A special Christmas treat for our final episode of the season, and who better to join us than Mr Christmas himself, Rick Stein! Rick is a renowned English chef, restaurateur, writer, and television presenter, best known for his love of fresh, simple seafood and for building a culinary empire in Padstow, Cornwall. After studying English at Oxford, he started out as a nightclub owner, running club nights in Padstow. In 1975 he converted the club into The Seafood Restaurant, which became highly successful and earned him a national reputation. Rick has since hosted numerous popular BBC cooking series, written over 30 cookbooks, and runs restaurants in the UK and Australia, receiving a CBE in 2018 for services to the economy. Rick's latest cookbook, Rick Stein's Christmas is his first book entirely dedicated to festive recipes, memories, and stories. What a treat!

About the Joy Season

The world feels like a lot right now, and it can be hard to find those small moments that make us smile. In restaurants, we get three chances a day to bring joy — breakfast, lunch and dinner — but it doesn’t stop there. This season, The Joy Season, we’ll be talking to some truly brilliant people about the sparks of joy that keep them going, on and off the plate.

Rick Stein's Joy Manual

Place: Istanbul - the home of food

Restaurant: Marisqueira Cervejaria Ramiro, Lisbon, Portugal

Movie: Whiplash (2014)

Book: The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin

Music: Van Morrison's entire catalogue - start with Astral Weeks (1968)

These Days by Jackson Browne, from For Everyman (1973)

Vintage LA swamp rock band Little Feat - start wtih Feats Don't Fail Me Now (1974)

Life advice: "Don't panic!" (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Life advice: "All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why" (James Thurber)

About Our Sponsor

Bring more joy to your workday — and your team — with Blink, the mobile platform built for busy restaurant teams. Goodbye, WhatsApp. Hello, employee experience app. From kitchen crew to front-of-house staff, Blink keeps everyone connected, informed, and in sync in one dedicated digital workplace. See why retail and hospitality brands — from local favourites to global food service chains — are choosing Blink to power their people experience. Visit https://www.joinblink.com/honey to start free today, and use code HONEYJOY at checkout for 20% off your first year.

Episode Credits

Sponsor: Blink

Producer: Miranda Hinkley

Sound Engineer: Tony Onochukwu

Sound Mixer: John Scott

Theme Song: Daniel Winshall

Honey & Co Team: Louisa Cornford & Winnie Thomas

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe and share, it really helps us reach new listeners.

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

Alison Roman is an American food writer, chef, and internet personality known for her popular, "highly cookable" recipes that often go viral online. She built her career in professional kitchens and as an editor at Bon Appétit and a columnist for New York Times Cooking. Alison is the New York Times bestselling author of several cookbooks, with her most recent, Something from Nothing: A Cookbook published in November 2025. In addition to writing, she runs a popular YouTube series called Home Movies and has opened a small market, First Bloom, in upstate New York.

About the Joy Season

The world feels like a lot right now, and it can be hard to find those small moments that make us smile. In restaurants, we get three chances a day to bring joy — breakfast, lunch and dinner — but it doesn’t stop there. This season, The Joy Season, we’ll be talking to some truly brilliant people about the sparks of joy that keep them going, on and off the plate.

About Our Sponsor

Bring more joy to your workday — and your team — with Blink, the mobile platform built for busy restaurant teams. Goodbye, WhatsApp. Hello, employee experience app. From kitchen crew to front-of-house staff, Blink keeps everyone connected, informed, and in sync in one dedicated digital workplace. See why retail and hospitality brands — from local favourites to global food service chains — are choosing Blink to power their people experience. Visit https://www.joinblink.com/honey to start free today, and use code HONEYJOY at checkout for 20% off your first year.

Alison Roman's Joy Manual

Restaurant: Cervos', New York

Book: The End of the Story, Lydia Davis

Album: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan

Film: The Taste of Things, directed by Trần Anh Hùng

People: us!

Place: London

Life advice to find joy: Trust the process, it will all work out

Episode Credits

Sponsor: Blink

Producer: Miranda Hinkley

Sound Engineer: Melis Oslu

Sound Mixer: John Scott

Theme Song: Daniel Winshall

Honey & Co Team: Louisa Cornford & Winnie Thomas

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe and share, it really helps us reach new listeners.

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

Today we’re joined on Honey & Co. The Food Sessions by British chef and television personality, Michael O'Hare. Known for his innovative, experimental, art-inspired cuisine and signature "rockstar" personal style, Michael gained prominence as the chef-patron of the Michelin-starred restaurant The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds. He initially studied aeronautical engineering and trained as a pilot before discovering his passion for cooking in his mid-twenties, training at prestigious restaurants, including Noma in Copenhagen and L'Ortolan. He also studied classical and modern ballet in his youth, which he credits as an influence on his artistic approach to food presentation. Michael is such a character and we had a lot of fun talking about his journey to the kitchen and the things that bring him joy in his life.

About the Joy Season

The world feels like a lot right now, and it can be hard to find those small moments that make us smile. In restaurants, we get three chances a day to bring joy — breakfast, lunch and dinner — but it doesn’t stop there. This season, The Joy Season, we’ll be talking to some truly brilliant people about the sparks of joy that keep them going, on and off the plate.

Michael O'Hare's Joy Manual

Restaurant: Aponiente, Cadiz

Film: F1, dir Joseph Kasinski

Place: France

Advice: Find something that makes you happy and do it often

**bonus question** Piece of clothing/accessory that brings you joy: Hedi Slimane 2005 Dior Homme shoes, a pair in gold & a pair in silver

About Our Sponsor

Bring more joy to your workday — and your team — with Blink, the mobile platform built for busy restaurant teams. Goodbye, WhatsApp. Hello, employee experience app. From kitchen crew to front-of-house staff, Blink keeps everyone connected, informed, and in sync in one dedicated digital workplace. See why retail and hospitality brands — from local favourites to global food service chains — are choosing Blink to power their people experience. Visit https://www.joinblink.com/honey to start free today, and use code HONEYJOY at checkout for 20% off your first year.

Episode Credits

Sponsor: Blink

Producer: Miranda Hinkley

Sound Engineer: John Scott

Sound Mixer: Paul Brogden

Theme Song: Daniel Winshall

Honey & Co Team: Louisa Cornford & Winnie Thomas

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe and share, it really helps us reach new listeners.

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