39 18 APRIL 2024 Weekending Tea or co ee? I drink both in massive quantities, but I can’t face a co ee first thing, so probably tea. I’m Irish, so I’m obliged to drink large amounts of it. We have Teapigs English Breakfast – strong, with minimal milk. Breakfast or brunch? Breakfast. In my opinion, brunch is just breakfast with bad timekeeping habits. I always make pancakes on a Saturday morning. One of the children likes them smothered in Nutella, one likes cheese and ham, while the other one keeps it simple with lemon and sugar. I’ll have blueberries, banana and maple syrup on mine, so it’s a smörgåsbord. Productive or lazy? My children are all learning a musical instrument, and on a Saturday morning I’ll take them to their music lessons. I’m a big runner, I’m a season ticket holder at Tottenham Hotspur, and I also present a radio show on Classic FM on Sunday afternoons [from 4-7pm], so the weekends are very busy. a pot of co ee, almonds, blueberries, an apple, and maybe a kombucha. I write three words, eat, write another four words, eat. That’s basically my technique. Pub grub or restaurant? The line between the two is increasingly blurred, so I don’t care as long as the food’s good. I love Chick-King outside Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium. Their fried chicken is amazing, and tastes even better when Spurs have won. Dinner party: host or attend? Attend. I always take a nice wine or Champagne, but as I get older, people are increasingly deciding that their journey with alcohol is over. Mine certainly isn’t. Weekend tipple of choice? That’s a long list, but a good red wine is hard to beat – something hearty like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Shiraz. Sunday roast? I like my red meat bloody, but my family like it cooked to the point of extinction, so it’s usually chicken – less controversial. Your takeaway order? Maybe Thai, or, if it’s a special occasion, something from Trishna, an Indian restaurant in Marylebone. Evening snack? I like going to bed early, so we eat at about six, then that’s probably it. I love eating something delicious. I feel sad for people who see food as just fuel – they’re missing out on one of life’s great pleasures. The Day I Fell Down the Toilet by Stephen Mangan, illustrated by Anita Mangan (Scholastic), is out now. Interview: Emma Higginbotham STEPHEN MANGAN My weekend The actor, presenter and children’s author, 55, lives in north London with his wife Louise and sons aged 16, 13 and eight Who’s the house cook? Louise. I don’t pull my weight, so to assuage my guilt I do a lot of clearing up. I can cook a roast, and simple stu like halloumi and roasted veg. I used to make a dish which we called ‘favourite dinner’ growing up, which is basically a cottage pie, but I use too much tomato for my family’s taste, so it’s been banned. Most-thumbed cookbook? Nigel Slater has been my favourite for years. I love his stu , and he just seems to get that half the fun of cooking and eating is the slightly burnt bits that are stuck to the pan. Go-to writing snack? I write on the top floor of our five-storey house, so at the beginning of the day I trudge upstairs with a huge tray with DINING DELIGHTS Cottage pie (below), or as Stephen used to call it, ‘favourite dinner’; Trishna’s jackfruit fry (bottom)
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