Julian Metcalfe: A Life Through Food
The Food Programme
BBC
4.4 • 977 Ratings
🗓️ 26 July 2020
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Slowly, the hospitality industry is easing itself out of lockdown: but the sector has been hard hit - particularly those high-street outlets seen in towns and cities across the country, offering quick lunch options for a legion of office workers who are no longer around...
In a sector that was already struggling, with slow business hitting chains such as Jamie's Italian and burger brand Byron, what will it take for these brands to not only survive coronavirus, but thrive long term?
Who better to ask than a man who's been instrumental in shaping the nation's high-street fast food offerings: Julian Metcalfe.
Sheila Dillon speaks to the co-founder of international food retailer Pret A Manger about entrepreneurship, his on Asian-inspired brand itsu, staying creative during lockdown - and what he sees as his mission to offer healthy, affordable fast food on the high street.
Presented by Sheila Dillon, produced by Lucy Taylor.
Transcript
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| 0:50.0 | Right, today I'm going to try cooking something from the Itsu recipe look. |
| 0:56.0 | Itsu's the Asian inspired brand of fast food you see on high streets. |
| 1:02.0 | There are 76 sites in fact. While most are still closed, |
| 1:06.2 | they're reopening gradually and what they sell is healthy fast food that's big on |
| 1:11.7 | taste and I sometimes get my lunch there near Broadcasting House. |
| 1:15.0 | I'm a bit addicted to their mezzo soup. |
| 1:18.0 | So I'm curious to see if I can recreate that taste at home with one of their recipes. |
| 1:25.0 | It sues sweet potato and crispy kale soup. |
| 1:30.0 | Now I have most of the things you need. I even have real chicken stock from the chicken at the weekend. |
| 1:39.0 | I don't in fact have kale, but I do have charred charred which I figure would be much the same. |
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