Interview at BBC Radio Nottingham about my small role in the Love Every Mouthful campaign.

Yesterday took me on another adventure into the semi-familiar world of BBC radio broadcasting. I cannot pretend that radio interviews are new to me being a veteran of BBC radio interviews with the wonderful Alan Clifford of BBC Radio Nottingham in the past by promoting plays for the Lace Market Theatre. I have also been along, on various occasions, to Andy Whittaker's morning show to talk about my food blog.

So on this particularly sunny Thursday morning I took myself into Nottingham on the request of the Tesco press office to discuss with presenter Sarah Julian the excitement surrounding my direct and indirect achievements re: filming the Love Every Mouthful TV adverts.

I was early into town so I had a coffee at the Starbucks opposite the Nottingham railway station currently in the middle of a refurbishment.

I had been advised by the Tesco press office to be myself but talk up Tesco's vision around the Love Every Mouthful campaign.

If you weren't sure, the heart of 'Love Every Mouthful', is the start of a new dialectic between Tesco and its customers; it’s about relishing every mouthful of food and celebrating everyday food. And I am all for that!

So much care goes into the food we eat every day, from growing to picking, to choosing to packing and tasting and Tesco want to share this passion and care for food and I was very keen to promote this as something I truly believe in.

As this campaign has been growing and, the adverts have appeared on the telly, there has been quite a buzz at the Tesco store in Beeston with a big canteen wall display and our staff engaging the customers in food conversations. After all there are few people who don't like to talk about food. Tasters have certainly helped generate discussion as have the various special new store wide sections devoted to yummy store baked breads and fruit and vegetables with the fantastic corporate Love Every Mouthful displays through the store to really bring this message home.

On our meat and fish counters at Beeston Extra we always enjoy engaging the customers in conversations about the ultra fresh products and giving top class advice about cooking and enjoying the food to its best advantage. My other butcher, Alan, commands a lot of respect from his many many years experience and knowledge in previously owning his own butcher's business and Paul on the fish counter loves to give advice on the fish and makes a real quality job on the preparation of the whole fish and fillets as well as offering cooking advice. Cherie who works on both counters brings her character into every transaction and the customers love her energy. This isn't faceless supermarket shopping: this is about our passionate people on the counters and throughout the store in the fresh areas. The customers come back time and time again and all of us enjoy helping out our Nottingham University student population and the local folk around the small town of Beeston and beyond. There is also a lot of pride in doing the job to our best ability.These customer interactions often work in the opposite way as the students are from around the world and are keen to share cooking ideas with us too! And in this way you can say that we really are 'conversing about food' on an international scale.

Anyway I digress, I went on to Sarah Julian's breakfast radio show for a five minute airing and was able to entertain her with the events that led to my appearing on the TV adverts as the knife wielding Tesco butcher. I spoke about my passion for food and some of the technical happenings that occurred during the filming in Woolwich, London in early July this year.

Because it was the BBC I wasn't able/allowed to be too 'Tesco promotional' them being a non- commercially based enterprise with their own corporate and professional integrities to protect and this is the reason I wanted to share the beginning part of this blogpost because I feel inspired to promote the heart of the Love Every Mouthful campaign.

 

In the end I felt that I had put across my humour and serious opinions well on air and got around explaining events without resorting to saying 'Tesco' or 'Love Every Mouthful' to the point where, potentially, I could have been taken off air. All the staff at BBC Radio Nottingham from security man on the reception to Sarah Julian and Verity Cowley were all very professional and welcoming.

 

On the way back into the city centre I casually walked along the historic canal bank and, by pure chance, took several pictures of a goose flying and splashing down on the reflective waters. These actions echoed my feelings exactly during the interview: those of flying through the questions with ease and minimal flapping but making sure that I landed with grace on calm waters without too much excessive beak action and at the same time keeping my plumage in a good shape.

 

 

Thanks to Lizzie and Claire at the Tesco plc press office for arranging the interview and to all the staff at BBC Radio Nottingham.