Potatoes

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:09 Hello and welcome to The Luxury Podcast. My name is Jonathan Vernon-Smith, and with me is William Hanson. This is the podcast that helps you live a more luxury life.

William Hanson 0:01:20 Hello, Jonathan and I are here to help you create the everyday moments of luxury that make life worth living, whatever your budget.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:25 In each episode of The Luxury Podcast, William and I tackle an area of life that we think you should upgrade. Sorting dons loads from the hyacinths, advising the nation in gracious living. So, William, what are we going to talk about today?

William Hanson 0:01:40 When the chips are down, you talk about potatoes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:43 Potatoes.

William Hanson 0:01:44 Potatoes. This was inspired by a conversation we had only a few weeks ago, wasn't it? We said, should we do an episode on potatoes? Yeah. Yes, we should.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:51 Listen, it's a British classic.

William Hanson 0:01:53 It is.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:54 In fact, I think it is probably a worldwide classic, isn't it?

William Hanson 0:01:57 I think a lot of countries like potatoes. The Spanish, your Big lover of Spain. That's all you eat in Spain, really, is potatoes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:04 They do. Well, it's not all they eat in Spain, but they do make a beautiful Spanish omelette. Potatas bravas.

William Hanson 0:02:10 Well, that's different from Spanish omelette. Potatas bravas is not a Spanish omelette.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:16 No. What is a Spanish omelette in Spain? I can't remember the name of it. Tortilla.

William Hanson 0:02:20 I've lost omelette. Tortilla?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:22 Tortilla. Tortilla. Exactly. Tortilla.

William Hanson 0:02:24 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:24 So, uh, but yes, that's kind of potato with egg. And, uh, that's delicious. Yeah.

William Hanson 0:02:30 Oh, now, now I'm excited for it.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:32 Yeah. Oh yeah, you'll have some good ones.

William Hanson 0:02:34 Although you are taking me to an Italian, aren't you?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:36 Um, well, there's a variety of restaurants.

William Hanson 0:02:39 I would say actually the Italians, other than gnocchi, don't really do potato massively, do they? Or they do, they do fried potatoes. They do them on pizza. Thin potatoes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:50 Yeah. Potato on pizza? Oh, that doesn't sound right.

William Hanson 0:02:55 Degenerates.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:55 I do think, though, I mean, you can have a luxury potato, and I think potato is something that can— if you know how to work with a potato, you can say to your guests,

William Hanson 0:03:08 I work with the potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:09 I am a luxury potato user. But you can also be very common with a potato.

William Hanson 0:03:20 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:21 So, should we talk about The kinds of potato. I mean, first of all, are you fussy about your type of potato?

William Hanson 0:03:26 Yes, depends what type. You've got to have the right potato for the right sort of thing.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:29 Oh, tell us what you use.

William Hanson 0:03:31 King Edward generally.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:32 Oh, for a roast.

William Hanson 0:03:33 Or Maris Piper.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:34 Okay, yeah, I'm a big lover of Maris Piper. Although, call me old-fashioned, I love a— I do love a Desiree.

William Hanson 0:03:41 I find them just a touch sweet sometimes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:43 With mash, Desiree.

William Hanson 0:03:45 They're the ones with slightly reddier skins.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:48 Red skin, yeah, very nice for mash.

William Hanson 0:03:50 Okay. Where do you stand on a sweet potato?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:54 Well, yeah, I like a sweet potato, but it's a very different beast. Yes. Yeah,

William Hanson 0:04:00 we'll come on to sweet potatoes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:01 We will. So, Maris Piper, I would say, is my go-to. I tend to avoid the white potato. I always find a white potato is just a bit bland. Never really tastes so much, does it?

William Hanson 0:04:15 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:16 But it's, I guess, a good all-rounder.

William Hanson 0:04:18 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:18 But if you have Maris Pipers, King Edwards, or Desiree, you'll notice the difference. And I love a Jersey Royal.

William Hanson 0:04:26 Yes, they're the smaller ones.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:28 They are.

William Hanson 0:04:29 Yes,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:29 only available at certain times of the year.

William Hanson 0:04:31 Yeah,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:32 and well worth it in my view.

William Hanson 0:04:33 Yes, and actually new potatoes, which actually new potatoes, you very— it's more of a type. You don't really buy new potatoes, they're just the smaller potatoes, aren't they?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:43 Baby potatoes. Baby potatoes. Yeah, yeah.

William Hanson 0:04:45 I love— but I do like a new potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:47 Do you?

William Hanson 0:04:48 Yeah, with a bit of butter.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:49 Oh, aren't you funny?

William Hanson 0:04:50 Do you not like that?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:51 No, no. When I was a child and my mum would do new potatoes, I used to get a bit sulky.

William Hanson 0:04:58 On their own, sulky, you. On their own, boring. But you've got to put a garlicky butter or a herby butter or something, or just butter.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:07 But they're just a bit bland, aren't they, really?

William Hanson 0:05:09 Well, maybe when you cook them.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:10 Yeah, they don't do anything for me. What do you think is the most luxury form of a potato?

William Hanson 0:05:16 Gratin pommes dauphinoises.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:21 Yes, yes, absolutely.

William Hanson 0:05:23 That, that, I think.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:25 I think if you whip out a gratin,

William Hanson 0:05:27 yeah,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:27 you say to your guests, I've made

William Hanson 0:05:28 some effort.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:29 Look at me. Look what I've knocked up with a potato. But then I do like also, I think, um, a quality mash.

William Hanson 0:05:37 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:39 I think if you know how to make a mash, And I— do you use a whisk?

William Hanson 0:05:44 So, I use now— so, I will— I used to use a masher to do all that.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:51 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:05:52 But now I use a masher, which is a product. So, mash without the E-R.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:59 Oh, okay.

William Hanson 0:06:00 And it's an electric thing, and it whizzes them up. No lumps.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:04 Oh, great. Okay.

William Hanson 0:06:05 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:06 Nice.

William Hanson 0:06:06 It has different attachments. Also, it's very good for rubbing in if you're doing pastry. If you use the other attachment, and then you save yourself rubbing in. It just does it for you. But a masher, lovely.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:15 In Argentina, they love their mashed potato.

William Hanson 0:06:19 Oh,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:19 they really love it, and they make fantastic— they call it puré.

William Hanson 0:06:24 Puré,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:24 yeah, basically puré. But that's what you'd see on the menu. It just says puré.

William Hanson 0:06:29 Oh,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:29 and that's mashed potato, and their mashed potato is fantastic.

William Hanson 0:06:33 Now, what are they putting in it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:34 Well, I stood and watched.

William Hanson 0:06:36 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:37 because I thought, I need to know how they make mash to and above British standards.

William Hanson 0:06:42 Well, Argentinian standards. Don't start saying they're British.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:45 That's what I mean. They're above British standards.

William Hanson 0:06:48 Oh, I see.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:49 The Argentinian standards for mash are above, I'm afraid to say, British standards.

William Hanson 0:06:53 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:53 And the way they do it, they obviously peel the potatoes. Their potatoes are always muddy. You know, when you go to the supermarket—

William Hanson 0:07:02 You must wash your spuds.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:03 They are Covered in mud, and they kind of take these muddy potatoes and then they wash them.

William Hanson 0:07:09 So,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:10 that's the first difference, because ours are all pre-washed.

William Hanson 0:07:12 Do you dry your potatoes if you've washed them?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:14 Not really, no. Do you?

William Hanson 0:07:16 Sometimes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:16 Aren't you good? So, they wash them, and then they peel them, and then they obviously cut them up, and they boil them with lots of salt. And then after that, they drain them off, they let them steam, And then they put loads of butter and loads of salt, like quite a lot, almost an unhealthy amount of salt. And then they mash them, and then they get the electric whisk out.

William Hanson 0:07:44 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:45 And then with butter, they then whisk them so they're kind of nice and fluffy.

William Hanson 0:07:50 Yeah, lovely.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:52 And oh, with a steak and salad, delicious.

William Hanson 0:07:55 So, no, so I, I often will put a bit of milk in mashed potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:59 Yeah, they add the milk.

William Hanson 0:08:00 Oh, they add the milk.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:01 When they're whisking, they add the milk.

William Hanson 0:08:02 Okay, fine. Yes, because I think that's all you need for mashed potato is milk, butter, seasoning.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:08 They don't put black pepper in it though. So, I often add a bit of black pepper. Yeah. It's just the salt.

William Hanson 0:08:13 Rosemary, I think, goes very nicely with most potatoes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:15 Oh, yes.

William Hanson 0:08:16 Yes, particularly with sweet potato. I do a lovely sweet potato mash with sea salt and rosemary, preferably fresh. That's very nice. And a bit of black pepper.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:24 The trouble with mashed potato is that if you make it beautifully and it's kind of light and fluffy, It's very moreish.

William Hanson 0:08:31 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:32 And you don't realise how much you've eaten.

William Hanson 0:08:33 No, and then you've eaten 12 potatoes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:35 You keep dolloping it onto your plate, and before you know it, you've basically eaten half a potato farm. But it's so delicious. So, I think mashed potato is definitely one of the ways of showing— but it's got to be quality mash.

William Hanson 0:08:49 My mother will not eat anyone's mashed potato other than her own.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:51 Oh.

William Hanson 0:08:52 She doesn't like the lumps.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:53 And she's good, is she, at mash?

William Hanson 0:08:55 She's very good at mash.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:56 Lovely.

William Hanson 0:08:56 And she is lump-free. But she thus cannot eat. She could eat her mother's because Granny's would be lump-free, but now Granny's dead, it's— if I produce mash, she won't touch it. I'm like, no, no, there are no lumps. I promise you there are not. She can't psychologically eat that mash.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:10 What are your thoughts on— and I think this is a bit controversial— the jacket potato?

William Hanson 0:09:16 So, the last time I had a jacket potato was when I was close to death in August, coming up to the 1-year anniversary.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:24 They're very hospital food.

William Hanson 0:09:25 It's very hospital food. And actually, they put it in front of me, and I sort of looked and went, actually, I'd quite like that.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:31 Oh.

William Hanson 0:09:31 But normally— but I don't think I've done one. I think I did one at home. They just take

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:37 so long to do. No, they don't. You're doing them wrong.

William Hanson 0:09:40 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:41 But they are— I'm afraid I have to say, I think that jacket potatoes are— and I know this is controversial, but they are common.

William Hanson 0:09:48 They are.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:49 They are.

William Hanson 0:09:50 They're a bit—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:50 They're a bit care home.

William Hanson 0:09:51 We had them at school.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:52 They're care home. They're care home. It's what you give elderly people in a care home. Jacket potato. They love it. It's what you give children in a state school. Jacket potato.

William Hanson 0:10:02 Well, excuse me, we had them at the catering department at boarding school.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:05 Did you?

William Hanson 0:10:06 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:06 Yes, but yours were probably King Edward. You know, where I went to school, they were just bog standard. They were just Edward. But I do think a jacket potato is a bit common. Yes, but you can do them quickly.

William Hanson 0:10:21 But if you— what were you— what are you topping yours with?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:24 I would say, uh, my favourite would be, uh, grated cheese and baked beans. Yes, I think that's a winning combo. The baked beans and the cheese make it all go kind of sticky and gooey, full of flavour.

William Hanson 0:10:39 You know, when I was eating my jacket potato, or as they should correctly be called, a baked potato, because jacket potato is quite a common name for a common dish. I thought when I was eating, I thought, oh, do you know what would be nice on top of this? A poached egg.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:51 On a potato?

William Hanson 0:10:53 Poached egg on top of beans and cheese. Oh, that'd be lovely.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:56 Oh no, I think not.

William Hanson 0:10:58 Oh no, I think not.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:59 Really? You want a big old gooey egg all over it?

William Hanson 0:11:01 Well, I like them gooey, but you know.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:02 But do you know how you can do them quickly?

William Hanson 0:11:05 You're gonna say— I think I know what you're gonna say.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:09 Well, what do you think I'm going to say?

William Hanson 0:11:11 Oh, put them in the air fryer.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:13 Well, yes, eventually. But I do my jacket potato, I put them in the microwave first for— don't turn your nose up. This is a quick and easy way of doing a jacket potato that's delicious. I put my jacket potato in the microwave normally for 5 minutes.

William Hanson 0:11:30 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:31 Give it a good prick and then take it out. And then you put it in the air fryer, maybe a little drizzle of oil, olive oil over the top, put it in the air fryer then. for kind of, I don't know, 10 minutes max on maximum crisp. And then it basically— the inside of the potato is all nicely cooked in the microwave, and then you just crisp up all the outer skin. So it tastes jolly good.

William Hanson 0:11:56 And if we don't have a microwave or an air fryer, what do we do?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:58 Well, then you'd have to shove it in the oven and wait for at least an hour.

William Hanson 0:12:03 At least an hour. I do think with jacket potatoes, you don't want an overwhelming amount of potato. And I think some jacket potatoes, particularly in boarding school or potentially in care homes. Not that I know yet.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:13 When we're in Pond Court, I would imagine we'll eat a lot of jacket potatoes then.

William Hanson 0:12:17 Yes. You, me, and, you know, Madge. Madge from Number 72. We'll be tucking in.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:36 I tell you what, if she's in there, I'll be sleeping with one eye open after recent weeks.

William Hanson 0:12:42 Wear a patch.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:44 I could wear a patch. Very, very good idea. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, I think a jacket potato on a fully upholstered lap tray is very Pond Court.

William Hanson 0:12:59 It is very Pond Court. Yes. Okay, so that— is that the most common type of potato? Or is it a smiley face?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:05 Smiley face potato? You mean like a potato kind

William Hanson 0:13:10 of— Rosti? No, it's not really a rosti, is it? It's a—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:13 Oh no, rosti. I've not had one of those for a long time. They always used to do those on— do you remember Ready Steady Cook?

William Hanson 0:13:19 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:20 They always did a rosti, didn't they? You know, what a faff.

William Hanson 0:13:23 I tell you what I did. I was doing Saturday Kitchen the other day, and—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:27 I hear you were very funny.

William Hanson 0:13:28 Oh, thank you.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:29 My brother watched you. He said— he saw you, he said you were very funny.

William Hanson 0:13:33 Oh, thank you. I haven't watched it back yet, so I can't really remember what I said. But they did some sort of potatoes that they then dipped in some sort of garlic oil and then put some sort of gorgeousness on top, and that was absolutely heaven. I mean, it's not what I wanted to eat at 10 o'clock in the morning, but it was very nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:49 I think a roast potato is luxury.

William Hanson 0:13:53 It's understated, isn't it? It's understated luxury. And also, it's a classless potato because I think it transcends social class.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:00 Yeah. One of my favourite ways of eating a roast potato

William Hanson 0:14:04 With a knife and fork, I would hope.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:05 Is— no, actually, one of my favourite ways of eating a roast potato is normally about 4 o'clock in the afternoon in a pub when they come around. You will know this, Sadie, that in a pub they come around after they've finished doing all the lunches. They'll often have some leftover roast potatoes, so they put them in bowls and come around, and you have these really delicious crispy roast potatoes with a beer in a pub, just absolutely exquisite, covered in salt. Ooh.

William Hanson 0:14:37 Oh, okay. Now, I'll tell you what is common with a roast. The only way you can make a roast potato common, and it's not so much the roast potato, is putting— when you have a roast lunch or whatever, having 2 types of potato on your plate. That is common.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:53 Yes, mashed potato and roast.

William Hanson 0:14:57 Very common. And generally, it is the— you know me, I don't have a stomach bone in my body.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:02 No.

William Hanson 0:15:02 But it is what you often find in places like carveries, because the more potatoes you eat, they fill you up, so you eat less of everything else. So, they're doing it. They're doing it to sort of keep their costs down.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:13 I just don't think—

William Hanson 0:15:14 You only need one type of potato with any form of meal.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:17 Well, yes. And the thing is, mashed potato, I don't think, goes with a roast.

William Hanson 0:15:22 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:22 You know when people serve up mash?

William Hanson 0:15:23 All that gravy.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:24 Why would you have mash with it? No, I'm with you, William.

William Hanson 0:15:28 Good.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:29 British standards. Well done.

William Hanson 0:15:31 So, oh yeah, and how do you do your roast potatoes?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:33 Roast potatoes, I— well, it depends really.

William Hanson 0:15:37 What does it depend on?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:38 Well, if I'm doing a quick midweek roast—

William Hanson 0:15:41 No, let's talk about a Sunday.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:43 Oh, a proper Sunday.

William Hanson 0:15:44 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:44 Goose fat.

William Hanson 0:15:45 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:46 And I've become a lover of pre-preparing the roasts.

William Hanson 0:15:49 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:50 So, I'll do them sometimes in the morning or the day before.

William Hanson 0:15:53 And then reheat them.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:55 And put them in the roasting tray with all the goose fat and a bit of rosemary and all that kind of stuff. Bit of cling film over the top, and then when you're ready, just shove them in a hot oven.

William Hanson 0:16:05 Okay, nice. Yeah, lovely. Yes, and you do the shake method? Parboil, shake?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:09 Parboil, uh, yeah, fluff up the outer edges, salt and pepper on them, in nice goose fat. Perfect.

William Hanson 0:16:18 Yes, lovely.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:18 That's the ultimate.

William Hanson 0:16:20 People rave about olive oil instead. You could use olive oil rather than goose fat.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:23 That's what I'd use for a midweek roast if I was just doing a quick

William Hanson 0:16:27 Yeah. And how much would you use? A tablespoon or—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:30 Well, yeah, try not to use too much because, you know, it's quite fatty, isn't it? And the thing is, the goose fat is delicious, but you can practically feel one of your ventricles slamming shut, can't you, as you're making them? So they're probably not the healthiest. No. Whereas olive oil, I think, is a little bit healthier for the heart.

William Hanson 0:16:48 Now, a type of potato I do like is quite modern. You don't see it very often, although it is often on restaurant menus, but you can do it at home. The Hasselback potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:56 Oh yeah, nice.

William Hanson 0:16:56 You do your Hasselback chicken.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:57 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:16:58 But that's very nice. Now, for those that don't know what a Hasselback potato is, you would do it— what type of potato would you do it with?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:04 I would say Maris Piper.

William Hanson 0:17:06 Yeah, and you sort of cut into it but not going all the way through, so you're creating sort of ridges. Some people think— actually, we talked about them on Saturday Kitchen, which is why they went through my head, and I thought, oh, I remember this for our potatoes episode, our award-winning potatoes episode, soon to be. And some people say it's named after mountains, but it's not, and I looked it up. But it goes back to 1953 to Stockholm in Sweden, and basically, he sliced the potatoes into thin fan-like sections, and that was at the restaurant Hasselbacken.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:43 Oh,

William Hanson 0:17:43 so that's where it gets its name from.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:44 Very nice. You could probably use Jersey Royals as well.

William Hanson 0:17:47 Yes, they'd work nicely.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:48 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:17:48 And they are quite fun. Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:51 Lots of butter though, when you put them on. Nice little bit of butter.

William Hanson 0:17:55 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:56 And then it will all go nice and crispy. I did last weekend when I had all the family over for a roast, I did those potatoes I was telling you about that are very nice with a barbecue.

William Hanson 0:18:05 Yes. And they went down nicely?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:07 You get— I did it with Jersey rolls. You boil them until they've gone soft, but not falling apart. And then you drain them off, you arrange them on your roasting tray, and then I used the bottom of a little pot to kind of apply just enough pressure for them to squash and break a bit, but you don't want them completely flat. So, as soon as they've started to break a bit, and then you put a little bit of— I used— now, call me exotic— I used ghee.

William Hanson 0:18:38 Ghee? Ghee.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:40 Ghee.

William Hanson 0:18:42 Back at the throat. Back at the throat. Ghee.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:43 Ghee. I put ghee on them.

William Hanson 0:18:46 And tell us what ghee is.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:47 Well, it's a kind of butter, isn't it? It's a special butter that is very typical in Indian cooking.

William Hanson 0:18:54 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:54 It has a very high smoking temperature.

William Hanson 0:18:57 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:57 But it is, um, it's a— I can't remember what type of butter it is, but it's basically a type of butter. It lasts forever. And you put a little bit of that on the top and then roast them. I did them in the air fryer. Of course you did. They got all crispy on the outside. Some lovely crunchy salt over the top. With a barbecue delish.

William Hanson 0:19:14 Howkey.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:15 Howkey.

William Hanson 0:19:27 I think you've had them. I should have checked my diary. That I do with Jersey Royals for— often goes with soft pork, but you haven't had my soft pork. I think you had beef.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:35 Your soft pork?

William Hanson 0:19:35 My soft pork.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:36 Sorry, Arthur.

William Hanson 0:19:45 Pork. Boil them, and then pop them in an oven, sort of an earthenware thing, and then cream over the top, which you have put some sort of seasoning in and herbs, and then break up a whole Camembert and dot that in.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:02 Good grief!

William Hanson 0:20:04 It's an idyll slater. It is delicious.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:06 Really?

William Hanson 0:20:07 Absolute filth.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:08 Well, yeah, I was gonna say, waddle out of your house after that.

William Hanson 0:20:11 I think I did. And that is a good potato recipe.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:14 I'm not sure I've had that.

William Hanson 0:20:15 I'm going to check.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:16 I think I'd remember.

William Hanson 0:20:17 Okay. It was very nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:18 Well, it sounds delicious.

William Hanson 0:20:20 We've got this far without talking about chips.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:23 Oh yeah.

William Hanson 0:20:25 Or for Americans, fries. Do you like a chip?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:29 I love a chip.

William Hanson 0:20:30 Thick or thin?

Speaker C 0:20:32 Both.

William Hanson 0:20:32 But there are some— now, this is where you, again, you sort of— we're slightly into Reebok backpack territory here. This is where you start to lose Your luxury credentials, because you have a particular type of chip from— which, to be fair, I don't make my own chips. I don't cook chips at home, actually, to be perfectly honest. I only order them out. But you have a particular type of chip that you like?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:54 Ridiculously Crispy. Yeah, Ridiculously Crispy. They're from Iceland, and they are ridiculously crispy chips, and they are ridiculously crispy. But they're very, very tasty. Yeah.

William Hanson 0:21:09 Okay. And they're thick or thin?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:10 Mid.

William Hanson 0:21:12 Oh,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:13 you can actually get— they do ridiculously crispy French fries as well if you want a thin one.

William Hanson 0:21:18 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:19 But these are a kind of mid-sized chip, but they are— oh, they're so ridiculously crispy. They really are nice.

William Hanson 0:21:27 Do you know what actually is a common type of potato, but I now really want them, and you don't see them very often? You're probably in Iceland, you can get them On every aisle. The spirals.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:36 Oh yeah. Do you

William Hanson 0:21:37 know what I mean? Yeah?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:38 I've never had one of those.

Speaker A 0:21:39 Curly fries.

William Hanson 0:21:40 Curly fries, yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:41 Curly fries.

William Hanson 0:21:42 That's nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:43 Oh.

William Hanson 0:21:43 Very common.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:44 Do they still do potato waffles? Do you remember potato waffles?

William Hanson 0:21:48 Oh, that brings back my childhood.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:51 Potato waffles, they're waffly versatile.

William Hanson 0:22:00 I think I know him.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:01 What was it? Was it Bird's Eye Potato? Bird's Eye Potato waffles, they're waffly versatile. Do you not remember that?

William Hanson 0:22:14 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:14 Oh God, it must be from the '80s.

William Hanson 0:22:17 Shall we have a look?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:18 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:22:18 What shall I Google?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:20 Bird's Eye Potato waffles advert, 1980s, probably. That was always the song at the end. Where's that potato waffles? They're waffly first time. Bacon, cheese, chilli, chicken burgers, fish fingers. The fish fingers, eggs, kale, eggs out, bacon, lamb chops. Where's that potato waffles? Where's that potato waffles? They're waffly first time. There you go.

William Hanson 0:22:49 I love it. Hilarious.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:51 The '80s.

William Hanson 0:22:55 Halcyon days.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:57 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:22:58 Oh, that's funny. Now, do you— have you ever grown your potatoes?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:01 Well, my granddad used to— he was a big one for potatoes in a bucket.

William Hanson 0:23:04 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:05 He used to, uh, every winter get all of these old buckets, your car washing bucket.

William Hanson 0:23:11 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:12 Any kind of old bucket, fill it with some compost, stick a few potatoes in, and over the winter they just grow potatoes in the bucket.

William Hanson 0:23:22 And what was his yield?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:24 Oh, quite good.

William Hanson 0:23:25 Oh,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:25 these buckets are chock-a-block. Absolutely chock-a-block.

William Hanson 0:23:28 So you just put a potato in?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:29 Yeah, you know when they get the little kind of tentacles coming out? Just stick it in the mud, it'll grow into potatoes, won't it?

William Hanson 0:23:36 So a potato forms a potato?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:38 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:23:38 Gosh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:39 Oh yeah. You've never grown potatoes?

William Hanson 0:23:41 No. We are currently growing cucumbers.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:44 Oh, nice.

William Hanson 0:23:45 Yes, because Luke gave us— so you've— did you— have you planted yours?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:49 No, I didn't have one in the end.

William Hanson 0:23:50 Oh, did you not?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:51 I was concerned I wouldn't keep it alive.

William Hanson 0:23:53 Well, yeah, ours are alive.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:55 Oh, right. Well done, you.

William Hanson 0:23:56 Not enough to eat yet.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:58 Because, you know, there's a big problem with cucumbers.

William Hanson 0:23:59 Is there?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:00 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:24:01 Not around my neck of the woods.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:01 Because of the hosepipe ban that we spoke about last week, the, uh, the cucumber yield is very, very low apparently in this country.

William Hanson 0:24:11 Well.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:11 So you could sell yours to your neighbours.

William Hanson 0:24:14 Yes. Door-to-door.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:16 Hanson's Big Cucumber.

William Hanson 0:24:18 Cucumbers.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:22 How many have you got then?

William Hanson 0:24:23 Lots? Oh, they're only this big so far. But once they get wet, they'll get bigger.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:30 Well, how does that work?

William Hanson 0:24:38 Well, you water them and they'll

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:41 grow. I see. Yeah, but you can grow potatoes very easily.

William Hanson 0:24:44 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:24:45 You could grow them in— you know what would look nice in your terrace? Go and get an old bath.

William Hanson 0:24:51 Actually, I've got a stainless steel or an aluminium planter which doesn't have any holes in the bottom. I don't know, do I need irrigation for my potatoes?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:03 I'll come round with my brushless impact drill.

William Hanson 0:25:06 But do I need holes for the potatoes? Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:08 Do you want me to drill some holes?

William Hanson 0:25:10 Yeah. Drill some holes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:12 I could do that.

William Hanson 0:25:13 We could stick some compost in and grow some potatoes. Grow some potatoes in. Because it's just sitting there, actually.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:17 Oh.

William Hanson 0:25:17 Does it need sunlight, potatoes?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:19 Um.

William Hanson 0:25:20 It gets sunlight. I mean, all my garden gets sunlight, but—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:23 Yeah, but I— oh yes, I think so. Let's do that.

William Hanson 0:25:26 And what time of year should I start planting my potatoes?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:28 I don't know. I think you can stick them in anytime.

William Hanson 0:25:30 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:31 Great. Luxury potatoes.

William Hanson 0:25:34 How exciting.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:35 Grown by a better class of potato farmer.

William Hanson 0:25:37 I can do a cucumber and potato party.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:39 Could you? Oh yes. What a good idea.

William Hanson 0:25:41 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:43 So, yeah, they're very easy to grow if you want to do them.

William Hanson 0:25:45 Actually, that would be quite nice. Little discs of fried potato as the base, a little bit of cucumber, and maybe some sort of crème fraîche, minty crème fraîche. Quite a nice canapé. And some with a little bit of meat on, just for those that, you know.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:59 I think you should make some and then go door to door around all of your neighbours.

William Hanson 0:26:03 Would you like a canapé?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:26:04 Can I help? Can I serve you one of my canapés?

William Hanson 0:26:08 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:26:08 My luxury canapé.

William Hanson 0:26:10 You probably don't grow your own cucumbers, but I do. I think it's nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:26:13 They'd like that. They would. Oh, I better get that. It's probably bird's eye potato waffles. They're waffly versatile.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:27:58 Welcome back, Bucketheads. We've been discussing potatoes, and it's now time for your questions, so let's check out our heaving bags of post. Do remember, if you have something on your mind that needs a luxury touch, postman@luxurypodcast.co.uk is the place for your queries and your questions.

William Hanson 0:28:30 This one is from Tony. A jolly good evening, gents. Growing up in working-class West Midlands, the sophisticated textures of mashed potato topped with a thick meaty sausage were a weekly treat. But is this luxury, and does gravy elevate the dish or make it more common? I know William has discussed this on the other podcast, but I would love you boys to get into the merits of thick versus thin gravy. Love from Australia, Tony. Well, thin gravy is the answer, not thick.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:28:54 Can I disagree?

William Hanson 0:28:55 Not watery. I don't want watery gravy. I'm just pointing that out. Not thick. No, Jonathan, don't.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:01 I'm going—

William Hanson 0:29:02 no, don't.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:03 I'm going to—

William Hanson 0:29:03 you're on thin ice with your Reebok backpack and wooden spoon.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:06 I'm going to nail my colours to the mast. Oh,

William Hanson 0:29:10 you grew up in Harpenden, just remember, Jonathan. I know.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:12 Gravy With mashed potato is pretty common.

William Hanson 0:29:17 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:17 It is pretty common.

William Hanson 0:29:18 Even with sausages and mash?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:19 Yeah, if you have too much.

William Hanson 0:29:21 If it's onion gravy.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:23 An onion gravy obviously zhuzhes it up. Yeah. Um, but it is, it's basically a bit common. But I love it. I love a thick—

William Hanson 0:29:33 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:34 Thick gravy with mashed potato, sausages, peas, And then kind of, I like to mix it all together a bit, so I create a big kind of mashed potato gravy soup kind of thing. Delicious. Go on, judge me.

William Hanson 0:29:52 I am. I'm just sitting here judging you.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:54 I know, but it tastes so good.

William Hanson 0:29:56 Yeah, I think gravy on a potato— roast potatoes. I wouldn't pour gravy over your potatoes in any form. You pour— you only pour the gravy over the meat.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:06 You like to dip it, do you?

William Hanson 0:30:07 And then if some gravy happens to go onto the potato when you're, you know, cutting things, then so be it. A splash. A splash. But please don't ever pour gravy, or ladle gravy as it should correctly be, on anything other than your meat.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:19 Well, I like it all over everything.

William Hanson 0:30:22 Right.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:22 I do.

William Hanson 0:30:23 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:24 Well, I like it.

William Hanson 0:30:25 Well, and that's good.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:27 I know it's common, but, you know, in the privacy of my own home—

William Hanson 0:30:31 Oh, knock yourself out.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:33 I wouldn't do it if we went out to an executive place. No. I wouldn't kind of—

William Hanson 0:30:38 When we go to the Toby Carvery.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:40 I wouldn't drench everything there in gravy.

William Hanson 0:30:44 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:44 But when I'm at home and I pull the curtains, no one can see, I do like to cover it in gravy. May you have it. Exclusive. Oh, we've heard from H.

William Hanson 0:30:56 Ah, H from Swansea, not from Steps.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:58 Dear JVS, Mother— Hang on, hang on. Is that you?

William Hanson 0:31:03 Mother Ruth.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:04 Your mother.

William Hanson 0:31:05 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:05 Mother, producer Sadie, and that chap from the darkest Peru. Oh, he's not here today. Are you, Rodrigo? No, sorry.

William Hanson 0:31:14 Rodrigo, have you had elocution?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:18 Dauphinoise potatoes.

William Hanson 0:31:21 I'm sorry. Say that again.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:26 Dauphinoise potatoes.

William Hanson 0:31:28 Dauphinoise potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:29 This is the crème de la crème Crème of all potato dishes.

William Hanson 0:31:34 D'oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:34 This French classic is layer upon layer of finely sliced potatoes baked in cream, butter, cheese, with a hint of fresh thyme. It's luxurious and thoroughly indulgent. At the other level of the scale of potato dishes, have either of you ever tried a traditional London East End mash pie and liquor? I've seen it many times on the old socials, but have never had the pleasure of trying it myself. Sending you all best wishes. H from Swansea, but not the one from Steps. I have never tried mash pie and liquor.

William Hanson 0:32:14 What is the liquor?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:16 It's, uh, oh, it's eel juice.

William Hanson 0:32:17 Oh no, no.

Speaker A 0:32:19 I don't think it is these days. It's more of just like a parsley sauce.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:22 But it used to be proper. Yeah, it used to be with eels. It was made with eel juice.

Speaker A 0:32:27 to thicken it up.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:28 But it just looks like such a horrible— I mean, I was talking to someone—

William Hanson 0:32:32 Parsley sauce is common. I'm going to say it.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:35 Yes, it is quite common.

William Hanson 0:32:37 Parsley sauce on ham.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:38 I was talking to someone who has lived in this country since the year 2000, and he commented— I said, oh, what do you think of the country and the change? And he said, well, when I first arrived, your food was rubbish. And I said, really? And he said, yes, I think the food in the UK has got a lot better. And actually, when you think back, To the olden days, food was a bit rubbish. You know, when I think about the food that—

William Hanson 0:33:04 Tell us what it was like.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:04 Everyone used to eat back in, I mean, my day, back in the '80s, it was things like the Findus Crispy, no, Bird's Eye Potato Waffles.

William Hanson 0:33:14 They're waffly versatile.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:15 Findus Crispy Pancakes was another one. You know, it was all very kind of beige and stodgy.

William Hanson 0:33:21 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:22 Now I think we're far more adventurous.

William Hanson 0:33:24 Oh, we are. We're one of the best cuisines in the world. I would agree that Dauphinois potatoes, as we said, gratin pommes Dauphinois, absolutely fine. Dauphinois— and where does Dauphinois get its name from? The Dauphin in the French court. That was basically a word for prince,

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:39 right?

William Hanson 0:33:39 So, it's got a regal name, Dauphinois, so it's thus elevated. Um, is nice, uh, but not— I would— you couldn't pay me to have mash pie liquor.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:51 Maybe we should try it.

William Hanson 0:33:52 No. No, Jonathan, I know.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:53 But as long as we knew there was no eel juice in it.

William Hanson 0:33:56 No, I don't love a pie.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:58 Oh, you can get a nice pie. You can. Have you ever tried my— oh, what's it called?

William Hanson 0:34:06 Oh, what's it called?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:12 What's it called? My chicken pot pie. Have you tried my chicken pot pie? No. Oh, you must come round and I'll whip it up. It's ever so tasty.

William Hanson 0:34:23 What's in it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:24 It's from Canada.

William Hanson 0:34:25 Oh, maple syrup?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:28 Chicken pot— no, no, it's chicken pot— I can't remember what's in it. I've got the recipe at home, but I've made it a couple of times.

William Hanson 0:34:33 Is it a pie with pastry all around or just over the top?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:39 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:34:41 No, a pot pie is normally just over the top.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:43 No, it's just over the top, but it's one of those dishes where It's been hit and miss. I've done it sometimes.

William Hanson 0:34:52 Can't wait to try it.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:53 It's been absolutely top-notch, and then the next time I've tried to make it, it's just not been right. A bit bland. So, that's probably why I've never done it for you.

William Hanson 0:35:03 Well, you make it, and if it goes bland, I'll come back the next time because then it'll be good.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:35:08 Okay.

William Hanson 0:35:09 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:35:10 All right, sounds like a good idea.

William Hanson 0:35:11 This is from Emma. Dear Jonathan and William, when I saw your topic was potatoes, I felt compelled to write in with a grievance that has been has become a genuine source of irritation in my household. My husband insists on referring to potatoes as spuds. Not occasionally, not ironically— constantly. For reasons I cannot fully explain, the word makes me physically recoil.

William Hanson 0:35:29 It sounds damp, muddy, and entirely devoid of dignity. Yet somehow, when the phrase jacket spud is uttered, I become even more irrationally angry. Jacket potato is perfectly respectable. Jacket spud sounds like it's something served from a lay-by café with a complimentary polystyrene cup of tea. I fear he may now be doing it simply because he gets such joy from my increasingly disproportionate reaction.

William Hanson 0:35:50 My question is this: is there a less luxurious way to describe a potato than spud, or has my husband managed to settle on using the most refined potato terminology? To quote Jonathan, it really is as common as muck. Thank you both for all the—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:03 Sorry, sorry, what was that? Just doing my voice, my funny voice.

William Hanson 0:36:06 Thank you both for all the laughs. This podcast is a genuine source of joy and never fails to brighten my day. Emma. Spud is common. Call it a spud.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:13 Yeah, but you know, there is one that's even more common. Tater.

William Hanson 0:36:16 Ah, tater.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:17 Oh yeah, get the taters out.

William Hanson 0:36:19 Or, and I'm sorry to our Scottish listeners, tatties.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:22 Tatties.

William Hanson 0:36:23 Oh no, just call it a potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:26 Yes, potato.

William Hanson 0:36:27 Call a spade a spade.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:28 It's a lovely word, actually, isn't it? Potato.

William Hanson 0:36:32 Potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:33 Potato.

William Hanson 0:36:33 You say potato, I say potato.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:35 I think we should say potato more. I think it's a very—

William Hanson 0:36:38 well, we've said it a lot today.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:39 We have said it a lot today, but I think I'm going to use the word potato more often. It's a lovely word.

William Hanson 0:36:44 How will you get that into the Consumer Hour?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:36:47 No, not in the Consumer Hour, but I think I will, you know, I will include it in invitations. Would you like to come to my house for a cup of tea? Maybe a potato? Something along those lines.

William Hanson 0:37:00 I mean, I think your friends probably think you've Fairly lost the plot anyway, but I think that really is losing the plot.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:09 Come around for a potato party. Well, when you grow your potatoes in your, you know, funny old metal bath, you could have a potato party, couldn't you?

William Hanson 0:37:18 You could, yes. Come around for a fingerling.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:20 Did you, when you were a child, did you ever have a spud gun?

William Hanson 0:37:26 Oscar did.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:30 Oh, Oscar is really enjoying this episode.

William Hanson 0:37:33 I'm also really hungry for potatoes now.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:37 Did you have a spud gun?

William Hanson 0:37:38 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:38 Why?

William Hanson 0:37:40 I had Beanie Babies.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:43 Beanie Babies.

William Hanson 0:37:45 Spud guns sound a bit violent.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:48 You get your potato, king it.

William Hanson 0:37:50 Yes, yeah, you jab it in and then you fire.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:37:52 You jab it, twist, pull, bang, fire a potato at your granny. It was hilarious. Good fun. But you then had to look for the little bits of potato Because did you know potato gets very smelly?

William Hanson 0:38:07 Oh, does it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:38:07 When it's old and manky, very smelly. And there'd be a— sometimes when my brother and I would be having one of our spud gun sessions, a couple of weeks later, the living room would have this faint aroma of mouldy potato because there'd be a few little nuggets of potato stuck down the back of the soft furnishings. Not luxury.

William Hanson 0:38:28 Not luxury at all. But yes, Emma, I agree, spud is awful. And my suggestion would be maybe don't react to your husband saying spud, and then he might— then

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:38:38 he'll gradually stop.

William Hanson 0:38:39 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:38:40 Well, I think that's more than enough for this episode.

William Hanson 0:38:43 I'm full.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:38:43 I've genuinely enjoyed talking about potatoes. Yes, who knew you could make potatoes luxury? Who knew indeed? We'll leave it there for now. We will, of course, be back tomorrow for one of Verizon