This episode of Table Talk is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd, Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant.

It isn't possible at the moment to go to your favourite restaurant because restaurants are closed.

But Berry Brothers and Rudd have nobly stepped into the breach with their fantastic new at-home service.

Berries will send a magnificent three-course meal directly to your house

and they'll also provide the ideal wine or wines to go with the food.

What a delicious idea.

Go to spectator.co.uk forward slash berry brothers to find out more.

Hello and welcome to Table Talk, the Spectator's Food and Drink podcast. I'm Olivia

Potts and I'm Lyra Prendergast and today we are delighted

to be joined by Alison Roman. Allison is an American food writer and cook. Having chef at restaurants

including New York's Mama Fuku Milk Bar, she began working at Bon Appetit, where she ultimately

became senior food editor. She is the author of the best-selling cookbooks,

dining in and nothing fancy. Alison, thank you so much for joining Table Talk. Thank you so much for

having me. Alison, we always start this podcast in the same place. We always ask, what was food like

when you were growing up? What was food like for me growing up? I, that's funny, I was just

writing about that.

You know, my parents, both of them, they cooked quite a bit, but it was sort of like, you know,

equal parts ordering pizza and cooking at home. So I feel like I got a really great food education.

But it was, I mean, I grew up in California in Los Angeles and it was, you know, a lot of salmon

and brown rice and asparagus and things like that, which I feel like are very Californian stereotypically.

We didn't have any rituals. It wasn't like a Sunday supper type of energy. It was more just like, you know, it was clear to me from a young age that my parents cared about food and eating. And yeah, it was, I have, you know, interesting food memories, but nothing too sentimental, I guess.

And were you a good eater as a child or were you fussy? No, I've only gotten fussier as I've gotten older.

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