Evesham Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip

What I like about these little towns and cities we've visited

is the old and the new blending into each other.

Just a bit like me and you.

-Just kidding, mate.

-Yeah.

I've got feelings, too, you know.

It's taken 50 years in broadcasting, but I've finally cracked it...

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

meet the people...

..and, 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.

-Whoo!

-Oh, oh!

Now don't tell me people have wedding cakes made of pork pies.

But they do!

Our journey through these fair isles

has brought us to the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire,

where we'll be on the hunt for the finest delicacies

this lush and fertile region has to offer.

Once again, our caravan moves on.

I'm just referring to our good old pal Sam Chamberlain.

The Vale of Evesham, and he says, "The good things of the Earth

"burst forth here. The Pershore plum,

"the Worcester apple, asparagus from Evesham's Vale."

Does this mean... Reading between the lines,

does this mean we have to stuff ourselves with food again?

I think it might do, Terry.

First stop for us is the town of Evesham itself,

a Medieval gem full of the ancient gateways

and timbered houses that old Sam Chamberlain so admired.

Whenever I see this kind of architecture, black on white,

Tudor...

There's so much fake Tudor around that I begin to think,

"Have they just made this up? When did they build this?"

The town of Evesham was founded around an 8th-century abbey,

but the only bit that remains is this bell tower.

And as well as being food experts,

we've also learned a thing or two about architecture on our travels.

-It's a bell tower.

-It's a... HE LAUGHS

And I think it's about the 14th century.

That's fantastic. But, mind you, I'm saying that a lot, aren't I?

-Between food and scenery...

-We're being spoiled.

-Yeah.

Well...

-That's more or less done that, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

I tell you what, we haven't eaten for at least ten minutes.

-I'm beginning to feel the pangs of hunger, are you?

-And me.

Let's see if we can find somewhere.

I've heard rumours

of one particularly tasty Evesham breakfast.

But it get to it, we must first cross over the mighty River Avon,

which almost completely surrounds the town.

Luckily, a friendly local comes to our aid.

I'm going to take you over the Hampton Ferry

which we consider to be the only rope ferry in the world.

-The operative word is rope.

-OK.

There are a lot of steel ferries, steel horses and all sorts,

-but this is rope.

-We want the rope ferry.

-Yes.

Diana Raphael's family have operated this ferry

since 1929 and they also run the on-site cafe.

The crossing itself is over 800 years old

and dates back to when the old abbey was still standing.

-Mason, mind how you go, son.

-All right.

-Just keep pulling.

-"Just keep pulling!"

-What about this story I heard about the pigman?

-Eof.

That's how Evesham got its name. There was a swineherd.

Where the river goes round in a loop,

the flat bit here was called the ham.

-And the swineherd's name was Eof.

-Yeah.

And he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary.

He then went to Worcester to see Egwin, his boss,

the bishop of Worcester.

So Egwin came here and he too saw the vision.

-He saw the vision, as well?

-He saw the vision, as well

and he took it as a sign that he should build a monastery.

That was in 704 and when people said,

"Where are you building the monastery?"

He said, "On Eof's ham."

-And obviously, as you say it, it was...

-Evesham.

-Evesham. Yes.

This is your captain speaking.

Prepare for landing. SHE LAUGHS

Thank you for...riding on McQueen's Ferries today.

Very, very smooth, captain.

-There you go, my good lady.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

The time has come to try Diana's famed Evesham sandwiches,

beloved of tourists and fishermen alike.

-Here we go.

-Well, I'm not a fisherman.

Have a sandwich. No, well, you can just pretend.

I'm wearing a kind of fisherman's hat.

I don't think I qualify as a fisherman.

My father was a fisherman and he put me off fishing

because he used to take so long to get ready.

Oh, look at it.

My mother made something that has become part

and parcel of Hampton Ferry - bread pudding.

Although you don't usually have pudding for breakfast.

I'll give it a go!

-We've turned down nothing so far.

-No. No, that's fine.

Having refuelled ourselves, it's time to hit the road

in pursuit of the next item on our Evesham food agenda.

To help us with our inquiries, we're picking up a passenger,

John Edgeley, a horticultural crop consultant who knows this

part of the country inside out.

What makes this corner of England so plentiful, so bounteous?

It's probably the soil - very fertile and you've got

protection by the Malvern Hills and the Cotswold Hills.

So it's got its own sort of micro-environment,

ideal for quite early crops,

and of course you have the population developing

on the doorstep in Birmingham...

..that needed feeding, so hence, vegetables growing here, fruits.

The Vale of Evesham is famous for the blossom.

-It is a blossoming county.

-Yeah.

When our guiding spirit, Sam Chamberlain,

was here in the early '60s, he spoke lyrically

of the famous plum blossoms of the Vale of Evesham.

Even after a week of strong winds, there's still a few left to enjoy

and then, of course, the promise of fruit to come.

Do you eat a plum at all from time to time, Mason?

I know you're picky.

To be honest, Tel, no, I don't eat plums very much.

You do have to be careful how many plums you eat,

-otherwise there's dire consequences.

-Oh, really?

But I'm told that if you peel off the skin then it's not so bad.

-It has a purgative quality.

-That's right.

In pursuit of the famous Evesham plum, John is taking us

to a special orchard, once so neglected, it was almost lost,

but now has been taken over by the Vale Landscape Heritage Trust.

Lot of dead wood, isn't there?

That's for a reason - because dead wood is good in these old orchards.

Erm, particularly around here because we have an endangered beetle

called the noble chafer, which feeds on dead wood.

So you're not only protecting the trees, the plums, the pears,

the apples, you're protecting the beetles.

The beetles, as well, yes.

You only get a sighting of the rare noble chafer beetle

on a few sunny days in August,

so we'll have to make do with the next best thing.

-What are you doing?

-I'm actually looking for beetle poo.

The thing about orchard trees

is they start to rot away quite early in life.

These trees are about 70 years old or so,

and they've already got an awful lot of rot inside.

-I'm in my 70s and I've got a fair amount of rot.

-Well...

And I deliver a lot of rot, so... But go on.

If we use a long-handled spoon, we can delve down inside.

You're going to frighten the life out of a beetle.

-Well, it's not their life we're looking for, it's...

-Oh!

..what we might frighten out of him, I think.

I see. Beetle droppings.

They're very distinctive with the noble chafer.

-It looks a bit like cheap coffee.

-Yeah.

If you're very lucky, in it you'll find these much harder,

larger pieces which are a sure sign that the noble chafer grubs

have been feeding inside the trees.

When you think the beetle's only the size of my thumbnail,

and these are this big and really hard,

it's quite an achievement, I think.

Ringo Starr's didn't look like that.

-SNIGGERING

-I was about to ask how you know.

This orchard may be several months away from harvest,

but there's one plum job that needs doing.

Applicants must be able to play the clarinet

and look good in tights.

And this gentleman here, who is this?

I've got the honour of being the Pershore plum charmer.

Do you know, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir.

And you're the charmer?

That's right, the charmer plays music in the orchard

and to the plums to make them sweeter

and to encourage a good harvest.

-I've got something here for you.

-It's not a fruit, is it? It is!

A plum!

-And are these edible?

-These are perfectly edible.

If you'd like to take a bite, you're welcome to do so.

Don't hand it to me. He was about to hand it to me. Go on!

-Get that down you.

-You're my taster.

-I'm not your taster at all.

Taster or toaster?

-Probably not as good as the local plums, but...

-Firm, but flavoursome.

Would you perhaps give us a tune on the old clarinet?

-See?

-Sweeter?

-Mm. Better already.

-Come on.

-No, you're all right.

-No, I have left a little bit there.

Thanks, so kind of you, Terry

My teeth marks.

LAUGHTER

-Mmm.

-Not bad. I know it's early. Early plum. Thank you.

-Pleasure to meet you.

-You too. You too, plum.

LAUGHTER AND SNIPPET OF TUNE PLAYED ON CLARINET

Thanks to the plum charmer,

this year's harvest is bound to be plentiful.

I still haven't had a proper taste

of a genuine Vale of Evesham Pershore plum.

So I'm heading south, to the small village of Fladbury,

where I've heard they are cropping up in the most unlikely places.

Would I be right in saying that I'm about to cross

the threshold of Simon the Pieman?

That's me, Terry, nice to meet you.

I've heard a lot about you and your pies.

Outside it says, "Ask about the pie of the week" -

what's the pie of the week?

It's our famous Vale pie, which is full of fruits from the area -

apples, plums...

I'm not a big lover of tagines, fruit and meat together.

-Oh, well...

-Is this going to be all right?

-I'll convince you, Terry.

-Will I be able to eat this?

-I promise.

The pie Simon is making today uses hot water pastry made of

lard, water and flower, and will be eaten cold.

Like a standard pork pie.

-What's this?

-This is basically minced pork,

and we have got spices as well, and fruit, apples and plums.

You can't get away from the plum

-in the Vale of Evesham, can you?

-You can't.

We all look like plums, as well, unfortunately

-Well, ruddy with health.

-LAUGHING:

-Yeah!

We put the lid on the top there, and then we crimp it.

-They're all freshly made here?

-Yeah.

-By Simon the Pieman.

-Yeah.

Probably do about 1,500 a week.

There we go, lovely and crimped like that.

Oh, look at that, very artistic.

And then we would put it in the oven then. An hour and 20.

'Luckily, we don't have to wait for this one to cook.

'Simon has prepared something rather special for me to sample.'

-This is a pork pie wedding cake.

-That's right.

Now don't tell me people have wedding cakes made of pork pies.

They do!

There's never any left. Fruitcakes - left.

Pork pie wedding cakes are not.

Do you think you could have two little figures?

We have done that, but we thought pears look beautiful on top,

and obviously classic for Worcestershire as well.

-Rosemary and all the rest of it as well.

-Yeah.

It's not easy, you see, to get that kind of pastry correct.

No, there's so many stages to making a pork pie, and all of them

have to be done correctly, so it does take days really.

Beautiful layers - plum, apple - looks gorgeous, doesn't it?

Well, I'm very lucky, I can eat anything I like.

-And because of my nervous energy, I burn it off.

-That's good.

-Spicy enough for you?

-I can't talk to you, Simon,

I'm enjoying this pie.

-Bit busy, Terry.

-Mmm.

HE SIGHS WITH PLEASURE

Farming and agriculture run deep in the veins of the people of Evesham.

And the local dialect called Assam Grammar is supposed to have

evolved over centuries of toiling in the field.

Luckily for us, a couple obliging locals have volunteered to

give us a lesson in the basics.

How does it differ from the West Country accent, for instance?

To my ears, it's much the same.

Yeah, it is very similar, but there are differences.

If we say "first", then we say "fust",

or if we were saying "was then", we would say "wunnum" or "wussum".

Actually, you can speak Assam Grammar

using just letters of the alphabet.

You go something like, "A? O, I? E. E B, A?

"O! E B, A?"

So, do you do rhyming slang as certain dialects do?

See, the thing with rhyming slang would be round here,

if you say "plates of meat - feet",

it don't really work, because "feet" round here is "fit".

So you say, "Yunner got some big fit, you."

Are you paying attention, Wogan?

No, I'm just looking at the pair of you and thinking, "Twin souls."

You too should be doing a programme together.

The fruit and veg industry has changed

dramatically in the Vale of Evesham over the past 70 years,

and one of the most visible signs is the polytunnel.

They may not be the most beautiful,

but they do extend the growing season and allow you to eat

British-grown greens well into the month of November.

It's an extraordinary part of the country, isn't it?

Polytunnels over there, to the right of you,

polytunnels to the left of you.

It's like a fruit and veg shop for England, isn't it?

It's huge.

It reminds you of Holland, doesn't it?

Yeah, but with them it's all tulips. With us, it's health-giving lettuce.

It is an extraordinary thing as you come through the lanes

-and roads round here and see these extraordinary hangers almost.

-Yeah.

-All over the place.

-Yeah.

The Vale of Evesham really must supply a great deal

-of the vegetables and fruit of Britain.

-We do.

What have you got here?

This is red chard, and this is ready to harvest probably tomorrow,

which will then go into the pack house to be packed.

I hate to ask, but how much chard...

would you have just running down these two alleys?

There's only about 200-250 kilos to one bay.

People eat them differently now.

They used to be more like sprouts, leeks, spring onions.

-Yeah, 'course it was, yeah.

-Cauliflowers...

-What is it now then?

Well, there's a lot of baby leaf that will grow in,

we do watercress, wild rocket.

You know, old Franco has 24 acres of polytunnel under cultivation.

All those greens must be packed and dispatched within ten hours

of picking, and that takes place in his own plant, on the same site.

Franco, this is an incredible operation.

I wasn't expecting anything like this.

-You have many workers in here, how many have you got?

-About 16 of them.

-And they're all nationalities?

-Yes.

Mainly Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Romanian...

We have a few Italians working here, a few Polish.

For the last 15 years, this migrant workforce,

mainly from Eastern Europe, has played a vital part

in undercover fruit and veg cultivation in Evesham.

-This is Camelia.

-Camelia, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you too.

-You too, my dear girl. So where are you from?

-I'm from Romania.

-And how long have you worked here?

-Over one year.

-And is your family still in Romania?

-Yeah, my family's in Romania.

-What's your name?

-Vasilka.

-Vasilka.

-From where?

-Bulgaria.

-Bulgaria.

-Are you happy to be working here?

-Yeah, I'm happy.

Of course you're going to say that, because you're with the boss.

The boss, yes.

But it's not all work for the salad growers and pickers of Evesham.

There's quite a lot of play as well.

We've been invited to a charity football match,

and Mason is dusting off his boots.

The good news is I hear there's a strong food element on this

occasion as well.

-We're coming into the football ground.

-Ho-ho!

-Yeah. Evesham United Football Club.

-HE CHANTS: Evesham United!

I understand that you're going to show us your stuff.

What stuff's that?

Your twinkle toes.

Easy, now. Only my Nancy sees my stuff.

-Hello, boys.

-Come on, fellas. I've got a footballer with me.

-Nice to see you. My agent will pay for me.

-Thank you, guv'nor.

That's my agent.

-I'm really looking forward to this.

-So are we.

-Seeing him playing.

Mason is going to be playing for Growers United FC,

a squad already made up of 15 different nationalities,

which can now add a genuine London Cockney to its line-up.

-He looks like Messi, doesn't he?

-Yeah.

I am MESSY. Have you seen me play? MESSY.

ALL LAUGH

-Right, let's go, lads.

-OK.

Come on, Growers!

Now, while Mason runs around in the rain, I get down to the real work -

sampling all the delicious food that's on offer in the stands.

I run my own business at home and I bake cakes. So they're my muffins.

-What nationality are you?

-I'm Polish.

-Polish?

-Yes.

-How long have you lived here?

-Ten years.

Well, everybody obviously sticks together very well here.

-Everybody's part of the community.

-Yes.

-The strawberry is delicious.

-Yes.

British strawberries, of course. British strawberries - the best.

Mm.

WHISTLE

Is that food I see?

A little butternut squash which has been filled with cherry tomato...

Would you eat that?

THEY LAUGH

That's an unsolicited testimony.

-This one is a sweet potato muffin...

-Sweet potato?

-Yes.

It's filled with jam made with strawberry.

Oh, well, then, we have to have that.

WHISTLE

Is the football match on? Am I missing anything?

Take him off the field. He could die out there.

At the end of the day, it was an honourable draw,

but football was the real winner.

Now, get out of those wet things and get back to the day job, Mason.

One thing about old Sam Chamberlain, he had quite grand tastes.

If there was a posh restaurant in the neighbourhood,

he'd have his knees under the table

before you could say "five-course tasting menu."

"The Lygon Arms, a fine Tudor hostelry known to

"a generation of travellers from overseas."

-Too good for the likes of me and you, I'm afraid.

-Probably.

Well, they might let you in, Tel, but they definitely won't let me in.

If you're very lucky, I'll send you out a ham sandwich.

-Don't say I don't look after you.

-MASON CHUCKLES

You don't look after me at all.

The 16th-century Lygon Arms in the picturesque

village of Broadway is a few miles south east of Evesham,

and back in the '60s,

anyone who was anyone motored out here to enjoy

a slap-up lunch, and our Chamberlain was

breathless in his praise of this "fine Tudor hostelry".

He particularly enjoyed the fish pie, which is

what I'm going to try myself today.

So, what's the main ingredient?

We've got haddock, cod and turbot.

Nice big chunks.

You've got to have big chunks, because all the moisture in fish,

it'll seep out if you've got little tiny bits.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-You can hardly taste it.

A few tomatoes,

with some mussels and prawns in.

-Ah, they're hard-boiled.

-Hard-boiled eggs.

-Very binding.

Probably do me the power of good.

And we've got some white cream sauce here. It's just a bechamel, really.

-So no trouble has gone into this(!)

-Not at all(!)

It's a fancy fish pie.

-Curlicues of potato.

-And Bob's your uncle.

-You know how fussy I am, don't you?

-I do.

And one I made earlier.

Ian, it's a triumph and it would be an insult to you if I didn't try it.

Where's the dining room?

Joining me for lunch is the hotel's manager, Colin Heaney.

I hate to disturb the plate, covered as it is in my national weed,

the shamrock.

Following in the footsteps of old Chamberlain.

He thought it was supreme, the fish pie.

Mm.

Terrific. Is that...

the big visitors' book you have here?

I can barely make out the scrawls, but who's there?

Well, this is Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor. It's dated 1963.

-Yeah.

-We had Lord Snowdon.

And then we had his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh,

-who came in March '68.

-Did he mention the fish pie at all?

-Or did he...

-He didn't have fish pie.

-Didn't he? What did he have?

My research shows he had the steak and kidney and mushroom pudding.

He's a good man. He is. Yeah.

This is superior.

-Can I take some of it home?

-You can. We'll give you a doggy bag.

The thing about driving around here,

it's like driving through a Hollywood set.

These little houses, these little villages, they're not for real.

You know, I'm going to see

Mary Poppins jump out of one of them any moment.

Extraordinary.

Our final stop on his Evesham food trip takes us to the village

of Bretforton, and the Fleece Inn, which, according to Chamberlain,

was the most unspoiled medieval pub he came across in all his travels.

High praise indeed.

Oh, look at this.

I told you if you followed me I'd bring you to the right places.

-Nice to meet you. How are you doing?

-The Fleece Inn?

-The Fleece Inn, yes.

-Does that mean you'll rob us of every penny we have?

-When I can.

-Good man. Good man.

-Great-looking pub, Nigel.

But we're not here for the architecture, or even the beer.

We've come to join in the annual celebration of one

of Evesham's greatest treasures -

asparagus.

-Are these people perfectly sane?

-They are, most of the time.

They don't look it to me. I'm honoured to meet you, sir.

-Aspara-fairy.

-Aspara-fairy.

-Eve. My name's Eve.

-Eve.

I have to tell you,

a man who's dedicated enough to paint his face green gets my vote.

The asparagus season runs from April to Midsummer,

so that leaves the rest of the year to come up with evermore

inventive things to do with the stuff,

and it looks like they haven't been wasting their time.

Is this asparagus ice cream? There's no such thing.

All local asparagus.

Do you eat anything else but asparagus?

I'm never going to look at it the same again.

Asparagus scones. I make them in my farm shop.

-MUFFLED:

-I hate this show, don't you?

Because we never get the chance to eat.

Can I give you some asparagus soap?

Believe it or not, you can't eat these.

-They're all made of solid soap.

-So I can shower in this asparagus?

You can.

It seems that this remarkable vegetable can even predict

-the future.

-Gently throw it onto the surface, Sir Terry,

and then I'll make some predictions for you.

Oh, goodness me.

-I predict lots of journeys here. So you are very well organised.

-Is he?

And I suggest that you have a very well organised entourage with you.

-Yeah, here I am, love.

-You see, I got it right, didn't I?

No, no. The asparagus is lying.

The culmination of the celebration is an auction to raise

money for instruments for the local village silver band.

-We've got some special asparagus for you.

-Have you?

Yes, that we're going to have a go at auctioning.

You'll get nothing for that. You will get nothing for that.

That is a few years old, that one. Look at the eyes.

There is no need to press the nose like that.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to invite you for bids

on this asparagus.

Held once by Mr Tel Wogan, Sir Terry Wogan.

He's still got it. Give it me back here.

We have a bid of five pounds.

Any advance on five pounds? We have six. Seven? We have seven.

Eight pounds, anywhere? Have we got eight pounds?

£20, gentlemen in the front. Thank you.

£30... 40, £40 we have. Yes, £40.

-91.

-£91. Hundred anywhere?

Thank you.

It's going once, twice, sold, thank you.

CHEERING

This is a great honour. I feel as if I've achieved something here.

My asparagus has gone for £100.

Thank you, everybody.

-Well done, sir.

-Is there drink?

-Drink!

-He's buying.

Excuse me, I have to leave.

LAUGHTER

THEY PLAY A MARCH

-All the best. Take care.

-I think it's time we got out of here.

I understand they are going to play the Floral Dance.

Quick, quick. Move.