Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an absolute delight to read and the recipes are really good - have tried a few already. Well done Ed Balls!!

A really interesting book - part autobiography and very readable as such and also some really interesting recipes. Well worth buying

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.