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Artwork for Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith

Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith

Gilly Smith
Food Culture
Food Writing
Cooking
Mental Health
Community
Food Identity
Nutrition
Cultural Identity
Beans
Food Sustainability
Roman Cuisine
American Cuisine
Culinary Traditions
Gut Health
Mediterranean Diet
Ukraine
Food Waste
Healthy Eating
Jamie Oliver
Testaccio

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 Gi... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes344Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsSociety & Culture

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Artwork for Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith

Latest Episodes

This week, we’re live at Petworth Literary Festival with one of Britain’s very best food writers, Diana Henry to talk about her latest book, Around the Table: 52 Essays on Food and Life.

In front of an audience of 250 food fans in the stunning St Ma... more

This week, we’re with historian and food writer, Priya Mani and her latest encyclopaedia of flavours, Spiced.

After her success with The Visual Encyclopaedia of Indian Food, an A–Z, this is a ground breaking deep dive into a whole world of spices fr... more

This week, we’re with Alissa Timoshkina and her third cookbook about Eastern Europe, Lozhka.

Loshka, meaning spoon, is about the symbolism of connection through nourishment. It is, she says, 'the simple kitchen object which time and again has the po... more

This week, we're with the award-winning Australian novelist, Charlotte Wood and her ode to cooking and food, Love and Hunger.

To Charlotte, cooking is 'creativity in its purest form', but it’s taken nearly 15 years to capture the attention of Britis... more

Key Facts

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Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
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Recent Guests

Priya Mani
Historian, food writer and cultural researcher
Oxford Food Symposium
Episode: Priya Mani: Spiced
Alissa Timoshkina
Cookbook author of Salt and Time, Kapusta, and Lozhka
Episode: Alissa Timoshkina: Lozhka
Charlotte Wood
Award-winning Australian novelist and author of Love and Hunger
Episode: Charlotte Wood: Love and Hunger
Vicky Bennison
James Beard award-winning author of Pasta Grannies
Pasta Grannies
Episode: Vicky Bennison: Eat Everything
Karen Newby
Author of The Natural Menopause Method and The Post Menopause Method
Author
Episode: Karen Newby: The Post Menopause Method
Nick Saltmarsh
From Hodmedods, co-founder
Hodmedods
Episode: Hodmedod's: Whole Food
Josiah Meldrum
From Hodmedods, co-founder
Hodmedods
Episode: Hodmedod's: Whole Food
Andrew Turvil
Former editor of the Good Food Guide
Good Food Guide
Episode: Andrew Turvil: Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears
Jeremy Lee
Chef and author discussing his life and work
Episode: Jeremy Lee: Kitchening

Host

Gilly Smith
Host of Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 115 ratings
  • Am

    I love this podcast. Amazing guests and informative. I have one criticism which is the host falls into a whisper. Need to stop that.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    bananas for muffins
    United Statesa year ago
  • A favorite

    One of my favorite podcasts! Gilly does a fantastic job of getting to the heart of inspiration with the world’s latest cookbook authors.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cami2224
    United States3 years ago
  • Wonderful podcast

    Gilly is so knowledgeable and engaging and brings out really warm intimate stories from her guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wenamaroo
    United Kingdom4 years ago
  • Love this podcast

    I have learned so much from Gilly’s podcast, which is simultaneously entertaining and insightful. Highly recommend!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ceeceebee31
    United Kingdom4 years ago
  • Great listening

    Such a great podcast for foodies and non-foodies alike. I learn something new every time. Gilly has a wonderful open approach and the conversations flow really well. I love it!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JennyAtherton
    United Kingdom4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Warm, insightful host who draws heartfelt stories from guests.
Gilly's warmth and curiosity make complex food topics accessible.
Knowledgeable and engaging, with intimate guest moments.
Consistently thoughtful and well-paced discussions about food and culture.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#231
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#243
Italy/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#115
South Africa/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Priya Mani: Spiced
Q: Why did you choose harissa as one of your four food moments?
Mani chose it to highlight the diversity of chilies and the particular qualities of Tunisian bakluti peppers. She recounts discovering a community member's harissa at a Copenhagen potluck and learning how caraway gave it the flavor she had been trying to reproduce.
Priya Mani: Spiced
Q: What did your proposal say to Fieden?
Mani explains that Spiced emerged after she and her editor could not find a suitable format for The Visual Encyclopaedia of Indian Food. Her editor suggested a book about spices, and expanding her approach from India to the wider world became the basis for the project.
Alissa Timoshkina: Lozhka
Q: You say that you excluded Russia from this book because you felt that food has been weaponized by Putin's Russia. What did you mean by that?
Timoshkina recounts hearing Russian propaganda use shared dishes such as borsch to deny Ukrainian identity and justify the invasion. She says she includes communities living within Russia while avoiding the label Russian because imperial and Soviet histories make it complicated.
Alissa Timoshkina: Lozhka
Q: Where did that confidence, it feels like you kind of, hang on a second, I need to tell this story. Where did that kind of impulse come from?
Timoshkina says her confidence grew through writing Kapusta, initiating Cook for Ukraine with Olya Hercules, and researching identity and food history. She explains that she now focuses on communities and regions rather than flattening complex histories into national labels.
Charlotte Wood: Love and Hunger
Q: What does a novelist bring to food writing that distinguishes it from traditional culinary authors?
Wood suggests that a novelist integrates food with power dynamics, culture, emotion, and social relationships, using food as a narrative tool to explore identity and human connections beyond mere recipes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith

What is Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, book-centered podcast that uses four food moments to explore how cuisine intersects with culture, politics, and personal memory. Guests are typically celebrated food writers, chefs, and cookbook authors who bring vivid storytelling, historical context, and practical insights about food systems, sustainability, and identity. The show stands out for its warm, conversational style, deep-dive interviews, and a strong emphasis on how food can illuminate broader social issues. Potential listeners who enjoy literary food writing, cultural critique, and practical cooking inspiration will likely find it engaging and enlightening.

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How many listeners does Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith:

1. Good Food
2. The Food Programme
3. Ruthie's Table 4
4. Desert Island Discs
5. How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

How many episodes of Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith are there?

Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith launched 7 years ago and published 344 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith?

Recent guests on Cooking the Books with Gilly Smith include:

1. Priya Mani
2. Alissa Timoshkina
3. Charlotte Wood
4. Vicky Bennison
5. Karen Newby
6. Nick Saltmarsh
7. Josiah Meldrum
8. Andrew Turvil

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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