Jessie and Lennie Ware first invited us round to theirs back in November 2017, when they had Sam Smith over for turkey meatballs. Since then they’ve had more than 150 celebs for tea, and become such a cornerstone of the podcasting ecosystem that it feels like a significant wedge of new chat pods since have tried to emulate its freewheeling, slightly chaotic energy.

The format’s simple: a guest heads around to the Wares’ for a really, really nice meal – of varying complexity and refinement, depending on what Jessie and Lennie can be bothered with that day – and a chat. That’s basically it. 

It’s ingenious though. The loose structure tends to encourage unguarded conversation – see, to take an example from that first Sam Smith episode, Smith admitting they accidentally froze their hamsters as a child, and thought Mexico was in Europe – and the consciously lo-fi sound makes you feel like you’re standing at the kitchen island with a glass of cold Chablis on the go. 

The guestlist has tended to be heavy on musicians in the past, with John Legend, Alanis Morrisette, Kylie Minogue and Carly Rae Jepsen popping up, though so have the likes of Ed Miliband, Riz Ahmed and Kiefer Sutherland, which might be the first time those three men have ever been in a sentence together. Here’s where to start…

S4 Ep 1: Nigella Lawson

If you’re a food podcast, then a visit from Saint Nigella of Lawson is the final benediction. Lawson is as effortlessly charming and engaging as you’d expect of the woman who’s done more than most to promote cooking for friends as the highest form of joy and fulfilment.

Despite having been a broadcaster for a good couple of decades, there’s a rare openness to Lawson in this episode. She talks about how making her mother’s chicken soup is “an act of devotion” since she passed away, and the underpinnings of her unifying theory of food. “Cooking as performance art has never interested me,” she says. Which is, you know, exactly the kind of thing that means more from someone who could quite easily do cooking as performance art.

There’s also the revelation that Lawson used to eat rice pudding for breakfast, which is an attitude to life we could all learn from. Listen now on Spotify.

S10 Ep 6: Dawn French

That unguarded conversation thing we were talking about really came to the fore with Dawn French, who was revelatory about what she’d discovered about herself since starting to write books in her late forties.

“What I started to discover when I started to write was that it was quiet and just me on my own in my own head,” French tells Jessie and Lennie. “What I think I’ve discovered about myself through my writing is that I’m a kind of functioning introvert. That’s who I really am.”

It’s a pretty startling thing for a lifelong performer to say, but that’s the kind of thing that people do end up saying on Table Manners. Alanis Morrisette’s experience of postpartum depression over lockdown, Zawe Ashton realising that moving her entire life to the seaside was a terrible idea, and David Schwimmer being incredibly lovely about his daughter. Listen now on Spotify.

S11 Ep 18: Paul and Mary McCartney

The deep love and unvarnished snappishness between the Ware Junior and Ware Senior is a key feature of Table Manners – along with hearing the clatter of plates and cutlery and everyone milling around in the kitchen, it’s the very real mother-daughter dynamic. Naturally, that sometimes spills over into bickering. In front of the former Beatle and his daughter, it turned into a proper barney. 

“Usually, it’s just a nice chat over food,” Jessie reflected later. “But sometimes with my mum you get all the baggage of previous discussions we’ve had off-air coming to the forefront. That doesn’t stop when you’re meeting a legend.”

Most podcasters wouldn’t have the chutzpah to keep it in, but it quickly became a very big Table Manners moment. Plus, there’s the revelation that Macca puts his good eyesight at the age of 79 down to ‘eye yoga’. You could have locked him in a room with David Frost for six hours, and he’d never have got near that titbit. Listen on Spotify.

The post Where to start with Table Manners with Jessie Ware appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Tell us about your show! What’s your podcast elevator pitch??

Jessie: Our podcast elevator pitch is a mother and daughter duo invite a guest round to their house for a ‘friday night dinner’. Friday night dinner was always a big thing in our house. I’d have friends over for dinner and mum would cook, but she couldn’t resist joining in the conversations we’d have and the podcast basically became a continuation of that. We’ve been lucky to have some really amazing and fascinating guests round to mums for dinner – it’s great fun – a great meal and a chat!

Why podcasting? What is it about the format that appeals to you?

Jessie: I don’t like to call it an interview as it’s a free-flowing conversation over the dinner table, but the longform lends itself to a much broader and interesting conversation. We always want the guest to feel comfortable so it’s very relaxing and natural. We always end up chatting about the most random of things and that’s what I love. we like to hope we get something different out of people.

What’s the secret to being a good podcast host?

Jessie: A good editor!! My producer/editor is magic and manages to cut out a fair few ‘f*cks’! She’s the one that makes me look good.

What do you think makes a good podcast guest?

Jessie: Someone who is up for it, open and says the magic words ‘I’ve never told anyone this before’. Someone who knows what they’re walking into & in our case, good table manners! We’ve had some amazing guests on the podcast; from all sorts of backgrounds and people who do all sorts of different jobs. We especially love it when we have a comedian on! We had Michael McIntrye on recently and we did not stop laughing from start to finish.

If you could go back to before you started out and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Jessie: Don’t interrupt people & don’t try to fill the pause after a question with another question. I wish I could say I’ve learnt my lesson!

What’s been your worst podcast moment so far?

Lennie: The podcast is really fun and there are no really bad moments, we always laugh a great deal. I remember setting myself on fire with a blow torch trying to outdo Jessie with crème brulee. A tricky time was when we had the lovely George Ezra. My other daughter Hannah opened the door to him and said “Hi I’m Jessie!” Don’t know why she said that but he was immediately confused. The short ribs we’d prepared were inedible and we had to order a takeaway!! We’ve also had a guest who ordered a takeaway in advance when we’d already cooked for them!!!

Which episode or episodes of your podcast mean the most to you?

Lennie: I have loved all the episodes. I was proud to have Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London who broke his fast with us over Ramadan. It was very special to have Nigella Lawson who really is a goddess. I loved talking to George Aligiah – who wouldn’t with that voice. I think to have kept going during lock down and have some amazing guests has been wonderful. We couldn’t cook for them but we certainly talked about food with Nick Grimshaw, Mel and Sue, Munroe Bergdorf and John Legend. Florence Pugh and Dua Lipa both had their dinner while we were all on Zoom!

Which podcasts or podcast hosts inspire you?

Lennie: I think The Griefcast is really important and helps unite people who are grieving – it is definitely inspirational. I love Jane Garvey – a completely wonderful host. Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes too but my big favourites are Chris and Rosie Ramsey.

Finally, what are your current favourite podcasts?

Jessie: How To Fail with Elizabeth Day, Keep It!, Dear Joan and Jericha, Dolly Parton’s America, Distraction Pieces with Scroobius Pip, Homo Sapiens, The Guilty Feminist and Human with Jess Mills.

Lennie: The Daily, That Peter Crouch Podcast, Homo Sapiens, Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed. I also like Modern Love.

Follow Table Manners, Jessie and Lennie on Twitter: @tablemannerspod // @jessieware // @thelionlennie.

Listen to the Table Manners podcast on Acast, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

The post THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO… Table Manners appeared first on POD BIBLE.