Claim OwnershipA Slice of Bread and Butter
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© 2026 A Slice of Bread and Butter
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The voice of The Bread and Butter Thing - with stories from the frontline of the cost of living crisis from one of the UK's leading food charities.
83 Episodes
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Send us a text A hidden social club down a narrow alley in Loftus isn’t just a building; it’s a beating heart where food turns into friendship and scattered villages become a community. We sit with Julie from Tees Valley Rural Action to unpack how a Covid‑era response grew into a lively hub that blends surplus groceries, warm brews, and on‑the‑spot advice. What looks like a queue for affordable food is really a doorway to rural wellbeing: people swap recipes, meet an adviser, and find out abo...
Send us a text What if your water company felt like a neighbour who actually shows up to help? We sit down with Anglian Water’s customer team to explore how WaterCare turns support into real savings, from clearer bills and accessible contact to debt relief, crisis help and an industry-first medical discount that stops health needs inflating costs. The conversation starts in our community hubs, where trust is built face to face. A single Facebook post and one resident’s success story turned he...
Send us a text The most dangerous lender in your life might look like a friend. Catherine from Stop Loan Sharks joins us to reveal how illegal moneylenders hide in plain sight—at school gates, in workplace chats, and even on Social Media and why the first loan often feels like a favour before the terms twist into intimidation, shame, and spiralling costs. We unpack “double bubble” repayment traps, the confusion created by no paperwork, and how variable pricing punishes the most vulnerable. W...
Send us a text A single night can upend a life. Paula opens up about the assault that left her husband Steve with a brain injury and a stroke, and how their steady, working‑class routine collapsed into uncertainty—savings drained, work gone, debts calling and a home suddenly quiet where Sunday dinners used to anchor the week. What follows is a candid, moving account of caregiving, hospital corridors and the slow work of rehab, where a whiteboard stands in for memory and old songs help knit la...
Send us a text Money worries don’t pause for the holidays, and neither do we. We sit down with Matthew Sheeran from Money Wellness to explore how the debt landscape has shifted from credit cards to priority bills like rent, council tax and energy, and why buy now pay later has quietly become a mainstream risk for everyday essentials. Matthew shares what actually happens when you reach out for free money and debt advice, how his team blends online and phone support seven days a week, and why a...
Send us a text A tenner doesn’t go far when milk costs more at the corner shop and the drive to a cheaper supermarket eats your fuel. We sit down with Sam and Jackie, two mums who turn surplus food into dinners, neighbours into friends, and hard choices into a kind of everyday heroism. Their stories move fast: winter coats for five kids, PE kits due the same week, fuel planned like a spreadsheet, and homework set online without laptops at home. It’s the UK cost-of-living crunch at ground leve...
Send us a text A warm room, a friendly queue, and equal bags for everyone might sound simple, but they’re the building blocks of a neighbourhood that refuses to let people go hungry or feel ashamed. We sit down with Gemma from St Luke’s in Wythenshawe to explore how a volunteer-led hub transforms surplus food into affordable groceries, steady routines and real belonging. She shares how the £8.50 food club protects dignity, why the “first bag’s best” rumour is just that, and how a thousand cup...
Send us a text A postcard view can hide a quiet crisis. On the North East coast, we meet a village split between seaside tourism and year-round struggle, where high prices, long bus rides, and limited choice make a weekly shop feel out of reach. We sit down with headteacher Helen Isaac and volunteer Graham to unpack how Seton Primary turned its school hall into a lifeline—hosting a Bread and Butter Thing hub that brings fresh fruit, veg, chilled food and staples straight to families who need ...
Send us a text What happens when a third-generation family brand refuses to cut corners, even as retail tightens the screws? We sit down with Fran and Paul from Porky Whites to unpack the unglamorous truth of supermarket shelves, price wars, and the tug-of-war between integrity and margin. They share why wholesale now makes more sense than constant retail promotions, how own label reshaped the category, and the quiet power of holding the line on recipe and welfare standards. You’ll hear a ra...
Send us a text A mixed bag of food can feel like a puzzle — unless someone shows you how to turn it into dinner, conversation, and community pride. We sit down with Sue, a powerhouse hub leader in Maidstone, to uncover the reality behind a town often labelled affluent. Parkwood sits in the top 10% for deprivation on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, with food and fuel poverty, health inequalities, and isolation shaping daily life. Sue and the Fusion team respond with practical care: slow-c...
Send us a text Food insecurity isn’t just about the weekly shop; it’s about dignity, stability, and the confidence to plan ahead. We sit down with Georgia from Comic Relief to explore how Nourish the Nation with Sainsbury’s is helping food clubs become community anchors that prevent crisis, reduce waste, and create real breathing space for families. From funding models and evaluation shaped by lived experience to hands-on initiatives like the Living Library and the Seasoning Shuttle, we...
Send us a text What does life look like when the pub lights go out for good? We sit with Dino, a veteran publican whose seven-day workweeks ended in lockdown, and follow his path through empty cupboards, mounting debt, and the quiet bravery of asking for help. His story is raw, practical, and full of heart: batch cooking stews into freezer tubs, turning chicken fillets into comfort curries, and finding a brew and a chat at a community food hub when the world felt small. We explore how The Br...
Send us a text What does it mean to “do everything right” and still come up short? We sit with James, a support worker caring for adults with learning disabilities and autism, to trace the real maths of modern poverty: long shifts, term‑time childcare gaps, energy and rent hikes, and the slow erosion of a family’s “nice time” pot. James talks candidly about budgeting in pots, living on beans so his son could eat well, and the relief he found through The Bread and Butter Thing—affordable, nutr...
Send us a text A family finds a way through a system that too often blocks the very basics. James and his son, Braith, talk candidly about becoming homeless, paying monthly to store the things that make a house feel like home, and the long wait for essential adaptations that would let Braith live safely and independently. Their story is grounded in the realities many people face right now: age-based housing criteria that don’t fit need, carers without bus passes in Greater Manchester, and the...
Send us a text Ever felt that knot in your stomach when the phone rings or another brown envelope lands on the mat? We go straight at that feeling with the Money and Me team from Mind in Salford, unpacking how money stress and mental health lock into a vicious cycle—and how small, steady changes can unlock control and calm. From the first brave step of opening bills together to six weeks of guided sessions, we map the journey from avoidance to action in a way that’s humane, practical, and sur...
Send us a text A front room in Crewe, a panting old dog, and a mum of three-year-old twins who can turn one cooked chicken into three meals without breaking the bank. We sit down with Belle to unpack how an £8.50 membership with The Bread and Butter Thing stretches into fresh fruit and veg, pantry staples, and the freedom to try new foods—yes, even ostrich steaks—without fear of waste. The real story isn’t just cheaper groceries; it’s how dignity, choice, and community show up week after week...
Send us a text Helen Thornton welcomes us into Hillside High School in Bootle, where the stark reality of educational inequality meets unwavering community spirit. As both a teacher and Bread and Butter Thing volunteer, Helen offers a compassionate, ground-level perspective on the challenges facing students from diverse backgrounds in this vibrant school near Liverpool. "I've got students who the only hot meal they get is here at school," Helen reveals, before describing how the school has b...
Send us a text From the bright lights of theatre to the humble act of sharing food with neighbours, Garfield Allen's story shows how The Bread and Butter Thing touches lives in unexpected ways. Garfield, a freelance theatre producer with 40 years of experience bringing creative ideas to the stage, first connected with TBBT when finances were tight. Though his work bringing dance, film, mime and puppetry to audiences doesn't always pay generously, it fulfills him in ways many never experience...
Send us a text Ever wondered what happens when a 125-year-old family farm meets a modern food charity? The magic that unfolds is changing how communities access fresh, nutritious food across Britain. This episode takes us behind the scenes with Jon Hammond and Richard Grant from Hammond's Farm, a fourth-generation family business growing everything from traditional root vegetables to colourful purple carrots across their 2,500-acre farm (that's over 1,200 football pitches!). Their passion fo...
Send us a text "Food is a luxury." These four words from Betti, a British-Asian single mother in Newcastle, cut straight to the heart of Britain's cost of living crisis. In this powerful episode of A Slice of Bread and Butter, we meet a woman whose resilience shines through a life story marked by extraordinary challenges. Betti's journey begins with an arranged marriage at just 16 years old, entering a world she wasn't prepared for. With remarkable candour and unexpected humour, she shares t...
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