Feedback with Peter Grainger

Peter Grainger is the co-founder of the independent coffee company, CafePod.
Visiting his home city of Cape Town, he realised that drinking coffee had a different meaning
there compared with the UK. Wanting to recreate the feeling of drinking delicious, high-quality
coffee at home, CafePod was formed in 2011.

Starting with pods for Nespresso® Original machines, CafePod offers ground coffee and whole
bean coffee too. Peter shares with us, his food likes and explains why decaffeinated coffee is not
only becoming more popular, but the reason why the quality has improved.

What food always reminds you of your childhood?
I grew up in South Africa and interestingly I ate somewhere recently and there were radishes in
my dish. My dad used to grow radishes frequently in the garden and I always remember radishes
as they used to burn my mouth and he used to put them in everything! For 25 years I never came
across them and suddenly they appeared again, and it took me back to my childhood.

Do you have a current favourite restaurant or type of restaurant?
My partner and I last went to Turkey and spent a couple of days in Istanbul. I'm a fan of
restaurants that have a little bit of theatre and Turkish and Lebanese restaurants are great for
that. I also visited an Afghan restaurant recently which was mind-blowing, it had an open kitchen
where you could see the cooking with skewers and coal and freshly made bread in traditional
ovens

What food or ingredient could you not do without?
I'm a massive fan of Greek yogurt. I'd say if there was one thing, I have multiple times a day that
would be it. Sweet treats are my nemesis, in particular desserts, although I try to avoid them if I
can.

How do you like your coffee?
My go-to is a mug of good-tasting coffee with milk. As standard as it sounds, if you have a very
good coffee, it just makes the day. Today I've had two different types of coffee, one from a pod
coffee machine and one from a cafetière. I’ve got all the tools for making coffee and I just like
experimenting at different times of the day with various types of coffee.

Does it keep you awake at night?
No... I think from years of consuming coffee I've become more tolerant. I have around 5 cups a
day, although my consumption of decaffeinated coffee has skyrocketed too.

Tell us more about decaffeinated coffee?
You can decaffeinate any coffee, it's just a process of removing the caffeine out of the coffee
beans. What's been interesting is that the quality of decaffeinated coffee that's become available
on the market over the last few years has improved dramatically, due to the increased demand
for it. As people have become more aware of their intake of caffeine, almost like low and no
alcohol, more people want good coffee in the afternoon, but without the caffeine. If I presented
you with a decaffeinated and fully caffeinated coffee, you would not know the difference, it's
that good.

And what do you like to drink it from, a mug or a cup?
Definitely mugs, I'd use a larger mug in the morning and a smaller one in the afternoon.

What is the best food to eat with coffee?
Pastries! Pastel de Nata for one, the combination is lovely. I was in Paris recently, and the pastries
and coffee were unbelievable, you can't beat it.

You grew up in South Africa, is there any particular food or ingredient that you miss?
One is biltong, although you can buy it here the meat is different and just doesn't taste the same.
Also, I miss a good sun-ripened avocado. When you eat them in a country that grows them the
avocado almost tastes like butter, unfortunately, the type you get in the UK isn't quite the same.

What was the most memorable meal you can remember eating?
There's a seafood restaurant on the waterfront in Cape Town called Willoughby & Co which is
well known for its sushi, and it gives me a 'drop the fork' moment. The taste is unbelievably
good.

Is there something particular you always keep in the fridge?
Apple cider vinegar as I add it to my daily smoothie for breakfast, because of the live bacteria. I
try to eat as healthily as possible and avoid keeping unhealthy foods in the house.

What would be your last supper if literally anything was available to you and where would you
eat it?
Once you've had amazing gelato in Italy, there's just no coming back. So, my last supper would be
a collection of the best Italian gelato featuring pistachio, chocolate, tiramisu, and dulce de leche,
all washed down with an ice cream soda. I would eat it in bed whilst watching a good box set or
movie.

For more information on the CafePod range of coffee pods, ground coffee, whole bean coffee,
and subscriptions, visit cafepod.com or follow @cafepod on Instagram.

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