0:00:05 > 0:00:09- Ah, Mr Wogan, nice to see you again. Your usual table, sir?- Yes, indeed.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I remember I tipped you handsomely last Michaelmas,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13so the usual table.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14You haven't changed, Mr Wogan.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19It has taken 50 years in broadcasting,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21but I have finally cracked it -
0:00:21 > 0:00:24a chance to meander around the country, see the sights,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26meet the people
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and - oh, yes - eat and drink.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Is melt in the mouth a suitable phrase?
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I've hailed a cab with one of London's finest cabbies -
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Mason McQueen - to steer me around Britain's highways and byways.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42I'm looking forward to a decent meal, are you?
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Oh, I'm starving here and I can't wait.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Our route has been mapped out by an adventurous gourmand -
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Samuel Chamberlain -
0:00:49 > 0:00:51in his book, British Bouquet.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Almost 60 years later, we're following in his footsteps...
0:00:54 > 0:00:56I'll do all the work!
0:00:56 > 0:01:00..to seek out weird and wonderful, original British cuisine
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and discover how our tastes have changed over the years.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Do it right, son.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Whoo! Oh-oh-oh!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Looks a bit dark. That is the black garlic glaze that we have.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14- Oh, is that it?- Yeah.- I thought you had overcooked it, to be honest.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26On this beautiful morning, our '60s tour guide is taking us
0:01:26 > 0:01:29down the winding lanes of darkest Dorset.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35It is a cracking little county this, Terry.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Dorset, according to Chamberlin, who of course has covered all
0:01:38 > 0:01:41the counties of England, and more if he could find any,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45"Dorset, we've decided, is one of the subtler English counties,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48"one that appeals more to the perceptive
0:01:48 > 0:01:51"and experienced traveller than the casual tripper."
0:01:51 > 0:01:53And that is you and me out immediately.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56We haven't got the intellectual depth for this county.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59And I am looking at you now.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Not wanting to spend too long in the rural backwaters,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10we are heading straight to the county town - Dorchester.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Historically, the town has always been an important commercial centre
0:02:15 > 0:02:19for the county, so they should know how to make a decent meal.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23We are on the mean streets of Dorchester now.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Chamberlain found it a trim place.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And I suppose, in his day, it was a lot trimmer than it is now.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35You know, things have changed from the British Bouquet, Terry.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36Things have moved on.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Modern Dorchester is a museum magnet.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I counted six from the taxi window.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50Celebrating everything from dinosaurs to Tutankhamen.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53But we didn't come to feed our minds, we came to feed our faces.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Local produce. I reckon they'll know their stuff.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- It strikes a responsive chord with me. Give it a go?- Yeah.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- Over 100 cheeses.- Lovely. - We'll try them all.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10A local deli - perfect place to fill the belly.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- Look at this, it's packed out! - Fantastic shop, look at it.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Stuffed with Dorset delicacies, it doesn't take Mason
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and I too long to get stuck in.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Dorset cheeses, on the top here, are all Dorset, local cheeses,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30so it ranges from two smoked ones - Dorset Red...
0:03:30 > 0:03:33But it is literally all from the wonderful county of Dorset.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- The Blue Vinny is the most famous. There's a wonderful...- It is.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39There is a whole one there. That is basically how they come in to us.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Can I try a piece? - Yeah, do, tuck in.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44It is made with unpasteurised skimmed milk,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- so it is actually lower in fat. - The produce in here is incredible.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Are the people of Dorchester very passionate about their food
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- and their local produce?- They are.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Dorset people are very loyal to Dorset products
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and like to see small, independent businesses.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00When in Dorset, there is something you must try, which is
0:04:00 > 0:04:03a triple-baked Dorset knob.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05If you grab hold of the knob, Sir Terry,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07and I shall take the knife away.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Do you know, I wish I had a penny for every time anybody said
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- that to me. - HE LAUGHS
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Oh!- That is great, mate.- Mm!
0:04:22 > 0:04:24This is an interesting place, isn't it? Look.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Oh, there is a job available.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28For a waitress/kitchen assistant.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31You could do kitchen assistant, couldn't you?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- I could have a go.- You'd be all right, looking like a nippy.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Nippy was the name given to the attentive staff
0:04:38 > 0:04:40at the Lyons Tea House
0:04:40 > 0:04:44and were a regular sight in the first half of the 20th century.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I thought they had all disappeared. But here in Dorchester,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51we seem to have stumbled across the nippy's last stand.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- Hello there, good morning. - See? It's a nippy!- Ah.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- Morning.- Morning.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00So do they get you to dress up like this all the time?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Every day, all day. It is a tradition of the Oak Room.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- Nippy means quick, smart. - Yes, it does, yeah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08To get in and around the tables as quick as you can.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Let's see you moving.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- SHE LAUGHS - What?
0:05:11 > 0:05:13A tea and a coffee.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15A tea and a coffee. How quick can I get it?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- See?- Some empty cups. - There's nippiness!- That is nippy.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24We put the nippies to the test and ordered some home-made Dorset
0:05:24 > 0:05:27pate, which arrives with lightning efficiency.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Oh. Ah!
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- nice.- Now you're talking.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Another nibble.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36We are sharing nibbles and a cup of tea with local councillor
0:05:36 > 0:05:39David Taylor, who knows of another resident who was quick to
0:05:39 > 0:05:42serve in the panelled room back in the 17th century.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46This is the famous Oak tea rooms where Judge Jeffreys
0:05:46 > 0:05:48sentenced nearly 700 people to their death.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- The hanging judge.- Absolutely.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52He was barbaric all the way through.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54They hung them and quartered them
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and stuck them on spikes by the church.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We won't go into any details. I've read how that is done,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- and it is not much fun.- No. - Not before I eat my pate, anyway.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04No.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Would this be the kind of thing that the good judge would have
0:06:07 > 0:06:10tucked into before sending somebody off to the scaffold?
0:06:10 > 0:06:11The reason why he was so violent
0:06:11 > 0:06:14was because of the fact he suffered from liver stones,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18which pertains to alcohol and rich food, i.e. - pate
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and the cheese of Dorset.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23So, you know, whether you went for the chop or got free
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- depended on what he had had for lunch.- Exactly.- Yeah.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31In a room where people were sent to their eternal reward, we are
0:06:31 > 0:06:35now having tea and some pate.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- All done.- It is a bit incongruous, isn't it?
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Totally!
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Of course, when it comes to famous figures of Dorchester,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53there is one local lad you can't ignore.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56- Look.- What?
0:06:56 > 0:06:57"Even Thomas Hardy
0:06:57 > 0:06:59"would be delighted."
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Why? Why would he be delighted?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03He used to work here, I believe.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The world-famous novelist trained as an architect in this
0:07:07 > 0:07:10building in the mid-19th century.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Fortunately for us, today it is a cafe.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- Shall we go in here? Shall we risk it?- Yeah, why not?
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- Be rude not to.- OK.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22If Hardy worked here now, he'd be frying chips
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and waiting tables under the careful gaze of Pat Collins.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- So, Pat.- Yes?- The rumour is that Thomas Hardy used to work here.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Do you have a Thomas Hardy special?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Well, I suppose it is old-fashioned food we do,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39because we do a home-made steak pie, liver and bacon,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41home-made cottage pie.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- I suppose those meals were around at that time.- He would have loved that.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Yes.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- I am somebody who is very, very careful about what he eats.- OK.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Racing snake figure and all.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54So could we try, in honour of Thomas...?
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Would you like to try a little bit of the steak pie?
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- Well...- Dip a chip or two in the gravy?- Well, my friend might, yes.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- I might have a spoonful.- OK.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Pat's restaurant has no airs or graces,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13just good square meals for the good people of Dorchester.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I have no doubt Hardy would approve.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Wow!
0:08:18 > 0:08:22- There you go.- Look at this. - Now, don't eat too many chips.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I'm sure you will enjoy it, if you're going to share as well.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Thank you, Pat.- Yes, you're all right.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- Good chips. - We have got to try the pie.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Look at that, it's a fluffy pie. Look at that.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Apparently, Thomas Hardy couldn't bare shortcrust pastry.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- Oh, here we go.- Yeah?
0:08:38 > 0:08:42How is that? How is that traditional Thomas Hardy fare?
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- Proper Dorset grub.- Mm!
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Having eaten where Hardy worked, we are
0:08:53 > 0:08:58now following Chamberlain to the great author's final resting place.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Stinsford churchyard is a place of pilgrimage for all Hardy fans,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and is certainly far from the madding crowd.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Thank heaven you parked there because that is reserved for clergy.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Don't upset the pie and liquor, eh? Whatever we do.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18I would expect the clergy here to come in by horse and trap,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20not by car.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- We know why we are here. - Do we?- Thomas Hardy's grave.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29"Here lies the heart of Thomas Hardy."
0:09:30 > 0:09:33His wife, when she heard that he was going to be buried in
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Poets' Corner or wherever it was, in Westminster Abbey,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41she had his heart removed so his heart could be buried here.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- How romantic is that? That's nice.- Yeah.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- Well, it is slightly horrific as well.- Yeah.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Because the fellow who took out his heart had a cat
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- and the cat tried to eat the heart. - Really?
0:09:53 > 0:09:57And so he killed the cat and buried it with the heart.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- Well...- There may be more than a heart buried in there.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02That's good for us cos it relates to our food trip, right?
0:10:04 > 0:10:08I think Mason may be doubting my hearty Hardy tale,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11so to get some clarification on this grave matter,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14I am meeting Mike Dixon from the Hardy Society.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Because it was such an unusual burial, in fact,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22almost unique that the heart was here and the rest of him,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25the ashes, were in Westminster Abbey, there was
0:10:25 > 0:10:29a malicious rumour that seems to have grown up that a cat
0:10:29 > 0:10:32ate his heart while it was left on the kitchen table.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- BIRDS CHATTER - I have to say, categorically,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38that that has never been backed up with any facts whatsoever.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- And I think the rooks agree with you.- The rooks agree with me.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46From classic Hardy fiction to another part
0:10:46 > 0:10:48of the great man's legacy.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53This was first brewed in 1968, but sadly,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56it became so expensive to make that they couldn't...
0:10:56 > 0:10:58What were they making it out of?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- Well, lots of barley. - Diamond chippings?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I mean, this would be 12% proof.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08You took a bottle of that, and it's like drinking wine.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- There is actually something in this. - Yes, there is.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11But you'd be afraid to drink it.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15I would be very afraid to drink it because it lasts 25 years
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and probably now, what is in there is undrinkable.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Nonetheless, we must keep it and preserve it.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- We must keep it and preserve it. - In the name of Thomas Hardy.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Indeed, that is why I've got it. Indeed.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36"Dorset," he says,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39"contributes generously to England's bread basket,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44"famous for rich butter, worthy cheese and herds of plump sheep."
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Plump sheep?!
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- We like our sheep plump.- Oh!
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- Honestly, a thin sheep is no good to anybody.- No.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Hardy wrote a great deal about the men and women
0:11:55 > 0:11:59who toiled in the rich agricultural landscape around Dorchester.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05So with the engine and our stomachs rumbling as one, I think it is
0:12:05 > 0:12:09high time we sought out some fresh produce from this fertile
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Dorset earth.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Mason McQueen's magic wheels have brought me
0:12:15 > 0:12:20to what I would regard as an obscure part of this very proud county.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24And this is Mark Botwright. Guess what he grows.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28- I grow garlic, Terry. - Why should people eat garlic?
0:12:28 > 0:12:30- What is good about garlic? - Oh, it's amazing.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34The health benefits that come from the garlic.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35You know, it wards off colds.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Our family haven't had a cold or any illnesses for seven or eight
0:12:38 > 0:12:39years now.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Would it be any good rubbing it on a gammy knee?
0:12:42 > 0:12:43It might be worth a try.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47It is actually supposed to be an antibacterial, antifungal as well.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48So if you actually have got...
0:12:48 > 0:12:50People even say to rub it on in-grown toenails
0:12:50 > 0:12:53- and things like that. - This is a miracle plant!
0:12:57 > 0:12:59So, this is the drying shed, is it?
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Yeah, this is where all the garlic is dried, as you can see.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- So, I mean, does it have to be dried?- Yeah.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I mean, when we actually take it from the ground,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11it comes under a category of fresh or wet garlic.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14But then when it comes in here, it goes through this drying
0:13:14 > 0:13:16process. As you can see, everything is all hanging up.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And that can take up to three, four months, depending on the weather.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22And when it is dried like this, the intenseness of the actual bulb
0:13:22 > 0:13:26comes out. Here is an absolutely huge elephant garlic.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28That would feed several elephants.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30That would feed several elephants.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34So, when you started, did people say to you, "You're mad."
0:13:34 > 0:13:36They did say I was mad, yeah, totally mad.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39"What do you think you are doing growing garlic?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41"People of Dorset wouldn't know what to do with it."
0:13:41 > 0:13:42But now, luckily, they do.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- So you weren't as mad as people thought you were.- No.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Chat over, it is time to get something to eat.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56So we head into the farm's kitchen to see what is cooking.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- Hi, Matt, how are you doing?- G'day, gents. How are you?- All right.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02- Nice to meet you.- You too.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06What better person to feed us than local restaurateur,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09one-time MasterChef winner Matt Follas?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- This is the black garlic. - We haven't seen a black garlic.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- Black garlic is wonderful stuff. Let me chop that for you.- Yeah.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- It is great stuff. Look at the colour.- Oh!- It's beautiful.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24It has been cooked for a long time at a low temperature,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26just enough to cook it, to caramelise it.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29So it is the slowest type of caramelising you can imagine.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35It's almost like a balsamic flavour. It is a wonderful...
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Mind your fingers on the knife. Try yourselves a little bit of that.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Go on.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- Wonderful, rich flavour, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:14:45 > 0:14:46Taste the difference from normal garlic.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Totally different than garlic.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52I was hoping for a little more than that.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Fortunately, Matt has used his black garlic to glaze
0:14:56 > 0:14:58this slow-roasted leg of lamb.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05You know, for a moment there, I thought we were going to starve!
0:15:05 > 0:15:07This has been in my AGA overnight.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11And it is absolutely delicious. Nice and slow-cooked.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13This is home cooking. This is what I cook at home.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Of course, when Chamberlain was here,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24garlic was an exotic ingredient.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29But today, it has found its way into a lot of our traditional
0:15:29 > 0:15:32British grub, including many a Sunday roast.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Incredible. Thanks, Matt. - You are very welcome.- Very nice.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Something that, modestly, you didn't mention,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- that you have a garlic-eating contest here.- We do.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49- In September every year, we hold the World Garlic Eating Competition.- OK!
0:15:49 > 0:15:53So that means you have to eat as much raw garlic as you can
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- in five minutes.- And how many lunatics do you get coming in here,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- doing that?- Last year, I think there was about 45.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01And then they all leave here
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and knock people down in the street with their breath.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06They certainly do!
0:16:13 > 0:16:17After Matt's garlicky lamb, I'm glad there is a sheet of glass
0:16:17 > 0:16:19separating Mason and I.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24We are going to go to a place now where
0:16:24 > 0:16:27they've tried to preserve things with a little more grace.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Prince Charles has been involved with it.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Poundbury, have you ever been there? - Poundbury, never heard of it.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37I have been to Poundland. TERRY LAUGHS
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Poundbury, on the outskirts of Dorchester,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44was built using principles advocated by Prince Charles.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50A mix of architectural styles, it's now home to 2,500 people.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Today, though, the streets are deserted.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Maybe everyone is out to lunch.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Well, we'd better join them.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I'm Terry. This is Mason. We are in this together.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07And we are after food.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Before we sample your wares, Nick, master baker,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14what sort of the place is Poundbury?
0:17:14 > 0:17:15Poundbury is a very strange place.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18You walk around and there is just nobody here.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But yet we are a thriving bakery business. Doing very well.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27But, yeah, no street signs, no road markings, nobody walking around.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- But it is an ideal, isn't it? - Yeah, it's great.- Or is it fantasy?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I think it is a bit of both.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36With unique Poundbury panache,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Nick serves his soup in bowls made of bread.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43That is incredible. I love that idea, Nick. Eat the evidence.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Yep.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Some might call it rustic.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I think he could be saving on the washing up.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- Mm, beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, Nick, that.- You are up at...
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- five o'clock in the morning to bake? - We are. It is a boring life.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- It's a tough life.- It is. You make loads of dough, though!
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- Ta-dah!- Hey!
0:18:09 > 0:18:12On this journey round Britain, past and present,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Poundbury is an example of how change can be sweet.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22In Chamberlain's day, what would have been home to grazing
0:18:22 > 0:18:26sheep is now a community which even has its own chocolate factory.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31House of Dorchester was started as a family business in 1963
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and they've become one of Poundbury's biggest employers
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and are sending the good name of Dorchester around the world.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42This is some operation.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Yeah. Chocolates. Who wouldn't like to work in chocolate?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- All this for a chocolate?- Yep.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50We still use very much hands-on operations,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53just like we did 50-odd years ago.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58One employee can fill an incredible 10,000 fondant centres
0:18:58 > 0:19:00in a single day.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Tell me this, do you like chocolate?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07No, I'm diabetic, I can't eat it.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15- I don't mind it, but it makes me poorly.- I'm sorry for your diabetes.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17That is what I would call an unexpected answer.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Once the centres are moulded, they are covered in chocolate,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24decorated again by hand.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Ha!
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I'm going to have to give this a try, you know.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30Thank you.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33This is just a way of making me look like an eejit now.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Beautiful.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42As you can see, I do have a contemporary touch.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Well, that is about two dozen chocolates I've ruined now,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49so I will give them back to the young lady.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- You can take those ones home. - Thank you.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I think I know just the man to sample my work.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- May I?- I wish you would.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- They are violet creams. Do you like a violet cream?- Love them.- Do you?
0:20:04 > 0:20:06You get all the best jobs, T.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I tell you what...
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Take them home to the little woman.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23You were associated not just with the town,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26not with the town of Dorchester, with the famous hotel.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31That I was, Terry, yeah. I used to be on the porch of the Dorch.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33I believe that is a good little earner.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36You know, I can't really discuss that, sir.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- It is none of your business. - Well, exactly.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I was just thinking, I mean, who are the best tippers?
0:20:42 > 0:20:44You know, because...
0:20:44 > 0:20:47It certainly wasn't you, Mr Wogan, when you came in.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51To learn more about the hotel
0:20:51 > 0:20:55that could risk all and employ Mason McQueen as a doorman,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57we are heading to Milton Abbas,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00noted in Chamberlain's tome as a unique village.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Local historian Michael McAvoy has brought us
0:21:04 > 0:21:09to his idyllic garden to tell us how the Dorchester Hotel got its name.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12My driver, Mason McQueen,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16used to work as a chucker-out at the Dorchester Hotel.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- How dare you.- And this... - How dare you, sir!
0:21:19 > 0:21:22He worked at the Dorchester, and of course it has a significance here.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24It most certainly has!
0:21:24 > 0:21:28The man who built the mansion
0:21:28 > 0:21:31next door was a man called Joseph Damer.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36And Joseph Damer became the Earl of Dorchester.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41And he commissioned John Vardy, a famous architect,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44to build him a townhouse on Park Lane.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46And subsequently, in 1931,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- of course it became the famous Dorchester Hotel.- Ah.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Ah-ha!
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And back in the late 1700s, the Earl who gave his name to the
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Dorchester Hotel left a rather different legacy to this area.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03To improve the view from his recently restored country
0:22:03 > 0:22:08residence, Joseph Damer, in an act of supreme...selfishness, uprooted
0:22:08 > 0:22:13a whole community to make way for a lake and a landscaped garden.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It was a town with three pubs, a grammar school,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21probably somewhere around about 500 people.
0:22:21 > 0:22:27And bit by bit, he buys up, demolishes all of these houses
0:22:27 > 0:22:31and moves them a quarter of a mile down the road to what is
0:22:31 > 0:22:34the modern-day Milton Abbas village.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38The final man to hold out against him was a lawyer.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42And this lawyer said, "No, no, I'm sorry, I'm not prepared to sell.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43"I'm not going to move."
0:22:43 > 0:22:44So what did Damer do?
0:22:44 > 0:22:49Damer opened the floodgates of the lake and flooded him out.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51So what a nasty piece of work he was, Michael.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Well, you are absolutely right.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Well, can I press you to a slice of cake?
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- How very kind of you, Terrence.- Made with my own fair hands, Michael.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04This is almost as good as a Dorchester tea.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- Which I have enjoyed on many an occasion.- You are a very lucky man.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- I know I am a lucky man! - They won't let me in the door.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12They certainly won't let him back.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14HE LAUGHS
0:23:22 > 0:23:25HORN BEEPS
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Ter, I've got a lady waving at me.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30An old classic. The car ain't bad either.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Don't let her out of your sight.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38What better way to discover local hospitality
0:23:38 > 0:23:41than following strange women in fancy cars.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48- She is going left. Whatever happened hand signals?- What do you mean?
0:23:48 > 0:23:49I get them every day in London.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- But they're not like that.- Exactly.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Our high-speed chase through Milton Abbas comes to a close
0:23:56 > 0:24:00outside the beautiful house of home cook Lucy Thomson.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Oh, and look! It is almost dinner time.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06We love Dorset.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Yes, it is really noisy and edgy here, isn't it?
0:24:09 > 0:24:13- You know, like... It's just perfect. - Listen to the roar of the birds.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14Yeah.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19This house is no stranger to weary travellers like Mason and myself.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Well, it was a hotel in the '60s and then it went bust
0:24:23 > 0:24:24and it was boarded up.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28And we bought it 23 years ago and we have been doing DIY ever since.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Yeah. At present, Lady Wogan changes the plugs in our house.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Since my friend's stomach is rumbling already - must be
0:24:36 > 0:24:38at least ten minutes since he has eaten -
0:24:38 > 0:24:42would there be any chance of the traditional Dorset...?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45If it is Dorset hospitality you are wanting,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I do happen to have something in the oven.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Would you like to come in?
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- I'd love to.- In your spotless kitchen, I imagine.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52In my spotless kitchen!
0:24:55 > 0:25:00I have made you a traditional Dorset dish. It is called jugged steak.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Often made before people went to the fair because it can
0:25:04 > 0:25:07sit in the oven for ages and wait for the revellers to come home.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11- Oh. Like slow-cooking these days. - Or for you to drop in, yeah.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Tell me, why is it called jugged?
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Is it in a jug? Well, it is.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17I think it is traditionally called jugged
0:25:17 > 0:25:21because it is in a marinade, and that is a culinary term for it.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24But actually people did often serve it in jugs, I have been told.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26What are the ingredients, how is it put together?
0:25:26 > 0:25:30It is Dorset beef and you put a lot of port in.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I had to raid my husband's port. But I haven't told him that.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I hope it was the vintage.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Are we going to just look at it or are you going to...?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I tell you what we're going to do. Apparently, you've got to put these
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- on the top.- Oh, have you? - What are those?
0:25:42 > 0:25:43They are sausage balls.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Sausage balls?- Yeah. And then helpfully...
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- Then you give them a stir? - Well, I don't know.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I think they are meant to sit on the top.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51I'll give them a stir, there we are.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- Yeah.- And then I put some in a bowl.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59- Do you know, it works for me, that idea.- And me.- Food in a bowl.- OK.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03On such a beautiful evening, we are eating outside with Lucy's
0:26:03 > 0:26:08husband and son to enjoy our final taste of Dorset.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12What a wonderful feast we have here, a cornucopia of good things.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Are they Dorset knobs?
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Those are Dorset knobs over there.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Yeah, they are fantastic, absolutely delicious.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23- And last night I made some butter. - Oh!- Mad.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Old Chamberlain said this was the county of butter. Do you mind?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- Try some of this.- Now, this is salted and more salted?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31That is more salted than that one.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- Yeah, you'll like this. Do like a salted butter?- I love salted butter.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Look, that is the right consistency.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- Mm, yeah. Will I spread it thinly for you?- That's lovely. Good man.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46The only thing missing is something to drink.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54And so, in answer to my prayers, a biking vicar turns up with
0:26:54 > 0:26:57a beautiful blonde and two bottles of local cider.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I feel like I am in a very modern Hardy novel.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- Lucy, don't hold back.- There we go. - There are hungry people here.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20If you care to open this place as a hotel again,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22you would have a Michelin star in no time.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24That is very kind, thank you very much.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Look, we better head on. Where are we going? Do you know?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35I don't know, but the hospitality here has been great. One other thing.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- This is the new vehicle we are doing it in. Come on.- Oh, fantastic!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Wherever the road takes us...
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- My Lord.- God bless you, Mr Copperfield.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51I feel like Toad of Toad Hall here.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55And this is Ratty.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56IMITATING RATTY: Hello!
0:27:56 > 0:27:58MASON LAUGHS