Ah Christmas: a time for jingling bells, twinkling lights, and barely controlled cooking-induced panic. No matter how competent a cook you are, putting together an entire Christmas meal can leave you frazzled, tetchy, and sweating profusely over the intricate Ottolenghi sprout recipe you decided to try. On this, the most food-centric day of the year, a certain amount of stove-side stress is unavoidable. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to encourage a calm and relaxed ambience in your kitchen this year (aside from banishing all peckish children, early guests, and well-intentioned but inept helpers). A food-themed audiobook is a perfect antidote to kitchen chaos; soothing and full of charm, these seven audiobooks will keep you entertained as you potter around the kitchen on 25 December. From the warm and witty prose of Nigella Lawson to Miles Jupp’s much-loved BBC Radio 4 sitcom, you’re sure to find something here to suit your taste.
Taste
Full of humour and nostalgia, Stanley Tucci’s memoir pivots on the meals, good and bad, that have shaped his life experiences. From the Italian food he grew up on to the Cuban-Chinese fusion dishes served at his favourite New York restaurant, Stanley writes about food with infectious passion and unabashed greed. The audiobook is narrated by the author himself – you can listen to a clip here.
Cook, Eat, Repeat
In her unmistakable tones, Nigella Lawson narrates her most recent cookbook, Cook, Eat, Repeat. A blend of personal anecdotes, sumptuous recipes, and thoughtful musings on food, Cook Eat Repeat is just right for Christmas Day listening. You can listen to an extract from the audiobook here.
Eat A Peach
Full of humour and honesty, David Chang’s memoir recounts his journey through the food world, from the opening of his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York, to the present day. As well as tracking the culinary evolutions of the past 20 years (in which he himself has played no small role), Chang delves into his identity as an Asian-American and his struggles with mental illness. Listen to a clip of the audiobook, narrated by the author, here.
Table Manners
As fans of the Table Manners podcast will know, mother-daughter duo Jessie and Lennie Ware are a joy to listen to. With their characteristic geniality, they narrate Table Manners: The Cookbook, talking listeners through some of the best recipes they’ve served to their a-list guests. You can listen to a clip of the audiobook here.
The Ten (Food) Commandments
Prolific food critic Jay Rayner lays out his food “commandments” with playful wit and plenty of fascinating anecdotes collected over a lifetime of food obsession. Listen to a snippet of Jay narrating the audiobook here.
Delicious!
The fictional debut from celebrated food memoirist Ruth Reichl, Delicious! tells the story of a young woman working at an iconic, New York-based food magazine. Weaving together themes of family, history, and, of course, food, it will make a heartwarming Christmas Day listen. You can check out a clip of the audiobook, narrated by Julia Whelan, here.
In and Out of the Kitchen
Miles Jupp’s hilarious BBC Radio 4 series centres on the fictional food writer Damien Trench. Told through a mixture of dialogue, diary entries, and recipes, the series follows misadventures of this exacting gourmand and his more laid back partner, Anthony. You can listen to a clip here.
