Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe - S9 EP18: Gino D'Acampo

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

Joining us this episode to discuss the highs and lows of parenting (and life) is the brilliant chef, presenter and writer - Gino D'Acampo. Gino's new cookbook is available now; Gino's Air Fryer Cookbook: Italian Classics Made Easy Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Please leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... xx If you want to get in touch with the show with any correspondence, kids intro audio clips, small business shout outs, and more.... here's how: EMAIL: [e-mail] Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available free everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Follow us on instagram: @parentinghell  Join the mailing list to be first to hear about live show dates and tickets, Parenting Hell merch and any other exciting news... MAILING LIST: parentinghellpodcast.mailchimpsites.com A 'Keep It Light Media' Production  Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, I'm Rob Beckett. And I'm Josh Willicombe. Welcome to Parenting Hell, the show in which Josh and I discuss what it's really like to be a parent, which I would say can be a little tricky. So to make ourselves and hopefully you feel better about the trials and tribulations of modern day parenting, each week we'll be chatting to a famous parent about how they're coping. Or hopefully how they're not coping.

And we'll also be hearing from you, the listener, with advice and of course tales of parenting woe. Because let's be honest there are plenty of times where none of us know what we're doing. Hello you're listening to Penelope, can you say Rob Beckett and can you say Josh Widdecombe? Can you say Josh? Josh. Widdecombe. Well done. It's a lovely little soft South Waelian accent there. Good name actually, you don't get that much. 20 month old Penelope saying your names. She saw Rob's picture and said, Daddy, I look nothing like you, so I'm a bit concerned. Keep up the good work. We listen to it every week and have been since the start.

Thanks for all the laughs. Matt, Emily, Penelope and baby number two, any day now, Bridgend. Bridgend, got it. Now that it's South Wales, bosh. Bosh, right. There we go. Josh, we haven't done any correspondence for a bit.

Do you want some? I'm tired, yeah. Yeah? Here we go. Josh, we haven't done any correspondence for a bit. Do you want some? Yeah, I'm tired. Yeah. Yeah. Here we go. Do you want some boomer parenting or we're still building up school ground shaggers, aren't we?

Keep building. Keep building. Keep sending in your playground shaggers. I've got a sports day fail here. Actually, let's do a cooking with kids story because we've got a chef on today. Oh, that's how good we are. That's how good we are. That is how good we are. Okay, here we go. Hi, Rob and Josh. Thanks for keeping me laughing through the trials and trips of raising three small humans with three cats on the side. Love the show and listen to every

episode. In a recent episode, you talked about the kids cooking, and this reminded me of a recent baking mishap that occurred in our home. Our two youngest kids, Eliana and Jessie, aged eight and five, decided one Saturday morning to do baking, as this would apparently please us more than them lying in front of the TV. We came downstairs to some remarkably good-looking chocolate cupcakes pre-oven, and we were proudly presented with our

Malteser cupcakes. We were surprised as we had no Maltesers in the house. Oh no. So we asked how they got around this problem. The eight-year-old said, don't worry mummy, I couldn't find any. So he found something similar. I use cherry tomatoes. The recipe said crumble in the Maltesers so I squeeze some tomatoes in and cover the rest in chocolate ice cream so they look like Maltesers clever clever now I baked them and left the kids to play Russian roulette as to which ones had tomatoes in so revolting I wonder that'd be quite nice chocolate tomato. Ice cream. You can't bake ice cream.

How do you bake ice cream? Tomatoes. That's just gonna be sugary tomatoes, isn't it? Pretty quite nice. Yeah. I don't hate the idea of you know, it's a salted caramel world, isn't it? Like a tomato chocolate. I think it will be I'm gonna actually Josh, I think that will be shit. But yeah, worth'm just gonna go in it later. Why not? I'm not enough to do Gina.

You don't got much on another cooking with a kid story. Yeah, cooking with the kids. Hi, Robin. Josh, this story isn't about my experience of cooking with my own kids. It's about cooking with my parents when I was a kid. Hopefully still okay to send in. No, it's not fuck off. Fuck yourself. Now, of course, it's fine. So my dad was an incredible chef cooking delicious middle Eastern food and running his own catering business, providing food for large dinner parties in the Kent area. Me and my sister were often asked to help prepare the food. And on one

occasion for one of the larger events he was catering for, I was asked to cover plates of food with cling film. I had stuck on red plastic nails and hadn't realized that a few had fallen off into the food. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Until after we had delivered the food, my poor dad had to run back to the venue and explain the situation. Oh no. They weren't real nails, just plastic one

his eight year old daughter had been wearing. I mean, but I'm not sure that made things any better. That doesn't make things better. Because that is one, from catering, there's nails in the food, bad. I mean, but I'm not sure that made things any better. That doesn't make things better. Because that is one, from catering, there's nails in the food, bad. Two, sorry, my daughter did it. Okay, you're not hiring proper staff.

You're just getting whoever's in the house. And three, what, you've got an eight-year-old to make this food, you're charging me a lot of money for. And four, you're letting your child wear stick-on nails to prepare food. Oh my God. Zoe, Zoe, Zoe, thanks for that, Zoe. Yeah, that's not ideal, is it? Do you want to sports day fail, Josh? And four, you're letting your child wear stick-on nails to prepare food. Oh my God. Zoe, Zoe, Zoe, thanks for that Zoe.

Yeah, that's not ideal, is it? Do you want a sports day fail, Josh? Yes. Hi guys, love the pod. Just listening to you talking about sports day and parents racing and got the urge to send you the story of our sports day this year. Recently, we rocked up to our children's school

for sports day. We have a five-year-old and an eight-year-old. Effectively, we had to stand for two sports days because of the difference in classes, meaning we were out in the cold for almost three hours. After a fairly poor show by my husband in the first dad's race, I regretfully encouraged him to give it his all for the second with my son watching. God, two races in one day. Fucking hell. Unfortunately, he gave it so much that he hurt himself and hobbled to the side

of the pitch mid race with everyone looking on. I eventually went down to check on him and I'll never forget the look of panic on his face when he told me he had popped both hamstrings and literally couldn't move. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Even with top level athletes, when the hamstring goes, you literally have to stop moving. You see people pull up with it in football, don't you?

Where they just stop. It's not like you try and carry on. It's over. So the pain was so much at this point, he looked like he might faint. Oh my God. Within minutes we had some teaching staff, three GP parents and a physio parent, oh god not the other parents that's horrible, huddled round, lowering him onto a picnic blanket. Soon he was wrapped in foil sheets. Oh no. The foil sheet apart from an aberraphin is like, this is serious. Why have they even got them? Well, because of injuries.

To keep people warm. In the first aid kit? First aid isn't it? Like at school, health and safety, if you're doing something outside, if a kid broke their leg and they'd get cold in their PE kit. Oh my god. Now soon he was wrapped in a foil sheet sheet legs elevated on stools with ice applied eventually he left the pitch on a wheelchair I had to take him to A&E

I don't think he's ever been in so much pain I don't think i've ever been so embarrassed over three weeks later He is only just off crutches and still can't drive Oh my god Physio is ongoing. Let this be a lesson for all the faulty something. Dads, your legs aren't what they used to be and always warm up. You're the one telling him to go for it.

I'm fairly confident though, there won't be a parents race in my children's school ever again. That's why they stopped at our school because of injuries like that. Yeah, I don't think they should exist. They overshadow the whole day. It's about the kids.

I agree. Let's just get rid. I agree actually, but it's quite fun watching sad case parents really give it their all. Yeah, actually. Basically, it's quite good from a social like, experiment to go, right, let's learn who the lunatics are. Well, I think the interesting thing is actually, the thought is that the people that are most

embarrassed by it are the people that are bad at sport but actually the people that are most embarrassed are the people that take it seriously. Yeah and they may not be embarrassed but everyone's embarrassed for them. Yeah they're the ones everyone's talking about the next day. Did you see him? He turned his cap backwards and got into a sprint start position. He was racing against the guy in timberland boots and jeans. Shall we introduce Gino De Campo? Father, chef, TV personality, cheeky chappy. Here he is. Shall we do a visual welcome? Is Rose there? No, she's downstairs looking after her ass and he's kicking off.

Let Rose come up and say hello to Gino De Campo. Come up and say hello to Gino. I think so too. Why don't you do that and I'll introduce Gino when you get Rose to come up because Rose is very excited. Okay, fine. Well, welcome Gino De Campo. How are you? Buongiorno, very good.

Buongiorno, very excited to have you here. Yeah, good. A couple of things we want to run through with you. Obviously, we're going to talk about your kids. You've got three kids, correct? Yes. We're going to talk about your new cookbook, Air Fryer Italian Food.

Yes. Correct. And then we're going to introduce you to Rose. And I also want to, basically, Josh does a vegetable lasagna every Christmas. A veggie for one? Is he vegetarian? Yeah, so he does that but I always say it sounds like a really shit lasagna so whatever he says, can you just rip it apart for us and tell him it's a terrible lasagna?

Because I think from you it'll be great and I think he'll be quite excited to tell you about it. Alright, alright we do. Yeah, okay that'll be good. Oh here we go, look, Rosie's here! Bella! How are you? Excited to tell you about it. All right. Yeah, okay. That'd be good She just put in a headphones and you mr. Chalabella I'm good. How are you? Very good. Very good. What a pleasure to meet you. Oh lovely to meet you Gino lovely Tell me what are you doing right now? What am I doing? I've just been making my son some toast. Oh I see, I see. Yeah, not very glamorous. Well you look beautiful and very rock and roll for first thing in the morning feeding the children. First thing in the morning?

Oh listen I'm gonna send you a very big kiss. Stop leaning forward. Josh is hating, it's a kid trying to crack the microphone in the head? I bet it gets him back to the toast. Lovely to meet you, Geno. I love you. You've made her day, Geno. Rose is blushing. I didn't know you were gonna do that, but I didn't like the look of it.

Rose is loving it, Geno. That's the happiest I've seen her in years. Right, let's get this fucking interview over with then. How old are your kids Gino? My kids are 21 or 22, 19 and Mia is going to be 12. Okay, what would you say your main role is in the family unit then? Was you doing the school pickups and the homework or you doing more the clubs at the weekend? Would you be the one they go to for a sensible conversation if they're worried about something or you more the let's go and do something fun? How does Gino Dicampo dad?

Okay, Gino Dicampo's dad, I never go to the school. I don't do pick up, drop off. I never done it. Never done school drop off. Never done one school drop off in my life or pick up or anything. Really? Never. Did the kids not ever ask when they were younger, dad, when are you going to get us? Not really because they know that I don't like it. I'm the kind of parent that I don't do the things that I don't like to do with my children. So there are parents that they do everything for their children. I do everything for my children. But if I don't like to do certain things, I don't like to pretend to them that I like

to do something. So I'd rather be extremely honest. I usually ask when they come back, did you have fun? Have you met someone new? I don't really care about mathematics or how they're done in English. I usually ask when they come back, did you have fun? Have you met someone new? I don't really care about mathematics or how they're done in English. Yeah, I always, I'm much more interested in asking,

not interested, but I feel that it's much more of a connection to them. And they're much more like to talk to me if I ask them about their friends than if I ask them about their, if I say, what did you learn today? I might as well say, just stare at me blankly. But if I say, what did you learn today? I might as well say, just stare at me blankly. But if I say, who did you play with?

Then, and then they'll, they're much more willing to open up and there's much more connection. It's like, you know, when you, when you come back home and your wife asks, what have you done today? It is an annoying question because you think, fuck me, where do you want me to start? Where do we start? What have you done today? Are we starting from the morning I woke up or the last hour?

Yeah, it's a lot of pressure on the kids, isn't it? Yeah, but if my wife asks who have you met today, then I get excited. You know, I did a podcast with Josh and Rob, I did this, I did that, but I don't really want to go into the nitty-gritty, as you English people say, you see? Nitty-gritty, nitty-gritty, nitty-gritty, nitty-gritty, nitty-gritty, whatever. And so what about what they doing now? Are they at uni? Are they doing more academic stuff? Are they working? The older ones? Obviously the 12 year old still at school, I imagine. Luciano and Rocco, they're both working. I asked them if they want to go to university after school, but they were absolutely not. Because I run quite a few businesses, so they kind of got into my

business very quickly. Okay. Yeah, as soon as I turned 18 and then I finished the school, they went into the restaurant, business, the talent business that I have and books and all the other Steve Pizza ovens and all the other stuff that I do and books and all the other Steve Pizza ovens and all the other stuff that I do. And what's it like working with it? Do you work directly with them? Yeah, yeah, every single day. Yeah, but you know we have rooms where for example at the table we don't talk about business and at the weekend we're trying to avoid talking about business but during the it's a constant phone call and email.

I'm very jealous of your place in Italy, whenever you do your Instagrams or Unity. Oh yeah, Villa da Campo. Yeah, yeah, it looks amazing. You've got quite a lot of land and you've got the fresh produce and you're cooking and stuff like that. It seems idyllic. Is it idyllic? It's the perfect place for me.

I only work six months of the year. So the other six months I spend on the island of Sardinia on holiday. Because I only do six months work and six months holiday. I think that my business is the work better when I'm not around. But that's what I've been told. Anyway, especially, no, no, seriously, especially the restaurants. They always say, for fuck's sake, don't come to the restaurant because you start to bother everybody. Nothing is right.

They will be always shouting with the chefs. So I'm like, okay, all right. So why did you, because obviously Sardinia is, I don't know where you live in the UK, but it's not as nice as Sardinia. What brought you to the UK? Was it the food industry? No, it was love. It was love. It was love. When I was 18, I used to work in a restaurant in Puerto Banus. It was Sylvester Lone's restaurant called the Mambo King. And I used to be the

sous chef there. I fell in love with this girl who used to be a waiter, which she's my current wife, well, my current, my only wife. So, you know, the girl I met when I was 18, and I'm 48 this year, 30 years ago, is the wife I've got today. So I've been with the same girl for the last 30 years. We used to meet in the meat fridge.

I used to put all my meat in it. And they used to put the butter for the sandwich, all the little plate of butter. So we used to meet in the fridge and you know, and then we kissed in the meat fridge the first time. And I never, I never been with an English girl or anything. So it was very exciting. And I fell in love straight away. Wow. And then was she only there for the season then?

And she moved back to the UK? Yeah, she was there for the season. And I had to go back to school to finish my last year as a Master Chef because I qualified as a Master Chef in Italy. And then I thought, you know what? I finished my last year as a Master Chef because I qualified as a Master Chef in Italy. And then I thought, you know what? This is a great opportunity for me to go to England. Jessica likes me, you know, she invited me there.

Let's do it, let's go. So I finished off the school, I went straight to London. Amazing, I didn't know you've been together that long. Yeah, yeah, 30 years. Would you say your children are English or who would they support if England, when England played Italy in the final of the Euros in 2021, who are your kids supporting? Italy.

Italy. Really? Italy. Yeah. I think they feel more Italian than English because, you know, because I'm loud and I'm very Italian with the accent and their name, is called Luciano one is called Rocco. Plus I live like an Italian. What does that mean then? When I live like an Italian it means that when we eat lunch we eat properly we sit down

it's always a big lunch it's always dinner time it's always a big table with everybody at the table it's very Italian way. So we go for a nap in the afternoon. I have a sleep every afternoon. Is that why you're on this morning? Perfect timing. This is why I'm always late on this morning and that's why I very rarely do afternoon stuff because I like to go for a nap. Right. When it's about 2, 2.30 in the afternoon, even if I'm in the office, I will go for a sleep for about an hour, an hour and a half.

Then I wake up about 4, 4.30 and I start another day. So I get two days in one, really. That's why you don't do the school pick up, you're a kid. That's why. You're having a sleep. I'm asleep, I'm asleep when I take them

and when they bring them back. So Jessica will be doing the school run and then you'll be, will you prepare dinner and have a big dinner? Will that be you cooking or Jessica? Depends, if I'm out and then I come back late, like 6.30, 7 or 7.30, which I won't have the chance, Jessica will do all the cooking.

She's a great cook. She's been watching me cooking for many, you know, many years, so she knows how to do the pasta. She knows how to do the meat. she knows how to do the meat, she knows, she knows, not as good as me. I can't shout because she's on the other side. Not as good as me, right, because I think she gets distracted, she doesn't really, but very good. Very good, okay. Well Josh is a bit of a Italian chef as well I'm on you what every Christmas you do a vegetarian lasagna. I do I like lasagna

I'm vegetarian Gino, which I can't imagine you've got much truck for you're obviously a master at the lasagna What do you want to talk Gino for your lasagna recipe? Because a vegetarian lasagna the fuck are you gonna put in there? And shit like that's how you do it? Go on, take me through. So I start. It's on Christmas day by the way Gino, everyone's favourite meal of the year. No I'd make it on Christmas day, I'd make it in advance. No but to eat on Christmas day. In advance when? The day before? A week before? Yeah Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve Eve Carol's on the radio. Carol's on the okay and and and you force your kids to be vegetarian? No no they don't they have nothing to do with it. No okay so so they're not vegetarian your kids? No. Okay and what about Rose is she vegetarian? No but she doesn't eat much meat because obviously by dint of living with a vegetarian she's more or less

by dint of living with a vegetarian, she's more or less, we don't cook separately. So, oh, I see. I see. So you deny your wife of how it is. So meat in her mouth where she can enjoy and really go for it. No, I don't deny her that the options there. But, you know, she's so what? Go for your recipe. I mean, this is not the sun. Well, I don't know if you are interested to know

24th of December you get up. All right, and it's a vegetarian lasagna time. Tell me where do you start? Tell me about your day. Is that what you're saying? Fry some garlic fry fry an onion. That's where you start, obviously. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So you're already putting garlic and onions together? Yeah. Well, that's wrong.

Is it? You already started with the worst thing that you could do on any recipe. Garlic and onions, they do not go together. They do, don't they? No, they don't. Who told you that? Who told you that? Who told you that?

I don't know. Garlic is... Oh, you make a sauce garlic-based or you make a sauce onion-based. You know what you do when you mix garlic and onion together? It's like getting a pint of beer and pour wine in it. Right, yeah. That's why you pour garlic and onion together.

OK, so he's already fucked it up. What's the next step? OK, onion and garlic together, yeah. Then in to why you put garlic and onion together. Okay, so he's already fucked it up. What's the next step? Okay, onion and garlic together, yeah. Then I'm getting my vegetables. Or do you fry that with your fingers or do you use a spatula? No, I know, wooden spoon. Wooden spoon.

Frying pan. Yeah. We've got a Gino di Campo, what is this, like a kind of dish? He's got one of everything. Yeah. At your Gino. Yeah.

Yeah. I got lots of pots and pots. Okay, so very good. You've got a Gino da Campo pan. I like that. Yeah. He won him over with a pan. I knew it. Depressive buttons. I'd say a Gino da Campo pan could almost make garlic and onion work. Don't you think, Gina? Yeah. Go on. Onion and garlic, olive oil. You've got the wooden spoon. Olive oil. Yeah. And then the veg I'd have I'd get some mushrooms in there Okay, what kind of mushroom the the ones you get from Tesco? You get from there. Well the bottom mushroom with the taste. Yeah, like the main mushroom Fucking taste of nothing and they chewing gum like children.

Yeah, that's the one. Yeah, that's the one. You throw those in there for the children of Christmas. Go on. These poor children of Christmas. The children aren't having it, they're having turkey. No, no, no, it's fucking shit. That's why they're having turkey. Ah, the children are having turkey.

Yeah. Even worse, who the fuck eats turkey at Christmas? What does Rob have at Christmas? Whatever Che now has. Pork and beef. I have pork, beef and fish. One thing I don't understand about Turkey is that nobody really likes Turkey. Right. Nobody fucking eats turkey during the year, does it?

And yet they choose the best turkey during the year does it and yet they choose the best day of the year fucking eat the worst meal in the world the turkey why why you English people do that and then not only that Josh has got a side of shitheading gum mushrooms no garlic and onion combined sauce is a disgrace this is so this is the big bit of cordia in there some red peppers some chili chili flakes to give it a bit of bite and then not fresh chili what yeah yeah fresh chili and chili flakes okay and all the stuff chopped up the same and then that's that's your red sauce that I'm making so then I'll get some tomato sauce you

didn't put anything red yet no no no tinned tomatoes tinned tomatoes in there okay yeah yeah and then you know season that's your red sauce and then your white sauce i get rosemary to make because i don't know how to do that and then i'll layer it up with your lasagna sheets and then on top uh mozzarella and some cheddar cheddar cheese in the lasagna sheets and then on top mozzarella and some cheddar. Cheddar cheese in the lasagna. Cheddar cheese in the lasagna, what for? It tastes nice. What do you mean it tastes nice? Everything, even chocolate sauce tastes nice, but you don't put a fucking lasagna in it.

Yeah, put a spoon full of fucking Nutella on it, Josh. That tastes nice. A thick and bold egg in the middle. That tastes nice. Could I just say, this is the best episode I've ever done but I'm sweating. Josh we need to do, if you really want to do a vegetarian lasagna, okay, if you really want to do a vegetarian lasagna, well I don't know how to do this because I don't want to sound that I'm trying to plug the the the new book that I've got., let's go for it. Let's go for it.

Because I don't want to talk about it. But there is a beautiful roasting pumpkin lasagna, right? In the book. There is. You hold it up very quickly there, Gino. Let's see it again. Gino's air fryer cookbook. If you got an air fry and you got Italian and you like Italian food, get the fucking book, because it's got all the recipes in here.

So what's your roasted pumpkin lasagna? But there is a pumpkin lasagna here, a vegetarian pumpkin lasagna done in the air fryer. It is amazing. It is amazing. Forget about your mushroom and peppers and all the stuff like that. This is the way to do it if you want to do it. The mushroom lasagna, the vegetarian. Yeah. Okay., the vegetarian.

Yeah? Yes, there we go. And I, so we're toying with an air fryer. Rob's got an air fryer. Big fan of the air fryer. We're about to get one. I can feel it's inevitable. Which one?

Well, that was the question I was about to ask you, Gino. Okay. Don't spend a huge amount of money on air fryer because they more or less do all the same. Do you know what a fryer is? Not really. And I've had it explained to me about ten hundred times. I'm going to explain it very easily.

Have you got an oven at home? Yeah. Has the oven got a fan? Yeah. That's an air fryer. Right. OK, it's nothing more than a mini oven with a fan. The stand will be in the back, it's on top.

And the reason why it cooks very fast and it cooks very crispy is because when you pull out the tray of the air fryer, you go like a tray in the tray. Yeah. When you put the food in, the air circulates around the food. So it cooks faster and it makes the food crispier. And you don't have to warm it up either like the oven. No you don't have to warm it up for long, when you warm it up it's about a minute. So my suggestion is if you've got an Asda next to you, you go to Asda and you will find the Gino da Campo.

Oh here we go, here we go. It's true, it's true. The Gino da Campo by Fat Selection. From a small one, a medium one, a double one, a digital one, a manual one, but you don't have to spend £200, £300. You've got your own air fryers now. We got air fryers. Look, even in the book there is my air fryer on it.

Can you see? Lovely. And to go back on parenting, do your kids cook? And was it a big thing? Like, because food is a big thing for parents. Can I just tell Gino that you have gravy on your lasagna? No, I don't have gravy on my lasagna. What is it that you do that's weird? What do you mean you put gravy on the lasagna?

I don't do that. She guessed, can I make gravy for the kids for the turkey and he pours it on his lasagna? No, I don't. You just made that up. I don't know. How many times do I say no? Gino, he does actually. I don't do that.

Why do you do that? Tell Gino why you do that. I don't do that. Weird, isn't it Gino? Well of course it's weird because you've made it up. Josh, do you put gravy on the lasagna? No! Yes or no? No.

So where this gravy comes from? What's the weird thing you do? It's just fucking made up. What's the weird thing you do so weird, Josh? What's the weird thing you do? Well I'll have the trimmings that everyone else has with the turkey with the lasagna. So like what, Brussels sprouts on the side.

I'll say it. You roast potatoes. All the veg beats with the turkey you shovel into the lasagna. On no next to it. Yeah. Next week. Yeah. Sounds like a fucking eaten mess. You fucking shovel everything from this plate and mix everything. It's like, I don't mix it all up. I don't mix it all up.

He just basically his favorite foods, porridge. So he just tries to make all other food look like it. No that's not true. He has porridge every morning. Sorry Gino, we're going off topic here. Okay. What do you want to ask about Gino's kids? How did you teach them to cook when and was it a big thing in your house? Because I can't imagine you'd put up with a kid like that isn't into food. Yeah, because my, yeah that's good actually because my daughter's about eight and wants to start doing more cooking. How did you get your kids into it, Gino? This would be good for the listeners. I think I didn't really use any particular way of doing it. We cook all the time in my house. So my kids, they see us cooking all the time.

So it is natural. The same way I was with my mom and with my grandmother, the way I learned to cook is because I was watching them and help them in the preparation of the cooking. That's where my inspiration to become a chef came from. And my kids is a natural thing. They are always in the kitchen with us. So one-

They just copy. So Josh's kids will make shit lasagnas when they're older. The thing with children when they cook is that you need to be very patient. Yeah. You know, you need to be very, you need to be willing to make a lot of mess. Yeah.

Yeah. Which I see what's happening. Kids come there, flowers everywhere, everywhere. And I understand many parents to go, you know, get out to the kitchen. I'm busy. We need to, but you need to be patient and you need to push it. You need to push it as much as you can. Yeah.

Cause you just go, go away, let me do it. But they'll never learn. Move that. No, make you fun. Make patient and you need to push it. You need to push it as much as you can. Yeah, because you just go, go away, let me do it, but they'll never learn, will they? No, make it fun. Make it fun, you know, make things that they like. How old are your kids now? I'm eight and six. Eight and six? Yeah, my wife's talking for you.

Do you want to say hello to Gino, Lou? Rose has as well. Louise. Louise is here. Louise, do you want to say hello quickly? Oh, yeah, suddenly. There you go. I'll pass the headphones over. Look. Hi, yeah, sorry. Do you want to say hello quickly? Oh yes, I do. There you go, I'll pass the headphones over.

Hiya, sorry. Hey Louise, ciao Bella. Hi, nice to meet you. How are you Bella? I'm good, thank you. Good, how is Rob treating you, is he good? He's a very nice man, aren't you? Oh, that's very nice.

But tell me something, out of 10, as a husband, go on. No, I make it easier for you, I make it easier for you. I make it easier for you. So what did he say? Out of 10 in the bedroom. I'm going to take the dogs for a walk. I was. You made Lou blush as well now.

I couldn't hear what was going on. I asked out of 10, one out of 10 in the bedroom, she walked away. Yeah. She said a solid 7, but I know I'm an 8.5. As an Englishman take a 7. Remember you're an Englishman take a 7. What about you, Eugenio? What would you put yourself, how would you rate yourself, how would Jessica rate you? No, we don't do rating, We just go for the round of applause at the end. I bow, I get my round of applause and I'm out.

Have your children started dating? Have they got partners, Dino? One of them, yes. Roku's got a girlfriend called Lily. Luciano's still single, Mia too young. I'd be quite scared of you as a father-in-law. Why? Well, you've got strong opinions. But there's nothing wrong with that.

No, no, no, I think that you would say, if you didn't like a new partner for one of your kids, I think you'd make it clear. I feel you like you can wear your heart on your sleeve, or would you put on a bit of a face and then just talk about it to Jessica behind their back? a new partner for one of your kids, I think you'd make it clear. I feel like you wear your heart on your sleeve, or would you put on a bit of a face and then just talk about it to Jessica behind the back? No, I would say if I don't really fake it

or anything like that, I would say if I don't like it, one of my kids' girlfriend or boyfriend or anything like that, I would. Yeah. How are you a parent, Steve? Did you go to parent's evenings? I can't imagine you taking any shit from the teachers? Parents' evening?

Yeah. Don't let me start on the fucking parents' evening. I've been there once, okay? I hated every minute of it. You know what I hated the most is that the teacher sits on a desk very high, right? And they make me sit on this little chair. And I felt like, what the fuck, you know,

it's the most uncomfortable situation ever. When you sit low and you look at this teacher who's trying to tell you everything about the kid and oh, he's good in this, he's good in the other. And in my mind I'm thinking, the fucking kid is seven, eight years old. The only thing I want to know is he eating well, is he happy at school and is making friends. That's the only thing I care about it.

What I hate is when parents, they put so much pressure on you. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, the result, you know, you need to get this, you need to do that. And I'm thinking, no, no, no, don't the result. No, you need to get this you need to do that and I'm thinking no No, don't don't do that. Don't do that. My temati. Who the fuck is about my temati? You're a calculator Fucking Google map if I want to know where is a certain down a put on Google map and the job is done Obviously you studied for your cooking as a master chef But what would you like with academia at school?

Like when you did the science and your maths, did you find it hard? Did you not enjoy it much from your own experience? I did not enjoy school. The only thing I could enjoy is when it was cooking time. I really didn't like school, but I was very good at it. I was the youngest master chef qualified in Italy when I was 18. Wow. Wow. Yeah.

And so what age were you when you thought, I'm going to make a career out of this cooking? Like, were you really young and or did it just kind of creep up on you? I was about 14 years old. I used to go to my grandfather used to have a restaurant and I used to do you say Bankoff School? Bankoff? Yeah, Bank off, yeah. When it was not cooking, I never went to school

when it was about mathematics or geography. I never, I was- Oh, you just bunked off? I just bunked off all the time. So I used to bunk off school and I used to go to my grandfather's restaurant and used to see him cooking. Every woman loves him.

Every customer loves him. And he creates this magical food with nothing. Two, three ingredients, he would create something great and everybody would be in adore of him and I thought that's what I want to do, that's who I want to become. I want to become someone who creates something and people like what I create. Wow, and then you found your passion and then you not look back really. Yeah, I found my passion, I met Jesse, I came to UK at 21 years old. I opened my first restaurant in Kentish town.

And then it just happened like that. And then the television came in. So how did that, what was your first, because obviously most people would remember you breaking through as like being the chef on this morning and you broke through in the same way that you know Ainsley broke through on those like there's certain people that come through Phil Vickery on that show what was it that led to that and when you did it did you just go fucking hell I'm good

on TV because obviously you're born to be on TV. Well, let's start by saying that the television being part of it is not my dream. So I am living someone else's dream because never been part of my dream. And when they asked me to do television, I used to work in a restaurant and they said, you know, there was a show on UK TV food with Jenny Barnett, it was live. Good food live.

Talking about 26 years ago, I was 24 years old. So I didn't want to go, they bothered me to go, I went there once. Those days, they used to write letters into shows. There was no emails or social media or anything like that. So when I did my first appearance, a lot of housewives, they started to write and say, oh, we really like this Italian guy, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And so they asked me to do more.

I didn't want to do it. Really didn't want to do it. But then I thought, you know what, if I'm going to do that, I'm going to do it my way. No pretending, no filtering. This is what you get. If you like it, great. If you don't like it, fine, because I don't want to do television. So I really went there with the attitude of this is what you get. You didn't care. Yeah. I don't care. Not that I don't care about the viewers, but this is who I am. Yeah, you can't pretend to be someone that's exhausted.

So I started to talk the way I talk, cook the way I cook, and this is how it happened. Then I went to do Ready, Steady, Cook with Ainsley. You mentioned Ainsley, I went to do, the BBC called me to do Ready, Steady, Cook. And then from there, it went on and on and on and on and I found myself in this situation where I did want to get into it, but I go into it and

I realized, oh, that's easy for me. I can do whatever I want. And everybody likes what I do. Brilliant. It's always be that audit. That's great because as you know, when you do television, then everything that you do is, you know, magnifies. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger. So a big help, the television, to the books. I mean, this is my 20th cookbook. Wow. Bloody hell. Can you imagine me?

I can't even talk English, I wrote 20 cookbook in English. Yeah. Oh, this is where sometimes I have to pinch myself and to say- Yeah, it's amazing. I mean, like, you know, cause you know, you started off as a chef, but you're really an entrepreneur and businessman, essentially, just through cooking, obviously, you're a chef.

But having all this other stuff around it, you know, employing a team, you've got your sons working with you and things like that. So like when you're not in the office with the kids, what's how do the campos chill out? What's your do you go and watch football with them? What is it you do that's not work related? No, we just hang out. We just hang out a lot on the island of Sardinia.

So we go on the boats, a boat trip, we fish. We do so many things, but not the usual thing that people would do. Really? So it's quite a traditional, almost like an old school Italian family values, even though you're sort of in the UK, it's a lot of together eating and preparing food,

it's sort of built around the dinner times. Very much like that, very much like that. Everything is building up to the moment that we need to sit at the table, no mobile phone, no television, no radio on, it's only the family or sometimes we have guests and we really enjoy the time at the table together. For me, that is the best time ever.

But not because of the food, it's because everybody's together and we have each other attention. Yes. There is no distraction. There is no social media or television. So it's beautiful. I think it's a beautiful way of doing it.

Do you guys sit down with your family every time that you have a day job? No, not enough. And especially because I work evenings, I'm going out to do gigs. So it's normally Lou and the girls, but we do want to do that more. But he said, the shifts were terrible at it.

And I like to say that is a much more of a European, Italian, Spanish thing than UK. What time do you have dinner? Do you have dinner late? No, we have dinner at 8.30 every evening. And what about when you had kids? Did you have dinner late? No, we have dinner at 8.30 every evening. And what about when you had kids? Did you, like, early on were they dining with you when they were young?

8.30 every evening. Well, even when they were little, five and six? 8.30 every evening. Really? The dinner in the Dacampos family is at 8.30 every evening. No matter how old are you, no matter, nothing matters.

It's 8.30. Really? No. It? No. And then how do you like being together? But how long are you sitting there and chatting for then from 8.30? Or is it sometimes shorter than others? No, no, no, no, no. It's the usual hour, hour and 15 minutes.

They know, for example, that they need to be downstairs at the table half an hour before the food arrives because we don't run restaurant. So they need to help in to put the table together and to help their mom or me. At eight-thirty, we sit down, we eat. We always try to have fruits after dinner because it's good for the digestion. There are things that I do with my kids that my father used to do to me and my grandfather is about a discipline of eating. For example, nobody would eat

unless my wife touches the first bite. Really? No, no, no, no, no. My wife needs to touch the first bite and then everybody can start to eat because of the respect of the person who cooked. Oh. So is it always your wife or whoever cooked that night?

Whoever cooks. Whoever cooks that beef, yeah, just, yeah. So you need to meet that person to have the first bite so then you say, Bon Appetit, and then everybody eats. So in their teenage years though, did they ever try and kick back against that as teenagers do when they get a bit moody or wanna do their own thing? Or would you just not allow it?

Did they try and sort of threaten that? Every kid will try their luck. It's up to the parents to be strong enough to make sure that they do what you tell them to do. It's about discipline. They need to know that you are the parents. And I don't buy into this thing. My children are my best friend.

Fuck off, you loser. If your children are your best friend, you are the biggest fucking loser in the world. That means you haven't lived your life, you haven't got fucking friends and now you are expecting for your children to be your best. What does it mean my children are my best friend? How can my son be my best friend when he's my son? The moment it becomes my best friend the role of a father is gone. The role of a mother is gone I think well, it's true that because anyone could be a good friend, but that's such a special Relationship that you're losing out on. Yeah, I agree and does Jessica agree or is she a bit softer with it? Because obviously they're not her cultural, like Italian traditions.

It took time for her to understand what I was trying to do. But if you ask her now, she wouldn't want it any other way. In any other way, because she sees her friends with her kids, one sitting on the sofa, one sitting at the table, they don't talk to each other. And every time she comes back to me, she goes, you know what, I went in social house, I was there as they having dinner.

Awful. Nobody talks to each other. They were on the phone. And I'm like, see, see what I told you is important from a very young age to make sure that you give them the discipline. That's our job. You're not there to be their best friend. You are not there to entertain them.

You're not a fucking clown that you have to entertain your kids every two seconds. See, that's another thing. All the kids are bored. What and what? I used to be bored when I used to be a kid. Doesn't mean that now my kids are bored and now I have to become an entertainer for my kids.

But you're one of the most entertaining people just when you talk. Are you like that day to day? Yeah. What do you think about that day to day? Because I can't imagine you being bored, people being bored around you. Like you're, you are entertaining,

even when you're angry, you're entertaining angry. Yeah, I've been told. I've been told. I've been told. Like, you've been setting out a very clear stall for the last five minutes, but because of the way you're doing it, I can't help but laugh. Yeah, it's a good point, though, you're making. I like it. Listen, maybe people shouldn't do that,

be more enthusiastic when they tell people off. Mum? What is it? Are we there yet? enthusiastic when they tell people off. Mom? What is it? Are we there yet? Hello there, it's me, Harry Hill, with some exciting news. I've got a brand new podcast. It's called Are We There Yet? And is the world's first family-friendly podcast

that's designed to get you from A to B. Join me, my son, Gary. Hello. Sarah, the AI bot. Hello, Harry. As we delve into the childhood memories of a motley crew of comedians, celebrities, and cultural icons.

Is it out now, Daddy? Yes, Gary, it is. I'll be there. Yet. And does Jessica always do the 8.30 dinner time even when you're away? Yes, she will continue. Oh, yeah, no, no, no.

See, that's another thing about, you know, your podcast, which is about parenting health. You know, you're gonna have to have a good partner next to you, because if you're trying to teach them one thing, and she or he does the opposite when you're around, well, you're never gonna get anywhere. The bond between the partners with the children has to be strong. And if your partner doesn't understand what you're trying to do, you're wasting your time.

Yeah, you've got to be on the same page. Gino, it's been such a journey. Gino's Air Fryer Cookbook Italian Classics Made Easy by Gino Ducampo. It's out October the 24th. Is that because that's obviously big for the Christmas market, would you say someone should buy it before Christmas so that there's stuff they can make over the Christmas period? Yeah, I mean when you get a cookbook, yeah, get it before because then you can

start to prep all the things that you want to do for Christmas. Because otherwise you get a Christmas day and then maybe you can get some ingredients because the supermarket stock up well. Guys, roast potatoes in an air fryer, because I told you the hot air goes all around the potato. Yeah, it's just delicious. They get crispy all over the place.

But then I do also some like a pork loin. Yeah, you've got the crispy crackling pork loin in milk and sage. Sounds quite Christmassy. That's on one of your recipes. Yeah, do that for Christmas, Rob, if you like pork. Okay, yeah, because actually, then I can keep the oven for the other bits,

and if I just stick the pork in there. Bravo. Carbonara potatoes, would you have that at Christmas? Try that, try that, Rob. We're all over it, Gino. You can have a few apples, you can have a banana, you can have a cucumber. I could have the perfect air fried chocolate fondants.

Yes, I'd like that, that's vegetarian. That's vegetarian. Or the lemon and almond polenta cake. You know, when you cook fish fingers and goose, because remember, we also do takeaway in my house. We also, every now and then, we buy a ready meal when we don't have the time because okay Those are what are they're designed for every now and then there is nothing wrong to get every now and then there is yeah I want to get a

But you know Rob, even when you make fish fingers Make you fun for them Make a point make a point that you cooked, that you put in this dish on the plate so then they get used to, or when something comes on the plate, is a celebration. Don't just go, oh, ready, what is it?

Fish finger on the thing. No, no, no, no, no. To be fair, I've been doing scrambled eggs with them. Like, I know it's really simple because they're still young. They love it because they get to crack the egg, whisk up the egg, they get the pan hot. That's exciting. Put a bit of oil on and then they cook it.

And then they, and I'm like, you've got to keep it moving. You got to keep it moving. And they're like, okay, okay. And they feel like they're really in charge of something. And then they've been eating it. But if I'd have done it and gone get out and then just put it like, I'm busy. They wouldn't have eaten it

because they're cooking it themselves. It's a big thing to get them involved in the process then. I get them also involved in the tasting. So when you have fish finger, talk to them, guys, do you get the crunchiness of the bread crumb? And what do you think about the fish? What do you know, ask them questions. Can you smell Captain Bird's eyes old spice on this one?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, anything. Anything. Anything will do. Before you go, I wanted to ask you one question to both of you. Oh, no. No, no, one very simple question. We spoke about eating at the table, everybody together, every single evening. No mobile phone, no television, no distraction and all of that. We talk about discipline of the children and we talk about the strengths that you need to have.

It doesn't mean that you are enjoying doing that, but you need to have that strength to keep going with the kids. Would you try for me a week where every single, whenever you got a week free, I understand Rob and Josh, you're busy with work and comedy and all of that. But would you even consider trying to say, okay, we're gonna do a geno week here. A geno week means that we all sit down, we all sit down at eight o'clock, whenever you sit down.

And we keep that going for a whole week. I think we should. Do you know what? We always talk about wanting to do that, but we never get around to it. Why? Half term's coming up as well. Because, well, partly because obviously I work a lot of evenings, so that's not ideal.

And because it's life, isn't it? And there's so many good practices you want to put into practice and you don't do it. In the same way you want to go to the gym four times a week, but you don't do it. Do you know what I mean? It's a good way for you to go, let's gym four times a week, but you don't do it. Do you know what I mean? It's a good way for you to go. Let's do this for a week. I think half term would be a good week to do it. Rob.

I'm going to try and push it later to seven. For seven. I might do seven for seven thirty dinner just because my kids are a bit younger and do that. That's not to be. You choose the time about James. What I'm asking you is to stick with it. Yeah.

Okay. And I know that is after me. I know that we don't spend enough time with our kids. So when we are with our kids, we don't want the fight. We don't want all the, you know, the shouting and the discipline and all of that. Try. Try. Try for me, because you will see something different. Do you think it's going to work with my three year old?

I don't think he's gonna comprehend the sacrifice. That is, it's an effort for me to host the... You've had to speak to Rob Beckett for an hour every Monday, eat your dinner. Yeah, I tell you what Gino, I'm gonna give that a go. I'm gonna speak to him, we'll get the mates, we got all the food and do that for a week and see how it is.

Cause I think it's a good thing to do as a family, even if you try it out. Josh, you don't look convinced to me. That's the problem. That's just Josh's face. That's just my face, Gino. I've never been convinced by anything in my life. He doesn't realize how powerful he is, Gino.

No. Sometimes he's got to realize he's the fucking daddy. I can't help but see over your shoulder Marlon Brando as the godfather is on your wall. It's an inspiration. You need to tell him though, Josh, you're providing for this family. You've had to sit next to Alex Brooker at a mills for 12 fucking years. Eat your dinner and sit down. I've got one final question Gino. If I was listening to this as a listener would you prefer me to go away and implement your family dinner methods or go away and buy your airfryer cookbook? I've only got time to

do one of them. Go away and implement the family dinner. Oh my word. It's a passion project, he's into it. The discipline of a kid nowadays, especially with the world that we are surrounded, social media and all of that, is the most important things that you can do. Forget about the fucking rest.

What an end. What an ending. Gino Dicaprio. Do we ask a final question though? No I think that's the end Rob. Gino this has been an absolute pleasure I've loved it. Oh it's been a great episode thank you Gino. I absolutely love I don't do this kind of thing very often I have to say but when Luciano said is Robin George doing it and I've been listening to some of your podcasts I thought that's fucking cool. I like it. Oh thanks mate.

Oh thank you. Cheers. Cheers Gino. Good luck with the book. Thank you Gino. Gino D'Campo. What a journey. What a journey that was. It was like a political speech at the end. Yeah. I'm going to implement Rob trying to have family dinners. What a guy. I love that. Gino Di Campo, Air Fryer book out now. And he's everywhere, isn't he? And he's Air Fryer. Asda. Get down Asda.

Alright. Cheers mate. Bye. Bye. Hi Sean. Hi Jack. So you mentioned you were going to come up with an advert for our podcast. What for Oh My Dog? Yeah Oh My Dog. Have you written something? No I haven't. Well neither have I but I wasn't meant to.

Yeah well look Sarah's here now to record it so why don't you take over. Hi. Hi. Hi, sorry. Hi. Right, are we ready? What have we got for the Oh My Dog advert? Sean, I think you were going to... I'm... Hello, I'm Sean Walsh and I'm with Jack D and we have dogs. Not together, we have individually.

Jack has a dog, Dolly, and I have a dog, Mildred. I see. Oh My Dog, the cult podcast with Jack Dee and Chilmosh. Listen, because they both have dogs. That's what I was going to say. Well, yeah.