Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster — Tasting Menu with Fern Brady

Guest: Fern Brady
Date: February 18, 2026
Episode Theme:
Comedian Fern Brady returns to the Off Menu Dream Restaurant for a special "tasting menu" edition, where she is presented with fellow comedian (and friend) Phil Wang’s dream menu to riff on and react to. The hosts and Fern discuss friendship, food preferences, cultural cuisines, memorable food stories, and comedic misadventures, all in the signature Off Menu playful, irreverent tone.

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode brings Fern Brady back to the Off Menu restaurant, not to pick her own menu, but to weigh in on Phil Wang’s selections. As firm friends and frequent dining partners, Fern’s perspectives illuminate the differences—and points of friction—in their food philosophies and eating habits. Alongside laughter and culinary confessions, the episode wanders through tales of touring, running for food, international cuisines, and humility (and humiliation) in the kitchen.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Podcast Format and Running Jokes

• Discussion of the Off Menu format, the Genie Lamp, and how returning guests sometimes forget the concept.

• Fern, despite being a fan, admits:

  "I’ve listened to loads now, but clearly in none of them we mention me being a genie, which is...I think we do." (Fern Brady, 07:51)

• Languid riffing about "poppadoms or bread", James’s genie act, and whether the branding is strong enough.

2. Fern's Food Philosophy and Training Regimen

• Fern reveals she’s now addicted to sparkling water and struggles to drink still:

  "I can only drink sparkling water now. When I try and drink normal water, it's so boring in my mouth that I often just get very dehydrated until I can have some sparkling water again." (Fern Brady, 08:55)

• Discussion on gut health, running (holding handfuls of imaginary crisps), and how food acts as motivation for long training runs.

  • "I keep setting for my long runs. I pick a place that I want to eat in London and then run to it." (Fern Brady, 12:07)

3. Anglo-American Sandwich Wars

• Lively debate on how American and Canadian sandwiches are superior to British ones.
  • "They just have a much better sandwich culture than the UK, which wouldn't be hard." (Fern Brady, 13:35)
• M&S, meal deals, and why Brits would never risk their life for a sandwich, unlike Joey in Friends.

4. Fern's Return to Eating Meat

• After an extended period of vegetarianism, Fern’s seduction by LA beef birria tacos—despite digestive upset.
  • "I can't find a good veggie version of this and they've fucked me up...my tummy's gonna hurt, cause your body stops being able to break it down." (Fern Brady, 16:55)
• Humorous reflection on the difficulties (and motivations) of giving up meat.

5. Culinary Companionship with Phil Wang

• Ed and James reveal Fern will be eating Phil Wang’s menu; Fern recalls their adventures and foibles on a joint holiday.
• Memorable “Couple on Honeymoon” Story:
  Fern and Phil get mistaken for a married couple in Thailand after he self-invites on her trip and disputes her table manners—specifically, returning spicy papaya salad juice to the shared dish.
  • "He went mental. He was like, you can't do that. That's so unhygienic...I was just sitting there like, what?" (Fern Brady, 22:22)
• Fern applauds Phil’s exploration in Asian food, but disputes his zealousness for rice:

  "He thinks rice is better than it is and he's so...he's always saying that bread is a white person thing." (Fern Brady, 23:12)

6. Touring, Food, and Joy

• Contrasting "food as fuel" people with genuine food enjoyment.
  • "It would take like 90% of the joy out of my life." (Fern Brady, 19:09)
• On tour, Fern seeks out top taco and sandwich spots, sometimes to the exclusion of local barbecue.

7. Phil Wang’s Dream Menu and Fern’s Reactions

(a) Water + Poppadoms

• Sparkling water earns Fern’s approval; anti-bread stance discussed.

(b) Starter: Salmon Roe on “Drug Leaf” (Betel Leaf)

• Hosts joke about accidental hallucinogens.
• Fern:

  "Really interested in psychedelics...but I don't know about having it with my dinner." (Fern Brady, 27:40)

• Texture of salmon roe and insertion of kefir (fermented milk drink) stories, including a vivid description:

  "Imagine if you were drinking, like, fuzzy parmesan flavored vomit...it's got like lumps at the bottom, like, cheesy lumps." (Fern Brady, 29:50)

(c) Main Course: Wat Tan Hor (Malaysian Eggy Soup)

• Slippery, snotty texture excused by nostalgia.
• Fern generally trusts Phil’s tastes, except for over-ordering rice.

(d) Side Dish: Clear Chinese Broth

• Recent Glasgow broth revelation:

  "I just had the best broth...Silesian potato dumplings with broth. And it was a lovely light broth with dill flavor in it." (Fern Brady, 46:28)

• Broth as rehydration after running.
• Stories of extreme fasting at a German clinic:

  "All you got to eat each day was a broth...by day two they're going 'oh do you want some herbs on your broth?' and you're just desperate for anything." (Fern Brady, 49:59)

(e) Drink: Riesling White Wine

• Fern: "A red wine."
  Hosts: "It's a Riesling"
  Phil’s growing wine obsession discussed; Fern prefers to abstain for long stretches, then seeks “wine that is really worth it” (63:09).
• The terroir and English wine scene riff.

(f) Dessert: Banoffee Pie

• Fern’s traumatic banoffee pie disaster for an Irish Christmas party haunts her years later:

  "When I bake something and it goes wrong, I carry the shame with me for years...I've had to bring two desserts because I just feel so ashamed." (Fern Brady, 77:50)

• Bigging up Middle Eastern desserts (“knefa”) as a new favourite; reflection on how other people sometimes don’t match your food enthusiasms.

8. Baking, TV Shows, and Anxiety

• Both recount their mishaps on Celebrity Bake Off.

  • Fern:

    "I was good at baking. And then Paul Hollywood criticized the size of my buns...I wasn't able to bake after. For a long time after because I would just look at my things...and have Paul Hollywood's words echoing in my head." (Fern Brady, 79:01)

  • James:

    "The second day I had to Retake all of my talking head bits...and can you just keep it a bit light and remember that this is for charity." (James Acaster, 82:06)

• The emotional consequences of being shamed on TV bake-offs, and how it can knock culinary confidence.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Fern on Diet Motivations:

  "I pick a place that I want to eat in London and then run to it." (12:07)

• Sandwich Despair:

  "No one would die for like an M&S or a meal deal." (14:04)

• Papaya Salad Incident:

  "So I tipped the spicy water back into the salad dish. He (Phil) went mental..." (22:22)

• British Supermarket Sandwiches:

  "I think like a wet tuna and sweet corn boots sandwich is not comparable to an M&S sandwich." (14:29)

• On Fasting:

  "I was like, they must know, cause I was coming back with, like, cakes in my backpack and stuff." (54:31)

• Drink Choices:

  "I try and do now is not drink for as long as I possibly can and then break it with one glass of wine. And then I regret it because I've just not got a tolerance for it." (63:09)

• Banoffee Pie Shame:

  "When I bake something and it goes wrong, I carry the shame with me for years like a Japanese businessman that's let down the whole company." (77:50)

• On the Nature of Off Menu:

  "You know, did we not make that obvious enough?" (Ed Gamble, 85:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Fern’s Introduction & Format Chat: 03:51–08:38
• Water Debate: Still vs. Sparkling: 08:55–09:19
• Running and Motivation: 11:00–13:18
• British vs American Sandwiches: 13:23–15:41
• Back to Eating Meat: 16:34–17:53
• Friendship Stories (Thailand, rice): 21:00–24:40
• Food as Joy, Not Just Fuel: 19:09–20:21
• Starters Discussion (Drug leaf, Salmon roe): 27:08–31:24
• Main Course (Malaysian Eggy Soup): 34:43–37:10
• Fasting and Broth Tales: 49:23–53:12
• Wine Knowledge and Abstention: 55:12–66:32
• Dessert: Banoffee Pie/Baking Trauma: 70:25–83:41

Flow, Tone, and Utility

The episode is lively, irreverent, self-deprecating and deeply food-obsessed—brimming with tangents, friendly teasing, and confessional tones. Listeners who enjoy comedic digressions and genuine food talk will relish Fern’s honesty about food, shame, friendship, and endurance. The camaraderie between Ed, James and Fern is infectious, making the episode accessible and engaging even for those unfamiliar with the show or the guests.

Key Takeaways

• Fern Brady brings warmth, wit, and candor to her reactions to Phil Wang’s menu.
• The episode delivers a unique blend of culinary chat, friendship tales, and honest admissions about eating, cooking, and failing—both in the kitchen and in life.
• Themes include the emotional associations of food, how friendships are forged (and tested) over meals, and the tension between pleasure and guilt in both food and comedy.
• The Off Menu format is gently lampooned by the hosts and Fern alike, highlighting how even super-fans can miss the running gags.
• Fern’s deep desire for flavor and meaning in food—and her allergy to mediocrity—ties the conversation together.

Final Menu Recap — Phil Wang's Dream Meal (as experienced by Fern Brady)

• Water: Sparkling
• Breads: Poppadoms
• Starter: Salmon roe on betel leaf
• Main: Wat Tan Hor (Malaysian eggy noodle soup)
• Side: Clear Chinese broth
• Drink: Riesling white wine
• Dessert: Banoffee pie

Fern’s verdict: “It’s making me really crave Malaysian eggy soup now.” (83:53)

For Further Listening:

Check out Fern and Alison Spittle’s new podcast "Ignore That Feeling" (as mentioned at 06:00, 86:22), available on all platforms and YouTube.