More About

Nigel Barden grew up on a farm, which gave him great respect and understanding of the farming community and those who make and sell their home-crafted produce. As he grew up, he worked as a dairy farmer in Somerset and a tree surgeon in the Lake District before studying for a year at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. This gave him a great love of the land and its produce, which helped him when he took a new career path and started working for Yorkshire Fine Wines when he was 22. While working here, he became a regular on Chris Evans’ Saturday morning radio show as a restaurant and wine reviewer.

Nigel Barden Radio and TV Broadcasting

Nigel has predominantly worked in radio, mainly with Simon Mayo on his Greatest Hits radio show. He previously worked with Chris Evans for over 12 years.

Not only does Nigel present food and drink-related radio shows, but he also contributes to radio shows on sport, particularly rugby. When he was 30, the BBC approached him regarding presenting sports updates on their show hosted by Simon Crosse. Nigel has worked for BBC Radio London since 1990 and is the longest-standing contributor.

He presented his own radio show, Barden’s Soundbites, for Scala Radio, playing music inspired by food and drink. He also hosted the three-part podcast series A Grand Hotel by Corinthia, featuring chef Tom Kerridge and the Corinthia Hotel, and championed artisan food and drink producers in his Britannia Living podcast. Through his podcasts, Nigel regularly hosts online cheese and wine tastings, often linking up with producers and tasters abroad.

In addition to his much-loved radio shows, Nigel hosts the television show Nigel Barden’s Drivetime Dishes for both Amazon Prime and Simply Good Food TV, and he regularly appears on the BBC’s Inside Out.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, footage of ‘Cooking With the Barden Boys’, featuring Nigel and his three sons, was posted onto social media.

Nigel Barden, Food Industry Event Host

Nigel is a go-to food and drinks event host, primarily for Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park festivals in Marlow, Bath, Leeds, Knutsford, Chiswick, and St. Albans. He hosts a wide range of food-related events, including Cider and Cheese Tasting, Deliciously Yorkshire, Taste of Kent, The British Cheese Weekender, Menu Innovation and Development Awards, Fine Food North, National Fish and Chip Awards, Ice Cream Alliance Awards, and the North West Family Business Awards.

He has also hosted the Virtual Cheese Awards for the last four years, was the voice of the ‘Sea For Yourself’ radio campaign for Seafish, interviewed producers for the Food and Drink Wales Cluster, and co-hosts the Berkhamsted Book Festival. He also hosted the cocktail hour to choose eight hours of the National Fruit Show, which was held virtually in 2020 for the first time in over 87 years.

 

 

Contact Us

Nigel Barden is also available for Speaking Engagements at Great British Speakers.