Winchester Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip

-This is, like, the birthplace of Christianity, right?

-No.

-No?

-No. That was Bethlehem.

'It's taken 50 years in broadcasting,

'but I've finally cracked it.

'A chance to meander around the country, see the sights,

'meet the people and, ah, yes, eat and drink...'

Is "melt in the mouth" a suitable phrase?

'I've hailed a cab with one of London's finest cabbies,

'Mason McQueen, to steer me around Britain's highways and byways...'

I'm looking forward to a decent meal, are you?

Oh, I'm starving. I can't wait, Tel.

'Our route has been mapped out by an adventurous gourmand,

'Samuel Chamberlain, in his book, British Bouquet.

'Almost 60 years later, we're following in his footsteps...'

I'll do all the work, Tel!

'..to seek out weird and wonderful regional British cuisine

'and discover how our tastes have changed over the years.'

Do it right, son.

Nearly an own goal there. Come on, my boys.

CHEERING

Two-nil. Put it there.

-Cheers.

-I'm not going in to extra time.

'Our winding way through these Sceptred Isles has led us

'to the fair city of Winchester.

'Surrounded by the rich bounty of the Hampshire countryside,

'this historic cathedral city with Roman origins is sure to satisfy.

'That's if our guide, Chamberlain, proves to be correct.'

"One of the most beautiful cities in England, Winchester is

"the great attraction in this county.

"First large Roman settlement in Britain,

"the first capital of the United England."

'Winchester was also the home

'and final resting place of a certain ninth-century monarch.'

Who's this fella, Tel?

Well, they tell me it's Alfred the Great.

He's lifting that sword up like it's the FA Cup.

-What you do with that sword?

-You'll win nothing holding it like that!

'Walking through Winchester's streets was an exhilarating

'experience, said Chamberlain,

'and it also brought out his artistic side.'

He's not a bad artist, you know.

That etching he did, which is the City Cross, Winchester,

that's it there.

-Yeah.

-Do you think that might be King Alfred?

-I'd say it looks like King Alfred.

-Would you?

You remember what he looked like from the photographs, would you?

Yeah. Beard and a crown.

'We've barely arrived and food is being thrust upon us.

'My kind of town, Winchester.'

What would you give us, a rating out of ten?

Ten.

Oh, thank you!

-Can I take a picture of you both?

-Yeah. Go on then.

-You sure you want one of me?

-Yeah, both of us together.

Thank you. Thank you!

Nice people.

'With our appetites not quite sated by the rocky road,

'we need more of Winchester's fine food and no better place to look

'than this farmers' market, being held today in the Abbey Gardens.'

-How are you?

-Too early to say.

'Mason starts by hitting the fruit cordial. Easy, lad!

'But I'm hankering for some fromage du Winchester.'

-That's so tasty.

-We based our recipe on a camembert style.

But I think we've improved it, actually.

I think you have too, it's delicious. And where are you from?

-I'm actually from Australia, originally.

-I thought so.

-Glad you made the journey from Australia!

-Thank you.

Where to next?

'They're versatile with their dairy round these parts. Not just cheese.

'They do ice cream, too.'

So, salted caramel, this is our signature flavour.

Gin and tonic, a summer special we've done.

-That's the way to do it!

-MASON LAUGHS

Don't hang about with the old G&T, old boy.

I must say, the gin and tonic has definite flavours of gin and tonic.

It does, it does.

So, you've got about 2% alcohol, so I could give you a whole box

-to take with you in the cab and see how you do.

-Not for my man.

I'd have to eat it all.

-Up a narrow street in Winchester...

-Look at that, Tel.

-It's a Japanese restaurant. Kyoto Kitchen.

-You keen on Japanese?

-No.

-Sushi?

-No.

-I really like it.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

I don't see the benefit of eating raw fish.

'The restaurant's just getting a delivery of an unusual

'bit of local veg, wasabi.'

-How do you do, sir?

-Hi there.

-Excuse my colleague. I love Japanese food.

-You've got to start somewhere, haven't you?

-I've heard of wasabi.

How come you're growing a Japanese vegetable?

Well, we started off growing watercress and that has

progressed into wasabi, just through somebody recommending it.

'The land around Winchester has long been famous for growing watercress.

'Farmer Tom discovered the same growing

'conditions are perfectly suited to growing wasabi,

'the Japanese version of horseradish,

'usually served with sushi.'

This is part of the plant.

The leaves, that is edible,

treat that like a sort of seaweed nori-type product.

And then these can be chopped and pickled.

And at the bottom of these, you end up with what is the part that

everybody is after, which is the rhizome.

-You're handling that like it's gold dust.

-It is! It is to us.

This is the bit that they will grate and grind.

'Being a charitable sort,

'I volunteer Mason to lend a hand dropping off today's consignment.'

Hi, Mif! Wasabi delivery for you!

Fantastic. Just what Chef wanted.

Do you mind me saying that you don't look terribly Japanese?

I'm not, though I do love Japanese food and kind of the philosophies

behind Japanese cuisine, about sourcing locally, about seasonality.

'To prove his point, Mif takes us to meet sushi master Daniel to

'give Mason a masterclass in Hampshire sushi-making.'

Again, you don't look like a native-born Japanese chef to me.

-Where are you from?

-I'm from Romania.

-Romania?

He is an absolute gem when it comes to sushi.

He has such refined skills and finesse.

-So, what are we going to be making today?

-A Winchester roll.

The world's first wasabi leaf roll.

This is the fresh leaf that grows on the top of the plant.

We've created one that uses the whole plant.

This is the most famous part, the rhizome, so we grate this and

it creates the spicy mash that gives you that kind of nasal experience.

-Oh, yeah?

-And the flavour as well.

Right, let's get going, buddy.

'If California can name a sushi roll after themselves,

'why not Winchester?

'They start by adding a layer of rice to some seaweed.'

-Needs to be uniform.

-Keep those grains uniform, Mason.

'Then, it's time for the taste of Winchester,

'with Hampshire cucumber for crunch and the locally smoked trout.

'And it's time to get rolling.'

-Ta-da!

-Excellent.

-Yay.

-OK?

-You mean that's all there is to it?

-No.

-Ah.

'Of course, the wasabi leaf, which has been marinated in salt.'

-It's like making a cigar.

-See, Mason?

This is where your Samurai training comes in.

All those years.

'Some fine finishing touches from Mason, and it doesn't look half bad.'

Look at that.

'Mason's Winchester roll is ready to take its place amongst

'a Japanese banquet.

'And for the first time, I'm feeling tempted by sushi.'

-Are you excited?

-Yeah, I am.

New to me, but I'm open-minded.

I'll give it a try.

Come on, Mase.

And while you're doing that, I'm going

to grate some of this Winchester wasabi.

-Put a little bit on the top...

-Are you ready?

Be warned, it is pungent.

Mm, it's perfect.

-Nice kick to it. It's lovely.

-Do you mind if I have another one?

Please.

I have loads of friends, including Mason, who love Japanese food.

I've always failed to see the benefits of eating raw fish.

Mm.

But I wish this restaurant was near my house.

I'd certainly use it a lot.

'Chamberlain says Winchester Cathedral ranks with the

'greatest in Christendom, so it would be remiss not to track it down

'and be dazzled by its wonder.'

-Where's this cathedral, then?

-Oh, no! Don't look!

It's got scaffolding on it!

It's not only got scaffolding, it's got a huge tablecloth over it.

Oh, dear. Come on, let's investigate.

-Wonderful.

-Good afternoon, Terry.

-Good afternoon.

-I thought I'd say hello to you.

-That's very kind of you.

-Wonderful to see you.

-Oh, I wouldn't go so far as that.

Oh, it is.

'Thankfully, the front of the cathedral is little changed

'from when Chamberlain visited and inside, it delivers on his promise.'

I know we've seen ceilings before in cathedrals, but that's huge.

-It's amazing.

-Yeah.

'Many notables are buried here, including several bishops

'and cardinals and even a saint.

'But the biggest draw is Jane Austen who lived a few miles

'north of Winchester.'

How old was she when she died?

-She was 41.

-So young.

-Yeah.

It is remarkable that the gravestone doesn't refer to her as an author.

No. No.

In those days, it would be considered

somewhat vulgar to put that you worked for your living.

-I've never read any novels by Jane Austen.

-Have you not?

-No.

-Oh! Shame!

-So, what do you suggest?

-I would say start with Pride and Prejudice cos it's a joy.

-Yeah?

-Yes.

And people have said there are instances in there that

suggest the life that Jane Austen lived.

Thanks, Pat.

-It's my pleasure to...

-No, no. It's our pleasure.

-..prattle on about Jane Austen.

-Thank you. You prattle away!

THEY CHUCKLE

'Before we leave, Chamberlain mentions a more humble

'grave in the cathedral grounds that's worth a visit.'

Oh, I read about this in the book.

"In memory of Thomas Thetcher.

"Died of a violent fever contracted by drinking small beer.

"Sleeps in peace, a Hampshire grenadier,

"who caught his death by drinking cold final beer.

"Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall.

"And when you're hot, drink strong or none at all."

-We'll toast a small beer to him this evening, eh?

-No, it'll kill you!

MASON LAUGHS

We've got a almshouse to visit.

-We'll get some free food there and drink.

-Oh, yeah.

Because that's what we need.

Another drink and another bit of food inside us.

But this will be on the dole, apparently. It's a dole.

They dole it out to you.

Been a while since I was on the dole. Kingsland Road, it was.

In the '80s.

'Chamberlain called the hospital of St Cross the finest medieval

'arms house in England.

'Been handing out the wayfarers' dole of bread

'and beer to hungry travellers since 1136.

'But will it help out these passing pilgrims?'

Dole!

I beg dole!

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

We were wondering if in your kindness at this almshouse,

you would dole us out something, would you?

-I certainly will.

-Thank you.

Hey, come on!

-You see?

-Bread and some beer.

-Bread and beer. Lovely.

You have the beer, I'll have the water.

-Of course! Excuse me.

-I'm driving. Thank you very much.

-Cheers.

'But there's more to hospital of St Cross than free drinks and snacks.

'For nearly 900 years,

'they have provided a place for men deemed too weak to work.

'These days, it's the retirement home for a group of gentlemen

'known as the Brothers of St Cross.'

Look at this place.

Isn't it extraordinary?

-I'd never heard of it before, had you?

-No, know nothing about it.

So, you're a Black Brother and you're a Red Brother.

We were founded about 1445 and he was founded about 1132.

And you're ageing well, if I may say so.

It's not surprising I cannot get out of seats very easily, is it?

The current residents are all men, but it wasn't always that way.

In the 19th century,

it was alleged there was a Brother who kept a mistress behind a

screen in his room, but I don't think that is existing at the moment.

No.

What a shame! We'd have liked to have made a feature of that.

-What a wonderful place.

-Isn't it fabulous?

-We're both stunned by it.

-And Mason and I are not easily stunned.

-If ever you want a home...

-Yeah.

-That's the best offer I've had for many a long year.

-If I do end up here, will you come and see me?

-'Course I will.

-You say that now, but...

-I won't forget you, Tel. Meals on wheels.

THEY CHUCKLE

Good man!

'In Chamberlain's day, there were over 75,000 pubs in Britain

'and that number has dropped by nearly 40%.

'With 40-odd pubs around Winchester,

'they're well above the national average.

'We've chosen the Black Boy inn to look for a bite to eat,

'as it's renowned for its snorkers. But that's not all.'

-This is great.

-Wonderful place.

-Look at all these hanging off the ceiling,

-Tel. Miniatures.

-Miniatures.

-Is that an old World War I bomb?

I think it's great. Look at the stuff that's hanging from here.

The old pipes.

Oh, hold on, Mason & Co. Come this way, Co.

Glad to be of service, sir.

-Unusual stuff, eh,

-Tel? It IS great.

'The man responsible for this menagerie is inveterate collector

'and landlord David Nicholson.'

Where do you start with this room?

There's planes flying from the ceiling,

there's a crocodile hanging from the rafters...

David, how long has it taken to collect all this stuff?

-It's ongoing...

-It's ongoing, constantly changing, or adding to.

I'm not allowed to put any of this stuff at home. The wife won't let me.

So anything that I like, I can just chuck it in the pub.

-What's this? Is that a pull-up bar?

-It is. I'll give you a challenge.

If you can hang on that bar with your feet off the ground

for one minute, I'll give you a tenner.

It's not electrified, there's nothing tricky about it.

There's something going on here. All right, I'll give it a go.

-Will you?

-Yeah.

-Go on, son!

-A minute, you say?

-One minute.

-OK.

Good luck, Mase.

-Hold on, the bar turns.

-Sorry, didn't I mention that?

The bar turns. Urgh!

You go to it, Mason.

-You must be going for at least 10 seconds.

-That's 15 seconds now.

Look at that.

He is a deceptively powerful fella, you know.

Yeah, but he didn't tell me the bar turned, did he?

Agh!

AGH!

LAUGHTER

29 seconds.

Sorry, didn't I mention that?

That is slippery, that is really slippery.

I should have checked that out.

'To replenish Mason's flagging strength, David is preparing us

'some of the pub's famous sausages in freshly baked rolls.'

-What's that?

-I don't know what he's up to but he's behind the donkey.

The old baboon and the poor old donkey.

This man is some collector.

-What are you doing?

-Swinging the ring,

trying to get it on that hook there. Tel, have a go, go on.

You might be a better shot than me.

Oh, put some effort into it!

BANGS OFF WALL

OK.

That wasn't me, mate!

-So, tell us about these, then.

-These are sausages, fresh from Southampton.

We get them in every day and we bake up the bread in the Aga

and hopefully they're delicious.

They are.

You make no mistake with these sausages, let me tell you.

Southampton should be very proud of them.

Mustard and onions.

I didn't have any onions with mine

-so I'll not work too close to you for the rest of the day!

-Very nice.

I'm beginning to get the onions. I'll just move.

'Having sampled Winchester's finest, Mason and I head out of town

'on the hunt for something more extreme to tickle our taste buds.'

We're going to go to a water buffalo farm.

This journey takes us everywhere, doesn't it?

-We go from cathedrals to water buffalo.

-Ingenious, Terry.

Yeah, but there's no swamps.

I suppose there's plenty of rain here so that makes a difference.

Are you going to milk one?

Yeah, have you seen the size of the horns on them?

'This well-travelled breed of buffalo hail from India

'and made it to Italy with the Romans,

'where they furnished the world with buffalo mozzarella.

'But in the past 20 years, thousands of buffalo have cropped up

'on British farms.'

They're not the usual kind of cow, are they?

Thank heaven for the electrified fence!

Steady, lad! Hold back.

-Some great hairstyles going on.

-Oh, they're fantastic.

They've all got centre partings!

'The men in charge of wrangling these beasts,

'and their exciting coiffures, are Nick Casey and Dagan James.'

-So, you're the men with the buffalo?

-We are indeed, yes.

This is the buffalo farm in Broughton.

A couple of hundred buffalo here that we are rearing and moving every day.

What inspired you, in heaven's name? Most people just have cows.

-Poor judgment and sheer idiocy, and ignorance.

-And it worked?

It seems to be. We're still here after 14 years, so, yeah.

This grew from small beginnings?

Small beginnings, early days,

trying to get a different type of farming system,

natural farming system.

Planting good crops that feed the soil

and feed the buffalo as well and make a good-quality meat.

And the hairdresser... Who do you get in for the...?

We're not allowed to let that out in public, on TV.

'Every day, the buffalo are moved to a new paddock

'to allow the old grass to recover and I have volunteered Mason...'

Hold on, hold on, I ain't in the ring yet.

'..for some buffalo business.'

-You're in charge, sir.

-Yes.

-Hold this string.

-You just walk out over there and disappear into the long grass.

-Yes?

-Keeping this string nice and tight.

-What do you mean "disappear"?

-In that direction?

-As far away as you can holding on to the string.

Keep on!

Come on!

Into the undergrowth, Mason.

Keep on, keep on, keep on!

They're going to get it in a minute.

He's started a stampede.

Come and get it, boys and girls.

A mastery of the buffalo.

-Beautiful!

-Great stuff.

Beautiful.

You did very well, son, as always, but they've left their mark on you.

Look, hang on.

Oh, well.

Never mind, you'll have to spend the rest of the day walking around

with buffalo droppings all over your trousers.

-Never mind.

-Never mind.

What an experience!

Burgers!

Mason has the last laugh as we retire to the barn to enjoy

some of Dagan and Nick's buffalo burgers.

I've heard they're good.

You heard correctly.

I think the nature of a buffalo being very lean

and low in cholesterol...

That comes straight through into the meat.

I've eaten hamburgers,

beef hamburgers, but this old water buffalo leaves them for dead.

Pleased to hear.

Where do you actually supply to, guys?

Mostly local around here, isn't it?

Over 90% stays within 20 miles.

People on high-protein diets, training for exercise,

the leanness and the high protein count gives you that boost.

-Start your day right with a buffalo burger.

-I'm ready.

I'm ready for any challenge the day may throw at me from here on in.

There will be a stampede for these.

We're keeping an eye out for the little, rippling Test River

which is up to its armpits in trout.

Chamberlain writes that Izaak Walton,

author of the famous fishing tome The Compleat Angler,

wrote highly of the trout in these parts...

if we can find the river.

I wouldn't mind a bit of trout. Ah, we're crossing something here.

Yeah, this might be it, Tels.

'That looks like a complete angler to me.'

-WHISPERING:

-Hello, Miles! Miles, we're keeping it down.

We don't want to disturb the trout.

'It's Miles Levy, river keeper.'

Nice to meet you. How are you doing?

This river is choked with fish, according to all reports.

There's a lot of fish in here.

All the Test Valley is full of trout.

Is it stocked deliberately with trout?

It is, yes. There's a lot of wild fish, still.

It's a very skilful thing, fly fishing.

It is - when it's done properly, it's a very skilful thing.

If it's not done properly, you can end up with a fly in your ear.

And other places, yeah.

The River Test is associated with dry fly fishing, which is basically

a fly on the surface of the water.

Before, it was all done with sinking flies or wet flies

that hang in the surface water.

-It's all trickery, subterfuge?

-Exactly.

Outsmart the fish.

We're trying to trick the fish into thinking it's a natural food item,

which is the tricky part.

Now we've found the river and some fish,

we need some intrepid soul to get us one onto a plate.

Mason McQueen once again goes forth. This time, fly fishing.

Dry fly fishing.

One motion. Very good.

Ain't this lovely?

-I know I'm not catching nothing, but it's so lovely.

-That's a good one.

I remember my father was a fly fisherman.

I spent a lot of time like this,

standing by the banks of a river, waiting for something to happen.

It never did.

If he moves or if he opens his mouth...

Keep letting it come round.

At least when I was with my father, I had corned beef sandwiches.

And a fizzy drink.

That's lovely.

I suppose it's the taking part that counts.

A bit like the Olympics.

Don't lose him, Mason. Don't lose the little swine.

Keep that rod nice and high and start reeling the reel.

Keep that pressure on, keep going.

OK, what a beautiful fish.

That's a lovely brown trout.

-It's exciting, isn't it?

-Lovely.

Here he comes.

I've got a tiger shark, Tel!

I'm telling you.

Here he comes.

-Oh, lovely.

-Here he is, come on. Give in, son, you're beat.

-Yeah, we've got him.

-Hey!

Oh, that's a cracking fish, isn't it?

Yes, a brown trout. Not a lot of people can say they've done that.

No, it was your coaching, mate.

A bit of teamwork.

You're not going to throw him back?

He's a good fighter.

He deserves another chance.

I was looking forward to that.

A few chips and tartare sauce, lightly grilled.

Back in the Test.

What's the point? What is the point?

-There we go.

-Yeah?

-There he is.

-Great stuff.

-Well done.

-Cheers, mate.

Great job. Great job.

'Luckily, chef Chris Hodder,

'who specialises in feeding discerning anglers,

'has cooked up a banquet for us, including some trout

'that encountered someone less charitable than Mason.'

It looks magnificent.

Fantastic doesn't even sum it up.

I'd better have some of the smoked trout just for appearance sake.

-I'm going to come your way.

-Hit me!

So, you fellas, you come down here and you fish every day

-and you eat like this all the time?

-I wish it was true.

Only twice a week.

It can't be easy for you(!)

So, it doesn't matter whether you catch a fish or not,

-you're going to eat like this twice a week?

-Yes.

-Good.

You say it's the most famous trout river in England?

Absolutely, the River Test, yeah.

People come from all over the world to fish the short streams.

-And you mastered it?

-Well, I know where it is now.

-I passed the 'test', yeah?

-Yeah, you have. You've passed the test.

I thought when I came in here first

you said the car was all right.

The car IS all right.

Don't worry.

Is the oil coming up to the tappets?

It looks a bit suspect, doesn't it?

The horn thruster, I think, probably needs a bit of attention.

-LAUGHING:

-Do you know about engines?

-Nothing.

-How did you know?

-We're looking good.

-Jump aboard, Terence.

-All right, my boy.

The Cuisine Cab is about to pull out of Hampshire.