
Hosted by James Staples and Luke Heslop
The Migration Menu
Journey from South Asia to West London through food as we explore migration, globalisation, entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage.
In the series, Prof James Staples and Dr Luke Heslop, anthropologists from Brunel University London, talk to restaurateurs and others about what food from their homeland means to them and why. They explore the rich array of culinary traditions that have made their way from South Asia and been made anew in West London, using food as an entry point to wider discussions.
Gain an insight into the businesses we explored in West London, with this trailer for Series Two!
OUR PODCAST
Latest Episodes
Live From Moorgate: Entrepreneurs, COVID, and Food Fusion
This week James and Luke were in Moorgate as panelists for 'The Gaze', organised by Middlesex University in collaboration with Small Business Research + Enterprise Centre and the HOMELandS Research Centre at the University of Westminster. They were there to discuss the often-hidden lives of immigran...
A Sweet Aftertaste with James and Luke
In this Episode James and Luke recap the series and answer some of the question and comments they have receieved throughout. They also reintroduce Sohini Banerjee and play a section of the Q&A from their sell out show at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
Amer-Indians
TheAmer-Indians In this week’s episode, Luke travels to the outer reaches of London’s underground train network to meet James in Little Chalfont, to explore the places that increasing numbers of South Asian diasporas go when they move on from West London, and how they help transform those pla...
Measure with the Heart
In this week’s episode, James and Luke try out the food of The Maldives, an archipelago of coraline islands in the Indian Ocean. The Maldivian diaspora in the UK, compared to other South Asian groups, is tiny; consequently there are no Maldivian restaurants, but there is at least one Maldivian Suppe...
A hunger to succeed
This week, James and Luke visit the Broadway in Southall to share a meal with Faisal Ali, co-owner of Giftos Lahore Karahi. As they eat, Faisal reflects on how food brings people together, especially within Southall’s Pakistani community. **Introduction** (0:00 – 3:14) (Starter) Lu...
Grandmother's Heavenly Rice
Headed to Northwest London, James and Luke travel to the Persian restaurant Behesht, which means Heaven in Farsi, to have their problems solved and their futures foretold. **introduction**-(00:00-6:55) (Starter) James and Luke discuss the connection between the Iran and the i...
Brick Lane is the place for me
James and Luke return to series 2 of The Migration Menu exploring how migration has transformed food and the places we call home. Headed to East London, Brick Lane in the borough of Tower Hamlets, James and Luke travel to have lunch at Graam Bangla. (Starter) **introduction**-(00:00...
Afghanistan in Shepherd's Bush
This week, James and Luke travel the length of the Uxbridge Road to Shepherd’s Bush, where they join Professor Magnus Marsden – a fellow anthropologist with fieldwork experience in Afghanistan, as well as with Afghanis in the diaspora – for a tour of the market and a long lunch at the market street ...
Cultivating Compassion
This week, James and Luke were invited by Amal Abeyawardene, secretary of the British Maha Bodhi Society, to visit the London Buddhist Vihara, the oldest Buddhist temple outside of Asia. There, they explore how food offerings help tell stories of migration and tradition. **Introduction** (0:00...









