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
Oct 17, 2023 • 40min
S5 E4: Jamie Demetriou, actor
Grace’s living room gets a professional appraisal this week from none other than Jamie Demetriou. Best known as the bumbling titular estate agent of Stath Lets Flats and long-toothed lover of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, Jamie’s arrived fresh off the Barbie set armed with his favourite comfort snacks. He and Grace talk about his teenage indie band, growing up in his dad’s greasy spoon and the dangers of dipping a McCoy’s. And, of course, all the comfort foods he turns to when nobody’s looking
Oct 10, 2023 • 37min
S5 E3: Jon Ronson, journalist
It’s time for another mystery snack at Grace’s dining room table, where she’s joined by writer, journalist and podcaster Jon Ronson. Jon’s best known for going on adventures with unlikely people, culminating in hit books such as The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test. This week, he tells Grace about his passion for TV dinners, his rivalry with Louis Theroux and his life as a failed band manager. And, of course, the comfort snacks he’s turned to along the way Buy Grace’s new Comfort Eating book, inspired by the podcast, here. The book is a wonderfully scrumptious, life-affirming journey through the foods that really mean the most to us
Oct 3, 2023 • 45min
S5 E2: Shirley Ballas, dancer
Dance legend Shirley Ballas joins Grace to chat all things comfort eating. From wedding buffets to steamy backstage rendezvous, they reminisce about school dinners, favorite treats, and indulging in coffee cake. Shirley also shares stories about her upbringing, meeting Corky Ballas, and her happiness at her family's success.
Sep 26, 2023 • 35min
S5 E1: Nadiya Hussain, chef
Cosying up with Grace to launch a new season of Comfort Eating is none other than the queen of baking and all our hearts – Nadiya Hussain. The Bake Off star, whose triumph in the tent launched a TV, writing and culinary career of which dreams are made, is dropping by Grace’s home to share her loves, her hates and her strategies for managing a house of teenagers. Over a plate of something so comforting you could curl up in it, Grace and Nadiya get down to brass tacks. Family, husbands, school and crisps – all the main bases – and there’s no shame allowed. Just get those elbows out and dig in Buy Grace’s new Comfort Eating book, inspired by the podcast, here. The book is a wonderfully scrumptious, life-affirming journey through the foods that really mean the most to us
Sep 19, 2023 • 2min
Comfort Eating with Grace Dent is coming back
Season five of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will kick off on Tuesday, 26 September. Join Grace as she learns what her celebrity guests, such as Nadiya Hussain and Jon Ronson, love to eat when nobody is watching
Jan 17, 2023 • 44min
S4 E12: James Norton, actor
For the last time this series Grace opens her door to another Comfort Eating guest, and to finish in style she welcomes James Norton into her home to discuss all things delicious. James is best known for his portrayal of the despicable Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley, and other star roles include Grantchester, Little Women, and War & Peace. However, there’s lots more to learn about James from his idyllic early years in Yorkshire, to a stint at a very religious boarding school, his breakthrough on the West End and, of course, the food that has been with him through it all
Jan 10, 2023 • 44min
S4 E11: Graham Norton, broadcaster
This week, it’s Grace’s couch that gets the star treatment as Graham Norton comes round to chat all things Comfort Eating. We all know Graham from his work interviewing megastars on his chatshow, as well as his much loved radio show, but there’s lots to Graham you might not know about; from his time living in a San Francisco commune, to his big break in the upstairs room of a famous gastropub and, of course, the snacks he reaches for when he’s home alone, and sat on his own couch
Dec 27, 2022 • 46sec
A quick christmas message from Grace
Happy holidays friends! Just a quick message from Grace to say no new episode of Comfort Eating today, as she’s at home on the couch eating cold roasties and stuffing sarnies, enjoying all the Christmas telly. However, fear not, Comfort Eating will be back in the new year!
Dec 20, 2022 • 38min
S4 E10: Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, singers
Roll up, roll up, for an unprecedented Comfort Eating event as we bring you not one but two very special guests … Yes that’s right, parking their sleigh outside Grace’s house we have world-renowned singers, entertainers, and the unofficial Kings of Christmas, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe joining us for a fantastically festive episode. Both hugely successful in their own rights, Michael and Alfie have been making music and topping the charts together since 2016, with multiple UK album No 1s to their name, as well as arena tours, TV specials, and Brit awards in tow. In this special Yuletide episode, Alfie and Michael reflect on Christmases gone by, their thoughts on carol singers, who’s the best gift-giver and, of course, the comfort foods that see them through Chrimbo every year
Dec 13, 2022 • 39min
S4 E9: Amma Asante, film-maker
Grace’s guest this week is the Bafta award winning director Amma Asante. From her critically acclaimed films such as Belle, and A United Kingdom, to her work on TV shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Mrs America, Amma is a giant of the film-making world. She pops round to Grace’s to discuss her teenage days on the set of Grange Hill, how she fell in love at the Europol canteen, and the importance of Mr Kipling. And, of course, the comfort foods that have seen her through it all
