Life with Nat - EP180: Chef Elliott Grover & Drag Queen Pasty

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

Well this one's incredibly fun - brothers Elliott & Jake have popped over to Nat's for a natter and what a joy it was. From Cornwall opening the Leicester Square Greggs (and being on Drag Race UK) AND... from Cornwall to feeding the stars at the Oscars, these two are a hoot! Elliott's insta - https://www.instagram.com/elliottgrover Pasty's insta - https://www.instagram.com/pasty_kween Catch Pasty at the Karaoke Hole - https://dalstonsuperstore.com/the-karaoke-hole/ And follow in their touristy footsteps with a trip to the Hollywood Museum - https://thehollywoodmuseum.com/ Enjoy! xx Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get the merch!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.lifewithnat.shop/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nat's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natcass1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Neice's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natsnieces⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tony's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tonycass68⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linny's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@auntielinny.lwn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ THE BIG CHRISTMAS LIVE SHOW 7th December ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- claphamgrand.com/event/live-with-nat-at-christmas/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book Club: November's book - All Together for Christmas by Sarah Morgan & December's book (optional extra for the speedy readers) - A Heart for Christmas: Advent Romance by Sophie Jomain Nat’s solo chats - any rants always welcome!  Scraping the Barrel - SCAN AND SHOP VIRGIN NO LONGER! Bonce vs list! - Are you a list maker? Always collecting for Nostalgia Fest! What’s brewing with the Nieces - are we all skipping the end of summer, all of autumn and going straight to Christmas - Nat’s door is! Group chat ettiquette & pranks. Nice Lorraines… get in touch! Advent calendars & gift recommendations v. welcome! Things we’re nagging with Linny about - More lateness stories and some cleaning questions, please! The Tony talks chatter - Keep your DIY questions coming, also open to some saucy two paragraph stories for Tony to read out at the Southend show - think cheeky postcards (both in tone and length)! Can we make Tony an influencer and get him any freebies?  TBC Cultural differences ep - inspired by Linny’s Mediterranean heritage and her & Ellia's Italian trip, we'd love to hear about the cultural differences you've noticed between the UK and basically ANYWHERE else!  A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@keepitlightmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Canada's Wonderland is bringing the holiday magic this season with Winterfest on select nights now through January 3rd. Step into a winter wonderland filled with millions of dazzling lights, festive shows, rides, and holiday treats. Plus, Coca-Cola is back with Canada's kindest community, celebrating acts of kindness nationwide with a chance at 100,000 donation for the winning community and a 2026 holiday caravan stop. Learn more at canadaswunderland.com. Hello and welcome to Life with Nat on this glorious Monday. I am so excited. This is a rather amazing experience because I am here tonight. I'm with Elliot Grover,
Starting point is 00:01:00 an amazing friend of mine and his brother lovely Jake Grover who you will know as pasty from series 7 of Drag Race UK We're here We're on the podcast
Starting point is 00:01:16 We're here so happy to be here Very happy, very happy Really happy Thank you for having it It's an absolute honour and a pleasure To have you both I don't even know where to start
Starting point is 00:01:27 Because I just feel like Yeah Some things are meant to be and we met on cooking with the stars and we got on straight away just clicked didn't they yeah i mean we were singing and dancing you're always surprised surprise surprise surprise surprise straight away it weren't even about the cooking was it we were just chatting the whole time yeah that's always what's good though isn't it it's usually you want to be around people that make you laugh and just normal and you're always
Starting point is 00:01:54 singing dance you never stop yeah so do you so do you oh absolutely perfect it's a match made in heaven yeah so i need to talk about you being brothers because i think that is so amazing um and elliott and i had a breakfast when we were doing cooking with the stars and he told me about you and as a family and that dynamic and how different your careers and lives are yeah how do you feel about that just run me through you just talk to me about everything, your childhood, how it happened. It's just, I don't really, I mean, where to begin? I mean, our mum and dad are like...
Starting point is 00:02:34 The A team? The A team, yeah, we call them the Anne and Allen. Anne and Alan A team. So, yeah, all my friends at home and everything, they're the A team. Amazing. They're brilliant, brilliant people. Yeah, well, they are. They're not...
Starting point is 00:02:46 Oh, they're still here. Yeah. Sorry, yeah, yeah, they're still here. They're brilliant. And we, I absolutely love them. And I think, obviously, we've done quite well in our respective careers based on, you know, I'm obviously a drag queen and you're a chef. That's sometimes, you know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:03:05 Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes. But it's a very bizarre dynamic because, I mean, I mean, we've got Christmas coming up, obviously, and when we sit down for Christmas, it's very different personalities at the table. Yeah. But it's, it's, I feel like our parents, we kind of match. Like, I notice sometimes when my mum says stuff and I'm like, oh, if you were in a drag bar,
Starting point is 00:03:29 you'd be reading people. Like, you'd be taking them out of them. Oh, she's constantly ripping the shreds out of people without even realised doing it. Brilliant. But I remember, like, when I was growing up, Jake would be doing like the headline of the pantomime in school. Yes.
Starting point is 00:03:43 And he'd be in the choir. There was a choir called Kappa. Yes, Kappa. And I secretly wanted to be in it because I've got a fantastic voice. Do you? No, not really. No, I like to think I do. But Jake was always doing
Starting point is 00:03:56 sort of the musical theatre stuff and then I don't know I was just moaning and moping around a bit you know? Always cooking though. You've always cooked. Have you? I've always cooked and there was a Gary Rhodes cookbook
Starting point is 00:04:07 and my mum Anne she really she can't really cook let's be honest here, Jake. Oh well. Sorry, Anne. Yeah. Hope you don't listen to be honest, Dan.
Starting point is 00:04:19 Our dad was always the cook. Okay. If you come home from school and you'd see a shepherd's pie in the oven you know mom had cooked. Yeah, that was the way, yeah. What's wrong with a shepherd's pie? No, nothing, as in like it would always be the thing that she would cook.
Starting point is 00:04:33 Okay, fine. The thing that she was good at things like mince. Yeah. Like me. That's a bit like. Mincing around. We love a mince every now to go. We love a minter.
Starting point is 00:04:45 Yeah. But I remember how to Gary Rhodes cookbook. I remember. And it had the Victoria Sponge cake in. Yeah. And basically you cook this Victoria Spongue. like normal, cut it in half, and then you cut the top into triangles. Okay.
Starting point is 00:05:00 We need Juliette Sierra to show us how to do this, yeah. So you'd cut it up, and then you put cream into a dome, so then each segment was sort of perfect. And I made this cake when I was probably about 11, and it came out exactly like the book. And there is a picture somewhere of it. Amazing. And then I thought, I'm not good at any for now, so might as well... Crank on by the cooking.
Starting point is 00:05:20 Yeah, that's it. Like, Nanny and Granddad. Nanny and Granddad. our nana and grandad, obviously. Not just too random people. Nanny always used to cook. Yeah. And when we would go around there, you would always cook.
Starting point is 00:05:31 You'd always make the breakfast. You used to make this like scrambled egg thing. Do you remember? Oh, with like sliced peppers, tomatoes. And then you cracked the egg in? And how old were you when you were doing that? Must have been, that must have been like 10 or 11. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:05:44 You've always cooked. Always cooked. Yeah. That's mad, isn't it? And no one in your family were professional cooks. No, no. And I just remember my dad worked in a place called Trinife Manor in Cornwall. And I think I went there.
Starting point is 00:05:59 It must have been when I was 15 or something like that. And I only worked there for around three months. Yeah. And I had a... Was it not more than three months? I swear you worked there for a while. Do you know what? It's all such a blur.
Starting point is 00:06:12 Yeah. Everything's gone so quick in my career. So I was there and I did... I was at St. Austell College. And I only did three months there of the... apprenticeship and then by that time I'd applied to work at the Ivy and Scots and Caprice and then after three months I just dropped it all and then went there so yeah yeah yeah yeah and you followed shortly after didn't you I did I went to Greenwich for university
Starting point is 00:06:38 because I always loved film and I did film studies and I did work in post-production before obviously the drag kicked off yeah but I moved up because you lived in Greenwich yeah and mom and dad were like you need to go to London when I was like I'm very happy to engage London. Well, I say that, but Greenwich isn't really London, isn't it? It's, yeah, it's a bit further down. But I mean, compared to Cornwall, Greenwich is London, you know what I mean? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:07:04 So I went there, and then I actually started working at a place called the Mount Street Deli. Yeah. Okay. Which was opposite Scots. And I started off as a kitchen porter. Yeah, and he worked his unbelievable. Jake was so great. Honestly, I loved working with him.
Starting point is 00:07:19 But I was quite an angry chef at that time. Okay. So Jake didn't like working with me so much. And I remember very proud of Jake because he was cited as a, what was it, a kitchen porter and he got up to assistant manager. Wow. Yeah. Delhi supervised that. But Jake doesn't like rude guests.
Starting point is 00:07:36 So Jake would always tell the rude guests, excuse me, don't be rude, go. And I love that. Yeah, that's brilliant. Doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, don't be rude. Oh, it's so true. And there's a lot of them, right? There's a lot of rude people and I feel like... Can't be doing it.
Starting point is 00:07:50 It doesn't, like you say, people get away with a lot because they've got a load of money because of their status. Money can't buy class. Oh, absolutely. That's that song from the real housewives. Do you know it? No.
Starting point is 00:08:02 Money can't buy your class. I love that. I don't know which housewife it is, or maybe I've just got it completely wrong. I'm sure you haven't. I've seen many drag queens lip synced to a brunch. Brilliant. But yeah.
Starting point is 00:08:14 Amazing. But yeah, working in Mayfair's fun. It was fun. It was good vibes. But, you know, You know, the chef life was not for me. No. I enjoyed being the supervisor of the deli.
Starting point is 00:08:26 Yeah, same air. And then... I'm joking, joking. And then I moved, I finished uni and went straight into post-production. Yeah. And then I ended up being a scheduler and I would organise all of this stuff, all of the suites for like Star Wars, Disney, all of that kind of stuff. And then became a drag queen and just slowly that went off.
Starting point is 00:08:48 What happened? What was the turning point where you thought that's what I want to do? So I have a good friend called Madge. She was Madonna Cabab. Yeah. But now she's Madge. And she entered this competition called the Gold Rush, which was in East London. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:03 In a bar called The Glory. It was a bit like the drag race, but like... Yeah, but live every week. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was brilliant. Yeah. We'd be given a challenge. Like, there was one called three bags full.
Starting point is 00:09:14 Right. And in one bag was a time duration, another was a theme and another was a style of performance. Perfect. And very unluckily... I reckon drag race... Well, there you go. They're up against it.
Starting point is 00:09:24 There you go. They don't do it anymore, though, do they? Gold Rush, it's moving on to more of an online thing. Bring it back. Bring it back now. I'd love to see it again. Like, it was so good. For these three bags full, I got six minutes, Mime, Jurassic Park. That's hard.
Starting point is 00:09:47 How'd you do that? What did you do? I was in a car. pretended to drive the car and Madonna Cabab came on stage with a dinosaur mask and pretended to be a dinosaur I was just pretending to be a dinosaur
Starting point is 00:09:58 no and we lip synced to well I didn't lip sync because I was a mime that's the thing you know and I just drove and did shut up and drive my meaning is hard as a dinosaur because you want a raw don't you you want a raw oh she had a latex mask and she hated it she doesn't like latex
Starting point is 00:10:14 and I was like I need to win this competition so you're going to put that on your head and did you win I won that week but I'd never performed before and I entered the competition and then next thing I know 10 weeks later I'm in the final
Starting point is 00:10:29 I mean your evolution of drag as well I remember when he first was it 10 years 8 years ago? What is it now? December 2025 It was 2018 no 2019 6, 7 years If you think about it for me
Starting point is 00:10:45 from the outside to be on drag race in such a short amount of time there's people that have been doing it for what 15, 20 years that haven't managed to do that. Of course, yeah. So that's quite cool, no? I think that's really...
Starting point is 00:10:57 I think also the thing with it is we're from Cornwall. In Cornwall, there's not like a big gay scene. No. Like it's not very big down there. How did you find that growing up? Being gay? How was all that for you?
Starting point is 00:11:11 I don't know. I have so many listeners who we did a special back in sort of February. in March, actually, kind of pride stuff. And there's a lot of people, I think, listening who would love to know, you know, how you found coming out, just how you found that scene where you lived
Starting point is 00:11:29 because it was sort of small town. Yeah, there was, there's not a scene. No. At all, no. And I think that when you're around people that support you, that's where you really flourish. Like, I've got lifelong friends. Like, I've been to their weddings.
Starting point is 00:11:45 I was my best mate, Chris's. best man at his wedding and we've known each other for years. You mean, you know, Chris. We used to call him Bacon Boy because he would always have bacon. He loved bacon. He loved bacon and it was like a
Starting point is 00:11:57 well-known thing in the family that he was Bacon Boy. But, yeah, surround yourself with people who support you and then people will love you for you and then that makes it a lot easier to come out. And then you have the confidence to be you. It all comes down again to kindness
Starting point is 00:12:14 and we do it in the kitchen. Yeah. And I will say, I don't think many chefs do it, and that's a rarity, and we can talk about it in a bit. But that essence of kindness and being nice, it doesn't, again, doesn't matter who you are, what you do. Just be kind. And I tell you what, you know as well, it comes back in shedloads. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:12:31 Just be nice. It don't matter if you like this or like that. Just be kind. Well, I visited your kitchen not so long ago. He was so kind, and we came from Mark's 40th. Yes. But the first thing I thought when I stepped into that kitchen was everyone was happy. It's crazy, isn't it?
Starting point is 00:12:48 Everyone was so just respectful of you, but you treated everybody with such respect and as on a level. Yeah, and I mean... I've been in kitchens before where that doesn't really see the case. Yeah, I mean, previous in my career, I'd worked in some really amazing places, and I've worked in places which have taught me so much, but there was abuse there.
Starting point is 00:13:09 You know, when I say abuse, I mean, screaming, shouting, throwing things, which isn't acceptable. And I always said to myself that I was, never allow that to happen. Occasionally you might scream and shout, but I think throwing a pan or strangling someone is completely unacceptable in any trade.
Starting point is 00:13:26 But for some reason, the chef trade seems to have that. And it is still there. And I've said it in previous interviews and all that kind of thing or whatever. And a lot of chefs, they try and say that they're all well and good and everything's perfect. But really... Behind the scenes.
Starting point is 00:13:44 No, no, no, no, no, behind the scene. Yeah. Oh, dearly me. Mark my words. Yeah. And what I like about what I do and what the team does, because it ain't me, it's them, is we have a kindness policy within Dorchester Collection
Starting point is 00:14:00 where we look after each other, we support each other. And yeah. But it shines through. And that's it. It shines through because everyone is happy. Yeah. You can tell. You can.
Starting point is 00:14:09 You sit down and you have your dinner. And you just think everyone seems to be loving going to work. Yeah. And why would you not want to love to love? love going to work. And you don't have to be horrible to make a nice plate of food. No.
Starting point is 00:14:20 You know, it's not really. I think with the sheffing thing, there's that whole world where it's like, you know, the Gordon Ramsey. Yeah. They think that that's the correct way to manage things.
Starting point is 00:14:29 And kitchen nightmares and we've grown up with that shout, in screaming sort of thing. Yeah. The idiot sandwich. But Gordon's not even like that. No. It's TV.
Starting point is 00:14:37 He's lovely. He's lovely. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, obviously, yeah, he does it for TV, but in real life he's not. I feel like he's really soft. and because he's a lovely daughter Tilly.
Starting point is 00:14:48 Yes. She's a chef, isn't she? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And my kids grew up, and we love Tilly's program on CBBC. Yeah, it's a children's thing. Yeah. And Gordon's in all of those, and I don't know him. But he's so, in that, he's playing a dad, and they're at home.
Starting point is 00:15:02 And you think you look like a really nice guy, you know. No, exactly. It's very interesting, because obviously I worked in Scots, well, I worked at the deli, but it was Scots and stuff. All the preparation for the food. was done at Scotts Mayfair. Okay. And the cakes were done at 34. And then they'd collaborate that and then bring it over to the Mount Street deli.
Starting point is 00:15:24 And we had some incredible chefs as well. My friend Steph. Oh, she was brilliant. Yeah, she's an amazing chef. And the food and stuff is just brilliant. And then, you know, I mean, as you've said, when I go into your kitchen, I'm very lucky I get to go to lovely restaurants and have lovely food. It's very different.
Starting point is 00:15:46 going into your kitchen because you really can see what you said where it's like everyone's just... It's a buzz, they're enjoying it, they're smiling. Yeah. And you can tell it's not false because someone's popping in. Oh, for sure.
Starting point is 00:16:00 You can tell if something's false. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I mean, it's got to be authentic. It's got to be real. And I think a lot of people love doing this kitchen tour now where we grill the steaks with the guests. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:16:11 People have said in the past, why don't you move the bins? Why don't you do? I said, because I'm not moving the bin. It's a kitchen. It's a kitchen. It's a working environment and people absolutely love it
Starting point is 00:16:20 and it's like everything we do is again talking about Instagram earlier everyone is so polished and prim and proper whether it be outfits, makeup food, family life, home this perfect perception it's ridiculous
Starting point is 00:16:34 this is not real life why you know you're definitely not perfect I'm definitely not right mood yeah I was going to say thank you it's called shade shade it is good shade but no No one's perfect, and I think this is the problem with social media,
Starting point is 00:16:48 isn't it, at the minute? Of course it is, of course, but I think it is, I can tell because I do whatever I do, I don't know what I do, but if I think of something to do, I just do it. So it's not, nothing's planned what I do. And that's what makes you so great. Well, I don't know about that, but I will go on if I'm in my pyjamas, if I'm in bed,
Starting point is 00:17:10 if I'm cleaning a toilet, if I'm doing the washing, because I'll think of something. And I have to say, I do think, My listeners and people, they appreciate real life, and that's what you're saying. Exactly. The amount of drag queens I've met. Yeah. Where Instagram does not correlate what they look like in person.
Starting point is 00:17:28 Yeah. But then that's also sometimes with me, I don't like to edit my photos. We often see you out of drag, actually. Oh, yeah. This is a bit of a treat, actually. This is a treat. It's a treat for me because I'm not wearing it. Well, I was absolutely devastating.
Starting point is 00:17:41 I know. I'm sorry. Maybe next time. Next time, there we go. Come to one of my shows. You're more than welcome, absolutely. But, yeah, like, sometimes people will be like, oh, I can see your lace, like on a wig in a photo, and I'm like, that's because it's a wig.
Starting point is 00:17:56 Yeah, it's not real hair. And I'm like, oh, you know, one of your eyebrows is a little bit walking. I'm like, yes, because I drew them on. It's not my actual eyebrow? It's not my actual eyebrow. Yeah, it's... I keep going closer to the mic, too. I know.
Starting point is 00:18:07 I don't know why. You're just eager. I love it. Tiny blackburn over there. Yeah. And next is this one. Feeling festive. Catch classic holiday favorites like Home Alone,
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Starting point is 00:18:54 You do. So ask yourself, can you or can't you? Can you load up a Ford F-150 and build your dream with sweat and steel? Can you chase thrills and conquer curves in a Mustang? Can you take a Bronco to where the map ends and adventure begins? Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right. Ready, set, Ford. The drag world is crazy.
Starting point is 00:19:21 And I love it. I love it so much. I was so angry. About going out, yeah. You know, as a brother watching. Yeah. I genuinely, I remember ringing my dad every day. So Jake went to the film in and he couldn't have his phone with him.
Starting point is 00:19:37 Yes. Obviously, yeah. And I love to win. You're in my blood. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have to win. And actually, I lost. to Natalie.
Starting point is 00:19:47 You did. You took him for the staffs. Neither of us have won anything. You've won. I'm so surprised you've even come over because of this. Honestly, though, just talking to that quickly,
Starting point is 00:19:58 that was just amazing. And I feel like we got to the end and it just felt like we were all winners. Yeah, of course we were. It was so wonderful. I love Tony as well. He's brilliant, and when Jake went,
Starting point is 00:20:10 he gave his phone and basically, I think it was over, was it a six-week period or something? How long was the period of time? I mean, I was only there for two of the weeks. Yeah, so, yeah. We were, I remember saying to dad, he's going to get to the final. He's going to get, we're not going to hear from him for eight weeks.
Starting point is 00:20:25 And my dad, Alan and my mum, they would be like, we're not going to hear from him for a few weeks yet. Like that sort of manifestation is what we do. Anyway, we've got this. My mum rings me and she goes, oh dear. I said, well, what's wrong? And I thought she's going to say, you know, dad's falling over in the garden or something. You don't have a garden. But anyway, they said, oh, Jake's on his way home.
Starting point is 00:20:49 So I had to go down. Was you furious? I was livid and I was more worried about Jake because we were all worried about him because it's a lot of mental pressure as well. Yeah, of course it is, yeah. And anyway, I went down about 11 o'clock at night and we've both got a flat in Dawson.
Starting point is 00:21:02 Yeah. And there's big white vans there and he's got all this stuff in black bin liners. And it's just... Black bin liners? No, it was Christmas tree bags. I'm really... You're just thinking that it's all rubbish.
Starting point is 00:21:13 That's what it was. He's painting a picture here. I'm trying to make it a really nice story. Yeah. No, so he had... Black bin back. He was pulling it all out. But the problem is, my mum, I remember she was in my flat, rhinestone.
Starting point is 00:21:25 Oh, my God. She's never rhinestoneed in her life. And she was doing it. No joke. I'm still finding rhinestones on the floor now. So am I. And it took, no joke. It was like this time last year he was doing all the prep for this dress.
Starting point is 00:21:39 It took my mum over a week to put these rhinestones on. And my mum said, you better have worn that bloody dress. And I did. They just didn't like it. They hated it. Yeah. So, you know, I have the worst track record in drag race UK history. I have done the worst that anyone could ever do on that TV show.
Starting point is 00:22:05 But do you know what? People love you. I mean, I've sat here with Sonia from EastEnders, you know what I mean? Absolutely. But, no, I mean, I'm quite good. Yeah. I think also this comes from the fact of growing up in Cornwall and being like in the closet and stuff.
Starting point is 00:22:21 Yeah. I've just learned, like... How long were you in the closet in Cornwall? I came out when I was 16. No. Yeah, I would have been 15 because I came out to go to college. Okay. Because I was like, I'm not going to college.
Starting point is 00:22:37 With people not knowing who I am. Being, like, in the closet. I remember, though. I don't know if I'm just dreaming this up on. not, but when you told mum in the car, right? I did, he told, I was in London, and he told my mum and dad, and my dad had wrong, I can't remember if it was mum or dad, they rung me and said, oh, you know, Jake's come out, he said he's gay.
Starting point is 00:22:56 I came out as bisexual at first. Bisexual, which was to make it easier. Soften the blow. You know, might go either way. Which now I don't, I don't think necessarily is the best thing, because then people look at bisexual identity as people who were just like on the path. Yeah, yeah. Whereas actually that's not the case
Starting point is 00:23:13 because a lot of people are bisexual. I remember Dad said, Elliot, we thought you were the gay one. They did. I said that. You are Campus Christmas Day. Yeah, I'm Campus Christmas, surprise. I think that's where it just generally comes from in our family. Like our mum and dad, it's always been, like, we've got videos on our, like, home cameras.
Starting point is 00:23:32 And it's like us dressing up. We used to dress up, yeah. Yeah. And I remember there's one video where our dad's, like, show us around your bedroom. and I go, oh, this is my spice girl's poster. And Elliot, who's just done his room tour. It's like, no, can we go back and get mine? Because you had a Mal B poster up.
Starting point is 00:23:52 Yeah, yeah. You were always scary spice, and I was a baby spice. Perfect. I like all the spices. You do. That's why you're a chef. They're all brilliant. Have you met them before?
Starting point is 00:24:01 I met Ginger Spice with Christian Horner, the husband, literally about a month ago in the cut. And they were really lovely. Good. Yeah, asking lots about the food. And I've never met Victoria, but I'd love to meet Victoria back in a moment. I love the doc. Did you love it?
Starting point is 00:24:19 Did you see her documentary? Apparently she's hysterical. Like, really funny. I've met her a few times. Yeah. But only a quick hello or how are you. But I loved the documentary. I was obsessed with it.
Starting point is 00:24:32 She's very real. What a... I think the documentary comes across very real as well. Real and just an inspirational woman. And it doesn't matter how much money you. you've got to create that brand. Absolutely. It's not about money.
Starting point is 00:24:43 No, no, no. She's done it. Entrepreneurial stuff. Amazing. Hard work. Of course they've got the money. But the thing is, the Beckham's actually come from Sawbridge,
Starting point is 00:24:52 which is about 10 minutes from here. Right. So they had a house here. That was there, the Beckham's mansion and all that. And I hear so many people locally that can't stand the Beckham's. You think...
Starting point is 00:25:04 Why not? You're just jealous. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Why are you not happy? Yeah. And think, how amazing is it that a local, family have done what they've done. I don't get it.
Starting point is 00:25:13 They've done so much for the country as well. Amazing. Best music, best footballer, my favorite footballer ever. Really? David Beckham, my, got that goal against Greece. Yeah. Oh, man. I have no clue about football.
Starting point is 00:25:26 That's the difference. I went and got my hair cut today and when I sat down in the barber chair, the man said to me, he was like, do you watch football? And I was like, I'm so mask. I'm so masculine. And I was like, oh, he thinks that I'm like a football la. And then I was like, no, I'm a drag queen. And he was like, what's that?
Starting point is 00:25:44 And I was like, dress up for money. Mark doesn't like football. No, he said. He loves steam engines and just doesn't like sport. And it's a huge thing in society. If he goes to the pub and there's bloke's there, what team do you support? And as soon as you go, I don't like football, they don't know what to say. Yeah, no, they don't.
Starting point is 00:26:08 It's quite a big thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Football is, I mean, it's a culture. Does he have a train collection, does he? Like the little railway set, does he? Yeah, it's not little. I'll show you later. No way.
Starting point is 00:26:18 Got a railway in the garden. Rod has one of them, apparently. Rod is model, so it's little. Oh, right. So he does it all inside. Yeah. Whereas Mark's got actually a seven and a quarter gauge engine. Like what you get at, you know, garden centres.
Starting point is 00:26:34 Yeah. Where it's ride on, people can sit there. So he has one of those. We'll be going around your garden in a minute. Pretending we're Thomas the tagging. Do you remember Dobbles? Yeah. Dobbles was a place in Cornwall where you could sit on a train.
Starting point is 00:26:48 And it was all of the little model train. That's so cool. That's so cool. So that's his thing. That's what you love. We love Mark. We do love Mark. I love like when people have like little niche things that they love
Starting point is 00:27:00 and they're very passionate about. I think it's really nice. You need sport and you can do trains. Absolutely. I mean, sport's brilliant, but I always think about the Romans. And I love football. I'm an artsy fan. I'm from Islington, North London.
Starting point is 00:27:14 Yeah. But, you know, football family. And I'll put it on and I love it. But because of Mark, obviously it's not on the telly a lot, so I feel like I've drifted away from it. But it's always there because of dad and looking back. But really interesting, when you think about sport, the Olympics, it was all done by the Romans and the Greeks,
Starting point is 00:27:35 when really terrible things were going on. And it was all done. to kind of turn people's heads away from disaster. Right. So they had something to focus on. Yeah. And I still think, if you think about Saturday football... Is that getaway?
Starting point is 00:27:50 It's that getaway. So true. Didn't think of it like that. It's kind of a day out or you're following your team and that's what you're thinking about. You're not thinking about life. Life in general. Yeah, money and all the worries in life.
Starting point is 00:28:01 Yeah. Yeah. So it is important. Sports good. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's one thing that's really nice with drag as well. from my own perception and stuff
Starting point is 00:28:10 like I do brunches and usually they're bottomless brunches so it means that like Hamad is flowing but I always just say to people like I do a gig
Starting point is 00:28:22 at this place called the karaoke hole it is my favourite gig and it is just karaoke and I will be there and there'll be people like oh I don't want to get up and sing and I'll host on stage and be like oh where's Sarah
Starting point is 00:28:35 Sarah will come on stage Get her up. And then the whole bar is just the karaoke. So around the bar is just the screen so everyone can sing along at one. That's brilliant. But I'm like, let your hair down. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:28:47 I was like, I can't sing. No one actually cares what you look like or sound like. Just go for it. Yeah, enjoy yourself. Just really. Is that afternoons as well? Because you can't beat an afternoon out, can you? That is evening.
Starting point is 00:28:58 Is it an evening? Yeah. I usually do the late shift, which is the one where it's like rowdy. And I love it. I thoroughly enjoy it. That's brilliant. Where is it? In Dalston.
Starting point is 00:29:08 Dorston. It's good for people to hear. It's a karaoke hole in Dorstan, go to it, yeah. Karaoke hole. I'm there tomorrow. Amazing. There you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:18 I love it. It's good fun. Very, very good fun. What are your favourite gigs to do at the moment? I love doing brunch. Yeah. And I love doing karaoke. But I work very closely with a queen called Bonk.
Starting point is 00:29:31 Okay. And it's Bonk and Pasti. We do Bonk and Pasti's Big of Brunch. And we do Bonk and Pasty Presents. Right. And we do themed shows. So we did one that was called Bog Off. Yeah, we did Chicken Hun.
Starting point is 00:29:42 We did one that was Bog Off, and it was Tracy Beaker characters. And then we did one which was Chicken Hun. And it was Ardman. Brilliant. So I was Wallace and Mr. Tweedy. Stop it. And we did all, like, we had. It's so funny.
Starting point is 00:29:55 We didn't actually have a Sean the Sheep because you could. How are you going to, well, I mean, if you want to come and lip-sink to bar, do you know what I mean? Yeah. So it was a bit. of a difficult one, but what actually happened was Chicken Hun, we did it at this place called the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, very famous
Starting point is 00:30:14 venue, and Netflix came, and we didn't know, and then Chicken Run 2. Wow. Yeah, and then Chicken Run 2 was coming out on Netflix, and that's why they came, and then we, they booked Chicken Hun.
Starting point is 00:30:30 Unbelievable. And we did the launch of Chicken Run 2 Christmas party, Farmsy. I didn't even know that. That is amazing. And I met Peter Lord, who was the director and one of the founders of Ardman. And I'm a big Wallace and Gromit nerd. I'm like on it.
Starting point is 00:30:45 Cheese, grommet. Have you seen the Barber advert for Christmas this year? No. No. Nah. I can't wait to show you later. Yeah. We've spoken about it on the pod
Starting point is 00:30:54 because we did a Christmas advert special. Yeah. You've got to watch the adverts, right? Yeah, yeah. But it's Barber and it's all Wallace and Gromit. And the advert is them and it's all animated. I've seen pictures. I've not seen a video.
Starting point is 00:31:05 You need to see that. There's me. I'm the biggest fan. No, I'll show you. It's amazing. Oh, my God. They are also sporting the front of the Radio Times Christmas special. Oh, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:31:16 So, there you go. I love Wallace and Gourmet. I'm a big nerd. Yeah, me too. But that's from Nanny, Nanny and Grandad. Oh, really? They used to just whack it on and leave me. I'm a fan.
Starting point is 00:31:27 I am a fan, but I wouldn't say super fan. I'd be lying if I said Superfan. Marky is a super fan. Proper super fan, I love the one where they go up in the rocket. And they go to the moon and they go to the moon. A grand day. Geez, a grand day out. More cheese, grommet.
Starting point is 00:31:39 Looks like Janice batters me. Oh, Janice. Lars. Are you right, Lars? Are you right, Lars? I have a Wallace and Gromit shelf in my house. I like that. Like, I've got all...
Starting point is 00:31:57 You've got loads of stuff like. Loads of like movie merch. I'm a big collector. Oh, that's brilliant. I'm a bit of a nerd. Well, I took him to... We went to Universal Studios in... Los Angeles, yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:08 Last year. Was this when you cooked for all the A-List stars? At the Oscars, yeah. I can't wait to talk about that. Oh, yeah, that was good. Yeah. And I took him to Universal Studios and he wanted to see where Friends was filmed.
Starting point is 00:32:20 I think it was all Warner. No, that was the Warner Brothers one. Warner Brothers, right? Yeah. No joke. I was in there for about 10 hours looking at the bench that she'd sat on. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:28 And it was the sofa from Friends which you weren't allowed to sit on? No, it was the sofa we were allowed to sit on. Right. But then there was the chair and I went, oh, I'm going to get in this one. sat in this chair. Oh man,
Starting point is 00:32:38 and they went, and I sat in Ross's armchair, and it was like the actual armchair. We were on the set, but the main sofa was like, obviously not the real one. I got a story from that trip, which was funny.
Starting point is 00:32:50 You probably had to be there, so I won't build it up to us. No, go on, crack on. So, we went to a drag brunch. Yes, I already knew that this was going to be. This drag brunch, this is not, so apparently,
Starting point is 00:33:01 so when the drag queens come out, you give them dollar bills. It's like, you're tipping, tipping thing. I got a, $100 in $1, so we felt loaded. Anyway, we were throwing all these dollars. Anyway, two hours later, we'd drunk these big cocktails, and we were hammered.
Starting point is 00:33:17 And I wanted to do everything that Jake wanted to do, because it was like a lifetime trip, as it was for me. Hollywood. Yeah, of course. And then you've got all the big museums, like Warner Brothers, Universal, and there was this like old Hollywood movie prop place. Okay. And anyway, we, I said Jake, I really don't want to go to,
Starting point is 00:33:36 Elliot, please, we're here once, we're going. You know when you want us to go back to the hotel, rest, and then go out. So we went into this movie prop place. Anyway, they had the Hannibal Lecter cell. But like the whole corridor. The whole corridor. Anyway, I was absolutely battered. And Jake said, go in the cell.
Starting point is 00:33:56 And it was all blocked off and cordoned off. Anyway, I crawled underneath. And I go, hello, Clarice. Like this. And this woman, there's a video of me, potentially. to be Hannibal Lecter in the cell. Hello, Clarie. And I was hammered, smashed my face onto the glass.
Starting point is 00:34:12 No, that was Marilyn Monroe's desk. Oh, wow. They had her Chanel number five makeup desk. And he looked at it and went like this and it was a glass. Yeah, you had to be there. It was, we were just walking around this set. It was just brilliant. They had everything.
Starting point is 00:34:28 That's amazing. I'm not even joking. They had like Judy Garland and Strachers. Yeah, you just need to go to it. Again, it's a niche. It's a special. It's a special one. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:34:36 They had, like, random thing. What's it called for the listeners? Oh. We were able to put it in the comments. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have a think. I literally Google, like, Hollywood prop music. Right, okay.
Starting point is 00:34:49 And it's opposite the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars is. Okay. I know it's on that road. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's talk about the Oscars. Yes, let's go into the Oscars. Let's talk about the Oscars. I'm going to sit back and say,
Starting point is 00:35:00 I can't believe that my friend has cooked for all of the A-listers at the Oscars. You name them, I've cooked from there, honestly. And as the first British chef to ever cook there, it was three years ago, and I'm doing my fourth Oscars in February, end of February or March, which would be my fourth. So yeah, cooking British dishes at the Oscars. I mean, you name it, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande,
Starting point is 00:35:25 Billy Eilish. Leo DiCaprio. Leonardo cooked for many times and in London. Cook for everybody. It's insane. The best one, and I mean, I think. do always, people always ask, but Brendan Fraser, who was basically banned from Hollywood, for a long time. And I'm not too sure why. I think it was something to do with him. He said
Starting point is 00:35:48 something about like, so on set or something. Yeah, maybe it was like hushed up. Maybe, I'm not sure. So he was like cancelled. Anyway, he had a comeback for the whale. Okay. And he was in the audience and he'd won an Oscar for Best Actor. I think it was Best Actor. Yeah, yeah. It was It was like his big comeback. He went from not being in films to suddenly winning Best Actor again, yeah. And he won this Oscar and Wolfgang Puck, who's the extraordinary chef in America,
Starting point is 00:36:17 who's also my boss, he grabbed Brendan Fraser by the wrist. That's what he does. He goes up to them, grabs them by the wrist, and dragged him over to my bench. He said, my chef has come all the way from England to cook you fish and chips,
Starting point is 00:36:30 or it might have been Beef Wellington, one or the other. Anyway, he gave Brendan Fraser and he was crying. He said, I can't believe I've won the Oscar Wolfgang. Elliot, nice to meet you. And it was that very special, intimate moment with his wife and two children. And he'd won this Oscar.
Starting point is 00:36:44 And I remember him from The Mummy. We watched it on Christmas Eve one year. I remember. Bear in mind, I was a kid from Cornwall. Of course. You know, and then I'm in the Academy Awards. And I've got Lisa Vanderpump. Obsessed.
Starting point is 00:37:00 Obsessed. And I'm obsessed, looking at me, chatting to me. At this time, I didn't. realize who she was and she goes do you want to come back to the after party she was beautiful to me really sweet with her i think it was a husband yeah i'm not sure anyway i didn't have a clue she was until everyone was getting photos with her so i said go on then i'll have a picture with you so she had a picture and i went back home and i sent it to family and they said you do realize that's lisa vanderpump and i said didn't have a clue it was me i was like that's one of
Starting point is 00:37:29 the real housewives yeah but she she's amazing she has a restaurant called or she did. I'm not sure. But how brilliant is it? Because again, my level is one level. People go, oh, you're famous. But talking to you about Hollywood stars and you go, oh, they're lovely.
Starting point is 00:37:47 Because we are all the same. We just need to be nice. So it's so nice to hear. Was Leo nice? Really, really nice. And then we had Farrell. He was in the kitchen. I can feel that he's lovely.
Starting point is 00:37:59 I look at him and I feel like he's got a lovely energy about him. To be honest of you, I've not really met any A-list celebrities that aren't lovely. They're normally just very private. Yep. Because obviously they must get overwhelmed. Of course. And they're always very sweet.
Starting point is 00:38:14 I remember that I had Billy Eilish and her brother nearly tripped over me because they were trying to run out of the ceremony from behind the bench. Right. So there's a lot of that. And you get a feel for people if you can have a picture with them or if you can't.
Starting point is 00:38:30 Yeah, of course. And going into sort of my fourth Oscars, which will be coming up, next year. It's like, do you even need the picture? It's just I actually want to enjoy it now. Has the experience, yeah. I've been there, I've seen it, and I mean, I didn't even think I'd be doing a fourth.
Starting point is 00:38:44 That's amazing. So, massive congratulations. Yeah. We're all very proud. I'm very proud. Should we book our tickets now? Oh, no, we'll just get let in. Yeah, we'll be trying.
Starting point is 00:38:55 Even I don't have the power to do that. To get the actual authorisation to get into the awards is so tough. I can imagine, yeah. Because, you know, you can imagine. you've got people that want to get sort of the footage from before the awards and that kind of thing. But I was one year late for when Will Smith did the slap. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:39:14 And there was so much stress the year after. Because of that. Because it was like it put a bit of a bad taste. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because he won Best Actor as well. I know. That is one of the most shocking things. It was so shocking, wasn't it?
Starting point is 00:39:28 Could you imagine? It was insane. I mean, yeah, it put me off watching. Then you went and, you know, you've done all your beautiful cooking. Fish and chips, anyone? Fish and chips. I'll have a little bit of fork and it'll all be fine. Bamboo, sustainable.
Starting point is 00:39:43 There we go. That's what we like. Yeah. Yeah. When you're flying Emirates business class, enjoying a good night's rest in your lie flat seat, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates.
Starting point is 00:40:04 Fly better. Christmas. Yeah. We are in the festive period. We are. I can't have you here without talking about Christmas. I love Christmas.
Starting point is 00:40:16 Absolutely. I love the fact your Christmas heads. Oh, yeah. We had a bit of a bad Christmas two years ago. Yeah. Because we did it in my flat. Yep. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:40:25 I just moved in. August before I moved in. And it's me, Jake, and Alan. So they're our flat. It was Sean. I was in my flat. my flat. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:40:35 Because we live right next to each other. So I've heard. I love this. So my girlfriend was away. So they come down to the flat early in the morning. Yeah. And I went to work. No, no, no.
Starting point is 00:40:46 I got a text from mum. Right, go on. Saying. From Anne. From Anne, yeah. Saying, can we do Christmas at yours? That was it. And it was half nine in the morning.
Starting point is 00:40:59 Bear in mind, my flat was not prepared for Christmas. It never prepared. It never prepared that. What's happened, and the Elliott's flat had, like, flooded. They'd left, honestly. Oh, no. All the electrics went. It was just really bad.
Starting point is 00:41:16 Oh, no. I mean, we could have done it at mine. We could have done it, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, there's worse, you know, we're very fortunate. Oh, of course, absolutely. But it was just a bit of a spanner. So what happened?
Starting point is 00:41:27 They got the electric back on in the end. We had Christmas about 7 p.m. Yeah. Was it socky carpet? No. It wasn't that bad. It was more... The electrics.
Starting point is 00:41:38 It was more the electrics with the water. But, you know... We were discussing what we're going to be eating. Wow. And I said, I really want to do sort of prong cocktail, but Jake don't eat prongs. No. Not a seafood person.
Starting point is 00:41:51 Is that because they don't agree with you? No. I just... I've learned that I don't like the taste of the sea. That's fair enough. Mark doesn't... Like, even seaweed. It's just like...
Starting point is 00:42:03 Mark doesn't. Yeah. Jake's agreed he's going to actually make a leaking potato soup as a starter. Beautiful. Because the thing that people don't shut up.
Starting point is 00:42:13 The thing that people don't realize, I love cooking. Are we whizzing up the potato? Are we going to have it thick? Or are we going to do cubes in a watery one? Oh, we're going to... This consistency situation is key. It's a massive... It's key, isn't it?
Starting point is 00:42:27 Because if you get that like gloopy, gelatinous potato. No, I can make a good soup. I can make... I'm, like, one of my favourite things is having my friends round and cooking. Terrible suit. I am going to let everyone into a secret this evening for two weeks. Obviously, I've said Elliot's coming round. Elliot's coming over.
Starting point is 00:42:51 We're going to do a pod. It's amazing. And Ellie, my niece and Maria and my niece and Maria and his, you know, Nat's niece. What are you going to cook for him? I said, I don't think I can do it. You went, oh. No, I said, I was thinking, I thought I could do lamb shanks. the sauce, because I do that.
Starting point is 00:43:05 I can do a nice tomato sauce, lamb shanks with green beans. And I said, I don't actually think I can cope with cooking for him. I'm going to get a takeaway. I love takeaway. We love a takeaway. But I'm so pleased you love a tank. But that is a get-out, isn't it? I just thought I can't actually put myself through it.
Starting point is 00:43:21 And I will do one day. Yeah, you'll have to do. But I just, I would be so nervous cooking for you. Was it the pork in the final? Oh, and it was to do with your dad. It was just, yeah, the roasting. It was a pork. It was just so good.
Starting point is 00:43:35 And it was like, we went, me and myself and Jack Osborne, we went to so much effort the night before we went to his house. I remember. Because obviously we were against each other. Of course. And Jack said to me, because it was all filmed episode by episode. And he said, Elliot, we're in the final. We're going to go back to the Osborne's house.
Starting point is 00:43:52 And we did these dishes. So I think we did steak with a pea puree and something else. And then it was the chicken Ballantine stuff. He had a whole chicken to D-Bone. then he had to balantine the leg sage and onion stuff here. No, to be fair, he had an absolute shock and mine was quite easy.
Starting point is 00:44:10 But you had hard ones in previous so it was all fair but we did these dishes and I mean that pork it was like... It was just a very very... It was a really thick pork chop and when I looked at it
Starting point is 00:44:22 because you don't know what's going to... Yeah. And I thought, how on earth am I going to cook this right? Do you know what was perfect about it? Sorry to interrupt it because I'm in this chef mode.
Starting point is 00:44:32 Yeah. The thing that was so perfect about the pork, and I knew, I knew as soon as Rosemary Schraeger cut into it, and it was pink. Now, if you are top-level chef and you've got the most beautiful pork chop, you can actually eat pork like pink, like the pork-tendloin pork chop. And this pork was like rosé perfect. And I was at, how did she manage that? It was a fluke. Was it a flu? It was...
Starting point is 00:45:03 A flea. No, but honestly, Jake, it was like world-class cooking. Oh, shut up. It was. No, it was. We weren't going to beat that. But, no, I think it was the... I was just basting it.
Starting point is 00:45:13 Lots of basting. And I rested it for a long time. Yeah. But I just thought, I know, if I overdo it, it's dry as shit. You'd rather have it raw. I'd rather go under. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I rested it for ages, so...
Starting point is 00:45:25 Oh, it's delicious. I love doing it. How long did you have in the last, like, cook? How long was it? 40 minutes, maybe. Bloody, 40 to an hour. And the thing is, with the final, because Jack had to take the chicken off the bone
Starting point is 00:45:38 and then debone the legs, the strategy was going to be that he was going to gong me in, I was going to go in, and then debone one leg for him, because it takes him two minutes, it would take me 30 seconds. Anyway, they said, Elliot,
Starting point is 00:45:52 there's no gong in the final. But he still did a great dish up. Four minutes on two legs. Yeah, yeah. What a lovely guy here. Did you see him in, I'm a celebrity? He was so good. He was brilliant, wasn't he?
Starting point is 00:46:03 He was such a lovely, another just lovely human being. Just not, and the thing is, that's what I'm saying. Again, like, that family is so famous and to be that normal. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He'd messaged me just before he'd gone into the jungle and he said, Elliot, any advice on cooking rice over fire? I can't even cook rice in a microwave, mate. I'm terrible.
Starting point is 00:46:24 You need to message Tony Singh for that, you know? The Rice King. Yeah, yeah. That's so funny. He was a lovely, what a lovely guy. Just so sweet. He did so well. Really nice to see him as well.
Starting point is 00:46:34 He's been through so much, you know? Been through so much. Oh, yeah. Hard losing a parent, you know. I've been there. I dropped him a little text and just said, I've been there and I've fought some of you and just look after yourself. And do you know one thing about that?
Starting point is 00:46:46 It must be so hard if, like, you know, cameras are in your face when your dad's died. I know, but you say that. I think when you're in those situations, because I did Big Brother years ago. Right. And, you know, people say, well, you can't forget the cameras are there. You do. Really, so... You do.
Starting point is 00:47:02 I was exactly the same on track race. Even when you're acting on any standards, or do you mean for those moments? No, no, I mean reality, telly. Yeah. Because you're just... Right, right, right. Because you're having the day, you're doing your day, you're doing your week. And then you end up just forgetting and chatting to people.
Starting point is 00:47:17 And so I remember, I watched Jack's interview when he came out because I loved it. And he said, I know that I'm forefront here on I'm a celeb and it sounds strange, but it felt really lovely to... to just get away from everything and be cut off. Which is quite hypocritical, but I get it. He's not being a hypocrite. Because for him, he didn't have a phone. No phone, in the jungle, you know, sleeping by night, waking up by day,
Starting point is 00:47:43 and it must have been lovely for him. Yeah. And Shona did so well, who's my mate, who plays Whitney. Oh, of course, yeah. Is she obsessed with drag? Shona. Shona is a big drag race fan. Huge. I love you, Shona.
Starting point is 00:47:57 I think Shona. We love Shona. She's amazing, but she did brilliantly as well. She's come across so beautifully and I'm sure she's lovely in real life, yeah? She's amazing. That was real life. No, but I'm not really...
Starting point is 00:48:07 Whitney! Yeah. Well, that's a fun fact. My original drag name was Pasty Palmer. I know. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was the original name
Starting point is 00:48:18 and then it just went to Pasty because everyone in East London was like, why aren't you doing a Bianca number? And I was like, there's only so many Bianca numbers you can do. Rackal! We've got a question of, couple of questions for you.
Starting point is 00:48:31 Oh, okay. Pasti, girl, I remember the Palmer days. I've always been a bit confused as to why when you whipped your Greg's bag off, you were a sausage roll underneath and not a pasty, to be honest. And talking of Gregels, what is your order? Okay, so I would have done a pasty number. Yeah. But because I was in London, I was like, no one's going to understand Rose.
Starting point is 00:48:59 rose pasties and then there's also like Niles, Bakery, Barnacots, like big... All barnacots, yeah. And I was in East London and I was like, right, okay. And people knew the sausage roll. Greg's sausage roll.
Starting point is 00:49:12 It's famous, yeah. And I remember I was on the treadmill at the gym and I was like, right, if I had to do a burlese number, how would I do it? And then I was like, what if I got a duvet
Starting point is 00:49:24 and turned it into a Greg's bag and I was a sausage roll underneath? That went viral, no? Yeah, it did. That was what kicked the career off. Brilliant. Yeah. And you can't be a Greg's sausage roll.
Starting point is 00:49:35 Oh, come on. It's so good. Greg's is... I've got a very good relationship with Gregs. Good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the Greg's order. Sausage roll.
Starting point is 00:49:45 Yeah. Sausage bean and cheese. Slice of pizza. Pink jammy. Oh, I go in. I go in. Bloody hell. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:49:53 I like this. Pink jammy donut. Yeah. Packet of crisps. Fanta or Oasis. Sorry, what, Lips, I need to know specifics. Can't be giving us half the details here.
Starting point is 00:50:03 This is a bit bland, but I really do just like a ready salted crisp. I get it. A quaver. I'm a bit, like, cheese. You don't like quaver? No, no, no. I remember a kid was chewing them once and he sort of a bit of quaver. Hit me on the lip.
Starting point is 00:50:16 I'm like, no, no, no, can't be eating quaver. Oh, I love quaver. I don't really like a wopsy at quaver. That's a monster munch. To me, that's not a crisp. Oh, no. My favorite crisp of all time, the cheese tasters from M&S. Oh.
Starting point is 00:50:29 They're like versions of like a what's-it. Yeah. Next level. And I always remember it says, do not get it on your clothes because it will dye it. It says that the orange powder will go out. Mine is the beef and onion and M&S Crisp.
Starting point is 00:50:43 Yes. Oh, man. They're so good. What's your Greg's order? I would just have a sausage roll and a cup of tea. Yeah. Simple. But I could do two sausage rolls at once.
Starting point is 00:50:52 Oh, easy. Easy. Smash down two. Well, for the price of three, actually. And I do love the vegan sausage roll. The vegan sausage roll is. It's great. They're very good.
Starting point is 00:51:00 I like a vegan sausage droll. I love Greggs. Craigs is just amazing. Yeah, it's great. Didn't you open the Leicester Square store? Yeah. Oh, did you?
Starting point is 00:51:09 Oh, my God. I cut the ribbon. This ambassador of Greggs over here. This was like the start, no? That was, after it had gone viral, they said to me were opening Gregs in Leicester Square. Man, no. It was great, though.
Starting point is 00:51:23 Yeah. It was quite weird, though. Yeah, yeah. It was opening up. It looked brilliant, though. Yeah. I remember I remember. just got a new job
Starting point is 00:51:30 and I got asked being like oh are you free next Thursday bear in mind this is the week before and I've literally just started this job I was like can I have Thursday off and they were like yeah yeah sure like why why do you need it off
Starting point is 00:51:44 and I was like I can't say because I wasn't allowed to it was supposed to be like you know NDAs are tight and I just was like yeah I've just I've just you know I've just got something to do last minute I'm really sorry
Starting point is 00:51:59 and they were like, yeah, yeah, of course you can have it off. The lesser square Greggs was next to where I used to work. Perfect. And I spotted some people that were working. Oh, wow. But they hadn't met pasties, so they had no clue that it was me. I was like, thank God, I'm in disguise. That would have been madness.
Starting point is 00:52:17 Yeah, and then the next day I went in and I was like, yeah, I had to open Gregs yesterday. It's great. So it was an interesting, yeah. It was a good vibe. You're at the Oscars, you're opening Greggs. It's all going on. I know what I'd rather be. Anne and Ellen must be so proud.
Starting point is 00:52:29 It's certainly a surreal experience. The one thing about both of us, though, we don't think about it too much. We're just normal people. We do our thing. We always want to try and be our best and help people as well. Do you know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:52:46 I know you do. If I, you could be quite arrogant about what we've done and I'm sure you could as well, but it's not, I don't ever think, oh, wow, I've done that. No, you do it. You're really pleased with it. If you've done a good job, you go brilliant and you move on. I'm never actually fully happy with anything I ever do.
Starting point is 00:53:02 I always want to sort of drive and be better. And anyone that's around me, I try and get them to have that mentality as well. It's like, how do we make it better? How do you make it easier for us to achieve better? Yeah. And do you know what I mean? Yeah, I do, yeah.
Starting point is 00:53:16 And me and Jake, we just say, only recently we've started to say, oh, that was cool. Well, that was great. And we want to do more together. Oh, absolutely. We actually don't mind spending a bit of time together. Oh, my God. I would love to see you two doing it.
Starting point is 00:53:29 Yeah, we've just filmed an episode of seasoned. So talk about, this is exciting. So for a long time, obviously I've been a chef and I've done all this great stuff. So put that aside. And I, if you look on my Instagram, it's all a lot of sort of pictures with people like yourself and lots of amazing characters and celebrities.
Starting point is 00:53:50 And I thought to myself, and I've been told, I need to start to show my personality. You really do. On Instagram? Yeah. Because I've done, you know, I do a slot on the small. morning, Saturday kitchen, cooking with the stars, done all that. And I have now decided we're going to do this sort of episodes of seasoned.
Starting point is 00:54:09 Yeah. And basically all it is, it started off. I'm very quick, and I changed things quickly. I did four episodes in one day, filmed it. And I said, I don't want to wear a microphone. That was a mistake. What an absolute knobbed. Microphones are right here.
Starting point is 00:54:24 I said. What did you say? He was like, oh, you know, is there anything you think like that could do it? And I was like, why have you not got a microphone now? And the sound on the first four episodes is just heartbreaking. And Emily, the lady that films it, she told me to wear it. And I was like, no, no, it doesn't look right. Anyway.
Starting point is 00:54:41 Didn't sound right either. So the first four were done. And then I filmed that and I had this idea. I've got all these amazing contacts and brilliant people with amazing stories. Why am I doing it on my own? That's not everything I do is with people. I'm all about people. The food, everyone knows I can cook.
Starting point is 00:55:04 And you see so much on Instagram now with the chefs where they've got this perfect plate of food or all this and that. I'm not perfect. I don't want any mistake I make edited out. I want it all to be left in. If I fall over, if I burn myself, I want it kept in and I've told her to do that
Starting point is 00:55:21 and she does it perfectly. But then I was like, right, I want guests on. So I thought, better to crack it off than drag race superstar. Hello. Pasty. Unbelievable. And we've got some amazing people coming up in the next few weeks. We've got
Starting point is 00:55:36 yourself coming on. Yeah. Richard E. Grant. Amazing. David Williams. Yeah. Amazing. So these are going to be on YouTube. This is going to be on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Fantastic. And we can watch you cooking,
Starting point is 00:55:53 you chat with people, interviews. Yeah. So it's a visual podcast. in a way. You're coming into my world, honey. Coming into your world. Surprise, surprise. Let's go. You're going to have a really good time, though.
Starting point is 00:56:07 It was really good time. We naturally made a sausage roll, and it was amazing. Fantastic. Oh, we did make a sausage roll, yeah. And it wasn't just a sausage roll. It was like black pudding, sausage. Oh, we did Cumberland's sausage, and then we folded, actually, it was MNS black pudding. And that is really good.
Starting point is 00:56:24 Folded that through, and then you make. you sort of pipe the sausage meat into the puff pastry. I was very good at it. And the key with the sausage roll, you egg wash it, and then you put onion seed, fennel seed,
Starting point is 00:56:37 sesame. Salary. And sesame. Sesame. Yeah. And sesame on top and bake it. Beautiful. And it was...
Starting point is 00:56:44 I love black pudding. I know it's died. Do you want to hear a little secret about the first episode with Pasty? Yeah. I thought it would be a good idea. I mean, this isn't revolutionary. I thought I was getting a bit creative
Starting point is 00:56:55 and getting a bit editorial. And I said, right, what we'll do? We'll have Jake at the start walk in. I'd be like, I didn't ask for you. I asked for pasty. Clicks his fingers. He's in full drag cooking. Here she comes.
Starting point is 00:57:06 And I will say, I've watched pasty on the telly, and I've watched pasty in the shows in East London, that. But my God, I was howling. It wasn't even, it's like a completely different person. Yeah, of course. He's going, he's eating the sausage. Mmm, honey. I'm like, I'm like, I'm like,
Starting point is 00:57:26 And I'm looking at it. I just can't stop laughing. But that's what works with this, I think. It was brilliant. But how brilliant, you must be so good at what you do, because that's your brother, who you've grown up with, you love. Yeah. Yet when Pasty comes along, it is like being in the room with someone else.
Starting point is 00:57:42 So that just shows your talent as well. It's just, I'm just like, just have fun. I know. Like, that's my whole life. Oh, I just want us to get a camper van and tour the country. Oh, let's do it. Do a little show. Let's do it.
Starting point is 00:57:55 Eating sausage rolls. baking stuff go to Gregg's get some fish and chips tell everyone we went to the Oscars go and see the Hollywood prop store
Starting point is 00:58:03 yeah oh that's what we should do we should all go to the Hollywood prop store it was amazing amazing but yeah
Starting point is 00:58:10 thank you so much thank you so much thank you for tonight thank you for having us honestly I feel like we do need to just ask cooking for Christmas
Starting point is 00:58:19 I think people will be devastated are you cooking at Christmas yeah I'll be cooking at Christmas and any tips for anyone for Christmas dinner. I've got the tip. Oh my God. The roast potato tip. Go for it. Right. Let's write this. This is massive. Everyone get your pens out.
Starting point is 00:58:35 Get your pens out. Right. So the night, so roast potatoes, obviously it takes up a lot of space if you do it on the day. So do this the night before we eat potatoes. So get a good quality potato, Maris Piper, whatever, whatever potato you like. Peel it, cut it to the right size that you want. Put it into cold water, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, smashed garlic into the cold water and add a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda. Bring it up, bring it up slowly and delicate. Honestly, bring it like, yeah.
Starting point is 00:59:11 Look at this, bring it up slowly and gently on like a five, level five on an induction, not rapidly boiling, steady like bubble bath jacuzzi vibes. I stole that from Poppy Cooks, that little jacuzzi bubble, right? till fork tender, right? Not falling apart? No, they're not falling apart? You could have. Fork tender.
Starting point is 00:59:32 Yeah, fork tender. Right, then, once at that stage, all the flavors of the rosemary, the thyme, the garlic is in the potato. Because you've boiled it. Oh, my God. All these people putting it on in the tray, your madness. So, pour it into the colander,
Starting point is 00:59:49 and then let the excess steam, excess steam, drain off. Yep. Then leave them in the fridge so they go cold. Right? Leave them overnight. Then next day... Sorry, when you leave them in the fridge... Yeah.
Starting point is 01:00:06 Oh, I don't know. A baking tray, can we leave them in the sieve? Does it matter? Do they... Like, can they be in a bowl altogether? Ideally, lay them out. So they go cold, then put them in the fridge, right? So your potatoes are getting cold.
Starting point is 01:00:18 And they've got all that fluffiness. And the flavour's already done. You're in flavour town. Then you get your... I'm so excited. I know. We're literally sad. Now, honestly, these potatoes...
Starting point is 01:00:27 We haven't had a takeaway yet. We're fucking starving. Oh, I am. I am fucking starving, actually. So, then you get your tray. You could use veg oil, obviously, goose fat, duck fat. That's always better for Christmas Day. Or you could do half and half.
Starting point is 01:00:42 Put that in the tray. Get it hot, 180, 200 degrees. Bacon. Bacon hot. None of this, putting rosemary, timing garlic in the tray. No need, because you've already done it. Oh, wow. And you can use less so it's cheaper
Starting point is 01:00:54 because you, the flavor. is intense. Then get your fridge-cold potatoes, not your hot potato into hot oil, your fridge-cold potato. What happens if you put cold and hot? Sizzle. Yeah?
Starting point is 01:01:06 Put that into the tray, whack it in, and the key is, like 30 to 40 minutes, do not touch that tray. Then flick them over, flick them over every 10 minutes. You'll get the most perfect potato ever.
Starting point is 01:01:19 Finish with rock salt. I just, I don't know what to say. Honestly, I can't. I'm doing it. I can't tell you. I've got watery eyes. You've got watery eyes. You need to do it.
Starting point is 01:01:31 I'm doing it. I'm going to send you a step by step. You should. I am. I'm going to do a video and show you that I've done it. And mark my words, best potato you'll ever have. I have to say, having Christmas with a chef. I mean, please, God.
Starting point is 01:01:43 It's just. Oscar cooking, head chef of the most amazing restaurants. And then I do the entertainment. It's like the best Christmas ever. No, absolutely. We did the traitors. recently with my mum, my aunt's in the board game.
Starting point is 01:01:58 And we all wore wigs. We all were different wigs. Did you have Claude? Yeah, no. You was Claude, no? I was claudia. Oh, perfect. And I had a little...
Starting point is 01:02:06 Bit of eye line on, a bit of smoky on. But we played that. That was fun. Should we have a little board game tonight? I love... I'm a big board game nerd. Like, I love board games.
Starting point is 01:02:16 Yeah, yeah, yeah. For God's sake. Right, listen, we're boring, everybody. Yeah, boring. I genuinely hope you have all loved hearing from Elliot and Jake It's been such a lovely episode. Thank you for having us.
Starting point is 01:02:28 That's an absolute pleasure. And guys, I hope it kicks off your week well. A couple of weeks to go now. Have a brilliant week. Organise yourselves. Get that bloody roast potato recipe. Get it ready. Written down.
Starting point is 01:02:40 I'm actually going to do that. I'm going to clip that up as a video. That will go on Instagram. Thank you so much. 0778, 2019, 1919. Drop me a WhatsApp message, voice note. Let me know if you loved it. And I'll see you very, very soon.
Starting point is 01:02:52 I'll speak to you on Thursday. boys you've been amazing you've been amazing thank you so much it's been so lovely Merry Christmas Merry Christmas Surprise surprise surprise
Starting point is 01:03:02 surprise surprise surprise surprise surprise surprise surprise

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