0:00:02 > 0:00:04They're a childhood favourite.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Over the next week,
0:00:05 > 0:00:12we'll munch our way through 600,000 kg of fish fingers.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16That's the equivalent of more than 1 billion of them a year.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Tonight, we're going to follow the journey of fish finger production.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23From the depths of the Atlantic Ocean...
0:00:23 > 0:00:25..To the meal on your plate.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29It's a process that relies on dozens of skilled hands.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And they're all working away in here.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I'm Gregg Wallace.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39That is somebody's tea.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And I'll be finding out how the fingers are formed.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Oh, it's really hot on the outside and it's frozen in the middle.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48I'm Cherry Healey,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52and I'll be getting stuck in at the start of the production line.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55This is a real biology lesson.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59And I'll be discovering the secrets of smoked fish.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05And historian Ruth Goodman reveals the origin of this traditional tea-time food.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07This isn't quite what I was expecting.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10In the next 24 hours,
0:01:10 > 0:01:1580,000 frozen fish fingers will fly out of this factory.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Heading to a freezer near you.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Welcome to Inside The Factory.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46This is the Caistor seafood factory near Grimsby in Lincolnshire.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52It employs 200 skilled workers across a 26,000 square metre site.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58They work around the clock to process 165 tonnes of fish every week...
0:02:00 > 0:02:03..from whole fish, to smoked fillets and fishcakes.
0:02:05 > 0:02:11Tonight, we're focusing on Waitrose's frozen chunky fish fingers.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Whether you like your fingers breaded or battered,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16it's all about starting with the right fish.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18And here, that's cod.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Cherry's been to see where it comes from.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29I'm in Grindavik, one of the largest fishing harbours in Iceland.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35Boats dock here every day, bringing in more than 100 tonnes of fish.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And almost half of that is cod.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43I'm waiting for a fishing boat that has been at sea for about 20 hours,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45it's freezing cold, even here in the port,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48so goodness knows how they've been.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Oh, I think I can see the boat coming in now.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58This boat goes to sea six days a week,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02and the crew catch about eight tonnes of cod each time.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09The captain has been fishing here for 28 years.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16This is cod. Wow, wow.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I had no idea it was so huge.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- Yeah.- It's beautiful.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- Yeah, it is.- So, how long ago did you catch this, do you think?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27This one was about two hours ago.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Two hours?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32- That's the freshest caught fish I've ever seen.- Yeah.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38The cod are caught using a responsible technique called long line fishing.
0:03:39 > 0:03:4314 miles of fishing line with 20,000 baited hooks
0:03:43 > 0:03:45is placed on the sea bed.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51This method is sustainable and has a low impact on the ocean floor.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Will these cod make good fish fingers?
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Yeah, this is the best size for fish fingers.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03The fish are between four and six years old.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Any older and they're too big to handle.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08So you're helping with your catch.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Yeah...- You've got a lot of work on your hands.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11- Yeah.- I'll step aside and let you get on with it.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16- Thank you.- Thank you very much. - OK.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21His haul is loaded onto a truck and driven less than a mile to a fish
0:04:21 > 0:04:23factory for processing.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Factory manager Alda is showing me how the whole fish begin their
0:04:28 > 0:04:30transformation into fish fingers.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- So, here's the cod. - Yeah.- What happens now?
0:04:35 > 0:04:41Now, we will gut it and grade it and get it ready for production.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49First stop, fish gutting.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I'm feeling a bit nervous.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55But expert filleter Eli makes it looks easy.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- Hi.- Hi.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00- Hi, Eli.- Hi, hi.- Wow.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I'm just going to say, that I'm a real city girl,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and this is the first time I've ever seen this.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- OK.- This is a real biology lesson.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Wowee.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12- You want to try?- Yeah, definitely.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I don't think I've ever touched a raw fish like this in my life.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Professional filleters like Eli gut up to ten cod a minute.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24You don't want any of the insides?
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I'm struggling with just one.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35I am learning.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Right, now what happens with the fish?
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- I put that down there. - Next to the production area.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44- OK.- I'll show you.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Next, the gutted fish are sorted by size.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55And their heads cut off.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57There are so many fish heads coming out of that machine.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01How many fish go through this factory in one day?
0:06:01 > 0:06:025,000 and more.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03- And more?- Yeah.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08The headless fish are filleted by a machine.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09And the skin is removed.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Just 12 hours since they were pulled from the sea,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16the fillets arrive at one of 12 trimming stations.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18This is the trimming area.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So, we have our lovely fillet of fish.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24So, which is the bit that goes into fish fingers?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I'll show you. Like this fillet here, we take out the bones first.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- OK, take out the bones.- We take the line, we separate the line.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34And the rest goes to the fish fingers.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38So, the fish that goes into a fish finger is almost exactly the same as
0:06:38 > 0:06:41the fish you get in a prime cut of cod?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- It is exactly the same.- It's just a different shape.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's not ALMOST exactly, it IS exactly the same.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Exactly the same.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53We only need the prime cuts, but nothing goes to waste.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55The livers have their oil extracted,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58the skeleton and head are dried for soup,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and the skin is turned into animal feed.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06The fillets for the fish fingers are packed tightly into
0:07:06 > 0:07:08rectangular cardboard boxes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09We lay them like this.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- OK.- And we have to fill this box and freeze it.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Why is this done by hand? Why does the machine not do this?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Because the pieces are not all the same size.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21So, you have to do it by hand.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27The boxes, each weighing just over seven kilos,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31are put into a freezer at -30 degrees for four hours,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34until the cod is frozen solid.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40It's absolutely amazing, that in just a few hours, I've seen cod cleaned,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42cut and frozen into cod blocks ready
0:07:42 > 0:07:46for its next stage at the fish finger factory.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51To get to the factory, the cod heads from Grindavik to Reykjavik harbour.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56And onto a ship where the containers of fish are kept frozen for the
0:07:56 > 0:07:58entire 1,200 mile journey
0:07:58 > 0:08:00to Immingham in Lincolnshire.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07As each container is unloaded,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12it is instantly plugged back into a power supply to keep its cargo frozen.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Its final destination is nine miles away,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22at the NH Case fish cutting factory.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29In charge of receiving this morning's batch of cod is site manager Nick Wilson.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Nick, Gregg.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36- Nice to meet you, Gregg.- I'm taking it for granted that this is our cod?
0:08:36 > 0:08:37This is our frozen cod, yes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41How many fish fingers will this cod actually make?
0:08:41 > 0:08:43There's ten pallets in here,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46each pallet will give us about 27,000 fish fingers,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49so just over a quarter of a million fish fingers
0:08:49 > 0:08:50will come out of this lorry now.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54So, this has got to stay frozen and we've had the doors open for a while.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57That's right, we need to get a move on and get it into the cold store.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03The transformation from fillets of cod to breaded fish fingers starts now.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09The pallets are forklifted out of the freezer truck
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and into the factory.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Right, so we've got our pallet of blocks of fish, now what?
0:09:22 > 0:09:24We have to take them out of the cardboard.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- Oh.- And we have nice fish blocks.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31I don't know what I expected, but I didn't expect that.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33That looks like a lump of marble.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36You never been tempted to take these home and do your kitchen worktops in them?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39No, not really. Sort of tends to defrost a bit on the way!
0:09:39 > 0:09:41THEY LAUGH
0:09:41 > 0:09:44First, we need to get the cardboard off.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Why don't you just bring it in without the cardboard on it?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Because if you bring it in without the cardboard,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51it starts to get freezer burn on it.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55So this all starts to dry out.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57You want to go from the sides first.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Then fold that over.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03So then when you have that,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06you just flip it over
0:10:06 > 0:10:07and then you can peel it back.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09This must take ages.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12We need three people to feed them machines.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Three people work on a pallet?- Yes.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Do I look really ridiculously slow to you?
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Yes.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Hooray!- And that's it, done.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Chip off the old block.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Now there's a quick check to make sure the block
0:10:29 > 0:10:32is at least -14 degrees.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36The factory isn't refrigerated, so the team have to work fast.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39If the temperature of the fish increases,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42the machines won't be able to cut it.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- Is it OK?- Yes, it's OK, temperature's good to go.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50My palette of 160 frozen cod blocks is ready for the next step.
0:10:50 > 0:10:56Those are standard blocks worldwide, same size, 7.484 kilos.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01Hang on a minute. That is the standard weight around the world?
0:11:01 > 0:11:02- Yes.- Around the globe?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- Around the globe.- Don't matter where you buy a block of frozen fish from,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- it's always going to be that? - Always that.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08- All fish?- All fish.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- Is that it?- Yeah, seriously.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14That is the standard currency of global frozen fish trade?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- Yeah.- Brilliant, that's brilliant!
0:11:18 > 0:11:25Each 7.484 kilogram block is basically one big fish finger.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Now it's time to cut it down to size.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31How many fish fingers does one of those blocks make?
0:11:31 > 0:11:33168 fish fingers from one block.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- 168?- 168.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42To do that, the block is first sliced into four pieces, called bricks.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43It's making four cuts.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47One...two...
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- Are you going to count up to four? - Three...- You are, aren't you?
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- Four.- Then each brick is cut down again.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- Right, well, we had blocks. - Yeah.- You then made bricks.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- Yeah.- What are these?
0:12:03 > 0:12:04- These are planks.- Planks?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- Planks.- Right, so how many of them are there?
0:12:06 > 0:12:08One, two, three, four, five, six.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- Six...- Planks in a brick.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12How many bricks in a block?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14How many bricks in a block, will be four bricks in a block.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16How many planks in a brick?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- Five. Six.- Six!
0:12:18 > 0:12:20THEY LAUGH
0:12:20 > 0:12:24My frozen block is now in 24 pieces.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29The next cut requires considerable precision and concentration.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34It's Daniel McCann's job to slice the planks into individual fish fingers,
0:12:34 > 0:12:40each weighing exactly 42g, using a super-sharp saw.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44I didn't want to talk to you while you were cutting up the fish.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Yeah, it's not a good idea, Gregg.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- You've got to focus, right? - Yeah, very much so.
0:12:50 > 0:12:56It takes Daniel just one minute to produce 168 fingers of fish.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58We get seven fingers from each plank.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And a tiny little strip...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02A tiny little off-cut.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04And that's the trickiest bit to cut, isn't it?
0:13:04 > 0:13:08That is the hardest part, that is where you've got to stay most focused.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Just two hours after my pallet of frozen cod block arrived at the factory,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20I've got 27,000 naked fish fingers,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22all ready for the next step in the process.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29For millions of us, childhood tea-time without the fish finger is unimaginable.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Ruth Goodman has been tracing the history of this family favourite.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- ARCHIVE:- They're catchier. - They're bunchier.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37- They're different. - They're new.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40# Yes, Birds Eye Fish Fingers are much better too! #
0:13:43 > 0:13:46The cod fish finger - the food of British childhood,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50easy to cook and easy to eat.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52They feel like they've been around forever,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54but when did they first land on our shelves?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59To find out, I've been invited to the Metropole Hotel in Brighton.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- Hi, Ruth.- Hello, Peter.- Welcome to the Metropole.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06To meet Peter Lack, who is head chef for Birds Eye.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11He's brought me here to explain how the company first introduced the fish finger.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Goodness!
0:14:15 > 0:14:17This is a pretty grand space.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19And what's this got to do with fish fingers?
0:14:19 > 0:14:21This is where the fish finger was born.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- Really?- Right here, in this room.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28Yes, in 1955 we got 30 of our sales reps in here and we presented them
0:14:28 > 0:14:29- with the fish finger. - It's funny, isn't it?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I think of fish fingers as a very simple food.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33This just seems so incongruous.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Peter's brought along one of the original adverts used to promote them.
0:14:39 > 0:14:45"Sea fresh fish, ready cooked and easy to serve fingers.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49"Your family will love them, the children especially."
0:14:49 > 0:14:53It was the first fish product we developed that was designed specifically for children.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55No bones, nice and clean,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58easy for Mum to cook, and lovely fresh fish inside.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- ARCHIVE:- When they know it's Birds Eye Fish Fingers for dinner,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03they certainly need no coaxing.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05So this was 1955.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Did many people actually have freezers in 1955?
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Only about 3% of people had freezers.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13You actually had to go and buy them on the day you were going to eat them.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15And you ate them straightaway.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17They were an instant hit.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21542 tonnes were sold in the first year.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27And in the second year, sales rocketed by 600%.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30But it could have been a very different story.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35The idea of a breaded finger of white fish came from North America,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37where they were called Fish-Sticks.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40They wanted to introduce a British version,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42but planned to make them from a fish
0:15:42 > 0:15:45that might not have been everyone's first choice.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48This isn't quite what I was expecting.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51No, these are herrings, they're lovely, aren't they?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Herrings? Yes, it's a lovely fish, herring,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57but it's not what I think of when I think fish fingers.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Well, when we first started out, everything was herring.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02So this was the fish that was most available in Britain?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- Yes, exactly.- And that's what British people like,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07that's what you're going to make your fish fingers out of.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Except that they're very small fish,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11and getting them bone-free is quite a lot of work.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13- And there's still a few there. - And there's still a few.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Despite the difficulties, the company persevered,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and in 1954 they tested out these
0:16:22 > 0:16:25breaded sticks of herring on the great British public.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33And over 60 years later, I'm getting to try them too.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I'm looking forward to trying these.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44It's a much stronger taste than a modern fish finger, isn't it?
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- Yes.- I can see it if you were a child,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51the stronger flavour and the presence of bones
0:16:51 > 0:16:53might be a bit off-putting.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Taste and bones weren't the only problem.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Can you imagine what we were going to call them?
0:16:57 > 0:16:58Well, Fish Fingers I presume?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Oh, no. Herring Savouries is what we came up with.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Hmm.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Perhaps not surprisingly, Herring Savouries never made it to our shelves,
0:17:09 > 0:17:15because they also trialled an alternative in those 1954 taste tests.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19A breaded cod stick, which was a surprise hit.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22One year later, the product as we know it was born.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Fish fingers changed the tastes of the nation
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and they allowed children to enjoy the health benefits of fish
0:17:30 > 0:17:34without any squeamishness of dealing with skin or bones.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38But imagine if they'd never tried out the cod,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41we could now be eating Herring Savouries for our tea.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50GREGG: Two hours after arriving at the cutting factory,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54my frozen fish fingers have been cut down to size.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58From here, they head to the main factory 14 miles away
0:17:58 > 0:18:02and the start of the 32 metre long production line.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Here, they'll be coated, fried, flash frozen and packed.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13Right, brilliant.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17A load of frozen fish, leave this with me - it's in safe hands.
0:18:17 > 0:18:24Waiting for me at the start of the line is assistant manufacturing manager Mel Nichols.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25Right, do we have to get these out of here by hand?
0:18:25 > 0:18:28We do unfortunately, I'm afraid.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Literally just pick them out, put them onto here...
0:18:32 > 0:18:35..and then empty them onto this trough.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Why can't you just tip them straight on to the conveyor belt?
0:18:38 > 0:18:39Because they sometimes come out like that,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42so when they've been in the freezer they'll just stick together.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45So we tip my naked fish fingers...
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- Yep.- Cos they've got no coating on them yet.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- Yep, yep.- They're naked, to me. So we tip those onto here and then they
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- manually have to be checked to make sure they're not sticking together? - Yeah.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59My fish fingers are whisked away into the first machine.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Wahey!
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Right, that looks like a steamer to me.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07It's like a great big kettle really, in there.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12So it's just producing steam and it's just taking the top layer of ice off.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14So as you can see, that's just passed through
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and it's all nice and wet.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17It's not just the top layer, is it?
0:19:17 > 0:19:22It's all over it, it's the top, the bottom and the sides.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26The outer layer of ice is melted to make the finger wet and sticky,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29ready for its first coating.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30And what do you call this bit?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34- That is a pre-dust.- A pre-dust?
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Yeah. Not dust as in your dust off your telly.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40That pre-dust is flour?
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- Yes.- And I'm guessing you put flour round it to make the batter stick?
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Yes.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47My naked fish fingers are just about to get covered over in a blanket of
0:19:47 > 0:19:50flour, or dust, as you call it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52They are, so they'll not be naked any more.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It's a shame, really.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Mind you, it'll hide their blushes, won't it?
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Like having their underwear on.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59GREGG LAUGHS
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Fish fingers are one of the most popular products in our freezer,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13but many people consider frozen to be inferior to fresh.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Cherry went to find out if that's true.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21To be honest, I think of the stuff in my freezer
0:20:21 > 0:20:25as what I use when I need to get a meal on the table quickly.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27It's certainly not what I would turn to
0:20:27 > 0:20:30if I was going to make something special.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35But one chef is hoping to change my mind.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Hi guys, I'm Miguel Barclay, welcome the One Pound Meals YouTube channel.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Today, we're going to be cooking a lovely
0:20:41 > 0:20:43fresh and vibrant pea cannelloni.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Internet star Miguel made his name devising recipes
0:20:49 > 0:20:52that cost less than £1 a portion,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57and he's passionate about the cost savings you can find in the freezer aisle.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59So I've set him a challenge...
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Can he use frozen ingredients to produce
0:21:01 > 0:21:05two top-notch dinner party dishes that can pass for fresh?
0:21:06 > 0:21:07- Hi, Miguel.- Hey, Cherry.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12So what are we cooking? That is a lobster tail.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Exactly. We're going straight in
0:21:15 > 0:21:18with a classic high-end posh dish and I'm
0:21:18 > 0:21:20going to show you how to do a lobster Thermidor with it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25All the ingredients Miguel's using were bought frozen.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28So, you've got your lovely defrosted lobster tail,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32and because it's been frozen, is it cheaper?
0:21:32 > 0:21:37Yes, so this one comes in at £5, and if you were going to buy this fresh,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40you're looking at about the £7.50 mark.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42So that's a lot cheaper.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44It's a high cost gourmet ingredient,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48but Miguel's pairing it with something a little less high-end
0:21:48 > 0:21:50which I've never seen before.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Frozen cheese sauce?
0:21:52 > 0:21:56My head says I understand, my heart says no, it's wrong!
0:21:57 > 0:22:03These cheesy pellets can be tipped straight into the frying pan without defrosting.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06We finish the sauce with some frozen onions and garlic.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Frozen onions?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Why are these not in my life?
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Well, a lot of people A, don't know they exist, and B,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16just don't have any faith in them.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Frozen onions and garlic are a revelation.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Exactly. So this dish here, we only need like a quarter of an onion,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28so what would we do with the other three quarters of an onion?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Well, no, you put it in the fridge and you let it rot.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32- Exactly.- That's what happens.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34And then one day you stumble across it and throw it out.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37And you go, "Oh, that's what that smell is!"
0:22:37 > 0:22:41In Britain, we throw away over 7 million tonnes of food every year,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44mostly bread, fruit and veg.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Frozen food allows you to use only the amount you need,
0:22:49 > 0:22:50so you chuck less in the bin.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57I suppose the only other big question is, does it taste OK?
0:23:00 > 0:23:02It's got to be good, you know...
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- A lovely bit of crunch. - It's so good, I'm so happy!
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I'm loving the lobster starter,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19but will Miguel's main course turn out as tasty?
0:23:19 > 0:23:21It's duck breast and cabbage mash,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25garnished with something I'd never think of buying frozen -
0:23:25 > 0:23:26asparagus.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30With some frozen items, do you lose some of the nutritional value?
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Well, actually, some frozen items you get more nutritional value.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38So the peas are packaged within two hours of picking,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41so you're actually preserving them at their absolute peak.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45So this is as nutritionally good
0:23:45 > 0:23:51- as if it were fresh potatoes and fresh cabbage?- Yep, definitely.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It looks fabulous, but does it taste good?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It just tastes really nice.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04It just goes to show how frozen produce can taste as good as fresh.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08You have revolutionised my freezer use with pellets of mash.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I would not have guessed that, I'll be honest.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Well, I'm won over, but are Miguel's dishes good enough
0:24:15 > 0:24:18to convince other people to rethink frozen produce?
0:24:19 > 0:24:23We took them out onto the street to find out.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- Wow, that's lovely. - The lobster's extremely good.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27- You like the lobster?- Absolutely.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Oh, I say!
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Is that a winner, winner?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38What would you say if I told you it was made entirely out of frozen
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- ingredients?- No way. - Yes, way!
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Is this frozen?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Yeah, 100% frozen ingredients.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Tastes very fresh. I'm surprised. - That really is lovely.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50It is really nice. I mean it doesn't look like frozen food.
0:24:50 > 0:24:56A delicious gourmet meal and every one of the ingredients was originally frozen.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57I like him!
0:25:06 > 0:25:09At the factory, it's been four hours and 20 minutes
0:25:09 > 0:25:11since my frozen cod arrived.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15On the production line my naked fish fingers
0:25:15 > 0:25:17are heading for the coating
0:25:17 > 0:25:20area, where Nick Hill's in charge.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Nick, I've been sent over here to learn about the batter.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Yeah.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31This 150-litre vat of batter must be constantly topped up to make sure it
0:25:31 > 0:25:35never runs out, and today that's my job.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- What do I have to do?- I've topped this up with water already,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40next thing is a couple of shovels of ice in there.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44- Why ice?- Keep the temperature of the batter down.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45- You want me to do it?- Yes, please.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- It's rock hard! - Iced up.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56The ice will keep the temperature of the batter mix at 10 degrees,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00which stops it getting sticky and over coating the fingers.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Perfect. The next bit is bag of the batter mix.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07So, basically this is like any batter at home - this is flour and water?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- Yeah, yeah, that's all it is, yeah. - And a bit of ice to keep it cool?
0:26:10 > 0:26:11Yeah.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- But on a much bigger scale. - Yeah, big, big scale.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Whoa! HE GRUNTS
0:26:27 > 0:26:30If you shut the lid,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33now we've got some controls just around the other side.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34That one and them two.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39- That one?- Yeah.- Then them two.- Yeah.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Batter!
0:26:41 > 0:26:46Inside the mixer, a blade turns 1,200 times every minute,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49blending the flour, water and ice together.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Can't take long to mix, can it?
0:26:51 > 0:26:54No, you'd like to leave it for five minutes to get all the lumps out.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56If I lift this up, will it go everywhere?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- A little bit.- Let's have a look.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- There you are. All mixed. - There we go!
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Looking good.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Next job would be, if you just lift the lid all the way up,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13there's a little visco cup just at this pocket here.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16A little disco cup? What's it called?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Viscosity. Checks how thick the batter is.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21'We need to measure how long it takes for the batter...'
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Go! '..to pour through a hole in the bottom of the cup.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28'We're aiming for between 8-15 seconds.'
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Nearly! Five seconds. A little bit more batter and we'll be there.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34It's a matter of trial and error.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Do you want to turn the machine on again, please.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55This place was really clean when I arrived.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I've held up the world's fish finger production,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01messing about with a bag of flour.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Making a mess with a bag of flour!
0:28:05 > 0:28:07- There we go, it's stopped. - It's stopped.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Oh, that's so thick, so thick it's unbelievable.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13- Stop!- Ten.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Yes!
0:28:15 > 0:28:19I've never been so happy to see the inside of a visco cup.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23I'm in a right mess. I've got to go and have a shower.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25It's going to take an hour to clean up.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Nick, I'm so sorry. - No problem.
0:28:31 > 0:28:37My freshly mixed cauldron of batter is enough to coat almost 8,000 fish fingers.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40It's pumped directly from the mixer to the battering station.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44As the fish fingers arrive,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47they're trapped between two wire mesh conveyors
0:28:47 > 0:28:50and carried into the river of batter.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Why are they between two cages like that?
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Just to help drag them through, otherwise they'd just be floating.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Of course they would. What's this bit called?
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Batter enrober.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02- A batter enrober.- Yep.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05So that guarantees that these fish fingers are well and truly coated...
0:29:05 > 0:29:09- Yep.- ..in my brilliantly made batter?- Yeah.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15- Hey!- That's it.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- Straight to the roto-crumb. - The what?
0:29:17 > 0:29:21- Roto-crumber.- Roto-crumber?- Yeah.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Posh name - breader.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30Premade breadcrumbs are poured evenly across the conveyer from a nearby drum.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34And the fingers are plunged into an avalanche of crumbs.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38- Do you know what? It looks like they are diving into a wave.- Yeah. - Doesn't it?
0:29:38 > 0:29:41- Does look pretty good, though. - Come on! Last one in is a rotten egg!
0:29:45 > 0:29:47I've had naked fish fingers.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50- Then I've seen them put their underwear on.- Yeah.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51Now they've got a robe on.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54They will be fully dressed in a minute, I can tell.
0:29:54 > 0:29:55Yeah. Hopefully.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02- Erm... Where've they gone? - Disappeared.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04They are somewhere... Here we go.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10It's like fishing for fish fingers.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11NICK LAUGHS
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Hang on, this is a game, this, isn't it?
0:30:14 > 0:30:16- That's a lot of bread crumbs. - Oh, yeah.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18And that's to make sure they are completely and utterly coated?
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Yeah, fully covered all the way around.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Any excess is removed by an air blower,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27leaving an even coating all around.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31And these are still frozen rock hard, right?
0:30:31 > 0:30:35- Still rock hard. Yeah.- How many of these are we making, Nick?
0:30:35 > 0:30:36150 a minute.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38- Really?- Yeah.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- Quite a lot of fingers.- Absolutely.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- I think they've journeyed more now than when they were actually whole fish.- Yeah.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47That's a beautiful thing, mate.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50- Beautiful!- That is somebody's tea.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- Yeah.- Actually, I wouldn't mind if it was mine, to be honest.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55I was going to say, I could do with one right now.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00My frozen sticks of cod are heading for the fryer,
0:31:00 > 0:31:04where Mel is standing by to answer my questions.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06- What oil do you use?- Rapeseed oil.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- Do you know what temperature? - 200 degrees.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- For how long?- 45 seconds.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14- That's quick.- Very quick.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16- Can I see them up the other end? - Yep.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24That's not enough heat to cook them, is it?
0:31:24 > 0:31:25No, they're not cooked.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28It's just literally cooking the breadcrumbs, if you like.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30So what's the fish like inside?
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Shall we pick one up and try?
0:31:32 > 0:31:34It's still frozen.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Oh!
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Oh! Ow!
0:31:38 > 0:31:39Very hot, so be careful.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42It's really hot on the outside and it's frozen in the middle.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44That's supposed to be like that, right?
0:31:44 > 0:31:46- Yes.- So you've just cooked the breadcrumbs?
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Literally. The intention is not to cook the fish at all.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50It is literally just to cook the breadcrumbs.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52- Yes, it's frozen.- Yeah.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55- They came in as a block frozen. They're going out frozen.- Yes.
0:31:55 > 0:32:01- The fish is in exactly the same condition as it was when Cherry saw it in Iceland?- Yes.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03They're a little bit dark, aren't they?
0:32:03 > 0:32:06They are at the moment, but over the next couple of days they'll actually
0:32:06 > 0:32:08- come down in colour? - What, they'll fade?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10They'll fade, but it doesn't affect the flavour.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14I get it, you don't actually want them this dark,
0:32:14 > 0:32:16you cook them this dark because you know they're going to fade?
0:32:16 > 0:32:18That's right.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Hey! A bit like me with my suntan on holiday.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Get a bit red and lobstery cos I know I'll be golden at the end.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27That's surprised me. I love that.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33My fish fingers are almost ready for somebody's plate.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Meanwhile, Ruth is in London discovering what seafood they were putting on
0:32:39 > 0:32:42their plates back in the 19th century.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47RUTH: Rewind 170 years and this place,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Billingsgate, was the biggest fish market in the world.
0:32:56 > 0:33:03Over 3,000 people here shifted 120,000 tonnes of fish a year.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11And the most popular seafood product was something rather surprising.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Food historian Drew Smith is here to fill me in.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19- Drew, lovely to see you. - Lovely to see you.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24So, what exactly was the best selling fish in Victorian London?
0:33:24 > 0:33:27- Oysters.- Oysters!- Absolutely.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Cos all of this bank here would have been full of oysters.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34There would have been eight, nine, ten barges bringing them up here
0:33:34 > 0:33:36and they would be shovelling them up here,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39and from here they'd put them on a horse and cart,
0:33:39 > 0:33:40take them all around London.
0:33:43 > 0:33:49In 1851, Billingsgate fishmongers sold 500 million oysters.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52That's 200 for every Londoner.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56At a penny for four, they were affordable for everyone.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59So, this really is a food of everybody?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Rich, poor, makes no difference, there's lots of it about,
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- everybody's eating them? - Yep, and it was London's food.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08I mean, they come sort of pre-packaged, really, in a way?
0:34:08 > 0:34:09In their own shell?
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Yes, they were the convenience food of the Victorian era.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14You know, they were easy to handle.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17You could eat them on the street, of course, without needing any cooking.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Victorians also believed this protein-packed shellfish
0:34:23 > 0:34:25had a rather saucy side effect.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Oysters are a very healthy food and it's one of the reasons they got the
0:34:28 > 0:34:30reputation as an aphrodisiac.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Because actually you'd feel a lot better
0:34:32 > 0:34:34because you were probably so depleted.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Of course, if you had been living on bread, bread, bread, and bread,
0:34:37 > 0:34:38with your bit of tea... HE GROANS
0:34:38 > 0:34:41Yeah. And then you get a sudden hit of all that protein,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43it's going to have a big impact on a person.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45- It did, yeah. - THEY LAUGH
0:34:48 > 0:34:53Oysters were so cheap and popular that pubs like this one in Bethnal Green
0:34:53 > 0:34:56would offer them free with your pint.
0:34:56 > 0:34:57Oh, they look good.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59So, what changed?
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Why is it we now think of oysters as purely posh food?
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Well, you can track it down through these newspaper cuttings we've got
0:35:05 > 0:35:12- here, right down to November 10th, 1902.- As specific as that!
0:35:12 > 0:35:16On that date, guests at an oyster-laden banquet in Winchester
0:35:16 > 0:35:18suffered catastrophic food poisoning.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Half the guests at the banquet went sick.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24And it says here... This is a first report.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26"Nearly a dozen of the most prominent citizens of Winchester,
0:35:26 > 0:35:32"including the Dean, the headmaster of the college and a councillor are on the sick list."
0:35:32 > 0:35:33Good gracious.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37In all, 63 guests at the Winchester banquet became ill,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40some of them diagnosed with typhoid.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43And things went from bad to worse.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47"Mr E Douglas Godwin, one of the best-known legal practitioners in Hampshire,
0:35:47 > 0:35:52"died yesterday at Winchester, the fourth victim of the illness."
0:35:52 > 0:35:55These are really prominent people who are dying, aren't they?
0:35:55 > 0:35:59The cause of death was traced back to the oysters and a stretch of
0:35:59 > 0:36:03the south coast that had been contaminated with sewage.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08The town Emsworth had built their drains over the oyster beds
0:36:08 > 0:36:12and had polluted the oyster beds, which had caused typhoid.
0:36:12 > 0:36:13Unfortunately...
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Typhoid passed straight through the oysters and back into people.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17- Exactly.- Oh...
0:36:19 > 0:36:24This highly contagious waterborne disease had spread through the oyster beds.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27When word got out, the press had a field day.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29This is the Worcester Chronicle.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32This is the Yorkshire Post, and this is the Manchester Courier.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34So the story spread right across the country.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38This isn't a local Winchester story, this is a national scandal.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42One that sounded the death knell for the British oyster industry.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45The oyster beds were closed down and actually it was the start of
0:36:45 > 0:36:47what we call public health these days,
0:36:47 > 0:36:51and oysters just went into complete decline.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53So it's absolute as definite as that.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55We have one incident of an outbreak.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Bonk. End of the oyster industry.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00This completely killed it, yes, absolutely.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05So Britain's original convenience fish product disappeared from our tables.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08As recently as 1990s,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12you could almost say the oyster industry was over in this country.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17And it's only in the last 20 or so years that things have started to pick up.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22Today, oysters are carefully cultivated and regarded as a luxury food.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26In fancy restaurants they can cost upwards of £2 each.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31That's a far cry from their glory days as an everyday staple in Victorian London.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Back in Caistor, my fish fingers look finished.
0:37:40 > 0:37:41But before I can pack them,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45I have to oversee a rather surprising delivery.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47- Hello, brother.- Hello there. Are you all right?
0:37:47 > 0:37:54Every week, the factory receives two 25-ton tankers of liquid nitrogen.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Is this a particularly scary product?
0:37:56 > 0:37:58It can be scary. You've got to be trained,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01but it can be scary in the wrong hands.
0:38:01 > 0:38:02What's dangerous about it?
0:38:02 > 0:38:04It's very cold, so it can burn you.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08And what happens if a load of liquid nitrogen goes flooding out of the tank?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Well, you don't want to be around.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Cos it will just freeze everything what's around it.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Nitrogen occurs naturally in the air around us.
0:38:16 > 0:38:23Most of the time it's a gas, but when it is cooled down to minus 196 degrees Celsius,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26it becomes a liquid, making it easier to transport.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30And it's just what I need to freeze my fish fingers.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31Are we ready to unload, boss?
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- We are, mate.- Come on, what do we do?- Right.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37I've got to press these two buttons, start the engine.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- That's started.- That's started.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42Make sure that the delivery valve is open
0:38:42 > 0:38:45and now I'm going to start the pump.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50- PUMP WHIRS - There goes the pump.
0:38:50 > 0:38:55The liquid nitrogen is pumped into the on-site storage tank.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57How long is this going to take to unload?
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- About an hour.- Mate, I'll leave you to it, shall I?
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Thank you very much. I've seen lots of lorries being unloaded.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05- This is my favourite.- Great. Pleased to have met you.- Thanks, mate.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15My frozen cod arrived five hours and 21 minutes ago.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Now, my coated fish fingers are heading to the freezer.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23That's a serious big freezer.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25That must be the liquid nitrogen that I saw being delivered, right?
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- It is.- How cold is that?
0:39:28 > 0:39:29It's currently at minus 50.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Nitrogen gas is sprayed in the top of the freezer,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38rapidly reducing the temperature of the fish fingers
0:39:38 > 0:39:40to minus 15 degrees.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43This is called flash freezing.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47It preserves the fish, giving it a shelf life of up to 12 months.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52Does it just go straight through a flat conveyor and come out the other side?
0:39:52 > 0:39:54No. Inside there is like a corkscrew.
0:39:55 > 0:40:01The fish fingers slowly move upwards on a 110-metre spiral conveyor.
0:40:02 > 0:40:08They make 16 rotations, and after 18 minutes they emerge from the top.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12GREGG CHUCKLES
0:40:13 > 0:40:18Hang on a minute. So these fish fingers go up on a corkscrew and come down on a slide?
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Yes, it's like a fairground for fish fingers.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23It certainly is, isn't it?
0:40:28 > 0:40:32180 fish fingers slide out of the freezer every minute.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- OK, can I get one?- Yes, you can, if you are quick.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Wow, that is frozen solid.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42- Wow, that is...- You can't get much more frozen than that.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44FISH FINGER CLANGS
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Do they start to get warmer after they come out the freezer?
0:40:47 > 0:40:48No, total opposite.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51It's so cold in there that they continue to get colder.
0:40:51 > 0:40:52Do they really?
0:40:52 > 0:40:55- Honestly.- How many degrees colder can they get?
0:40:55 > 0:40:59They come out there roughly minus 15 degrees and they end up minus 18.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01There are so many things in here I find remarkable.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04I kind of like to think the fish fingers are having a nice time, don't you?
0:41:04 > 0:41:06I think it looks like they are.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17This factory is packed to the gunwales with hi-tech equipment,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19like this nitrogen freezer.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22But there is a proud history of low-tech fish production
0:41:22 > 0:41:26right here in Grimsby. Cherry has been to lend a hand.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Some modern preservation techniques, like freezing,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37have been around for about a century.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42But there's one way of preserving that's been around since the dawn of time.
0:41:44 > 0:41:50This smoke house has been here for the last 90 years and produces
0:41:50 > 0:41:5215 tonnes of fish every week.
0:41:52 > 0:41:58Third-generation fish smoker Angie King is going to show me how it's done.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02- What kind of fish are we using? - This is fresh Icelandic haddock,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05and it doesn't get much better than that.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07That is a perfect, perfect fillet of fish.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09And you're going to make it into a perfect fillet of smoked fish.
0:42:12 > 0:42:19It all begins with a 165-litre bath of water, and 25 kilos of salt.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- Oh, wow!- Now you have the special brining shovel.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Now they are mixed together, we have created a brine.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Why do you brine the fish first?
0:42:33 > 0:42:35We brine fish because it's a preservative
0:42:35 > 0:42:38that is added to the fish. It gives the fish extra life.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40So we've got our briny water.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Is that it? Are we done? - No, not at all.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45We've now got the important ingredient, which is the colour.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48I thought that the colour developed while it was smoking.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50I think that's an old adage.
0:42:50 > 0:42:51People have always thought that,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54that the fish became yellow when it went into the chimneys.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56And actually it isn't. It's the colour that we add to the fish.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58So, why bother dyeing it?
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Tradition.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05The traditional bright yellow colour comes from adding the natural spices
0:43:05 > 0:43:08turmeric and annatto.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10You'll see now the colour's starting to take.
0:43:12 > 0:43:13Gorgeous.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18The colourful salt bath is ready for the fish.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Gently just tease the fish into the brine and let it drop to the bottom.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33You're now going to leave it for five minutes to allow
0:43:33 > 0:43:35the salt to infuse into the fish.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38It's like when I have a bath and I ask my kids to just give me
0:43:38 > 0:43:41- five minutes peace.- Absolutely.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44The fish are hung out on what's known as speets.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Try and get them just not touching, just slightly apart from each other.
0:43:50 > 0:43:55They hang for two hours, so the excess moisture can drip off.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58- So now what?- Now the magic begins.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00- Are we going to smoke? - We're really going to smoke.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04- Is it time? Finally.- It's that time. Yes.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Oh, my goodness. Wow!
0:44:08 > 0:44:12The factory has 11 chimneys, each ten metres tall.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17The walls are encrusted black with tar from decades of use.
0:44:19 > 0:44:20You would be the runner.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23You will pass this fish to a guy in that chimney.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25He will be harnessed up there.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27There will be another guy above him,
0:44:27 > 0:44:32and that speet of fish will literally be passed from you, to him, to him.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34This I have to see.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39That's it.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45120 kilos of fish are loaded into the chimney.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50Once this job is done, it's known as a full house.
0:44:54 > 0:44:55Eddie, that's the last one.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58- Righto.- Up she goes.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02All we need now is the smoke.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08Embers are added to a pile of sawdust made from oak,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10beech and European softwoods.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15And all that will do, in time, is start to smoulder,
0:45:15 > 0:45:17just like that bucket is.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18That's what'll smoke your fish.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20That's the magic.
0:45:21 > 0:45:27The cool smoke, never more than 20 Celsius, infuses into the flesh,
0:45:27 > 0:45:31giving the fish its characteristic delicate flavour.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37The haddock hangs in the chimney for between 14 and 16 hours.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42Meanwhile, Angie has yesterday's batch ready to be packed.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45- So you literally... - That is beautiful.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49- It's...- Delicate smell.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Springy to the touch and very glossy.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54So you'll pack three fillets on the bottom, normally.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Now you'll put another piece of paper on,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59you put in two more fillets in this box,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02and that's your first box packed.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Well done, girl. Well done.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07I am absolutely as proud as punch with this box of fish.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Well, I'm so pleased you are, but would you now finish the rest?
0:46:10 > 0:46:11No.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17GREGG: Cherry may have abandoned her task,
0:46:17 > 0:46:19but the smoked fish need a bit more work.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24And for that, they've come to our factory.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28The fillets go through a laser scanner
0:46:28 > 0:46:30that precisely measures the fish.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Then a blade divides it into portions,
0:46:34 > 0:46:39cutting it so fast that even in slow motion you can't see it move.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44Finally, perfectly uniform sized pieces are packed,
0:46:44 > 0:46:46ready for the supermarket shelf.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56Back on the production line, my fish fingers are also ready for packing.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01So they've come out the freezer.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Now we've just got to pack them.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06So just three fingers on top of each other in a stack like that.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Open the bag, put them in.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11Then you just put your next three in.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Then just take the bag off,
0:47:14 > 0:47:15fold it over the top.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22- Not veg days.- Now, Mrs Miggins, here's your artichoke.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28Packing them by hand means that each fish finger can be given a quick
0:47:28 > 0:47:29visual check.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33But you have to do it fast, to prevent a fish finger pile up.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36I don't think you're quite the speed of the girls, though.
0:47:36 > 0:47:37Yeah, give me a chance!
0:47:41 > 0:47:44The bags move down the line and are sealed shut,
0:47:44 > 0:47:48while the next machine prepares the cardboard boxes.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54The machine folds it into a carton, folds it over, glues it,
0:47:54 > 0:47:58and the ladies and gentlemen that side put the fingers directly into the box.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02Then the other side gets folded, glued, comes out the other side.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10I like those metal knobs, gently turning the boxes round the right way.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Good bit of engineering, that.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Isn't that? The simplest of things, it's really clever,
0:48:14 > 0:48:17and it works perfectly every time.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20The boxes continue past the printer.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23- What's this tube? - That's date coding.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25That doesn't even touch the box.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27It's just kind of spraying it on.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31- That's great.- That there is a unique code to that product.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35When you trace it back, you can go back to exactly where it was caught.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38That code there tells you who caught the fish
0:48:38 > 0:48:42- that was turned into the fish finger?- Yep.- No way.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46Seriously. The life of that fish, from the second that we've caught it,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48all the way through until it lands on somebody's plate,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50we can trace it all the way back.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Well, this bloke is a pretty good fisherman,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57because he caught all 12 of these fish fingers.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03Finally, my boxes of fish fingers are in a delivery carton.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07Their 32-metre journey along the production line is complete.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Is this it, Mel, is this the last stage?
0:49:11 > 0:49:13This is the last stage in here.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16We're just putting our outer case label on,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19palletising it up, and then it will go out to logistics.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Do you know what's different about this than other factories I've been to?
0:49:22 > 0:49:24This is normally always done by machine.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28I like it that there's people here.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33How do you feel when you see them on the shelves?
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- Proud.- Do you? Why?- Cos we've made them.
0:49:39 > 0:49:441,600 finished boxes come off the line every hour.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49That's a whopping 9,600 individual fish fingers.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54Six hours and 32 minutes after my frozen cod arrived at the cutting
0:49:54 > 0:49:57factory, the finished fish fingers
0:49:57 > 0:49:59are being taken to the dispatch area.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Soon to be in a freezer near you.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07Nearly all of us have a freezer in our homes,
0:50:07 > 0:50:14but only one in ten of us is confident about the rules of freezing and defrosting.
0:50:14 > 0:50:15Cherry went to put that right.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22I've got to admit a little bit of uncertainty
0:50:22 > 0:50:26when it comes to the dos and don'ts of freezing and defrosting food.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29I'm pretty sure I know what's safe and what isn't,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32but mostly I'm guessing.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41I've come to Abertay University in Dundee to meet
0:50:41 > 0:50:47food scientist Professor Costas Stathopoulos, who can answer my questions about freezing.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53So, when you freeze food, what happens?
0:50:53 > 0:50:56You freeze water and everything it contains.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Most food has about 90-95% water.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03And bacteria use this water as a source of food.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05So when we freeze,
0:51:05 > 0:51:08we are freezing this water, turning it into ice,
0:51:08 > 0:51:12and therefore the bacteria can no longer access this food.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15In the fresh meat case, if you press it,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17you can see that there is moisture around,
0:51:17 > 0:51:22so that indicates that there is the possibility of bacteria being fed.
0:51:22 > 0:51:27While in the frozen, there is no movement of water at all,
0:51:27 > 0:51:30therefore the bacteria, although they are there,
0:51:30 > 0:51:34- they just cannot be fed. - So, when you freeze food,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38you don't actually freeze or kill the bacteria.
0:51:38 > 0:51:39No, you do not kill them, no.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43You freeze the water, which means the bacteria have nothing to eat,
0:51:43 > 0:51:45- which means they can't grow.- Yes.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51Freezing preserves food by keeping the levels of bacteria in check.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54But when it thaws, they can start to multiply.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57So, how do you defrost safely?
0:51:59 > 0:52:02As an example, frozen turkey. What would you do with it?
0:52:02 > 0:52:06OK, so I would get this out of my freezer and I would be very hungry
0:52:06 > 0:52:08and I'd want food immediately,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11so I'd put it in the microwave on the defrost setting
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and wait until it was not cold in the middle.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16That's my technique.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18It is really not the best of techniques.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22It is always a recommendation to follow the instructions on the packaging.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24So, Costas, I have a confession.
0:52:24 > 0:52:29I didn't even know that there were defrosting instructions on the packets.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33I have never, ever read even a single one.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39The standard advice is to defrost all meat products in the fridge.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43The lower temperature slows down bacterial growth,
0:52:43 > 0:52:45reducing the risk of an upset stomach.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52So, I just wanted to show you how important it is to thaw food properly.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57In this Petri dish, we use the frozen turkey we had before,
0:52:57 > 0:53:01and then thawed it in the refrigerator,
0:53:01 > 0:53:03as per instructions on the packaging.
0:53:03 > 0:53:04What are these spots?
0:53:04 > 0:53:09Every spot corresponds to a colony of microorganisms having grown there.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12For example, the blue ones are E. coli.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15You see, that, to me, sounds dangerous.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17At low levels, it is not a problem.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19That's completely fine. Yeah.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22- OK.- However, if you defrost at room temperature,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25say you just leave it on the kitchen bench overnight,
0:53:25 > 0:53:30it's the same sample, but you see how much more growth we have had.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Right, that is startling.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36I do that a lot.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I leave the food out on the side overnight
0:53:39 > 0:53:43because I think that's how you defrost things.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45Things will defrost, but as you see,
0:53:45 > 0:53:46it is not the way to do it.
0:53:48 > 0:53:53That's because the outside of the meat reaches room temperature faster than the inside,
0:53:53 > 0:53:57providing the perfect breeding ground for microorganisms.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01So, let's just say that I have defrosted my turkey mince,
0:54:01 > 0:54:05but then decided actually what I quite fancy is going out for pizza,
0:54:05 > 0:54:09but I don't want to waste the meat. Can I refreeze it?
0:54:09 > 0:54:10That would be a bad idea.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14We did that, actually, just to check.
0:54:15 > 0:54:20And you see here. This sample has been frozen and thawed twice.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23This sample has been frozen and thawed three times.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Oh, my goodness me.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28It's the whole universe in there.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33Every time you defrost food, the bacteria multiply.
0:54:33 > 0:54:38If you refreeze it, you are also freezing more bacteria.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41So if you do defrost something but you don't fancy it...
0:54:41 > 0:54:45- Cook it before use.- Cook it and then refreeze it.- Yes, that's fine.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49And once it's been frozen, keep it in the freezer about six months.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51I wouldn't want to go past six months.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53After that, you start losing the quality of the food as well.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58Today's been a real eye-opener for me.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01From now on, I'm going to take a good look at the defrosting instructions
0:55:01 > 0:55:07on the packets, and make sure I keep those tricky bacteria under control.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Oh, crying out loud!
0:55:13 > 0:55:17My fish fingers are waiting for me in the distribution area.
0:55:18 > 0:55:23To keep them frozen, they are stored in a giant walk-in freezer.
0:55:23 > 0:55:28In charge of this chilly operation is logistics manager Lee Kelly.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Lee, are these my fish fingers?
0:55:31 > 0:55:33- They are, Gregg.- I'm sorry,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35this has to be the coldest place I've ever been.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Pretty chilly, minus 24 at the minute.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Mate, I really want to get out of here.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Can we get someone in here to take these away so we can get out?
0:55:41 > 0:55:44- Let's do it, yes.- Can we? - Yes.- Got any cocoa?
0:55:48 > 0:55:53The pallets are forklifted out of the freezer and straight onto a truck.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Well, there it goes, solidly frozen.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04- Is that a frozen truck as well? It must be.- It is, yes.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07It will be set at minus 24, same as the cold store.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09So, how fast do you have to work?
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Pretty fast. The vehicle arrived moments ago,
0:56:12 > 0:56:16so the lads have been unloading from the cold stores directly onto the vehicle.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18How many fish fingers on there?
0:56:18 > 0:56:23I would say over 150,000 fingers, actual fingers on there.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26- Yeah, approximately 26 pallets. - 150,000 fish fingers.- Yeah.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30When are they likely to be on the supermarket shelves?
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Depending on stock in store, they could be there tomorrow.
0:56:34 > 0:56:39So my fish fingers could actually be in somebody's freezer
0:56:39 > 0:56:41- in the next day or so? - Yeah, yeah, possibly.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47The fish fingers will be transported to distribution depots
0:56:47 > 0:56:51before heading to supermarket shelves all over the country.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54They are particularly popular in Cambridge and Cheltenham,
0:56:54 > 0:56:57but the biggest fans are in Salisbury.
0:56:57 > 0:57:03- Shall we let it get loaded and get it on its way?- Yeah, let's do it. - Cheers, mate.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10Just over eight hours ago, I saw cod arriving at the cutting factory.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14Since then, it has passed through the hands of more than 20 skilled
0:57:14 > 0:57:18workers, and now my fish fingers are finally ready to go.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25I've realised there are more people in this factory than there are robots,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28and I like that. But what I really like is that as soon as the cod is
0:57:28 > 0:57:33landed, it's put into blocks and frozen, and it remains frozen,
0:57:33 > 0:57:36and only thaws out when it's in our ovens.
0:57:36 > 0:57:37That is brilliant.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49Next time, we are in the Netherlands,
0:57:49 > 0:57:54taking you inside one of Europe's largest sauce factories.
0:57:54 > 0:57:59It makes three quarters of a million bottles of mayonnaise every day.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02I come face-to-face with some cracking technology.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05That may be the best machine I have ever seen.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09And Cherry's getting hot under the collar,
0:58:09 > 0:58:11making jars to put the mayo in.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13So fast!