one4review | On 17, Aug 2017

Alistair Williams has a mischievous smirk a la Tom Hiddleston, and what else do you need to know after that? It’s particularly endearing when he’s trying not to snort at his own hilarity.

Aside from the grin, Mr Williams delivers a good show: enjoyable, funny, informative and thought-prodding without being didactic (or ‘preachy’ as someone outside put it). The show is about – no surprises – food, and the way it’s dealt with by modern society. The adulteration of food by big companies, confusing health advice and extreme food purists all come under fire, mostly in the name of being entertaining, but also for the purposes of posing questions and offering alternative viewpoints.

There’s good pace and structure in the show, with a finale which rounded everything off and closed the show on a high. There’s loads to be said on the subject of food, so the show does not lack reference material, but Alistair has curated a good variety of personal experiences and views, popular culture, scientific research and comedic analogies to ensure that the show keeps being comedy and doesn’t stagnate into moralistic sermon.

His delivery is polished and confident, and he appears to be passionate about his subject. If he’s taking his own food advice, I’ll have what he’s having.

Just the Tonic at the Caves, 20:05

Reviewed by Laura