Just Add Beer Podcast provides ‘beer flight of conversation’ with top chefs
The desire for creativity and craft has never been greater as people embrace the opportunities of increased time, learning new skills as they pursue new, and reignited, passions in the current lockdown. With pubs and restaurants closed, and holiday travel to Cornwall postponed, the creative team at Sharp’s Brewery have launched a new podcast: Just Add Beer, a ‘five course beer flight of conversation’, that takes listeners on a gourmet mini break to Cornwall with some of the county’s top chefs.
The first episode, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and via the Sharp’s website, drops this week, with John Walton, Group Executive Chef for Paul Ainsworth, joining Sharp’s beer sommelier Ed Hughes on his culinary journey, with an accompanying recipe and matching beer list available online.
Sharp Brewery saw longstanding team members Rachel Williams and Ed Hughes writing and editing a Cornish collaborative cookbook ‘Just Add Beer.’ The book celebrates beer both as an ingredient and as a pairing for a variety of recipes, created alongside top chefs who either live and work in Cornwall or have strong links to the county.
Just Add Beer: the podcast brings the book to life giving listeners a behind-the-scenes insight into some of the chefs, exploring their passions, their inspiration and their personal journeys through successful careers, as well as a deeper-dive on each of their recipes and a few laughs on the way.
In the inaugural 50-minute podcast Ed Hughes engages John Walton, who has recently become Chef Patron, at Mahé, Paul Ainsworth’s new cookery school and chef’s table, in conversation. John reflects on his career whilst ‘flying the flag’ for Padstow, for Cornwall and for the Camel Estuary, home to the Doom Bar sandbank, along which Ed and John both grew up.
Within the ‘feast for the ears’ podcast, John and Ed discuss John’s Just Add Beer recipe: Doom Bar Mussels, made with Porthilly mussels, the beds for which can be overlooked from the Ainsworth’s pub, The Mariners, in Rock. Mussels are one of John’s favourite shellfish, and pairing this dish with beer takes them to a whole new level, forming a great centrepiece to any dinner table.
Sharp’s Brewery’s Beer Sommelier, Ed Hughes, says, “We know food and drink is a passion for many of our drinkers and we have worked hard over the years to champion how beer and food can be the perfect match, transforming perceptions of beer to be more than just a great pint. With our new Just Add Beer podcast we wanted to find a way to share this experience and offer drinkers, fans and foodies a new take on the podcast platform that would not only entertain, but educate and make life a little better during these unusual times.”
Upcoming episodes are set to feature Paul Ainsworth himself, his Head Chef at Number 6, Chris McClurg and many more from the Cook Book including Jude Kereama, Stephane Delourme and James Knappett. The podcast series can be found on the Sharp’s Brewery website at www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk.
