At home with Jessie Ware: gnocchi, podcasts and Deliveroo

Ed Sheeran’s a guest and her mum’s making dinner — singer Jessie Ware’s new podcast is an ode to food
Michael Segalov31 January 2018

There's a lot happening in Jessie Ware’s east London kitchen, as you’d expect on a Friday afternoon with a Jewish family around. Jessie is rearranging the furniture. Her husband Sam is getting ready to take their 18-month-old daughter for a walk. Meanwhile, mum Lennie — social worker turned podcast presenter — is preparing lunch.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you don’t eat? Paloma Faith has gone vegan apparently and we’re cooking for her soon,” shouts Lennie from the kitchen, offering a slice of traditional Jewish challah bread to wet our appetites. “Did you know we made chopped liver and latkes for Loyle Carner…”

“As you can imagine there aren’t idyllic memories of us baking together in the kitchen growing up,” explains Jessie, interrupting her mother who, unfazed, continues talking. “Mum is head chef, and she barks orders. I’m always sous chef and I’m always doing something wrong!”

“We had a home-cooked meal every night though,” the 33-year-old singer continues. “Even if it would usually end up in an argument.” There were always guests at the family home in Clapham; traditional Friday night dinners would end with Cointreau, Whitney Houston and dancing late into the night.

Their new podcast, Table Manners, is a deliciously simple concept: a guest is invited over, the Wares cook dinner, and then it’s time to eat. In the first season the mother-daughter team ate with the likes of Sam Smith, Oscar-nominated Daniel Kaluuya and Sandi Toksvig, while Ed Sheeran and Jay Rayner have all been signed up for the next.

Meet Mercury Prize hot contender Jessie Ware

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It might sound an unlikely venture for a pop star, but in Jessie’s mind it made perfect sense. “I really do think everything can be solved with food, and my friends are always telling me that I’m good at getting secrets out of people — that if music doesn’t work out I should retrain as a counsellor.

“Mum didn’t actually know what a podcast was when she agreed to do it,” she continues, “but she’s the best cook and host I know. At the end of recording, when we’re a little bit drunk and we’ve got to know someone new, there’s a buzz. It’s been a great way to make sure I spend quality time with mum too.”

Since becoming a mother herself in late 2016 Jessie has also developed a close relationship with Deliveroo. However, even with parenting duties, eating out remains a staple. “I love tasting menus and all the wine pairings,” says Jessie. “I love the whole experience of dining out.” She likes to keep it local and independent, May the Fifteenth in Clapham is a family favourite.

“One of the most incredible meals I’ve had in a long time was at Salon in Brixton Market,” says Jessie. “I’ve been going there for years.”

Matt Writtle

With Lennie serving up the hot smoked salmon gnocchi, conversation turns to body image. Jessie clearly loves to eat well, but have the pressures on women in the music industry affected her relationship with food? “I have to watch what I eat just because I’m the greediest cow in the world,” she says, Lennie nodding in agreement. “I do have to be sensible, but as you can see I’m eating creamy gnocchi. It’s just about balance.”

It’s when talking about cooking for the world-renowned Yotam Ottolenghi that Jessie gets most animated. A few years back, having a won a best newcomer award, Jessie was asked who she wanted to present her with it. A wish list was put together: Sade, Bette Midler, Larry David, Barbra Streisand and... Ottolenghi. He said yes.

“I’d invited him to my show when we were both in Boston. I tried to set him up with my brother on stage, although he was there with his husband, which I hadn’t realised,” says Jessie, grinning. “I somehow managed to invite myself round to his on Mother’s Day with all my family. We completely imposed ourselves and he made us the most delicious brunch. We returned the favour, although I fobbed the cooking off on mum, that’s what I do!”

“Having Sandi Toksvig over was also a treat,” Lennie chimes in, “of course I had to make a cake for the Great British Bake Off presenter.” As Lennie dished up her clementine cake she couldn’t help but ask whether it’d make the cut for the show. “Sandi just looked at mum and, without missing a beat, said ‘F*** no, darling’,” Jessie recalls.

There’s a lyric in Sam, a track on Jessie’s 2017 album Glasshouse, where she reflects on what motherhood might hold. “I hope I’m as a brave as my mother,” she sings, “wondering what kind of mother I will be.”

“I’m more worried about the future now,” Jessie says, when I ask if motherhood has changed her. “I’m still working out the balance between my career and personal life.” Being a parent has certainly encouraged Jessie to speak out about injustice. “There’s a unity among women which feels really powerful,” she says of the #MeToo campaign. “People needed to be exposed, it’s outrageous.”

Jessie has recently been made an ambassador for Unicef. “I went to Bangladesh to meet the Rohingya people last year. Being a parent has made me more ambitious and headstrong. I want my daughter to be proud, to see that hard work pays off and that standing up for what’s right is important. I learnt that from my mum,” says Jessie, touching Lennie’s arm. “Now, do you want anything for desert?”

The second season of Table Manners begins in February. acast.com/tablemanners Jessie Ware’s UK tour will run in March

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