Appetite cover art

Appetite

A Memoir in Recipes of Family and Food

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 ‘Delightfully different’ – Delia Smith

Ed Balls was just three weeks old when he tried his first meal: pureed roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. While perhaps ill-advised by modern weaning standards, it worked for him in 1967, and from that moment on he was hooked on food.

Appetite is a memoir with a twist: part autobiography, part cookbook, each chapter is a recipe that tells a story. Ed was taught to cook by his mother, and now he’s passing these recipes on to his own children as they start to fly the nest. Sitting round the table year after year, the world around us may change, but great recipes last a lifetime.

Appetite is a celebration of love, family, and really good food.
©2021 Ed Balls (P)2021 Simon & Schuster Audio Food & Wine Gastronomy Memoir

Critic reviews

"Delightfully different." (Delia Smith)
All stars
Most relevant
loved this, some great recipes as well as an interesting listen to Ed's life.
liked the recipes so much bought the book as well

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was a lovely listen. I am about the same age, so the reminiscences are of similar vintage. The recipes are fab, the political gossip is fun, but it is the love that Ed Balls has for his family that really shines out.

Warm and comforting, like a tray of Yorkshire puds

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I can't say I ever cared much for Ed Balls during his years in politics, and I am generally wary of (former) politicians and their cultural efforts, but "Appetite" is a gorgeous feast of moving memories, extremely relatable family stories and mouthwatering recipes. I was moved to tears several times, especially when the author talked about his lovely relationship with his parents and his mum's fight with dementia.
Overall, moving, funny and surprisingly relatable, "Appetite" is a most delicious literary treat and one of the best memoirs I've read.

Gorgeous, moving and mouthwatering.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I could take or leave Ed Balls but after reading a newspaper review I thought I would give this book it a go. I’ve really enjoyed it and now I think I’m a fan, (never thought I would say that!)
If you’re after a nice easy read, warts and all, give it a go. Well done Ed.

ENJOYABLE READ

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this audio book learning more about Ed and his family. The one thing I didn't like were his large nasal intakes of breath when reading it. Surprised this got through the edit TBH.

Really lovely story told in meals

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews