Conwy

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0:00:03 > 0:00:06- I'm liking North Wales. - I think it's really nice.

0:00:06 > 0:00:09- But we've liked nearly everywhere we've been, haven't we?- Yeah.

0:00:09 > 0:00:13- Yeah, I'd say so.- And why? Because we're sunny-natured.

0:00:13 > 0:00:16- Yeah, exactly that. - Particularly me.- Really?

0:00:16 > 0:00:19- Yeah, I'm the more cheery one of the group.- How do you work that out?

0:00:22 > 0:00:26'It's taken 50 years in broadcasting but I've finally cracked it -

0:00:26 > 0:00:30'a chance to meander around the country, see the sights,

0:00:30 > 0:00:34'meet the people and, yes, eat and drink.'

0:00:34 > 0:00:37Is melt-in-the-mouth a suitable phrase?

0:00:38 > 0:00:40'I've hailed a cab with one of London's finest cabbies,

0:00:40 > 0:00:45'Mason McQueen, to steer me around Britain's highways and byways.'

0:00:45 > 0:00:48- I'm looking forward to a decent meal. Are you?- Oh, I'm starving.

0:00:48 > 0:00:50I can't wait, Tel.

0:00:50 > 0:00:52'Our route has been mapped out by an adventurous gourmand,

0:00:52 > 0:00:56'Samuel Chamberlain, in his book, British Bouquet.

0:00:56 > 0:00:59'Almost 60 years later, we're following in his footsteps...'

0:00:59 > 0:01:01I'll do all the work, Tel.

0:01:01 > 0:01:05'..to seek out weird and wonderful regional British cuisine

0:01:05 > 0:01:09'and discover how our tastes have changed over the years.'

0:01:09 > 0:01:10Do it right, son!

0:01:13 > 0:01:16- Gloves, please.- Oh, no!

0:01:16 > 0:01:18- Not that again!- Turn round.- No!

0:01:29 > 0:01:31Our merry meanderings have brought us to the

0:01:31 > 0:01:34north coast of Wales in the mediaeval town of Conwy.

0:01:38 > 0:01:41We're not short of fine ancient monuments in this country,

0:01:41 > 0:01:44but surely this castle and its massive battlements are one

0:01:44 > 0:01:50of the finest. Built by Edward I as part of his conquest of the Welsh.

0:01:53 > 0:01:57Almost 1,000 years later and they're bracing themselves for another raid.

0:01:57 > 0:02:01This time on their larders, as we continue our jolly campaign

0:02:01 > 0:02:04to track down the finest flavours in the land.

0:02:08 > 0:02:11Hey, Mason, keep your eye on the road but at the same time,

0:02:11 > 0:02:13have a look that castle!

0:02:13 > 0:02:15Ahoy, look at that!

0:02:15 > 0:02:20Look at the crenellations. It's an extraordinary place, isn't it?

0:02:20 > 0:02:24Old Chamberlain says it's a worthy competitor of the French

0:02:24 > 0:02:25castle of Carcassonne.

0:02:25 > 0:02:30It cost 20,000 quid to build all those years ago.

0:02:30 > 0:02:32A bargain!

0:02:32 > 0:02:36Impressive start to Conwy. Where's the A? There's no A.

0:02:36 > 0:02:40- Isn't there an A in Conwy? - There's no vowels in Welsh.

0:02:40 > 0:02:42They've never heard of the A, E, I, O or U.

0:02:50 > 0:02:54- We are in the narrow alleyways of Conwy.- I'm loving it, Tel.

0:02:54 > 0:02:58Lovely spot, isn't it? Look at this old archway here.

0:02:58 > 0:03:01- How many hundreds of years old do think this is?- I don't know.

0:03:01 > 0:03:04- These seagulls, though, you've got to watch them, Tel.- Oh!

0:03:04 > 0:03:06They'll take the eye out of your head, those.

0:03:06 > 0:03:08Look at him looking at us. Look!

0:03:08 > 0:03:11Yeah, he doesn't like the look of you. I've a way with seagulls.

0:03:11 > 0:03:14- Don't worry. They fear me. - Yeah, right(!)

0:03:19 > 0:03:23When our guide Sam Chamberlain was here in the 1960s,

0:03:23 > 0:03:25Conwy was a small fishing port.

0:03:25 > 0:03:30Since then, news of its charms has spread and now it's home

0:03:30 > 0:03:34to around 15,000 people and is a popular holiday resort to boot.

0:03:36 > 0:03:39You'll probably buy a yacht down here, won't you?

0:03:39 > 0:03:42- I could see myself buying a yacht. - Man of your means.- Yeah.

0:03:42 > 0:03:45I just see myself out there, Tel, nice pair of beige chinos.

0:03:45 > 0:03:49And me, running down there in my Speedos, diving into the water.

0:03:49 > 0:03:53That's a bad thought, that is! That's a bad thought!

0:03:53 > 0:03:56I thought that was quite a nice picture. Oh, maybe you're right.

0:03:58 > 0:04:01Time to put those summertime reveries aside

0:04:01 > 0:04:04and get started on the important business of eating.

0:04:08 > 0:04:12Our first stop on this gastronomic sweep through Conwy takes us

0:04:12 > 0:04:14to the Tan Lan Bakery.

0:04:14 > 0:04:16It sounds more like a Chinese restaurant to me,

0:04:16 > 0:04:20but I'm sure the owners Dean and Emma Geldart will reveal all.

0:04:21 > 0:04:25- Mason, follow me. - Into a baker's, any time, Terry.

0:04:25 > 0:04:27- Is there promise of more food? - Nice to meet you.

0:04:27 > 0:04:30- What does that mean - Tan Lan? - Hello, nice to meet you.

0:04:30 > 0:04:33- Nice to meet you.- Tan Lan?- Fire on the hill.- Fire on the hill.

0:04:33 > 0:04:38That's a romantic name for a bakery. What's your big seller here?

0:04:38 > 0:04:41The big seller, to be honest, Terry, is the bara brith.

0:04:41 > 0:04:43Bara brith - what is it?

0:04:43 > 0:04:49- It's fruit soaked in Welsh tea with black treacle.- A Welsh fruitcake?

0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Very similar, yeah, with a lot of spices and stuff like that in.- Wow.

0:04:52 > 0:04:56- And this is?- They're Welsh cakes - cacen gri in Welsh.

0:04:56 > 0:05:00- Say that again.- Cacen gri.- Cacen gri.- Same to you, pal.- Cacen gri!

0:05:00 > 0:05:03HE LAUGHS

0:05:03 > 0:05:05- Would you like a cacen gri? - I'm going to try this.

0:05:05 > 0:05:07You have to eat this with your little finger.

0:05:07 > 0:05:10- Yeah, sticking up, definitely.- Spicy.

0:05:12 > 0:05:15Bakers, I always think, are the hardest working people in the world.

0:05:15 > 0:05:17- We are.- What time do you get up in the morning to start?

0:05:17 > 0:05:21- I'm up at 1:30, in work for two. - What time do you go to bed, then?

0:05:21 > 0:05:24- I go to bed about ten, half past ten, don't I?- Yeah.

0:05:24 > 0:05:26- And then do you go back to bed?- No.

0:05:26 > 0:05:29- No, I go home.- We've just had a baby.- I'm surprised.

0:05:29 > 0:05:32- There's no chance of that! - How did you manage?

0:05:32 > 0:05:35How did this baby come about?

0:05:35 > 0:05:38The stork just accidentally flew over and, you know...

0:05:38 > 0:05:42- Well, congratulations.- Thank you. - It shows persistence.- Yeah, it does.

0:05:42 > 0:05:44THEY LAUGH

0:05:51 > 0:05:57Lovely sunny day and, of course, the ruins of this extraordinary castle.

0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Everywhere.- Look at it up here, though, Tel, look.

0:06:00 > 0:06:04- It's like a proper fortress.- Oh, gosh. That's fantastic, isn't it?

0:06:08 > 0:06:09Back in the 13th century,

0:06:09 > 0:06:12it might not have looked quite as glorious to

0:06:12 > 0:06:15King Edward I as he was trapped here in 1294 for three long

0:06:15 > 0:06:19months in the winter with only his personal jester Tom le Fol

0:06:19 > 0:06:21to keep him entertained.

0:06:23 > 0:06:27Tom's descendant Erwyd still lives in Conwy

0:06:27 > 0:06:29and has carried on the family business.

0:06:30 > 0:06:32- And you are?- Erwyd le Fol.

0:06:32 > 0:06:37- The descendant of Edward I's court jester?- As close as you can get.

0:06:37 > 0:06:40- I'm the full-time jester of Conwy. - Oh!

0:06:41 > 0:06:44This would keep the king amused for quite a while, wouldn't it?

0:06:44 > 0:06:49- I would hope so.- Oh, look at that. There we are.- Look at this.

0:06:49 > 0:06:54- How does it look?- On you? It looks great.- Quick juggling lesson, OK?

0:06:54 > 0:06:57Basically, you want everything to go from side to side, OK?

0:06:57 > 0:07:00- So it's kind of a figure-of-eight kind of movement.- You can do this.

0:07:00 > 0:07:03- You can do this!- I can't do this. - You can do this!- I need more time.

0:07:03 > 0:07:07- Learn in about five seconds. - Look at that.- One, two, three.

0:07:07 > 0:07:09- There you go.- Perfect!

0:07:09 > 0:07:12- OK. We can do this trick.- OK.

0:07:15 > 0:07:17THEY LAUGH

0:07:18 > 0:07:22We may not be jesters but we're certainly fools.

0:07:22 > 0:07:26- Thank you very much.- See ya. - See ya.- Bye-bye.

0:07:26 > 0:07:28Got to get the ball out the quay now.

0:07:30 > 0:07:33The next stop on this Conwy food trip takes us

0:07:33 > 0:07:37back up the hill to the butcher's shop of Mr Ieuan Edwards.

0:07:39 > 0:07:43Sadly, Welsh isn't one of my many languages but Mason assures me

0:07:43 > 0:07:46he's been working on a suitable greeting.

0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Ieuan, how you doing?- Pleased to meet you,- Terry. Ieuan Edwards.

0:07:49 > 0:07:51- Welcome.- Prynhawn da.- Prynhawn da!

0:07:51 > 0:07:55- Spoken like a native, Mason, may I say?- A native of...

0:07:55 > 0:07:59- Of the East End.- Uzbekistan.

0:07:59 > 0:08:02Ieuan is a farmer's son from the Conwy Valley.

0:08:02 > 0:08:06He's famous for his Welsh black beef, which is displayed in this

0:08:06 > 0:08:09rather impressive meat maturing cabinet.

0:08:09 > 0:08:13It starts off being about three or four weeks old here

0:08:13 > 0:08:17and some people like their beef extremely well hung,

0:08:17 > 0:08:20so you're going up to five and six weeks old.

0:08:20 > 0:08:25- And we show that maturation process. - I think that is a terrific idea.

0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Yes.- You don't do what the Japanese do

0:08:27 > 0:08:30and massage your beef with beer or anything like that, do you?

0:08:30 > 0:08:32No, we drink the beer in Wales.

0:08:34 > 0:08:36With all this prime meat on offer,

0:08:36 > 0:08:39you'd have thought Ieuan would be bringing up some steaks or

0:08:39 > 0:08:42best rib, but his speciality is rather humbler.

0:08:43 > 0:08:47So, Ieuan, we're only making hamburgers here.

0:08:47 > 0:08:49Why have we got three different types of meat?

0:08:49 > 0:08:51Normally, butchers, when they make burgers,

0:08:51 > 0:08:54they just use offcuts of various meats.

0:08:54 > 0:08:58We felt we needed to take the whole process a lot further by

0:08:58 > 0:09:03introducing a proper recipe, if you like, for the actual meat as well.

0:09:03 > 0:09:05So you've got the influence of the chuck,

0:09:05 > 0:09:08which will give it that lovely soft texture.

0:09:08 > 0:09:10We're using the skirt of beef here

0:09:10 > 0:09:13and then the beautiful fats and things from the short ribs.

0:09:13 > 0:09:16- You're pioneers!- So the first thing we need to do, Mason,

0:09:16 > 0:09:18we need to mince this lot together.

0:09:18 > 0:09:20- OK.- You can mince.

0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Commence mincing!- Commence mincing! - Commence mincing!

0:09:23 > 0:09:26- Damn the torpedoes!- Oh, yes. - What you think, Mason?- Yeah.

0:09:26 > 0:09:30- Can you work with this? - I can work with this.- Excellent.

0:09:31 > 0:09:33After the mincing comes the shaping.

0:09:35 > 0:09:37Grab a handful but don't overwork it, OK?

0:09:37 > 0:09:41Just make a small round ball of mince, like that.

0:09:41 > 0:09:44- He's got a good feel for this. - He has. He knows what he's doing.

0:09:44 > 0:09:47This is fun. This is fun, working in a butcher's.

0:09:47 > 0:09:49So I press this over the burger.

0:09:49 > 0:09:52Just gently press it down in one action. There we are.

0:09:52 > 0:09:56- The light touch of Mason McQueen! - Look at that!- It's a triumph.

0:09:56 > 0:10:00- It's stunning.- A burger to remember. - A natural.

0:10:00 > 0:10:02Don't get cocky, now.

0:10:04 > 0:10:07He does it with a flourish now, doesn't he?

0:10:07 > 0:10:08Look at that!

0:10:11 > 0:10:15But the proof of the burger is in the barbecuing and, as usual,

0:10:15 > 0:10:17it's going to be a team effort.

0:10:17 > 0:10:22It's like a Blues Brothers tribute band flipping burgers in North Wales.

0:10:22 > 0:10:24Give them a flip. Way!

0:10:24 > 0:10:26- How do you have your ideal hamburger?- Best to have it medium.

0:10:26 > 0:10:29- I wouldn't go to rare on it, personally.- Not on a burger, no?

0:10:29 > 0:10:31No, no. But medium's fine.

0:10:31 > 0:10:33- Don't take any chances with these burgers, OK?- No.

0:10:33 > 0:10:36You know, I went to a lot of trouble to do these

0:10:36 > 0:10:39- and I don't want you messing them up.- We must have missed that bit.

0:10:39 > 0:10:41- Yeah, we did, yeah.- Yeah, OK.

0:10:42 > 0:10:46I've never eaten a hamburger like this.

0:10:46 > 0:10:48That is the tastiest burger. It's like steak.

0:10:48 > 0:10:50Well, that's the quality of the meat.

0:10:50 > 0:10:54Is there anybody who would like to taste a burger over there?

0:10:54 > 0:10:58- Well, you can't!- Please.- No, you can't, cos they're my burgers.

0:10:58 > 0:11:01- You can't eat all them!- I'd like to let you have a burger, but...

0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Oh, all right, then.- Come on, Terry. Share them.- Thank you.

0:11:04 > 0:11:06- Thank you very much for sharing. - Be careful now.

0:11:06 > 0:11:08They're a little hot, so be careful.

0:11:08 > 0:11:12- I cooked these myself, you know. - Thank you,- Terry. Go on, my boy.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15- Force it down! Have another one. Go on!- Thank you.- This is my life.

0:11:15 > 0:11:18Having given up the radio and the Eurovision Song contest,

0:11:18 > 0:11:21I'm now feeding the people of Wales.

0:11:21 > 0:11:24Bit of hamburger?

0:11:24 > 0:11:28- Go on, son. You'll like it. - Drive-in burgers! Have a good day.

0:11:28 > 0:11:29- Thank you.- OK?

0:11:32 > 0:11:35Well, I'll be brutally frank, you made them but I sold them.

0:11:35 > 0:11:39- You sold them.- So I'm the one that gets the commission.- OK.

0:11:39 > 0:11:42- I can live with that.- I get to finish the bits.- Tasty, eh?- Mm.

0:11:49 > 0:11:52Time for a little stroll to work off all that protein

0:11:52 > 0:11:55and take in a few more of the sights of Conwy.

0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Look at this, Mase. Smallest house in Britain.- Hello.- Hello.

0:12:00 > 0:12:03- Welcome to the smallest house in Conwy.- Thank you.

0:12:03 > 0:12:04And do you live in this little house?

0:12:04 > 0:12:07- No, but would you like to see it? - Yeah, we'd love to, wouldn't we?

0:12:07 > 0:12:12- Come on, Mase.- It was built in 1500s and lived in until 1900.

0:12:12 > 0:12:13And who lived here?

0:12:13 > 0:12:16The last person to live here was a 6'3" fisherman

0:12:16 > 0:12:18and he lived here for 15 years.

0:12:18 > 0:12:21Excuse me, how could a 6' 3" fisherman live here!

0:12:21 > 0:12:25- And this is a picture of him.- Good Lord! So he wore his hat as well?

0:12:25 > 0:12:28That was because every time he walked, he bumped his head...

0:12:28 > 0:12:31- Yes, probably.- He had a bad back, I know that.- And there's an upstairs?

0:12:31 > 0:12:33- Yes.- Is that where the bedroom is? - Yes.

0:12:33 > 0:12:37Hello, mate! He's still up here! How you doing?

0:12:37 > 0:12:40I think it must be interesting with coach parties, though, eh?

0:12:40 > 0:12:41THEY CHUCKLE

0:12:43 > 0:12:47- Wow.- What a view, though.- I know, I know.- Did you see that?- Fantastic.

0:12:49 > 0:12:50Did it again.

0:12:57 > 0:12:5950 years ago, when our guide Sam Chamberlain

0:12:59 > 0:13:04was in these parts, Conwy would have been full of working fishing boats.

0:13:05 > 0:13:08Nowadays, the bay is mainly used for leisure,

0:13:08 > 0:13:11but a team of local enthusiasts are hard at work restoring

0:13:11 > 0:13:15an original boat to help teach young people nautical skills.

0:13:17 > 0:13:21- It's a boat.- I suppose so! - I know a boat when I see one.

0:13:21 > 0:13:24She's a 43-foot Morecambe Bay prawner,

0:13:24 > 0:13:26which were sailing fishing boats.

0:13:26 > 0:13:29They started life in Victorian times,

0:13:29 > 0:13:31catching shrimp for the tourist market.

0:13:31 > 0:13:37- And how long's it taken to get her to this stage?- Three years' work so far.

0:13:37 > 0:13:40- Three years?- Yes, three years. - Where you been, in the pub?

0:13:40 > 0:13:42No, I've been working hard.

0:13:42 > 0:13:45Every single piece of her has had to come out.

0:13:45 > 0:13:49And if it was rotten, you had a new piece made and put back in, so

0:13:49 > 0:13:52it's taken much longer than building one from scratch would have done.

0:13:52 > 0:13:56- Will she float?- Yes. Well, not right now, but she will eventually.

0:13:56 > 0:13:57Looks like a couple of holes in there.

0:13:57 > 0:14:00- Ah, well, you're going to help us with that, we hope.- Oh.

0:14:00 > 0:14:04- We're going to fit the final plank. - What an honour.

0:14:04 > 0:14:06Lift! And separate!

0:14:09 > 0:14:13- To me, to you.- Up your end.- Knock it in a bit.- Mind your fingers.

0:14:19 > 0:14:26- Look at that! Well done. Well done. - We built a boat! Well done, us.

0:14:28 > 0:14:31And to celebrate the completion of the prawner, what other snack

0:14:31 > 0:14:36would we have but sandwiches filled with the locally caught shrimps?

0:14:36 > 0:14:39- After you, Tel.- Come on, it's your boat. You're the skipper.

0:14:39 > 0:14:41They look really good.

0:14:41 > 0:14:44I'm starving after all that hard work.

0:14:44 > 0:14:48- That plank was heavy.- Very tasty shrimp.- They are very good.

0:14:48 > 0:14:50A credit to Conwy.

0:14:53 > 0:14:55It's time to saddle up the old black cab

0:14:55 > 0:14:59and make a pilgrimage across the water to Conwy's near neighbour,

0:14:59 > 0:15:02an island that the Welsh call Ynys Mon.

0:15:07 > 0:15:11Anglesey, yeah. It's like Wales' food basket.

0:15:11 > 0:15:13I think that's what they call it, you know.

0:15:13 > 0:15:14I think you're perfectly right.

0:15:14 > 0:15:17That was the original thing about Anglesey -

0:15:17 > 0:15:22it provided the rest of Wales with its food and certainly its seafood.

0:15:22 > 0:15:25We're an island nation and this is another little island.

0:15:31 > 0:15:35- What a landscape, eh,- Terry? It is. It's really unusual.- What's that?

0:15:35 > 0:15:37- The Menai Strait? - That's the Menai Strait.

0:15:37 > 0:15:38It's quite mystical, isn't it?

0:15:38 > 0:15:41There's castles, there's Snowdonia, you know?

0:15:41 > 0:15:44It's the Snowdonia National Park, that is. Isn't it beautiful?

0:15:44 > 0:15:45Fantastic.

0:15:45 > 0:15:50And look, there's all the old boxes, if you ever fancied in mussel.

0:15:50 > 0:15:54- Is that what it is there?- The boxes? Yeah. Mussels. I love a mussel.

0:15:54 > 0:15:57- Do you?- Yeah, I do like a mussel. - Yeah, a little white wine.

0:15:57 > 0:16:00- Vinegar and pepper.- Eh?

0:16:00 > 0:16:04You'll be back to the jellied eels in a minute!

0:16:04 > 0:16:08- Shall we go and have a look, Tel? - OK. I'm with you.- Come on.

0:16:08 > 0:16:12- Do you know where you're going?- No. - OK, I'll follow.

0:16:13 > 0:16:17The Menai Straits, which separate Anglesey from the mainland,

0:16:17 > 0:16:21have been used for farming mussels or bivalve molluscs,

0:16:21 > 0:16:23if you like, for hundreds of years.

0:16:25 > 0:16:28- Shaun, look at all these mussels! - Yup.

0:16:28 > 0:16:32What we do is, we actually hand-gather the mussels, which is

0:16:32 > 0:16:34simply filling a smaller tray,

0:16:34 > 0:16:36which we then use to fill these bigger trays.

0:16:36 > 0:16:40So this box here holds between 4-500 kilos of mussels.

0:16:40 > 0:16:42- You handpick the mussels?- Yes.

0:16:42 > 0:16:46- Where do you handpick the mussels, out there?- On the beds here, yeah.

0:16:46 > 0:16:48So you and a couple of boys are going round, picking the mussels?

0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Yes.- How long does it take you to pick that number of mussels?

0:16:51 > 0:16:53Three guys working this will probably fill this

0:16:53 > 0:16:55box in under half an hour,

0:16:55 > 0:16:59so we'll do five or six boxes per tide with three men.

0:16:59 > 0:17:01And, like, they're there to just grab...

0:17:01 > 0:17:03You just scrape them on with your hands, put them in a tray,

0:17:03 > 0:17:05you've got to give them a quick clean in the tray to get

0:17:05 > 0:17:08the mud out, and then that's emptied into here.

0:17:08 > 0:17:11- Must play havoc with your fingernails.- And your back.

0:17:11 > 0:17:15- Your back is the thing. - Tell me about the Menai Straits.

0:17:15 > 0:17:17Why is the Menai Strait particularly good for mussels?

0:17:17 > 0:17:22Well, we've got rather strong tidal currents here.

0:17:22 > 0:17:24Some areas, they're cultivated different.

0:17:24 > 0:17:27I mean, these are bed-grown mussels, intertidal,

0:17:27 > 0:17:30but you'll have rope-grown mussels as well,

0:17:30 > 0:17:32and there are differences between the two.

0:17:32 > 0:17:35- But your ones are the best.- Yeah, these have got the best flavour.

0:17:35 > 0:17:37I haven't told you, you've got to number

0:17:37 > 0:17:39and label these individually and put them in a bag,

0:17:39 > 0:17:43- so you'd better get started. - Well worth the effort.- Three...

0:17:43 > 0:17:46- OK, you keep counting. Carry on. - I'll see you soon.- Yeah, carry on.

0:17:46 > 0:17:47Six...

0:17:47 > 0:17:48Seven...

0:17:48 > 0:17:49Eight...

0:17:52 > 0:17:55Mason must have run out of fingers because, before you know it,

0:17:55 > 0:17:58he's back where he feels safest - behind the wheel.

0:18:00 > 0:18:02It's amazing where this tour takes us, isn't it?

0:18:02 > 0:18:07- We're going to see a sea salt factory.- Amazing!

0:18:07 > 0:18:09I know nothing about it, but I feel like I'm going to know

0:18:09 > 0:18:11a lot about it...

0:18:11 > 0:18:14- and very soon.- Whether you like it or not!- Yeah.- Yeah.

0:18:14 > 0:18:19- It's called Halen Mon. - I think that's Welsh, isn't it?

0:18:19 > 0:18:20TERRY LAUGHS

0:18:20 > 0:18:23- Takes a good one to get past you! - I know "araf"

0:18:23 > 0:18:26and that means slow for the roads, so we want to keep that on board.

0:18:26 > 0:18:28- Araf!- Araf!- Araf!

0:18:34 > 0:18:37The island has a long history in the manufacture of salt

0:18:37 > 0:18:41and Anglesey sea salt has been given protected status in recognition

0:18:41 > 0:18:44of the quality and expertise required in its production.

0:18:47 > 0:18:48Salt.

0:18:48 > 0:18:51Sea salt, not just salt, this is the salt.

0:18:51 > 0:18:55This is what we believe is the best sea salt in the world.

0:18:56 > 0:18:59'Sea salt is made by naturally filtering the local sea water,

0:18:59 > 0:19:03'it goes through an evaporation process and into special tanks

0:19:03 > 0:19:05'until the sea salt crystals form.'

0:19:07 > 0:19:10Ten days from sea to salt

0:19:10 > 0:19:13and this is the final stage

0:19:13 > 0:19:16where this beautiful salt

0:19:16 > 0:19:19is harvested, and you can see those crystals

0:19:19 > 0:19:22and this sea water is absolutely special

0:19:22 > 0:19:25because it gives a special flavour to our salt.

0:19:26 > 0:19:28Salt is a much maligned thing.

0:19:28 > 0:19:31You've got to have a bit of salt in your diet, haven't you?

0:19:31 > 0:19:34- You've got to.- But not too much though, David, right?- No.

0:19:34 > 0:19:36Actually, if you don't have any salt,

0:19:36 > 0:19:39you start hallucinating after ten or 11 days.

0:19:39 > 0:19:41That's what's been happening to you.

0:19:41 > 0:19:43I told you, "Eat more salt,"

0:19:43 > 0:19:46- I said, "Mason, you're beginning to go."- Yeah.

0:19:46 > 0:19:49- Eat smaller quantities of better salt.- I couldn't agree more.

0:19:49 > 0:19:50I could do this.

0:19:50 > 0:19:53Yeah, of course you can. If you put some gloves on.

0:19:53 > 0:19:55Do you know what, Mason,

0:19:55 > 0:19:58- it's extraordinary the things I've seen you do in the name of this programme?- Yeah.

0:19:58 > 0:20:00Now you're shovelling salt.

0:20:00 > 0:20:02And it ain't even winter!

0:20:03 > 0:20:06So this has been here for 23 hours

0:20:06 > 0:20:09and it's harvested at the same time every day,

0:20:09 > 0:20:11so it's all very exact.

0:20:11 > 0:20:14We're controlling the temperature, the humidity.

0:20:14 > 0:20:17- And all for a packet of salt?- Yeah.

0:20:17 > 0:20:20You can see it glistening, almost like snow.

0:20:25 > 0:20:30'David and his wife Alison have been running their business since 1997

0:20:30 > 0:20:34'and produce every kind of sea salt you could possibly wish for

0:20:34 > 0:20:37'and some you didn't even know existed.'

0:20:37 > 0:20:40- It's a feast!- It is, indeed, if you like salt.

0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's a different kind of feast.

0:20:42 > 0:20:45We have our chilli and garlic, celery, oak smoked.

0:20:45 > 0:20:46We have vanilla.

0:20:46 > 0:20:50- Go on, Tel, straight in.- What's that? This is your ordinary, isn't it?

0:20:50 > 0:20:52This is the stuff that people will shake onto their food.

0:20:52 > 0:20:55- It's like...dust.- Yeah.

0:20:55 > 0:20:58It is but don't you feel that there's a bitter taste?

0:20:58 > 0:21:02Because that has up to 5% chemicals in it to make it free-flowing.

0:21:02 > 0:21:05- And now.- The superior salt.

0:21:05 > 0:21:07- It's very salty, Mason.- Yeah, mmm.

0:21:07 > 0:21:09There is no comparison.

0:21:09 > 0:21:11- What's that?- Chilli salt.

0:21:11 > 0:21:13- You spread this over your roast meat?- Yes.

0:21:13 > 0:21:17- And then you get the lovely crisp crackling.- I love the garlic.

0:21:17 > 0:21:20That one is sage and onion salt.

0:21:20 > 0:21:22We may need some more water for Mason.

0:21:22 > 0:21:24Yeah, I know, I've got palpitations.

0:21:24 > 0:21:26Thank you for the salt tasting.

0:21:26 > 0:21:27It's an as-salt course.

0:21:27 > 0:21:30GROANS

0:21:30 > 0:21:31I just thought of that.

0:21:38 > 0:21:41We're going to go and see the Anglesey Sea Zoo.

0:21:41 > 0:21:44Now, you wouldn't think, if you come to Wales,

0:21:44 > 0:21:46that you're going to see an aquarium.

0:21:46 > 0:21:50But, apparently, they're attempting to save the lobster.

0:21:52 > 0:21:55- Save the lobbo, eh? - I'm all for that.

0:21:55 > 0:21:57Save the lobster, more for me.

0:21:57 > 0:21:59MASON CHUCKLES

0:21:59 > 0:22:02You've got your armbands, Tel?

0:22:02 > 0:22:05- I'm not getting into the water. - You're not getting in?- No.

0:22:05 > 0:22:08I mean, I'll eat lobsters but I'm not going to swim with them.

0:22:13 > 0:22:16'The Anglesey Sea Zoo was set up as a visitor attraction

0:22:16 > 0:22:20'where you can come and gawp at the 150-plus fish

0:22:20 > 0:22:22'and sea creatures that inhabit these shores.

0:22:27 > 0:22:29'It also big on conservation,

0:22:29 > 0:22:33'particularly where my friend Mr Lobster is concerned.'

0:22:34 > 0:22:39Frankie, lobsters, my favourite fruit. I'll have that one.

0:22:39 > 0:22:41These are spiny lobsters, or rock lobsters,

0:22:41 > 0:22:43also called crawfish,

0:22:43 > 0:22:45- found in salt water.- Are they?

0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Good eating, though? - They are very good eating.

0:22:48 > 0:22:52- In fact, they're possibly better eating than the common lobster. - OK, I'll have two, then.

0:22:52 > 0:22:55These are very rare, Terry. There aren't many of these any more now.

0:22:55 > 0:22:57You're not going to allow me to eat them?

0:22:57 > 0:23:00- I won't allow you to eat them. - Nobody's allowed to eat these?

0:23:00 > 0:23:03These are part of a specialist breeding programme.

0:23:03 > 0:23:06'Ah, very important, this conservation,

0:23:06 > 0:23:09'but they aren't half tempting.

0:23:09 > 0:23:11'I think I need to see the little tiddlers,

0:23:11 > 0:23:15'it might make me a little more compassionate towards them.'

0:23:15 > 0:23:18This is the Lobster Hatchery of Wales, Terry.

0:23:18 > 0:23:21It was established in the 1980s with funding from fisheries

0:23:21 > 0:23:25and across Europe because the common lobster was becoming very rare -

0:23:25 > 0:23:26it was being overfished.

0:23:26 > 0:23:29So these are lobster larvae?

0:23:29 > 0:23:31These are starting to look like proper lobsters now.

0:23:31 > 0:23:33They are with the little pinchers.

0:23:33 > 0:23:35- There we go, a jump.- Yeah. Oh! Yay!

0:23:37 > 0:23:39- They wouldn't be worth eating, would they?- They wouldn't, no.

0:23:39 > 0:23:42You couldn't put a couple of thousand in a sandwich, or anything?

0:23:42 > 0:23:45- They wouldn't taste of anything, would they?- Not really.

0:23:45 > 0:23:47They might be a little bit crunchy.

0:23:49 > 0:23:51How old are these?

0:23:51 > 0:23:54These are between six months and 12 months old.

0:23:54 > 0:23:56- They take a long time to grow. - They do.

0:23:56 > 0:23:58This is one of the problems that we have with the overfishing,

0:23:58 > 0:24:01you need to allow them to grow large enough to breed.

0:24:01 > 0:24:03People think that lobsters are orange or pink,

0:24:03 > 0:24:06but they're very, very blue until they're cooked.

0:24:06 > 0:24:07It's the same with prawns -

0:24:07 > 0:24:09people think prawns are pink and they're transparent.

0:24:11 > 0:24:15At what point are you going to release these into the Menai Strait to take their chances with nature?

0:24:15 > 0:24:17- Usually around one-year-old.- OK.

0:24:17 > 0:24:19You can see they're very feisty.

0:24:19 > 0:24:21We have to keep them in separate boxes like this

0:24:21 > 0:24:23because they are cannibalistic.

0:24:23 > 0:24:24So if you get a really big lobster,

0:24:24 > 0:24:28it means he's probably eaten about three of his family?

0:24:29 > 0:24:33The next time I'm eating a lobster, I shall have a lot more respect.

0:24:33 > 0:24:35That's good to hear.

0:24:42 > 0:24:45'In spite of my valiant efforts to stem my craving

0:24:45 > 0:24:48'for the esteemed lobster, I've failed.

0:24:48 > 0:24:52'The good news is I've heard there are some sustainably sourced ones

0:24:52 > 0:24:54'on the menu only a stone's throw away

0:24:54 > 0:24:56'at a local campsite, of all places.'

0:24:59 > 0:25:02I don't know about you, but my stomach is beginning to rumble.

0:25:02 > 0:25:04- It must be...- There's a change.

0:25:04 > 0:25:06How long is it since we had something to eat?

0:25:06 > 0:25:09I mean, we've seen a lot of stuff.

0:25:09 > 0:25:12I've looked at mussels, I've looked at salt, I've tasted salt,

0:25:12 > 0:25:15I want to put some salt on some sustenance.

0:25:15 > 0:25:17That's probably the wisest thing you've said

0:25:17 > 0:25:18throughout this entire series.

0:25:18 > 0:25:21- Really?- Give me your hand. - You're most kind.

0:25:21 > 0:25:24- Put it there, pal. - Put it there, pal.- Let's go.

0:25:24 > 0:25:26Come on, let's stuff our face.

0:25:26 > 0:25:28'And at the Marram Grass Cafe,

0:25:28 > 0:25:33'it looks like there's going to be plenty to fill our ever hungry appetites.

0:25:33 > 0:25:36'It's run by two enterprising young lads who spent their childhood

0:25:36 > 0:25:39'holidays here and they're putting their culinary skills

0:25:39 > 0:25:42'and Anglesey's finest produce to work.'

0:25:43 > 0:25:46Yes, one of my favourite locations, a restaurant.

0:25:46 > 0:25:48You're both from Wales?

0:25:48 > 0:25:51- No, we're Scousers, aren't we? - How did I know that?

0:25:51 > 0:25:52This is Ellis.

0:25:52 > 0:25:54Who have you got as the helper?

0:25:54 > 0:25:56This is the waiter. This is Liam, me brother.

0:25:56 > 0:25:58- Good for you both.- Yeah.

0:25:58 > 0:26:01Entrepreneurial skills. What brought you here, then?

0:26:01 > 0:26:02Why did you come here?

0:26:02 > 0:26:05Me dad decided...he went through a bit of a midlife crisis

0:26:05 > 0:26:07and bought a little campsite in North Wales.

0:26:07 > 0:26:11So I was trained in fine dining and this was a little, greasy spoon.

0:26:11 > 0:26:13We started it off with me and Liam.

0:26:13 > 0:26:16We started making the food fresh, so we took the greasy spoon aspect

0:26:16 > 0:26:18and got rid of all the deep fat fryers.

0:26:18 > 0:26:21All the main bits of the menu we have at the moment,

0:26:21 > 0:26:22everything is off the island.

0:26:22 > 0:26:24We know all about these, of course.

0:26:24 > 0:26:27That's the local...Shaun's mussels

0:26:27 > 0:26:28and Welsh wild bass.

0:26:28 > 0:26:31Welsh wild bass, literally caught off Cribinau island.

0:26:31 > 0:26:34This is a very dead lobster.

0:26:34 > 0:26:36He's been cooked, but this one hasn't.

0:26:36 > 0:26:39This one hasn't been cooked yet, but if we throw him in...

0:26:40 > 0:26:43- That'll be ready for service. - Good work.

0:26:43 > 0:26:47'In no time at all, the boys whip up a seafood feast

0:26:47 > 0:26:50'of bass, mussels,

0:26:50 > 0:26:53'lobster

0:26:53 > 0:26:54'and oysters.'

0:26:56 > 0:26:59Some food to fight over.

0:26:59 > 0:27:01Fantastic.

0:27:01 > 0:27:04- This is our lobster, I'll drop that in the middle.- Thank you very much.

0:27:04 > 0:27:07'Our new island friends are on hand to get stuck into

0:27:07 > 0:27:09'a prime Anglesey platter.'

0:27:09 > 0:27:11This is fantastico.

0:27:13 > 0:27:16Everything we use now in the restaurant is all off Anglesey.

0:27:16 > 0:27:17Thank you so much.

0:27:17 > 0:27:19If you've got good produce, you don't need to do much to the food.

0:27:21 > 0:27:23Oh, I thought they were our oysters.

0:27:23 > 0:27:26- LAUGHTER - It's coming back, don't panic.

0:27:29 > 0:27:33It's terrific. That's really good flavour.

0:27:34 > 0:27:37Here's to you. Thank you for all you're doing.

0:27:41 > 0:27:43- Ah.- That was lovely, Tel.

0:27:43 > 0:27:46- Wasn't bad, was it?- A fish feast.

0:27:46 > 0:27:49- I like me fish, don't you?- He would've been proud of that, Neptune.

0:27:49 > 0:27:51Yeah, a bit of lobster...

0:27:51 > 0:27:53The Menai Strait...

0:27:53 > 0:27:55best place to be for food.

0:27:55 > 0:27:58Let's hope the next place we go is half as good.

0:27:58 > 0:28:00As long as I have you driving me...

0:28:00 > 0:28:03- You'll be fine. I'll look at you, Tel.- Thank you, thank you.

0:28:03 > 0:28:06DOOR CLOSES AND ENGINE STARTS