Grub’s up for Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Feast

Since Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast began in 2014, they’ve brought us a mix of homegrown celebrities and international stars.

One week it might be Michael McIntyre, another Goldie Hawn (or her daughter Kate Hudson, who also dropped by).

So, our hosts should be too fazed in this episode when they find themselves cooking for another Hollywood legend, Susan Sarandon.

However, even if they are not star struck, it turns out there can be extra pressures when dealing with A-listers, not least that they don’t always have much time to hang around.

Speaking about her experience of filming this episode, Susan told Good Housekeeping: “That was fantastic! I cook fairly well, but Jamie and his friend Jimmy Doherty were so nice and helped me along.

“I was running back into London afterwards because it was Ian McKellen’s 80th birthday party, so they had to stay on a schedule that would get me back in time.

“They and their team managed to do that and prove they are a really cheerful, fabulous group of people.

“It was a huge amount of fun to do. I still love to try new things.”

The fact that Susan had a party to get to – let alone a party for an 80 year old – might tip you off that this episode wasn’t filmed recently.

It predates the pandemic, having been shot in 2019.

But that arguably makes it all the more tempting to escape to Southend Pier, as Jamie and Jimmy prepare to get cooking with Susan.

Despite the pier setting, they won’t be serving up fish and chips, but instead will be bringing her a taste of New Orleans.

It’s a location that’s particularly close to the actress’s heart – she’s spent a lot of time filming there, most notably for the movie Dead Man Walking, which won her the Best Actress Oscar.

So, the lads are going to remind her of why she loves the place so much with the ultimate seafood gumbo.

That’s not the only dish on the menu, as they also nod to Susan’s Italian roots by making Sicilian-inspired chicken thighs wrapped in smoky pancetta, stuffed with pesto-come-salsa-verde and skewered and cooked above potatoes with tomatoes.

If that sounds a little too complicated for some less ambitious home cooks, Jimmy’s also rustling up some simple tacos that will impress your friends with minimum fuss.

Let’s hope after all that, Susan wasn’t too full for a slice of Ian McKellen’s birthday cake, although at least we know Jamie enjoyed making the episode as much as she did – he described it as a ‘pure joy’ on Instagram.

The drinks aren’t being neglected either, as Jamie and Jimmy make their very own sparkling English wine, but end up sampling their own wares a little too enthusiastically.

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