Jessie Ware’s mum exposes the TV chef who called her ‘very bossy’-Kitty Chrisp-Entertainment – Metro

Jessie Ware and Lennie Ware are launching season 17 of their Table Manners podcast (Picture: Table Manners)

Lennie Ware is a podcast superstar, the mother of Jessie Ware – singer turned audio big dog – and a dinner party extraordinaire. But some of her guests on the Table Manners podcast can’t help but interfere in the kitchen.

She’s cooked for Dolly Parton, Miriam Margolyes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Johnny Marr and most recently Kate Winslet, while daughter Jessie, 39, leads the conversation at their family dinner table, which they record for the world to enjoy.

While chatting to Metro about their podcast highlights and hopes as the 17th season kicks off today – Joanna Lumley stuck out as an all-time favourite guest and they are desperate to get any of the Obamas on – Lennie weighed in on what it’s like to cook for chefs.

‘I’ve noticed when we have chefs on, they often intervene. I mean Raymond Blanc couldn’t resist trying to interfere with my, what’s it called, the foamy thing,’ she said.

Jumping in, possibly hoping mum Lennie would stop talking while trying to remember the word espuma, Jessie interrupts: ‘Anyway… I don’t think you’ve ever attempted to make it again.’

Unperturbed, Lennie continued: ‘Not only that, he told me I was a bit bossy.’

Lennie remembered how TV chef Raymond Blanc called her ‘very bossy’ (Picture: Tim Roney/Getty Images)

Jessie Ware is a popstar and a podcaster, and loves this variety in her career (Picture: Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns)

Was Lennie showing Michelin-star Raymond – one of the world’s leading self-taught chefs – how to make espuma? (That’s a light and airy foam that can be used in cooking to add flavour, texture and presentation to dishes – obviously).

She damn well tried. ‘I asked him if I could, and he said, “I can tell you’re a very good cook,”‘ Lennie remembered.

‘And I said, “Oh, is there an opening at the Le Manoir?” He said: “I can also tell you’re very bossy.”‘

It wasn’t Raymond who Lennie was intimated to meet on the show – but fellow TV chef Nigella Lawson.

‘The combination of her skills as a cook, her beauty and her cleverness. I think we planned that meal for six months, and we got my son in to help and we did a lot of preparation. She’s such a gorgeous person, she’s not a bit intimidating, she’s really warm and lovely,’ Lennie said.

To kick off the new season, the mother-daughter duo interviewed Sex Education actor Gillian Anderson, and no doubt they’ve got many more big names in store.

‘I don’t think we ever have a guest that disappoints,’ Lennie said. ‘It’s a bit like speed dating, because you get to know them very quickly over a short period of time.’

The mother-daughter duo think listeners love family chaos, so they don’t shy away from recorded conflict (Picture: David M. Benett/Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Jessie added: ‘I loved that Elizabeth Olsen requested to come on because she personally loves the podcast. She was desperate to do it when she was filming here.’

But while they’ve got a swoon-worthy alumni, there’s no getting away from the fact that for many people, recording a podcast with such a close family member would be an experience close to hell.

‘I think people like it if there’s tension, and usually we’re quite reliable with tension,’ said popstar Jessie. ‘People like the chaos and the drama, so we don’t hold back.’

Reflecting on how her foray into the podcast world has impacted her music career, the Say You Love Me hitmaker explained: ‘I think it’s been able to show more of me, warts and all.

‘Being able to interview people and call that a job is wonderful, but also getting to be creative is a beautiful balance to both. It’s definitely helped my career being unashamedly me.’

As for Lennie, ever an icon, she doesn’t understand the question when asked about how her life has changed since rocketing to the podcast charts.

‘I cook more now,’ she said.

The first episode of Table Manners season 17 is out now.

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