Suranne Jones

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1:18But there's only one Zinn. Check out Zinn.com slash find to find Zinn at a store near you. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. When you think of skyrocketing brands like Aloe, Allbirds, or Skims, it's easy to credit their success to great products, sleek branding, and brilliant marketing. But here's the overlooked secret. The real magic lies in the engine behind the scenes, the business powering their business. For millions of brands, that engine is Shopify, making selling seamless for them and shopping effortless for us. upgrade your business and get the same checkout aloe yoga uses sign up for your one dollar per month trial period at shopify.com retail all lowercase go to shopify.com retail to upgrade your selling today shopify.com retail hello and welcome to table manners i'm jesse wear and I am in Lenny.

2:22You're looking so glamorous today mum. Why darling? I don't know. Maybe it's the green. I have literally rolled in from Glastonbury. Yes I know. And so this is why my voice is slightly husky. I've still got the hair slicked back from Saturday night. Yeah. So apologies for the visual on this because. Did you have a lovely time? I had such a great time. Yeah. Stayed in camper van. I know. Had a really nice time. Made cups of tea and baking bats in the morning. And you could sit down. Yeah, it was great. I loved it. Romy would come over with her wife to come and say hi and we'd have a little chat and a debrief of our night because we were in the same field.

2:59Who was your favourite? Alanis Morissette was incredible. Yeah. The Maccabees was phenomenal. Yeah. And I was very lucky to perform on the Saturday night. With the best gig of the whole thing. With Scissor Sisters, which was... I'd never heard a crowd scream like that. And the football chant for Sir Ian McKellen. Sir Ian McKellen. It was bonkers. It was really, really fun. Good. I had the best time ever, but I am a bit croaky and need to maybe sleep a bit more. Okay. Saw lots of people come up to me saying they love the podcast. Good. Love Lenny asked if you were there. No. No. Don't fancy it anymore?

3:42Not for me, darling. Not for you. No, not for me. Mum's waving a fan because it is the hottest day of the year, I think. Of the whole sodding year, darling. So, we have the brilliant Saran Jones. So excited. Love her. So excited. She's, guess what? What? She comes from Chatterton, where I used to go horse riding. Well, that's quite... Isn't that weird? Where is Chatterton? It's beyond Middleton, just near Heaton Park. Oh, she's a mank. She's a mank. proper manc well she's manc she's chatterton what is there a difference just outside manchester central i don't know if i'm saying like you know um when people say when they're from like winchmore hill they're not really in london yeah kind of a bit okay got it um no she's manchester so um i you not only have you looked after my children this weekend yeah thank you so much i had a really good time with my gorgeous nanny though didn't you i had a lovely time loads of drinks you had a party I flew in from LA on Wednesday morning.

4:41I then did the Archers podcast. With Emma Freud. With Emma Freud, the guy who plays Will Grundy, and the writer of all the Archers. And now I know everything you need to know about poaching. Mum, maybe you should get in the writer's room for the Archers. Maybe I should be on the Archers, a guest appearance. Is that fan doing your lesson? The fan, Mum, you're going to have to put the fan down. Darling, do you want me to look sweaty or fanny? I just want the people to hear the dulcet tones of Lenny Ware. Okay. I love doing it. I love Emma Freud. And she's joined our Clap and What's Up Archer's group.

5:16Oh, my God. Love it. So, what have you made today? It smells lovely. It's so hot. I've made an onion tart tartan. Yum. With Roscoff onions that I got delivered that cost me£16 for the keylet. Wow. Got them delivered from Amazon. and then I've made a lemon herb creme fraiche thing that goes on the top of it. A salad. And then I've done a watermelon rose trifle with strawberries. Who knows what it's going to be like, but it has been chilling for a while. What's so special about a roscoff onion? I don't know, darling. They're supposed to be particularly sweet. I hope it's nice. So, Saran Jones is coming on to talk about her new Netflix show, Hostage.

6:03I've watched three episodes I think I've watched four oh my goodness it's really good it's compelling she can explain it when she gets here but basically she plays the Prime Minister and stuff goes down yeah it's very very exciting it's dramatic exciting she's played so many different parts she was in that submarine one what was that one that was so good Vigil that was so good loved Vigil My Gentleman Jack Gentleman Jack yeah she's also played a GP Dr. Foster Dr. Foster that was so good she's a bad girl in that yep she's not a bad girl in it she is she plots against her husband yeah because he's an arsehole yeah he was he deserved it but she's just so good at everything she does she's so brilliant and she's a bit of a treasure to us and this hostage show is really dramatic like it felt slightly like 24 almost the drama of it Julie Delpy oh yeah before sunrise and after sunset is it before sunset or after sunset she plays the French Prime Minister it's really really really good and you're going to love it and we'll be chatting to Seren about that I've met her very briefly we've DM'd each other that's what's going on and she said that she wanted to be on the podcast ages ago she was in Scott and Bailey Do you remember that?

7:32No, I didn't watch it. Oh, I loved it. She was with Leslie Sharp and Amelia Bulmore. Yeah, listen, Saran Jones has been a fan of Table Manners since 2020. That's when she slid into my DM saying, love your podcast, keeping me company on my walks. Oh, good. Yeah, so I'm very excited about this. Anyway, Saran Jones coming up on Table Manners.

8:06Saran Jones, welcome to Table Manners. Finally, we have you at the table. I'm so excited to be here. It's been a long time. You shouldn't have bought that beautiful bowl. It's so absolutely gorgeous. It's like a wedding present. I wanted to bring you flowers, but I think maybe it was the flower florist because of the wilting. I think all the flowers are wilting, yeah. It's beautiful. I think she's done better out. Yeah, I think I have. Jessie's got her eye on it. No, I can see. It's very good depth. Yeah. How are you? I'm all right, thanks. Yeah, good, busy. Well, exactly how I imagined you'd look.

8:40Just as gorgeous and warm and everything. Can I just say something right now? What? Saran's got a scrunchie in, Mum. Oh, God. Oh, are you? No, again, scrunchies. She's like... Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie Bradshaw knows scrunchies. Oh, sorry. But I've got them in, Saran. She says people from New York wouldn't wear scrunchies. They would now. Do you think? Yeah. So under here is bleach blonde. So not for the hostage role, but for a role I've just done. So she's come out of prison. She's a fraudster. And so it's all like bleach blonde. And I had it. It goes like that gingery colour as well. Like you've just done sunning or something.

9:18Yeah, exactly. So I'm on my way there again now. So it needs good toning. So right now it's not good. You know, like the condition's not good. so the scrunchies are going to be here for the summer, I'm afraid. You look great, though, in Hostage. I loved it when you slicked your hair back. Yeah. It was really cool. For the dinner. The dinner. I loved it. So my makeup designer, Lena, I was out with her yesterday for her 40th. She's so brilliant, and so I had an idea that I wanted to chop my hair off for it. And then we got this amazing hairdress called Lewis Byrne, and he did that short cut with a little flick.

9:52So it's a wig at first, and then as many, you know, like politicians do, they either look awful within the first month, or they have like things that are going to like take them less time, like a shortcut or whatever, so we did that for that. But my son fucking hated it. He was like, Mummy, don't come and pick me up at school. Why do children hate it when you cut your hair? Because you don't look like mum. Yeah, all my daughter wants is my long ponytail back. Saran, I used to go horse riding in Chatterton. did you yeah how like how because I lived in Presswich oh right that's where I'm from yeah yeah so and the the horse riding was in Chatterton and it was in the kind of it was in the shadow of a big mill around that way yes yeah and so and I used to go there I was terrified and I remember it was Chatterton how funny because like no one mentions Chatterton although we we did put because I worked with a writer on Hostage that she's from Oldham because in the first scene they talk about the Oldham FC her football club and then because I was like oh I don't know if I wanted to be exactly like from where I'm from but then actually there's something quite nice about that representation of someone who's you know that powerful so did you ever go horse riding in Chadderton I'm not good with horses to be honest neither am I no and so when I did frightened actually i'm frightened of them but when i did gentleman jack i had to shoot one and so just before there was a scene where i like laid my head on him and took his you know she's polymath she does everything she's interested in everything so she was taking his temperature and his heart and whatever and oh and i had to ride a carriage so i went to the devil's something or other oh god God, I've stopped taking my menopause medication.

11:42I literally can't remember anything. Anyway, the devil's something, which is like a big horse riding place. And, yeah, it's like they all smell of piss, don't they? Like, it's a really strong smell. See, I don't. If you brush them, it gets on you. Oh, it's like a pissy smell. Like the strong... That's so not what I thought you were going to say. No. That is hysterical. No, I can't smell that. I take her daughter, my granddaughter, a horse riding. I'm not that keen on it because I'm like, people get injured on horses. She's so keen and she just loves them. And we have to feed them polos and stroke them and do everything before we leave because she loves it.

12:20I've never noticed the wee smell. Maybe because I was grooming them, doing a bit of mucking out and all that stuff. Because as part of the method acting type thing, they have me in there doing all that. So I just remember going to Tesco's afterwards and having the horses and going, oh, I don't like that smell. Do you do a lot of method for each role? Is that kind of your preparation? Not really. I mean, I guess depending what the role... I love research. I wasn't very good at school, but I guess that's my callback to, you know, like something that you're interested in. so I do a lot of reading I like to meet a lot of people and chat about the roles for Anne Lister there was a lot of research I could do obviously there was the diaries and there was a lot of historians that I could talk to pictures that I could see so I get quite geeky about that for vigil I did meet someone a detective obviously did you ever go in a submarine?

13:14no well no because it was a huge set in Glasgow and then we went into Covid so that was really difficult because like they had to like take the sets apart and they reduced the amount of extras and it got quite stressful because shooting in a submarine of all things in the middle of covid was in your bubbles i remember just everyone being really anxious i mean that came across on the telly like which was probably quite good but so yeah i geek out before but when i'm doing it no i just kind of get on with it because which politicians did you speak to before this i don't think i'm allowed to say but i did speak to three really high up women from different parties and i'd read their books and i interviewed them and that was very exciting i don't know which party you are in this no and you shouldn't yeah you should kind of know i think it's your left wing your labor yes but then i'm not very happy about the lack of prescriptions but is that a leftover from Brexit I don't think you're allowed to specify but you will all know so let's talk about Hostage because I think I've watched four episodes, congrats it feels like everyone's going to be discussing it, watching it, it's really captivating, it's gripping it's stressful, great cast great cast Julie Delpy, is she lovely?

14:42Yeah, amazing like fun to be around amazing stories as you would expect give you any um ethan hawke stories about filming no but there was a lot of stories that are like unrepeatable like in the makeup trailer she was one of those that you're just like hang on a minute everyone and judy would be talking in the corner and then everyone would go quiet and go oh my god great yeah she was one of those um and then the stepson he was cory yes he would played uh prince george or something or king George or something. Yeah, I'm sure the girls will go. He's gorgeous. He's gorgeous. And he's fab. And funny.

15:17Yeah. And then we've got two musicians. We've got Jenny Beth. Jenny Beth from Savages. Yeah. Jenny Beth. Who's she playing? She's playing the advisor to the French Prime Minister. Is she not French? She is French. She's amazing rock star. And Ashley Thomas, Bashy, who plays my husband, who's a Grimes star. I know. Oh! Yeah, he's like... Oh, he's bashing. Yeah. And so obviously we did chemistry tests and when he came in, it was just like, oh, you're intriguing, handsome, lovely, smart, intelligent. And then we met our daughter, who is also brilliant, Izzy. She's fabulous. And that was her first job as well.

16:02Really? She's gorgeous. Yeah, she's really good, really super talented. Did you film the Downing Street bits in Downing Street? No, they built... So we had this amazing, Arwell Jones was our designer. So he built a downing street. He designed the inside and then we built the outside street so we could do the bits that you may or may not have seen then, I think, in four. You've seen four? I've seen four. She hasn't. Yeah, because we needed to build the exterior. You've played Prime Minister, Detectives, Abaddon. Doctors. A doctor. Was GP? Read GP? a really kind of degenerate policewoman with Leslie Shaw where I was worried about your choice of men and your alcoholism at the time yeah yeah and you played gay people you've been married to a woman in vigil who do you like playing do you like being powerful like like prime minister I think what I wanted to do was so I set up my business with my husband a couple years ago and because of a situation that I'd had that I wasn't very happy in and the people that I was working with I was like oh I just I want nice people around and I and I want to create I want to find new talent I want to create my teams so these last three jobs are really special to me because they all came out of that kind of wave of knowing what I've loved and then what I wanted to go on to so the producing has been great i think that now i'm kind of there from the start the middle and the end three times as much work and it's knackering as well with the family and all that are you a producer on this as well yeah last three so that would have been the last three is uh hostage frauds and i play amy lee wood's mum in a comedy coming up um which is called film club I did that one for Love.

17:53I'm not a producer on that one. And then these two, I've been a creator and then just a producer and actor on this one. And it's satisfying. So satisfying. Can we take it back to Chatterton and tell us who was round the dinner table and what you were eating? Oh, God, Chatterton. So I always remember Chatterton. There was a big window and the dinner table was round. And it was like you pulled half of it down. So it was a semicircle. And we'd have like cows. there was a big pylon outside and then we'd have cows and then a horse called Tango they could come right up to the window so would often you'd be eating your Sunday lunch and then you'd have them like literally looking in was it your horse no no it was just next to a farmer's field which was then next to a road it doesn't sound as nice as I'm painting it but it was cute and then there was a park up the road and so that'd be my dad my mum and my brother always in the same seats always in the same seats yes uh with a doorbell going one of my mates coming in you know like wanting a bit which my dad would get really pissed off at because he'd be like we've made enough food for us and now you're bringing your bloody mates round really annoyed and then so they'd have to sit on the sofa which is we had a kind of a small house so it would all be in one room in the living room yeah and what was a particularly memorable dish well when i say oh my dad's always annoyed at not having enough so that would that took me right back to uh taterash taterash hash potato hash yeah like a potato with corn you can do it with corned beef but but we did it with mince is it oh is it potatoes gravy tater ash or hash oh right potato hash all right taterash okay yeah we're northern yeah i love that yeah right but i think corned beef hash is the thing isn't it but we call it tater hash so did you just kind of mix instead of it being like a layer of mince and then the potato like a shepherd's pie or a cottage pie you mix it all in together yeah onions potatoes carrots sometimes a stock and it would just be like literally potato potatoes mince and graving or boiled at the same time was it yeah mince meat or was it corned beef mincemeat my nan did corned beef did you like corned beef i didn't like the corned beef no i don't know the last time i had a corned beef no it's not really the people don't really have it now why is it called corned beef because it's the way it's they tin it i mean it's probably about 10 years old by the time you eat it oh really it's in a tin yeah but i would do if you gave me a corned beef sandwich with brown sauce and i would really enjoy that yeah it's The saltiness.

20:36And I like the texture. Yeah. And pud? Pud, a viennette from the fridge, probably. They love viennette. Yeah. It was kind of like, there was always a roast dinner. On a Sunday? On a Sunday. And you went to church? And we went to church, yeah. Not my dad, my mum, my nan, and me and my brother, until we got old enough to say, no, sorry, fuck that. Do you go to church now? No, I don't. But you do lots of Christian Aid. I used to, yeah. and and still would but for me I I guess I had a lot of gay mates when I was younger and that's the first sign to go actually certainly then to go hmm this is not aligning with the Catholic Church and and your views and so probably that's when I first started to fall out and find my own way and you know I've just done a documentary on witches you know my you know my thing is what serves you spiritually i like crystals and i like healing and i i like back to nature and i do see you get on great me and you she's always got a crystal going yeah you should watch it my reiki lady just asked me if i needed a session this week because our post-classman break yes do it yeah do you have reiki yeah yeah i'll do i think i need it yeah it's lovely yeah just to put your like sent her back together where do you get all your crystals from different places but from my travels so the documentary i got some really good ones because i went to salem and germany and then i met these amazing witches on pendle hill and we did a four moon ceremony on pendle hill with the witches and they were like oh they were just like right we are gathered here today to do you know there was some like witches dressed like traditional witches and there were some like people with bobby hats on and like scarves just normal mums and it was you had like an alphabet there with a proper hat oh yeah she yeah because that's how she rolls love it i bet you loved wicked oh i love wicked so much yeah me too so i yeah i've collected crystals as i've gone on the way and then there's a place in norfolk that i love as well called pookie's so saran besides your cauldron what do you cook when you're at home very good learning yeah yeah very good i'm i'm not I could cook are you not?

22:58no I'm not and I wish I could be better but you have to you've got a child I know fuck what mum someone's got to cook she can go to the shops and get some or she can have somebody else cook it I do feed him and one of the best like things ever is like when he eats a full plate of food it's so satisfactory I know it's beautiful I know so like when we take him out for Sunday lunch and he's got gravy everywhere and I'm just like oh my god this is so are you sure you're not Jewish? maybe Maybe, maybe somewhere down the line. But I just, that makes me so happy. The thrill of people eating. How old is he?

23:30In nine, yeah. But no, I'm not, I'm just not very good. I do try and I take every summer off and my husband always says, oh, I wonder what mum's making us. Like what surprise will be in this dish? Because I try and experiment, but it's, yeah. Does that go well? I think, I think it's always great, but they always, yeah, I think they prefer to eat out. what's your favorite cuisine then if you're going out i love italian um i love indian not too spicy though especially now with the pair of menopause because do you think that's changed your yeah because tolerance yeah things make me so hot and maybe that's why i don't like spicy are you going through the menopause no darling how many women have you had on this show talking about menopause Quite a lot, actually.

24:20Yeah, and I feel like it's being allowed to be talked about more. It feels like more open, right? Yeah, yeah. Sarah Cox was talking about menopause. I've had loads of people talking about menopause. Are you hungry? Starving. Okay, yeah, because it's kind of late. And that's probably my fault because I had to get back from Fast and Browse. Of course, yes. So thank you. I know, and I was going to come later, but I've got to pick my little boy up because my husband... so we we are president and patrons of a little theater in norfolk in sherringham so he has written a play for them so he's going off to norfolk to do that and you've got a and now i've got to pick the boy up yeah fair enough thank you so whilst mum gets some of the food ready i've done nothing by the way i'm just letting you know yeah mum has done everything okay gorgeous what would be something that you would cook us then out of your tiny repertoire No, but like, you know, firstly, yeah, out of your repertoire, I'd love to know.

25:17But also, is there anyone that's gone particularly wrong when you've tried to experiment? So when me and Laurence first met, I'd do sandwiches for him, you know, to send him to work with sandwiches. And so I'd often put like ingredients, you know, like a slipper gherkin in a sandwich that wouldn't, or maybe a bit of like, you know, jam or whatever. So it's that kind of thing that you're possibly isn't to everyone's taste, but might be to mine. But oh, so you'd have like jam in a cheese and some whatever, you know, and just put that aside. But I, you know, a chutney. Yeah. Or like, you know, a quince jelly goes with a manchego.

25:53I don't think you're too far off. Exactly. I think, you know what, I think I'm quite jealous of people that can just knock up like a big... Me too. You're good, Mum. I can't knock up. I think that's why I'm a bit obsessed with like this podcast or anything to do with food. watching people who have the confidence to just throw things together. Whereas I'd go in tonight if it was me doing my son's tea. I'd do a tuna steak maybe or a salmon. It's not like I literally can't do anything. Would he eat a tuna steak and a salmon? Yeah, he would. Oh my God, I'm so jealous. My eight-year-old's into sushi.

26:30Yeah. Less of the kind of fishy ones. She really just liked the cucumber and the avocado, but she'd do the salmon. And how pretty it looks. Yeah, so cute. Yeah, he'd eat salmon steak. kiddie tuna with rice and a drizzle of something love soy sauce loves marmite so i think he likes kind of salty i love marmite yeah i have really imposed it on my children and they do yeah they love it yeah it's worked so i'll put that in gravy yeah and stuff and um i can do a roast dinner so i think like the basics are covered off but no i mean like like whatever it is that you're going to give me now i'm gonna be well jealous yeah it's just that thing isn't it of like i'll do a boiled egg and a salad or i'll do very simple stuff but i don't think i was i wasn't brought up with someone that cooked we had a lot of finder's crispy pancakes we had a lot of mini kievs delicious though like i remember when they were very in vogue yeah and mum would get them once in a while and i'd be like oh my god we're having a chicken yeah boiling the bag cod loved it with the parsley sauce, boil in the bag, beef curry.

27:34Oh, I never had that. Which was like powder. And then you and boiling like that was what my dad would make. But then they do a Sunday dinner. And then then it started to creep into like spag bol, which obviously I can do. And simple curries. I think, you know, when you're busy and you're literally working all hours, I find it quite hard to look after myself. Right. So maybe I just don't bring it home because I'm away for months at a time like the beginning of this year i was away for four months where were you in tenerife and it's tricky and quite a good time to be in tenerife though isn't it early yeah yeah it's hard being away from your kids but i was away for a long time this is an onion tart tart that looks amazing delicious i've never cooked before it does smell it's like giving me like it's it's like making my saliva glands go so tell me how you did that i bought roscoff onions because he said they were the best they seem to be sweeter and you caramelize this with sugar and butter and sherry vinegar so you chop them all up chop them up yeah then you put them in a skillet thing yeah and then you put butter and sugar on the bottom and sherry vinegar you put the pastry on the top and then you cook it on the stove for 20 minutes rotating every five minutes and then put it in the oven for 20 minutes So, God knows.

28:56I could do that. You could do that. It's easy. So the question is, I think, really, because I could do that, and I often think I could do that, and I save lots of recipes, etc. What stops me from doing it is maybe... Fear. Fear, or just... The faff, darling. The faff, right, yeah. Have that on top. Thank you. And this is? It's creme fraiche with chives, parsley and lemon. Mmm.

29:52We'll see you next time. Grainger.com or just out by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. The market's uncertain. Revenue's tied and hiring on hold. That's why results-driven companies are using Upwork to keep work moving. Go to Upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead. No rigid long-term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com. Post a job for free and get started today. If you're a smoker or vapor ready to make a change, you really only need one good reason.

30:36But with Zinn Nicotine Pouches, you'll discover many good reasons. Zinn is America's number one nicotine pouch brand. Plus, Zinn offers a robust rewards program. There are lots of options when it comes to nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zinn. Check out Zinn.com slash find to find Zinn at a store near you. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. When you think of skyrocketing brands like Aloe, Allbirds, or Skims, it's easy to credit their success to great products, sleek branding, and brilliant marketing. But here's the overlooked secret. The real magic lies in the engine behind the scenes, the business powering their business.

31:18For millions of brands, that engine is Shopify, making selling seamless for them and shopping effortless for us. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout Aloe Yoga uses. Sign up for your$1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash retail, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash retail to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com slash retail.

31:48Would you like some salad or bread? Yeah, I'll take salad, please. Mmm. Do you like it? I do. Oh, good. Yeah, it is delicious. Thanks, Mum. So your connection to Norfolk, is it through your husband? We went there on an anniversary to Goldstone Blackingstock. He's a chef that my husband knew when... Because my husband used to work in TV years ago. And... Is that how you met? No, we met at Sally Lindsay and Steve White's wedding. So Sally Lindsay was in Corrie with me. And Laurence used to do press. And that's how we met Steve. Steve's the one that used to drum for Paul Weller. You met at a wedding.

32:26This sounds like a rom-com. Was it like a rom-com? No, not really. Well, there was rom-com elements. But we met at the wedding. And he was chatting to me. And it was starting to rain. So he put his jacket over me. I was like, oh, who's this bloke? Oh, how nice. Were you quite irritated or were you like, hang on, this is, you know, chivalry? Yeah, I know. I just thought, oh, interesting. And then we started chatting. He was quite funny. Then there was shared toilet. God, where's this going, Sir? It was, no, no, no. No, God, no. People were like throwing up in them by the end of the night. It was that kind of wedding.

33:02And then there's a picture of us on the night that we met. And I was wearing a purple dress and he was wearing a purple tie. Because there was a wedding photographer. so that's quite sweet that we have that like picture and then I was dancing with my mate guy and Lawrence came up to us and I was like oh my god this I'm thinking yeah this guy's gonna come and try and ask me if I want to dance he did but he didn't take me he took my friend so he said fancy a dance and then took my mate who was a boy and whisked him around the dance floor which obviously was a very good move because that was very funny and my mate was like and got all hot and he was like oh he's quite fit yeah he knew what he was doing yeah he did yeah and then i was i was in a play called orlando uh virginia so i went back to manchester and i was concentrating on that and then at the christmas i got a text because we'd swap numbers and he was like hey how are you and then he came to watch the play and then we got engaged like five months after we're married nine months after that.

34:07And then a baby. It was really quick. Do you want some more, Jess? Yeah, delicious. Do you like it? It's really good. Delicious. Yeah. Where did you get married? It was just me and him. Islington, townhome. Love Islington. Yeah. It's such a great place to get married. It was sweet. And we had a photographer who was a witness and a makeup artist who was a witness. And that was it. Where did you go for your dinner afterwards? The Bingham in Richmond. So she slept all the way from Islington to Richmond. I don't know why we did that, but maybe someone had just told us about the Binghamton. So who came to that?

34:43Just four of you? No, so at the time, my dad was still around, but my mum, we'd lost my mum. Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you. And so we decided that we were going to do, we just wanted it ourselves. And as well, I just, I just, I wanted that for me. And not everybody had met him either. Because it had been quite quick. Yeah. So I didn't want it to be, I didn't want anyone going, who's this? Or, you know, any of those questions. Or I just wanted it just to be me and him. So we took my mum and dad's wedding album. And there's pictures of us looking at the wedding album. And then we played their song at the wedding and all that.

35:23And then we had, like, a playlist. And so I made sure we included it in that way. And also, you know, we'd obviously told my dad what we wanted to do. and then we said we were going to have a party. Well, we got back and then we never had a party. Oh, mate. You need to have Wednesday. You went to your anniversary. 10th is coming up, actually, so we could do that, yeah. Yeah, because life just got in the way and we just didn't do it, but we absolutely should. Can I go in again? Yes, you can. I'm so pleased you liked it. Thank you, I do. Do you think it was worth it for the onions? I really do. Yeah.

35:55Those, yeah. Yeah, but the sherry vinegars made them sweet. This is like a perfect lunch. Thank you. I didn't know what to make because of the timing. So, oh, God, you won't need to do them. Now, start thinking, you know this podcast, because me and you have been messaging since 2020. I looked, and you're saying that you loved it. It must have been during COVID, I feel like, that you were going on these walks. You're saying you're accompanying me on walks. I looked too. So you'd asked me to come on, and my reason for not coming on is because I wanted to come and meet you and eat your food. That's what I said.

36:29Yes. And then I felt bad. I was like, oh, no, maybe I should just do it because people need things to listen to. But I was so adamant that I wanted to come meet you properly. Not on Zoom. Yeah. And also anything with food, I'm like, I want to eat the food. You know the drill, Saran. So you need to give us your last supper. Start a main pud and drink of choice. So it would be an old-fashioned 70s prawn cocktail. Do a lot of people say that? Yeah. Yeah. It's really weird. It's come back, hasn't it, Jess? But where have you had, like, where's your memory of that, that you really love it? The schoolhouse in Middleton, which was a restaurant that all the family used to go to.

37:09So it was the only restaurant. So everyone's birthday, everyone's, you know, it was that restaurant. And my nana, Bertha, my granddad, Bob, when everyone was alive, because we've lost so many people in the family, my mum, my dad, my auntie Barbara, my uncle Lawrence, they've all gone. She's had gone too. Yeah. I'm sorry. So there's so many. So when I think of that, oh, God, I could cry. Don't you make me cry. No, I know. I cry easily. It hits you sometimes, doesn't it? Yeah, it hits you. And you think, I wish they were here. Yeah, especially when you talk about a table like that of, like, so many people.

37:41And my nana always used to have got, like, a little mole on my arm. My nana always used to scratch my arm because she thought it was gravy. And it's a big mole. She must have done it every time we went out. So it was there. So that's the posh starter would be that. So I'd probably jazz it up a bit now. And we always had Black Forest Gato. Because they'd wheel out the... The dessert trolleys. Yeah. I wish there were dessert trolleys now. Because you never really know what you want from the menu. You want a little new. You're right. You're right. Bring back dessert trolleys. Exactly. And then my Nana would always say, can we have a doggy bag?

38:18Which my husband still does. For Pippin. And Pippin was this fucking massive Labrador that was... I don't know if... Didn't need the doggy bag. Didn't need the doggy bag. I don't know if Pippin had legs because I never saw Pippin walk. It was literally like a puddle of a dog in the corner of my nana's house. So wrapped up in foil and they'd do like a handle. Oh, make it like a swan. Yeah. And then it makes out of foil. So, and then we'd go for a walk in the garden. So that's good memories for that. And then I'd have my dad's steak and mash, which is like a braised steak with a gravy with onions in and carrots.

38:53very sweetly he I said to him could you write it down for me because my mum had gone and I said dad I just need you to write it down but oh right well uh you write it I said no I want it in your handwriting right and then I've got a picture of it because it didn't last because he'd he'd written it in a shitty pencil you know and it had stains on it and it was just yeah but I have a picture of it and he'd put don't know how much on you know on one bit and very sweet and I made it for my son recently and he said yeah it's all right but i had such an emotional did it taste like your dad's not quite no no not quite but maybe the steak was wrong the steak was a bit tough or maybe it was just what the seasoning like it was bistro or something that he might have just yeah because his steak was so soft and you just have to cook it forever oh yeah that's all okay i promise you well they'll go in just four hours job yeah yeah so that with mash and i don't really eat mash now but I'd have that with buttery, buttery mash.

39:53And what's your drink? Champagne, probably. See, I've got some in there. I love a champagne. It's too hot today to drink. God, I've never heard you say that. It's even too hot for me. Really? Even too hot for Rosa? Yeah. Well, I've got a bottle going, yeah, in case. We haven't got your dessert. Would it be the Black Forest Gato on the trolley? No, I think it would be frozen berries with a white chocolate sauce. Ooh. Which I think they used to serve. Where did they serve it? Ivy. In the Ivy. So that reminds me of when I first had money and I'd be able to go to, you know, a nice restaurant. So when I was in Corrie.

40:36Because the Ivy, they used to put ketchup on the tables, didn't they, as well? Did they? I'm sure they did. Because it felt like, oh, I'm okay to be in here. You know, that kind of crossover between, A, growing up, going from being a barmaid to then, you know, 20 million people watching you get married on a soap. And also back then in Manchester, Man United and Corrie were really huge. Now it's, it was so saturated and there's, you know, there's a lot of, so much content, but then it was less and it was intense. So... Yeah, because in Manchester, if you're in Corrie, it's like you're a god aren't you you're kind of a princess or god it's wow mom love what is this i don't well rose and watermelon trifle watermelon you don't even like watermelon why have you done like it quite as in it could be too wet underneath you may just be a weird consistency but the actual bottom bit is it's very refreshing though yeah yeah it looks all right Oh, that looks sturdy.

41:42Oh, no, that is, there's a whole layer of watermelon. Mmm. I've never had watermelon with cream. Neither have I. But you are now. Right. And the bottom, the cakey bit, is called an, it's an almond dacis. So it's almonds. Did you have to make it? Yeah. Wow, Mum. So I made this this morning. Do you both have sweet tooths? No, not really. Less, but I will eat this and enjoy it. Yeah, I've developed a sweet tooth, yeah. Right, let's try this. Hold on. Do you like it? It's quite heavy on the rose water, man. Hold on. But that was the whole point, darling. So do you infuse the watermelon with the rose water?

42:20Yeah. Yeah. It's a watermelon. Oh, it's nice. Oh, I quite like it. That almond thing's really good. Do you like it? It's a bit different, isn't it? Rose always reminds me of, you know when you had a baby doll? You know, the smell of a baby doll's head. It's the plastic, isn't it, of the baby doll? but whenever I smell rose, it takes me back to... At the moment, you think you're eating baby dogs. So do you think this is a good combo? It's really peculiar, but it's kind of working for me. Did you get this from somewhere or you just thought, I didn't make it up? No. It's from the New York Times. And I just saw it on Instagram.

42:57But I quite like the rose water on the melon. And it's nice and crunchy for a change. Jessie, you're not sure. No, it's just there's a lot going on. but it's kind of really refreshing. I knew it was going to be a hot day and I thought watermelon will do us. I love it. So it must have been like all eyes on you when you were living in Manchester. It was night getting to any club, any restaurant, no doubt. Yeah. Did any footballers approach you to go out on dates? No, but I saw a lot of footballers all the time on Dean's Gate lot. And that lasted through kind of like exactly my time at Corrie because I was in Corrie 20...

43:37six years ago which just feels like a lifetime away. So it was around that time when Honord Bex left by that point maybe. I know Ryan Giggs was big at the time and Paul Scholes who also went to my school. Oh really? So yes Paul Scholes went to my school and Steve Coogan went to my school. Steve Coogan's brother taught me history. Oh my god. At Cardinal Langley and it was huge it was like the you know paps were chasing us and it was all it was just a different time you know you must remember from being coming up in but like i've never had paps like i can't even imagine how that must have been not fun not fun not we're not when you're young i don't think and also it was around the time of i mean it is now and it's certainly coming back now but of people needing to look a certain way and all of that ring of shame that's that's the era that we're talking about yeah yeah darling do you want a bit more i'm gonna have more oh i'm so pleased do you feel like I mean because I think of you as quite private you know you do your work you're not at the opening of an envelope you do great work and we don't know a lot about your private life which is like but then it's so mad do you think that's been a reaction huge reaction from yeah from that time inquiry yeah because I think I was in the press a lot back then and I had people outside my house I was being followed I do think it was a particular time and everyone was so young you know like we were all like mid-twenties I didn't go to university so that's my that was my university I think really finding yourself all of that and then all the awards I won quite a lot of awards then because people loved Karen because she was kind of feisty people thought I was maybe like Karen so I think the press loved the character and wanted something interesting for me so when I joined we went from three to four or four to five episodes I can't remember what it was but it was a huge shift so we were just in more episodes more times in people's living rooms and like I said Karen was really wild so people just thought that I was which I was thank you that really was delicious were you kind of 8 30 to bed girl then no okay fine no i was i was out partying i was going to everything i was enjoying myself yeah i was dating i was doing all of that yeah with my corrie group that i still like get on with now you know so me sally and jenny and jenny mac jenny james sally lindsey and myself anthony cotton and ger longsdale there was so many of us that were just kind of thrown into it all and we were really enjoying it before we let you go which i don't really want to let you go but can you um tell us any of your favorite spots to eat in an italian that you love i love claridge's i love claridge's i do who's the chef there now i don't know used to be gordon ramsay yeah i love the whole thing and i just yeah everything yeah so i like to dress up and go with my hubby for if we like have a special or we call it the tea maker's Christmas lunch, but there's only me and him that's in our production company, so that's our Christmas lunch.

46:48Tea makers, is that the production company? Yeah. So how do you like your tea? I can't drink tea since I had my boy. Why? Loved tea, loved it, and then, is it the tanning in it? It was so strong that I went out for an afternoon tea and I was like, oh my God, the smell is awful. and then from that point on I could be upstairs and Lauren's could be making tea and it's like it stinks, I can't How are you doing with red wine? That's got that name Oh, I don't know, don't drink red wine That's a shame that your production company's So yeah, so tea makers or team Akers, so my second name is Akers Okay, fine, clever Oh God, you're really stuck with that now Yeah, yeah, coffee makers isn't it?

47:34It rolls off the tongue and then I love Balthazar for just popping in to town. Where is Balthazar? Since Covent Garden. I've never been to the one in London actually. You may have already answered this, Saran, but can you give us a taste that can transport you back somewhere or a scent? I'm trying to think of like my mum, oh no, I know, Battenberg. Like a slice of Battenberg. It's my mum and my nana. So we'd go to my nana's house and she'd give me a pound whenever we went to my nana's house this bertha nana bertha yeah yeah and a slice of battenberg and she'd also always put a plate out with whatever biscuits she had in and then whatever crisps she had in you know like as in she just wanted to she was a feeder and the battenberg is the thing and then my mom loved the battenberg as well not that i buy it much but what would we if we came to your house and we opened your fridge what would we find in there a lot of eggs love for loads how do you have your eggs or would you just boil them what like so we've got always a boiled egg to pick up so we're very similar yeah me and my kids love a hardballed egg hardballed yeah pop it in as a snack in butter in a cup salt and pepper or egg mayonnaise gorgeous delicious so many do you use salad cream or mayo i love a salad cream do you like karaoke not keen well Well, actually, talking about Corrie, there was a place called the Press Club in Manchester.

49:01And so I would always get up and have a sing. Which song? Well, now I just think, oh, my God, I did that so, so many times. I loved Bette Midler. I still love Bette Midler. But The Rose. I would always bang out The Rose. But it's not a very, like, upbeat song. I love Diana Ross. So maybe a Supreme song. Or do you like karaoke? I've actually never done it. But I do love the idea of it. Can you sing? no not really I can hold a tune but I think that's going to be our team Christmas outing I thought we were going to an escape room do you I do love that idea too I think we should do an escape room and not eat this year just to really kill each other be like squid game with me and you I would like to see that so it will be documented yes Saran thank you so much for being on the podcast thanks for having me good luck with Hostage and I can't wait for the Witches documentary it's on now you can watch it on Channel 4 yes get on it I'm going to.

49:59And I'm excited about this Tenerife project that you did earlier this year. That's boards coming up. Yeah. And just thank you so much for taking the time. Thank you. Thanks for having me. After Glastonbury as well. And in the heat. No, it's, it's, thank you. It's a pleasure. It's anything for you.

50:30I love Saran Jones. She is just fab. She is gorgeous, lovely, interesting, open, gives good prezzies. And it had second helpings, so we just love her. You can come again, Saran. She had second helpings. And I was going to say she's just your cup of tea, but that probably wouldn't be very out now. Hostage is going to be out in August on Netflix with a brilliant, brilliant cast. It will be... The one to watch. Yeah, absolutely. come back from your holes need cheering up watch hostage gripping mum the food was so nice i loved that tart to town wasn't it good there's no but i'm waiting for it i'm not sure about the watermelon in i'm not sure i would have almost i think it's really interesting it was different it was really different that's why i did and incredibly refreshing i think if i was going to do it again i'd just do strawberries but the strawberries are sweeter and i just thought the water look i'm not sure i would do it in the winter no i think that it's just interesting because it was a hot day yeah it's such a great idea it was cool it was refreshing it wasn't heavy the um dacis was a bit of a fat but that was so delicious the almond bit yeah that was amazing you know crunchy spongy almond bit.

51:47Yum. That's just, that was five egg whites. Oh yeah. And ground almonds. They clearly don't have ground almonds in America because he told me to grind my almonds. Oh. So I'm not doing that love. We'll see you next week for more table manners. We will. Hopefully it'll be slightly less hot. Yeah. Maybe.

52:21We'll see you next time.

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