Comfort Eating with Grace Dent
The Guardian
From school dinners to sofa snacks – food has a huge part to play in shaping our story - and your favourite celebs have some delicious tales to tell. Join Grace Dent and celebrity guests as she throws the cupboard doors open and chats life through food. Expect to hear from guests (actors from TV, movie, theatre and film; sportspeople, comedians, chefs…) such as: Katie Price, Jamie Laing, Natalie Cassidy, Kathy Burke, Jon Ronson, Shirley Ballas, Nadiya Hussain, James Norton, Graham Norton, Jamie Demetriou, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Amma Asante, Jay Blades, Michelle DeSwarte, Gaz Coombes, Georgia Pritchett, Fern Brady, Jayde Adams, Adam Kay, Jaime Winstone, Malorie Blackman, Dawn O’Porter, Neneh Cherry, Greg Rutherford, Goldie, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marian Keyes, Rufus Wainwright, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Big Zuu, Eddie Marsan, Self Esteem, James May, Guy Garvey, Dave Myers, Jo Brand, Craig David, Bernardine Evaristo, Tom Watson, Rosie Jones, Laura Whitmore, Desiree Burch, Russell Tovey, Stephen Fry, Deborah Meaden, Munya Chawawa, Aisling Bea, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Candice Carty-Williams, Lawrence Chaney, Siobhán McSweeney, Scarlett Moffatt, Joanne McNally, Mae Martin, Rafe Spall, Nish Kumar, Bridget Christie, Mary McCartney, Keith Brymer Jones, Adjoa Andoh, Tamsin Greig, Tom Kerridge, Katherine Ryan, Golda Rosheuvel, Suranne Jones and, David Baddiel, Amol Rajan and Russell T Davies. Comfort Eating is a one-to-one interview. In Grace’s kitchen, her guests discuss their lives in the context of food, cooking and cuisine. They talk about comfort food and snack recipes. The tone of the podcast is: warm, comforting, chatty, feel good, cheering, heart warming, comical and amusing. It’s inspiring but also escapism. It’s funny, comedy, laugh out loud / LOL, entertaining, humourous, inspirational, hilarious, illuminating, memorable, uplifting, soothing, reassuring, cheery and entertaining. Expect to hear humour, discussion, gossip and revelation. Grace's new Comfort Eating book, inspired by the podcast, is out now. It’s a wonderfully scrumptious, life-affirming journey through the foods that really mean the most to us.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 28, 2021 • 34min
S2 E10: Jo Brand, comedian
Jo Brand is next round for Comfort Eating, and she brings a snack with her that Grace ‘devours like a wild animal’. She tells Grace about her rebellious years after being kicked out by her parents, the fun of the 1980s comedy scene, and the comfort foods that have seen her through it all
Dec 21, 2021 • 34min
S2 E9: Craig David – Christmas special
Grace’s guest on this festive edition of Comfort Eating is the musician Craig David. He talks about his favourite Christmas presents, the magic of childhood Blockbuster trips, his strange times in Miami, and the comfort foods that have seen him through
Dec 14, 2021 • 35min
S2 E8: Fern Brady, comedian
Grace’s Comfort Eating guest this week is the comedian Fern Brady. She tells Grace about growing up in a strict Catholic household, working in a strip club, being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and the comfort foods that have seen her through
Dec 7, 2021 • 36min
S2 E7: Bernardine Evaristo, author
Next over to Grace’s is award-winning author Bernardine Evaristo. She talks about being fed as one of eight children, her bohemian years filled with art and sex, and the comfort foods that have seen her through. She also reveals what she ate to celebrate Girl, Woman, Other winning the Booker prize, and it’s not as fancy as you might expect
Nov 30, 2021 • 36min
S2 E6: Tom Watson, former Labour deputy leader
Grace’s Comfort Eating guest this week is the former politician Tom Watson. The pair talk about his life – after she has to run to the kitchen to spit out the food he brought round. They talk about growing up on cheese toasties, the Jeremy Corbyn years, and how Watson, at the aged of 54, realised he has an eating disorder
Nov 23, 2021 • 35min
S2 E5: Rosie Jones, comedian
Grace’s Comfort Eating guest is comedian Rosie Jones. She and Grace sit down to talk family, friends and the comfort foods that have seen them through. Rosie tells Grace about orgies, sausage rolls, and what it’s like to be disabled – and constantly hungover – at university
Nov 16, 2021 • 34min
S2 E4: Laura Whitmore, presenter
Grace is out and about this week as she enters her guest’s home for a change. She talks to Laura Whitmore about her childhood in Ireland, being a young journalist in London, Love Island, and the comfort foods that have seen her through it all. They also discuss the death of her friend and fellow presenter Caroline Flack, and Laura’s own experiences navigating the tabloid press
Nov 9, 2021 • 38min
S2 E3: Desiree Burch, comedian
Grace’s guest this week is the comedian, actor and writer Desiree Burch. She sits at Grace’s table to discuss family, work, and the foods that have seen her through. They discuss attuning American tastebuds to British comfort foods, the joy of post-church fried chicken, and what to eat while wearing a dominatrix corset
Nov 2, 2021 • 45min
S2 E2: Russell Tovey, actor
Next round to Grace’s dining room is the actor Russell Tovey. Over a bowl of his favourite childhood treat, he tells Grace about his upbringing in Essex, embarrassing acting scenes, reconnecting with his partner – and the comfort foods that have seen him through
Oct 26, 2021 • 49min
S2 E1: Stephen Fry
Grace’s first guest on season two of Comfort Eating – recorded at Grace’s house – is Stephen Fry. They talk about his childhood, memories of prison, cooking for his husband – and the comfort foods that have seen him through
