Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware

We have CEO and entrepreneur Emma Grede joining us for lunch this week. She is the star of both Dragons’ Den & Shark Tank, and also co-creator of Skims, Good American & Safely (all created with the Kardashian family!). Over a delicious Ravinder Bhogal chicken dish, Emma taught us the details of her Thanksgiving ham recipe, talked about cooking and learning with her friend Mrs Nancy, creating her ‘’A Seat At The Table’ events, investing in the Lumberjaxe boys on Dragons’ Den, juggling being a mum and an entrepreneur, her love of an M&S cheese & celery sandwich and we discover the best trivia about brown sauce! Emma thank you so much for joining us, hope the food on the flight home was the curry you were looking for! Emma’s latest project is coming early May!

We have Emmy & BAFTA winning actor Martin Freeman joining us for dinner this week! And he may have a filthier mind than me! In the midst of rehearsals for his new play, mum served up a delicious Ginger Pig lamb with an array of gorgeous sides for Martin. We heard all about his love of musicals (especially West Side Story), how he nearly became a professional squash player in his youth, how he gave up being a vegetarian after 25 years, what it’s like being the youngest of 5 children, and we hear about the exciting new play he is starring in with Jack Lowden. We laughed throughout this whole episode, Martin was a total dream dinner party guest (even if he had given up puddings for lent!). Martin’s show ‘The Fifth Step’ opens at ‘@SohoPlace' on 12th May and runs through to the end of July.

Chat show legend Jonathan Ross and his fabulously talented and fantastic screenwriter daughter, Honey Ross join us on the podcast this week! I whipped up an Ixta Belfrage prawn lasagne, mum made a lemon curd roulade, and we settled down to hear some amazing stories from the brilliant duo. Jonathan told us all about his infamous halloween parties, Honey treated us to the story of her iconic dirty martini recipe, we heard about both of their unique collections of items, Jonathan’s online alter-ego, and we hear some delicious recipe ideas that are a must try! We couldn’t have loved both of them more, what a treat of an episode. Jonathan & Honey’s amazing film & TV podcast ‘Reel Talk’ is available to listen to wherever you get your podcasts!

She’s here to spice up our lives, we have the icon that is Geri Halliwell-Horner joining us this week! Geri is a Spice Girl, author, actress, and singer - there’s nothing she can’t do! Over lunch we heard about the time she met Nelson Mandela, winning Star Baker on Bake Off, her love of the Tudors, collecting snails as pets, living with George Michael and we discover that she would choose pick ’n’ mix as her last supper main course! Always an absolute treat to have a Spice Girl join us on the podcast, 3 down, 2 to go! Geri’s new children’s book Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire is released on 10th April worldwide.

We have two guests this week, Food critic - and Queen Camilla’s son - Tom Parker-Bowles, and his podcast co-host and wine expert, Henry Jeffreys. Their new podcast ‘Intoxicating History’ delves into the origins of all types of alcohol, and Henry dug out a few bottles of wine from my wine cupboard to pair with our meal! We chatted about growing up with a future Queen and what Camilla would cook for Tom (scrambled eggs is her speciality), their shared love of Thai & Mexican food, the pleasure of a Big Mac, how they found each other to put together a podcast, and we can all agree that a long lunch really is one of life’s best joys! This was the ultimate food and wine episode. Intoxicating History is out now and available to stream on all the usual podcast platforms.

We likey, it’s our next guest - Paddy McGuinness! The Bolton born comedian, actor and presenter joined us for lunch to celebrate the release of his upcoming TV series. Over a roast chicken, Paddy told us that Northerners always love their food to be swimming in sauce, how he was getting tips from Sir Chris Hoy for his charity bike ride last year, his first visit to The Ivy and stealing the napkin, how he created the characters with Peter Kay for their series Phoenix Nights and he is the second guest in two weeks to go for a prawn cocktail as their last supper starter! We also talked all about Paddy’s new show Tempting Fortune which really is excellent TV. It’s available to watch now on Channel 4 every Sunday and we’re hooked!

We have actor, presenter, and national treasure Danny Dyer round for lunch this week. Mum wondered who would out swear each other over the meal, but we were both on our best behaviour! We learned about his close relationship with playwright Harold Pinter, his love of his mum’s shepherds pie, his thoughts on being related to the royals, his plans to open a Kent caravan park with his daughter Dani, and we discover his starter of choice for a burger is… another burger! We can’t wait to pop down to the caravan park for a holiday, save a spot for us Dyers! Danny’s new film ‘Marching Powder’ is in cinemas now.

We have a Grammy legend on the podcast this week, 11 time winner, it’s singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile! Brandi schlepped to New Cross from Windsor where she was staying with her best friend, Sir Elton John. She is about to release a brand new album with Elton, and we heard all about how the album came about - and that the entire process was filmed for a documentary too. Brandi also talked about living on a compound in Washington state with all of her close friends and family, that she got married to her wife in London, all about her regular jamming sessions with Joni Mitchell (with wine and Mexican food dished up for everyone!), that it was thanks to Sir Paul McCartney that she met her wife, plus she has THE best idea pitch to Ben & Jerry’s for their new Ice Cream flavour - Candy Bar-lile! Brandi & Elton’s new album ‘Who Believes In Angels’ is released on the 4th April, and you can catch Brandi on her UK & European tour in June & July.

This week we have the absolutely gorgeous chef and cookbook writer, Jake Cohen joining us for lunch. The Native New Yorker - known for his delicious bakes - came over to bring us a special pud fresh from his upcoming cookbook. Jake told us all about the amazing NYC food scene and what restaurants to try, that he studied wine in Bordeaux, and he reveals he had a nautical cruise themed bar mitzvah. We also talk about how he threw dinner parties in high school, and we discover that he was planning what to make us for pud while he was out raving! Jake’s new cookbook ‘Dinner Party Animal’ will be out later this year, and it sounds like a dinner party hosts dream - we can’t wait to grab a copy! Think maybe a trip to NYC should be on the cards soon?