Lisa McGrillis is an actor. Born in Carlisle to Irish parents, Lisa grew up surrounded by family, food, and humour - three things that still shape her life today. She studied drama in Newcastle, got her start in regional theatre, and had her London breakthrough when Lee Hall’s Pitman Painters transferred to the National Theatre. Since then, she’s become a familiar face on stage and screen, from Mum alongside Lesley Manville to her current role as the gloriously over-the-top Valerie in Rivals.

When she’s not filming in Bristol or learning lines, Lisa is at home in London with her husband, also an actor, and their two children. Food is central to her family life, a connection that runs deep thanks to her Austrian grandmother — “Big Nanny” — whose recipes still inspire Lisa’s cooking today.

In this episode, Claire arrives at Lisa’s London home to cook one of those beloved family dishes: chicken schnitzel with Big Nanny’s potato salad. Together they peel, chop, and bread the chicken while reminiscing about Lisa’s roots, the chaos of raising kids, life on a busy TV set, and the joys (and nerves) of performing live theatre. There’s also a well-stocked fridge to explore, some very handy kitchen gadgets courtesy of Lisa’s dad, and a celebratory glass of Crémant to toast the cooking session.

The result? A comforting family meal with a side of laughter, memories, and a glimpse into the real life of an actor balancing stage, screen, and supper.

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For this episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, Claire travels to Bristol to cook with England rugby prop Sarah Bern - just a stone’s throw from Ashton Gate Stadium, where Sarah hopes to be battling it out in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals this September. With her own flat mid-renovation, Sarah borrows a friend’s beautiful (and admittedly “too swanky to be mine”) kitchen for the occasion.

Between whisking eggs and grating Pecorino for Sarah’s pre-match favourite, spaghetti carbonara (no cream allowed - “straight to hell” if you do, so they say), the pair dive into Sarah’s remarkable rugby journey. From earning her first England cap at 18, to playing in two previous World Cups, to preparing for the gruelling demands of the next, Sarah reveals the technical finesse of life as a tighthead prop - part maximum squat, part chess match. Sarah’s instagram @sarahbern3 is a paean to what it takes to be an athlete on the international stage, determination, ambition and a true love of the sport to which you are so utterly devoted to. 

Carbonara doesn't take long to cook, and yet Sarah and Claire manage to fit an awful lot of chat into the time it takes to cook (and record) this classic Italian pasta dish, they discuss the reality of women’s rugby, the joy and rivalry of playing alongside (and sometimes against) her partner Mackenzie Carson, the sacrifices elite sport demands, and Sarah’s big ambitions beyond rugby - namely, swapping the scrum for the cockpit as a pilot. All the while, the guanciale sizzles, the pepper flows freely, and Sarah proves she’s as strong in the kitchen as she is on the pitch.

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In this episode, Claire visits Oxford to cook with Alexandra Green, curator for Southeast Asia at the British Museum. Alexandra shares her passion for Southeast Asian food, shaped by her childhood in Malaysia and her love of rice and vibrant flavours. Together, they prepare Alexandra’s favourite quick and easy Thai chickpea curry – a comforting dish that blends classic Thai ingredients with a twist, reflecting Alexandra’s own culinary influences.
As they cook, Alexandra talks about her fascinating role at the British Museum, looking after a vast collection of over 33,000 objects from across Southeast Asia. She discusses the importance of spices, their journeys across the world, and how food and objects connect cultures through time. Alexandra explains how she became the first dedicated curator for Southeast Asia at the museum, her work on exhibitions, and the ongoing efforts to share and document the region’s rich history.
The conversation weaves together stories of family, travel, and the everyday joy of cooking. Alexandra reflects on the objects she cares for, from fish traps and mortars to contemporary art and ceremonial daggers, and what they reveal about the lives and histories of Southeast Asian communities. She also touches on the complexities of museum collections, the significance of transparency and access, and the role of curators in shaping the stories we tell about the past.
With a warming bowl of Thai chickpea curry and plenty of good conversation, this episode is a celebration of food, heritage, and the connections we make through what we cook and collect.

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Susan Bennison, Sue for short,  is 92 years old and incredible with it. Claire travelled to rural Kent to bake a cake with Sue for this episode. Arriving outside a cottage that looks a little bit Beatrix Potter, a little bit Jane Austin complete with a very old and wonky stone doorstop which is surrounded by rambling roses, bluebells and peonies. The door opens and out pops a very sprightly Sue; “watch your step, this cottage is very, very old” instructs Sue, practically galloping off to the kitchen where Sue’s daughter Vicky is waiting to put the kettle on. Vicky is the founder of iconic Pasta Grannies channel on YouTube and also on instagram, but Claire and Sue don’t need any help from Vicky, no way, Sue is an accomplished cook and Claire begins to fully appreciate that Sue probably doesn’t need any help, from anyone, ever! 

Sue gets cracking on the cake, no scales necessary, she’s made this so many times, she just “knows” … she also has the help of her trusty (and quite noisy!) Kenwood mixer circa 1952 “that mixer’s been down the Suez Canal with me on route to Kenya when I 1st got married aged 23!” Remarkably, the mixer still works, and is still in constant use with Sue, a keen baker still finding it a very “soothing” activity.

Baking a cake with Sue was a lesson in having wisdom and good sense in cooking. The cake gets baked with an ease that Claire finds breathtaking. As the cake cools, Sue takes Claire for a turn around her beautiful garden, with Sue once again, reminding Claire to “watch your step over the cobbles there” as Sue strides ahead, at pace.

Sue Bennison is remarkable for many reasons, she’s lived a very long and interesting life, that she still cooks from scratch most days “there’s the odd occasion I might have something shop bought, but not many” is very inspiring. Especially so as she has lived alone for the last 15 years, since her much missed husband passed away.. 

Sue Bennison is an inspiration to us all. A gardening and / or baking podcast career surely beckons.

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Ben Andrews is a farmer. Ben comes from a very long line of farming, in fact, his family date back 7 generations. He’s also been voted the UK’s 3rd hottest farmer by Farming Weekly Magazine. And that’s not all, Ben is a voice person for farming and mental health and uses his social media to shine a spotlight on the contemporary agriculture landscape. Ben is also a supporter of the global LGBTQ+ farming network agrespect which promotes and supports diversity in the countryside. 

Ben farms organic beef and vegetables, supplying Abel and Cole amongst other shops. He is also the beneficiary of Nuffield Farming Scholarship which supports young farmers seeking to explore the work of new and revolutionary farming communities world-wide. Ben is currently studying the water and river systems of New Zealand, how and why they are managed differently, in the hope his findings bring new insight to waterways and flood management here in the U.K.  

The episode starts with Claire driving down tiny country lanes on route to Ben’s farmhouse. It’s a hot sunny day and the birds are chirping high up in the trees. There are also some sheep in the field next to Ben’s house, so enormous, that Claire first mistakes them for cows. It’s off to a good start for the recording! 

Ben wants to cook Bulgogi beef, he’s using his own rump steak from the farm, naturally. Outside the BBQ is lit and together Ben and Claire make a start on cooking his Herefordshire take on a Korean classic, all the while tackling topics such as mental heath, clubbing in the countryside, his mum’s love of kitchen knickknackery, and his neighbour, “just over that hedge”, Monty Don. 

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Number 5 in 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast hears Claire cooking alongside Principal Ballerina from The Royal Ballet, Yasmine Naghdi. Claire has never met a ballerina before, nor indeed cooked with one. Yasmine is everything (and more) that Claire could have expected of a ballerina. Confident and poised (of course), Yasmine is also an extraordinary cook. 

Yasmine’s roots are Belgian Persian, but she’s a born and bred South Londoner. Yasmine attended the Royal Ballet school from age 11 and has danced her way through the ranks to the very top of the institution. Earlier this month Yasmine announced the exciting news that she is expecting her first child later this year and plans to return to performing next year. 

Claire and Yasmine meet at Yasmine’s parent’s house, “their kitchen is better suited than mine” says Yasmine, and immediately the pair start cleaning clams, picking herbs and chopping garlic. Yasmine is a meticulous and passionate cook, teaching Claire her way to make her very favourite pasta dish, Linguine Vongole. 

Remarkably organised, clearly very skilled, Yasmine cooks exactly as you might imagine a ballerina would cook, and Claire is in awe.

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For this episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, number 4 in a series of 10, Claire travels to Sheffield to cook with the comedian Jaime Macdonald. Jamie is blind, extremely tall and very, very funny. The front door opens and out jumps Jamie’s new puppy as the recording begins. Claire is armed with some ingredients that Jamie has asked her to bring along to cook with. It’s a lean shopping list, to say the least and it has Claire asking questions from the off. Some Sea Bass, half a packet of Orzo, three Leeks and a jar of Cream Fraiche, but that’s just the beginning, far from it, ‘Nduja, Lemons, good Olive Oil and a remarkable set of weighing scales that can talk are soon wielded.

Cooking alongside Jamie was a riot. Lots of laughter, obviously, the pair discuss Edinburgh fringe, toxic masculinity, wild swimming, noisy owls, so-called Scottish risotto as cooked by his mum circa 1980s and Claire asks the silliest question Jamie has ever been asked. All the while, the fish gets fried, the orzo cooked along with the leeks, ‘Nduja and crème fraiche and together Jamie and Claire make lunch to eat in the sunshine.

It was a tonic to cook with Jamie, and apart from his talking measuring scales (Claire wants a set!), Jamie cooks exactly as anyone with sight would cook. Taste, as all good cooks know, is crucial, and Jamie has great taste, in abundance.

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For this episode of 5 O Clock Apron Podcast, Claire travels to Margate to cook with Ruby Rare. Ruby is a sex educator, that is to say, a force of nature with a mission to encourage and include everyone in her task to make the world a fairer and more accepting place when it comes to the enormous and thorny topics of sex, relationships and body positivity. In the podcast episode Claire and Ruby talk about the word ‘woke’ being misappropriated, the correct use of pronouns with Ruby saying she is she / her but “you can chuck a couple of they / thems in for good measure, if you like”, together the two discuss marriage VS non monogamous relationships, queerness, sex with friends, celebrating divorce and winter swimming. And all the while, Claire and Ruby cook alongside each other with a casual ease that Claire finds reassuring as it is enchanting. Surrounded by her father’s paintings and with Ruby’s Sri Lankan gorgeous tableware bought on a recent trip with her family, lunch with Ruby was one of the nicest and most illuminating lunches Claire has had in sometime. Claire leaves Ruby’s tiny seaside cottage with a slightly skewed lens on her world, a good thing, there is much to celebrate in the world with people like Ruby in the centre of it. Oh, and she’s also a great cook, that salad dressing was something else!

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In this 2nd episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast with Good Food, Owen welcomes Claire into his gorgeous kitchen in Bristol and sets about cooking with a confidence and flair that can only come from people cook often and cook well. Owen Punselie works for Bristol Waste and Recycling managing a squad of 12 people working in waste management in the city of Bristol. He’s also an American full football scholarship alumni and fairly new to his role with Bristol Waste; “As jobs go, it’s a great cardiovascular workout,” he tells Claire, “you also end up walking up to 12 miles on shift with each recycling truck being responsible for processing the waste of up to 750 houses each day.”

Owen introduces himself as Dutch with Nigerian heritage, mentions he likes Spanish food, not too keen on vegetables, and he really likes coconut milk. Owen tells Claire he’s going to show her how to make Paella, the coconut milk mystifies Claire, there is also Jerk seasoning and Soy Sauce in the line-up, not everyday paella ingredients. Owen can cook, it was his mum who taught him, and so with the pan bubbling and the kitchen smelling delicious, Claire and Owen ditch calling it paella, renaming the recipe instead, Owen’s Spicy Coconut Chicken Rice.

Owen was a delight to cook with for the podcast, an absolute gentleman, who recycles with gusto. 

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To kick off the new series of 5 O' Clock Apron Podcast with Good Food Claire cooks with the giant of the airwaves, Amol Rajan. Amol is one of Radio 4’s Today program presenters, he also hosts BBC2’s legendary TV quiz show University Challenge. Amol Rajan Interviews on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds platform Amol interviewing momentous public figures from Bill Gates to Greta Thunberg to Sir Ian McKellen amongst others.

Amol is a busy man with x4 children under 9 years of age, he’s up early to host the Today program and home late recording University Challenge, to make things easier, Claire and Amol meet at Good Food HQ in Hammersmith to record the episode. Amol arrives on his bike (of course he does!) and apologises to Claire for not arriving as is more customary, suited and booted. If you follow Amol on his social media and on TV, you’ll know this man is a snappy dresser! 

Claire brings along some of her spice collection from home and Amol sets about teaching Claire his recipe for Paneer Curry and, apart from the stove top tripping a couple of times during the recording, the pair chop and chat like no tomorrow. Cricket, Cooking for Kids, Amol’s upbringing in south London, previous careers, hereditary diabetes and how to chop onions, speedily!

Can Amol cook? Of course he can, he’s Amol Rajan!

Amol Rajan’s Paneer Curry

2 blocks of paneer,

4 tbsp ghee

2 onions, peeled and finely

3cm piece of ginger, peeled and

3 garlic cloves, peeled and

300g cherry tomatoes, cut in half,

200g frozen peas, defrosted

1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and

1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ - 1tsp chilli powder, to taste

Large bunch of coriander, finely

½ lemon

Cooked rice, to serve

Indian pickles, to serve

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