The Hairy Bikers and Lorraine Pascale: Cooking the Nation's Favourite Food

-Mate, what's your favourite dinner?

-Can I have what I want?

-Yeah!

I love a home-made chicken kiev.

All that garlic butter bursting everywhere! What's yours?

-Roast chicken dinner.

-Pizza.

-You dirty, dirty man.

I know! I love pizza.

-Oyster out of the half shell.

-Big heap of good smoked salmon.

-A posh bacon sandwich.

-Shepherd's pie or a cottage pie.

Drizzle of lemon. Drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper...

LORRAINE PASCALE: Those two could be there all night

discussing their favourite dishes. But the more important question is, what's yours?

Tonight we'll be counting down the nation's top ten favourite dinners,

from British classics to more exotic cuisine.

But has your own favourite made it onto our definitive list?

We'll be cooking some of the top ten meals with our own personal twist...

There'll be loads of chefs out there holding their hands up in horror.

Well, you can all get lost, cos it works and it's great.

..breathing new life into your weekly menu.

Chillies are said to be an aphrodisiac, so put in as much as you think you like.

'And we're cooking our way across Britain,

'lifting the lid on our favourite food...'

-We just have TIE here.

-LAUGHTER

'..finding unexpected stories...'

-It's a culinary mystery!

-It is.

'..and discovering how our choice of dishes define us as a nation.'

This is comforting family food. Lovely!

Oh, yeah, baby!

So, come on - I'm getting hungry. Let's get stuck in.

-Right then, let's wok and roll.

-Aw, that was my line!

-Was it?

-Yes!

We have had our eye on you,

analysing what 5,000 of you around the country

buy, cook and eat for dinner.

As a result, we've created a unique gastronomic fingerprint

of the nation's favourite top ten evening meals,

as decided by you, the great British public.

Some dishes feel familiar, some a surprise. All taste delicious.

Kicking off our list,

I'm going to be tucking into a British culinary and cultural classic.

It's our favourite takeaway - fish and chips.

There are four times more fish and chip shops in the UK than KFC and McDonalds put together.

We Brits love our batter.

Mark Petrou fries fish at a chippy in West London.

So, Mark, I hear you're the king of fish and chips?

Well, there are lots of ambassadors for the industry.

I would say that I'm one of them.

I've certainly got batter in my veins.

So, why do you think fish and chips is one of the nation's favourites?

The mandate for fish and chips has always been to provide

affordable food for the masses, and there are very few meals

out there that are as honest and as robust as fish and chips.

It hasn't changed in 150 years,

because it just doesn't need improving.

40 years ago, many homes had a chip pan.

Now deep fat fryers have fallen out of fashion.

But making battered fish at home is actually surprisingly easy.

If you're going to make a batter mix at home,

I would say, simply start off with cold water and self-raising flour,

that's the absolute...

A very, very simple, easy batter to make.

And then if you want to be a bit experimental or liven it up,

you can substitute water for champagne,

you can substitute water for a nice pale ale and do a beer batter.

What you really want is to mix it for about a minute and a half

and for it to be the consistency of single cream.

There you go.

-It's hanging on my finger for a moment...

-Oh, yeah.

..and then running off like a mouse's tail.

So, why do you think fish is covered in this batter?

Well, historically, it used to be discarded.

When fish and chips first appeared, it was actually sold cold by street vendors,

and people would finger their way through the fish until they found one that they liked,

and crack off the batter to reveal the jewel inside.

I guess at some point somebody tried it when it was still hot and thought,

"This is yummy, were going to start eating the batter now."

That's ready to go. What we need to do now is get some fish and do some frying.

There's a definite North-South divide when it comes to our fish and chips.

In the North we like haddock, and in the South we prefer cod.

What we want to try and do is get a nice, even coating,

-let the excess run off.

-Yeah.

Just place it into the oil. Don't let go of it until it's in the oil.

-So it doesn't slap down?

-That's right.

The batter will temper straightaway, and it will puff up

and the fish will cook inside the batter in its own steam.

That's going to take about seven minutes to fry.

Here you have a perfect portion of our number ten favourite dinner.

But what you have on the side depends on where you live.

The Glaswegians like pickled onions,

Mancunians like gravy and mushy peas,

and Brummies love the curry sauce.

I'm a Londoner, and I like my ketchup.

Fish and chips - British through and through.

The next dish on our list holds retro connotations

and is the first of our fiery foreign food classics.

Chilli con carne.

Back in the '70s it sat happily on most menus

alongside prawn cocktail and chicken chasseur -

dishes that reflected our hunger for the exotic.

As our tastes became more sophisticated,

it meant goodbye - some might say good riddance - to old favourites.

And yet this dish has retained its popularity.

Which chillies do you use in your chilli con carne?

Usually I go for this one, cos I like it mild.

-So you don't use Scotch bonnet, then?

-No, I go for the red chillies only.

Chilli bubbles with our love of all things Americana,

and we've even started to hold countrywide chilli cook-ups

with rules specifying certain ingredients.

I say, rip up the rule book.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-THEY CHUCKLE

Time to get cooking.

Start off with an onion,

chop it up quite small.

And then I'm going to let those sweat down.

When the onions have sweated for a few minutes,

add one chopped clove of garlic

and a large bay leaf.

Some rosemary.

Such a great herb to grow, rosemary.

I'm not green fingered at all, but I can just about stretch to rosemary.

POT SIZZLES

Now, chilli - this is where it can all gone wrong.

You get overzealous, put the whole chilli in,

and then when you get to taste your dish, it's way too spicy.

So, the way around that is to taste the chilli before you put it in.

Not very hot. So I'll put the whole lot in.

Chillies are said to be an aphrodisiac,

so put in as much as you think you like.

I like my chilli spicy.

Depending on how hot you like it, top it up with some chilli powder

and then add about a teaspoon of ground cumin.

Layering up that flavour.

Mmm, that cumin smells beautiful.

And then, of course, mince. Put the whole lot in.

Browning the mince will give it a meatier flavour,

but be careful you don't overcook it.

Salt and pepper.

Chilli con carne's a great dish to make in the slow cooker, too.

Just pop it on before you go to work,

come back and there's lovely cooked chilli con carne, piping hot.

Now, I'm not going to add kidney beans, as I prefer my chilli

to be closer to the original Texan recipe.

However, I am putting in tomatoes,

which, to some hardcore chilli cooking kings, is a no-no.

Now, I don't think tomatoes are as sweet as they could be.

I remember my dad growing them in the greenhouse,

and they used to be so, so sweet.

So, if you fancy it, just add a little squidge of honey.

Literally quarter of a teaspoon, just to give the tomatoes a helping hand.

CORK POPS

Finally, a good glug of red wine.

And then let that bubble away to get nice and rich.

At its simplest, chilli con carne is an economic feast,

great for families, and students,

indeed anyone watching their weekly food bill.

What I do to make this dish even more cost effective is

always make more than I need.

It actually tastes better after a few days in the fridge!

The chilli's now ready, and I'm going to dish it up on some fluffy white rice.

Yummy!

Look at that! Now, that's what you call a chilli.

I'm going to top it with coriander.

I know some people don't like coriander. I love it.

And, in fact, most of you do - it has recently overtaken parsley to become

the nation's favourite herb, selling over 30 million bunches a year.

And then I've got my salsa.

Give a spoonful of that on the side, I think.

Time to eat!

I love the way we take a dish to our hearts,

customise it by adding or taking away ingredients

until we call the recipe our own.

This is a nice, smooth, gentle chilli taste on the tongue.

Memories are made by family members or friends

cooking dishes their own way.

It's how culinary traditions evolve.

The next dish on our top ten list is a far simpler dish,

but one that many of us can easily get wrong.

Not if you follow the Bikers' rules!

Coming in at number eight is...

Steak!

And, in fact, you love steak so much

it also sits at number seven in the guise of pork steak.

But we're sticking to the classic, beef steak - our favourite.

And we're going to give you the top ten tips on cooking steak.

Now, this is the top tip number one -

first of all, buy the best meat you can,

and we would suggest you buying an indigenous breed to the UK.

Because we have acres and acres of grass fields, which gives

a different texture and a different flavour to corn-fed beef.

Try and buy steak with a bit of marbling.

That means steak that has some fat content,

as is beautifully illustrated in this ribeye.

That little fat intermingling with the meat

will give you a big, fat, juicy steak.

I'm going to be cooking fillet steak, cos I love it.

That's the posh steak. That's your kind of...

It's your golden wedding of steak.

And I'm going to be cooking sirloin steak, because I love it.

Big, big, big flavour.

Nice kind of quite tight grain. Very, very lovely steak.

Tip two, always bring your meat to room temperature before you cook it.

That way it will cook quicker and more evenly

than if it comes straight from the fridge.

Tip number three...

Make sure to preheat your pan till it's sizzling hot.

And tip number four...

When we season, we take the oil to the steak,

not the steak to the oil.

And the oil we're using is groundnut oil.

Or you could use vegetable or rapeseed oil.

You need oil that heats to a very high temperature before it starts to smoke.

Rub it around. Pepper.

Now, I've got sea salt flakes.

This is going to form a lovely crust.

I'm going to do a very similar thing.

The salt draws all of the fat particles

out of that layer of fat and into the pan.

Oh, look at that, man! Come on, you want to eat that now!

-Look at that!

-There's nothing like this sound, is there?

SIZZLING BOTH: Oh!

Tip number five - sear your steak to seal in all that flavour.

I'm going to take it off the heat now,

put a big knob of butter on the top,

and this is going to melt and ensure that the steak stays juicy.

I'm going to put this into a 200 degrees Celsius hot oven

for about six minutes, I think, cos I want it on the rare side.

And while Dave's doing that, I'm going to get on with my sirloin.

SIZZLING

And you can start to see now what's happening with that fat layer.

It's just starting to leak, and that's all flavour.

OK.

Tip Number six - to flip or not to flip?

Our tip - flip it once.

Because if you start to move that steak prior to it being sealed,

then you're going to start to tear the meat.

Then, all your flavour isn't going to be on the inside.

It's going to be on the bottom of your pan,

and you don't really want that.

Right. That should be medium-rare,

which I believe is how you should eat sirloin.

Yeah.

And top tip number seven is -

you must let the meat rest for at least as long as you've cooked it.

A steak needs to rest the same way like your Sunday roast would need to rest.

It's going to relax, the juice is going to relax, it's going to be better.

Look at that! It's like a mini roast, isn't it?

Tip number eight - baste your steak with the cooking juices.

Hopefully that'll kind of soak in as it rests.

-How beautiful's that?

-You just can't beat it, can you?

Tip nine - to test if your steak is cooked to your liking...

You take your thumb and first finger,

pinch them together, feel the ball of your hand, and it's quite springy.

that should be the same texture as a rare steak.

Which it actually is.

We want this a bit firmer.

Now, medium, third finger, thumb.

Press that, that's firmer.

But we want your steak to be less firm than that, which it is.

For a well done steak, little pinky and thumb,

and that's like old boots.

Ah!

-Look at that!

-BOTH LAUGH

It's perfect. Perfect.

Just got some twice-cooked chips,

Bearnaise sauce, and two of the finest steaks you can get.

And just for the vegetarians - some watercress.

Just a garnish, really.

Let's do the fillet. You could cut that with a spoon.

-Oh, God. It's perfect.

-It is perfect.

Mmm!

And top tip number ten -

because the sirloin has more grain than the fillet,

I'm cutting across the grain.

That way it's easier to cut and it will look a lot prettier.

Mmm!

-I like fillet.

-So do I.

-And I like sirloin.

-So do I!

And those are our top ten tips for cooking the great British steak.

So there's no excuse for you guys EVER to cook a bad steak.

Hey, Dave, you know what would go really well with this steak?

Only the nation's number one pudding -

the humble apple crumble.

The English countryside used to be abound with orchards

brimming with tantalising apples, but sadly, since the 1950s,

almost 60% of orchards have disappeared.

Nowadays it's easier to buy an apple

that's travelled 7,000 miles from Chile than one from Kent.

So I've come down to Sittingbourne to find out why we've fallen

out of love with the great British apple.

Traditionally, English apples

were very much like the Cox type apples and the Russet type apples.

-These are the Russets.

-Yeah.

-What flavour am I going to get with this?

You'll get quite a complex flavour, a less sweet flavour with that.

-Mmm! It's quite, kind of, grainy.

-Mm-hmm.

I like the sourness. There's many layers to it.

That's right, yeah. You've got that depth going on,

so you've not just got a sweet hit and then nothing.

So, why are we not buying them?

Why aren't people tasting this and realising this is a much nicer eat?

-Because essentially people are buying like that.

-For looks.

For looks. If you look at that compared to that.

We're used to buying, and conditioned to buying,

fruit that's shiny and red and rosy.

That isn't shiny, red or rosy. It's not perfect.

-It looks like a potato.

-Exactly.

-LORRAINE LAUGHS

What we're eating instead is the likes of Royal Gala and Braeburn,

but also apples like Pink Lady.

Is there a home-grown British apple that can satisfy our increasingly sweet tooth?

Yes, absolutely. Because of our climate and the way that we can grow,

we think we can come up with a more complex eating apple

rather than just one where you just have a sweet hit and the flavour moves away.

Varieties, for example, like Zari and Kanzi.

-So this is the Kanzi?

-Yep.

-Fabulous name.

Mmm! Good.

-Nice and subtle. Not too hard.

-Juicy.

-Very juicy.

A lot of sweetness there, but more of a complex mix of flavour going on.

I've been inspired by Carol and I'm going to add a few

eating apples to my crumble recipe for that extra sweetness.

So, when you're next cooking the nation's number one pudding,

just remember, British apples really are best.

I like to start off with caramelizing the apples, just to give them that extra flavour.

You can just pop them in a big pan with the crumble topping on top

and put it straight into the oven,

but I just love to get them going on the hob first.

In goes 70g of unsalted butter and 100g of brown sugar.

I'm using a little less sugar than I normally would

because eating apples will add that extra layer of sweetness.

Just get that melting away nicely,

and whilst that's melting, I can get on with the apples.

The Bramleys will disintegrate down into a delicious apple sauce,

whereas the eating apples will hold their shape,

creating a lovely combination of textures.

So make sure the apple chunks aren't too small.

When your butter and sugar is a beautiful caramel colour, add the apples.

Just do it really gently

because that really does spit up a little bit, and it's very hot.

The good thing is, when you put the apples in,

this mix isn't going to burn, because the cooling liquid from the apples, the water,

will cool this right down. You'll just be left with all that flavour.

The smell is wonderful.

And I'm going to leave that to simmer away very gently,

I don't want them to get too soft,

and make the crumble topping.

Which, in my opinion, is the best bit.

Now, I honestly think the mark of a good crumble is

the amount of topping it has.

So I like to make sure that the topping is very, very thick.

So, flour...

300g of plain flour and 150g of Demerara sugar,

which gives a bit of extra crunch.

And then something different - oats.

Oats give even more texture and a slightly nutty flavour.

Delicious!

You'll need 100g. Then add 200g of chilled, cubed butter.

And then you just have to rub it. You want everything to be combined,

so you just squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger

until the whole mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

I'm going to put a pinch of cinnamon.

And then just put the topping on the apples.

This is good, hearty family food.

CAT MEOWS Even the cat wants some.

You have to come over here.

OK that's it.

I've got a really scrumptious crumble going into the oven.

That's going to cook for 30 to 40 minutes at 200 degrees.

'Don't forget to get your custard ready.'

Look at that. Golden brown and crunchy.

Mmm-mmm!

Sizzling.

I can smell the cinnamon and the brown sugar.

I'm going to serve it with custard.

'Apple crumble.

'The perfect comfort food -

'easy to see why it's our favourite pud.'

I've got to get in there, that bit that I love,

top of the apple, bottom of the crumble topping,

it's the best part.

If you want to improve your cooking skills

and get some great recipes and tips,

please go to...

'But back to our top ten dinners.

'Number six is an altogether different flavour -

'it's the curry!

'This dish was once a spicy reminder of the Raj,

'but now seems as British as fish and chips.

'As a food, curry has been part of our British culture

'since the opening of the first curry house in 1810.

'Statistics reveal Yorkshire is mad for Madras,

'and London has gone bonkers for the biryani,

'and the Midlands is chomping for chapattis.

'Over the years with the arrival of more international cultures,

'we as a nation have embraced ever bolder flavours -

'Thai being the fastest growing international newcomer.

'And in all its Asian glory,

'it's been the saviour of many a struggling British pub.'

-Hello, Gerry.

-Hello, Dave.

We just serve TIE here.

-I know, that's why we're...

-THEY LAUGH

'Landlord Gerry O'Brien has been serving Thai food

'in this London pub since 1988.'

Gerry, is it right that this was

the first pub in Britain to serve Thai food?

That's right, we were the first pub to start Thai food,

-we were indeed, yes.

-And why did you decide to do that, Gerry?

Well, the meals at night-time were non-existent, literally,

-as much as we tried to do a few different things at night-time.

-Yes.

We tried some fish, chips, steaks, but it wasn't really taking off.

It was very, very slow, very slack altogether.

And I thought, "Something has to happen here."

And at the very same time, I met this Thai chef,

and he was so passionate about his food, Thai food.

-Yes.

-And I thought, well, this could happen, this could be something.

And we made a decision to start and try and see how it would go.

'The last three decades have been a testing time for British pubs,

'a whopping 21,000 closing since 1980.

'Having a successful food menu was crucial to their survival.'

'At the time, creating a Thai kitchen in a British pub

'seemed like an enormous risk,

'but it didn't take long to see results.'

It was hugely exciting at that time.

It was the first pub - "Thai food?!"

A lot of people didn't even...

had tasted Thai food, or heard about Thai food much.

And sales went through the roof, literally,

and drinks sales, and the bar sales were booming,

and we were on a high, we really were.

We're still on a high, to be honest with you.

In my dreams, I would never have thought

something like this could happen.

'And many other pubs followed suit, watching food sales rocket.

'There are now estimated to be 2,000 Thai restaurants in Britain.

'Our love affair with Thai food had well and truly begun.'

'Gerry's kindly agreed to give us a chance

'to cook our version of the massaman curry.'

With the Thai curry, the heart of it is the curry paste.

'The massaman curry has a lovely, rich flavour.

'Its paste is blended from a range of spices,

'chillies, nuts, lemon grass and fish sauce.'

In my hometown, Barrow-in-Furness,

we've got a big Thai community there,

and we love our Thai!

And we've got a stall on Barrow Market that's selling Thai goods,

so I can buy me lemon grass and everything,

you know, as much as I can a meat and tater pie now.

Such is the power of Thai food in Britain!

'It's now relatively easy to pick up

'a good ready-made paste in the supermarket,

'but much tastier if you have time to make your own.

'Once the paste is done, the actual curry is super-quick to make.'

-Right, then...

-Right.

-Let's wok and roll!

-SI LAUGHS

-Oh, that was my line!

-Oh, was it?

-Yes!

First thing is, take some onions, and we're going to sweat 'em down.

Right, sweat!

-Do you know what I love, Kingy?

-Go on, mate.

Well, you know, the popularity of Thai restaurants in English pubs,

it just proves multicultural Britain.

You know, you can bang about with sound bites,

but the fact is, the good old British pub loves Thai food.

And it's here, and it's here to stay,

and it's been here for a very long time.

What we're going to do is

I'm going to move the onions to one side,

and then the chicken breasts, there's about 500g there.

Just want to break 'em up and we just want to colour them.

If you've noticed what I'm doing is I'm waiting until it's formed

a little colour on the bottom of those because what happens is,

if you move them too soon on a hot surface, you rip the meat.

So let's just take... You see, it's all coming away now nicely.

'At its heart, this dish is a simple stir-fry,

'so make sure you have all your ingredients ready to chuck in.'

And this is it,

the gold that is the massaman curry paste.

At this point, put half your paste in,

and just cover your onions and your chicken.

Fantastic.

One chopped potato.

Bung it in.

Take two Thai red chillies.

Now it starts to simmer and be like a simmery curry.

So, chicken stock...

Now that Dave's put the chicken stock in,

we're just basically de-glazing that pan,

so all of those flavours, from the chicken, from the potatoes,

and from that fantastic paste,

all comes off from the wok into that chicken stock.

Now some coconut milk.

'Now, next add a handful of kaffir lime leaves,

'the juice of a lime, and a couple of chopped tomatoes.'

This is a fresh curry.

It's all about good, fresh, clean flavours,

so they all marry together hopefully in a bit of a happy symphony.

Now we have to balance the sweet and the salt flavours.

In goes some palm sugar.

'And those Thai staples - some fish sauce and some soy sauce.'

-This is thin soy sauce! Healthy Boy brand!

-Get in.

That's the one for us!

Now, we'll leave that to simmer for about, kind of, 12-15 minutes,

and it's going to be thick and unctuous.

Now, as we reduce that sauce,

the flavours are going to get even more intense.

Oh, this is... It's such a lovely curry, this.

'Once the sauce has reduced,

'time to add some roasted chopped peanuts and Thai basil.'

'The massaman is complete.

'We're serving it with sticky rice.'

'And if there's one man who we need the thumbs up from,

'it's landlord Gerry.'

What do you reckon?

Fantastic. Delicious, Si. Delicious, David.

Not too hot, not too hot. Perfect.

God, Dave, I think we'll have to put that on our menu, you know that?

-Wahey!

-I think we will.

-That's praise indeed.

-That is praise indeed.

That will go down a treat, definitely, Dave, definitely.

I can't stop, I'll have to keep going here.

'We all love to replicate a recipe

'we've tasted on holiday or in a restaurant.

'Over nine million of us flew long haul last year,

'sampling different foods and flavours,

'returning with ideas for our next kitchen cook-up.'

'Now, Dave and I are going to make a bold prediction that next year

'curry will creep further up our top ten list,

'and it might even push number five off its current position.'

'From curry to another classic British dish.

'At number five on our list, the casserole.

'Even inexpensive cuts of meat taste tender and juicy

'when they're cooked slowly.

'But you might need help from your butcher

'working out which bits to buy.'

With lamb, the cheaper cuts are like neck of lamb.

At the moment, this time of year, we have ox cheek, that's...

-Oh, nice!

-That's a very, very good dish to have.

'No wonder so many thrifty cooks have casseroles in their repertoire.'

-Thanks very much. See you, then.

-Have a wonderful day.

-You too, bye.

'Try coating the meat in flour

'before browning on top of the stove.

'Make sure the veg is cut the same size so they cook evenly.

'As microwave sales decline, slow cooker sales have rocketed.

'Last year they increased by a massive 55%.

'So, go on, cook a casserole,

'and come home to a delicious hot dinner.'

Now, if these recipes weren't enough to get your pan sizzling,

head over to the BBC Dish Up website, at...

Where people like us will help you to put the fun back into cooking.

There are simple recipes and tips to help you eat better too.

Hi.

'We clearly love our flavours from around the world,

'but the next two dinners are an Italian double-act,

'so familiar they actually taste of home.

'At number four, it's our favourite pasta dish...'

'In the early 1950s,

'olive oil and garlic were virtually unknown in British kitchens.'

-A little bit of Parmesan, please.

-Of course.

'We put tinned tomatoes on our toast instead of in our ragouts.

'Now Italian food is by far our favourite international cuisine.'

-Amazing, thanks very much.

-Thank you very much.

'We're cooking five times more pasta than we did in the 1980s.

'It comes in all shapes and all sauces,

'but nothing beats the spag bol!

'And now I'm going to cook the next Italian dish on our list.

'At number three, it's pizza.'

I do love to make a pizza from scratch.

There's something very therapeutic about making that dough.

So I start off with 300g of strong bread flour,

just pop that into the bowl.

So I need a good pinch of salt.

And then yeast.

Now, it's wonderful to use fresh yeast, but it does take time,

so I like to take a short cut and use this fast-action dried yeast.

So easy.

And then some water, not too cold, not too hot, just warm.

That goes in there, 175ml of warm water.

So I start by getting the spoon in, and then here's the best bit,

you get your hands in and squidge it all together,

and then just knead it for a little bit, for about five minutes.

So, to test whether you've kneaded it enough,

just take the dough like this, in a ball,

and just pull it back on itself, giving you a nice taut top.

Then pop your finger in the flour, and press it,

and it should spring back all the way.

I'm happy with that.

So now I'm ready to roll this out.

Just keep pushing.

So, a bit of flour on there to stop it from sticking.

And then the easiest way to transport your dough is rolling pin

in the centre of the dough, then just fold it over...

And then drag it across

to your baking sheet.

'One of the reasons this recipe is so easy

'is that you don't even need to make your own tomato sauce.

'Passata, straight from the jar,

'is just as good when you're in a rush.'

I like to leave a margin around the pizza, a border,

just cos I think it looks nicer.

Lovely pepperoni here.

Slice it up.

'Pizza is all about what you put in it and on it.

'Pepperoni is the nation's number one topping.'

No rules for pizza.

Just do what you want.

There.

'Next I'm going to spice it up a bit

'with some beautiful red piquant peppers.

'And finally a whole ball of buffalo mozzarella.'

And I'm just going to tear over the top.

That's going to go all lovely and gooey in the oven.

Then that's it.

So simple, so easy.

'That needs to cook for about 8-10 minutes in a really hot oven.

'About 240 degrees, so it cooks quickly and gets lovely and crisp.'

Yes!

'So there you have it - a beautiful pepperoni pizza in less time

'than it would take to have one delivered.'

That looks perfect.

I'm going to finish it off with some fresh basil.

Bit of colour, another flavour layer.

Just rip it up, over the top...

Look at that. Perfect.

Cut into this.

There's only one way to eat a pizza, and that's with your fingers.

Mmm!

Really good.

'We all love our Italian food, particularly in Bedford,

'which has the largest concentration of Italians in the UK,

'arriving here in the '50s to work for a local brick factory.

'But our research threw up some more geographical quirks

'which are much harder to make sense of.'

BAGPIPES SKIRL

-Scotland!

-Home of the bagpipes!

-Haggis!

-Tossing the caber!

-Snow!

And, believe it or not...

Mexican food!

Aye, it is true, there is this kind of relationship between

Mexico and Scotland on the food front.

Why do you think that is, Kingy?

It's got to be the climate, isn't it? The hot weather...

You must be joking, it's not Acapulco or Cancun, is it?

Can't be that! It's a mystery that needs unravelling.

-Wait, we're just the men to do it!

-Shall we?

-Oh, we should!

'The Scots are the nation's top Mexican food fans,

'14% more likely to eat it

'than in any other part of Britain.'

What is it you like about Mexican food?

-Just the flavours in it.

-Really?

-Spices.

I love it, I love chillies.

We love spice, that's why. We like the burn.

-Are you partial to a Mexican?

-Yes.

Oh! You look Mexican.

-Chilli, enchiladas, burritos, love them all.

-Oh!

What's your favourite Mexican food, do you know?

"I love a burrito!"

-A what?

-"A burrito!"

-THEY LAUGH

'Research shows that 32% of us are enjoying even spicier food.

'But what is it about the bonnie burrito

'that's got the Scots so excited?'

'In search of some answers,

'we head off to meet spice shop owner Dougie Bell.

'He's been supplying Mexican restaurants with fresh

'ingredients for over 20 years.'

-Oh, yes.

-The great Lupe Pintos, famous deli.

-Dougie?

-Nice to meet you.

-I'm Si, nice to meet you, man.

-Hi, Dougie.

'The first ever Mexican restaurant in Scotland opened

'way back in 1984 and was based on the American Tex-Mex.

'Lupe Pintos is very much about the authentic side of the cuisine.'

This place is, er, serving people who are after the real deal,

-so people who are getting right into chilli cookery.

-Uh-huh.

General advice I give people, er, with chilli,

is mix, match and experiment. And, er, that's the trick.

-He's like a DJ of the chilli world, isn't he?

-He is.

-He's mixing.

-Do you like it hot, Dougie?

-My palette's medium to hot.

When it gets to a certain level, the heat level,

I think the flavour disappears for me, personally.

So, Dougie, why do you think the Scots have the relationship

that they clearly do with Mexican cuisine?

Scots love spicy food. That's... We always have.

So, then, I think after that, it developed sort of slowly,

people going on holidays, coming back,

wanting a wee taste of it, either to America or Mexico,

but on a much grander scale,

I think it's linked to a very important historic event,

and if you want to know a wee bit more about that,

I think the best place to go and discuss it would be the pub.

-That sounds a champion idea.

-Let's go.

'So, what momentous occasion would you find

'celebrated on the back wall of a Scottish pub?'

This is the reason - it was the 1986 World Cup in Mexico,

where Scotland qualified.

Thousands and thousands of Scottish fans went over there,

loved the culture, loved the people, loved the food,

and I think this was the whole start of it.

Some of them stayed and wandered, some of them came back with memories,

and some of them came back with wives.

I just think the faces are great

cos everybody's having such a great time,

and that's what football should be about as well, and food,

and that kind of cultural exchange, and, oh, it'd be brilliant!

There's definitely a merging of two cultures takes part

in every World Cup, but I think that one was a special one

for a lot of Scottish people,

and, of course, when they came back they would have been,

"Why isn't there any food like this?"

'But there is now.

'Every month in pubs across Scotland,

'Dougie and fellow Mexican food aficionados meet to enjoy

'their favourite cuisine.

'Tonight, he's asked us to do the cooking.'

DAVE SINGS "LA BAMBA"

'On the menu tonight, it's Mexican brick chicken with frijoles!'

Here, we're cooking a Mexican.

We are, and I'm going to spatchcock a chicken.

Basically, take the spine out,

flatten it out, and it's ready to cook.

A classic mistake that people make is that they think,

"Oh, there's me chicken,"

-and they make a cut up here and half it that way.

-Oh!

That would be what is commonly known as a complete and utter disaster.

-Aye.

-So what you do is you make two cuts with scissors or a knife,

if your knife skills are good enough, up this side of

the backbone, and then it opens out in the perfect way.

And that, in essence, you can keep it like that if you want.

That's in essence spatchcock, but we're going to bone it out.

'While Si de-bones the chicken,

'I'm going to get on with the marinade.'

At the heart of the dish are chillies.

I've got two chipotle chillies for smokiness,

and I'm going to use about half a habanero chilli for heat.

Don't like it much, use a quarter.

If you like it really hot, use a whole one.

But if this is a hand grenade, this is a nuclear reactor!

'Quickly toast the chillies in a dry pan,

'then place them in a bowl of hot water to soak for 20 minutes,

'helping them to rehydrate.'

Now, I'm not going to wait for these to soak.

Here's some I did earlier. Ooh, look at that.

What I'm going to do, just going to take the seeds out,

then I'm going to pound it into a paste.

I can feel me fingers throbbing. Such is the power of the chilli!

'Crush the chilli in a pestle and mortar with some olive oil

'and a generous amount of salt,

'working the chillies until they create a paste.

'Then add the juice of one orange, two cloves of garlic,

and two teaspoons of fresh oregano.'

We're just going to keep pounding that to release

the oils from the oregano, all those flavours...

..melanged together in a wonderful melange.

'When you've finished the marinade,

'it's time to dress the de-boned chicken.'

And this is the good bit.

What you do is you start to massage that fantastic marinade

into the meat, push all those flavours in.

Right, we've set that aside to marinade for half an hour.

-Now, Mr Myers, beans!

-He-e-ey!

That's his Mexican impression, it's good, isn't it?

-Onion!

-Thank you.

-Garlic.

Now, there's various methods of doing re-fried beans or frijoles,

but we've got good quality beans.

Not your average beans, these are top beans,

so we're going to go purist.

The only flavour will be coriander, garlic and onions - and butter.

There's so much flavour going on this dish, though.

It's a flavour sensation.

You're going to think your mouth's electrified.

'Add the onion, garlic and coriander to a bit of melted butter

'and sweat for a few minutes.'

Pretty soon it's going to be sweating like a Scotsman

at a rugby international.

THEY LAUGH CONSPIRATORIALLY

We'll never get out alive, man!

-The next bit's dead simple!

-Have you got that?

-Not half.

Sling the beans in.

'While the beans bubble away, it's time to get the chicken on.

'Now, here's where the brick bit comes in.'

We're going to cook the chicken skin side down,

and the skin's going to get crispy.

We need to keep it flat, cos it's just going to go,

"Whoo!" So we cook it under bricks.

'Yes, you heard Dave right.

'A couple of ordinary house bricks,

'which you need to wrap in foil for hygiene.'

-I love this bit.

-Don't forget, skin side down.

-Yes.

If you're worried about the heat with the chillies,

you could take some of the marinade off,

but we're going for it full throttle so we're leaving the marinade on.

The choice is yours, dear viewer.

-Reminds me of that joke, Kingy?

-Which one?

-Why did the chicken cross the road?

-Don't know.

To see his flatmate.

-SI LAUGHS

-He's good, in't he?

'The chicken needs to cook for about 20 minutes.

'We'll be serving it with some warm tortillas

'and those all-important beans.'

-Whoa!

-You know me, Kingy. I love a sprinkle.

I know you do, mate.

-Oh, man!

-Look at this... Fantastic.

-Ohhhh, look at that!

-Oh, yes, indeed.

-Skin! Whoa, man!

'Oh, the mix of the crispy skin with the tenderness of the chicken

'is delicious.

'The short cooking time means the meat stays beautifully moist.'

'Right, it's time to serve the sombrero wearing Scots.

'Or are they tartan-loving Mexicans?'

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Andale, andale!

Well, I hope you enjoy our Mexican food offering.

It's a nice spicy chicken dish, some re-fried beans, guacamole

and all the trimmings.

So, dig in, and if you don't like it, keep it to yourself.

'This recipe is so simple and easy to recreate at home.

'The flavours combine to make a really mouth-watering meal.'

-Seeing as you're from Mexico, do you like the food?

-This is amazing.

This tastes like the chicken in Monterey, so, really nice. Love it.

'Phwoar, looks as if Dougie and his friends are enjoying

'our Mexican offerings.'

People like having fun, people love the food,

and I think the food suits the characters of both countries,

because both the Mexicans and the Scots love a party,

they don't take themselves too seriously, and it's...

I mean, look at everybody!

-Cultural exchange, just brilliant.

-It's good.

Well, long may the Scottish-Mexican connection continue.

-Hear, hear, David.

-Cerveza?

-What a good idea.

'Over the years, world flavours have become

'an integral part of the British menu.

'As a nation, we happily eat international food

'three nights a week,

'and four of our favourite top ten dishes are international.

'However, we're not quite ready to give up our home-made classics.

'At number two, shepherd's pie.

'Many of the dishes on our menu tonight remain loyal

'to our historic love of meat and two veg,

'the staple diet for most families in the '50s and '60s.

'However, we can afford to be a bit more adventurous now,

'and with one in eight of the population

'declaring themselves vegetarian,

'I've decided to make you a meat-free version.

'And I promise you, it's just as tasty.'

I'm starting off with one leek.

Finely chopped.

'Mince is our most popular fresh meat,

'so I don't expect everyone to give up the traditional version

'and suddenly start cooking mountains of shepherdless pie.

'But I'm cooking this recipe especially for those living in

'the east of England, where most vegetarians live.'

So, carrots in - adds colour and sweetness.

'Commonly, shepherd's pie was a way of using up leftover lamb

'after a Sunday roast.

'But for this I'm using chestnut mushrooms and lentils.

'First, the mushrooms.'

Chop them into big chunks cos they do reduce down quite a lot

and disappear, disintegrate into nothing.

Mushrooms...

'Next, add one chopped garlic clove.

'A tablespoon of fresh thyme...

'..and three sage leaves.'

Sage is beautiful, but too much,

and sometimes the dish can taste a bit soapy.

Wonderful flavour, smell, it's fantastic.

I'll leave that for a few minutes.

'Next, I'm adding one can of Puy lentils.'

I just love a good shepherd's pie, there's just something really

nurturing and comforting about it, and it's kind of food from childhood,

and it's that yummy topping that I love.

Tin of tomatoes.

Give it a stir.

And then, stock - veggie, obviously.

You'll need about 300ml.

And then some red wine, which gives so much flavour.

Good glug of red wine.

And then a little patience is needed here.

I'm just going to leave this to simmer away,

for the flavours to develop and give me time to make the topping.

Now, this topping's a little bit different

to usual shepherd's pie toppings, but it's equally as tasty.

For my alternative mash topping, I'm using two sweet potatoes,

two normal potatoes and half a cauliflower.

But this does make it a little bit healthier,

because there are less carbs in the topping.

Add the regular potatoes to the boiling water first,

as they take the longest time to cook,

followed by the sweet potatoes, then finally the cauliflower.

And all together, it'll probably take about 12 to 14 minutes.

Once the vegetables are tender, drain the water

and mash with a dollop of butter.

It's a great way of hiding veg, using the cauliflower in this as well,

if you have kiddies or family members

that are a little reluctant to eating it.

Mash done - time to put the finishing touches to my filling.

I'm going to add my staples - soy sauce...

..and the tiniest pinch of sugar.

And the smells coming from this are beautiful.

It just smells like home.

Just pour this into the tin.

I'm very happy with that.

Mash is now ready.

Historically, shepherd's pie had potato on the bottom and sides,

but for this version, I'm sticking with the mash just on the top.

And this is comforting family food.

It can be rustic and any way you like it.

So that's going to go in the oven for 20 minutes at about 200 degrees.

And I can't wait to taste it when it comes out.

OK, see if this is ready.

Oh, it smells so good.

Looks fantastic.

Ah, this is going to be wonderful.

Ah, that waft smells amazing.

Shepherd's pie is a meal in itself, no side orders needed.

We now spend just 30 minutes preparing our evening meals,

so dishes cooked from memory and in a matter of minutes are essential!

And whichever way you choose to make it, meat or no meat,

it's easy to see why it's the nation's second favourite dish.

So we're almost at the end of our top ten.

I don't know about you, Si, but I'm full.

What a lot of tasty food!

We've had fish and chips with our chilli con carne,

we've had steak, pork chops, curry, casseroles,

spag bol, pizza and, of course, shepherd's pie.

Listen, you know all that food?

What do you think it says to us about us as a nation?

Well, we definitely like a bit of meat in our meals.

-We don't have a lot of time to cook, do we?

-No.

We like a bit of convenience,

something like a good old one-pot wonder.

Overall, I think we like our evening meals to be fast,

flavoursome and fuss-free.

Yeah, I think that's fair enough.

But even though we like the three Fs when we come to home cooking,

the nation's number one isn't really any of those things, is it?

Aye, and do you know what the nation's number one is?

Well, it's my favourite, too.

And you know, I know it's yours!

Well, mate, let's get stuck in and cook...

BOTH: The roast dinner!

Our journey has taken us to spice shops in Scotland,

apple orchards in Kent, Thai kitchens and local pubs.

So it seems fitting that our final stop is a British farm,

the place to find so many of our favourite dinners' raw ingredients.

Meat is at the heart of our number one dish.

All across the country, we favour different types.

Beef in the Midlands, chicken in the South, roast lamb in London

and pork eaten mostly in the North East.

And here's a man who knows exactly what we love about a roast.

What do you think it is, Rupert,

that makes us love roast meats so much as a nation?

-I just say it's good, wholesome food.

-Yeah.

-And then there's succulent juices you can hear when it's cooking away.

-Yes.

And then when you finish and it's on that roasting tray

-and you just look at it and you can feel yourself salivating.

-Yes!

And you put the gravy on there... It is beautiful.

-Talking of which...

-Aye, come on, then.

Let's go and have one of our favourites.

Yeah, come on, mate, we're off.

We've borrowed the farm kitchen for the afternoon.

And actually, we've never met anyone who doesn't love this next dish.

Chicken is the nation's number one roast, but we wanted to cook you

our very own personal favourite,

which is a tender piece of pork loin.

Right, now listen, I'm going to crack on and French trim this.

And basically, all French trim means is... It's a bit posh.

So you take the meat off the end of the bones,

so it just presents very beautifully and nicely.

If you don't feel confident enough to do this yourself,

you can always ask the butcher.

Do you know, it's like watching

Christiaan Barnard do that first heart transplant.

While Kingy gets trimming, it's time for me to get stuffing.

Stuffing is not just for chicken.

We created a great stuffing for this one.

It's hazelnut, rosemary and apple stuffing.

First off, sweat some chopped onions in a little butter.

The big ingredient in this is apple.

I'm going to grate it, skin and all. Not the pips.

But that's a brilliant British tradition,

-is the use of accompaniments to the roast.

-Oh, I love that.

Apple with pork. Mint with lamb.

They're as good together as me and you.

Add some chopped rosemary, fresh breadcrumbs

and a tablespoon of chopped, toasted hazelnuts.

Just a bit of salt and pepper and we're there.

Now, obviously there's nowhere to stuff your stuffing

in a piece of pork, so you have to make a cut in the meat

and open it out flat.

I'm a devil, I always tend to put too much stuffing in

and then it bursts, but never mind.

Look at that. All of a sudden, your joint's twice as big.

Once the stuffing's in, you need to tie the pork up with string

or it'll all fall out in the oven!

Now for the best bit of a pork roast,

and getting it right is a real badge of honour.

There are myths and stories abound about how to get good crackling.

-Well, we're going to show you.

-First, score the rind.

Take care not to cut through to the meat,

because you don't want to let the meat juices out.

Now what we do is we pour boiling water over this

and you'll see all the score marks kind of just widen.

Next, dry the skin off and smother in salt,

pushing it into all the cracks.

Then place on a roasting tray on a layer of chopped onion and carrots.

And this gives you a basis to make a mighty fine gravy.

-Abso-flipping-lutely!

-Are you ready to go on your veg bed?

-Look at that, you gorgeous little thing!

-Oh, look at that!

Add a little bit of hot water to the dish -

it stops the veg burning and the meat juices catching.

Place the meat in the oven.

Goodbye, my beauty.

-POSH ACCENTS:

-So now the leading actor has taken to the stage...

-We now can work on the supporting cast.

-Hoo-rah!

First things first - roast taters,

and you want nice, firm potatoes that aren't too watery.

So a top tip for the perfect roastie.

Squeeze your spuds before you think of using them.

If they yield, move on to the next one.

If they're firm, use that one.

Roasties are a given,

but other bits on the side are a matter of taste.

Well, there is a big debate, Kingy, isn't there?

-Can you have Yorkshire pudding with anything apart from beef?

-Yes!

Roast is very bespoke, depending on the family.

Yeah, it is. You can have what you want.

And the thing is, you can tailor your Yorkshire pudding

to match your roast.

So with the pork, we have invented a sage and onion Yorkshire pudding.

First off, I've got some onions which I've caramelized in this pan

with a bit of butter. To that I'm going to add some sage.

And this is where your kitchen starts to smell like Sunday.

And just set this aside to cool, while we make the batter.

Now, I learned to make Yorkshire puddings

at my mother's apron strings, and it's dead easy.

This is for two big ones.

You'll need eight heaped tablespoons of flour,

a teaspoon of salt

and four eggs.

Now, I don't worry about it going lumpy at this point -

I have no fear. Remember, I first made this when I was six.

And I didn't know what a lump was. It didn't worry me then,

it doesn't worry me now. And just, kind of, mix this all together.

Then add some milk. As me mother used to say -

-IMITATES MOTHER:

-Keep adding until the mixture looks like runny cream!

I think I'm just about there. But now, what I need to do is

to leave this batter to rest for an hour.

Now time for the potatoes. Everyone's got their

favourite methods, but trust us, this one's foolproof.

All I'm doing is giving them a scruff-up.

All those little bashed bits are going to be crispy bits.

Now we'll show you a top trick. It's semolina.

About a tablespoon will do, on your taters.

And it, kind of, clings to the scruffed-up bits.

It just makes them super crispy. We are going for the ultimate roastie,

so all these little bits, they do add up.

Make sure the oil's really hot before you add the potatoes,

giving them a bit of a douse in the remaining oil.

And then stick them in the oven until golden and crispy.

Traditionally, the Sunday roast went in the oven before the local

church service - ready to share with the rest of the family after

hearing the weekly sermon.

Sundays are no longer so holy - but roasts are.

-Oh, yes!

-Yes!

-Get in. Listen to the sound.

-Some crackling.

-Oh, yeah, baby.

-Now, that's perfect crackling.

I know it's not healthy, but it's such a special thing.

It's crackling, man.

While the meat rests, it's time for me to tackle the Yorkies.

Right, so that's me batter, it's rested.

I've got the onions and the sage stirred in.

We've got this oil blistering hot...

the batter's there, the sage and onions mixed in.

And if you're aghast that we're cooking Yorkies with pork, then think on this -

we're actually eating more Yorkshires with chicken than with beef,

so what's wrong with serving them up with any piece of meat?

HE SIGHS

Now for the gravy.

I've got the juices from the meat,

the veg and a little bit of chicken stock.

Make sure when you're adding the flour to thicken it...

it isn't boiling, cos what will happen is,

the flour will then go... into horrible little balls and you'll get lumpy gravy,

which is not what we want.

And that's the thing about roasts and making gravy, isn't it?

Everybody has their own different way of doing things,

that ends up in the same result.

And my way is to add a bit of gravy browning.

There'll be loads of chefs out there,

holding their hands up in horror.

Well, you can all get lost, cos it works and it's great.

DAVE GROANS

Time to get that roast dinner together.

-Oh, listen to that crackling, mucker.

-But the meat -

cos it's good meat - is still really juicy, isn't it?

We're serving it up with some spring greens, sauteed with

pork trimmings. And a delicious root veg mash.

Oh, feeling quite beside myself.

And those all-important crispy and crunchy roast potatoes.

-Got that space there for a slice of Yorkshire pudding, Kingy.

-Get in.

And then the finishing touch.

Oh, plenty on the Yorkshire, Kingy.

Oh, look at that.

That makes your mouth water, doesn't it?

Now...that is what people in Britain love to eat -

a roast dinner.

Well, here it is...

-The roast.

-Aye.

-Wow.

-Looks rather nice.

Well, it's our favourite, I'm sure it's your favourite.

It's everybody's favourite -

this is the nation's favourite.

We've been roasting meat since medieval times,

and its popularity has never waned.

-WOMAN:

-Really good.

The roast dinner is a reflection of everything that's

good about food. It's going to take a lot to knock this

winning dish off the top spot.