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Here's what the Bounceback Food team have been up to!

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EPISODE 4 (Lamb Scouse & Manchester Tart)

Overview:

In this episode, host Miriam Rendell spotlights two beloved dishes from Bounceback Food CIC’s “Secret Recipes from Around the UK 2025 Calendar”—Lamb Scouse and Manchester Tart—while interviewing two inspiring guests: Phoebe Hammet, a Bounceback Food chef, and Katie Jackson, a Bounceback Food volunteer and experienced pastry chef.

Miriam’s first guest is Phoebe Hammet, a Bounceback chef, who shares details about a South Korean-themed fundraising supper club she recently hosted. The three-course meal, held at Cheshire Cookery School, included a flavorful six-hour beef bone broth, with all proceeds supporting Bounceback’s crowdfunder to offer kids’ free cooking classes during school holidays. Phoebe also delves into her personal venture, RamYum, a South Korean-inspired food business she launched after working at festivals. She describes her deep love for the spicy, sweet, and complex flavors of Korean cuisine, which led her to a solo trip to South Korea, where she immersed herself in the local food culture. Phoebe shares her plans for RamYum, with pop-up events in the pipeline, and provides insight into one of the recipes featured in the calendar: Lamb Scouse. She traces the dish’s maritime origins, explaining its role as a staple in Liverpool, its hearty ingredients, and the history behind the name “Scouse.” Phoebe wraps up by discussing Bounceback’s upcoming events, including the one-year anniversary of their Community Kitchen.

Next, Miriam interviews Katie Jackson, a Bounceback volunteer with an impressive background in the bakery and patisserie sector. Katie recounts her career journey, from working as a pastry chef to transitioning into new product development. She reflects on her time at Betty’s, a prestigious bakery in Harrogate, where she honed her skills, and her current role in creating baked goods for major retailers. Katie reveals how she became involved with Bounceback, feeling that her expertise in recipe development could be a valuable asset to the organisation. She wanted to use her talents to support community-focused initiatives. Katie also dives into the history of the Manchester Tart, another dish from the 2025 calendar. She explains that it was originally known as Manchester Pudding, made with breadcrumbs rather than custard, and details how the recipe has evolved over time, with various modern interpretations of this classic dessert.

Listen now via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Secrets Shared:

  • Bounceback Chef, Phoebe Hammett, has her own South Korean inspired food business called RamYum
  • RamYum will be serving food at The Lloyds (617 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 9AN) for a week every month – starting from the first Monday of the month!
  • Lamb Scouse was originally called Lob Scouse and has Norwegian origins
  • The dish comes from back in the day when sailors would typically eat it on ships, as it was easy to prepare and lasted a long time
  • Bounceback are celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the Bounceback Food Community Kitchen!
  • The Manchester Tart is a variation of the Manchester Pudding, which dates back to the 1860’s
  • Queen Victoria visited Manchester and the Manchester Pudding was altered to appear more regal, this then became the Manchester Tart.

Resources:

Interviewees:

  • Phoebe Hammett, Owner of RamYum and Bounceback Food Chef
  • Katie Jackson, Bounceback Food Volunteer

EPISODE 5 (Bedfordshire Clanger & Fidget Pie)

In this episode, host Miriam Rendell highlights two traditional British recipes—Fidget Pie and Bedfordshire Clanger—from Bounceback Food CIC’s “Secret Recipes from Around the UK 2025 Calendar.” The episode also features interviews with two 2024 Bounceback interns, Niomi and Laura, who share insights into their internship projects and personal experiences.

Miriam first speaks with Naomi, a final-year English Literature student at York University. Niomi discusses her year abroad in Paris, where she studied and volunteered with a student charity tackling food poverty. She describes how she discovered Bounceback’s Social Enterprise Internship and was drawn to its mission of fighting food insecurity, wanting to apply her skills to a social cause. During her internship, Naomi worked on marketing, a field she enjoys for its creativity, and took on the lead role in developing a free downloadable activity book for children to use over the summer holidays. She also reviewed the website “Love Food Hate Waste” to gather ideas for reducing food waste. Naomi shares her thoughts on Fidget Pie, explaining that it originates from the Midlands and was a practical, portable meal for workers, similar to a Cornish pasty, filled with meat, potatoes, and vegetables.

Next, Miriam interviews Laura, a Business Management and French student at Manchester University, who also spent a year abroad, immersing herself in the culture of Lyon. Laura speaks about her recent trip to rural South India, where she worked on a women’s empowerment project with Bless, teaching financial literacy and helping women gain financial independence. She explains how this experience led her to Bounceback, admiring its innovative approach to addressing food poverty through initiatives like the “buy one give one” community kitchen and workshops. Laura shares her experience joining one of Bounceback’s food waste workshops, where surplus ingredients were creatively repurposed into a meal by Bounceback chef Phoebe. She also delves into the history of the Bedfordshire Clanger, a filled pastry dating back to the 19th century, traditionally made for agricultural workers. Laura reveals that the Clanger’s dual filling—one end savory and the other sweet—was a practical solution for a full meal on the go, and shares her modern twist on the dish with butternut squash, goat’s cheese, and caramelized onion.

Throughout the episode, Naomi and Laura’s stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at the impactful work of Bounceback Food CIC, while the featured recipes highlight the rich history of British regional dishes.

Listen now via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Secrets Shared:

  • The name of Fidget Pie is a mystery – no one knows where it came from!
  • One theory is it comes from the word fitchett which was a slang word for apple, another is it comes from the slang word fitch (meaning polecat) because it smelt like polecat
  • The Bedfordshire Clanger has been featured on The Great British Bake Off – Series 8 Episode 8!
  • The Bedfordshire Clanger dates back to the 19th century 
  • Similar to a cornish pasty, it has been suggested that the outside crust was not supposed to be eaten, and instead it was supposed to protect the fillings from the soil covered hands of farmers.
  • The Bedfordshire Clanger was double ended, with one end being sweet and the other being savoury – it was a 2 course meal all in 1!

Resources:

Interviewees:

  • Naomi, Bounceback Food Social Enterprise Intern & English Literature student at York University.
  • Laura, Bounceback Food Social Enterprise Intern & Business Management and French student at Manchester University.

EPISODE 6 (Staffordshire Oatcake & Parkin)

Overview:

In this special finale, host Miriam Rendell reflects on a decade of Bounceback Food’s impact alongside founder Duncan and Great British Bake Off star Sandy Docherty. Join us as we celebrate ten years of food, community, and meaningful connections across the UK.

Duncan opens by looking back at Bounceback Food’s journey, from its beginnings as a market stall in Salford to becoming a nationwide movement dedicated to tackling food poverty. As they mark this milestone, Duncan shares his vision for the future: expanding the Bounceback Food team to every major UK city to make an even bigger impact. To celebrate, Bounceback is hosting ten events in Manchester, including workshops, supper clubs, and a special Secret Dishes From Around the World cooking class, all designed to bring people together through food.

The episode then dives into the history of Staffordshire Oatcakes, a unique regional dish from the late 18th century that evolved out of necessity. During harsh winters, farmers relied on oats over wheat, leading to these hearty, pancake-like treats. Once popular in Staffordshire markets, pubs, and shops, oatcakes were typically filled with savoury ingredients like cheese or lard. Duncan explains how they later gained a cult following and how they can be enjoyed both sweet and savoury today.

Next, Miriam welcomes Sandy Docherty, well-known from her appearance on The Great British Bake Off in 2015. Sandy shares her passion for food and her work as a child protection welfare officer at a secondary school, where she also runs an after-school cooking club. For Sandy, cooking goes beyond recipes; it’s about building confidence, promoting mental well-being, and teaching young people the joy of creating meals from scratch. She also reflects on her GBBO experience, with biscuit week as her favourite, and her exciting food show appearances since.

Sandy then talks about the mint chocolate mousse she crafted for a recent Bounceback Food Secret Supper Club. The conversation then moves to another northern classic: Parkin. Sandy shares her recipe for “Moggy,” her twist on this ginger-spiced cake in her cookbook Sandy’s Great Northern Recipes, inspired by her mother’s home cooking. She explains how Parkin recipes vary across Yorkshire, with some versions crisper, almost like a biscuit, and others softer, using oats or oatmeal for a unique texture.

As the episode closes, listeners are invited to continue supporting Bounceback Food and explore more recipes in Sandy’s cookbook and Bounceback’s Secret Dishes From Around the UK calendar and cookbooks. Celebrate ten years of Bounceback’s impact and uncover the rich stories behind these regional British dishes—Staffordshire Oatcakes, Parkin, and more—in this heartwarming episode.

Listen now via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Secrets Shared:

  • Bounceback Food is celebrating their 10 year anniversary with 10 events in Manchester!
  • Staffordshire Oatcakes were originally made by potters in the late 18th century, during long winters farmers would grow oat instead of wheat. 
  • Oatcakes can be eaten with sweet or savoury fillings.
  • No one knows why it’s called Parkin, although named possibly after “Perkin” (or even “Peter”!)
  • Parkin is best made in advance, 3 days before is best. 
  • Sandy has her own version of Parkin that she has called Moggy in her cookbook ‘Sandy’s Great Northern Recipes’.
  • Sandy’s favourite week while she was a contestant on The Great British Bake Off was biscuit week!

Resources:

Interviewees:

  • Duncan Swainsbury, Founder of Bounceback Food CIC
  • Sandy Docherty, baker and contestant on the Great British Bake Off (2015)
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