It’s summer 2023 and ahead of the release of his epic new album 'Last Man Dancing’ we had the delicious Jake Shears joining us for a spot of dinner. Mum served up turbot and samphire for main with poached pears for pud. Jake told us all about the various places he lived while growing up - including the island his family moved to off the coast of Seattle where it's inhabited by foot long Banana Slugs (Google it, they’re gross!) - the beautiful and moving story of his best friend who inspired the hit song ‘Mary’ and drinking the mysterious ‘magic tonic’ purple drinks with the locals on Bourbon Street in his second home of New Orleans - a must do apparently! Jake we absolutely LOVE your fabulous new album can’t wait to have you round for Friday night chicken soup again soon! Jake also has a brilliant podcast called Queer The Music which celebrates LGBTQ+ anthems.

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We’re dishing up a real treat on Second Helpings this week - she’d been on the hit list since day one and finally we had her! The one the only Dame Joanna Lumley popped over to Clapham for a vegetable pie & some poached pears and it was quite frankly absolutely fabulous. Joanna talks to us about growing up in India being addicted to limes her love of the Queen & cocktail nights at home. Speaking with experience she talks us through her desert island meal & being Patsy Stone. Whadda woman. 

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It’s week 4 of Second Helpings and we were delighted to have our most requested guest, Sir Tom Jones, over to Lennie’s for lamb shanks a lemon curd roulade and a chat about his album ‘Surrounded By Time’ in 2021. We go way back and talk about Tom growing up in the 50’s playing marbles falling in love and getting married at 16. We also hear about his beloved mother’s corned beef pie. He reminisces about meals shared with Elvis Presley, Las Vegas bourbons with Frank Sinatra & Tom’s son / manager Mark even makes an appearance telling us how his Dad isn’t a very good cook..!! We loved having you Sir Tom, thank you! Enjoy! X

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We’re travelling back to autumn 2021 and the start of series 12 where fellow foodie and Hollywood superstar, Stanley Tucci joined us. Mum had just come back from her holidays and I had just had my third baby! Stanley talks to us about growing up in New York, filming his TV show ‘Searching For Italy’ & his fight against cancer. He celebrates his mother’s cooking (& her famous lunchbox lunches!) & reveals his less than fine dining experience with Meryl Streep. Stanley’s food memoir ‘Taste’ is fantastic and is out now.

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Week 2 of our summer Second Helpings and we’re travelling back to November 2021 where we had pop princess, Jade Thirwall. Jade came over to mums for her favourite meal, a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings! Turning up in full glam after a long photo shoot, it was just what the doctor ordered for our girl. She talked about her mum’s mince pies - and not the Christmas kind - her penchant for putting crisps in a tuna sarnie, drinking Malibu and always wanting the economy meal on the aeroplane. We discuss her beautiful relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and her obsession with Diana Ross. It’s all in there! Thank you Jade, you gem!

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We may be on our summer break but we thought we’d delve into the Table Manners archive and relive some of our favourite episodes from 17 wonderful series! Up first is the gorgeous Aisling Bea who joined us in February 2020. We had been trying to nail down a recording with Aisling ever since we became friends on a Love Island WhatsApp group. I had laughed and swooned at her wit and grace from afar for a while so it was a total pleasure to offer a hoodie and a green tea to Irish actress writer and all round hilarious human, Aisling Bea. And thank God she came, if only to explain the meaning of 'dogging' to mum. We chat Irish whisky, plane food, Love Island (of course) sustainability and nibbling on toasted pecans. Aisling is the sharpest cheddar on the board and god we love her!

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It’s the final episode of Series 17 and we’re bidding adieu with actor, presenter and author, the gorgeous Stephen Mangan! Fresh from filming his latest series in Grenada, Stephen joined us for a BBQ lunch. We heard about his process when writing children’s books, choosing to go to boarding school as a child, his recent stint in the West End in a play about thrupples, how he plans to run a marathon every year for the rest of his life, and mum manages to get him to tell us his confession - a la his Radio 4 series ‘The Confessional’. Thank you Stephen for being a fabulous series finale! Stephen’s new series of ‘The Fortune Hotel’ starts on the 6th August on ITV1.

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We said it last week, but this time it really does feel like the hottest day of the year… joining us for lunch is the gorgeous actress Suranne Jones! Star of Doctor Foster, Vigil, Gentleman Jack, and a Coronation Street icon, and this week we caught up to talk about her new TV project, ‘Hostage’. We heard about growing up in Chadderton (and how mum used to go horse riding there!), how she met her husband at a wedding, filming Vigil during Covid lockdowns, setting up her own production company, admitting she isn’t the best cook and we even hear about her love of witches - and the Channel 4 documentary she made about them! This episode has been a very long time coming, Suranne, you were totally worth the wait as you are a total delight! Suranne’s new series Hostage launches on Netflix on the 21st August.

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Get ready for one of foodiest guests we’ve ever had on the podcast, it’s actor Will Poulter! Will joined us on what was probably one of the hottest days of the year in London, so please excuse any fan noises you may hear in the episode or sweaty faces you will see! Will is a connoisseur in finding the best local restaurants to eat at and we loved hearing all about his recent stint in The Bear, creating a charity taco for a restaurant in London, the food scene in New Orleans when filming his latest project, working with incredible actors and actresses (including starring in the latest Haim video), labelling himself a professional eater, and we wouldn’t expect anything less than a fully thought out last supper ending with a trio of desserts! It was a complete pleasure to chat everything food, films & family with Will or ‘chicken man’ as he is fondly known as now. A total dream guest, Will is welcome for dinner every night! Keep an eye out for all the amazing projects Will has coming up soon.

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We have podcaster, author, and voice of Radio 2 drivetime joining us this week, the delightful Sara Cox! Mum’s just home from her Greek holidays, so we have a full Grecian menu for lunch - Psari Plaki with potatoes & Feta, followed by home made strawberry ice cream. Sara told us about making a podcast with her best friend Clare, growing up on a farm (and her dad’s foot injury from a bull called Ferrari), becoming an early riser to write her next book, the traditional Lancashire food she had growing up, and we hear about her Bake Off stint and how she won the show with her amazing showstopper! Sara you must come round again, and next time we’ll make you 'tatty ash' and black peas! Sara & Clare's podcast The Teen Commandments is out now on all podcast platforms.

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