Breaking Bread Birmingham

Love Birmingham? This one's for you. We sit down for lunch at the brilliant Alfred Works in Digbeth with one of the city's biggest champions, Amy- Bab About Town, to talk about her favourite places to eat and drink, the hidden gems she thinks deserve more attention and what makes Birmingham so special. Whether you're looking for your next great meal or simply love this city as much as we do, you're going to enjoy this one.
Connect With Us-
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/breakingbreadpodcastbirmingham/Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/7wQVSLuiYwhA8h43odjDKo?si=1de1b6d3519c423e
Subscribe-  ⁨@BreakingBreadBirmingham⁩ 
Follow Bab About Town
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/bababouttown/
Blog- https://bababouttown.com/

With more than 60,000 followers on Instagram, Bab has become one of Birmingham's most trusted voices when it comes to food, known for her humour, honesty and genuine passion for supporting independent businesses. Over lunch at Alfred Works in Digbeth, we chatted about everything from her favourite curry house, breakfast spot and pizza place to the restaurants she thinks deserve more love.But this episode goes beyond recommendations. We talk about community, the changing face of Birmingham and why Bab is so passionate about shouting about the city she calls home. If you're proud to be a Brummie, love discovering new places or just enjoy hearing passionate people talk about the things they care about, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Thank You Alfred Works-https://www.instagram.com/alfred_works/
Where We Ate
Esme's- https://www.instagram.com/esmiescaribbeanfusion/
Gimmie That Kick- https://www.instagram.com/gimmethatkick/
Baity- https://www.instagram.com/baity.uk/

Filmed By 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/⁠⁠⁠

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 right

Why staff happiness directly impacts food, service, and atmosphere

What “unreasonable hospitality” looks like in a real country pub

Lessons any pub, café, or restaurant owner can take from their approach

Their ambitions to open more venues and build a values-led pub group

Whether 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 in

The hidden mental health challenges many workers quietly carry

How The Burnt Chef Project is changing kitchen culture for the better
What The Burnt Chef Project actually does to support chefs, front-of-house teams, and hospitality leaders

Practical tools, free training, and real-world support are available right now
How workplaces can change without losing the magic that makes hospitality what it is

What leaders, colleagues, and individuals can do to look after each other

The 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 Matt
https://www.instagram.com/thechubbybrummie/
Follow The Burnt Chef Project
https://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 in
Follow Spirit Of Birmingham
https://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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠