Single mother says she’d rather eat sausage sandwiches after being cooked posh meal by private chef

A single mother struggling to get by on benefits was less than impressed with the high life after she swapped lives, homes and budgets with a multimillionaire property developer on this week’s episode of Rich House Poor House.

Jodie Hannibal, from Hatfield, was employed as youth worker but had to give up work after having her son, Jodieson, now two, as she couldn’t afford childcare.

Now surviving on benefits, she has just £53 a week after rent and bills.    

On Sunday’s episode of the hit Channel 5 show, she swaps lives with entrepreneur Ayo Gordon who lives in a luxury apartment in Battersea overlooking Chelsea Harbour.

A single mother struggling to get by on benefits was less than impressed with the high life after she swapped lives and homes with a multimillionaire property developer on this week’s episode of Rich House Poor House. Jodie Hannibal, from Hatfield, was employed as youth worker but had to give up work after having her son, Jodieson, now two, as she couldn’t afford childcare. Jodie and Jodieson are pictured

Ayo like Jodie was born to single mum in poverty, grew up on a south London council estate before going into care when his mother went to prison.

But eight years ago he bought his first house in Kent, and now has a property portfolio worth £6 million, and has a mentoring programme to help other young people get financial freedom.  

Ayo is joined on the swap by his friend and business partner Patrick, while Jodie was joined by her cousin and best friend Leah.   

And while Jodie and Leah are thrilled with their new weekly budget of £1514.61, Ayo and Patrick struggle with their new £53-a-week budget, wondering how they’ll be able to feed ‘two grown men’ on ‘£5 each a day’.

On Sunday's episode of the hit Channel 5 show, she swaps lives with entrepreneur Ayo Gordon who lives in a luxury apartment in Battersea overlooking Chelsea Harbour. He is pictured outside Jodie's house with friend Patrick

On Sunday’s episode of the hit Channel 5 show, she swaps lives with entrepreneur Ayo Gordon who lives in a luxury apartment in Battersea overlooking Chelsea Harbour. He is pictured outside Jodie’s house with friend Patrick

After blowing more than £30 on just one day of food, the pair go door to door of local shops offering to wash windows for £3 to earn food. 

Jodie’s week is full of lavish takeaways, private boat trips, and mentor meetings while Ayo heads to a farm for a dog walk and shops for elderly neighbours.

While she enjoys her takeaway, saying she could never usually get ribs and duck together, Patrick bakes Ayo a potato with baked beans and cheese – but is less than impressed when Ayo doesn’t wash up saying the pair are ‘living like students’.

Despite enjoying the takeaway, Jodie and Leah aren’t too impressed with Ayo’s lack of curtains, and Jodie struggles with her final night treat of five-star privately catered meal.  

Ayo is joined on the swap by his friend and business partner Patrick, while Jodie was joined by her cousin and best friend Leah (pictured outside their house)

Ayo is joined on the swap by his friend and business partner Patrick, while Jodie was joined by her cousin and best friend Leah (pictured outside their house)

‘Jodie is absolutely terrified of the foods, of the looks and the smells of all the different foods,’ Leah explains.  

‘I’m very very nervous but it’s an experience so i’ll give it a go,’ Jodie adds. 

Their first course is lobster nuggets with curry mayonnaise and roasted red pepper.

‘I don’t like it at all.’ Jodie says, spitting it out.

Doing his best to make Jodie feel possible the chef explains it’s basically just ‘posh spam’. 

Next she’s given raw fish with avocado and chilli, which Jodie doesn’t even try. 

Ayo and Patrick struggle on their budget of just £53 a week - and end up going door to door to wash windows

Ayo and Patrick struggle on their budget of just £53 a week – and end up going door to door to wash windows  

‘I’m watching Leah squirm like an absolute rat, there’s no chance I can try it, I won’t even lick it, I just can’t do it, it’s too much poshness,’ she adds. 

She enjoys her third course, a rack of lamb, but embarrasses Leah when she cuts off a piece of bread to eat it with.

‘Please don’t make lamb sandwiches right now Jodie’ Leah pleads, ‘Hell, you can take the girl out of Hatfield,’ she jokes.   

The pair enjoy the final course, a creme brulee, although Jodie adds ‘it’s a bit posh’. 

‘The only way I’d have a personal chef is if they could nail by shepherds pie recipe,’ Jodie adds. 

She then asks Leah: ‘Do you prefer the food you’ve had tonight or do you prefer all the food you’ve had at mine, you know the basic sausage sandwich?’

Leah (right)  says she'd pick the posher lifestyle and could get use to the high life, while Jodie prefers her life in Hatfiled (left with Jodieson)

Leah (right)  says she’d pick the posher lifestyle and could get use to the high life, while Jodie prefers her life in Hatfiled (left with Jodieson) 

Leah says she’d pick the posher lifestyle and could get use to the high life, while Jodie adds she prefers the sausage sandwich.   

While she doesn’t enjoy the food, Jodie does take to other aspects of the high life, taking her son on a private boat tour where she enjoys afternoon tea and beer.

Elsewhere she also buys him a tablet, admitting she struggles to even download an app as she wants her son to be computer literate, as well as taking him on a private tour of a local wildlife park. 

At the end of the week, Jodie meets with Ayo where he offers to mentor her help her out of poverty.

Incredibly grateful, Jodie accepts the offer but reflecting on the week adds: ‘Although they’ve got the fancy cars and fancy apartment, I still feel like I’m the richer one as I’ve got my child, and that’s better than money can buy.’ 

Rich House, Poor House, Sunday 28th at 9pm on Channel 5