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Hello and welcome to Table Talk. I'm Olivia Potts and I'm Laura Prendergast.

Today we are joined by Jessie Burton. Jesse is the author of the smash hit bestselling The Miniatrist and The Muse.

Her new book, The Confession, which is out now, is split between 1980s LA and present-day London. It's a beautiful and gripping examination of mothers and daughters, identity, love, loss and secrets. Jesse,

welcome to table talk. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.

Jessie, you grew up in Wimbledon, in London. What was food like when you were little?

My parents were quite adventurous, really.

They often would go to France with me and feed me all sorts of things.

I had quite a sophisticated palate, so anything they ate I would sort of be offered.

I do remember hating fruit.

I don't think I tried an apple or an orange until I was potentially in the sixth form.

So my parents weren't strict, but I loved vegetables.

And mum would, you know, she'd just whip things together.

I would be a bit mean about it and sort of, I would worry what this thing was, this ragu

or some kind of unidentifiable thing, but it was always quite ambitious.

And I was never allowed McDonald's.

That would have been, for me, the height of sophistication, getting a happy meal, but

mum wouldn't let me.

So it was, yeah, it was quite a, it was, you know, we would always eat together.

I'm an only child and food would be quite a important fixture really in the

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