Ruthie's Table 4

This week on Ruthie's Table 4, we're delving into the archives to revisit one of our favourite guests, David Beckham.

David featured in two episodes all the way back in season one. We could listen to him speak of his love for food and family forever, so now we've compiled them both into a special extended episode.

Stories of Madrid, Milan, memories from his childhood. We invite you to share some more time in his company.

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Forty-three episodes later, Ruthie’s Table 4 is taking a break before starting Season 4 in October. 

Well, not really a break, as over the next two weeks you will have ‘Best Of’ compilations from Season 3, followed by some of our favourite episodes from all the series. 

Today we feature excerpts from Sarah Jessica Parker, Guy Ritchie, Wyclef Jean, Carey Mulligan and Tom Hollander.

An immeasurable thank you to you ALL for being the ...

A few months ago in The River Cafe, after talking about raising children in a tumultuous world, the movies we've been watching, and above all, where and what we've been eating, Keira Knightley, James Righton and I vowed to do an episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 together.

Schedules, families, work and travel got in the way until finally we reunited to talk about their many worlds—connected by their love of people, their love of food, and...

In the past weeks I have been listening to Griffin Dunne’s interviews, watching his films, and most of all, reading his beautiful new memoir, ‘The Friday Afternoon Club,’ with stories about growing up in a family full of storytellers.

Cooking is telling a story, eating together is telling a story, going to a food market in Naples, is telling a story. When Griffin told his brother Alex he was going to write a book about their family...

Have you ever heard a recipe rapped by one of the world’s greatest musicians? You will on this week’s episode of Ruthie’s Table 4 with her guest Wyclef Jean.

Wyclef emigrated age nine from Haiti to the Brooklyn projects, played fourteen instruments by the time he was thirteen, won three Grammys, speaks seven languages, and was asked to run for President at least two times.

After the recipe rap, Wyclef tells the stories of his life ...

When I’m asked why I love Mexico, the answer is the culture, cities, food, the seas, the mountains, and the history. But what I really love most are the people, and Frida Escobedo is one of those people.

A prominent architect in today’s world, Frida is reimagining the contemporary and modern galleries at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the first woman architect ever to be appointed to do so. From reinventing the world-renown...

Every year must be an anniversary for someone like Maria Sharapova, who hit her first tennis ball at the age of four, was spotted by Martina Navratilova age six, and became one of only ten women in history to win a career Grand Slam when she was 25.

But this year is especially special. Maria is celebrating 20 years since winning against Serena Williams on Centre Court, becoming, at just 17, Wimbledon Champion.

Today we are here at ...

It was in our private dining room three years ago when I wrote to Ridley Scott asking if he’d be the first guest for a podcast idea I’d had about food and memories.

Ridley wrote back saying, ‘Yes Ruthie but I’m directing Gucci.’

A year later, ‘Yes Ruthie but I’m directing Napoleon.’

A year later, ‘Yes Ruthie but I’m directing The Bee Gees.’

Then a few days ago, whilst sitting in the River Cafe garden with his family, he drew a beau...

Quite often, people say to me, ‘I couldn’t possibly have you to dinner, you’re the chef of the river café, cooking for you would be overwhelming.’ That’s how I feel about introducing Sir David Hare. How do you write for one of the greatest writers of our generation? Whether he's scripting acclaimed plays like Skylight, Plenty, Stuff Happens, or movies like The White Crow, Denial, or The Reader, David is nothing short of a master of...

Tina Fey has been on Ruthie's Table 4 before and she is, in fact, our first returning guest. 

When we first met, she spoke about food being a major part of her life, but she only brought one half of her team. The other half, Jeff Richmond, is here with us now. A composer, producer, director, Jeff is Tina's creative partner, and he's her husband. He says he does all the cooking.

Tina and Jeff have collaborated on almost everything, ...

Jane Hartley was the American ambassador to France and Monaco, and now to the Court of Saint James. In the two years she has spent in the United Kingdom so far, Jane has had two monarchs, three prime ministers, four chancellors, and a late-stage pandemic.

She has the qualities necessary for the role in abundance: leadership, resilience, duty. I know her as a close friend, and though I always introduce Jane as Ambassador Hartley, my...

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a gala dinner at the National Theatre. The host of my table, Yana Peel, said she was sitting me next to a young filmmaker who had recently won a BAFTA. Then I met an artist whose work had just been exhibited at Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Los Angeles, and is about to be shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Then I met a champion volleyball player who, aged 18, represented Britain in th...

If you find yourself on a mountain needing a ski jacket, going to a party needing something beautiful to wear, or in Paris or Milan craving perfect  fish, the man to meet is Remo Ruffini, CEO and Chairman of Moncler co-owner of Langosteria restaurants in cities all over the world.

Remo is dynamic, elegant and a visionary, putting sustainability at the heart of the company.

His leadership is a manifestation of Moncler’s ethos...

We've only just met, but I'm confident Claire Saffitz and I will be friends 

Claire shares the challenges of baking and life in general. She's a star in a new era of food writers who are experts in their knowledge, passionate about their craft, rigorous about their work.

Claire majored in history and literature at Harvard, then one day, almost by accident, she became the host of her own cooking show.

She has written two cookbooks, ...

My brother, Michael Elias, a writer and director tells me when visitors come to the set of a film, nothing stops. The only exception is if they are athletes.

Maybe it’s because everyone thinks, if pressed, they could act, sing or dance, but never run a race, ski downhill or score a goal. When Gary Lineker, one of the great footballers of our time, walks into The River Cafe everything stops. 

He is one of the very few footbal...

Thinking about Laura Dern coming here today, I scrolled through three years of text messages. It's a story about making plans and choosing restaurants to go to.

As usual, most of our ideas were aspirational, adapting around our families, movies, cooking and travel. Laura is fun, curious and  smart, hanging with the crew on set.

She has memories of her grandmother and describes her parents as heroes. She is a bold spokesperson for w...

I may not know what makes a good comedian, but I do know what makes a good father. 
 
When Judd and I met in London — where his daughter Maude was playing the lead role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret — he told me this was the eighth time he'd seen it in three weeks.
 
While I don’t know what makes a good comedian, Judd certainly does. His advice to kickstart your writing: think of a topic and write down as many jokes and on...