Jessie Ware: 'My mum is so cool, we have a right hoot together'

Popstar Jessie Ware and her mother Lennie entertain thousands each week with their number one podcast Table Manners. As they team up with M&S and Ocado, Suzanne Baum joins them to find out what lies behind their recipe for success
Suzanne Baum2 September 2020

If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of listeners to the Table Manners podcast, you will be aware of the hilarious interaction between 35-year-old pop sensation Jessie and her mother Lennie as they go about cooking up some delicious food for their celebrity guests.

The bickering, joking and fascinating conversations between the women has turned them both into national treasures.

Jessie Ware

With over 100 episodes of frank chats with stars from Keifer Sutherland to Mel C, all recorded around Lennie’s kitchen table, the podcast has been so successful, the pair have gone on to publish a cookbook of their recipes.

Now, as the faces of a Perfect Pairings campaign to launch the partnership between M&S and Ocado, the mother-and-daughter stir up some fun facts about their work.

Since 2017, 80 million episodes of the podcast have been downloaded. Are you surprised by its success?

Jessie: We are so touched and excited. When we started the podcast we had no expectations, we were taking our family banter public and I think people just liked our warm friendly conversations. The podcast was just supposed to be a fun thing I did after a break from music - I never imagined it would turn out to be a business.

What is it like working together?

Jessie: My mum is so cool. We have a right hoot together. She keeps me grounded as I am a bit like Saffy from Ab Fab and can be all over the place but she reins me in. Of course we bicker and get on each others nerves but that's what makes us real.

Lennie: Everyone seems to know my business now. I was used to Jessie being the famous one so I chuckle that I'm actually living the dream and getting to work alongside my daughter. I never imagined I’d have people coming up to me because they recognise my voice from the podcast. It happens in the most random places; I dropped my son off at a port in Greece and someone asked if I was Lennie from the podcast!

You have fed a lot of big names during the past few years. Who have been the most memorable dining companions?

Jessie: For me, it was definitely Nigella Lawson as to cook for someone known for her food was nerve-wracking but she was delightful. And Mel C, she makes a fantastic dinner guest!

Lennie: Alan Carr and Mel and Sue stood out for me. I mean, they were absolutely hysterical. And Jay Rayner I had such fun cooking up a Jewish meal for him, chicken soup, matza balls, the works.

You both are always so full of energy on the podcast. Do you ever run out of steam?

Lennie: At first I was meant to do the cooking while Jessie did the interviewing but I am naturally chatty and curious about everyone so can't help myself talking so much. I mean when Jamie Oliver popped in for my chicken soup and chopped liver I was so excited I kept talking. In fact, I think M&S should start stocking my soup, how cool would that be!

On the subject of M&S, what made you agree to be involved in the new launch with Ocado?

Jessie: They approached us and it was a no-brainer as we are huge fans of the food. As a kid growing up it was always such a treat when mum brought food back from M&S. It was a lovely memory from my childhood. So to be asked to provide our favourite recipes for the campaign to promote food pairings was so exciting. Mum and I got to decide which two pairings of food went together the best and provide our favourite recipes.

I love making a chicken dish so we provided a chicken and apricot recipe as the ingredients are so easy to buy and then we came up with a favourite of ours, miso and white chocolate cookies.

How do you find the time to juggle everything, from creating recipes and music to the podcast and being a parent?

Jessie: I have lots of help from my husband and my family, although stupidly I can't use my mum anymore because she's now part of my work! I'm lucky though as I love to work and to keep busy. I mean, thank goodness in lockdown I was able to continue to cook and record the podcast, and shoot my videos for my new album, otherwise I would of gone stir-fry crazy.

Jessie and Lennie Ware have created two #perfectpairings recipes for Ocado to mark the launch of the full M&S Food range on ocado.com on 1st September.

Marmalade Chicken Thighs

6 chicken thighs (skin on or off)

3 heaped tablespoons of thick-cut marmalade

1.5 Tablespoons whole grain mustard

Juice of one large orange

1 orange cut in thin circle slices with skin on

Juice of one lemon

1.5 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pepper to season

Optional 1 red chilli finely sliced, seeds removed

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 fan.

Combine all the ingredients apart from the orange slices in a bowl, mix thoroughly.

Place the chicken thighs in a baking tray and coat thighs with the mixture.

Add a grind of pepper.

Cook for 50 mins. Half way through, scatter the orange slices around the baking tray. If the chicken is browning too quickly place an orange slice over the thigh or put some tin foil over the tray.

Garnish with the finely sliced red chilli and serve with green beans, tenderstem brocolli and either rice or mashed potato.

Miso & Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

250g melted butter

200g light brown sugar

100g caster sugar

2 tablespoons White Miso

350g plain flour

2 eggs + 1 extra egg yolk

3 tablespoons toasted white or black sesame seeds

200g white chocolate chips (optional swap out 50g of white chocolate for 50g dark chocolate chips)

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

Melt the butter in a pan or microwave (you can use room temperature butter though).

Cream the butter and the sugar together with a whisk, until it changes to a paler colour.

Add the eggs and egg yolk to the butter and sugar and whisk for a minute.

Stir through the miso paste.

Add all dry ingredients to the mixture and stir to combine along with the chocolate.

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan for a couple of minutes until they turn to a golden brown colour, then add to the mixture.

Cover the mixture with clingfilm and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Overnight even better!

Preheat the oven to 160 fan.

Spoon the dough into generous and relaxed walnut sized balls onto baking paper on a baking tray. Leave them in ball shape and keep a generous space between the balls. Put into the oven and bake about 6 cookies at the time for 10-12 minutes, turning the tray around half way through if browning one side too quickly.

After 12 minutes, take them out of the oven and let them sit on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool. They may seem underdone in the middle but that will give the chewiness when they cool down.

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