Breaking Bread Birmingham

In this episode, we sit down with Bex and Sarah, founders of Makers of Hospitality, to talk about how they turned The Wildmoor Oak into one of the most popular pubs around, known for outstanding home-cooked food, legendary Sunday roasts, and genuinely warm service.With a kitchen led by a Pete Jackson of Michelin-starred carters fame, quality is a given — but what really sets The Wildmoor apart is how the team is treated. Bex and Sarah believe in Will Guidara’s “unreasonable hospitality” philosophy: look after your staff properly, and they’ll look after your guests even better.We talk about:How The Wildmoor Oak was opened and what it took to get it rightWhy staff happiness directly impacts food, service, and atmosphereWhat “unreasonable hospitality” looks like in a real country pubLessons any pub, café, or restaurant owner can take from their approachTheir ambitions to open more venues and build a values-led pub groupWhether you love great pubs, care about hospitality culture, or are thinking about opening your own place one day, this conversation is packed with honest insight and practical lessons.Pull up a chair — this one’s worth your time.Follow-Makers O Hospitality-https://www.instagram.com/makersofhospitality/The Wildmoor-https://www.instagram.com/thewildmooroak/https://thewildmooroak.co.uk/The Plough-https://www.instagram.com/theploughinn_wollaston/https://theploughinnwollaston.co.uk/Us-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.i⁠⁠nstagram.com/breakingbreadpodcastbirmingham/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/breakingbreadpodcastuk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Opening Drone Footage From Rob At Alto Drones-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alto.drones/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music From Tom Ford-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thetennischampion/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Us/Buy Merch- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://breakingbreadbirmingham.co.uk/shop/⁠⁠⁠

’Tis the season for festive chaos, bad decisions, and crumbs everywhere.Foka Wolf and Tat Vision are back—those self-appointed ministers of mayhem—returning with their annual Christmas charity cabaret built around Britain’s greatest invention: the humble crisp. Yes, really.To mark the occasion, we sat down with them to create a crisp-fuelled, slightly unhinged take on our *favourite things in Birmingham* series. What followed was exactly what you’d expect: sharp wit, daft ideas, cultural love letters, and a sense that things could derail at any second (they do).This year’s glorious carnage is all in aid of the brilliant **St Basil’s**, supporting young people at risk of homelessness. So there’s heart beneath the madness—and plenty of laughter on top of it.If you like your Christmas spirit loud, your comedy a little feral, and your crisps taken far too seriously, this one’s for you. Watch it all. Trust us.Crisp Mass takes place on Thursday, 11th December, 7pm Norton's Digbeth. Buy Tickets Here- https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Birmingham/Nortons-Digbeth/Crisp-MASS/41415769/

Hospitality is unlike any other industry.It gives people purpose, creativity, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging you rarely find anywhere else. Lifelong friendships are formed in kitchens and behind bars. For many, it’s a home.But it can also take more than it gives.In this powerful episode of Breaking Bread Birmingham, we sit down with Matt Loughrey, a former career hotelier, now Partnerships Manager at The Burnt Chef Project, to have an open, necessary conversation about mental health in hospitality, and how we can protect the people who make this industry so special.⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles in hospitality.Matt shares why hospitality attracts such passionate, creative, and diverse people and why that same intensity can sometimes lead to burnout, silence, and crisis. Long hours, pressure-packed services, and a culture of “pushing through” have become normalised, even though they shouldn’t be.What makes this episode powerful is its hope.You’ll hear:Why hospitality is still one of the most rewarding industries to work inThe hidden mental health challenges many workers quietly carryHow The Burnt Chef Project is changing kitchen culture for the betterWhat The Burnt Chef Project actually does to support chefs, front-of-house teams, and hospitality leadersPractical tools, free training, and real-world support are available right nowHow workplaces can change without losing the magic that makes hospitality what it isWhat leaders, colleagues, and individuals can do to look after each otherThe Burnt Chef Project exists because hospitality matters. Because the people in it matter. And because this industry can be better without losing its soul.This episode isn’t about walking away from hospitality; it’s about making it sustainable, kinder, and safer for everyone who pours themselves into it.If you work in hospitality, love the industry, or simply want to understand the people behind the plate, this is an episode you need to hear. Because great hospitality starts with healthy people.And nobody should suffer in silence.🎧 Listen now. Talk more. Support each other.Follow Matthttps://www.instagram.com/thechubbybrummie/Follow The Burnt Chef Projecthttps://www.theburntchefproject.com/https://www.instagram.com/theburntchefproject/Support Us/Buy Merch- ⁠⁠⁠https://breakingbreadbirmingham.co.uk/shop/⁠⁠⁠Follow Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/breakingbreadpodcastbirmingham/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/breakingbreadpodcastuk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Opening Drone Footage From Rob At Alto Drones-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alto.drones/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music From Tom Ford-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thetennischampion/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Birmingham finally has its first whisky, and it wasn’t built by a corporation, but by two proud Brummie siblings hustling out of a back garden with nothing but grit, graft and a refusal to play by the rules. In this episode, we sit down with Joanie and Tony — the duo behind the city’s first legal whisky. From growing up in a big Irish-Brummie family to grinding through street food markets, surviving the pandemic, and fighting eleven licence applications, their journey is a masterclass in independent spirit.Small batch isn’t a marketing term here; it’s the way they breathe. Heritage grains. English barley. Local oak from Staffordshire and Tamworth. Tony, a chef of decades, treats the still like a stove: “You put good in, you get good out.” Every cut, every ferment, every decision is theirs. No shortcuts. No consultants. No pretending. This is whisky made by actual Brummies—not a brand cooked up in a boardroom miles away. We talk heritage grains, local oak, proper hospitality, and why Birmingham’s identity deserves better than chain pubs and copy-paste drink menus. This is a story about family, rebellion, and building something real for the city they love.Birmingham makes its own whisky now — and these two made it happen. Tune inFollow Spirit Of Birminghamhttps://spiritofbirmingham.co.uk/⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/spiritofbirmingham/Support Us/Buy Merch- ⁠⁠https://breakingbreadbirmingham.co.uk/shop/⁠⁠Follow Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/breakingbreadpodcastbirmingham/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/breakingbreadpodcastuk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of Breaking Bread Birmingham, we sit down with Pip, creator of Pip’s Hot Sauce and the powerhouse behind some of Birmingham’s most loved artisan markets. What starts as a deep dive into a cult-favourite condiment brand quickly widens into a story about community, resilience, and building platforms that lift others up.Pip’s journey began with a scribbled, hungover recipe at The Plough. This fiery sauce quickly became a local obsession and eventually evolved into a full product range loved across the city. But the sauces were just the beginning. Drawing on her own experience as a maker, Pip went on to create trader-first markets across King’s Heath, Jewellery Quarter, Bearwood, and beyond—spaces where independent, talented creators could grow, collaborate, and actually thrive, not just turn up and pay a pitch fee.With trademark honesty and humour, Pip talks business without the Instagram gloss: the burnout, the endless logistics, the emotional labour of social media (“I fucking hate it”), and the art of learning to delegate. Alongside the chaos sits purpose, whether that’s supporting newcomers, keeping markets inclusive, or launching projects like Spudulika, a community-driven jacket potato truck offering work experience and a route into hospitality.Packed with laughs, behind-the-scenes reality checks, and a big dose of Birmingham pride, this episode celebrates what happens when passion meets graft—and how one person’s recipe can spark an entire movement.If you care about food, independents, or building community from the ground up, this one’s unmissable.Find out more about the brilliant Artisan Market- ⁠https://www.birminghamartisanmarkets.com/Pip- ⁠https://pipshotsauce.co.uk/⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/pipshotsauce/Support Us/Buy Merch- ⁠https://breakingbreadbirmingham.co.uk/shop/⁠Follow Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/breakingbreadpodcastbirmingham/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PodcastBread ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/breakingbreadpodcastuk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠