Mary mccartney transcript
Kerry Diamond:
Hey, everybody. You are listening to Radio Cherry Bombe. I'm your host, Kerry Diamond, coming to you from Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City. Today's guest is Mary McCartney, the star of Mary McCartney Serves It Up, a fun cooking show on Discovery Plus. On the show, Mary shares her favorite plant-based recipes and entertaining tips. And she cooks along with a few guests you might recognize, Oprah, The Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, Reese Witherspoon, and Mary's dad, the one and only Paul McCartney.
The show's a bit of a transition for Mary, a well-known portrait photographer. Mary is used to being on the other side of the camera and has photographed everyone from Harry Styles to Taylor Swift to Queen Elizabeth. But food has played a central role in Mary's life. Her mother, the late Linda McCartney was an early proponent of vegetarianism. And Mary, along with her father and her sister, the fashion designer, Stella McCartney, helped launch Meat Free Mondays more than a decade ago.
Mary's also written several cookbooks, including At My Table: Vegetarian Feasts for Family and Friends. Mary was in New York recently and joined me to talk about her new show, her family's food legacy, and much more.
Today's show is presented by Fridge No More. Fridge No More is a new grocery delivery service in New York City that offers free delivery, no minimums, and no subscriptions. The generous folks at Fridge No More are offering you, Radio Cherry Bombe listeners, 50% off your first order of $100 or more. That's a great deal. If you're doing some holiday baking, definitely take advantage. Download the Fridge No More app and use Code Cherry Bombe. That's Code Cherry Bombe. If you're not in New York, pass it on to your friends who are. That's Fridge No More.
A bit of housekeeping. The new Cherry Bombe Magazine is almost here. It's a holiday baking special and we have not one but six covers, and we're revealing them all this week. So be sure to take a look at our Instagram. You can find the magazine at your favorite local bookstore or cookbook shop. Check cherrybombe.com for a list of where you can purchase. Now, here's my chat with Mary McCartney.
Mary McCartney, welcome to Radio Cherry Bombe.
Mary McCartney:
I'm so happy to be here with you.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm so excited. I watched all your episodes. I binged it the other day. Absolutely loved it. So I'm thrilled you're here.
Mary McCartney:
I'm really dying to know what you think about it. What were your thoughts?
Kerry Diamond:
I thought it was so charming, and I could tell you really cook from it because you don't measure everything.
Mary McCartney:
Yes. No, I know that was one of the most challenging things. I kind of make recipes up usually. And then when we were commissioned to do the show, it was like, "What am I going to cook?" And sort of thinking about the recipes and putting them down on paper, it was really quite a good thing to do.
Kerry Diamond:
It seemed very genuine and I loved the guests you chose because I adore music. And I don't know, it just seemed, it just felt very genuine and fun. And now I have a new appreciation for sun-dried tomatoes because that's clearly one of your favorite ingredients. And they've been much maligned the past decade or so in America. I don't know if it's the same in the UK.
Mary McCartney:
I don't care. I'll always champion the sun-dried tomato. It packs the flavor punch. And I'm always trying to put flavor into the food and to give impact.
Kerry Diamond:
Clearly, yeah. I have a little Mary McCartney sort of pantry in my head now, nutritional use, the sun-dried tomatoes.
Mary McCartney:
Worcester sauce.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah, which we can never say. In America, we struggle with that word.
Mary McCartney:
Well, I struggled with it. I was trying to say it yesterday, and I said, is it Worcester sauce or Worcestershire sauce? Because that's, I think in England they might say Worcester sauce. I sort of say both.
Kerry Diamond:
But I'm scarred pronouncing words like that because the first time I went to London and I took the Underground, I forget where I was going, but I pronounced it. And the poor ticket takers of the Underground just looked at me like, "What is this person saying?"
Mary McCartney:
Isn't it funny though, that because I'm half American, my mom was a New Yorker. So it's sort of interesting how, even though we all speak English, it's like a completely different language. Like you use a word and somebody glazes over, looking at me, and I'm like, "What is it in American? How am I getting this wrong?"
Kerry Diamond:
Well, London's one thing. I'm part Scottish. I mean, try understanding anyone in Glasgow.
Mary McCartney:
I'm obsessed with Scotland though. I grew up in Scotland a lot. I love it.
Kerry Diamond:
I love Scotland. I can't wait to go back. But I do struggle understanding some of the Glaswegians.
Mary McCartney:
I just went to the Macallan whiskey estate. That was an incredible journey.
Kerry Diamond:
That's a treat.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. And I got to do a little whiskey tasting and I did a project for them.
Kerry Diamond:
Ooh. Oh that's fun. I'm jealous. All right. Before we talk about Mary McCartney Serves It Up, I'd love to know about your relationship with food TV over the years.
Mary McCartney:
Obsessed.
Kerry Diamond:
Obsessed.
Mary McCartney:
Obsessed. Watch all cooking shows. My husband is obsessed with cooking shows. He watches them all the time. We watch them in the evening. Mainly my main top favorite definitely is The Great British Bake Off. I love it. But we also are hooked on Australia MasterChef.
Kerry Diamond:
People love that.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. Even though it's not veggie. It's just the camaraderie and the way everyone pulls together and they learn so much. And the fact that they're home cooks doing these, and how they grow, it's all great. But The Great British Bake Off is the best because it's baking. And you don't have to bake somebody a cake. And there's so much drama in it for me. Like if you bake a cake like one minute too long and it dries out, it could look amazing but your heart sinks when somebody eats it and you can tell it's too dry. So the drama of getting it right, and the joy of when it's perfect, that to me is brilliant.
Kerry Diamond:
Can I ask you a controversial question?
Mary McCartney:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Because I actually read something in LondonEater this morning. Do the judges have to go? Do they need new judges?
Mary McCartney:
No. I like them.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Mary McCartney:
I'm happy with them.
Kerry Diamond:
Prue and Paul can stay.
Mary McCartney:
They can stay.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Mary McCartney:
They ... Yeah. Definite. Yeah. I think it's an institution. I think let them stay.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Mary McCartney:
Oh, I'm glad I didn't know about that drama. It's going to stress me out now.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, did you watch any growing up?
Mary McCartney:
I grew up in England in the '70s and '80s. There were only four channels for a start. So no. I was more like a cookbook person then. I mean really, I didn't ... It's incredible that I've done a cooking show and I've become like a TV cook because I don't have formal training. My training is growing up in my family and watching my mom cook. So it all comes from growing up in a vegetarian family. That's sort of the point of the show. So yes. I wasn't looking for inspiration through cooking shows. It sort of has happened organically.
Kerry Diamond:
So tell us how it happened to you because you're the cook in the family, right?
Mary McCartney:
Well no, we all can cook. My mom was the cook and the kitchen was definitely the heart of the home. It was just always where the good smells were coming from and it was a social place. You'd go and it was a nice table in there. So you'd just go sit down. You'd help sort of prepare things. And we'd eat in the kitchen as well. And then I would start helping mom cook. I would watch what she was cooking. She was really good with flavor. So I would sort of just see the magic things. Just you add a couple of things or a little squeeze of lemon and it brings everything alive.
I probably am the person in my family that observed her the most. But all of my family can cook. But yeah, I'm sort of the obsessive feeder in the family. I love cooking for people. And because we do Meat Free Monday, I love sharing ideas. So that's how it came about, was people sort of asking me, saying, "We want to do meat free Monday." I did an interview with The Times newspaper in London and I cooked lunch for the journalist to sort of get the segment inspired. So when she did that, she wrote a Mary cookbook. And from there I got offered a cookbook deal and that's kind of how it grew.
Kerry Diamond:
Because you have a few cook books.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
We'll get to that in a second. I want to talk about your mom for a minute. You and I are the same age basically. It breaks my heart to think that there are some listeners who don't know about your mom, because your mom was just such a spectacular human being and so groundbreaking in so many ways. Some people might only know her as your dad's wife. They might not realize what a contribution she made to the food world.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. Yep. Well, the good thing is in England, we still consult on the Linda McCartney food range. So it's a really successful food range in Europe. But hopefully one day we'll bring it to America because, yeah, it keeps her ethos alive and there's the cookbooks and all the Wings songs. So I think we are so proud of mom, and she isn't here, but Stella always uses her as inspiration for collections that she does as well, so-
Kerry Diamond:
But tell us a little bit about her because she was a photographer, she was a musician. She was so many things.
Mary McCartney:
So it's funny story. She became a photographer because I'm a photographer primarily. My career has always been photographer. And then Meat Free Monday, I was asked to do the cookbook. And then I just really was like, "I'd love to do a cooking show. I'd love to spread the word and give ideas for easy vegetarian and plant-based." The cooking show is vegan because people think it's too many ingredients, too difficult. So from that, I kind of turned to Mom's ... I'm sort of babbling. Going back, Mom was a photographer and the cook. And when I became a photographer, I sat.
When you see your mom doing it growing up, you don't pay that much attention. When I started to take pictures, I have a similar style to her. So I sort of like, "How did you have pictures with Jimmy Hendricks? And what about like The Doors?" And she was like, "You couldn't get arrested. I loved rock and roll music, but nobody really was interested in Jimmy Hendricks that much when I was taking those pictures."
So I'm always so glad that I had the opportunity. I literally took her out for an Indian lunch, and I was like, "I'm going to interview you about your photography career." And she told me. Do you know how she became a photographer? She was obsessed with music and she was working at Town & Country magazine as a receptionist. And she opened up an envelope that talked about a Rolling Stones press junket on the Hudson River. So she hid the invite because she was like, "No one here will want to go." She wanted to go. And she took a sick day and went down with her camera. And there were so many journalists. They were like, "We can let the journalists on, but we can only allow one photographer." And so they saw her and they invited her on. That was her first ever professional commission from that.
Kerry Diamond:
I got goosebumps.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. Yeah. So she was ... And that's how she met my dad. She was in London on an assignment. I actually asked him recently, like, "How did you get together?" And he said, "I saw her in this club. And then I was like, 'Who's that?'" And then she got up to leave and he said, he stood up and sort of said, "Hi, I'm Paul," and like, "Where are you going now?" So I thought that was very romantic. So yeah. She's always been a really artistic inspiration on our family.
Kerry Diamond:
And such a proponent of vegetarianism. Now it's so much easier.
Mary McCartney:
When we were growing up, you'd almost be apologizing for not eating meat. So Mom and Dad were quite brave looking back on it. And also I think, a lot of people were like, "Oh, Linda McCartney's making her husband do it." But they were side by side doing it. They both decided to stop eating meat together. They were in Scotland at our farm in Scotland where we'd spend a lot of summers and they were eating lamb. And then they looked out the window and saw all the lambs. And they were like, "Oh, cute lambs." And then they looked back to the plate and we're like, "Ugh," and they made that connection of what was on their plate. They sat us down and were like, "Look, kids. We don't really want to eat meat anymore. So we're not going to have it at home."
And the fact that we talked so much about how to fill that gap, because Dad was quite practical. He was like, "Well, we're not going to eat it. So what are we going to eat? Because there's going to be a big gap on the plate." We would talk about it all the time. We'd talk about flavors. So it became fun problem solving. And now as you say, there's so much range everywhere. But yeah, when I think back to then, it was like, "How are we going to do this? What are we going to have?"
Kerry Diamond:
Restaurants weren't set up to take care of vegetarians. I mean, people looked at vegetarians as weirdos.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
100%.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. So it's exciting. Actually, my dad was abcV recently and he said he just was so proud. He looked around and he was like, "It's just such an incredible place." And all the people looked so vibrant and he was like, "Wow, come so far." So yeah, it is a bit of an emotional thing for us as a family.
Kerry Diamond:
And a lot of folks might not realize the family's connection to Meat Free Monday.
Mary McCartney:
Yes. Dad actually came to Stella and I about 11 years ago and he said that he'd heard of this Meat Free Monday. I think that in America, there's meatless Mondays, and in Asia, there's green Monday. So it's a global thing now. And it's meat free Monday and we did an event and we promote it wherever we can because it's such a simple idea.
A lot of people want to do something to help with the environmental issues or for health reasons or many different personal reasons. And so this is literally like eat meat free on a Monday and then you reduce your carbon footprint. And we did a party and we promoted it. It's about 11 years ago and it's going strong. It's a nice community thing to do. It's word of mouth. We can share ideas with each other, share recipes with each other.
Kerry Diamond:
Did your family actually come up with the concept and name of Meat Free Monday, or you just helped popularize?
Mary McCartney:
No. Dad had heard of it and he was like, "I've heard of this thing." And then yeah, we helped popularize it.
Kerry Diamond:
Because I felt like I didn't even really hear about until your family started promoting it.
Mary McCartney:
And that was the whole point.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah.
Mary McCartney:
Because the thing is it, isn't ... What I love, it's not like a charity where we're saying, "Give us money." It's like it's an idea and it's a community thing. And I love community. I love sort of ... I'm a people person, so. Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Are there any recipes of your mom's that you continue to cook to this day or that you've featured on the show?
Mary McCartney:
Yes. A lot of her soups. I'm a real soup person. Is there any on the show? Yes. There are like ... Let me think. I'm trying to think what I do. I basically, the celebration meal that I do with Dad is the traditional meal that we would have over the holidays. And in England we have ... you do traditional Sunday roast. So that's a very traditional one. And Mom was the inspiration for that.
That was funny because Dad is on the episode with me because he's carving, because he's always, he's quite traditional. He was like, "I like to carve the roast." So now we just have like a plant protein roast instead of a meat one with all of the trimmings and the gravy and the Yorkshire pudding, so.
Kerry Diamond:
That was the cutest episode where your dad made a cocktail.
Mary McCartney:
Oh, so good.
Kerry Diamond:
And it was so cute watching your dad interact with you. And you got the sense that your dad just thinks everything you do is brilliant. And it was very, very sweet.
Mary McCartney:
I think it's just ... It was very different for us to both be on TV in a kitchen. And it was very funny because I kind of created the atmosphere that it felt very at home. So when he was there, we were sort of chatting because we do sort of spend a lot of time together. And he does make the margarita often while I'm cooking. So it felt very natural. And then I sort of turn and look to the camera and start chatting sort of to my audience. And he was like, "Oh, we're on the set," like it just kept throwing him off a bit. It was really making him laugh afterwards.
Kerry Diamond:
The episode with Stella similarly. I-
Mary McCartney:
Oh yes. The banter between me and my sister.
Kerry Diamond:
The banter was very, very funny. Having come from the world of fashion, I've known about and admired your sister forever. And I didn't know she was so funny.
Mary McCartney:
She's hilarious. She should be a comedian. I always say that because she's my best friend. We socialize a lot and I'm always like holding my stomach. Like it's aching because I'm laughing so much.
Kerry Diamond:
When you said she's one of your favorite people on the planet, she was a little insulted by that. I was just ... I have four siblings. So I thought it was very funny watching you and your sister.
Mary McCartney:
It's the first time. I mean, it's very unusual for both of us to be on camera like that. But I think, just going back to what you are saying, it's sort of honoring Mom. And to be commissioned to do a veggie cooking show on Discovery Plus it's like quite an original thing, and it shows how far we've come. I've never done it before. Being on camera and sort of talking down the lens was a big learning curve, but I loved it so much and I'm learning so much and how to do recipes for TV and keep it as simple as possible and as tasty as possible. But I drag my family or bring a friend on. I'm a people person. I need someone with me at some point during the show.
Kerry Diamond:
You had Stanley. We loved-
Mary McCartney:
Oh, my goodness.
Kerry Diamond:
We had Stanley on the show a few months ago where the fans of Stanley's-
Mary McCartney:
Stanley Tucci. Everyone was very starstruck when he came onto the set. He's so charming.
Kerry Diamond:
He's the man right now.
Mary McCartney:
He's so charming. He's so lovely. And it was annoying because I didn't get it on camera. I made him these black bean burgers and he's not vegetarian. And he took a bite of the black bean burger and he was like, "This is one of the top five burgers I've ever tasted." And he genuinely, he didn't do it for the camera. We didn't get it on camera. But he genuinely was like, I could see him being like, "I'm surprised how good this is." That's what I live for those moments.
Kerry Diamond:
So you have had a major career as a photographer.
Mary McCartney:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
I mean you've photographed the Queen. You've photographed everybody. What made you, I mean, you just sort of told us a little bit about this, but why did you want to step in front of the camera?
Mary McCartney:
I mean, it was really to promote a meat free lifestyle. And I've been wanting to do it for quite a long time, but it was actually my husband who pitched it, Simon, who is an executive producer on the show. We were at ... I've kind of pitched it to people in the past and they haven't been that interested and we were at a social occasion and he just sort of said to ... He was talking to someone who like this is the show and this is what it should be, and it was actually somebody at Discovery and they commissioned it. So I was gobsmacked. Is that an ... That's an English and an American?
Kerry Diamond:
You could say ... We know what gobsmacked means.
Mary McCartney:
It's pretty descriptive. But yeah. So basically, I didn't have time to think, "Should I? Am I too nervous to do it?" I'm just like, "Yes. I've been brought up to do this. How could I say no. It's an incredible opportunity."
And I had an amazing production team who are food production company, because I mean, have you ever been on a food set? It's just a very, very different for me filming or doing photography of portraits, it's a whole different world, it's a real different language. So that was very exciting.
Kerry Diamond:
What were you able to bring from your photography world into this?
Mary McCartney:
Probably the aesthetic, like building, how I put my personal things in the set, in the kitchen, sort of how I ... visually how I like things and the lighting. I'm sort of always, I like sort of natural lighting. So it has a very natural feel. And then the episode with Dad, we sort of lit it a bit more sort of evening-y.
And I think from my photography world, it's sort of me talking to myself how I would sort of try and put my sitter as a photographer at rest, because I get quite nervous when you pick up a camera. It can be a bit nerve wracking. I kind of talk to myself and sort of coach myself on what I would say to me to calm me down. Plus, it's fun. And the more I've done it, the more addicted I am. I just want to do more and more now.
Kerry Diamond:
Of the shows or other shows.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah, because I'm learning so much. I'm learning how to sort of simplify the recipes so you can sort of cook it all in one take, which is so much easier for the viewer. So yeah, it's a real brilliant world.
Kerry Diamond:
One of the things I have to give a shout out to you for is you love a bite size canapé or d'oeuvre.
Mary McCartney:
We need to talk about this.
Kerry Diamond:
Nothing makes me crazier than an order of the size of your head. It's not an order.
Mary McCartney:
Well, can we have a moment of that? Literally it's like when you get an d'oeuvre, and often your d'oeuvres can sort of sometimes be your dinner. So you're kind of, I will eat quite a few of them. And you have to eat when you have a drink. That's my one major rule.
Kerry Diamond:
Agreed.
Mary McCartney:
But yeah, when you get one and you're with people and you're trying to be demure and it's like, is this a one bite or a two bite? And you know you're going to have to put it in one, because if you have it in two, it's going to go everywhere. But then you know, your mouth is going to be too full and you're going to ... it's just like a nightmare. The Oprah Winfrey episode is canapés and they are one bite canapés.
Kerry Diamond:
I was just laughing so hard because I was like Mary McCartney and I are of one mind when it comes to this thing because I know, and please everybody, I know the world has much bigger problems than one bite canapés.
Mary McCartney:
But this is a big drama.
Kerry Diamond:
When you are at a party, even though we don't have that many parties anymore, they come around and you're hungry and I'm always hungry.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
And you have to cover your mouth practically when you're trying to eat and navigate this giant d'oeuvre.
Mary McCartney:
And also when you are eating d'oeuvres and having a drink is because you're with somebody else. It's at a function or an occasion with other people. So yes. I'm glad you appreciate that.
Kerry Diamond:
And I fully endorse.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. And I have a moment on the show. I'm like, "Don't mess with. This is a one bite. There's no negotiations on this." So.
Kerry Diamond:
All right. I want to talk about your favorite guest, but first I just have to ask how in the world is it possible that Oprah Winfrey has never made a dip in her life?
Mary McCartney:
I know. Can you see how excited I was? I was like, "This is a historic occasion. I'm making a dip with Oprah Winfrey." I don't know.
Kerry Diamond:
I mean you're half American. Like I grew up making French onion soup dip, the Lipton soup mix themselves, creamy-
Mary McCartney:
My mom used to make that. She told me about that. So good.
Kerry Diamond:
I have made the fancier version where you caramelize the onions and do all these things.
Mary McCartney:
I thought it's not as good.
Kerry Diamond:
It's good. But you just question the amount of work that went into it.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. Was it good enough to make it work all of that?
Kerry Diamond:
Exactly. Exactly. And that's a nice thing about the show. You're not ... You're pro shortcut.
Mary McCartney:
I love shortcuts. Did you see Stella in the episode? She's like ... She sort of thought she was busting me and I'm like, "No, no, no. I have-
Kerry Diamond:
With the fried onions? Yeah.
Mary McCartney:
She's like, "Oh, and that's like a shortcut. And the pastry was ... You didn't make the pastry." And I'm like, "Babe, watch the other episodes. I'm literally picking up shortcuts all the time."
Kerry Diamond:
But I think it's very reflective of how people want to cook today. It's like you want to make something homemade, but who honestly has the time to make homemade puff pastry if you're not a professional.
Mary McCartney:
No, but also, as you say, it's like, we're all busy. But home cooked food is better than takeaway because it just is. It's like it comes out and your home smells of the cooking. So if you can just get the ready roll pastry and do the filling and bake it, I mean, the pie that I do on the show is so quick. And I love that as well. Because Stella was genuinely like, "Oh my good ... " When we cut into it, she's like, "The layers, it looks so good." And she was, I mean, could you tell she was ragging on me. She was like, "You don't usually take such care over making it look so pretty." And I'm like, "Am I impressing you or what?"
Kerry Diamond:
Anyone who has a sister, there were definitely a few digs throughout that episode, but delivered in a very loving way.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Since we were talking about Oprah, tell us about that dip because I'd never seen anything like it.
Mary McCartney:
Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
And what you dip into it was so original and interesting as well.
Mary McCartney:
This season is loosely based around entertaining. So Oprah's is canapés and the cocktail. Reese Witherspoon's more family style cooking. So you cook things and put it in the middle of the table. And then entertaining with Dad is celebration, and Stella is sort of more kind of dips and those crispy fried mushrooms and all that stuff.
The Oprah one, I was like ... obviously I'm like, "I need to do something impressive with Oprah." And I was trying to think of something different and easy. And I sort of just was sort of reflecting on it. And then I thought, "Bloody Mary. What about doing a dip but with the flavors of Bloody Mary, but then you can use it as a dip?" And I was thinking, "I don't feel like I've had that before. Surely somebody must have done it."
And so I just got out like the tomato puree and vodka, celery, salt, the Worcester sauce and a bit, a little bit of balsamic to sweeten it and a little bit of olive oil to add a bit of gloss and I was like, oh my goodness, obsessed. And then I was like, "What do I do?" So I was like, "Well, then, you have olives and celery in a Bloody Mary. So then you have a little bite size piece of the focaccia, very important it's not too big, and then a little piece of celery and a little olive and then you dip that in the ... " I kind of just visualized it all first and then I went down to actually coming up with the recipe. I was like, I feel like I sort of had that moment with Oprah in my head. I was like, "Let's do this."
Kerry Diamond:
It was so much fun. I was like, I loved seeing things I've never seen before.
Mary McCartney:
How easy. I mean, and I was impressed with myself on that one. I was like, "Whoa, that was ... Where did that come from?" I was like, "I actually want some of that now too."
Us talking about food is making me really hungry.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm always. But usually my stomach is grumbling through the interview because I forget to eat beforehand. Then I remember we'll be talking about food for an hour.
Mary McCartney:
But also, that dip, it literally takes five minutes to make. So like we're saying, is like, if you're going to have people over, often you'll sort of just get ready-made dips. Literally that one, you can put that together in like five or 10 minutes.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, that's one of the nice things about the show as well. I was surprised how many dishes you're able to cram into the half hour show. You make a lot of things throughout the course of the show, on your own, with the guests, and you just show, when you have a properly set up pantry and fridge, you can do a lot.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah.
Mary McCartney:
But also, I hope it comes across that the ingredients are quite accessible and quite easy to buy because there are some ... We were talking about cooking shows. I love watching cooking shows, but sometimes I'm like, I would never make that because I don't have like molasses syrup, pomegranate syrup in my larder, but I love watching it. So with this I, and again, because I'm promoting meat free cooking, I want it to be things that people will be able to have in their pantry or be able to buy in their local shops.
Kerry Diamond:
And things are so much easier to buy now. I mean, again, going back to when your mom was such a proponent of this way of cooking and eating and living, you just couldn't find these things.
Mary McCartney:
But yeah, it's interesting talking about Mom. So basically, I sat her down when I became a photographer and was like, "How did you become a photographer? How did you do these pictures?" She was just like, "There was a chemistry." The musicians liked having her around. She loved the music. She took great pictures. And then, when I started going more into cooking and recipes, I sat her down again. I'm like, "How did you get the flavor? Like when you make a stew, it's better. Like what do you do?" It's just simple little flavors she taught me, simple little ideas.
But then we did this when she'd passed away. But we, me, Dad and Stella did an interview in The Guardian, in England with Nigel Slater, who's this amazing chef, cook.
Kerry Diamond:
Beautiful writer.
Mary McCartney:
Like one of the best. And he was like, at the time ... because as kids we're like, "Mom did the cookbook and we all kind of ... " And also, we were almost probably if I'm honest, a bit embarrassed, because it was a bit embarrassing being veggie. I loved it at home. But when you went out, it would be a bit like you would be apologetic and you just want your parents to blend in with other parents. So it was a bit like I didn't really look too much at the fact Mom was doing that.
And he was like, "That recipe book that she did, Linda McCartney's Home Cooking," he said it was a totally original ahead of its time. And all of his peers, all the other chefs would talk about it. And he cooked a meal for us from the cookbook because it was the anniversary of the book. And it was a great opportunity for him to sort of ... Because I hadn't sort of clocked that at the time. He was like, "No, she was incredible." And there was a major respect for her for what she did. So.
Yeah. So it makes me tear up a bit because it's what she did. And she didn't care if people were judging her. She just was so passionate about it.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah. No. It's an incredible legacy.
Mary McCartney:
And also she didn't do it because the food brand is really successful in the cookbook. She didn't do it to make a career and make money. She did it. It was when she'd cook dinner for people, they'd say, "Well, I would eat this way if I could cook like you." And then in the end she had it so much, she'd go, "Here. Here's the book." So she'd just give it to them and go, "Now you can cook like me." So yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
So tell me about the show. You've such high profile guests already on the show. Where do you see taking the show?
Mary McCartney:
That is a very good question. I'm already thinking and I am hoping that I get a season three. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I mean there's a long list of people that I would love to have on. I'd love to have Louis Hamilton because he's quite an inspirational guy in the plant-based world now. And also he's an athlete. So that would be interesting.
Dolly Parton I would love because I'd love to have her like just sort of singing to me while I'm cooking. I'm obsessed with her. So yeah. Who would you suggest? Who would you like to see?
Kerry Diamond:
Well, one of my questions is you haven't had any chefs on the show. You've had musicians, actors, your family. Would you ever have chefs on the show, or are there any chefs you'd love to cook with one day?
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. I would. I actually would. That's a good idea. Who do you think?
Kerry Diamond:
I love Nigella.
Mary McCartney:
Nigella is amazing, but I love, although he's very meaty, I really love the voice of Marco Pierre White. He's just so philosophical and when he goes up to someone, although I'd be terrified.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, I was going to say very interesting history in the restaurant world.
Mary McCartney:
I think you're right. I think chemistry-wise Nigella and I would have some fun in the kitchen.
Kerry Diamond:
You know who's so much fun? Melissa Hemsley.
Mary McCartney:
Oh yes. And she's just full of energy and I love it. I mean, that's the great thing about food and meeting people through food that's brought us together. And it's just like, you meet people that are excited about what to eat. It's tactile. It's colorful. It smells great. If you get it right, it smells great. And it's just such a social community thing and it's very collaborative.
Kerry Diamond:
It's a great community.
Mary McCartney:
Can you tell, I love it?
Kerry Diamond:
I can. I can. Well, that's why some people, a lot of people have flocked to the food world. I'm not sure what it is about food. Everybody eats. Maybe that's it. But so many people have just come out of the woodwork and they've got ... They do alcohol projects and they do TV shows and they do this and that. But your love of this comes through very genuinely.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. And it comes from also I think the state of the world at the moment. It can be quite terrifying. And there are a lot of documentaries on the food industry, and it does feel like it's a broken system and it needs talk and discussion how to save it. And so as a general public, I think we can sometimes feel like, what can we do like is hopeless. That's why Meat Free Monday is around because it's something you can do. You don't have to do it all. Start with one day, and then it might grow from there if you enjoy it.
But I think my role and the reason I do what I do is people then want ideas because you might have grown up on meat and two veg. It's like, "What do I eat?" So I'm like, "Look, I'm not going to preach to you. I'm not going to tell you what to do. And I'm not going to try and scaremonger you with facts. I'm going to try and be like, look, let's have some fun, let's ... What can we do? I'll give you ideas. I'll make it as easier as complicated as you want." I think that's my role. That's what I want to do.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, I thought of somebody else's for your show, for your new chef show.
Mary McCartney:
Tell me. Tell me.
Kerry Diamond:
Ruthie Rogers.
Mary McCartney:
Oh, I love her.
Kerry Diamond:
I love her.
Mary McCartney:
Oh no. That's because she's actually someone that I know. I go to The River Cafe. That's sort of a very much a sort of celebration. That's …I mean, Ruthie-
Kerry Diamond:
I just got goosebumps again. Just opened that restaurant and her book and ...
Mary McCartney:
And she's just started a podcast as well.
Kerry Diamond:
I know. It's great.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. She's-
Kerry Diamond:
Talk about major guests. She's gotten some major guests too. We do a big conference every year and we had her and Ruth Reichl who's like our Ruth here in America speak together, and it just was mind blowing.
Mary McCartney:
Wow.
Kerry Diamond:
I'm just such a huge fan. Okay. A question you ask all your guests, but you never get to answer is about the fantasy dinner party guests.
Mary McCartney:
Oh my goodness.
Kerry Diamond:
So who would yours be?
Mary McCartney:
Oh, that is ... I always ask that. That's great because I ask that thinking, "I hope nobody ever asked me that question." I mean, I would. I say Dolly Parton. She always comes to mind just because I love her voice. She has the voice of an angel. Let me think. I mean, I'd bring my mum back. And I can do that, can I?
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah, of course.
Mary McCartney:
It's really weird because it's very much stream of consciousness, but I always, Gandhi always comes to mind. Is that weird? I just feel like I'd like to sit with him and just be like, how, because it's just how he did what he did and accomplished so much with such kindness. So that is a very random mix. My mom, Gandhi, and Dolly Parton. Have you ever heard of anything crazier?
Kerry Diamond:
Maybe not. That does sound like the world's loveliest dinner party though. What would you serve? That's a tough question.
Mary McCartney:
Well, I would start with my Mom's tomato soup because that's like my comfort food and I like it with ... I make the cream of tomato with soy cream and I put rosemary in it. And then I'd sort of try and do something a bit more refined. Like I love the ... In the episode with Stella, that pie that I do. I love that pie. So I'd probably do that with some nice side dishes.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell people what's in the pie.
Mary McCartney:
The pie is like ready roll pastry. And then I do a layer of like fried, like red onions mixed with dark lentils, like Puy lentils. That's sort of a base and that's a nice sort of dark and then sort of the red onion color. And then I lay, I love pimentos, like roasted red peppers in a jar. So I just take them out and lay them over the top. So it's like this red, bright red, but also it's quite succulent to cut through. So that adds a red layer. And then I just sort of wilt some spinach with a squeeze of lemon and put that at the top, and then put pastry over and bake it. So when you cut in-
Kerry Diamond:
And you showed how easy it is to make little decorations from the top of it.
Mary McCartney:
Oh, and then I ... Exactly. So it's a dinner party. I don't usually make fancy-fancy food, but I will do some nice leaf decorations.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, that sounds amazing. Okay. Let's do the speed round. What's a treasured cookbook in your collection?
Mary McCartney:
Oh, it has to be my mom's cookbook, but my copy with all the little food stains from it being used so much.
Kerry Diamond:
Your last pantry purchase.
Mary McCartney:
My last pantry purchase was chocolate because I'm always testing out different types of chocolate and different flavors. So it was a new sort of plain chocolate orange. I love chocolate and orange.
Kerry Diamond:
Most used kitchen tool.
Mary McCartney:
Wooden spoon. I've actually got one my best friend gave me. It's a wooden spoon. And it has like a happy face hole cutout in it. So it makes me really happy when I'm cooking.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, that's cute. One of our guests sent me a wooden spoon in the shape of a heart.
Mary McCartney:
Oh yeah. See? And that just makes you happy. You feel the love.
Kerry Diamond:
It does. I always want to hold it over my heart now. It's weird.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. What's the oldest thing in your fridge?
Mary McCartney:
The oldest thing ... The oldest thing in my fridge. Probably a wine, a white wine.
Kerry Diamond:
Thought you might say film.
Mary McCartney:
Oh, I do keep film in the fridge. Definitely at my studio I have a fridge with film. I even have some old Polaroid film in there, so that is-
Kerry Diamond:
Got to hoard that stuff.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah. I noticed you don't wear an apron. Are you apron, no apron?
Mary McCartney:
I'm a no apron.
Kerry Diamond:
You seem to be a very clean cook. You're not messy.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. I mean I'm a no apron, but I don't wear fancy-fancy things usually. I have things that are sort of wipeable. I don't know. Yeah, no apron. Although I do, perhaps if I'm cooking and I'm dressed for dinner, I'll wear an apron and then I'll sort of fold it over so you can put the tea towel in the belt, which is kind of quite nice. Wipe your hands on.
Kerry Diamond:
What are you streaming right now?
Mary McCartney:
I am streaming ... What am I streaming? I do a lot of documentaries. I was watching last night I was watching Fantastic Fungi for the second time. It's an incredible documentary-
Kerry Diamond:
I haven't seen it. I need to watch it-
Mary McCartney:
... on Netflix. It's really good. It actually inspired Stella's last show. It's so good.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, okay.
Mary McCartney:
We're obsessed with the fungi. Fantastic Fungi, Netflix. And obviously get back.
Kerry Diamond:
Yes. I saw the first hour of that. You need to dedicate some time to this.
Mary McCartney:
Yeah. Well, it's amazing. There's a 19 minute edit, which was shown at the premier, which I'm sort of ... trying to sort of, I'm hoping that comes out next year as well because that's a ... it's a great sort of bite size version of it for-
Kerry Diamond:
Is it hard for you to watch that?
Mary McCartney:
Well, I watched actually the 19 minutes with my kids and they were like, "Oh grandma Linda was like," because they hadn't seen her in 1969. It was sort of like, they were like, "She was so lovely and she looked ... It's just nice to see her." But that whole film is a time capsule because a lot of the people there aren't around now, but it just takes you back to that time and to ... The fashion's amazing. And the chemistry between them.
And I think it's going to bring a whole new sort of generation of Beatles fans. Because when you see the process, you hear the songs. When you actually see how they work together, it really brings it alive. I think Peter Jackson was a pretty genius sort of what he did with the film and also with the sound, with his technology, it sort of, it brings the viewer right in.
Kerry Diamond:
It's incredible. I'm saving it for the holidays when I can watch it all.
Mary McCartney:
Definitely it's when you have nothing else to do. It's an investment of time.
Kerry Diamond:
Absolutely. But a worthwhile one. Okay. We ask almost everybody this question. A song that makes you smile.
Mary McCartney:
There's a song called I am your singer, which is a Wings song, which makes me smile because I can really hear my mom and dad singing together. It's done. It's just a really nice sort of very not high production. It just feels very raw.
Kerry Diamond:
Dream travel destination.
Mary McCartney:
Hard one. But I mean I do love Scotland. Scotland on a really sunny, beautiful, breezy day.
Kerry Diamond:
And last question. If you had to be trapped on a desert island with one food celebrity, who would it be and why?
Mary McCartney:
One food celebrity. It couldn't be Gordon Ramsey.
Kerry Diamond:
Now you have to tell us why you said that.
Mary McCartney:
Well, because he hates vegetarians. He's a really nice guy, but also he'd probably shout at me and swear at me. He'd get bored and he'd just start having to go at me. Let me think. Ruthie Rogers. Let's go with Ruthie.
Kerry Diamond:
Great answer. Great answer. Well, Mary, this is has been delightful. You're amazing and I'm just really honored that I had the chance to talk to you. And I hope everybody watches your show and you get a new season.
Mary McCartney:
Thank you. I could talk to you all day.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, we can't do that, but we'd love to have you back on the show. Thank you, Mary.
Mary McCartney:
Brilliant. Thank you.
Kerry Diamond:
That's it for today's show. Thank you so much to Mary McCartney for joining us. You can check out her show, Mary McCartney Serves It Up on Discovery Plus. Thank you to Fridge No More for supporting our show.
Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of Cherry Bombe Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our other chats with folks like Stanley Tucci, who was on Mary's show. Radio Cherry Bombe is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Thank you to Joseph Hazan, Studio Engineer for Newsstand Studios and to our Assistant Producer, Jenna Sadhu. Thanks for listening everybody. You are the bombe.