0:00:03 > 0:00:07What I like about these little towns and cities we've visited
0:00:07 > 0:00:10is the old and the new blending into each other.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Just a bit like me and you.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- Just kidding, mate.- Yeah.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I've got feelings, too, you know.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24It's taken 50 years in broadcasting, but I've finally cracked it...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27the chance to meander around the country, see the sights,
0:00:27 > 0:00:28meet the people...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..and, yes, eat and drink.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Is "melt in the mouth" a suitable phrase?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'I've hailed a cab with one of London's finest cabbies,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43'Mason McQueen, to steer me around Britain's highways and byways...'
0:00:43 > 0:00:46- I'm looking forward to a decent meal, are you?- Oh, I'm starving.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47I can't wait, Tel.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'Our route has been mapped out by an adventurous gourmand,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54'Samuel Chamberlain, in his book, British Bouquet.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'Almost 60 years later, we're following in his footsteps...'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I'll do all the work, Tel!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'..to seek out weird and wonderful regional British cuisine
0:01:02 > 0:01:06'and discover how our tastes have changed over the years.'
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Do it right, son.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10- Whoo!- Oh, oh!
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Now don't tell me people have wedding cakes made of pork pies.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14But they do!
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Our journey through these fair isles
0:01:25 > 0:01:28has brought us to the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31where we'll be on the hunt for the finest delicacies
0:01:31 > 0:01:34this lush and fertile region has to offer.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Once again, our caravan moves on.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I'm just referring to our good old pal Sam Chamberlain.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50The Vale of Evesham, and he says, "The good things of the Earth
0:01:50 > 0:01:53"burst forth here. The Pershore plum,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57"the Worcester apple, asparagus from Evesham's Vale."
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Does this mean... Reading between the lines,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02does this mean we have to stuff ourselves with food again?
0:02:02 > 0:02:04I think it might do, Terry.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10First stop for us is the town of Evesham itself,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14a Medieval gem full of the ancient gateways
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and timbered houses that old Sam Chamberlain so admired.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Whenever I see this kind of architecture, black on white,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Tudor...
0:02:23 > 0:02:26There's so much fake Tudor around that I begin to think,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29"Have they just made this up? When did they build this?"
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The town of Evesham was founded around an 8th-century abbey,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38but the only bit that remains is this bell tower.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39And as well as being food experts,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43we've also learned a thing or two about architecture on our travels.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49- It's a bell tower.- It's a... HE LAUGHS
0:02:49 > 0:02:52And I think it's about the 14th century.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56That's fantastic. But, mind you, I'm saying that a lot, aren't I?
0:02:56 > 0:03:01- Between food and scenery... - We're being spoiled.- Yeah.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Well...
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- That's more or less done that, hasn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12I tell you what, we haven't eaten for at least ten minutes.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- I'm beginning to feel the pangs of hunger, are you?- And me.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Let's see if we can find somewhere.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23I've heard rumours
0:03:23 > 0:03:27of one particularly tasty Evesham breakfast.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31But it get to it, we must first cross over the mighty River Avon,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34which almost completely surrounds the town.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Luckily, a friendly local comes to our aid.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40I'm going to take you over the Hampton Ferry
0:03:40 > 0:03:44which we consider to be the only rope ferry in the world.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- The operative word is rope.- OK.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49There are a lot of steel ferries, steel horses and all sorts,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54- but this is rope. - We want the rope ferry.- Yes.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Diana Raphael's family have operated this ferry
0:03:56 > 0:04:00since 1929 and they also run the on-site cafe.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The crossing itself is over 800 years old
0:04:05 > 0:04:09and dates back to when the old abbey was still standing.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Mason, mind how you go, son. - All right.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- Just keep pulling. - "Just keep pulling!"
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- What about this story I heard about the pigman?- Eof.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27That's how Evesham got its name. There was a swineherd.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Where the river goes round in a loop,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33the flat bit here was called the ham.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- And the swineherd's name was Eof. - Yeah.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37And he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40He then went to Worcester to see Egwin, his boss,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42the bishop of Worcester.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44So Egwin came here and he too saw the vision.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- He saw the vision, as well? - He saw the vision, as well
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and he took it as a sign that he should build a monastery.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53That was in 704 and when people said,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55"Where are you building the monastery?"
0:04:55 > 0:04:57He said, "On Eof's ham."
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- And obviously, as you say it, it was...- Evesham.- Evesham. Yes.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03This is your captain speaking.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Prepare for landing. SHE LAUGHS
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Thank you for...riding on McQueen's Ferries today.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Very, very smooth, captain.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- There you go, my good lady. - Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The time has come to try Diana's famed Evesham sandwiches,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23beloved of tourists and fishermen alike.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Here we go. - Well, I'm not a fisherman.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Have a sandwich. No, well, you can just pretend.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I'm wearing a kind of fisherman's hat.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I don't think I qualify as a fisherman.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34My father was a fisherman and he put me off fishing
0:05:34 > 0:05:37because he used to take so long to get ready.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38Oh, look at it.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40My mother made something that has become part
0:05:40 > 0:05:43and parcel of Hampton Ferry - bread pudding.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Although you don't usually have pudding for breakfast.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I'll give it a go!
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- We've turned down nothing so far. - No. No, that's fine.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Having refuelled ourselves, it's time to hit the road
0:05:57 > 0:06:00in pursuit of the next item on our Evesham food agenda.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06To help us with our inquiries, we're picking up a passenger,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10John Edgeley, a horticultural crop consultant who knows this
0:06:10 > 0:06:12part of the country inside out.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18What makes this corner of England so plentiful, so bounteous?
0:06:18 > 0:06:22It's probably the soil - very fertile and you've got
0:06:22 > 0:06:27protection by the Malvern Hills and the Cotswold Hills.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So it's got its own sort of micro-environment,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32ideal for quite early crops,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and of course you have the population developing
0:06:35 > 0:06:37on the doorstep in Birmingham...
0:06:38 > 0:06:42..that needed feeding, so hence, vegetables growing here, fruits.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The Vale of Evesham is famous for the blossom.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- It is a blossoming county.- Yeah.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51When our guiding spirit, Sam Chamberlain,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54was here in the early '60s, he spoke lyrically
0:06:54 > 0:06:58of the famous plum blossoms of the Vale of Evesham.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Even after a week of strong winds, there's still a few left to enjoy
0:07:02 > 0:07:07and then, of course, the promise of fruit to come.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Do you eat a plum at all from time to time, Mason?
0:07:09 > 0:07:10I know you're picky.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13To be honest, Tel, no, I don't eat plums very much.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15You do have to be careful how many plums you eat,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- otherwise there's dire consequences. - Oh, really?
0:07:18 > 0:07:22But I'm told that if you peel off the skin then it's not so bad.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- It has a purgative quality. - That's right.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31In pursuit of the famous Evesham plum, John is taking us
0:07:31 > 0:07:35to a special orchard, once so neglected, it was almost lost,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40but now has been taken over by the Vale Landscape Heritage Trust.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Lot of dead wood, isn't there?
0:07:42 > 0:07:46That's for a reason - because dead wood is good in these old orchards.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51Erm, particularly around here because we have an endangered beetle
0:07:51 > 0:07:54called the noble chafer, which feeds on dead wood.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57So you're not only protecting the trees, the plums, the pears,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00the apples, you're protecting the beetles.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01The beetles, as well, yes.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06You only get a sighting of the rare noble chafer beetle
0:08:06 > 0:08:07on a few sunny days in August,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10so we'll have to make do with the next best thing.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- What are you doing? - I'm actually looking for beetle poo.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16The thing about orchard trees
0:08:16 > 0:08:19is they start to rot away quite early in life.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21These trees are about 70 years old or so,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and they've already got an awful lot of rot inside.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- I'm in my 70s and I've got a fair amount of rot.- Well...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30And I deliver a lot of rot, so... But go on.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35If we use a long-handled spoon, we can delve down inside.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37You're going to frighten the life out of a beetle.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Well, it's not their life we're looking for, it's...- Oh!
0:08:40 > 0:08:42..what we might frighten out of him, I think.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44I see. Beetle droppings.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46They're very distinctive with the noble chafer.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- It looks a bit like cheap coffee. - Yeah.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52If you're very lucky, in it you'll find these much harder,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55larger pieces which are a sure sign that the noble chafer grubs
0:08:55 > 0:08:57have been feeding inside the trees.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00When you think the beetle's only the size of my thumbnail,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and these are this big and really hard,
0:09:02 > 0:09:03it's quite an achievement, I think.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Ringo Starr's didn't look like that.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- SNIGGERING - I was about to ask how you know.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14This orchard may be several months away from harvest,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17but there's one plum job that needs doing.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Applicants must be able to play the clarinet
0:09:19 > 0:09:21and look good in tights.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23And this gentleman here, who is this?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I've got the honour of being the Pershore plum charmer.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Do you know, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29And you're the charmer?
0:09:29 > 0:09:33That's right, the charmer plays music in the orchard
0:09:33 > 0:09:35and to the plums to make them sweeter
0:09:35 > 0:09:38and to encourage a good harvest.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40- I've got something here for you. - It's not a fruit, is it? It is!
0:09:40 > 0:09:42A plum!
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- And are these edible? - These are perfectly edible.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47If you'd like to take a bite, you're welcome to do so.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Don't hand it to me. He was about to hand it to me. Go on!
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- Get that down you.- You're my taster. - I'm not your taster at all.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56Taster or toaster?
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- Probably not as good as the local plums, but...- Firm, but flavoursome.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Would you perhaps give us a tune on the old clarinet?
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- See?- Sweeter?- Mm. Better already.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- Come on.- No, you're all right. - No, I have left a little bit there.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Thanks, so kind of you, Terry
0:10:25 > 0:10:27My teeth marks.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28LAUGHTER
0:10:28 > 0:10:33- Mmm.- Not bad. I know it's early. Early plum. Thank you.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- Pleasure to meet you.- You too. You too, plum.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39LAUGHTER AND SNIPPET OF TUNE PLAYED ON CLARINET
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Thanks to the plum charmer,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49this year's harvest is bound to be plentiful.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52I still haven't had a proper taste
0:10:52 > 0:10:55of a genuine Vale of Evesham Pershore plum.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57So I'm heading south, to the small village of Fladbury,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01where I've heard they are cropping up in the most unlikely places.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Would I be right in saying that I'm about to cross
0:11:06 > 0:11:09the threshold of Simon the Pieman?
0:11:09 > 0:11:10That's me, Terry, nice to meet you.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I've heard a lot about you and your pies.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Outside it says, "Ask about the pie of the week" -
0:11:15 > 0:11:17what's the pie of the week?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It's our famous Vale pie, which is full of fruits from the area -
0:11:21 > 0:11:23apples, plums...
0:11:23 > 0:11:27I'm not a big lover of tagines, fruit and meat together.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Oh, well... - Is this going to be all right?
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- I'll convince you, Terry.- Will I be able to eat this?- I promise.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39The pie Simon is making today uses hot water pastry made of
0:11:39 > 0:11:42lard, water and flower, and will be eaten cold.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Like a standard pork pie.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- What's this? - This is basically minced pork,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51and we have got spices as well, and fruit, apples and plums.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52You can't get away from the plum
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- in the Vale of Evesham, can you? - You can't.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57We all look like plums, as well, unfortunately
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Well, ruddy with health. - LAUGHING:- Yeah!
0:12:00 > 0:12:04We put the lid on the top there, and then we crimp it.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08- They're all freshly made here?- Yeah. - By Simon the Pieman.- Yeah.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Probably do about 1,500 a week.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15There we go, lovely and crimped like that.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Oh, look at that, very artistic.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20And then we would put it in the oven then. An hour and 20.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24'Luckily, we don't have to wait for this one to cook.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28'Simon has prepared something rather special for me to sample.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- This is a pork pie wedding cake. - That's right.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Now don't tell me people have wedding cakes made of pork pies.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37They do!
0:12:37 > 0:12:39There's never any left. Fruitcakes - left.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Pork pie wedding cakes are not.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Do you think you could have two little figures?
0:12:44 > 0:12:47We have done that, but we thought pears look beautiful on top,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49and obviously classic for Worcestershire as well.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- Rosemary and all the rest of it as well.- Yeah.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54It's not easy, you see, to get that kind of pastry correct.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57No, there's so many stages to making a pork pie, and all of them
0:12:57 > 0:13:01have to be done correctly, so it does take days really.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06Beautiful layers - plum, apple - looks gorgeous, doesn't it?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Well, I'm very lucky, I can eat anything I like.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- And because of my nervous energy, I burn it off.- That's good.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- Spicy enough for you?- I can't talk to you, Simon,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I'm enjoying this pie.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25- Bit busy, Terry.- Mmm.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29HE SIGHS WITH PLEASURE
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Farming and agriculture run deep in the veins of the people of Evesham.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45And the local dialect called Assam Grammar is supposed to have
0:13:45 > 0:13:49evolved over centuries of toiling in the field.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Luckily for us, a couple obliging locals have volunteered to
0:13:52 > 0:13:55give us a lesson in the basics.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58How does it differ from the West Country accent, for instance?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00To my ears, it's much the same.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05Yeah, it is very similar, but there are differences.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08If we say "first", then we say "fust",
0:14:08 > 0:14:12or if we were saying "was then", we would say "wunnum" or "wussum".
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Actually, you can speak Assam Grammar
0:14:15 > 0:14:17using just letters of the alphabet.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21You go something like, "A? O, I? E. E B, A?
0:14:21 > 0:14:23"O! E B, A?"
0:14:23 > 0:14:28So, do you do rhyming slang as certain dialects do?
0:14:28 > 0:14:30See, the thing with rhyming slang would be round here,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33if you say "plates of meat - feet",
0:14:33 > 0:14:36it don't really work, because "feet" round here is "fit".
0:14:36 > 0:14:39So you say, "Yunner got some big fit, you."
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Are you paying attention, Wogan?
0:14:41 > 0:14:47No, I'm just looking at the pair of you and thinking, "Twin souls."
0:14:47 > 0:14:50You too should be doing a programme together.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56The fruit and veg industry has changed
0:14:56 > 0:14:58dramatically in the Vale of Evesham over the past 70 years,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and one of the most visible signs is the polytunnel.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05They may not be the most beautiful,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08but they do extend the growing season and allow you to eat
0:15:08 > 0:15:12British-grown greens well into the month of November.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15It's an extraordinary part of the country, isn't it?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Polytunnels over there, to the right of you,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20polytunnels to the left of you.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22It's like a fruit and veg shop for England, isn't it?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24It's huge.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28It reminds you of Holland, doesn't it?
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Yeah, but with them it's all tulips. With us, it's health-giving lettuce.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40It is an extraordinary thing as you come through the lanes
0:15:40 > 0:15:46- and roads round here and see these extraordinary hangers almost.- Yeah.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- All over the place.- Yeah.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51The Vale of Evesham really must supply a great deal
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- of the vegetables and fruit of Britain.- We do.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56What have you got here?
0:15:56 > 0:15:59This is red chard, and this is ready to harvest probably tomorrow,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02which will then go into the pack house to be packed.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I hate to ask, but how much chard...
0:16:04 > 0:16:07would you have just running down these two alleys?
0:16:07 > 0:16:11There's only about 200-250 kilos to one bay.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14People eat them differently now.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17They used to be more like sprouts, leeks, spring onions.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- Yeah, 'course it was, yeah. - Cauliflowers...- What is it now then?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Well, there's a lot of baby leaf that will grow in,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28we do watercress, wild rocket.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32You know, old Franco has 24 acres of polytunnel under cultivation.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37All those greens must be packed and dispatched within ten hours
0:16:37 > 0:16:42of picking, and that takes place in his own plant, on the same site.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Franco, this is an incredible operation.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I wasn't expecting anything like this.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- You have many workers in here, how many have you got?- About 16 of them.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- And they're all nationalities?- Yes.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Mainly Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Romanian...
0:17:00 > 0:17:03We have a few Italians working here, a few Polish.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07For the last 15 years, this migrant workforce,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09mainly from Eastern Europe, has played a vital part
0:17:09 > 0:17:13in undercover fruit and veg cultivation in Evesham.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- This is Camelia.- Camelia, nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you too.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- You too, my dear girl. So where are you from?- I'm from Romania.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- And how long have you worked here? - Over one year.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- And is your family still in Romania? - Yeah, my family's in Romania.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- What's your name?- Vasilka.- Vasilka.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- From where?- Bulgaria.- Bulgaria.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- Are you happy to be working here? - Yeah, I'm happy.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Of course you're going to say that, because you're with the boss.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41The boss, yes.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46But it's not all work for the salad growers and pickers of Evesham.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48There's quite a lot of play as well.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51We've been invited to a charity football match,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53and Mason is dusting off his boots.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59The good news is I hear there's a strong food element on this
0:17:59 > 0:18:00occasion as well.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- We're coming into the football ground.- Ho-ho!
0:18:03 > 0:18:08- Yeah. Evesham United Football Club. - HE CHANTS: Evesham United!
0:18:08 > 0:18:11I understand that you're going to show us your stuff.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12What stuff's that?
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Your twinkle toes.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Easy, now. Only my Nancy sees my stuff.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29- Hello, boys.- Come on, fellas. I've got a footballer with me.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- Nice to see you. My agent will pay for me.- Thank you, guv'nor.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33That's my agent.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- I'm really looking forward to this. - So are we.- Seeing him playing.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Mason is going to be playing for Growers United FC,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45a squad already made up of 15 different nationalities,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48which can now add a genuine London Cockney to its line-up.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- He looks like Messi, doesn't he? - Yeah.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56I am MESSY. Have you seen me play? MESSY.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58ALL LAUGH
0:18:58 > 0:18:59- Right, let's go, lads.- OK.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Come on, Growers!
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Now, while Mason runs around in the rain, I get down to the real work -
0:19:09 > 0:19:14sampling all the delicious food that's on offer in the stands.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19I run my own business at home and I bake cakes. So they're my muffins.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- What nationality are you? - I'm Polish.- Polish?- Yes.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- How long have you lived here? - Ten years.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Well, everybody obviously sticks together very well here.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- Everybody's part of the community. - Yes.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- The strawberry is delicious.- Yes.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37British strawberries, of course. British strawberries - the best.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Mm.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40WHISTLE
0:19:45 > 0:19:46Is that food I see?
0:19:46 > 0:19:50A little butternut squash which has been filled with cherry tomato...
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Would you eat that?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54THEY LAUGH
0:19:54 > 0:19:56That's an unsolicited testimony.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- This one is a sweet potato muffin... - Sweet potato?- Yes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It's filled with jam made with strawberry.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Oh, well, then, we have to have that.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18WHISTLE
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Is the football match on? Am I missing anything?
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Take him off the field. He could die out there.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42At the end of the day, it was an honourable draw,
0:20:42 > 0:20:43but football was the real winner.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Now, get out of those wet things and get back to the day job, Mason.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52One thing about old Sam Chamberlain, he had quite grand tastes.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54If there was a posh restaurant in the neighbourhood,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56he'd have his knees under the table
0:20:56 > 0:20:58before you could say "five-course tasting menu."
0:20:58 > 0:21:02"The Lygon Arms, a fine Tudor hostelry known to
0:21:02 > 0:21:04"a generation of travellers from overseas."
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Too good for the likes of me and you, I'm afraid.- Probably.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Well, they might let you in, Tel, but they definitely won't let me in.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13If you're very lucky, I'll send you out a ham sandwich.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- Don't say I don't look after you. - MASON CHUCKLES
0:21:15 > 0:21:18You don't look after me at all.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The 16th-century Lygon Arms in the picturesque
0:21:22 > 0:21:25village of Broadway is a few miles south east of Evesham,
0:21:25 > 0:21:26and back in the '60s,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29anyone who was anyone motored out here to enjoy
0:21:29 > 0:21:32a slap-up lunch, and our Chamberlain was
0:21:32 > 0:21:36breathless in his praise of this "fine Tudor hostelry".
0:21:36 > 0:21:39He particularly enjoyed the fish pie, which is
0:21:39 > 0:21:42what I'm going to try myself today.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44So, what's the main ingredient?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We've got haddock, cod and turbot.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Nice big chunks.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52You've got to have big chunks, because all the moisture in fish,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54it'll seep out if you've got little tiny bits.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55- Yeah. Yeah.- You can hardly taste it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58A few tomatoes,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01with some mussels and prawns in.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- Ah, they're hard-boiled. - Hard-boiled eggs.- Very binding.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Probably do me the power of good.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11And we've got some white cream sauce here. It's just a bechamel, really.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- So no trouble has gone into this(!) - Not at all(!)
0:22:14 > 0:22:15It's a fancy fish pie.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19- Curlicues of potato. - And Bob's your uncle.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- You know how fussy I am, don't you?- I do.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24And one I made earlier.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30Ian, it's a triumph and it would be an insult to you if I didn't try it.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31Where's the dining room?
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Joining me for lunch is the hotel's manager, Colin Heaney.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42I hate to disturb the plate, covered as it is in my national weed,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44the shamrock.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Following in the footsteps of old Chamberlain.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50He thought it was supreme, the fish pie.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51Mm.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Terrific. Is that...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57the big visitors' book you have here?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I can barely make out the scrawls, but who's there?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Well, this is Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor. It's dated 1963.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- Yeah.- We had Lord Snowdon.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And then we had his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- who came in March '68. - Did he mention the fish pie at all?
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- Or did he...- He didn't have fish pie.- Didn't he? What did he have?
0:23:16 > 0:23:19My research shows he had the steak and kidney and mushroom pudding.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21He's a good man. He is. Yeah.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24This is superior.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- Can I take some of it home?- You can. We'll give you a doggy bag.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36The thing about driving around here,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40it's like driving through a Hollywood set.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44These little houses, these little villages, they're not for real.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45You know, I'm going to see
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Mary Poppins jump out of one of them any moment.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Extraordinary.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Our final stop on his Evesham food trip takes us to the village
0:23:55 > 0:23:59of Bretforton, and the Fleece Inn, which, according to Chamberlain,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03was the most unspoiled medieval pub he came across in all his travels.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05High praise indeed.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08Oh, look at this.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I told you if you followed me I'd bring you to the right places.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- Nice to meet you. How are you doing? - The Fleece Inn?- The Fleece Inn, yes.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- Does that mean you'll rob us of every penny we have?- When I can.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- Good man. Good man. - Great-looking pub, Nigel.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25But we're not here for the architecture, or even the beer.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27We've come to join in the annual celebration of one
0:24:27 > 0:24:29of Evesham's greatest treasures -
0:24:29 > 0:24:31asparagus.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37- Are these people perfectly sane? - They are, most of the time.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40They don't look it to me. I'm honoured to meet you, sir.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- Aspara-fairy.- Aspara-fairy. - Eve. My name's Eve.- Eve.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45I have to tell you,
0:24:45 > 0:24:50a man who's dedicated enough to paint his face green gets my vote.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54The asparagus season runs from April to Midsummer,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57so that leaves the rest of the year to come up with evermore
0:24:57 > 0:24:59inventive things to do with the stuff,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and it looks like they haven't been wasting their time.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Is this asparagus ice cream? There's no such thing.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08All local asparagus.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Do you eat anything else but asparagus?
0:25:10 > 0:25:13I'm never going to look at it the same again.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Asparagus scones. I make them in my farm shop.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- MUFFLED:- I hate this show, don't you?
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Because we never get the chance to eat.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Can I give you some asparagus soap?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Believe it or not, you can't eat these.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- They're all made of solid soap. - So I can shower in this asparagus?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35You can.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38It seems that this remarkable vegetable can even predict
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- the future.- Gently throw it onto the surface, Sir Terry,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and then I'll make some predictions for you.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Oh, goodness me.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51- I predict lots of journeys here. So you are very well organised.- Is he?
0:25:51 > 0:25:55And I suggest that you have a very well organised entourage with you.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Yeah, here I am, love. - You see, I got it right, didn't I?
0:25:58 > 0:26:00No, no. The asparagus is lying.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04The culmination of the celebration is an auction to raise
0:26:04 > 0:26:07money for instruments for the local village silver band.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- We've got some special asparagus for you.- Have you?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Yes, that we're going to have a go at auctioning.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17You'll get nothing for that. You will get nothing for that.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22That is a few years old, that one. Look at the eyes.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25There is no need to press the nose like that.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30Ladies and gentlemen, I want to invite you for bids
0:26:30 > 0:26:32on this asparagus.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37Held once by Mr Tel Wogan, Sir Terry Wogan.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41He's still got it. Give it me back here.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43We have a bid of five pounds.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Any advance on five pounds? We have six. Seven? We have seven.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Eight pounds, anywhere? Have we got eight pounds?
0:26:50 > 0:26:52£20, gentlemen in the front. Thank you.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56£30... 40, £40 we have. Yes, £40.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- 91.- £91. Hundred anywhere?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Thank you.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04It's going once, twice, sold, thank you.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07CHEERING
0:27:07 > 0:27:10This is a great honour. I feel as if I've achieved something here.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15My asparagus has gone for £100.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Thank you, everybody.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- Well done, sir.- Is there drink?
0:27:23 > 0:27:26- Drink!- He's buying.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Excuse me, I have to leave.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30LAUGHTER
0:27:30 > 0:27:31THEY PLAY A MARCH
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- All the best. Take care.- I think it's time we got out of here.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51I understand they are going to play the Floral Dance.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52Quick, quick. Move.