Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - Ep 8: Clara Amfo

Episode Date: December 27, 2017

Superwoman of the airwaves Clara Amfo pops over for this week’s Table Manners and before we know it we’re talking Fifty Shades sex scene music, blocking your mum on WhatsApp, deadly spiders and Prince, a lot of Prince… By the way this is the last show of the current series, thanks so much for listening and stand by for more Table Manners in 2018! xxx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, I'm Jessie Ware and here is my mother, Lenny. Hi. Hi. And this is Table Manners, our podcast about food, family, friends and wherever the conversation will lead us. So this week we are interviewing Clara and Flo. Jessie, I think we've over-catered. Mum, we always over-cater. What time's Clara coming? We might not have any food at this rate.

I'm sure she won't mind if we don't do goat's cheese on there. I've bought it now. OK, fine. Jessie, have you seen how big the sausages are? Right, should I get her a G&T ready, because she doesn't like... Well, she doesn't need to guess it before she walks through the door.

Hello, Clara and Pho. Hi, Pho. Oh, Chloe and Pho. Hi, Pho. Oh, this all smells good. Oh my God, you haven't heard all the fights we've been having. Come in. Hope you like chorizo, babe.

I love chorizo. Thank you for coming. Right, cheers. L'chaim, good things. Thanks for being here. Welcome to Table... What did you say, Mama? Cheers, Aunt Garner. Well, if they're a quim, good things. Thanks for being here. L'chaim. Welcome to Table... What did you say, Mum? Cheers, Aunt Garner.

Well, if they're a quaba, that means you're welcome. OK, we have on the menu, Mum, tell her what's on the menu. It's barbecues, spatchcock chicken... Because that's what Mum wanted to do. ..some hamburgers stuffed with cheese... Lovely. ..and some Cumberland sausages, Maguez sausages... And what else?

Lentils with goat cheese. Harissa Carrots, oh yeah, the Puy lentils with goat cheese. It's like, basically, it's her best, best dish, and she always likes it. Everyone likes it, so I thought you'd quite like it, and it goes well with the sausage. And then we've got sweet potato mash with chorizo in it. Great.

And you're a spirit drinker you don't drink wine so we're yeah look at me funny for that why don't you like i hate but you know what when i first started drinking when i was a teenager i mean just kind of like you know finding out like what your tipple is or whatever i went for a phase drinking gross a lot in my local pub just because i was like yeah i could drink beer yeah like i'm one of the lads but actually it's maybe like I was pregnant and I didn't like it and then I went for a phase of drinking really cheap wine all the time and I'll never forget one time my sweet dad Manny God rest his soul had to pick me up from the high our local high street because I've

gone out with some mates I've got absolutely wasted to the point where I couldn't I couldn't stand up and they had found a trolley. You know how trolleys just ram high street? Yeah. They had to put me in a trolley and then they had to ring my dad and they were just like,

yeah, Mr. Ampho, yeah, Clara's here. We're really sorry. And they basically, I think they wheeled me to the corner and they were watching. So it wasn't like they totally left me but most of them kind of ran away

because they were afraid of him and then he, then he drove me home. I don't remember any of this and I remember I woke up in my bed and my throat was so raw because I'd been retching

and throwing up all night and I stank of sick and I remember my dad, he didn't talk to me for like, properly for about two or three days because I got so drunk.

But like, really, did your friends have to put you in a trolley? That was for them to have a bit of a giggle? No, I was paralytic. Oh shit. No, I was a mess. I was an absolute mess. And after that, I didn't drink for about a year after that and I stopped drinking wine. So now I only drink spirits because I think I can control myself on them.

Oh, just a fangirl for you, Bill. I loved your Martika cover. Thank you! I love that song so much. I think it's such a beautiful song. Maybe I'll bring that back. I think you should. I really love that song.

It's such a beautiful, beautiful song. Your love's eye will be done. I mean, anything that Prince touches is the best. I'm still in denial, to be fair. I keep thinking he's going to pop up and be like, sorry. He's fooling you all. Exactly.

How many times did you go and see him in concert? I think in total, I think I went, I've seen him four, five times. That's good going. So I went, the first time I saw him live was at that 3121 tour he did where he made all the tickets for £31.21p, which was just great.

That was at the O2. Do you remember he did like 13 nights in a row. Oh my God, can we tell you about the O2 when we went? Go on. Sorry to butt in. We all love Prince and I love Prince. Roedd hynny ar y 02. Roedd hi'n gwneud 13 nes oed yn gyfres. O, gallwn ni ddweud i chi am y 02 pan es i? Gwnewch yn dda. Mae'r ddau yn hoffio Prince ac rwy'n hoffio Prince. Felly, fe wnaethon ni... Fe wnaethon ni 4 ticwt ar eBay. O, oedd yna eBay?

Ie, fe wnaethon ni'r ticwt ar eBay. Roeddwn i'n dweud, do'n i'n fawr, byddaf yn cael y ticwtau. Roedd popeth wedi'u gael allan. Felly, fe wnaethon ni fynd i mewn i'r 02, y dome. Ie. Roedd y ticwtau yn y llwybr ddwy o'r top. Felly, roeddech yn gwneud seiliau blwch yn iawn. So we got there to the inside the O2, the dome. Yeah. The tickets were the second row from the very, very top of the dome. So you were proper nosebleedsies. I absolutely...

I've never seen my mum react like that. She started sobbing uncontrollably. I was frightened. I had vertigo. Yeah. I'm afraid it was funny. No, you know what? They are pretty high up TV.

I actually couldn't even look down. Right. So I sat there like this and I said, I can't stay. Trying to get her back. I said, I can't stay hereistedd yno fel hyn a dweud, dwi ddim yn gallu... Mae'n ceisio mynd i'r ôl! Dwi ddim yn gallu parhau i lawr. Nid yw'n gwneud hynny, Ma'r Pren. Dwi ddim yn gallu parhau i lawr ar ystafell. Mae'n rhywbeth mor agored.

Dwi'n meddwl bod yn rhaid i chi fynd i lawr. Dwi'n rhaid i fynd i lawr, gyda fy nglywydau i'w gynnal, yn ôl, o dan ein ffrind Claire a Jesse a Hannah. Felly, fe wnaethon ni fynd i'r peth ac roeddwn i'n... Mae'n rhywbeth anhygoel ond......yn ysgwyl. Roeddwn i'n dweud, dwi'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n dweud, dwi'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg.

Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'n ddrwg. Roeddwn i'n ddrwg, dwi'nd nhw, a ydym ni'n cael Ambulans St John? Fe ddywedodd, na, ond rwy'n wirioneddol sori. Fe ddywedodd, wel, rydyn ni'n ceisio symud chi. Felly, fe symudon nhw. A fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i, fe wnes i,. So I said, no, I cannot stay here. So I went down and I said, it's really sweet of you. She said, take the tickets, I'm not staying. Take the tickets, I can't stay.

I'll actually die. They said, hang on a minute. And then Claire mentioned Jack. Oh, did she mention Jack? Yeah. Who are they with Jack Pignotti? Jack Pignotti's mum. Did she mention Jack?

Yeah. I don't know how we got it, but the boy was a really big fan of Jack. And she gave him tickets to Jack's concert. Oh yes. Oh okay. We ended up eye level to Prince. Amazing. With all the kind of record people.

Oh yes, when he brought the two twins on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The girls with the curly bright red hair. Yes, I remember that really well. That was fucking amazing show. What's your favorite Prince song? Oh my god. Oh, I love I Wish You Heaven. I love that song from the Love Sexy album. I think that's so nice. See, that's not my favorite album. Oh, I love that album so much.

What's your favorite one that you love? There's so many. Diamonds and Pearls. Diamonds and Pearls is so good. Like Rosie Gates was like Oh, I da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da if you meet him because, like, he's so, such an enigma. Yeah. I wonder whether you do, and I think in Purple Rain

he's really sexy. Oh, yeah, do you know he's sexy in that, he is. And so, like, I kind of feel like maybe... But Jessie, he'd be smaller than you. But that's okay.

But I've just, I've never looked at him and thought, oh, God, yeah, I'd fucking love to. No, no, but I think that, like... But I get why women

went nuts for him. Because he's so talented. Yeah, exactly. And confident. Yeah, like, magical. He asked me to support him twice. What? I get why women went nuts for him. Because he's so talented as well and confident. Yeah, like magical. He asked me to support him twice. What?

Yeah, and I was getting married so I couldn't do it. Oh my God! Babe, did I not tell you this? He did a remix for me. Of what song? Wildest Moments. Oh my God! But he asked to remix it, right? So this is what happens with Prince's camp.

You're saying this so casually. No, but they... Because it's weird. It's not weird, it's incredible. You get this text. So he started... He loved Wildest Moments. You know when he used to do those live stream DJ things? Yeah. And so he started, like, playing... Like... Like, you know... So he'd be like... Yeah, he'd be like...

Yeah, so... So he's there. And's there and people were tweeting me and being like, Prince just played you on his... I was like, what? Anyway, his manager reached out to us, asked for the stems. Oh, is that Kieran? Kieran. She texts me now and again. He knew it was Kieran. Everybody was trying to be friends on Twitter so they could get tickets to his kids. So Kieran texts me now and again.

And Kieran was like, hey, Prince would love to have your number so he can speak to you. So I was like, this is a joke. It's cool. Here's my number. Waiting. Waiting by the phone like this. Never calls me.

I was like, fucking dick. But like, fine. Cool. Then he asked to do a remix. So he does, we're like, cool. Send the, like, stem straight away. Get it back. And it is, that's so good.

Really? It had pan pipes in it. Wow. Which I did think was a bold, bold effort. Have you still got a copy of it? I need to find it.

Why didn't I? I don't know. This, you're being very casual about this. I'm an idiot. Yeah, no,

because I'm an idiot. So basically, I fucking hope somebody's got it. Anyway, so it's pan pipes. I remember listening to it. I was on tour.

It was a mad time. I was in Stockholm and like me and my bass player who's obsessed with Prince, we were listening to it and we were like, okay, okay, okay. We were not sure about it. Like, it wasn't great. It was and then my bass player was like, it's more like his like, loves, like it's more like

his 90s stuff. Da da da da. Like I was like, it's just not that great. Yeah, because how do you say that Prince is in that room? Yeah, but I was like, fuck it. Like, we've still got to put it out because it's freaking Prince. And then they were like, can we put it out? And they were like, yeah, you can say it's under Joshua World. And I don't know who the fuck Joshua World.

I think it was from the New Power Generator. I think it was one of like, I don't know whether it was him, whether he'd done it with somebody, whether it was true. But Joshua World also was like a reference to being a Jehovah witness it all kind of oh yeah of course jw yeah so um it kind of jw jesse where joshua oh my god yeah so it kind of didn't come out but it was this bizarre story i kind of forgot about that and then like a few years later kieran texts hi prince would like your number i was like are are we doing this one again? Fine, take my number, but tell him to bloody call me this time.

And then they said, can you support him? And I was getting married and I couldn't do it. Oh my God! I know, don't. I think Sam would have forgiven you. Mate, I should have done it, shouldn't I? I know more about your mum. I know a little bit about your dad,

but like from Facebook, sometimes your status updates about Gracie are just so, she's funny. I had to block her on WhatsApp the other day, but I've unblocked her. I don't know if it's just a West African mum thing. Probably a Jewish thing as well. I feel there's an affinity between African mums

and Jewish mums actually yeah but she yeah she's big on WhatsApp because this is a woman

that at one point it took me like half an hour to teach her how to bloody

write a text message and now she doesn't have to text she's just like and like

every day oh look she's my screensaver as well oh she's so sweet man

but yeah I'll just get like these chain mails of like stay away from bananas because some of them might have spiders in them.

If you eat them, they'll lay eggs in your stomach and they'll come out of your nose and you'll die. And then it's, like, stay away from microwaves because of this and make sure you drink ten gallons of water every day because, like, she believes everything that gets sent to her, like these chain messages. Oh, jeez. And it was just getting to the point where it was really pissing me off,

so I had to block her. So, Hon, was the last one about microwaves and bananas? It was something super gross and I was just like, can you just not? And I said, Mum, can you please stop? And we had a bit of a row. And she was like, I'm sorry, I'm going to block you. She was like, please don't block me. She's like, don't block me, don't block me.

I was like, I'm really getting on my nerves. Did she know she was blocked? Yeah, I told her I was going to block her and I did it. But I unblocked her about four hours ago. But I haven't had any messages since. I need to ring her, actually, because I've been feeling really bad. She's kind of oblivious. My mum still doesn't quite get what I do.

Like, she knows that I present things, but she's still a bit oblivious to my schedule. Like, I'm on every day from ten to one and rain or one. Don't get it it check it out but like she uh I've been doing that you know for over two and a half years now and for the first kind of year without fail she would ring me about 9 about 9 58 in the morning just to be like hi and I'd be like I'm just I'm about to get to work but she'd call me for a chat and I can't it's like I can't really talk right now or she'd ring me in the middle of the song or she's rang me just before live lounges before. Oh yeah, perfect.

And I've just been like, great. And I was just like, can't talk right now. Okay, bye. But that is, that is Gracie. But she is adorable though. I used to get, I mean, not the same, but I used to get before like my school concerts, mum sending, send messages to like,

to the like chorus or like somebody that's like an understudy. Tell Jessie to sing out. Yes. So a little Year 7 would come up to me and be like, hi, Jessie. You know Gypsy? You know the musical theatre Gypsy? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And the mother of the girl. Yeah, of course. Sing out. Sing out, Louise. But it worked. Do you know, funny enough, actually, the first time I heard you sing or saw you sing, I was watching Glastonbury, and it was whenever you were singing with Jack,

when you were singing with Jack Pagniato. Oh, yeah, the backing singer, yeah. Yeah, and he was singing, today is the night, today is the night. And I remember there was this backing vocal you did, and I was like, who the fuck is that? She's singing really loud. It's really loud.

Oh, shit. I would never forget, because you were going, na-na-na, na-na-na, and you were singing really loudly. Oh, God, that wasn't being a very good backing singer. No, I was just like, yes! And then you kind of were like, creeping up and about, I was like, oh, that's that Jessie.

That's the first time I heard you, like, or saw you sing properly on TV, and I was like, oh, she's quite good. Well, that's sweet. Your brother probably made you go because we were all mates. No, no, I was watching it on telly, so I wasn't even there. But like, so then, okay, so I have to, forgive me,

I didn't listen to you until you were on like, One Extra. Fair enough. But like, so then, okay, so I have to, forgive me, I didn't listen to you until you were on like One Extra. Fair enough. But like, what were you doing on Kiss? On Kiss, I started out doing, so I used to work in the office at Kiss, but I would be hosting the overnight show, so I pre-record that when I finished work. Basically, my last kind of 18 months of working at Kiss, I was slyly doing demos for One extra, so I'd be leaving Kiss at 6pm. No, I did. I'd be covertly going down the street. Public broadcasting. Well, yeah, this is it. I'd be, you know, Kiss and Radio 1 in the workstead buildings,

like, what, a ten-minute walk away from each other? So I'd be shiftly leaving work, hoping nobody was going to bump into me, and going through the side exit, and going into the studio with the blinds down and doing demos. Hold on, how... Am I being stupid, but weren't they going to find that out when they'd hear you on the radio? Oh yeah, obviously, if they offered me a job and I got an out, it's like cool, but no, but demos is like, you just go in and do a pretend radio show. Oh.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And they'd be testing me out and then they offered me weekend breakfast and at that point I was doing drive time show on Kiss, so I'd stopped working in the office but I was just doing radio like full time and they were like you want to come and do weekend breakfast and I was like absolutely so I left kiss and then joined one extra was there for 18 months and within that I did the official charge on radio one stopped doing that and then you had to really work mate it's just it's been it's been nuts, when I look back, I'm just like, bloody hell, like, a lot happened in such a short space of time. And then, yeah, then Fern announced she was leaving.

They said, do you want to do the 10-to-1 song? Hun, did you have to audition for it? No, well, do you know what? I did, but I didn't realise I was doing it. That's the thing. Well, all your work that you'd done previously was kind of your... Well, yeah, well, no, they offered me cover for... I think she'd had a day off and they'd offered me cover and I was just... And I didn't think anything of it. I was just like, oh, OK, I, they offered me cover. I think she'd had a day off and they'd offered me cover

and I didn't think anything of it. I was just like, oh, OK, I guess nobody else was available. I didn't think, oh, my God, this means I'm getting offered her job. I was like, she's literally got the day off, so, right, cool. And then I did it and then didn't hear anything of it. And, you know, there's always whispers in any industry of like, oh, I think so-and-so's leaving, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But, again, I didn't think they were looking at me that way.

And then I remember it was, yeah, like February 2015, I met my boss, Ben, who runs Radio 1, and he took me into a room with my agent, and he was just like, Clara, you know, like really X Factor style. You know, and they're just like, hey, pack your bags, cos you're going home to tell your family you're through today. It's like, ah! It was like that. And he was like, Clara, I want you to remember this day.

I says, why? I was like, cos today's the day you got offered the 10 to 1 on Radio 1. And I was like, oh, my God! Is that like the Holy Grail? Is that the one that everyone wants? Is that what you wanted? Do you know what? I think every kind of true radio dork has got that one slot they would love to do. For some people, it's the breakfast show.

Some people want to do dry. Some people want to do mid-mornings, evenings. I think everyone's got their kind of dream. And I think for me, with radio, yeah, I think in hindsight, I think doing that time of day slot suits my personality and my way. I think, in hindsight, I think doing that time of day slot, I think suits my personality and my way.

I think it just suits you. When I was on One Extra, I would cover Trevor Nelson when he was away, so he was on 10 to 1, so it just felt like a natural fit for me. But, yeah, I remember when they told me the news, I was in a bit of a state of disbelief and kind of denial. Actually, my first instinct was to say no because I was just afraid. I was like, are you fucking joking? I was like, me? I was just so sort of like...

And also, I think it's just that thing of, you know, immediately I thought, oh, gosh, I'm following in Fern Cotton's footsteps. And, you know, Fern's household name. And she has a fashion line and she bakes and like and she's just like this this kind of like you know like obviously no one's perfect but she's a brand but she yeah do you know what i mean i was just like yeah you're right oh god no like and you know and i'd see like there's some days i've walked into work and i'd see her go in and out and like the way like the pats just like and it was just it was

just a lot and i thought thought, oh, gosh. I thought of that side of things first. I was like, oh, I don't know if I want my life to change. I don't know if I want that kind of thing. It has changed a little bit, but do you know what? I think, you know, first of all, I shouldn't have compared myself to her in a situation anyway, because we're very different people at different points in our lives and careers.

So I think I was freaking myself out anyway. And I think you're only as quote-unquote famous as you act. I agree. And as you want to be. I agree. If I wanted to be more well-known, I'd fucking go to Nobu every bloody Saturday night or I'd go to your Bate West End clubs and be like,

hi, guys, don't look at me, look at me, don't look at me. You know, you see it when you go to certain parties. I'll never forget, I saw this one girl from Maiden Chelsea literally do the parade for the pats in this sort of way, like, okay guys, can we just get out? And she was kind of doing this parade of just like, I can't. I was just like, bitch, bitch, just fucking stay still and get your fucking picture taken. Do you know what I mean? And don't get me wrong, if I want to go to say, if I want to go to a cool party and I get invited, of course I'm going to go and I'm going to have a great time, but it's not my everyday need and want.

That's why me and you get on, babe. Because, like, I agree with you. I agree. There's nothing with having fun. Totally. You can still go down Kingsland Road looking like shit and not care. Absolutely. And the good thing is, again, I think it's about how much you pay up to it. Like, you know, nine times out of ten, I go out of ten, I go about my business

and no one is like, occasionally I'll get like a double, like, oh, I swear you look like, oh, you, you're that, you're that presenter girl, aren't you? And then sometimes I'll just, sometimes I'll say yeah, and sometimes I'll be like, oh, no, I get that a lot, and I'll just keep it moving. No, but I had somebody, I had somebody come, somebody came round to my house and I said that, I don't know, you came up in conversation and she kind of went, oh my God, oh my God, my friend's obsessed with her.

My friend's seen her on Kingston Road. I think she'd seen you in like a coffee shop or like she'd seen you in like Sainsbury's and she didn't know how to speak. Like she was completely starstruck. I genuinely find that so funny. I know. I find that hilarious. I generally find that so funny I know I find that hilarious

On each step with Peloton from their pop runs to walk and talks you define what it means to be a runner whatever your level embrace it journey starts when you say so if you've got 5 minutes or 50 Peloton Tread has workouts you can work in

or bring your classes with you for outdoor runs, walks and hikes led by expert instructors on the Peloton Tread has workouts you can work in. Or bring your classes with you for outdoor runs, walks and hikes led by expert instructors on the Peloton app. Call yourself a runner. Peloton all-access membership separate. Learn more at onepeloton.ca slash running. You're listening to Table Manners with my wonderful daughter Jessie and me, her mum, Lenny. What would you be doing if you weren't doing radio?

Oh, if I... What would be your favourite other kind of job? If I wasn't doing radio, I think... I might have gotten more into athletics. I used to love sprinting when I was in high school. Won the 100m race every year in Sports Day. Oh, wow, massive. When I was in high school, don't worry about it.

That was, like, the coolest one to do. Exactly, you know. And I won us the relay in Year 11. Well done, babe. I was put on shot putting. Good arms. Babe, are you joking? Fat of a whiz bread.

You bloody... Nobody wants to do shot putting. I mean, it's not the sexiest of sports, but, you know. 100 metres, that's sexy. I did like 100 metres. And I loved to dance as well. I was a pretty good dancer. You are a good dancer.

What, would you have been, like, a professional dancer? I might have been. Would you have done musicals or would you have done music videos or both? I would have done both. But you can do both, can't you? Yeah, exactly. But, yeah, I was obsessed with music videos, like, growing up. Like, you know, I just, like, watched all...

The Vox. Yeah, exactly. MTV Bass. Yeah, I was glued to all... I was obsessed. Like, I say... Like, do you know what? A girl I know said this, and I think it's so true.

Like, the day my mum and dad got, like, Sky TV was, like, one of the best days of my life. Yeah. It just informed so much of what I love today. And I would spend all day just watching music videos and music telly, and I loved all that and I was obsessed with like dancers and dance routines and any kind of dance show. But they used to have really good like I loved it when JLo used to go into like break it down yeah like you know yeah it was so good. So good and like all those old MTV shows like you know making the video

making the band and all of that you know they're bringing back TRL. Oh are they? They're bringing it back like it are they they're bringing it back like it's official they're bringing it back who's going to be presenting it I don't know who's going to be hosting it

is it going to yeah it's going to be based in New York in Times Square like they used to do that's cool do you remember when Richard Blackwood

did it yeah no it wasn't Sarah Cox they used to do Hot yes they did MTV Hot yeah but yeah Richard Blackwood did it

I remember I went down yeah to Leicester Square so you could go basically you could go up to the window couldn't you and like try and get on TV like with your face pressed against a glass. Like, hi, Richard Blackbread.

Mum, how are we doing with food? Should I help? Oh, yes, we're ready to eat. Okay. Have we got knives and forks? Let's get into it. You've got to eat first because you're the bloody guest. Oh, my God, yeah.

Okay. This is the sweet potato. Yeah, it's just got a bit of roasted garlic in there and to sweeten it up. I'm going to go this way. Oh, my God. Mummy, you're not going to eat? Stop, stop, burgers. Have everything, babe.

Can I be the grossest pick up my fingers? Of course. Mikasa, Sukasa, do what you want. You can have half a sausage. You can have a full hefty sausage, whatever you want, babes. Mmm. Mmm. The burger.

That's a perfect burger, mum. Is it cheddar, mum? Or goat's cheese? No, it's Baby Bells. Oh, yum. Fair enough. There you go. That's good for the cookbook.

It's a bit like Nigella, a bit slutty, isn't it? Oh, no, I didn't mean... Oh, shit. I love Nigella. I meant, like, her cooking is slutty. That's good. So, hon, you can't cook, or you can? I really can't, if I'm being honest.

I'm not... I think if I put my mind to it, I'm not bad, but I'm not one of these people who finds joy in cooking. It's like, oh my God, I find it so therapeutic. I love to cook for other people.

Like, that's just not who I am. My role is to make you feel good about what you think. That's what I like to do. And we need people like you. Yeah. That's where I feel like I fit in nicely to the,

you know, to the cook. So have you ever hosted a dinner party absolutely not and would you ever actually have i no i never have not even with a takeaway oh my god no i did once i did once about six years ago when i was living in a flat share in bethnal green with my teammates allegra and sophia and but i made the dessert i made apple crumble and it was banging and i'm really proud of it maybe yeah i think i'm more of a baker than a cook if I was going to go and dance. I think baking is much harder.

Is your mum a good cook? Yeah, she's a great cook. Especially with Ghanaian dishes. What are Ghanaian dishes? So there's one called Jollof rice which is like a really... Yeah. Yeah, by the way Ghanaian... Thank God you didn't ask mum to do that. Ghanaian's made it up.

I've never done that. Ghanaian's made it up. Why? Who says that they made it up? Just let me categorically state that now. Look, you know,, there's rumours that they did, but we actually did. Mum's really good at that. What else? Like, really nice chicken dishes. It's just, like, this lovely dish called, like, fufu, which is kind of like... It's like a kind of dough, and you dip it in, like, a spicy tomato sauce.

It makes you fall asleep, though, because it's just pure carbohydrate, and you're justhhh. So it's like a bread or a cake? It's like a soft kind of wet dough but you dip it in a spicy kind of tomato soup. It's not like the Eritrean like pancake-y, like sour pancakes. Yeah, you pick it up and then you dip it in. It's really, really tasty. So I love a bit of fofou. And like kelewele, which is really nice. Like the really nice fried plantains and tilapia fish. Yeah, love tilapia fish. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's just such a popular dish in Ghana. Where do you eat for good Ghanaian food in London? My mum's like... Oh, right, fair enough. Is that where you're going to get the best? I mean, I'd like to think so. But no, this just really good. I think, yeah, I think there's a company called, um, Jalofpot.

It was my friend Karen, and she's Scottish, but she married a guy who's half Ghanaian and half Zimbabwean, and I'm pretty sure they catered their wedding, and their food was absolutely, like, it was delicious, man. It was really, really good. But, um, yeah, I think there's, like, more and more that I'm noticing, there's more kind of Ghanaian, like, pop-ups when you go. So, you know, there's, like, street food markets.

There's more and more people, like, doing it now, and it's kind of creeping its way into the mainstream. Well, African food in general, to be fair. Yeah. A lot of Ethiopian food spots popping up, like Eritrean spots. That's my favourite stall on the Herne Hill Farmers Market. They've got this Eritrean Tran spot and it's just so good.

So good. And most of it's vegan actually, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. So, very nutritious and delicious. So, would you like to marry a Ghanaian man? Listen, if I found the right one. I mean, to be fair though, like my mum and dad have never been those type of parents

where you've got to marry this person or else. Like, they've never, like, my mum's very much like, just pray. Just pray for everything. Are your parents religious? Well, my dad wasn't religious at all. But your mum is? Oh, she's super religious. Like, goes to church Saturday, Sunday. Like, it's like her social day. Did you used to go? I stopped

going to church properly when I was, like, 12 or 13. Which church did she go to? She goes to, like, an apostolic church in Kennington in South London. Is it it like... Super loud, super happy. Good songs? Yeah, like decent songs, you know, like really enthusiastic pastor. Actually, do you know what?

When my dad passed away, it was the best thing for her. They really rallied round her, around our house every day for like two weeks straight. I wouldn't leave her aside. And she loves it, but she's never been the kind of thing of like I mean I think she'd like if I married like

a God-fearing Ghanian boy obviously she'd love it but realistically I mean I don't know if that's going to happen how's that going for you well you know

boys they're just they're a funny species I'm in the dating world I'm active but I do like I have to say like you know I've been in the same

relationship for a very long time and I kind of live yeah how old were you and Sam when you met? Well, we went to primary school together. So you've literally known him your whole life? Yeah, and then we met at drum and bass raves when we were like 16 and then we started going out when we were 18. But I do have to say I kind of live vicariously through your going out.

I just think, I'm at this point where I'm like, look, I haven't got a ring on my finger, I haven't got a kid, I just think, well, I've got the energy and the freedom, I've just got to be out of here. But I think a lot of my friends, you know, a lot of us, we're just in this, like, free kind of... Not to say that if you're with someone that you're not free, because there's different types of freedom you can enjoy,

like, in a relationship and, you know, in different phases of your life. But I think, you know... I'm not that free at the moment. I've got a kid. I ain't free. But then at the same time, I think there must be a lovely sense of kind of, like, comfort knowing that... Oh, it's amazing. Yeah, exactly.

But I think the situation with a lot of my friends, I know, like, I'm friends with some of the most incredible girls. And we're just out here, you know, just seeing what's in the market when it comes to these boys do there's this but there is this confidence with you lot that it's like there's nothing desperate about you like seeing what's out there and you'll and you'll do what the fuck you want absolutely and you go out and you go to all these like you have so much energy i just yeah because i don't know man like, I'm just very much on this sort of, like, let's just live. I think, especially in, like, a couple of my friendship groups, we've all just had some really shitty things, like, happen to us.

Like, we've, like, you know, we've loved ones, like, you know, within, I think within the past, like, year and a half, like, three of my friends have had, like, you know, siblings and parents, like, die in them. And it's shit. It's just, those things, they just make you, you know, as cliche as it sounds, make you re-evaluate, they just make you want to just, you know, obviously, you have your period, and you don't really want to bloody see anybody, and you want to just shy away from the world, but then also they just give you the renewed sort of thing

of, like, let me just, like, have some fun, and I think that's the kind of mentality of all of us, we're just like, fuck it, shall we just go out? Okay, but then sometimes, if I want to stay in and be a total slob, which I love to do, I will do that and I'll fully relish it. I'll go to a shop, I'll buy a slice of Red Velvet, I'll queue up all my stories on Netflix

and I won't talk to anyone for, like, 18 hours. Do you want any more? I'm eating so much. You're eating nothing like a bird. Really? Nothing. I feel so full. much. You've eaten nothing like a bird. Really? Nothing. I feel so full. Nothing. You've got your pudding. Exactly, and I'm not missing out on that. No way. You're more of a sweet tooth.

If someone told me I could never eat crisps again, I wouldn't care. But if they told me I couldn't have my chocolate or a cake anymore, I'd be devastated. Oh, really? No, that won't do it for me. I could live without crisps, like, whatever. When it comes to dessert, I'm like, give me the biggest bit! Right, who else wants some pud? Come on, guys. Have you put currants in this or something?

No, it's got ginger. Oh, on his dates, yeah. And there's ginger in the ice cream. But that sticky toffee pudding is date, isn't it? Date pudding. I had a funny incident the other week. I was going to pick up a... I love to do a bit of online shopping, and I was going to pick one up. Because I'm never bloody in. Roedd gen i ddod o'r wythnos diwethaf. Roeddw eich enw? A dweud, Jessica Ware.

A fe wnaeth... Fe wnaeth ei nodi at fi a dywedodd, Eich singer. Y singer. A dweud, Ie. A fe wnaeth, Fifty Shades of Grey.

A dweud, Ie. Ac yn amlwg, dwi ddim yn gwybod pam... Beth oedd eich cerdd o'ch cerdd ar Fifty Shades? Yn dweud, C'yna chi'n ffodd, oedd... O, na, roedd gen i'r cerdd yma yn y sgene sech sylfaen. Roedd yn y sgene sech sylfaen. Pwy eisiau sgene sylfaen sylfaen sylfaen a sgene sylfaen sylfaen? Yn y sgene sylfaen? Yn y sgene sylfaen. Yn y sgene sylfaen. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol, yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol, yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Pwy eisiau sgen sec gwreiddiol ac yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol?

Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol? Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol, yn y sylfaen. Dwi ddim yn gwybod pam. Dwi'n gwybod pam. Pan oedd ei ffrind gorau i fynd â'r brod. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol.

Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol.

Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y sgen sec gwreiddiol. Yn y s had watched it, and he made me laugh. And I said, mate, why are you watching Fifty Shades? And then he was like, can I have a picture? I said, oh, babe. And I think I'd just come off a plane from Lithuania. I was like, really? He looked at me like, come on. So he's got the most butters picture of me, kind of looking slightly skewiff and funny.

But yeah, that's the kind of stuff that happens for me. But here's the thing, though. No, it was absolutely fine. You're probably going to keep going back there, so you don't want him to be like, oh, that's the kind of stuff that happens for me. But here's the thing though, because it's not quite... No, it was absolutely fine. You're probably going to keep going back there, so you don't want him to be like, oh, there's that bitch. Exactly. Will you go and do your click and collect? Exactly.

Yep. I hear you. Exactly. Somebody, actually it was funny, in Poland, in the queue, this woman recognised me and it was that awkward thing where we had a very long queue ahead of us. Oh. And so she wanted to chat and it was that awkward thing where we had a very long queue ahead of us. Oh! And so she wanted to chat and that was absolutely fine. I've got a lot of time for Poland. And then she went, can I have a picture? And I was like, yeah, sure.

And I said, I haven't got any make-up on. To be honest, I never bloody wear make-up. I just really felt like shit. I was like, can I just put my sunglasses on? Because I thought, you're kind of allowed to do that if you're a pop star, aren't you? She went, no, sorry, you've got to take the glasses off. And I went, oh, OK, sure.

I guess it's that thing, though, because do you know what's that thing of like, if you didn't take a picture, it didn't happen, and with your sunglasses, you could maybe look like any other brunette. I obediently took my sunglasses off. No, I get her logic. I get her logic.

Look, Clara Amfo, thank you so much for coming over for our podcast Table Manners for Dinner. Can I just ask you, what was your highlight? Oh, I think I know the answer. Well, I've got a sweet tooth and I have to say the highlight of my meal was the delicious sticky toffee pudding made by the fair hand of your brother Alex. It was pretty great with the homemade ice cream. It was great. It was good.

I'll be getting my Tupperware for that one. Well, you can take some home. But I have to say as well, the hamburgers stuffed with Babybel, that's a touch. Mum, I'm really impressed by that. I thought that was some kind of fancy French cheese. It's the one that Modi does.

I know, but the the cheese the choice of cheese it works because it was stringy and not too interfering I liked it and it was round it was round perfect

really really good thank you so much for coming over my pleasure it's been so good to have you I'm going home to go and cradle

my full belly thank you so much if you've got to the end of this, thank you so much for listening to Table Manners. What have we learned? I can not speak fully and that Clara Amfo can speak more than me, actually. I learned that my mother and I

can actually hold a podcast together and not kill each other. If you are enjoying Table Manners, we would love you to subscribe. Apparently that really helps. And it also means that you will always know when we're dropping a new episode. And rate it.

We only accept five stars. We went down to 4.5 for a bit, Mum. And then I had to put a personal Facebook message out to everybody to get us back up there. God up there god it's like uber it is like uber i'm still 4.4 on uber but listen 5.4 because we're both bossy um but yes if you're enjoying table manners as much as we are please subscribe please rate even write a comment tell us what we could improve on maybe don't say too much because my mum will get upset

and pissed off but we we have been Table Manners I'm Jessie Ware I'm Lenny thank you for listening goodbye

oh goodnight no it can't be goodnight because they might be listening during the day very good point goodbye bye goodbye bye big thanks to Peter Duffy

and Pete Fraser for making the music for this podcast thanks guys it's a pleasure to have you on board Table Manners has been produced by the fabulous Cup and Nuzzle