SECOND BITES: Mark Diacono – from River Cottage to his own ‘climate change farm’
The GIY team and I are taking a short summer break from recordings, but in the meantime, we’ll be bringing you a selection of our favourite episodes from the series so far. So whether you’re hearing them for the first time, or coming back for second helpings, I hope you enjoy! - Mick KellyMark Diacono found his life’s purpose and direction through food and he has dedicated his life to growing, cooking and writing about it. Having been involved in the early days of River Cottage, Mark went on to pursue his dream of creating his own farm, turning two blank fields in southwest England into 17-acres of diverse fruit and veg plots, orchards and forest gardens. In this episode of Food Matters, Mark shares his incredible life story with GIY founder Mick Kelly, along with his thoughts on modern diets, food sustainability, and the transformational power of quality homegrown produce. They also talk about:Mark's love of writing books and all about his latest one, called ‘Vegetables’. How to get creative with growing and cooking vegetables while also making sure you’re also getting all the nutrition you need. His memories of River Cottage and the valuable lessons he learned during his time there. Why tasting a mulberry change his life.The biggest mistake most of us make when growing courgettes. Why he feels people in Ireland and the UK spend so little on quality food, and what needs to happen to change it.
--------
1:03:00
--------
1:03:00
S3 Ep29: Ashes to Action: The Glenisk Story of Sustainability
Vincent Cleary is one of Ireland’s original champions of food sustainability. Having taken over the family yoghurt business from his father in the mid 1990s, Vincent knew that organics was the way forward and within a year, Glenisk was a fully organic milk and yoghurt brand that quickly rose to dominate its market in Ireland. When a fire destroyed Glenisk’s production facility in 2021, Vincent was faced with one of the biggest challenges of his career: rebuilding a family business that he had been growing for almost 30 years. Today, Glenisk is not only thriving but it’s also accelerating it’s sustainability goals, including plastic-free packaging and a target to become carbon neutral by 2026.In this episode of Food Matters Vincent tells Mick Kelly of GIY the story of how he built Glenisk in to one of Ireland’s biggest and most trusted organic food brands, how it felt to watch it all burn down in the space of a few hours, and what he did next to try to save the company and build it back up for the next generation.
--------
1:11:43
--------
1:11:43
S3 Ep28: Sea Change: Niall Sabongi on Irish Seafood Sustainability
Niall Sabongi is on a mission to change how we eat, and think about, seafood in Ireland. A chef and seafood entrepreneur, Niall was frustrated by stuffy restaurants and a broken fishing system, and he set out to do things differently. He opened a string of relaxed, seafood-focused eateries and later launched Sustainable Seafood Ireland, a wholesale business dedicated to sourcing the best wild Irish catch while supporting responsible fishing practices. In this episode of Food Matters, Niall talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about the deep cultural roots of Ireland’s uneasy relationship with seafood, why seasonality and quotas matter, and how good food can also be good for the planet.
--------
1:05:30
--------
1:05:30
S3 Ep27: Tom Keogh talks spuds, snacks and food security
Tom Keogh has a great story to tell. Their family has been farming the land for over three generations, supplying the fresh produce market with potatoes grown on the farm in North County Dublin. Faced with falling demand for fresh spuds, Tom took a bold step, he began making crisps by hand in a shed on the farm. That small experiment became Keogh’s Crisps, now one of Ireland’s best-loved food brands and a growing global export. Along the way, Tom has helped to revive interest in the humble potato, champion Irish produce and shine a light on the food security challenges facing Irish horticulture today. In this episode of Food Matters, Tom talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about the heritage of Irish spuds, the ups and downs of launching a food brand, and why we need to protect the future of vegetable growing in Ireland.
--------
1:07:23
--------
1:07:23
S3 Ep26: Beyond Carbon Neutral: John Gilliland’s approach to Sustainable Farming
John Gilliland is on a mission to transform how we think about food, farming, and the environment. At Brook Hall Estate, his family’s historic farm in Derry, John began by trying to lower his farm’s energy bills, but his changes grew into a model for climate-friendly farming that’s now guiding policy in Northern Ireland and beyond.An award-winning farmer and one of the world’s leading voices in agricultural sustainability, John has pioneered techniques to take his farm beyond carbon neutral.In this episode of Food Matters, John talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about why he started making changes, what he’s learned, and how we can all be part of a better food future.
Food Matters meets the people who are trying to reconnect us with real, healthy and sustainable food. With our food system causing huge problems for the health of people and planet, there’s a quiet revolution happening driven by passionate people in communities and food businesses around the world who want to do things differently – producing nutritious food in a way that doesn’t cost the earth. Food Matters tells their story. Join Mick Kelly, founder of GIY as he dives in to proper conversations with the most fascinating food producers, chefs, farmers, scientists, activists and other stakeholders across the food system touching on everything from the pitfalls of ultra-processed foods, food waste and pollution; seasonality, eating more plants, regenerative farming and so much more.. Only by understanding the full panorama of our food's journey can we cultivate a healthier, more sustainable food-future. Join the GIY movement across all social channels and please follow or subscribe to this podcast to continue these important conversations about global food health and sustainability.
Ireland