Good Food

Silk Roads, Saffron Rice, and the Stories Our Food Carries

Did you know every apple in the world can be traced back to Kazakhstan? In this episode, Samuel Goldsmith sits down with Anna Ansari — Iranian American cook, former trade lawyer, and author of Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing — to explore how food has connected cultures across Central Asia for centuries.

Anna shares how a plate of Uyghur food in 1990s Beijing tasted unexpectedly like home, why Uzbek plov is far more than the sum of its five humble ingredients, and how cooking Iranian stews became a way to root her blended British-American-Iranian family in tradition. Along the way, they talk nasi goreng technique, the myth of culinary authenticity, and why a Tootsie Roll is her ultimate guilty pleasure.

In this episode:

How the ancient Silk Roads shaped the food we eat today

The surprising Central Asian origins of apples, melons, and rice

Why authenticity in food is more fluid than we think

Anna's death-row dish: tahchin (Iranian saffron rice cake)

Cooking as connection — to heritage, family, and home

Quick-fire confessions: gnocchi disasters, pulled pork parties, and bumpy cake

About the guest:

Anna Ansari is the author of Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing. A former customs and trade lawyer with a background in Chinese studies, she writes about the intersections of food, history, and identity.

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode.
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Why Only 4% of Us Get Enough Fiber and Why It Matters Way More Than You Think

Registered nutritionist and bestselling author Rhiannon Lambert joins host of the Good Food podcast, Samuel Goldsmith, to tackle one of the most overlooked nutrients in our diets: fibre.

In this episode, Rhiannon explains why the UK is facing a fibre crisis, how ultra-processed foods reshaped the way we eat, and what the latest science says about gut health, longevity, and disease prevention. She also shares her simple 30/30/30 formula for getting more fibre without overhauling your life, plus the truth about supplements, sugar swaps, and nutrition myths that won't go away.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why fibre is about far more than digestion. From heart health to cancer prevention to living longer

• How the rise of convenience food left us eating less fibre than during WWII rationing

• The NOVA scale: what "ultra-processed" actually means (and why baked beans aren't the enemy)

• Rhiannon's 30/30/30 formula for hitting your fibre target one meal at a time

• Which supplements are genuinely worth taking and which ones are overhyped

• Why less than 2% of nutrition advice on TikTok is accurate

About the guest: Rhiannon Lambert is a Harley Street registered nutritionist, founder of Rhitrition, and author of The Fiber Formula and The Unprocessed Plate. She's known for cutting through wellness noise with clear, evidence-based advice.

📖 The Fiber Formula is out now.

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode
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Baker and patisserie expert Matt Adlard joins The Good Food Podcast to talk about his new book, The Science of Baking, and what really goes on behind those picture-perfect desserts.

Matt shares how a DM from his editor led to writing a book that demystifies the "why" behind baking — from why you use a bain-marie for cheesecake to why your soufflé needs to be served immediately. He opens up about being entirely self-taught, learning from scientific journals and fellow bakers on social media, and building a "recipe locker" of perfected fundamentals he mixes and matches to create new desserts.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

How Matt went from studying international business to becoming one of the most-followed bakers online

Growing up with a Michelin-star chef father — and why he still didn't learn to bake at home

The toast test for finding hotspots in your oven

Why ingredient substitutions (yes, even swapping cream cheese brands) can ruin your bake

Pro tips for the perfect lemon tart, including his dad's original recipe

The croissant disaster during a 30°C photo shoot

His most memorable baking fails — including a three-tier birthday cake that collapsed at his mum's 60th

Why "chasing perfection" is his philosophy, and why he wants you to see the mess behind the magic

Plus: quickfire questions, a guilty pleasure involving squirty cream, and what good food really means to Matt.
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