Researchers from Newcastle University’s Translational and Clinical Research Institute – including Dr Chris Lamb, Greg Young, Hannah Watson, Lauren Beck, Jen Doyle and Jem Palmer – recently spent time with Ian Waller, head chef at Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine, discussing food, fermentation, microbiology and how human health and disease can be linked to all three.
The collaboration came about after a conversation between Ian and Chris at the restaurant. A discussion on microbiological gut health and the benefits of fermentation led to Ian working with the team to share some insights into what he does as a chef with the researchers.
A visit to the restaurant and Pine’s fermentation rooms allowed the group to discuss some of the work Ian is doing with ferments, which he uses for a variety of different applications – including koji, miso and shoyu and lacto-ferments such as kimchi and sauerkraut, as well as formats such as kombucha and kefir which are used as part of Pine’s drinks programme.
When Ian and the Newcastle University team met, they discussed changing global dietary behaviours, including the increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and the use of food additives. All of these are thought to impact human gut health and may also be an important factor in alterations in gut microbe communities and intestinal permeability. They may also also lead to an increase in inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These are the two principal forms of inflammatory bowel diseases, and are the main research focus of Chris’ lab.
Multi-million-pound, nationwide studies IBD-RESPONSE (funded by the MRC and Helmsley Charitable Trust) and Open-IBD (funded by Open Targets and the Wellcome Sanger Institute) will capture detailed dietary exposure along with microbiome, human genome and metabolome data. These will be incorporated into analyses to develop precision solutions and better understand the mechanisms governing the observed wide variation in disease severity and progression over time.
Chris said: “We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Ian, learning about the blend of art and science in his kitchen. There were so many interesting similarities between Ian’s creation of innovative recipes and how we design new experiments in the laboratory. The concept of food fermentation for preservation dates back thousands of years and is now used by Ian to create the finest tasting food. Bringing this all together to debate the relationship of diet, microbes and the immune system in shaping our gut health was fascinating.”
Ian added: “Spending time with Chris and his team was eye-opening – the incredible work they are doing, leading in their field, seems far removed from what we’re doing in our restaurant kitchen in Northumberland. During my visit to the university, I had the opportunity to take a look around the lab with Chris and his team, where they explained some of their specific roles and the research they are undertaking. I also got to view some of my ferments under the microscope and get a much closer look at them under lab conditions. The more we chatted, the more it became clear there are some significant similarities in what we are doing and how we do it – albeit with two very different start and endpoints. The whole experience has been inspiring and hopefully we can continue to work together to show just how beneficial healthy gut microbes can be, especially when consumed as delicious bites of food.”
