Episode 16 Country Show Cook Off

The nation's best-loved chef's 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.

This week's culinary crusaders Aldo Zilli and Silvena Rowe

hit the road in their mobile kitchen in a trip which takes them from

the south Wales coast to the Yorkshire Dales

and it could be a bumpy ride.

HORN BEEPS

Aldo, what gear am I on? Aldo, help me out here!

That's the third gear, that's it.

That's it, no more gears.

Oh, mamma mia!

Along the way,

these menu masters will be stopping off at rural fairs to compete

against the Great British public in some top class show food categories.

Today our contending chefs are rolling on to

the Pembrokeshire coast. With its fertile soil and clear sea,

this county is famed for its quality surf and turf.

They must have some amazing ingredients here.

-I should imagine, yes, I'm looking forward to the lamb.

-Eh?

Nevern itself is small but perfectly formed.

Among the attractions are a fine Norman church

and ancient Celtic cross.

Our pair must prepare for the culinary showdown at Nevern's

annual agricultural and horticultural event.

Nevern's Country Show began before World War II as a fundraising

event for the British Red Cross and has grown into

a yearly not-to-be-missed community get-together

that locals have been competing at for over 60 years.

There are a vast array of competitive classes for cattle,

sheep and horses as well as fruit, veg, cookery,

beer and wine - home-brewed of course.

Our galloping gourmets are entering the savoury supper category

and they don't have to sing for their supper,

they have to cook for them!

But what exactly is a savoury supper?

Perhaps judge Elonwy James who is presiding over this category

can enlighten us?

It's usually lighter than a main meal.

It should have all the food groups, so that means we got protein,

carbohydrates and vegetables or salads.

It should be well-cooked, seasoned and look attractive.

They'll be up against some serious Nevern Show veterans.

I've been entering them for five years and now I can give my all to it

because I've been retired for two.

It's going to be a food fight with thrills and spills a-plenty!

CRASHING

Bulgarian born Silvena Rowe is an eastern food guru.

She is Chef Patron of Mayfair hotel restaurant Quince

and is passionate about British produce.

Oh, this is heaven.

She is a leading light in the field of eastern Mediterranean food

here in the UK.

Passionate Italian chef Aldo Zilli has run several successful

London restaurants in his time

and has written a host of food-related books.

He's keen to score for Italy this week!

Silvena is going to be so jealous.

Not only do our travelling chefs have to compete in culinary

cook offs across the country they have to whip up their dishes

in the back of a vintage van - it's a la carte on four wheels.

And on this leg of the journey they'll be parking up

in the idyllic seaside haven of Newport - it couldn't be more

different from what they're used to.

This is not London, look at this, look at what I've brought you.

I know, it's amazing.

I can't wait to cook something here, it looks like my village in Italy.

I know you're a bit of a village boy.

This brings tears to my eyes. Look at this.

The savoury supper category is sure to attract strong competition

so just what will Aldo and Silvena cook up?

For these two, it's definitely not the taking part that counts.

Savoury supper dish. Of course, you know what that means, don't you?

Yeah, well, I think so, It's savoury, not sweet.

I'm cooking lamb, salt marsh, delicious lamb.

I'm cooking it twice, glaze it with local delicious honey then serve

it on the most amazing luxurious mash potato you've ever imagined.

Are you going to tell me what you're going to cook?

I'm not going to really cook that much

because mackerel doesn't need a lot of cooking,

I'm going to marinate it and serve it with some gnocchi.

Some gnocchi? Is that Welsh for something? Gnocchi?

I saw ham there, why is there ham?

That's going to be crispened up.

Ahh, you see, I told you, he's keeping things away from me

but I investigate, I saw that ham lurking.

It's cured ham like they do here.

-You're so Italian, such an Italian.

-Come on, you.

Our chefs want to get a flavour of their new surroundings so it's off

to a nearby popular weekly market for inspiration and ingredients.

You're not one of those people

-who doesn't like their produce being touched.

-No, no, no.

Is it this one? This is good. That's the one I'll get.

-Smoked.

-Yeah, I think I'm going to go with smoked, yes.

I don't know why I'm giving you tips because I'm against you.

And they're still eating!

Being so close to Cardigan Bay with its abundance of seafood,

it's no surprise that our duo soon happen upon a local supplier.

Mandy has been running her fresh fish business at St Dogmaels

for over 20 years.

Husband Len fishes all year round, mainly for crab and lobster.

The majority of his catch is exported to Europe

and what's left, Mandy sells at local markets.

And when she's not doing that, she runs her bijou fish shop

right next door to her house.

Lured by the promise of a crab recipe the locals go crazy for,

Aldo and Silvena have dropped by to see what all the fuss is about.

Mandy, this is a very nice little tight spot you have here.

-Cosy.

-This is my fish shop.

And today spider crabs are on the menu

and they're relatively new to the south Wales coast.

They net them in this area from probably May to September

so it's only short.

Len and Mandy make the most of the short season, catching, cooking

and selling them whole or picking the claws for various recipes.

And what we going to do with this crab?

We're going to make them into crab cakes.

I'm picking the claws now to get the meat out.

It's much sweeter than brown crab.

Let's have a taste.

Mmm, delicious, really, really good.

I should imagine these crab cakes are going to be very decadent.

That's like a chunk of steak that came out.

Look at this, how gorgeous is that?

Oh, my God. Mmmm!

She's eating again.

Our guys move next door to Mandy's kitchen

to help her cook up these crustaceans.

Right, let's make some cakes.

So I'd like you to zest some lemons.

No problemo.

-Silvena, would you like to chop?

-Use this knife, yeah?

We'll cut the lemons at an angle so we get more juice out of them,

-did you know that?

-No, I didn't know that.

He's making it up as he goes along.

I'm not making it up! Mandy, you listen to me.

When you listen to Italians, a big pinch of salt with everything,

OK, a big pinch of salt. Look at the shirt he's wearing.

I've got my prep done, can I go home now?

Tiring work zesting, eh, Aldo?

I'm tired.

That's all you've done is yawn.

You tell him, Mandy!

Ahh, what have I sat on?

Oh, the crisps!

LAUGHTER

I've sat on your crisps, Mandy!

So, I'm going to make the crab cakes now. So we've got the crab meat.

Just add some mashed potato, just mix everything up.

And we've got some chives,

some chopped spring onion...

..and just a little bit of lemon zest.

Mix it together.

Season and add a splash of sweet chilli sauce

to give it a little zing.

So if we just take a handful of the mixture

and pat it on a floury surface.

Now fry in butter until golden brown on each side.

Et voila! Now it's time to get stuck in.

# Stop in at the Saturday Night Fish Fry

# It was rockin'

# It was rockin'... #

This is so good because of the chunks of crab everywhere, so rich.

-So this crab goes a long way, basically.

-Yeah.

The people of St Dogmaels are very, very lucky.

To have you.

Thank you.

Now they're stuffed to the gills, I think they should get cracking.

The savoury supper category is sure to attract strong competition.

First up at the stove top is Aldo with his pan-fried mackerel,

fresh from Mandy's shop, on a bed of sweet potato gnocchi.

I've got this beautiful mackerel and I'm going to just use the fillet,

cut in half like this.

Let's start the marinade here for this wonderful fish.

Some orange zest, now let's cut this orange in half,

Squeeze it onto the mackerel.

Slice a few slices of this red onion...

..some of this wonderful sherry vinegar -

that will give it a lovely sweetness -

and some sea salt,

white wine and finally we're going to add a few peppercorns here.

Ah, looking good so far, Aldo, but what's next?

OK, let's make some gnocchi.

We boil the potatoes - the older they are the better.

And we've got some sweet potatoes so we mix them up.

Using a potato ricer gets your spuds nice and fluffy.

One egg.

Season with sea salt and add 00 flour -

a good choice for making pasta and gnocchi.

It's not like making dough. You only need to assemble it.

Gnocchi is the first thing I learned at the age of 12 with my mum.

I was a baby really, my brother was a priest and took everyone to church

on a Sunday so I was left behind cooking for the family with my mum.

It was my favourite to eat so she said,

"If you want to eat, it you have to learn to make it," so there you go.

I have a feeling that the judges might be looking for a local dish

but I put my growing up life on a plate tomorrow,

hopefully they appreciate it.

Now you need flour, OK.

And then you cut them at an angle and roll them in the flour so they

don't stick, that's really, really important that they don't stick.

And for authentic gnocchi like Aldo's mamma taught him how to make!

So you roll your thumb on them

and you get the ridge of the fork. That's to absorb the sauce.

Now just pop them in the freezer till the morning.

Red onion, tomatoes and basil with olive oil is a delightful

dressing which will accompany this fish dish.

I could eat it now

but I won't because that's going to finish my dish beautifully.

Now that Aldo's knocked out his gnocchi, it's Silvena's turn to

take the helm with her honey-glazed lamb and celeriac mash, yum yum!

This is my amazing salt marsh lamb and here I have

one of the most beautiful parts of the lamb which is the neck of lamb.

Basically, I'm going to cook the lamb very slowly

at a temperature around 140 to 160 Celsius.

Everything we are using here is more or less local.

In fact, I do not see anything here that is not local.

Ah, maybe the olive oil is not local.

OK, I have not heard of olive oil produced in Wales just yet.

I love putting tomatoes in all my roasting dishes.

It gives a wonderful flavour.

This is a wonderful bouquet of local herbs.

I will just throw them in.

Oh, my God, this is so good, so superlative.

Season well and, for a special touch,

a little white wine is just the job.

And basically wrap it up in foil.

I don't want any of the steam to escape.

Just leave it in the oven for three hours

and it should be perfect.

Next up, celeriac mash. And pay close attention

if you've never used this particular ingredient.

I probably will use a decadent amount of butter in there.

Then, as if it wasn't enough, I'm going to add more cream.

Oh, my good God!

Whoops!

That's why we wear white in the kitchen.

Ha-ha-ha! Well, why you wearing blue then?

Yeah, OK. I'm going to go for this cheese.

Smoked cheese in the mash is going to be fantastic.

I've decided to lighten my mash with something else that

I absolutely love.

Celeriac - local celeriac.

It cooks quicker than the potatoes so cut the potatoes smaller

and the celeriac slightly larger chunks.

Boil for 15 to 20 minutes. It's like a sauna in here!

And the liquid that you see that comes out

comes from the celeriac but actually it's quite good to be left in

because it's all the flours.

Let's try...

Mmm, absolutely gorgeous!

Now for some smokin' cheese - bought on Aldo's recommendation.

I want to eat it like a giant mouse.

It's superlative so it's going to go very well with our mash.

You know what, I'm going to put it all in because with me more is more.

The whole lot gets popped back in the pot

then, with an extra splash of cream,

we're whisked off on a mashed potato dream.

My hand already hurts but if you want this real smooth texture,

it's what you have to do.

And here we are, ready after a lot of hard work.

So, what I'm going to do now is add a little bit of nutmeg.

This is my little secret weapon - it just gives this extra spice.

Mmm, this is heaven.

-Silvena?

-Oh, Ciao bello.

-Ciao bella.

-How are you?

How are you doing in my kitchen here?

I would appreciate your advice, you are an Italian after all

and you know all about your lamb.

Basically, this has been cooking for quite a while

but you do know every oven has its own temperament, you know.

-The smell!

-The smell is beautiful. It looks amazing.

That's ready. Surely.

Yes, that is ready, that is perfection.

You can see it, you don't have to touch it. It's falling off, look.

I like touching things, darling, bella, bella.

It's falling off the bone.

-Oh, my God. Mmmm!

-It's good, isn't it?

-I'm worried.

-Why you worried? About what?

-Because it might be better than mine.

No, no, no, what you're doing, come on, local mackerel, I'M worried.

Come on, let's go.

Maybe you should both be a little worried

because you're up against some stiff local competition.

In, in, in!

Time to pack up and get a early night.

A good chef always leaves their kitchen spic and span.

Mind your head, love.

Hold on a second, this is not easy! OK, we're done, yeah?

CRASHING

I said spic and span, not completely wrecked! What they like?

It's show time! Well, nearly.

First, our culinary companions have finish rustling up

their savoury suppers and add their finishing touches.

And Italy's best-dressed chef

has spotted some samphire growing nearby.

They call it sea asparagus, it's full of iron.

I'm going to use this in my mackerel recipe...

..because I think it marries so well with fish.

Bella, bella! Now that gnocchi's really shaping up.

My gnocchi have lasted well through the night.

They've been in the freezer. Straight from frozen into hot boiling water.

Soon as the hot boiling water comes back to the boil,

the gnocchi are ready.

My sapphire goes into my butter there.

All it needs is a little touch of this water.

What I'd like to add is a little extra virgin olive oil.

Today Aldo will be judged against some of the nation's

home cooking heroes. Is he feeling the pressure?

I woke up a little bit stressed because I'm worried

about finishing everything off and doing it properly.

Using the same pan to cook the mackerel

is a great way of combining flavours.

Mmmm, mamma mia, I love this fish!

I'm feeling a lot more confident all of a sudden

because I'm seeing it all coming together.

What a bellissimo bed of gnocchi!

So let's sit that on top.

I think Silvena's going to be so jealous.

Just to finish off, my beautiful crispy local ham.

Just make sure you can see the samphire.

The green, the white and there's your Italian flag without even trying.

Green, white and red. Buon appetito.

Not so much flying the flag, more FRYING the flag for Italy!

Time for Aldo to clear out and let Silvena do her thing.

What I'll do now is probably try some... Mmmm!

A little bit of skin is OK

because we're going to glaze it with honey, a little bit of fat is fine.

Ooh, I can't stop eating it now.

I'm adding the honey with the thyme, mixing it together.

I'm going to brush it all over my lamb,

this will give a wonderful finish and glaze.

She then chops her lamb into choice chunks,

sprinkles over some more fresh thyme then pops in a very hot oven

for ten minutes until golden brown.

With only two hours till show time, is Silvena feeling the heat?

Of course I'd love to win, I'd be an idiot to say no,

but I'm also realistic to know that people have been doing

this for years and they're going to do something local and delicious.

Ooh, Silvena, those roasted vegetables

and meat juices will make the perfect sauce.

I'm going to have some more lamb while I'm talking to you.

I think you deserve that, you've been working really hard!

Oh, this is really good.

Take a generous dollop of creamy mash,

place those mouthwatering chunks of glazed lamb on top

and spoon over that delicious jus and the job's done!

Or maybe not. Nice touch, Silvena.

You could enter the flower-arranging category while you're at it.

You know, more is more with me, always more is more with me.

When am I going to stop?

Well, guys, it's show time so now would be a good time to stop

and hit the road!

Now, let's concentrate. Go back to second gear

because it's a bit of a hill.

I can hear this poor engine crying.

Nevern Village Show in south Wales is in its 63rd year.

It's famous for being a truly local show for local people where farmers

come to show their prized beasts and animal-handling abilities.

And local horticulturalists demonstrate their floral flair,

culinary credence and vegetable versatility.

Last year there were a whopping 1,200 exhibits

in 148 competitive categories - all with strict rules to adhere to.

Standing in judgement over all unsavouries - sorry, savouries -

is Mrs Elonwy James, a multiple country show cup winner

who teaches young farmers to cook.

She knows exactly what she's looking for in a supper.

What I find at small little shows like this, there is a fantastic

selection of entries here and a very high standard as well.

Nice footwear, Aldo!

So have our high flyers met judge Elonwy's criteria of a supper

dish with a good mix of ingredients?

Well, they're just about to find out.

Just a second, I have to...

Are you still playing with it? You're a proper girl, aren't you?

Ooh, it smells so nice.

You're covering it now with flowers.

Well, that's our chefs' dishes benched. Job done! Or is it?

Aldo's placed his plate in a completely different category.

I don't know why.

I'm not being mean or anything, I just think it's exceptionally funny.

Oh, yes, you are!

Aldo could be disqualified for putting his plate in the wrong place

and Silvena's keeping shtoom - naughty!

Tip one - put your dish in the right place!

Penny is a veteran show cook of four years

and won a prize for her savoury dish at Nevern last year.

I won second prize, which was amazing, I was so pleased,

and this year I thought I'd try it again and see how it goes.

Niamh's been on the circuit for five years

and has entries in five other food sections.

I've tried my own puff pastry, savoury dish,

with caramelised onions, bacon and stilton on the top.

I did one last year but unfortunately it didn't come anywhere.

Yum yum! Meanwhile, Silvena can't keep the secret any longer.

-Walk with me, walk with me, dear.

-It's next to yours.

No, no it's not next to mine, what does it say here?

-Supper savoury dish.

-Yeah.

-And where is Aldo's dish?

Ooh, Aldo's done Cornish pasties.

Now, I'm in the right place.

Disaster averted, just in the nick of time.

Time to clear off while Judge Elonwy decides who will be crowned

the ultimate supper hero.

Our anxious chefs have at least an hour to kill

before judgement on their savouries is served.

Judge James has squeezed, sliced and tasted her way

through 14 other categories in the cookery section

but now it's supper time.

And she has no idea as to who's cooked what

so it's a level playing field.

What I do initially is look and see what appeals to me

and see what conforms to the requirements.

And then taste, which is very important cos very often you see

an item which looks really nice to look at

but when you actually taste or cut into it

there are sometimes problems.

OK, now we know Elonwy means business -

presentation's not everything,

our chefs' plates have got to pack a punch in the taste department too.

There's a little note here to say it's red onion,

bacon and stilton tart.

Interesting.

Mmm, that's nice. That's really tasty.

It's like a big vol-au-vents or tart, isn't it?

Next under Elonwy's expert eye is spaghetti bolognaise

from a veteran of Nevern Show

who regularly wins prizes in the cookery section.

You can't see most of the bolognaise sauce.

It's hidden with the spaghetti on top.

If it was better presented, it would be judged the same as the others.

But because there's a good competition here anyway

and it wouldn't come into my top three anyway,

I'm not going to taste it.

Harsh! Next up is a bacon and cheese quiche

from a first-time savoury supper entrant.

Yes, nice golden colour.

The only thing is it's not like a meal, is it?

It hasn't got a salad to go with it

which actually doesn't quite fit my criteria of a supper dish.

Better luck next year!

Now under Elonwy's gaze is Penny Thomas' cheesy courgette layer -

and this came second last year.

This looks unusual and is possibly a vegetarian dish.

This is nice because although it's one dish, unlike the quiche,

you've got your vegetables in it, cheese for protein

and you got your carbohydrates as well.

It's more of a complete dish than the quiche itself.

OK, Aldo, are you up for the cup?

Nicely presented, looks attractive and quite unusual as well.

Right, they say the first bite is with the eyes.

That looks really nice.

Mmm.

Tastes absolutely delicious as well, which is a bonus.

Compliments to the chef.

Last and definitely not least is Silvena's luscious lamb.

Some things look better cold than others.

This looks attractive when it's cold

whereas that doesn't look attractive.

I'm sure this would look lovely when it's fresh

but because the meat's dried up, it doesn't look as attractive.

Ouch! One dish out on looks and one for not conforming.

Will Silvena's even reach the taste test?

That actually tastes really nice.

It doesn't look as nice but it tasted lovely actually.

Silvena's reputation remains intact

but will either of them scoop a prize?

An excellent competition, a very, very high standard

and very difficult to judge.

It's the moment of truth - the tent is open to the public.

How have our Epicureans fared?

I'm second prize! What prize are you?

-What's this?

-"Silvena Rowe, first prize."

No, this is first prize.

They're all Silvena Rowe.

Yeah, but they put your name there but this is mine. This is mine.

So it looks like you're first although my name is on there.

HE SCREAMS

Stop it, it's not that important. So embarrassing!

It's not that important? It's very important!

-No, no!

-Oh, my God, I'm so excited!

Look I'm shaking.

-Hello, everyone.

-Oh, my good God!

-I just want to make a little speech.

-Thank you for having us and especially me.

-This is embarrassing!

I've just won the savoury supper dish

and I think I deserve it.

APPLAUSE

Gold for Italy!

Oh, good God!

So despite the kafuffle with the cards,

Aldo modestly accepts the first prize,

Silvena settles reluctantly for second

and Penny's cheesy courgette layer takes third.

It was a tough challenge against Nevern's seasoned show cooks.

Penny may have been muscled out of second place by Silvena but she won

over ten prizes in total, including second for her afternoon tea.

The enjoyment of finding the producers of ingredients

in this region has been an amazing experience

but, having said that, victory is always sweet.

I would have loved a local person to win but then again Aldo is

so happy, he was like a little child, so I'm thrilled for him.

Embarrassed but thrilled.

Our chefs earn points for every triumph - three for first,

two for second and one for third -

so Aldo takes the lead today with three points

for his mouth-watering mackerel and Silvena takes two for her lamb.

Next time on Country Show Cook Off, our awesome twosome

truck into Trawden for another captivating cook off.

Oh, why are you copying me?

Aldo gets to grips with camp-style cooking. Or maybe not!

And our duo check out the competition in the show tent.

She's like the Olympian of baking.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd