It's Wimbledon finals weekend, so what else would you expect than Made In Chelsea's loveable charmer Jamie Laing creating a strawberry and cream pizza with Judy Murray? The famous pair teamed up with DJ Roman Kemp for Elmlea's new #DoMoreThanPour campaign, which saw the trio create tennis-inspired recipes together to celebrate the championships. We caught up with Jamie to chat about his timely recipe and discover his culinary likes and dislikes…
Tell us about this Wimbledon pizza! Sounds delicious...
Each of us had to create a strawberry and cream showstopper that everyone would love but that it would completely next level. Between me, Judy Murray and Roman Kemp, we had to create an Elmlea pizza. Firstly, can I tell you this, Judy Murray is the most competitive person that I've ever come across. I was being so nice and so charming with all these different things and she was talking some beef between us, saying how she was going to beat us and I was saying how nice she was the whole time.
Are you a good cook?
I got told this once… that cooking is an art and baking is a science. So when you bake something you have to follow the recipe but with cooking, it's sporadic and you can chuck anything into it and it kind of works. You can do your own take on it. That's why I like cooking. Do you know a secret ingredient to bolognese? Apparently it's dark chocolate.
MORE: 5 ace Wimbledon-inspired afternoon teas
You have your own sweet brand Candy Kittens…
We started about seven years ago now. At the time, me and my business partner were 21 years old trying to google how to make sweets. At the beginning I had this whole idea that I wanted to make this mixture between Willy Wonka and Hugh Hefner. My business partner said: "We're not doing that. That is the worst idea, let's go and make packet sweets and send them out into the world." And that's what we've done and I'm incredibly proud of it. I was going to put it on the Elmlea pizza but I forgot it.
Do you have a favourite sweet?
That's like saying who your favourite child is. Can you say that? You probably can actually. I know I'm my mum's favourite, 100%. I would have to say my favourite one is the Blueberry or the Eton mess. You know as kids we talk about how you've got to visualise whatever you want to achieve in life? Well as a kid I was scared of the dark, so my brother, to make me fall asleep used to tell me stories of 'Jamie in Sweet World' and ever since that time when I was four years old, I've had this fascination with sweets.
What restaurant do you love to eat at?
There's a Lebanese restaurant on Rupert Street called The Palomar. It's my favourite restaurant. You get these small dishes. It's unbelievable.
We've watched you and Sophie Habboo on MIC – are you dating?
We're definitely dating. You know when you date someone and they're way cooler than you? She's cooler than me. I went for dinner with a mate the other night and he said to me: you want to date someone who's much cooler than you. She's much cooler than me in every way. She's the best.
What's an ideal dinner date for you?
I don't like the idea of planning stuff. You go and find out what they like, what you like, what vibe you're feeling and just go for it.
Are you a three courses and champers kind of guy?
No. If you're on a date, you want to do a quick in and out. Firstly, they will probably be bored of my chat by the first few minutes and you have to make sure that they have an exit after about an hour if they wanted to (laughs). I can sit and chat for hours but I worry about the other person that they would be bored.
Have you and Sophie talked about the future together?
I'm too nervous to mention that. I don't really know what to say so we ignore it and go on dates and I make a bolognese. That's about it.
MORE: The real reason you never see Love Islanders cooking
Do you want to get married and have kids?
I come from a family of eight people. For me, starting a family is the most ultimate thing you can do. I can't wait to have little kids running around wearing exactly the same outfit as me. (I want) 12. As long as I can make a choir.
Are you strict with your diet?
No, not at all. I wish I had that mentality to be totally strict but I'm not. My most hated thing in the world is Tupperware. Why do people put stuff in Tupperware? I don't get it. My two most hated things? Organised fun and Tupperware.
What's your foodie guilty pleasure?
Scotch eggs or bread. Bread and butter any day with loads of salt, I'm in.
Elmlea has partnered with Judy Murray, Jamie Laing and Roman Kemp, to encourage the nation to #DoMoreThanPour this tennis season. Each celebrity has served up their own take on a traditional Strawberries and Cream twist. To watch and vote for your favourite celebrities’ recipe, check out Elmlea social channels on Instagram. Facebook and Twitter.
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