Food & Drink
Panel Talk with Mallika Basu & Friends: The Powerful Pantry
Join food writer and cultural commentator Mallika Basu alongside a dynamic panel of experts including Lulu Grimes, Sue Pritchard, Sam Ratanji and Josiah Meldrum for a thought-provoking conversation on the hidden forces shaping what ends up in our pantries.
We all like to think we choose what we buy — but do we?
This lively discussion will explore the power dynamics behind our everyday shopping habits. Who really holds the reins: big corporations, retailers, or us, the consumers? And if the system is broken, what can we do to push back?
Drawing inspiration from Basu’s new book, In Good Taste, the panel will unpack how marketing, access, culture, and policy influence the foods we rely on, and how conscious choices — even the smallest ones — can help shift the food landscape.
Expect candid conversation, insightful debate, and practical ideas on how we can drive change through the way we shop, cook, and consume.
Ticket includes welcome drink, 3 canapes and a night of scintillating conversation.
Mallika Basu is a writer, presenter and commentator on food, drink and hospitality, with a firm belief in the power of food as a force for good. A features writer and presenter for Good Food, she explores planet-friendlier eating and the links between food, people and the planet in her award-nominated newsletter, In Good Taste. Mallika is the author of two Indian cookbooks, Miss Masala and Masala, a recipe writer and a regular speaker and chair at food events across the UK.
Lulu Grimes is currently the head of brand trust at Good Food, she was previously the managing editor. She has wide experience in magazine editorial, online food publishing, and recipe video, and worked as a food editor for Murdoch books in Sydney where she researched and worked on a series of internationally published food and travel books covering China, India, Thailand, Italy and France. She has also written for The Sydney Morning Herald, has taught a course on Food Writing at City University and then at Leith's School of Food and Wine and has published a number of cookbooks.
Sue Pritchard is the Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. Sue leads the organisation in its mission to bring people together to act on the climate, nature and health crises, through fairer and more sustainable food systems, and a just transition for rural communities and the countryside. She is an independent Governor at Royal Agricultural University, a Trustee of St George’s House Trust, Windsor, and a member of the government’s Net Zero Council.
Sam Ratanji is a Nutritional Therapist, Chef and Food Educator with a deep understanding of how healthy soil and quality food can nourish both the body and the planet. As founder of The Life Larder community, an Ambassador for the Soil Association and former Course Director at the College of Naturopathic Medicine’s Natural Chef School, Sam works to empower people with delicious, nutritious recipes and stories that benefit the environment.
Josiah Meldrum is cofounder of Hodmedod, a pioneering British food business reviving diverse pulses and grains for better farming and diets. Hodmedod champions fair returns for growers, greater crop diversity, and transparent, relational, supply systems that link farmer to eater. Josiah also helped found U.K. Grain Lab, a not-for-profit organisation that connects farmers, millers, bakers and researchers to rebuild regional grain economies and the seed systems that underpin them.
Please email Marketing.Emails@FortnumandMason.co.uk if you have any questions about dietary requirements.
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Opened in April 2023, Fortnum's Food & Drink Studio is a space dedicated to the search for extraordinary food and drink experiences.
Enjoy unmissable masterclasses and intimate dining experiences hosted by some of the world's best chefs. Live demonstrations led by major names in food and drink. Illuminating conversations with makers and creatives who share our passion for all things delicious. The chance to grab an apron and grow your own culinary skills with a little help from the experts.
For a full list of upcoming events visit: https://www.fortnumandmason.com/events
