Move over Nigella, George Egg cooks and cracks jokes

open image in gallery

The life of a touring comedian has its rigours: long drives, lukewarm crowds, late nights. Many stand-ups seek solace in a hotel bar, but not George Egg. Lonely, wired after a gig and uninspired by the room-service menu, he set about transforming himself into an after-hours “anarchist cook” in hotel rooms up and down the country. He worked out how to poach eggs and sea bass in the kettle, sizzle pancakes on the upturned iron and puff up Naan breads in the trouser press. “Once,” he says proudly. “I made moules marinière in a kettle in the Leicester Grand.”

Egg, 42, who looks like the Hairy Bikers’ bald brother, started out as a street entertainer in Covent Garden as a teenager before turning to stand-up in his 20s. A couple of years ago, he posted a video of his post-gig culinary exploits on YouTube and, inspired by the response, set about writing a comedy show that would combine gags and gastronomy.

This summer, he took the result, Anarchist Cook, to Edinburgh, where he sold out every day for a month and won the Mervyn Stutter Spirit of the Fringe award. I loved it and not just because it ended with Egg handing out forks and treating the audience to a three-course meal of bruschetta with ricotta (hand-made using UHT milk and a pillowcase), kettle-poached sea bass and pancakes “with Gideon Bible-crushed nuts”.

In an hour that was as fascinating as it was funny, Egg demonstrated how to make a whisk out of coat-hangers, revealed which plants in reception are suitable for foraging (spider plants – they taste like fennel, apparently) and cracked food jokes, all while cooking.

Now Egg is launching a spin-off, The Mess, in the restaurant and kitchen of the Proud Archivist, a gallery and bar in Haggerston, east London. Egg will host and provide the audience with some of his anarchic appetisers. There will also be food-themed stand-up from Simon Evans and a big-name television comedian whose identity Egg is keeping secret to ensure that he attracts the right foodie/funny fans. “A lot of people out there have an appetite for comedy and food and this taps into both,” he says. Writer Chris Neil will talk about food and relationships and cook his partner’s favourite dish, while Tim Hayward (of Radio 4’s The Food Programme) will talk about a duck recipe he has spent years trying to master.

The plan is to make The Mess a regular night with a rolling cast of comedians, chefs and food writers, even Great British Bake-Off finalists. Comedians and chefs have plenty in common, says Egg. “So much food is about theatre. It’s like a theatre. I love Gennaro Contaldo, the Italian chef, who is such a natural clown – so funny and warm.”

Egg also plans to take Anarchist Cook on tour next year, making good use of the hotel amenities as he goes. “I’ll still make toast on the iron when I can because I know I can do it better than the hotel. So far I’ve managed to do it stealthily enough not to get into trouble.”

The Mess, The Proud Archivist, London N1, at 8pm on Monday