0:00:03 > 0:00:04Terry, welcome to Paradise.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Forum, that is.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11- I never thought coming to Birmingham I'd be coming to paradise.- Well...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Should be venture in and see what it's like?- Oh, no.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16- I don't want to chance it.- Come on, Tel.- It mightn't be paradise.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- Come on.- OK, I'll follow you.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25It's taken 50 years in broadcasting, but I finally cracked it.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27HE LAUGHS
0:00:27 > 0:00:30A chance to meander around the country, see the sights,
0:00:30 > 0:00:31meet the people.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34And, oh, yes - eat and drink.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Is melt in the mouth a suitable phrase?
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I've hailed a cab with one of London's fineness cabbies,
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Mason McQueen,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46to steer me around Britain's highways and byways.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48I'm looking forward to a decent meal, are you?
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Oh, I'm starving. I can't wait, Tel.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Our route has been mapped out by an adventurist gourmand,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Samuel Chamberlain, in his book, British Bouquet.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Almost 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 > 0:01:09and discover how our tastes have changed over the years.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Do it right, son.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13- Whoo! - THEY LAUGH
0:01:13 > 0:01:15- Have you eaten an ostrich? - No. You?
0:01:15 > 0:01:18I found it very difficult to catch.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20MASON LAUGHS
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Bang in the centre of the country,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Birmingham is known as an industrial powerhouse and cultural melting pot.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42But what are the culinary highlights of this fine city?
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Relax, people of Britain,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47your roving food reporters are revved up and raring to go.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54Back in 1963, our esteemed guide, Samuel Chamberlain, described
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Birmingham and its environs as "grimy and densely populated"
0:01:58 > 0:02:02and dismissed them as not being worth the visit.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Dear old Chamberlain has taken a rather, well, critical view.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08He says,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12"We would willingly sidestep the iron fields, collieries
0:02:12 > 0:02:16"and belching chimneys that blemish the Black northern precincts."
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Well, it's not quite like that now, is it, Mason,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23- as you're driving along? - Not at all, Tel.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27But he didn't fancy it, did he? But I think it's worth a visit.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Do you know, Mason, I think that in view of what can only be
0:02:30 > 0:02:34described as the cavalier attitude of old Chamberlain to Birmingham,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- it's up to us to redress the balance.- Oh, yes.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Allow Birmingham to assert it's due and true place
0:02:42 > 0:02:44in British culinary history.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49From being a medium-sized market town in the Middle Ages,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Birmingham has grown to become Britain's second city.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58And there's been a few lumps and bumps of the architectural
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and town planning variety to iron out over the years,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04but from where I'm standing, those days are firmly in the past.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Come on, Mas, we'll take a little shank's mare walk around here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12This is Victoria Square.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Apparently, this thing behind us, which is fairly modern,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20is called - they call it here - the Floozy in the Jacuzzi.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- Oh, is it?- Yeah.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25She's a lot more than a floozy, that one, isn't she?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Are we looking at her best side?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32And that huge thing that looks like the Pantheon in Paris,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34that's the town hall.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37- God, this was a confident city, wasn't it?- Oh, yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Of course it's the people that give the place its character,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and in Birmingham, a warm welcome is accompanied
0:03:43 > 0:03:45by that West Midlands twang.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Today ,we've got red Thai curry meatballs,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49chilli slaw and a garlic flatbread.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50Absolutely beautiful.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Which you're cooking is traditional Birmingham food, isn't it?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56It's, uh...
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- No. - THEY LAUGH
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Before we get started on this Birmingham food exploration,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08there's one building I'm very keen to visit,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and not just for its architectural merit.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- What do you think of that? - I don't know what to say, Tel.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- Do you?- Look at it.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19It does catch the eye. You can say that about it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The Birmingham city library opened in 2013
0:04:22 > 0:04:26and is now the country's tenth most popular visitor attraction.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Over a quarter of a million books every year
0:04:28 > 0:04:30are borrowed from its ultramodern shelves.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33But I wonder if it'll have the one I'm looking for.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- This is some place, Mason. - What a place.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Could we trouble you, Zoe?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44- You can, yes.- Look through and see if you can find British Bouquet.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- Samuel Chamberlain.- I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't stock it.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- He wasn't very positive about Birmingham, was he?- Yeah.- Was it not?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- No, he wasn't.- No, he thought Birmingham was rubbish.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55SHE GASPS
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I would highly disagree with him.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58- Of course you would. - Birmingham is great.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Oh, Zoe, while you're looking, have you got Terry Wogan's autobiography?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04- You probably ain't.- Terry Wogan...
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It's rarer than hen's teeth.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- That's why I haven't seen it. - THEY LAUGH
0:05:09 > 0:05:13I'm sure every copy of my book is out. What about old Sam's?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16He didn't think Birmingham was worth bothering with.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The question is - does Birmingham feel the same about him?
0:05:20 > 0:05:24I don't know. Anything standing out?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- Nah, no chance. - It might be that we don't have it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- Just a very rare book, I think. - Thank you for your efforts.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- You're welcome, guys.- Thanks very much. Cheers.- Have a good day.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37- You too. Bye now.- See you.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I think that's called poetic justice, isn't it?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And so we set out like unguided missiles
0:05:44 > 0:05:46on this Birmingham food trip.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Luckily, I've been at this game long enough to know the best place
0:05:49 > 0:05:52to get started is the market.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Birmingham is famous for being Britain's most multicultural city,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00and its central food market in the iconic Bull Ring shopping centre
0:06:00 > 0:06:03is the place to go to get a feel for the flavours that
0:06:03 > 0:06:04make this city tick.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Now we're in this urban environment, I feel this market is going to
0:06:09 > 0:06:10be in-your-face.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12HE LAUGHS
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It's going to be full of stuff that you won't eat, I'll tell you.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Pig's cheeks. Cow's feet.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Ohh. You don't like cow's feet, Tel.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Don't tell me you like it.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28No. OK, I'm pushing it a little bit with the cow's foot.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35There's been a market here in the Bull Ring since the Middle Ages.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It took its name from the ring that the bulls used to be tied to
0:06:38 > 0:06:41before being taken off for slaughter.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Another day, another market.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- IN BRUMMIE ACCENT: All right, Terry. - Oh, you can do one.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Welcome to the Bull Ring. - I feel at home immediately.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Look at this place, Tel, it's great.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- Lovely meeting you.- Nice to meet you, my darling.- Terry Wogan.- Ah!
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Thank God somebody remembered my name.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02The market has over 140 stalls, but it's most famous for its fish.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07- This is great. I love a fish counter.- Hello, Mr Wogan!
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- Pleased to meet you, sir!- Pleased to meet you, sir.- How are you, sir?
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- Look at this fish. When did this come in?- This morning, sir.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16This morning, early hours of the morning, sir.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18And you're going to sell it all?
0:07:18 > 0:07:21God willingly, sir. We got these from India. That's from India.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- This is from the Caribbean. - Is that red snapper?
0:07:24 > 0:07:28No, that's a red butterfish. Grouper, the grouper family.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- Oh, right. Do you eat a lot of fish at home?- I do.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Two or three times a week, sir, if I can. I do love my fish fingers.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Birds Eye. Ooh.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41As you'll expect, there are also several butchers selling
0:07:41 > 0:07:44traditional cuts and some more rarefied delicacies.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50- Enochs.- All Chinese. - What are they, butchers in Chinese?
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- I hope that's...- Morning! - Is that Chinese?- Yes, sir.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Why are you selling British meat in Chinese?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01We serve a lot of Chinese people, Terrance.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03They come from all over the Midlands.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Are the majority of your customers Chinese, then?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08I would say about 90%. Really?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Hong Keen, this one.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I've done that one before after a few too many beers. Honking.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16THEY LAUGH
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- These are... And they're cow's feet? - It's the cow feet.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- What do you do with the cow's feet? - For soup.- Ah.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28- Some people, Jamaican, cook like a curry soup as well.- And tripe?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32It's been ages since I've seen any decent tripe.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Well, a lot of Chinese, they like it.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- Chinese again?- Chinese, yeah.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38- This is what we seem to be hearing, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- Do you have a lot of Chinese? - Do you supply a lot of restaurants?
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Yes.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46The Chinese community in Birmingham is now
0:08:46 > 0:08:47one of the biggest in the country.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Migrants from Hong Kong first came here after the war,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and in recent years, there's been a huge influx from mainland China.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58What are you selling here?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- The fish balls.- Fish balls?
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Chinese fish ball.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05And they are cooked?
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Uh...
0:09:06 > 0:09:11You can stir-fry, steam, boil everything.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- It's all Chinese specialities. - Yeah.- What are they?
0:09:14 > 0:09:19- Those are Chinese buns. Chicken bun.- Chicken buns.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- They'd be delicious, wouldn't they? Do you steam those?- Steam.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- Fantastic. I love Chinese food. - Yeah, I do too.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Another large immigrant population in Birmingham,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37almost twice as big as the Chinese, and at least as old,
0:09:37 > 0:09:38are the Irish.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I know that Birmingham used to be, after London...
0:09:45 > 0:09:46..the second choice,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- I suppose, really, for the Irish who came here after the war.- Yeah.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52In the late '40s, '50s and '60s,
0:09:52 > 0:09:57to do the kind of work that English people didn't want to do.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Digging roads, building places, demolishing buildings after the war.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04They all made a good living here,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07but Ireland was a fairly hungry place.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10And they... I think they found a good life here.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15The Old Crown, which dates from the middle of the 14th century,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17is Birmingham's most venerable inn
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and very popular with my fellow countrymen.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I have arranged to meet up with a group of old fellows who came
0:10:23 > 0:10:26over here around the same time as I did.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- Good morning, gentlemen. - ALL:- Good morning.- How are you all?
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Fine, thank you.- Thanks for turning up for this. Terrific.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- May I sit down amongst you? - You certainly can.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42I left Dublin in 1969. But didn't come to Birmingham.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- What about you? - I lived out here, Limerick '66.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48You're a Limerick man as well? Good man. We must stick together.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51And what about you, gentlemen? Where are you from?
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- I'm from Cavan.- Cavan.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- Sorry, Chabhain.- Cavan. - Chabhain, yeah.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00We are following the footsteps of an American who wrote a book
0:11:00 > 0:11:05called British Bouquet, which is an epicurean tour of Britain.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09And he didn't think much of Birmingham.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13He kind of glossed over Birmingham. He said it's an industrial city.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16He pictured it as a kind of desperate place.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19That wasn't your experience. This gave you new life, didn't it?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22There was an awful lot of construction work,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25infrastructure going on, roads, rebuilding.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Like Spaghetti Junction, for instance,
0:11:27 > 0:11:28and all that type of thing was going on.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31That was the attraction, wasn't it? That it was an industrial city.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- There was work.- Yeah.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38In the '50s and '60s Birmingham,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40an Irishman would have gone to work on the kind of breakfast
0:11:40 > 0:11:43they've been raised on back home in rural Ireland -
0:11:43 > 0:11:46cold-pressed beef, pork scratchings
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and even good old bread and dripping.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Forgotten food from a bygone era.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53You know, the dripping on the bread.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It's a long time since I've had dripping on bread,
0:11:56 > 0:11:57I'll be honest with you.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Would you eat this kind of stuff? - No.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01TERRY LAUGHS
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I couldn't anyway cos I'm in a gluten-free diet and there's barley.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06I see, yeah. That's always the excuse.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- Or good ole scratching for Lent. - Scratchings, yeah.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11- I mean, do you eat a lot of scratchings?- No.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13- THEY LAUGH - And the old pint of stout.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Was that what sustained you throughout the hard times?
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- Not really. Not with drinking, no. - No? No, neither do I.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24I stopped drinking Guinness as soon as I could afford vodka.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26THEY LAUGH
0:12:36 > 0:12:40There is a popular idea that there are more canals in Birmingham
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- then there are in Venice. - Really?- Yeah.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45But luckily, there's no gondoliers.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Nobody is singing out of tune as they go up and down the canals.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I'm looking forward to seeing it,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54because it's quite a feature of the city, isn't it?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56A city built on canals.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I hope their infrastructure is a little bit better than their roads.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01They love a flyover here, Tel, I know that.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10By the end of the 18th century, Birmingham
0:13:10 > 0:13:13and the surrounding Black Country was the foremost industrial
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and manufacturing centre in the world.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18And the canals played a big part in that.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22At their peak, they were so busy they had to install gas lighting
0:13:22 > 0:13:25around the locks to allow round-the-clock operation.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33These days, the canals are less hard work and industry,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36more leisure and fine dining, as I'm about to find out.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- We have melon and Parma ham. - Oh, how lovely. Thank you.- Enjoy.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Travelling around Birmingham by car, it's not ideal.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51But by canal, by this, when you're going along the canals
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- by narrow boats, it transforms the city.- It's beautiful.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- It's a completely different look. - It really, yeah. Absolutely.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Even the sky seems better, seems different.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03100 years ago, it would have been
0:14:03 > 0:14:05absolutely full of boats loading, unloading.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07It would have been a dirty, noisy place.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08The city was very, very small.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11It wasn't a city until the canals arrived.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And with the coming of the canals, came people.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17They could bring fuel, there was work.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And the city grew very rapidly.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The canals, initially, would have carried absolutely everything,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26including food.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28And certainly later on when the railways came,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30perishable food would go by rail.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33But things like grain, flour, sugar, salt,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36that would still be carried by canal.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37And, of course,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40you needed to fuel the factories that were producing food.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42So here in Birmingham, there was the custard factory.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Cadbury, certainly, they carried chocolate crumb. They carried milk.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Of course, Bournville. - Bournville, just up the road.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51So the links with the canals and food are, well,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54there inextricably linked.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57So here we are eating Parma ham and melon.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Probably they wouldn't have eaten that 100 years ago.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03It's a little bit different to what they'd have been eating
0:15:03 > 0:15:04on boats 100 years ago.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06They wouldn't have heard of Parma ham. Or melon.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10What's the traditional food of the Black Country?
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Black Country food, it's simple.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I suppose like most working-class food. They make the most of things.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17They'd have used scraps. They'd have cooked with offal.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Erm...
0:15:19 > 0:15:20Food would have been simple.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And if you are boating, it would need to be easy to cook,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24easy to serve.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So a pot, a good pot of something.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37TRADITIONAL CHINESE MUSIC PLAYS
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Well, I've had my starter. Very nice it was, too.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42But it's coming up to lunch time,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and I feel we'd be doing ourselves in Birmingham a disservice
0:15:45 > 0:15:49if we didn't continue this gastronomic voyage of discovery
0:15:49 > 0:15:51in the Chinese quarter.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Now we are in it. We are in gritty Birmingham. Let's bounce a bit.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- We're not in the country no more. - What? We're going to be like...
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- Have a presence about yourself.- We've got to be like urban sophisticates.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- Yeah.- Yeah.- Know what we're doing. - That's us, OK.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- We know what we want. - A little pimp walking, eh?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06We want some good Chinese!
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And so we arrive at a fine looking restaurant,
0:16:09 > 0:16:14although the proprietor's name might raise a few eyebrows.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17IMITATES SEAN CONNERY: Greetings, Terry. Do you like dim sum?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- Strict rules of golf, Mr Bond. - Welcome, this way, please.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26It being lunchtime, the only thing to eat is dim sum,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29those little Cantonese mouthfuls of deliciousness.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Quick, Mason, to the dining room!
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- You're not James Bond Wong, are you?- I am.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41My father, unfortunately, named me after the great Secret Service spy.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43There's nothing wrong with that. HE LAUGHS
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Unfortunately, I haven't got the looks or the charm.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48So, you know, I've got a licence to serve you.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51But your food is your charm, sir.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Tell us about your dim sums.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I've got the little lovely story I usually tell people about dim sum.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It was the emperor and their favourite concubine.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00The concubine said,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03"Emperor, you know, you always give me big feasts, a big piglet.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05"You know, I got to keep my figure for you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08"How am I supposed to keep my figure?" So the Emperor goes
0:17:08 > 0:17:11up to the kitchen and says, "Right, give me 12 dishes.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15"Small dishes. Bite-size dishes. And make it interesting."
0:17:15 > 0:17:16So they come up with dim sum.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And dim sum, the literal translation from dim sum is
0:17:19 > 0:17:22a touch of my heart, a touch of the heart.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Most Chinese restaurants that open up and down the country
0:17:24 > 0:17:26would only serve dim sum until five o'clock
0:17:26 > 0:17:28because you have to have a dedicated
0:17:28 > 0:17:32department just to do dim sum, and dedicated chefs. So for us, we...
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- They're trained differently then? - Yes, the dim sum chef.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- They're like specialists.- Correct.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39The dim sum chef wouldn't know how to cook, say,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42a bowl of noodles or something like that. And vice versa.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45The normal chef doesn't know how to make dim sum.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Neither me nor Mason have got the first clue of how to make
0:17:48 > 0:17:51either, I assumed we'd be shown the door.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56But James gamely takes us down to the kitchen to see what we can do.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- So here, this is the dim sum area.- Wow!
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Well, you see, we've got these all prepared
0:18:01 > 0:18:04because we are expecting a busy lunch.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07So dim sum is all prepared, like, into steamers.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10As soon as they knead it, they bring it over to that side to steam.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12That looks like Birmingham!
0:18:12 > 0:18:14BOTH LAUGH
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Yeah, the new Birmingham.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19So we'll show you what he's going to do first. So, got it out.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22He's got to turn the pastry around. Form the shape.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27When it's the right size, he's going to put the filling in.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Hey, we can do that!
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Whee!
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Remember what you learned from Mary Berry.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39HE LAUGHS
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- Hey, I...- Getting there, getting there.- Is that big enough?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Little bit bigger, little bit bigger.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Right, it's Terry's turn to put some meat inside.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Not much.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53You've got to pinch it. Keep pinching it all the way round.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54Pinch it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Look at that. What's wrong with that?- Yeah, leave it on the side.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Look at that! Look at that one!
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Of the two of them... Have looked at his one.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03THEY LAUGH
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- Oh, my God.- That's not bad. - This is more of a mouthful.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Thank you.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I'm very proud of mine.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14To our two chefs - Xie Xie.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15- Xie Xie.- Thank you.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20By now, the restaurant is filling up.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23So we head into bother some of the diners.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Gentleman.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Excuse us interrupting you. This is Mason, I'm Terry.- Hi.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- Nice to meet you. - How are you doing, guys?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Because you've agreed to speak to us, I thought
0:19:32 > 0:19:35I'd bring you my very special dim sum that I made myself.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Oh, wow.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Tzu-Chao and Chi Cao are regulars at James' restaurant,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44and as well as being connoisseurs of fine dim sum,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46they are also artistes in their own right.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I'm a ballet dancer, a professional ballet dancer.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- I'm a ballet dancer as well. - Yeah?- Yeah.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- Birmingham Ballet is very famous, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- Very good reputation. - Yeah, very good reputation.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58We are actually only down the road.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- Well, maybe we'll go along and see it.- Yeah, please.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- But you have to eat first. - Of course.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05You've got keep your energy levels up.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Who could refuse a personal invitation to the rehearsal studios
0:20:15 > 0:20:16of the Birmingham Royal Ballet?
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Of course, I was once considered to be the Rudolf Nureyev
0:20:20 > 0:20:21of my generation,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24until a golfing accident put paid to my dreams.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28But Mason, he's still got a shot at the big time.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I'm going to get up the bar.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Go on, then. Show us some of your moves.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Does everybody in Birmingham know
0:20:35 > 0:20:37that this is where the Royal Ballet is?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Actually, funny how that we've been here for 25 years,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I think still a lot of people from Birmingham don't really know
0:20:43 > 0:20:46that there's actually a royal ballet company inside of Chinatown.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I mean, they come to see the shows. They expect us to be from,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I don't know, from London and travelling down here to perform.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I find it quite funny, you know?
0:20:55 > 0:20:57They just don't really know that there's royal ballet,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59yet every time they come to see us
0:20:59 > 0:21:01perform without knowing that this is actually our home.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03It's been a pleasure to talk to you.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Great to see your companion dance so beautifully. Carry on at the bar.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- Shall we do?- Yeah.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15MUSIC: The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky
0:21:16 > 0:21:18THEY LAUGH
0:21:18 > 0:21:19Ouch!
0:21:25 > 0:21:27He's a game boy, that Mason.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Can you hear his knees crack?
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I hope he'll be all right afterwards.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37HE LAUGHS
0:21:37 > 0:21:40That's very good!
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Oh, you're better than me.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- Excuse me, barman. - That's very good.- Run the pints.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Our final stop on this Birmingham food exploration takes us
0:21:53 > 0:21:56to a part of the city known as the Balti Triangle,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00named after the curry dish that many consider to be Birmingham's
0:22:00 > 0:22:02finest contribution to world cuisine.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07I've heard of balti, you know? I've lived.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- I've never tried it. Was it good? - It is delicious.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- And as long as you have a bit of naan to dip in it...- Yeah.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- Bob's your uncle. - I'm looking forward to it, Tel.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19It'd be rude not to, seeing that we are in Birmingham.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22The problem is, the balti has become so popular, you can
0:22:22 > 0:22:25now get one in every city in the country.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27And Birmingham wants it back!
0:22:27 > 0:22:31I've come to meet the chap who's spearheading the campaign
0:22:31 > 0:22:33to keep the balti Brummie.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35You're the expert on the balti.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Now, Birmingham is far-famed as the inventor of the balti,
0:22:40 > 0:22:41- is that not right?- Absolutely.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44It's a Pakistani Brummie fusion dish, basically.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45How did it come about?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48It came about because one of the Pakistani restaurants
0:22:48 > 0:22:49was round here wanted to please,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52if you like, the Pakistan community and the Birmingham community.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55So it's a fusion between the way things are cooked abroad
0:22:55 > 0:23:00in Pakistan and the way people liked having "a curry" in Britain.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05So basically, in Pakistan, it would be slow-cooked for about an hour
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and then served up in the dish it's cooked in.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10And it be on the bone and it'd be cooked in ghee.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Here, it's cooked in vegetable oil.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It's fast cooked using a balti pan made in Birmingham,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17I hasten to add.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20And it's cooked, as I say, because it's cooked in vegetable oil,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22it's a very clean taste
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and the spices are thrown in during that fast cooking process.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27So it's a style of cooking. It's not the spices that go in.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30They're not unique. You can get them in any supermarket.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32But it's the way it's cooked.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And that's why it has to be called a Birmingham balti.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39- And if it's not a Birmingham balti, it's not a proper balti.- Absolutely.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- Got it in one.- Good man. Delighted to hear that.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46While I told curry maniac Mason McQueen
0:23:46 > 0:23:49that we were off to one of only four restaurants in Birmingham
0:23:49 > 0:23:51to serve an authentic balti,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53he could barely contain himself.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56But when we got there, the owner had another surprise in store.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Mason, this is the famous Mohammed Ahmed,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03proprietor of Al Frash.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Welcome, gentlemen, to Al Frash.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07We are here to cook the world's first Irish balti.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The balti gets its name from the pan that it's cooked and served in.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I'm still a bit unclear how such a distinctive,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18spicy dish can have anything to do with Irish cooking,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21but, as you may have gathered, I'm no expert.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28We have Chef Azam. One of the best balti chefs.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Far-famed Chef Azam.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- From what I hear. The master of the balti.- Yes.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37We'll be cooking a balti based on Irish ingredients today, Sir Terry.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39You're not thinking about putting Irish stew or anything in it?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41No Irish stew, but some of the core ingredients that
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- go into an Irish stew will be going into the balti dish.- Whoa!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47So we'll be fusing East and West today.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49You don't put potato in it, do you?
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Little bit of potato, some carrot.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54A little bit of parsley and some traditional balti
0:24:54 > 0:24:57ingredients that we use for North Indian type of cooking.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03The main ingredients of our Irish balti is lamb and parsley -
0:25:03 > 0:25:04that's a nice touch.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05And garlic, ginger
0:25:05 > 0:25:10and traditional spices will give our dish the authentic balti feel.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13It's quick to prepare - on average, only ten minutes.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Come on, Mason, seize the day!
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Do you wan to give it a stir? Go on, give it a stir.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- Come on, Mason.- Go on, Mason. Come on, son.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Go on. Careful, lad.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I don't want to lose you. We've a way to go yet.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29Oh!
0:25:29 > 0:25:32There's technique to it, innit?
0:25:32 > 0:25:34What do you do, just keep moving it about?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Whoo-hoo-hoo! That's hot!
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Mason, I don't want to be taking you back to Nancy
0:25:39 > 0:25:41with a third-degree burn.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43The tea towel has gone, Tel.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- Thank you, Azam. - Thank you, my friend.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47- Very nice to meet you.- Thank you.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I look forward to eating it.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00To celebrate this international culinary event,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03which I feel sure will usher in a new age of friendship
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and cooperation between Ireland and Birmingham,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09we are throwing ourselves a bit of a banquet.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Joining us are students from the prestigious catering course
0:26:12 > 0:26:14at the city's University College.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18- Yay!- Fantastic!
0:26:19 > 0:26:22- That was wonderful. - Wow, look at this.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25What are all you people doing at my table?
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- What's your name?- I'm Joe.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- Hi, Joe.- Nice to meet you. - Terrance.- Terrance. Good man.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32- There's only a couple of us left. - Oh, yeah.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36- Who are these? - Hi, I'm Ajay.- Hi.- I'm Sanu.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40So, you are all wearing official-looking outfits.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- You're here to test the balti, is that right?- Yeah.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46So, you're not going to take any prisoners, are you?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50OK, so tell us. You try it.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Tell us where either they are going wrong or they're going right.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It's a nerve-racking moment, as we debut our new dish.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- Terrance, what do you think? - Fresh and spicy.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Got a bit of the chilli hitting the back of my throat. It's nice.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Ajay, you've eaten a lot of curry, presumably. A lot of tandoori.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- How do you think this differs? - It's really full of flavour.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's got amazing spice, hits you lovely.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18So this, they say, is an Irish balti.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Does it taste any different to you from the other baltis you've had?
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Not... No. This tastes a little bit sweeter to me.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- That's the only difference. - Sweeter?- Yeah.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29That'll be the nature of the Irish hidden in it, you see.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- Thank you for joining us. - Cheers. Thank you.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Really nice to have your company.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38And really nice to have a really genuine Birmingham balti.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Oh, I think, Mason, at the end of our trip to Birmingham,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- we have to say that Sam Chamberlain was wrong.- Totally, Terry.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- He made a big mistake giving Birmingham a miss.- Yeah.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- I'm glad we came here, ain't you? - Yeah, really glad.