Tom Davis falls in love with our steak pie

Feb 18, 2026

Tom Davis, south London actor, comedian and writer known for stand-up and roles including Wonka, drops in for a cosy chat. He reminisces about kitchen life at The Connaught and his love of bread and potatoes. They dig into a Diana Henry steak pie, quickfire food favourites and a sweet Olivia Colman story. Plus a candid talk about returning to stand-up with the Spudgun tour.

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ANECDOTE

Early Kitchen Crash Course

Tom Davis described starting kitchen work at The Connaught, doing pot wash and pan work before realizing the harsh, hierarchical reality of professional kitchens.
He contrasted expectations of cooking with the alpha, fast-paced kitchen culture that quickly humbled him.

ANECDOTE

Meeting His Wife At Nando's

Tom met his future wife in a Nando's by flirting and later sliding into her DMs after following her on Twitter.
He joked about being a Nando's regular and his confident, brash approach to meeting her.

ADVICE

Make A Rich Steak Pie

To make Diana Henry's steak pie, roast braising steak and vegetables, simmer with stock and finish with a roux to thicken the sauce.
Pre-bake shortcrust base, fill, top with puff pastry and bake for about 30 minutes.

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Angela’s hearty dish makes quite the impression!

Tom Davis is an actor, comedian, podcaster, writer and proud south Londoner. Fresh from delivering the goody bag for Romesh Ranganathan, he settles in with us for a proper catch-up over a delicious pie.

Tom’s latest tour, Spudgun, sees him return to the comedy circuit after a period away from the stage. You’ll have seen and heard from him plenty in that time, though, with acting credits including Wonka and A Thousand Blows plus TV appearances on shows including A League Of Their Own and, of course, his weekly podcast with Romesh, Wolf & Owl.

Tom famously started out in comedy when he was working on building sites, but less is known about his time in the restaurant industry. He chats to us about his work in the kitchen, including a spell at The Connaught, which sadly didn’t overlap with Angela’s time there.

The chat begins over sliced bread and a glass of Botivo with elderflower cordial and soda, before we hit the pie. Angela serves a steak pie, using a recipe by Diana Henry, with a gluten free version for Nick, all accompanied by a side of Savoy cabbage. The Waitrose wine experts have paired this meal with a glass of Norton Winemaker's Reserve Malbec.

Tom knows his food and possesses some excellent eating credentials, none more so than his completion of The Big Five eating challenge, as well as his unwavering passion for bread and potatoes. We also hear the loveliest story about Olivia Colman, which is always an excellent way to spend your time.

Now, pass the Croydon croutons!

You can watch full episodes of Dish on YouTube and on Spotify.

All recipes from this podcast can be found at waitrose.com/dishrecipes

The recipe for steak pie was created for Waitrose by Diana Henry.

A transcript for this episode can be found at waitrose.com/dish

If you want to get in touch with us about anything at all, contact dish@waitrose.co.uk
Dish from Waitrose is made by Cold Glass Productions

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