The Waitrose brand expression ‘Food to Feel Good About’ aims to highlight the quality, taste, ethics and value of Waitrose produce.

During a cost of living crisis when people are eating at home, rather than going out, Waitrose wanted to showcase the authentic and positive experience of sharing their food with friends, by turning a Waitrose meal into a weekly cultural event.

This is particularly relevant for a young food focused audience who sit outside of the traditional Waitrose target audience of premium shoppers over the age of 45.

Dish, from Waitrose, is a podcast that propelled a high street grocery brand into mainstream culture by showcasing a passion for food and entertaining.

Trust in the power of good food and drink to inspire conversations people want to hear.

We have two hosts: a Michelin star chef and a much loved broadcaster who invite celebrities over for a meal and a chat in our kitchen studio.

We have one very important rule. We never pay the guests. We want their reaction to the food and the experience to be totally authentic and real.

We simply offer our guests one of the best invitations for dinner in the country.

When celebrities can see a meal cooked in front of them, with the best quality food, by one of the UK’s best chefs, they act like every other guest at a meal: they ask questions, they show appreciation, they offer something of themselves back.

This makes for good conversation and the best advert for food you can ask for.

Research told us that there were 3.2 million people who considered themselves “foodies” and who regularly listen to podcasts in the UK. They are of a much younger demographic (25-39) than the Waitrose core market who are premium food shoppers over the age of 45.

This audience use podcasts as a means to increase their understanding of the world and improve their cultural knowledge. They primarily listen to interviews and documentaries and use real life stories to educate and influence them.

This committed group seek to experience the world in the most authentic and intelligent way possible and are always searching for new stories, where food is as the heart of a much bigger cultural narrative.

They are natural hosts, who through the food they serve and the stories they tell, want to present themselves as individuals who enjoy intelligent and authentic experiences.

Across 36 episodes of approx 30 minutes in length people listened to an average of 97% of the conversation.

While only 5% of UK consumers shop at Waitrose, 36% of Dish listeners now claim to regularly shop there. 78% say they are big fans of the brand. A much younger demographic than the existing Waitrose heartland audience.

Our video content has been seen 47 million times across social media. Like the best food all video clips are served organically shared by our host and guests.

In the 6 months from launch, Dish was regularly in the Apple Top 20 shows. It was No.1 in the Apple Food charts for over 20 weeks.

We have a rating of 4.8 / 5 on Apple and 4.9 / 5 on Spotify.

It succeeded in garnering 766 pieces of national UK press coverage featured in broadsheet newspapers and terrestrial TV shows.