Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware

Week 2 of our summer Second Helpings and we’re travelling back to November 2021 where we had pop princess, Jade Thirwall. Jade came over to mums for her favourite meal, a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings! Turning up in full glam after a long photo shoot, it was just what the doctor ordered for our girl. She talked about her mum’s mince pies - and not the Christmas kind - her penchant for putting crisps in a tuna sarnie, drinking Malibu and always wanting the economy meal on the aeroplane. We discuss her beautiful relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and her obsession with Diana Ross. It’s all in there! Thank you Jade, you gem! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We may be on our summer break but we thought we’d delve into the Table Manners archive and relive some of our favourite episodes from 17 wonderful series! Up first is the gorgeous Aisling Bea who joined us in February 2020. We had been trying to nail down a recording with Aisling ever since we became friends on a Love Island WhatsApp group. I had laughed and swooned at her wit and grace from afar for a while so it was a total pleasure to offer a hoodie and a green tea to Irish actress writer and all round hilarious human, Aisling Bea. And thank God she came, if only to explain the meaning of 'dogging' to mum. We chat Irish whisky, plane food, Love Island (of course) sustainability and nibbling on toasted pecans. Aisling is the sharpest cheddar on the board and god we love her! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the final episode of Series 17 and we’re bidding adieu with actor, presenter and author, the gorgeous Stephen Mangan! Fresh from filming his latest series in Grenada, Stephen joined us for a BBQ lunch. We heard about his process when writing children’s books, choosing to go to boarding school as a child, his recent stint in the West End in a play about thrupples, how he plans to run a marathon every year for the rest of his life, and mum manages to get him to tell us his confession - a la his Radio 4 series ‘The Confessional’. Thank you Stephen for being a fabulous series finale! Stephen’s new series of ‘The Fortune Hotel’ starts on the 6th August on ITV1. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We said it last week, but this time it really does feel like the hottest day of the year… joining us for lunch is the gorgeous actress Suranne Jones! Star of Doctor Foster, Vigil, Gentleman Jack, and a Coronation Street icon, and this week we caught up to talk about her new TV project, ‘Hostage’. We heard about growing up in Chadderton (and how mum used to go horse riding there!), how she met her husband at a wedding, filming Vigil during Covid lockdowns, setting up her own production company, admitting she isn’t the best cook and we even hear about her love of witches - and the Channel 4 documentary she made about them! This episode has been a very long time coming, Suranne, you were totally worth the wait as you are a total delight! Suranne’s new series Hostage launches on Netflix on the 21st August. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for more information.

We have podcaster, author, and voice of Radio 2 drivetime joining us this week, the delightful Sara Cox! Mum’s just home from her Greek holidays, so we have a full Grecian menu for lunch - Psari Plaki with potatoes & Feta, followed by home made strawberry ice cream. Sara told us about making a podcast with her best friend Clare, growing up on a farm (and her dad’s foot injury from a bull called Ferrari), becoming an early riser to write her next book, the traditional Lancashire food she had growing up, and we hear about her Bake Off stint and how she won the show with her amazing showstopper! Sara you must come round again, and next time we’ll make you 'tatty ash' and black peas! Sara & Clare's podcast The Teen Commandments is out now on all podcast platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘iya to this weeks guest, the gorgeous Charley Marlowe! She travelled down from Manchester especially to come and join us for lunch and it was glorious. We heard all about Charley becoming the voice of 'I Kissed A Girl’ on the BBC, taking on TikTok during lockdown, how honey is her secret ingredient in everything, her secret dress quick-change halfway through the BAFTAs, and what it was like finally meeting her idol, Jane McDonald. Thank you Charley for being so patient with us when both mum & I had a disaster with a mandoline (video to come). Charley really is a superstar presenter in the making, watch this space and she’ll be everywhere! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have Irish acting royalty joining us this week – star of the stage, Killing Eve, Fleabag, Harry Potter, Star Wars, the list is endless – it's the incredible Fiona Shaw! Fiona is in the midst of promo for 2 films, Echo Valley and Hot Milk, and she found time to join us for a spot of brunch at Mum’s. We heard about life between London & New York (and Sri Lanka), her routine of a smoothie for breakfast every morning, working with the formidable Julianne Moore, her mum singing daily when she was growing up, and discovering and cooking Sri Lankan food with her wife. Fiona’s fantastic in both films – of course – don’t miss Echo Valley, which is out now on AppleTV+, and Hot Milk, which is released in cinemas on the 4th of July. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have the wonderful Michelin star chef, and owner of La Gavroche, Michel Roux Jr joining us for lunch this week. Mum was surprisingly calm considering she was cooking for a double Michelin star chef, but Michel even got involved and guided her through the fish cooking! We heard all about Michel’s military training in his teens, his dad cooking for the Queen Mother, his love of vintage champagne, leaving Masterchef The Professionals due to potatoes and he tells us how his mother’s waters broke right in the middle of their dinner service! Michel was a true gentleman and joins our list of fabulous chef guests across the series. You can catch La Gavroche at Wimbledon this summer and on board selected Cunard cruise ships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Kia ora!’ to our next guest, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. We caught up with Jacinda at the start of her book tour, and chatted over another delicious Ixta Belfrage recipe. We hear about how her aunt Marie got her into politics, making her favourite plum sauce, meeting world leaders, learning how to fillet fish from her husband, handling Covid in New Zealand, being pregnant while in office and she talks about studying for a masters at Harvard and now living in Boston. We also found out we have more in common than we thought, as Jacinda & I have both performed at the same Australian music festival, Laneway - hi DJ Jacinda! Jacinda’s brand new book ‘A Different Kind of Power’ is out now, it really is a fascinating read. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back in the UK, and we have an acting legend joining us this week - it’s Jason Isaacs! Jason had already been in touch earlier in the week to apologise for ‘being a vegan who doesn’t like vegetables’! But no bother! We cooked up a storm and we love a challenge. And Jason more than made up for it with his excellent table chat; we heard about working with Gillian Anderson on their new film ‘The Salt Path’, filming White Lotus, how he married his wife for the health insurance, his encounter with a ghost, turning down West End shows, and we discover that men who are vegan have better erections… Plus Jason even treats us to a magic trick, the must see video will be on our socials this week. Don’t miss Jason’s beautiful new film The Salt Path, which is out in cinemas this Friday the 30th May. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the last episode of our New York series 💔and we’re going out with a bang with legendary Late Night host and SNL icon Seth Meyers! Seth popped over to the hotel for breakfast, catered by the fabulous Buba’s Bureka (and some Breads bakery babka too!) We covered everything from SNL, Broadway musicals, his love of Chinese food, pet goats, lockdown meatball obsessions, his mum’s legendary sandwich fillings, and what it’s like hanging out with his 3 year old daughter at restaurants. Seth, you are such a gent and we promise to cook for you when you join us again in London for the full chicken soup and matzo ball experience! A big thank you to The Standard High Line for having us on our New York adventure, and to all our fabulous guests too - think this might need to be a regular trip… Seth’s stand up special ‘Dad Man Walking’ is available to stream on HBO Max in the US and Sky in the UK now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s week 3 of our NYC series and we’re certainly not having a day off, it’s acting legend Matthew Broderick! Star of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Producers, The Lion King, and so many more, Matthew is a born and bred New Yorker so it was meant to be! We got details of his morning coffee routine, sharing the milk with his cat, what it was like working with Marlon Brando, spending time in Ireland, visiting his mum every weekend and the delicious food they ate, eating around London & New York while working on the West End & Broadway, and we find out whether Matthew or his wife SJP has a bigger wall of shoes! What a treat to be at the top of The Standard High Line with Matthew pointing out all of the best hot spots in NYC out the window, thank you so much for joining us Matthew!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week for our NYC series we have the star of stage and screen, Broadway legend - and newly Tony nominated - Jonathan Groff joining us! Fresh from opening night of his brand new - and already 6 time Tony nominated - show Just In Time, Jonathan joined us at The Standard High Line for lunch. We heard all about what it’s like playing the iconic Bobby Darin and how the play came to be. We also talked about Jonathan growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania, figuring out his sexuality, working as a waiter in NYC, audition rejections, Frozen 3, and his deep love of Beyoncé. Just In Time has just opened at the Circle In The Square Theatre in NYC, and you don’t want to miss seeing him shine! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Table Manners takes on Manhattan! For our NYC series, we’re serving up the wonderful Selena Gomez and her gorgeous fiancé (and good friend of the podcast) Benny Blanco! Recorded live from the glorious Boom Bar at The Standard High Line hotel, Selena & Benny told us all about their first date in LA, the recipes Selena learned from her nana, wedding plans, how Selena got a rash after their first kiss, the meals Benny’s mum cooked him growing up, eating pickles at the cinema and that she used to hide round the corner from Benny’s house before a date. This was a total delight with the most gorgeous guests - we can’t wait for you to see what else is ahead for this stellar NYC season! Selena & Benny’s joint album ‘I Said I Love You First’ is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.