Ian Wright

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1:05Hello and welcome to Table Manners. I'm Jessie Ware and we are here waiting for football royalty. I couldn't be more excited. My second favourite football. We've got Ian Wright coming to New Cross. And bringing a pie. And bringing a pie. So he's done this collaboration with Willy's Pies. I think I follow them on Instagram. I have done. They were a lockdown invention. chef called Willie makes pies. And I'd heard a lot about them, and they're quite cool pies. And Ian Wright... What constitutes a cool pie, darling? I don't know, actually. Actually, that's a really good point. Anyway, Ian Wright's collaborated with them.

1:43He's got a chicken pie, Uncle Wrighty's and Willie's pies. And so we've got lunch sorted. Great. I love the first time we're getting a footballer on is to talk about their pies. Pies are very football, though, darling. They are. Yeah. You'd expect a pie at a stadium. You also wouldn't expect a footballer to be bringing over their own lunch. So I'm very excited by this. What are we going to serve it with? Some mashed potato, which I did with the ricer. So it makes it quite smooth. Right. And some peas. And we're keeping it. I mean, I made a root veg mash last night. I did butternut squash, sweet potato and parsnip.

2:18It was too sweet. Too sweet. And so... Make a soup. I'm going to do... Yeah, producer Alice suggested I put some chicken stock in it and make a soup. Yeah, and make a soup. because it's a bit pathetic. Can I tell you, I went to the Abbeville last night. What Graham and I didn't realise, it was steak night. Two steaks, bottle of wine, 45 quid. It was a delicious steak. It was great. And when we got there, it was very busy. And Graham said, oh, it's really busy. And everyone looked at him and said, it's steak night. It was so funny. Oh, my God, that's brilliant. Yeah. We've got a pavlova for Purge.

2:55You've done the... I did the pav. Is the over the cream. What goes over it? Okay, well I've done whipped cream that took forever because I'm missing a bloody whisk. A paddle. If you give me the name of that, I'll find you one. And then I've put a bit of cardamom in there too. Yeah. Because I've roasted some rhubarb to go on top with a lot of sugar. So there's a little bit of syrup that will be around it too. And then done some pistachios in the frying pan just to kind of toast them slightly. And then they're going to be scattered on. So yeah, we've got Ian Wright on. So I hope we're going to have a pie and a pavlova.

3:28And I can't wait. The two peas in a pod. I don't know. Yeah, sure. Pie, pavlova and peas.

3:42Well, cheers. Cheers, man. Thanks, darling. I'm really excited about this. You're my second favourite footballer. Oh my God, who's your first? Because I'm going to get him done. Who is it? Marcus Rashford. Now you see, I can't get him tucked now. I was going to get him tucked now. I can't because I love him as well. He's an amazing guy. Under a lot of pressure. I can't even get into the realms of the pressure. He's 20 bloody five. Leave him alone. But the thing is as well, he's playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and anything just moves the dial. If it's good or if it's bad. He's under a microscope, isn't he?

4:18Him, Raheem Sterling, Saka. Yeah, poor guys, yeah. Even the white players, I should say, like Fulton and Greedish, the pressure that they're under, these players, these young players, it's really intense. Do you think that's because social media is there now? Absolutely, without a doubt, yeah. Because there's so many opinions and so many ways for people to contact you. And even if you don't want to see it yourself, you end up seeing it as people tell you or you find out. So it just comes from everywhere. And you can say the wrong thing and it's a pile on. And you know what I mean? and then all of a sudden the microscope is on you.

4:52How do you think you would have dealt with social media? I don't think I would have dealt with it very well. Do you think you would have got yourself in trouble? It's not a case of getting yourself in trouble, but with my personality at the time when you first get onto it, because I think the guys have got teams around them who help them now. Sometimes they put stuff on there where you think, well, you shouldn't have put that on. But I believe that if I was on it in my time, without that kind of like the team I've got around me now, I'd be in serious trouble. because some of the criticism and some of the comments that come towards you are really, really nasty and you just snap.

5:25And I probably would have snapped and the focus of it would be too much for me because my personality is too on the line. I couldn't go that way or that way, especially when I was playing. So it's tough. So I would not have been able to deal with it because it's tough enough dealing with it as a pundit. Right, yeah. With everything that comes. So it's like you just have to navigate but you need people you know like like Megs I need Megs Megs is in the back yes and and people like Roscoe all the people around me Kaz and Alex and everybody who I've got who help with everything that I do and you know if it weren't them I wouldn't be seen in the light I mean because I would be doing stuff everyone adores you yeah we love you you can do no wrong even though you're a gooner we love you Sam loves you and he's so special and he's serving wine to you like this thank you Sam I did the hoovering for you thank you to sam honestly thank you so much and that gear you was wearing sam that green suit i'm gonna i'm gonna we'll get it for you i had a feeling it's the had the name right in it it looked good yeah i had the name right i like that you i mean you've been scrolling he hasn't worn that for a while so you were doing your research on us my wife my wife sent it my wife showed me oh nancy should have come she's too um she's shy she's very shy like that even when we do stuff from when I'm like on the carpet and that.

6:45You literally have to force her on to just take a photo so that we can show the girls when we get in and that. She stays out of it. How did you two meet? We met at the Cow in Notting Hill. Oh, fab. You know? Were you there for food? No, I was there for food, yeah. Yeah? The roast? It wasn't the roast at the time. It was probably fish stew at the time. Bangers and mash, they do. And you didn't like fish, though? When did you get into it? No, no, no, because like I say, with my... Well, growing up, we had a kind of a diet which was very rigid. With the West Indian food, you had white rice, corned beef.

7:19Every now and then you had steak, you had dumplings. Callaloo. Callaloo, which was really tough for me. Any kind of vegetable when I was younger was quite tough for me. It had to be really cut up and diced up. Corn and stuff. But we had the same kind of food all the time. Mutton. I hated when my mum cooked tripe. Tripe. I remember when she was making it, when you wake up in the morning, I started crying. I went through years of work because we had to eat rice and peas and chicken every Sunday. Rice and peas is gorgeous. Yeah, it's gorgeous. But when you've eaten it, it's from the time you've had scents until you get older.

7:53Again, the kidney beans. I went off kidney beans for like years. Which island is she from? Jamaica. She's Jamaican. Yeah, she's Jamaican. Which parish? She's from Yallis, St. Thomas. St. Thomas. In Jamaica, yeah. And so when we grew up, we ate the same kind of stuff and some of the stuff, if I didn't like, I just wouldn't eat it. So that's when you went out and played football for a bit longer? All the time, that's all I've done, is played football. So you've got to thank tripe, really? Yes, tripe for getting me out there and practising rather than eating it. But my mum was a very good cook, and the gravy she'd make of it would be sufficient to put on the dumpling and the rice or whatever it was.

8:26But other than that, I didn't have a lot of variety of food apart from West Indian food. So she wouldn't buy pizza? No. No? We'd never had pasta. I know you go to some people's houses, and they'd have macaroni cheese with their sunny dinner. I never had it because we never cooked it, so I didn't like it. And when I went to school, the macaroni was terrible. The only thing I loved was the dessert because we never had any kind of afters at home. What was your favourite dessert? It probably would be, it was sponge with the jam on top with that coconut. Cake is a core memory. That cake and custard.

8:59That cake and custard. Because again, because we didn't have it at the house, so you weren't used to it. So I didn't eat custard with that sponge for a few years. I just wouldn't because I didn't like the custard. Did you not like mixing things? No. I remember one time my friend, I used to always swap my apple pie and custard for him and he'd give me sponges. But then after a while I tasted the custard and then I found when I mixed it all in, it was heavenly. So I stopped changing the sponges and then I said, you know what, before I give you the apple pie, can I just taste it? And I tasted the apple pie and it had that beautiful crust.

9:33and the apple inside. And that was it. I was hooked on apple pie and custard as well. Which leads me perfectly to pies. Yes. Which is the reason you're here. You're our first footballer we have ever had. And it is a huge honour to have you. And the fact that you're now a foodie. Honestly. You know, with probably the coolest pie maker in London. Willie's Pies. Tell us about this collab. You know something. The thing with Willie's Pies, we've got my dear friend, a lot of women, my Arsenal player, Arsenal and England player. She knew the guys and they were talking and then they gave her one of the pies and said, yeah, can you give this to Ian Wright?

10:05Because they heard pies because it's not a secret. So tell us about your love for pies first. Well, it just came from when I was a child. You used to have fish and chips every Friday. I didn't like fish because obviously I had fish bone and that choked me. That was it. I didn't eat fish for many, many years. How old were you when you had... I was about eight. That must have been terrifying. It was horrible. You know what I mean? Because it was really hard and you couldn't get it out. I was choking and banging my back and all the stuff. And then in the end, I vomited out. Sorry to say that on the end.

10:31It's okay. it came out and then that was it i said i'm not eating again and the fact is i took that as i don't like fish rather than i swallowed a bone and it kind of made me a bit traumatic about it but i used to only have pies i used to only have from the fish and chips yeah from fish and chips so what was the order so it would be i'd have steak kidney pie and chips so i've always had pies and i always like a pie that's full underneath as well you know the pastry underneath not just like you go to the pubs and that now they just do it on the top in those kind of ceramic bowls which is fine but like it doesn't it's not the memory it's not the memory i want it's not an uncle writing so the collaboration came like they gave lotter a pie to give me lot gave it to me then i met went and met them once i once i ate and i said i'd really like to come and meet you guys and they told me the story they really started up in covid you know they were making pies willie's a chef and you're making pies and then he had his bike and he delivered these pies anywhere just to keep themselves going anywhere so i really fell in love with the story and then you know you taste the pies and the pies are amazing and i just said to them listen is there any way i can like buy into this you know i mean and then we spoke about it and you said yeah but you've only tasted one one pie we've got so many and i said the thing is is that the character and the passion for it and obviously i love pies i said i'm buying i'm buying into you i'm buying into you too you're basically doing what gary neville did on dragon's death you said yeah i'm in i'm in because like the thing is that I like to notice is people's passion.

11:58I can listen to somebody who is a train spotter, a stamp collector, a coin collector, you know, people who do that metal detector if they're passionate about it. And the way these guys spoke about pies and what they want to do and, you know, the taste and the different varieties, I said, I just love the sound of it. So I got involved and then obviously launching Uncle Righties on the 1st of March, I wanted to launch with a pie. Yeah. And I wanted to launch with a, what's it called? I wanted to launch with a traditional roast. because I remember like the first time I started to eat a roast, I went to my friend's house when I was younger and obviously going to someone's house on a Sunday and then being able to stay for dinner.

12:35It's not rice and peas of chicken. It's the first time I ate a Sunday roast with chicken. Honestly, I'm not joking. Willy's have got it nearly identical to how the chicken tasted, the potatoes, Yorkshire pudding. I'd lost my mind. I'd never had it before. And so that kind of changed everything. and I always craved that. So that's why I used that as the first pie I wanted to do. So that's like a really nostalgic taste from your childhood. Absolutely is, absolutely is. And a lot of my, like I say, the reason why I want to go into food now is not only because of the fact that we're here because of food, really.

13:11And you meet people and you can talk to people and you have your greatest times when you're over a nice meal and a nice glass of wine. And everything's, I love the camaraderie and the togetherness of that. Well, you've kindly brought us our dinner that we're going to have. So we're having the Uncle Righty's chicken pie, Willie's pie, and we're going to serve it with mash. Yeah. And some peas. We're keeping it very simple. And then we have for you... Even better. Okay, good. Even better just simply because growing up it was simple. I needed it simple. Some of the times you didn't eat because I didn't like some of the food.

13:42So the simpler it is, I can eat the same thing continually. Really? Oh, you're one of those people? Yeah. Yeah, and I think that's something that's trained in and it's something as I've got older, especially once I got into football. and then you're having to eat different things, things for fuel, and having to eat food that's not seasoned, which is very, very difficult for me. Why? No salt. No salt. Oh, my God. You know, tea, no tea, all that sort of stuff. You had to have everything in its rawest form in respects of how Arsene Wenger wanted you to eat. Was that like... So when you were... Because my cousin...

14:14He was very health conscious, though, wasn't he, Arsene Wenger? Very, very... But they measure... It's now sports science. They measure how much carb you have. Yes. How much protein. Were they doing that? Yes. It was very precise. I bet you have a voice there. What chips? No, of course we did. I remember there was one time we were singing on the back of the coach that we want our chocolate bars back, we want our Mars bars back. But we weren't having it. We had to eat all that food, and it was very plain rice, very bland rice, very bland chicken, very bland vegetables. Olsen's French. Didn't he bring that little je ne sais quoi?

14:45No, he didn't bring the je ne sais quoi with that, simply because it was all about fuel. and it's a good thing for me because it helped me appreciate food more. But you're very slim. You think? Yeah, I think you look great, darling. I'm working so hard on it, Len, because I do like food and all the food I like is, I like pasta, I love Italian food. You know, I'm not so much pizzeria and stuff. I like steak, but good ones. I like fish. So where would you go for an ideal night out with Nancy for a meal, an Italian meal? Probably has a really cool little restaurant on Dover Street called Chuck's, C-H-U-C-S.

15:23And they cook really lovely food, whether it's fish, whether it's pasta, whatever it is. It's really good. Nancy always has the risotto. You know, she always has the mushroom risotto and stuff like that. That's where I'd probably go. So you were talking, before we got onto this, you met Nancy at the Cow. At the Cow, yeah. It's a very famous pub in Notting Hill. I think David Beckham quite likes it too. That's where he goes, yeah, he goes there. And you were probably having a fish stew or something. And was Nancy there just with some friends? Yeah, she was with some friends. It was really awkward because I saw her because I used to get my styling from a guy who lived on the same road.

15:56So we'd go there, talk about what we were going to wear, then we'd go to every BBC and do our stuff. And so he used to live with Nancy. They used to share her house, so he knew her, right? So that's how I first saw her. And the first time I ever saw her was on a road called Balbury Gardens, just over the back of Notting Hill. and we had to go there for Conrad, I had to get something and I remember she came out, she was half asleep because she'd just got back from South Africa because she's working at building production companies over there and she came out in her pyjamas on the street and she asked me, do you want to come in?

16:26And half asleep kind of vibe, like, really slight. And then I said, no, it's okay, Frank. She said, do you want a cup of tea or something? And I said, no, I'm okay, thank you. Conrad went in and came back out. When he came out, I said, Conrad, who's that? You know what I mean? He said, ah, it's nice. And I said, she's really, really cool. and I was talking to her about her having no problem about coming out onto the street in her pyjamas just asking me if I wanted a cup of tea and then I didn't meet her again for a while and then I saw her in the cowl and you remembered her yeah because she obviously just came back from South Africa again and I remember she was at the bar and then I went over tried to do that kind of thing we said hi how you doing and you know and talking then she kind of yeah she just went yeah fine yeah because obviously she did she fancy you I don't know at the time but have you asked her now I think they're doing okay yeah but did she fancy you when you were fancying her?

17:16At the time I think she was interested but she wasn't like oh hi how you doing? You know she's saying she's very cool if you do finally meet Nance which I'm sure you will at some stage and look at her demeanour and how she is you can see what I'm saying how even if she says to me now no I didn't really fancy it I couldn't read her face but I had a feeling that something happened because like Like she didn't, she didn't blank me, but she did blank the fact that I offered her a drink. I think she turned my drink down. Every time I offered her a drink, she turned it down three times. She said, no, I'll buy it.

17:49I'll have a drink. Do you want a drink? And that was something else that was quite impressive because, again, I normally find that I'm buying drinks. So she said no, but she wasn't mean or nasty about it, but she was very cool. And then she just kind of like went off again. So I was like, oh, shit, I don't know. How do I get in? I can't get in. I can't get into the conversation. I love this. And so then what happened was, is that, so obviously, like I say, with Conrad, so then Conrad, I said, Con, can't you just come to the cab? I said, it's for me. And he said, yeah, she's busy at the minute.

18:17Then one time Conrad phoned her, because I'd bump into her every now and then, and then we'd get a little bit more of a chat, a little bit more, oh, nice one, this and that. What'd you do? And then she said, and then I said, Conrad, ask her if she could come to the cab, with Jacinda, if she's not doing something. She says, well, okay, okay, I pop in, I pop in, she took her cab up in it. And then we just started talking. And then it just got a little bit better. And then Conrad left. And then we started talking. And then I went through my history. And she went through her history. And I said, yeah, nice one.

18:47And then we met again maybe a couple of weeks later. And then it just started to go from there. Were you living around that area? Yeah, I was living in Hampstead at the time. I'd go to the cow. My dear friend Bardi runs it. And I'd go there and I'd spend a lot of time there. You know, this is where I got my love for oysters as well. Another thing, when I was younger, I would never Ian I'd never eat them I feel like you haven't given I'm so excited I don't I hate oysters No I wouldn't I wouldn't give you oysters then No But like the thing is you have to try have you tried them though Yeah You don't like you don't like the texture They're like snot Yeah When I was a kid when I was a kid my mum I used to get clipped because I used to do the snot thing and sniff it up and swallow it Sorry everybody I hope you're not eating at the moment This is why he likes oysters So you know what I mean it wasn't a texture that I wasn't used to.

19:35So I always found that eating them, I always had to think about them because I'm thinking, I've not chewed that. I've not that. I've just swallowed that straight down. You take it straight down? Straight down. Oh my God. I'll have maybe six. And then I'm starting to think, Oh, that's good going. Yeah, I'll have probably six of them. And then I'm thinking about, then I start getting all paranoid about aliens inside me. Oh my God. And all that sort of stuff. I'm saying, I've not even chewed that. How's that going to get digested? What do you put on them? It's a kind of vinegary, kind of vinegary burp.

20:03But you know that vinegar is the colour... It's right with onions. Yeah, it's kind of the colour of beetroot, but it's vinegar and little onions. And I put some Tabasco on it. Are you a hot sauce person? Yes, I am, yeah. Would you put hot sauce on your pie? No. No. I put a little spice in it, so it's just not there, but you could taste something else. But I wouldn't put hot sauce on... But when you're younger, I put hot sauce on everything. And it's probably something else I'm going to probably venture with... Hot sauce. with um with uncle right is yeah some hot sauces and sauces and different condiments and stuff like that yeah we know so many we've talked to lots that there are definitely hot sauce people in the world we used to have um there's all different sauces in the house obviously encona was there you know but it was mainly made up of scotch bonnet i'm finding that a lot of this yeah i'm finding that a lot of the hot pepper sauces on on shelves now they're not as hot as when i as they should be.

21:02Yeah, but now people are doing different stuff now. You can get hot stuff. Ian, of all the pundits, who's the biggest foodie that you go out for dinner with and eat oysters? I wouldn't say oysters, but like, because that is very much an acquired taste, isn't it? Yeah. But you know who's really nice to go out with is my dear friend now. We've got a really nice friendship. It's Roy Keane. Oh, we love him! Everybody loves Roy. No, but we really love Roy. Yeah, they really love him. You know what, as well, he's... He's not as aggressive as he's. Of course he's not. Of course he's not. The beauty with him...

21:37He was when he played. Well, so was I. Oh, my God, he was like a donkey. So was I then, yeah, but so was I. And the thing is, is that we was in such a cauldron of trying to achieve and playing at the very top what we were doing. Because no one... People can't even believe we're friends now. Right. We can't even believe we're friends now. Do you remember any tackles? Absolutely. That he did on you? No, just tackles. It was always very aggressive. it was very hard because they were Man United we were Arsenal do you think they're not aggressive enough now no no no I don't think it's that they're not aggressive enough now but the rules and the way the rules are now it's very hard to be that aggressive yeah you know everything now turns into a yellow card ascending offer you can look back on the the VAR as I'm sure are you for VAR or against it no I'm for VAR but I'm against the people who are using it because at the moment if I'm going to be totally honest without being too mean but I'm probably going to have to be because I can't find another word to describe them is the incompetence of some of them in respects of the decisions they're making and the mistakes they're making it's the only word i can use because it is for the level that they are it is incompetence they sometimes overrule it don't they what the yeah yes yeah but do you think they're brave enough referees yes they are but like it's like anything lenny if you if you've got um if you've got a safety net then you're gonna you're gonna to go to it more yeah it's just kind of it's going to give you something in yourself where you it takes away your natural I'm going to make that decision I'm going to stick by the decision because what can happen with VAR and I don't go into it too much because it's quite boring from me totally honest the tide of it in football but if you if you're talking about like the the people who are doing it are able to help the people who are on the pitch you should just make the decision like I say and stick to it because you can still now have a decision on there just where they say no, we're going to stick with the on-field decision.

23:26They need to do that. I mean, I like the lines. I love it when they draw the lines so you can actually see if they're offside or not. You know something, but then... His nose was over, so there he's offside. Yes, I love that. I love that analogy because, yeah, but the thing with the lines, Lenny, is that they could be drawn. It's like to someone's discretion. I know, it is a bit. Remember, offside is trying to stop somebody getting into a position where you've got an advantage over the defender. Your nose or your toenail is not going to... Yeah, I agree. Do you know what I mean? I absolutely agree with you.

24:01Now, just tell me, did Mr. Bigden teach? Mr. Pigden? Pigden. Yeah. Did he teach at your primary school? And that was Turnham, just off St. Normans Road as well. And then you've got a pitch there, something memorial or something? Yeah, me and David Rowcastle, my old friend, who used to live on the estate as well, yeah. Mr. Pigden. I'm listening, I'm just getting things out. No, no, no, it's fine, Jess. Yeah, so that was a school. I had to put his... Mr. Pigden. Mr. Pigden, yeah. I love that. I mean, no, don't make me cry again. I think about it when he turned up and you said, I thought you were dead.

24:31He says, no, I'm here. You know what was the, again, it's one of those that I can't watch it some of the time. You can't watch it. No, no, no. You're a very emotional person, aren't you? I know the guys take the mickey out of me and they stick to football about it sometimes. Do you ever cry with love for the football when you've won? I mean, I've seen you jumping about when England are playing. See, obviously when I'm watching, honestly, if Arsenal win anything this season, like if they win the league or... Do you think they will? Yeah, I do believe that. No, I believe they can. They can, yeah.

25:03You know what I mean? I believe they can. Whether they will, yeah. Whether they will, trying to stop Manchester City and Liverpool is going to be tough. But, you know what I mean? I probably will shed a tear if they do it because it means the world to the Arsenal fans. Thank you for supplying lunch for us. No, I'm really pleased because I would have really been excited about what you were going to cook for me. We'll have to do it again now. Yeah, yeah. I'll bring Sakura. I'll bring Roy. Bring Roy. By the way, I just want to say that the crunch on that. Did you like that? The spectacular. I don't know if we got it on ASMR, but I'm just saying.

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26:47I'm telling you, that is gorgeous. That is absolutely delicious. The thing is, this is what I'm saying with Will and Josh. I love them. I adore them. And the reason why you can go in and say, listen please let me come in because of the effort that's put in this is delicious but I need to know where are we going to be able to buy these are they going to be in the supermarket well at the moment you can get them on Willy's Pies website and when you look on the website there's a couple of places there's a few places I should say but they'll give you a list on the Willy's Pies website where you can where you can buy them this is amazing I'm having a bit more I mean I knew Willy's Pies is great but like this is a really this is a great chicken pie this is a fantastic do you want some more darling yes I do here thank you if we were coming over to yours what would you cook for us a pie no apart from the pie you know the thing is as easy as it is one of the things that I think that we make nice more than anything else and we're not we're not Michelin star chefs nice me she does make a lovely salmon soy sauce teriyaki with rice and whatever vegetables like mange too or green beans and stuff like that I love that and we do like a cosy spaghetti bolognese where it's not like we make a spaghetti bolognese and it's done in like it's all day like you know the mints and we stew it through and it gets because the girls love it as well so probably one of those two either the salmon or a spaghetti bolognese because I love Italian food Are your kids good eaters?

28:20My two youngest are my older kids obviously they're doing their stuff and I think when they were younger they were good eaters as well How many children have you got? Eight children. Eight? Yes. Wow. I've got three. I think I'm done. You've got twins though, haven't you? No. No, you haven't got twins. No, not twins. Do you have more? No. You've hung up your boots. No, I've got granddaughters now. I've got grandkids as well. Oh my God. How are you finding me and grandparents? Well, it's really cool. Other than that, I'd like to see them more. I see my granddaughter, Sean's daughter, the most out of anyone.

28:50I see her the most because obviously she's banging to football and she loves it and that. So I go and watch her and we go and do stuff together. so I see her a lot but I don't see my grandkids as often as I like to how do you feel about like when Sean got into football did you kind of was it something that you were desperate I've seen I've seen the videos of Raheem Sterling's son when he was like just walking kicking and you know Rio's son's doing it did you almost not want them to go there or were you kind of a tiger parent where you were like let's go no what it was is that from a young age we were always kicking the ball around we'd seen the house in the park and stuff So it was never something where I said, right, come on, out we go.

29:30Going to play football now. They just went out and played football. Obviously, their dad being a footballer, you know what I mean? We'd play a lot of football. They'd play football in the garden. When they started to play and they started to get serious about it, again, I wasn't helicoptering them. I wasn't all over them saying, you have to do this. I always used to say to them, listen, if you want to play, and they both showed aptitude, they were both good. Was that Bradley and Sean? Bradley and Sean. So where were they playing when they were little? No, just playing their school. In the school.

29:59In the back at the school and all that sort of stuff. Not a Sunday league or anything. No, no, they were playing Sunday and Saturday league. Yeah. But like it was a case of if you're serious, then you know what I mean, then we'll go. But it was never a case of, right, you need to go to bed now because you need to do that. It was just, they were just being kids. And then they showed the aptitude. They got to a place where they were good enough. And they both signed for Nottingham Forest and both got, what's it called, rejected. And they went to the city. But when they were younger, I never, ever said anything to them other than if you want to play at the highest level, you don't give the ball away.

30:30You pass to your teammates and you enjoy the game. That's what you do. Those three things are the things I say to my grandkids now as well. Just make sure that you enjoy the game. Make sure you're passing and using your teammates, no matter how good you are and they're not as good, and make sure you enjoy the game. And that's all it was. I remember when I used to pick them up sometimes. And when I was playing, especially when I was at Arsenal, it was really intense for them because if I came to watch them, you could imagine all the rest of the kids and the parents, then you kind of take the shine off of them a bit.

30:59So you have to watch from far away. Right. You know what I mean? So you could see them from far. Can you imagine now if you're watching some kids playing football with a binocular, I'd probably get arrested or something. You were there with binoculars. I'd have to stay far enough away so as you can watch it, so as then you could see what they're doing. So as I can say to them, how did you play and this and that? because it's very difficult for them to say, if I say to them, yeah, I couldn't watch because I was signing autographs for parents, and parents were coming over. So it's very hard to watch them and people not come over and want to say something.

31:32So I used to watch from afar, and then when they used to get in the car, whether they'd won or lost or whatever it was, I'd just ask, did you enjoy the game? You know, did you enjoy the game? Because, you know, that's what it's about. That's the main thing, you know. And they did. They did, of course they did. They both became professionals. Sean was very successful, won the Premier League, won the FA Cup twice. Bradley, you know, played here. Then he went to America, became very successful, one of the record goal scorers in the MLS in America. So it worked out for them. So you didn't go to an academy?

32:05No, I was working. I didn't get in until I was 22. Which just wouldn't happen anymore. Well, you know what? It would be a lot tougher. But what it made me realise is that if you... It sounds a bit like I'm not trying to preach and that, but if you keep going, like I say, because it's the one thing that was a common theme in my life was I loved playing and I kept playing and I kept myself right when I was playing. I trained, I tried to do the best. And then in the end, it just, it clicked simply because I was playing at a level where I was playing so well, scoring three and four games, goals, sorry, in games.

32:39And then you start to get on people's radar and then you're on Crystal Palace's radar. But it was the rejection from the age of 10 to 22 what made me, what really kind of like shaped how I played. When did you go to Arsenal then? I went to Arsenal when I was 28. People don't realise I was late. I went to Arsenal. I went when I was 28. And so again, I felt because I came in so late, I was constantly trying to make up for lost time. You know, I missed out on tournaments, you know, where injury or form, but like you always feel like, oh my gosh, I didn't get to go to that tournament. But then all I could do was what I was in control of, and that was scoring as many goals as I can for Arsenal, winning as many trophies as you can.

33:20How many cups for England? I got 33. That's all right. I'd have taken one. I think the goal I scored for England against Poland, we was losing and I came off the bench and I scored was probably the greatest moment of my life. What year was that? That would have been, I think, 97. I think I remember it. It could have been, no, it was earlier than 97. I can't remember, it was Poland. I remember it was in Poznan. It wasn't the qualifier where they didn't get in. Yes, it was. So it would have been in and around 93, 94. Yeah, yeah. Because it was a time when Graham Taylor was doing that. It was when you walked the streets, Mum.

33:57Oh, that one. What do you mean you walked the streets? She just was pissed off. I was beside myself that we didn't go through. Was that when Bobby Robinson? It was when it was the Italy World Cup. That was 1990. That was 1990. With Gaza. Gaza. And then the 96 was when we lost on penalties. no that was yeah anyway I was bereft then as well I love football do you love it I love football can I are you finished can I take this away because we're going to have some pud now yes please now do you want to carry on with the wine would you like a cup of tea no no no I'll have some more wine I love this is that rhubarb pavlo yes is that okay yeah absolutely you just got though I feel like Ian you're not sure no because when we were younger did you see that no when we yeah it's really good just share it with the group that's a really good observation when we were younger rhubarb crumble was the one I didn't eat.

34:45Oh, shit. But, like, as time went by, it's fine. I'm fine with it. Just try it. Yeah, I will. I can't wait for you to enjoy my roasted rhubarb pistachio pavlova. Nuts as well. Oh, no, you're not... I'm only joking. Oh, fuck.

35:03Okay, now I'm scared, Ian, that you'll just... No, because... No, because it's not a problem. If I was younger, it would have been a problem. simply because I'm not used to stuff. I would not eat it at all. This is good. Yes, very good. I vouch it's good. It's actually just melted straight away in my mouth. Come on. There, done. Boom. Cheers. What, those nuts? Pistachios. What did you say? Lachaym. Lachaym. Good things. What's it say? Lachaym. Good things. Good things. Like, to life. Yeah. Lachaym. So listen, I'm going to get you drunk enough that you're literally going to give me Roy Keane's number and a minute.

35:42And Gary Lineker. He's a good cook. Has he ever cooked for you? No. He puts it all up on Instagram. He makes banging roasts. My buddy. Excuse me. We went to his house a little while back. I went with me and Alan. And he'd done a... Shearer? Yeah, Shearer, sorry. And he'd done a ragout with pasta. I think, I can't remember what the... Was it? Was that because he knew you love Italian? Maybe, yeah. Because he asked us what we fancy. He said, yeah, we'll have some pasta. and he'd done it with a, I think it was a, maybe a rabbit. Oh my God. Rabbit ragu. I'm not joking. It was amazing. Jesus. And every time you see him, like I've seen him when we do match of the day, I'm going to say, gal, what are you cooking on Sunday?

36:23And he'll always have something for what he's going to cook. Yeah, I'm just going to do a, I'm going to do a lamb, a lamb joint or I'm going to do this and that. But it's, again, he's somebody that, when he's doing it, he's doing it as if he's, it's for the queen. yeah it's amazing he's very good let's talk about your acting career shall we because it's actually a friend of mine Daniel Kerea you were in the new Netflix film The Kitchen The Kitchen oh my gosh how was that you were the DJ it was the radio DJ of the estate yes you know what Jess I'm sorry I don't know how you guys do that because it's so it's so daunting I don't fucking act I sing yeah I don't act.

37:09Would you act? Would I? I think my sister would kill me because she's an actress. But what about her? I don't know. I feel like you, I mean, I guess I perform on stage, but then that's like you performing in front of thousands of people. It's different when they say action and all the words. Did you get the fear? Honestly, all the words that I've been staying up till three and four in the morning, trying to get it in my head, trying to say it out loud. So as soon as they said action, I was like, I've lost all it's just lost well out of my head Harder than taking a penalty It's harder than anything because you've got loads of people that are waiting on your on your performance and you know what I mean I'm so pleased I didn't have dialogue with anyone else which I don't know if that would have been easier or harder but like in the end Daniel had to have a chat with me and say listen you know the words relax get into what this is about and the oppression and what's going on and you know I remember he took me back to when I was a kid and how wronged I felt when I was arrested for nothing and put in a cell for hours just for no reason.

38:11How did you feel? He said, put yourself into that guy. How did you feel? How did you feel there? Was that right? Was it wrong? How did you feel? And then, as he's saying that to me, you just start to get back into, you get into the character of that. I said, wow, is that it? Is that how acting goes? And he said, yeah. Maybe he's a great director. He is a great director because I don't think I would have been able to do that if someone doesn't come over and give me that insight into where I need to be to try and do this. And acting, again, is something that... It's not something I want to do simply because, Jess, it's so difficult and it's so important to get it right.

38:46There's so many actors out there, so many actors out of work, there's so many actors I'm sure that they could have chosen for that. All the reasons he said he wanted me to do it. They wanted you. He's a massive Arsenal fan. Massive Arsenal fan. Is he? Daniel, yeah. I didn't realise that. He said, you're an uncle. You're an uncle, people look up to you. You're the person that people would expect to get that kind of advice from. Because that's one of the things I was worried about more than anything else. It's not like I'm trying to say, oh, I'm taking people's jobs. But if there's an actor out there that can portray that role better than me, simply because of who I am and the fact that Daniel knows me and he thinks I can do it, I felt a lot of pressure making sure that I did do that.

39:22So as people didn't say that, and he doesn't get accused of that. So once he gave me that kind of direction, it felt like, yeah, it was. it was really kind of like made me relax a bit more. Who do you think's been your very favourite footballer in all the years? Maradona. Maradona. Maradona was floored. Did you ever meet him? Yeah, yeah. Did you ever have a good night with him? No, no, I didn't have a good night with him. Food? I probably would have stayed... It would have been food, darling. I probably would have stayed clear overnight with Maradona. God, that's what went up his nose, I think.

39:59It wasn't It wasn't even drink was it? No mum, no it was not But like the thing is Do you think he played football high? Yes Did he play football high? Definitely Have you not watched the documentary? No Oh my god it's brilliant Oh I should watch it Yeah but you say that you know And it's yeah I'm sure there's a lot of people That's played football high and drunk Len Did you ever go to training Or to a football match a bit hungover? No, because I wasn't that guy. I wasn't the drinker. You know, my mum drank a lot when she was younger. I saw that. My brother drank. My older brother drank a lot, and he's not a good drunk.

40:37My brother, Morris, is a great drinker. He's unbelievable. And if I was going to be somebody that drank to that level, to that excess, I'd like to be like my brother. But I've seen too many nasty things, and people, they change under alcohol, and it's even worse in the dressing room. It's such a toxic masculinity in there, and you know what I mean? things just get escalated so quickly in a dressing room and then when you go out for the night out with the boys and things get you know on on drink it goes to somewhere else so I've always been very wary of alcohol like that what's that it's so nice is that the nuts I don't know what did you get what was it it was um was it was it a nut or was it it's not it's not but it's like it's it's just it's staying here it's like maybe the pistachio is it the pistachio maybe have another Is it this one?

41:27Yeah. Is it the pistachio? Yeah. Okay. Great. A little roasted pistache. With the cream. Jesus, you just stopped me in my tracks. See, now that's food, innit? Yeah. Food. If you're eating the right food, it stops you in your tracks. The rhubarb tastes really nice. Oh, good. If I'm going to talk to you. And on to another subject. We need to ask you your last supper. So you are, where are you going? On a desert island. You're going somewhere on a desert island. It's like your desert island dinner. Where you're not going to have food. Well, maybe you can find a Wilson there and play for it. He'll get an old coconut and kick that around.

41:59So, OK, you're going to a desert island. You're not going to have any of your comforts. You're not going to have any of your delicious things. What would be the last supper that you would have? Starter, main, pud, drink of choice. Let me see, because it's a really good question. And I'm just going to try and be totally honest. Starter. The starter. Would it be oysters from the cow? I'd probably start with oysters, if I'm going to totally honest. Fabulous. You know something? I do like lobster. do you? how do you cook it? no I like it when it's like you know thermadoured all the way through I like yeah bit of cheese on there just the you know anything like that and if they're going to do it because it's the last one I'd say yeah go on then put some cheese work yourself out where have you had a good lobster thermadour?

42:40I had a good one in let me see Scots oh I love Scots yeah Scots and Mountain I think the best lobster I've ever had was in St Kitts St Kitts when they got it out they got it out there chutch in love and put it on the griddle that is really quite I always feel really bad about that I know yeah we went to Qatar and me Gary me Gary Neville and Roy Keane we were having a meal and then I said yeah fancy some lobster but then they went out and they brought it in and I was like moving around yeah so it's so they showed me and then I was like oh god and then all the time I mean I can't enjoy that no right so like what I'm saying is just to save my wimpiness about it is just I don't want to see it you'll have lobster fair enough You know, so I'd have probably lobster thermidor.

43:28Okay. You know what I'd like to have? Yeah, my main would be, I remember my mum used to make ackee and saltfish. Oh, I love ackee. She used to make, do you love it? I loved it. It's such a mysterious thing because it's a vegetable. It tastes like scrambled egg. Yeah, it looks like scrambled egg. Did you love it when your mum made it? I loved it because she made it so well with the ackeys, which does look, it looks like scrambled egg, just a yellow bit. and then you put the salt fish in that with all the spices and the onions and everything that goes in it with fried dumplings. When would she make that?

43:59She'd make that probably on a Saturday morning. That'd be a Saturday morning. It'd be a treat, that would be. Yeah. It'd be a treat. So I'd have that as a main, you know, because, yeah, that's quite nice. And then... Any sides? You know what? I'd probably have... You don't really have sides, but you know what? I'd have boiled. You've got aki, darling. Yeah. Yeah, but you can have fried dumplings or boiled dumplings. So you normally, if you're having breakfast, with it. You can have fried dumplings. But if you have it maybe in the evening, you'd probably have boiled dumplings and boiled bananas.

44:28Okay. Obviously, because I'm so used to that kind of food from a young age, that was probably my favourite when I was younger. So I'd probably have that. Drink of choice? You know what I'd have? I'd have a Guinness punch. Have you had Guinness punch? Oh, I've never had it. Had it at Carnival. What'd you put it in? It's Guinness. I don't... Maybe I'll have a good one. Obviously, it's made with Guinness, condensed milk. You could put all sorts of stuff in it. Cinnamon, nutmeg, you know, So egg yolk and stuff like that. Oh, wow. And then you mix it up with the Guinness, with the sweetened milk. Like I say, the nutmeg cinnamon.

44:58And it's funny, my stepdad made it amazingly. He really made a nice one. And probably for a dessert, I'd have the sponge with jam on top, with coconut, with custard. Ian Wright, I could have you here forever. Yeah, stay. You are exactly the same, but actually even better. It's nice, man. It's nice to be... You know what? This is what I like. This is what I'm... This is my vibe, man. This is how I want to be. This is the kind of thing I want to do, you know what I mean? Just chilling. Because people have got a massive misconception of me simply because some opinions or what they think they know of me.

45:37What do you think they think? I just think that I'm an aggressive... How does anyone think that? No, no, no. Because, like, I've got very forthright views in what I think about wrongs and rights, and I'll pull it out there. And some people think, you know, they like to say you're woke. you know you've got chip on your shoulder it's everything you know i mean you're some of the stuff that comes like i say with the social media like i mentioned at the start with the punditry it comes and you know you have to stay away from it because it will it's taints you it will i think that first move you made when gary was suspended and you said right i'm not i'm not playing i had to do yeah you did it you were the first one and everyone followed you and yeah but you know what we're at lane it was it was wrong what they were doing to it was completely wrong it was wrong i I know that Gary does stuff where he skates the line.

46:21He's outspoken. But I thought that, and you know what? I'm not saying that it's something that I'd done because, oh, I'd want someone to do that for me. But in the moment of what they were doing, that's such a lovely taste. In the moment of what they were doing and what they were trying to do to him, they were wrong. Yeah. And what happens is that if you leave people, when you know, and right-minded people, leave people to do things like that, that's when dangerous things happen. Yeah, I agree. So if Gary Lineker gets suspended or gets thrown out for that, what else are they going to go on to do that's wrong?

46:52So if you stand up to them and they realise, oh, you can't do that, they will stop. But it was because of you starting it out, everyone followed. And then obviously you can imagine the stuff that came with that, but then that's the collateral damage of speaking the truth. I mean, you say people think this of you, and probably because you have a lot of trolls and horrible people, But what we know and what we've always thought is that you are wonderful, honourable, fun, best smile ever. And you've just, you've entertained and we love you on our screens and we love that you're going into food. It's just kind of, I can't wait to see where else you go.

47:36Film, food, hot sauce. Do you sing? It's funny, I was singing Elvis in the car because my mum used to love Elvis. She used to love that song, It's the Wonder of You. but I don't sing I just only used to sing Do you do karaoke? No because like it's really tough to get up there and then if I'm not going to be singing like exactly every tone of Luther Vandross I feel terrible Are you a perfectionist Ian Wright? No but if I'm going to get up there and do it I want to do it where it's not going to be questioned You want to sound like Luther Vandross Yeah otherwise I don't want to get up there you know what I mean because like I said I don't drink enough where I get Dutch courage to go up there if I'm going up there I'm probably sober and know what I'm doing and if I get that wrong, I just, I would hate that.

48:17But I think you're a very brave person. You have to take the chances. And this is why with the acting, as much as I felt, how I felt about, am I taking someone's job? You feel those things. Then if that's the case and you're going to do it, then do it so as you can justify doing it and never be afraid of like doing something new. It's like when I was playing football and they wanted me to do that television show on interviewing people and music guests and that. I said, yeah, yeah, I'll do it. Because you have to do things that kind of take you out of the norm. You know what I mean? I remember David Dean at Arsenal saying it's immoral he's doing this.

48:52I said, what are you talking about? It's immoral. I mean, that kind of craziness. But the thing is, you have to test yourself and do other things. You know what I mean? You might fail, but then I'd rather fail than not have tried. And it's something you hear people say, but it's the truth. Who do you think is going to win the Euros, Ian? Do you think we've got a chance? Massive chance. Really? Massive chance, yeah. Yeah, but you're an optimist, I feel like. No, but the thing is, yeah, but I'm an optimist. You are. I'm an optimist, Jess, but the thing is, we've got... He's a realist as well. You think we're going to win every time, I think.

49:19We've got fabulous players. No, no, you know what it is? I will always... Jude Bellingham. Jude Bellingham. You know, Cobby's just got in there. Cobby, yeah. Declan Rice, Harry Kane. Foden. Foden. My Marcus. Saka. Your Marcus as well. You know, Bramford's just got in. John Stones. Yeah. Trent might be there, hopefully. Dunk. Dunk defending. You like Don from Brighton? Yeah, I think he's good. The only thing is, Jess, it's not like I'm an optimist because of the calibre player we've got. I'm going off at the back of, if they go to their potential, just like Germany do, France do, we can win. And that is what you always, that's what I put my marker on.

49:54The fact that if we perform how we would perform, and if I was playing in that team, what I'm going to bring, if everybody else brings that, then it's going to be very tough to beat us. And so that's why I would always be optimistic. Yeah, Declan Rice, I've got the batting. Exactly. how could I forget that oh my gosh it's a crime it's a crime but like that's why I would say we've got a very good chance but you know I'll say it here first I think Germany have got an unbelievable team if that could so you're saying maybe put a bet on both of them you know something hold on a sec yeah Germany was an old team have they got younger yes yeah because they've gone through the last World Cup they were oh they weren't yeah but now so all the young boys have come up they're starting to come through you know they've got some players that's why they were wasn't it if you put them in last time weren't working out for them but now they've got a team I've not seen them play at all if they click if they click they're going to be a problem oh they can't beat us again I want it for Gareth I want it for Harry I want it for you Ian Wright thank you for being on Table Manners thank you so much and please come back so you're trying to bring the guys yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

51:10I feel very flushed. I don't know whether it's because I've been in the presence of Ian Wright or that I've drunk a bottle of wine. Well, he is football royalty, darling. He's amazing. He's such a delight. So lovely. And hopefully, for all those footballers that listen to this podcast, you no longer need to feel scared about coming on the podcast. We know what we're talking about. Ian Wright has paved the way for all of you to come and join us in New Cross or Clapham. Ian Wright, what an amazing, amazing man. We just scratched the surface. I know. And I loved looking at him. Oh yeah, I bet you did not.

51:42Very Prince-like. He is regal. Yeah. He is regal and great fashion sense. Yeah. Great. He was really cool. So cool. Yeah. Just lovely. But his face, when I gave him the rhubarb, he literally gulped. I could see. he kind of worked round it and then yeah bless him I know I have to say a little combined effort mum it was very good darling it was a very good pavlova I have to say also shout out to Georgina Hayden because I think I saw her do something like this on like Sunday brunch and I didn't copy it but I saw her do rhubarb and pistachio and I think she had rose petals I didn't have rose petals but it was inspired by something that you put up so thanks George and thank you to Willy's Pies and Uncle Righty for absolutely delicious pies.

52:28Uncle Righty. They were gorgeous. You couldn't make that as nice, could you? To be honest, the pastry was fab. Big lumps of chicken. It was fab. Gorgeous. What a gorgeous afternoon. Now I've got to go and pick up my kids. Okay. Thank you to Inwright for coming over, for bringing lunch and for sharing a bottle of wine with us. Okay. Did you think my mashed potato was okay? Very good, Mum. I did add a big knob of butter. Well, I didn't. Well, I did. because I didn't know what was being added, but also I did it with potato ricer. Oh. It makes all the difference. Instead of using the hand blender, it makes it too elasticated.

53:07Yeah, use the potato ricer. It's the best thing I've bought for mashed potatoes. That was really good. Thank you so much for listening. And we'll see you next week.

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