Heart & Craft: Polymath William Morris

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Image: Wallpaper, Daisy (2) / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

Liz Nicholls delves into the world of celebrated designer, maker & polymath William Morris thanks to a beautifully reissued V&A book

William Morris’s designs will be familiar to you, either by stealth (as the backdrop of your favourite pub) or as peacock flourishes you’ve chosen to adorn your own home.

Image: William Morris, photographed by Frederick Hollyer, 1886 / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Such is the legacy of the man who said: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not known to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” What’s more, this pioneering radical believed in a utopian design democracy. This is why you’ll find his mesmerising patterns inspired by British wildlife, such as The Strawberry Thief, on walls, tea towels and… just about everything in between, in homes from the humble to the haughty, to this day. No individual has had such a lasting impact on the history of British design.

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

What’s more, William’s world view and love life were as colourful as his exquisite creations, as William Morris, V&A, edited by Anna Mason, illustrates in lavish style. Where to start…?

Image: Strawberry Thief. Designed by William Morris, registered 11 May 1883 / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Image: Redcar Carpet. Designed by William Morris, 1881 / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

William Morris was born in east London in 1834. The financial success achieved by his broker father gave him a privileged childhood, as well as inheritance. Time spent exploring parkland, forest and churches, and an enthusiasm for the stories of Walter Scott, helped William develop an early affinity with landscape, buildings and history. At Marlborough College he gained a reputation as an eccentric nicknamed “Crab” and loved the Savernake Forest and other local beauty spots.

He went up to Oxford University, reading classics at Exeter College, to prepare him for the Church. It was here that he met Edward “Ted” Burne-Jones, who was to become one of the era’s most famous painters, and Morris’s life-long friend. Ted introduced William to Dante Gabriel Rossetti – a central figure in the Pre-Raphaelite group – joining a team painting wild, whimsical murals at the Oxford Union. This led to a chance meeting with a local stableman’s daughter, Jane Burden. Never one to stick to snobbish class rules, William married Jane in 1859. Her striking looks were to make her a model of idealised beauty for members of the Pre-Raphaelite group for the next 30 years. As Anna Mason notes, Jane’s surviving correspondence reveals her lively and inquisitive mind, and their children Jenny and May were raised by creative, loving parents.

Image: Jane Burden, unknown photographer, 1868 / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Image: The textile printing shed at Merton Abbey / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

William and Jane moved into Red House in 1860 which they furnished and decorated. Meanwhile, Jane became Rosetti’s principal model and the relationship between them became romantic. However, there was no separation or scandal; William continued to treat his wife with kindness and respect. In 1871 they leased Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, AKA “Heaven On Earth”, which inspired William’s design and literary works. It’s well worth a visit today; Kelmscott Manor

Over the next decade he continued to design at an impressive rate, adding at least 32 printed fabrics, 23 woven fabrics and 21 wallpapers – as well as more designs for carpets and rugs, embroidery and tapestry – to the company’s range of goods. By 1881 William had built up enough capital to acquire Merton Abbey Mills.

Towards the end of his career, William began to focus increasingly on his writing, publishing a number of prose narratives, including his most celebrated: News from Nowhere (1890). Infused with his socialist romantic ideals, this book offers his vision of a simple world in which art or “work-pleasure” is enjoyed by all.

William’s artistic versatility, technical prowess and imagination are evident across everything he tried, in fields including painting, drawing, stained glass, furniture, tiles and tableware, wallpaper, textiles, calligraphy and printing. The fruits of his creative mind and prolific work ethic remain in continuous production.

Visit V&A (vam.ac.uk) for more info & to shop.

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Omi Na-Na’s fabulous (non-fast) fashion vision

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, ,

A dress from Omi Na-Na was all over the news this summer. The brand’s founder Esha Ahmed tells us about creativity, dyslexia, moving to Marlow & more…

Esha Ahmed has earned her stripes in more ways than one. Akshata wore a Lina dress from Omi Na-Na as she accompanied her husband Rishi Sunak on his exit from Downing Street in July. This resulted in this wondrous design being splashed all over the national press.

But, while all this is wonderful publicity, it’s not about the big names for Esha, but the bigger picture. She takes pride in being part of the UK’s sustainable fashion community, prioritising people over profits. As you can tell from her beautiful garments, she champions longevity through craftsmanship over disposability.

“I’ve always been passionate about advocating for doing better – not just for ourselves but for communities worldwide,” says Esha. “My journey began in the policy world at the EU, driven by a desire to make a positive impact. However, my early 30s sparked a creative awakening, leading me to leave my job and start Omi Na-Na. This platform bridges the gap between fashion lovers in the UK and the most talented, yet often under-appreciated, artisans in India. It’s a win-win, fostering a meaningful relationship that benefits everyone involved.”

“It’s a win-win, fostering a meaningful relationship that benefits everyone involved”

Omi Na-Na is an online shop full of statement clothing, made both sustainably and ethically. Unlike mass retailers, the brand curates breathtaking clothing designs from talented designers in the global south, crafted in partnership with local artisans and made to order just for you. Yes: that means you may have to wait three or four weeks for your bespoke piece, but it will be made just for you through the most intricate hand-crafted processes such as hand-dyeing, hand-blocking printing and hand-embroidery. Each piece is a wearable piece of art!

The made-to-order process means Omi Na-Na operates sustainably, minimising textile waste which represents a huge global environmental issue. Buying “slow” from them also means supporting a new way of bringing fashion to life as each order contributes to uplifting artisans communities that have struggled due to the rise of the exploitative fast fashion system.

The “slow shopping” trend is gaining momentum with London’s most popular fashion influencers, stylists, academics, activists, celebrities and even individuals in political circles (hello Akshata!) embracing Omi Na-Na and other slow fashion brands.

Esha was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. “I struggled with the stigma and lack of support throughout my education and early career,” she says. “Everything changed when I read The Dyslexic Advantage by Broke Eide & Fernette Eide. This book highlighted unique skills such as big-picture thinking, creativity, and problem-solving that are perfect for entrepreneurship! Embracing my dyslexia rather than fighting it has made life so much easier and fulfilling.”

Esha moved to Marlow from south-west London this summer with her family. “The change has been incredibly positive! We’ve settled into a welcoming neighbourhood where everyone is friendly and kids play together on the street. We love exploring the local woods with my son. The vibrant high street, river, and parks which drew us to Marlow haven’t disappointed us either. We’ve already got our favourite local spots like Marlow Green and farm shops that we’ve been visiting weekly.

“As we settle in, I look forward to connecting with other passionate about sustainable fashion and finding a pop-up location to showcase our beautiful designs. Until then, visit us online at Omi Na-Na or catch us at the Marlow In Your Element Festival’s fashion night out on 26th September. Exciting times ahead!”

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Sisters’ heartfelt cancer story & fundraiser

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, ,

Two sisters, Charlotte and Sophie Rooney, from Oxfordshire, are fundraising to throw a festival to raise money for Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK following Charlotte’s diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Charlotte, aged 34, lives with her partner and four-year-old daughter. In April this year, her family were presented with the devasting news that Charlotte had been diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), a type of head and neck cancer. ACC is a rare form of cancer affecting only five in every million people in the UK. Charlotte is currently undergoing intense radiotherapy treatment and has been told she faces a very uncertain future.

Charlotte says: “In January 2024 I noticed a blocked nose without any other cold-like symptoms. After waiting for it to subside on its own for two to three weeks, I went to the doctor but was sent away twice. By the middle of February, I started developing a tingling sensation in the right side of my face. As the nose didn’t clear and the tingling became burning, I went back to the GP and was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. They referred me to ENT, but the wait to be seen was about 20 weeks. The pain in the face worsened so with help from my parents, I had a private consultation. The ENT doctor found a polyp in my nose and, to rule anything serious, requested scans and a surgical biopsy. On the 18th of April my consultant said I had Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a terminal cancer and the chances of being cured are in the single percentages.”

Charlotte and her sister Sophie, who grew up in Hook Norton but now lives in the Lake District, are planning a festival for their friends and family to enjoy once the unwanted side effects of Charlotte’s radiotherapy wear off. The event will take place on 12th October at Hadsham Farm in Horley, Oxfordshire. The local venue has very generously provided the event space at a discounted rate to host the festival.

The sisters are hoping local people and businesses will support the fundraiser and have set up a JustGiving page for donations. They aim to raise £10,000 to put on the festival, with proceeds on the evening going to Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK. Charlotte and Sophie are also calling on Oxon-based companies who may wish to donate raffle prizes, auction items or become a drink or food sponsor.

Sophie says, “Seeing Charlotte approach her treatment with such grit and determination has encouraged us to do something big that we can look forward to once the unwanted side effects of radiotherapy wear off. She is incredibly sociable and one of her dreams is to host a festival for friends and family. We are hoping to raise enough money to throw one heck of an event! We will be using the money raised from the Just Giving page and are asking for donations from local businesses where appropriate.

“Seeing Charlotte approach her treatment with such grit and determination has encouraged us to do something big”

The festival will be a private event for friends and family – but on the night we hope to raise money for the Oracle Head & Cancer UK through entrance donations, games and competitions, and an auction of promises. Any money raised that exceeds the amount needed to fund the event will also be donated to the charity.”

Michelle Vickers, Chief Awareness Officer at Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK says: “We are incredibly grateful to Charlotte and Sophie for sharing their story to raise awareness of these types of cancers. Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer and yet many people have never heard of it. We hope the Oxfordshire community gets behind them to put on a fantastic event for Charlotte and her friends and family whilst also raising funds for Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK to help combat the head and neck cancer crisis.”

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Fashion & beauty night in Marlow

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, , , ,

Enjoy a fashion & beauty night out in Marlow on 26th September with a talk from Lucia Santa-Maria, a screening of The Devil Wears Prada, hair & make-up tips & more

September is the perfect month for new starts, so don’t miss this opportunity for some shopping style!

Krista Madden has organised an evening kicking off with a talk, 5-6pm at Court Garden House, from Lucia Santa-Maria who has been working on Marlow Murder Club this summer. She’ll talk about Building Confidence with Fashion, picking key high street pieces.

Find out about health and fitness tech at Sweaty Betty, including the next-generation Power Plate and a lymphatic drainage compression, with experts on hand, and health & make-up showcased in Jigsaw.

Nutritionist Brigette Hancock will launch her first book, Live Like a Lobster, at The Marlow Bookshop. The shops will stay open until 8pm with free drinks, special offers and lots of activities along the high street for you to enjoy. The evening will showcase local fashion, beauty and creative talent in Marlow.

Tickets to Lucia’s talk are £10pp including a drink & free for Marlow Living Loyalty App subscribers. For more details visit In Your Element Festival. Book your tickets for The Devil Wears Prada at Everyman Cinema. Follow In Your Element on Instagram for more updates!

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Billy Billingham: Always A Little Further

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

As featured in Spotlight: A Diary For The South East: https://youtu.be/hRZ4aR0vLHE

Liz Nicholls chats to SAS: Who Dares Wins star Billy Billingham MBE QCB whose new Always A Little Further tour visits Wycombe Swan on 25th November, plus Aldershot, Newbury & more beyond

Billy has had many astonishing experiences. He left school at 11 and ran with gangs in Birmingham before joining the Royal Marine cadets and Parachute Regiment, to rising to the rank of sergeant major in the SAS and undertaking hundreds of classified and extremely dangerous missions.

He spent more than 20 years in the Special Forces serving in countless warzones, winning a commendation for bravery, and being awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II, before embracing for the life of a bodyguard to celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Sir Michael Caine, Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.

Billy will also take us behind the scenes of his hit TV shows where he gained a reputation for excellence, integrity, and a no-nonsense approach. A transformational leader, Billy inspires contestants to take on mentally and physically demanding challenges.

So, Billy, how did these big talking tours of yours come about?
“I got asked to help raise some money for a charity for bereaved children and of course I said yes. I thought I’d be talking to about 30 people. I went down to the venue on the morning and… there’s 300 people coming, and my heart fell out! My wife said; well, what are you going to talk about?! So we put a logical sequence together of trials, tribulations, lessons learned. And off we went! But I didn’t feel frightened, I enjoyed it.

“And I think this is now our fourth year. I love the response from the audience. I believe in giving back, especially to people who are looking for advice or just a bit of motivation.”

Q. You’ve had quite the life haven’t you? I mean literally highs and lows. What was your lowest moment, do you think?
“There’s a few. And that’s where the journey starts with me.
“So, I was a bd kid. My mum said I ran with a bad crowd but I knew right from wrong and I was bad, and it’s about owning that… Everybody should nowadays, instead of blaming others for our own mistakes. An old man I stole a hat from chased me, and rather than give me what I expected, when he caught me, he actually gave me the time of day and said come to learn boxing. That was a lightbulb moment.

“Then the next was in the cadets. I was taught proper discipline. And it was a hard discipline, but you were treated fairly, and I was learning great skills. I’m not academic. I’m a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ kind of guy.
“And then the saddest turning point in my life, which I talk about, was when I got stabbed and nearly died at 15. I felt more of an idiot, looking at people who love me, my family and my friends thinking I was going to die. I remember thinking if I get out of it, which I did, of course, I’ve got to change my life. And then getting into the military, and the military really was my saving grace.”

Q. And what advice would you have for anyone whose child is really struggling with school?
“At school, in English, maths, everything, I was the worst. I was petrified or sweating with anything academic. My strength was on the running field, doing physical things. So my advice to any child who’s struggling: do your best, be respectful, and find out what you’re good at and embrace that. Because there’s an avenue for everybody.”

To book tickets visit: Billy Billingham MBE | Projects | Fane

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Vocal locals: South Bucks Choral Society!

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

South Bucks Choral Society are in fine voice, rehearsing for upcoming concerts at St Mary’s in Old Amersham. Jay Roff tells us more and invites you to audition on 7th & 8th September

Do you enjoy singing? Even if you haven’t sung in a choir before, why not give it a try? Choral singing is a fun and rewarding pastime that has been proven to promote a sense of wellbeing.

South Bucks Choral Society have established an excellent reputation in the area, performing some of the greatest choral works in western music. Our next performance, the ever-popular Handel’s Messiah on 30th November, is a great intro to choral singing.

South Bucks Choral Society was founded by our conductor, Iain Ledingham, in 1980. Iain is a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. He has been Director of Opera there and was musical director of the Academy’s prestigious and highly successful Bach Cantata series from 2009 to 2018. We have received great reviews in the local press.

Accompanied by a first-class professional orchestra and excellent soloists from the Royal Academy of Music, our main concerts are centred around one of the great choral works. Past performances include Verdi’s Requiem, Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Samson, Haydn’s Creation, Mozart’s Requiem & C minor Mass. The choir have also taken part in operas by Handel and Mozart. In 2019 we performed Mozart’s great opera Idomeneo with the amazing young tenor Freddie de Tommaso in the title role. He is now singing major roles at the Royal Opera House and throughout Europe.

Even after the most challenging day at work, going to rehearsal takes away the stress, I feel happier and have so much more energy. I’ve been a member of SBCS since I was 18! Verdi’s Requiem was the first work I learned, and I was hooked. Singing with the choir is exhilarating. Together we can create this amazing sound – the sum is so much greater than the parts.

Each year we perform two major concerts with orchestra, in November and April. There’s also our popular carol concert in December and a summer concert featuring opera choruses, folk songs and shorter choral works. We are aiming to increase our number to nearer 100 (so we can return to performing works that demand a larger choir such as Verdi’s Requiem.

We meet for rehearsals 8-10pm on Tuesday evenings, from September to April, in St Joseph’s School Hall, Chalfont St Peter. We also run an optional summer programme during May and June. Why not head to a 10-minute audition at Chalfont St Peter Parish Church 9.30am to 3pm on Saturday, and 2-6pm on Sunday 8th? Feel free to bring a piece of music to sing if you wish. Ability to sight read is not essential, we just ask that you can sing in tune!

If you’d like to take part, please email sbchonsecretary@gmail.com. For more info please also visit South Bucks Choral Society

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Star Q&A with chef Clodagh McKenna

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Irish chef, author & TV star Clodagh McKenna tells Liz Nicholls a few of her favourite things

Q. Hello Clodagh! Can you tell me a bit about favourite food memories from childhood?
“Baking on a Saturday morning with my sisters, the tea brack was a favourite bake, and I now have it on my online bakery and we deliver them across the UK!”

Q. What’s your favourite cookbook & why?
“Any of Darina Allen’s cookbooks. Her recipes always work, she is the queen of recipe writing.”

“Darina Allen is the queen of recipe writing”

Q. What was the first recipe you cooked that really struck you as a great succeess?
“Making fresh pasta when I lived in Italy. Taking eggs and flour and making something so delicious!”

Q. What’s your favourite of kitchen kit?
“My zester; I take it everywhere with me, even on holidays! I love zesting limes and lemons in recipes, and I also love wispy gratings of parmesan cheese. I sell my zester in my online store [Clodagh McKenna].”

Q. What advice would you have for any parent out there who thinks ‘I can’t cook’?
“Decide on one night a week that you are going to cook, and try a new recipe each time. Soon you have a whole bank of recipes that you are good at! My book In Minutes is brilliant for any starter cooks.”

Q. What was your first experience in the This Morning Studio like?
“Exciting is the word that springs to mind, and grateful is the second. Excited to get the chance (now every week!) to cook to 3-4 million viewers, and grateful for the opportunity to do so.”

Q. Is there any food stuff you just can’t stand (your “hell”), no matter who cooks it?
“Highly processed foods in general, and non-organic meat.”

Q. Which are your favourite pubs or restaurants?
“I love The River Café in London and The Devonshire Arms in Soho.”

Q. What would your last meal be? And/ or what’s your “guilty pleasure”?
“Irish oysters, Dover sole and a tiramisu! My guilty pleasure is chocolate and red wine.”

Q. Have you ever had any weird, foodie fan mail!?
“Yes all the time! But I don’t mind too much…. I am always grateful that someone takes the time to write to me.”

Q. Did you enjoy school?
“Yes, it was a long time ago!”

Q. What do you think schools could do to involve kids in cooking more?
“A class every week on learning cooking skills should be part of the curriculum.”

Q. What one invention would radically improve the quality of your life?
“If I could pause time so that there are more hours in the day, wouldn’t that be amazing?!”

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Over The Hill music in Witney

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

Love Blues & Roots music? There’s lots to enjoy at Studio 7 in Station Lane, OX28 4BQ, from 3pm on bank holiday Monday 26th August

Over the Hill will feature four of the UK’s leading blues, roots & Americana acts including:

Matt Owens & The Delusional Vanity Project
Matt first came to prominence as a founder member of indie-folk band Noah and the Whale. His latest album Way Out West has met with critical acclaim and he’s currently working on his fifth. Expect a punchy performance with a Springsteen vibe.

Hannah White
Winner of Best Song at the 2023 Americana Music Association Awards, Hannah has been described by Uncut Magazine as ‘an expressive voice and song craft’.

Mississippi MacDonald
Having picked up two awards at this year’s British Blues Awards, Mississippi and his band have spent the year playing the major blues festivals in the UK and selling out venues all over the country.

Sean Taylor
Sean is an international touring troubadour. He was nominated for the 2023 UK blues acoustic artist of the year award. His songs are best described as roots; influenced by blues, Americana, jazz, spoken word and folk music.

£20pp, no extra booking fees; tickets from WeGotTickets and Truck Witney

Spotify Playlist Over The Hill 2024 – playlist by Ade | Spotify

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Five things to do in Filkins!

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

To tie in with our competition this month, here’s a little insider’s guide from the team at The Five Alls…

Filkins

The Cotswolds Woollen Weavers. Housed in old barns, it makes traditional blankets, throws and country-style clothing on its ancient looms. Cotswold Woollen Weavers

Lechlade (the source of the River Thames) is the nearest large village, a five-minute drive from Kelmscott. There’s a high street linked with independent shops and cafes.

Kelmscott

Kelmscott is a small, hidden away village of old Cotswold stone houses and cottages. Its biggest draw is its idyllic rural location and Kelmscott Manor, former home of William Morris. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays 11am-5pm from April-October. The house is a two-minute walk from the Thames Path. Kelmscott Manor

Walk along the Thames Path alongside the meadows to Lechlade or in the other direction towards Faringdon.

Close by

Buscot Park, five minutes from Kelmscott, this grand, late 18th century house in gorgeous gardens and is still the family home of Lord Faringdon. Inside, a great art collection, including works by pre-Raphaelite artists such as Burne-Jones and Rossetti + Reubens, van Dyck and Murillo, as well as contemporary art. Buscot Park | Oxfordshire | National Trust

Buscot is a very pretty village with a field next to the Thames, where the river spills out into huge, pond area.

Burford, a 15-minute drive away. Small market town with lots of antique shops and independents, including the Cotswold Cheese Company. Also home to Burford Garden Centre, just outside town. It’s a huge upmarket shop selling all things garden and top quality plants + quality home furnishings, antiques, toys, clothes, gifts, toys, books. Also stocks good quality, locally made products, pottery, crafts and locally produced food and drink.

Local producers and farm shops nearby include; Upton Smokery – fab farm shop with home-made and local smoked produce. Close to Burford. Upton Smokery. Daylesford Organic Farm Shop is a 35-minute drive away.

Further afield

Chastleton House – Amazing Jacobean manor house in fairly dilapidated state. National Trust-owned and very Miss Havisham. It’s off the road to main Stow to Chipping Norton road and signposted. About a 30-minute drive from Kelmscott, close to Daylesford. Chastleton | Oxfordshire | National Trust

Local landmark

Faringdon Folly is an eccentric 20th century tower built in the 1930s with far reaching views from the top and surrounded by ancient woodland. Close to Kelmscott. Faringdon Folly Tower and Woodland

Don’t miss

Giffords Circus – Cotswolds touring circus (May-October) that performs in local villages including nearby Great Barrington, Kingham and Blenheim Palace from May-Sept end annually. www.giffordscircus.com

Cotswold Wildlife Park, five minutes from Kelmscott. Recently awarded Fourth Best Zoo in the UK on TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Attractions Awards and also rated twelfth best zoo in Europe. Open Year round Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

George Egg grilled before Big Feastival

Liz Nicholls

Posted on

Liz Nicholls

, , ,

As featured on our YouTube channel

Liz Nicholls chats to the thoroughly entertaining anarchist cook, comedian & dad George Egg who will star at Big Feastival in Kingham this coming bank holiday weekend

Q. Hello George. Lovely to talk to you, our snack hacker! Are you looking forward to Big Feastival?
“Yeah, I’m really excited, it’s my second time. I’m doing a cookery demo and a stand-up set both on the same day [Sunday].”

Q. And can you tell us a bit about your shows for those who haven’t seen you live? “So in theatre show, I cook on stage, live… real cooking as well, not some sort of clowny gesture towards it, it’s decent stuff! But the twist is that I don’t have any conventional kitchen equipment; I cook with power tools and things like a laptop that I’ve converted for cooking on. I’ve got a sort of flame-thrower thing, a wallpaper stripper and I cook three plates of food the audience can try. I’m also the Snack Hacker. And my stand-up is straight stand-up… but with props!”

Images by: Matt Lincoln

Q. Who were your comedy influences when you were younger? “Laurel and Hardy! Not just when I was younger, now as well. I also love lots of comedians including James Acaster.”

Q. So your first Edinburgh show, How To Cook in a Hotel Room was in 2015? “Yeah, that’s right. It was a totally self-produced show, not even any posters, and it sold out! I toured that for a couple of years then I realised I’d created this niche which led to more shows, using power tools and stuff!”

Q. Are you surprised how popular it’s been and what amazing fans you’ve picked up along the way?
“Yeah, I’m really surprised. I mean, I’m wracked with self-doubt! I think the success comes down to the fact that it is unique. And it comes from a real genuine passion. I love cooking, I love being inventive and creative…”

Q. And do you think we could all maybe go a little bit more rogue, like you, with our cooking?
“Yeah! If you kind of look at cooking as art you should be creative and break rules and challenge convention!”

Q. Like me you’re thinking about food pretty much every waking thought… what would your last supper be? “Crikey. Do you know what, I need to figure out before next week what my favourite last supper is. I’m writing a cookbook at the moment, and I’m crippled by choice, always. There’s a lot of nostalgic stuff in there because my dad did all the cooking when we were kids. And there’s loads of things that he did that bring everything flooding back. He used to make this lemonade with a whole lemon and ice cubes and sugar and a liquidiser…”

Q. What were your school dinners like? “Oh, I’ve such fond memories of school dinners! I went to school in south-east London, and they had this tuck shop, basically, all the things that they couldn’t sell. There’d be lukewarm fish fingers and sausages and things, which they’d sell for 5p, 10p. It was lethal! I’d go there towards the end of the lunch hour and just have like, eight fish fingers.”

Q. And what I really like about you is that you don’t have any sort of notion of guilty pleasures… Everything’s a pleasure! There’s never this snobbery about food that you sometimes get. “Yeah, oh, utterly. I mean, that’s my kind of ethos certainly with the Snack Hacker stuff. I don’t feel like salad cream is a naff ingredient: personally I call it white ketchup. I mean, it’s very similar; it’s full of vinegar and sugar. We didn’t have salad cream when I was growing up. We were quite a middle-class family and my parents frowned on salad cream like they frowned on ITV. So at school, I got a sachet of salad cream and had that with fish fingers. I was like, oooh, in heaven.”

Q. You’ve got some great fellow foodie famous fans haven’t you? “I mean, yeah, well, Craig Charles has really taken me under his wing. That’s lovely. So I do this weekly chat with him on BBC 6 Music every Monday where I give him a sort of quick, easy recipe idea. He’s so positive! I mean, every idea I come up with, he’s like ‘oh, God, I want to eat that’. Gennaro Contaldo too; I just I love him: he’s so funny, he reminds me of that Laurel & Hardy era.”

Q. What’s your favourite bit of kitchen kit? “A pressure cooker is something I discovered in the last few years. The recipes you can do! Check out the book by Catherine Phipps: you can do like a joint of roast beef in something like five minutes and it’s perfect, pink in the middle. It’s incredible! Otherwise, a microwave! We didn’t get one until after my dad had died but it’s amazing. You can do all sorts like chicken crackling and stuff which is just heaven.”

Q. You’ve got a cookbook coming out soon, haven’t you, as well as your theatre shows this autumn?
“Yeah, that’s being published June next year, see you at Big Feastival for a taste!”

Latest posts

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter: