She also remembers making a "chocolate mousse and there was no room in the fridge – it fell off the window ledge and I had to scoop it up into another bowl, hoping there was no glass in there!" First, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large saute pan or shallow casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt and gently fry for five to 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for two minutes, then stir in the tomato puree and paprika and cook for another two minutes. It's not so hard to cook for the stars because people love to have a home-cooked meal," she explains. "It's quite rare with our guests' diaries that they would get a home-cooked meal, as they're either eating out at restaurants or hotels. Put the clear soup and carrots into the fridge for at least two hours or overnight. When it's well chilled the fat will rise to the top and you can easily skim it off.

And for proper belly-aching laughter, comedian Alan Carr is your man: "When he came round, we laughed and laughed for the full two hours!" The podcast just wouldn't work without Lennie and Jessie's mother-daughter tension though – the squabbling and wrangling, the affectionate despair and cries of, "Oh darling!", and, "Muuum!" being standard refrains. That and Jessie's brother Alex, the golden child and doctor, who pops up occasionally to supply guests with his feted puddings and lemon ice cream. Remove the lid and simmer for another five minutes. Serve the meatballs with the basil leaves and a grating of pecorino or Parmesan. We don't do them so much now, but the Friday-night dinners were pretty much as they are on the podcast; maybe sometimes more people and more raucous," remembers Lennie. "Usually more alcohol and definitely singing at the end. However, when we had Yannis [Philippakis] from Foals round, that was very similar as we did drink a lot – we didn't sing, but we almost did! Also, when [American band] Haim came, we sung a LOT!"In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

TIP: You can use all thighs, which are more moist, or all breast pieces – in which case cook for a slightly shorter time to avoid dryness. Alternatively, use only skin-on bone-in thighs, which may need a slightly longer cooking time. In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people. You'd think Lennie, a counsellor and social worker, who was initially brought in to just act as host and chef – Jessie would handle the interviews – might find cooking for such big names at least a little intimidating. But no. Jessie and I were always very close anyway," says Lennie, noting that cooking, hosting and recording together has meant "we've learnt to be tolerant and not out-boss each other. We're both incredibly bossy and I find it hard to delegate, so we've both had to learn to find a middle ground. We have to, otherwise we couldn't get through making the meals and sitting down being relaxed and happy afterwards." The Matzo ball soup is really important to me, as it's taken me so long to get them right," says Lennie with pride. "Jamie Oliver said my Matzo balls were the best he's ever tasted in the world."

Line a tray with baking parchment. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Wet your fingers and take small pieces of the mixture to make soft balls, about 2cm in diameter, placing them on the lined tray until you have used up all the mixture. Nerves aside, Raymond Blanc actually said to her: "I can tell you're a really good cook." ("That was a big highlight," Lennie shares.)

Drop the balls into the boiling water, turn down the heat and gently simmer for about 20-25 minutes until they are soft. They should swell up slightly, rise to the surface and look like little clouds. Lift out using a slotted spoon.

Method

Put the clear soup and carrots in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. When it’s well chilled the fat will rise to the top and you can easily skim it off.

The Gefilte fish, is also particular meaningful for her. "It's something my mum used to make for me, and I rarely make now. Making that again for the cookbook was really lovely, and everyone loved the smell of it when it was cooking. It reminded me of my mum." To serve, bring the soup to the boil over a medium heat and add your cooked matzo balls just before serving.

The food itself spans the recipes they've whipped up for their celebrity guests, firm Ware family favourites (like chopped liver, monkfish and rosemary skewers, raspberry trifle) and summery dishes the Wares have collected on holidays to their beloved Skopelos in Greece (griddled peaches, bouyiourdi eggs, spanakopita). Wet your fingers and take small pieces of the mixture to make soft balls, about 2cm in diameter, placing them on the lined tray until you have used up all the mixture To serve, bring the soup to the boil over a medium heat and add your cooked matzo balls just before serving