Cooking the Books: Comfort Eating by Grace Dent (11 Sep 2025)

From one of the nation’s best-loved food writers and inspired by the award-winning podcast, Comfort Eating is a wonderfully delicious, life-affirming journey through the foods that really mean the most to us. ‘What an absolute TREAT . . . A moving, sweet and funny memoir about the power of comfort foods. The memories and emotions triggered by it warmed my heart and reminded me of those I love.’ MARIAN KEYES ‘Evocative and beautiful.’ EVENING STANDARD ‘Funny and poignant.’ GUARDIAN ‘This book will make you hungry.’ IRISH TIMES ‘Deliciously entertaining.’ SCOTSMAN ‘The comfort read you need.’ WOMEN’S WEEKLY *** Have you ever wondered why eating cheese can sometimes feel like a cuddle? Or how a big bowl of pasta can be just what we need after a tough day? Oh, and what is it about butter that seems to make everything just that little bit better . . . ? The foods we turn to behind closed doors are deeply personal, steeped in nostalgia and topped with a healthy dollop of guilty pleasure. In Comfort Eating, Grace Dent throws open her kitchen cupboards to reveal why we hold these secret snacks and naughty nibbles so dear to our hearts. Exploring her go-to comfort foods through a series of joyous encounters, Grace reflects on the memories they uncover and pays tribute to her parents, the people who taught her what comfort eating truly means. Along the way, she catches up with some famous friends to chat about their own favourites – from Jo Brand’s fried bread sandwich and Russell T. Davies’ ‘butterpepperrice’ to Scarlett Moffat’s crushed-Wotsits-topped beans on toast and many, many more . . . So grab a plate and pull up a chair: unfussy, honest and filled to the brim with heartwarming stories and comfort food tales, Comfort Eating is the perfect treat for food lovers everywhere. *** ‘The restaurant critic’s exploration of the delicious things we snack on is shot through with nostalgia for childhood, family and home . . . her humour [is] tweezer-sharp and the writing as strong as a Christmas stilton.’ NELL FRIZELL, GUARDIAN ‘Comfort Eating will leave you craving second helpings and will make you laugh and think at almost every turn . . . This might be the sanest thing anyone has ever written about eating for pleasure.’ IRISH TIMES