Verna Gao: Nostalgic Recipes, Maple Magic & Global Food Adventures
Release Date: 09/05/2025
Inspiring the Chefs of Tomorrow with Ashley Marsh.
Always In Season
In this episode, James Golding speaks with chef lecturer and food-education advocate Ashley Marsh, a member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, educator at the University of West London, and lead for the Chefs Adopt a School programme. His career spans professional kitchens, international events and extensive community outreach, all driven by a commitment to building young people’s confidence and curiosity through food. Ashley shares how his passion began with family influences especially his grandmother and uncle and how cooking helped him gain confidence as a teenager. Early career...
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Chef Jean Delport on Heritage, Maple Inspiration and Michelin Star Success
Always In Season
South African born chef Jean Delport, the creative mind behind Michelin starred Restaurant Interlude at Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex, joins us to share his journey from Cape Town to the UK. In 2019, Jean became only the second South African chef to earn a Michelin star, celebrated for blending French and British cuisine with his South African heritage and nature inspired philosophy. Jean recalls how his love of food began at home after his mother’s accident, and how time spent on farms and in the bush with his father shaped his farm to table approach. He reflects on the challenges of...
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Baking, Art and Maple Magic with Alice Fevronia
Always In Season
Former Great British Bake-Off finalist, baker, and content creator Alice Fevronia joins us to share her journey from geography teacher to full-time creative, a career she describes as a “happy accident.” Known for her beautifully decorative bakes and inventive flavour pairings, Alice reflects on how her love for baking began with her grandmother, grew through baking birthday cakes at university, and flourished on national television. Alice recalls her career highlights, including dancing around the tent eating cake behind the scenes on Bake Off and the surreal experience of teaching Prince...
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Verna Gao: Nostalgic Recipes, Maple Magic & Global Food Adventures
Always In Season
In this fun, flavour-packed episode, Shanghai-born home cook, content creator and influencer Verna Gao shares her journey from growing up in China to becoming a full-time recipe creator with over 900k followers on TikTok and Instagram. She reflects on how her love for teaching others to cook Chinese food began at university and flourished during the pandemic, leading to her debut cookbook Have You Eaten?, which celebrates nostalgic recipes from different stages of her life. Verna talks about the rise of Asian cuisine in mainstream culture, her fascination with sweet and spicy...
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Dean Edwards: Behind the TV Chef & “Fakeaway” Connoisseur
Always In Season
In the first episode of this new series, James is joined by Dean Edwards, Bristol-born chef, MasterChef 2006 finalist, and familiar face as the resident chef on ITV’s Lorraine. Known for his approachable “fakeaway” recipes and family-friendly cooking style, Dean reflects on his unconventional journey from digger driver to celebrated food personality. Dean shares how MasterChef kickstarted his culinary journey, leading to his first professional role under chef Daniel Clifford at the two Michelin-starred Midsummer House, a pivotal experience that helped him find his voice in the world of...
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Charlotte Firth: Navigating the World of Food Photography and Content Creation
Always In Season
In this episode, Charlotte Firth, a UK-based recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator, shares her journey from documenting her baking on a website to turning food photography, recipe development, and content creation into her full-time career. After a client hired her to bake a cookie with their audience on Instagram, Charlotte embarked on a journey that led her to go part-time in digital marketing in 2021 and full-time in 2022. Charlotte talks about her inspirations, including Kimberly Espinel and Lizzie Crocker, and how she incorporates maple syrup into both savoury dishes...
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Graham's Culinary Journey: From Claridge's to The Goring
Always In Season
In this episode, Graham, Executive Chef at The Dining Room at The Goring—a prestigious Michelin-starred hotel and restaurant in London—shares his journey through the food industry, from taking time off for his family to the call that brought him to The Goring. He reflects on starting as a specialised chef at Claridge’s at just 16, cooking with his grandmother, and how his father influenced his career choice. Graham discusses the importance of teaching upcoming chefs about discipline, even in mundane tasks, and maintaining a non-toxic kitchen environment. He explores changes in kitchen...
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Lisa Goodwin-Allen: British Dining
Always In Season
In this episode, James chats to Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef of the Michelin-starred Northcote restaurant. Lisa was also one of the chefs on Great British Menu. Here, she discusses upcoming food trends for 2025, humble winter recipes, and the importance of seasonal ingredients. Lisa reflects on her culinary journey, the impact of social media on the industry, and the evolution of Northcote’s Obsession food festival. Plus, she shares her favourite winter dishes and insights into the benefits of cooking with game meat. Follow and Maple from Canada UK for more seasonal recipe...
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Fish Tales with Goatsbridge Trout
Always In Season
Join James as he chats with Mag Kirwan, co-owner of Goatsbridge Trout, a sustainable Irish trout farm that she and her husband have run for 33 years. In this episode, Mag shares the story of their family-run business, and the wisdom they've gained along the way. Discover the health benefits of trout, favourite recipes, and the importance of incorporating sustainably sourced fish into our diets. Follow and Maple from Canada UK for more seasonal recipe inspiration. James’ recipes are available here: Follow Goatsbridge here: ...
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Gluten-free cooking with Helen Tzouganatos
Always In Season
Here James catches up with Australian gluten-free cookbook author, recipe developer and TV host, Helen Tzouganatos. In this episode, Helen shares tips for a gluten-free lifestyle, favourite family recipes, and her secret to perfect gluten-free bread. Helen also opens up about how her celiac diagnosis transformed her life and offers a peek at what she will be cooking this Christmas. Tune in for all this and much more! Follow and Maple from Canada UK for more seasonal recipe inspiration. James’ recipes are available here: ...
info_outlineIn this fun, flavour-packed episode, Shanghai-born home cook, content creator and influencer Verna Gao shares her journey from growing up in China to becoming a full-time recipe creator with over 900k followers on TikTok and Instagram. She reflects on how her love for teaching others to cook Chinese food began at university and flourished during the pandemic, leading to her debut cookbook Have You Eaten?, which celebrates nostalgic recipes from different stages of her life.
Verna talks about the rise of Asian cuisine in mainstream culture, her fascination with sweet and spicy flavour pairings, and her creative use of pure Canadian maple syrup as a versatile ingredient. She also shares insights into content creation, from building an engaged audience to balancing relatability with viral potential, and why her dumpling and noodle videos always resonate.
The conversation takes us through Verna’s global adventures, including Bandeja Paisa in Colombia, a hearty platter of rice, beans, ground beef, chorizo, fried pork belly, fried egg, plantain, avocado and arepa, and her favourite food spots in London, such as Cay Tre Soho and Duck & Waffle. Verna also discusses co-hosting Channel 4’s Served and her “Bowl-ified” segment, where she reimagines knife and fork dishes like beef wellington, taco soup and spring rolls into sofa-friendly meals.
Looking ahead, she is excited to explore more travel-led content, shining a light on local gems and culinary stories from around the world.
Follow www.instagram.com/james_golding_chef/ and Maple from Canada UK www.instagram.com/maplecanadauk/ for more seasonal recipe inspiration.
Verna’s cookbook is available here.
For recipes and cookbook announcements, follow Verna here:
www.instagram.com/vernahungrybanana/ or visit her website https://www.vernabanana.com.