HAVE YOU HEARD?

Sonder & Salt: Rooted in a love for food

Published on April 16, 2024

Have You Heard? is where the Pod Bible team meet the people behind the podcasts you may not have heard, but we think you should have. Sonder & Salt is a weekly podcast for food lovers by Malaika Malz and Harleigh Reid. Based on the concept of ‘sonder’, the realisation that every passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own, and the fact that salt is a kitchen essential, the show recognises the complexity of food and the individual lives of people experiencing it.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

We are Harleigh & Malaika, and we host Sonder & Salt – the weekly podcast for food lovers. We wanted to create a space to explore our individual relationships with food and how our unique experiences influenced our preferences, opinions and seemingly insignificant food choices.

M: I’m a casual content creator, but I would love to do it full time one day. Over the years I’ve had a YouTube channel, a blog and even hosted weekly cocktail hours on Instagram live. My content is always rooted in my love for food whether it’s eating out, travelling to eat & explore or sharing recipes of my favourite meals.

H: Same for me really. If I bump into someone who says they recognise me I just say, ‘probably from the internet!’

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

H: Another Round which was a Buzzfeed production hosted by Heben and Tracy. It was the highlight of my week and their drunk segment at the end used to give me the giggles when I was working on my dissertation. I still follow Heben on X and her recent commentary on the Beyonce album makes me want them back in a studio together so badly!

M: Food, But We Digress with Alex & Joshua. I found Alex on YouTube & fell in love with the in depth conversations about very specific ingredients and food topics. Some of the best episodes were about their favourite pasta shapes or debating whether it’s better to eat rice with a spoon or fork!

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

M: Harleigh will say I gave her no choice, but I would say it was meant to be!

H: We found each other on social media from our food blogs, developed a friendship and felt that there wasn’t a food centred podcast that you didn’t need to identify as a “foodie” to engage with.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

M: I was really inspired by Alex & Joshua on Food, But We Digress. The conversations have always found the right balance between being entertaining and informative which is something we like to do. Although we’re not a guest based podcast, Comfort Eating with Grace Dent is a good example of having really intimate conversations with guests about their relationships with food and the things they love.

H: I love the interview style on The Sporkful and how when he travels to meet guests it really feels like you’ve gone with him. I mostly use Science Vs by Wendy Zukermann for any food science information on the podcast.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

H: Claire Saffitz! Without a doubt. Her YouTube videos make me feel like she’s baking in my living room, so I need to have her chatting along with me in the studio.

M: I’d love to sit down with Staney Tucci or Chishuru’s head chef Joké Bakare – she’s the first black female Michelin-starred chef in the UK.