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It is literally years since I received a book for Christmas and was able to actually read it between Christmas and New Year – although in this case I actually finished it a couple of days into 2022, making it my first finished read of the year.

Miriam Margolyes is one of those national institutions that pretty much everyone knows from something she’s done, but I don’t think many of us actually realise just how much she has packed into her lifetime. She’s told some wonderful tales on the Graham Norton show, I’ve seen her in documentaries about exploring Australia and tracing some of her roots in Scotland, and she’s also famous for breaking wind in an ad break on ITV’s This Morning, but that really is just scratching the surface.

Written in Miriam’s unique, straight to the point style, This Much is True gives a wonderful insight into her early life in London and Oxford before Miriam takes us to Cambridge with her where she feels her life gained much of the direction and shape it has since followed.

There is no doubt that Miriam Margolyes was destined to be a performer, but This Much is True really shows all the hard work that has gone in over the years to make her the household name that she is today. I knew she’s done a fair bit of theatre work before, but I had no idea about the amount of radio and voice-over work that filled her early working years. I’m also intrigued to see if I can find some of her appearances in old BBC radio dramas as delving into YouTube for some of the old adverts that she voiced is fascinating, especially as on some you simply wouldn’t recognise her voice at all. I hadn’t realised that she was Dolly one of the PG Tips chimps, or the Cadbury Caramel Bunny.

With Jewish parents, Miriam now describes herself as a non-religious Jew, but it’s very clear that the Jewish faith is a huge part of who she is, and as you read about her life you can see where it has influenced many of the decisions she’s taken in life. Reading this in parallel with watching the BBC’s excellent dramatisation Ridley Road has made me realise just how little I know about Judaism, and that’s something that I feel I need to rectify.

Anyone who is familiar with Miriam on TV chat shows or in print interviews will know that she is a woman who can shock, and it’s no surprise that her autobiography shocks some more, although nearly always in a way that makes you laugh too. She is downright crude in parts, and that may not be some people’s cup if tea, but that’s just part of who Miriam Margolyes is, and she’s very unapologetic about it.

This Much is True is quite simply one of the best autobiographies I’ve read in a long time, and sadly it makes Grace Dent’s Hungry look rather pedestrian in comparison. If you’ve ever chuckled along with Miriam when you’ve seen her interviewed then I definitely recommend you read it.

This Much is True by Miriam Margolyes is available to buy online here. At the time of writing (January 2022) it is only available in hardcover (or on Kindle), but if you have audible (or a free trial for audible) then you can listen to it for free as your book of the month, and as an added bonus you get Miriam herself reading it to you too.

Disclaimer: The above contains some affiliate links. It costs you no more than usual if you follow them and buy or download something, but I receive a small kick-back for which I am very grateful.

Nearly eight years ago I was lucky enough to hear Grace Dent speak at a Woman’s World of Whiskey event that I attended in London – back in the days when I used to get invited to blogger events, and before anyone had invented the term influencer. I’ll be honest and say that before I went I wasn’t really that fussed about hearing her speak. I’d seen her pop up in various places on TV, but had never been that impressed with her. How that changed when I heard her speak in person.

Nowadays, as well as being a respected and well-known restaurant critic, she is also all over TV and radio. I don’t really watch Masterchef, but do love catching her on a variety of Radio 4 programmes, and also am totally in love with her new Guardian podcast, Comfort Eating. The episode with Rosie Jones is particularly laugh out loud funny, but also need to come with a very large explicit content warning.

A recent visit to the local library with my youngest had me walk past the biography section and Hungry caught my attention from one of the displays. It made me realise that I actually knew very little about Grace Dent. I’d detected an obvious northern accent, but that really was about as far as it went.

Hungry fills in all the blanks nicely. Grace is just a few years older than me and so much of her childhood food habits were quite relatable, along with the stories of working towards her hostess badge at Brownies. Where I went though I don’t think we were posh enough to serve tea and cake, just biscuits!

What I wasn’t expecting was just how touching I would find Hungry. The parts of the book that cover her adult life feature her father’s dementia, and also her mother’s cancer. Both are written about so poignantly, with her also clearly explaining the very real pull between needing to be with family up north, but also having to balance that with work in London. Earlier in the book she writes about how her working class roots taught her never to turn down a job, as you simply never know if it might be the last one you’re offered. I’m not sure how exactly she does it (the sign of a great writer I guess) but you can really feel that tension between the family and work sides of her life in this difficult time.

Anyway – that’s me coming clean. Now a Grace Dent super fan. And I defy anyone to listen to her voice and not be swept away somewhat by the way in which she seems to purr somewhat when she speaks. Well, purrs until she cackles with laughter in a wonderful northern way!

Hungry by Grace Dent is available to buy online here.