0:00:02 > 0:00:03OK, Gastronuts, let's find out
0:00:03 > 0:00:06what subject we're going to be exploring today.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16"The secret tricks behind our treats".
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant
0:00:38 > 0:00:43and gazed up at a picture of a beautiful, juicy burger, piled high
0:00:43 > 0:00:47with crisp lettuce and tomatoes, and all encased in a fresh, springy bun.
0:00:47 > 0:00:53And then, when your burger arrives, it looks something like this?
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Today we're going to lift the lid on how restaurants and supermarkets
0:00:57 > 0:01:00use cunning tricks to make us buy their food.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02And the Gastronuts helping me do just that are...
0:01:10 > 0:01:14I've been tricked at the supermarket cos of those little samples
0:01:14 > 0:01:17that you try. When you've got home, they're not as nice as they were.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Whenever we go in the sweets aisle...
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I ask my mum if we can get the pick and mix.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I've been tricked
0:01:26 > 0:01:28by the packaging because it
0:01:28 > 0:01:32looks nice, but the food didn't taste that nice.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I think with the packaging, the more flashy it is,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37the more you think you'll like it.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40It turns out you don't really like it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Coming up in today's show, we uncover the secret ingredients
0:01:43 > 0:01:46in our favourite sweet treats.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50The Gastronuts make a splash when finding out just how our lettuce
0:01:50 > 0:01:52stays luscious.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54And we find out just how
0:01:54 > 0:01:58far a butternut has to fly before it becomes a squash.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02- It split, didn't it?- It did.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07But first, when you see photographs of food in magazines or restaurants,
0:02:07 > 0:02:08it always looks amazing.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Almost always more amazing than in real life.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17But just how do photographers change food from hum-drum to yum-yum?
0:02:17 > 0:02:21I want to introduce you to somebody who takes boring food
0:02:21 > 0:02:22and sprinkles magic on it,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25to make it look like something you want to eat.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32- OK, Gastronuts, this is Chris. Chris, Gastronuts!- Hi, Chris.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Morning, Gastronuts. Welcome to my studio.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Now Chris is an amazing man.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39He's part magician, part artist.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43He's a food photographer, and he's agreed, very kindly, to show us some
0:02:43 > 0:02:46of the tricks of his trade.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Have you ever had your picture taken in a studio? Yeah?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51You've got to tidy yourself up a little bit?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54That's what we do, but with food instead of people.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58If you want to follow me over here,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I'll show you some things we're able to do.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Under here, I've got a picture.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07What does that look like to you?
0:03:07 > 0:03:08- Roast turkey.- Yeah.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- Does it look good, guys? Would you eat that?- Yes!
0:03:11 > 0:03:14It's all kind of shiny and yummy looking.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18This chicken looks beautifully cooked and ready to eat,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21but in fact it's only been in the oven for half an hour,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and would be lethal if you ate it.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26This would normally be partially cooked.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30You don't want to get too hot. Otherwise it wrinkles up the skin.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Where we start is something like that. What does that look like?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- A raw turkey.- It looks like dead meat really, doesn't it?
0:03:37 > 0:03:39- Yeah.- Not very nice, is it?- No.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42What do you notice about the colour of this?
0:03:42 > 0:03:43- It's brown.- It's a lot browner.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47There are some things we can do to make it look good enough to eat.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50If you could grab the... See this tray full of things down here?
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Instead of browning it in the oven, Chris is painting this chicken,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57using a mixture of marmite, olive oil, soy sauce
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and one very unexpected ingredient.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03So, hang on, you've just put washing up liquid in the paint.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08You know when you're washing dishes, you've got a greasy old pot or pan,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11you put detergent in there to break up the grease?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14This does exactly the same thing. When you put that on there,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17it stops it getting all claggy. Just have a little go.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Put a little bit on there. Sometimes you have to experiment a little bit.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25It kind of feels a bit weird, because you're painting a chicken.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- You normally paint something else. - Not a chicken!- Yeah!
0:04:28 > 0:04:31That's beginning to look really brown now, isn't it?
0:04:31 > 0:04:33THEY GIGGLE
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Now it really looks like it's been cooked!
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- What do you think that would taste like?- Eh, not very nice!
0:04:40 > 0:04:43After having all that fake tan applied, the chicken now
0:04:43 > 0:04:48appears cooked. But it doesn't look as big and juicy as the photo.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50But just wait and see what foul tricks
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Chris has got for plumping up the bird.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Chris, what's the mash for?
0:04:53 > 0:04:58Quite often we'd actually take this and stuff it down inside.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Mash is really god, because you can use it to support
0:05:01 > 0:05:05all kinds of things. You know what's really good for doing this?
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Stuffing?
0:05:07 > 0:05:08No.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Dog food.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11No! What do you think of that?
0:05:11 > 0:05:15It's great, because it's cheap and you can quite often use it
0:05:15 > 0:05:18to stuff pies, or if there's something meaty
0:05:18 > 0:05:21and you know there's going to be something in front of it
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- which is the same colour.- It's a bit weird.- That probably is weird.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27I probably shouldn't have told you that!
0:05:27 > 0:05:29You don't really want to eat dog food, do you?
0:05:29 > 0:05:32You always have to remember, you're not going to eat the picture.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35It looks great. We started off with a dead chicken,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38now it looks like something you may be able to eat.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Finally, the vegetables are placed in. And our raw and unattractive
0:05:43 > 0:05:46old squawker looks like a feast fit for a Gastronut.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51I was very surprised at the difference in the dishes.
0:05:51 > 0:05:57It changes from looking really horrible to looking really nice,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00just with adding a few fake things.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04I'll be a bit more suspicious of food photos from now on.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08They don't always tell the truth about things.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!
0:06:10 > 0:06:13It's not just food photos that play tricks on us.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17If you start looking closely at what's in them, some of our
0:06:17 > 0:06:20favourite foods contain surprising, grizzly ingredients.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21Who likes sweets?
0:06:21 > 0:06:22Me!
0:06:22 > 0:06:26What can be bad about sweets?
0:06:26 > 0:06:29A-ha, so you have seen this show before then. Who would like a...
0:06:29 > 0:06:33who would like one of these little dolly mixtures? Grab one of them.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34Pick one!
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Grab any one. There are no tricks, they're just sweets.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43What about a little almond tart, do you like them?
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Are they almonds?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Yeah, that kind of thing. OK, what have we got here?
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Grab a couple of those.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51This is all good stuff.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55We've got some little jelly bean things. Who likes marshmallows?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- Me!- OK, grab a marshmallow. - One!- Two!
0:07:01 > 0:07:02There you go. Taste good?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Yeah.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09I think I better tell you what you're eating.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Let's start off over here.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Now, all these things
0:07:14 > 0:07:18have nice kind of deep reddish, purplish colours to them.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23But that colour comes from this...
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- Cool!- What is that?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30OK, grab a few of these little bits in your hand.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Just put them in your palm.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Feels like the stuff you get in grits.- Feels like charcoal.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37What do these little things look like?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41- Diamonds.- Diamonds. They look like fossils, don't they?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And what are fossils?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Dead animals?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Dead animals. Have you ever seen the shell of a bug?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Yeah.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Yeah. These are the shells of the cochineal bug.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Oh!
0:07:58 > 0:08:00You dropped them pretty quickly, didn't you?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02That's nasty!
0:08:02 > 0:08:05OK. Now over here is...?
0:08:05 > 0:08:06A dried up potato.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08It's a dried up potato.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Can you see what's on the sprout coming out of the potato?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- Spots?- Spots.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Those are little bugs. And those bugs look exactly the same
0:08:16 > 0:08:20as the cochineal beetle that we get this colour from.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22And that's the colour that's in these sweets.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Where did you get these from?
0:08:24 > 0:08:27These come from South America.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29So when you're eating these things,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- you're eating just a little bit of both.- Oh!
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Yes, the red, orange and purple colour we get
0:08:36 > 0:08:41in our favourite sweets often comes from crushed beetle juice.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Shall we go and find out what's over here? What's interesting
0:08:44 > 0:08:46about this is the colour and glaze -
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- nice and shiny, aren't they? - Sugary shells.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Yeah, sugary shells.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53OK, shall I tell you the secret of sugary shells? OK, here we are.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Oh!
0:08:57 > 0:08:59OK, what can you see there?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02What is that?
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It's like mouldy potatoes.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Yeah, that's mouldy potatoes. It's not the potatoes that are in it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11But what can you see attached to the sprout of the potatoes?
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Little bugs with tiny white legs.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Let's have a look.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20If you look really closely there...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Oh!
0:09:22 > 0:09:23- Would you guys eat bugs?- No!
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Yes!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Exactly! You already have.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30These are exactly the same as...
0:09:30 > 0:09:32You've eaten one!
0:09:32 > 0:09:33As...
0:09:35 > 0:09:36You've eaten bugs!
0:09:36 > 0:09:40These are exactly the same as the lac bug.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And the lac bug makes something called shellac.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47And shellac is used as a glazing agent.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50It's what makes these things so shiny.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It makes that beautiful glaze on the top of all these things.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Little lac beetles grow on cacti,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and there are hundreds of thousands of them.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01They all grow, and they secrete a resin.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04That's collected as this stuff.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07That's the raw resin.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10If you look really closely you can see little dimples in it,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14where it's been scraped off the bugs attached to the cactii.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17It goes through different stages until it becomes this.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It's like a varnish. What do you think about this?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24What do you think about the idea of eating...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26I'm definitely going to think twice.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Think twice about eating.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33So, some of our fave sweets contain beetlejuice and excretions.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Surely it can't get any worse than this?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40OK, guys, it's time to talk marshmallows.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Oh, no!
0:10:49 > 0:10:50Pigs' feet!
0:10:50 > 0:10:53It's actually cows' foot.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Oh, no way!
0:10:55 > 0:11:00OK, well, what you've got here are leaves of gelatin.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04And gelatin is a binding agent.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06It sets things into a really good consistency.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10- There's lots of that in jelly and things like that.- It smells like cow.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14It smells slightly fishy actually, doesn't it?
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Gelatin comes when you take lots and lots of bones of animals,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and you boil them down.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Hooves have loads of gelatin in. Then you reduce the water down.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29And what's left behind is lots and lots of gelatin.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And that is why these have such an extraordinary texture.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38- Ooh!- Springyness.- It's all wet!
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Does any of this actually make you dislike any of the food?
0:11:42 > 0:11:47- Yeah.- A bit. Marshmallows...
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Marshmallows taste nice.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53If you're going to eat a burger made out of beef,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- then maybe you should be able to eat a hoof.- It's nice!
0:11:56 > 0:11:59It's nice, exactly. Some of these things are secrets,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01but it doesn't make food disgusting.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04It sort of expands your mind a little bit and you think,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07"There are stories that sit behind all this food."
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- I finally like beef! - Do you not like beef?
0:12:11 > 0:12:14No. I didn't know it was what marshmallows were made of.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Now I know, I just love beef!
0:12:16 > 0:12:19That's a revelation, isn't it? Brilliant.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21MOO!
0:12:21 > 0:12:23So, Gastronuts, we've come to the supermarket.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Are you ready to go shopping?- Yeah! - OK, follow me!
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Believe it or not, every time we enter the supermarket,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33we're bombarded with secret methods of making us spend our money.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I want to see just how good the Gastronuts are at resisting them.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38I want to introduce you to someone.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Gastronuts, Jasmine - Jasmine, Gastronuts!
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Jasmine has a little task for you.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46What I'm going to do is divide you up into two teams,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48so Lucy and Alfie, and Tom and Stephanie.
0:12:48 > 0:12:55And I'm going to give you £30 to spend. 30 for you, 30 for you.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57I'd like you to go round the shop
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and buy enough food and fun things for a party.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04You've only got ten minutes to do your shopping.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Jasmine is an expert on how supermarkets
0:13:06 > 0:13:09persuade us to part with our cash.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12She will be watching to see if the teams are able to resist
0:13:12 > 0:13:16the ways they tempt us to spend more money than we mean to.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Ten minutes starts now.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Chicken!
0:13:21 > 0:13:24They go straight for chicken. What's going on?
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Not surprisingly.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28They put that wonderful cooked chicken right at the start.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32You come in the store with no intention of buying cooked chicken,
0:13:32 > 0:13:33you see it and have to have it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36But will Tom and Stephanie be tempted?
0:13:36 > 0:13:38They've missed the chicken.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41They're going straight into the depths of the store.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- I didn't expect that.- No, I didn't.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Sausages as well, please.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51It's all right. No sausages.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Why do you have to disagree with me?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Not even one minute in,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and already Alfie and Lucy are bickering like Mum and Dad
0:13:57 > 0:14:01and they have been unable to resist the aroma of cooked chook.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- Definitely. Definitely. Noodles. - What?- Noodles.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- Not noodles!- Yes. You have got to have noodles.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Interesting how they all completely ignored the fruit and veg.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Cakes. Anything here? What's that?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Chocolate-chip cookies. Two packs of them.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28'Tom and Steph dodged the chicken,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'but when it comes to the cookies they have crumbled.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:32So what are they doing here?
0:14:32 > 0:14:35One of the amazing things they always do
0:14:35 > 0:14:38is to put all the more expensive goods at eye-level
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and the cheaper things are down at the bottom and up at the top.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- You are guided to spend more money. - Absolutely.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- It is a naughty trick, isn't it? - It is.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I'll go and get the sweets!
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- Just get two. No.- Both are the same.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55No! Why get them both the same?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- Hummus. Good, hummus.- What's that?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00- Hummus.- What's hummus?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02It is like stuff which is...
0:15:02 > 0:15:05- I hope we're not out of money already.- No. Hopefully not.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08OK, guys, your time is up.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09No!
0:15:12 > 0:15:14The Gastronuts have got to the checkout
0:15:14 > 0:15:16but the story is not quite over, is it?
0:15:16 > 0:15:18No. They have the hurdle of the sweets.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19Lots of lovely bags of sweets,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23from the ground up to sort of kids' eyelevel.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25So, the Gastronuts have been tempted
0:15:25 > 0:15:28all the way from the front door to the checkout.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Have they stayed under their £30 budget or has the supermarket
0:15:32 > 0:15:35persuaded them to spend more than they intended?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38What if we don't have enough money?
0:15:39 > 0:15:40I am sure we will.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- We will keep an eye on the bill as we're going.- Thank you.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52We are on £16.23.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56We are on £30.12.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58We will put these ones through.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01All right, with your crisps...
0:16:01 > 0:16:02THE CHILDREN GROAN
0:16:02 > 0:16:03..£42.58.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Alfie and Lucy have blown their £30 budget and spent a whopping...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Will Tom and Stephanie do any better?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20You're on £22.18 at the moment.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26We're on £35.62.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Right, we're on £41.74.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35So, both teams went over their £30 budget,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38spending about 12 quid more than they meant to.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40OK, Gastronuts. Who do you think won?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42ALL: Us! Us!
0:16:42 > 0:16:46OK. The trouble is, you don't know who you were competing against.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48It might not be what you thought.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Actually, when you went into that store,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56you were in competition with the supermarket.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00The question was, could you actually beat them at their own game?
0:17:00 > 0:17:02I can see a few things here that were bought
0:17:02 > 0:17:05because the supermarket wanted you to buy them.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10For a start, these were there on a special stand, weren't they?
0:17:10 > 0:17:12They were right in front of you.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16You know when you have those great long aisles and at the ends of them,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19they have got the things they want you to buy,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22because they know people will go past and go, "Go on."
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Even though they did not intend to when they went into the shop.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Lucy, what have you got there in that bag?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- This one?- Yes.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Salad.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33That is nice to have salad,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36but although it has got a nice big red £1 and you think,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39"£1, that is not bad."
0:17:39 > 0:17:44Actually, for £1, you could buy one, one-and-a-half whole lettuces.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Which would give you
0:17:45 > 0:17:48two or three times the amount of lettuce that is in here.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Now that we have bought this food, what are we going to do with it?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- ALL: Eat it! - Let's have a party!
0:17:54 > 0:17:57THEY CHEER
0:17:57 > 0:18:00I will think more carefully about buying food in the future
0:18:00 > 0:18:03because I never knew there was such secrets behind it.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05BELCHES
0:18:05 > 0:18:09We are exposing the tricks behind our best-loved treats.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13So far, we have seen our favourite chews are made out of cow shoes.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15ALL: Ugh!
0:18:16 > 0:18:18And made a chicken finger-lickin'
0:18:18 > 0:18:21just from a-dippin' in some dodgy liquid.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24It feels a bit weird because you are painting a chicken.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Later on, they say pigs can't fly, but can lamb?
0:18:29 > 0:18:30ALL: Whoa!
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Got about halfway.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Remember that bag of pre-washed salad the guys bought earlier?
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Ever wondered how it stays so fresh
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and why there's so much air in the bag?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Time to reveal yet another trick.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Here is a bag of lettuce.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52It is pure, it is clean.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Or is it?
0:18:54 > 0:18:58I want to take you on a little journey to find out what happens
0:18:58 > 0:19:01to salad when you buy it in a bag.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05OK? Now, to achieve this, we're going to need to do something
0:19:05 > 0:19:07that will seem a bit strange.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10We need to cover ourselves in salad leaves.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Have you never swum with your salad before?
0:19:16 > 0:19:17ALL: No!
0:19:17 > 0:19:18HE LAUGHS
0:19:18 > 0:19:23This may be the weirdest salad dressing I have ever tried.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27- How are you looking, strange vegetable children?- Good.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29How are you doing strange vegetable man?
0:19:34 > 0:19:36OK. Everyone all set?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Let me take a look at you.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Whoa-ho-ho-ho!
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Whoa!
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Strange vegetable Gastronuts. Cool. Feel good?
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- ALL: Yes. - Yes, OK. Now...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- Put our feet in?- That's it, whoa!
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Oh!- This is weird!
0:19:52 > 0:19:54OK.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Are you ready for this?
0:19:57 > 0:19:58- ALL: Yes. - OK, now...
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Go!
0:20:14 > 0:20:20OK. Everyone jump out. So what have we just swum through?
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- Water.- Water, yes, exactly.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- But what else is in the water? - Chlorine.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Exactly. And this salad has been washed in water
0:20:28 > 0:20:31that has more chlorine in than your average swimming pool.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33ALL: Whoa.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Do you know what chlorine does?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37It sort of cleans things.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Yeah, do you know how it cleans it?
0:20:40 > 0:20:41It kills it.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It helps to kill bacteria and stop it from growing.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46You don't really think
0:20:46 > 0:20:51they put loads of lettuce in a giant swimming pool
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and get a huge spoon or something and mix it all round?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Salads that have been washed in chlorine
0:20:57 > 0:20:59get rinsed in fresh water afterwards
0:20:59 > 0:21:02but it seems a bit weird that this is what they go through
0:21:02 > 0:21:05in order to be ready to eat.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06What's in here?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- Lettuce.- Lettuce.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- And what else is in there?- Air.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13But it is a very special type of air with a few secrets of its own.
0:21:23 > 0:21:29How can you put a match out using only a bag filled with salad?
0:21:29 > 0:21:30Let me show you.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32We'll take a match
0:21:32 > 0:21:36and light it with this Bunsen burner.
0:21:36 > 0:21:43We will then take a bag of everyday supermarket salad
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and put a match inside.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49You can see it goes out instantly.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51The reason is,
0:21:51 > 0:21:57salad that has been left lying around slowly loses its moisture.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00The oxygen from the air
0:22:00 > 0:22:02actually makes it slowly go off and turn brown.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05What they do is they place it in a plastic bag
0:22:05 > 0:22:07which keeps the moisture in.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11They actually fill it with nitrogen gas, the protective atmosphere.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14That is really air without the oxygen.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Of course, a match cannot burn without oxygen.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Who likes a Sunday roast?
0:22:23 > 0:22:24- ALL: Me! - Yes, it's fantastic!
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Where has all this food come from? Whereabouts in the country?
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- England.- Scotland.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32- Your gardens. - Your gardens, from Cornwall...
0:22:32 > 0:22:34The truth is, all of these things
0:22:34 > 0:22:38could come from different places in England
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but we can't grow all of these things all the year round.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43If we were to have this in the wintertime,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45we would have to go further afield.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47I want to show you just how far
0:22:47 > 0:22:51some of our food has to travel. Follow me.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Supermarkets pull off an incredible trick
0:22:53 > 0:22:56in allowing us to have a roast dinner every Sunday of the year.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59To show how much effort goes into creating one meal,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03the Gastronuts are going to try and fly the ingredients in from where they were grown
0:23:03 > 0:23:05to our plate back in the UK.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Have you heard the phrase "food miles" before?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09No.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12OK. Food miles is all about carbon emissions.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16If something has to travel a long way on a plane on a boat,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19it gives off lots of carbon which is potentially damaging
0:23:19 > 0:23:20to the environment.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22First of all,
0:23:22 > 0:23:23- what is that down there?- Leeks.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Leeks. Everyone grab a leek.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Go for it.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Leaks grow in the UK all year round, so being close to home
0:23:34 > 0:23:36means they don't create lots of carbon dioxide
0:23:36 > 0:23:38by clocking up thousands of food miles.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- OK, let's go and find the potatoes. - Israel?!
0:23:42 > 0:23:45To get potatoes on the plate all year round, we already have to
0:23:45 > 0:23:48travel a couple of thousand miles.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Why do potatoes come from Israel?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Well, in winter, when we don't grow them here,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56we have to get them from somewhere.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00The grow in hotter places. Israel can grow potatoes when we can't.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04A long way for a potato to travel. Now, we want to see how easy it is
0:24:04 > 0:24:09to get them from here, from 2,200 miles away, onto a plate.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12OK. Mash those potatoes!
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Go on! Go on, Tom!
0:24:14 > 0:24:17What are you doing?! On the plate, you nutcase!
0:24:20 > 0:24:232,200 miles is a long way for potatoes to come.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28Our efforts to get them on the plate have mashed and burned.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30That was pretty tough, wasn't it?
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Let's look at the plate again. Who likes carrots?
0:24:33 > 0:24:34ALL: Me!
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I love carrots!
0:24:36 > 0:24:37What about the carrots?
0:24:37 > 0:24:41They have got to travel 6,000 miles, all the way from South Africa.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Do carrots have to be grown in South Africa
0:24:44 > 0:24:47because of the same reason of the potatoes?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Same thing. Out of season - normally, we grow
0:24:49 > 0:24:51tons and tons of carrots in Britain.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Out of season, in winter, we can't grow them.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57If we want to eat them, we have to get them from somewhere.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Let's get back to the plate because we need to get carrots on our plate.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- We couldn't get the potatoes, did we?- I reckon we will.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06I reckon you will.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I only think you will if you have a little bit of help.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Oh! I know how to use those!
0:25:15 > 0:25:18OK. Hold on tight, hold on tight, hold on tight
0:25:18 > 0:25:19and go!
0:25:19 > 0:25:24Woo hoo! Yes! You got some on there! Woo hoo hoo!
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Lucy is trying to airlift the butternut squash
0:25:27 > 0:25:28all the way from Argentina.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Point it high. Hold it really strong. Are you ready? Further.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35OK. The squash only made it to Mexico.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Let's see how we do on take two.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Further, bit further.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Go on, roll, roll, roll, toll! Yes! Woo hoo!
0:25:48 > 0:25:53- OK, so, to the last one of all, what is that?- Lamb.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Much of our winter lamb comes from the furthest
0:25:56 > 0:25:57possible place on earth -
0:25:57 > 0:25:59New Zealand.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Stand by, it is going to be a big one.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Holding nice and tight, holding nice and tight.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07'Travelling that far generates a lot of carbon dioxide
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'and it will take a team effort to get it on our plate.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:12It got about halfway.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13Yes.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17We only managed to get leeks, carrots
0:26:17 > 0:26:19and butternut squash on our plate.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I know it's a slightly odd way to explain it,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24but it's the best way I could think of showing you how it takes
0:26:24 > 0:26:2826,000 miles to eat that plate of food when it's out of season.
0:26:28 > 0:26:3326,000 miles is further than going all the way round the equator.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35You could just change your meal
0:26:35 > 0:26:38instead of getting it from all that distance.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42I would go for noodles because you can have them all year round.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46It shows how much the people work to get it to us for Christmas and stuff.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Also, people in countries a long way away,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51why shouldn't they be able to trade with us?
0:26:51 > 0:26:54But there is a pay-off because it has to travel a long way.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58It is extraordinary to discover what goes into providing us
0:26:58 > 0:27:00with the food that we want, when we want it.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04The Gastronuts and I have discovered so many tricks behind our treats.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07I never realised we were eating so many secrets.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10The more surprising thing about being on Gastronuts was finding
0:27:10 > 0:27:15out that insects and cows feet were in some of your favourite sweets.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21The most enjoyable thing on Gastronuts was swimming with
0:27:21 > 0:27:26lettuce all over me because it felt all gooey and it was really fun.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32The thing I enjoyed most was when we catapulted the meat
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and it just fell dead against the ground, it didn't bounce or anything.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42I'll think more carefully about buying food in the future because I
0:27:42 > 0:27:45will not just look at the packaging because it looks really cool.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50I will try and figure out what it really looks like inside.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:03 > 0:28:06E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk