Lara Prendergast is executive editor of The Spectator. She hosts two Spectator podcasts, The Edition and Table Talk, and edits The Spectator’s food and drink coverage.
21 min listen
Bip Ling is a model, musician, food writer, visual artist and DJ. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Liv about being inspired by her grandmother’s Indian cooking, eating as a model, and why macaroni cheese should be made with almond milk rather than full-fat. This episode is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd.
39 min listen
Why has the vaccine rollout turned nasty? (00:45) What’s the sex abuse scandal rocking France’s elite? (16:55) Have artists run out of new ideas? (28:35) With Daily Telegraph columnist Matthew Lynn; science journalist and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 Laura Spinney; Spectator contributor Jonathan Miller; journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet; Dean Kissick, New York
35 min listen
Can Joe Biden unite America? (01:05) Why is the UK’s vaccine rollout its most important economic policy? (12:10) And how can re-enactments bring history to life? (22:15) With The Spectator’s economics correspondent Kate Andrews; US editor Freddy Gray; political editor James Forsyth; Capital Economics chairman Roger Bootle; re-enactor Chris Brown and historical consultant Justin Pollard.
23 min listen
Alison Roman is an American food writer, cook, and author of New York Times bestseller Nothing Fancy. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Livvy about the recipes she learnt from her mum, how she plans a dinner party, and craving pizza in lockdown. This episode is sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd.
36 min listen
Joe Biden won the US election, but is Big Tech really in power? (00:45) Churches are allowed to open during lockdown, but should they? (13:20) And can comfort eating and cosy socks replace human connections? (25:50) With historian Niall Ferguson; New York Times editorial board member Greg Bensinger; Father Jonathan Beswick; The Very Reverend Peter
34 min listen
Coronavirus vaccines are now being distributed across the world, but what are the challenges posed by its delivery? (01:30) Is Boris Johnson the SNP’s greatest weapon? (13:55) And is Prince Harry becoming more and more like his mother? (23:35) With financial columnist Matthew Lynn; former director at the McKinsey Global Institute Richard Dobbs; the UK’s
29 min listen
Leroy Logan is a former superintendent at the Metropolitan Police, former chair of the Black Police Association, and author of Closing Ranks: My Life as a Cop. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about his love of apple crumble, his wife’s lunchboxes, and why police officers should always stay dry.
We’re closing 2020 by republishing our ten most-read articles of the year. Here’s No. 2: Lara Prendergast on face masks Now that we must all wear face masks, it is hardly surprising that they have started to become a fashion accessory. An Israeli jeweller has created a gold and diamond-encrusted mask that is said to
30 min listen
Tom Kerridge is a Michelin-starred chef. He opened The Hand & Flowers in 2005, and now has another restaurant and a butchers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, alongside spots in London and Manchester. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv about growing up on free school meals, falling in love with hospitality, and catering for NHS
49 min listen
How will the UK’s economy recover from Covid-19, and what has the pandemic revealed about the West? (01:20) Was 2020 the year we dealt a mortal blow to future viruses? (15:05) And finally, what makes Mary Gaitskill a brilliant writer, and why does Elif Shafak work to heavy metal music? (29:25) With The Spectator‘s political
When everything re-opened after the first lockdown, I didn’t immediately head to a restaurant, bar or hairdresser. I went to the Second Chance charity shop on Blackstock Road in north London. It wasn’t that I was feeling particularly charitable. If anything, my visit came from a place of selfishness. I wanted to rootle around, alone,
21 min listen
Jeffrey Archer is a novelist, former politician, and peer of the realm. He has sold 275 million copies of his books – in 97 countries and more than 30 languages. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Liv about food in prison, his wife’s jacket potato, and why he loves shepherd’s pie.
42 min listen
Joe Biden wants his administration to be a departure from the days of Donald Trump, but will a change in foreign policy harm American interests? (01:00) Why is it taking so long to reach a Brexit deal? (17:10) And finally, should cyclists be given priority on London’s roads? (29:35) With The Spectator’s deputy US editor
26 min listen
Henry Jeffreys is features editor of Masters of Malt, and author of The Cocktail Dictionary. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about living like the Goodfellas in Leeds, being ‘portly’ at university, and enjoying his mum’s apple and bramble pie.
37 min listen
Despite her government’s underperformance on education, health and Covid-19, Nicola Sturgeon’s popularity continues to climb – why? (01:10) Does spending more on overseas aid mean we care more? (14:05) And finally, are we all followers of the cult of casualness? (26:25) With The Spectator’s Scotland editor Alex Massie, former SNP finance spokesperson Andrew Wilson, development
25 min listen
Pen Vogler is the author of Scoff, which describes the history of food in the British class system. On the podcast, she tells Lara and Liv about being vegetarian for a year, eating at Oxford colleges in the 1980s, and why avocados are so popular.
31 min listen
The vaccine might be just around the corner, but can the country truly recover? (01:00) How can the Labour party win back the working class? (11:15) And finally, should we celebrate the new statue of Mary Wollstonecraft? (23:10) With The Spectator’s political editor James Forsyth, chair of the Health Select Committee Jeremy Hunt, firefighter and
36 min listen
Marcus Wareing is a celebrated, Michelin-starred chef, a judge on Masterchef: The Professionals and Chef Patron at Marcus in Knightsbridge. On the podcast, he tells Lara and Livvy about eating in school canteens, working with Gordon Ramsay, and catering during coronavirus.
20 min listen
On this week’s episode, Douglas Murray is first, reflecting on the US election, and wondering why people who see the same thing can come to different conclusions. (00:51) Lara Prendergast is next, with her profile of the Prime Minister’s fiancee, Carrie Symonds. (09:07) Finally, Andrew Wilson, who makes the case for an independent Scotland. (14:37)
36 min listen
After two of Boris Johnson’s most influential advisers left Downing Street last week, can the PM reset his relationship with the Tory party and find his way again? (00:58) Lara is joined by the Spectator’s deputy political editor, Katy Balls, and former director of communications for David Cameron, Craig Oliver. A coronavirus vaccine seems to
