Combining the arts of delicious food and compelling conversation, the podcast Dish is back for a fourth season, with even more dinner parties and an impressive lineup of famous faces. And hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett are excited to get stuck into it all again. “One of my favourite things about it is that there’s no set thing that has to happen in an episode; it’s as easy as Angela’s cooking and all of us sitting down to have a chat,” Grimshaw tells Stylist.

He adds that he and Hartnett want Dish to feel “inviting, welcoming and warm” and encourages people to try the recipes and host their own dinner parties.

The fourth season of Dish kicks off with Gordon Ramsay, and other episodes will include guests such as Miriam Margolyes, Joanne McNally, Amol Rajan and the new host of Big Brother, AJ Odudu. “I can’t believe we’re kicking off with the one and only Gordon Ramsay,” Grimshaw says. “I’m so excited to have him on, not only because he’s a world-famous chef but also just very funny. And he worked with Angela for 17 years. So, I can’t wait to hear the stories from both of them.”

Having debuted in May 2022, Grimshaw and Hartnett have hosted guests from Dolly Alderton to Stanley Tucci, but has there been a favourite moment for the pair? “My highlight has genuinely been getting to hang out with Angela; I’m not even joking. I’ve had such a nice time doing it over the years,” Grimshaw shares. He also adds that their episode with Michelle de Swarte is also a highlight: “She’s incredibly funny. And after having her on the podcast, Mesh [his fiancé] and I went to see one of her shows and we’re now obsessed with her.”

For Hartnett, working with Grimshaw has also been a podcast highlight (“he never fails to make me laugh”) but so has getting to cook for people. “I’ve enjoyed meeting people and cooking for them – it’s hard to pinpoint one person or one moment. It’s chaotic, mad and always good fun,” she says.

What would you say are three things that would make a dinner party truly great?

NG: Easy simple food, no fuss. The right music. And the right lighting. I don’t want the big light on for a dinner party, it just makes me feel as though everyone’s in a rush.

AH: No, that’s true. I think the atmosphere relies on music, lighting, where people are sitting and the rest of it. I’d drill it down to three things: atmosphere, food and guestlist. And also, just being relaxed yourself. Because if you’re relaxed, people will naturally relax too. And that’s what you want, at the end of the day. You want your guests to be chilled and enjoy themselves.

When you’re hosting dinner parties, have you got a playlist already sorted or is it just going off the vibe of that evening?

NG: I definitely go off the vibe of the night; I don’t like to be too prescriptive.

AH: Definitely. I have music that I like to listen to and tend to kick off an evening that way but I also let people use my Spotify account or phone to play whatever they want. But I think if you’re going to get people dancing, you obviously want to play songs that everyone’s going to like so there’s a balance with these things.

If you had to pick one person to be a dream dinner party guest, either from the past or currently alive, who would it be?

NG: I think you want someone that’s good at chatting and easy to talk to. I’d probably say Graham Norton. I’m a big fan and he’s very funny and up for a chat.

AH: Claudia Winkleman would be great at a dinner party. You just want someone who’s easygoing and is going to chat to people.

If you’ve had a bad day, what would be your go-to comfort dinner meal?

NG: Jacket potato, cheese and beans. A classic.

AH: I’d probably go for a tuna mayonnaise sandwich. I put chopped celery and lightly chopped onion in it to offset some of the sweetness of the mayo and add a bit of crunch. And a packet of plain crisps.

What was food like for you growing up? Was it a big thing in your households?

NG: Everyone was always hungry in our house. We all talk exclusively about what we’re going to eat for our tea, from the moment we’ve finished eating breakfast. The biggest concern in our household when I was growing up was if there was no bread in and my dad would scream and shout about it. Everything was centred around what we’re going to have for lunch or dinner or what we were going to eat before my dad and my brother went to the football. It was always on the agenda.

And we all had to have dinner together at the dining table, which I thought was really normal. But then when I went to university and met other people, I realised not everyone did that. But we always did that, every night at the table.

My family and I would eat together but around the TV. I know there’s a bit of a debate about whether TV dinners are a good or bad thing…

NG: I was never allowed to. Sometimes I’d be allowed on a Friday because my dad would go to the chippy every Friday and I’d have a chip butty in the lounge. But I think that only happened twice in my life. Now that I don’t live at my mum’s house, I do occasionally have dinner in the lounge, but only if I was having, say, a curry with The X Factor on. It’s a rarity though.

AH: We always had to sit at the table for our dinners. And it’s what we’re used to. Occasionally, Neil and I might get a film and a curry, but it’s a lot of faffing to be honest. You have to go and get the little table and we have two dogs, so you spend the whole dinner trying to stop them from eating the food.

If I’m being honest and maybe I’m old-fashioned, I do think sitting round a table for your dinner is a good thing – particularly for children. It’s a time when friends or family would sit down and just talk.

Do you have any food or meals that take you back to your childhood?

NG: A roast was always key. I always think about a roast and about my mum and how these potatoes aren’t as good as my mum’s. A chippy is so comforting too because it reminds me of being little. I don’t actually know if it is delicious half the time or if it’s just nostalgia.

AH: The one dish that I crave every now and again is boiled ham with parsley sauce. It’s really old-school English. But I love boiled ham and then you make this white sauce with loads and loads of chopped parsley and mustard. My mum used to make that and I love it.

Series 4 of Dish, from Waitrose & Partners, hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, is out Wednesday 13 September on all streaming platforms.

Images: Dish/Waitrose & Partners