Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

Christmas Special with Kate Winslet
Release Date: December 17, 2025
Episode Theme:
Ed Gamble and James Acaster welcome acclaimed actor Kate Winslet to the Off Menu dream restaurant for a festive, food-fuelled chat. The episode revolves around Winslet’s dream menu, with detours into Christmas rituals, directing her first feature film (Goodbye June), and navigating fame. Expect laughter, cozy nostalgia, and behind-the-scenes stories from Winslet’s iconic career.

Main Theme & Purpose

The Christmas Special episode delights in bringing Hollywood royalty Kate Winslet into the magical world of Off Menu. As per the tradition, Winslet shares her ultimate dream meal—course by course—while Ed and James sprinkle in Christmas warmth, culinary nostalgia, and cheeky references to her filmography (especially Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Holiday). The episode also provides a heartfelt look at Winslet's directorial debut, Goodbye June, and her reflections on family, loss, and the rituals that make the holidays meaningful.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Off Menu Christmas Rituals and Winslet’s Arrival

• Excitement for the Guest: Ed and James are visibly giddy about meeting Winslet, with James keen to avoid turning the episode into an Eternal Sunshine megafan monologue—and failing gloriously later on.
  • “Man, this podcast has got out of hand. Winslet's agreeing to come on!” – Ed (06:31)

2. Kate Winslet: Directorial Debut & Family Legacy

• Directing Goodbye June (14:14–18:45):
  • Winslet discusses her first film as a director, describing it as a warm, real, humorous family drama rooted in personal loss:

    “It’s less about a woman who's sort of slipping away and much more about a family coming together because of that event. … We all have to deal with loss at some point in our lives. … And actually, I think in this country we're not very good at dealing with it and talking about that stuff.” — Kate (14:22–15:34)

  • The film was inspired by her son's experience of losing his grandmother; her son also wrote the screenplay.
  • Winslet details her approach to directing children, encouraging natural play and improvisation:

    “You can’t really teach a child how to act. … you just encourage them to be.” (18:52)

  • She negotiated a cast packed with “national treasures,” including Helen Mirren—who was seamlessly integrated into the film’s family dynamic through playful method.

3. Navigating Typecasting & Breaking Molds

• Winslet reflects on being pigeonholed after period dramas (“Corset Kate”), and how Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind helped her break free from early career labels (12:16):
  • “Something that helped me move beyond that was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. … That whole experience … was so amazing. Michel Gondry, who directed, just avant garde and funny and bonkers … a great experience.” — Kate

4. Food, Memories, and Comfort

Still or Sparkling? (24:13)

• Winslet unwaveringly chooses still water, preferably tap—ideally from Cornwall:
  • “I do usually go tap just because I don't like plastic or even glass wastage if you don't have to have it.” — Kate (25:11)

Bread: “Warm, Crusty Bread and Breadsticks, with Thick Butter” (26:26)

• Winslet’s love for bread is visceral (“Cheddar-thick” butter preferred) and deeply nostalgic, recalling modest family road trips to France and “biting the end off” baguettes before paying (28:04).

Dream Starter: Giorgio Locatelli’s Truffle Pasta

• A standout story: Neighbors Giorgio and Plaxy Locatelli (before his celebrity chef stardom) secretly delivered freshly made truffle pasta and wine over a wall during her post-Titanic housebound fame (29:13):

  “There on the wall was a steaming bowl of the most beautiful, delicious linguine with truffle and a glass of red wine. And I felt fitter for things, let me tell you, and I have never ever forgotten it.” — Kate (30:57)

Main Course: Christmas Dinner (37:14)

• Unashamedly, her dream meal is classic Christmas dinner. Key components:
  • Brined turkey, her mum’s legendary roast potatoes, red cabbage (made to her late mother’s recipe), all the trimmings.
    • “Every year I make it to my mum’s recipe and every year I cry because of the smell.” — Kate (37:57)
  • On celebrity guests: Christmas is strictly family — no visits from Jack Black or the Holiday cast (40:33).
  • On leftovers: Favors a huge vegetable and turkey soup made with homemade stock (47:34).

Pies and Grandmother’s Pastry (43:37)

• Winslet loves a pie, with emphasis on the pastry over the filling, connecting it to fond memories of her grandmother’s five-chip Friday fish-and-chip ritual (45:16).

Sides: Oysters

• Small oysters (“the little ones”) and a pair of sparkling anecdotes:
  1. First oyster offered by Paul Newman at a small New York dinner (51:06).
     • “I thought, if I eat this oyster, I will always be able to say, Paul Newman gave me my first oyster.” (51:25)
  2. Early in her romance with now-husband Ned, she shucked oysters for them both in Chelsea Market, New York (52:28):
     • “If I was on an early date with someone, they were like, ‘I'm going to shuck you an oyster’, I'd be like, right, we're getting married.” — Ed (53:35)

Drink: Champagne (55:41)

• Winslet’s indulgence is a classic glass of champagne — not Prosecco — and is fuss-free about the glassware:
  • “It could be a clean jam jar… a plastic picnic cup. Don't mind about that.” (57:19)

Dessert: Her Own Apple Crumble with Cornish Clotted Cream (66:10)

• Winslet bakes the crumble topping separately for maximum crunch; she prefers hers with cream, partner Ned with custard.
• Also makes a decadent bread & butter pudding using leftover donuts or panettone (71:07).
  • “Every spoonful you’re getting, like, you might get a different flavor donut.” — Ed (72:54)

Cheese Chat

• Runner-up dessert: cheese board. Endorses mature cheddar and offers a shout-out to Sussex Charmer; reminisces about working the cheese counter at a delicatessen (68:23–69:56).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On breaking free from typecasting:
  “It’s bizarre… people do like to pigeonhole actresses… Weird corset Kate. Doesn’t make any sense.” — Kate (11:38)
• On Christmas and loss:
  “There’s something about the kind of messy navigation that this family…has to process.” — Kate (14:22)
• On practical meal choices:
  “My dream main course really would be Christmas dinner… My mum used to make the best roast potatoes.” (37:14)
• On pie etiquette:
  “When people eat a pie and they leave the crust, I just think, well, it’s crazy. Are you mad?” — Kate (43:56)
• On first oyster with Paul Newman:
  “Paul Newman gave me my first oyster. And…I loved it.” — Kate (51:58)
• On her bread and butter pudding:
  “Rather than going with actual bread, I will try and find some sort of cake… My kids do say, 'Mum, you’re gonna have to show me how to do it.'” — Kate (71:34)

Important Timestamps

• Introduction/Banter: 04:36–09:02
• Kate’s Arrival & Discussing Acting/Loss: 09:14–15:34
• Directing Goodbye June: 14:14–22:09
• Off Menu Format (Still or Sparkling, Bread): 24:13–28:51
• Starter (Truffle Pasta Story): 29:13–32:57
• Main Course (Christmas Dinner): 37:14–43:35
• Pies, Family, and Sides: 43:37–47:55
• Oysters and Paul Newman: 50:23–53:54
• Drink & Glassware Debates: 55:37–58:53
• Eternal Sunshine/Film Chat: 62:23–64:46
• Dessert (Apple Crumble, Bread & Butter Pudding): 66:10–73:13
• Cheese & Deli Stories: 68:13–70:55
• Wrap-Up & Christmas Spirit: 75:08–78:48

Summary Table: Kate Winslet’s Dream Menu

| Course | Dish | Notes/Stories | |----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Water | Still, tap (preferably Cornwall) | Environmental focus; rumors of “tin” in Cornish water | | Bread | Warm, crusty bread + breadsticks | Butter “as thick as cheddar”; nostalgia for French baguettes | | Starter | Truffle pasta (with lots of Parmesan) | Delivered by neighbor Giorgio Locatelli after Titanic fame, eaten off the wall | | Main | Brined turkey, roast potatoes (mum’s recipe), red cabbage (mum’s), bread sauce | Family rituals, emotional connections, no celeb guests | | Side/Pie | Chicken and veg pie (with extra pastry), vegan Wellington | Grandma’s pastry, pastry > filling, vegan options for husband | | Other Side | Oysters (small) | First oyster courtesy of Paul Newman; shucking for husband Ned on early date | | Dessert | Apple crumble (with baked topping), Cornish clotted cream | Bakes topping separately; partner prefers custard | | Bonus | Bread & butter pudding (using leftover donuts/panettone/cake) | Family favorite, decadent, originated in Vancouver | | Drink | Champagne (any glass) | Not picky, not a fan of prosecco | | Cheese | Sussex Charmer, mature cheddar, various French cheeses | Worked deli counter in youth, loves a proper cheese board |

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is warm, festive, and nostalgic—a blend of Off Menu’s trademark irreverent humor (James’ and Ed’s banter and quick asides) and the comforting intimacy of Winslet’s stories. It feels like sitting at a family Christmas table, sharing laughter, memories, and delicious food, with cinematic anecdotes thrown in for good measure.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• Expect a cozy, laugh-out-loud festive chat, with Kate Winslet championing family rituals and simple pleasures over Hollywood glitz.
• You’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories from her career (Eternal Sunshine, working with Paul Newman, etc.) and discover her approach to food as a tool for connection and comfort.
• Her dream meal is a love letter to British Christmas traditions, with a gourmet Italian starter and oysters as a nod to the global, celebratory nature of food.

Final Word

“It's been fantastic. Thank you so much for coming to the Dream Restaurant, Kate, and Merry Christmas!” — Ed Gamble (77:45)