THE FOOD PROGRAMME

BBC RADIO 4, SUNDAY, 12.30PM

1 January Sheila Dillon travels to Loch Fyne to see how this isolated Scottish community has preserved its food traditions, with recipes handed down for generations. She discovers how local food businesses have become international and work together to sell fish in Japan, despite the frustrations of poor broadband connections. And she eats with local food producers, feasting on mutton, a traditional dish for the Christmas holiday.

8 January A new food culture has arisen in Northern Ireland, which started with the revival of St George’s market in Belfast – now in full swing, with hundreds of young businesses thriving. Sheila Dillon tours the market with chef Paula McIntyre to meet people with a new take on traditional Irish food. She catches up with butter and cheese producers and travels to the island of Rathlin off the north coast of Ireland, to meet a family making a business out of growing kelp.