Summary
Sheila Dillon takes a look at that most coveted of kitchen tools; the knife.
One of the most primal yet treasured implements, any chef worth their salt knows that you don't mess with another chef's knife. Sheila talks to chef Henry Harris from Racine's restaurant about his passion for knives. There's a report from a knife shop where the prices reach into the the thousands. With knife skills courses popping up all over the country, this programme is a celebration of the craftsmanship and artistry of knife making and of the people with a passion for this ancient tradition; from the home cook, the new chef buying his first set of knives, to the people who hanker after the rare Japanese blade.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about the |
| 0:03.8 | podcast I work on. I'm Dan Clark and I commissioned factual podcasts at the BBC. |
| 0:08.6 | It's a massive area but I'd sum it up as stories to help us make sense of the forces shaping the world. |
| 0:15.0 | What podcasting does is give us the space and the time to take brilliant BBC journalism |
| 0:20.0 | and tell amazing compelling stories that really get behind the headlines. |
| 0:23.7 | And what I get really excited about is when we find a way of drawing you into a subject |
| 0:28.3 | you might not even have thought you were interested in. |
| 0:30.2 | Whether it's investigations, science, tech, politics, culture, true crime, the environment, |
| 0:36.1 | you can always discover more with a podcast on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:39.7 | Hello, I'm Sheila Dylan and welcome to this BBC download of the Food Program. |
| 0:45.8 | For information on the BBC's terms and conditions of use, visit |
| 0:49.4 | W.W. dot B.C. dot co- |
| 0:52.6 | UK slash radio four and now enjoy the podcast |
| 0:58.4 | I'm a skeptic on the cult of cooks and their knives or I was until I'd done my first interview for this program. |
| 1:05.8 | After we'd put away the recording gear, I meant to hurry on to my next interview. |
| 1:10.4 | Instead, I handed over my debit card and walked out of the shop having spent a hundred pounds |
| 1:16.2 | I couldn't afford on a knife. |
| 1:19.9 | One that after a few sessions in my kitchen, I now think is too good for me. |
| 1:24.0 | I can tell that it longs to do astonishing feats. |
| 1:27.5 | If only its handler was more skilled. |
| 1:30.0 | It's a beautiful object, watermarked, sharp as a razor, well balanced. |
| 1:36.3 | To find out why there's so much lore about knives, so much history and enthusiasm, we're traveling in this program to Japan via Baker Street, to a |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.