Ruthie's Table 4 artwork

Food · iHeartPodcasts

Ruthie's Table 4

by iHeartPodcasts

For nearly forty years, The River Cafe in London has been a home-from-home for artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists and politicians. It is also the home of its co-founder, Ruthie Rogers — restaurateur, cookbook author, podcast host and one of the most influential figures in British food. On Ruthie’s Table 4, Ruthie invites her guests — many of them friends and longtime restaurant regulars — to The River Cafe for a journey through food and memory. In each episode, Ruthie uses the lens of food to unlock stories and personal histories from an extraordinary range of guests, including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Michael Caine, Dame Tracey Emin, Sir Elton John, Kamala Harris, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, Sir Ian McKellen, Greta Gerwig, Gordon Brown, Tina Fey, Dame Judi Dench, Yotam Ottolenghi, Wyclef Jean, Mel Brooks, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, Jony Ive, Sarah Jessica Parker and many others. As part of their visit, each guest is invited to choose and read a River Cafe recipe. In a weekly bonus episode, Ruthie and her executive chefs unpack the recipe — exploring its ingredients and origins, sharing the secrets of how they make it at the world-famous restaurant, and offering advice for listeners cooking it at home. So take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

From the Archives: Sarah Jessica Parker on the importance of food in Sex and the City, cooking with her husband, and pork chops.

This week, we’re revisiting our live episode with Sarah Jessica Parker. And what a guest she was. Sarah has always had a deep love of food, so we had plenty to talk abo

Sep 28
43 min

From the Archive: Benedict Cumberbatch on Living with Wes Anderson, Imitating Ruthie & ‘Daddy Pancakes’

During our between-season break, we’re revisiting some of our favourite conversations from the Ruthie’s Table 4 archive. This week, we're looking back to when Benedict

Sep 21
34 min

From the Archive: Zoe Saldaña on Growing Up in Queens, Family Recipes & Why NYC Has the Best Pizza

As we look forward to Series 6 in October, we’re revisiting some of our favourite episodes of Ruthie’s Table 4. Zoe Saldaña was a force from the moment she entered the

Sep 15
49 min

How Food Shapes Our Work… Gayle King, Mark Ronson, Graham Norton, Emerald Fennell, and Patrick Radden Keefe.

Whether in film, music, books or television, food can be a source of inspiration or integral to the way we work. In this special compilation episode of Ruthie's Table 4

Sep 7
21 min

Where Food Meets Politics… Jacinda Ardern, Andrew Jarecki, Erin Lyall, Hilton Als, Annie Leibovitz, Kamala Harris

I've always thought we judge a culture by the way we feed our poor, our sick and our prisoners. In this special compilation episode of Ruthie's Table 4, we're talking a

Aug 31
27 min

Why Restaurants Matter… Jamie Oliver, Piers Morgan, Marina Hyde & Richard Osman, Tracey Emin & Dara Khosrowshahi

It may come as no surprise that I have a special interest in restaurants. The River Café is where I work, where I record this podcast, and where I spend so much of my lif

Aug 24
24 min

The Food That Shaped Us… Kamala Harris, Sadiq Khan, Ab Rogers, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman, and Rashida Jones.

Childhood kitchens, our parents' cooking—the food we eat when we're young stays with us for life. This special compilation of Ruthie's Table 4 celebrates food and childho

Aug 17
16 min

If You Can't Take the Heat… How Does a Restaurant Handle a Roasting Summer?

As a farewell to series 5, I'm joined by Sian Wyn Owen to take you behind the scenes at The River Café during the recent heatwaves this summer—what we cooked and how we s

Aug 10
40 min

Dorothée Boissier on Designing Restaurants, Paris, and Creative Partnership

Dorothée Boissier is an interior designer and co-founder of the Gilles & Boissier studio. Together with her husband, Patrick Gilles, she creates exquisite architecture an

Aug 3
20 min

Clare Hornby, Founder and CEO of ME+EM

Good food and good clothes should do the same thing: make you feel instantly comfortable, confident, and completely at home. In this episode Ruthie sits down with Clare

Jul 27
34 min

Bonus: Michael Elias on his new book, Bender's LA

Ruthie speaks to her brother, screenwriter and author Michael Elias, about his latest novel, Bender's LA. In the coke-dusted canyons and deal-making rooms of 1970s Los

Jul 23
19 min

In Conversation With Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist

Zanny Minton Beddoes and I have different professions, and different workplaces. As editor-in-chief of The Economist, hers is in the newsroom mine is the kitchen. But

Jul 20
21 min

Bonus: Wine with Ab Rogers

Ab Rogers explains his fascination with wine and why he prefers grapes that have had to fight for their survival. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food

Jul 17
6 min

Ab Rogers, Designer

Ab Rogers is a visionary designer. He is also my stepson. For over 50 years, we’ve been side by side, taking adventures together.  Today, we’re together in the River

Jul 13
35 min

Bonus: Erin Lyall on Eating With Soldiers

Erin Lyall, a conflict producer for CBS News, reveals what it's like to eat with soldiers, how an army feeds itself, and how she personally recovers after the strain of w

Jul 10
7 min

Erin Lyall, Conflict Producer For CBS News

As a conflict producer for CBS News, Erin Lyall has eaten with Ukrainian soldiers on the freezing front line, cooked with families in their homes in Gaza, and shared meal

Jul 6
39 min

Bonus: Graham Norton on why you should work in a restaurant

Graham Norton reveals what he learned from working in restaurants, what he noticed about tricky customers, and why he would recommend the experience to everyone. See omn

Jul 3
5 min

Mel Brooks Turns 100

This week marks a very special occasion. My friend, Mel Brooks, is turning 100. For the best part of a century, he has lit up the world with his warmth and humour, deli

Jul 2
19 min

Graham Norton

To be a truly great host, as Graham Norton is every week on his television sofa, you have to understand and genuinely like people. It's the same for me at the River Café.

Jun 29
35 min

Giulio Bertelli, Filmmaker

Last September, at the Venice Film Festival, I went to see Agon — a radical and powerful film. Afterwards, I immediately changed my schedule to attend a dinner for its di

Jun 22
31 min

Chart trend

Position in the Food chart (US), last 90 days.

#1
all-time peak
4
days in the top 3 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Ruthie's Table 4 ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 3, 2026).

#144 ▲ 51 Arts US
#24 ▲ 7 Food US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

So wonderful to escape for 40 minutes or so and sit down with Ruthie and fascinating guests at table 4 and simply be a fly on the wall to just great conversations and insights. I love it.

zackinnyc · Mar 2025

I LOVE this podcast. I had no idea who Ruthie was and started listening when I heard she did an Elton interview, who I am a big fan of. Since then, I’ve listened to nearly every single episode. I just love it, it’s cathartic even. Calm, fun and informative.

JodyT1984 · Jan 2025

A lot of the time it feels like you’re listening in on two friends catching up. The questions Ruthie asks seem thoughtful and interesting- unique even, occasionally- and they lead to answers and stories where you can hear the guests beautiful and individual humanity. Gorgeous

Lasercatstakeover · Sep 2024

During these dreadful times I’m finding conversations over food and life are a poultice. This wonderful podcast is one of them. My parents took us here a couple of times years ago - a very special occasion but hearing this podcast reminds me of my dad and his generosity and the best times in our family were always over a good meal. I miss him and his love of the Good Food Guide (piggy bible) and always finding good food wherever we went.

Tess@20 · Aug 2024

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.

More podcasts like Ruthie's Table 4

Popular shows in Food, for your next listen.

Browse charts by category

Daily updated Apple Podcasts rankings for the United States.

About Ruthie's Table 4 on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Ruthie's Table 4, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

Contact

Questions or issues? Reach us at hello@reason.fm

0:000:00