Desert Island Dishes

I've admired Asma and her work for many years now, I absolutely loved her episode of Chefs Table on Netflix, Ihighly recommend if you haven’t seen it.  So it really was a pleasure to sit down with her and hear her story first hand.

The work she does is truly amazing and it feels like she's only just getting started. I hope you enjoy todays episode.

Thank you to our sponsor Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are so confident you’ll see a difference with their Food Grown supplements that they’re offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

Nicola is the best selling author and pastry chef behind the Sunday Times bestselling Sift and also her hugely successful newsletter Kitchen Projects. Her knowlege of baking is hugely impressive having trained at top London and New York bakeries including Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel and Little Bread Pedlar. 

Thank you so much to our sponsor for this season of Desert Island Dishes - the brilliant Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

If you don't already come and follow me on instagram @desertislanddishes and sign up for my newsletter at www.dinnertonight.substack.com 

Martha is something of an anomaly these days. She grows (a lot of) her own food… and is an avid urban gardener from London. 

With over 1 million followers on Instagram, Martha’s straightforward and calming approach to growing your own food is digestible and relatable to the masses. Not only is it informative, but I find Martha’s content is such a celebration of what nature can do and how a little bit of sunshine can grow the most wonderful ingredients. Her debut book Give It A Grow has been an instant success, climbing to a top spot immediately in Amazon gardening books. It has chapters on veg, fruit, herbs, flowers and wildlife, with over 40 of her favourite projects to make the most of your garden, patio or balcony plus bonus recipes for how to cook with your produce.

Thank you to our sponsor Wild Nutrition. Wild Nutrition are so confident you’ll see a difference with their Food Grown supplements that they’re offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off for three months when you visit wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes. If you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

My guest today is Natalia Rudin otherwise known as Nats Nourishments

 Shooting to social media stardom, gaining over a million followers in 1 year, Nat is a personal chef turned food creator, having travelled the world with clients, she now translates this knowledge into her easy, home cooking videos and recipes.

Having taken an untraditional route into the culinary world, she started out with a mission to bring retreats to her clients rather than her clients going off to retreats. She combined being a trainer, yoga teacher and chef and travelled the world – from the Bahamas, Canada, France and beyond.

 Eventually, all this travel caught up with Nat and she decided to commit to posting 3 times a week on Instagram to grow a following. The success soon came, and Nat now has over 2 million followers on social media.

Her debut book Cooking Fast and Slow is a celebration of recipes that are simple and delicious, guaranteed to comfort, nourish and delight. It’s out in May 2025.

Thank you very much to our sponsor Wild Nutrition who are offering Desert Island Dishes listeners 50% off a 3 month subscription for their food grown supplements.

Head to www.wildnutrition.com/desertislanddishes and if you don’t feel the benefits within 30 days, they’ll give you back your money.  Ts and Cs apply.

As Gordon prepares to open his most ambitious project to date, 22 BISHOPSGATE, Margie got the chance to sit down with him and talk about the dishes that have shaped his life. 

He’s a chef, restaurateur and television presenter, known for Kitchen Nightmares, Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen. He’s one of the most famous and recognisable chefs in the world with the kind of success most only dream of, and yet you may not know that he did not have the easiest start in life. Him and his siblings were on lunch vouchers at school, they moved house 15 times and a difficult relationship with his father marred his childhood. 

With a strong sense of purpose from a young age, and a determination to make a better life for himself, Gordon was a talented footballer with a bright future ahead until an injury on the pitch changed things overnight and he was back to square one.

He set his sights on culinary school and it was the Banbury round table charity that bought him his first set of chefs whites and knives in order for him to start work. 

He went on to open his own restaurant , Aubergine, at the age of 27 and within 3 years it was awarded 2 Michelin stars. He then opened his flagship restaurant Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in 1998 which very quickly earned him the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars and Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London’s longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and he is one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars.