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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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Check latest episodes from Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith podcast

Karen Newby: The Post Menopause Method

2026/10/01

Ahead of BrightonFoodStory, the food festival on October 3rd that Gilly is producing in her home town aimed at changing the conversation about the way we eat, we’re meeting some of the speakers on the various panel discussions. This week, we’re with Karen Newby, author of the Natural Menopause Method and its cookbook partner, and now The Post Menopause Method. Karen will be on the Nonnamaxxing panel to talk about how to age healthily. The Instagram trend has highlighted the global yearning for a slower more wholesome approach to life, and Gilly asks her why we need a method to get through what she says could be the happiest and healthiest time of our lives. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites and a recipe from The Post Menopause Method. And do come along to BrightonFoodStory on Saturday October 3. It's all free. And if you like what you hear on this ad free podcast, you can contribute to the Economy of Kindness by clicking here to contribute a little something, or here to become a paid subscriber on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hodmedod's: Whole Food

2026/09/24

This week, we meet Nick Saltmarsh and Josiah Meldrum of Hodmedods to talk about the magic of beans in their debut cookbook Whole Food. Now, Hodmedods has long since become the byword for beans in Britain, and can claim a major role in elevating the plucky pulse to enjoy its moment in the sun. Gilly's just finished another series of Bang in Some Beans for The Food Foundation Podcast – watch out for that coming in mid October presented again by Melissa Hemsley - and it seems that beans really are having their moment. Whole Food tells the whole story, joining the dots between farming and fibre, global and local, history and the power of storytelling to change the conversation about fibre and keep it there. With recipes from King Richard II’s master chefs to ancient Arabic feasts, Southern Indian temple offerings to Hampshire blue poppies, this glorious read weaves legumes, seeds and pulses easily and affordably into delicious dishes that anyone can make. It’s a must read and it’s why Nick will be on the Magic Beans panel at BrightonFoodStory on Saturday Oct 3. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites and a recipe from Whole Food. And do come along to BrightonFoodStory on Saturday October 3. All the details are on the BrightonFoodStory Substack and Instagram, and it’s all free. And if you like what you hear on this ad free podcast, you can contribute to Gilly's Economy of Kindness by clicking here to contribute a little something, or here to become a paid subscriber on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Turvil: Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears

2026/09/17

This week we’re with former editor of the Good Food Guide, Andrew Turvil and his book, Blood, Sweat & Asparagus Spears: The Story of the 1990s Restaurant Revolution. Like Andrew, Gilly was right in the centre of the birth of what another editor of the Good Food Guide, Drew Smith called Modern British Cooking, and has written her take on this story in a biography of Jamie Oliver, and Taste and the TV Chef. As Andrew curated the story in the Good Food Guide from a consumer guide’s point of view, they discuss where the narratives coincide. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Andrew, and if you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Lee: Kitchening

2026/09/10

This week, in an extended episode, we’re with one of the most important voices in British food writing, Jeremy Lee with Kitchening, his follow up cookbook to the 2022 multi award winning Cooking. Jeremy has taken his time to become one of the central storytellers of modern British cuisine – with his cookbooks at least, despite being right there at the birth of modern British cooking. Do listen to Sheila Dillon’s brilliant interview with Jeremy for The Food Programme, but also to the CTB episode with Food Foundation ambassador and campaigner against food poverty, Dev Sharma. For a 17 year old Indian lad from Leicester, Cooking was more about a lesson in food manners ahead of going up to Cambridge. Click here if you’re interested in the story of British food through that lens. Meanwhile, join Gilly and Jeremy in the library at Quo Vadis to talk about his second dive into British food from his childhood garden outside Dundee through the kitchens of the nascent London food scene. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites and a recipe from Kitchening. And if you like what you hear on this ad free podcast, you can contribute to Gilly's Economy of Kindness by clicking here to contribute a little something, or here to become a paid subscriber on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Thomson: Dear Grace

2026/09/03

This week, we’re celebrating Back To School and Uni season with Claire Thompson and her latest book, Dear Grace. This is a book unlike any Claire has written before. She wrote it while her heart was breaking as her eldest daughter, Grace, set off for university, and the letters from mother to daughter – and daughter to mother - about how to survive are a universal weep as fledglings all over the world spread their wings and head off into the big wide world. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites and a recipe from Dear Grace. And if you like what you hear on this ad free podcast, you can contribute to the Economy of Kindness by clicking here to contribute a little something, or here to become a paid subscriber on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anissa Helou: Lebanon

2026/07/30

This week, we're with an absolute legend in food writing, Anissa Helou and her culinary celebration of Lebanon. Listed by Arabian Business magazine as one of the "500 Most Influential Arabs" and "100 Most Powerful Arab Women, she’s among the greats of modern food writing with the likes of Claudia Roden and Elisabeth Luard. Now, after 32 years of writing about the everyday food of the Middle East and beyond, Lebanon, A Culinary Celebration takes her back to where she began. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Lebanon. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cooking the Books LIVE: Honey and Co.

2026/07/23

This week, we are live in Brighton on the hottest day of the year so far with Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, aka Honey and Co. to talk about their new book, Honey and Co.Daily. Against the sound of a massive fan at Patio Wine Bar, we talked about the huge dollop of love that the Honeys have made their brand, and how a warm hug of hospitality has not only saved their business but reminded us all of what people really want from a restaurant. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Cooking the Books Live at Patio, Brighton, plus a recipe from Honey and Co. Daily, and from the Ingrid at Sussex Surplus who spun their food moments into small plates for an adoring crowd. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca Seal: Irritated

2026/07/16

This week we're with author, journalist and broadcaster, Rebecca Seal and her deep dive into the world of allergies in Irritated She's spent 20 years writing about food, not least as the deputy editor of Observer Food Monthly, and her life was all about the deliciousness of food. But it was her younger daughter’s allergy to soy which prompted her to explore the rise in the allergy epidemic, and to piece together a fascinating puzzle of the way we live. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trine Hanhnemann: Midnight Sun

2026/07/09

This week we're with Danish food writer, restaurateur and campaigner, Trine Hahnemann and her latest cookbook, Midnight Sun. This is a book about long lazy summer days - cycling to the beach, stopping off to buy strawberries from a local stall, peeling shrimps to eat with homemade mayo and bread.. But under the haze of a Scandanavian sun, food for Trine is about much more than a picnic. It’s about history, time, geography and culture, a sum of the past and a warning about the future. Gilly asks how the simplicity of a long hot summer could say so much. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for extra bites of Trine and a recipe from Midnight Sun. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link. Or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ozlem Warren: Istanbul

2026/07/02

This week, we’re with the WORD on Turkish food and heritage, Ozlem Warren to dig into her latest book, Istanbul. We’ve followed Ozlem on Cooking the Books through her writing career, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table which inspired a fund raising supper club for the earthquake in 2023 at Gilly’s house, through vegetarian Turkish in Sebze, and now to Istanbul, her most confidant work yet, and her warmest welcome to her homeland. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Khoo: The Smallest Restaurant in Paris

2026/06/25

This week, Gilly is with the author of The Smallest Restaurant in Paris, Rachel Khoo Now, you may know her as the author of The Little Paris Kitchen and the star of the BBC’s cooler original version of Emily in Paris - without the haute couture or the PR job, a young Brit abroad, feeling her way through being in Paris and cooking in her tiny kitchen. Now she’s written a memoir about those years, and – whisper it - published it herself. A self-published book by someone with 400k followers on Instagram? How? Why? Well, as we find out, Rachel has never been the kind of girl to do what she’s told. In true Rachel Khoo spirit, Gilly is paving her own streets of gold on this podcast through the economy of kindness. If you like what you hear, do click here to make a contribution. Then pop over to Substack for Extra Bites of Rachel and the recipe for the baby baguettes from her food moments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sudi Pigott: Consider the Anchovy

2026/06/18

This week, we're with travel and food writer, Sudi Pigott to Consider the Anchovy. Part memoir, largely a travelogue, this is a deep dive into the story of a big hitting little fish. Stuffed with maverick, rakish characters, it's a passionate manifesto making the case for the anchovy as a leading mover and shaker in world culinary history. Rachel Roddy described it as "an anchovy odyssey, a journey in search of a small fish of enormous importance — fascinating, unexpected and utterly enticing." Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Sudi and a recipe from the book. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ella Risbridger: The Kitchen Book

2026/06/11

This week, we're with Ella Risbridger and The Kitchen Book Now, we know Ella intimately through her memoirs, Midnight Chicken and The Year of Miracles, both of which blended grief, joy, love and loss with food, gathering serious accolades and scooping up the awards. Here, she’s happy. Her life is good. Her writing is full of joy and the reception over on Instagram in particular has been effusive. And it’s an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Pop over to Gilly's Substack for Extra Bites of Ella and a recipe from The Kitchen book. If you'd like to support CTB which is advertising and sponsorship free, contribute whatever you like via this link, or become a paid subscriber on Substack which gives you access to Second Helpings, monthly Zooms with a CTB guest, and a massive archive of Gilly's articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Food Photography Awards

2026/06/04

This week, we're with three of the judges from this year’s World Food Photography Awards which took place earlier this week at The Mall Galleries in London. The competition, first known as the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year, has pretty much put food photography on the map since 2011. With more than 120,000 entries from nearly 100 countries over that time, this year the judging panel led by legendary food photographer David Loftus, assessed 9000 images from professional and amateur photographers from 50 countries. Gilly caught up with 3 of the judges, food stylist, Sal Henley, Skye Trayler of the London-based agency At Trayler and Angela Nicholson, founder of SheClicks, an award-winning community for female photographers to talk through the runners up and winning images in two of the categories. Pop over to Gilly's Substack to see the images for the runners up and the winners of those two categories on Extra Bites. And if you’d like to support this ad and sponsor free podcast, just click here to contribute to Gilly's economy of kindness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chetna Makan: 5 Ingredient Indian

2026/05/28

This week, we’re off to lunch with Chetna Makan, the Bake Off semi finalist who has become one of our national treasures with her massive YouTube channel, Food with Chetna. Her latest book 5 Ingredient Indian is yet another way of making Indian food simple enough to cook for quick weekday suppers while keeping all the flavour. Pop over to Substack for Extra Bites of Chetna, and a recipe from the book. And if you like what you hear on this ad and sponsor free podcast, you can contribute to the Economy of Kindness by clicking here to contribute a little something, or here to become a paid subscriber on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.