He’s a man who loves food and making people laugh – and Ed Gamble’s projects combine his passions. The comedian is back on TV as a Great British Menu judge and, ahead of Red Nose Day (17 March), talks to Kerry Fowler about what Comic Relief means to him, not letting type 1 diabetes steal his food joy – and the cleansing power of hardcore punk
ED’S DREAM DINNER
“Asking someone for their dream meal, like James Acaster and I do on our podcast Off Menu, is a beastly thing to do! That said, mine would be: steak tartare, then a large Turkish mixed grill – doner kebab, shish kebab and lamb ribs with bulgur wheat. Houmous, bread and halloumi on the side, and another side of the unbeatable confit potatoes from London’s Quality Chop House.
A burnt Basque cheesecake for pud. And a JJ Prüm riesling to go with it. Expensive – but it is my dream meal!”
It’s amazing to be part of Red Nose Day this year. Aside from all the great work it does, it’s been a huge part of my life and my comedy. I used to have a double-sided cassette tape I’d make my mum put on in the car – I’d listen to French and Saunders, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton… It helped me fall in love with comedy and stand-up.
I’m wearing the Mr Messy apron for the occasion, despite the fact – and I must stress this – that I am actually quite tidy. I’m not slapdash – I throw peel away as I’m cooking and wash up as I’m going along. Chopping an onion is where I’m happiest. You feel like you’ve nailed life when you’re cooking.
When I’m in the kitchen I listen to atmospheric doom metal. Bands like Yob and Sleep, and hardcore punk. Shouty stuff. Really loud. Music with a dash of aggression in it really. I find it quite cleansing.
We started Off Menu for fun.
Podcasts were really taking off in 2018 when we began and James and I were known for other things, so we had a few ‘likes’ already. Food is universal and we try to keep it that way. We aren’t talking about Michelinstar tasting menus every week: our menus are about abundance, joy and liking all types of food.
I work around having type 1 diabetes, rather than stopping myself eating something I like. I know when it’s sensible to have something and when it’s not. It’s about getting good at managing my sugar levels and insulin. It’s not an exact science. No matter how much work has gone into it and all the great new technology, you will get things wrong, probably on a daily basis. Realisin
