The Food Chain

Which food do you associate with your favourite sport? Pie and chips at an English football match, biriyanis at the cricket in Pakistan or grilling meat in the parking lot outside an American football game – there are some tasty traditions which go hand-in-hand with sport across the world. Ruth Alexander hears how a traditional rice dish can bring two rival nations together over a game of cricket, and how a disappointing sausage roll before a football game led one man on a country-wide quest for better food for fans. Over a pile of warming chips on a frosty night in South Manchester, Ruth discovers how getting the food right off the pitch might help a team’s fortune improve on the pitch. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Hannah Bewley Additional reporting: Ben Derico(Image: a box of chips with gravy and curry sauce held beside a football pitch. Credit: BBC)

Crookie, anyone? Cronut, croffle? Ruth Alexander looks at the rise of the dessert café and the extraordinary creations it’s spawned. She visits one such café in Manchester with roses adorning the walls, and chocolate adorning almost everything else. And speaks to a food blogger in Dubai and a café owner in USA about the latest trends and the businesses who have been serving puddings for decades. Find out what the latest fashions are in dessert, and how quickly a new invention can sweep the world. Going out for pudding has become the thing to do in many places and the more extravagant your order, the better. In fact, going out for pudding has never been so fashionable – or has it? Presenter: Ruth AlexanderProducers: Rumella Dasgupta and Hannah Bewley (Image: A selection of sweet desserts. Credit: BBC)

From America to Mongolia, you can go into a restaurant run by a global fast-food chain, and buy the same meal. So how did fast food become so successful? Across the world, last year we spent more than 900 billion dollars on fast food. The USA, where it all began, consumes the most, but even in France, despite its history of haute cuisine, more than half of households regularly enjoy burgers and fries. Julia Paul learns about its origins in the USA, and hears how it spread globally, thanks to the franchise model. She speaks to a superfan who’s eaten at one chain in 25 countries. Critics say global brands shipping food around the world is bad for the environment and for local economies. There are some places where some brands have failed, and some where they haven’t even opened yet. Julia hears how local burgers, and the worldwide recession, saw off McDonalds in Iceland, and speaks to a Nigerian female chef who’s competing to offer fast local food in Lagos. If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email [email protected]. Presented and produced by Julia Paul. (Image: A large burger. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from the past decade. Fishing to stay alive, chopping onions in remembrance, and tasting people’s names – these stories and more tell us something about our relationship with food and how it helps us connect with one another. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]: Ruth Alexander (Image: A chocolate birthday cake with number 10 candles on top. Credit: Getty Images)