Episode 15 Country Show Cook Off

The nation's best loved chefs are hitting the road.

This is not Italy!

To compete in some traditional country shows.

And I'm hoping to win one of those rosettes.

On the way they'll meet some of Britain's best local food producers.

Why would you ever eat a cupcake when you have parkin?

Before competing head to head with each other...

It's only a competition.

It's only a show.

..and the great British public.

I thought the competition was big enough.

Our chefs are at the mercy of the harshest food critics in the land,

the beady-eyed country show judges.

We don't like odd ones.

It's a competition and I'm taking it very seriously.

Hold on to your aprons, it's Country Show Cook Off.

Top chefs Rachel Allen and Theo Randall jump into their trusty van

and start the last leg of their country show road trip

from the west of Scotland to Shropshire in England.

Today they travel from Kington in Herefordshire

to Ludlow in Shropshire.

Oh, this is so sweet, isn't it?

What a beautiful town.

So far our chefs' fortunes have been chequered

when they've taken on local cooks at country fairs.

Each time our professional couple cook up a storm and manage to beat

seasoned local bakers to the top spot, we give points.

So far they have entered four dishes

and it is level pegging with five each,

so today's cook-off is their last chance to win the week.

It has been good fun, hasn't it?

It's been great fun, it's been a great road trip, really enjoyed it.

-Great fun, and the van has done...

-It's done really well.

-Very, very well.

-Don't speak too soon.

-Yeah, exactly!

-Still got a way to go.

Today, our couple arrive in Ludlow.

This medieval market town has become a gastronomic destination

with many award-winning restaurants.

At the heart of the town is Ludlow Castle.

This bastion was started in 1086

and nowadays is the location of the Ludlow Food Festival.

This new kid on the block only started in 1995,

and already attracts 160 food stands and 20,000 visitors.

This festival is foodie heaven, with lots of demonstrations,

cooking classes, and stalls, where you can see,

buy and try all types of lovely grub.

It's here that our chefs face their final challenge,

and it's the toughest yet.

Bravely, they have entered the fidget pie category.

This pie is regional to Shropshire and dates back at least 400 years.

Traditionally it's a portable pie taken into the fields

at harvest time, so not only do Rachel and Theo have to beat

the best local cooks, but they have to beat them at their own game.

It's going to have a lot of interest, the fidget pie,

because everything else has been judged already.

-It's the last food being judged, so...

-Oh, really?

Yeah. So we have got to do a good job.

Their mission is to outdo local cooks like Carl Heber Smith.

Came third last year into the fidget competition

and first the previous year to that.

Today, our professional pair really do have their work cut out

as they have to win over a panel of three judges.

Lesley Mackley is the director of the food festival.

We have to take it very seriously

because it is very important to the people who enter their produce.

Bruce McMichael is a food magazine publisher.

Just because the pie is there doesn't mean it is going to work

for the judges or it is going to look great or taste great.

And if that wasn't enough, judge Xanthe Clay has penned cook books

and writes food columns for national newspapers.

Oh, I think I know my boil out from my soggy bottom.

Oh, I say! This trio really know their onions.

The ante really has been upped in this last chance

to beat local bakers and win the cook off week.

Rachel Allen is the doyenne of baking,

but even she has lost out to local cooks twice this week.

Her chocolate cake didn't place and her fruit flan was a flop.

Shall we go home now?

So her baking credentials are on the line.

Rachel will have to step up to the plate,

but we're sure she can make the grade.

Theo Randall has made his mark in the restaurant world

with Italian cooking, which is no mean feat considering he is British.

But even Michelin-starred Theo

has found the food fight with local cooks hard.

I think our plan backfired big-time.

He has only placed twice,

and he will need to go all out to beat Rachel.

Today our chefs park the van on the banks of the River Teign.

This fast-flowing river is popular with anglers

but fishing is not on our chefs' minds.

They will have to hatch a plan

to outstrip local cooks at a local dish.

I've been doing a little bit of research on the fidget pie.

Some people think that it could come from the five-sided dish

in which it was apparently traditionally cooked.

Some people think it could come from the word "fitch,"

which means a polecat,

being because it apparently smells a bit like a polecat.

The pork and the apple?

Yeah, which isn't very nice.

So are you happy with your recipe, do you think it's authentic?

I think the judges don't want us to veer away from, you know,

the traditional recipe too much.

Well, it's a Shropshire classic... A Shropshire clash...

It's a Shropshire classic!

Yes, it is.

And you will both need to get this pie right

because whoever places highest will win the week.

So we're absolutely even.

Yeah, yeah, two golds and two silvers.

OK. So, tomorrow is the one.

Great. It'll be really great to get something tomorrow.

I think it is going to be very busy tomorrow, very busy.

-Ow, wow! That'll be fun.

-And it's all locals, so...

-Apart from us.

-Apart from us, yes. We're the impostors.

-With our fidget pie.

-Yeah.

-We'll probably be kicked out of town.

Our fancy fidget pie.

If you get first prize, you get paraded round the town.

-Oh, really?

-Well, I don't know, I'm just making it up.

Theo, you are such a tease!

But around here people are very proud of the food

the area has to offer and with it being harvest time,

there's lots of delicious fruit around.

Rachel and Theo head the few miles to the Augernik Fruit Farm

on the Worcestershire border.

The Auger family have run this business since 1989

and produce organic fruit, free from any artificial agents,

and they are very proud of their produce.

This family are so environmentally conscious,

their farm is powered by wind and sun.

Rachel and Theo meet Billy Auger, and his son, Billy.

And there are three Billys?

There are three Billys, there's my father who is Billy as well,

-so it is Billy, Billy, Billy.

-It sort of starts to get confusing.

It's beautiful here.

This is our top orchard, this is Victoria plums,

-and we've just started on these.

-So, everything is hand-picked?

Everything is hand-picked.

These we pick fresh for market or for people to come in and buy.

We actually grow about 30 different varieties of plum here.

-30?

-How many varieties of fruit do you have?

We actually grow rhubarb, blackcurrants,

redcurrants, tayberries, blueberries, apples, pears.

The last things that we will actually harvest will be

chestnuts and the almonds. I'll show you...

Almonds, you see I have never heard of almonds being grown in the UK.

It's no problem and we were told they wouldn't really crop there,

but they are doing wonderful.

If you ever come here in spring,

these trees were just one mass of blossom for about a fortnight

and the smell was exquisite.

Because almond, the flowers are susceptible to frost,

we're on a slope here and they're at about 600 foot high,

so you have got a constant breeze. You can feel it.

-Yeah.

-And that keeps the air frost off when the blossom is out.

-Ah.

-In a few years' time, we'll be getting roughly

about three to five kilo of almonds a tree, perhaps more.

When will these be ready for harvest?

These will be ready for harvest

about the first or second week of October.

-Gorgeous.

-And fresh almonds are just so...

They are so good, yeah.

Totally different to the dried ones. Oh, they make your mouth water.

Wow, these fruits and nuts look absolutely delicious.

So they are off to the farm to meet Billy's mum,

who is going to show them a favourite dish of hers - a plum pie.

It's just a very simple plum tart

and this one we think started life in Switzerland.

So it's self-raising flour and four ounces of butter.

-Just rub it in quickly.

-And what plums are these?

These are fallow.

They are more a cooking plum than an eating plum,

but the colour when they are cooked is beautiful.

Is that because the skin is quite thick on them?

I think so, yes, I think so.

And quarter of a pint of milk.

It looks like you have made this quite a few times before.

I was just thinking that.

It's just scones. Just gently pushing it into position.

So do you have freezers full of all your gorgeous fruit to keep

you going through the winter?

Ah, Billy sells the best fruit and I have a freezer full of his rejects.

Most people reject fruit because it is not supermarket pristine,

-all the same size.

-Yeah.

If it has got a blemish on it, so what?

That's the scone base done and it is time for the plums.

So, you just put them straight on, nothing on them?

So, you've cut them in half and taken out the stones?

Just chop them.

-Shall I start at the other side?

-Yeah, what a great idea, yes.

Go on, eat a plum, Rachel.

-I've had so many.

-You haven't had that many today.

So, a little bit of butter on each...?

-A little. Yeah.

-So, what is this? Cinnamon and kind of...

Mmm. Lovely. Cinnamon and sugar.

Oh yeah, that will go so well with plums. Mmm.

OK, then in the oven. It's...

Oh wow. It's so simple, I love this.

Claire cooks the tart for 20 minutes at 180 degrees,

till the plums are bubbling and juicy.

Mmm, that looks gorgeous and it smells divine.

-Smells so good.

-Would you like to...?

No, you do the honours. You made it, you do the honours.

All the juice has gone into the... They're gone.

-Mmm.

-Mmm.

-Delicious.

The plums are just tart enough, they are kind of...sweet, but tart.

Oh, that's delicious. Claire, thank you so much.

Really good. Well done.

That's a very happy customer.

Looks scrummy, but unfortunately

you can't stand around eating plum pie all day.

You need to get started on your fidgets.

These pies are a Shropshire speciality, cooked in homes

and restaurants all over the county.

Traditionally made with pork, apples, potatoes, onion and cider...

Ha ha, first up it is Theo.

This is my pastry for the fidget pie.

It's a very sort of shortcrust pastry.

He puts flour, butter, and two egg yolks into a food processor.

OK, so we're just going to add our ice cold water.

A bit like a disco in here.

Every time I turn this on, the lights go out. Ta-da!

Right, OK, we will put this back in the bowl.

Without working it too much, just make sure that also goes together.

So that's our pastry.

While the pastry chills,

he gets busy with the all-important pie filling.

It's going to be really competitive this

so this has got to be really good.

He fries an onion and starts to line his pie dish.

So, I've got some potatoes here which I prepared earlier.

And they have been blanched and then I am just going to put a bit of oil

in the bottom here just so it makes it non-stick,

so the potatoes don't stick,

and then I'm going to start layering the potatoes.

You can be quite rough.

You don't have to be all fancy and do little perfect layers,

just pop them in. You sort of form a whole floor of potatoes.

And I'm just going to put some on the side,

just so we form a kind of crust.

Now he adds his secret ingredient,

pancetta - Italian smoked pork belly.

Cut the rind off. One slice will be fine.

You don't want to overpower it.

And then just some little slices of the pancetta.

So, pop them over the onions.

And that should give it a really lovely smoky flavour.

It's time for another typical fidget pie ingredient - cooking apples.

The thing about Bramley apples

is they are kind of nice and sort of tart.

You don't want to have anything sweet because they just won't

withstand the cooking, it will just fall to pieces.

Kind of centimetre slices, they don't have to be perfect.

Next up, it's the main ingredient, pork,

and for his take he's using gammon.

Pop the gammon in there.

Remember this has been salted and cured, so I wouldn't salt it,

and then we've also got our sage, and I think sage really benefits

from being cooked for a minute or two.

We're going to throw a few slices in with this pork.

Oh, God, that's good. So we just start putting some gammon in.

Nicely packed in. Then we add a few other apples, Bramley apples.

They just change colour a bit but don't worry about that

because we're going to add some cider,

and then we have got our onion and pancetta.

That goes in. Try and get it in the holes.

So, just layering it up. A bit more gammon.

There's all this lovely juice there, I want to use that, that's good.

More of the apples. That's it, just sort of push it down a bit

just so it's all really firm in there.

To finish off, a little bit of black pepper on top

and then some of this muscovado sugar,

which will kind of soak into all the apples and everything.

Mmm. Layers done, it is time for the sauce.

He is mixing cornflour and double cream with cider.

And then we are just going to pour this over.

That is starting to get really soaked up

and those potatoes are going to really absorb it but I just want

to make sure that there is enough liquid, just halfway,

so it really cooks together, because this is going to cook for an hour.

And those potatoes are going to act like sponges,

they are just going to absorb all the goodness.

No fidget pie is complete without pastry.

And then, over the top.

Snip the top so our little friend can breathe.

Just trim those edges giving a little bit of overlap

because you want to have a little bit of extra pastry

just so that you can do that crimping

and then we're just going to do a very simple nip around the edges.

Nice and rustic, you know me and my rustic pastry.

Lastly, he glazes his rustic pie crust with beaten egg.

When that cooks, it should go really golden brown

and all that filling inside will cook nicely,

the steam will come out through there,

so you end up with a really nice, sort of tight, juicy, fidget pie.

Ho-ho, then he bakes it for an hour at 180 degrees.

Next up for her take on fidget pie is Rachel.

She is the duchess of baking but she has come a cropper twice this week.

She wants to regain her baking throne.

So she handmixes a rich pastry with a high butter content

of 125g of butter to only 200g of flour,

plus a beaten egg, but self-doubt still creeps in.

With this recipe I was thinking about playing around with it a bit

and maybe putting some black pudding in and maybe varying it quite a bit,

but now that I am a bit of an agricultural show cookery competition veteran,

I kind of know not to veer off the beaten track.

Not worth it, because I really don't want to get disqualified.

You're right there. Hopefully that won't happen, Rachel.

Let the pastry rest and get started with the filling.

So I've got in the saucepan here,

I have got a piece of bacon that is cooking from raw.

And I just put it into some cold water,

brought it up to the boil, just a few minutes and it'll be ready.

As her bacon boils, she fries an onion with garlic.

She slices a cooking apple and cooked potatoes.

So, the potatoes, I boiled them in water for about four or five minutes.

They are practically cooked.

Whilst her pie is very traditional,

she is prepared to make a few tweaks

to give her sauce seasoning some oomph.

Sage is in the traditional recipe, rosemary definitely isn't

but I think it is going to give it a little bit of an edge,

and some parsley.

She stirs together cream, cider and mustard.

Mustard, bacon, great combination.

Then adds sugar, cornflour, and the chopped herbs.

And next thing I am going to do is I am going to drain the bacon.

It's a little bit hot. Slicing it quite thinly.

Mm. Oh, that's delicious.

With the bacon ready, she can start to assemble her pie.

Layers of potato.

A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, some onion.

It doesn't really matter, I don't think, what order you go in.

Let's go with apples next and put in the bacon.

Should it be shredded, I wonder? Hmm.

I actually had it whole originally, but you know what,

I think I am going to actually shred it.

I'm slightly winging it here. Oh, I hope that's OK.

OK, well, look, I'll just... I've started now.

Shredded, sliced, sliced, shredded, it still looks really tasty.

And then I think I'll pour over half the mixture

and go with potatoes again.

And it's looking good.

-Hi, Theo.

-Hello. How's it going?

-Fine.

-Have you got any pastry in the bottom?

-No. No.

-No, OK.

I was thinking of putting pastry in the bottom

-and then I realised that it is not traditional.

-Ah, but is it, Rachel?

Well, I'm not sure, because I keep seeing pictures of...

-Did you put pastry in the bottom?

-I didn't put it in the bottom of mine,

but some are sealed with the pastry on the bottom,

-but it looks more like a kind of pie, like a pork pie.

-Right.

But that looks lovely.

Could you get my pastry out of the fridge, please?

-Cor, anything else you want?

-A cup of tea!

She lays on the rich pastry crust, glazes it

and adds some top baker touches.

Now I'm just going to roll the scraps of the pastry

and just cut out a couple of little designs - leaves,

or I could write maybe in letters, "Please choose me".

And then arrange the leaves.

And that is my fidget pie.

It's so funny, it's so different,

when you are making something for a competition.

It's so much more pressure than just cooking it.

OK, Rachel, put it into the oven. Be good.

The pie bakes for 45 minutes to an hour at 180 degrees.

As night draws in, the pies are ready.

Oooh, hoo, hoo. That looks good, I'm pleased with that.

Mm. Oh, I feel like a Shropshire wife.

I'm happy with this, it's bubbling in the bottom.

Pastry is nice and golden brown. Yeah, I'm happy with it.

-Oh, that looks lovely.

-That was our final cook.

-I know.

-It's very sad, isn't it?

-Yeah. It's been good fun.

-Looks very good.

But Rachel is still having qualms about her pie.

Yeah, that's gorgeous. Oh, your pastry is a bit richer in colour.

-Get off. That is a good day's work.

-Oh, sorry!

Don't you...!

They both look delicious, and they will need to be,

as tomorrow is the last competition of the week.

The Ludlow Food Festival is a three-day festival

of foodtastic fun and food that is regional to Shropshire

is taken very seriously here.

So seriously, that the only baking competition taking place today

is for fidget pie.

It's very foody.

This is Theo and Rachel's hardest challenge yet,

but as they arrive at the medieval castle clutching their fidget pies

they are liking what they see.

Look at this. It's amazing.

I didn't realise they were actually using the castle. It's gorgeous.

But the people that need to think their pies are gorgeous

is the panel of judges. Judge Xanthe Clay

knows what she is looking for in a fidget pie.

Well, I am looking for the key ingredients.

I want to see that there is apples, pork, onions

and some cider going on in there, and I really want those ingredients

to shine actually, not to be sort of hidden by other things and then

some lovely crisp pastry, which is sort of flaky and melt-in-the-mouth.

Our expert chefs have to beat home grown bakers like Carl Heber Smith.

He thinks fidget pies are a pushover.

It's not really difficult to make, but I make them quite a lot,

so I make them most days.

Loving the salad there, Carl.

Local entrant Libby Baldwin is positive about her pie.

I'm confident of baking,

but it is the first time I have made this particular dish.

I have never entered anything like this before,

so it's the first time entering the competition.

That pie is enormous!

Charlotte Hollins is delivering a pie for a pal

and it has a special ingredient from her farm.

It's made from pork from our Gloucester old spots,

which are all free range.

Local apples and local and organic onions and potatoes.

The competition is hotting up then.

As Theo and Rachel bring in their pies,

they realise there is a lot of different ways of making a fidget.

Quite a variety.

And they have all got something their pies haven't.

They've all got pastry bases.

You know what, I did think of doing it.

Every single one has got a pastry base. I can't believe it.

Oh, shoot, and we don't.

Oh, no, have they got it wrong?

Could this mean disaster for their pies?

The answer lies with the judges.

That's all we can do.

The steward fiddles with the fidgets and the judges get ready to assess

whether their pies are heaven or hell.

There is no more they can do,

their fates as bakers lies with their pies.

To take their minds off the proceedings,

Rachel and Theo take in the spectacle of the festival.

Look, knife skills class going on.

Do you need lessons? How are your knife skills?

Not very good!

Back in the castle keep,

our food critics are presented with the first fidget

and it's previous prize winner Carl Heber Smith's offering.

So, the presentation, here we are.

-They have upped the game in presentation.

-This is very fancy.

We are not going to be swayed by a wedge of tomato, are we?

Quite hollow in the middle so it has collapsed there.

Fighting with it here, I am wrestling with the pie.

It's quite unfair on the pie because it actually is quite nice.

Even with the fight that was,

that's actually come out quite nicely, hasn't it?

-It smells very hammy.

-It smells like it should.

The pastry is hard.

Considering it's quite nice and moist to look at,

-the ham is quite dry.

-The pastry is a bit too thick.

A bit too thick. And it is very hard, isn't it?

-We have got a big fat layer of undercooked pastry.

-Yeah.

Oh, dear. Carl's pastry might have let him down there.

Next to be granted judgment

is Libby Baldwin's impressive presentation.

Oh, look at this! It looks lovely and home-made.

I think it couldn't have full marks because it has broken up a bit.

It is a big pie. The pastry is very, very crumbly.

Oh, but look at the stripes, that is pretty.

It has quite a lot of potato in it which is making it quite firm.

I want a bit more ham in there.

Yeah, I am finding it a bit stodgy.

I almost want double that layer of ham.

-A bit too much potato.

-There is a lot in there, yes.

Well, a fine effort from Libby

but she might have needed some more piggy in the middle.

Next up is Theo's pie.

Oh, look, it has a little body in the middle.

This looks like a different sort of pie.

Do you think it is pastry top on the pie?

This looks like it is pastry only.

If we are talking about care and love,

I think it could have been more carefully cut.

It is a little bit slapdash.

Oh, slapdash, eh? Theo would call that rustic.

Not that they would know it was his. They are judging blind.

That pastry looks good.

When you cut into there, I think that looks really attractive.

The ham is nice. We like the flavour.

-The flavour is good.

-Yeah.

I slightly feel this isn't really filling the criteria.

No. But it is a jolly good pie.

It is an odd pie to eat cold.

-I am not minding it cold, but I don't think I would eat it cold.

-No.

Are we going to fall out about this?

They liked the flavour, the pancetta paid off,

but presentation might have let him down.

Now it is Charlotte Hollin's pal's pie to be assessed.

That is a beautiful, beautiful pie.

Nice consistency and it has some big crimps round the side of it.

Oh, that looks like some ham I want to eat.

I will put it on its side so we can see there.

-Very thin the pastry.

-It is a full pie, isn't it?

-Very attractive, isn't it?

-Yes, smiling there. Good.

Really nice pastry.

-The ham is still quite chewy...

-Yeah.

-Quite hard work,

but there is a lovely balance with the apple and the onion.

This is one you could serve on a table or take on a picnic.

I would still say it is a little highly seasoned, if I am honest.

The panel seem to have like that pie,

now they move onto Rachel's dish.

Goodness, they are all so different.

Got some decoration on the pastry.

-Pretty. It is pretty and very well loved.

-Yes.

-Nice pastry.

They are loving the look there, Rachel.

-That one is better.

-Feeling a bit peckish.

This does quite look nicely layered, actually.

Very appley, this one.

Some serious mustard seeds, by the look of it.

Yeah, but it doesn't taste overly mustardy.

-Actually I think maybe there is too much apple.

-I like the flavour.

I know you think there is too much apple but I think it's OK, really.

Quite well balanced. For me,

this is one of the best pastries we've had.

Oh, that rich pastry seems to be working.

Having savoured the baking, our judges decide who wins the prizes.

This is the final and toughest competition this week,

so who, if either of them,

will come up trumps and regain the throne of baking royalty?

-You got a prize.

-Yeah.

Yes, Rachel's baked her way to second prize.

And she's done herself proud by getting herself a prize

with such a local dish, but there is nothing for Theo.

Oh. Thought that might be there but it's not unfortunately.

-Aw. Oh. Can we have a little taste?

-Yes.

Great, we never get to taste our results.

Mm. Your mustard is very good, that is a very good dish.

-Well done, you.

-Thank you.

Fantastic. It was very emotional, this.

It is very emotional. I won't be the same again.

Charlotte Hollin's pal from her farm came first.

Well done, you, absolutely lovely.

Carl Heber Smith didn't pick up a prize.

Never mind, Carl, better luck next year.

And Libby Baldwin didn't win anything either.

No, I didn't expect to win.

But she never entered before, so better luck next year, Libby.

Well, it looks like we are having fidget pie for tea tonight.

Sadly Theo's pie scores a big nothing today.

His Michelin stars didn't cut the mustard

and his total for the week is five.

Rachel's pie gets second place giving her two points, so that means

Rachel is this week's Country Show Cook Off winner.

She wins with seven points.

-And what a week it's been for our duo.

-Wow.

There's been tears, tantrums...

It's only a competition!

..and triumphs.

Oh!

So, what impression has the week long road trip left with our cooks?

It's just been amazing. Such good fun.

Entering these competitions is nerve-racking.

Someone said to me, "What are you doing entering into competitions?

"It's the worst thing. You're being criticised."

You know, it's fun and you should enjoy it.

I really would like to take the van home with me

but apparently I'm not allowed. I am going to miss the red van.

I am going to miss Theo and miss the red van!

Next time on Country Show Cook Off,

Aldo Zilli and Silvena Rowe hit the road

from Wales to the Yorkshire Dales.

So buckle up as this bake-off becomes bumpy.

Oww. This is not Italy!

We don't hoot here!

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