Hangover cushions

Thank you for the kind comments. So many and too many to answer individually, but be rest assured they are noted and gratefully received.

We had a little hangover cushion on today’s show. Stuffed with herbs in brown silk, it smelt intoxicating, and was hand-crafted in Nepal. You can buy them from Wild Earth. They’re sweet and buying them gives decent people some pennies.

I brought four back to the flat: one for hangovers, which is great for today; a yellow one for dreams; a pink one for energy; and a deep crimson one for passon. I think I may leave the passionate red one in the airing cupboard just in case. All the herb combinations are different but they all assault the nostrils magnificently.

Uncle Leo, the floor manager, is in Dubai doing some kind of horse racing (floor managing it, not entering the fray) but he says he will be back for the last week, we have 7 shows to go. I am managing to get through them. I’m not sure how, although pulsatilla, a homeopathic remedy, helps.

In the morning, when we read through the script, I have a little sniffle. Nobody seems to mind. The young guns are really supportive. i am not one for revealing myself in public but I see no point in pretending that I am not gutted. So, thanks again for the emails and comments. The show, as they say, must go on.

Three producers, Dave Baker, Leila Salim and Mhairi-Ann – you try saying that on four gins – each have a researcher and an assistant producer: Adam Lewis, Mrs Janet Harrison (she’s just got married so I like to embarrass her with her married name), Mike Harris, Steve Roe, Natalie Bloxham and James Emery, Sarah Forfar does the compilation programmes and she works alone. You’d understand if you met her. That, of course, is a joke.

But those three teams are working like fudge at the moment to get out the last seven programmes. We could all let it go, lie down and die, but we have chosen to keep on keeping on, although in my case it’s weep on weeping on.

I will have to write some kind of speech when we finish but there are so many people to thank. We’ve been at it since Novemeber 2001 which makes for five and half years which is a lot of natives to remember.

Today’s show felt lonely, but only because I still had champagne bubbles in my blood stream. The delectable Ed Baines worked wonders with veal shanks.

My learning curve on the programme has been unquantifiable. Back in the day I wouldn’t touch veal with a barge pole. Now, as Ed explained, they are humanely reared and are part of the food chain.

Finding out where everything comes from is now de rigeur. And having Clodagh McKenna on reinforced everything that we all know – farmers Markets are the way forward. The edible Irish girl single handedly got the juice going in Ireland for small producers. She’s now out in Turin, dating the son of the slow food movement and eating out every night, not to mention writing for 49,867 publications and still managing to swim regularly and smile endlessly. Her book The Irish Farmers’ Market Cookbook is decidely dishy with recipes that will make you dream of the blarney stone and book the next ferry to Rosslair.

Maria Elia made a sardine rillette (a fancy name for a fab mousse) which we ate out of tall martini glass. It was accompanied by a luscious beetroot salad. I know it’s because I am an old Russian immigrant that root veg are so dear to me, but when beets are mixed with mayo, onions, mustard and horseradish I would happily date Putin. Well, maybe not him, but you know what I mean.

Ed finished the show with some kind of decadent passion fruit thingy that made my normal blood sugar level swing to an unfortunate high. I think the real positive thing about coming out of the show after so long is that I may be able to eat less. Not worse, just less often. Although, what will I do when I haven’t got a camera to salivate into?

I have a rotten sore throat, which I have been eating raw onions for. The old man is coming to stay with me in the flat tonight. I think I’ll send him to the airing cupboard where he can snuggle down with the passion pillow.

On tomorrow’s show we have Yorkshire’s finest, Liverpool’s shiniest and Kingston’s kindliest, so you’d better watch to find out what the River Uck I’m talking about. Cu2morrer.

7 thoughts on “Hangover cushions”

  1. Jeni Jeni we love you so.
    I hope they take this brilliant format for a show to another channel and keep you there as its keystone. Its simply not the same without you. Just watch the viewers drop when it comes off air.
    Hope BBLicious got that essay done!
    Dave.

  2. It just shows how professional you all are that you’re knocking out great shows right to the end. It must be so difficult.
    All I can say is that I, along with all the other fans, am desperately sad, too.
    This weekend sees some friends calling it a day at their restaurant in a small market town in Cornwall. It will be a sad day for them, but we’re going out with a bang and will be using up all the Champagne!
    Isn’t it awful when good (great) things come to an end?!

  3. Hi Jeni.
    Just wanted to say thanks for your entertaining manner over the past couple of years on Great Food Live. I was a food show virgin until your show popped my culinary magazine show cherry and I’ve been hooked ever since!
    You will leave a large gap in the schedules. Hope to see you soon.
    Chris x

  4. Gutted! I became addicted whilst studying and now I work I watch the repeat over breakfast. You are fantastic. Maybe you could become Salad Cream, wasn’t there a successful campaign that saved Salad Cream? Every cloud has a silver lining, so I look forward to your next project, there will be one. Thanks. x

  5. Hi Jeni
    I felt I had to write just to say how much I’ll miss the show and in particular YOU!. It’s been a great 5.5years and it’ll leave one hell of a hole in my tv viewing. They must be mad – What have they done?
    Like you, I have learnt so much about all things cullinary and have chuckled out loud at the humour you have generated. Your style is unique and you’ll be very much missed in my household. I hope to see you on one of the other networks very soon cos if they don’t pick you up – they need their heads testing. You’re a natural and live tv deserves you!
    Thank you Jeni, and all the best to you and all the crew! GFL RIP

  6. Very sorry that GFL is ending, have really enjoyed watching you Jenni, even though you embrasssed me when I came to participate in the audience, you made me feel comfortable at the same time! I have now cancelled my cable subscription as UKTVFood with out GFL is not worth watching.
    Jenni are you doing something new?

  7. Thank you Jeni from all of us in Australia – your wonderful show entertained my father 2 years ago over the six months he died of lung cancer, and my mother has religiously watched it ever since. She rang me in tears last week to tell me the awful show had just aired where it was announced the show was ending – it’s set her back months as she sees it as being almost akin to another member of the family dying, or the loss of a link with Dad. We hope you will go to another channel who appreciate you and set up the show exactly as you have had it – and make sure it gets aired in Oz! In the meantime if you ever need a wine tour through the Pinot Noir capital of the world (the Mornington Peninsula) then please let us know! Although my mother is currently inconsolable I’m sure she would join with me in wishing you all the best and we look forward to seeing your beautiful face and hearing your hearty laugh again very soon on our screens.

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