Andi Oliver

Andi Oliver

Chef/Broadcaster
https://andis.london
Biography

Andi Oliver has had an incredibly varied creative career starting in 1981 alongside Neneh Cherry when she fronted the band Rip Rig and Panic. Between then and now she has been part of a number of other musical influencers and is currently collaborating with producers as part of a new music collective. Andi’s on screen work began in 1993 when she took part in a pilot called Native Tongues. She then went on to host Backstage at the Brits for Initial TV and Carlton, the hit cult show Badass TV with Ice T on Channel 4, a short film for the BBC and various projects for Channel 4 such as the award winning Crazy Sexy Cool – a documentary made in association with Couch Potato Television. Andrea’s strong and distinctive voice has been used on several documentaries and has been invited by The Brit Trust and Nordoff Robbins to host their annual Woman Of the Year Awards for 9 years in a row. She was the host of the hugely successful popular afternoon show on GLR for three years and for 8 years presented The Selector a show for The British Council that is broadcast in over 15 different countries and in 2005 with Andrea at the helm won a Silver Sony Award for best weekly music show. Then to a mix of music and screen, Andi went on to co-host coverage for BBC at Glastonbury for several years. In 2006 she presented the much talked about ‘The Truth About Food’ for the BBC and then in in April of 2007 she and Neneh Cherry hosted a cooking series on BBC2 called ‘Neneh and Andi Dish It Up’ Andi was Creative director of The Birdcage, for two years before launching her very own kitchen at The Jackdaw and Star, a beautifully renovated pub and eaterie in the heart of Homerton. This year she has opened a new restaurant, ‘Andi’s’, and can be heard as a regular panel member alongside Jay Rayner, Angela Hartnett, and Henry Dimbleby on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. She has also wowed audiences as the newest judge on the 12th series of Great British Menu, which she continues to film.

Read More
Andi's recommendations
In Pursuit of Flavor

In Pursuit of Flavor

Edna Lewis

Like all Edna Lewis's books - elegant inspired writing that makes me fantasise about long summer afternoons that can be spent leisurely shelling peas & filling jars with peaches and chutneys on my non existent farm in my non existent rural life.

Real Cooking

Real Cooking

Nigel Slater

This is the book that I go to when I just need a nudge in the right direction when I’m family cooking at home, it’s a perfect ‘ohmygodimleavinghome’ cookbook present too!!

White Trash Cooking

White Trash Cooking

Ernest Matthew Mickler

Hilarious and gaudy and a perfect window into another way of living I LOVE it!

Rick Stein's Fruits of the Sea

Rick Stein's Fruits of the Sea

Rick Stein

Rick Stein Just a brilliant inspiring collection of simple seafood Recipes and I just adore the way Rick Stein’s very hungry cooks brain works

Roast Chicken & Other Stories

Roast Chicken & Other Stories

Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham

Simple beautiful recipes that make you hungry every time you read it

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian Cooking

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian Cooking

Madhur Jaffrey

Brilliant for non meat deep flavour inspiration

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

John Stage

When you want get something REALLY sexy on the grill. Brilliant on sauces!

A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes

A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes

Charles Elmé Francatelli

Fascinating insight into a bygone age by Queen Victoria’s cook

Andina: The heart of Peruvian Food

Andina: The heart of Peruvian Food

Martin Morales

Introduced me to an entirely new universe of incredible balance and flavour

1080 Recipes (Spain: The Cookbook)

1080 Recipes (Spain: The Cookbook)

Inés Ortega and Simone Ortega

In fact any of the big Phaidon one country encyclopaedic books (I have Japan & Cuba too but there are more). Comprehensive & brilliant for research and ingredient experimentation.

Follow Andi Oliver
What's playing in Andi's kitchen?

Listen to Andi's playlist