Page 121 - Katherine Ryan press pack

Did she throw this fool out? “You know, I was so shocked, it sort of threw

me. I did wonder afterwards how someone like that ends up at a show like

mine. I am someone who has always been very vocal in my support of the

gay and trans communities, often had queer acts as support. What’s the

Venn diagram that exists that a homophobic, misogynistic man thinks the

Katherine Ryan show is his cup of tea? I’ve noticed that such men have

become emboldened by what’s happening, rather than creeping back into

the shadows. It’s like they’ve had enough of left-leaning liberals; they’re

fighting back, which is kind of scary...”

We shared a carafe of white wine – the Gaba Do Xil Godello, Telmo

Rodriguez, Valdeorras 2016 – to go with our mains: fish stew for Ryan,

pork and turnips for me. The pork was blushed perfectly and, guess what, I

like turnips – who knew? However, the carrots with mustard seeds were

undercooked, rock hard, which was a drag; glazed carrots on the side, if

done well, can save a mediocre main.

But the best dish by miles was the starter we shared: a small ham-and-

cheese toasty with accompanying homemade pickle. Forget what Giles

Coren wrote about the quadruple-nuked chips here – too greasy, too

chunky by far – it’s the toasty that’s worth crossing London for. Just

phenomenal. Like, sex in bread. Covent Garden, saved by a crustless hot

meat sarnie. One imagines Cora Pearl wouldn’t have had it any other way.