HFT on The Food Programme

Award winning Melton tourism business to be featured on BBC Radio 4

Hidden Food Tours, the award winning food tour business based in Melton, is to be featured on a long running Radio 4 programme. 

The Food Programme's presenter Sheila Dillon and producer Robin Markwell visited Melton Mowbray on Saturday (August 16th) to experience Hidden Food Tour’s boutique walking tour of the town, as part of an episode of the show which will be looking at food tourism. 

As well as interviewing HFT founders Charla Forinton and Matt Hall the programme also spoke to Richard Griffiths from Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe, Amy Oakes of the Melton Cheeseboard,  Nik Tooley from March House Farm, Round Corner Brewing co-founder Combi Cryan, Jon Oakes from the Feast and the Furious smokehouse and Melton’s own Samosa Wallah. 

Charla said ‘It was a proper honor to host such a well respected broadcaster as Sheila, and a real thrill that she understood what we’re trying to do in bringing Melton’s fantastic food culture, both traditional and current, to a wider audience.’ 

‘The programme team were bowled over by the quality of the food sampled on the tour, and loved the history of the town and the stories of the producers’ added Matt. ‘Samosa Wallah in particularly was a real hit, but Sheila enjoyed meeting many of the newer producers, including Jon from the Feast & The Furious smokehouse. We also talked about the development of the Stockyard, the plans for the area going forward and discussed how gift voucher sales are on the increase as people love giving the gift of experience’.

The programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 next month. 

Hidden Food Tours won the Best New Business 2025 award at  Visit Leicestershire Tourism & Hospitality Awards, and has recently expanded to Lincoln, where it offers a monthly tour through the city’s culinary history and highlights. The company is currently looking at news destinations in the East Midlands, which it’s hoping to announce shortly.