Ruthie's Table 4 cover art
Podcast · 227 episodes

Ruthie's Table 4

by iHeartPodcasts · English

For nearly forty years, The River Cafe in London has been a home-from-home for artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists and politicians. It is also the home of its co-founder, Ruthie Rogers — restaurateur, cookbook author, podcast host and one of the most influential figures in British food. On Ruthie’s Table 4, Ruthie invites her guests — many of them friends and longtime restaurant regulars — to The River Cafe for a journey through food and memory. In each episode, Ruthie uses the lens of food to unlock stories and personal histories from an extraordinary range of guests, including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Michael Caine, Dame Tracey Emin, Sir Elton John, Kamala Harris, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, Sir Ian McKellen, Greta Gerwig, Gordon Brown, Tina Fey, Dame Judi Dench, Yotam Ottolenghi, Wyclef Jean, Mel Brooks, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, Jony Ive, Sarah Jessica Parker and many others. As part of their visit, each guest is invited to choose and read a River Cafe recipe. In a weekly bonus episode, Ruthie and her executive chefs unpack the recipe — exploring its ingredients and origins, sharing the secrets of how they make it at the world-famous restaurant, and offering advice for listeners cooking it at home. So take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation.

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From the Archives: Sarah Jessica Parker on the importance of food in Sex and the City, cooking with her husband, and pork chops.Sarah Jessica Parker discusses how food functions as connection and storytelling in Sex and the City, her family’s daily cooking rituals with husband Matthew Broderick, and a River Cafe cooking…28 Sep 2026 · 44 min · 19 chapters
From the Archive: Benedict Cumberbatch on Living with Wes Anderson, Imitating Ruthie & ‘Daddy Pancakes’Benedict Cumberbatch discusses food and film as connected arts, from cooking for his kids (Daddy Saturday “daddy pancakes”) to working with directors like Wes Anderson and Cary Fukunaga, plus…21 Sep 2026 · 35 min · 13 chapters
From the Archive: Zoe Saldaña on Growing Up in Queens, Family Recipes & Why NYC Has the Best PizzaZoe Saldaña discusses how food, family recipes, and dance shaped her identity—growing up in Queens and the Dominican Republic, coping with her father’s death, and passing traditions to her children.15 Sep 2026 · 49 min · 16 chapters
How Food Shapes Our Work… Gayle King, Mark Ronson, Graham Norton, Emerald Fennell, and Patrick Radden Keefe.A compilation episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 exploring how food and “preparation” shape work across journalism, TV hosting, music, comedy, and writing—using restaurant, talk-show, DJ, and filmmaking…7 Sep 2026 · 21 min · 8 chapters
Where Food Meets Politics… Jacinda Ardern, Andrew Jarecki, Erin Lyall, Hilton Als, Annie Leibovitz, Kamala HarrisCompilation episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 focused on how food intersects with politics, public policy, and human dignity.31 Aug 2026 · 28 min · 14 chapters
Why Restaurants Matter… Jamie Oliver, Piers Morgan, Marina Hyde & Richard Osman, Tracey Emin & Dara KhosrowshahiA “Ruthie’s Table 4” compilation on why restaurants matter—using stories about hospitality, character, resilience, and how dining changes in the delivery era.24 Aug 2026 · 24 min · 10 chapters
The Food That Shaped Us… Kamala Harris, Sadiq Khan, Ab Rogers, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, and Rashida Jones.A “food memories” special where Kamala Harris, Sadiq Khan, Ab Rogers, Marina Hyde, Richard Osman, and Rashida Jones describe how childhood meals, cooking rituals, and immigrant or cultural food…17 Aug 2026 · 17 min · 9 chapters
If You Can't Take the Heat… How Does a Restaurant Handle a Roasting Summer?How London restaurants adapted to an extreme July heatwave—kitchen operations, staff safety, menu changes, and specific dishes served cold or chilled.10 Aug 2026 · 41 min · 23 chapters
Dorothée Boissier on Designing Restaurants, Paris, and Creative PartnershipDorothée Boissier, interior designer and co-founder of Gilles & Boissier, discusses how design shapes restaurant experiences—especially the role of chefs, open kitchens, and spatial details that…3 Aug 2026 · 21 min · 12 chapters
Clare Hornby, Founder and CEO of ME+EMClare Hornby, founder/CEO of ME+EM, discusses how “ingredients” (quality fabric, fit engineering, seasonality) and disciplined business metrics drive modern-luxury fashion, alongside parallels to…27 Jul 2026 · 34 min · 15 chapters
Bonus: Michael Elias on his new book, Bender's LABonus interview about Michael Elias’s novel Bender’s LA, a comic journey of a 1970s New York comedy writer who moves to Hollywood/Los Angeles, navigating politics, relationships, and creative success…23 Jul 2026 · 20 min · 13 chapters
In Conversation With Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The EconomistZanny Minton Beddoes (Editor-in-Chief of The Economist) discusses how food connects people and cultures, and how her upbringing and travels shaped her journalism.20 Jul 2026 · 22 min · 12 chapters
Bonus: Wine with Ab RogersAb Rogers discusses how wine and cooking connect, using analogies to tagine layers and emphasizing terroir (soil, volcanic ash, ripeness, skin contact), plus how wine choice affects flavor pairings…17 Jul 2026 · 6 min · 4 chapters
Ab Rogers, DesignerAbe Rogers (architect and cook) discusses how food and architecture intersect—using “humble” ingredients, cooking whole fish, and designing spaces that care for people (notably Maggie’s Centres).13 Jul 2026 · 36 min · 16 chapters
Bonus: Erin Lyall on Eating With SoldiersErin Lyall, a war correspondent/producer, discusses how soldiers eat in different conflicts, the logistics of feeding armies, and how she decompresses after returning home.10 Jul 2026 · 7 min · 5 chapters
Erin Lyall, Conflict Producer For CBS NewsErin Lyall, a CBS News conflict producer, discusses how food reveals survival, culture, and hope in war zones, and shares specific recipes and meals she encountered while reporting.6 Jul 2026 · 40 min · 16 chapters
Bonus: Graham Norton on why you should work in a restaurantGraham Norton discusses how working in restaurants builds life skills, professionalism, and resilience, and contrasts restaurant expectations with theater/stand-up audience “contracts.” Guests:…3 Jul 2026 · 6 min · 2 chapters
Mel Brooks Turns 100Mel Brooks’ 100th birthday celebration focused on how food, wine, family, and show business shaped his life and comedy.2 Jul 2026 · 20 min · 9 chapters
Graham NortonRuthie’s Table 4 with Graham Norton (chat-show host) about hosting, food as comfort/performance, and Norton’s path from Ireland to acting and comedy, including his San Francisco commune experience.29 Jun 2026 · 35 min · 18 chapters
Giulio Bertelli, FilmmakerConversation with filmmaker Giulio Bertelli about his debut film Agon—how sport, art, and politics intersect—plus his Italian food memories and his freeze-dried food venture inspired by offshore…22 Jun 2026 · 31 min · 15 chapters
Piers Morgan, BroadcasterPiers Morgan’s life and interviewing philosophy, framed through food, family, and “hunger for a story,” plus his views on free speech, censorship, and tribalism.15 Jun 2026 · 48 min · 23 chapters
Bonus: Ruth Porat - “If We Can, We Must.”Ruth Porat discusses “art of the possible” ways technology and corporate culture can create human connection—through food, AI, and community—while addressing societal gaps in health, education,…11 Jun 2026 · 32 min · 16 chapters
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet and GoogleRuth Porat (Alphabet/Google) discusses how “collisions” around food and technology can build community and drive innovation, plus how AI can improve health, education, disaster response, and farming.8 Jun 2026 · 32 min · 14 chapters
Bonus: Declan Kelly On Going VegetarianDeclan Kelly explains how he became vegetarian as a teenager, how vegetarianism changed culturally, and what he eats now, including Russian food traditions.5 Jun 2026 · 6 min · 5 chapters