Grace Dent

Grace Dent is a celebrated food journalist, broadcaster and author who connects audiences with the cultural power of food through wit, warmth and sharp observation. As restaurant critic for The Guardian and judge on MasterChef 2026 alongside Anna Haugh, she has become one of Britain's most trusted voices on dining and culinary culture, having previously hosted the award-winning Guardian podcast Comfort Eating across 10 series. Grace empowers organisations and audiences to think differently about food's role in identity, community and storytelling, delivering entertaining and insightful sessions that spark conversation and deepen appreciation for how we eat and why it matters.

After almost five years and ten series, Grace Dent stepped down from hosting the Guardian's award-winning podcast Comfort Eating in 2026 to focus on her role as a judge on MasterChef, where she sits alongside Anna Haugh in the BBC's 22nd amateur series. Her departure from the podcast marked a significant shift in her broadcasting career, though she continues to write her acclaimed weekly restaurant review column for The Guardian, a position she has held since leaving her long-running Grace & Flavour column at the London Evening Standard. Grace's journey through British food media has been defined by her ability to make dining criticism accessible, entertaining and culturally relevant, whether through her sharp wit on screen or her warm, revealing conversations with high-profile guests exploring the comfort foods that have sustained them through life.

Grace's credibility spans multiple platforms and formats. She has fronted documentaries for Sky Atlantic, Channel 4 and W, presented The Untold on BBC Radio 4, a series of observational documentaries that earned two ARIA nominations, and regularly appeared on programmes including Have I Got News For You, The Now Show and Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe. Beyond broadcasting, Grace has authored eleven novels for teenagers, including the Diary of a Snob series about schoolgirl Poppet Montague Jones, which was acquired by Nickelodeon, and penned the non-fiction title How To Leave Twitter. In 2017, she co-curated London Food Month alongside Tom Parker Bowles, an initiative that won Best Debut Event at The Event Awards. Her work consistently demonstrates an understanding of how food intersects with identity, culture and everyday British life, making complex culinary conversations feel approachable and genuinely engaging.

Grace empowers audiences to appreciate food as more than sustenance, revealing its power to connect communities, preserve memories and reflect who we are. Her speaking engagements combine sharp observation with genuine warmth, encouraging organisations to rethink how food shapes workplace culture, customer experience and brand identity. Whether discussing the evolving restaurant landscape, the role of food criticism in modern media, or the stories we tell through what we eat, Grace delivers sessions that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. Audiences leave with a deeper appreciation for culinary culture and practical insights into how food can be leveraged as a tool for connection, creativity and meaningful conversation in professional and personal contexts.