Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Candice Brown (Part One)

Episode Date: October 29, 2024

We’re on a delightful country walk this week with the legendary Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown! Candice has three dogs - Albus, Severus and Sibyl, and there are a plethora of other dogs in the Brown family! It’s clear Candice has a real passion for her dogs - and she tells us the story behind how she came to rescue each of them. After growing up in pubs run by her parents - Candice has gone on to run her own pub! It's called The Green Man in Eversholt and it’s absolute dog (and human) heaven! Candice tells us all about how her childhood gave her such a strong family bond and also gave her a passion for food. She also tells us how food helps her to deal with ADHD - and how it might have helped her to win Bake Off! Follow Candice on Instagram @CandiceBrownWe highly recommend you take a visit to The Green Man in Eversholt - for a truly dog-friendly pub and the best bacon butty on earth as well as an amazing menu of fresh, local and seasonal food. Candice’s books Happy Cooking and Comfort are available now. You can buy your copy here!Follow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Give me two weeks to do something and I'll take three and I'll still get it done in the last hour that you need it. But give me three and a half hours on national television to make a gingerbread pub, then I'm going to fucking do it and I'm going to do it well. This week on Walking the Dog, Raymond and I went for a stroll with a legendary Great British Bake Off winner, the very wonderful Candace Brown,

who has three utterly adorable dogs, Albus, Severus and Sybil. Since winning the show, Candice has published two hugely popular recipe books, happy cooking and comfort, and she also now runs her very own pub, The Green Man, in the ridiculously picturesque village of Eversholt, which unsurprisingly serves up delicious food. So Raymond and I popped up there to take a stroll with her and frankly to stuff our faces at the Green Man.

Candice is one of those people who instantly makes you feel at home. She's incredibly warm and welcoming, and she's also got this very nurturing energy, which explains why she's always been so passionate about cooking and also why she spent the early part of her career teaching kids with special educational needs. Raymond and I had the loveliest walk with Candice and when we got back to the Green Man, Raymond discovered dog heaven. There were treats and the world's comfiest dog bed and I got to sample food heaven. I'm calling it. Genuinely the greatest bacon butty known to humanity.

So I really recommend you pop to the Green Man for a visit and sample the menu yourself as it's such a special place. I'm going to stop talking now and hand over to the woman herself. Here's Candice and Albus and Severus and Sybil and Raymond. So we can have buns when we get back when we get back. So that's Sevi is going with you and this is Luna she's coming with me. Hang on we've just got a whole load more dogs. Yeah so Luna. Luna. And why can't she come with us? So she's an auntie and uncle's dog, but she is a troubled little soul.

And, um, so am I to be fair. Me too. Are we allowed to meet you formally on the podcast? What, Nikki? Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Nikki? Hello. I'm Emily, by the way.

And it's lovely to meet you. And your relationship to Candace is... That's my other half. I thought it was, but I don't want to presume. I would have to presume. Can I be honest? When you came in I thought, oh they look really good together. That's a good job. I mean Flattery will get you everywhere with me especially. If I was casting the rom-com, I would have put you together.

And yeah, three dogs and this is, oh that's mum, she helps out in the pub as well. Hi, Mum. Hi, mum. This is Sue. I'm Emily. Hi, my. Hi. Hi, you're Sue are you?

I'm Sue. Yeah. Mum, have you seen Raymond? Oh, no. So mum's also, mum and dad have got two dogs as well. Harry the Bulldog and Dusty. She's a little yorky Shih Tzu Cross maybe, but she's a rescue as well, isn't she a little sweetie. And Sue, I understand that you ran pubs for a living, didn't you?

Yeah. And now your daughter's wheeling you out. How can you do it all over again? How do you feel about that? So yeah, so it's definitely a family affair. I own the pub with my brother Ben, his fiancé works here. that helps to manage it alongside myself and mum comes and helps out in the morning helps preff and things dad and Ben built the extension which I say Candace is trying to tell us about

the pub and all Sue cares about I can hear her muttering where's Raymond? Where's Raymond yeah I mean if it's honestly if there's dogs around that's all we are I mean you're lucky Sophie's not here because there would be nothing to be going on and all you who's Sophie is my brother's fiancee so she helps manage they've also got to rescue This is a real family affair. Oh, completely. Yeah, I mean, me and my brother

are obviously brought into it, my older sister as well. Obviously, she looked after, there's quite a big age gap between me and my older sister, but she actually looked after me when mum and dad took on their first pub. So they run pubs for 25 years. And now me and my brother, it would be six years. We've had this in December.

So it is, to say it's a labourer love would be an understatement. to say it's stressful would be an understatement but we're very, very proud of it. Shall we get walking? Yeah, let's. Oh gosh. Now what's the deal with leads?

Sevi is a little shit basically and has ruined many of cricket games so he has to stay on the long lead because he's not trusted. Hiya, you're all right. Hello. Come on team. Right, Lunar Bird, are you going to have a little wonder too?

Should have we on the gravel? Oh gosh. He's not talking about me by the way Oh that's all right or me No I saved that when I go on long walk Bubba it was lovely to meet you And you yeah I mean I'll probably see you when you get back But have a lovely walk

Thank you I'm sure I can't be able by now So you won't get lost Yeah If you do Just give me a show Luna see in a minute Baba Good girl

Yeah so this is The village of Eversholt You got the Obviously the pub The church It is so beautiful here I've actually been here it before I realized as we were driving here I realized I've been to your pub yeah I've

been to the green man because a friend of mine Louise lives near here uh-huh and it's honestly like something out of a sort of Jane Austen novel it's houses isn't it's your it's your it is oh it is your chocolate box village really there is literally what you see so you've got the pub the church the village green That's beautiful, isn't it? The village green or the village hall, there's a cricket pitch and a Lido, and that is literally it. There's not even a village shop. And I should officially introduce you.

I'm with the wonderful Candace Brown. Sorry, kind of come in and just completing us a whirlwind. That's how I like it. It's very me that, so I like it. And we've got your dogs here. We met your lovely other half earlier. You introduced us to one of your dogs. A chihuahua called Luna.

We've got Luna, yep. And she's not come with us on this walk just because she's still a bit frightened. She's a rescue. Yeah, so she was one that, so I am a patron for dogs, which is dogs on the streets. So she's helping dogs and the homeless community with veterinary fees.

and support for their animals because for the homeless community often their dog or animal is the only thing that they do have and it is what is keeping them alive. So vet bills are expensive. So expensive so it's free veterinary service and it's just an amazing charity and who do amazing things.

And Luna came from there under very just heartbreaking circumstances. Michelle needed some help and I said, well take her. I wanted her full stop and the kind of voice of reason was it's just a lot of the moment but I said we'll foster her and try and sort of build her up a little bit because she was an absolute she was a tiny little thing covered in fleas absolutely terrified completely and utterly just broken and yeah she's now she's now still within the family but we're looking after her for a little while just while they're on holiday which is nice so it means we do get to see her and talk to

me through who we have with us so then we have your three other dogs my three my three babies so we've got Sybil who is in a pouch on the front civil is a Pomeranian and Sybil sorry Candice that's all right I'm just having to wait for Ray to sniff but you know what that's all right Seve likes to sniff everything I feel like you're one of those people that I don't need to apologize to never never never never because you're quite casual and laid back? Oh, so laid back I should be horizontal I think some of the time, which can drive people mad.

But yes, we've got Sybil, she's a Pomeranian, she's in a pouch on the front. She has one eye and she walks on three legs. She was used for puppy farming. So she was kept in a cage and she was just bread and bread and bread. She'd never had any human contact. So when I took her on, she'd never ever, ever, had any human contact. I've had her for about eight years now and I honestly, oh, you're going for a

poo, are you, Elvis? That's good. So what does that mean then, Candice? Does someone, basically, she's just used, she's overbred, basically. So she was kept in a cage and they would have put in a stud dog any time she was in season and she would have just been bred and bred and bred from the moment she was able to until they had enough. It was very exhausting and dangerous. It was very exhausting and dangerous as well isn't it's hell for them it's not a life and she was this broken little thing and honestly I believe that we were meant to be together she you talk about soulmates and stuff but she is mine and I am hers and she I always say she only has eye for me oh sorry she's only got one eye so she only got eye for me she can't see very much out the other one at the

moment I mean can I just say it's about eight minutes in and I'm already in tears because I'm emotional thing that I'm done. It just makes me so happy that... It's my complete and utter pleasure. Like she also, the dogs, they're all rescues, but the dogs have also saved me as well. She's just, honestly, she's just, she dances, like she doesn't play, she doesn't play with Tories, she still doesn't.

And was the blindness something she was born with Candleafort? She was always blind in the eye, but then a couple of years to go, it just deteriorated overnight so they had to remove it. I mean we went and picked her up the same day and she was dancing she dances when she's when she wants food and when she wants feeding and treats and um I mean I'm still not over it but she was just the resilience in this one is just she's just unbelievable but she's been through it she's got a little heart murmur and all sorts so she's just the specialist my special little girl and you've got two other dogs here I've got two other ones, I've got Albus.

So I took Albus when he was about six or seven weeks old. So again, rescue should never have ever left his mum at that time. Believe he was the product of puppy farming, but possibly the runt of the litter. And if you look at his front right leg, it's about an inch and a half shorter than the other one when he stands up straight. And you can see the little scar on the front. So actually his front right leg was completely almost in a seat. shape and because of that they would have just dumped him so I actually saw him on this morning and I'd been doing some bits and pieces with them and I message and

they said get in touch with many tears all three of them are from many tears which is a rescue centre in Wales and you've got this lovely other little chihuahua here and then we've got Sevee Severus you might hear a common link with the doggy's names severus was dumped at the same rescue centre at 14 weeks old, 1.4 kilo for not liking long walks. And I saw him and I message them because I also got a very good relationship with them. I post every day because I just about... This is with the charity.

Yeah, just about supporting and trying to get people to adopt and not shop and just understanding about animals. And yeah, I said, I'll take him and I hadn't even said anything to Nikki. They messaged back and said, oh, he's been reserved. and then they message back two days later saying the it fell through the home check fell through with with a plon basically would you take him because we're really worried of where he's going to end up we've never had so much interest for a dog I mean he was a tiny chocolate brown chihuahua he was the perfect and I just said absolutely and you're a little monkey aren't you so they're all rescues good scratching albus albus are so good are these are a powerful

of themes or something you thought they were. Are you a big fan? Yeah, I do like Harry Potter. I'd quite like to be a wizard in all honesty. Some so you are in the kitchen. Wow, I'd like that. Thank you very much. Thank you.

I mean, it would be I do if I could just wave a magic wand to clear stuff up. Come on, Ray. So how well's Raymond? So Raymond is seven. You know, I really believe with dogs that they are, you know, it's that whole thing they say, that they find the person who needs them. Yeah, for sure. I 100%.

He was my little, I suppose he came into my life. I'd never had a dog. And then I had the really, really horrible time. And my sister passed away very suddenly. Oh, I'm so sorry. And then my parents died, and this all happened at once. Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. Yeah, but you know what, Candace, what was amazing is I honestly couldn't have got through it without him.

He changed my life because I got him. And it gave me, it was my only reason at one stage for getting out of bed in the morning. Yeah. I had the, I had a very similar thing with before we got survey. It was just, I had the two of them with me during lockdown, a very, very difficult time. A big old change in my personal circumstance as well. Lockdown was on my own at the pub and they were all I had. And I think people who don't have dogs or who will underestimate the power of them, they're just so much more than an animal.

They are. They are so much more. Do you know, when someone did want to say to me, they said, it's just a dog. And I said, only someone who'd never had a dog in their lives would say that. Yeah. Their family. And we're in this beautiful, is it a village ever show? Yes, it is a village. Yeah, it is. Which, as we say, looks like very pride and prejudice sort of.

Yeah, very much so. Mr. Bingley's about to come charging up on horse. Mr. Darcy's, you know, stride through. and he's, what did he wear? Like, this open shirt thing, didn't he? I mean, very, very up on pride and prejudice. I think he was, was he britches. I was going to say britches, but I wasn't sure if that was the right term.

Yeah. Sevy, come on, Bubba. See, he gets grumpy because he's looking at, he'll be looking at civil now, like, well, you're carrying her. Raymond seems to be a bit on strike on the walking front. Is it because he's on the lead? I think so. They can't go anywhere. Do you mind if I take him off?

No, please. He can't go. They can't go anywhere. Is that better? I think what it is. I know it's so intelligent. I think he senses he's in the country and he's like, hang on. Yeah.

The normal rules don't apply here. You should be allowing me to do my thing. Yeah, look, there's so much to smell and so much to do. Oh, look, Candace, he loves it. Hi. Yeah. That was a good little run. That was.

Hi, buddy. Hi. He's good fun. He really loves your dogs as well because he loves small dogs. Yeah. He's very threatened by bigger dogs. Yeah, Albus can act up with big dogs. Hiya. Yeah, all the little dogs all together. Is this a Yorkie? No, he's half a chihuahua, quarter jack or so quarter dash out. Wow. I think he's a day. Yeah, like they all do. Yeah. I'm like, oh it's little dogs, he'll be like, right, I'm not a big dog.

This is Raymond. Of course it is. Bye-bye. Hello darling, you have so sweet. Do the usual sniffing, that's nice always. Yeah, why not. Right, see you later, nice to see you. Bye bye, bye. Come on Ray.

Oh see I love that about the country. Everyone's so friendly. Yeah, and there's loads of, I mean like the pub, the pub is so dog friendly. One of the best compliments we have ever had was places will say that they are dog friendly or dog friendly when actually they're just dog tolerable the green man is actually beyond dog friendly and we say oh so sorry they're on the so we're like if they want to sit on the sofa let them sit on the sofa like honestly we have more dogs and people in there sometimes from little ones as small as kind of raymond to

irish wolfhounds and burmese mountain dogs and honestly i wouldn't have it any other way Well, I can exclusively reveal just how dog-friendly you are. Because I'm afraid, listeners, it brings me no pleasure to share this with you. But the minute we walked into the pub, I said hello to Candice. How did Raymond greet Candice? He did a shit. Yeah. It happens, buddy, didn't it?

I think he was so excited he couldn't control his bowels. No, it happens to the best of us. Happens to the best of us. But you were more laid back than me. Honestly, there are accidents every day in the pub. We're dog-friendly. We're in the countryside. Like people say, oh, I'm so sorry, we've got muddy boots or all the dogs wear or all the dog's wheat. Like, honestly, we're in the middle of the countryside.

It doesn't, it does not phase me one bit. Thank God for that. One, one bit. Well, Candace, I want to go back a bit to your origin story to how you arrived here in what feels like a pretty idyllic existence. But I know every existence has its ups and downs, you know, and everyone obviously knows you. from the Great British Bake-off. Yeah. And I want to go back to where it all started,

which was in North London. Is that right? Growing up with your mum Sue, who I just met. Yeah. And your dad. Paul. And they ran pubs themselves. Yeah, they did.

Are you good boys, Sevy? You're waiting for Raymond? That's good. Come on then. Yeah, so I'm born and bred in North London, Edmonton, brought up in Tottenham. as was dad, where my nan and granddad lived as well. Mum and dad took on a pub not long after I was born.

My older sister looked after me at my nan and granddad. So mum and dad were able to kind of take on this pub. And yeah, where was the pub? The pub. So the pubs, I can't even remember the first one. I feel like they did have one in London. We then moved around a lot. So they had pubs for sort of Spanish in 25 years around, gosh, Ipswich, Gloucester, Essex, Dunstable, Welling, Milton Keems,

in and around Bedfordshire. So we moved around a lot, but when I was about, have we stopped? Right. Come on and I'll pick you up. Come on. Raymond, I'm going to pick you up in a minute because you're being awfully slow. Are you waiting for Raymond? Raymond's being quite a bad influence, to be honest. Come here, Raymond. I'm going to pick you up. Covering new grass. Yes, they ran pubs for 25 years. We moved around but when I was about, I don't know, 11 or 12, they settled in Bedford. So we still moved around pubs in Bedfordshire but just within Bedfordshire so me and my brother didn't have to move schools again.

And then we got moved to a very interesting pub when I was about 18 and just was just hell basically. We were broken in two, three times in a month. I was old enough to work behind the bar this point. the bar this point I was doing A level just before I went off to uni and um oh kisses sevs sev you like giving kisses don't me oh good boy and um yeah it just became too much like like yeah just sort of dad fighting every day and we were broken into and i was pulled across the bar and it was just it was just awful so they just went mum kind of put her foot down and said you're too old to do this now to my dad and yeah they came out of it so has your mom got a slight sort of estenders

Barbara Windsor kind of you hundred percent although I like I'd like to I like to hold Barbara Windsor as my own that's that's very much mine she is an icon she is she was one of my idols and in a real roundabout way I'm really good friends with her um obviously Scott who was married to bar having run two marathons with him as part of Babbs Army for Alzheimer's Research UK. Oh Raymond, are you taking it this leisurely stroll, are you? I'm going to have to pick you up. You're really embarrassing. You're going to be a baby. Yeah. You're going to be carried by mommy. You're a baby as well. So we've got two babies. Just you walking. Good boy. We're all carrying these dogs, but I don't mind Candace. I don't feel judged by you. So tell me, how would you sort of

sum up your childhood how would I describe my childhood I mean did you see yourself in terms of a class did you feel middle class or working class for sure I mean mum and dad were the hardest working people I knew it's why I am probably the graft that I am because of it my brother's the same it was a very very different childhood not your conventional sort of time to have have kind of dinners together and Sunday roast together and things like that. But it was great. I mean, I used to sit and do my homework down in the pub,

whereas people were out kind of playing, like other school friends and stuff were out playing or they'd hang around outside. We were hanging around with people in the pub. My brother would beat everybody at Paul and take all their money. We learnt so much from people. We met people from every single walk of life. Well, I was good to say. Every class, every background, every race, every religion.

And I think just those are the sorts of things you can't be taught. You can't learn those at school. And then mum and dad, they worked basically, so they could go on holiday and we could go on holidays. So they travelled us really well. And one of the things they said, there is so much of the world to see. And they started off doing that with me and my brother. So they would work hard. a travel and it was incredible and I'm always interested in people who grew up in

pubs because Lee Mack hello dogie oh these are big big dogs do you notice just as I mentioned Lee Mack the dogs kicked off see he will shout at big dogs that's like a working farms obviously they look after the area but they always say hello when we walk past Do you know what that dog is? It's like the equivalent of the slight sort of, you know, nosy neighbour. And what's going on here? Yeah, excuse me.

I was just saying, yeah, I'm interested. I'm always interested in people that grew up in pubs because Lee Max, a friend of mine who's appeared on this podcast. Yeah. Lee grew up in... He's great. He's brilliant. He's so great, isn't he? But you know what?

I'm always interested in the fact that he had a kind of similar childhood to yours in that way. And I think when you grow up in a... pub as a kid, it's sort of slightly enforced on you in a way. Is this thing where you're necessarily forced, you're sociable. And you're constantly being thrust into meeting people. You can't just be a shy, retiring wallflower. No. I mean, even if you are, you kind of, you don't really have much choice to be like that.

I mean, mum and dad used to say they, they would, I mean, at the beginning, like, I grew up on Edmonton Green, we lived in the flat in Edmonton Green. And mum would, she used to say, you used to say, So the lift was never working. Dad was going out, he was on the cleaning, he was cleaning offices and things and she would drag me and the buggy and Brutus, her Yorkshire Terrier, up and down the 12 flights of stairs, go shopping at the market, but she'd hand me to someone at the beginning of the market and picked me up at the end. And it was the same in the pub of an evening. Someone would say, where's Candice and they'd pass me to someone and they'd collect me

at the end and I always laugh and say, I'm fine. But it was just how it was done. Our godparents run pubs in Liverpool. So if we wasn't in our pub, we were up there. We knew no other way. Do you think you were a natural extrovert? Or do you think that was something that was slightly, I suppose you grew into having to be one

because of that ever-changing social environment you were in? Yeah, I think for sure, growing up, in those sorts of environments. Obviously, it gives you so many, like, different skills, like, yeah, just communication skills and obviously learning from other people and stuff. And it's weird, like, Matt, I think probably growing up I was definitely more of an extrovert. Now, I don't know, due to kind of mental health.

It's weird because I behave in such an extrovert way when I'm around people. I want to play the clown, I am the clown, I want to make people laugh. It's my favourite thing to do. but mentally that takes its toll on me now and then I go completely insular completely introverted on myself and I don't know whether that is the kind of... Well no I do know it's the effects of kind of

my mental health and my brain but I think for sure growing up in an environment where it's not fighting for attention because but just the pub was busy, it was loud it was noisy, there was so much going on and we were just there in the middle of it it's just all we knew. But then I would go and spend my holidays

even up until I was about 15, 16, with my nan and granddad. And my nan was the quietest, most gentlest, kindest angel that there ever was. So, yeah, it was for sure a very, very different upbringing. And our friends used to love coming to the pub because obviously that was a whole different thing, your friend coming to stay or coming to have a play date at the pub kind of thing was a

different thing well I realized when I was growing up I grew up in Hygate and there was a friend of mine James and he became very cool as a result because we couldn't get into pub so none of us were 18 and so he became I'm going to say briefly the most popular boy in the entire school because he'd say yeah do you want to come around to mine tonight and you think Oh, great, we just, you'd walk into the pub. The guys at the door would, so it was, I'm just going to see James. Yeah. Even if you didn't like James, no offence, James.

Yeah. But even if you didn't like James, if they caught you in the pub, I was actually just coming to see James. Yeah, I was just coming to see James. Just seeing my friend. It's an interesting thing. Sort of growing up, you do the whole thing of going down the park and drinking cider and stuff like that. I mean, I did it once or twice. Sorry, mum, sorry, Dad.

But also, I was also going out. The lads in the pub were taking me out into town. And mum and dad always said, like, don't like tell us, don't lie to us, because we will find out. And that was terrifying. But also, they had that trust. No one, those, the blokes in the pub that were taking me out and looking after me on a, on a night out,

were never, ever going to let my dad down. So. Yeah, but they were frightened of you. You're very far. It was quite intimidating to the, not to you, but to the pub. You know, you have to be. It was the landlords. Imagine a mixture of Grant and Phil Mitchell.

You've got dad. He's. your epitome cockney, landlord, and he is just the absolute best. I just adore him. He calls me Winkle. He's just, he comes in the pub still, and you can still see his brain ticking over,

like, can just those people are leaving? I'm like, yes, Dad, right, see you later. You can still see him thinking in this landlord way. So give me a burst of your dad. If I'm in the pub and I'm taking my time and nursing my drink and maybe I've had a few, what's he going to say, your dad? I mean I've definitely I've definitely we've definitely growing up have have seen hold my watch and hold my glasses and get behind the bar to me my mum my sister a few times and what does that mean that means that there's probably going to be a little bit of trouble and he doesn't want his didn't want his glasses to get broken and he didn't want his watch to get broken there was I think yeah I think there was one where we were we were put down into the cellar

me, mum, I think my brother and my sister, well, I think Wild West kicked off upstairs. I think that's the only way to describe it. But Dad was respected. He had the respect of people because he gave respect. There was only ever problems if that was prex was kind of broken. It's just your typical old school landlord and that doesn't happen so much now. It's interesting that, Candace, because when you have a dad like that who's sort of, I suppose, respected, you know, and you're aware that he can handle in the cell. I think that's interesting as a male role model.

Yeah. That you grow up presumably, you felt safe around your dad, did you? Completely. Protected is what I mean. Yeah, but I mean the whole family growing up, we were protected by the whole family. We are a family and we are fierce as a family and there is nothing more, special there is nothing worth protecting more than there is that and you ask anybody in the family like that and obviously the family's gone from huge to unfortunately quite small as life goes on and

I think you'd say the same thing my dad would say the same thing about my granddad my granddad was the head of the family my granddad was the person that they didn't want to upset growing up the respect comes across from everybody we respect our nan and granddad granddad, we respect mums and dads, we respect each other. And I think it's so key and it's so, so important. I think having seen my granddad go through Alzheimer's and that changing him and see my dad's heartbreak because the head of the family, his dad, didn't recognize him.

And seeing my nan not be recognized by the person that she'd been with for over 50. 50 years. Just all of that changes and I think it just it's make or break those things and I think as a family we do really really try and come together because no you can't choose them but they are your family and you only get one family. Trust me I would choose them. I'm all over this family. I love the sound of the brown. They're amazing. You want to come for Christmas. It is just I am. I'm already but you can I will be there. There is more food than you know what to do with. We laugh to the point of peeing our pants. Well, Raymond will fit in then. Yeah, perfect. You're in Raymond.

You're in the club. Incontinence are welcome. It was your grandmother, your land, who got you into cooking originally. Yeah. You've written two brilliant books on the subjects of cooking, haven't you? And I really get the impression that food, which is how you became so well known, food is always represented it's more than just food 100% what does it mean to you to kind of cook is it like a safe space for you almost when you're cooking

yeah i mean food is food is everything um food it's one of the things i keep saying to people it's not just fuel obviously it is fuel but it's not just fuel food food should be about the process food should be about the smells the memories the nostalgia the the understanding of it We are in such a privileged position where we can get so many types of food. Our Severus. Severus. Severus Snape. Can we?

There we go. Come on, Raymond. Even Raymond's going quicker than you Severus Snape. Yeah. Come on. We're coming back up. You want up, then you want down again. Sorry.

But I feel as well that there's something about serving up food to people, which is really lovely because it's sort of an act of service if you like. An active service for me as well, like you say about being a safe space. It also I feel like it's my tie to my nan as well who was just the apple of my eye, the centre of my universe still is my, I think about her multiple times a day. And I like to think that if I'm even part of the lady she was, then I'm doing all right. that's what food is about. It's about sharing. It's about acts of love. It's about understanding where it's come from about the smell or the invoking of a memory where,

and I've seen this with my granddad, him, he's bright blue eyes and he had this dark, dark hair. My granddad's Romney Gypsy origin and just really dark features. But when he was in the depths of this Alzheimer's. eyes would go grey and glassy and you'd know he just was not there and I'd take him in a corned beef sandwich because he loved a corned beef sandwich or I'd take him in a chalk ice and he'd eat this chalk ice and that would bring him back to me it'd bring him back just for that little bit of time because of this texture on his tongue the smell the taste of this corned beef sandwich would bring him back and that's what that's the power of food

it's so much more than just substance and keeping us alive and of course it's does keep us up but we're so lucky and I just love everything about that I love to be able to serve people food I love to get a little bit of I don't know selfishly gratification from it when I'm feeling a bit shit I can get my head down I can get into it when I need to keep my hands and my head busy because the ADHD is just completely taken over which it is at the moment hence why when you arrived this morning I'm no I've got less than half an hour but I'm trying to squeeze in two bakes into a pizza oven because I just at that point this morning everything was going on and I thought if I just do this then I can it's my safe place it's my happy place it's my sad place food is so much if it makes you feel any better Faye will say because I've been diagnosed I'm I have ADHD as well so it's about telling people and why it's important to talk about it is that everyone around you knows so I'll call Faye she knows now and it's like I'm 15 minutes late because what happened is someone will call me about something else I then get distracted and I have to focus on that

We can't get out of that. No. It's like you can't, and it's hard to explain. You're getting to understand it now, aren't you? Yeah. But she knows now. But it's a lot for other people as well. And I don't hide the fact that it is so difficult for other people

because I know when I am at the minute, like I've also, I've various sort of diagnosis, clinical depression and PTSD, chronic phobia from a trauma years ago. And when they're all at their peak, The ADHD is that it's doing its absolute damnedest to just, and it's just, it's just, it can be so much. And yesterday, I just said to Nikki, I am, I don't know what I'm doing. I literally, all over there, so I was in, I'm working in the kitchen at the pub at the minute. And I was in on Wednesday.

And I honestly, I drop stuff. I think I burnt myself. It was just one of those things, which just things were not. compute things were just not working. And you get very binary, don't you, where you think, this is all a terrible mistake. This is a disaster. Everything, yeah.

That's the thing as well that I think people often don't realize is that you come across as this person who's, not you personally, but I mean anyone who's experienced that, with ADHD, there's often a tendency to, it's a sort of all or nothing, black or white. Yeah. So most people would say, oh, this is a bit of a bad day, Whereas you probably go to a place where, why did I even do this?

I should never have done this. Which is a point. And also, I find hard as well is the daily failures at simple tasks. The daily failing, and I have tried to explain that, I said, imagine failing at tasks that you do every day and you fail over and over regardless of what you do to try not to, whether that's being on time, whether that's remembering something, whether that's not misplacing something, whether that's getting something wrong. It is heartbreaking and that has been my whole life and I know I understand that and I know like it is, I fully believe it's a superpower. I wouldn't have won bake off without it. I wouldn't

give me two weeks to do something and I'll take three and I'll still get it done in the last hour that you need it. But you'll get it done right. Yeah but give me three and a half hours on national television to make a gingerbread pub then I'm going to fucking do it sorry um I'm going to do it and I'm going to do it well or I'll fit 10 hours worth of baking into two hours I can do that maybe that's why you did it so well that is 100% you had that time pressure 100% on the first episode I'd been practicing for four and a half hours for my bake we got in the tent they went baker's you got three and a half hours I went what and I'd practice for four and a half hours I'd got it wrong my whole practice and I didn't know until they started recording and I had to do it.

I'm very much head down. I think, and it's not a good way to be, but I'm here now, it's happening. I'm not prepared, but it's got to happen. I've got to do it, so I'll do it. I really hope you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog. If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday,

so whatever you do, don't miss it. And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.