Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - Bonus Episode: Series 18 Launch Party

Episode Date: October 10, 2025

We had the most gorgeous night celebrating the launch of Series 18 of Table Manners at Brunswick House! Thank you to all the fabulous guests for joining us for a delicious dinner cooked by chef Jackson Boxer, and the fabulous Moth cocktails too - the best canned Espresso Martini & Margs out there! Big shout out to the beautiful Park Hyatt London Riverside for treating us to balloons, an actual leopard print cake, and a gorgeous suite for us to get our glam on too. What a treat to get to keep talking to such fab podcast guests each week and to still be making this 18 series in! x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At Medcan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life.

Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. Hello and welcome to Tablemanners. This is a special bonus episode to celebrate the launch of season 18. Well, for the last two years, we've decided to do parties to celebrate the new seasons. And we've decided to do a completely different one from last year because we switch things up. So we're making everyone come south of the river. Yeah, what a view. What a view.

park higher at nine elms and the sun is setting and London looks this is like I feel like I'm Turner I'm in a Turner a Turner painting didn't he do mostly Dorset no he paints a lot of the river oh yeah he did didn't he so we're in the park hire we were met by balloons and a leopard print cake and lots of carrot cakes which are delicious but they obviously didn't get the memo that we're not doing leopard print this year but we do appreciate it we are we are oh you keep on changing you change your mind lenny that's what i'm understanding about you little leopard um so we just had our hair and makeup done ready for the party yeah thank you chris who's gone to get me a pair of spines at patty power station it's very convenient here i know it is and the reason we're

in this area is because we are having our party at brunswick house one of my favorite restaurants in London, Jackson Boxer's first restaurant, his baby. And actually where I did my first ever music video as Jesse Ware. With a big bun. Yeah, it was for running and I fell down the stairs. He was like, look, you can come and do your music video on Sunday evening after service. And so we did it kind of, I think, from like six o'clock to two in the morning or something. And yeah, I fell down the stairs so badly. On my first video, it was very humbling. It's such a beautiful room. We actually You went to our friends 40th there. Yeah.

And the food is so delicious. Yeah. So we've got about, what, 60 people? Yeah. 60 people coming. We're going to celebrate 18 seasons of table runners. Yeah, I can't quite work that at heart. I know, but it sounds really impressive.

Yeah. But it makes me sound older. Oh, we've got cocktails. Cocktails. Moth. That was your idea. Yep. Moth.

Cocktails. Do you know what? Moth gave me the most brilliant bum bag that we didn't realize. was to hold their little cocktails in. Oh, I wish they'd give me one and I'd take it to the theatre with me. No one's going to look in your bum bag, are they? Maybe they do. Well, Sam took it to Glastonbury and somebody was like,

oh yeah, you've got the mothedite ice pack bum bag. And I was like, what? That's what I need. It was so good. How did he find it? Well, they sent it to us, but we thought, oh right, they've given us a bun bag. That's so sweet. They gave me a fridge, but I can't put that around my waist.

Anyway, we've got Palomas, Cosmos, margaritas and espresso martinis on the menu. What are you going to drink, Jess? I think I'm going to do Palomas tonight. Okay. Even though I'm slightly joking. I'm going to stick with the Cosmos. Okay, stunning. So on the menu tonight at Brunswick House, we have for starters, roasted fennel, brerata,

orange and chili crisp, delicious. And then for main course, what have we got, mum? Roast, herb fed chicken, chicory. Chestnut mushroom and sherry sauce. This is what we had at Jack's birthday and it was so good. And all the sides, glazed carrots, butter potatoes, cornish leaves and the aeoli is amazing. Is the cornish leaf different from a London leaf? Yes, probably.

And then dessert. Yeah, I think someone chose. What is it? Kruvarunga. What does that mean? I think Kruvarunga is probably sherry or something that they're going in the chocolate part. Well, I do like a chocolate pot. Do you?

The thing is, a chocolate pot is always a crowd pleaser. Everyone doesn't mind finishing a meal with a bit of chocolate. Except you only want one spoonful. Well, that's fine. Okay. Let's talk about the season, Mum. Darling. We've done a few already.

Well, we've got fabulous guests. That's all I can say. We've surpassed ourselves, I think, with our guests. We've done nothing, Mum. Tully's surpassed himself. Tully, producer Alice. We have quite a lot of actors coming up. Yeah.

we have activists a very famous most fabulous activist musicians yep who are you desperate to get on this season mum i would love hannah fry she's one of my favorite broadcasters she's clever funny gorgeous engaging she's been on have i got news for you and she's kind of a maths genius lots of people when we put out the teaser we're putting in their requests yeah most of them we'd had on i know i was like wherever you been i'd love jeremy allen white oh wouldn't we all yeah i'd love um well barbara still me too yeah who else lady gar gar gar i would love to sit down with stephanie i feel like we need to bring a diva back into the equation you know we've had share i've had dolly yeah it's time for another diva on this season okay let's see what we can do okay wink wink um but we're very excited to celebrate a new season we've

a bit of a rest. Yeah. Have we had a rest? Yeah, it's kind of been restful. Your tan's still there? My tan, actually, I think I've got that old lady's skin where it doesn't go away now anymore. Oh, is that a thing? Yeah, it is.

When you get older, it stays longer. A lady in aquiferthet came up and she said, when you get older, love, it stays longer. So thanks. Oh, that's. Anyway, we'll keep going once we get over to Brunswick House and maybe we can get into the kitchen, like we did last year. So we're here at Brunswick House. People are having drinks in the... What do they call that room?

Brent room. Oh, people are having drinks in the smoke room, but no one's smoking, thank God. And we're in the most beautiful room you've ever seen. It's got paintings. It's got the most fabulous fireplace at the front and at the back of the room. We've got long tables

and there's pillars and there's obje d'ar that you can buy. Everything's got a price tag. So it's just gorgeous. It's shabby chic, isn't it? I think I'm changing my curtains now because those curtains are just fabulous.

And I think it would be a great place for a New Zee party as well. Everyone's having drinks. We're drinking moth cocktails. which are, well, I'm on my first cosmo, but I'll be on my fifth by the end of the evening. Everyone's enjoying the cocktails. You can hear in the background,

the buzz of conversation. So I think we're in for a good night. Oh, they're lighting the candles. Everyone's going to come in and sit down at these tables. We're going to have the most delicious meal at Brunswick House. Thank you so much for all being here for the launch of season 18. of table manners.

Wow, you're going to be so excited by the wonderful guests we've got. We appreciate all the people that have come to South London tonight. It's very convenient for us, but it's also a beautiful room. I love Brunswick House so much. I actually did my first music video here, and so it holds a special place in my heart, but also it's great food. So we're so thrilled to have you all here eating delicious food. And you can buy everything, I think.

What do you mean? There are price tax on everything. Are there? If you look, there'll be price tax on things. Even in this room? Even in this room, there's a fireplace, the grate is on, yeah. Lots of things are up for sale, if you're thankful. We don't get any money.

No, this sounds like we're making you pay for your food. You're not. Enjoy yourselves, please, eat, drink, everything. We are going visual, which has been... Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly. what Lenny said when we said

we have to go widescreen no sorry I didn't mean it like that no I didn't mean it like that mum's main issue has been that she doesn't think it's been intimate

so this our wonderful David who's been filming we now have three cameras in it's Luca who's always done an amazing job it's always been portrait

and now we have to go wide and it's a fath but it's going to be worth it I think because everyone's been asking us to do it and so we're going to be visual means that we have to be really, really careful with how we eat our food.

And not argue too much. No. But, you know, we love doing the podcast. We are a small team in comparison, I think, to some podcasts. We're a family, literally. But we love how we make this quite chaotic and fun show. And we're so happy that you'll be here along the, well, for season 18. And here's to 18 more seasons.

Thank you all for coming. Thank you. And making the effort to come to South London. I think it's worth it. And we can't wait to chat to all of you more and yeah, enjoy your dinner. Guys, we're so sorry to interrupt your dinner. Everyone's getting on. We love it. This is exactly what we like. Look, chatting away, having a fabulous time. But that's what we like this. This is what we like.

Has everyone enjoyed their dinner? Fabulous. By the way, you have on the back of your chairs, if you haven't seen it, it's the table man is, why am I saying dishcloth, like we're Americans? Tea towel. But when we give it to an American,

they're like, thank you. I guess we just wanted to say, it's been, what, seven years since we started. Yeah. Is it nearly eight years, darling? 17.

Did we start? No, we started in August. So what is that? Eight. Oh, shit, yeah. So eight years ago. And all the way, darling. Well, yes.

And, you know, Clara Ampho coming on to do our first pilot because she's a friend and just being kind and the idea being that like we asked her what her favourite food, bits of food were and she said, sweet potato. What else did she say? Churizo. So it was like a master chef with like the invention. And then we scrapped that idea for the rest of the podcast. I remember we made a fatal mistake. Why? Coriander. She hates coriander. The devil's her. The devil's heard. We've put that on something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. messed up but you know we've learned a lot

and whilst we are never perfect we have lots of fun bit of a faux part on this season this season already yeah Jesse was I thought Jesse was cooking the main and the dessert she thought she said I'll do the dessert mum

which I thought was great I'm not doing anything and I got there and she said where's the main no one had cooked so I looked in my larder and we made something you didn't do anything actually but like I was supportive

no you weren't at all you weren't supportive in the slightest but luckily he was a vegetarian if it had been at Lenny's house God forbid she had to improvise on a vegetarian but it would have been tricky no we made it work so yeah we're still having firsts we're still learning we're you know doing

the YouTube experience and you know we're going to be learning from that so you know it's fun though it kind of makes it challenging and exciting Yeah. But lots to learn and lots of amazing guests to come. And more fun to come. Thank you.

All right. So dinner, well, we're just finishing mains. Everyone's chatting. You can hear in the back. It's brimming with conversation and delicious food. Thank you, Brunswick House. We're waiting for the chocolate put. Lenny's, I don't know what she's got.

She's just got like a free subscription to something or other and she's demanding a guest or two. The food has been delicious and whilst Lenny was worried that it was only going to be barata, lo and behold, the liver was on the table and it is sublime. It's gone down a treat and also the barata was amazing. The chicken was delicious. The gravy had like a tang to it which was so, I think it's got sherry in it or something. Anyway, it's delicious. And the aoli, it's really simple and beautiful.

cooking and let's see if Lenny eats the chocolate pud that she said that wouldn't have been her choice even though I know she will have a taste of it love this room it is so cosy and elegant and I don't know I feel like everyone feels like it's very it's a lovely occasion for a Tuesday night in September and we're yeah we're feeling really good everyone feels excited about 18th season I can't believe we've been doing it for eight years

I thought it was seven so yeah time fly we will see you for more episodes next week every Wednesday you can watch on YouTube or you can listen like you've always done on any of your podcast listening platforms and thanks so much for sticking with us we're really really excited about this season and we can't wait to hear from you lots of love At Medcan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup

that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well. life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started.