Pod Insights Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware Will Poulter About this episode Get ready for one of foodiest guests we’ve ever had on the podcast, it’s actor Will Poulter! Will joined us on what was probably one of the hottest days of the year in London, so please excuse any fan noises you may hear in the episode or sweaty faces you will see! Will is a connoisseur in finding the best local restaurants to eat at and we loved hearing all about his recent stint in The Bear, creating a charity taco for a restaurant in London, the food scene in New Orleans when filming his latest project, working with incredible actors and actresses (including starring in the latest Haim video), labelling himself a professional eater, and we wouldn’t expect anything less than a fully thought out last supper ending with a trio of desserts! It was a complete pleasure to chat everything food, films & family with Will or ‘chicken man’ as he is fondly known as now. A total dream guest, Will is welcome for dinner every night! Keep an eye out for all the amazing projects Will has coming up soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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1:06 Jessie Ware? Hello and welcome to Today's Matters. It is the hottest day of the year. We are schwitzing. You will hear some fans going off. And Lenny has demanded Jamie, our lovely producer for the day, to have fans on. It's not going to be allowed. So let's put them away for a second and do the intro. No, it's just not going to happen.
1:28 Speaker 03 No, it can. It's almost silent. I thought yesterday was hot.
1:32 Jessie Ware? Really? Yeah, it was hot.
1:34 Speaker 03 But this is hotter.
1:35 Jessie Ware? Schwitzing, yeah. So you've been on cooking duty. Thank you, Mum.
1:39 Speaker 03 No wonder you look cool.
1:41 Jessie Ware? I'm definitely not cool. I've got a lovely dress on that has, I have the boob, the boob silicon things. I just went and did a vocal for my record in Brixton. And I said to him, I was like, just, I'm sweating so much. And then I did a big, big chorus and I saw one of the bloody nipple things on the floor. One of the silicones, I'd done such a powerful performance and I was so sweaty.
2:07 Speaker 03 It slid off.
2:08 Jessie Ware? It fell off. So.
2:10 Speaker 03 Slid away.
2:12 Jessie Ware? Yeah, it's hot, but we're very excited about the guest coming on.
2:15 Speaker 03 And we're having someone's very hot tonight apparently.
2:17 Jessie Ware? Oh, well, yes, everyone's talking about this actor. He has been recently in the Haim video.
2:24 Speaker 03 Yeah.
2:24 Jessie Ware? Along with two other very dashing men. So Will Poulter's coming on, he's an actor who has been acting from a young age. He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
2:35 Speaker 03 What was that for?
2:36 Jessie Ware? He'd done this programme called School of Comedy, which was like a sketch show when he was a teenager. And he was in this big film with Jennifer Aniston called We're the Millers.
2:46 Speaker 03 I remember that film.
2:47 Jessie Ware? Did you watch it?
2:47 Speaker 03 Yeah.
2:48 Jessie Ware? It's like about a drug.
2:49 Speaker 03 Yeah, they were kind of money laundering.
2:51 Jessie Ware? Yes.
2:52 Speaker 03 And they had two teenage children and they moved it.
2:54 Jessie Ware? But they weren't really their children, were they?
2:56 Speaker 03 No, they pretended.
2:56 Jessie Ware? Because he had a snog with Jennifer Aniston.
2:58 Speaker 03 They pretended they were their children.
3:00 Jessie Ware? Right. Did you enjoy it?
3:01 Speaker 03 I thought it was really good.
3:02 Jessie Ware? Well, the world loved it. He even won Best Kiss, which was actually a threesome with Emma Roberts and Jennifer Aniston. So, yeah.
3:10 Speaker 03 Was Emma Roberts his sister?
3:12 Jessie Ware? Yes. But so he's been in Marvel, he's in Guardians of the Galaxy, he's been in Black Mirror, he is in The Bear. He was in season two as a chef, a pastry chef, I think he was. He was a friend of Carmy's, they'd worked together. And he's in the new season, but which just started a couple of weeks ago. We like this because Will's coming on his own, he hasn't got any entourage.
3:33 Speaker 03 Oh, thank God.
3:34 Jessie Ware? He isn't promoting anything, really, I don't think. So he's literally just coming for a dinner.
3:40 Speaker 03 Well, I hope you've all got big appetites because I've made enough for 12 people.
3:43 Jessie Ware? Well, he does say that he's a professional eater.
3:46 Speaker 03 Oh, okay.
3:46 Jessie Ware? Which we love.
3:47 Speaker 03 I hope he likes this.
3:48 Jessie Ware? So Mum, before Will rings the doorbell, because he is going to be early, he's also an early guest. We love that too. He's essentially a perfect guest thus far.
3:56 Speaker 03 For Jessie?
3:58 Jessie Ware? For me.
3:58 Speaker 03 Yeah.
3:59 Jessie Ware? What have you made?
4:00 Speaker 03 I've made chicken marinated in fenugreek and ginger and lime.
4:05 Jessie Ware? Oh, yum.
4:06 Speaker 03 Yep. And then I marinated it overnight.
4:11 Speaker 03 And cream.
4:12 Jessie Ware? And any turmeric?
4:13 Speaker 03 Turmeric, cumin, coriander.
4:16 Jessie Ware? What's it called, methy, methy merc, like, is it methy merc?
4:19 Speaker 03 I don't know. Anyway, I've done that. I've done your favourite wedding rice.
4:23 Jessie Ware? Yum.
4:24 Speaker 03 Because you love it.
4:25 Jessie Ware? Tell the listeners what wedding rice has in it.
4:26 Speaker 03 Wedding rice has cardamom, cinnamon, onion, it's got bay leaves and it's got butter and
4:34 Jessie Ware? Salted onions?
4:35 Speaker 03 And golden raisin.
4:36 Jessie Ware? What's the recipe from, that's for the chicken?
4:39 Speaker 03 It's not a lenghi.
4:40 Jessie Ware? Oh, it's gonna be fab though.
4:41 Speaker 03 I hope so.
4:42 Jessie Ware? And then we've got some salads to go with it.
4:45 Speaker 03 Yeah.
4:45 Jessie Ware? Um, and then what are you doing for pudding?
4:46 Speaker 03 Middle Eastern eat and mess.
4:49 Jessie Ware? Oh, what makes it Middle Eastern? Don't tell me some more rose water.
4:52 Speaker 03 Yeah, there's a little rose water and there's a little pomegranate molasses.
4:56 Jessie Ware? Okay.
4:57 Speaker 03 There's pomegranate, pistachios, strawberries, raspberries, crème fraiche and mascarpone.
5:02 Jessie Ware? So no cream?
5:03 Speaker 03 I did put cream in as well.
5:05 Jessie Ware? Wow.
5:05 Speaker 03 And meringue.
5:07 Jessie Ware? Mmm.
5:07 Speaker 03 And I'm gonna put the pistachios.
5:09 Jessie Ware? Any nuts?
5:10 Speaker 03 Pistachios, yeah.
5:11 Jessie Ware? God, Lenny, you're already on your Middle Eastern flex right now.
5:14 Speaker 03 I feel like I'm in the Middle East now.
5:16 Jessie Ware? Will Poulter coming up on Table manners.
5:26 Jessie Ware? How do you pronounce your surname?
5:28 Speaker 04 Uh, Poulter, a little bit like poultry.
5:31 Jessie Ware? Oh.
5:32 Speaker 04 Ironically, yeah.
5:33 Jessie Ware? Did you?
5:34 Speaker 04 Basic name is Mr Chicken.
5:36 Jessie Ware? Mr Chicken, welcome.
5:38 Speaker 04 Thank you. It's good to be here.
5:40 Jessie Ware? Will Poulter. No, Will Poulter, Poulter. Thank you very much for joining us at Table manners. You were early. We love an early guest. So yeah, Will, we just feed you and we chat. It's really straightforward.
5:51 Speaker 04 Sounds ideal.
5:52 Speaker 03 Well, I hope so.
5:53 Speaker 04 It's my favourite thing to do.
5:54 Jessie Ware? Apparently you're a professional eater, aren't you?
5:56 Speaker 04 I'm, yeah, it's my biggest talent is eating food.
5:59 Jessie Ware? Eating?
6:00 Speaker 04 Eating food. It's my, no, no, I wish I could say that's my big, I'm better at eating than I am cooking.
6:05 Speaker 03 You did cook a meal and you gave the recipe for some charitable thing.
6:09 Speaker 04 I, um, yeah, do you know what's so worth?
6:11 Speaker 03 You're doing a collab. Darling, there's water.
6:13 Speaker 04 Oh, thank you so much. Yeah. Would you like some water?
6:15 Speaker 03 Yeah, I think I would. So glad I brought ice.
6:18 Speaker 04 Oh yeah, that's a really good call.
6:19 Speaker 03 I know. I've got another bag.
6:21 Jessie Ware? Thanks love. Got another kilo. He's hosting us.
6:24 Speaker 03 Another kilo of ice.
6:25 Jessie Ware? The manners on this boy, man. Thank you.
6:28 Speaker 04 Absolute pleasure. Yeah. Do you know what? So this is where my imposter syndrome is sort of 11 out of 10. I'm really fortunate. At the moment, I am collaborating with a, a restaurant. Called Side Hustle, they're based in the Nomad Hotel. And for the next few months, they're doing a series called Tacos with Friends. And every month, they're bringing in, more often not a real, actual chef, but occasionally a sort of friend in the public eye to design a taco. And the proceeds of that taco go towards City Harvest. City Harvest are an amazing organisation that makes sure that any food surplus, um, basically goes towards folks experiencing food insecurity. So I designed a taco that was kind of inspired a little bit by my, uh, part on the bear
7:12 Speaker 04 and mainly by my mom.
7:14 Jessie Ware? Danish taco?
7:15 Speaker 04 It's actually not a Danish taco, our, our episode was called Honeydew. So it has pickled honeydew melon, uh, on the taco. I know which, I know that sounds a bit, but.
7:25 Jessie Ware? No, I like the idea of it.
7:27 Speaker 04 If I can say this, it's working, people are digging it.
7:29 Jessie Ware? What's the meat?
7:31 Speaker 04 So it's a pork carnitas taco.
7:33 Jessie Ware? Yum.
7:34 Speaker 04 A little bit of fresh avocado.
7:36 Jessie Ware? So instead of the pineapple, not pineapple.
7:39 Speaker 03 No, melon and prosciutto.
7:42 Jessie Ware? Yes.
7:42 Speaker 04 Little bit of a play, little bit of a play on that. And that, that thing that I think exists in a lot of like different cuisines where you have kind of like fatty meat with sweet fruit.
7:51 Jessie Ware? Yes.
7:52 Speaker 04 You know, so whether it's pork and apple, whether it's duck and plum, prosciutto and melon, so like, it actually kind of works if I'm allowed to say that.
7:59 Jessie Ware? So getting the part in the bear.
8:01 Speaker 04 Hmm.
8:02 Jessie Ware? When you did your audition, did they ask you about food as well? I mean, you're an actor, so you can just pretend that you would.
8:08 Speaker 04 Right.
8:08 Jessie Ware? But you seem to be passionate about food and eating. Do you feel like that played a part in you getting the role, not just because you're talented at acting?
8:14 Speaker 04 That's sweet, yeah, I like, I'm like, I can accept the compliment about talented, being talented at eating, that's sweet of you. I, I don't know, it's interesting. I mean, I think that, quite honestly, I've always been such an admirer of the hospitality industry and people who work in, you know, kind of the service industry and my mum. Is such a good cook.
8:34 Jessie Ware? Is she?
8:35 Speaker 04 Went to culinary school, yeah.
8:36 Jessie Ware? Ditch, oh god.
8:37 Speaker 04 I was like very spoiled.
8:38 Jessie Ware? Feeling anxious now.
8:39 Speaker 04 Oh my gosh, don't be silly. I knew when I walked in here it was gonna taste good. I said, I could smell it.
8:43 Jessie Ware? You don't know.
8:44 Speaker 04 As soon as the door opened. You know, my mum was a really good cook and I always like, I always kind of form this association between food and love. Like, I really did. It was the way that my mum expressed it, it was the way that our family sort of came about and sort of showed love to one another was was literally around the dinner table. So always had that association.
9:02 Jessie Ware? Can you um tell us about who was around the dinner table when you were a child and what was something that your mum was dishing out for dinner?
9:10 Speaker 04 It's a good question, yes. Sunday lunch was like a massive thing.
9:12 Jessie Ware? Right.
9:13 Speaker 04 Um it was like stipulated actually by my dad that everyone had to be there for Sunday lunch. So I've got quite a big family. I've got half brothers and sisters who are my whole brothers and sisters, but you know.
9:24 Jessie Ware? How many of you?
9:24 Speaker 04 We grew up separately in in some respects. So I've got two sisters and an older brother.
9:28 Jessie Ware? Right.
9:29 Speaker 04 And, you know, the kind of unofficial rule of Sunday lunch, like you had to be there and you can kind of bring like whoever you wanna bring. And it was really lovely. I was really lucky to sort of grow up that that way. And my mum would do all the cooking and do it so brilliantly well. My dad was was born and raised in Yorkshire, so.
9:46 Jessie Ware? Oh.
9:46 Speaker 04 Invariably, it was Sunday roast with a Yorkshire pudding. More often than not, it was beef. That was like.
9:52 Jessie Ware? He allows that and he's a cardiovascular surgeon.
9:55 Speaker 04 He's.
9:55 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
9:56 Speaker 04 You've definitely done your research. Yeah, he did. Yeah, Sundays, there was an exception.
10:00 Jessie Ware? And would you still, would he still want the Yorkshire even if you were doing chicken?
10:04 Speaker 04 That's a very good question. No, he got a bit traditionalist about that, yeah.
10:08 Jessie Ware? So, okay, so it was a roast dinner on a Sunday. Would you always bring your mates?
10:12 Speaker 04 You know what? It was such a like sacred event that like the focus was just the food and my family. So like more often than not, I wasn't necessarily bringing someone. I remember like that was how I'd meet like a lot of my older siblings, like boyfriends and girlfriends. That was kind of like what I seem to remember. It was amazing. And and yeah, we'd nearly always have the Yorkshire pudding with beef. And it was nearly always beef for that reason. So I think the Yorkshire pudding was as important.
10:35 Jessie Ware? How good is your mum's roast potatoes?
10:37 Speaker 04 I, elite, to the point where it's really hard for me to go to a pub and have a roast and not feel disappointed. Because my mom's potatoes are just, they're next level.
10:46 Jessie Ware? I, I had, speaking of roasts at pubs, we had Tommy Banks on, who's an incredible chef.
10:52 Speaker 04 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:52 Jessie Ware? And I said, I just don't think that roasts are ever as good as when you're in the house. And he was like, I beg to differ. And he's invited us down and we absolutely should. I do have to say, I had probably the best roast I've ever had in a Bristol pub, a new pub. It was stunning. You went to Bristol Uni, didn't you?
11:11 Speaker 04 I did, yeah.
11:12 Jessie Ware? Did you eat well there?
11:13 Speaker 04 I went to Bristol Uni. I ate like a student at Bristol Uni would. I think like probably not like picture of health. If you, if you took a look at what I was ingesting.
11:22 Jessie Ware? What were you studying?
11:23 Speaker 04 Uh, I was studying drama.
11:25 Jessie Ware? Oh, it's a good place to do it, right?
11:26 Speaker 04 It's a good place to do it.
11:27 Jessie Ware? So you quit, I presume, because you were already booked and busy, baby?
11:32 Speaker 04 Well, I got really fortunate in that I was sort of auditioning. I, I'd shot something in America, kind of just before I left for uni, I believe, if I'm not mistaken. The timeline's a bit fuzzy, but I was sort of auditioning for stuff in my first year. It's one of those things where I was like, they just tripled the uni fees, having said they wouldn't.
11:52 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
11:52 Speaker 04 And I didn't have a student loan. I was kind of like paying my way through uni. And I was like doing the sort of cost benefit analysis. And I was like, I've been offered a job. This is really expensive. I kind of have to take it.
12:02 Jessie Ware? Which job was that?
12:03 Speaker 04 I did the Maze Runner, the first Maze Runner film.
12:05 Jessie Ware? A huge breakout thing for you, right?
12:08 Speaker 04 Yeah, it was a big opportunity for me and, and, and really special. And in a way socially, like in some ways, it was sort of an extension of my kind of college years, my university experience, if you like. It was like a continuation of the fun I was having at uni, because we were sort of all like eighteen to sort of twenty five at that time. And in the same breath, an amazing professional opportunity as well. And I got, got really lucky. Also, I shot it in Louisiana and looked no further than great food.
12:35 Jessie Ware? Great food. Okay, tell me what some of the memorable meals were.
12:38 Speaker 04 New Orleans is.
12:39 Jessie Ware? Oh, yeah, everyone's.
12:40 Speaker 04 Oh, it's this unbelievable kind of melting pot of different cultures and cuisines. And, you know, the blend of like comfort food and like Creole culture and what that does. Whether it's, you know, jambalaya or gumbo or the best fried chicken you've ever had.
12:55 Jessie Ware? And beignets, that's how you say it.
12:57 Speaker 04 Which are crazy, just a fancy French donut.
13:00 Jessie Ware? Like a donut. Yeah, but they're, but they're long.
13:03 Speaker 04 They sometimes are.
13:05 Jessie Ware? They're kind of lighter as well, I felt like, maybe.
13:07 Speaker 04 Lot of powdered sugar.
13:08 Speaker 03 Hmm. What's that thing that Randy Jackson talked about? Bean casserole?
13:13 Jessie Ware? Green bean, green bean casserole.
13:16 Speaker 04 Green bean casserole, that's a thing too, yeah, yeah.
13:19 Jessie Ware? And good slop, was it sloppy joe? No, what did, what were the sandwiches that they do?
13:24 Speaker 04 Po' boys?
13:24 Jessie Ware? Po' boys.
13:25 Speaker 04 Po' boys are amazing.
13:26 Jessie Ware? What are they? Well, you explain them.
13:29 Speaker 04 They, they tend to be, so the, the origins of them are that like oysters used to be these kind of like gross things that people didn't sort of like really respect, right?
13:38 Speaker 03 I don't respect them still.
13:40 Speaker 04 Listen.
13:40 Jessie Ware? Are you an oyster boy?
13:41 Speaker 04 Each their own. I actually am. I've conveniently like blocked out the fact that someone said it looks like a giant's bogey. I've kind of blocked that out of my mind so that I can enjoy them. But an oyster and a martini is a great combination. But they used to be very, very cheap. And so more often than not, you know, folks in the south who couldn't necessarily afford to eat the kind of finer things, the lobsters, for example, wherever else, would eat oysters. And to make them go a little bit further, they'd fry them and put them in a sandwich. And that was the original like oyster po' boy. And it was called a po' boy because it's like in the southern vernacular, it's the pronunciation of poor boy, if you like.
14:16 Jessie Ware? So it was for the kind of working class, the lower class.
14:18 Speaker 03 A po' boy?
14:19 Jessie Ware? Yeah, but I haven't had an oyster one. I think I've had like.
14:22 Speaker 04 Shrimp maybe?
14:22 Jessie Ware? Maybe, yeah. And like, there's these really beauti-, I mean, the thing about New Orleans is like, some of these places that you eat, they're so decadent, but they're kind of, you know, they're working cafe, like it's, it's amazing, mum.
14:35 Speaker 03 I'd love to.
14:35 Jessie Ware? On Frenchman Street, it's just amazing.
14:37 Speaker 03 A sudden, because Hannah lived there when she was doing that.
14:40 Jessie Ware? She was what TV show was she doing? Uh, the first, yeah.
14:44 Speaker 03 With Sean Penn.
14:45 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
14:46 Speaker 03 Hannah's an actress and she lives in LA and she's seen you at one of her acting classes, Sally someone.
14:51 Speaker 04 No way.
14:52 Jessie Ware? I think, yeah, I don't know. I wonder if you've done like scenes.
14:55 Speaker 04 I went to audit, uh, my friend Chris Sheffield. So funnily enough, Chris Sheffield, who, uh, is one of my best friends who I met on Maze Runner. He goes to the acting class. So, and I would have seen her and she's fantastic. I mean, everyone in there was fantastic.
15:07 Speaker 03 But she says what's so amazing is that there's really established actors that go there and they keep going.
15:13 Jessie Ware? At that time, yeah.
15:13 Speaker 03 Or just to practise really.
15:16 Speaker 04 Keep the tools sharp.
15:16 Speaker 03 Yeah.
15:17 Speaker 04 I really respect it. I think it's amazing. Yeah.
15:19 Jessie Ware? Speaking of tools, did your mum, no mum, I was actually going to speak about fucking cooking, actually, thank you, yeah.
15:26 Speaker 04 Tools, eating tools.
15:28 Jessie Ware? Christ. Not even drunk.
15:29 Speaker 03 Yes, you're very.
15:30 Jessie Ware? I actually would. Are we not drinking? Because I feel like.
15:34 Speaker 04 Please.
15:34 Jessie Ware? You're definitely not drinking.
15:35 Speaker 04 The only reason I'm not drinking is I just got back from Glastonbury. Yeah, but so did I.
15:39 Jessie Ware? We've got champagne, pink wine, white wine. Do it.
15:43 Speaker 04 Oh.
15:43 Jessie Ware? No, we don't have to.
15:44 Speaker 04 No, I, I really should, I really should abstain, but thank you all the same.
15:48 Jessie Ware? Do you want a glass?
15:49 Speaker 04 But please, you get involved.
15:50 Jessie Ware? What were you drinking, Will?
15:51 Speaker 04 Too much. I drank too much. Drank too much.
15:54 Jessie Ware? Who was your favourite?
15:55 Speaker 04 Dochi.
15:57 Jessie Ware? Well, that's why you missed me because we were on at the same time.
15:59 Speaker 04 Is that, that's my excuse.
16:00 Jessie Ware? Dochi was supposed to be insane.
16:02 Speaker 04 I have to be honest, it's the best live performance of anything I've ever seen.
16:05 Jessie Ware? And, and. Who is Dochi? Dochi's this incredible rapper. Oh, she's the rapper. She's from Florida. She's amazing. It was forty five minutes and I think it was headliner and everyone's a bit like, oh, forty five minutes. But apparently she blew, like, it was incredible.
16:17 Speaker 04 Packed it out.
16:18 Jessie Ware? Do you want some pink wine? I'll take anything at the moment. Or white wine? What's, yeah, I'll have white. Is this rude to be drinking with Will when he's not drinking?
16:27 Speaker 04 Absolutely not, it isn't.
16:27 Jessie Ware? When were you going to bed at Glastonbury, Will?
16:31 Speaker 04 I was going to bed quite, I mean, definitely past my usual bedtime. I'm quite a old man. I'm actually like mocked within some of my like, within my friendship group for sort of being a bit of an old man and not necessarily like being able to hack it and stay out that late, but I, I.
16:46 Jessie Ware? Well, you made it to NYC Download, so.
16:48 Speaker 04 I made it to NYC Download a couple of times and that was super fun.
16:51 Jessie Ware? So fun.
16:55 Jessie Ware? Whilst mum sorts out the dinner, I'm gonna get you started to think about your last supper.
17:01 Speaker 04 Yeah.
17:01 Jessie Ware? Starter main, pudding, drink of choice.
17:03 Speaker 04 Hmm. I've thought about this and I appreciate this isn't necessarily traditional in terms of when you might have this or how you might have this, but I would love to start with an assortment of dim sum.
17:14 Jessie Ware? Yum, yum.
17:15 Speaker 04 I would really love that.
17:16 Jessie Ware? Where'd you go for your dim sum?
17:17 Speaker 04 So there's some amazing places, obviously in Chinatown in London, which I absolutely love. And there are a number of different places and I kind of like to like wander around and sort of do a bit of like pick and choosing.
17:29 Jessie Ware? Are you going to be protective of those places?
17:32 Speaker 04 No, oh no, what, that is in gatekeep, as they say on the internet. No, no, no, no. I just actually can't remember any of the names right now.
17:39 Jessie Ware? Okay, so what's gonna be in your dim sum?
17:41 Speaker 04 So in my dim sum.
17:42 Jessie Ware? Your lazy Susan, what's gonna be on it?
17:43 Speaker 04 Yes, with all the like baskets, I, I, I definitely want some shumai.
17:47 Jessie Ware? Tell everyone what that is.
17:48 Speaker 04 I believe that is a blend of pork and prawn, and I just love them.
17:54 Jessie Ware? Is it in like a wonton dumpling? Is it a soup dumpling or is it like a bun?
17:59 Speaker 04 No, it's a wonton, it's in wonton wrapper. Oh my gosh.
18:02 Jessie Ware? It might not be. Oh my god. Mum's worried about this. It's on the lengi, so it should be alright.
18:06 Speaker 04 It smells incredible, thank you. So yeah, it's in a wonton, it's kind of open face if you like, and they're absolutely delicious.
18:13 Jessie Ware? Okay, so you're gonna have them?
18:14 Speaker 04 Gonna have them, I will probably butcher the pronunciation, it's xiaolongbao, xiaolongbao.
18:18 Jessie Ware? You're looking at me, I'm a fucking, I'm a Jew. Right, my favourite are the soup dumplings. I love them, my kids love them.
18:24 Speaker 04 Unbelievable.
18:25 Jessie Ware? Babe, itzu do frozen ones. They're not fab, but they're doable for the freezer.
18:30 Speaker 04 That's really good to know.
18:30 Jessie Ware? Quite good to know, if you're on your next Ricardo order.
18:33 Speaker 04 I love that.
18:34 Jessie Ware? Love a soup dumpling.
18:35 Speaker 04 Love a soup dumpling. I'd love also hagao, which I believe is scallop, I could be wrong about that.
18:42 Jessie Ware? Right.
18:42 Speaker 04 Yeah, those dim sum, and I really want that with Chinese black vinegar, with the thinly sliced ginger. A nice little hot sauce as well, because I think if you get like a fermented red chili sauce, that goes really well with the hagao. And then soy as well.
18:55 Jessie Ware? So this is your starter?
18:57 Speaker 04 That's just my starter.
18:58 Jessie Ware? Love it.
18:58 Speaker 04 We just started. Can you help yourself, David? It all looks great, thank you so much. It's such a pleasure. You're gonna put some rice, put some rice on your plate? I'd love some. Yeah. This looks so good. Thank you, lovely. Thank you. Okay. Wow, this is.
19:12 Jessie Ware? So mum, this looks delicious, you're amazing, thank you.
19:15 Speaker 04 So good.
19:17 Jessie Ware? So what did you have for lunch, Will?
19:20 Speaker 04 Um, oh, today, I had.
19:23 Jessie Ware? A salad?
19:24 Speaker 04 I had bra. Fuck, I am such a wanker. I had brown rice sushi.
19:28 Jessie Ware? Oh my god.
19:29 Speaker 04 Which I don't think is remotely traditional, is it? There's a, there's a thing called Corner Shop that just opened on one eighty Strand.
19:36 Jessie Ware? Oh, the deli. It looks amazing.
19:38 Speaker 04 Yeah. Um, yeah, no, thank you. I was gonna say, Jess, do you want to get some of this?
19:42 Speaker 03 Yeah, please.
19:43 Speaker 04 Yeah.
19:43 Speaker 03 Thank you, babe.
19:44 Speaker 04 Two pieces?
19:45 Speaker 03 Yes, please. Do you want some juice on that as well? Do you want some of that?
19:47 Jessie Ware? Here, thanks, babe.
19:48 Speaker 04 Yeah, sushi light.
19:49 Speaker 03 Thank you, darling.
19:50 Speaker 04 Yeah, I can, I can spoon it.
19:52 Jessie Ware? Do you have brown rice sushi?
19:53 Speaker 04 Put some of this on you.
19:54 Jessie Ware? Oh my god, why are you so sweet? Yeah, I do. Thank you.
19:56 Speaker 03 Perfectly well brought up.
19:57 Speaker 04 Thank you, darling. This is a.
19:58 Speaker 03 Not sure that the.
19:59 Speaker 04 Thank you, that's amazing. Do you want me to do yours?
20:02 Speaker 03 No, I'm fine.
20:02 Speaker 04 You sure?
20:03 Speaker 03 I think I am.
20:04 Speaker 04 The sauce is great.
20:05 Speaker 03 I don't know it at all.
20:06 Jessie Ware? It's a really nice one. It is a bit bitter, but it's nice.
20:09 Speaker 03 It is a bit bitter. I don't get it.
20:12 Speaker 04 I'm gonna like that, so.
20:13 Jessie Ware? So whilst we tuck in, main, where are we going on the main?
20:16 Speaker 04 The main course is based on a dish I had, basically is the dish, uh, that I had in Jamaica. Curry shrimp.
20:23 Jessie Ware? Hmm.
20:24 Speaker 04 With rice, cabbage.
20:27 Jessie Ware? What, like a coleslaw?
20:28 Speaker 04 No, like a sort of, um, like a kind of, it's like semi steamed, maybe a little bit, kind of like sauteed a little bit, probably with some oil. And it's probably like thyme and a little bit of Scotch bonnet in there.
20:40 Speaker 03 Scotch bonnet? Are you a hot person?
20:42 Speaker 04 I do love, I do love my spice.
20:44 Speaker 03 That's why you eat hot sauce.
20:46 Speaker 04 And then served on the side, festival, which is this like delicious.
20:49 Speaker 03 Oh, best of, yeah, I know, I love it.
20:51 Speaker 04 So good. And my drink of choice with that would be a red sorrel red stripe.
20:58 Jessie Ware? Okay.
20:59 Speaker 04 So it's a red stripe with like the flavour of sorrel in it and it kind of gives me like shandy vibes.
21:04 Jessie Ware? Ooh, yum.
21:05 Speaker 04 Shandy radlers, which is kind of how I, that's probably like the first drink I ever had, I think it was a shandy.
21:10 Jessie Ware? I had a shandy on Sunday night at the Maccabees at Glastonbury.
21:13 Speaker 04 Oh.
21:14 Jessie Ware? It was delicious.
21:15 Speaker 04 That's a great move. And by the way, this is delicious.
21:17 Jessie Ware? This is a really nice one.
21:18 Speaker 04 Like genuinely so, this is like my mum's cooking. This is amazing. Thank you so much.
21:22 Jessie Ware? So.
21:23 Speaker 04 This is amazing. Thank you.
21:24 Jessie Ware? When were you in Jamaica?
21:25 Speaker 04 I was in Jamaica. Oh my gosh, this was pre pandemic. I hate to sorry.
21:32 Jessie Ware? Holiday work?
21:33 Speaker 04 It was for holiday. It was for holiday. And I remember like you kayaked out to this little island and there were like two restaurants on this island.
21:41 Jessie Ware? Oh.
21:42 Speaker 04 And you just like posted the kayak up and got out, had this meal. It was like, kind of like one of the most satisfying plates of food I've ever had. Really vibrant as well and went so well with several coral red stripes.
21:55 Jessie Ware? What were you gonna say? Spliffs?
21:57 Speaker 04 So, then you eat it in seconds. Yeah. No, I like really took my time with that and it was, it was amazing.
22:04 Jessie Ware? So you like going to the West Indies and Caribbean on holiday?
22:07 Speaker 04 I do and I love Caribbean food and obviously, you know, thanks to the Windrush generation, like our food scene in London has been so enriched by, you know, Caribbean culture.
22:16 Speaker 03 It was you that said, because I've read your Wikipedia page, that you said Caribbean chefs are overlooked.
22:22 Jessie Ware? African chefs.
22:23 Speaker 03 Or African chefs are overlooked. You're right though.
22:26 Speaker 04 Yeah, chefs from, you know, the African diaspora and.
22:29 Speaker 03 They go on MasterChef, the professionals, and win nothing.
22:32 Speaker 04 And it's, it's wild and like, you know, you think about, I mean, you can't go anywhere in the world and like going back to, you know, Louisiana being a prime example. Anywhere in the world where like Africa hasn't, you know, influenced the food in, in some way and yet it's often, I think African cuisine is often like overlooked in various conversations, especially when it comes to like, you know, fine dining or awards and this sort of thing, which isn't obviously the, the measure of what makes food great. Like I think people know that, but still it deserves to be given the same level of, of attention.
23:04 Jessie Ware? So come on, give some, give some shout outs now of where people should be eating. Have you got any outside London?
23:10 Speaker 03 Brixton. Oh, Chichu, Chichu, is it?
23:13 Speaker 04 Chichu's amazing.
23:14 Speaker 03 Where's that at?
23:15 Jessie Ware? In Brixton Market, it's fantastic.
23:17 Speaker 04 Yeah, absolutely. And it's the first time that a black woman has been awarded a Michelin star in the UK.
23:22 Speaker 03 Oh, wow.
23:23 Speaker 04 Ever, yeah, which is amazing. So yes, that place is unbelievable.
23:27 Speaker 03 Do you live south?
23:28 Speaker 04 I do. I live in South London. Yeah.
23:30 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
23:30 Speaker 04 Yeah, I, I mean, I love it in South.
23:32 Speaker 03 Hence Brixton.
23:33 Speaker 04 Hence Brixton. So yeah, and in Brixton, fish wings and tings is great.
23:37 Jessie Ware? Uh huh.
23:37 Speaker 04 And then for African food, Chichu's unbelievable. I think Accra and Akoko were both part of the same team. Akoko being fine dining and West African.
23:47 Jessie Ware? Where's that?
23:47 Speaker 04 Really, really amazing. That's in Fitzrovia.
23:50 Jessie Ware? Okay.
23:50 Speaker 04 So those are both really, really good. Aqua being like their more like casual fine dining um concept in London Bridge, I believe, London Bridge Borough.
23:59 Jessie Ware? Okay.
24:00 Speaker 04 And then if you are in London, there's a a directory and company called Black Eats London, and they have a full list of all the kind of like best back owns um restaurants and food businesses in the capital, and that's really worth worth following. I mean, there's there's so many, but those are definitely some that like stick out. Yeah.
24:18 Jessie Ware? Now, before we go into the bear.
24:21 Speaker 04 Mmm.
24:22 Jessie Ware? Your pudding.
24:23 Speaker 04 Yeah.
24:24 Jessie Ware? You have a sweet tooth, don't you?
24:27 Speaker 04 I really do. I it's kind of my vice and I try to sort of steer clear day to day of desserts and sweets because I don't really have an off switch. Um it's quite dangerous. Like if I if I start, it's hard to start.
24:40 Jessie Ware? Do you like chocolate as well?
24:41 Speaker 04 I love chocolate.
24:43 Jessie Ware? What sort of chocolate do you eat?
24:45 Speaker 04 Kind of all chocolate. I've just started getting into dark chocolate, which is how I know I'm at least attempting to be an adult.
24:50 Jessie Ware? But what's this milky pie, milky bar pie thing that you talk about?
24:54 Speaker 04 So that's.
24:56 Jessie Ware? It sounds disgusting.
24:57 Speaker 04 It used to be called crack pie and they've adapted the name.
24:59 Jessie Ware? Mamma Fuku one.
25:00 Speaker 04 It's the Mamma Fuku pie. And it was like a happy cooking accident from a a woman called Christina Tosi.
25:05 Jessie Ware? Mm hmm.
25:06 Speaker 04 Who's actually become a friend since um since the bear. Yeah, because we were in an episode together and she's just amazing.
25:11 Jessie Ware? Where they're saying goodbye to the brilliant restaurant.
25:15 Speaker 04 Mmm, mmm hmm.
25:16 Jessie Ware? And all the big chefs are there.
25:18 Speaker 04 Yes, yes.
25:19 Jessie Ware? Great.
25:19 Speaker 04 Yeah, exactly. So she's um she she's amazing. But yeah, Mamma Fuku Pie was definitely, I mean, it's it's high up on my list. It's still in my top five. And I have to say, when it came to, you know, starter and main course, there were some honorable mentions, like I wanted to say almost my mom's Sunday roast for my main.
25:36 Jessie Ware? Mm hmm.
25:36 Speaker 04 You know, I think there are like some other main courses or some other starters that could have got a look in. Dessert is really, really tough.
25:43 Jessie Ware? Right. Are we gonna have like a trio of desserts?
25:46 Speaker 04 I would love a trio, but is that allowed?
25:49 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
25:50 Speaker 04 Listen, if you're offering me a trio, I'm not gonna turn it down.
25:53 Jessie Ware? Fine, do it.
25:53 Speaker 04 And that's really made me quite happy.
25:54 Jessie Ware? More chicken, darling. I do, mom. I'm starving.
25:57 Speaker 04 That's so good.
25:58 Jessie Ware? Okay, go on, hit me.
25:59 Speaker 04 It's I mean, it's it's a heavy trio, but hey.
26:02 Jessie Ware? You want another bit of chicken, Will?
26:03 Speaker 04 I would love, I'm definitely not gonna say no, thank you, it's so delicious.
26:06 Jessie Ware? And a bit of more rice here.
26:08 Speaker 04 Thank you, thank you.
26:09 Jessie Ware? And help yourself with the.
26:09 Speaker 03 I do love that rice.
26:11 Jessie Ware? I love that rice too.
26:12 Speaker 04 Oh, good.
26:12 Speaker 03 Wedding rice.
26:13 Speaker 04 Is that what it's called?
26:14 Speaker 03 Yeah, I love it.
26:15 Speaker 04 I love that. So, I would say that I would love a cheesecake, like a Basque cheesecake.
26:21 Speaker 03 Oh, Jesse made that last week.
26:22 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
26:23 Speaker 04 Oh, good.
26:24 Jessie Ware? But it's hard to make really well, to be honest.
26:26 Speaker 04 And I'll say this, and this is slightly biased because I did work at the restaurant in preparation for the bear, but.
26:31 Speaker 03 Oh, did you? Which one?
26:33 Speaker 04 No, it's not Brad Ashley, although I do love Thomas Perry.
26:36 Jessie Ware? Yes, me too.
26:36 Speaker 04 Restaurants are amazing. I worked at a restaurant in Santa Monica called Pasjer Lee, and the head chef there is called Dave Barron.
26:43 Speaker 03 Pasjer Lee?
26:44 Speaker 04 Pasjer Lee, yeah, it's kind of a amalgam of like two French words, like four.
26:49 Speaker 03 Yeah, not, not, not pretty.
26:51 Speaker 04 Oh, yeah, or like, oh, yeah.
26:52 Speaker 03 Pasjer Lee means not pretty.
26:54 Speaker 04 I guess it does, yeah, and he sort of stuck them together to make one word that doesn't really exist in French, but I quite like it.
26:59 Speaker 03 I've never heard of it.
27:00 Speaker 04 Yeah.
27:00 Jessie Ware? Not pretty.
27:01 Speaker 03 No, Pasjer, is the restaurant?
27:03 Jessie Ware? No, I know, but would it mean like not pretty?
27:04 Speaker 03 Pasjer Lee is, means not pretty.
27:06 Jessie Ware? Oh.
27:06 Speaker 04 Mmm, I guess, and ironically, it's a very pretty restaurant and the food's amazing. So he and his team did a research trip in San Sebastian.
27:15 Jessie Ware? Mm-hmm.
27:15 Speaker 04 And they went, tried Basque cheesecake at the place that is sort of adorned as being kind of the best place.
27:20 Jessie Ware? I'm going there this summer and I'm gonna have to go to the, this place.
27:24 Speaker 04 You're gonna have to do it, and it's amazing and they are obviously like really incredible craftspeople and do an amazing job.
27:31 Speaker 03 So can you make it now?
27:32 Speaker 04 I have made it in the restaurant.
27:34 Speaker 03 And?
27:34 Speaker 04 I wouldn't necessarily back myself to make it at home, but I did make it in the restaurant with far better equipment than, than I have, but this cheesecake, I, I was lucky enough to have in San Sebastian. I went for my 30th birthday to go to San Sebastian. That was my, that was my, uh, my birthday.
27:49 Jessie Ware? You're such a foodie.
27:51 Speaker 04 I do love my food, I do love my food, but I will say this. The Basque cheesecake at Pajolli in Santa Monica is the best in the world. If if that one in the Basque country, if the one in San Sebastian is the best, I I the found better at Pajolli, it's really unbelievable. If you're in Santa Monica, you have to get a slice of that and you can order whole ones as well. Yeah.
28:14 Speaker 03 Why are you looking unsweaty and we're dying?
28:17 Speaker 04 I'm so sweaty, you're joking.
28:19 Speaker 03 We're actually dying.
28:20 Speaker 04 Thank you so much. It's just um, it's like chicken juice and vinegar coming out of me.
28:24 Speaker 03 I know.
28:25 Speaker 04 But it's amazing. Not complaining. Thank you so much.
28:28 Speaker 03 Oh my god.
28:29 Speaker 04 I should get you back.
28:29 Speaker 03 No.
28:30 Speaker 04 I don't have that.
28:31 Speaker 03 I thought, bang on.
28:33 Speaker 04 Thank you.
28:33 Jessie Ware? Okay, so we're we're having the Basque cheesecake from Pajolli.
28:36 Speaker 04 The Basque cheesecake is in there. Um, the other thing, and I know that this is like, this is kind of more of a traditional one, and this is like a bit of a shout out to Saint John, because I think the dessert, I think the desserts at Saint John.
28:49 Speaker 03 God, I don't even know them.
28:51 Jessie Ware? Saint John?
28:52 Speaker 03 I don't know the desserts, darling.
28:53 Jessie Ware? Right, okay.
28:54 Speaker 04 I think it's the, I think it's like the best, definitely the best like kind of like traditional British desserts they're gonna get.
28:59 Jessie Ware? Okay.
29:00 Speaker 03 What is it? Treacle sticky toffee pudding?
29:03 Speaker 04 They're they're sticky. I think they call it a sticky date pudding, I think, or something like that, or date cake. But treacle tart to me with vanilla ice cream is just, and it's not too dissimilar from a Mama Fuku pie.
29:17 Jessie Ware? Mm hmm.
29:17 Speaker 04 It's kind of this like culinary accident of a dish. Oh, thank you. But um, but yeah, I would say a slice of treacle tart with really cold, amazing, like Cornish vanilla ice cream would be my like, you know, my be my dream.
29:33 Jessie Ware? Okay.
29:34 Speaker 04 This is also very rich. I wasn't expecting to have all three. I don't really have any like, anything acidic or fruity, but anyway.
29:40 Jessie Ware? That was fun.
29:41 Speaker 04 Maybe there's a little compote somewhere with the with the cheesecake. I'm going for my last thing, an ice cream cookie sandwich.
29:49 Jessie Ware? Where from?
29:50 Speaker 04 I'm ideally getting it from Chin Chin Labs in Soho.
29:54 Speaker 03 I know, you know everywhere.
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30:40 Jessie Ware? Okay, so that is very sweet.
30:43 Speaker 04 Mmm.
30:44 Jessie Ware? That is a good Last Supper.
30:45 Speaker 04 It's intense, isn't it?
30:46 Jessie Ware? I'm into it. Now, let's talk about the bed, like.
30:49 Speaker 04 Right.
30:49 Jessie Ware? Your character in it has worked with Carmy.
30:52 Speaker 04 Yeah.
30:53 Jessie Ware? And Marcus goes over. Is he lovely?
30:55 Speaker 04 Jeremy?
30:56 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
30:56 Speaker 04 So lovely.
30:57 Jessie Ware? I just think he's. Is he sexy?
30:59 Speaker 04 Very sexy.
30:59 Jessie Ware? Okay. Marcus comes over to Copenhagen to work with you. And you're kind of showing him the ropes with pastry because that's his passion.
31:06 Speaker 04 Mm-hmm. Do you know what? I was really lucky for season two, which was my first involvement. My first episode. The only episode that season was called Honeydew. I trained for that solely in London. I worked at three amazing places. St John. I did a shift at St John, which was very cool.
31:23 Jessie Ware? Was Fergus there?
31:24 Speaker 04 Fergus was there. I didn't get to meet him at that point.
31:27 Jessie Ware? He liked St John. Mr St John.
31:29 Speaker 04 Fergus Henderson, he's like, yeah. He's kind of the person who is credited with sort of celebrating and elevating like nose to tail cooking. So that idea of eating every part.
31:38 Jessie Ware? What does that mean? Awful, he'll do. Oh, I know, like Farah. Yeah, Farah do.
31:43 Speaker 04 Yeah, like eating every part of the, and like old school things like trotter.
31:46 Jessie Ware? Oh, God almighty.
31:47 Speaker 04 Yeah, yeah, yeah, no.
31:48 Jessie Ware? I'm not going there. He's a legend.
31:51 Speaker 04 But he's, he's a legend. And so, yeah, to even be in the building at St John. And listen, I didn't do much. I, you know, they, they knew well how inexperienced I was. They weren't going to let me anything to, near, anything too important. But I did a shift there and then I did a shift in the, in the pastry section as well. So I got to work with the amazing. Head of pastry there, a chef called Rose, she was amazing and like all desserts were incredible. So St John, Trulo, chef Conagad there.
32:18 Speaker 03 Crikey, Riley, you've been everywhere.
32:20 Speaker 04 I worked very, very briefly at Trulo, but that was really, that was really good fun and Conagad's a great guy. And then where I spent most of my time was at Black Axe Mangal, Lee Tienan's restaurant.
32:31 Speaker 03 How was he to work with?
32:32 Speaker 04 Absolutely amazing. Lee's become a friend and I think Black Axe Mangal is.
32:38 Speaker 03 What is Black, it's Turkish.
32:40 Jessie Ware? Really quite, it's kind of very exciting Turkish food, but he like takes.
32:45 Speaker 03 Is he Turkish?
32:46 Jessie Ware? No.
32:47 Speaker 04 Yeah, Black Axe Mangal is sort of Turkish inspired, but there's also kind of like Chinese and Sichuan influences. And he takes inspiration from America. One of his signature dishes is a squid ink flatbread with a cured egg yolk and tarama salata. And it's like.
33:04 Speaker 03 Don't fancy that mum?
33:06 Speaker 04 It's amazing. I will say, I think Black Axe Mangal offers the, probably the most unique meal you can have in London. And it's really small, unassuming, no signage.
33:15 Speaker 03 Highbury's in there.
33:16 Speaker 04 Highbury in Islington. It's really, it's really amazing and I can't recommend going enough. It's really, really great. So those are the three places.
33:23 Speaker 03 Let me to dinner.
33:23 Jessie Ware? Oh yeah, eat your dinner.
33:24 Speaker 04 Oh no, not at all. No, no.
33:25 Jessie Ware? Eat your dinner because I'm asking you questions.
33:27 Speaker 04 I've got no problem eating this dinner. It's so good.
33:29 Speaker 03 It's really nice mum.
33:30 Speaker 04 It was, thank you.
33:31 Jessie Ware? Because actually the sweetness and like delicacy of the wedding rice, it worked.
33:35 Speaker 04 Mmm.
33:36 Jessie Ware? It worked mum.
33:36 Speaker 03 Okay.
33:37 Speaker 04 Great.
33:38 Speaker 03 But we haven't done chocolate for pudding.
33:40 Speaker 04 No, that's absolutely fine. I like all pudding.
33:43 Speaker 03 If you eat chocolate, which one do you eat?
33:45 Speaker 04 So, I mean, gun to my head, milk chocolate.
33:49 Speaker 03 Yeah, me too.
33:50 Speaker 04 But I love white chocolate too.
33:51 Jessie Ware? Wow, you are sweet.
33:53 Speaker 03 Oh, I've got white in the fridge. Why have you got white chocolate in your fridge? For a recipe, because I was going to make Dubai chocolate.
34:01 Jessie Ware? Were you?
34:02 Speaker 03 Yeah.
34:02 Jessie Ware? What for tonight?
34:03 Speaker 03 And I, yeah, and I bought.
34:04 Speaker 04 What is that?
34:05 Jessie Ware? What?
34:07 Speaker 04 I know, I don't know what that is.
34:07 Jessie Ware? Have you been living under a rock?
34:08 Speaker 04 Oh, why?
34:11 Speaker 04 No, I don't know what Dubai chocolate.
34:13 Jessie Ware? What the fuck, Will?
34:14 Speaker 04 What is it here? What is it?
34:16 Speaker 03 It's pistachio cream with katafi pastry, but you can use shredded.
34:21 Jessie Ware? And then like chocolate?
34:22 Speaker 03 Chocolate.
34:23 Jessie Ware? You crunch into it.
34:24 Speaker 03 If you buy a bar, right, I don't know where you live, but Cozy Corner, eight pounds a bar.
34:31 Jessie Ware? That's cheap, mum. That's cheap.
34:33 Speaker 03 It's usually fourteen pounds.
34:34 Jessie Ware? Jonathan Ross brought us one. I swear that was about a hundred quid.
34:37 Speaker 04 That's wild. I, I get upset.
34:39 Speaker 03 You've never heard of it, Dubai?
34:40 Speaker 04 I get, I'm still upset by the fact that like Fredo's allow like twenty five p or something and I grew up with them being ten p.
34:46 Speaker 03 I love Fredo's.
34:47 Speaker 04 Eight pound for a bar of chocolate is a lot, isn't it?
34:49 Jessie Ware? I feel like you need to try it and let us know what you think.
34:52 Speaker 04 Okay, it's worth a penny.
34:53 Speaker 03 Dubai Chocolate, it's called. So I was gonna make some and you put white chocolate in. The Guardian have got the recipe.
34:59 Jessie Ware? Oh, Lenny, too hot today.
35:00 Speaker 03 But you can use shredded wheat instead of katafi pastry.
35:04 Jessie Ware? That's a good little hat.
35:05 Speaker 03 And you don't have to cook the pastry.
35:07 Jessie Ware? Like your brown rice sushi, Will. That'll suit you, babe.
35:10 Speaker 04 Exactly. That sounds great.
35:11 Jessie Ware? I'm going to ask you more questions. I mean, The Bear, this new season's just come out.
35:16 Speaker 04 Yes.
35:16 Speaker 03 You were perfect choice for The Bear.
35:19 Speaker 04 Oh, wow.
35:19 Speaker 03 Because you know so much about food.
35:21 Speaker 04 I just, it's kind of like they let a fanboy on set. They let like a, a real geek on to set.
35:27 Speaker 03 It's such a good programme as well. I love it.
35:29 Speaker 04 I really feel, it was like my favourite show on TV and it's got to be in it.
35:32 Jessie Ware? And then you get the call.
35:33 Speaker 04 It was crazy. In fact, I called them.
35:35 Speaker 03 You must be hot.
35:36 Speaker 04 I like basically begged for a role.
35:37 Speaker 03 Did you?
35:38 Speaker 04 I, I asked to meet the creator and he very kindly met with me.
35:43 Jessie Ware? And what did you say?
35:44 Speaker 04 And I fanned out on him like you wouldn't like.
35:47 Jessie Ware? Yeah, fuck you.
35:48 Speaker 04 I.
35:49 Speaker 03 Jessie, why don't you try? I'll give you a song.
35:52 Jessie Ware? I don't think they need me.
35:54 Speaker 04 No, that would be amazing.
35:55 Jessie Ware? Oh my god, I, I, if you can think that there's a way that they need a singer.
35:59 Speaker 04 Yes.
36:00 Jessie Ware? In the fifth season, let me know.
36:02 Speaker 04 If I'm involved.
36:03 Jessie Ware? Or I'd just be a sous chef. Rami, uh, he directed your first episode, right?
36:08 Speaker 04 Rami Youssef directed.
36:09 Speaker 03 Did he?
36:10 Speaker 04 Yeah. Yeah.
36:11 Jessie Ware? And he's a friend of mine, he's been on the pod, yeah.
36:14 Speaker 04 I love Rami too.
36:14 Jessie Ware? He's fab.
36:15 Speaker 04 He's amazing.
36:15 Jessie Ware? Good to work with, good director.
36:17 Speaker 04 I mean, really, like, I was a fan of Rami as an actor, writer, obviously, love his stand up. Amazing to see how well he took to directing something that wasn't his own thing, you know, like, he just did it seamlessly. Yeah, and he was wonderful to work with, loved working with Rami.
36:34 Jessie Ware? Did you ever get to Chicago?
36:36 Speaker 04 Um, yes, I did, so.
36:37 Jessie Ware? Such great food.
36:38 Speaker 04 Yeah, and actually in season four, I shot, uh, yeah, nearly all my stuff in Chicago.
36:43 Jessie Ware? Well, that gives something away if you say that.
36:45 Speaker 04 Uh, no, because actually, even in season two, when the kitchen that I worked in was set in Copenhagen, I still shot that in Chicago. Yeah, I actually, um, shot that in the basement of a kitchen called Ever, which is Chef Kirk's Duffy's restaurant.
37:00 Jessie Ware? That's a big restaurant there.
37:01 Speaker 04 It's amazing, it's like a two Michelin star kitchen, so it was crazy to even be in.
37:05 Jessie Ware? Can't get in, it's really tough to get a, like, a table.
37:08 Speaker 04 Yeah, and the, um, the chefs that work in, uh, the sort of kitchen that is attached to the bar, which is called After, Ever After.
37:16 Jessie Ware? Hmm.
37:16 Speaker 04 Chef Joe there was like amazing and was like a big inspiration for the scene that was Honey Dew and kind of gave his sort of affirmation of the scene in terms of like how Rami, myself and Marcus were doing it, and that meant a lot to get get that from someone who actually worked in that space and has been in the industry for so long.
37:34 Jessie Ware? Where did you eat in Chicago that you loved? Cause I think the food is fantastic there.
37:38 Speaker 04 The food's so good, yeah, there's so many amazing.
37:42 Jessie Ware? Did you go to Stephanie, like, any of the Girl and the Goats?
37:44 Speaker 04 Oh, I love Girl and the Goat.
37:46 Jessie Ware? Me too.
37:46 Speaker 04 I love that restaurant.
37:48 Jessie Ware? Me too.
37:49 Speaker 04 I think it's so good and she's got several different spots now.
37:51 Jessie Ware? Um, she had this really dirty diner that was quite near. It was like in that Loop, West Loop area, anyway.
37:58 Speaker 04 Oh, yeah, West Loop, yeah.
37:58 Jessie Ware? But I think it's closed down, it was like Little Goat Diner or something like that.
38:01 Speaker 04 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right.
38:02 Jessie Ware? Delicious.
38:03 Speaker 04 Yeah, really good.
38:04 Jessie Ware? Now, let's just talk about this spaghetti bolognese bread thing.
38:09 Speaker 04 Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
38:11 Jessie Ware? This became like, it was something you used to go to school with a spaghetti bolognese sandwich, is that right?
38:15 Speaker 04 So.
38:15 Jessie Ware? Cause you were, you were called the Bolognese boy.
38:19 Speaker 04 Imagine I just have a full on panic attack. No, um, uh, they, they, they happen. No, I, what we would do is my mum would make an amazing spaghetti bolognese. Cause I think a lot of like British mums would.
38:30 Jessie Ware? What's her like secret ingredient?
38:32 Speaker 04 My mum's secret ingredient, I'm trying to think what would go into hers. Generous with the red wine.
38:37 Jessie Ware? Okay.
38:38 Speaker 04 She kind of always put mushrooms in there. Sometimes like the Parmesan rind goes in.
38:43 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
38:43 Speaker 04 Extra flavour, you know, and then like fish out at the end. I don't know if she would deviate all that much.
38:49 Jessie Ware? Fine.
38:49 Speaker 04 From like the British mum's interpretation of, you know.
38:53 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
38:53 Speaker 04 Bolognese. But yeah, what would happen is me and my sister didn't ever really eat traditional breakfasts. So we'd always just eat the leftovers from the night before, which really freaks people out because if we had.
39:03 Speaker 03 So you had pizza?
39:05 Speaker 04 Pizza or if we had Thai green chicken curry the night before, that's what we were having for breakfast.
39:09 Jessie Ware? Why was that? Why? Cause you just loved your mum's food so much.
39:13 Speaker 04 Basically just loved.
39:14 Jessie Ware? Scrambled eggs felt quite boring.
39:15 Speaker 04 Felt boring, was never really that into cereal.
39:17 Speaker 03 I've clearly over catered.
39:19 Speaker 04 Oh my gosh, that looks amazing.
39:22 Speaker 03 But help yourself.
39:23 Speaker 04 Wow, thank you so much.
39:25 Jessie Ware? Help yourself, help yourself.
39:26 Speaker 04 Holy schmokes. What, um, what is this?
39:30 Speaker 03 Kind of Middle Eastern eat and mass. But please have a lot.
39:35 Speaker 04 Can I take a photo of this?
39:35 Speaker 03 Yeah, but please have a lot, darling.
39:37 Speaker 04 Sorry, because that is.
39:39 Jessie Ware? She's gonna give you Tupperware, Will. And you can have it in the morning for breakfast?
39:43 Speaker 03 Yeah.
39:44 Speaker 04 I mean.
39:45 Speaker 03 Just have a lot.
39:46 Speaker 04 This looks insane.
39:47 Speaker 03 Please have a lot, darling.
39:48 Jessie Ware? Okay, so you'd have like.
39:50 Speaker 03 At least four spoons.
39:51 Jessie Ware? You'd have leftovers in the morning.
39:53 Speaker 04 Yeah, yeah, we'd have leftovers in the morning, which I think freaks a lot of people out.
39:57 Speaker 03 No.
39:58 Speaker 04 Are you sure I can't like dish this out?
39:59 Speaker 03 No, keep going, keep going.
40:01 Speaker 04 Okay.
40:02 Speaker 03 Cause I'm very happy.
40:04 Speaker 04 This is, okay, thank you.
40:05 Speaker 03 Cream, sweat.
40:06 Speaker 04 Incredible. Thank you so much.
40:07 Speaker 03 Actually, I've kind of given up with how I look.
40:10 Jessie Ware? It's schwitzing in here.
40:11 Speaker 03 It is actually beyond believable.
40:13 Jessie Ware? So hot, I actually don't know what to do.
40:16 Speaker 04 It's quite warm. Do you want me to fan you for a bit while you, while you, while you spoon?
40:21 Jessie Ware? Very sweet.
40:21 Speaker 04 No, and then keep the, keep the mess cold as well.
40:23 Jessie Ware? I'm not even doing, you're getting nothing.
40:25 Speaker 04 We'll keep the mess.
40:26 Jessie Ware? Oh, yeah, babe.
40:27 Speaker 03 Oh my god.
40:31 Jessie Ware? Is it, yeah?
40:33 Speaker 03 He's happy, mum, he's happy.
40:34 Jessie Ware? Good.
40:35 Speaker 04 That's the rose water in there.
40:36 Speaker 03 Yeah.
40:37 Jessie Ware? Do you like that though?
40:39 Speaker 04 I actually really do.
40:40 Jessie Ware? Thank you.
40:41 Speaker 04 It's actually really. That's really, sorry, that's really good.
40:45 Speaker 03 I have it before it melts. Jesse, I don't think I've ever been this hot. And actually, I think we're all gonna pass out.
40:52 Speaker 04 It has the weather turned Middle Eastern, is that what's happened with this dessert?
40:55 Speaker 03 Yeah, it's true.
40:56 Speaker 04 Yeah, yeah, we're actually in the Middle East.
40:58 Speaker 03 Oh, yeah, very.
40:59 Speaker 04 This is trans- transformative.
41:01 Speaker 03 It's actually unbearable.
41:03 Jessie Ware? It's delicious, this, Mum, I like this.
41:04 Speaker 03 Do you like it? Please eat lots now.
41:07 Jessie Ware? I'm appreciating the pistachio.
41:08 Speaker 03 Are you?
41:09 Jessie Ware? Yeah.
41:10 Speaker 04 Really, really good.
41:11 Speaker 03 Will you have seconds, Will?
41:12 Speaker 04 Yes.
41:13 Speaker 03 I'm sent to the house.
41:14 Jessie Ware? You know you have to. Fucking Ed Sheeran did all helping, so, you know, if you wanna be on Mum's best book.
41:20 Speaker 04 It, I do, I really do.
41:22 Speaker 03 I like good eaters.
41:22 Speaker 04 Okay, okay, I'm on it.
41:25 Jessie Ware? So what else is on the cards? Like, what are you, what are you going into something now? I mean, obviously you've just had like a weekend away, you were working on the Friday, but you've just had Glastonbury. You're kindly doing this, but I'm, I'm sure you're, you're busy.
41:37 Speaker 04 Not kindly, I mean, this is a dreamy way to recover from Glastonbury, thank you. Um, yeah, I, uh, just finished filming something in Ohio recently. That was a really amazing experience.
41:50 Jessie Ware? How was the food there?
41:51 Speaker 04 I had some absolutely amazing Somali food. I discovered this place called Hoyos Kitchen, which is based in, I think it's Northern Market in Columbus, Ohio. And they ended up coming and catering for us on the last day, which was really.
42:05 Jessie Ware? Was that because you made friends with them and then you?
42:07 Speaker 04 I did make friends with them, yeah, and I just wanted to eat their food at work.
42:10 Speaker 03 I'm not force feeding, but please eat.
42:12 Speaker 04 Thank you so much.
42:13 Jessie Ware? It's just got bigger.
42:14 Speaker 04 I'm not, did that grow?
42:16 Speaker 03 I didn't put it all out of the bowl. And Luca has.
42:22 Speaker 04 That is twice the size.
42:24 Speaker 03 I'm so sorry, I overdid it.
42:26 Jessie Ware? Why are you so sorry?
42:27 Speaker 03 Well, there's a bit too much food.
42:29 Jessie Ware? That's okay. No, I'm good, thank you, with the old lactose. He doesn't want to eat it.
42:34 Speaker 03 Are you watching your body at all?
42:36 Speaker 04 Well, I mean, I wasn't the last few days.
42:38 Speaker 03 Have you marvels of the galaxy or whatever they are? Guardians of the marvels or whatever it is, what is it?
42:44 Speaker 04 Yeah, no, close enough, to be fair.
42:45 Speaker 03 Do you have to wear skintight things to those things?
42:48 Speaker 04 Um, again, not anymore, I, I will be wearing, uh, the antithesis of that. Because if I can come around and eat here again, which I would rather do than.
42:56 Jessie Ware? You can come around and promote any old shit.
42:59 Speaker 04 Thank you.
43:00 Jessie Ware? With your fucking food chat. You're welcome again.
43:03 Speaker 03 It is hot, isn't it?
43:04 Speaker 04 It's really, it's really hot.
43:05 Speaker 03 Is it just me? It isn't just me.
43:06 Jessie Ware? This is when you were going through the menopause, that's what we used to say.
43:09 Speaker 03 Is it just me or is it hot? Tully's fanning and he's not menopausal, then we know we're in trouble.
43:15 Jessie Ware? You want to eat, Mum?
43:17 Speaker 04 Oh my god.
43:18 Jessie Ware? Okay, so what have you got going on? You've just filmed something in Ohio.
43:21 Speaker 04 So yeah, I just finished a film in Ohio, which was a really great experience. That comes out, I assume next year, but we're kind of maybe going to like a festival situation with that. So waiting to find out. Season four of The Bear just came out.
43:33 Speaker 03 Oh, are you in that? I've only, we've not seen you yet.
43:36 Speaker 04 No.
43:36 Speaker 03 Three episodes in, I am.
43:38 Speaker 04 Okay, I'll come in a little bit later, but that is just always the most.
43:42 Jessie Ware? Do they get the star? Mum, stop. Don't ruin it for people.
43:46 Speaker 04 I can't say, I can't say. But that, and then I worked with, I worked with Boots Riley on his next film. And that film's called I Love Boosters. That's with Naomi.
43:56 Speaker 03 I love who?
43:57 Speaker 04 It's called I Love Boosters.
43:59 Speaker 03 Okay.
43:59 Speaker 04 And boosters being, I believe, an American term for shoplifters.
44:03 Speaker 03 Oh, is it?
44:04 Speaker 04 Yeah, I think so.
44:05 Jessie Ware? Were you a shoplifter?
44:06 Speaker 04 I don't play a shoplifter now, actually.
44:08 Jessie Ware? So you didn't have to do method shoplifting and super drunk?
44:10 Speaker 04 Do method, yeah.
44:11 Speaker 03 Would you regard yourself like Jeremy Strong, like a method actor?
44:15 Speaker 04 I don't think you're going to ask me if I regard myself as a shoplifter. I've just, I've nicked several things over the course of this interview, by the way. I just haven't, I just haven't, I'm certainly. You know, the method thing, I don't think I could even necessarily claim to be a method actor because I haven't done formal training really. And I don't even really know what the method is. My perception of it though is, I think method is an odd, odd word only because I feel like every actor has a method. And so the implication that someone is a method actor kind of implies that that way of doing it is the only way. Or is the sort of best way or the most committed way or the most sort of the fullest version of it. And I don't always necessarily think that.
44:57 Jessie Ware? Will, before we let you go, what is a nostalgic taste or scent that can transport you back somewhere?
45:04 Speaker 04 Really good question. I think.
45:08 Speaker 04 My mum's gravy.
45:10 Jessie Ware? Hmm.
45:11 Speaker 04 Is sort of the essence of Sunday lunch and why I fell in love with food. And it speaks to what my mum kind of cooked and did for our family, you know, with her food. But also it's part of my dad's upbringing, being from Yorkshire. Yorkshire boys love gravy. Yeah, that smell of my mum making gravy was just like, okay, we're also not that far away from all like now, sitting down and enjoying the meal. So that, that, that brings me right back to my mum's, my mum's kind of kitchen table.
45:40 Jessie Ware? When's your next roast with your mum?
45:42 Speaker 04 What date is it? I might even be able to get one in this weekend.
45:46 Jessie Ware? I think you need to.
45:47 Speaker 04 Might even be this Sunday. In fact, I might, now we're talking about it, I might ask my mum if she'll do one.
45:52 Jessie Ware? I think, I think do it.
45:53 Speaker 04 I'm like salivating.
45:54 Speaker 03 It won't be that hot this weekend.
45:55 Jessie Ware? I think it may rain, which would be perfect.
45:57 Speaker 04 Oh.
45:57 Jessie Ware? And on that note, Will Pal- Poulter.
46:00 Speaker 04 Poulter.
46:01 Jessie Ware? Poulter, I'd say.
46:02 Speaker 04 Don't be silly. It's one of those names.
46:04 Jessie Ware? We'll poultry, I'm calling it poultry.
46:06 Speaker 04 Chicken man is fine.
46:07 Jessie Ware? Chicken.
46:07 Speaker 04 Chicken man is absolutely fine with me.
46:09 Jessie Ware? Chicken man, thank you so much for coming on.
46:11 Speaker 04 Thank you.
46:12 Jessie Ware? And just being gloriously invested in food.
46:16 Speaker 03 Yeah, loves food. You're the best foodie we've had.
46:18 Speaker 04 You're, that is so sweet of you to say that.
46:21 Speaker 03 Yes, you're the most foodie we've ever had on.
46:23 Speaker 04 I'm just quite greedy and I appreciate you like feeding me.
46:26 Speaker 03 Thank God, do you want to take some home darling?
46:29 Speaker 04 Kind of.
46:29 Speaker 03 Okay, great.
46:30 Speaker 04 No, no, no, no, I shouldn't, I shouldn't.
46:31 Speaker 03 I'm so happy.
46:32 Speaker 04 Oh, you're happy. Okay, then I should, then I should.
46:34 Speaker 03 No, don't do it to make me happy. It's okay. Don't do it to make me happy.
46:40 Speaker 04 No.
46:40 Jessie Ware? Fucking take it. Well, you have to take it now.
46:44 Speaker 04 Fuck, but then what?
46:45 Speaker 03 He won't eat it.
46:46 Speaker 04 Oh, wait, wait. You mean, you mean the dessert? Or you mean that, well, because I'm able to travel with that, that money?
46:50 Speaker 03 No, I don't think it's that great.
46:52 Jessie Ware? It's only more chicken now.
46:53 Speaker 03 There's two pieces of chicken if you want.
46:55 Jessie Ware? Chicken in the morning.
46:55 Speaker 04 I don't want to take it off you.
46:57 Speaker 03 Of course you can have it.
46:57 Jessie Ware? Yeah, you have chicken and rice in the morning.
46:59 Speaker 04 I'd love chicken and rice for breakfast. Thank you so much. That would be amazing. Thank you so much for having me on.
47:04 Jessie Ware? You may just get salmonella on the way home.
47:05 Speaker 03 And then I'll make sure you come back, because you have to return my tupperware.
47:10 Speaker 04 That's genius. That's genius.
47:13 Jessie Ware? Oh my god, fucking Cathy Bates misery. Run, Will, run.
47:32 Jessie Ware? I'm so sorry. Firstly, we are so sorry that there was a lot of fanning going on. It is the hottest day. Dear Joe is plugging in the fan. There will be more fanning now. It is unbearable in this house. So sorry if it was a bit flappy and fanny. Fanny can't really...
47:53 Jessie Ware? Flappy and fanny?
47:58 Jessie Ware? Oh God, mum's away from listening.
48:03 Jessie Ware? Thanks so much to Will Poulter for coming on and flapping our fans for us. It was really fab to have him. He is such a foodie. He's delightful. What a gorgeous guest. I'm telling you now, Will Poulter's allowed to come on again for every season he wants. And I'm sure he would give us even more food stories. A brilliant guest. He was just fabulous. I loved him. I'm about to try all his recommendations. And I'm very excited. Kindred spirit. Really, yes. Love chatting to him. The food was delish, mum. He did forget his Tupperware, bless him, after all that drama. He was probably just too hot. But he put it down, so it wasn't in the photo and he's left it here. Bless him.
48:47 Jessie Ware? But a really, really lovely night, even though it is so hot. It's the hottest I've ever been, I've been for a long time. Thank you for listening. And you can watch Will in the new season of The Bear, which is out now. And you can watch him in many other things. But he was fab. He's in lots of things. Everything. Everything. We'll see you next week.
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