5 O' Clock Apron

Actor Lisa McGrillis cooks Chicken Schnitzel with a Sour Cream, Cucumber & Potato Salad

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Lisa McGrillis is an actor. Born in Carlisle to Irish parents, Lisa grew up surrounded by family, food, and humour - three things that still shape her life today. She studied drama in Newcastle, got her start in regional theatre, and had her London breakthrough when Lee Hall’s Pitman Painters transferred to the National Theatre. Since then, she’s become a familiar face on stage and screen, from Mum alongside Lesley Manville to her current role as the gloriously over-the-top Valerie in Rivals.

When she’s not filming in Bristol or learning lines, Lisa is at home in London with her husband, also an actor, and their two children. Food is central to her family life, a connection that runs deep thanks to her Austrian grandmother — “Big Nanny” — whose recipes still inspire Lisa’s cooking today.

In this episode, Claire arrives at Lisa’s London home to cook one of those beloved family dishes: chicken schnitzel with Big Nanny’s potato salad. Together they peel, chop, and bread the chicken while reminiscing about Lisa’s roots, the chaos of raising kids, life on a busy TV set, and the joys (and nerves) of performing live theatre. There’s also a well-stocked fridge to explore, some very handy kitchen gadgets courtesy of Lisa’s dad, and a celebratory glass of Crémant to toast the cooking session.

The result? A comforting family meal with a side of laughter, memories, and a glimpse into the real life of an actor balancing stage, screen, and supper.

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England Rugby Prop Sarah Bern cooks pre match day Carbonara

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 05:00:00 -0000

For this episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, Claire travels to Bristol to cook with England rugby prop Sarah Bern - just a stone’s throw from Ashton Gate Stadium, where Sarah hopes to be battling it out in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals this September. With her own flat mid-renovation, Sarah borrows a friend’s beautiful (and admittedly “too swanky to be mine”) kitchen for the occasion.

Between whisking eggs and grating Pecorino for Sarah’s pre-match favourite, spaghetti carbonara (no cream allowed - “straight to hell” if you do, so they say), the pair dive into Sarah’s remarkable rugby journey. From earning her first England cap at 18, to playing in two previous World Cups, to preparing for the gruelling demands of the next, Sarah reveals the technical finesse of life as a tighthead prop - part maximum squat, part chess match. Sarah’s instagram @sarahbern3 is a paean to what it takes to be an athlete on the international stage, determination, ambition and a true love of the sport to which you are so utterly devoted to.

Carbonara doesn't take long to cook, and yet Sarah and Claire manage to fit an awful lot of chat into the time it takes to cook (and record) this classic Italian pasta dish, they discuss the reality of women’s rugby, the joy and rivalry of playing alongside (and sometimes against) her partner Mackenzie Carson, the sacrifices elite sport demands, and Sarah’s big ambitions beyond rugby - namely, swapping the scrum for the cockpit as a pilot. All the while, the guanciale sizzles, the pepper flows freely, and Sarah proves she’s as strong in the kitchen as she is on the pitch.

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The British Museum Curator for South East Asia, Dr Alexandra Green cooks a Thai Curry

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 05:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Claire visits Oxford to cook with Alexandra Green, curator for Southeast Asia at the British Museum. Alexandra shares her passion for Southeast Asian food, shaped by her childhood in Malaysia and her love of rice and vibrant flavours. Together, they prepare Alexandra’s favourite quick and easy Thai chickpea curry – a comforting dish that blends classic Thai ingredients with a twist, reflecting Alexandra’s own culinary influences.
As they cook, Alexandra talks about her fascinating role at the British Museum, looking after a vast collection of over 33,000 objects from across Southeast Asia. She discusses the importance of spices, their journeys across the world, and how food and objects connect cultures through time. Alexandra explains how she became the first dedicated curator for Southeast Asia at the museum, her work on exhibitions, and the ongoing efforts to share and document the region’s rich history.
The conversation weaves together stories of family, travel, and the everyday joy of cooking. Alexandra reflects on the objects she cares for, from fish traps and mortars to contemporary art and ceremonial daggers, and what they reveal about the lives and histories of Southeast Asian communities. She also touches on the complexities of museum collections, the significance of transparency and access, and the role of curators in shaping the stories we tell about the past.
With a warming bowl of Thai chickpea curry and plenty of good conversation, this episode is a celebration of food, heritage, and the connections we make through what we cook and collect.

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Pasta Granny’s Mum, Susan Bennison, aged 92 yrs bakes her best Sponge Cake

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Susan Bennison, Sue for short, is 92 years old and incredible with it. Claire travelled to rural Kent to bake a cake with Sue for this episode. Arriving outside a cottage that looks a little bit Beatrix Potter, a little bit Jane Austin complete with a very old and wonky stone doorstop which is surrounded by rambling roses, bluebells and peonies. The door opens and out pops a very sprightly Sue; “watch your step, this cottage is very, very old” instructs Sue, practically galloping off to the kitchen where Sue’s daughter Vicky is waiting to put the kettle on. Vicky is the founder of iconic Pasta Grannies channel on YouTube and also on instagram, but Claire and Sue don’t need any help from Vicky, no way, Sue is an accomplished cook and Claire begins to fully appreciate that Sue probably doesn’t need any help, from anyone, ever!

Sue gets cracking on the cake, no scales necessary, she’s made this so many times, she just “knows” … she also has the help of her trusty (and quite noisy!) Kenwood mixer circa 1952 “that mixer’s been down the Suez Canal with me on route to Kenya when I 1st got married aged 23!” Remarkably, the mixer still works, and is still in constant use with Sue, a keen baker still finding it a very “soothing” activity.

Baking a cake with Sue was a lesson in having wisdom and good sense in cooking. The cake gets baked with an ease that Claire finds breathtaking. As the cake cools, Sue takes Claire for a turn around her beautiful garden, with Sue once again, reminding Claire to “watch your step over the cobbles there” as Sue strides ahead, at pace.

Sue Bennison is remarkable for many reasons, she’s lived a very long and interesting life, that she still cooks from scratch most days “there’s the odd occasion I might have something shop bought, but not many” is very inspiring. Especially so as she has lived alone for the last 15 years, since her much missed husband passed away..

Sue Bennison is an inspiration to us all. A gardening and / or baking podcast career surely beckons.

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Farmer Ben Andrews cooks his Herefordshire take on Bulgogi Beef

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Ben Andrews is a farmer. Ben comes from a very long line of farming, in fact, his family date back 7 generations. He’s also been voted the UK’s 3rd hottest farmer by Farming Weekly Magazine. And that’s not all, Ben is a voice person for farming and mental health and uses his social media to shine a spotlight on the contemporary agriculture landscape. Ben is also a supporter of the global LGBTQ+ farming network agrespect which promotes and supports diversity in the countryside.

Ben farms organic beef and vegetables, supplying Abel and Cole amongst other shops. He is also the beneficiary of Nuffield Farming Scholarship which supports young farmers seeking to explore the work of new and revolutionary farming communities world-wide. Ben is currently studying the water and river systems of New Zealand, how and why they are managed differently, in the hope his findings bring new insight to waterways and flood management here in the U.K.

The episode starts with Claire driving down tiny country lanes on route to Ben’s farmhouse. It’s a hot sunny day and the birds are chirping high up in the trees. There are also some sheep in the field next to Ben’s house, so enormous, that Claire first mistakes them for cows. It’s off to a good start for the recording!

Ben wants to cook Bulgogi beef, he’s using his own rump steak from the farm, naturally. Outside the BBQ is lit and together Ben and Claire make a start on cooking his Herefordshire take on a Korean classic, all the while tackling topics such as mental heath, clubbing in the countryside, his mum’s love of kitchen knickknackery, and his neighbour, “just over that hedge”, Monty Don.

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Ballerina Yasmine Naghdi makes linguine alle vongole

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Number 5 in 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast hears Claire cooking alongside Principal Ballerina from The Royal Ballet, Yasmine Naghdi. Claire has never met a ballerina before, nor indeed cooked with one. Yasmine is everything (and more) that Claire could have expected of a ballerina. Confident and poised (of course), Yasmine is also an extraordinary cook.

Yasmine’s roots are Belgian Persian, but she’s a born and bred South Londoner. Yasmine attended the Royal Ballet school from age 11 and has danced her way through the ranks to the very top of the institution. Earlier this month Yasmine announced the exciting news that she is expecting her first child later this year and plans to return to performing next year.

Claire and Yasmine meet at Yasmine’s parent’s house, “their kitchen is better suited than mine” says Yasmine, and immediately the pair start cleaning clams, picking herbs and chopping garlic. Yasmine is a meticulous and passionate cook, teaching Claire her way to make her very favourite pasta dish, Linguine Vongole.

Remarkably organised, clearly very skilled, Yasmine cooks exactly as you might imagine a ballerina would cook, and Claire is in awe.

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Comedian Jamie MacDonald cooks Seabass with Orzo, ‘Nduja & Leeks

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0000

For this episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, number 4 in a series of 10, Claire travels to Sheffield to cook with the comedian Jaime Macdonald. Jamie is blind, extremely tall and very, very funny. The front door opens and out jumps Jamie’s new puppy as the recording begins. Claire is armed with some ingredients that Jamie has asked her to bring along to cook with. It’s a lean shopping list, to say the least and it has Claire asking questions from the off. Some Sea Bass, half a packet of Orzo, three Leeks and a jar of Cream Fraiche, but that’s just the beginning, far from it, ‘Nduja, Lemons, good Olive Oil and a remarkable set of weighing scales that can talk are soon wielded.

Cooking alongside Jamie was a riot. Lots of laughter, obviously, the pair discuss Edinburgh fringe, toxic masculinity, wild swimming, noisy owls, so-called Scottish risotto as cooked by his mum circa 1980s and Claire asks the silliest question Jamie has ever been asked. All the while, the fish gets fried, the orzo cooked along with the leeks, ‘Nduja and crème fraiche and together Jamie and Claire make lunch to eat in the sunshine.

It was a tonic to cook with Jamie, and apart from his talking measuring scales (Claire wants a set!), Jamie cooks exactly as anyone with sight would cook. Taste, as all good cooks know, is crucial, and Jamie has great taste, in abundance.

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Sex Educator Ruby Rare makes a salad, sexy, naturally!

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0000

For this episode of 5 O Clock Apron Podcast, Claire travels to Margate to cook with Ruby Rare. Ruby is a sex educator, that is to say, a force of nature with a mission to encourage and include everyone in her task to make the world a fairer and more accepting place when it comes to the enormous and thorny topics of sex, relationships and body positivity. In the podcast episode Claire and Ruby talk about the word ‘woke’ being misappropriated, the correct use of pronouns with Ruby saying she is she / her but “you can chuck a couple of they / thems in for good measure, if you like”, together the two discuss marriage VS non monogamous relationships, queerness, sex with friends, celebrating divorce and winter swimming. And all the while, Claire and Ruby cook alongside each other with a casual ease that Claire finds reassuring as it is enchanting. Surrounded by her father’s paintings and with Ruby’s Sri Lankan gorgeous tableware bought on a recent trip with her family, lunch with Ruby was one of the nicest and most illuminating lunches Claire has had in sometime. Claire leaves Ruby’s tiny seaside cottage with a slightly skewed lens on her world, a good thing, there is much to celebrate in the world with people like Ruby in the centre of it. Oh, and she’s also a great cook, that salad dressing was something else!

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Waste & Recycling Supervisor Owen Punselie Cooks Spicy Coconut Chicken & Rice

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 05:00:00 -0000

In this 2nd episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast with Good Food, Owen welcomes Claire into his gorgeous kitchen in Bristol and sets about cooking with a confidence and flair that can only come from people cook often and cook well. Owen Punselie works for Bristol Waste and Recycling managing a squad of 12 people working in waste management in the city of Bristol. He’s also an American full football scholarship alumni and fairly new to his role with Bristol Waste; “As jobs go, it’s a great cardiovascular workout,” he tells Claire, “you also end up walking up to 12 miles on shift with each recycling truck being responsible for processing the waste of up to 750 houses each day.”

Owen introduces himself as Dutch with Nigerian heritage, mentions he likes Spanish food, not too keen on vegetables, and he really likes coconut milk. Owen tells Claire he’s going to show her how to make Paella, the coconut milk mystifies Claire, there is also Jerk seasoning and Soy Sauce in the line-up, not everyday paella ingredients. Owen can cook, it was his mum who taught him, and so with the pan bubbling and the kitchen smelling delicious, Claire and Owen ditch calling it paella, renaming the recipe instead, Owen’s Spicy Coconut Chicken Rice.

Owen was a delight to cook with for the podcast, an absolute gentleman, who recycles with gusto.

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Broadcaster Amol Rajan cooks a Paneer Curry

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:00:00 -0000

To kick off the new series of 5 O' Clock Apron Podcast with Good Food Claire cooks with the giant of the airwaves, Amol Rajan. Amol is one of Radio 4’s Today program presenters, he also hosts BBC2’s legendary TV quiz show University Challenge. Amol Rajan Interviews on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds platform Amol interviewing momentous public figures from Bill Gates to Greta Thunberg to Sir Ian McKellen amongst others.

Amol is a busy man with x4 children under 9 years of age, he’s up early to host the Today program and home late recording University Challenge, to make things easier, Claire and Amol meet at Good Food HQ in Hammersmith to record the episode. Amol arrives on his bike (of course he does!) and apologises to Claire for not arriving as is more customary, suited and booted. If you follow Amol on his social media and on TV, you’ll know this man is a snappy dresser!

Claire brings along some of her spice collection from home and Amol sets about teaching Claire his recipe for Paneer Curry and, apart from the stove top tripping a couple of times during the recording, the pair chop and chat like no tomorrow. Cricket, Cooking for Kids, Amol’s upbringing in south London, previous careers, hereditary diabetes and how to chop onions, speedily!

Can Amol cook? Of course he can, he’s Amol Rajan!

Amol Rajan’s Paneer Curry

2 blocks of paneer, approximately 400g total, diced 2cm

4 tbsp ghee

2 onions, peeled and finely diced

3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

300g cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or use diced tomatoes

200g frozen peas, defrosted

1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground, or use ground

1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground, or use ground

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ - 1tsp chilli powder, to taste

Large bunch of coriander, finely chopped

½ lemon

Cooked rice, to serve

Indian pickles, to serve

1. In a non-stick pan over a moderate – high heat, add ½ the ghee and fry the paneer with a pinch of salt, in batches if needed, until nicely bronzed on all sides, around 3 – 5 minutes.

2. Remove from the pan and put the paneer on a plate and keep to one side.

3. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining ghee, add the onion and cook over a moderate for around 10 minutes to soften. Add a big pinch of salt, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the ground spices and cook for 30 seconds more.

4. Add the tomatoes and a splash of water, around 2 - 3 tbsp should do, you want the contents of the pan juicy, but not soupy! Put a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes over a moderate heat for the tomatoes to soften and the flavours to meld.

5. Add the peas, check the seasoning, add more salt if needed and plenty of black pepper. Cook for a couple more minutes to heat the peas through.

6. Add the cooked paneer to the pan and stir to warm through in the pan. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, as needed.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through with the chopped coriander and the lemon juice.

8. Serve the paneer curry with some steamed rice and Indian pickles to accompany.

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Introducing the new series of 5 O'Clock Apron

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 05:00:00 -0000

Chef and food writer Claire Thomson is back with a brand-new series of the 5 O’Clock Apron podcast with Good Food! In this series, Claire invites another incredible line-up of guests into the kitchen - from a comedian to a Royal Ballet dancer, a waste and recycling worker to a rugby player - and many more. Together they cook favourite home recipes while sharing stories, laughter, and the odd kitchen mishap.
Episodes drop weekly from 18th June. Follow now and join Claire for some delicious kitchen companionship!

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Mackerel and 'Cat's Whiskers' Sauce with Fish Merchant Robin Turner

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 04:00:44 -0000

In this episode of 5 O’Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with fish merchant Robin Turner. Robin’s family have been involved in the Cornish fishing industry for 5 generations and what Robin doesn’t know about fish isn’t worth knowing. Learn how to select the freshest fish, how fish change with the seasons, and what Claire will need to do if she wants to catch a mackerel. The podcast is recorded on the beach at Mousehole, near the South West Coastal Path, and attracts the attention of passers-by intrigued to see the pair cooking such delicious food in the sunshine on a camping gas stove. Robin cooks an old and locally famous dish of Mackerel with 'Cat’s Whiskers' sauce. Intrigued? We certainly were!

This podcast is a brilliant listen for anyone heading to the seaside this summer, and for those who want to know more about fabulous local Cornish produce. Thank you Robin for sharing your colossal knowledge of fish.

Recipe:

Serves 2

2 mackerel filleted

200mls double cream

1 heaped tsp mustard powder

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Splash of oil, to cook the fish

Robin served this with some pink peppercorn and kombucha pickled radishes

Baguette or some boiled potatoes, to serve

Get a good pan hot over a high to moderate heat. Add the mackerel fillets skin side down, giving them a gentle press to stop them curling up - see reel. Cook for around 2 - 3 minutes then flip and cook 30 secs to 1 minute on other side (depending on thickness of fillets). In a separate saucepan, add the mustard powder and vinegar and mix together, over a low heat add the cream and season well with salt and pepper to taste, warm through and serve the Cat’s Whiskers Sauce alongside the fried mackerel immediately.

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Mackerel and Tabbouleh with RNLI Lifeguard Gavin Philpotts

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:00:39 -0000

In this episode of 5 O’Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with RNLI lifeguard Gavin Philpotts. The podcast is recorded in the sand dunes above Sennen Beach, just below the lifeguard hut. With the sun shining bright and the lifeguard’s radios in bleeping distance, Claire and Gavin carve a space to cook with a lifeguard rescue board as their work surface. Claire arrives with some mackerel bought that morning in Newlyn and the pair get busy preparing a tabbouleh to go alongside, Gavin also contributes some roasted beets which he brought from home that morning.

With the iconic 90’s TV series Baywatch as Claire’s reference for all things lifeguard, coupled with the countless lifeguards Claire and her family spot on Cornish beaches each summer, meeting and cooking alongside Gavin was a real highlight.

We talk saving lives, long distance swimming, rip currents, weever fish and where lifeguards go in the wintertime.

Huge thanks to RNLI for covering Gavin as he cooked with us, after all lifesaving can never stop, for whatever the reason, my podcast included.

Find out more about the RNLI and Sennen beach here: Sennen Beach - RNLI Lifeguarded Beach in Cornwall

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Make this recipe. It is the very essence of summertime in Cornwall via The Levant.

Serves 2

2 mackerel, filleted

2 tbsp olive oil to fry and 3 -4 tbsp olive oil for the dressing

50g bulgar wheat, soaked in boiling water for 15 mins then drained

1 cucumber, diced small

4 spring onions

1/2 - 1 green or red chilli, finely diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

Around 20 cherry tomatoes, diced small

1 clove garlic, finely grated

Big bunch of mint

Big bunch of pulses

Fruit, any or all, I’m using in season 3 ripe apricots, diced small

1 lemon, 1/2 juiced, 1/2 cut into quarters to serve

1 - 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1/2 - 1 tsp dijon mustard (Gavin’s inclusion)

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Beetroots, roasted with salt in tin foil until soft, chopped into quarters

Seasoned yoghurt, to serve

Method;

Make the tabbouleh first. Get all the salad ingredients in a bowl and make the dressing by mixing together the mustard, pomegranate, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Dress the tabbouleh and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Get a good pan hot over a moderate - hot heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat until just shimmering. Add the mackerel fillets skin side down, giving them a gentle press to stop them curling up. Cook for around 2 - 3 minutes then flip and cook 30 secs to 1 minute on other side (depending on thickness of fillets). Serve the fried mackerel with the tabbouleh, roasted beets and seasoned yogurt.

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'Protective' Potato Salad with Witch Emma Griffin

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 04:00:57 -0000

In this episode of 5 O’Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with the Cornish Witch Emma Griffin. The podcast is recorded in a magical shed at the bottom of Emma’s garden, next door to a graveyard. Alongside Emma is her witches' companion, or familiar, her dog, Walter.

Claire and Emma are cooking a ‘Protective’ Potato Salad with chicken and bacon on a camping stove and space is tight, what with the broomsticks and the cauldron, so Emma’s husband Steve kindly boils potatoes in the kitchen.

Emma’s witchcraft is boundlessly positive and together Claire and Emma talk good vs evil, recipes as spells, failed gangsters, sea witches and building towers of yumminess.

Claire has never met, not least cooked with a witch before, so the learning curve is a steep and ridiculously joy-filled one.

The podcast ends with Claire happy in her newfound kitchen witchery and Emma’s recipe is a brilliant example of just how similar the disciplines of witchcraft and cookery really are.

Thank you Emma, we’ll be back!

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Follow Emma on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/emmagriffinwitch/

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Recipe:

‘Protective’ Potato Salad with ‘Secret’ Ingredient Chicken, Maple and Bacon.

To feed x4

2 large chicken breasts, diced

6 rashers of streaky bacon

2 tbsp olive oil

600g small new potatoes

Soft lettuce, I used large butterhead

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Dressing:

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp thick greek yogurt

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 heaped tsp dijon mustard

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Secret Ingredient info:

Emma used @nandosuk medium chicken seasoning powder, and it was great, Emma is a witch and I’m a chef, so I made my own and this is what I used;

1 heaped tsp unsmoked paprika

1/4 tsp medium heat chilli powder

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

1 heaped tsp ground cumin

1 heaped tsp ground coriander

Few shakes of smoked paprika

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tbsp olive oil

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Lots of black pepper and salt, to taste

Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain & keep warm. Marinade chicken in olive oil & the secret ingredients, or do as Emma does & use @nandosuk chicken seasoning powder. Leave for 30 mins, or less. Cook bacon in a pan over a moderate heat in a dry pan until crisping up, remove from pan, leaving fat behind in pan to cook chicken. Add a splash more olive oil to pan & cook chicken pieces over moderate heat until fully cooked through. Remove from heat & rest. Meanwhile, make dressing, mix mayonnaise, yoghurt, lemon juice, maple syrup, balsamic & mustard together & season well with salt & pepper. Dress warm potatoes with salad dressing & add the spring onions. Arrange lettuce on a serving plate & pile on with warm, dressed new potatoes. Add chicken & break up the bacon pieces to serve.

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Date and Tomato Tagine with Wildlife Cameraman Hamza Yassin

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 04:00:44 -0000

In this episode of 5 O’Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with the wildlife cameraman, TV presenter, author and winner of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, Hamza Yassin. The podcast is recorded in a tent at The Hay Literary Festival. Hamza is there to talk about his latest book ‘Be a Birder’ and Claire was there to cook a date and tomato tagine with him after he finished his long and busy day. Hamza is an extraordinary guest to cook alongside, gracious and charming, he’s a once in a lifetime, next-generation David Attenborough type contender. The world and all it’s wildlife salute you Hamza. Claire and Hamza talk Sudanese food, the perils of having your grandmother marry you off each time you return home, silent food to eat in a hide, pet monkeys, how bird spotting is really like Pokemon, rugby, Scotland and Pop-Eye The Sailor Man.

Hamza’s book, 'Be a Birder' is available here.

https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/titles/hamza-yassin/be-a-birder/9781856755108/

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Recipe:

TOMATO, DATE + CHICKPEA TAGINE

2 onions, finely sliced or chopped

4 garlic, finely chopped

Olive oil, 2 - 3 tbsp

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground ginger

1 large cinnamon stick

Salt and pepper, to taste

700g chickpeas, I used @boldbeanco

400g polpa (chopped) tomatoes

40g dates

1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped

Couscous, cooked as per packet instructions, to serve

Harissa, to serve

Coriander, roughly chopped, to serve

In a heavy bottomed saucepan with a lid (or use a tagine dish) heat the oil over a moderate heat and cook the onions until golden brown (around 10 mins), add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more. Blitz the tomatoes with the dates. Add the ground spices and the cinnamon stick to the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and dates, rinse out the container in which you blended them with around 80mls of water, add that to the pan. Add the chickpeas (I didn’t bother draining them). Season the mix with salt and plenty of black pepper. Lid on and cook over a moderate / low heat on the stove top, or in the oven, at 180C for around 25 - 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, check the seasoning, remembering the preserved lemon is salty, add the preserved lemon and stir well. Prepare the couscous as per instructions on packet (or do as I do in the reel, and toast the couscous in a dry pan until nutty shade of brown before carefully adding the boiling water and lemon juice). Serve the tagine with the couscous, coriander and harissa.

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Red Wine Risotto with Respiratory Consultant Anna Bibby

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 04:00:53 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with NHS respiratory consultant and clinical academic Anna Bibby. Anna chooses to cook red wine risotto with chorizo, and as you hear in the recording, tongue firmly in cheek, Claire ends up apologising to both Italy and Spain.

Apologies done and dusted, through their conversation we learn the different characteristics of carnaroli, vialone nano and arborio rice, the physiologically accurate way to stir love into a risotto, and Claire asks Do lung and kidney doctors ever enjoy eating offal?

Claire lives around the corner and plays netball with Anna but before recording this episode had never been to her house or indeed seen Anna out of netball gear. There’s a bit of netball chat, because this is after all how the two know each other, both centre court players, WA and WD.

Anna's laughter is infectious and her enthusiasm for colour coding the risotto to cook for this podcast is sure to make you smile, as all good cookery should. Recipe below.

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Recipe

Red Wine, Sausage & Sage Risotto*

Enough for x2 generously

*Anna’s version included chorizo, mushroom and black olive, I kept things a bit more simple, with Anna’s blessing.

1 onion, finely diced

3 garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp good olive oil

200g risotto rice, ideally arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano

2 best quality sausages with little or no rusk, meat squeezed from casings

3 or 4 sage leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

150ml dry red wine

Around 800ml of hot stock, chicken or veg, up to you, quantity will depend on the absorbency of the rice

Some lemon juice, to taste

Big knob of butter, to finish

Lots of parmesan, to finish

Cook the onions in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over a medium heat in the olive oil for around 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, sausage and sage and cook, breaking the sausage meat up as you do, for around 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more until the outside of the rice grains turn translucent and the contents of the pan are making a snapping, sizzling sound. Add the red wine, mixing vigorously until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Turn down the heat to medium / low and add the hot stock ladleful by ladleful, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir vigorously each time you add more stock until the liquid has been absorbed before you add the any more liquid. The more you stir, the creamier the risotto. Stirring all the while, start checking your rice after 12 mins of cook time, anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes, the rice grains should not be chalky, but still have a slight resistance in the centre, the rice will continue cooking as the pan rests before serving.

Remove from heat when your rice is ready, you want the consistency to still be little soupy still, it will thicken up as the risotto rests. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, big knob of butter and plenty of parmesan. Stir well, put a lid on the pan and rest for at least 5 mins before serving. Serve each bowl topped with more parmesan and plenty of black pepper.

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Qeema and Daal with Journalist Mishal Husain

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 04:00:53 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with journalist and icon of broadcasting, Mishal Husain. A reassuring voice to so many listeners on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Mishal cooked not 1 but 4 dishes, home-style Pakistani qeema*, daal*, raita and rice. All this was no mean feat given the 45 minutes from a standing start it took Mishal to cook and present the most beautiful lunch which Mishal and Claire then sat down to eat together. Listen in to hear Mishal discuss family recipes, feeding teenage boys and how to extend meals for unexpected guests, what broadcasters listen to on their day off, darning socks in the front of the TV and what leeway there is when recreating your mother and mother-in-law’s favourite recipes. This recording is an audio treat.

Mishal’s book Broken Threads, a memoir of love and family resilience detailing the days leading up to and surrounding the partition of India, is published on June 6th by 4th Estate.

https://www.4thestate.co.uk/products/broken-threads-my-family-from-empire-to-independence-mishal-husain-9780008531706/

*In Pakistan, due to the way the letter ق is pronounced, the dish is spelled with a "q" (qeema), but in India and Bangladesh it is written with a "k" (keema). Likewise, there are different spellings for dal / daal across South Asia.

Follow Claire at 5 O' Clock apron on Instagram to get the recipe. https://www.instagram.com/5oclockapron

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BBQ Fish Curry with Adventurer Steve Backshall

Wed, 29 May 2024 04:00:42 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with wildlife TV presenter, adventurer and naturalist Steve Backshall. Keen to use his brand new BBQ in his garden on the banks of the Thames, Steve cooks a fish curry, inspired by his extensive travels in India, particularly during his time as 'Adventurer in Residence' for National Geographic. Discover what an adventurer eats in the wild and cooks at home with the family. Hear Steve's take on sustainable fishing, river pollution and how the Thames has changed over the last few years, while he educates Claire on the swan mussel and other Thames edibles. Learn what Steve found in a suitcase under his house, and about his wife, rower Helen Glover’s 4th Olympic bid for a gold medal in Paris this summer. On cue, a kingfisher swoops past the pair as they cook the curry together, the Thames flowing and a rather chilly wind blowing. A great day, with a top guy.

Steve is on tour with his Steve Backshall Ocean live show this autumn, so if you want to see the man in real life, it’s strong recommend from us, especially Dot! https://www.stevebackshall.com/liveshows

Follow Claire at 5 O' Clock apron on Instagram to get the recipe. https://www.instagram.com/5oclockapron/

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Pad Thai with Clown Tyler West

Wed, 22 May 2024 04:00:08 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks with New York clown and physical performer, Tyler West. Tyler is currently on tour with the very fabulous Giffords Circus here in the U.K. Needing to be in one piece for his shows later that day, Tyler was less than keen to be standing too near sharp knives and a smoking hot wok. So, in this episode, Claire cooks and Tyler chats, and this works just brilliantly. Tyler was extremely keen on making Pad Thai for the recording as bowls of cereal in his circus wagon can get a little samey he joked, and Thai food is is absolute favourite! We learn about his life as a circus performer, being a little person in clowning, his upbringing in Arizona including an intriguing dish called Hippopotamus, and his love of the odd English custom of stopping for tea and cookies and crisps. He gives tips on using coconut oil to remove false eyelashes, and juggles with the eggs.

If you get the opportunity to see Giffords Circus, it’s a strong recommend from us.

you can find more about Tyler here: https://theoriginaltylerwest.com/

and Giffords Circus here: https://giffordscircus.com/

Follow Claire at 5 o'clock apron on Instagram to get the recipe. https://www.instagram.com/5oclockapron/

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Paneer Curry with Author Nikesh Shukla

Wed, 15 May 2024 04:00:54 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast Claire cooks paneer curry with the author Nikesh Shukla. Nikesh has recently written the new Marvel Spider-Man India and has also written books for children and young adults. Nikesh has just moved house and has the builders in, so Claire and Nikesh meet at producer Ellen’s house to record this cookery conversation. It’s a moving one from the get-go with Nikesh instructing Claire that “we will be following an old family recipe, passed down from my dear mother”, the recording starts off with an enormous responsibility to get things exactly right, from shopping to chopping to the finished dish. Make Nikesh’s mum’s recipe for paneer curry and learn her failsafe rice cooking method. This is a moving episode that explores grief and cookery, Nikesh remembering his mum cooking and shouting from the kitchen at his teenage self up his bedroom in their house in Harrow. Listen too for the remarkable story of Nikesh’s uncle who was the first person to bring a case under the 1968 Race Relations Act and in doing so meets Malcom X in a curry house in Selly Oak.

Follow Claire @5oclockapron on Instagram to watch her cook the paneer curry and get the full recipe.

Find out more about Nikesh here: Nikesh - The Good Literary Agency

Find out more about Spiderman India here: Meet Pavitr Prabhakar, AKA Spider-Man: India | Marvel

Find out more about Nikesh's uncle here: Why diverse stories matter | Nikesh Shukla | TEDxLondon (youtube.com)

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Ravioli with Brewer Alex Lawes

Wed, 08 May 2024 04:00:36 -0000

In this first episode of Series 2 of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with the brewer Alex Lawes. Dublin is a city famed for its pint and Claire wanted to record a cookery conversation with someone synonymous with the city’s brewing industry. Alex Lawes is just that, brewer and joint owner of Whiplash Beer. Their instagram profile reads “@whiplashbeer - Ballyer brewery brewing banging beers.” Join Claire and Alex as they cook in his gorgeous, dinky cottage. They drink a Whiplash Basil and Lemon table beer and set about making the most delicious ravioli this side of Italy. Learn about brewing beer, Dublin’s fish and chip shops all being run by Italian families, freezing your leftover wine, sailing round Sicily and there’s big love from Alex and Claire for the Pasta Grannies.

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Fried Fish Flatbreads with Psychotherapist Philippa Perry

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 04:00:18 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with Philippa Perry, psychotherapist, broadcaster and the Observer’s wise and witty agony aunt. Philippa is also a million-copy bestselling author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did), and one half of the Perry presenting duo on hit TV programme Grayson’s Art Club. I absolutely loved cooking with Philippa in her kitchen in London a couple of weeks ago. To say Philippa was confident in her kitchen is an understatement, deftly whipping up homemade tartare sauce, flatbreads and battered fish fingers with a chopped salad that combined so many different flavours and textures, my chopping skills were really put to the test, all under gentle but firm instruction from Philippa. So much so, it’s in this episode of the podcast that the tables are turned, teacher and student, I know my place and very happy I am in it too. With a wall to wall kitchen mirror, cooking alongside Philippa on the day was an insightful and illuminating experience.

This is the 6th episode in the 1st series of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, we’ll be back in a month with x6 more guests teaching me their favourite recipe to cook at home, just you wait, what a line-up!

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Carbonara with Journalist Rebecca Wilcox

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with Rebecca Wilcox, journalist, broadcaster, deputy president of Childline and the daughter of Esther Rantzen. The Guardian newspaper have her down as “brilliant… both brainy and funny (a rare combination in a presenter), and a proper investigative journalist as well as a silly trigger-happy prankster." On the day of the recording, Claire drove to Rebecca’s farmhouse, which as all best farms must, comes complete with an aged Argentinian polo horse horse named Chunk. Rebecca wanted some help to make her carbonara not “gloopy, grey or scrambled”, Claire, though bemused by Rebecca’s suggestion for beans in a carbonara to begin with, is fully on board by the end of the episode. Armed with pancetta, the beans, some dried pasta and two types of cheese, Claire and Rebecca make carbonara together chatting teenage years in the 90’s, winning Ready Steady Cook, drug deals for a television series and how to feed children in a way that makes sense in the maelstrom that is family life. Chop and chatter, on repeat.

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Pasta and Leeks with Comedian Amy Mason

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 05:00:06 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with comedian, writer and theatre maker Amy Mason. A Funny Woman finalist, Amy has written and performed for Radio 4 and has written for The News Quiz and Hypothetical (Dave). With 3 acclaimed autobiographical shows with Bristol Old Vic, she is a credit to the Bristol comedy scene - STOP PRESS - ‘Amy Mason is a born comic. Can’t wait to see her progress to a national treasure.’ In 2014 Amy won the Dundee International Book Prize with her novel The Other Ida. On the day of the recording Amy was wearing an enormous pair of sheep shaped slippers and waiting to hear if she had been given a slot at the Edinburgh Fringe. One month on from this recording, we now know she has, of course she has, she is a startling comic and very, very funny. Amy cooked a pasta dish with leeks and crème fraiche, it was simple and delicious in delivery, as all good food should be.

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Borscht with No-Dig Gardener Charles Dowding

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 05:00:16 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O' Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with champion gardener Charles Dowding. From a farming family in rural Somerset, Charles’ focus as a gardener and author has always been to grow healthy and health-giving food. Through his teaching on gardening courses around the world and also on his sizeable social media platform, Charles is keen to promote an awareness of nutrition and its links to food production. Charles has accumulated a considerable following for his No – Dig philosophy on soil management and gardening. Cooking with Charles is like visiting Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, with Charles producing delicious, homegrown ingredients to use in the borscht that we make together. With the pot bubbling away on the stove top, Charles and I take a turn around his beautiful garden, I get to meet his worms, check out the shed where he stores a bounty of fruit and veg all winter long, and all the while, as we walk along, we stop and munch on various vegetables from bed to bed. Eat More Soil (a peck in a lifetime for optimum gut health he tells us) is a maxim I take away from my day cooking with this legend of the gardening world. Thank you Charles, I’ll be back in the summer when the borlotti beans you gave me to sow have grown.

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Cawl with Broadcaster and Musician Cerys Matthews

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 09:39:46 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O' Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with musician, author and broadcaster Cerys Matthews. Cerys hosts and programmes an award winning radio show on BBC 6 music every Sunday, the Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 each Monday at 9pm and co-hosts Radio 4’s new music show ADD TO PLAYLIST each Friday at 7.30pm. Cerys had a broken arm when we recorded this episode back in February, Claire chops and Cerys instructs on how to make a classic, at least, classically Cerys version of this Welsh classic. With quite a bit of veg to chop, Cerys and Claire discuss how to correctly prep a leek, deep-frying turkeys in Nashville, charity shopping in disguise, peppermill shame and Dolly Parton. Claire gets a quick lesson in Welsh and Cerys reads from her own cookbook, Where The Wild Cooks Go. Navigating a fast flowing river and some angry looking swans to get to Cerys’ house, this cookery conversation is a gorgeous one, thank you Cerys, we’ll be back to make those banana fritters with you some day soon.

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No Recipe Apple Cake with Academic Ellen Hughes

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:38:07 -0000

In this episode of The 5 O' Clock Apron Podcast, Claire cooks with her friend and academic, Ellen Hughes. Ellen's take on baking an apple cake with no recipe was an eye opening experience for Claire, one she'll never forget. Truth is, we were going to use this recording as a test for the podcast, but on listening to the episode, we all agreed that if anyone could teach Claire to relinquish her need for an accurate recipe when it comes to baking a cake, it was Ellen and her instructions for a "fistful of butter". The cake came out beautifully, their conversation on food, family and the juggle, a tonic. Enjoy.

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