Life with Nat - EP69: Tony Talks #4

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

A Christmas chat with Nat and her brother we hope your build up to the big day is going well! ❤️✨ Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view INSTA: @natcass1 We're also on Facebook now too: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] SHOW INFO: Life with Nat - it’s me! Natalie Cassidy and I’ll be chatting away to family, friends and most importantly YOU. I want to pick people's brains on the subjects that I care about- whether that’s where all the odd socks go, weight and food or kids on phones. Each week I will be letting you into my life as i chat about my week, share my thoughts on the mundane happenings as well as the serious. I have grown up in the public eye and have never changed because of it. Life with Nat is the podcast for proper people. Come join the community. ♥️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Music Someone pictured you because of your voice? As being bald. Yeah. And then someone else pictured me exactly as I am, which I find is, I don't know if that's good or bad, really. But I think it might be the Mitchell brothers or something, the EastEnders thing, or I don't know.

Maybe. Maybe they think. Because you've done a bit of chat about being the hard man. Yeah, a bit of a North London geezer. No, no, not at all. So, yeah, so someone's actually said that they, I was exactly how they imagined, which was quite nice, I think.

Very nice. Yeah. Fat bloke glasses. It's not true at all, actually. It's not true at all. And you've got Father Christmas behind you, so, you know, be careful on the weight thing. Oh, yes.

Because, you know, it's not his fault he's got to eat five million mince pies. I know. Yeah. If he ate more carrots, he'd be all right, though. That's true. He should give Rudolph the mince pies and he should have the carrots. Let's be honest. Just for one year.

Just for one year. Just to, you know, tone it down a bit. Yeah. Controversial. Evie and I met for Christmas today because we did a bit of shopping. Oh, you did? Right, okay. And he popped into Space NK where we were.

Oh, nice. And he was fantastic and he had a lovely chat with Evie. And he said he's eaten so many mince pies that he's now gluten intolerant. Is he really? I'm surprised he's not a lot more as well. It was great to see him. I mean, now he's got time. Well, I think he's sort of an omnipresent being, isn't he?

He's everywhere at this time of the year, isn't he? He's every shopping centre. He's in our studio now. Yes. Yes. He's just everywhere. He's a bit like Alan Carr. Just everywhere.

Everywhere. Which isn't a bad thing. No, absolutely not. I wouldn't mind being a pound behind Alan Carr. I know that. He's a nice fellow, isn't he? Comes across nice he does yeah

yeah have you watched his um sitcom what with him growing up as a I've watched bits of it yeah

it's really good and the boy that does him is just oh absolutely hilarious he's really good he is very very very talented and clever

yeah but it's all very 80 yeah yeah you know changing ends. Highly recommend if you fancy a bit of a lazy day over Christmas. Yeah.

It's good. Nostalgia. Can't whack it. So what's your Christmas looking like? Quite busy. Yeah. Looking forward to the break. Haven't had a lot of time off this year.

Yeah. So finish on the 20th and go back on the 2nd. Yeah, lovely. So it's almost two weeks, which is really quite extravagant for us builders, but I'm knackered, so I feel like I need some time off, you know. But quite busy. So I've got Christmas due on the Friday we break up. What are we doing for that?

Well, we take the boys out, so we're going to a nice Chinese, and then I'm taking everyone to a restaurant in london for christmas eve which is our traditional thing so we we take me and sharon and the kids their partners sharon's mum and dad yeah and we find a nice restaurant in london and that's sort of our christmas present to each other you've always had a lunch christmas eve yeah we do love doing it yeah yeah again it rather than buying a load of crap, I'd rather we all do that and we remember it and we enjoy it and it starts Christmas off really nice. Christmas Day at home, so it'll just be, you know, do the dinner, pub for an hour or two, play lots of music.

Not big telly watchers Christmas Day, if I'm honest. No, we're not. We've stopped all that because people fall asleep. No, I know, it's true. People fall asleep. They want it's true people fall asleep they want to go to bed you know it's no good

so I find if we start the music quite early stay at the table stay at the table don't go in the lounge and start and you know and then we can just push on through and it's all good

yeah Boxing Day really quiet just getting over the festivities and then I've booked to see matilda on the 27th with sharon oh it's brilliant i know people have told me so we've booked it you're gonna love it i can't wait oh it's great what a nice thing to do yeah yeah so i'm really looking forward to that and then in the evening i'm seeing a friend of mine he used to work for me a while ago um and he he's a black cab driver now ignacio cracking lad love him to bits i had i was ill last christmas so we didn't

get together yeah so i haven't seen him probably for 18 months so i'm meeting him on in the evening nice yeah so i'm really looking forward to that as well he's such a great kid i love him to death it's a great time isn't it to get together with people you're not seeing for a while it is because you're not stressed about work and you're sort of switched off a little yeah and i think it's a bit it's i think it's time for reflection christmas as well isn't it and you realize that you know you haven't seen who you should have seen or done what you should have done and then uh we're meeting aren't we on the 29th yes that'll be really nice yeah which would be lovely Looking forward to that And that's it really So it's a few

It's quite busy But in a nice way Yeah You know I'm not going to lie We're going to be out A few times And seeing some people

And you know Hopefully New Year's Eve New Year's Day Will be up to you Yeah great Great So just

Yeah just looking forward To a break Looking forward to Just switching off a bit. And spending time with the people we love. Yeah, absolutely. Isn't it? Absolutely, yeah, definitely.

I wish I had a few more things in the diary to see friends. But at the same time, I've done it before over Christmas, over the break, where I've got something to do every day. Yeah, and you're basically burnt out. You're knackered. Yeah, you've done it before over Christmas, over the break, where I've got something to do every day. Yeah, and you're basically burnt out. You're knackered. Yeah, you've done too much. Yeah, I know. So I have been very, even though I haven't seen people I love,

do you know what I mean? Been a bit selective. It's sort of family. Family, and I'll see all my friends next year. Yeah. And have a bit more time, hopefully. Yeah, well, you've been manic the last few months. It has been crazy.

But I need to spend some time at home, in my pyjamas, playing board games. Yeah. And having an avocado lemonade, which is also known as Snowball. Snowball, yeah. It was the only alcoholic drink we was allowed as children. In the little bottles? No, we had a big bottle of avocado that lasted about 400 years. Yeah.

Because you had one dip out of it on Christmas morning with some lemonade for a snowball. That was it. That was it. Which was great because we were only six and seven or six and eight or whatever, so it's not advisable to give your kids brandy on Christmas morning. No.

Yeah. I think Joanie could do with a drop kids brandy on Christmas morning. No. Yeah. I think Joanie could do with a drop of brandy. Yeah, I think she could, yeah. As a relaxant. Yeah, that's right. Stop her talking. Yeah, I think, yeah, anything like that, yeah. Probably.

There's probably some other stuff I could think of, which we're probably not allowed. No. Hi, Nat. my name's Chris I'm from Maidstone in Kent I need to tell you about a present that my husband got one year from his uncle he was really excited because his uncle is a bit wacky um so Christmas day came along it's the first present he picked up to open it he thought this feels a bit damp unraveled it and it was a box of fish fingers that was obviously very very defrosted I think he was quite devastated at this uh at this present that he got I thought it was a classic I mean luckily he didn't eat any of it um or

Christmas day could have gone really bad um but yeah interesting present uh thanks for the pods uh you absolutely cracked me up on my walk into work it's it's the best part of my day so thanks a lot and just keep it keep them coming they're, so good. Take care. Have a good Christmas. Bye. What have you got to say about that then? Was his uncle sectioned when he decided to buy some frozen fish fingers, wrap them up for his nephew? I was waiting for her to say.

And when we opened it up, we found some tickets for a sea trip. Yeah, yeah. Or, you know. But actual fish fingers, I mean, it's just ridiculous. I just, sorry, I can't even comprehend that. It's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Yeah. But it had no end game.

I was waiting for some sort of yeah but it was a bit of a laugh and then he'd come out with yeah and then there was a little thing on it that said look in your card yeah

and there was some tickets to New York or whatever yeah but no it wasn't it was just frozen fish fingers that are defrosted I'm just sorry

I can't even I don't even know where to go with that one Tony can't believe that's mental that is mental I've never heard of anyone wrapping up

frozen foodstuffs for Christmas no and giving them to a family member never well you know I talk about

viennetas all the time I'm hoping after Christmas someone wraps one of them up for someone courtesy of the pod maybe yeah maybe well they better open it quick they last a little while but yeah someone wraps one of them up for someone. Courtesy of the pod, maybe.

Yeah, maybe. Well, they'd better open it quick. They last a little while. But yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sure. That sort of... Has it freaked you out?

I think it's shaken my faith in human spirit, that is. I'm going to go and watch a Christmas film now. Miracle on 34th Street. We'll have to put that on later definitely we'll definitely put something on yeah yeah I just can't

that's just done me head in are you a fan of Gavin and Stacey I am so Christmas Day Special is coming out yes I know yeah I think that'll be fun

it will but I'm only interested to be honest with you and this is the truth yeah I'm only interested if we find out what went on on a fishing trip that's that's

for me if that doesn't come out and there's never going to be another one they've all said it i'll be bitterly disappointed i want to know what happened with brennan his nephew on the fishing trip i interviewed his nephew yeah is it coming out didn't tell me but yeah we need to find out, we need to find out. Yeah, we need to find out. Yeah, definitely. Here's a question from Sally in Herne Bay. What a beautiful place to live.

Oh, yeah, near Whitstable where we used to go when we was kids. Yeah. Just up the road. Question for Tony. Oh, right. Okay. What was Nat like as a little girl? I watched her grow up in EastEnders and I just wondered what she was like at home.

Yeah. Love the pod. It's like being with mates having a chat. You're also down to earth and I love your sense of humour. Thank you, Sally. Yeah, thanks, Al. Excellent. Well, I could say pretentious and precocious and things like that

because you were old before your time, very grown up, funny, cheeky, never really naughty, not when you was a young, you know, like when we were growing up, I'm going to say growing up together, I mean, it's 15 years between us, and I left home at, what, 20, I suppose. So you was about five, weren't you? But what I do know and I do remember is everybody used to say, it's a bit of a London saying, I don't know if other people say it throughout the country,

but she's been here before. Old head on young shoulders, all that sort of thing, you know. So I just remember you being very intelligent, but very old-fashioned as well so that's my that's my memories of us growing up and listening to Fleetwood Mac and me making you tickle me back as well I used to tickle your back yeah whilst you were doing your fishing stuff that's right yeah I remember and you had yellow and grey horizontal wallpaper. I did, yeah. It was the 80s.

It was the 80s, it was the 80s, so it was all yellow, grey and white. If you look at any pop video back then, I think Wham were in yellow and grey, so they were the colours, you know. And Pink Floyd. A bit of Pink Floyd on. Yeah.

Yeah. I've been listening to it today, funnily enough. Have you? Yeah. What one? Yeah, listening to it today, funny enough. Have you? Yeah. What one? Yeah, The Wall. I like The Wall. I think it's a great album, but not for everybody, obviously.

But, yeah. It certainly reminds me of you, whenever I hear it. And we have got a Christmas song, you and I. Oh. We have a Christmas song. Pogues? No. What song?

The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Is that a Christmas song? Sorry, yeah. Do you remember? That's your favourite, the Pogues. I do love the Pogues, but whenever that comes on. It reminds you of us. Yeah, because I would have been about 16, 17.

Maybe a little bit older than that. And you would just, you'd have been old enough to know about music and stuff, you know. And yeah, and that was, it was a time in, it was just a time when even though there was a big age difference between us, I liked to record and you knew what it was. That's interesting because I love that song and it reminds me of actually living in Winchmore Hill.

Yeah. Do you remember I had a Christmas party one year? Yes, yes, I do, yeah. And it reminds me of that, the power of love. Yeah, yeah. But you going back to that time, I can't remember. So that's lovely to hear. Yeah.

Yeah, it's... Mad. Definitely, yeah. Because you say to me, me oh can you play that one i did yeah because if you were 17 i only must have been two two and a half yeah or three i was probably 18 yeah yeah you know so it's probably i'm talking about you it's probably four something like that you know yeah three or four so christmases were good at home weren't they yeah they Yeah, they were, yeah. Yeah. I found some old photos and I'll put one up. I'll put one up when this comes out. You're holding me around nanny dolls.

Oh, right, okay. You've got a pink hat on and I'm not looking. I'm obviously really little and you're really young. Yeah. But I do think I love Christmas so much because of the memories of our Christmases at home. Yeah, I think it depends what your memories were, really. My memories are waking up in the morning and being able to smell a turkey. Yeah.

The smell of the turkey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it used to go in the oven about two o'clock in the morning, didn't it? Because it was so big. It's true. She used to get, every year she used to get one, you'd feed the 5,000s, chuck it all away. Honest.

All that about, oh, you can have turkey, curry and turkey this and turkey that. No, not in our house. No. Have you finished with that straight in a bin? And there was more turkey left than when we started. that's terrible yeah it's true um but yeah the smell of the turkey yeah yeah yeah and just whether it's right wrong or indifferent just thousands of presents yeah yeah and the thing remember i used to have sacks that hang on the banners yeah yeah yeah and then daddy would lay out all the annuals.

Yes. Because he had them in the shop. Well, we used to do that for us when me and David were kids. Yeah. So we'd get up in the Christmas morning and you'd have all the annuals, Beano, Dandy, Shoe, whatever it was. All lined up. All lined up.

Slightly opened. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what he used to do for me as well. And I used to do the same for our kids as well. And so did I. Yeah. Which is funny.

It's sort of handed down, you know, the annual, the way that you present your annuals for Christmas morning. Well, I have to say, now the annuals are shit. They're just not great. No. And for Joni's age, I used to have at that age a Bunty. Yeah, Bunty, yeah. A Jackie.

Jackie. Jackie. Yeah. But now you've got Low Dolls. You've got to be into something. Yeah. It's all kind of advertising, you know. Yeah, yeah. Whereas you haven't really got those kind of comic things.

No, we used to have Beano, Dandy, Topper, Wizard and Chips. I loved Wizard and Chips. They're the four I can remember. Yeah. I used to get an annual of big and it was all cartoon again it was you know

that kind of comic strip thing big but yeah Bunty Mandy Jackie yes which was just all

general stuff about being a girl or being a boy or being yeah a few puzzles word searches the odd sort of story but now

not great and she's not even there's a really nice Strictly Come Not great And she's not even There's a really nice Strictly Come Dancing annual But she hasn't even really Watched that this year No I might get it anyway

Yeah why not A few puzzles in there But I do love Buying annuals Because of that memory Yeah well you talk about The smell in the house Christmas day

Yeah Of the turkey and stuff So When we were growing up As kids, me and David, we lived in a different house in St. Peter's Street and whatever. And my smell that takes me back is the smell of a cigar because Dad would smoke a cigar, one cigar a year, and he would smoke it on Christmas Day.

So he would, after a bit of breakfast or whatever, and, you know, pour your first drink, whatever that may be, and he'd have a big King Edward cigar and he'd smoke it throughout the day, take a few puffs on it and put it down. And even now, it's rare now because you aren't anywhere where people can smoke or smoke a cigar. But let's say 10 years ago, I would be somewhere and someone would have a cigar and it would just instantly take me back. Immediately. Straight away.

Bang. They say music and scent are the most powerful. Yeah, music definitely and scent definitely yeah but yeah that's that's that's so you know again i'm talking what you know i was a 70s child so you know um smoking was quite a regular thing yeah but but yeah the smell of a cigar was, it just takes me back. This is an ad from BetterHelp Online Therapy. We always hear about the red flags to avoid in relationships, but it's just as important to focus on the green flags. If you're not quite sure what they look like,

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rather than buying a big turkey that's loads of money. Having a crown. Get a crown, which is what we do. But spend money on a good crown, a Norfolk gold or whatever it is, you know. And so rather if you go to Sainsbury's or wherever Tesco is and you spend £40 on a turkey, go to a butcher's and spend £40 on a crown and it will be so much better. That's my only thing I can say about that. Plus, I did watch years and years ago a program by two Australian chefs.

I don't know if they were partners, but someone might remember it. Yeah. And they said, rather than using stuffing, apples and oranges. Yes. So you cut up apples and oranges and up the backside of the, and loads of butter under the skin. And we've done that ever since, and we've never had a dry turkey. Yeah, I have a clementine.

Yeah. That goes in. Some people say chuck in a garlic bulb. No. But I don't want garlic. No, that is not Christmas dinner, I'm sorry. No. Sorry, I'm completely against garlic for Christmas dinner.

Yeah. Sorry, listen, I love garlic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love curries I love you know I love you know spicy food

and all that sort of stuff so I've got nothing against it but not Christmas dinner no sorry it's a no for me no not even in the potatoes

oh no no no good no absolutely not no sorry I'm not having all that they have a bulb they crush it up they just chuck it in there

I think it's a bit Jamie Oliver Jamie goes a bit mad with his taste and he chucks all you know he likes loads of stuff in it and whatever and it i think it's a bit jamie oliver jamie goes a bit mad with his taste and he chucks all you know and he likes loads of stuff in it and and whatever and it's and it's i mean we like his um spaghetti bolognese like sean does it quite a lot and it's amazing yeah spaghetti bolognese it's really good because you cook it on the pan put it in the oven and it slow cooks and it's really beautiful but i completely disagree with all that for Christmas Day. I'm a traditionalist and I think everything should just taste as it comes. What is your plate as you want it Christmas Day?

Christmas Day. What are you going for? I like a leg of turkey. Yeah. I'm not a breast man, particularly. I quite like the brown meat. Roast potatoes, obviously. Brussels sprouts.

A bit of bacon in them. Well, we've had a bit of a debate indoors. Yeah, go on. In the last, and I was shown to be wrong again as I normally am. So we've done, we've had some sprouts in pancetta and roasted and stuff. And I said, and I quite liked them, but I said, I don't really want them for christmas day which was taken as i don't like them i do like them but i like traditional

on so i prefer them to just be boiled really but if you want them just boiled yeah do you want them really soft like we used to have yeah i don't want them like bullets. No. No, absolutely not. No. Cauliflower. Yeah. If you can get a baby cauliflower, even better. Yeah. And I don't want to sound poncy, but organic cauliflower is unbelievable. It tastes like cream.

Yeah, I agree. It tastes like butter. If you buy sort of other stuff, which is a little bit cheaper, but obviously not as well grown, it can be very tart. It can be sharp. A bit stinky. Yeah, not very nice um yeah so the carrots maybe some peas are you doing the carrots we're boiling them i think just boil them really but we've gone roasted again see all of a sudden we're roasting carrots we're roasting

brussels which is fair enough i'll go i'll go. No, I have to part, no, I boil my brussels. Yeah. And then they go in with a load of butter and the pancetta and I just throw them off. Yeah. Okay. Maybe middling. Yeah, yeah, it's middle ground.

It's middle ground. It's not roasting and it's not boiling. I won't roast the brussels. No, thank you. Not on Christmas Day. I'm with you. And roast parsnips. Yeah. Yeah.

Absolutely. We got honey on them or we're leaving them plain? No, I think plain. Plain. Fair enough. Christmas Day is about plainness, you know. There's enough crap you can eat Christmas Day without putting it on your Christmas dinner. Fine.

You know, let's be honest. I love a honeyed parsnip. I'm going to disagree with you there, Tone. That's fair enough. Listen, we're all entitled to our opinion now yeah and none of them are wrong remember that so we've got leg of turkey yeah some overdone cauliflower overdone brussels yeah boiled carrots yeah peas peas

yeah pig in blanket roast potatoes I'm not a lover I will have one yeah I don't know why they just don't

really agree with me stuffing I can't go near if I go near if I touch stuffing I'll have heartburn for a year I love stuffing I don't know what's in it

no it's pork you're probably the same as me because I shouldn't eat pork that's not pork I don't because I can eat it. No, it's pork. You're probably the same as me because I shouldn't eat pork. That's not pork. I don't because I can eat bacon and whatever. Yeah, yeah. It's all right. I think it's whatever they, it's the stuff they mix it with.

Okay. It must be like the most, it's like a gluten bomb that they mix it with. I don't know. And it, I just, I love it. Yeah. I'll eat it and think that's really nice, especially when it's cooked separately and it's all crispy and lovely. My God, I need an ocean of...

Gaviscon. Gaviscon or whatever it is. Terrible. So I just don't go near it anymore. Fair enough. I eat it. Cranberry sauce. Lots of cranberry.

Cranberry. Bread sauce at all? No. Never had it. Don't know what it is. Got no idea. Well, you have never had it, have we? No. No of cranberry. Cranberry. Bread sauce at all? No. Never had it. Don't know what it is. Got no idea. Well, you have never had it, have you? No.

No, I just don't even know what it is. What is it? It's bread in sauce. I don't know. What is it? Don't know. White stuff. Looks like putting custard on your Christmas dinner.

It looks like polyfiller. Yeah. It's quite thick. I don't know. I don't like bread sauce. Well, quite thick. I don't know. I don't like bread salt. Well, I'll say I don't like it. I've never had it, so. And I know people as well.

Yeah. A lot of my Irish friends, they'll have three meats on the dinner table at Christmas. They'll have turkey, beef and gammon. Beef is for Boxing Day. No, honestly, they will cook three meats for Christmas dinner.

Again, I don't really understand it. I don't know if it was because they saved up all year and they could buy all the meat at once. Very large families. Maybe very large families, so they couldn't get a big enough turkey. God knows. I don't know. No. maybe very large family so they couldn't get a big enough turkey god knows I don't know no be interesting to know from someone

with Irish heritage what that's all about because I don't we've never I've never come across it apart from my Irish mates I have to say

I do buy a nice large ham that goes in the fridge but that would not come out that's for evening evening exactly or for the next couple of days ham egg and chips exactly yeah large ham that goes in the fridge, but that would not come out. That's for evening. Evening. Exactly. Or for the next couple of days.

Or the next couple of days, ham egg and chips. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, but no, not for the day. Yeah.

I've seen, honestly. Well, David's come in and he, he's doing a goose. Right. Okay. So he's bringing a goose,

but goose is, they're not, you know, they've got loads on them. Not much to them. So we'll have a little bit of that each, but I kind of get that because that is a Christmas meat as well. It's a Christmas bird.

Yeah. But a piece of beef is quite something. Honestly, and gammon as well. Yeah, I've seen, yeah, it may be, like you say, big families. That's what I'm thinking. Where they literally, they couldn't get enough turkey in the oven, so. Let us know. 0 seven double eight twenty nineteen nineteen do you have three different meats on the table and why yeah or even worse or not worse but even more strange to me is this thing where they sew birds inside birds so you've got

oh i like that four birds or seven birds is it I've had a bird in a bird in a bird. So it's a quail and a partridge and a goose and something else in something else. They're all stuffed into each other. Yeah, I think I've had a turkey goose duck, perhaps. I don't know. I don't understand it. Unless you're Henry VIII, why do you need to do that? No, you don't. You don't, do you? You don't. Let's be honest. No, you don't understand it unless you're emery the eighth why do you need to do that no you don't you don't do you let's be honest why do you need it's gluttonous it is

it's gluttonous and it's basically every fatty bird in the world they must you know like duck is fatty you know partridges all these game birds are fatty and you're putting them all in one place, cooking them together. I mean, it's literally your heart attack on a plate, isn't it? Can I apologise to any vegans or vegetarians listening? Because we haven't mentioned you yet. And I think there are some fantastic options. I love a vegetarian meal sometimes, Tone. Not for Christmas, but I genuinely like a nut roast. Or you get these wonderful sort of beetroot or butternut

squash stuff now yeah or people do a whole roasted cauliflower stuff on it and I think there's a lot more options for people now yeah we roast cabbage interesting Sharon and Evie have found this roasted cabbage so you cut the cabbage up and put it on a baking tray and roast it and it's it's different but I bet it's different. But I bet it's lovely. It's nice, but it's really different. It's really, the taste is completely different to what you'd expect from cabbage. What I do love sometimes, vegetarian, is a curry.

Oh, yes. It's the best food. Indian food is the best. There's sometimes, I just think, I don't want meat. I don't want, especially if it's a takeaway i don't want you know i don't i don't really want prawns or what it might be and i'll just order and it's so it'll be bombay potatoes you know bit spinach mushroom bargy onion bargy some rice and sometimes i find that that is i that I enjoy that more than having a load of chicken or whatever.

Mark and I went to a wedding. It was one of his friends. Yeah. It was an amazing wedding and they were vegan and it was an Indian chef. Yeah. I have never had food like it at a wedding. No. It was the best food

I'd ever had Yeah And it was the lentils The tarkadal Yeah Unbelievable Fantastic But I think

Indian food is wonderful Because it uses All the lentils Lots of veg Like you say Yeah And it fills you up As well you know

But yeah Stuff that I'm having a turkey Yeah Foto Yeah Definitely Soury roll

Well yeah Just so you know Bread sauce Yeah Is one large onion Right Fifteen whole cloves Okay

One bay leaf Black peppercorns Mm-hmm One pint of whole milk Yeah Two ounces of butter Yeah Two tablespoons of double cream, salt and pepper.

Right. No bread in it? Four ounces of freshly made white breadcrumbs. Right, okay. Sounds like glorified custard to me. I don't know. I just don't fancy that at all. But I'm sure people absolutely love it.

Yeah, I don't really get it. No. Very heavy. Yeah. Loads of butter, loads of... I love a bit of cranberry sauce, though. Yeah. Get a good one.

Yeah. Sometimes I'll have that with my roast chicken. Yes, I have it with roast chicken regularly. Do you? Yeah. Good. Beef has got to be horseradish. I love horseradish, but I can get a hot English mustard, too. Not the same for me. No, fair enough. Yeah. Good. Beef has got to be horseradish. I love horseradish, but I can get a hot English mustard too.

Not the same for me. No, fair enough. No. But again, with horseradish, you've got to buy a good one because we had one the other day. We had a bit of beef and it was a bit like mayonnaise. It just wasn't hot. No, it needs to be really hot and quite thick. Quite thick, yeah.

You want to taste it. I like it when it makes your eyes water when you eat it. That's the mark of a really good horseradish. So, again, not to sound too poncy, but we did get one from Fortnum & Mason, which isn't, it's not extravagant and expensive. It was no more than what you'd pay for one in. A farm shop or whatever. Yeah, or a farm shop.

Or Waitrose. Waitrose or whatever. But it is, in. A farm shop. Yeah, or a farm shop. Or Waitrose. Waitrose or whatever. But it is, oh, it's amazing. Oh, is it? Absolutely amazing. It just got such a kick to it. Absolutely fantastic. Oh, I'm going to get it.

Got to get it. Yeah. Honestly, if you're having a bit of beef, it makes the dinner for me. I know, like, the kids don't like it. I know people that don't, you know, don't want it. They don't like it. I know people that don't want it. They don't like mustard. They don't want that, which I understand. But when you like a certain condiment, when you find the right one,

it's very difficult to have anything else. No, I get it. It's absolutely brilliant. The cranberry and port sauce that M&S do is nice, but I wonder if we should get a Fulton & Mason cranberry, if the condiments are that good. Well, I don't do a great deal of shopping, so I'm going to be honest. Interesting you should say that, actually.

You've had a question here. Right, okay. Talking of shopping. Yeah. She's tried to send a voice note twice. Bless you, Joe. But she put, I bloody well give up on the voice notes. My dodgy hands have issues with the buttons.

Anyway, question for Tony. As a man, does he enjoy buying presents? Does he do that thing where his wife buys the presents and he pretends to know what they've given everyone? Also, question to you both, what is your favourite Christmas memory involving your parents? Joe from Bristol. Thank you, Joe.

Thanks, Joe. Understand the voice note thing. I can't get the hang of it either, so I'm very much a put it down on the phone or whatever. Do you want the honest answer? Go on, Tom. phone or whatever do you want the honest answer good time the honest answer is i have been in situations where people have thanked me for a gift and i don't know what we've bought them and that's and i'm just being honest so um no my wonderful wife tends to do most of that for me and i'm very grateful that she does. I'm a terrible shopper.

I'm a bloke shopper. And again, I'm not being, this is not a sexist thing or anything like that. I am a typical man. I want to get in, buy it and get out. My ideal shopping trip is half hour driving there,

20 minutes parking, but two and a half minutes shopping, get something to eat, back home again. Yeah. That's it. Literally, I cannot shop. I can't be dragged around shops, but I don't think anyone does that anymore because it's all online. So I'm very fortunate that my Sharon does it.

She does all the gifting and stuff, and I don't think I'll be capable of it. Daddy was a good shopper, wasn't he? He was. I've got a nice one about Dad. Yeah? Yeah. So leading on to what's one of your favourite memories. Yeah.

And again, this is of its time, so no judging, please. It was Christmas Eve. Dad had shut the shop up and he said, he said, I'm just looking forward to Christmas. He said, come on, son. He said, we're going to go down to Selfridges. So we lived near the Angel Islington and we could get on a bus to Selfridges.

We could get on a bus to Selfridges. So we get, I think it was a 73 or 38, 73, whatever, bus would take us to, up to Selfridges. So we get, I think it was a 73 or 38, 73, whatever, bus would take us up to Oxford Street. Yeah. And we got on this bus, went to Oxford Street, and my dad bought my mum a fur coat. A silver fox, I think it was, fur coat. I'll never forget it.

In Selfridges, in the furriers in Selfridges, doesn't exist anymore because people don't buy them no and i just remember this whole experience of getting on a bus christmas eve going down there in buying this fur coat bringing it back hiding it so mum didn't know about it and then watching her face when she got it the following morning it was amazing i was probably about eight or nine really yeah and it was an i just never ever forget it and the second i suppose one for for me was i mean there's loads of christmas memories but in terms of sort of mum and dad they both used to smoke so um one year dad he very carefully opened a packet of cigarettes he had a standing knife blade and he cut open

the the cellophane on the cigarettes he took two cigarettes out put diamond ring so it sounds quite pretentious but it wasn't um and he put a ring in the place of the two cigarettes and then he cut the cigarettes no he took them out or cut them down or whatever he did and put them back in. And then he then put the cellophane back and then he cut the finest sliver of cellotape to seal it back up again. I was watching him do it. Yeah. It was sort of, it was a bit like adult Blue Peter, I suppose you'd call it. And then he wrapped this box of cigarettes up and he gave them to mum the next morning. And her face, the language.

So you got me for Christmas, you effing this, you effing that, blah, blah, blah. And he's sort of giggling to himself. And of course, she's sort of opened them later in the day and there's this ring in the box. Yeah, he was good at stuff like that. He was, yeah. He's very inventful very inventful

yeah but he enjoyed buying stuff for people he did yeah I think that's where we get it from that's where we've got to get it from terrible

terrible it's just my favourite thing I know and I'm the same can't help it I'm the same yeah so we definitely got yeah we got that side of dad

I think yeah definitely and I don't like much noise anymore I'm the same yeah so we definitely got yeah we're that side of dad I think yeah definitely and I don't like much noise anymore I've got that off from daddy as well you say that I just I used to sit with him

and he used to turn the sound off between the programs when it was the adverts yeah I say dad you can't do that I can't sit here in silence what am I doing now you don't do that I'm turning the sound down during adverts yeah i say dad you can't do that i can't sit here in silence what am i doing now you don't

do that i'm turning the sound down during adverts honestly i've i'm getting so old it's unbelievable scary but i'm doing that i'm muting the telly in between in between programs because I can't stand the advert. There you go. Yeah, we all become. We all turn into. Yeah, turn into, become what we're going to become. We did a podcast and thank you to everybody. People really enjoyed it. It was rather chaotic.

But the podcast that came out last Thursday, Nat's Nieces, we did a bit of crackers and fears and a bit of a laugh and this is a really nice story that i'd like to share hi natalie was listening to your latest nats nieces podcast cracked me up when you're all moaning about christmas hats so some people's heads are quite large, Tone, for a Christmas hat. Yeah, okay. Sometimes. Yeah. So we were talking about these things.

One year, Charlotte from Bexley Heath, she opened two crackers. She took the hats out, cut them, stuck them together, and made a giant hat. And she folded it up into a cracker and gave it to her mum, who she said has the biggest head in the world. She was so excited when she opened it. And not only did it fit, but it slid down her face until she realised what we had done and called us all a bunch of bastards.

Thanks, Charlotte. Yeah, brilliant. I think that could go one of two ways on Christmas Day, can't it? Yeah. thanks Charlotte yeah brilliant I think that could go one or two ways on Christmas day can't it yeah it could go really well

or it could go really bad storming out especially if drink had been taken as well yeah you know I'm not Charlotte sorry I'm not suggesting

that that had happened but you know it's you can be on a knife edge at times can't you yeah and

great really good joke but could have gone a bit wrong. Yeah. I think. Luckily it didn't. Luckily it didn't. So genius, actually. Absolute genius. Will you be playing any board games Christmas?

I'm not a board game lover. No. No, I'm not going to lie. So everyone goes, you've got to play. I don't like them. No, fair enough. Never liked them as a kid. No. Who wants to be a millionaire, though? not going to lie. So everyone goes, you've got to play. I don't like them. No, fair enough. Never liked them as a kid. No.

Good at who wants to be a millionaire, though. You won that, yeah? Good at that, weren't you? Well, yeah. I mean, I was forced into that, so I had to sort of play it. But I never had a choice. But I, sorry, for me, I just like, for me, it's all about music. Get some music on.

Tell the same old stories you've told every year. Yeah. Sit there with the people that you love and who matter to you and just enjoy the day and enjoy being with each other. Yeah. They used to play cards at home years ago. Oh, I remember. Those cards all night long.

And there was a row about cards. Okay. Yeah, which I'm not going to name names, but... No, but did it ruin your christmas i remember yeah there being a row i remember there being an argument i remember someone storming out christmas night was finished you know so uh yeah i just but i'm just not a ball game i think we've got um i think this year we've got a couple of music ones which is good yes so just quizzy type yeah yeah nice i'm not one of these let's get the cluedo and monopoly out just don't no yeah I think this year we've got a couple of music ones, which is good. Yes. So just quizzy type ones.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, nice. I'm not one of these, let's get the Cluedo and Monopoly out. Just don't. No, fair enough. Yeah, just not for me. But I think we might have the Ken Bruce one. Oh, that'll be good.

I think he's got... Popmaster. Popmaster. I think we might have Popmaster. And so we might have a little dabble with that for an hour. Yeah, yeah, nice. But I'm not sort of, let's have a board game night. No, no.

No, fair enough. I love a board game. I know you do, yeah. What's your favourite board game? Scrabble. Because I used to play that all the time. I don't think that's a board game, sorry. No, because that's more of a...

I think that's an intellectual sort of tool almost. It's not a board game. No, my favourite at Christmas is a game that you can still buy I believe in Smith's

which used to be Toys R Us for us yeah and it's called Santa's Rooftop Scramble and I genuinely I've got it on the

table tonight we get it out around about this time of year and you don't play it you don't see it all year round I put it with the

Christmas decks. Yeah. And it's little Santas and you get cards and you have your list of all the toys you need to deliver. Right. And the board's got all of the door numbers around it. Okay. And each card has a door number and it's the race

to which Santa's going to finish the list first. I think it's all fine. If you know how to play the game, it's fine. I mean, we got a game out a couple of years ago. It's not for me. And we started reading the instructions and how you're supposed to play it, and then we just went, oh, bollocks,

we're just going to ask each other questions, which is what we did. We just asked each other the questions. And are you right? There was this, it was, if you do this you get one point you get two points and then you've got to jump over this one and do such and such and i can't even understand the instructions let alone play the game and for me that's where it's spoiled it's spoiled you know if it's simple and it's easy and people enjoy it and great yeah but you get a new game out christmas afternoon or whatever it is or tea time

and you know i've normally had a few drinks and you just look at you're trying to read the instructions you think i can't be bothered let's put let's put the music on the music i tell you what bernie would like though i think i don't know if you've ever bought one gone they've got them in the garden center near us and and I've got one. Whether I'll use it or not, I'm not sure. But I might even buy one for the 29th if we pop back here. Okay, yeah. It's an escape room thing. Right.

So it's an investigative... Help me. Investigative... Thank you. It's like solving a puzzle. Right, okay. Is it a murder mystery, is it? It can be a murder mystery, or it might be someone's died and the wheel's all wrong and is this individual to each game yes so you buy it once you buy it it's done oh i see that's sort of a one used game so you get it

all out and there'll be letters paperwork oh i like the sound of it right and you have to see it and you have to work out what's happened oh i, I like the sound of that. And there's clues and... Should I get this one? Do you know what? But again, I don't see that as a ball game. That's like, to me, it's like Scrabble. It's sort of, it's going to stretch your intellect a bit. It's going to...

Yes. Probably not for Christmas afternoon after you've drunk two bottles of wine, half a bottle of brandy and six tons of turkey. But to me, that's not a ball game that's different you're thinking but it's all logic yeah

there'll be shapes or puzzles they're really really good they're called puzzle post they were featured on dragons den years and years ago puzzle post

right I'm going to look that up and they've done really really well yeah but I highly recommend if you like a bit of a something different yeah you get it all out

and it's really fun and I think Bernie would really like it. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe I'll, I'll look at, I'll maybe order one of those then. I'd be willing to have a go at that.

Yeah. Cause it's a collaborative thing, I suppose, isn't it? Where you're all trying to, you're all trying to work it out as opposed to, you know, monopoly where you're trying to shaft someone and.

Nickel their money. Nickel their money. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, you're sort of working it all out together no that sounds i'll have a look at that yeah i highly recommend for people i think they're roughly i couldn't tell you exactly between they do teenage ones now so they've got different ages as the business has grown obviously but

they've got kids one i've got one which is kind of a Christmas Eve one with elves, which I think Joni and I can do. Yeah. But they do, the adult ones, and I think they're sort of 15 to 20 quid, maybe 25. But there's a lot in them, newspaper articles. For once a year. You know. Good value.

You know, you have plane tickets with initials. It's all sort of that sort of thing. But, yeah. Oh, I didn't know about that. That sounds great. No, it's good. I'm going to have but yeah oh i didn't know about that that sounds great no it's good i'm gonna have a look at that have a little look yeah very good here's a nice message uh about christmas day we're lucky enough not to experience it but here we go maybe you could do a pod about people that have their birthdays on Christmas day because um mine's on Christmas

day and I'll be 61 this year and out of those 61 years I think I've had maybe two birthday parties uh growing up as a child actually no parties but from my parents growing up as a child um always got uh one present joint christmas and birthday and um since i've been married which is like 40 years my husband never ever does that um and this year i wanted a really quiet christmas just me and my husband without the four children and the rest of the family, just because it's my 61st birthday and I would have liked a nice quiet birthday, getting old and all that. But no, we're going to the mother-in-law's, so it won't be quiet.

I'll just sort of put that in there, and maybe you could do a little podcast about Christmas Day babies. Speak soon. Bye. Oh, my name's Faisal Lambert, by the way. Thanks. Bye. She really don't sound happy about having her birthday on Christmas Day, does she? I think that's an understatement, if I'm honest. I feel really sorry for her.

Yeah, you can feel the sort of pain in her voice can't you 61 years of being told that's your birthday and christmas present together 61 years of being told oh no we don't have a party on christmas day my late great friend debbie alexandru yes remember debbie um had alex Christmas day. Yeah. And they used to have, I believe, a nice, you know, do something Christmas Eve for him or whatever,

do all his presents. But it was never birthday and Christmas together. No. What would you do if one of your children was born on Christmas day? Well, I know a few people who've got, who are born around Christmas. So it could be Christmas Eve,

Christmas day, boxing day. I think anyone who's born within a few days either side is going to suffer this. Yeah. So if I was in that position with one of my kids, I'd give them an official birthday in June. Like the Queen? Like the Queen, yeah. I'd just make it up and say,

you've got a birthday in June, and forget the one at Christmas, and then you've got a birthday on Christmas. I love that. Well, I think that's what you'd have to do because you must realise, surely, by the time they get to school, five, six, seven, and they've never had a party and they've never felt special on their birthday, you've surely got to realise that you've got to do something about it. Yeah.

I think. But maybe not. I'd really like to hear from anyone who's born on Christmas Day. I'm probably going to get slaughtered for that. Or child is born on Christmas Day. What do you do? Can someone back me up and say they would really have loved it if they would have had an official birthday in June or July?

I think you could start something there well i just think you know kids it's so important and i remember when i was a kid and it was but i mean i'm may i'm lucky i'm sort of halfway through the year yeah me too we're a week apart yeah james and evie june and july june and july You know, David's July. Sharon's August. So most of the people we know, we're all summer babies. The only one, the nearest one is Dominic, who's November the 21st. That's far enough away. It's still far enough away. Way far enough away, yeah.

Yeah. But I think, yeah, you must have realised as a kid, or you do realise as a kid, if you're not, if you haven't got that special day on your birthday and it's sort of rolled up something else then i think it's going to affect you in some way shape or form yeah personally yeah that's what i think no i get it well what about daddy new year's day new year's day yeah january the first which was always a bummer because we always hated new year, all of us. Yeah. Really.

I'm not a New Year's person at all. No, me neither. I can make the best of it and have a nice time. I think, again, you make the best of it with the people that you like and whatever. Yes. But it was lovely in the later years of Dad, obviously not when I was younger because I couldn't give a shit. No.

But in the latter years... Say what you mean. Well, no, you know, you don't at those ages. No, you in the latter years Say what you mean. Well, no, you know, you don't at those ages. No, you don't. Of course you don't. You're hungover, you do whatever.

But, you know, a good five, six, seven years we spent when he lived with me. Just a glass of champagne. Yeah. Watching the telly. Yeah. Doing happy birthday at midnight

and that was quite nice. Yeah. Like you say, I've never been really not fussed on New Year's Eve. I could easily sit in with mark watch george holland and go to bed doesn't bother me that's what we do that's what we do to be honest i think it depends what your upbringing was as well see i had friends who their parents knew year was a really big thing yes so they'd all have a massive family party and it was always really big and they loved it

yeah yeah yeah when i was growing up new year for me was a massive family party and it was always really big and they loved it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I was growing up, New Year for me was a little bit death and destruction. So mum had quite a big family and it always seemed to me that one of her uncles would die just before Christmas. Right. It probably wasn't like that, but she had five uncles. Yeah, yeah. Who were all droids, which is an interesting name, which I'll tell you about in a minute. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And so there was Reggie, there was Johnny, there was Georgie, Dinksy, another one, I think there was five. So there was Nanny Liz who was the sister, obviously, and then she had five or six brothers. And as I was growing up, I honestly felt that every year, it wasn't every year, but it's probably every couple of years, we would get a phone call in November or October. Right.

Had a stroke and they died. And all I remember is mum crying on New Year. That's all I remember because she'd lost someone. Right, right. And that's the memories I've got of New Year. That's all I remember because she'd lost someone. Right, right. And that's the memories I've got of New Year. But it is, again, it's all about your memories,

how you brought up. Yeah. I just remember it being very quiet. Yeah, exactly. And I think a lot of that was because of reflection and, you know. Yeah.

Mum hated New Year. You know, they weren't pub people, they weren't party people. No, no. You know, they weren't pub people. They weren't party people. No, no. You know, and then I tried it a few years and you go out and it's just absolute shit. You're overcharged for everything. You can't get in anywhere. There's drunk people wanting to kiss, you know, pretend to be your friend and cuddle you and all that.

I just don't. No. And at the end of it, really, you are just another year closer to death, aren't you? So I don't know why people celebrate oh fuck me this is jolly it's true Merry Christmas everyone

Jesus Christ it's true though isn't it near Jesus' birthday as well talking like that not having no more of it I won't have it not doing it miserable old goat

yes I know yeah I've been called that a few times recently or worse than that no you're not you're not no i just um yeah i just i'm not i'm just not a new year's person no i'm not and i'm not into resolutions or i like to i think because i love christmas so much and then again there's people I know, they're not interested. Christmas for them, I know loads of people that say, oh, it's just nice. Yeah, see, I really like Christmas.

I love the build-up to it. And, you know, even more, I loved it more as a kid, obviously. But even now, you just look forward to the build-up and the day, and I really enjoy that. But for me, really, sort of day after Box boxing day, it's sort of over really for me. Well, it ain't this year. No. Coming up here, we're stretching it out.

I know. We're giving it a go, aren't we? We're giving it a go. And I think it's nice actually to have something to look forward to. Yes. I'm pleased we're doing what we're doing. Yeah. Because those sorts of days, I like to call them, what day is it now?

Yeah. Is it Thursday? Is it Tuesday? Don't know what day it is. Don't know the date. I'm just drinking Baileys, eating turkey sandwiches. I've got no idea. Don't know where I am anymore by the 28th.

So I think having something to look forward to on the 29th is going to be really nice. Yeah, it is, yeah. Focus is your mind as well. Yes. Yeah. Because you can't get absolutely paralytic on the 28th because you've got to

go out on the 29th that's right yeah so there's a there's a good health issue good leveller

good leveller yeah there's a you realise you can't sort of drink Baileys till five in the morning and then go out for lunch no you can't do that yeah

so it makes you go to bed I think after the age of 30 you can't do that anymore Yeah, so it makes you go to bed. I think after the age of 30, you can't do that anymore. No, maybe. 35? Yeah, 56 maybe. No, I don't like bailies anyway. No, fair enough.

Fair enough. Well, Tone, thank you so much. This will be our last one before the new year. Before the new year. I can't thank you enough for joining me and becoming a regular person on the pod. It's been an honour. It's been brilliant. I've really enjoyed it.

I hope people enjoy listening to us. I really do. I'm just a normal bloke doing normal things. Absolutely. But these couple of hours that we spend together are really important and I'm really pleased that you've asked me to do it. So thank you very much. That's all right.

And Merry Christmas. And Merry Christmas to you. Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you, everybody. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. And we're nearly on the home straight now. 16th today. A few more days at work, hopefully.

And please, I know that we're having a break, but I do want to remember all the people that don't stop working over Christmas. Absolutely, yeah. Emergency services, care homes, hospices. District nurses. All those people that have to, yeah, still work on Christmas morning and over Christmas. And you work and you get up. It's amazing.

Help people, it's incredible. It is amazing, selfless. Really, really is. Yeah. And I will see you on Thursday for a very, very, very special episode. People really love my impression that Morgana Robinson does of me. And sometimes I do the impression of my impression.

So I messaged her and I said, I think it's about time that you and I were both together to have a chat about it. So I've got a really special Christmas cracker of me and Morgana Robinson, who's the most wonderful lady. And that's coming up as a very, very special treat. Just doing this now, aren't I? See you later.

Hi, this is Chris McCausland. And this is Diane Boswell. And we've got a new podcast, haven't we, Di? We do. What's it called? Winning. Isn't? Everything. Every week, me and Diane, we're going to be having

a little catch-up on the back of Strictly, aren't we, Di? We are. I've missed you, Chris. I've missed you too. We're going to talk some nonsense, so why not tune in? Available everywhere you get your podcasts.