Comedian Jamie MacDonald cooks Seabass with Orzo, ‘Nduja & Leeks

For this episode of 5 O’ Clock Apron Podcast, number 4 in a series of 10, Claire travels to Sheffield to cook with the comedian Jaime Macdonald. Jamie is blind, extremely tall and very, very funny. The front door opens and out jumps Jamie’s new puppy as the recording begins. Claire is armed with some ingredients that Jamie has asked her to bring along to cook with. It’s a lean shopping list, to say the least and it has Claire asking questions from the off. Some Sea Bass, half a packet of Orzo, three Leeks and a jar of Cream Fraiche, but that’s just the beginning, far from it, ‘Nduja, Lemons, good Olive Oil and a remarkable set of weighing scales that can talk are soon wielded.



Cooking alongside Jamie was a riot. Lots of laughter, obviously, the pair discuss Edinburgh fringe, toxic masculinity, wild swimming, noisy owls, so-called Scottish risotto as cooked by his mum circa 1980s and Claire asks the silliest question Jamie has ever been asked. All the while, the fish gets fried, the orzo cooked along with the leeks, ‘Nduja and crème fraiche and together Jamie and Claire make lunch to eat in the sunshine.



It was a tonic to cook with Jamie, and apart from his talking measuring scales (Claire wants a set!), Jamie cooks exactly as anyone with sight would cook. Taste, as all good cooks know, is crucial, and Jamie has great taste, in abundance.


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Chef and food writer Claire Thomson invites you to join her as she steps out of her kitchen to discover what's cooking in the home kitchens of Britain and beyond. Claire is renowned for her authentic take on home cooking and loved for her inspirational and no nonsense approach to food and cookery. In this podcast, Claire is on a mission to discover and cook other people's favourite, tried and tested home recipes.
Travelling across the country, each episode drops you into the heart of a new kitchen. Cooking shoulder to shoulder with guests from every profession other than her own, aprons on, ingredients out and pans bubbling. Expect to hear much laughter as together they rummage through cutlery drawers, nose through spice racks and fling open fridge doors, chopping and chatting to get food on the table.
This is a Good Food podcast. For more recipes and inspiration go to goodfood.com

• No. of episodes: 21
• Latest episode: 2025-07-09
• Arts Society & Culture

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