Part memoir, part politics but mainly food! Ed is a likeable chap and was very nice and caring on the television programme Inside The Care Crisis, showing great empathy with everyone he met. Obviously a huge talent in the kitchen (lucky Yvette!). He has always loved his meals and learnt lots from his mother. After reading this book though I don’t feel as if I know him any better as there’s nothing very detailed. Same with politics, so anyone looking for that would be disappointed. Never mind, plenty of dishes to try, if you like the sound of them!

I loved how Ed Balls real character shone through in this book, his humour, passion and personality is definitely on show here and it’s a fabulous read. part memoir, part cook book this is a well written and nostalgic read, the recipes are simple to follow and in an easy to read format and there’s a good selection. This is a lovely book about family, food , Ed’s childhood and that of his own kids, this is a lovely book and it’s like sitting down with a friend over a meal to share some tips. Thoroughly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The real character of Ed Balls comes across in this book. I have loved him in recent TV shows, particularly when his passion and personality combines with food. This book is a real treat.

Ed Balls is best known for being an ex Politician, but he has also become a popular figure on Television, for entertainment. I watched him in Celebrity Best Home Cook in 2021 where he actually won the series. I'm not a big fan of politics, and didn't follow his political career much. However in Best Home Cook he was friendly and warm. I loved the dishes that he cooked, especially the Birthday Cake that he cooked for his Children. It was obvious that he could cook, and he was also a family man.
When I saw this book I was keen to read it mainly for his recipes. This book is part Memoirs, part recipe book. Ed Balls starts at the very beginning of his life, when he was first fed at 3 weeks old. This book focuses on the occasions in his life when he remembers certain foods and the situations in which he ate them. Food and memories of it is the main theme of this book.
Ed Balls is older than me, but I was familiar with some of the situations that he wrote about. It is a very well written and nostalgic read.
The recipes are simple to follow and in an easy to read format. There are a good selection of recipes. This is an easy read, and perfect for dipping in and out of. I enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Plot

Part autobiography / part recipe book

Ending – Thumbs up or meh

Thumbs up

Book surmised in 5 words or less

I’m hungry now!

A keep you up all night read?

An easy read that would be perfect for those sleepless nights.

My thoughts

Thank you to Ed Balls, Simon and Schuster UK / Gallery UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I loved the recipes in this book intertwined with the family history behind them. The autobiography aspect of this book wasn’t boring and actually was a fascinating behind the scenes look into the life of Ed Balls.
The recipes had that no fuss, relax in the kitchen and cook feel to them.

What will I take away from this book?

A great selection of easy recipes to try.

Appetite by Ed Balls combines memoir about his political career and family life with cookery and recipes.

Combining a memoir with a cookbook seems like a really strange idea, but Ed Balls made it work and it was honestly one of the reasons why I wanted to read this book. I had a vague notion of who Ed Balls was, though I mainly knew of him through watching comedy panel shows and of course the now infamous Ed Balls tweet.

Don't mistake this for a political memoir though. Of course it comes up, since he and his wife were/are both politicians, but this memoir is much more about his personal life starting from early childhood and coming up to the present, with his own kids leaving the nest.

As someone who loves food and cooking, so many little details were so recognisable to me. And some of the funnier bits were so good that I ended up retelling them to my mother, a woman who has no idea who Ed Balls even is.

Ed Balls has written a lovely book about family, food his life growing up onto his marriage and his three kids.Loved all the anecdotes about his family his memories and the wonderful recipes he shares.A really delightful story enjoyed getting to know him and his family.#netgalley #simonschusteruk

Loved this book and some of the recipes had my mouth watering… I thoroughly enjoy this combination book of memoir and favourite recipes which I think works really well, with just the right balance between the two! Recommend you grab yourself a copy of this book!

Part memoir, part cookbook, this is a very engaging read. I found the descriptions of Ed Ball’s years working in government very interesting. I also loved snippets about Ed’s family life both then and now. Ed always seems likeable on TV and radio appearances and comes across favourably in this well-written book.

I’ve saved some of the recipes to try: including the baked chocolate mousse, the custard (I’ve never actually made custard from scratch, so when it comes around to apple picking time I might make a crumble and serve it with homemade custard, instead of my usual extra thick double cream. My husband will be pleased) the soups and Cajun beans, which I plan to cook this week.

I noted how the finer details of recipes were sometimes lacking, for instance: how big a shoulder of pork for the bbq recipe? Around how many bananas might be required for the stated 425g? Smaller shops do not have scales to weigh produce and it is useful to know in advance. Do you remove the garlic from their skins and eat in the chicken soup, or discard when serving? When making the Yorkshire puddings the instructions state to divide the batter equally, but it does not say around how many portions the roast beef and puddings serves, so it would be rather a guessing game the first time. We tend to take specifics for granted when reading the cookbooks of experienced food writers. None of these are insurmountable problems, but some recipes could be tweaked a little.

Ed’s observations of the Sundays of his youth with the rituals and the patterns of roast lunch, football, the BBC serial and Mum’s tea being a true day of rest made me chuckle. I’m certain that Mum didn’t get much rest! Although I enjoyed the nostalgia of recalling those quieter, far less commercial Sundays (albeit later in the decade.)

I quite often look up unfamiliar words when reading, my favourite in this book was policy wonk! I didn’t think it for a minute it would be in any dictionary. I thought it was probably political slang. Wrong!

I hope there are more books from Ed as I genuinely enjoyed reading his stories and would definitely read another of his books, if it was in a similar vein.

A note for the publishers: please, please add a line at the end endorsed by one of the dementia organisations regarding NOT IGNORING signs of memory loss or dementia, it’s imperative to speak to your family GP and arrange for a memory test. If this is done in a timely manner memory medication can really help to slow deterioration. Of course this may not have available when Ed’s mother showed signs, but I think it would be really responsible to have a note at the end of this book. Ignoring an issue will not help the person at all. It could really make a difference to readers who have noticed changes in a loved one, or whom are worried about their own memory.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this delightful book.

A lovely book that is a clever hybrid of an autobiography and cook book. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I found it very interesting and gripping: a biography told using recipes, memories of food.
It was an interesting and compelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a delightful book! Being of a similar age to Ed this book brought back a lot of memories especially the Sunday lunches in the 70’s which brought all the family together, visiting restaurants for special occasions and wondering what to pick from the menu! This is such a lovely read and Ed’s love for his family shine through. I enjoyed the mixture of memoir and cookbook – Ed definitely has a way with words and I could almost hear him telling me the story as I was reading the book. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon And Schuster Uk for a copy of “ Appetite “ for an honest review.

Throughout his political career I’ve found that Ed Balls comes across as a decent , and likeable character, and this comes across reading this book..
One of my favourite nonfiction books is Toast by Nigel Slater ( who gets mentioned as a favourite cook in this book )and although a lot happier, this book reminds me a bit of that.
I found it a really enjoyable read, and loved the mixture of memoir and cookery book.
A recommended read even if you’re not a foodie or very interested in politics.

By and large, politicians (including those no longer an MP) are a scurrilous bunch and I hold them in low regard. Ed Balls is, for me, the exception. I read and really enjoyed his earlier memoir which focussed on his political life. He strikes me as an honest, down to earth and honourable man. He holds decent values and seems to live by them so I was interested in Appetite which is a delightful mix of reminiscence and recipes.

This is a linear account filled with anecdotes from childhood to present day. Food so often defines our lives and I love the way Ed been inspired by his mother to curate a number of well loved, tried and tested recipes. Rather like the author, this is good, down to earth food. They’re the kind of meals I grew up with; fresh ingredients, tasty meals and designed to feed families with hearty appetites. Ed’s love of his family, his parents and food shine through on every page. He’s a talented writer and weaves life events into every recipe. He’s humorous and it’s like sitting down and chatting with a chum reading these stories. I’ve enjoyed every page of this book and have taken a number of his recipes to heart. An outstanding combination of food writing and autobiography. Love it.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Very easy read. Not really much subject matter and no earth shattering moments but I quite enjoyed it.

Ed Balls' new book is part cookbook, part memoir, which is perhaps my favourite kind of food-related book. Food and its associations plays such a big part in all our lives - just look how nostalgic people get about their childhood favourites. Ed, who has a lifelong love of cooking and eating and does all the cooking at home, reflects very engagingly on his life and the recipes that have accompanied it.

He has a way with words and a nice line in self-deprecating anecdotes, which made me laugh and smile numerous times. Contrary to his reputation as a politician, Ed's warmth and sense of fun became apparent on Strictly Come Dancing, and it's in evidence here too.

Ed is around the same age as me - just a year older - and we share a number of similar memories of childhood in the 1970s. (I too remember those small bottles of milk at morning break in primary school. And no, we never went out to eat as a family either. I don't think many people did, unless you were like the Queen or somebody.)

There are some amusing, often food-related anecdotes about politicians: Gordon Brown's (entirely unsurprising) dislike of fancy food, Peter Mandelson serving Ed an exquisite but alarmingly small lunch.

I was inspired after reading it to watch the recent series Best Celebrity Home Cook (series still available on iPlayer), on which Ed was a contestant, and it was an opportunity to see some of the recipes in action, including the famous lasagne.

A lovely read, and I'd really like to go to one of Ed's barbecues.

Appetite by Ed Balls

4.5 rounded down

Ed Balls. former MP for West Yorkshire and a Chancellor of the Exchequer who lost his parliamentary seat in the election of 2015 but then he gave us Strictly Come Dancing fans his unforgettable Gangnam style and so Westminster's loss is TV's gain! I knew from Best Celebrity Home Cook which he won in 2021 that love of food and family is of vital importance to him and inextricably linked, especially Sunday Roasts as taught by his mum.

I thoroughly enjoy this combination book of memoir and favourite recipes which I think works really well, with just the right balance between the two. Perhaps I might enjoy it a smidgen more than some because of things like Nottingham and Yorkshire, adjacent schools and villages growing up and a parent with dementia I know of many places he mentions so that gives it an extra edge for me! However, it's not just those things, he takes you on your own trip down memory lane as he goes on his life/food journey, reminding you of yours which is pretty special I think. Some of his political stories are fascinating such as Tony Blair and especially Gordon Brown and some are heart-warming as he writes of his family with some being poignant and moving. He comes across as a really nice, down to earth bloke you'd like to share a pint or glass of wine with down the pub and you'd have a darned good natter! Even better if he cooked for you!

I'm definitely going to try some of the recipes as many appeal. It's good home cooking but that suits me just fine. A memoir, friends, love and food, what's not to like? His mum would be so proud.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

The story of Ed’s life through good and a very interesting story it is too.

I loved this book. It made me smile lots and I just wanted to cook all of his recipes.

Seven years ago, Ed Balls was at the front-line of British politics, seemingly poised to become Chancellor of the Exchequer in an Ed Miliband government. Then Labour lost, he himself lost his seat and he re-invented himself as a TV personality courtesy of his memorable stint on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
We've already heard the story of Ed's' life (his previous biography, Speaking Out was published in 2016) but this is the story of his life through food. Eating and cooking have always played a particularly vital role in his life: here, he opens up about the often frugal family meals of his 1970s childhood, the difficulties of ordering a meal for Gordon Brown, the struggle to juggle family and personal life when he and his wife, Yvette Cooper became the first ever married couple to serve in the Cabinet simultaneously and his own personal battles with his fluctuating weight. Although essentially biography, details of Ed's own favourite recipes are interspersed throughout the text.
In short, a satisfying and enjoyable feast which should satisfy even the most discerning literary palate.
Let's just be glad he didn't decide to call it, 'Balls Out In The Kitchen..''