Good Food

Vivek Singh has spent the last 25 years redefining what Indian fine dining can be. As the chef behind London's iconic Cinnamon Club, he joins the Good Food podcast to reflect on the restaurant's remarkable journey, the dishes that changed perceptions of Indian cuisine, and the stories that have shaped his career. Vivek shares how he deliberately challenged expectations when The Cinnamon Club first opened, removing familiar curry-house staples in favour of regional flavours, seasonal British ingredients and bold new ideas. He explains why one deeply personal dish, "Papa Pigeon", has never left the menu, how his mother's pumpkin chutney became an unlikely signature, and why the restaurant's 25th anniversary tasting menu celebrates both tradition and innovation. Along the way, Vivek looks back on growing up in eastern India, where community celebrations revolved around home-cooked food, and recalls the Bengali wedding meal that introduced him to the prawn curry that remains his favourite dish to this day. He also reveals his biggest kitchen disaster, the surprising ingredient he thinks is overrated, and the guilty pleasure he can't resist. Whether you're fascinated by restaurant history, passionate about Indian food or simply love hearing the stories behind unforgettable dishes, this episode is packed with warmth, humour and plenty of inspiration.

**In this episode:**

* 25 years of The Cinnamon Club

* Reinventing Indian fine dining

* The story behind "Papa Pigeon"

* Childhood food memories from Bengal

* Why regional Indian cooking matters

* His favourite Bengali prawn curry

* The biggest kitchen disaster of his career

* The Five Guys milkshake he swears by
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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode.
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Recorded live at the Good Food Show, Samuel Goldsmith sits down with pop star and Steps member Claire Richards.

Claire reveals the origin of her legendary Pasta a la Claire — born on a 1990s Steps VHS and originally made with packet ham and a tin of tomato soup — and how she's since given it a grown-up makeover. She talks growing up on her mum's "mince-based" cooking outside London, teaching herself Thai curry after her honeymoon, and the four-hour ragù she perfected after a trip to Bologna.

There's life on the road too: dodgy service-station sandwiches and Ribena in the 90s, why she now asks for Whispering Angel on her rider, the one day every tour she takes over the kitchen to cook for the whole crew, and the strict no-spice rule before a show.

Plus: eating caviar off her hand at the British Fashion Awards, crunching prawn shells in Japan, her M&S ambassador role and the new strawberry sparkling wine, the Celebrity MasterChef fish pie disaster involving very runny mash, and which Steps member she'd pick as her sous chef.
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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode.
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This week, actor, presenter and podcast host Natalie Cassidy sits down with Samuel Goldsmith to talk about the food that has shaped her life. From treasured memories of her mum's traditional cooking to winning Cooking with the Stars, Natalie shares how food has always been at the heart of family, comfort and celebration. They chat about her new memoir Happy Days, life after EastEnders, why she's happiest cooking a Sunday roast, and the Italian family meals she could eat every day. Natalie also reveals her biggest kitchen disasters (including a memorable raw chicken Kyiv incident), her love of M&S crisps and wine, and the Good Food recipe she swears by for perfect Yorkshire puddings. Plus, she picks her dream EastEnders cooking team, shares her favourite foodie finds from the Good Food Show, and answers our quick-fire food questions.
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