This week, we’re with Rowley Leigh, chef, food writer and the food books assessor for the 2025 André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards to discuss the shortlist.

Rowley is an award‑winning food writer himself, but it’s his mastery of storytelling through the theatre of food that Gilly wanted to know about before we got on to the shortlist. His Notting Hill gastrodome, Kensington Place was all about being seen eating the coolest food in late century London, fashioned by his time with Roux Brothers in the kitchens of Le Gavroche and le Poulbot, and Joe Allen, Covent Garden’s post theatre supper hang out. Gilly asks how that melting pot created one of the greatest stories of modern British food.

Five out of seven of the shortlist have already been on the show. Click on the links below for the episodes.

• Julian Baggini: How the World Eats: Where Our Food Comes From and Why It Matters
• Alissa Timoshkina: Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe
• Noor Murad: Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East
• Richard Hart: Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking
• Bee Wilson: The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects
• Robin Sherriff: The Science of Fermentation
• La Mesa Mexicana: Rosa Cienfuegos

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