What is your favourite city to eat in, and how do you handle the cold? Apparently there are some surprising health benefits…

Podcast of the week

1. Dish

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Food

In series four of Dish from Waitrose, hosts Nick Grimshaw and Michelin star chef Angela Hartnett are joined by renowned chef Massimo Bottura, who is the owner of triple-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana restaurant and founder of non-profit organisation Food For Soul.

Bottura talks about why Tokyo is his favourite city to eat in, and how similar the Japanese are to Italians when they prepare their food. “They use technique to sublime the products, and not to sublime the ego of the chef. So that’s a very Italian style,” he explained.

But New York – his home away from home – was also at the top of this list, particularly because it’s where you can get a diverse range of cuisines. It’s also the city where he met his wife Lara Gilmore on April 8, 1993 – who he told couldn’t make a cappuccino and showed her how to make one instead. A bold move that worked out in the end.

It was also great hearing Bottura talk so passionately about his global mission to feed the hungry, while also cutting down on food waste. He’s all about the power of good hospitality – something we’ve all experienced at least once.

2. 28 Dates Later 

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Relationships

Are you bored of modern dating? Well, comedian Grace Campbell is tired of meeting the same people in the same places. It’s why she has taken it upon herself to change the narrative on how we find love.

So earlier this year, she took part in what she’ll describe as a social experiment and went on 28 dates in the space of two months.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Campbell goes on a date with a guy she follows on Instagram, who had a life-changing accident last year after drinking 40ml of GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) – a type of depressant people also take as a recreational drug – which he thought was water.

Campbell found him fascinating and loved that he also had a dog – one of her green flags – and discusses how the date went at a Camden pub with one of her friends Rozanna Purcell, in between audio clips from the date, providing listeners with some juicy, behind-the-scenes content.

Ultimately, Campbell liked his openness and willingness to talk about different aspects of his life. So, was that a successful date then? See what you think…

3. +44 Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Music and culture

Zeze Millz and Sideman interview multi-Grammy nominated artist Victoria Monét and R&B legend Ne-Yo in the latest episode of Amazon Music’s +44 Podcast.

Monét talks about the highs and lows of being a multihyphenate – singer, songwriter and dancer – and why she’s still in awe of the reception she’s received since releasing her studio album Jaguar II, in particular her hit singles On My Mama and Party Girls.

It was also great hearing her reflect on how difficult it can be to make the transition from songwriter to a full-time artist. “Whatever people see you doing the most, that’s what you are,” Monét said, when asked about changing the narrative. “It takes time for people to see you in a different light.”

She also opened up about being in other people’s shadow and having people not recognise you for who you are, but who you have close proximity with. But for Monét, gratitude has always been her lifeline.

Halfway through the episode, the hosts talk briefly about virality on social media and how sinister it has become, and then speak to Ne-Yo about the state of R&B, London sun being so rare, finishing up his new album and why he’s not ashamed to access his emotions as a man.4. Questlove SupremeStreaming platform: All streaming platformsGenre: Music and culture

American musician and record producer Questlove takes the opportunity to get to know American rapper and singer André 3000 as a person, to shake things up while he’s on a press tour for his new debut solo album, a flute- inspired 87-minute devotional to new age, ambient jazz, and spiritual discovery.

They briefly speak about the art of asking and answering questions, how it feels when it starts to get repetitive, and why people in Europe seem to be asking him the best ones.

“What time do you wake up?” was Questlove’s way in, and it worked. It allowed for a more authentic conversation, which led André 3000 to talk about his morning routine, relationship with social media – he didn’t have any social media presence until recently – and why he’s never dealt with doom scrolling first thing in the morning. Instead, he spends his mornings on YouTube watching Shorts.

As a fellow musician, I loved hearing the pair talk about this part of their lives (André 3000 plays at least four instruments but found a true connection with the flute and its portability), playing by ear, the snobbishness that can come from those who were classically trained, and why discipline is key when learning how to play an instrument.

It’s what helped him dive deeper into his creative callings and what led to the creation of his new album. A full circle moment.

Spotlight on…

5. Cold Therapy with Michael Mosley

Streaming platform: 

Genre: Health and Fitness

What do you do when you are feeling cold? In each episode of this new BBC Radio 4 podcast series Cold Therapy with Dr Michael Mosley – which launched on December 11 – the science behind the different ways you can harness the power of the cold is uncovered, alongside a deep dive into the very latest research brought to life with the atmospheric sound design.

In the first episode, Mosley looks into how turning your thermostat down by just a few degrees can improve your fat and blood sugar metabolism, boost your mood, and might even protect against type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

For someone who is always cold, it was unsettling to listening to episode two, where Mosley spoke with Dr Amir Pakravan, a consultant in sport, exercise and musculoskeletal medicine, about the benefits of taking contrast showers (alternating between hot and cold) can aid your recovery, reduce pain, improve energy levels and even help you take less sick days.

But I think episode three was the most insightful and immersive. Mosley goes for a jog on a chilly day, and finds out how exercising in colder weather can allow you to go further than on a hot day, enabling you to work harder, for longer, with less effort. It’s mind-boggling.

6.  Cross Examination

Streaming platform:  All streaming platforms

Genre: Crime

Award-winning barrister Tom Cross explores the ‘Miscarriages of Justice’ within the UK legal system, on his podcast Cross Examination. Previous episodes have covered ‘Sex and Relationships in Education’, ‘AI and Discrimination’ and ‘Free Speech at Universities’.

Cross uses Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a wrongful rape conviction, despite DNA belonging to another man being found on the victim and the prosecution withholding key evidence, as a case study. He debates the flaws in the system that mean innocent people are wrongly imprisoned, and what needs to be changed to prevent this, with criminal barristers Max Hardy (who worked on the Malkinson case since 2020 and was junior counsel in Andrew’s appeal) and Joanna Hardy-Susskind, an experienced appellate lawyer.

He also interviews James Burley, an investigator at the charity Appeal, whose work achieved Malkinson’s exoneration, which almost makes you feel like you are watching a case being trialled in a courtroom.