It’s still fascinating that we are learning new things about someone who has been a public figure decades longer than I have been alive. And yet that’s what happened recently when I listened to the latest episode of musician, Jessie Ware and her mother, Lennie’s podcast, Table Manners with Jessie Ware.
Sir Paul McCartney and his daughter Mary, were guests of the podcast, which saw them talk about McCartney going solo after the Beatles broke up in the 1970. Lennie recalls McCartney performing at her university in Birmingham in 1972, to which he responds excitedly to. I guess people remembering your post-Beatles days with excitement must have been good for his ego.
The conversation soon turned to food, with him sharing what his mother cooked, how he became a vegetarian and also dropping some food hacks that we can’t wait to try.
The singer is releasing a cookbook alongside Mary, who is a photographer and foodie. She is also the Global Ambassador for Meat Free Monday.
Interestingly, Mary shared that her father loved and made the best sandwiches, while Paul said his mother served Yorkshire pudding as dessert. She simply added syrup on it to make it sweet enough for dessert. He also looked forward to Shrove Tuesday every year because his mother made mountains of pancakes. Paul would have his with just sugar and a squeeze of lemon.
On the sandwiches, Paul said if he didn’t have success in music, he would have sold sandwiches.
“I’m the sandwich king... I’ve always said, you know, that if my career tanks, I am going to get one of those little bikes with the little thing in the front (basket) and go around selling sandwiches,” he said.
Paul also shared how he likes his margarita done, how he eats his bagels and how to make his famous mash potato.
Paul McCartney’s Margarita
Called the “Maccarita”, Paul likes his margaritas with freshly squeezed orange juice. And he prefers his salt just around the outside of the rim. “All it is, is a normal margarita, but with normal juice in it.
“Lime is a little bit tart for me. So when I go to a restaurant, this is what you’ll hear me say to a barman: ’Could I have a margarita please? Straight up, with salt just around the outside of the rim. To your normal recipe, just add a splash of orange juice in the mixer.”
Paul McCartney’s Marmite and hummus bagel
“I love an onion bagel and then cut it in three so it’s kind of slimmish as bagels can be quite heavy. So I slice it into three.
“I pop two of those into the toaster and then I would spread a little bit of Marmite and work on the bottom of the bagel. I would then get some lettuce and then hummus. And then anything goes. You can add cheddar cheese slices on the hummus, and a sliced dill pickle.“
Paul McCartney’s mashed potatoes
Before live food demonstrations were a thing, Paul McCartney made an online video showing the world how to make perfect mashed potatoes.
A recipe by his late wife, vegetarian food doyenne, Linda McCartney, his mash potatoes is smooth, because he uses both a masher and a fork. “I make a decadent mash potato. I boil potatoes, mash them and then use a fork to get any rogue lumps. I add milk, butter and then whip them up and add finely chopped onions.”
You can listen to the episode here: