to get creative in the kitchen with his recipe for homemade hare pie.

Flora Shedden and Neil Forbes are joined by Mary Contini and Fiona Richmond to celebrate Scotland's Food and Drink Fortnight. Fiona explains how changing just one thing about our food and drink choices can help to support local Scottish food producers, while Neil Forbes whips up a Scottish brunch. Mary Contini tells us more about her new book, "Dear Alfonso", which celebrates her heritage and the role of food in family life; and as university students get ready for Fresher's Week, Flora shares one of her favourite student recipes, a quick and easy sweetcorn chorizo chowder.

There is something almost impossibly romantic about taking the Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness down to London. The Highland landscape screams Scotland as you head south through heather-blown hills, you can even spot the occasional stag. It's wonderful. But can the same be said about the food as you travel? Does the very idea of eating on one of Scotland's trains have you salivating or sighing? On this week's Kitchen Cafe, Neil Forbes and Simon Preston take the Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness, where a culinary revolution is taking place - a revolution which aims to make Scottish trains the place to enjoy Scotland on a plate. Along the way Simon will be talking to Ryan Flaherty, Director of Guest Experience, about why he's determined to shout so loudly and proudly about Scottish food. Neil will be in the kitchens of RSF Scotland in Dingwall helping to prepare the meals for the sleeper and Ghillie Basan visits Bad Girl Bakery in Muir of Ord to find out what a contract with the sleeper means for small local Scottish businesses.

When you think of the food you want to eat during summer, what comes to your mind? Something light and fresh perhaps, something cool in contrast to the weather? Maybe the last thing you think about eating is a curry. If so, think again. Curry doesn't have to be rich, heavy and stodgy. Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan explore the lighter side of curries from around the world as they discover that curry can be light and refreshing if you use the right spices and ingredients, perfect for the middle of summer or hot climates. Food consultant Simon Preston describes his passion for south east Asian food. Aubergines are in season and perfect for curries, Ghillie makes spicy aubergine fingers with nt and lime yoghurt and a smoked aubergine bharta with mustard seed tarka. For most people getting a takeaway means walking down the street of picking up the phone. But what if you live in some of the remoter parts of Scotland? Dan Holland meets Mike and Lucy Goodwin to find out how they run a curry delivery service in Kinlochbervie. To round it all off Sumayya and Simon make a light a refreshing fruit chaat with seasonal fruits.

Chef Neil Forbes is joined in his garden by gardening expert Nicola Singleton to celebrate the whole journey from nature to plate. Also, Ghillie Basan and her son Zeki do a bit of wild foraging in the shadows of the Cairngorms before cooking up a delicious Italian classic.

With the schools being back, Chef Neil Forbes gives mums Lisa, Gill and Kim some mouth-watering ideas to rustle up a 10-minute tea. Simon Preston visits Deanna Williams for some packed lunch inspiration and Sumayya cooks up the perfect Mexican lunchtime treat.

Flora Shedden, Neil Forbes, Sumayya Usmani, Ghillie Basan and Simon Preston - meet BBC Radio Scotland's Kitchen Cafe team of experts! Bake Off's Flora Shedden, award winning chef Neil Forbes and acclaimed cookery writer Sumayya Usmani join forces with international spice expert Ghillie Basan and food innovator Simon Preston in this weekly celebration of Scotland's fabulous seasonal larder. Haggis, oats, seafood or perhaps even berries... Cook and food writer Sue Lawrence is tasked with choosing Scotland's finest ingredient. Chef Neil Forbes cooks up a Scottish classic using smoked haddock as he tries to convince Sue that smoked haddock should be at the top of her list, however, Chef Mark Greenaway sweetens things up when he gives Sue one of his mouth-watering strawberry tarts as he puts his argument across that berries are by far Scotland's best ingredient.

Neil, Flora and Sumayya go all retro this week as they head to the seaside town of Largs in the Kitchen Café campervan. We take a step back in time as Neil and Flora cook up some retro classics for lunch and Sumayya visits Nardini's, one of Scotland's most famous ice cream parlours.

Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan explore the influences and flavours that come together to create the rich and vibrant curries of the Caribbean with Haitian Peggy Brunache. From the traditional curried goat to the French influenced Colombo, the diversity of cuisines and spices used in the curries of the Caribbean is vast. With strong influences from Britain, France and India, each Caribbean country has its own curry identity. It's food that reflects the cultural, culinary and social history of the islands that make up the Caribbean. Using in season Scottish mackerel they make a Jamaican influenced fish and pineapple curry. Ghillie explores the background and uses to a raw spice that some suggest smells like bedbugs or dirty bed linen. When it first was discovered this spice was largely ignored because of its strong smell, but today, coriander is a staple of almost every spice mix around the world. Plus, it's good to help control flatulence. Chef and spice fanatic, Tony Singh invites Simon Preston into his back garden for a BBQ and shows him his homemade jerk spice marinade, perfect for chicken, pork or fish.

Flora and Sumayya are joined in the Kitchen Cafe campervan by Howard Wilkinson from the Ayrshire Food Network as they try and capture Ayrshire on a plate. Drew Young from Girvan Early Growers takes Neil on a walk through his potato fields and explains the reasons why Ayrshire produces some of the best potatoes in Scotland. Also, Tom Campbell from Fencebay Fisheries in Fairlie tells us about how the waters off the coast of Ayrshire produce some of the best shellfish in the world.

When you think about typically Scottish ingredients what do you think of? Salmon? Venison? Haggis? Scallops but how many of us would think to put crowdie on that list? Chef Neil Forbes shows us how to use this unsung hero of the Scottish kitchen in a classic cranachan recipe and Flora Shedden cooks us up some delicious crowdie and spring onion tartlets. Also, Ghillie Basan visits Callum Clark at Connage Highland Dairy on the banks of the Moray Firth to find out how they make their Highland crowdie.

If you think that salad means iceberg lettuce, sliced cucumber and a quarter of a tomato, Chef Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are going to make you think again! They have some mouth-watering sensational salads on the Kitchen Café menu that will transform your summer eating. Also, Flora Shedden helps Chef Kirsten Gilmore to cook up a delicious Lebanese chicken salad and Chef Steven Devlin shows Gillian Russell how to make a warm seared tuna salad with fresh mango.

The Bangalore Torpedo, a Devil's Rib, an Elephant's Trunk, a Bird's Eye and a bit of Scottish Purple Gusto, all varieties of chilli, love them or loathe them chillies are a fundamental part of any curry. In this month's Curry Club, Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan explore how chillies travelled the world and became such an important ingredient to any curry. They make a very quick a simple recipe for stuffed green chillies using mango powder, cumin and nigella seeds. According to Sumayya's family traditions the stuffed chillies are best eat with freshly made chapatti so she takes a lesson in chapatti making from her daughter. Special guest Trishna Singh, Director of Sikh Sanjog and Edinburgh's Punjabi Junction joins Ghillie and Sumayya with her homemade aloo prantha and describes how Leith's female sikh community brings their home cooked, traditional Punjabi style of food into the heart of Edinburgh. Pennie Latin joins Jagdish Kaur Landa in the kitchen at Punjabi Junction to make a lamb kofta curry.

Legendary tennis mum Judy Murray joins Chef Neil Forbes and Flora Shedden at the City of Glasgow College to help them prepare a special Kitchen Café picnic. Judy gets her sleeves rolled up to help Flora with her picnic loaf and Neil demonstrates how quick and easy it is to make an absolute classic picnic food, scotch eggs. Also, Spice Girl Ghillie Basan and her friend Bernie head to the Cairngorms with their tartan rug to talk about some of their favourite picnic foods and memories.

As its Father's Day on Sunday, Chef Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani are joined in the garden by chilli sauce entrepreneur Gennaro D'Onofrio to cook up some deliciously marinated chicken kebabs and hand-dived scallops on the barbecue. Also, spice girl Ghillie Basan and her friend Bernie prepare lunch over an open fire using an upside down wok and food innovator Simon Preston visits Reekie's Smokehouse in Edinburgh to hear how they are using chopped up whisky barrels to flavour their meats.

Liver, cheeks and even loin are on the menu this lunch time as chef Andy Cumming joins Neil Forbes and Flora Shedden to cook monkfish, nose to tail. Also, food innovator Simon Preston visits fishmonger Daniel Bee for an anatomy lesson and food historian Fraser Wright tells us about the rich history of eating the more unusual parts of the fish in Scotland, especially in Shetland, whose economy was once solely based on fishing.

For World Milk Day, Chef Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani celebrate the sheer joy of milk. Neil cooks up a classic bechamel sauce to go with his pan-fried cod and Sumayya shows us the versatility of almond milk when she makes macaroni cheese. Also, Mary Hillard from Mary's Milk Bar in Edinburgh reminds us about the popularity of milk bars between the 1940's and 60's and how she really enjoys challenging her customers taste buds with some unusual Gelato ice-cream flavours such as beetroot and pickle, goats cheese and even white chocolate chilli and lime!

The brand new Kitchen Café Curry Club indulges itself in Scotland's favourite cuisine. Sumayya Usmani and Ghillie Basan explore the world of curry, not just your weekly takeaway but the vibrant, diverse and exciting flavours of curry culture across the world! Discovering their story, exploring their authentic flavours and most importantly, teaching you how to you can make it in your own kitchen every day of the week. This month Sumayya makes a seasonal fish curry with coley, mint and carom chutney. Special guest Susan Morrison, presenter of BBC Radio Scotland's new history series, Time Travels, might be useless in the kitchen but her love of chillies and fascination with the spice trade led her learn about some of the very early curry houses that opened in Scotland just after the war. And if you've ever wondered how to make the perfect boiled rice for your homemade curry then Ghillie and Sumayya reveal their favourite ways for perfect rice, every time.

Flora Shedden and Sumayya Usmani go absolutely tomato-tastic as they celebrate British Tomato week. Flora makes a delicious bruschetta lunch-time treat and Sumayya talks us through how simple it is to make different tomato chutneys. Also, Pennie Latin joins Ghillie Basan to make a Mediterranean classic melanzane alla parmigiana and we've drafted in gardening expert Nicola Singleton to give Neil Forbes some handy tips on growing tomato plants.

Carrots, kale and parsnip feature on this week's menu as the Kitchen Café team show you how to turn boring old veg into a mouth-watering 3-course meal. Sumayya's on the kale pakora starter, Neil does a roast onion salad for the main course and Flora turns a parsnip into a delicious pud. Also, food innovator Simon Preston visits carrot producer Steven jack in Moray to hear about his many varieties of colourful carrots.

Bread and butter are one of life's simple pleasures so this week, Flora Shedden shows us how to make a sourdough starter, Chef Neil Forbes visits a farmer in East Lothian who grows, harvests and mills his own wheat and Sumayya Usmani heads for Dumfries to meet up with Barry Graham at the award winning Loch Arthur Creamery to find out how to make butter.

Tomato and basil, sprouts and bacon, avocado and toast, cheese and oatcakes some of the greatest food combinations to pass our lips. A good cheese on the perfect oatcake is one of life's luxuries. In today's Kitchen Cafe Neil Forbes explores the right oatcake for the right cheese with Chris Young. Flora Shedden and Kirsten Gilmour combine mascarpone cheese with some biscuits to make a sweet and delicious baked cheesecake with topped macadamia nuts. While Simon Preston explores the much unsung delight of cottage cheese with cheesemaker David Mitchell and Edinburgh's Michelin starred chef Paul Kitching to find out not just what cottage cheese is but how we can use it on more than just a baked potato...in some leek and potato soup or with a wee drop of tomato sauce perhaps?

Masterchef winner Gary Maclean joins Neil Forbes at the City of Glasgow College to celebrate the inexpensive and versatility of all things porky. Gary cooks up a delicious chorizo and white bean stew with slow cooked and pan fried pork belly and Neil creates the ultimate club sandwich layering crispy dry cured bacon, chicken, mayonnaise, grain mustard and tomato sandwiched between 2 slices of pan fried sourdough. Also, food innovator Simon Preston visits Fred Berkmiller at Edinburgh's Gorgie City Farm to find out about his recent delivery of rare breed Mangalitza pigs which looking at them can be mistaken for sheep.

Neil Forbes and Sumayya Usmani join Chef Andy Cumming and the fishmonger students at the City of Glasgow College to cook up a mouth-watering lunch time treat that is just bursting with flavour. Also, Ghillie Basan and her son Zeki prepare breakfast on an open fire after going food foraging in the woods.

This week Neil Forbes heads for his allotment to unearth the last of the winter veg and start spring planting, expert gardener Nicola Singleton is on hand to advise. Sumayya Usmani has the perfect recipe for all the leeks and kale Neil up roots - a spicy soup flavoured with aromatic cumin and nigella seeds. Meanwhile Flora Shedden and her mum Tiffy get seasonal with homemade hot cross buns while Shereen Nanjiani wants to know how to perfect a melt in the middle, melt in the mouth hot chocolate fondant pudding. The answer? Get top chef and king of desserts Mark Greenaway on the case of course. Seasonal, spicy and stuffed with sensational recipes this week's Kitchen Café might leave you seriously hungry...you have been warned!

Spice girls Ghillie Basan and Sumayya Usmani are in Edinburgh to talk to food vendors Scott Kirkham and Hal Prescott, the driving force behind Edinburgh's street food scene. Hal shows us how quick and delicious street food can be when he cooks us up fresh crab with tarragon, mayonnaise and mint slaw served on a bed of fries. Also, Chef Neil Forbes hears about how stripped back cooking can be when he talks to Thomasina Miers about her new cook book, Home Cook.

Bake-off star Flora Shedden, top chef Neil Forbes and celebrated food writer Sumayya Usmani team up to celebrate the sheer joy of all things foodie. If you're passionate about cooking and eating and getting the best out of Scotland's amazing natural larder then look no further. Each week the Kitchen Café team will be bursting with ideas, advice, recipes and ingredients to make every step into the kitchen a whole new culinary adventure! As well as helping you cook up a storm in your own kitchen with a wide range of exciting seasonal ingredients, it's a series about the stories behind those ingredients - who's producing what, where and how in Scotland. Each week the team delves into a range of topical and seasonal subjects. Alongside great recipe suggestions we'll be exploring food history and trends in food and nutrition as well as recognising - but most of all enjoying - the essential role food plays in all aspects of contemporary Scottish life. From cooking with the kids to feeding the family, from treating yourself to a meal out to entertaining friends or creating a romantic dinner for two, we want to help you get the best out of your kitchen and the best out of the amazing range of produce Scotland has to offer. So join Neil, Sumayya and Flora, BBC Radio Scotland's Kitchen Café team, each week and discover just how good radio can taste!

We are unashamedly meaty on this week's Kitchen Cafe! For National Butchers' week, Chef Neil Forbes gives us a masterclass in how to joint a chicken and Sumayya Usmani turns the simplest of ingredients into a deliciously spicy and different quick lunch or midweek tea. Plus, we visit rare breed goat farmer Ruth Harris in Strathaven and find out about the art of charcuterie from craft butcher Rachel Hammond at the Edinburgh Farmers' Market.

Whether it's chicken and leek, fish and potato or mushroom and ham, what's your favourite pie? Bake Off's Flora Shedden and chef Neil Forbes celebrate National Pie Week. Also, Sumayya Usmani finds out what goes into a world champion scotch pie when she talks to John Gall from Brownings The Bakers in Kilmarnock and Fiona Burrell from Edinburgh New Town Cookery School gives us a lesson in short crust pastry making.

Bake-off star Flora Shedden, top chef Neil Forbes and celebrated food writer Sumayya Usmani team up to celebrate the sheer joy of all things foodie. If you're passionate about cooking and eating and getting the best out of Scotland's amazing natural larder then look no further. Each week the Kitchen Café team will be bursting with ideas, advice, recipes and ingredients to make every step into the kitchen a whole new culinary adventure! As well as helping you cook up a storm in your own kitchen with a wide range of exciting seasonal ingredients, it's a series about the stories behind those ingredients - who's producing what, where and how in Scotland. Each week the team delves into a range of topical and seasonal subjects. Alongside great recipe suggestions we'll be exploring food history and trends in food and nutrition as well as recognising - but most of all enjoying - the essential role food plays in all aspects of contemporary Scottish life. From cooking with the kids to feeding the family, from treating yourself to a meal out to entertaining friends or creating a romantic dinner for two, we want to help you get the best out of your kitchen and the best out of the amazing range of produce Scotland has to offer. So join Neil, Sumayya and Flora, BBC Radio Scotland's Kitchen Café team, each week and discover just how good radio can taste!

Bake-off star Flora Shedden, acclaimed food writer Sumayya Usmani and top chef Neil Forbes join forces in the kitchen in a programme bursting with flavour but be warned listening to this might seriously increase your appetite! Special guests Fraser Wright and Shirley Spear roll up their sleeves in the kitchen to help Flora make pancakes whilst comedian Des Clark sets Neil the challenge of making a lasagne from start to finish using only the freshest of ingredients. Packed with fresh flavours and fresh faces, grab a fork for the delicious Kitchen Café...radio has never tasted so good!

Bake-off star Flora Shedden, acclaimed food writer Sumayya Usmani and top chef Neil Forbes join forces in the kitchen in a programme bursting with flavour but be warned listening to this might seriously increase your appetite! This week special guest Edi Stark wants to learn how to make a shell fish bisque so Neil roasts up some prawn shells to make a classic bisque with a Scottish twist; Janice Forsyth sets Sumayya the challenge of coming up with a dish which marries Australian and Scottish ingredients and flavours so Sumayya makes succulent spicy Scottish langoustines perfect for the BBQ - yes, even in the depths of a Scottish winter! Plus Flora is off to Aviemore to compare notes on what it's like to write your first cookbook with the Kiwi chef making a name for herself in the Cairngorms, Kirsten Gilmore. Packed with fresh flavours and fresh faces, grab a fork for the delicious return of the Kitchen Café...radio has never tasted so good!