Ed Gamble (2:07)

We played best friends on the Middle.

James Acaster (2:08)

And became best friends in real life. We're here to rewatch the Middle with all of you. Each week we'll recap an episode with behind the scenes stories, guest interviews and what we think.

Ed Gamble (2:16)

Now, many years later, there's a lot to dive into.

James Acaster (2:19)

So let's get to middling. ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.

Jessica Hines (2:52)

Welcome to the Off Menu podcast. Taking the pink sugar of friendship, pouring it into the Candy floss machine of the Internet, collecting the floss of humor onto the stick of great meals.

James Acaster (3:06)

Man, how has it taken this long for us to do a candy flop or you to do. And I'm not going to share the credit with this one. You just. You do the intros.

Jessica Hines (3:14)

I just want to reveal that when I started doing it, James's eyes lit up.

James Acaster (3:17)

I was delighted.

Jessica Hines (3:18)

He was beaming. He was beaming.

James Acaster (3:20)

Even though I don't like candy floss.

Jessica Hines (3:22)

It reminds me which people will find weird.

James Acaster (3:24)

People will find that weird and off brand. But the feeling of being a kid discovering what candy floss is, having not tasted it before, but really wanting it is one of the best feelings.

Jessica Hines (3:33)

Yeah, I love the idea of candy floss. I do not eat candy floss. Something that pops up in my algorithm quite a lot is a family where the dad makes candy floss art.

James Acaster (3:42)

Wow.

Jessica Hines (3:43)

I don't know where they are. In Southeast Asia somewhere. And he can make, like whole flowers with different colored petals using different candy flosses. And his kids are getting good at it now as well, and I'm very proud of them.

James Acaster (3:54)

That's a gamble. My name is James Acaster. Together we own a dream restaurant. And every single week, we invite in a guest and ask their guest and ask their favorite ever start a main course, dessert side dish and drink, not in that order. And this week, our guest is Jessica Hines.

Jessica Hines (4:08)

Jessica Hines, just national treasure alert. Absolutely. Ring a ding, ding. National treasure.

James Acaster (4:15)

Amazing comedy, actor, writer. I mean, obviously, Ed and I, we grew up with Spaced.

Jessica Hines (4:21)

Sure did.

James Acaster (4:22)

Immediately.

Jessica Hines (4:23)

We're slowly ticking off our space register.

James Acaster (4:25)

We are slowly taking off the space register. And Jessica's in the franchise, which is out now on Sky Comedy.

Jessica Hines (4:31)

And now, yes, you gotta go watch it. What a cast.

James Acaster (4:35)

Himesh Patel, Loliada Fope, who has obviously been on this podcast. Also, Richard E. Grant's popping up every now and again that he was on this podcast as well. I'm just shouting out the people who've been on the podcast. You haven't been on the pod. I ain't shouting you out. Although Himesh hasn't been on the pod.

Jessica Hines (4:48)

But we should get him on the pod.

James Acaster (4:49)

We're aspirational here.

Jessica Hines (4:50)

Yeah, Nish bullies him. We got to get him on the pod.

James Acaster (4:52)

Yeah. Nish calls him Hollywood and points. Points his finger millimeters from the bridge of his nose and says Hollywood and does that every time he sees him. Sam Mendes is like, well directed the first episode. Executive produced it as well. Armando Iannucci, been on the pod, Been on The podium, like, it's very exciting. The trailer looks amazing.

Jessica Hines (5:14)

Yes.

James Acaster (5:15)

Can't wait to see it. We recorded this in the past. It's not out yet, so we've not.

Jessica Hines (5:19)

Seen full episodes yet, but we've seen the trailer. We're very excited and we are very excited to have Jessica Hines in the Dream Restaurant.

James Acaster (5:24)

Love Jessica Hines. And I mean, there's so much to ask her about, and I imagine it'll all go out my head by the time we sit down.

Jessica Hines (5:32)

But hopefully she will not go out of the Dream Restaurant.

James Acaster (5:35)

Oh, lovely.

Jessica Hines (5:35)

If she picks a secret ingredient which we have pre decided upon and was the only thing that we could think of and was the first idea and the one that we're going with.

James Acaster (5:43)

Ben suggested. You said yes?

Jessica Hines (5:45)

No, I think I came out of the toilet and I said, I know what Jessica's secret ingredient should be. And you said, heinz Baked Beans. And I said, yes, that's what I was thinking of.

James Acaster (5:53)

Very rare that Ed ever comes out of the toilet.

Jessica Hines (5:55)

Yeah. I record most of mine from inside the toilet.

James Acaster (5:57)

Yeah, yeah, usually. So when he's got an idea, he'll come out of the toilet and announce it. And this time it was the secret ingredient should be Heinz Baked Beans.

Jessica Hines (6:06)

Heinz Baked Beans. Because Jessica's called Jessica Heinz.

James Acaster (6:10)

Not spelled the same.

Jessica Hines (6:11)

No, different.

James Acaster (6:12)

But, you know, I hope she'll forgive us for going the easy route.

Jessica Hines (6:16)

Yeah, I think she will. Looking forward to meeting her. You've met her, of course, before.

James Acaster (6:20)

We were in a film called Seize Them. I say we were in a film called Seize Them. Hollywood. I was there for half a day to film my scene and Jessica was a proper part and it was brilliant in it. But, yeah, and we had a lovely meal there, actually. So, you know, I already know this lady can talk food.

Jessica Hines (6:37)

This is the off menu menu of Jessica Hines. Welcome, Jessica, to the Dream Restaurant.

James Acaster (6:51)

Welcome, Jessica Hines to the Dream Restaurant. Been expecting you for some time.

Jessica Hines (6:54)

Yeah, that was a big one.

Ed Gamble (6:55)

Wow.

James Acaster (6:56)

Yeah, yeah, I went for it. Yeah. Do you appreciate how much I went for that?

Ed Gamble (7:00)

That's not very welcome.

James Acaster (7:01)

Don't do that for everyone.

Jessica Hines (7:02)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (7:02)

The clap felt like a kind of like an expulsion of bad energy. It felt like, you know, that was Ben. Oh, that was Ben.

Jessica Hines (7:09)

Ben.

Ed Gamble (7:09)

The clap and the shout. It was like, boom. It's a new day.

James Acaster (7:12)

Oh.

Jessica Hines (7:12)

So when you say expulsion of bad energy, you mean we were getting rid of it rather than we were putting.

James Acaster (7:17)

Out into the world like a Reiki session?

Ed Gamble (7:19)

Like snaps, you know, like kind of fireworks, you know, that's the Origin of fireworks. Just get it all.

Jessica Hines (7:24)

Is it?

Ed Gamble (7:24)

Yes. That's what the Chinese New Year is about. Like bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Get rid of all the bad energy.

James Acaster (7:29)

Wow. See, I'm just all just like, you know, just thinking everything that's just English. So I just think it's Guy Fawkes.

Ed Gamble (7:35)

James, do you know what? That's on brand and I forgive you for that. I really do.

Jessica Hines (7:40)

Hang on, you thought fireworks were invented.

James Acaster (7:42)

By the English because of Guy Fawkes?

Ed Gamble (7:44)

Yeah, sure.

James Acaster (7:46)

I thought it was like they're meant to represent. Yeah. You wish you could have done this. You wish you could have blown up the houses apartment, mate. Look at this.

Jessica Hines (7:54)

I think that's what they then came to mean for us in England. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (7:58)

They were appropriated, obviously into the bonfire.

Jessica Hines (8:00)

Yeah, sort of. But they're invented by the Chinese.

James Acaster (8:02)

Yeah, I had no idea. Yeah. So already this is the quickest. I've learned something on the podcast.

Jessica Hines (8:07)

See, this would be interesting. We need to find out more things that James assumes is English.

James Acaster (8:11)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (8:11)

Oh, interesting. Food based, perhaps, because that's what the podcast is.

James Acaster (8:16)

Mustard, of course.

Jessica Hines (8:17)

English mustard. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (8:18)

Mustard seed, though probably not English.

James Acaster (8:20)

Yeah. What?

Ed Gamble (8:21)

Mustard seed, probably not English.

James Acaster (8:23)

Come on.

Ed Gamble (8:24)

The only thing that is English is potatoes. James, I think. I think you'll find. Yeah, pretty much.

Jessica Hines (8:30)

I think they were brought from somewhere else.

Ed Gamble (8:31)

Yeah, Actually, yes, you're right. Of course. Not even potatoes. I'm sorry.

James Acaster (8:35)

My world's going upside down and back to front here.

Ed Gamble (8:37)

I'm sorry.

James Acaster (8:37)

I'll tell you what I would like to know. Is this English, the franchise?

Ed Gamble (8:43)

Well, very interesting question. It's a combo of both English and American talent.

Jessica Hines (8:47)

Nice.

Ed Gamble (8:48)

And I'm in it.

James Acaster (8:49)

It's very exciting. The trailer's fantastic. Really funny. So many great stars in it. Yeah. An amazing team. Behind it got Sam Mendes, friend of the podcast, Amanda Iannucci as well. What can you tell us about the franchise?

Ed Gamble (9:01)

It's set on the set of a franchise. So if you kind of think of any kind of Marvel universe, any superhero universe, it is a. It is set on a very similar set to that. Except it's not.

Jessica Hines (9:14)

But not based on any real people.

Ed Gamble (9:16)

No, it's called Maxim. So the studio is the Maxim Studios. And all the superheroes characters are created, are fictionalized for the purposes of the comedy series. But the idea is that we're focusing on the people behind the scenes of the franchise. That's my alarm.

James Acaster (9:31)

I love it.

Ed Gamble (9:32)

It's ten past one now. We all needed that to know that.

James Acaster (9:41)

That's good to know. It's ten past one. Was that telling you it's time to do pr? No, time to promote the franchise.

Ed Gamble (9:47)

I can't remember why that alarm is there. It's just there. And I haven't taken it off. And I haven't taken it off now, so it'll probably go again in a bit.

James Acaster (9:53)

Yeah, yeah.

Ed Gamble (9:54)

Unless I remember to take it. Oh, off. Sorry about that.

Jessica Hines (9:57)

The old ten past one alarm, the.

James Acaster (9:58)

Old ten past one alarms, do they originate in England?

Ed Gamble (10:05)

I don't think so.

James Acaster (10:06)

No.

Ed Gamble (10:07)

No, no.

James Acaster (10:07)

Someone else came up with alarms as well.

Ed Gamble (10:09)

Interesting question.

Jessica Hines (10:10)

You mean the concept of alarms?

James Acaster (10:11)

Yeah, I mean, it had to be invented somewhere.

Ed Gamble (10:13)

Well, I would say alarms probably came from the clock. And the clock, I don't think came from England. I think the clock. And you know, I have a speculative question. Do you think people were worried about the clock in the same way that they're worried about the Internet? Do you think when people actually invented the concept of time, everyone, like, that's it, the game's up, the jig's up. Yeah, it's over. It's like, can't you see what they're going to do? It's going to be like sectioning off time forever. And some people are like, no, no, don't worry about it. I've often thought that.

James Acaster (10:41)

Yeah, yeah.

Jessica Hines (10:41)

That there were people who probably thought we need to live in the moment but not know how long a moment is.

Ed Gamble (10:47)

Can't you see how they're going to appropriate the clock? Yeah, it's great. Wow, an invention. But what they're going to do with it is then they can kind of control us and impress people.

Jessica Hines (10:54)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (10:55)

Segment our lives.

James Acaster (10:56)

Yeah. And some people couldn't stop staring at the clock, maybe all day long. So you gotta stop.

Ed Gamble (11:01)

Yeah. Worried about becoming obsessed. It's like, you know, Gilead is obsessed with time now because of the clock. He. All he does is sit there and wait till it turns 3:00.

James Acaster (11:10)

Yeah. You know, it was ten past one.

Ed Gamble (11:12)

Yeah, exactly.

Jessica Hines (11:14)

I gotta say, I'm a fan. I'm a fan of the clock.

Ed Gamble (11:16)

Yeah, you are a fan.

James Acaster (11:17)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (11:17)

It makes things easier, doesn't it?

Ed Gamble (11:18)

Sure. That's the way, obviously. I mean, how could you say anything else? You'd be brainwashed like all of us.

James Acaster (11:24)

Yeah, I've been brainwashed, actually. Who do you play in the franchise?

Ed Gamble (11:27)

I play Steph Munden, who is the script supervisor. And what I learned from playing Steph Munden is that I could never, ever, ever be a script supervisor in real life. I do not Literally do not have the brain and the qualities and the skill. It is the hardest job on set by far. It is so complicated and amazing. What group supervisors do, I learned. I mean, I've always known they're kind of amazing. They're holding every single kind of fact about the camera lens, the angle, the shot, the continuity. But, like, when I really kind of started to shadow script supervisors on set, I realized this is so hard. It is such a hard job. So I just was pretending, obviously, having gleaned as much of an idea of what the job entails without having to.

Jessica Hines (12:16)

Go too deep into it.

Ed Gamble (12:17)

Well, I went as deep as this tiny little pea brain could go. I grasped as much of the technical skill as I could and sort of learned how to pretend, you know, sort of tippity tap, tap. But it is such a complex job and predominantly a job that mostly women do, which is a very interesting fact.

James Acaster (12:36)

And when you say you were shadowing so as it was being filmed, you're following the actual script supervisor around the.

Ed Gamble (12:42)

Corner of my eye, just looking at them on their pads, looking at what they're doing, sometimes trying not to be annoying, but kind of saying, what do you actually. So when you do that, what are you? And, you know, and then them very patiently and kindly, sometimes giving me time, and then in other occasions, kind of going, I just need to. Sorry.

Jessica Hines (12:59)

Yeah, but that's great.

Ed Gamble (13:01)

I am actually working. I'm like, absolutely fine.

Jessica Hines (13:03)

That's great, because then you can take that into your part of being. Like, sometimes you're just working and then some.

Ed Gamble (13:08)

I mean, you have to be so super focused to be keeping a track of everything. Obviously, now it's computerized now, so a lot of the information. But then you need to know how to do the tippity tap, tap. You need to know.

James Acaster (13:21)

Oh, you did research.

Ed Gamble (13:24)

You need to know how to get.

Jessica Hines (13:25)

Into the main thing.

James Acaster (13:27)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ed Gamble (13:29)

Okay.

James Acaster (13:30)

I did something once, and the script supervisor had their dog on set for the whole thing.

Ed Gamble (13:34)

The thing is, when you're a good script supervisor, you can bring it. You can bring what? You could bring your donkey on set, and people would be like, that's fine. Because, you know, you just got to do what you've got to do.

James Acaster (13:44)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (13:44)

People respect script supervisors.

James Acaster (13:46)

Do you watch a lot of franchise stuff? Do you watch Marvel and films?

Ed Gamble (13:49)

I have done. I really enjoy it. Yeah. I mean, I like. I think the one. I sort of. I really love the Thor iteration, that Taika Waititi, you know, comedy versions. I feel like he. His. His. My Kind of favorite, I think. But yeah, I do when it comes up. And I think when my kids were younger, I watched it more because I watch it with them. But yeah.

James Acaster (14:10)

Have you ever auditioned for a Marvel film and not known that you're auditioning for it because they give you some?

Ed Gamble (14:15)

I kind of did do a little bit of an audition year maybe for something in Wonder Woman that I didn't get.

Jessica Hines (14:20)

Does this show sort of undercut the cinematic universes of comic books? Is it satirical about them to the extent that you're worried that you're not going to be able to break your way into superhero films after?

Ed Gamble (14:31)

I'm not anything. I'm just glad to be working. I really don't think that far ahead. I'm trying to be very much in the moment. Ed.

Jessica Hines (14:37)

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm a clock guy.

James Acaster (14:42)

Oh, clocky here.

Ed Gamble (14:43)

Oh, clocko.

Jessica Hines (14:44)

I'm thinking years ahead.

Ed Gamble (14:46)

No, because it's not really necessarily about. I mean, it's much more about actually the kind of huge behemoth that is massive, massive, massive expensive filmmaking that really is the subject. So it's a workplace comedy set in the world of massively expensive film making.

James Acaster (15:02)

Now, are you a foodie? Before we get into your menu, are you a fan of food?

Ed Gamble (15:06)

Well, of course. I mean, how can you not be? Has anyone. Is anyone not.

James Acaster (15:10)

Yeah, we have had a few non foodies on who just like, that's just fuel. I don't care. I don't think about it.

Ed Gamble (15:15)

God, I would love to be that person. Yeah, I would love to be just a fuel person. What do they say when they just. Fuel. What does that mean? What is that like?

Jessica Hines (15:24)

Yeah, I've got no idea. I mean, it seems to me like a completely joyless life.

Ed Gamble (15:27)

Wow.

Jessica Hines (15:27)

To be like.

Ed Gamble (15:28)

Maybe they get joy from other things, not just stuff in their gob, you know, But I don't know.

Jessica Hines (15:32)

Because if you're not getting joy from that, what are you getting joy from?

Ed Gamble (15:35)

Yeah, okay. There's lots of other things you could get joyful.

James Acaster (15:38)

Name one.

Jessica Hines (15:39)

I don't know. Not that I know of.

James Acaster (15:40)

Name one.

Jessica Hines (15:41)

Food and the clock. That's all I've got.

James Acaster (15:43)

I think you've got to enjoy the things that you just have to do anyway.

Ed Gamble (15:48)

Yeah, yeah.

James Acaster (15:48)

You have to sleep, you have to eat, you have to go to the toilet. Yeah, Enjoy those things.

Ed Gamble (15:54)

Yeah, correct. So you're so profound. I wasn't expecting that. I thought this was more of a jokey, lighthearted sometimes.

Jessica Hines (16:02)

But it depends, you know, make you think James is taking it down a philosophical route today.

Ed Gamble (16:05)

I love it.

James Acaster (16:06)

The guy loves it.

Jessica Hines (16:07)

The guy loves going to the toilet.

James Acaster (16:08)

Yeah. I love philosophy invented by the English, as we all know. We always start with still or sparkling water.

Ed Gamble (16:18)

Sparkling. If I'm out, I mean, it's a treat. Yeah, yeah.

Jessica Hines (16:22)

Never sparkling at home.

Ed Gamble (16:23)

Sparkling at home, too, sometimes with a bit of lemon in it.

Jessica Hines (16:26)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (16:27)

How about that? How'd you like that?

Jessica Hines (16:28)

You love that you're slicing the lemon at home.

Ed Gamble (16:30)

Yeah, I'm slicing the lemon at home. Lemon is massive at home. Yeah, Lemon is big. Lemons are in trouble. You know, like, I've got a lot of the lemons running scared because I'm using a lot of lemons in everything.

Jessica Hines (16:43)

Take us through the daily lemon rota.

Ed Gamble (16:46)

Well, there's lemons in a bit of water, there's lemons in recipes, there's lemons in tea. Oh, yeah, there's a lot of lemons.

James Acaster (16:53)

I think they're safe when they see the kettle boiling.

Ed Gamble (16:55)

No, they're not safe.

James Acaster (16:57)

You're going in that as well.

Ed Gamble (16:58)

They are not safe.

James Acaster (16:59)

I started today with a celery and lemon juice.

Ed Gamble (17:03)

Oh, wow.

Jessica Hines (17:04)

James is in films now.

Ed Gamble (17:06)

That sounds delicious.

James Acaster (17:08)

Like a character in the franchise.

Ed Gamble (17:09)

Can I just. Can I just say, just celery and lemon.

James Acaster (17:13)

It was. Yeah. Oh, that's what it was.

Jessica Hines (17:15)

Hardcore. That must have tasted, if you don't mind me saying. Horrible.

James Acaster (17:19)

It was delicious. I loved it.

Ed Gamble (17:21)

Celery is quite sweet.

James Acaster (17:22)

It was the second time I've had it this week. I saw it the other day.

Ed Gamble (17:25)

Yeah.

James Acaster (17:25)

And was just like, that could be horrible. But I'm going to try it, see what it's like. Yeah, Absolutely loved it. One of those things where I already knew on the way home, I'm going to tell my girlfriend how nice this is when I get through the door. And it will absolutely ruin her day. It's going to be so boring. But, you know, I can't wait to tell her.

Jessica Hines (17:43)

Excuse me.

James Acaster (17:43)

Yeah, this is delicious. It's celery and lemon. And then today I knew that the place that sells it was en route to the studio and I couldn't wait. As soon as I woke up this morning, actually, Joe, Jessica, I thought of it as I was falling asleep. I thought, I want to get the celery and lemon. I'm going to get that tomorrow. And then I was so looking forward to it.

Ed Gamble (18:04)

Yeah.

James Acaster (18:04)

You know, so, you know, lemons are in trouble in my house.

Ed Gamble (18:08)

Watch out.

Jessica Hines (18:08)

So you bought this? You didn't make this?

James Acaster (18:10)

No, boy, I'm not Making juice. Well, what am I, a chef?

Ed Gamble (18:13)

You know, what else are you going to spend £6 on?

James Acaster (18:15)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (18:17)

Glass of celery and lemon.

James Acaster (18:18)

Yeah. A little shot.

Ed Gamble (18:19)

It's money well spent in my book.

Jessica Hines (18:20)

You want to shout out where it's from, Joe?

James Acaster (18:22)

I knew this would happen. I got it this morning. I was walking away, I was thinking, this is so delicious. I'm going to mention it on the podcast. And then I realized I don't know the name of the place. And I looked back and I couldn't see the sign anymore. And I was like, hopefully I won't get asked now. The worst has happened. This is my biggest fear. I've been worried about it all day. It's 20 past 1 now. I know that my alarms went off, but, like. But you know, we've been worried since like 8 in the morning. I got that. Celery and lemon juice.

Ed Gamble (18:46)

Do you. I'm just asking.

James Acaster (18:48)

Yes.

Ed Gamble (18:48)

Do you ever eat things that aren't appropriate for breakfast? For breakfast?

James Acaster (18:52)

Go on. What? What?

Ed Gamble (18:53)

I'm just asking. I'm just asking you that.

Jessica Hines (18:55)

I'm just asking you definitely if there's leftovers.

Ed Gamble (18:58)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (18:58)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (18:59)

Sometimes it's what you want, right?

Jessica Hines (19:00)

I think anything can be a breakfast if you put fried egg on it.

Ed Gamble (19:03)

Okay, good. Do you have to put fried egg on it, though?

Jessica Hines (19:05)

That makes it feel more breakfasty to me, right? I don't think you have to.

Ed Gamble (19:09)

No.

Jessica Hines (19:09)

But, like, certainly, like leftover curry in the morning.

James Acaster (19:12)

Yes. Absolutely.

Jessica Hines (19:13)

Delicious.

James Acaster (19:13)

You put a fried egg on the curry.

Jessica Hines (19:14)

I could put a fried egg on the curry.

James Acaster (19:15)

That's great.

Jessica Hines (19:16)

Definitely.

James Acaster (19:16)

That's changed my life.

Jessica Hines (19:17)

Yeah. Or especially like, I think fried eggs go very well on like Thai leftovers or something like that.

Ed Gamble (19:23)

Oh, nice.

James Acaster (19:24)

This guy.

Jessica Hines (19:24)

Little fried egg on the top.

Ed Gamble (19:26)

Delicious.

James Acaster (19:26)

I love that. Yeah. I mean, I definitely. I think the other day I was on holiday.

Ed Gamble (19:30)

Yeah.

James Acaster (19:31)

But I still was like. And actually got this because Ed told me to, but I was in Tokyo and there was a. I was in a 711 and there's just a bar that is just an ice cream bar that's like covered in like wafer.

Ed Gamble (19:45)

Oh.

James Acaster (19:46)

And it's pretty big.

Jessica Hines (19:47)

Yeah.

James Acaster (19:47)

As well. This is my breakfast and I just bit into it and it's just a wafer all on the outside, ice cream and bits of chocolate in the middle. It's like the end of a Cornetto, but over and over again.

Jessica Hines (19:55)

It's really good.

James Acaster (19:56)

I got it for my breakfast, Jessica. So that is definitely because we had.

Ed Gamble (19:59)

A bit of a thing on Sunday, so We had some people. We had a kind of things. And I made a really, really nice curry and a very big apple crumble. There was a little bit. A little bit, you know, interesting because I didn't put the apple crumble in the oven as long as I thought I had. So when it came out, the apples and pears, it was an apple and pear crumble. They weren't that mushy, they were quite crispy because I'd put quite a bit of cinnamon in. And actually the crumble was just like whizzed up oats with a bit of coconut oil and a bit of brown sugar and a bit of cinnamon. There was something very nice about it not being mushy. So I got. So that's been a little bit. And there was some leftovers. So that's been a bit of a feature. That's. We've been having that a bit for breakfast.

James Acaster (20:40)

Well, that's almost granola.

Ed Gamble (20:41)

It's almost granola, but it's cinnamon. Cinnamon.

Jessica Hines (20:44)

Breakfast time. Right.

Ed Gamble (20:45)

Apple. Yes. Oats, of course.

Jessica Hines (20:48)

Of course.

Ed Gamble (20:49)

Brown sugar.

Jessica Hines (20:50)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (20:51)

It's a treat.

Jessica Hines (20:51)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (20:52)

You know, it's a bit.

Jessica Hines (20:54)

Put a bit of yog with it and then it's definitely breakfast time.

James Acaster (20:57)

We all let in. Yog slide. Yeah, we're. Yes.

Ed Gamble (20:59)

And in it, actually, there's a great shop near, which is. Which is an amazing shop where I live called Everest Kash and Carry, which is run by the local Nepalese community in Folkestone. And they have an amazing yogurt there called Creamy Hole, which is. Which is a sort of live yogurt. And you can't get it. You don't get it anywhere else. I'm not sure what country it comes from. It comes from a big pot and it is live and it is delicious.

James Acaster (21:26)

Wow.

Jessica Hines (21:27)

How live are we talking?

Ed Gamble (21:30)

As alive as you. As alive as you would ever need it. I'm saying, you know, if you want it any more alive than that, I wouldn't know where you'd go.

Jessica Hines (21:39)

No. That was so scary, man. If the yogurt was really alive, I'd be so scary.

James Acaster (21:43)

Okay, actually, I'm gonna put my question on hold and just hear. Ed, let's talk about that for a bit more.

Ed Gamble (21:47)

Come on, let's.

James Acaster (21:48)

What would scare you about that?

Jessica Hines (21:49)

What if I. If you opened it up and the yogurt was having a chat or singing or dancing.

James Acaster (21:53)

Yeah, Chatting to itself.

Jessica Hines (21:55)

Yeah.

James Acaster (21:55)

What would it be saying?

Jessica Hines (21:56)

Like a little man shaped yogurt beast came out the top of it.

Ed Gamble (22:00)

That's an advert. You're just basically pitching.

Jessica Hines (22:02)

It's lurpac, man, but with yogurt.

James Acaster (22:04)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He came out with a trombone.

Jessica Hines (22:07)

With a trombone, saying, hello, I'm Creamy Hole.

James Acaster (22:10)

I mean, my question was going to be, did you get Creamy Whole recommended to you?

Ed Gamble (22:15)

No, I just saw it on the shelf.

James Acaster (22:17)

And you thought, I'm going to get that.

Jessica Hines (22:18)

Yeah, because of the name.

Ed Gamble (22:20)

Everything. Everything about it screamed buy me, buy me, buy me. And I've. And I've never regretted buying it. It's delicious and it's just lovely yogurt.

James Acaster (22:29)

Yeah. Well, so it's good recommend for everyone.

Ed Gamble (22:32)

Is H O double it?

James Acaster (22:33)

Sure. But, you know. Yeah, I mean, I. I still imagine that's affected sales.

Ed Gamble (22:38)

I don't think it has.

James Acaster (22:39)

You. You promoting it on this podcast is going to help go some way to getting rid of the hurdle that they must have to overcome. Everything.

Jessica Hines (22:46)

Oh, no. I thought you meant it. Increased sales.

James Acaster (22:48)

Are you kidding me? No one's buying Creamy Home.

Ed Gamble (22:50)

Yes. Yes, they are.

Jessica Hines (22:52)

They're taking pictures of it at least.

Ed Gamble (22:53)

Maybe not. Maybe not a ton here, but, like, this is a. This yogurt, you know, something you might not know much about. No, like I'm telling you. Yeah, it's selling. Don't be worried about that.

James Acaster (23:06)

Pop it, absorb bread. Pop it, absorb bread. Jessica Hines. Pop it, absorb bread.

Ed Gamble (23:09)

Not understand what you just said.

James Acaster (23:11)

Pop it, absorbed bread. Jessica Hines.

Ed Gamble (23:12)

I heard James at Acaster. Okay, so you need to slow down. Yeah, you need to quieten down. You need to say it again in a calm inside voice, please.

Jessica Hines (23:22)

Thank you for doing this. Finally, someone's done this.

Ed Gamble (23:25)

Could you please say it in a calm inside voice and then I will respond.

Jessica Hines (23:28)

We're having a lovely discussion about creamy whole, and you've shouted over the top.

Ed Gamble (23:31)

I heard all bread. What I did not hear was that at the beginning. Okay, so start again. Take your breath and start again, please.

James Acaster (23:40)

Would you like papadoms or bread?

Ed Gamble (23:42)

Okay, now we're talking. Poppadoms.

Jessica Hines (23:45)

Yeah, It's a nice chat.

Ed Gamble (23:46)

It's always papadoms. Thank you.

James Acaster (23:47)

Yes. Lots of papadoms.

Ed Gamble (23:49)

Always popadom.

Jessica Hines (23:49)

I'm glad you got him to repeat it, because he didn't even hear it the first time.

Ed Gamble (23:52)

I had no idea what he said.

James Acaster (23:53)

Yeah, imagine when we have American guests on how much of a difficulty they have with that bit. It doesn't go well.

Ed Gamble (23:59)

I said, hey, come on. I'm sure some Americans love it.

Jessica Hines (24:02)

They don't understand him a lot of the time, and they have to look to me for the translation. Essentially.

James Acaster (24:07)

And then the rest of the episode, they're looking at Ed. Right. I'm just sitting there. I'll say stuff, but they'll just be looking at Ed.

Ed Gamble (24:13)

Is that where you do it? Is it your way of clocking off?

James Acaster (24:16)

It's fun. Yeah. I don't have to do anything after that. Do you want all the dips with the poppadoms? It's always there somewhere.

Ed Gamble (24:21)

Always the dips with the poppadoms. Always the dips with the poppadoms. Always them. And then literally, like, treating the pop it on like it's a pizza. Like it's a pizza. Everything on all at once, then trying to kind of get it, like.

James Acaster (24:32)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (24:32)

Crunch it without it all falling apart. And then scooping up the onion and all the whatever, even though it's too hot. Yeah, that's definitely.

Jessica Hines (24:39)

When you say treating it like a pizza, are you doing, like a base of. A base of one topping?

Ed Gamble (24:44)

Yeah, I'm just scattering it on there.

Jessica Hines (24:46)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (24:46)

You know, just obviously at that point, you're so hungry, you've ordered whatever deliciousness you've ordered and you want it and you're hungry. But, like, the papadoms come and it's like you fall on the papadons as if you had lean for days and you're kind of cramming. I mean, anyway, this is just me and you're kind of cramming it in your mouth as if you're not expecting another amount of food that will put you into a coma.

James Acaster (25:09)

That is.

Ed Gamble (25:10)

That is me in an Indian restaurant.

James Acaster (25:11)

Well, they're so delicious. I mean, like, you know, how can.

Ed Gamble (25:14)

They be that delicious? It's insane.

James Acaster (25:17)

It is crazy.

Ed Gamble (25:18)

English, right? Papadoms.

James Acaster (25:20)

They are English.

Ed Gamble (25:21)

They are English.

James Acaster (25:21)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (25:21)

That's what I thought.

Jessica Hines (25:22)

Chris. Big Chris.

James Acaster (25:23)

Yeah. You have just reminded me, actually, of why, you know, I want to put this section in the podcast to begin with in 2018, because of how much I love papadons. Someone hasn't.

Ed Gamble (25:31)

Come on, tell us about the first time you ever had a papadon, please. Can you tell us about that one? What was your.

James Acaster (25:36)

The very first time, can you remember it?

Jessica Hines (25:38)

I mean, with you, it's, like, always surprisingly late. No, it'll probably be like, 27 or something.

Ed Gamble (25:42)

It wasn't late.

James Acaster (25:43)

It wasn't late. No, no, no.

Ed Gamble (25:44)

Was it in an Indian restaurant or was it. Was it a takeaway? It was in an Indian restaurant.

James Acaster (25:48)

Yeah. Yeah. We didn't get takeaways very much. My mum would cook and then very occasionally would go out for a meal.

Ed Gamble (25:54)

Yeah.

James Acaster (25:54)

Actually, maybe it was late, I don't know. But it would have been at the Raj or the Royal Bengal in Ketryn, which are like two doors down from each other.

Jessica Hines (26:02)

Are they rivals?

James Acaster (26:03)

Yeah, but they're the two main curry houses. And I don't know what the building in between them is, but it must be tents in that building because they are. They are both fine for all of Ketryn's, like, you know, business curry wise. And they're both excellent.

Jessica Hines (26:16)

You should open a curry house in the building in between.

James Acaster (26:18)

I should do, actually.

Jessica Hines (26:19)

Yeah.

James Acaster (26:19)

Acasters curry.

Jessica Hines (26:20)

Yeah.

James Acaster (26:21)

I guess it's English curries and I can just sell, I guess, poppadoms and curry with eggs on it. That's my. That's my idea.

Jessica Hines (26:27)

Breakfast curry.

James Acaster (26:28)

Yeah, breakfast curry.

Ed Gamble (26:29)

Someone's going there.

Jessica Hines (26:30)

Yeah, good.

James Acaster (26:31)

But they're both great places. I love going to them equally. Although the Raj are the one that gives me freebies because I'm famous.

Ed Gamble (26:37)

Great. Oh, lovely. Yeah, congratulations.

James Acaster (26:41)

Thank you very much.

Jessica Hines (26:42)

Yeah, well done, man.

James Acaster (26:45)

Your dream starter.

Ed Gamble (26:46)

Well, I'm just going to preface this by saying that this is. This is sort of what I'm craving at the moment because I'm getting over this, like, flu that everyone's had, and so I've been kind of like, really craving healthy food. So you could ask me this dream menu at another time and it would be different.

Jessica Hines (27:01)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (27:02)

So this is very much what I'm craving at the moment.

Jessica Hines (27:05)

You want nutrients, you want things to build up your immune system.

Ed Gamble (27:08)

Yeah. So my starter, and this isn't as simple as you might think, but it's lentil soup.

James Acaster (27:13)

Okay.

Ed Gamble (27:14)

Because I was in Budapest filming last year and there was a Syrian restaurant opposite my hotel, and they did the most delicious lentil soup I've ever had. And I was like, I have to now, like. And I was eating it all the time. I love. It was so good. And I was like, right, I really have to work out how to make the most delicious lentil soup. Lentil soup. I go, I want to eat my own lentil soup. So that's basically when I. When I came home, I sort of tried to. And the answer, of course, as you would imagine, is lemon.

Jessica Hines (27:48)

It's always the answer.

Ed Gamble (27:49)

It's lemon, guys. It's bloody lemon.

Jessica Hines (27:51)

As soon as you came home, those lemons would be like.

Ed Gamble (27:53)

The lemons were like, she's home, she's home.

Jessica Hines (27:56)

You slam a new recipe on the side.

Ed Gamble (27:58)

Lemon cumin, garam masala.

James Acaster (28:00)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (28:01)

Maybe a little bit of. Maybe a little bit of ginger. You might Want to scrape in there, maybe a bit of garlic. You want to kind of, you know, like, put the lentils in with the lemon and all the seasoning and then put the water in. And then you've basically got the most delicious soup that you just never want to stop eating. It's so delicious.

James Acaster (28:18)

How do you. You figured out the recipe? Did you ask them?

Ed Gamble (28:21)

No, I didn't ask them.

James Acaster (28:22)

You just came back and you figured it out?

Ed Gamble (28:24)

Well, I just kind of looked up different, like, lentil recipes. I mean, it's like, yes. Weird. I just sort of. Sort of weirdly figured it out all on my own. No, I mean, I obviously went on the, you know, I went onto the mainframe. I went on. I went, you know, I went in on the Internet and, you know, I did some research. But yeah, and then. But then I kind of, like, experimented a bit. But yeah, that is just like whenever I go, like, anywhere that does lentil soup, I'm always like, I'll have. I want to try different people's lentil soup because it varies, obviously from place to place. But this was so delicious.

James Acaster (29:00)

This is something you've always loved, then. You've always loved lentil soup.

Jessica Hines (29:04)

This lentil soup Changed your mind on lentil soup?

Ed Gamble (29:06)

Lentil soup changed my mind on lentil soup. And I realized that the lentil soup I might have been having before was. It wasn't the good kind, it wasn't the best kind. And having then eaten this lentil soup and this restaurant had another thing called fool, which is like fava beans and tahini and lemons again. And. And that. And it was that flavor combo. I was like, this is. This is all I want. It's just like that lovely, sharp, lemony tahini, spicy. Just deliciousness.

James Acaster (29:34)

So, yeah, you're in that phase at the minute that your lentil soup phase.

Ed Gamble (29:37)

Yeah, I'm loving lentil soup right now.

James Acaster (29:39)

The people close to you, if they notice this pointed out, they love it.

Jessica Hines (29:43)

Because I guess you're making big batches, right?

Ed Gamble (29:45)

Sometimes I'm making big batches. Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah, that's happening.

James Acaster (29:50)

Yeah. Yeah.

Jessica Hines (29:50)

I just think, yeah. With something like lentil soup, you're not gonna make one portion, are you?

Ed Gamble (29:55)

I've tried to make a smaller portion, but then it's just never enough.

Jessica Hines (29:58)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (29:59)

So I try to kind of. I try not to over make, which is sometimes difficult when you kind of, you know, you don't know who's going to eat it.

Jessica Hines (30:05)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (30:06)

But, yeah.

James Acaster (30:06)

How much lentil soup is in your freezer at the Minute.

Jessica Hines (30:08)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (30:08)

Actually, none.

James Acaster (30:09)

Congrats.

Ed Gamble (30:10)

No, there's no lentil soup in my freezer right now.

Jessica Hines (30:11)

How many lemons are in your house right now?

Ed Gamble (30:13)

Seven lemons.

James Acaster (30:16)

Absolutely not.

Ed Gamble (30:17)

Not for long. Ed, are you. Better watch out.

Jessica Hines (30:22)

They're at home listening to this. Absolutely terrified, quaking in their boots.

James Acaster (30:30)

Who. Who in your. Who do you know? All the people that you know loves the lemon suit the most. Who has been like, you're gonna make this every time I see you. This is so good.

Ed Gamble (30:37)

I think my daughter. My daughter. I've got one child who still lives at home, and my daughter, she loves my lentil soup. And then Adam, my husband, loves my lentil soup. And then, you know, everyone who comes in loves my lentil soup. Everybody loves my lentil soup. What can I say? I'm not gonna lie about it. Everybody bloody loves it. That's why I make it.

James Acaster (30:54)

I like this voice. I like this character.

Jessica Hines (30:55)

I like this character.

James Acaster (30:57)

Good character makes the lentil soup.

Jessica Hines (30:58)

The character is trying to be humble. Just be realistic about how much everyone loves. Loves their lentil soup. That's good cat phrase for the character.

James Acaster (31:07)

Yeah. Just being honest.

Ed Gamble (31:08)

Being honest. But I did have, like, when I was ordering it in in this restaurant, when I was in Budapest, I did used to have, like, sides. If I was feeling a bit more hungry, I'd have an in soup, and then I would order their, like, Syrian baba ganoush, which. And that was a whole other level. Yeah. Because it was a bit chunky. It wasn't creamy baba ganoush. It was, like, a little bit chunky with a bit of tomato. Do you know what I mean?

Jessica Hines (31:30)

Love it.

Ed Gamble (31:30)

Yeah.

James Acaster (31:31)

That's the dip that I could just eat the most of on its own.

Ed Gamble (31:35)

Yeah.

James Acaster (31:35)

Like, if someone said you got to eat a dip for ages.

Jessica Hines (31:39)

That's a good question.

Ed Gamble (31:40)

That is a really good.

James Acaster (31:42)

I would like a bubble ganoush, please. And I would. I could do it.

Ed Gamble (31:44)

I'll eat it with a spoon. And I was eating it with a spoon because I was eating a lot. I was working.

Jessica Hines (31:48)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (31:49)

I was eating the lentil spoon of lentil soup, spoon of baba ganoush, all on my own. So happen.

Jessica Hines (31:55)

I've just been in Greece and eaten a lot of Tara masks.

James Acaster (31:59)

The musical. Who plays Kenicki?

Jessica Hines (32:02)

Yeah, I play Sandy.

Ed Gamble (32:03)

Oh, God, he's so good.

Jessica Hines (32:06)

A lot of dips.

Ed Gamble (32:07)

Oh, Terry.

Jessica Hines (32:08)

And a lot of tarot.

Ed Gamble (32:10)

But probably different Tara to the ones we get. Quite pinky dye, maybe not.

Jessica Hines (32:15)

You like white.

Ed Gamble (32:15)

White tarot.

Jessica Hines (32:16)

Proper white Tara.

Ed Gamble (32:17)

Posh Tara.

Jessica Hines (32:18)

Good Tara.

Ed Gamble (32:18)

Real tarot.

Jessica Hines (32:19)

Really good.

Ed Gamble (32:20)

Come on.

Jessica Hines (32:21)

It's good stuff. But I could eat that with a spoon. Even though it's got a real strong, pungent taste to it.

Ed Gamble (32:26)

So what else you're having? Tara in Greece. What?

Jessica Hines (32:30)

There was a fava bean one actually that they were doing quite a lot. Yeah. Which I think might be a specifically sort of Santorinian thing. We were in Santorini.

Ed Gamble (32:37)

Oh, they love fava beans in Santorini.

Jessica Hines (32:40)

They do, yeah, sure. Yeah. They're as scared as the lemons in Jessica's house. Those are the two main dips. I'd say there are a few others, but just had a lot of grilled fish, a lot of grilled veg.

James Acaster (32:53)

It's baba ganoush dip. If you had to eat one dip, massive, like a meal, a meal sized portion of one dip, could you eat.

Jessica Hines (33:01)

It like a yog?

Ed Gamble (33:02)

I could, but do you know it would have to be homemade hummus. I'm sorry. So boring. So boring. No, but like, listen, when you do, I mean when we make, you know, when I'm at hummus, I do soak the chickpeas.

James Acaster (33:13)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (33:13)

So I soak them. In some cases I've even peeled them when I've wanted, just, just for kicks. So you have to, you know, after you've boiled them and all the skin gets loose on them and then you just sort of like spend ages, just like sort of. Because the skin sort of falls off them and then you, you've got this kind of like crackly load of sort of chickpea skin and you just sort of pull it off and pull it off and then it kind of becomes so creamy. So yeah, I, I do like hummus. I'm homemade hummus. So good.

James Acaster (33:40)

You're open a cafe?

Ed Gamble (33:41)

Yeah, I am open. I'm opening a cafe. In fact. I just literally like just right now.

James Acaster (33:48)

Decided you're gonna do it.

Ed Gamble (33:49)

It's all dips at this point.

James Acaster (33:51)

Yeah, dips and soups.

Jessica Hines (33:52)

Dips and soups.

James Acaster (33:53)

Let's call it dips and soups.

Ed Gamble (33:53)

Dips and soups. Yeah, yeah, soups and dips actually. But you know, fair enough, fair enough. What a difference a day makes. Swap your airport transit.

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Ed Gamble (36:48)

You could eat probably eating with a spoon but you might want a fork.

James Acaster (36:51)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (36:52)

Because there's something that I. We discovered we did a lot of tempura during lockdown. This was a thing that we did and so this, this main course is a sort of combo of things but one of the. I mean maybe. I suppose I could call it a side but it's on the main plate. But it could Also be a side.

James Acaster (37:09)

Okay.

Ed Gamble (37:09)

But when we were in lockdown, I had a card that let me go to shop in the cash and carry, which I was registered for vat. I didn't think there was a problem with it. I don't know. Just maybe I'm not running soups and dips yet. Maybe I'm just in the kind of R and D stage. But still, I had a cash and carry card. So those were the only circumstances which my husband would let me panic buy. Because obviously, cash and carries, that's the point of cash and carry. It's all panic buying. You know, it's tins and tins and tins of everything. And they have big lots of everything. So it's kind of.

Jessica Hines (37:44)

I've never been in one, but it's.

Ed Gamble (37:45)

My dream to go, oh, my God, I can't believe that. It is so fun. Yeah, it's so fun.

Jessica Hines (37:49)

I bet.

Ed Gamble (37:50)

So one of the things they had there was huge tubs of artichokes. So artichokes. Big, solid, lovely artichokes. So you would buy it, and it would seem like an expensive buy. It would be quite a lot of your bill, because obviously artichokes are expensive. But when you kind of worked out how much you were playing for one tub of artichoke for literally three little slices, it worked out a bargain.

Jessica Hines (38:10)

You may as well.

Ed Gamble (38:11)

So we had quite a lot of artichokes knocking about in the house during lockdown, and tempura was kind of on the menu. And then I was like, artichoke tempura? Yeah, let's go there. Let's go there. And it was out of this world.

Jessica Hines (38:24)

That sounds amazing.

Ed Gamble (38:25)

It really was artichoke tempura. Why wouldn't you.

Jessica Hines (38:28)

Because it's like the way an artichoke is. There's layers and so there's surface area for more.

Ed Gamble (38:33)

The layer is like the beginning of a.

Jessica Hines (38:34)

The way it is, the way an.

Ed Gamble (38:35)

Artichoke is the way she is. But so there's layers. Exactly. So that when you kind of, you know, cook it like that, it kind of holds its shape, obviously, because they were really good proper. They were kind of in brine, so they weren't too slimy and squidgy. They still had a little bit of crunch. They were good kind of cured artichokes, if you like. And they work brilliantly. Tempura. So that would be a feature in my main course.

Jessica Hines (38:57)

How big was the tub of artichokes? I think we'd all like.

Ed Gamble (39:00)

Well, like. Okay, let me just Try to think about, like, how could I. How could I describe it in this context? I mean, bucket. I was gonna say bucket, but that would be too big. So not. Not a bucket. Like a small bucket.

Jessica Hines (39:13)

Small bucket.

Ed Gamble (39:15)

A small. A kind of a lot. A very, very large jar. So, like, what if you imagine the largest jar.

Jessica Hines (39:20)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (39:21)

Like an unreasonably large jar that you would never find in any vase. It depends on the vase. I mean, this is small vase.

James Acaster (39:28)

So I think a few people might be listening to this and thinking that they've got a very different definition of panic buying than you have.

Ed Gamble (39:35)

Right.

James Acaster (39:35)

Because you panic bought a tub of artichokes.

Jessica Hines (39:38)

We all remember that part of lockdown.

James Acaster (39:40)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (39:41)

Where everyone went mad and bought up all the artichokes and you couldn't find.

Ed Gamble (39:46)

My husband was extremely, like, strict. So we would go. We would like about not panic buying. It was like, absolutely. But he was almost so worried about it that we would go shopping and I would put two bags of muesli, and he would say, put that back. Put one back. I was like, I think it's normal to buy two bags of muesli.

Jessica Hines (40:04)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (40:05)

But he wouldn't allow it.

Jessica Hines (40:06)

Even outside of a pandemic.

Ed Gamble (40:07)

Outside of a pandemic, I would buy two bags of muesli, but it was not allowed. I'll have to put one.

Jessica Hines (40:12)

You have a muesli every morning. You don't want to buy muesli every single week.

Ed Gamble (40:16)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (40:16)

Buy two bags. That makes sense.

James Acaster (40:17)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (40:18)

Regardless of the global health situation, if.

James Acaster (40:19)

It wasn't for your wimp husband. How. How much? You called a bit. We edited it out. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (40:27)

No, no, I. I did not call him that. He was a vet. He was a good citizen.

James Acaster (40:32)

Square.

Ed Gamble (40:33)

No. Good citizen.

James Acaster (40:34)

So it wasn't for your good citizen of a husband.

Ed Gamble (40:36)

Thank you.

James Acaster (40:37)

How much do you think you would have bought of stuff? Do you think you would have panic?

Ed Gamble (40:40)

We don't want to.

James Acaster (40:41)

Would you have gone?

Ed Gamble (40:41)

No, I would have. I mean, although in some cases, when things eased, I did then buy. Okay. We're still eating brown rice and. And in fact, chickpeas and, in fact, lentils.

Jessica Hines (40:56)

You buy the big sacks of rice.

Ed Gamble (40:58)

Oh, yeah. It came in boxes, so. Yeah. So, yes.

James Acaster (41:02)

Yeah. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (41:03)

I had to buy buckets, so it didn't go off, but I felt like that was okay because it's not like I'm going to the shops and then clearing. I was buying it from somewhere that wanted to sell me lentils in bulk. So does that. That quality. Does that count as panic buying? Not really.

Jessica Hines (41:17)

Not if you're still having it. It's not like.

Ed Gamble (41:19)

No.

James Acaster (41:20)

Yeah. I guess everyone who's walking around cash and carry is probably not panicking.

Ed Gamble (41:24)

But I will tell you this. When it all arrived, when it all arrived the first time, my husband was like, what is this? I said, I've bought some things in bulk from, you know, a wholesaler. Stuff that I think that would be useful. And he sat down, he said, I've done the calculations. If we eat this food stuff for every meal, we will still be eating it in seven years. He said, you are going to have to send half of this back. So I did. I did. I sent half of it back.

James Acaster (42:01)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (42:02)

Because it was just completely.

Jessica Hines (42:04)

Well, they probably thought you were like a survivalist or something.

Ed Gamble (42:06)

Yeah. And to a certain extent in that moment, I felt like that's maybe what it was. So. But anyway, so I did have to send half of it back.

James Acaster (42:13)

Sure.

Ed Gamble (42:13)

Luckily, I've learned how to make lentil soup, so.

James Acaster (42:15)

Yeah, that explains your starter. Yeah. That explains why lentil soup is what.

Ed Gamble (42:21)

Guys, it's lentil soup again.

James Acaster (42:24)

You're peeling chickpeas, making your own hummus. Yeah.

Jessica Hines (42:27)

So far, every single dish has been things that you've panic. Bought during the pandemic. Toilet paper for dessert.

Ed Gamble (42:36)

No, that's one thing. We didn't panic. No, that was not. I never understood that. Never understood that.

James Acaster (42:41)

So is it just the tempur artichoke temperament, then?

Ed Gamble (42:44)

Lovely. There's a thing that I started making which is like, really, really, really nice. Finely. Finely, Finely, Finely chopped salad, like, but with, like, greens. So you, like. You know, when you really. When you know, kale is quite a. It's a bit of a contentious vegetable. People are like, it's for donkeys, you know.

Jessica Hines (43:00)

I've never heard that, by the way.

Ed Gamble (43:01)

Haven't you?

James Acaster (43:02)

No, but never heard someone say, I.

Ed Gamble (43:03)

Think that's maybe what.

Jessica Hines (43:07)

Second time you brought up donkeys as well.

Ed Gamble (43:10)

Yeah, I do love a donkey.

James Acaster (43:15)

But.

Ed Gamble (43:15)

Yeah. So it's like really, really finely chopped. So. But you, like, literally almost. So they're like you're kind of turning it into, I don't know, something. Yeah. So it's not leafy at all. So you really, really finely chop it and finely chop it with, like, other kind of fresh vegetables and there's lots of lemon in it and it's just like a really nice chunky. Maybe walnuts.

James Acaster (43:34)

Oh, yes. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (43:35)

Are you with me on that?

Jessica Hines (43:36)

Yeah, with you.

James Acaster (43:38)

Had a little walnut Southern today, did you? Yeah, yeah. For our lunch in there.

Ed Gamble (43:41)

Because you want that little bit of crunch. And maybe the walnuts, maybe they've been baked. Yeah, Maybe they've just been put in a pan for a bit. Yeah, just put a little bit toasty, put a bit of heat on them. Just bringing out that oil that lovely. And then finely chop that and mix that up and then put that with a little. But whatever you want, really. Mushrooms. Finally chop some mushrooms in there. A bit of lemon, maybe a little bit of tamari, a little bit of soy sauce on there as well. Just to give it a bit of depth. Something bit of umami. There she is, there she is. Glad you brought her up. Yeah. And then, and then on with that, like maybe a bit of Babylonution. Maybe a bit of hummus.

Jessica Hines (44:22)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

James Acaster (44:23)

You need to get rid of that hummus.

Ed Gamble (44:26)

The chickpeas in there somewhere.

James Acaster (44:27)

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You want some brown rice on the side?

Ed Gamble (44:30)

Yeah, yeah, sure. As well, I actually have a really like way of making like if you. Brown rice, obviously brown rice, that's just brown rice. But like I like to chop up sweet red onions and then fry them like quite a lot. Again, bit of tamari, bit of umami, maybe a bit of soy sauce, whatever you like. A bit of white miso. Do you know what I mean?

Jessica Hines (44:51)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (44:52)

Stir that in and then put that in with the brown rice and just like give that a big stir. And then that as a dish is just delicious.

James Acaster (44:59)

Yeah, that sounds good.

Ed Gamble (45:01)

Delicious. It's very good.

Jessica Hines (45:02)

It all sounds so good.

James Acaster (45:03)

It does.

Ed Gamble (45:03)

It is good. It is good.

James Acaster (45:04)

In my head I just keep on. Keeps going round. I just keep nearly laughing because I'm imagining someone going, do you want some kale? No, that's for donkeys.

Jessica Hines (45:15)

That's for donkeys.

James Acaster (45:16)

It's making me laugh.

Jessica Hines (45:18)

No, people say it's for donkeys.

Ed Gamble (45:20)

Imagine someone said the visual would be cut too. Just a very silent donkey just chewing down kale stalk.

James Acaster (45:27)

Cuz they eat the kale.

Ed Gamble (45:28)

I actually do chop the stalks out of chaos. I do. And in that, in that situation, if I'm trying to make like a finely chopped, like lovely raw salad, I will take that, I will.

Jessica Hines (45:36)

You don't want the stalks in there.

Ed Gamble (45:38)

Listen, if you want to eat the stalks, good, but you're a donkey, do it.

James Acaster (45:41)

You are donkey. You could chop them up and put them in a pasta because if you don't know what to do with the stalks because you're using all of the leaves, you could chop them up, up. Having him in some pasta with some treats. So maybe off the top of my head or something.

Jessica Hines (45:53)

Yeah. Not a bad idea.

Ed Gamble (45:54)

But I actually did. Somebody did say about, like, parsley stalks are good at the end. At the end of when, if you're making a little tomatoey sauce, you might bang that in there and full of parsley stalks. Bam.

Jessica Hines (46:08)

Pesto. You could whiz them up into a little situation.

Ed Gamble (46:11)

I love a bit of pesto. Do you ever make pesto with. Again, walnuts?

James Acaster (46:15)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (46:15)

Do you ever make pesto with walnuts and parsley and oil and garlic? You don't need. You know what you don't need? Pine nuts. We're so fixated. Pesto. It's got to be pine nuts. No, no, no, no, no.

James Acaster (46:28)

Edward says that. Obsessed.

Ed Gamble (46:31)

Obsessed. I mean, pine nuts are lovely. They are like the. They are like the absolute sort of like the jewel of nuts.

Jessica Hines (46:38)

I've never finished a bag.

Ed Gamble (46:39)

They're too oily, aren't they? I mean, you can't. You can't scoff pine nuts.

Jessica Hines (46:43)

No, you can't scoff them.

James Acaster (46:44)

I can.

Ed Gamble (46:45)

Macadamia.

Jessica Hines (46:45)

Use them for a dish.

James Acaster (46:46)

Am I invisible?

Jessica Hines (46:48)

Toast them.

Ed Gamble (46:48)

Sorry, did you say something?

Jessica Hines (46:49)

Who are you? Toast them. Put them in a salad. But then they're going in the cupboard and I'm not touching them again.

Ed Gamble (46:55)

Yeah. Is that because you're conditioned to treat them like they're special?

Jessica Hines (46:59)

Well, they're the jewel of the nut.

Ed Gamble (47:00)

The jewel of the nut, Yeah. I mean. But. But I mean, obviously they're very costly compared to other nuts as well.

Jessica Hines (47:04)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (47:05)

Sorry, what were you saying?

James Acaster (47:06)

I've scoffed them.

Ed Gamble (47:07)

What, a whole bag of pine nuts?

James Acaster (47:08)

Yeah. Well, I used to walk around before I lived in London, but I would come to London for gigs and I'd just have to kill like 12 hours a day because I'd stay around.

Jessica Hines (47:16)

So many of your stories start like this, but with different foods.

Ed Gamble (47:19)

Angry about that?

Jessica Hines (47:20)

Yeah.

James Acaster (47:20)

It's a bad two years of this, with two years of staying around people's houses and then, like, gotta go to work, you got to get out. I was like, my open mic gig doesn't start until you just used to.

Ed Gamble (47:28)

Go and buy yourself a little bag of pine nuts and go and eat them in the park.

James Acaster (47:32)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (47:32)

Or you take them from your friend's cupboards.

James Acaster (47:33)

No, I'll take it from the cup at nine.

Ed Gamble (47:36)

You never take anyone's pine nuts.

James Acaster (47:37)

I get them from. From the shop or something, then just walk around wolfing around London and then look at free art.

Jessica Hines (47:44)

They don't seem like an eating nut to me. You're like a snacky Nut.

Ed Gamble (47:47)

Yeah. For most people. Yeah, most people.

Jessica Hines (47:50)

So I'm in the right here.

Ed Gamble (47:51)

Well, I would. Listen, let's not put a value judgment on it. I mean, you know, James isn't wrong for scarfing pine. Just willy nilly. He's not wrong for it. He's just. Just sharing his truth.

James Acaster (48:02)

Yes.

Jessica Hines (48:03)

Also, I worry about pine mouth.

James Acaster (48:05)

Yeah. Yeah. Pine mouth is a thing.

Jessica Hines (48:07)

You know about pine mouth.

Ed Gamble (48:08)

No.

James Acaster (48:08)

Eddie Stone. Got it.

Jessica Hines (48:09)

I only found out about it on this podcast many years ago when we just started.

Ed Gamble (48:12)

Okay.

Jessica Hines (48:13)

You can have a bat if you have a bad pine nut. It coats your. Coats your mouth with the bad oil and then it changes the way you taste everything for ages.

James Acaster (48:20)

Yeah, everything tastes like garbage, actually.

Ed Gamble (48:23)

Kidding me.

James Acaster (48:23)

No, no. Ed Easton. Got it.

Ed Gamble (48:26)

The heck?

James Acaster (48:27)

Eddie Ston was in the room below us when we. When it came up on the podcast, I went and I dragged him up. It was during Ivo Graham's episode, if you want to go back and listen to it. And then Eddie Ston came in and he took. Get very bravely shared his story of getting pine mouth. Yeah.

Jessica Hines (48:40)

So I'm actually scared of pine nuts because of that. Especially ones that have been in the cupboard for a while.

Ed Gamble (48:44)

Wow. Yeah. No, I mean, I can see that because I can't. I didn't know that.

Jessica Hines (48:47)

Be walking around and everything tastes bad.

Ed Gamble (48:49)

No.

Jessica Hines (48:49)

Because then I've got nothing left.

Ed Gamble (48:51)

No, exactly.

James Acaster (48:51)

Yeah, he's got nothing.

Ed Gamble (48:52)

God, I did not know that about pine nuts. Are there any. Any other nuts that are like that?

Jessica Hines (48:56)

Not that I. Not that I know of.

James Acaster (48:58)

I think all the other nuts are safe.

Jessica Hines (49:00)

Yeah.

James Acaster (49:00)

They're not going to coat your mouth and mesh a day up. But like, pine nuts are the sign. That's.

Ed Gamble (49:05)

Be careful. Is there anything to look out for? I mean, how do you like in the. I mean, do they look different from the other nuts? So, for example, would you be more likely to do it if you were just wandering around a park, just literally pouring. Pouring them. Pouring the packet into your mouth?

James Acaster (49:28)

Your dream side dish.

Ed Gamble (49:29)

Dream side dish.

James Acaster (49:31)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (49:31)

Would probably be fried. Halloumi just comes off the top of my head.

James Acaster (49:35)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (49:36)

Halloumi to introduce myself.

Jessica Hines (49:38)

Let it come off. Let it come off the top of your head.

Ed Gamble (49:40)

Halloumi to introduce myself.

Jessica Hines (49:44)

I've heard a lot of halloumi puns. I've never heard that one.

Ed Gamble (49:46)

Yeah, enjoy.

Jessica Hines (49:47)

Because hello, me. I hear quite a lot.

James Acaster (49:49)

You know, it's funny how there are certain things, the words that people hear and you just can't help but so obviously when you hear halloumi you can't help but hear in your head.

Jessica Hines (49:59)

Let me introduce myself.

James Acaster (50:00)

Someone told me the other day that they can't look at Alien Broadway without thinking about feeling horny.

Jessica Hines (50:07)

And unfortunately, because of the way podcasts work, there will be a large amount of people listening to this now who then will have the same thing.

Ed Gamble (50:13)

Yeah, that will happen.

Jessica Hines (50:14)

That will stick.

Ed Gamble (50:14)

And it'll just go in there.

Jessica Hines (50:15)

Yeah. With both. Halloumi. To introduce me.

James Acaster (50:18)

To introduce myself.

Ed Gamble (50:19)

Halloumi is something that I think that's why I could never not like. I could never not eat fried halloumi. When it's really delicious and juicy and, like, crispy on the outside, and it's got a little bit of whatever, dip. But obviously, essentially, it would be the sweet chilli sauce. That would be the main thing that you'd want. I mean, I think so, right?

James Acaster (50:40)

We've been very anti sweet chili sauce on this.

Jessica Hines (50:42)

I'm still anti sweet chili sauce.

Ed Gamble (50:43)

Wow. Okay, let's go there, because I need.

Jessica Hines (50:45)

To catch up, because that's how they serve it. Nando's as well, with sweet chili sauce.

Ed Gamble (50:49)

Okay. And you don't like that?

Jessica Hines (50:50)

No, I don't touch it. I just like the halloumi.

Ed Gamble (50:52)

Okay. Why, Ed?

Jessica Hines (50:53)

I can just go straight. Just straight halloumi.

Ed Gamble (50:55)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (50:56)

But why sweet chili sauce? You may as well have a tub of jam. I think it's too sweet.

Ed Gamble (51:00)

Wow.

Jessica Hines (51:01)

I feel like there's almost nothing chilly in it. It's just pure sweetness.

James Acaster (51:04)

Wow. Kind of feel the same.

Jessica Hines (51:05)

But halloumi. To introduce myself.

Ed Gamble (51:08)

What would you have with that? What would you prefer as a date?

Jessica Hines (51:11)

Normal. Just straight halloumi. If I'm having Nando's, I can do. I can do, like, hot sauce with it, maybe, but I could just eat the fried halloumi.

Ed Gamble (51:18)

So here's the situation, Kate. Like, just for example, just hypothetically, there's a lovely big plate of fried halloumi. The perfectly crispy little ones that are a little bit joined. The cheeky ones that you'll go for, it's a little bit bigger, delicious, fresh, still a bit squidgy. Glistening. They're glistening. There's a lovely big tub of sweet chili sauce in the middle. You're telling me.

Jessica Hines (51:42)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (51:43)

You're telling me.

Jessica Hines (51:43)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (51:46)

You're gonna go up to that play of halloumi.

Jessica Hines (51:48)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (51:49)

You're gonna pick up a piece of that sweet, juicy, salty cheese, and you're not gonna dip it in the chili sauce?

Jessica Hines (51:56)

I'm not going near it.

Ed Gamble (51:57)

What planet are you from?

James Acaster (51:59)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (51:59)

What is going on there?

Jessica Hines (52:02)

Why?

Ed Gamble (52:03)

Why?

Jessica Hines (52:04)

I just don't like sweet chilli sauce. I think it takes away from the flavour.

Ed Gamble (52:08)

Talk us through it. When did this happen?

Jessica Hines (52:10)

Well, when did sweet chili sauce first become big? Probably the 90s.

Ed Gamble (52:13)

Yes.

Jessica Hines (52:13)

Yeah. So it's probably back in the 90s.

James Acaster (52:15)

Yes.

Jessica Hines (52:16)

A lot of kids were really into it.

Ed Gamble (52:18)

Yes.

Jessica Hines (52:18)

And it just wasn't my. It wasn't my scene. I thought, I'm a bit more grown up than this, you know?

Ed Gamble (52:22)

Okay. Is it because it was sweet? Did something happen?

Jessica Hines (52:26)

Well, it's just like, to me, like, having melted down. Haribos and sweeties aren't my thing.

Ed Gamble (52:32)

I'm not into sweeties. I don't have. Really?

Jessica Hines (52:34)

You are because you like sweet jelly sauce.

Ed Gamble (52:35)

Wow.

James Acaster (52:37)

Oh, halloumi. To apologize on Esbah. You should not have said that. You're a guest on this podcast.

Ed Gamble (52:44)

So when did you stop liking sweet things?

Jessica Hines (52:46)

Oh, so I'm type one diabetic.

Ed Gamble (52:48)

Okay.

Jessica Hines (52:49)

I don't. But I don't think it has anything to do with that. I like sweet things. I eat desserts. I enjoy sweet, but I don't like pure sugar sweet things. I don't know if that's connected to my type one diagnosis. But also, I just think it's a shame. I like spice, and I feel like the sweetness in the sweet chilli sauce outweighs the spice too much.

Ed Gamble (53:07)

Do you think it's a bit patronizing to the chili?

Jessica Hines (53:10)

I think it's patronizing to the chili. I think that people eat it. They're like, ooh, I'm having chili. You're not.

Ed Gamble (53:16)

You think that's what people are thinking?

Jessica Hines (53:17)

You think you lot are eating the sweet chilli sauce and going, I like spicy things. You don't. You're eating jam.

Ed Gamble (53:24)

Maybe they're just eating. Maybe they're just not thinking, I like spicy things. They're just enjoying the sweet chilli sauce. That could be happening.

James Acaster (53:29)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (53:30)

Because the thing is, I wouldn't normally have sweet chilli sauce on much else, but when it comes to a fried halloumi side with sweet chilli sauce, there's no way I'm not going to dip that halloumi in there. There's just no way.

Jessica Hines (53:44)

Yeah. See, I'm not even going to dip it. I had some halloumi fries recently at a festival.

Ed Gamble (53:49)

How were they?

Jessica Hines (53:49)

They were really good. Do you know what? I got a dip.

Ed Gamble (53:52)

Okay. Yeah. What was it?

Jessica Hines (53:55)

Garlic mayo. How'd you feel about that?

Ed Gamble (53:59)

I feel that is a fantastic idea.

Jessica Hines (54:00)

Yeah, it was. That was good.

James Acaster (54:02)

I didn't know what that okay. Signifier.

Jessica Hines (54:03)

And it was double dairy, which felt weird.

James Acaster (54:05)

I double dairy. You eat that.

Jessica Hines (54:09)

Allow me to double dare you. So that was good, but there was sweet chili available and I didn't dip.

Ed Gamble (54:16)

Do you know what is delicious is real mayonnaise. Like homemade mayonnaise. Like actual mayonnaise. That isn't. And I feel like someone panic bought.

James Acaster (54:23)

Eggs in the pandemic.

Ed Gamble (54:26)

That was hollandaise. That was the holidays. Those were the hollandaise months. Exactly. But, yeah, no, I can see that.

Jessica Hines (54:32)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (54:32)

Like, oh, lovely. I mean a lovely good mayo. I mean, who's not. What. What is not to love?

Jessica Hines (54:37)

I'm going to counteract what I said a little bit here.

Ed Gamble (54:40)

Isn't that a bit cloying, though?

Jessica Hines (54:41)

Sorry, it was a bit. It was a bit claggy.

Ed Gamble (54:44)

Wow. Okay. Thank you for. Thank you for admitting that. Thank you for being honest about that.

Jessica Hines (54:47)

I love me very much.

James Acaster (54:49)

What?

Jessica Hines (54:50)

Well, then I was trying my own one. Yeah. And hello to you too. Have you been to Bubula? No, it's amazing. It's a vegetarian restaurant in Soho, but they do one of their starters is this whole block of fried halloumi. And is it black seed honey or something?

Ed Gamble (55:08)

Oh, my God.

Jessica Hines (55:09)

So that's, you know, cheese and honey.

Ed Gamble (55:12)

Yes.

Jessica Hines (55:12)

See that? I feel like I'm going against my own point there with sweetness. But it is absolutely delicious.

James Acaster (55:18)

We're singing from the same regional.

Jessica Hines (55:20)

Yeah, yeah. It's really, really good.

Ed Gamble (55:21)

Black honey on a chunk of halloumi. I mean, that is like. I'm saying. Yes.

Jessica Hines (55:25)

It's not slice or anything. So it's just one block, but it's like perfectly fried. You gotta go.

Ed Gamble (55:30)

That sounds amazing. Yeah, that sounds amazing.

James Acaster (55:35)

So good.

Ed Gamble (55:36)

So good.

James Acaster (55:36)

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Ed Gamble (55:46)

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James Acaster (55:48)

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Jessica Hines (55:51)

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James Acaster (55:53)

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Ed Gamble (56:30)

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James Acaster (56:43)

Your dream drink.

Ed Gamble (56:44)

I don't drink alcohol. So my dream drink is different because obviously in every situation sometimes it's an alcohol free beer, which there are so many. Brilliant. Yeah, they do amazing. And every year it feels like there's more and more brilliant. I could so I couldn't believe it when they brought out alcohol free Guinness. It was just like, it was like a gift.

Jessica Hines (57:03)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (57:03)

To be able to go into a pub and have a lovely big. And I. Because I've been drunk for seven years, I've forgotten what a real pint of Guinness tastes like. Like. So for me it was just like it was heavenly. So I love drinking alcohol free beers. All different kinds of alcohol free beers. But might I make kind of. Yes. And maybe it's alcohol free Guinness. Maybe I'll just go there.

James Acaster (57:21)

It is good.

Ed Gamble (57:22)

It's good.

Jessica Hines (57:22)

It's good stuff.

Ed Gamble (57:23)

In a meal situation. You see that would be more like if I was going to go to a pub or go for to a pub lunch or just be there, I would have alcohol free Guinness if they have it. But like with a meal, I mean I, I love, I love a sparkling water with a bit of squeeze of lime. Lime's not. Hold on a minute. I know limes have not had a look in.

Jessica Hines (57:40)

Have the lemons. Just relax.

James Acaster (57:42)

Yeah, you hear that? That's the sound of seven lemons. We're breathing a sigh of relief.

Ed Gamble (57:46)

But I love, I got into in fact the light, the lot. I did go in hard on the limes actually during lockdown again and like I really, really kind of moved into limes and actually I've not really revisited limes but in a sparkling water properly like half a squeezed limes, bit of ice. I mean that it's literally the thought of it is making my mouth water right now. That is just the most delicious drink.

James Acaster (58:08)

So do you think?

Ed Gamble (58:09)

So delicious.

James Acaster (58:10)

We probably haven't had this happen on the podcast before where for someone's water course they've chose sparkling water with lemon. And then for their dream drink they've.

Jessica Hines (58:17)

Chosen sparkling water with lime and loads of lime.

Ed Gamble (58:20)

Like proper lime, loads of lime. So you're like, you've got a little bit of. Yeah, that is so delicious that drink.

Jessica Hines (58:27)

You are never going to get scurvy.

James Acaster (58:29)

Congratulations.

Jessica Hines (58:29)

Guaranteed.

Ed Gamble (58:30)

You know, people still can get scurvy.

Jessica Hines (58:33)

I'm sure, yeah.

Ed Gamble (58:33)

Sorry that's such a stupid thing. Really apologize. I'm so sorry.

Jessica Hines (58:41)

That's good.

James Acaster (58:41)

To raise awareness, you're using your platform for good there.

Ed Gamble (58:44)

Thank you.

James Acaster (58:45)

You should be doing that.

Ed Gamble (58:46)

Thank you. Thank you.

James Acaster (58:47)

And scurvy doesn't get talked about enough.

Ed Gamble (58:49)

No, it doesn't. No, it doesn't.

Jessica Hines (58:50)

Outside of sort of nautical history.

James Acaster (58:52)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (58:52)

Yeah.

James Acaster (58:53)

I think you should have all of those drinks. I think you should have. Have the sparkling water with the lime, but I think you should also have at some point in your meal, the alcohol free Guinness. I think that's. Even if it's just at the end.

Ed Gamble (59:05)

But maybe not all together. But another drink I love is Lassie. So I love. I love, like salty Lassie or a mango lassi.

James Acaster (59:12)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (59:12)

So my idea of a really lovely bit, but that's kind of. Now we're getting into pudding territory here, is to have like a Lassie, but with fresh mango, so no added sugar. Just like fresh mango whizzed up with like kind of kefir. Like whizzed up like. That is a. That is a delicious drink.

Jessica Hines (59:30)

So maybe this is a bridging drink from your main course into your dessert.

James Acaster (59:33)

Yes, it is.

Ed Gamble (59:33)

Yeah, it is.

James Acaster (59:34)

Respect.

Jessica Hines (59:35)

Nice to have a bridging drink. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (59:36)

Yeah, it is.

James Acaster (59:37)

All those drinks sound great and you deserve all of them. So we found a place for each one of them. Yeah, we got sent some alcohol free Guinness during the lockdown.

Ed Gamble (59:45)

What?

James Acaster (59:46)

I put champagne in mine. No, put Prosecco. I put Prosecco in it. Yeah.

Ed Gamble (59:51)

Velvet in Dublin during the lockdown. There was a Guinness van. There was a van that was taking Guinness house to house. So you could. So you could have it poured from the barrel. You could call up, they would drive up and they would pour the Guinness from the barrel out the back of the Guinness van in Dublin and then you could have a nice poured pint of Guinness during lockdown. So civilized, isn't it?

James Acaster (60:13)

That's lovely.

Ed Gamble (60:13)

It's a lovely story.

James Acaster (60:14)

It's an Ed's favorite drink pretty much.

Ed Gamble (60:16)

Is it Guinness?

James Acaster (60:18)

He would have liked that a lot.

Ed Gamble (60:19)

Absolutely. Love Guinness is.

Jessica Hines (60:21)

It's amazing stuff.

Ed Gamble (60:22)

It is amazing stuff.

Jessica Hines (60:23)

From the back of a van during lockdown.

Ed Gamble (60:24)

Well, yes, because of course, you know, obviously I only drink it from a can because I drink non alcoholic Guinness now. And obviously you can get it from a can with a widget.

Jessica Hines (60:32)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (60:33)

But a lot of people would say that the, you know, the poured Guinness in Dublin is the most delicious, which I'm sure you would know. Have you been To Dublin.

Jessica Hines (60:41)

Yes, I've been to Dublin and it is delicious.

Ed Gamble (60:42)

But is it different?

Jessica Hines (60:43)

I'm not sure I pick up on the nuances. Right, so there's plenty of places in London. I really enjoy Guinness, but it's also the surroundings. You're in Dublin, you're near the factory, so it's good to see the factory while you're drinking something.

Ed Gamble (60:56)

Yeah, I agree.

James Acaster (60:57)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (60:58)

Yeah, I feel like that about Ribena.

Jessica Hines (60:59)

Yeah.

James Acaster (61:04)

Your dream dessert. Now, you've already said that you don't have a sweet tooth, so I'm a bit nervous because I do have a sweet tooth, even though I don't like sweet chili sauce. I love desserts, I love puddings.

Ed Gamble (61:13)

Is this something that would have to go with the meal? The sort of absolute mess of the meal I've just described?

Jessica Hines (61:18)

Just whatever you want, honestly, like, no.

James Acaster (61:21)

One'S judging you for. And remember, you got that lassie there as a little bridge.

Ed Gamble (61:25)

As a little bridge into sweetness.

James Acaster (61:26)

Into sweetness. So it'd be a shame to go and do a savory dessert, wouldn't it?

Ed Gamble (61:31)

Because, well, I do love. I mean. I mean, I feel so boring saying something like fruit like papaya or like mangoes and things like that, but that's just like, so delicious. Like, you know, I mean, I would love to have that as a pudding, but it is a bit boring, isn't it, just having a little bit of that. Oh, that lovely pink papaya. You know, when it's just so delicious and like. And it's. It's kind of rare. It's not unusual fruit. It's kind of. It's kind of exciting. It's a different kind of a fruit. So I would like that, like, sliced and also. And like fresh mango is also delicious and feels like a true. A treat fruit.

James Acaster (62:10)

Yes.

Ed Gamble (62:11)

So if I just kind of go into prison and say I would love treat fruits like fruits that you don't normally have. Like a Sharon fruit or maybe like a dragon fruit.

Jessica Hines (62:20)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (62:20)

Maybe an assortment of treat fruits that you have to go to a special.

Jessica Hines (62:24)

Shop to get the exotic. This more exotic side of fruits.

Ed Gamble (62:27)

The exotic side of fruits. I think that's probably. Probably a way of saying that that would be my absolute, like. Oh, yes. Because then, you know, it's just everything is delicious.

Jessica Hines (62:37)

What the listener can't see, if you're only listening in audio, is every time Jessica said treat fruits, she had a body movement for it.

James Acaster (62:43)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (62:43)

Treat fruits.

James Acaster (62:44)

Treat fruits. Yes. Both hands treat fruit. And it's like, bit Tommy Cooper.

Ed Gamble (62:50)

Treat fruits.

James Acaster (62:50)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ed Gamble (62:52)

That's it. But I love a treat fruit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love a treat fruit. Something that you wouldn't get maybe normally in your box.

James Acaster (62:58)

Yeah, sure.

Ed Gamble (63:00)

In your fruit box.

Jessica Hines (63:02)

An organic fruit box. The banana's obviously not a treat fruit under that.

Ed Gamble (63:06)

Do you love a banana, though?

Jessica Hines (63:07)

But it is. It does feel like a treat every time. The banana.

Ed Gamble (63:10)

One thing I would love to have, I guess. I guess, and this is, as a sort of segue, is. And this is a nostalgic pudding, is a banana split.

James Acaster (63:18)

Oh, yeah.

Ed Gamble (63:18)

I mean, for me, I have. A banana split is like the absolute. I mean, as a child, that was like the ultimate. If you got a banana split at the end of a meal out like, that was like the best day of your life, you know, like a banana split is just that and then the.

Jessica Hines (63:35)

Cream in its own special bowl.

Ed Gamble (63:36)

In its own special bowl. Bit of sauce, bit of whipped cream, bit of something on it. I love it. I mean, I love it. Who doesn't? Why aren't we having. Why aren't there more banana splits happening?

Jessica Hines (63:46)

I was going to say, I feel sorry for the people who really thought banana splits would last forever and made the bowls. They must have been a company that were like, well, banana splits are going to be popular forever. So we're going to create.

Ed Gamble (63:57)

Let's go into business.

Jessica Hines (63:58)

We're going to. Let's go into business and create a whole new bowl. Because everything else you can just use for other stuff that what you're using. Banana split bowl, apart from a banana split.

James Acaster (64:05)

Yeah. That's all you're using it for.

Ed Gamble (64:06)

I know.

James Acaster (64:07)

What a sad day for those people. Yeah, yeah, I'd take. What do you mean? No, no one wants banana splits anymore. Why not? They say they're for donkeys.

Ed Gamble (64:21)

Why don't they want banana splits either?

Jessica Hines (64:23)

I don't know. It feels like it'll be the next trend to come back around. Maybe.

Ed Gamble (64:25)

Let's make it happen. I'm so up for it.

Jessica Hines (64:28)

Well, you've got Soups and dips.

Ed Gamble (64:30)

Soups and dips, Banana splits. Soups and dips, Banana splits. Welcome to my restaurant.

Jessica Hines (64:39)

You have to be at the door to welcome us like that.

Ed Gamble (64:42)

Welcome.

James Acaster (64:44)

It's the full name. Soups and Dips. Banana Splits. Welcome to my restaurant. Because that. That would be great if that was the full name.

Ed Gamble (64:50)

Yeah, that's the advert and the full name.

James Acaster (64:52)

Yeah, yeah. I'd go to Soups and Dips, Banana Splits. Welcome to my restaurant. Restaurant, yeah.

Jessica Hines (64:56)

Welcome to my restaurant.

James Acaster (64:58)

Yeah, absolutely.

Jessica Hines (64:59)

Gonna do it like that.

James Acaster (65:00)

Yeah. I mean, I. I do think I. I would fully go in business with someone who was opening a banana split place.

Jessica Hines (65:06)

Yeah.

James Acaster (65:06)

Like a hatch that just did banana splits. I'll invest in that.

Jessica Hines (65:11)

They're quite difficult to eat on the. On the move, though. A banana split, I would say.

James Acaster (65:14)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (65:15)

Yeah. So it'd have to be a seat. I think it would have to be seated.

Ed Gamble (65:18)

There's a YouTube video of somebody who makes, like, banana, like, pancakes, I think, in street food somewhere in Thailand that I've somehow has popped up on my feed and that I've kind of. I don't know how.

Jessica Hines (65:29)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (65:29)

Like, because I'm not on any social media, but maybe some sort of food algorithm.

James Acaster (65:34)

Since your YouTube.

Ed Gamble (65:35)

This is when I go YouTube this, like.

James Acaster (65:39)

And it's just for a moment.

Jessica Hines (65:42)

I thought you were saying it pops up on your feed, but you don't have any social media.

Ed Gamble (65:45)

Well, I'm not.

Jessica Hines (65:45)

So it's just coming up in front of your eyes.

Ed Gamble (65:47)

It just sort of comes up on my phone. Yeah, but it. Maybe it's your husband.

James Acaster (65:54)

I didn't ask for this, but.

Ed Gamble (65:56)

But that. But they have like. Like little banana. Like that. I would like to try one.

Jessica Hines (65:59)

Banana pancakes.

Ed Gamble (66:00)

It's like banana pancakes.

Jessica Hines (66:01)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (66:02)

But I've seen, like, she does. She makes a sort of like stretchy pastry with a bit of, you know, so it's fresh every morning, the stretchy pastry. And then she kind of stretches it out, puts it in this big, kind of massive, great big wok and fry and then slices in the banana, folds that up, puts that in a little tray and then puts a bit of. I don't know what it is. It looks quite sugary. Looks like it could be some sort of condensed milk kind of style. Something like on the top of that little sliced banana. I mean, and that's a. I mean.

James Acaster (66:32)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (66:33)

I would like to try one of those one day. I would like to try one of those little banana pancakes one day.

Jessica Hines (66:39)

I think that's a. That's a good goal in life.

James Acaster (66:42)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (66:42)

One day I'd like to try that banana pancake.

James Acaster (66:44)

Banana pancake.

Ed Gamble (66:45)

I'd have to go to Thailand, but no objection to that.

Jessica Hines (66:48)

You're in the dream restaurant.

Ed Gamble (66:49)

I've never been.

James Acaster (66:50)

My friend's getting married. Love Thai food in Thailand.

Ed Gamble (66:53)

Love Thai food.

James Acaster (66:54)

I've got a plus one.

Ed Gamble (66:56)

Great.

James Acaster (66:56)

You want to come?

Ed Gamble (66:57)

Okay, sure.

James Acaster (66:58)

You can come along. Get you those pancakes while we're there.

Ed Gamble (67:00)

Great. I love Thai food.

James Acaster (67:02)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (67:02)

Thai food. I did learn once, like, the basics of the Thai, like, so I Just thought, actually, once you get the Thai ingredients, you put it on anything and you're. It's instant Thai joy.

Jessica Hines (67:13)

Can you tell us a secret?

James Acaster (67:14)

Oh, well, Instant Thai joy.

Ed Gamble (67:15)

It's coriander. Chopped coriander.

Jessica Hines (67:17)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (67:18)

Lime fish sauce, garlic, a little bit of chili oil, Thai basil. Lemongrass. Chopped lemongrass.

James Acaster (67:28)

There's no one as ever. Because it's a podcast.

Jessica Hines (67:31)

Yeah.

James Acaster (67:31)

It means that no one could really appreciate that who was listening, but no one has adopted that pose. We've got. We've got. We've got a video of it. So. So we'll try and put that out somewhere.

Jessica Hines (67:40)

No, it was. No, it was more like this.

James Acaster (67:43)

You were like that. You went like this. So you had. You had your hand on your hip like I'm a little teacup. But also your hand on your chin with your elbow just as far out as your other elbow was. And extremely straight back posture. Yeah, yeah. And it was. It was as you were trying to think of what's in the. Yeah, the tie magic. Yeah, it was. It was great.

Jessica Hines (68:08)

You look like a sort of wax model of an inventor in like a living history museum, maybe.

Ed Gamble (68:13)

I take that as a compliment.

James Acaster (68:15)

Yeah. Like if they did another night at the museum.

Ed Gamble (68:17)

Yeah, yeah.

James Acaster (68:18)

You'd be like, come to life as an inventor. Just thinking about something.

Jessica Hines (68:21)

Thinking about Thai ingredients would like that.

James Acaster (68:22)

Yeah. I'll read your menu back to you now, see how you feel about it.

Ed Gamble (68:25)

Okay.

James Acaster (68:26)

You would like sparkling water with lemon.

Ed Gamble (68:28)

Yes, please. Oh, thank you.

James Acaster (68:29)

You want popping on with all the dips? Putting them on there like a pizza starter. You would like lentil soup from the rest. Yeah. For the place in Budapest, but also made by yourself, I guess.

Ed Gamble (68:38)

Could be. But obviously that would be ideal if they could provide that.

Jessica Hines (68:41)

Yeah. Oh, yeah, we can sort of.

Ed Gamble (68:42)

So that's kind of. I guess that's Syrian lentil soup.

James Acaster (68:45)

Yeah, Syrian lentil soup. Starter, main course, artichoke tempura along with the finely chopped green salad and walnuts, baba ghanoush and hummus.

Ed Gamble (68:54)

Yes. Oh, God.

James Acaster (68:55)

Delicious side dish, fried halloumi with sweet chili sauce.

Ed Gamble (68:58)

Oh, come on.

James Acaster (68:59)

Drink sparkling water with lime and then you're gonna have a lussy to bridge yourself over to the treat. Fruits?

Ed Gamble (69:08)

Yes, please.

Jessica Hines (69:08)

Did you want a banana split as well on there?

Ed Gamble (69:10)

Do you know what? Just as a. As it's a special occasion. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

James Acaster (69:14)

Well, banana.

Jessica Hines (69:15)

Banana split with some treat fruits around.

Ed Gamble (69:17)

Yeah.

James Acaster (69:17)

And then we'll send over just to.

Ed Gamble (69:18)

Just to get. To put me to sleep.

James Acaster (69:20)

Yeah, yeah. Then an alcohol free Guinness at The end.

Ed Gamble (69:22)

Oh, wow. Maybe. Maybe a little while after it. After a lot of that suggestion. Maybe in the pub afterwards.

Jessica Hines (69:28)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (69:29)

So I've done had a bit of a walk around, gone to a pub. Alcohol free Guinness.

James Acaster (69:32)

Who would you want to go to the pub with? In the dream?

Ed Gamble (69:36)

Everybody.

James Acaster (69:37)

What?

Ed Gamble (69:40)

Everyone's invited. Whoever, obviously I was out with. What do you mean? Like just. You mean literally or in the fantasy world, your dream?

Jessica Hines (69:48)

Well, yeah, obviously in the fantasy world, we're not making you go to the.

James Acaster (69:50)

Pub now, but like you're going to the pub now and have your Guinness after your dream meal.

Ed Gamble (69:54)

All of my best friends and my family.

James Acaster (69:57)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (70:00)

That would be great.

James Acaster (70:01)

Yeah, that's also good.

Jessica Hines (70:02)

Who's your best friend?

James Acaster (70:03)

Who's your best friend? What?

Ed Gamble (70:05)

Well, don't say one doesn't count. Okay, listen, I've got a lot of people I love in my life, but my oldest friend is my friend Siobhan who I met in primary school. And she has told the story that she said she was new. We were like four. And then the teacher said, oh, Jessica, you have to look after Siobhan. And she said, I basically just took that literally and was like, so in my mind that was like, oh, for the rest of your life. So that's how that I took on that responsibility very heartily.

James Acaster (70:36)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (70:36)

So now, now we're still friends? Still best friends.

Jessica Hines (70:39)

Perfect.

James Acaster (70:40)

That's great.

Jessica Hines (70:40)

The perfect companion.

James Acaster (70:41)

That's great. I want to see a film of that.

Jessica Hines (70:44)

Yeah.

James Acaster (70:44)

Or a sitcom.

Ed Gamble (70:45)

I've got some good pictures of us. We were super cute.

James Acaster (70:48)

Would she have an alcohol free Guinness with you?

Ed Gamble (70:49)

Yeah, she would. She might have a little bit of a red wine. Maybe. Maybe, maybe she might not have an alcohol free Guinness. It's a particular tipple, alcohol. I think Alcor free Guinness is somebody who probably really liked drinking in the past. I feel like that's probably. It's a bit of a giveaway.

James Acaster (71:06)

Yeah, yeah.

Jessica Hines (71:06)

And that menu sounds absolutely delicious.

James Acaster (71:08)

It does sound great. And thank you. Look, thank you so much for.

Jessica Hines (71:13)

Right, fantastic. It's normally me wraps the episode up. James has tried it for the first.

Ed Gamble (71:18)

Time and he's got burp on cue.

James Acaster (71:20)

No, no, that wasn't on cue.

Jessica Hines (71:20)

That wasn't on cue. I hope it wasn't on cue. He's very rude.

Ed Gamble (71:23)

Can anyone. Can anyone?

James Acaster (71:24)

Basically, I decided not to hold it in at the end because I thought I've already done a little bit. The rule of comedy.

Ed Gamble (71:29)

Let it out.

James Acaster (71:30)

Let it out.

Ed Gamble (71:31)

I'm not part of it. Let it out.

James Acaster (71:33)

Bonito looked like he was going to cry.

Jessica Hines (71:35)

Yes.

James Acaster (71:35)

He looked at me. Absolutely. So upset because he's got headphones on. Yeah, yeah. He had to believe it. Yeah.

Jessica Hines (71:41)

Nice one. Thanks so much for coming to the Dream Restaurant, Jessica.

Ed Gamble (71:44)

It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you for having me.

Jessica Hines (71:52)

There we go. Wonderful stuff.

James Acaster (71:53)

There's so much stuff I wanted to ask and I forgot it. I've just remembered all of it.

Jessica Hines (71:56)

Oh, no, tell me. Ask me.

James Acaster (71:58)

I wanted to know if there's a film in the works of her team on Shaun of the Dead. People have been asking about that for years and years. They want there to be a film.

Jessica Hines (72:07)

I'm guessing not. It's been quite a long time.

James Acaster (72:09)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (72:09)

But it's the anniversary of.

James Acaster (72:10)

It would be absolutely brilliant.

Jessica Hines (72:11)

Yeah.

James Acaster (72:11)

It'd be brilliant if it was that tv. Maybe there's another zombie outbreak, but wasn't.

Jessica Hines (72:15)

The joke that they look exactly the same and they're having the same experience but crossing paths?

James Acaster (72:20)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (72:20)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (72:20)

So the same film with different actors.

James Acaster (72:22)

Do a new one now. Like do a second zombie outbreak, but you follow her gang.

Jessica Hines (72:26)

Who else was in the gang?

James Acaster (72:27)

Matt Lucas, Shearsmith.

Jessica Hines (72:29)

Yeah.

James Acaster (72:29)

Martin Freeman.

Jessica Hines (72:30)

Yeah.

James Acaster (72:31)

And Tamsen Krieg.

Jessica Hines (72:32)

Yeah. Well done.

James Acaster (72:34)

Maybe there are other people on it in that group, but I don't know.

Jessica Hines (72:37)

That seems right.

James Acaster (72:38)

I wanted to ask her as well about when she, her and Simon Pegg hosted a benefit show for when the tsunami happened in early 2000s or mid 2000 at the Apollo. And you could buy it on. I bought it on dvd.

Jessica Hines (72:53)

Yeah.

James Acaster (72:54)

Watched it at home. Johnny Vegas got absolutely smashed and his set is bedlam and in the edit, like Jessica's, to come out and get him.

Jessica Hines (73:05)

Yeah.

James Acaster (73:05)

And go, johnny, it's over now. So I wanted to know how long he did on the night, what the panic was like backstage. I wanted to know all about that because this is before I became a comedian. I watched it and it blew my mind that this thing had happened and they'd released it and I found that fascinating. And I've met. Met him a few times, but don't want to ask him.

Jessica Hines (73:23)

No.

James Acaster (73:24)

About that.

Jessica Hines (73:25)

He won't remember.

James Acaster (73:26)

No. But I definitely wanted to ask Jessica and I've completely forgot to do it.

Jessica Hines (73:29)

Yeah.

James Acaster (73:30)

So, yeah, I have to get her back.

Jessica Hines (73:31)

I'm kind of glad you didn't ask her that.

James Acaster (73:33)

Really?

Jessica Hines (73:33)

Yeah.

James Acaster (73:34)

Why?

Jessica Hines (73:35)

I liked all the food chat we had and stuff.

James Acaster (73:37)

Yeah. Actually, I mean, I know regrets about the things we did talk about. I was laughing throughout because she's laughing.

Jessica Hines (73:41)

She's so funny.

James Acaster (73:42)

It's Absolutely brilliant. And she didn't say Heinz baked beans, of course.

Jessica Hines (73:44)

No, she didn't. Welcome to my restaurant.

James Acaster (73:47)

She did say, welcome to my restaurant front. She said that Kale's for donkey.

Jessica Hines (73:52)

Yeah.

James Acaster (73:53)

A lot of great things.

Jessica Hines (73:54)

Yeah.

James Acaster (73:57)

So everyone should obviously, if you want to hear Jessica say more great things.

Jessica Hines (74:00)

Yes.

James Acaster (74:01)

Watch the franchise.

Jessica Hines (74:02)

Watch the franchise.

James Acaster (74:03)

Sky comedy. And now.

Jessica Hines (74:04)

And now do go and watch that. I'm gonna go watch it.

James Acaster (74:07)

I'm gonna go and watch it. Audition for it.

Jessica Hines (74:10)

Of course.

James Acaster (74:10)

Rightfully didn't get it.

Jessica Hines (74:11)

Yeah. Him got it.

James Acaster (74:13)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The proper actor. Been in, like Christopher Nolan films. Yes. Yeah, yeah. And you know what? It was an honor to be up for the same role. I'd seriously considered as much as he was.

Jessica Hines (74:25)

Seriously considered as much as he was.

James Acaster (74:27)

It means a lot to me that they.

Jessica Hines (74:28)

Yeah. That I'd imagine you auditioned in between them sending the email, offering it to him when. And then there was like a day just before his agent replied. And that's when they did your audition. So they could just fill a bit of time.

James Acaster (74:43)

Yeah, yeah. Bonito's just got out to take a phone call. So for the listener.

Jessica Hines (74:47)

Yeah.

James Acaster (74:47)

We've been left completely.

Jessica Hines (74:50)

The Monkeys are in charge of the bus.

James Acaster (74:52)

The Monkeys are in charge of the bus. And we're going straight to Foolish town. Here's. I have so much to edit out now. Quick, quick little announcement before he gets back. If you want to win a signed chopping board, buy the Great Bonito. All you have to do is tweet the off menu, official Twitter saying the. Hello. That's all you gotta do. Yeah.

Jessica Hines (75:11)

If you, hello.

James Acaster (75:13)

Tweet hello. And there's no time limit on this.

Jessica Hines (75:15)

Yeah. And Benito will get in contact with you.

James Acaster (75:17)

Yep.

Jessica Hines (75:18)

Get your address.

James Acaster (75:19)

Yep. And he will sign the chopping board and send it to you.

Jessica Hines (75:21)

Open ended.

James Acaster (75:22)

It's open ended. So this never expires. Yeah. This offer.

Jessica Hines (75:26)

Oh, and here's something else you need to know.

James Acaster (75:27)

Yeah.

Jessica Hines (75:28)

The Great Bonito has skid marks all over his pants.

James Acaster (75:31)

Yeah. Whoa. We said we weren't ever gonna reveal that. Yeah.

Jessica Hines (75:35)

But I didn't ever think the Monkeys would be in charge of the bus.

James Acaster (75:37)

The Monkeys are in charge of the bus. That guy's got skid marks all over his und. I know. Everybody knows about it. So listen, if you want to win two chopping boards, you tweet, hello, full stop. How are you? How are those skitties looking?

Jessica Hines (75:52)

Bonito.

James Acaster (75:53)

Bonita. Yeah. And then hashtag, the Monkeys are in charge of the bus.

Jessica Hines (75:57)

That's two chopping boards.

James Acaster (75:58)

That's two. That's if you want two chopping boards. If you want just one, you just wait. Hello. And that's fine. If you want two, it's hello. Pull. Stop. How are those skinnies looking? Bonita Hash Bugs are in charge of the bus.

Jessica Hines (76:09)

Thank you very much for listening to the off menu podcast. We I think it's that button that you press, James.

James Acaster (76:14)

Yeah, I'll press this button.

Jessica Hines (76:15)

Yeah.

Ed Gamble (76:33)

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Jessica Hines (76:39)

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James Acaster (77:01)

Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend. Hi Jenna.

Ed Gamble (77:10)

Hi Dani.

James Acaster (77:11)

We are back for season six of a very merry, iconic podcast here in 2024. It's good to be here. I'm so excited. We're going to be covering holiday classics. We are diving back into the Halloween town franchise for our annual Halloween episode. We're going to be covering part two, Calabar's Revenge. Calabar's Revenge. We're also going to be talking about miracle on 34th Street. I also have a Hallmark Christmas movie coming out this year. Deck the Walls.

Ed Gamble (77:34)

Yes.

James Acaster (77:34)

The Day After Thanksgiving. Maybe we'll cover that. Yes. As well as diving into some of these other seasonal films that we love so much and others that sometimes we don't love so much.

Jessica Hines (77:43)

Yeah.

James Acaster (77:43)

And we'll talk about it and hash it out. So what do we always say? Pour yourself some eggnog and enjoy a very merry on a podcast cup. Holiday season 2,024. Maybe even out now. So check your podcast feeds. Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast comfort.