Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - S16 Ep 18: Just The Two of Us

Episode Date: February 14, 2024

It’s Valentines Day, so what better way to celebrate than with my favourite galentine, mum! Mum had already made all the food when sadly our guest had to to cancel, so waste not, want not we say! We had a delicious girls lunch and talked all about our favourite meals from growing up, thoroughly discussed our last suppers (mum couldn’t believe what I chose) and answered all your fabulous questions that were sent in. Join us for a very special episode, just the two of us! Happy Valentines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to Table Manners. I'm Jessie Ware and I'm here with my, well, my date for Valentine's. Well darling, I cooked all the food and then our date got ill. So we thought we'll carry on regardless. So we're having a Galentine's. Is that what it is? Yes, it is, yeah. It's a Galentine's because you'd already made the orange posset. I'd made the orange posset and I'd made the gorgeous Jamie Oliver chicken and merguez stew. So you've made the food. We were supposed to have a guest. We wish him well. Yeah.

And better. But we kind of thought, why cancel a good ep when actually we've never done this before? No. I'm going to interview you, Lenny. No, darling, I'm going to interview you. Okay. Okay. Well, who's going to start?

I will. Okay. All right, darling. Everybody wants to know, growing up, what did you eat? Are you actually joking? No. Okay. What can you remember?

I remember the smell of you using the pressure cooker so I'd come back from school. I think I've used the pressure cooker about three times. You used to use it for spag bol. I've talked about your spag bol before, though it was a bit watery. It's much better now. But it did make me really happy

when I knew what was on the table for later because you'd already prepped it. You were a big prepper in those days too, Lenny. a prepper you really have yeah I would think about what I was making for dinner in the morning but I actually think what I'm going to eat the next day I plan it all out in my head I'm very food oriented well I probably can gather I read I remember kind of yeah it was always just really nice to smell the house full of something. And it was, I remember you went through a stage of kind of doing a chicken pepper stew. Yeah.

Do you remember that? Yeah. And you do it with your onion rice in the microwave. Wasn't, I quite liked that. I sound very limited, darling. I think we've always had very nice food. I remember when chicken Kievs were like. Yeah. It was like an exciting day when you'd allow us to have a chicken to kiev do you remember the boil in the bag fish and parsley sauce i think i made that maybe once darling i'm not judging you

but i feel like i probably went to all the stuff that was like processed because it was it was novel but let's talk about you len Lenny. What about your growing up? What was, you know, Gaga, my grandma, who I adored and I thought was an amazing cook, for kind of Jewish food. What do you remember from your childhood, like a really memorable dish? That we always had the same thing on the same day every week. What was your favourite day? Thursday. Why? Chopped and fried. She was your favourite day? Thursday. Why?

Chopped and fried. She was so good at chopped and fried. Chopped and fried gefilte fish, yeah. But some people think of gefilte fish as like the boiled type, which is sad. No, I like chopped and fried. So chopped and fried was always on a Thursday. Why was it on a Thursday?

Don't know. But that's when she did it. It was a lot of effort, chopped and fried. Yeah, and there'd be probably enough for the weekend as well. So anyone that doesn't know what chopped and fried. Yeah, and there'd be probably enough for the weekend as well. So anyone that doesn't know what chopped and fried fish is, it's a gefilte fish that's kind of white fish done with onion. All different, about three different white fish,

minced with onion, egg, and a little matzo meal. Made into balls and then deep fried. Yeah, delicious. And I think there isn't one Jewish celebration that doesn't have chopped and fried fish balls and if you want to try a fish ball the ones that you can get on a cardo the small sweet ones they're nice freeds are lovely it's really nice yeah but i think people always when you offer them a fish ball and they've never had a fish ball they're like what are you yeah what are

you talking about why would i have that cold fish ball but I used to like it when they were hot so they'd just come out of the frying pan and you'd eat them hot and they were delicious and then Friday was obviously Friday night dinner then Saturday was usually cold chicken at lunchtime with with soup and then often my dad would take us out on a saturday night all together even as a child you go out yeah yeah quite rare yeah so he used to go out every saturday night not every saturday night but we used to go to the cafe royal in manchester that wasn't very fancy it was just steak and chips and, and that was fun. And then my dad used to go to casino later, sometimes with my mum. And win? Not always, Jessie, which might have been the source of the strife in our household.

And then Sunday was always bagels, smoked salmon, egg and onion, cold meat, or very rarely a roast on a Sunday. But if we had a roast then we'd have it cold on monday do you remember something that made us all happy as kids a meal that you remember being like yeah you love lasagna i remember every child likes lasagna yours have only just started liking it when i came back from traveling that that was what i requested a lasagna yeah salmon and lasagna sam and my husband sam and the lasagna yeah do you remember when you went away it was saint patrick's day i do and it was sam's probably favorite day ever because he used to drink the guinness and wear the hat the five hat. Yeah. And he couldn't even wear his hat that day.

He was too upset. Yeah. Poor Sam. It's okay. He's fine. He's fine. Do you remember us rejecting any of your food, famously? Who was the most picky eater?

Not me. There was a time when your brother only ate the same thing for two weeks on holiday, which was spaghetti bolognese every single day. But that's kind of like a lot of children, I think. And he did love tuna sandwiches. Do you remember when he was on a diet of tea and tuna sandwiches from our... He was weaned on tea. That's really wild.

And now he has an addiction to caffeine. Maybe that's from that. I think that's my fault. Can you imagine? He was like Boss Baby or something. He had like a baby bottle with tea in. But do you remember you sing, I like a nice cup of tea in the morning.

He loved it. I like a nice cup of tea for my tea. And at half past eleven, my idea of heaven is a nice cup of tea. Did you make that one up? No, it's a song. Everyone will know it. Anyway, Alex was probably quite picky and now he's quite adventurous.

He hated Ratatouille and he still does. I talked about it in an episode recently. But you want to bring it, you think it's good now. I don't. Oh, you don't? No, I don now. I don't. Oh, you don't? No, I don't. I don't understand Ratatouille. It's the worst version of a courgette.

No, I love Ratatouille and I'll tell you why. Why? Because when I was 15, I went to stay with my sister, took me to Mallorca for a month. And we stayed in a villa. And opposite... Your your sister for people that don't know was a bit older than you yeah 15 years older yeah and she was fabulous she was fabulous Maxine and she took me to this villa in Mallorca with my niece Sarah who's five years younger than

me so she was just on the cusp of kind of becoming adolescent and i was already there 15 los bravos the pop group who was spanish were opposite uh black is black that was so black is black i want my baby black black yeah black black is black black is black i want my they were a band called los bravos but next door was this fabulous French family and there was this young man called Jean-Claude he was very handsome yeah and they used to give I used to go there for dinner because you know we kind of were getting acquainted practicing your French yeah practicing my French and they serve ratatouille with lamb chops and I thought it was so exotic and it was a French word and I was a complete Francophile so basically Sean Claude is the

reason that I cook ratatouille okay um I actually a few people thank you so much for the people that have messaged in brilliant questions we're going to go through some of them and what a lot of you asked was what our last suppers would be so should we take it in turns starter and starter all right all right shall i go first but mine changes a lot okay well where are we at then? Well, I don't think you can beat a roast dinner. I've completely gone against that now. Oh, okay. I've turned my back on the Christmas dinner and roast dinner.

I don't think I want Christmas dinner. I do love roast beef, Yorkshire pud, and lovely roast potatoes, really crispy roast potatoes, and nice veggies. I have really fallen out of love with the roast why i don't know i think funny funny enough somebody who's been on our podcast twice benny blanco a friend of mine he's like what is the brits obsession with roast dinner because

it's delicious become a bit overrated no i don't know you can never get a good one in a pub It's delicious. Become a bit overrated. No. I don't know. You can never get a good one in a pub. Yours is very good. But you know what?

I like a roast dinner, a midweek roast dinner. That feels sexy and a bit naughty. But you only do chicken midweek. Yes. You never do beef at the weekend. You missed the starter, so you're going with the main roast dinner. Fine. I like chicken liver parfait or duck parfait with a very nice chutney. I love that on brioche toasted brioche i like

red onion yeah marmalade yes i like that and i don't know dessert not big on dessert but i always eat them says the woman that does a fondant and a posset and uh yeah but it's not my you know it's not my strong point cooking and i don't know i feel like actually you think i'm getting better i think it's getting better than your mains okay oh i do oh okay all right i just try and mix it up all right darling i mean i think panettone bread and butter pudding would have to be on i love it i feel like we are really we're in a fork in the road what do you mean we are really, we're in a fork in the road. What do you mean?

Where we are really going in different directions. Okay. And maybe that's going to. All right, tell me yours. Okay. If it's oysters, I'll vomit. No. The starter I struggle with.

Why? Because I would like a mezze of things. So I'd either like a Turkish mezze. I like bits. Turkish, darling. Greek. like a Turkish meze. I like bits. Turkish, darling. Greek. Turkish or Greek meze. I'd like some cigar or burek.

Apologies to any Turkish people that are listening to this and I've just offended them. I like zazik, the like garlic yogurt or tzatziki. I like patlajan soslu, the like aubergine. That's like the nearest I'll get to Ratatouille. Like the aubergine gorgeous. Melatzane. Oh, a melatzane. That's like the nearest I'll get to Ratatouille. Like the aubergine gorgeous. Melatzane. Oh, a melatzane.

Like a bit of everything. All right. I want some calamari in there. Okay. I want a bit of pastry and cheese. I want deep fried something. I want a lot of stuff. I want something zesty and fabulous.

I think that's the word that you would use to describe that is greedy. Yeah, okay. So that's where I'm going. I'm either going kind of Lebanese mixed mezze or I'm going Greek or Turkish. I'd be happy with any of them. Delighted. I do think if you go out for dinner and you go and you have a mezze and it's quite expensive, you do expect more generous than some of the restaurants I think serve.

I really enjoy the honey and co meze that you get i don't even know if they call it a meze would they call it meze they do call it meze um but i also i've realized when i cook i essentially do a version of meze but like on the mains like i've always got bits you like bits i like bits i like a lot of sides. Now, at the moment, I'm going to go for a jacket potato for me. And I can't believe this. I've always been very... No. Hear me out.

I'm shocked. This is comfort food. Hear me out. You don't want comfort food if you're going on a desert island. I think I do. You might be able to find a potato. You're being too literal, Mum. Okay.

I'm telling you, as I like bits, a jacket potato that has been in that oven for three hours. So it's very crispy. I made fantastic jacket potatoes for the kids, didn't I? Yeah. Fantastic. Yeah, they were good. Basically, my friend Laura Dockrell changed my life

when she said, you score the jacket potato, you put a bit of oil and some sea salt and you just put it in for and and honestly so these would be my meze jacket potato toppings i'd have this is very very divisive cold baked beans cold sam got me into cold baked beans with a jacket potato i I don't know, but it works. How does the cheese melt? The cheese melts because you put the cheese underneath the baked beans. Also, you don't, you do it in quarters. So you've got a quarter.

It's like a four seasons with a jack potato. So you've got a very big jacket. So each quarter you've got, yes, you've got each quarter, you've got a different topping that kind of falls off which potatoes would you use i don't i just get baking potato i don't maris piper yeah maybe i don't know so on one side i've had i'd have cold baked beans and grated really sharp cheddar but grated very finely so it's kind of like it's very delicious loads of butter another corner i'd have the most sexy version of a tuna mayonnaise yeah i do so my tuna mayo would be um like

ortiz uh tuna or tuna and olive oil like really high end mashed up with yogurt mayo dill spring onions celery dijon so like the contents of a greg's like a tuna crunch yeah what does this say why have they stopped why have they stopped making that greg's you can't get tuna crunch anymore really on a bloomer maybe it's because it was only me and you that bought it no i haven't been in a greg's for about 10 years no but you can't get them anymore I this is I've just thought about this okay I would then do a tuna no I do an egg mayonnaise quite similar in taste I know I think I may be pregnant Christ don't you not I'd have potato these are just corners I did chew no I do egg mayo where I do with um with when I went for a lovely Shabbat

dinner in Melbourne yeah they do egg and onion they do egg and onion but they added dill in it too I'm just I want dill everywhere and spring onion okay okay and then I'd put really good anchovies on top of that I think you are pregnant that's not not normal, Jessie. Okay, so these are my three. And then on the fourth quarter, I'd have tahini and yoghurt. Oh my God, I'm going to vomit. Mixed up, so it's like a kind of... Jessica, this is not like a normal meal. This is like 20 meals on one plate.

Yeah, I like bits. Carry on. Sorry, I like bits. Carry on. Sorry, am I allowed to? Where's your salad? Are you veggies? I haven't got to that because you keep interrupting me. Oh, you're going to have veggies as well? We have a lovely salad. I'm probably going to go Caesar salad.

Oh my God. Why are you so offended? It's the most peculiar. It's not a meal, Jessie. It's my supper. This is meal. This is bits. I've denied myself jacket potatoes for too long.

Why? I've neglected them. But they're not fattening. No, I'm not talking about that. I've just neglected them. Oh, no. Because I'm not a big potato fan, but there's something about the jacket potato

that just gets me. They're gorgeous. So, jacket potato with all the trimmings. And then, I would have. Your food bill will go down a treat, darling, if that's all you're going to eat. I would have something slow cooked, like a lamb slow cooked. What do you mean, then I would have? Well, the brisket tasted really good on the jacket potato.

But what do you mean, then I would have? You've just had that as a main. What did I say? I like bits. You think that baked potato with everything on it is amazing. Mum, let's imagine that my tummy is bottomless, my appetite is bottomless for this last supper. Okay. So you're having slow-cooked lamb?

Slow-cooked lamb or slow-cooked brisket, like, that could go in there too. Okay. And then I'm going to have a side of pasta, because I like, whenever I see pasta on the menu... Jessie, that is more than one meal. I don't give a shit. Okay, fine.

You're going to need a day to eat all that. Yeah, great. Okay. My idea of heaven. Okay, go on. I can't believe you're judging me. You're shaming me. No, I'm not shaming you.

You are. I think it's a little greedy. You're shaming me. For your greed? How dare you? Yeah, because I think it's a little greedy you're shaming me for your greed yeah because i think it reflects badly on me all right well you're not okay keep going what else oh you've not no more meat not adding pasta risotto pasta no the pasta would be some kind of, it'd be simple. Maybe like a truffle. What, a cacio e pepe?

Yeah, like a good cacio e pepe. No, I'm not fussed about that. I like the angel hair pasta. You don't. I do. Have you got a problem with that too, Lenny? Yeah, it's for two-year-olds. What are you talking about?

Yeah, angel hair pasta. You are the devil. You can only cook it for like one minute, otherwise that's a big mush. Yeah, wait, it's in my mouth quicker. I just, you've derailed me now, so I'm going on to my pud. No bread and butter?

Yeah, that'll be in the mezzé bit. I'd have like an amuse, I'd have like an assortment of colour. Which bread? Where's your favourite? What's your favourite bread? Dusty Knuckle is the best sourdough yeah but i'm always worried my tooth's gonna come out me too um i'd have like a really good flatbread i mean i'd have the fm mangal in camberwell's their um bread that they do in the takeaway and it's got like this mad seasoning on it and i don't

understand it's like got a bit of like pomegranate meaty juicy something i'd have that pudding jesse we'd be able to fit it in yeah okay because i'm your daughter okay yeah okay um i would have an array An array. Oh my God. Basically, I feel like if there are five desserts on the menu, you get three at least. Because you've got to have an opinion. Don't you think? So you want like one of those fancy pants plates where there's five little bits on. Not fancy.

Okay. I'd have like a brilliant cookie. Like a fantastic bendy cookie. That would be one thing. Like chocolate brilliant cookie. Like a fantastic bendy cookie. That would be one thing. Like chocolate and... Yeah. Brownie? No, I do not understand brownies.

I just don't get the hype about brownies. Then I'd have something cream-based. Like what? Like I'd just have cream on ice cream. Okay. Which ice cream flavour? Pralines and cream Haagen-Dazs. Really?

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Do you ever order ice cream when? Pralines and cream Haagen-Dazs. Really? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Do you ever order ice cream when you're out? No. Yes, kind of. I do love ice cream. I don't, yeah.

Anyway, there. That's where I'm at this year. 2024, I'm a Jack of Potatoes gal. Where do you stand on mochi? I like it. I love them. Some people hate them because they're kind of that gelatinous No I like that

Me too Anyway that's where I'm at mum Christ darling, what are you going to drink? A dirty martini to start, filthy Vodka I'd still have a Cosmo, still my favourite I'd have a white burgundy Would you? White?

I don't know because I think it sounds fancy And I had a really good one at Sessions Arts Club. Do you remember that bottle that we had? It was banging. And I always think of Miranda. I mean, she was an alcoholic in Sex and the City. She always ordered Chablis. And that's a white burgundy, isn't it?

I love a Chablis. It's nice and crisp. And I just kind of feel like I'm Miranda this year. So that's where I'm at. I'm not an alcoholic. Okay. Yeah. And I have a hot toddy to finish.

Oh, for God's sake. Well, this is me. Okay. What about Baileys? No, you can have your Baileys. Okay. Maybe I'll have a bit of Baileys. Honestly, I really have to limit myself to Baileys at Christmas

because when I've opened the bottle, I finish the bottle. I saw people doing, like, mincemeat ice cream, and I thought, actually, maybe I would, like, that would be quite delicious. Yeah, see, I've done that. A Christmas puddingmeat ice cream and I thought actually maybe I would like that would be quite delicious yeah I've done that a Christmas pudding made with ice cream you put mincemeat in it well what ice cream made with Christmas pudding do you mean you put what it's called Christmas pudding ice cream so what you can do is mix yeah it's delicious we should do that for something anyway that's I hope you anyway I hope that satisfied you guys so we asked you

this morning when we were going to record this episode we put it out on Instagram and Facebook about you choosing some questions oh my god there are so many you are so brilliant some of them we've answered katrina holland what was lenny serving up for you when you were kids i've kind of answered that i think katrina um okay i'm just waiting for this okay is good. I don't know if I'm saying your names right. So, Dutz Katie.

I guess you're Katie Dutz. Which guest got the most drunk on Table Manners? Lenny. Oh, stop it. I'm not a guest. You and Yanis from Foles got absolutely right. That was quite... I think Stanley Tushy was... Do you think he was drunk?

I don't think he was drunk, but we had two bottles of wine, darling, at lunchtime. Oh, my God. You know what? Which is not great, because I think I was drunk. I don't think he was drunk, but we had two bottles of wine, darling, at lunchtime. Oh, my God, you know what? Which is not great, because I think I was pregnant. But when we had the My Dad Wrote a Porno... I think we were nervous. No, there were three of them. I think they brought three bottles.

OK, and we drank them all. My Dad Wrote a Porno. They came on, the trio. I had the worst hangover of my life, but I think I didn't realise that I was pregnant, and so that's actually what this... And it was the natural bloody wine. It gave me the worst hangover in my life, but I think I didn't realise that I was pregnant, and so that's actually what this... And it was the natural bloody wine. It gave me the worst hangover.

Also, I tell you who got a little tipsy and had to hold back, because we didn't realise the wine was so strong, Joanna Lumley. Oh, I love that. But she didn't get drunk, but she said her head was a bit woozy after one. Okay.

What's the rudest table manner? This from matthew holton the things i don't like is if people blow their nose into their napkin and then they leave it on their plate if you're out in a restaurant i've definitely done that i've definitely done that i think i did it last week it's not very nice because the waiter has to move that with his hands. Or her hands. This is from Lozajie. Which guest surprised you most in a good way? Ed Miliband. Yes.

He was a great... He was fab. He got pissed too, actually. Yeah, he did. And I wouldn't let him stay and watch the football. Mum, I don't know how you're going to answer this, but... What? Holly goes lightly. Best food to eat off a naked torso?

Does she want me to lick or take it in one mouthful? Well, what would you... Wow. I thought you were going to not answer that. I am. Wow. I'm thinking of actually... Okay.

So you're Samantha today. Those Calvin Klein ads. So... Samantha has sushi on her. On a naked torso. What would you like? She did put in bracket saucy. Calvin Klein ads. Samantha has sushi on her. On a naked torso. What would you like? She did put in bracket saucy. You wouldn't want spaghetti bolognese, would you?

Yeah, but it would be quite delicious. It's got to be chocolate mousse, hasn't it? Oh, you're going quite trad. Yeah. Okay. What else would you have? I'll call you Anne. All right.

Miss Summers, if you're nasty. All right, what would you have on a naked torso? I don't, I'm not actually I'm quite happy to just carry on with some more food questions that your most oh this is a good one Marie um your most used cookbook I have to say I've been really impressed by the comfort the mob kitchens comfort one I think it's really brilliant I think their recipes are so good and they also have this subscription thing that's, I think, so reasonable. And I like how they don't have too many ingredients.

It's really of the moment. So if there are fads and stuff like that, which I'm fully here for with food, they play into that. But also they're just really great varieties. I think there's two cookbooks I love. Table Manners, the cookbook. No, no, no, besides ours. Jerusalem by Otto Lenge

and Sammy Tamimi I think is one of the best cookbooks and I think it revolutionised cooking and how we've changed the way we cook now

I always loved Delia Delia was always a good cookbook I feel like you used her in the 90s I used her a lot in the 90s

I love Nigella and Jamie Oliver I'm cooking a dish for And I did a Jamie one last week. Well, it was a few weeks ago and that was brilliant. Oh, this is cosy, Mum. So, Mum, what is this? It's really tasty. So, this is Jamie Oliver's.

One of his five ingredients, just five ingredients. I haven't got that book. It's chicken with merguez sausage and beans. Is it nice? No, it's nice. I did tell you to bring French bread, but you didn't. What did you cook?

What did you eat at your wedding, Mum, to my dad? Well, Cousin Elizabeth cooked. Cousin Elizabeth who does, yeah. Who was doing catering at the time. Was she? Yeah. And she was a really good caterer. I thought she was a food technology teacher.

Mm. She cooked... It's not as flavoursome as I thought it would be. Go on. She cooked salmon, which everyone had, because it was kind of afternoon. We had salmon... What, poached salmon?

Yeah. Yeah, classic. So we had salmon salads. And I remember she made this mandarin orange salad with sour cream on top what year was this um 1981 right i'd definitely put harissa in and you definitely need the merguez for the flavor don't you um okay this is from elma if this potentially could be winning a tea towel lenny you have to choose between chicken soup and cosmopolitan for the rest of your life are you gonna go chicken soup or cosmo chicken soup without doubt okay jessie lisa was jessie what's cooking skills did mum teach you which will make sure to teach your kids she taught me nothing

yeah i didn't really she didn't allow me near her but i do have a very vivid memory of her making bechamel and being very rapid with making it she was always in a rush because she always had to either work or but she was always so like if you're making the bechamel for lasagna you'd be doing it and i'd be there kind of waiting to lick the bowl in a saucepan and so I'd be watching you but everything was done quite ferociously because you always had something else you needed to do I guess you were a single mum so you had to but I just observed a lot didn't I my kids I really they're very interested at the moment like making pancake mix or making their omelette mix so we're just in cracking eggs at

the moment guys okay if you could only go to one restaurant for restaurant for the rest of your life which one would it be that is very hard god that's a good question jada do you know i love spring still and i never tire of going there but you, we've got the Abbeyville down the road. The pub? Yeah. And, you know, go there probably once a week. Do you? Yeah.

And the food's always nice. It's a funny old place, but I love it. And it reminds me of Orms. Yeah, our friends had the wine bar Orms there with crinkled chips. Yeah, with crinkled chips. That was cool. Mine would be, if they bloody had some indoor seating probably the towpath cafe yeah but it's not open and it's not open all year but if it

was open all year and they had a bit of indoor seating i'd go there i think you've got to go somewhere seasonal right lenny this is um from stun mag steph i mean guys we have hundreds of questions so we're gonna have to do a part two when somebody else cancels for sickness. But I actually am interested in this. I'm going to take these away. Stunmag Steph asks, Lenny, we want to know how you started your career and best advice for life.

God, my career. Right. So I was at a very academic school and I didn't do much homework. My parents didn't really know because they just thought I was at a very academic school and I didn't do much homework my parents didn't really know because they just thought I was terribly clever and then it got to my GCSEs and the mum went to the parents evening and they said what is she going to do when she leaves school my mum said she's not leaving and they said well she's not going to pass any GCSEs five weeks to go never did any homework five weeks ago I thought were you not nervous didn't care I didn't really know but mum your

parents your parents were you know they were working class and they were paying for a private education and you were sticking two fingers up I thought it would be all right. Oh. Anyway, I did pull my finger out. For five weeks? Yeah, and got seven GCSEs. Not the best grades. Okay. So then I struggled to get on to do... So my mum came home from the GCSE talk,

and she said, I think you should go into management at M&S, because you can start at 16 or 17. And she'd get a discount. She was always keen on anyone working for M&S because in those days, you got all the reduced food of an evening. And she thought that would be a very good idea. So I said, no, I don't want to do that. So I did pull my finger out and then had to work hard.

I said, no, I don't want to do that. So I did pull my finger out and then had to work hard. And I remember there was a careers evening and someone talked about doing social work. I thought, that's quite a nice job. You're helping people, you're talking to people. It's never the same. Day after day is completely different. You're not sitting in an office all day.

It's being with people and you're doing some good in society so I became a social worker are you happy you became a social worker yeah I think I've had a wonderful career and I think I've enjoyed I've enjoyed social work I enjoy all aspects of it I enjoy helping I think it's tough now much tougher but I have enjoyed it what's your best advice for life you don't ask me I'm still learning that's good well surely that's the whole essence of life that you carry on learning and changing and evolving mom I feel like who thought that I would be doing this at age 72 and having the best time of my life it's good that your daughter worked really hard yeah it was a good job that got you a job yeah you got me a new job um beta bog knits

what snacks do you always pack on holiday or bring with you on tour marmite marmite yeah jesse do you bring twiglet do you love twiglets i don't love them as much as Marmite. I love them. Takeaway of choice, curry. Really? Yeah. I like Vietnamese. I think curry travels better. If you lived in bygone days, would you be upstairs or downstairs? I'd definitely be upstairs.

Why would you be upstairs? Because I wouldn't have to cook. See, I think I'd be downstairs. Would you? Because I think I'd like to be amongst all of the cooking. Really? And the comfort. No, let's face it, I'm upstairs.

No, you're an upstairs girl. I'm upstairs. I'd be an upstairs girl that hangs with the downstairs crew. Okay. Right, okay. Shall I get the dessert? Pass me that. What have we got now, Mum?

It's orange. Oh, these look so pretty. Yeah. Mum! Very Valentine-y. Yeah. Very romantic. Let's try this.

It's blood orange posset. That's really tasty. I don't know if it's set properly, but I love it. Do you ever not say one thing? Do you ever just sip it and say it's fab? It's fab. I could sip this actually zip it not sip it

I mean that's got that's tasty mum but I also I need to give a shout out to a lovely lady who came up to me I was on my girls weekend recently her name is Jita she had a very cute labradoodle called walter and um she bless

her had held back until we stood up and she pounced on me and said she was very gorgeous she said jesse i just want to let you know and her poor boyfriend was just like oh jesus jita calm down um it was so sweet she said that on the way up she'd been listening to the James O'Brien episode and then she'd seen me there and it was very and anyway I'm just saying hi Jita appreciate you mum what happened to you last night as you were leaving leaving my house I was coming out your side door and just with a carrier bag and it it was dark. And this woman came up on a bicycle. With a high-vis jacket. What, like cycled by?

Cycled by, going past me and screamed, Lenny, you're a legend! I love you! I don't know how she knew it was me, though. It was pitch black. I didn't, wasn't, you couldn't see any leopard print. And I wasn't speaking. So maybe she knows where I live.

Yeah, I think so anyway listen thank you so much for listening to this special Valentine's episode with my date my mother

I hope you have a great Valentine's Day I hope you can't open your doors because of the Valentine cards on the bottom of it I hope it goes away

very soon to be honest it's a silly day do you think so yes oh I love it. Yeah. Never mind.

Anyway, take care and we'll see you next week. Thanks so much. Thank you.