Best of 2025: Part 1

Imagine a restaurant where the only thing on the menu is a person’s perfect meal, served with a generous side of unpredictable conversation. That’s the premise of Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster. Each episode, the two comedians welcome a new guest into their fictional dining room to meticulously select their ideal dishes, from a dream starter right through to a fantasy drink. The resulting discussions are far more than just food talk; they become deeply personal, often hilarious journeys into memory, culture, and guilty pleasures. You’ll hear stories sparked by a childhood dessert or a life-changing bowl of pasta, all while Ed and James play the roles of absurdly invested waiters, probing and debating every choice. This podcast, produced by Plosive, thrives on the chemistry between its hosts-their comedic bickering and genuine curiosity turn a simple concept into something consistently surprising. It’s a format that reveals as much about the guest’s personality as their palate, making for conversations that are warmly nostalgic one moment and utterly ridiculous the next. Tuning in feels like pulling up a chair at the most entertaining table in the place, where the menu is limitless and the rules are made up as they go along.