Talking Europe: The UCL European Institute podcast

About Talking Europe: The UCL European Institute podcast

The UCL European Institute, University College London's hub for research, engagement and teaching on Europe

Publisher

Talking Europe: The UCL European Institute podcast

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Mar 2017

Latest episode

30 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

48 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2025

   The Ukraine Shelf Episode 5: Food with Olia Hercules and Felicity Spector

   In this episode, we talk about one of the most fundamental things in all our lives: food. How can food help us understand culture, identity, and history? How does food bring people together in dark times? How has Ukraine’s status as a major global exporter of food been affected by the war? We discuss all these questions and more with two brilliant food writers - Olia Hercules and Felicity Spector. Olia Hercules is a British-Ukrainian chef, author and cultural ambassador, she is the author of Mamushka: Recipes From Ukraine & Beyond; Kaukasis: The Cookbook – A Journey Through the Wild East; Summer Kitchens Inside Ukraine's Hidden Places of Cooking and Sanctuary; Home Food and most recently Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family Story of War, Exile and Hope (Bloomsbury, 2025). Felicity Spector is a journalist, author and baker. Her work in TV journalism has taken her all over the world, covering everything from the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia to the inauguration of Barack Obama in the US; most recently, she has been a tireless volunteer in some of Ukraine’s most war-torn regions. Her book about these experiences, Bread and War: A Ukrainian Story of Food, Bravery and Hope, was published in 2025 by Duckworth. Book recommendations: Olia Hercules: Lesya Ukrainka, The Noblewoman, translation. Percival Cundy, in Spirit of Flame: A Collection of the Works of Lesya Ukrainka (Bookman Associates, 1950). Translation available online here. Charlotte Shevchenko-Knight, Food for the Dead (Penguin, 2024) Lina Kostenko’s poetry (See here for some translations by Uilleam Blacker at Words Without Borders) Felicity Spector: Oleksandr Mykhed, The Language of War translation. Maryna Gibson, Hanna Leliv and Abby Devar (Penguin, 2024) Artur Dron, We Were Here, transl. Yuliya Musakovska (Jantar, 2024) Victoria Belim, The Rooster House (Virago, 2023) Also mentioned: Lesya Ukrainka, Cassandra trans. Nina Murray (Harvard, 2024) Oleksandr Mykhed, I Will Mix Your Blood with Coal transl. Tanya Savchynska and David Mossop (Northwestern University Press, 2025) Links The UCL European Institute Ukraine Shelf: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-instit... UCL European Institute newsletter: https://ucl.us5.list-manage.com/subsc... UCL European Institute instagram: ucl_ei UCL European Institute BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/uclei.bsky.social Ukrainian Institute London: https://uil.org.uk

2. 

   3 Jul 2025

   Talking Europe | Finding Europe on London’s Streets: understanding the enduring ties between London and the European Literary imagination

   Dr. Uta Staiger discusses the European Literary Map of London with Ciara Broderick, Nisrine Mbarki, Domas Raibys, Iryna Shuvalova, and Lucy Shackleton, exploring London's enduring cultural ties to Europe through literature in this interview episode.

3. 

   7 Jun 2025

   European Literary London: Irish Writing, Language and Identity

   Student Ambassador Hayley Anderson interviews writer Ciara Broderick about her experiences as a writer in London, exploring how the Irish language influences her work and identity in this interview episode.

Who has been a guest on Talking Europe: The UCL European Institute podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ciara Broderick
• Nisrine Mbarki
• Domas Raibys
• Iryna Shuvalova
• Lucy Shackleton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 12 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

11

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32