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12.03.2026
27 Minuten
This week we’re discussing the shortlist for the Jane Grigson Trust–Sous Chef Award 2026 with two of the judges, Nicola Lando and Jeremy Lee.
This year, it celebrates its 10th anniversary with a stunning shortlist of books about secret kitchens and migrant stories which will all be featured here on CTB when they’re out in the bookshops. Ahead of next week’s awards, Gilly asks Nicola, founder of Sous Chef and a graduate of her How to Cook a Book food writing retreat, and Jeremy Lee, award-winning author of Cooking and chef proprietor at Awards HQ, Quo Vadis, what they look for in a winner.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This year, it celebrates its 10th anniversary with a stunning shortlist of books about secret kitchens and migrant stories which will all be featured here on CTB when they’re out in the bookshops. Ahead of next week’s awards, Gilly asks Nicola, founder of Sous Chef and a graduate of her How to Cook a Book food writing retreat, and Jeremy Lee, award-winning author of Cooking and chef proprietor at Awards HQ, Quo Vadis, what they look for in a winner.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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05.03.2026
21 Minuten
This week as millions of people all over the world are celebrating Ramadan, we’re with London-based Somali-Egyptian food writer, Ilhan Abdi to talk about her book, The Ramadan Kitchen.
A former Amazon corporate employee, she left to focus on cooking content, gaining 265k Instagram followers (@Ilhanm.a) through live Ramadan cooking sessions inspired by her mum’s dishes during lockdown, and has since become a mother herself. She tells us about her recipes inspired by Ramadan traditions, including suhoor and iftar dishes like Somali rice, samosas, and syrup-soaked doughballs.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Ilhan including a recipe from her book, and a beautiful prayer that means so much to her.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A former Amazon corporate employee, she left to focus on cooking content, gaining 265k Instagram followers (@Ilhanm.a) through live Ramadan cooking sessions inspired by her mum’s dishes during lockdown, and has since become a mother herself. She tells us about her recipes inspired by Ramadan traditions, including suhoor and iftar dishes like Somali rice, samosas, and syrup-soaked doughballs.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Ilhan including a recipe from her book, and a beautiful prayer that means so much to her.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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26.02.2026
32 Minuten
This week we’re exploring the food and culture of Kurdistan with author of Nandên: Recipes from My Kurdish Kitchen, Pary Baban
Born in Southern Kurdistan, in Qaladze, a place known for its resistance and community, Pary fled Kurdistan with her family to escape what became known as the Anfal Genocide, and this is a hard listen. But it’s her passion for using the food of her land in her restaurant Nandine in South London and now the book, Nandên meaning kitchen to keep her Kurdish culture alive after generations of hardship and displacement, that makes this an essential listen.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Pary, including a recipe for Yapraxi bahara, the stuffed vine leaves in her food moments.
You can buy the book from the CTB Bookshop at Bookshop.org by clicking here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Born in Southern Kurdistan, in Qaladze, a place known for its resistance and community, Pary fled Kurdistan with her family to escape what became known as the Anfal Genocide, and this is a hard listen. But it’s her passion for using the food of her land in her restaurant Nandine in South London and now the book, Nandên meaning kitchen to keep her Kurdish culture alive after generations of hardship and displacement, that makes this an essential listen.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Pary, including a recipe for Yapraxi bahara, the stuffed vine leaves in her food moments.
You can buy the book from the CTB Bookshop at Bookshop.org by clicking here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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19.02.2026
30 Minuten
This week, we’re back with BOSH!, the recipe developing duo who have changed the conversation about plant-based diets.
Gilly has followed their journey over the last 10 years and watched them become the biggest influencers in the plant-based space. Now, as she explores their latest book, More Plants, she finds out how they got their ready meals to the supermarket ready meal shelves - and why that matters.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of BOSH! including a recipe from More Plants.
You can buy it from the CTB shop at Bookshop.org which supports this ad-free listen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gilly has followed their journey over the last 10 years and watched them become the biggest influencers in the plant-based space. Now, as she explores their latest book, More Plants, she finds out how they got their ready meals to the supermarket ready meal shelves - and why that matters.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of BOSH! including a recipe from More Plants.
You can buy it from the CTB shop at Bookshop.org which supports this ad-free listen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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12.02.2026
53 Minuten
This week we are LIVE in Brighton with James Beard award-winning New York food writer, Tamar Adler to learn how to Feast On Your Life.
Her latest book is the result of a deep depression that overwhelmed her after the publication of An Everlasting Meal, which is now widely seen as a modern classic. Feast on Your Life is a record of daily food delights that she wrote to find her way back to the light, and the result is an extraordinary, gentle reminder to look at the small things, to focus on life through the prism of food and find joy even in the darkness.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Tamar and Cooking the Books Live including a recipe for the green risotto from Tamar’s food moments cooked up by Ingrid Wakeling and her team from Sussex Surplus.
You can buy the book from the CTB shop at Bookshop.org by clicking here, and you can book tickets for the next CTB Live on March 10th here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Her latest book is the result of a deep depression that overwhelmed her after the publication of An Everlasting Meal, which is now widely seen as a modern classic. Feast on Your Life is a record of daily food delights that she wrote to find her way back to the light, and the result is an extraordinary, gentle reminder to look at the small things, to focus on life through the prism of food and find joy even in the darkness.
Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Tamar and Cooking the Books Live including a recipe for the green risotto from Tamar’s food moments cooked up by Ingrid Wakeling and her team from Sussex Surplus.
You can buy the book from the CTB shop at Bookshop.org by clicking here, and you can book tickets for the next CTB Live on March 10th here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Über diesen Podcast
Cooking the Books is about all of life through the prism of food,
from climate change to culture and politics to people. It's for
foodie book lovers who want to hear something more profound about
the way we live, making the link between delicious food and
the impact of food production on the land, all through four food
moments from the books of our favourite food writers.
Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith is the winner of The Guild of
Food Writers' Best Broadcast or Podcast Award 2022, and was
shortlisted for Fortnum and Mason Best Podcast 2022 and 2024.
Hear how A-lister food writers have changed the conversation
about food as Gilly talks through their four chosen food moments
from their latest books. As she joins the dots between stories
from the old country and food identity, plant-based recipes and
climate change, she shows how a deeper connection with food
really could save the planet.
Listen to all your favourite food writers from Claudia Roden to
Yotam Ottolenghi, Sheila Dillon to Anna Jones, Prue Leith to
Elisabeth Luard, Gill Meller to Ravinder Bhogal, Dan Barber to
Raymond Blanc as Gilly finds what's cooking in the minds of
our food writing stars.
Do support the podcast by subscribing, and PLEASE leave a review.
You can do this by clicking HERE for the link to
Apple Podcasts, click on Listen on Apple
Podcasts under the show title and then click on
Rating and Reviews! Thank you so much.
For more information and to join the mailing list, visit Gilly
Smith
Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith is rated in the top 2.5% of
global podcasts by ListenNotes and in the top 40 of food podcasts
globally by FeedSpot
Theme music by Willy Zygier
Gilly Smith is also the presenter of the delicious. podcast and
Leon's How to Eat to Save the Planet which was highly commended
in the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2021. She won the
Investigative Food Work Award for Right2Food (now known as the
Food Foundation Podcast) in the same awards.
She also produced The Big Table for Philip Lymbery, CEO of
Compassion in World Farming, and is the multi-award winning
author of Taste and the TV Chef: how storytelling can save the
planet (Intellect Books 2020)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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