Hits Radio's Tom Green on his new podcast Dangerous Dinners

"You never truly know someone until you've ordered a takeaway with them," declares Tom Green boldly. 

It's the inspiration behind the Preston-born Hits Radio DJ's new podcast Dangerous Dinners. The premise is simple: "we spin a giant roulette wheel of takeaway food in my local area and whatever it lands on, we both have to order from."

As well as the podcast, Green has crammed a lot of work into his 25 years. He's presented at Global's Capital FM, KISS FM and now heads up the Hits Radio breakfast show every weekend.

Between the new podcast, ,moving home and getting a new puppy, Green has been keeping busy throughout lockdown.

He shares with us his daily food rituals and how he's coping in this strange new world.

Tell us about your new podcast Dangerous Dinners...

This has been an absolute labour of love and I am beyond excited to announce that I have teamed up with the lads at Acast to bring you a brand new podcast series called Dangerous Dinners.

The idea is really simple – in normal times, a celebrity guest comes over to my house, we spin a giant roulette wheel of takeaway food in my local area and whatever it lands on, we both have to order from. This can be anything from five star curries and sushi, to dirty fried chicken and doner kebabs.

I have from the time of ordering to when it arrives to go through everything with them; their whole life, their secondary school, local news and what got them into their music career, acting or sport. We then eat together and rate the food. Think of it as carpool karaoke but with a takeaway and booze.

How do you like your eggs in the morning? Talk us through your morning routine.

Before Turtle, (Green's newly acquired miniature brown Dachshund) it was fairly standard: I wake at 8am, go downstairs to make a double Nespresso cappuccino, have an orange juice, turn on Good Morning Britain and make scrambled eggs. They have to be really well done, and well done in the sense that they are barely cooked, so that when you remove the eggs from the pan they are still cooking in their own heat.

Sourdough bread is a must with a slab of salted butter (ideally I'd have whipped butter but damn that's impossible to buy or make!) That to me, is heaven.

For breakfast, sourdough bread is a must with a slab of salted butter – ideally I'd have whipped butter but damn that's impossible to buy or make!

I still try to do that, but then we got bloody Turtle and I can't do anything anymore! Why on earth did we get a dog?

Have you tried any meal boxes or DIY food kits over lockdown? If so, which ones have impressed you?

Yes! Yes, yes, yes. I am a huge fan of Gousto. I recently subscribed to receive four meals to the house every single week. They arrive on a Sunday and honestly, it has changed my life. Every time Em [his girlfriend] and I sit down, we say "God this is good! I can't believe I cooked this!"

You totally eradicate the incredibly boring topic of what are we having for dinner tonight? – where you always end up eating the same thing or you don't have the right ingredients.

Here, you get the exact portion sizes so there is absolutely no waste and it comes to about £4 a meal, which is fantastic value for money.

What's your favourite homemade sandwich?

Floury bap (really important it's a bap), Marks & Spencer's ham, chicken and stuffing all slathered in Hellmann's mayonnaise, with a side of salt and vinegar Tyrrell's crisps. What a sandwich that is! It has to be M&S or Waitrose quality ham and chicken though, you can't scrimp on the filling.

What is your go-to takeaway to order?

Definitely a curry. In lockdown, I've spent a lot of time with my girlfriend's family in Stamford and there's an absolute treasure of a place called Bombay Cottage. I order the same dishes every time: the tikka mixed starter, which is grilled chicken, lamb and ribs; for main I get the tikka masala, then I have a side of onion bhajis and a khameeri naan. Perfection.

What are you cooking for date night and why?

I'll be honest, I'm not cooking. It's just not happening. As my podcast demonstrates, I'm a takeaway man (or we'd go out for dinner). I just think I am never going to be able to make something as good as something I can order, and why would I want to be stressing when we could be drinking, chatting and chilling?

What are you drinking on a Saturday evening?

I've recently subscribed to Naked Wines where you pay a monthly fee for a selection of their best bottles. My favourite is a really simple pinot noir red wine called Forager, which is so delicate it's almost see through – so if you're not a big red wine drinker, it's absolutely perfect.

It's interesting as I always thought I liked something spicier like a barolo, but having done a few wine courses throughout lockdown, it really has opened up my eyes/ Or a Magners cider. You can't go wrong with a cider.

What's your hangover cure?

McDonalds breakfast; double sausage egg McMuffin meal, extra hash brown and a full fat Coke. Every single time.

What's the first place you're going after lockdown and who are you taking with you?

I don't know about you, but right now, the words "when lockdown ends" are dirty talk to me. The first Saturday, I'll meet my best friend Chris Marshall at 10am for a full round of eighteen holes at my local golf club; after that we'll grab some lunch and a few beers, then head to the pub for more beers.

I'll leave by 6pm to have a takeaway at home with Em and watch The Masked Singer on ITV. We'll have a few more drinks then head to bed by 10pm. I'm a man of simple taste; all I need is a golf course, my best friend, my girlfriend, a takeaway and some beers. 

The first episode of 'Dirty Dinners' is available across all platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Google now.