Professor Green on Hackney, community and autism (and why he can't stand cheese)

No Cheese, Please: Professor Green on Hackney, Community and Finding Out He's Autistic at 41

In this episode of the Good Food podcast, Samuel Goldsmith talks with rapper and restaurateur Professor Green. They get into his strong dislike of cheese, growing up in a crowded flat in Hackney, and how the neighbours who always offered him a plate of food shaped who he is. He also talks openly about being diagnosed as autistic at 41, quitting drinking, and how being so sensitive to sound, smell and texture feeds his love of food. Along the way he covers his new Soho restaurant, Proper Good, how lockdown in Morocco led to Giz and Greens with Gizzi Erskine, his perfect roast dinner, and an ice cream flavour that sums him up.

In this episode:

Why he can't go near cheese, and the pub roast that proved how sensitive he is to smell

Growing up in Upper Clapton, Hackney, and finding new flavours in his neighbours' kitchens

His autism diagnosis at 41, giving up alcohol, and why kids who fidget shouldn't be called "naughty"

Proper Good: affordable, nourishing "food, fast" for under a tenner

How Giz and Greens started as an Instagram Live cookalong

His best dish, his biggest kitchen disaster, and a quick-fire round

Professor Green celebrates 15 years of his second album at Koko, London, on 20 December. Proper Good (PG) is open now. I

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