Episode 2 Grow It, Cook It, Eat It

I'm Dudley Newbery and I've been cooking and presenting food programmes for the last 22 years.

But for this series I'm going to be doing something a little different.

I know how much we Welsh love to eat but over the past few years

I've been getting more and more concerned about what we're eating.

There's an obesity epidemic and it's happening right here in Wales.

We're eating far too much junk food, too much convenience food

and far too many takeaways. Do you know what?

The sad thing is many people have forgotten how to cook.

But the question is, what are we going to do about it?

Last time, with the help of kids from the local schools,

I managed to bring the village of Ynysybwl together

to create a community vegetable garden.

It shows that we can grow our own veg, we haven't got to go

to supermarkets, and we can feed ourselves without a problem.

But growing our own veg was never going to be enough.

To reach the whole community means getting the kids, parents and grandparents involved,

and looking back at how we used to shop, cook and eat,

and using those lessons to move on to the future.

This week I'm going back to basics, showing how much you can save

if you shop locally.

You can pop one in the freezer anyway. You are saving money.

-There's no waste.

-No waste at all.

I'm getting the kids involved caring for the pigs

donated for the carnival feast.

And I'm working with the local cafe to give their greasy spoon breakfast a Mediterranean make over.

You want them about the size of a golf ball.

-Let's have a look at that.

-Is that big enough?

They don't play golf in Ynysybwl, do they?

But it's not going to be easy.

I'm going to need all my enthusiasm and experience to convince people

this is about their future.

It's not just about food, it really is a matter of life and death.

It's the end of May 2013 and things are starting to come together.

The community garden's planted

but this project has always been a lot more than growing our own veg.

With a couple of months to go to the carnival,

I've got to get the whole community on board.

That means speaking to shop keepers, local businesses and clubs. Places like Cresci's Cafe.

The cafe has been the hub of the village

since it was opened in 1905 by Giovanni Cresci.

I went to visit Giovanni's great-grandson

and present owner, Tony Howells, to learn more.

So, Tony, how did the Cresci family start in Ynysybwl?

My grandfather made his way through Europe at the age of 14.

Walked from Dover, took him weeks and weeks.

Worked on the docks, in the pits.

He came to Ynysybwl, fell in love with the village

-and started from there.

-And that was it?

They had a sweet shop initially, selling sweets, ice cream.

A salesman came there one day and my great-grandmother offered him

an ice cream as a thank you.

He said, "I love your ice cream, but I'd love a cup of tea."

So she thought, there's an idea, and the cafe was born.

I remember going in there as a youngster and being sat on the bar,

on the counter and being able to choose what sweets I wanted.

The ice cream they made was fantastic.

-I used to make that when I was ten year old.

-Did you?

Not on my own, I just used to help out.

There was a lot of Italian food - olives, olive oil.

A lot of my friends didn't know what pizza was.

We used to have pizza.

-What about pasta?

-Hardly anyone ate pasta.

-You love pasta, though?

Grew up on it.

Cresci's Cafe brought a real Italian flavour to the Bwl when I was growing up.

Inspired by his family history,

Tony reopened Cresci's Cafe in the new location in 2005.

But like a lot of cafe owners, he's found himself fighting

a losing battle trying to interest locals in real food.

When you started Cresci's number two, were you starting this

to try and get an Italian flavour back into the village again?

That was the plan but after a couple of years

you'd find what people want, just a quick breakfast and back to work.

Do you think we're up for a challenge

to see if we can switch their way of thinking?

I'm sure most people will definitely be up for trying it.

But it's a big ask to get them to switch to it

and not go back to breakfast. There's something about a breakfast, isn't there? A fry up.

There is something about it but let's see if we can get them to switch now and again.

-We'll move it from there.

-Definitely. Definitely up for that.

-I've got just the thing for that.

-Good.

-And this coffee's still good.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

Before I can start cooking up some quality Italian food,

I need to check up on the community garden.

Last time, our gardening guru Terry Walton noticed the soil

was lacking in depth, so we only managed to plant a couple of rows of potatoes.

But today we've had some topsoil delivered

and the Ynysybwl allotmenteers are back and ready to pitch in.

If we can get about at least four inches spread over with a rake today,

it'll be ready for planting within the next hour or so.

And with just 12 weeks to go before the carnival

we do need to get planting.

When you planted these, they were little seeds.

What have you done to these to make them grow?

-Given them plenty of sunshine and water.

-That is great. Absolutely.

Now, we're going to plant these in the garden.

-Are you going to help me?

-ALL: Yes!

The garden seems to have revived a sense of community spirit in Ynysybwl,

with villagers contributing in many different ways.

Some giving up their time to help

and others pitching in with gifts, including a brand-new garden shed.

Look at that. What a fit.

And of course, the kids love it.

It is wonderful to give kids an alternative view,

and get about to see where the food they see on the supermarket shelves,

where it comes from.

How it's grown, harvested and prepared for the table.

There is one by here.

And that one.

And then...

That one.

If we can get the peas planted in this row here.

Then we put the onions in that row there.

Oh, soil in my shoe!

Already, this project seems to be doing what I hoped it would,

with three generations working together planting seeds for the future.

..So it fits in the hole

and you just level to the ground, the top of the onion.

I haven't planted before and it was quite fun doing it

so I am looking forward to do more stuff.

Careful.

That's it. Right.

Well done. You've all done really well.

Give yourself a big clap. Come on.

Well done. Great.

-High-five.

-High-five!

Lovely.

It's great to see the youngsters proud of their achievements,

interacting and learning with the older generation.

It got me thinking about the importance

of having good role models.

So I went to meet Ynysybwl rugby legend,

former Welsh international, Garin Jenkins.

Like many places in the valleys,

the local rugby club is the cornerstone of village life

and I was keen to hear Garin's thoughts on diet and exercise.

I think rugby has become more of a science.

The eating has become also important now, Dudley,

because the extreme levels that they push themselves to,

the fuel and the energy is so important.

Diet, and protein and energy from the food

is top of the agenda for them.

I know you are associated with the youth team here,

and I know you give them a hand when you can to train etc,

does that message get related to them?

I think it is not just rugby.

What you put in your body, it's like anything,

the more rubbish you put in the bin, the more rubbish got to come out.

I think it's the same with the body.

That is the energy that's going to sustain you

when you play the sport or in the workplace or college.

I think eating the right foods gives you a balanced lifestyle

and it is important, the preparation.

And take time out to enjoy food and enjoy the company.

It's surprising how enjoyable it is.

I've enjoyed being with you, that's great. Thank you for that.

A good bit of advice there.

Thanks to local smallholder, Adam James,

we have two pigs to rear for the carnival feast on the 25th of August.

Last time we met he was keen for some local pupils

to be involved in looking after the pigs so Tom, Joshua, Liam and Scott

from Trerobert School have come along to give him a hand.

OK, guys, so the pigs eat lots and lots of different things.

Probably the same things as you like to eat.

In the bucket we've got some melon, some bananas, some cranberries, some plums.

And the other thing they have is this stuff which is their pig food.

It's very much like the cereals you have in the morning.

Come on, give us a hand to chop it up with a spade.

We need to get in and give it a good chop.

Pretty good, I think that's probably about it. Okey-doke.

Shall we go and feed them? Yes? Come on then.

One, two, three, go.

-How old are they now?

-These were born just at the end of January.

So it's May now, so we're looking at three-and-a-bit months old.

-How big are these pigs going to get?

-Depends how long you keep them.

They can get really, really big.

-Maybe about that big.

-Wow.

What they really love is having their back scratched.

-Their fur feels like bristles on a toothbrush.

-They are.

-In fact, they used to use the bristles for brushes.

-Wow.

Like humans, Adam knows all his animals need a good healthy diet

because, after all, you only get back what you put in.

He keeps all sorts of animals on his smallholding

and the boys were keen to see them all.

This is where all the chickens live. Any idea why I keep chickens?

-ALL: For eggs!

-Absolutely.

Some chicken eggs.

Do you want a chicken egg? There you go, look.

Now, there's one other type of egg we've got here as well. And that...

..is a goose egg. Look at the size of that, eh?

-It weighs loads.

-It does, doesn't it?

They're really heavy and the shells are really thick.

However, the goose that laid the egg seems a bit reluctant to say hello!

But not to worry, Adam has a trick up his sleeve.

Every goose-wrangler's favourite tool. Come on.

And yes, Adam did get his birdie in the end.

And there's one last souvenir for the boys at the end

of a very egg-citing day!

-Did you enjoy?

-ALL: Yes!

Cool. Come on then.

Adam's enthusiasm is great.

Just what I need to keep the school kids interested in my project.

But most of us aren't lucky enough to be that self-sufficient

so changing our relationship with food means thinking more

about what we buy and where we buy it.

Last time, I met with Christina Jones,

a local nurse and single mother who has real concerns

about her family's eating habits.

After taking a look at her typical weekly shop,

featuring convenience foods, alcohol and ready meals,

it was easy to see why.

It's just quick, ready meals.

Just feed everybody so I can get tea-time out of the way and wash up.

-Job done then.

-There's nothing wrong with eating that sort of stuff

but I wouldn't eat it on a regular basis.

I think, really, you've got a little bit of fruit here

but it would be good to see a bit more fruit and veg on your shop.

With a weekly food bill of up to £120,

it was clear Christina could do with some advice to plan her family shop.

You've got to remember you're feeding your family, not running a restaurant.

They're not going to have four different things,

-they should have what you cook once only.

-Yes.

-You cook once.

What you need is a plan, and if you've got a plan you know

what you need to buy before you go shopping and you can save money.

-That would be good.

-Let's have a look in the shop.

I need to persuade Christina to shop locally,

avoiding the big supermarkets that entice us to buy food

that so often, just gets thrown away.

I've got a plan here for seven evening meals.

Everything in green is fruit and veg.

This is what you're not eating enough of - all the healthy stuff.

I tell you what, you'll be surprised,

it ain't as expensive as you think.

And there'll be enough here for every meal for the whole week.

-Now, I know you like chicken, don't you?

-Yeah, we do.

-We're big chicken eaters.

-OK, good.

Now look, you can have two chickens here for £7.00.

This is not going to do one meal, this will do two,

-possibly three meals, depending on how hungry you are.

-Yeah.

To be honest, if you didn't want to use two chickens

you could pop one in the freezer anyway. You are saving money.

-There's no waste.

-No waste at all.

These jars I've seen on your shopping list.

Yeah, they're convenient. I tend to use a lot of them unfortunately.

The only thing is, they do contain quite a bit of sugar

-and quite a bit of salt.

-Right.

Actually, it's very easy to make up a sauce like this

and actually make more than this. Whatever you don't use, you freeze down.

'There's no need to travel miles to the out of town supermarkets.

'Shop locally. Looking out for offers and planning in advance

'will cut unnecessary spending and wastage.'

-The instant noodles in pots. The girls like these?

-Just a bit, yeah.

Again, they're full of additives and sugar.

What I've got here, I've got a recipe for a chicken Thai noodle soup,

which will give much more flavour than you're getting from any pot.

'Time to head to the till for the moment of truth.

'Hopefully these fresh ingredients come in cheaper than her usual spend of £120.'

Hit the button, Angela, see what we've got.

That's £71.70.

-Marvellous.

-Right, that's seven evening meals for five people

and a lot of these ingredients here are store cupboard ingredients,

which means you can use them for the next three or four times

you cook those recipes. So you won't be spending that much.

-And saving me about £50 a week.

-And it's all fresh.

-Much better.

-You can't beat that.

-No, you can't.

'A very successful shopping trip.

'But the test will be whether Christina can tempt

'her family away from the ready meals by sticking to my new menu.'

We're going to look at Dudley's planner here.

We've got some chicken left over from Sunday dinner,

so we're going to make chicken noodle soup today.

But will Christina's kids take to the fresh ingredients?

-How's that? Is that enough?

-Yes.

She's got her two younger daughters to give her a hand

preparing that simple Thai chicken noodle soup.

-Are they lettuce?

-Yes, it's lettuce.

It'll be lovely now.

There we are girls, doesn't that look nice?

BOTH: Yes.

This is proper cooking. It'll be delicious.

That wasn't too bad, was it, girls? Was it easy?

BOTH: Yes.

There we are, chillies.

-What do you think, girls?

-It's delicious.

-Delicious.

It's good for their health, it's good for my health.

Sometimes they go hyper after eating things because of all the additives

but with this you know exactly what's in there.

Nice, clean cooking, really healthy. I can't fault it. Brilliant.

I'd say that was a success.

Even the family cat seems to be enjoying it.

We're making progress. With the carnival now only eight weeks away,

most of the crops have been planted in the community garden.

The pigs donated by Adam for the feast are growing nicely

and I'm starting to feel a change in people's attitudes,

with poor eating habits losing out to new, healthier choices.

But there's still more to be done!

And there's some bad news too.

I've just received a phone call from Anne Ball who has been

coordinating the work at the community vegetable garden.

We might have enjoyed the best summer for many years

but the hot, dry weather has spelled disaster for our beans.

Unfortunately, these plants were put into the shed and weren't watered.

-They're a bit dry.

-They're a little bit dry.

And the same thing happened with the ones that were planted.

A lot of people fall by the wayside

and there's a handful that have been doing the work.

-Hopefully now, when they see what's happened, they'll get up here and help.

-Yes, yes.

Once they've seen it's planted up,

and it's for the benefit of the children, for the community,

they'll rally round. I know they will.

'Well, I hope you're right, Anne.

'But what are we going to do about these beans?'

Fortunately, we've got an allotment and we managed to dig mine up

-and bring them up here, and replant.

-That's marvellous.

We've got runner beans.

At the moment, I've got to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed.

I'm going to need everybody to get behind this project to make it work.

We've got to grow as much food as we can in that garden to feed everybody.

But it's the same people turning up to do the work all the time.

I need energetic and willing people to make it a success.

Now I'm going to have a lot of people to feed on the day of the carnival,

so I've come to Ynysybwl Rugby Club to enlist some man power

and I know just the way to get them on board.

You've guessed it - a big, healthy treat!

OK, boys, that's it then. Call it a night on that. Excellent.

Thank you very much.

Come on now! In you come. How's it going? All right?

Now, years ago, after the game, the boys would normally eat sausage, beans and chips.

I've heard you're more sophisticated.

Worried about what you're eating and how you're looking.

You want a bit more healthy eating. Is that right?

-You eat anything?

-ALL: Yes!

You do! Especially if it's free, is it?

What I'm going to do today is a one pan dish.

We're going to make paella.

It's easy to make and there's only one pan to wash at the end of it.

I want some helpers, boys. I'm not going to do it all by myself.

Anybody want to do some cooking? Look at him, straight in there.

-You are?

-Nathan.

-Nice one, Nathan. Come over here, byt. Anybody else? I want two.

-Yeah, I will.

-And you are?

-I'm Dewi.

-Dewi, nice to meet you.

-And you.

While the boys were training I prepared the onions and the chicken.

So Nathan and Dewi are going to help me by cutting up the hake,

monkfish and the squid.

-Have you cut much fish before?

-No, not much.

-Bit bigger than that, Dew.

-All right, aye.

-Come on, Dew, get on with it.

-I can't, it's too hard!

-Do you eat much fish, boys?

-Yeah, I do in the house.

-How about you, Dewi?

-I do eat a bit of fish but I can't really cook it.

-I'd like to eat more of it.

-How do you normally have it?

-In batter with some chips?

-Yeah. Sometimes!

OTHERS LAUGH

-Right then, boys, how do you think they've done?

-Not bad.

-Not bad?

-I think Nathan had the edge on Dewi.

-Right, leave this to me.

You boys go and have a shower. I'll see you back in about 20 minutes, OK?

-Thank you very much.

-Lovely.

-Cheers.

The boys seem to be enjoying themselves.

I hope they like the paella because I still need to get them to help with the carnival!

I've added rice and stock to the cooked onions and chicken.

When the rice is cooked, in goes the tomatoes

and the fish, prawns and cooked peppers.

After a good stir, I'm adding mussels and peas to finish.

Not only is the paella simple to prepare

but it's also a perfect post-training meal.

Full of lean protein and lots of flavour!

I hope they like it.

-Who's first?

-I'm first.

-"I'm first!" Straight in there.

Nothing like a shy boy and you are nothing like a shy boy.

-There you are, byt.

-Thank you for that.

-Enjoy that.

Come on boys, don't be shy. Grab a plate now.

-Thank you. Cheers.

-Big portion for the helpers.

-Yes, please.

-Thank you very much.

-Here he is, helper number two.

That's that squid you chopped up so carefully.

-It's all on there for you.

-That's the best one on it.

-I tell you what, that's great cutting that was.

-Genius! Natural!

Lovely. Really nice.

The best part about it is the fish that I cut up.

But then the chicken, the rice, the peppers.

It all goes well together. Really good.

It's healthy. There are carbs and protein in it.

Especially after we've just trained. So it's good.

I'd rather have something like this, definitely, than sausage, beans and chips, any day.

I'd love to have it after every rugby game.

It would be great. It's lovely.

The paella seems to have hit the spot.

So much so, the boys are tucking in to second helpings.

And some of them are even wrapping up plates to take home.

Right, then. Empty plates, empty pan. What did you think of it?

ALL: Very good.

There is no such thing as a free meal. I'm sure you've heard that before.

So on the 25th of August there is a big do going on down on the rec.

I've got to feed a lot of people and I want some help.

-Can I count on you?

-ALL: Yes!

Good. But I also need a couple of chefs.

Nathan and Dewi. Right. You are cooking with me that day, right?

-You won't be lifting tables. Are you up for it?

-Yes, definitely.

-Great.

I'll see you on the 25th, boys. I'll leave you with the washing up. All the best!

And the rugby boys aren't the only new helpers I've found.

After hearing about Ann's problem with the garden,

Trerobert School caretaker, Robert Ryan, is giving up his

valuable time to share his knowledge with youngsters from the school.

Keep going. That's it. That's the way. That's good.

I think they've done this before, looking at them. They look very professional.

Along with the new runner bean plants,

the pupils are planting carrots, beetroots and courgettes.

And lessons have been learnt following the loss of the bean crop

and Rob makes sure that the message hits home.

-What do we do at the end?

-Water them.

-Give them a drink, is it?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-What are they crying out for now?

-Water.

-Water.

From the experienced hands of the older generation

to the hard work and enthusiasm of the schoolchildren,

Ynysybwl is coming together and 300 square yards of the Glanffrwd School playground

is fast becoming a real community garden.

With the garden back on track, it's time for me to return to Cresci's.

I've got just the dish to tempt the regulars

away from their breakfast fry-ups.

So it's time to share it with Tony's wife and Cresci's chef, Rhian.

I imagine these ingredients are the sort of things you've got to

-cook for the majority of your customers?

-Yes.

-They like a good fry-up.

-They love it.

-Right.

I'm going to show your recipe now and a meal that I think

is going to actually tie in with the name Cresci's.

It's an Italian meatball dish but we are going to use these ingredients in a different way.

-What do you reckon?

-Yes. Sounds lovely.

The first step is to brown some onions and garlic in oil to add flavour.

Adding tomato puree

and tinned tomatoes to make the sauce for the meatballs.

-They have beans and they have tomato on the breakfast, don't they?

-Yes.

So we're putting cannellini beans in there.

They are going to cook down so the beans will take on the flavour of the tomatoes.

Add fresh thyme and seasoning, then simmer. Simple as that.

This is sausage meat. That goes in.

Add to that some minced pork, the onions

and garlic that we have browned already and some parsley.

You put the egg in there so that is going to bind it together.

We're not going to give them a fried egg.

-But it's going to be...

-In the mix.

-Absolutely.

Finally, a real Italian ingredient, fennel seeds,

to add that all-important Mediterranean flavour.

So you want them to be about the size of a golf ball.

No bigger than that.

-Is that big enough?

-They don't play golf in Ynysybwl, do they?!

When they do finally resemble golf balls,

roll in flour to stop them sticking, then brown in a pan.

The flour will also help thicken the sauce.

They are starting to get that nice brown colour now.

No fried potatoes in this recipe.

Instead, we are adding oil, salt and pepper

and rosemary to make delicious Italian roast potatoes.

Time to transfer the brown meatballs to an oven-proof dish.

-If that doesn't please them, nothing will.

-No.

-Lovely smell, isn't it?

I've tried things in the cafe but things don't seem to go.

-We'll have a look now today.

-Yes, we'll try them.

Keep pouring. All the way.

-It looks lovely, doesn't it?

-Mamma Mia! Look at that!

-That would put a smile on Mary Cresci's face, wouldn't it?

-Yes!

We'll put a few of these in there now.

Add bay leaves for extra flavour.

About 15 minutes in the oven, OK?

-Yes.

-Then we'll be done.

Just in time.

Some members of the Cresci family have called in along with some hungry local workers.

-Right, what are you having?

-I'll have a large breakfast, please.

-I'll have a large as well.

-I'll have large as well, please.

-Large breakfast? Large breakfast?

-Yes, please.

-There is a special on today.

-What is it?

-It's a surprise.

-Is it cheaper?

-It's the deal of the century. Are you going to try that?

ALL: Yes.

Marvellous. She'll be so pleased. Right, here we go.

Right then, Rhian, eight specials.

The moment of truth. Just time to add the finishing touches.

A nod towards the fried breakfast with some crispy pancetta.

-That smells nice.

-I hope you enjoy it.

-What's it like?

-It's really nice.

It's lovely, isn't it? It's unusual, isn't it?

We are looking for a signature dish anyway, so you never know.

-It might get on the list, you think?

-Yes.

-There we are then.

Really nice. You ought to give me the recipe!

It was absolutely lovely. You can see by my plate.

I feel as if I can go to work now and do a bit of work.

After a fry up, I just... you can't really do much after that.

You can tell it's healthy anyway.

APPLAUSE

-You'd have that again over a fried breakfast?

-Definitely.

-Good.

-Brilliant.

-What are the meatballs made of then?

-Cresci's secret!

Basically, you've had your fry-up but you've had a meal

which is a lot healthier and it doesn't quite cost as much.

We've got a bit of Italy back in the Bwl tonight. How is that?

APPLAUSE

Next time on Grow It, Cook It, Eat It...

I'll be getting the school kids to help me harvest the community vegetable garden.

I'll be catching up with local people to see what difference

cooking and eating healthily has had on their families.

I've now lost three stone. Three stone, I have lost, in four months.

And it's fabulous. I should have done it years ago.

And I'm putting myself on the line,

trying to feed the community on carnival day.

We've got about 10 minutes before they start coming in.

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