Ever wondered what happens when a 125-year-old family farm meets a modern food charity? The magic that unfolds is changing how communities access fresh, nutritious food across Britain.

"Food is a luxury." These four words from Betti, a British-Asian single mother in Newcastle, cut straight to the heart of Britain's cost of living crisis. In this powerful episode of A Slice of Bread and Butter, we meet a woman whose resilience shines through a life story marked by extraordinary challenges.

What happens when your life savings vanish overnight? For Karen, this devastating reality struck when a £150,000 investment in her daughter's business venture collapsed due to contractual issues with their building. This financial catastrophe arrived alongside serious health challenges after Karen developed long COVID, forcing her to leave her job as an exams officer when breathing difficulties made her work impossible.

"I'm a worker, not a charity case." 

These six powerful words from Tracy, a 47-year-old single mother working at IKEA, capture the essence of a profound conversation about financial struggle, resilience, and the hidden battles many families face behind brave smiles.

When life throws a curveball, navigating support systems shouldn't feel like scaling a brick wall. Yet for John, whose partner's sudden health decline forced him to abandon his teaching career and become a full-time carer, that's exactly what happened.

"It's not just the food—it's reinvigorating community spaces." These powerful words from Paul Harris, headteacher at Carhill Community Primary School in Gateshead, capture the transformative impact The Bread and Butter Thing has had on his community in just three short weeks.

What happens when a healthcare professional with a Master's degree finds herself struggling to put food on the table? Emma Vinton's story challenges our assumptions about who needs community food support in today's economy.

When Tracy moved from Working Tax Credits to Universal Credit, nothing about her circumstances changed – she was still a single mum working as a support worker on national living wage. Yet suddenly, she found herself without access to free prescriptions, dental care and glasses that she'd previously relied on. "I had emergency dental treatment more or less as soon as I migrated over to universal credit... and I had to pay for it."

What drives a 15-year-old boy to flee his home country alone, crossing dangerous borders in darkness to reach safety thousands of miles away? For Farid, it was the Taliban's targeting of his family due to his father and brothers' work with Afghan special forces.

Tracy's powerful story exposes the harsh reality many working parents face in today's economy. As a single mother of five working as a property assistant for the Council, Tracy embodies the growing demographic of "working poor" .

Lorraine's journey from social worker to service user reveals the profound ways life can change when health challenges arise unexpectedly. After receiving six different diagnoses in six months, this Manchester-born professional found herself navigating the very support systems she once guided others through.

This week we talk David - data analyst by day, heavy metal musician by night. David and his wife both work full-time professional jobs and live modestly. Yet they frequently find themselves struggling financially. How is this possible?

Meet Tracy, whose metal heart valve ticks audibly throughout our conversation - a constant reminder of the life-threatening surgery that became a turning point in her already challenging financial journey.

Vic and Mark welcome Hayley, Assistant Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Manchester, for a candid conversation about the changing face of financial hardship in Britain today.

This week we talk to Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation. We talk about their Broken Plate report and the difficulties of affording nutritious food and the three A’s.