“All friendship groups divide into two halves: moody ex-goths who don't mind summer lunch indoors while sipping ice-cold pastis with damp backs-of-knees; and those Club Tropicana types who call ahead to jostle for the one terrace table that's in direct sunlight and from which you'll be lucky to leave with any skin left on your shoulders.”

English columnist, broadcaster and author

Grace Dent is an English columnist, broadcaster, and author, known for her work as a restaurant critic. She has written about food and dining for major British newspapers and television. She is a restaurant critic for The Guardian and, from 2011 to 2017, wrote a restaurant column for the Evening Standard. Since 2025, she has co-presented the BBC series MasterChef.