The Pick List

It's the season finale and Julia is joined by Kevin Yu, founder and CEO of SideChef, a home-cooking platform and provider of shoppable recipes. They talk about the role of recipe inspiration as a driver of sales in grocery, making it easier for consumers to figure out what's for dinner and how recipe and meal planning habits are changing due to the cost-of-living crisis. Plus, they

Julia is joined by Vishal Patel, co-founder of Sollasa, an up-and-coming spirits brand developed specifically to go with Indian food. Vishal is also investment director at Distill Ventures. He talks to Julia about the growth in low and no alcohol options and what's behind young people moderating their drinking, his journey with Sollasa and why he’s pursuing a food-first strategy

Julia is joined by Ronen Givon, CEO of REKKI, the mobile ordering app for chefs. Ronen created REKKI after spending 10 years running restaurants in London (he was one of the founders of Hummus Bros), where he saw first hand how little grasp many chefs have on their food costs. He talks to Julia about how to make independent restaurants profitable, which ingredients are trending on

Julia is joined by Ann Perkins, founder and MD of healthy snacking brand Perkier. Ann shares why she's passionate about moving the health debate on from calories, her take on the opportunities and challenges arising from the cost-of-living crisis and HFSS and how to navigate the dangers of greenwashing. Plus, how to use social media listening to inform the NPD process. Articles dis

Julia is joined by George Dymond, chief executive officer of Planet Organic. They talk about George's quest to 'right-size' Planet Organic and expand its store estate, including outside London, and how he is modernising its supply chain. Plus, George reflects on how the cost-of-living crisis is likely to affect the organic sector and Planet Organic specifically, the flight to value

Julia is joined by Cashain David, founder of up-and-coming rum brand Kromanti Distillery & Blending House. Cashain talks to Julia about why he started a rum brand after living most of his life as a teetotaler, the importance of recentering the narrative around rum, moving the category beyond tropes of pirates and parties on the beach, and the need a more diverse and authentic range

Julia is joined by Louise Hoste, managing director of Spar UK. They talk about the convenience sector during and after Covid, adjusting ranges to serve new convenience shopper missions, opportunities around home delivery, the challenges of HFSS and the cost-of-living crisis and lessons from the fashion industry on circularity. Plus, Louise shares how the pandemic changed her as a b

Julia is joined by Barry Clogan, chief product officer at Wynshop and former head of international grocery online at Tesco. They talk about online grocery after Covid (what does the drop-off in post-lockdown really tell us?), the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on online shopping behaviour, the importance of acquiring the right online customers and what the recent challenges in

The Pick List is back for season 6 and Julia is joined by Chris White, MD and founder of creative agency This Way Up. They talk about how design can help brands communicate their health credentials, the impact of the delay on HFSS regulations on health-focused brands, the fast-changing design language of the plant-based category, the opportunities and pitfalls for brands around pur

Julia is joined by Pev Manners, managing director of Belvoir Farm, the brand of cordials, sparkling drinks and botanical sodas. From its beginnings on farm in the early 80s, Belvoir Farm has grown rapidly and continues to launch innovative NPD while staying true to its values on sustainability and quality ingredients. More recently, the brand has been pushing into the ‘no and low