Overview of How Long Gone with Jago Rackham
Chris Black and Jason Stewart spend most of this episode riffing with food writer and chef Jago Rackham about life in Milan during Salone del Mobile, British food culture, and the surprisingly erotic logistics of dinner parties. The conversation moves from travel, walking, and fashion-world interiors events into a broader discussion of Jago’s book To Entertain: Instructions for a Dinner Party, his cooking style, his relationship to publicity, and how food, sex, and social performance overlap.
Main Topics Discussed
Milan, Salone, and walking everywhere
- Chris is in Milan and talks about the intense pace of Salone: furniture, interiors, gay social scenes, and too many events in too little infrastructure.
- They joke about how much walking Chris is doing and how European cities force you into bikes, Ubers, or long walks.
- The vibe of Milan is described as beautiful but overrun, especially when every brand piles in.
420, “powders,” and changing social rituals
- They note how 420 felt quieter this year, suggesting people are less interested in shared weed holidays.
- The conversation turns into a joke about how “powders” are less communal than smoking weed, because cocaine/ketamine/etc. don’t lend themselves to group rituals in the same way.
- The bit becomes a larger commentary on how public holidays and collective behaviors keep changing.
The UK’s cigarette/vape ban for younger generations
- Jago and the hosts discuss the UK’s proposal to ban cigarette and vape sales for people born after a certain year.
- Jago calls it extreme but maybe necessary, arguing that anti-smoking policy may require a hard cutoff.
- They joke that it will only create black markets and further nostalgia for old-school cigarette culture.
Jago’s book: part cookbook, part life manual
- Jago describes the book as more than a cookbook: it’s a mix of recipes, stories, etiquette, and personal philosophy.
- Chris pushes the idea that cookbook authors are often the only writers making real money.
- Jago says he wants more “serious” press coverage and feels a little self-conscious about being treated as a lifestyle/food person rather than a “real” writer.
- He jokes that British people are bad at celebrating success because they’re obsessed with failure and wary of seeming boastful.
British modesty vs American self-promotion
- A recurring theme is the difference between British self-effacement and American confidence.
- Jago admits that being asked directly what he wants makes him panic.
- The hosts encourage him to be more explicit about wanting bigger press, stronger book reviews, and wider recognition.
The reality of Jago’s daily life
- Jago walks through a “busy” day that includes:
- a podcast,
- emails,
- making chicken soup with peanut butter / a peanut base,
- cycling across London,
- a site visit,
- meeting friends,
- and attending a birthday dinner.
- The hosts tease him that his life sounds like a beautiful, artsy London postcard rather than a grind.
Dinner parties, eroticism, and food
- Jago’s chapter about “dinner for lovers” sparks a conversation about how food and sex are linked.
- He says food is erotic partly because it can be gross, pungent, rich, and sensory in the same way sex is.
- He also argues that a good dinner for lovers should be lighter and more considered, not overly heavy or Puritanical.
Cooking in context: designing menus to fit the space
- Jago explains that he doesn’t force a menu on a kitchen; he builds the menu around the venue.
- He has cooked for:
- private homes,
- galleries,
- small events,
- and larger setups like tents on hills with limited burners.
- The hosts admire that he can make a dinner feel elegant regardless of the setting.
His personal life and long-term relationship
- Jago mentions he’s been with his partner Luana since they were 13 and engaged since around 21.
- Their relationship includes practical compromises around work, money, clothes, and domestic life.
- He says she helps choose his clothes, and he relies on her taste.
Food culture, fashion culture, and “hot corners”
- Early in the episode they joke about Salone as a world of beautiful interiors and hot gay people.
- The hosts treat Jago like someone whose work sits at the intersection of food, style, and social performance.
- Jago seems comfortable in that world, even if he’s still trying to turn attention into more institutional recognition.
Notable Insights
- Dinner is social theater. Jago’s book frames hosting as a craft that’s about more than food: it’s about mood, timing, chemistry, and hospitality.
- Food and desire are closely linked. He sees cooking as inherently sensual, but also funny and messy.
- Success feels precarious, especially in Britain. Jago’s reluctance to brag comes across as cultural rather than personal.
- Context matters in cooking. He tailors menus to kitchens, equipment, and scale rather than trying to impose a rigid plan.
- Modern food culture is increasingly performative. They touch on how posting food online has become part of the job, not just the pleasure.
Small Highlights
- Jago’s long-term relationship with Luana, starting at 13, was one of the episode’s more memorable details.
- He describes his ideal publicity as more newspaper/serious review energy and less lifestyle gloss.
- The hosts repeatedly tease him for sounding like a very stylish, slightly chaotic domestic chef with a strong sense of British class codes.
- The episode ends on a warm note, with plans to meet again in London and a promise to cook for the hosts.
Takeaway
This is a funny, very conversational episode about food as identity, hosting as performance, and the awkwardness of being publicly “successful” in Britain. Jago Rackham comes across as thoughtful, stylish, and practical: someone who takes dinner seriously, but not in a pretentious way. The episode works as both a personality profile and a loose manifesto on why dinner parties still matter.