0:00:02 > 0:00:04Forget the partridge in a pear tree, this Christmas,
0:00:04 > 0:00:09we will eat 10 million turkeys and 1.4 billion sprouts.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Our kids will find 165 million presents
0:00:13 > 0:00:16under seven million Christmas trees.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21It's a festive bonanza produced in factories all over the country.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Tonight, we'll be following the production of Christmas cake.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Last year in the UK, we ate more than 40 million of them.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I'm Gregg Wallace...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Whoa. That's a Christmas cake.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37..and I'll be discovering some of the fascinating secrets
0:00:37 > 0:00:39of this skilled production line.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42I would never have imagined each one of these had to be
0:00:42 > 0:00:43done by hand.
0:00:43 > 0:00:481,500 people work 24 hours a day here,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50in this enormous factory.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52And I'm Cherry Healey.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57I'll be helping to turn 20 million apples into some of the brandy
0:00:57 > 0:00:59that will light up your puddings this Christmas.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Happy Christmas!
0:01:01 > 0:01:05And I'll be attempting to make a traditional festive bauble
0:01:05 > 0:01:08from red-hot molten glass.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10What's happening? Oh, no!
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Oh, I think I killed it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And historian Ruth Goodman will be shedding some light
0:01:14 > 0:01:18on the history of one of Christmas's best-loved decorations.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Fairy lights!
0:01:20 > 0:01:25This year, two million Christmas cakes will fly out of this factory.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And this is the wonderful story of how they put the cheer
0:01:28 > 0:01:30into every one.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Welcome to Inside The Christmas Factory.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55This is the Park Cakes factory in Oldham near Manchester.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59This ten-acre site produces more than 400 different cakes
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and desserts.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04From chocolate tiffin, to dome-shaped treats
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and rainbow cakes.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10But, tonight, we're focusing on Marks & Spencer's...
0:02:10 > 0:02:14..six-month-matured snowflake bauble Christmas cake.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20In the next 24 hours,
0:02:20 > 0:02:2310,800 of these cakes will roll out of the oven.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29And for that, 40 trucks are arriving at the ingredient arrival area,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33bringing boxes, bags and pallets.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37They are all unloaded under the supervision of Lisa Senior.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- Are you Lisa?- I am. Come and meet me.- Lisa...- Welcome.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42..I've come to find out how to make a Christmas cake.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45OK, first things first, I need you to put this on.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Seriously? Without sort of taking the mickey out of myself,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- I have no hair. - I didn't want to mention it,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53- but everybody's got to put them on. - Bald or not?- Bald or not.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- How do I look? - You look gorgeous.- Thanks.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03How many ingredients, Lisa, does it take to make this Christmas cake?
0:03:03 > 0:03:04To make this one, 16.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06We've had a delivery this morning.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08So this one's brandy and this is from France.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- 40% brandy.- Do you ever have a...?
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Yeah, of course. You've got to.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16It's all part of the process, so, yes, yeah,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18we do have a little taste, to make sure it's OK.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Hang on. When you're making Christmas cake,
0:03:20 > 0:03:21you get a chance to sample the brandy?
0:03:21 > 0:03:23A little bit, yes, not a lot.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27As well as brandy,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30this traditional Christmas cake will need exotic ingredients
0:03:30 > 0:03:34like currants, sultanas and spices.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And just in, a delivery of cherries.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- Where are they from?- We get some from Poland, some from Spain,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- some from France.- How many cherries do you go through?
0:03:42 > 0:03:46We go through about 440 tonnes a year.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47It's quite a lot.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50We'll also need the staple ingredients like flour,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52eggs and sugar.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Have I got everything now?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57You've got everything that we need to make cakes with today...
0:03:57 > 0:03:58..all in the factory ready to go.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Our Christmas cake production line begins now.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Fine. Thank you very much indeed. Am I on your Christmas card list?
0:04:13 > 0:04:17- You certainly are.- At the top? - Right at the top. All right.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18See you.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23To get started, I'm meeting Dave Glaze,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27who has already measured out most of the fruit ingredients.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30But he's left me the job of weighing the currants.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32If you'd like to carry those over for us.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Yeah, I'll get it. I'll get it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Just drop the box down here for me.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42We'll need enough for 350 cakes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- And you want five point what, mate? - 5.58 kilos.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48There we go.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Cor! Look how close, you've got to be absolutely precise.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Standards are standards.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- There we go.- There you go. - There you are, Chef. 5.58.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Spot on.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02Now Dave adds brandy laced with raisin concentrate to the currants,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05raisins and sultanas.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Missed a bit there, look. Dave, don't skimp, it's Christmas.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13Looks like a gravy and smells like a big Saturday night out.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15DAVE CHUCKLES
0:05:15 > 0:05:18This'll be left to soak for 24 hours,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21while the brandy plumps up the fruit.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I know how they come in.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I've seen them weighed out.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26I've seen them soaked.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I believe you're going to go and take them and mix them for us now.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- Thank you, sir.- Thank you. Pleasure.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The fruit I prepared won't be ready until tomorrow
0:05:35 > 0:05:38so Dave has sent me off with a batch he made earlier.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42While I'm preparing the Christmas cake,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Cherry is getting hot under the collar
0:05:45 > 0:05:47making another Christmas essential.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Christmas for me really starts when we put up the decorations.
0:05:55 > 0:06:01But how do you make a thin, fragile, hollow glass bauble?
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Whilst the majority of our Christmas decorations
0:06:05 > 0:06:07are made in factories overseas,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11the most special ones are made in the UK by artisans
0:06:11 > 0:06:14using traditional skills.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I've come to Langport, Somerset, to meet Will Shakspeare.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19- Lovely to meet you.- And you.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Every year, he makes around 5,000 decorative glass baubles.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27They're sold in Liberty's, John Lewis
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and in 30 galleries across Britain.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32So where do you start?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Well, what we start with is we have a day furnace, which is here.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- If you want to look in there. - Phwoar! I'm going...
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I have to take a step back. That is unbelievable.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Will starts making a bauble by gathering a glob
0:06:44 > 0:06:48of molten recycled glass out of the furnace...
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Whoa.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51..and then adds the colour.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Powdered blue glass.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58So this has to go in first of all, the blue powder.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00And is that melting onto it, as you roll?
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Yes, it's sticking onto it as I roll it because obviously
0:07:03 > 0:07:05the glass is hot. So now I've got all the blue on
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and this goes into the furnace.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11These are just chips of coloured glass and I'm just dotting them
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- on quite randomly.- Yes.- Cos I don't want each bauble to be the same.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Yes.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18As Will heats it back up to 1,000 Celsius,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21the glass chips melt on the surface.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25But he's still got to get the air in the middle.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Now I've got a pad of wet paper.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Oh, wow!
0:07:29 > 0:07:32So now I've made the whole piece nice and round.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I'm going to blow down the iron.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- Look at that.- Blowing it more... - You really start to see.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43To make this a Christmas bauble, it needs a glass loop,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45so it can hang on a tree.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50You stick this down, pull it up...
0:07:50 > 0:07:53..cut it off, twist that bit back and on top of itself,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55so you've got no sharp bit on it at all.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- There you go.- Wow!
0:07:57 > 0:07:59That's what you're going to be trying to make.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Uh-oh, now it's my turn.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The only bit I'm going to do for you is get the glass out the furnace.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- Everything else you're doing.- Ah!
0:08:11 > 0:08:13WILL LAUGHS
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I'm just very aware that I'm playing with molten, hot, fiery glass.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Now keep it turning.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23The outside of the glass is cooling quickly,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27so I need to create the right shape before it gets too hard to blow.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Just roll it and try and make it round.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Now take a big breath, crouch down and blow down the iron.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Go on, that's about the size of a grape.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37You've got to blow a bit harder.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- Is anything happening, Will? - Not a lot.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44SHE LAUGHS
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It's the build-up of pressure, not the air itself,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49that will expand my glass.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Keep lifting your diaphragm up just a little bit at a time.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55- Whoa, whoa...- Whoa! Ah!
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- Ah! What happened, Will? - You blew too hard.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Right, OK, let's now carry on as if that didn't happen.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Now for the colour.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05So pick up the iron and roll it through the blue.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09This is so insane. Ah!
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Well done. And now take a deep breath, crouch down and blow.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Don't try and blow too hard. Just keep that pressure up.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18That's brilliant. That is now blowing.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Good.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- So you can see you've got a bubble. - I've got a weird shape, Will.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30So now you've got to cut it in, right? So, now, that was easy.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- Oh, no.- Right, go...- Ah! - Quick, quick, quick.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- Keep the glass pointing down. - Will, what's happening?
0:09:36 > 0:09:37- Well...- Will!
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Oh, no!
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Oh, I think I killed it.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Save it!
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Try and get the jacks round it.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50I want to disassociate myself from it completely.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52This is the worst!
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Awful. Ah!
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Take it off, you walk away, Cherry.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58THEY LAUGH
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Ah, it's a masterpiece. Look at that.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10I think that's the most beautiful Christmas bauble I've ever seen.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- Have you seen a lot?- Not loads.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Let's put it away, shall we?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- That is handmade. - WILL LAUGHS
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I'm really proud of my Christmas bauble
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and it's going to go pride of place on the tree this year.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I think it might even become a new family heirloom.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45At the factory, I'm heading for the mixing room with my batch of fruit
0:10:45 > 0:10:47that has been plumped up with brandy.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52It's been ten minutes since my fruit ingredients arrived.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Now I'm going to mix my cake batter in one of the factory's
0:10:55 > 0:10:59200kg mixing bowls.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Guiding me through the process is Phil Brierley.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Phil!
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- Mate.- Hi, Gregg. Phil. - I've got a mix.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11You have to put that on. We're in a nut allergen area
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and we need to wear a yellow hats.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15You look as beautiful as ever, don't worry about it.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Are we now going to put a mix together and make a Christmas cake?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- We are.- Yes!
0:11:22 > 0:11:25To start with, we need 24 litres of egg,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28enough to make 240 omelettes.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32We need to mix the egg and the sugar syrup.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Got a posser.- A what?- A posser.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Mate, you don't have to use that language, I asked you politely.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40They used to use it for laundry,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42but we use it for mixing sugar and ingredients together.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44- And it's called a posser? - It's called a posser.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47You can posser it while I put the brown sugar in and mix it through.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Why this brown sugar instead of say, caster sugar?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Cos caster sugar would turn the crumb white.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54This turns it brown and gives you the brown colour
0:11:54 > 0:11:56you want in a Christmas cake.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Have you ever been tempted to add an eye of newt
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- or a wing of bat?- No, no. We gave that up years ago.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Now we can put half of the egg,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09syrup and sugar mix into the mixing bowl.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10We add the butter.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12That's the fresh mixed peel.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Oh!- Yep.- I want to put that in my bathroom.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Then we have the candied peel.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19You feel the difference. That's quite hard and sticky.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- What about the rest of the stuff? - No, no, that goes in later.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23We do things in stages.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25If you put everything in now,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28you would get everything coagulating and the cake wouldn't bake,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31the fruit would sink and we'd get problems with it.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33So we pull the lid down.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36We press the slow button and it will automatically start and finish.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Whilst it's blending together,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43we put it on the fast speed to beat all the lumps out.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Open the lid. We now scrape all the lid down.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- And we just take these little bits off the lid?- Yeah.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53This is a nice job.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55It reminds me when my grandmother used to bake a cake
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and I'd see if I could lick the bowl, lick the spoon.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01I don't think you'd be allowed to lick the mixer.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07In goes the salt, baking powder, flour and the exotic spice mix.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Oh, let me smell.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Whoa. That's a Christmas cake.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- That's a lovely blend.- Shall I?
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- Yeah.- I want to get every little ounce...- That's it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19..of flavour out of that.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Phil, you're not actually following a recipe, are you?
0:13:27 > 0:13:28I've worked here for 40 years.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I've done umpteen million Christmas cakes,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33so I know off by heart the recipe that we're following.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35- 40 years?- 40 years this year.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40The recipe now needs the other half of the egg and sugar
0:13:40 > 0:13:42that I mixed at the start.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Then the fruit soaked with brandy,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48some almonds,
0:13:48 > 0:13:49and, finally, the cherries.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Shut the lid and we'll mix it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01If you're out and you see someone eating a cake,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03do you have a sideward glance, see what they're having?
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I'm proud, yeah, if they're eating one of our cakes.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I often go into a store and look at the cakes we've made,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11making sure they're still as good as when they left the factory.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And if they're not on the shelf properly,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I will sort of straighten up. Yeah.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- GREGG LAUGHS - Is that bad?
0:14:21 > 0:14:22- Ready?- Gregg, I'll open the lid.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25If you bring the bath round, we'll then tip the mix in.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- You call it a bath? - A bath, cos it looks like a bath.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Finally, my mix, enough for 350 cakes, is ready.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39So this cake mix has only got an hour's life now, Gregg,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41so we need to cover it and send you on your way
0:14:41 > 0:14:43to the tinning department.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44The clock is ticking because
0:14:44 > 0:14:48the baking powder has begun to produce carbon dioxide bubbles,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51which will make the cake rise.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55If we leave it too long, the bubbles will disappear.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- So I've got to move quickly? - Yep.- Phil...- Sorry.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- Thanks a lot.- Mate. See you later. - Fine fella.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02And that is a sticky job.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08I'm taking my cake mix to the oven.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Meanwhile, Ruth Goodman's been finding out
0:15:10 > 0:15:14about another Christmas essential - decorations.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19She's been investigating why it is we put fairy lights
0:15:19 > 0:15:20on our Christmas trees.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25A Christmas tree wouldn't look Christmassy
0:15:25 > 0:15:27without some fairy lights.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30But who first invented the fairy light,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and why the reference to fairies?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It is commonly believed that the American Thomas Edison
0:15:36 > 0:15:42invented the light bulb in 1879 and it's true that in 1882,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45one of Edison's employees promoted the new lights
0:15:45 > 0:15:48by displaying them on a Christmas tree.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52But there is a British inventor from Sunderland
0:15:52 > 0:15:57who has a very strong claim to be the inventor of the light bulb
0:15:57 > 0:15:59and the fairy light.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04To find out more, I've come to the Savoy Theatre in London
0:16:04 > 0:16:08to meet Dr Sarah Walker from Newcastle University.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- Hello.- Hi, Ruth. - What a wonderful place!
0:16:13 > 0:16:18This is the first public building lit by entirely electric lighting.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Joseph Swan lit this Savoy Theatre.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26He was a developer of a light bulb back in the 1870s.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Why do we all think it's Edison, then?
0:16:28 > 0:16:33Well, Edison and Swan both submitted patents at the same time,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36but Joseph Swan actually demonstrated his light bulb earlier.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39What we've got here is a light bulb that's very similar to the ones that
0:16:39 > 0:16:41would've been in this building.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45It's over 100 years old and it still works.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48My goodness!
0:16:50 > 0:16:53So how do we get from this to a fairy light?
0:16:55 > 0:16:59It was in this theatre in 1882 that they staged a Christmas production
0:16:59 > 0:17:02of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Iolanthe
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and Swan created miniature lights for the fairies.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Here is a reproduction of the lights
0:17:10 > 0:17:13that would have been worn by the fairies onstage,
0:17:13 > 0:17:14complete with battery pack.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17The batteries would've been a lot larger back then,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21but they were miniature and they were mobile for the dancers to wear.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Oh, I see!
0:17:28 > 0:17:30- Fairy lights!- Yes.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Imagine that for the first time for the theatre-goers to see.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I would never have guessed...
0:17:38 > 0:17:41..that that's why we call them fairy lights.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45RECORDED APPLAUSE
0:17:45 > 0:17:50So these are the reviews, the first reviews of that 1882 production.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53"It may be mentioned that for the first time on any stage,
0:17:53 > 0:17:58"four of the fairies wore Swan's incandescent electric lamps
0:17:58 > 0:18:00- "in their hair." - SHE LAUGHS
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Quite exciting, obviously!
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Yes, and they do actually mention Swan, which is great.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09There's the evidence that they're his little fairy lights
0:18:09 > 0:18:11that were actually used onstage.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16The word fairy light quickly became a more generic word
0:18:16 > 0:18:18for a small light bulb.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23So here in this catalogue of 1890, we see, amongst all the others,
0:18:23 > 0:18:24a fairy.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29But, for many years, they remained a luxury novelty for the rich.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34It wasn't until the 1950s that fairy lights went mass market in Britain,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38thanks to that bright spark from the north-east, Joseph Swan.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Back at the factory, I'm on my way to the tinning department.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Just 31 minutes after my ingredients arrived,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00I've got myself 200kg of cake mix ready for the next stage
0:19:00 > 0:19:01in the process.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Claire Lawrence is going to show me how to get the tins ready
0:19:05 > 0:19:07for my cakes.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- Claire!- Just leave that there.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Right, so what do I have to do?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16To begin with, we'd grease the tin with a brush.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17Bottom and sides?
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Have I got to do it as fast as this conveyor belt's going?
0:19:21 > 0:19:22Yep, you have.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26- We then put a paper in the bottom? - Yep.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- Put one round the sides?- Yep.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34That's just one of the 350 tins I need for my cake mix.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Now I need to fill them.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Right, if we get you up there.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45And now you're just going to put the mix in there.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Will it fall through the holes naturally?
0:19:49 > 0:19:51No, you need to push it down with the paddle.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- Come on, keep coming.- Good job! - Mate, Christmas is coming.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56Come on!
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Showing me how to fill the tins is Hasmita Bhagat.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06- Hello.- Hello, Gregg.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09How does this work, how are you controlling that?
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It's actually a foot pedal,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15so you press it once and it's going to deposit once.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17So all I've got to do is press the pedal
0:20:17 > 0:20:18and the right amount will come out?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Make sure the tin is underneath, obviously, yes.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- That's it.- Do I look stupid to you?! Get out of the way!
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Oh, I see. It moves, it moves.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28It's not as easy as it looks, actually,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31cos it's moving, isn't it? Where's my pedal?
0:20:31 > 0:20:34More tins, more tins, come on! Christmas is coming.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Oh, oh, oh! Uh-oh.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- It's all right. - What advice did you give me?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43- You're doing perfect. - Do you know what happened?
0:20:43 > 0:20:45- I was looking down at the pedal... - I know.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48You're not used to it, that's the only reason.
0:20:49 > 0:20:5350 tins of cake mix are passing along the line every minute.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Using a temper, the team make sure that every surface is flat.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Why is it so important that it's flat?
0:21:00 > 0:21:04These are going to have marzipan and icing on top,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07so you don't want a bumpy Christmas cake.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Marzipan. Yum, my favourite bit of the cake.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14They use more than three tonnes of the stuff here.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Cherry has been to get hands-on at the factory
0:21:19 > 0:21:21where the marzipan is made.
0:21:24 > 0:21:30Renshaw in Liverpool has been making marzipan for around 120 years.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32The run-up to Christmas is their busiest time,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34because, traditionally,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Christmas cakes have a layer of the sugary nut paste
0:21:37 > 0:21:39to seal in the moisture.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41My guide to marzipan making
0:21:41 > 0:21:45is factory technical manager Mike Wayne.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47- Hi, Mike.- Hi, Cherry, how are you?
0:21:47 > 0:21:51First, its main ingredient - sweet almonds.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54How many almonds are in this box?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Within this box, there is a tonne of almonds straight from California.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59These are the everyday almonds you would eat at home
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and they go through our process in which we remove the skin.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05How on earth do you do that?
0:22:05 > 0:22:07These are actually taken to the nut tipper.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Is it actually called the nut tipper?
0:22:09 > 0:22:11It's called a nut tipper.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Ooh.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Wow! That's a whole load of nuts.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22To remove the skin, they're washed,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25blanched at 90 degrees,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28pinched by a series of rollers...
0:22:28 > 0:22:30They're having a little Christmas jig.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33..and vibrated clean of debris.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- There they are, beautiful and naked. - Absolutely.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Next, my nuts need roasting -
0:22:39 > 0:22:43in a giant, three-tiered oven at 80 Celsius.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47But these aren't the only nuts in the almond paste.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Mike shows me another surprising ingredient.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The Moroccan bitter almond.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Oh. So they look exactly the same.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Exactly the same, but they have a very, very bitter taste,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03which gives marzipan its unique flavour.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05These are grown in Morocco.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08They're from trees which can't be cultivated.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10So they're kind of wild almonds?
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Almost wild, but the farmers know which trees
0:23:13 > 0:23:15produce the bitter almonds.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18So exotic, who would've thought?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23All right, how do we get these out of here?
0:23:23 > 0:23:27We use this contraption, which is essentially a giant vacuum cleaner.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Factories are so fun.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Both the sweet and bitter almonds are ground up
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and churned together with granulated sugar...
0:23:36 > 0:23:39This looks a bit like sweetcorn, almost.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43..before emerging from the mixer below as a paste.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50That is a beautiful thing.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52It looks like a whippy ice cream.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55This then goes onto the next stage, which is cooking.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00My raw paste is put into a 550 kilo pressure cooker...
0:24:00 > 0:24:01Oh, wow!
0:24:02 > 0:24:03..by Judy Bromby.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05What we do now is you've got a button there
0:24:05 > 0:24:07and it'll fall in for you.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Whoa!
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Cooking it for 40 minutes at 90 degrees
0:24:18 > 0:24:23transforms the bitter paste into a smoother, sweeter marzipan.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Judy, that is the stuff of dreams.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33- Is this Christmas for you? - It is, it is. Every day.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36You think about it, because I make it every day.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37But don't you get to Christmas and think,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- "I really can't be doing with this"? - No. I love Christmas.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- Wow, you must love Christmas. - I love Christmas.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47This marzipan is roughly 50% nut and 50% sugar.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Wahey, there it goes.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Look at that.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57But to balance the sweet and bitter flavours,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00we're blending it with 250 kilos of icing sugar,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03before it's packed in ten kilo boxes
0:25:03 > 0:25:06ready for the Christmas cake factory.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Thanks, Alan!
0:25:08 > 0:25:11There you go, Gregg, a lovely batch of freshly made marzipan.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14At this peak time of year,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18a lorry load is sent off to the cake factory every week.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Back at the Christmas cake factory,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30my tins of cake mix are heading into the oven.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35It stretches 20 metres from one end of the room to the other.
0:25:35 > 0:25:392,000 cakes travel on a wire mesh conveyor,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43baking for 100 minutes at 155 Celsius.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45I'm guessing we're not allowed to touch that, right?
0:25:45 > 0:25:46No, this is very, very hot.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Merlyn's our trained oven controller
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and she's allowed to open up the oven
0:25:51 > 0:25:53to have a look at the cake.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Every 25 minutes, trained oven controllers like Merlyn
0:25:57 > 0:26:00check on the cakes to make sure they're rising.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05One hour and 57 minutes since my ingredients arrived,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08the first of my baked batch are starting to emerge.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12They're turned out of their tins...
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Sorry!
0:26:16 > 0:26:17..left to cool...
0:26:19 > 0:26:21..and then sent to the bagging department,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24where they're sealed in bags,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26tagged with a date label
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and left to languish in a storeroom.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31The aim is for the cake to be
0:26:31 > 0:26:34at least six months matured by Christmas...
0:26:35 > 0:26:38..ready to take pride of place on your table.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42But not every Christmas tradition is so universally loved.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48There is a subject that has divided a nation.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53A very contentious issue that has pitted young against old.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I'm talking, of course, about Brussels...
0:26:56 > 0:26:57..sprouts!
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Cherry is on a crusade for change.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Ah, that is dreamy.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I have to confess that I love sprouts.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13But I want to find out why do some people hate them so much.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Maybe I can persuade them that they're missing out.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24I'm starting at one of Britain's largest sprout farms -
0:27:24 > 0:27:26TH Clements in Lincolnshire...
0:27:26 > 0:27:27Woo-hoo!
0:27:27 > 0:27:30..where I'm joining farmer Justin Crowfoot
0:27:30 > 0:27:32for the harvest in the run-up to Christmas.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36- I've got one! - All right.- It's so big.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Look at the size of that!
0:27:39 > 0:27:40So, what? And now I put it in there?
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- I'd probably hold your hand a little bit closer.- All right.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- Ah!- Yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Why doesn't it want to eat it?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51It's like my children. Eat the sprout!
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- SHE LAUGHS - Hey!- I got it!- You got one.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Well done, brilliant. High-five.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Yeah!
0:28:02 > 0:28:05All the Brussels sprouts are being chopped off and they fall down here?
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Onto the belt, which then goes to the hopper and then into the tank.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10Look, there they go.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14How many sprouts will this one machine collect in one day?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- We can do two million sprouts a day. - Two million sprouts?- Yeah.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24In just the two weeks before Christmas,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27they pick a total of 190 million sprouts.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Look at all those Brussels sprouts.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34I can see from the scale of things here
0:28:34 > 0:28:37that somebody's eating sprouts at Christmas,
0:28:37 > 0:28:43but why do so many people claim not to like them?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46To find out, I've come to Elsoms trial farm
0:28:46 > 0:28:48to meet sprout breeder Dr Richard Tudor...
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Hi, Richard.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52..who's developing the perfect sprout.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54The reason some people hate sprouts
0:28:54 > 0:28:57is probably to do with the bitter chemicals in them.
0:28:57 > 0:29:0025% of the population have a gene that means they can
0:29:00 > 0:29:02taste these bitter tasting compounds.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04So are you saying that I don't have good taste buds?
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- That could be the case, yeah. - I think so!
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Over the last, 20 or 25 years, we, as breeders,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12have tried to breed out these bitter tasting chemicals,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14so they should be nicer for everybody to eat.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16- So if you'd like to try one.- OK.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19This is one of the traditional bitter-tasting sprouts.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21- These are what I would've eaten as a child?- Yes.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23I wouldn't normally eat a raw Brussels sprout, to be honest.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26They're very good for you raw.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29I love sprouts, but that, that is bitter.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Let's compare it to one of the new varieties.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34It's so fun just to pick it off the stalk.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- Can you taste the difference?- Mm. That is noticeably more sweet.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43Sprouts have a bad name, but, you know, they're really delicious.
0:29:43 > 0:29:44I think in their childhood,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47people are used to eating the bitter types of Brussels sprouts
0:29:47 > 0:29:50and maybe they haven't gone back to trying the new sweeter varieties.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52So they've tried them a long time ago,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54hated them, that slightly scarred them for life?
0:29:54 > 0:29:56- I believe so, yeah. - You're a man on a mission.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- I am indeed.- Sprouty mission.- I am.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Back at the farm, the sprouts being processed today are the milder,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08sweeter variety...
0:30:08 > 0:30:11..as are most of the sprouts you will find in the shops
0:30:11 > 0:30:12this Christmas.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15But simply labelled "sprouts",
0:30:15 > 0:30:18so you may not realise they've changed over the years.
0:30:20 > 0:30:25So I want to put these new, sweeter sprouts to the test.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30We've roasted some and the high heat has converted the starch to sugar,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32so they're even sweeter.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Now I've come to the nearby market town of Spalding...
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Excuse me. Hi there.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43..to find some sprout haters and see if I can change their minds.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Mm.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47- Not so bad.- Yes! You like them?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50- Do you normally like them?- No. - Did they taste different to you?
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Yeah. They taste a bit sweeter.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Do you think you might try a sprout on Christmas Day?
0:30:55 > 0:30:57- Yeah.- It was sweet and nice.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59- No.- Oh, no!
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Is that different to how you remember sprouts being?
0:31:01 > 0:31:06Yes. I remember ugly childhood taste.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08And now it's lovely.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Are you saying that I might have converted you to be a sprout lover?
0:31:11 > 0:31:16- Yeah, you did.- A little bit, yeah. - Yes!- She did it.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Success. I have some sprout converts.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- Now you know what to give each other for Christmas.- Yeah!
0:31:22 > 0:31:24So even if you think you hate sprouts,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27I think you should give them a go this Christmas.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29- Happy Christmas.- Happy Christmas!
0:31:41 > 0:31:44It's been three months and I'm back at the factory.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46The cakes are still in storage,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48so that when they get eaten at Christmas,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51they'll be six months matured.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Meanwhile, I'm heading to the icing department
0:31:54 > 0:31:57to make a start on the decorations.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01And I'm back with the fittingly named Dave Glaze.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Well, if we're going to make some icing sugar paste,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07we need to start by sieving some icing sugar.
0:32:07 > 0:32:08These bags are 25 kilos.
0:32:08 > 0:32:1125 kilos is a sack of spuds.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15So all we do is lift to raise, lower to suck.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20- Keep going.- Oh!
0:32:20 > 0:32:21It feels like you could take off with it.
0:32:23 > 0:32:24GREGG LAUGHS
0:32:27 > 0:32:28Go from the side.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33So how many bags would you go through a day?
0:32:33 > 0:32:36It's about 375 bags a day.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Wow, OK.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Now I've got it over here,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43I need to get the icing sugar out of the bag.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Nice, confident cut all the way across.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49That's great!
0:32:49 > 0:32:54It passes through a sieve to create the fine powder for perfect icing.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57And then via a funnel into a large metal container
0:32:57 > 0:33:00on the other side of the wall.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02My sieved sugar is now in here?
0:33:02 > 0:33:03- It is.- Right.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Nice and gently, lid down.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09And away we go.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11How much sugar have I got here?
0:33:11 > 0:33:14You've got 175 kilos in that container.
0:33:14 > 0:33:15- It feels like it.- OK.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Coming through, got my sieved sugar.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22So this is our sugar paste manufacturing room.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26This is the machine we're going to be using.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27I love this industrial stuff,
0:33:27 > 0:33:32because it is quite simply a mixing bowl you'd have at home,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35- just times 100!- The process is no different.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37It's just a matter of scale.
0:33:38 > 0:33:44In this 250kg bowl, Dave mixes up a base of oil,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48stabiliser and gum, which makes the icing stretchy.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54That is a lovely big, white, thick, sticky mess.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57- Can I now put some sugar in there? - OK, let's bring it over.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Whoa.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Crying out loud.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Is it too late to say nice and gently?
0:34:07 > 0:34:08It's heavy.
0:34:10 > 0:34:1712 kilos of finely sieved powdery icing sugar fill the mixing bowl,
0:34:17 > 0:34:18like a fine dusting of snow.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27After another ten minutes of whisking,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31we've made enough icing to cover 1,500 cakes.
0:34:34 > 0:34:35Da-da!
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Now it's loaded into trays, so I can wheel it onto the next stage.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- Right, that's us done.- Is that done?
0:34:45 > 0:34:49Mate, this better be a good-tasting cake, cos I'm exhausted.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58I'm taking my icing sugar paste to the factory's decoration department.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02In this Willy Wonka wonderland,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04they hand make all of the decorations
0:35:04 > 0:35:06that sit on top of the cakes.
0:35:06 > 0:35:11Helping me to turn my trolley of icing into Christmas decorations
0:35:11 > 0:35:12is Paul Webb.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14- Are you Paul?- I am, Gregg.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17He's going to show me how to make some icing balls
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and two different types of snowflakes.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23- Right, come on, then, which one first?- Large balls.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Need to use the silicon moulds.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27If you could get that to wear glasses, I'd be out of a job.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31So we get a small piece of sugar paste, push it into the mould.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Use our knockout tool.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Go on, it's coming.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41- And then roll that into a ball? - Yep.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Do you ever step back and smile at this, I mean...?
0:35:44 > 0:35:47- I'm very proud of it.- Go on. - I've done this for 23 years
0:35:47 > 0:35:49and what we make is fantastic,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51cos you're making someone's occasion.
0:35:51 > 0:35:52- You are, aren't you, I suppose? - Yeah.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Well, I like this bit, this bit's nice.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58This bit's more creative, less messy.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01- There's only 75,000 of those to make.- How many?
0:36:01 > 0:36:04- 75,000.- In what timespan?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06It'll be about six weeks.
0:36:06 > 0:36:12And we've got to make 75,000 snowflakes, 75,000 lace snowflakes.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- By hand?- By hand.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17- I think we can say I've conquered the balls, don't you?- Definitely.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19Very impressive.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- Right, OK, now what? - Large snowflakes.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24- So we've got a snowflake plunger. Push in.- So push it,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28- push down there?- All the way through the sugar paste.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- You've actually got to press down pretty hard.- Yeah.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Pull that out, then.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36And you take the sugar snowflake off it.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38There's a beautiful thing.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Yeah!
0:36:40 > 0:36:45How many of these would you expect me to do in an hour?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Ten a minute, so 600 an hour. - Ten a minute?- Yeah.
0:36:48 > 0:36:49You can't do ten a minute.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54# Five white snowflakes!
0:36:54 > 0:36:55# Five big round balls
0:36:55 > 0:36:58# La-da-da, da-da-da-da-da! #
0:36:58 > 0:37:02For my next trick, the more delicate lace snowflake.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05- Right, what do you do with that? - So we use this...
0:37:05 > 0:37:07That's a little bit like modelling clay.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10And we just fill the indentations on the mould.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Because this stuff is so thick,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16it doesn't instantly fall into the holes...
0:37:16 > 0:37:19- It pulls away from it as well. - Yeah. Yes, it does.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20As you pull it, it comes out.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24It's got to be worked and worked and worked again.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27You know, anybody looking at those snowflakes, I would imagine,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30would think that they come off a machine about a million a minute.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Definitely.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34So slightly bend it.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36And just a case of working around.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Mate, everything about this is delicate and laborious.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44It'd be quicker to wait until it actually snows and collect them.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47For the final flourish,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51the snowflakes are coated with gold glitter.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53- It's like treasure. - Edible gold lustre.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58It's so fine, we need protection to prevent us breathing it in.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01GREGG MIMICS DARTH VADER'S BREATHING
0:38:01 > 0:38:03The lustre is strong within you.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08- Right, come on, then.- So we get the snowflakes you've just made.
0:38:08 > 0:38:09Lay them in the lustre.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Tap the excess off.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13- Is that it?- That's it.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16- Is this stuff really expensive? - Very.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Make sure we get both sides and full coverage.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21To cap it all off,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25my gold lace snowflakes need to be stuck onto the icing balls.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28- So, over the back of it.- Yep.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30And lay it over the top of the large ball, then.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36You've got to make sure you don't touch the white ball,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38because you've got gold on your gloves,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41you'll smear it, spoil the look. I can't believe this, Paul.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46I would never have imagined each one of these had to be done by hand.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- Much respect, my friend, much respect.- Thank you.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52- Listen, I need to put these decorations on a cake.- OK.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Thank you.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57My decorations are heading for the production line,
0:38:57 > 0:39:02where more than 40 people are waiting to finish each cake.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Meanwhile, Ruth's been finding out what inspired Charles Dickens
0:39:07 > 0:39:10to write his famous yuletide novel.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20A Christmas Carol helped establish the Victorian Christmas.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24It popularised traditions such as singing carols, eating turkey,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Christmas pudding.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29But could the inspiration for this Christmas classic
0:39:29 > 0:39:31have come from inside a factory?
0:39:34 > 0:39:36I'm heading to the River Thames embankment
0:39:36 > 0:39:40to search for the original location of Warren's Blacking Factory,
0:39:40 > 0:39:45where Charles Dickens was sent to work when he was just 12 years old.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48It was right next to a place called the Hungerford Stairs.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52So I think it was about here,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55where Charing Cross bridge now runs into the embankment.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Dickens described the shoe polish factory that stood here as
0:40:00 > 0:40:04"a crazy tumbledown house with rotten floors".
0:40:05 > 0:40:10His father had been sent to prison for debt, so for ten hours a day,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14six days a week, young Dickens pasted labels onto bottles
0:40:14 > 0:40:16to earn money for his family.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18It was a harsh experience,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22but it gave Dickens an affinity for the industrial working classes
0:40:22 > 0:40:25that was to resonate throughout his later writings.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30When his family inherited some money,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Dickens managed to escape his factory drudgery.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Years later, in 1843,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40his friend was the commissioner of a ground-breaking parliamentary report
0:40:40 > 0:40:42on child workers across Britain,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45and the details profoundly affected Dickens.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50I've been given special access to the Palace of Westminster
0:40:50 > 0:40:52to read that report for myself.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Here we go, George Francis, aged ten years.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Can read and write a little and he works in a paper mill.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Mr Spicer's Glory Mill.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07He comes to work at six in the morning
0:41:07 > 0:41:08and leaves off at five at night.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Oh, and here we see about time off.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13"Have one day's holiday at Christmas.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16"Never at any other time that I recollect.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19"And on Christmas Day, we ain't paid for it."
0:41:19 > 0:41:22MUSIC: Silent Night
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Gosh. Poor little lad.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29There's so many stories like that here.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31One after another.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35The report ran into seven volumes.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Hundreds of thousands of youngsters were working in harsh conditions.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43In Charles Dickens's old London writing room,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46- I'm meeting Professor Emma Griffin...- Hi, Ruth.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50..who's been investigating how he campaigned for change.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54What impact did all this information from the Parliamentary commission
0:41:54 > 0:41:56have upon Charles Dickens?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59He realises very quickly that if he's going to make an impact
0:41:59 > 0:42:02with any of this, he needs to write a story about it
0:42:02 > 0:42:04and so that's precisely what he does.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07The story that comes out of all of this is the Christmas Carol.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10This image in particular I think captures the idea of what Dickens
0:42:10 > 0:42:13is doing. We've got the smoky city background...
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- Yeah, the factory, all the chimneys. - The factories, the chimneys,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- the smoke.- Small, ragged child. - Absolutely, the brick
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and the kind of dark and gloom.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24And this sort of ominous ghost sitting there.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29A Christmas Carol was a smash hit on publication in December 1843.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33It not only revived the spirit of Christmas,
0:42:33 > 0:42:37it also popularised being kind to the working poor.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39- Don't be a Scrooge. - I think that's right.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Scrooge is definitely one of our best known characters, isn't it?
0:42:42 > 0:42:43I mean, who doesn't know about Scrooge?
0:42:43 > 0:42:46And I imagine, at the time, if you'd been an employer,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49the last thing you would've wanted was to be called a Scrooge.
0:42:49 > 0:42:50Absolutely.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Reports from that time document how factory owners
0:42:55 > 0:42:58did grant days off as a direct result
0:42:58 > 0:43:00of reading A Christmas Carol.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Dickens helped re-establish Christmas
0:43:04 > 0:43:07as the season of goodwill to all,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10especially to those who worked inside a factory.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13In the words of the changed boss Ebenezer Scrooge,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15a Merry Christmas to everybody.
0:43:25 > 0:43:30In Oldham, they're taking some of the 15,000 Christmas cakes
0:43:30 > 0:43:32out of storage. Up until now,
0:43:32 > 0:43:37it's taken one hour and 57 minutes to make them and then a long rest
0:43:37 > 0:43:39to mature.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Now I'm going to help with the icing and decorations,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45which are amazingly all done by hand.
0:43:47 > 0:43:5244 pairs of hands, in fact, on a 30 metre long production line
0:43:52 > 0:43:57and Claire Hodgson, the designer of the cake, is going to be my guide.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Why have they been in store for so long?
0:44:00 > 0:44:01So when you bake a cake,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04the heat from the oven penetrates into the cakes,
0:44:04 > 0:44:08so, naturally, the middle of the cake will be softer and moister
0:44:08 > 0:44:10than the outside of the cake.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12By bagging it and maturing it for six months,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15that moisture equalises out throughout the whole of the cake.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18What's happening to them now, why are they going through there?
0:44:18 > 0:44:22So this big machine here has got a tank of brandy in it
0:44:22 > 0:44:25and it injects brandy into the cake.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27OK.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29- I suppose it is Christmas, right? - Yeah!
0:44:31 > 0:44:37The needles inject each cake with just over six teaspoons of brandy.
0:44:37 > 0:44:38Extraordinary smell!
0:44:40 > 0:44:43And that gives it both flavour and succulence.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48Brandy is a key ingredient in Christmas cake
0:44:48 > 0:44:51and the stuff they use here is distilled in France
0:44:51 > 0:44:55and made from grapes, but Cherry is in Somerset,
0:44:55 > 0:44:57where they make it from a very different fruit.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03Apples!
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Here at Burrow Hill Farm in Somerset,
0:45:06 > 0:45:10they've been turning apples into brandy for the last 28 years.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13And right now, they're harvesting the apples
0:45:13 > 0:45:16that will go on to make brandy for Christmas.
0:45:16 > 0:45:22These 180 acres of traditional orchards produce enough apples
0:45:22 > 0:45:25to make 80,000 bottles of brandy.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26- Hi, Matilda.- Hi, Cherry.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30Matilda Temperley has been looking after this year's crop.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33This one is a Kingston Black. It's a legend in the West Country.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36- It's not that bad for eating. - That's pretty good.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39- It's better than most of the cider apples for eating.- Oh, really?
0:45:39 > 0:45:41So how does this work?
0:45:41 > 0:45:45You'll see the brushes are brushing the apples out of the long grass
0:45:45 > 0:45:49and they're brushing it up the elevator, into the trailer.
0:45:50 > 0:45:5420 million apples are harvested in the run-up to Christmas.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02This is a hose. Ah!
0:46:02 > 0:46:05The water jet not only gives the apples a wash,
0:46:05 > 0:46:09it also bobs them down along a water slide onto a wooden conveyor.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Then they're ground up and pressed to make
0:46:14 > 0:46:15almost a million litres of juice...
0:46:17 > 0:46:22..which is stored in giant barrels for at least 12 weeks to ferment,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25finally producing cider.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29But how is that transformed into spirit-strength brandy?
0:46:29 > 0:46:35I'm told the trick of turning cider into brandy is done by two very
0:46:35 > 0:46:37special ladies.
0:46:40 > 0:46:41- This is Fifi.- Fifi.
0:46:41 > 0:46:42And this is Josephine.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Why are they called Josephine and Fifi?
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Well, they came from France with these names and they have to stay
0:46:47 > 0:46:48with their names for ever.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Rob Moore is responsible for the distilling process.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54What is distilling?
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Distilling, in our sense, is taking cider with alcohol in,
0:46:57 > 0:46:59heating it up to about 78 degrees,
0:46:59 > 0:47:02and allowing the alcohol to evaporate.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05So you're heating up the cider and steam is coming off,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09- vapour is coming off, in the same way that if you were heating up the kettle.- Exactly the same.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11How do you heat up the cold cider?
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Well, originally these stills would have been wood-fired,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15but now we use gas.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18- Oh, wow.- It's quite an intense fire in there.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21And every section in here, there's a little plate,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24it's like a little valve and it allows vapour
0:47:24 > 0:47:25to come up and every level,
0:47:25 > 0:47:29it gets higher and higher, the alcohol gets stronger and stronger.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33As it reaches the top, the vapour passes across to the condenser,
0:47:33 > 0:47:37where cold cider is piped through the tank
0:47:37 > 0:47:40and that cools the vapour and turns it back into liquid.
0:47:42 > 0:47:43It travels into this here.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46- This is called eau de vie. - Eau de vie.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47- Water of life.- Water of life.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50When this jar's got about 25 litres in,
0:47:50 > 0:47:51which I think it's just about ready.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54- Is it ready?- Just about ready. So if you press that green button.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56- Continuously? - No, just press it once.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59And there is a pump under here which drags out
0:47:59 > 0:48:02all the spirit to the next stage.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06The clear liquid is pumped into oak casks in the warehouse,
0:48:06 > 0:48:08where I'm meeting Julian Temperley.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11So this is what I've just seen being made in the distillery?
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Yes, this is apple eau de vie.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16This is around about 70% alcohol.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21I just took the tiniest drop and I can't feel my face.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27This comes into a barrel and there is an interaction between the wood
0:48:27 > 0:48:31and the oak and there's also an evaporation through the wood.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33Even when it's in the barrel,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36alcohol is evaporating and coming out?
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Yes. And that is called the angel's share.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Angel's share, as in you're sharing it with the angels?
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Well, the angels live in the sky, they get some.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47After ten years, the spirit in the barrel will lose
0:48:47 > 0:48:49around a third of its total alcohol
0:48:49 > 0:48:51but it's transformed into brandy.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53This is ten years old.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55This colour has all come from the wood and the barrel.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57All come from the barrel.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03That is much more drinkable and smooth and sweet.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07These oak barrels, they provide the transformation from this to that.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09Christmas is in the barrels.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16And at Christmas, brandy has a particularly important role to play,
0:49:16 > 0:49:18flaming the Christmas pudding,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21and Julian's going to show me how it should be done.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24First you need to warm it up.
0:49:24 > 0:49:25You heat the brandy first.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29So it gives off a nice vapour, because it is the vapour that burns.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32As soon as you can see it is giving of smoke, then you light it.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37There we are.
0:49:37 > 0:49:38Whoa!
0:49:38 > 0:49:40That is beautiful.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42- Happy Christmas, folks. - Happy Christmas.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49That, to me, is the best bit of Christmas.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51- Happy Christmas to you.- Thank you. Merry Christmas.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02My Christmas cake has been mixed, baked,
0:50:02 > 0:50:05matured and injected with brandy.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08So far, to make it, it's taken one hour,
0:50:08 > 0:50:1457 minutes and 40 seconds of hands-on preparation.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18I'm back on the production line and it's time to get messy.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22- Now what?- So now we're going to stick the cake to the board by using
0:50:22 > 0:50:24a small amount of apricot jam.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Why apricot jam?
0:50:26 > 0:50:29It's fruity, but it's not too distinctive and it doesn't have pips
0:50:29 > 0:50:32in it, so it's a really good, sticky substance to stick it to the board.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35- Can I put the jam in the bottom? - Why don't we have a go, Gregg?
0:50:35 > 0:50:38The jam will also help the icing stick to the cake,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41so it needs to be spread across the top.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43- Oh, is that it? - Yes, that's it.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45- One more, one more.- OK.
0:50:47 > 0:50:52- All over?- Yes.- It's like rubbing suntan lotion into my head.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57Have you any idea how much I love marzipan?
0:50:57 > 0:51:00I think I'm about to find out, Gregg.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03The marzipan from the factory in Liverpool has arrived.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07And it's about to play a starring role on my cake.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Assisting me is Linda Kedwood.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12What do we do with all this marzipan?
0:51:12 > 0:51:15It's kneaded, as Claire's doing there.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17Then it's put into the chute.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19As you can see it comes down and covers the cake.
0:51:23 > 0:51:24Shot putter!
0:51:28 > 0:51:30Cut off the edge, sling it over there.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32Cut it out here.
0:51:32 > 0:51:33Knead it around.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36- Nice and tight.- You've got a lot of people here.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38- How many people are on this line? - 44 people.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Why is it not machines doing this?
0:51:40 > 0:51:43- Why people? - They're handmade cakes, Gregg!
0:51:43 > 0:51:44They certainly are.
0:51:44 > 0:51:50This is an extraordinary mix of mass production and craftsmanship.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Now for the icing.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55We need to be really careful, because it needs to look perfect,
0:51:55 > 0:51:56and it's really soft and sticky.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02Amanda Burke has been perfecting her technique here for the last five
0:52:02 > 0:52:05- years.- Just make sure you're nice and smooth, you're tight,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and just bring it round, and it's pushing all your air out.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16It's a lot thinner, the marzipan.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Smoother. As well, isn't it?
0:52:18 > 0:52:21But it...
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Whatever you do makes an instant impression.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26The marzipan, you can really firmly handle it.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28This, you've got to be very gentle.
0:52:30 > 0:52:31I like this!
0:52:31 > 0:52:34This has got a certain amount of skill to it.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Yeah, it is very skilled.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38But it's also quite satisfying to see a perfect cake
0:52:38 > 0:52:39at the end of it.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45Perfect little snow scene, look!
0:52:47 > 0:52:50Now, we cut all the extra icing away from the cake,
0:52:50 > 0:52:51so you see the board again.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Then it's just a matter of tucking in the icing blanket
0:52:55 > 0:53:00around the base of the cake, to give me a blank canvas,
0:53:00 > 0:53:03ready for the section of the line where they add the decorations.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- Am I seeing double?!- We are twins!
0:53:08 > 0:53:10How long have you been twins?
0:53:10 > 0:53:12- Since we were born! - Ladies, can you get off the bus?
0:53:12 > 0:53:15- We'd like to have a go. - There you go, Gregg.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I don't know whether to decorate a cake or order a bottle of wine!
0:53:20 > 0:53:21It feels like I'm out on a date!
0:53:21 > 0:53:22Hi, I'm Gregg, Libra!
0:53:23 > 0:53:27Claire, Cancerian. So, Gregg, this is how we stencil a cake.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29This is plastic and stencil.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32You need to carefully place it in the centre of the cake.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33We're then going to get some royal icing,
0:53:33 > 0:53:38and start by scraping it and making sure the icing
0:53:38 > 0:53:40goes into the holes on the stencil.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44And then scrape any excess off.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47The finishing touch, the sparkle.
0:53:47 > 0:53:48This is the best bit.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50And then just lift...
0:53:50 > 0:53:51Yours is off-centre!
0:53:51 > 0:53:53- You know why?- I'm practising!
0:53:53 > 0:53:55- So, cake, on the stand.- Yeah.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Stencil. On the cake.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00- In the middle.- Royal icing.
0:54:01 > 0:54:02Scrape off your excess.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Get your paintbrush.
0:54:05 > 0:54:06Paint it with glitter!
0:54:10 > 0:54:13That's it. Lift it off.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Ta-da!
0:54:17 > 0:54:19I'm now beginning to realise why you've got
0:54:19 > 0:54:21so many people on this line.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23How many of these cakes are coming through here?
0:54:23 > 0:54:26We normally work on eight cakes a minute.
0:54:26 > 0:54:27No way!
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Right then, Gregg. So now is the exciting bit.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36This is what we have got to create together.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Oh, right, and each step of the way,
0:54:39 > 0:54:41somebody else is putting another ornament on the cake?
0:54:41 > 0:54:44That's exactly right. We need to indent the top of the cake to give
0:54:44 > 0:54:47you a placement to place all your baubles.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49Yes! Give me the icing bag!
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Pipe a little dot of royal icing
0:54:51 > 0:54:53just to make sure that those balls stay
0:54:53 > 0:54:57on top of the cake. Right, so we need five baubles now, Gregg.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58Oh, OK.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00Oh! Every other one, I think.
0:55:00 > 0:55:01Oh!
0:55:03 > 0:55:07My handmade snowflakes are finally getting their starring role.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12Right, now I need bronze snowflakes.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13There.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17Come on! Let's move down!
0:55:17 > 0:55:19We need the sparkly one.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Sparkly one! You're holding up production!
0:55:22 > 0:55:23Now we put the ribbon on.
0:55:26 > 0:55:27The glove's stuck in there!
0:55:30 > 0:55:32# Five snowflakes
0:55:34 > 0:55:37# One big bald bloke and two icing twins... #
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Hiya, I've got a cake, look at that!
0:55:40 > 0:55:41Look at that cake!
0:55:42 > 0:55:44High-five me!
0:55:44 > 0:55:45Come on, fist pump, fist pump!
0:55:45 > 0:55:46I've got the cake, come on!
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Come on now, Gregg, because it's fantastic looking,
0:55:49 > 0:55:52but we now need to put it in a box because it's never going to get to
0:55:52 > 0:55:53store just like that.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Does it have to go in a box?!
0:55:55 > 0:55:56I'm really proud of my cake!
0:55:56 > 0:55:58It will look even better in a carton, trust me.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Eight cakes per minute.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04That's 480 cakes an hour.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06Boxed and conveyed towards the end of the line.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09This machine puts film on the outside of the box
0:56:09 > 0:56:13just to finish it all off and make the box airtight.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15It's like a funfair ride for cakes!
0:56:20 > 0:56:22So, Gregg, now we need to put them in the tray,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25and they start on the journey out of the factory to the depot.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29I've got it!
0:56:33 > 0:56:35And that gets stacked over there?
0:56:35 > 0:56:36If you just pop it on the top.
0:56:40 > 0:56:41That's a big stack of cakes!
0:56:41 > 0:56:44It's a lot of cake. I need you to wrap them all up for me now.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46Haven't you got a machine?
0:56:46 > 0:56:48No, no, I thought you'd like to do it because you'd gone to such a lot
0:56:48 > 0:56:52- of trouble with the cakes!- You haven't got a machine, have you?! - No, we haven't got a machine!
0:57:01 > 0:57:03OK, Gregg, I think that's enough wrap!
0:57:05 > 0:57:06And that's it!
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Cakes ready for Christmas all over the nation, right?
0:57:09 > 0:57:11- OK?- Thank you for helping me.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13You're very welcome. It's been a pleasure.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15- Merry Christmas.- Merry Christmas.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Each finished cake has taken two hours,
0:57:20 > 0:57:2453 minutes and 50 seconds of production
0:57:24 > 0:57:28and passed through the hands of more than 80 skilled workers.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Now they've moved on to the distribution area, where every day,
0:57:32 > 0:57:3720 lorries leave the factory with more than 3,000 cakes on board.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42First they'll be transported to a central depot,
0:57:42 > 0:57:45before heading to shelves all over the country.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49The biggest Christmas cake fans live in the north-east of England...
0:57:50 > 0:57:53..where, in Yorkshire, they like to eat it with cheese.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57I really enjoyed making that Christmas cake.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00It made me feel... Well, it made me feel Christmassy.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04I was amazed by how many people are involved in making it in a world of
0:58:04 > 0:58:06machinery and automation.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08But best of all,
0:58:08 > 0:58:11what I loved was how many people were making the decorations by hand.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14Like a big team of Santa's helpers.
0:58:18 > 0:58:22We'll be back next year to show you the inner workings
0:58:22 > 0:58:23of even more factories.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27BOTH: Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year to you all.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34# When the snowman brings the snow
0:58:34 > 0:58:36# Well, he just might like to know
0:58:36 > 0:58:43# He's put a great big smile on somebody's face
0:58:43 > 0:58:47# If you jump into your bed
0:58:47 > 0:58:51# Quickly cover up your head
0:58:51 > 0:58:53# Don't you lock the doors
0:58:53 > 0:58:57# You know that sweet Santa Claus is on the way. #