0:00:02 > 0:00:05'I'm setting off on a trip that most people dream of.'
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Flipping heck, look at this, is this my campsite? Ha-ha-ha!
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Heading across the UK to discover the best
0:00:12 > 0:00:14that campervan living has to offer.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16All right, isn't it?
0:00:16 > 0:00:19My trusty sidekick and home for the summer is my 1970s
0:00:19 > 0:00:21classic campervan.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24This could be a momentous moment.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26My first overtaking manoeuvre.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30I'm going to fish, forage and cook, tasting my way around Britain.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Oh, my word, it's delicious.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34They are sensational.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Baked beans on toast, take a hike!
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I'll be cooking up the freshest local ingredients,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42to create the best in campervan cuisine.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45That, I would argue, is perfect.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49I'll be revealing the secrets of successful campervan living.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Brings the van level. It's really difficult to cook on a slope.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Along the way, anything can happen.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I managed to hit myself on this piece of furniture here.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Not allowed to drive.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I think the clutch cable's broken.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09So if you've ever dreamed of hitting the road and heading off,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13come with me on my great British campervan food adventure.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Clear road in front of you, king of the road.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'My campervan journey begins in glorious North Devon.'
0:01:34 > 0:01:38This is absolutely gorgeous. I wish the tide was low, I'd go for a surf.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40- Wow, what's that?- A garfish.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43'I find the finest ingredients the sea has to offer.'
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Pick out the biggest ones. It's gonna to be fantastic.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'I pull the van over for some roadside foraging.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Such an amazing, garlicky smell.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56'And I try and get dinner ready before the sea washes it away.'
0:01:56 > 0:01:58The dam is breached. The dinner's ready.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I'm not a chef.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09But I love to cook.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13And I love my campervan and I love getting out and about.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Put that all together and what do you get?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19A campervan food adventure.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26My adventure begins in my home county of Devon.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I'm going to explore the north coast,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30which looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35But first, let me show you my van.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40This gorgeous machine is going to be my home for the summer.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44It's a classic 1970s campervan.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47It's my pride and joy. Come and have a look.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51So in here, I've got pretty much everything I can ever need.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Double bed upstairs, double bed downstairs.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59I've got a fridge, a sink, and most important,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01my two-ring cooker.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'And a few kitchen essentials I never leave home without.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:08My own spice rack. My whistling kettle.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Chopping boards. Three types.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Meat, fish and veg. Plates.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Light and durable.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Won't smash, if you have to go round a corner quickly. My steamer.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Really handy. Tea bags.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And now it's time to hit the road.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34'I said goodbye to wife Jo and daughters Maggie and Charlie
0:03:34 > 0:03:36'and set off on my round trip of the UK.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40'And it looked like it was going to be a glorious, sunny Devon day.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42'I was already off to a great start.'
0:03:42 > 0:03:4615 years ago, I packed up my first campervan with everything I owned
0:03:46 > 0:03:51and headed west on the M4 for a new life at the coast.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53And really, I've never looked back.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Every morning I wake up and thank my lucky stars that I'm able to live
0:03:58 > 0:04:00in the way that I've always dreamed of.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09And I still absolutely love living in North Devon.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13It's a kind of wild and forgotten corner of Britain.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17The surf is very good.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20The beaches are incredible.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23And the scenery, to die for.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29I headed for the coast to rustle up my first campervan meal.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Now, I'm an old hand with campervans. But the one
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I'll be driving on this adventure, I hadn't taken on a long trip before.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45'Even on this first stretch, I was starting to encounter its little quirks.'
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It's actually one of the hottest days of the year today.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50And one of the things that I've noticed about the van
0:04:50 > 0:04:54is that you can't turn the heating off, it's absolutely boiling.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56So I'm going to have to open the window.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02That's better.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Tonight, I was planning
0:05:03 > 0:05:09a menu of mackerel, served with new potatoes and a spicy mojo dip.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11'Clovelly is a traffic-free village.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15'Not the ideal spot for a campervan adventure, you might think,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18'but with views like this, I thought it was worth a stop-off.'
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Wow!
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I tell you what, that's why I gave up everything,
0:05:25 > 0:05:26to come and live down here.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Simply beautiful.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35'Clovelly is a traditional fishing village. So it's the perfect place
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'for me to grab some fresh mackerel for my campervan kitchen.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44'Chris Broad and his family have been fishing here for generations.'
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- Permission to come aboard? - Come on down.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50'He had agreed to take me out to see if I could hook myself some tasty mackerel.'
0:05:50 > 0:05:54You never know with fishing. Some days they're there, some days they're not.
0:05:54 > 0:06:00- What's your experience so far today? - Very quiet at the moment.- Right, OK.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- Shall I get my line out? - Get your line ready and let's see what we can do.- Great.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06OK, let's give it a go.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- Got a spinner there? - Spinner on there. Lovely.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Figured I'd do a bit of spinning.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18'I can just about talk the talk, but the truth was in the casting.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19'Take two!'
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Oh, that's better.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27'Despite all evidence to the contrary, I remained optimistic.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:30There goes a seagull, if I cast it high enough, I might be able to catch one of them!
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'Two hours later and not even a nibble.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39'Chris was rather more realistic about my fishing abilities
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'than I was, and he'd prepared a back-up plan.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44'Some fishing nets he'd put out earlier.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49'So before too long, we'd found a little something for my campervan meal.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Oh, here we are, we're in luck...
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- Whoa!- Wow, what's that?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- That's a garfish.- Garfish. Fantastic.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- Are they good for eating?- No.- No?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02That's only good for pot bait.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06'But before I had time to be disappointed, we'd landed our first mackerel.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Heh-hey!
0:07:07 > 0:07:09- Have we got fish?- We've got fish.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Oh, look at that. Fantastic.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13'And then another...'
0:07:13 > 0:07:15- Very good.- Another mackerel there.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17'..And another.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:18There's another one in there as well.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22God, they're just swimming in!
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- Look at that, that's not a bad one. - Beautiful colours.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Yes, the colours in there are just incredible.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Taste-wise, they're quite oily, aren't they?- Yes.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32'It wasn't long before the bucket was full
0:07:32 > 0:07:36'and it was time to head back to shore.'
0:07:36 > 0:07:37Well, that was fantastic.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I didn't actually catch anything with a rod,
0:07:40 > 0:07:41but I certainly got dinner.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46'The old sea dog that he is, Chris can gut a fish in seconds flat.'
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Cut into the back of the neck,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52through to the bone, and there it is. All comes out. That's for the seagulls.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57'It's certainly effective, but not very aesthetically pleasing.'
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- That's not the way I would have done it.- No?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02No. I just would have cut it straight up.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- Are you going to leave the head on? - Yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07They look prettier on the barbecue.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10'But Chris had to cut short my lesson as he had an escapee.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:17Chris appears to have let his boat float off into the harbour.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'With Chris busy rescuing his boat, I waved goodbye
0:08:20 > 0:08:23'and headed back to my campervan.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Right then, back at the van. Let's do something about these fish.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Out with the cooler.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34The important thing about having a cooler in a camper
0:08:34 > 0:08:39is that you can put things like fish inside it
0:08:39 > 0:08:43and it doesn't stink up the upholstery, cos let's face it,
0:08:43 > 0:08:44I've got to sleep in there tonight.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56Having owned campervans for over 20 years, I've learnt a few things.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59But there's one thing you should never, ever forget,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and that is - pack light.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05There's not a huge amount of space back there and every inch is precious.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Besides, the more weight you carry, the slower you go.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13'So with that in mind, I was going to be picking up just enough
0:09:13 > 0:09:16'fresh ingredients to cook as I went along.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19'What better way to sample local produce?
0:09:19 > 0:09:23'A local farm shop would surely have what I needed for tonight.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27'Fresh herbs, new potatoes, garlic and a couple of lemons.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34'Now, I'm clearly no aristocrat,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38'but I have a friend whose mother is a proper lady of the manor.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40'That's Lady Stucley to you and I,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43'and she lives in a rather lovely house.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45'But the landscape gardens are of no interest to me.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50'I'm here because Lady Stucley also owns a private beach.'
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- Hello.- Oh, hello, Martin.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- What are you doing here?- I fancied cooking up a bit of a barbecue,
0:09:58 > 0:10:04- so I was wondering if you'd let me camp at the beach tonight? - Do, please. And have a good evening.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- Thank you very much. - It's really nice to see you. - And you. Take care. Bye.- Bye.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12'30% of Britain's beaches are privately owned,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16'but of course, you just can't turn up and park for the night.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'However, if you're nice and polite like me,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23'you just might get to stay on a little piece of paradise,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25'and paradise doesn't come much better than this.'
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Much of this coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42and the clear Atlantic water was also going to be a key ingredient for tonight's dinner.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45This is absolutely gorgeous.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47It's been a while since I've been down here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51It's absolutely fantastic. I wish the tide was lower, I'd go for a surf.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56'For my freshly caught mackerel and new potatoes, I wanted to make the most of my environment
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'with a little campervan cooking secret.'
0:10:59 > 0:11:02What I'm going to do is I'm going to pick up some seawater
0:11:02 > 0:11:04to boil my new potatoes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07What happens with this is you boil the potatoes in the seawater,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and when they're cooked, you tip the seawater out,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14then cook them for a few minutes in the pan and all the salt crystallises on the potatoes
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and makes them really crunchy, delicious, salty. A real taste of the sea.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25'So once I'd got my seawater, it was back up the cliff to set up my campervan kitchen.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30'My barbecue would take the longest to get going, so that was my first job.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33'I love these little bucket models.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38'Simple, quick, small and re-usable. Perfect.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44It really depends on the kind of beach you go to
0:11:44 > 0:11:45how much driftwood there is.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48So, you know, if you do intend to have a fire or a barbecue,
0:11:48 > 0:11:54it's not actually a bad plan just to bring a few logs with you from home.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56'So with the fire burning away,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59'it was time to get to work in my portable kitchen,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03'and I don't think I could have picked a better spot.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:07It's all right, isn't it?
0:12:07 > 0:12:12'The evening sun might look absolutely beautiful, but it was a reminder that I didn't
0:12:12 > 0:12:15'have much time to get my food ready before I lost the light.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19'First up, my garlic and coriander dip for my potatoes.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22'Or mojo dip, as it's known in the Canary Islands.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26'I'm using a whole bulb of garlic for this traditional recipe,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30'so this mojo dip should have a real punch to it.'
0:12:30 > 0:12:33So I think the thing about camping on your own really is
0:12:33 > 0:12:36that actually, you can make dishes like this,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39because that amount of garlic going into a dip,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41you'd probably want to be on your own, really!
0:12:41 > 0:12:45OK. Next up, coriander. My favourite.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Chopped up as fine as we can get it.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52'Once I'd chopped the coriander, I ground it into a paste in my pestle and mortar.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57'You'll find no electric kitchen gadgets to help you in the countryside.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00'The final touch was a dessert spoon of cumin,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'a splash of white wine vinegar and a good glug of olive oil.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05'My mojo dip was complete.'
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Oh, Jo is going to be glad she's not here with me tonight!
0:13:09 > 0:13:14Fantastic. A little bit of lovely coriander for a garnish. That's done. Right, moving on.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17'With a handful of potatoes bubbling away in my seawater,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22'it was time for my piece de resistance - my freshly caught mackerel.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25'I stuffed the mackerel with fresh tarragon and lemon slices,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27'and then I tried out a little experiment
0:13:27 > 0:13:31'with a rather unusual cooking method.'
0:13:31 > 0:13:34What we're going to do is wrap him up in newspaper
0:13:34 > 0:13:38and give it a really good wetting down.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41And then back for the next sheet.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46'The idea that the fish goes onto the flames until the paper catches fire,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51'at which point, I take it off, and I'm hopefully left with a perfectly steamed mackerel.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:55I'm not sure where it comes from. It's just one of those kind of...
0:13:55 > 0:13:57almost mythical ways of cooking the fish.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59It's just been one of those things
0:13:59 > 0:14:02that people discover as they go along.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I shifted my boiling potatoes to my handy -
0:14:05 > 0:14:06don't leave home without it -
0:14:06 > 0:14:11portable gas hob whilst I got this fish on the flames.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16I like to experiment, but I'm no fool, so I also did a back up mackerel in foil.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Just in case.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20And we'll just let them steam away.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23As we reached the last snatches of daylight,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25my potatoes were finally boiling.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28After draining the water, I put them back on a low heat,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31allowing the sea salt to crystallise on them.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And thankfully, my fish were done, too.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Fairly well burnt,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39the fish.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Let's have a look at this.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44If the legend is to be believed...
0:14:46 > 0:14:49..then we've got ourselves...
0:14:49 > 0:14:52a perfectly-steamed fish inside here.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Wow!
0:14:55 > 0:14:57There's that fish.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01So there you go. Look at that. Wow! That's amazing. Look.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Perfectly cooked, and the tarragon is just...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Oh, it's absolutely delicious.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I'm really pleased with that.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18As a cooking method, it's, er, you know,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20spot on.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Delicious as it was though,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I didn't want to scoff it all out of the newspaper,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28so I walked to the beach edge to enjoy the beautiful Devon sunset
0:15:28 > 0:15:31with my first campervan meal.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Freshly-caught mackerel stuffed with tarragon and lemon,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37served with sea-salt-encrusted new potatoes.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41And not forgetting, of course, my mojo dip.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45So this has been a really great start to what
0:15:45 > 0:15:47I hope is going to be a great journey.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52All made possible by my friend over there, campervan.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56I think if things carry on like this, yeah, we'll be all right.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02All that remained was to push the roof up, climb into my new bed
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and listen to the sound of the waves as I fell asleep.
0:16:08 > 0:16:15Coming up - I reveal of the best way to strum up an egg banjo.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Mmm!
0:16:18 > 0:16:22And I show you how to pick up some beach-side fast food.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28This is the restaurant with the finest view in the world.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Right then. Well, I slept pretty well last night.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34It's a little bit cold this morning,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36but I wouldn't want to wake up anywhere else.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54That's not a bad view to wake up to, is it?
0:16:54 > 0:16:58And...surf's looking pretty good as well.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Might be time to go and get some waves.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02If the shaggy hair wasn't enough of a clue,
0:17:02 > 0:17:07I should perhaps own up to being a fully-fledged surfing fanatic.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10So just off to meet a couple of friends of mine to go for a surf.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13For me, one of the great things about campervan living
0:17:13 > 0:17:16is the fact that you can just sleep anywhere you want to
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and you can make an adventure out of every day.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23And you might have to be more resourceful in the way you cook, or be more imaginative.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26So you just have a huge amount of fun doing it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30My love of catching waves was what fuelled my passion for campervans
0:17:30 > 0:17:34and endless weekends spent driving up and down the coast looking for perfect surf.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- Nice to see you.- I just got back on Monday.- Did you? Brilliant.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40'And 25 years on, nothing much has changed.'
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Morning. You all right?
0:17:42 > 0:17:44- Yeah.- Shall we get in then?
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- Yeah, definitely. - Come on then. Ready.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49What a day!
0:17:50 > 0:17:54For you, this might just look like a stormy sea, but for me,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56this was an invitation to heaven.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Just look at that surf!
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Believe it or not, this is what I call relaxation.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08I've been doing this for years with my surfing buddies, Simon and Justin.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11This stretch of Devon coast is ideal.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Waves created by storms thousands of miles out in the Atlantic
0:18:14 > 0:18:18are channelled into these idyllic bays.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22That was so much fun.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Now since I've got the van, I've drawn the short straw.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I've got to make breakfast.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31And that required some careful planning.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33So the secret to cooking in a campervan
0:18:33 > 0:18:35is to be really well organised.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Everything out that you're going to need, ready before you start.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44This morning was the first time I'd used my new cooker,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49and I was making an old faithful recipe - exploding egg banjos.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Don't want to overcook these eggs, because
0:18:52 > 0:18:56we need to keep those yolks nice and runny.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00The eggs need to be cooked sunny side up
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and supplemented with a healthy dollop of brown sauce.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07So, whilst you might think this is an ordinary egg sandwich,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09what's so special about it...
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Mmm!
0:19:13 > 0:19:16That's the explosion,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18and that's the banjo!
0:19:18 > 0:19:21And this is the joy of campervan living.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Oh, it's delicious.
0:19:23 > 0:19:29You can park up in spectacular places and fry up an impromptu breakfast for your mates.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Three exploding egg banjos.- Oh, yes!
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- You might need to stand up to eat these.- Cheers, Mart.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36There you go.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39That's fantastic. They're pretty exploding.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Good. Kettle's on, anyway.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Now I'd fed them, it was time for the guided tour.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48So yeah, got double bed downstairs.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Double bed upstairs.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Is that for pole-dancing?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54This is for pole-dancing, yeah. Look.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Just my size!
0:19:57 > 0:19:59That looks like a good night out.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02The table obviously goes on there.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06This little spare seat, this is quite cool for the kids.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10So you can actually sit four around the table.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- They're very well thought out, aren't they?- Yeah, they're pretty good.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18And it's amazing really that it's like 32 years old,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23and it's still in reasonable condition. So, yeah.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The challenge of course is keeping the van in perfect nick.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30The joy of reaching isolated spots is tempered only with the trepidation
0:20:30 > 0:20:33of driving back up overgrown dirt tracks, with all kinds
0:20:33 > 0:20:38of brambles and branches threatening my paint work.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42With that hazard safely negotiated, it was time to hunt for more food.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I had finished all of the mackerel
0:20:44 > 0:20:47last night, and Simon and Justin headed back into the surf.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Leaving me on my own to source and cook tonight's meal.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Luckily, the key ingredients were close at hand.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59OK, mussels - these little beauties
0:20:59 > 0:21:03- is my favourite all time, number one campervan adventure
0:21:03 > 0:21:05cos it's free food. It's absolutely delicious.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11The sea here is really clean, so they're as good as they possibly can be.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16I decided to cook Thai style, steaming the mussels in coconut milk, with chillies,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18garlic, spring onions and ginger.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21This is certainly a lot easier than fishing,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23as long as you know where to look.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27The best time to pick mussels is on a low spring tide,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31when the biggest ones will be exposed.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And it's best not to pick too many from the same spot.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Pick out the biggest ones
0:21:36 > 0:21:37and move on.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41As with all foraging, we need to leave a few for the future,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44so I only ever pick the biggest mussels from each spot.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47This allows the rest to reach their full potential.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50So far so good, but once again,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Mother Nature has imposed a deadline.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Right, well, the tide's starting to come in.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I think I've got enough mussels.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00They really are fantastic.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05The lads from this morning have been surfing all afternoon, so I'll cook them something special.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It's going to be fantastic.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12A bucketful of fresh mussels is a great start, but I still had my special Thai sauce
0:22:12 > 0:22:16to add to the mix, and there was a key ingredient I was hoping to find.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19It's called ramsons - wild garlic to you and I -
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and it's only in season for a very short time in early summer.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27Because it's wild, you never know when you're going to find it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Ah. I smell wild garlic.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Luckily, it has a very, very strong smell.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41One of the dangers of finding wild garlic is getting run over!
0:22:41 > 0:22:44It grows in early summer,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47and you smell it often before you see it.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50It's got such an amazing strong garlicky smell.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Best thing is, pull over, somewhere safe, of course.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Jump out the van, pick yourself a load of leaves, use it later on.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Whilst I'd been hard at work,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Simon and Justin had been chasing waves all down the coast.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08They had moved on to a sandy beach
0:23:08 > 0:23:13that would be the picturesque venue for my Thai mussel extravaganza.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- How was it?- It was all right, - It was good.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Not as good as this morning. You haven't missed it.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- You guys chill out and I'll get cooking.- Brilliant.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Two broken men, starving.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32The setting could not be more perfect for our end of the day meal.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37We had no fridge, so the beers were cooling in a nearby rock pool.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41I got the chaps to help me with a spot of chopping, as the tide
0:23:41 > 0:23:45was already making its way in towards our beach-side kitchen.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52The boys are at work, earning their supper.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56I'm just going to debeard these mussels, then I'm going to soak them
0:23:56 > 0:23:59in fresh water, with a little dash of malt vinegar.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02That will encourage them to spit out
0:24:02 > 0:24:05all their bits of grit and grime that they get inside their shells.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10Hopefully, in a sort of half an hour or so they'll be ready to cook.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12But be careful. Floating mussels may be dead
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and can give you food poisoning if you eat them.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Give them a good stir, just to make sure none of them are floating.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22So if any of them float like that one it means they're no good.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Then you throw them away.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Bit of olive oil and all our bits and pieces.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Spring onions, wild garlic, or ramsons as it's known.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Chilli, ginger and garlic, that all goes in.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38So what we do is give that a really good stir.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39So a couple of minutes
0:24:40 > 0:24:43to get that slightly softened. We don't want to burn anything.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Then in goes the coconut milk.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52We'll just let that simmer.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56So while we're waiting for that to come to a boil, I think I need something to drink.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Any chance of a beer?
0:24:57 > 0:25:01- One for the chef.- Oh cheers, Si.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Right, that's now boiling.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Squeeze a couple of limes in there.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11So it's kind of like a Thai dish,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15but you could use lemongrass or green curry paste.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17We're about to get washed away
0:25:17 > 0:25:20by the sea here!
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Any minute now.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24I think we'll be all right. We better get those mussels in.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26In they go.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27As many as we can.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Give that a stir.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Here comes the sea again. The tide was in danger of ruining
0:25:37 > 0:25:40all my hard work, and so the cavalry got off their chairs
0:25:40 > 0:25:42and offered to help me out.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Hey, Martin, shall we build a trench?
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Come on, quick, quick, the tide's coming in!
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Not only do they have to chop their own dinner, they also have to build
0:25:51 > 0:25:55a dam to save their dinner from the incoming tide.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58How desperate are we!
0:25:58 > 0:26:03But would our impromptu defences buy some crucial cooking time?
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- Hooray!- Good job.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12That's quite impressive. That's pretty good, isn't it. It worked.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Just a quick check. Yes, starting to open.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16So just a couple more minutes
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and we're there, just as long as we can hold back the waves.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The home-made sea defences look to be holding,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27but further up the beach - disaster!
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Oh, I think we've lost the beer!
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Never mind the dinner. There's one.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- Oh no, here we go.- I've got it.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Thank God for that!
0:26:37 > 0:26:42The sea was trying to reclaim the mussels, but I was determined to add the finishing touches.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I hadn't realised I was putting the whole meal at risk.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Big handful of coriander. Just tear it up, chuck it in.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Load of basil.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56A quick stir.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Let's have a look.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Fresh mussels.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Pretty good.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05The dam is breached. The dinner's ready.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18And...do you know what, I'm going to serve up.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Fresh, English mussels
0:27:23 > 0:27:27in a Thai coconut sauce and they look stunning.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- Cheers, Mart.- Oh, pleasure.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I can taste the ginger.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Doesn't get much better, does it?
0:27:36 > 0:27:38What you going to do next time we go for a surf?
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Do you know what I'm going to do next time? Buy a tide table.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49I would hazard a guess, despite the small problems with the tide
0:27:49 > 0:27:52nearly taking dinner away from us,
0:27:52 > 0:27:57that this is the restaurant
0:27:57 > 0:28:00with the finest view in the world. What do you think?
0:28:00 > 0:28:01Definitely.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08- Same again next week?- Yep!
0:28:08 > 0:28:11White wine and cream next week.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12Do you do puddings?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Next time on One Man and His Campervan...
0:28:17 > 0:28:21I take my campervan to one of the most beautiful forests in Britain.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24It's so great to be back in the New Forest.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26I go foraging for my dinner.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27That's an absolute cracker.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31And will my tiny campervan kitchen allow me to make a classic French dish
0:28:31 > 0:28:34with a rather unusual local twist?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk