Scarborough Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip

We're ready to go.

Still don't know where we're going, do you?

That depends on you and how much you put your back into it, doesn't it?

Well, things are not too good in my career but...

-reaching this point where I'm...

-Come on. Have a go, mate.

-..pushing a black cab!

There you go. Go on, Terence.

Hey-hey!

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...

-HE LAUGHS

..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.

I hope you enjoy your meal.

I'd better, Sammy, otherwise there'll be trouble.

-SHE LAUGHS

-No pressure.

-No pressure at all.

I've put my faith in Mason's humble hackney carriage

to take me further than it's ever been before.

This is Scarborough,

on the great North Yorkshire coast,

a town that claims to be the world's first seaside resort.

Now, this place, Mason,

is going to be a bit above you.

-Above your station in life.

-Oh, yeah?

"The aristocrat of coastal resorts in Yorkshire.

"Endless attractions to the vacationist,

"except an absolute guarantee of good weather."

So we'll keep the old fingers crossed,

-we've had good weather so far.

-Yeah.

-But something tells me...

Well, I'M telling you that I think we're in for a bit of rain.

When Chamberlain passed through, in the '60s,

this was a seaside town with a hint of luxury, glamour

and some top nosh.

Since it was established in the tenth century

the people of Scarborough have always looked to the sea

for nourishment - and therefore, so shall we.

Why don't we go down to the old fish market

or go down by the port and have a look and see what the fishermen of England are doing?

# The fishermen of England

# Go down to the mighty sea... #

First port of call, Scarborough harbour. That's quite a mouthful.

It is.

And don't think we won't get a mouthful...of everything.

3.38 of turbot. Three fish...

Fish has been on the menu in Scarborough for centuries,

and most mornings the freshest fish in town are sold at the harbour,

straight off the boat.

50, 60, 70, 80...

One buyer is Giorgio, a local restaurateur,

who's braved the rains to show us his fish.

You were born and bred in Yorkshire, were you?

-ITALIAN ACCENT:

-Yes, you can hear from my accent.

-Exactly.

That's a true Yorkshire accent, isn't it?

And you bought some fish here today. What have you got?

Well, I got some monk, I got some Dover sole...

Monkfish is an ugly old fish, isn't it? Look at that.

People used to throw that back, didn't they?

-Because they thought it was so ugly.

-They did, they did.

-And now you...

It is beautiful. The only problem is, we use only the tail.

-That is the only thing.

-Monkfish tails.

-That's right.

I don't see any Norwegian salmon in there.

No, no, definitely not.

Giorgio, we wish you luck with the cooking.

-Thank you very much.

-Toss them lightly in butter.

-Yes, yes.

-Yes.

-Simple the best, because the flavour is there when they're fresh.

Those fish that aren't picked up by local restaurants

will often find their way into the harbour-side's fish shop.

Expertly filleted, the heads and bones

go to make cat food and fertiliser,

while the good stuff is sold over the counter.

The halibut and the scallops catch my eye, Tone.

These scallops are local caught.

These are caught by the local scallopers

that are working out of here at the minute.

-Is that what they're called, scallopers?

-Scallopers, yeah.

And this, Scarborough...woof?

-Scarborough woof, that's a catfish.

-HE HOWLS LIKE A WOLF

-Tell me about this, Tone.

-Well, that's a lovely catfish.

It is a beautiful-tasting fish.

So that's your idea of a joke, is it?

You've got a catfish and you call it a woof.

Yeah. Well, I don't know how we originally got it's name,

-Scarborough woof.

-TERRY BARKS

-Yep. But that's...

-They only catch it on the full moon. TERRY LAUGHS

It's quite a meaty fish.

You mean it doesn't taste of anything? It's just a...

You need a bit of a sauce to go with it.

-It's a bit like a cod, isn't it?

-Yeah.

What's your favourite fish?

-Halibut.

-Yeah, I love a halibut.

-Yep.

You can't beat a nice bit of halibut.

You can only look at fish for so long before you have to eat some,

and conceding through the pangs of hunger,

we head to the harbour-side cafe.

-This is where it is.

-Morning, ladies.

-Morning, ladies.

ALL: Good morning.

'Renowned for its hospitality to local fisher folk,

'Mason and I should fit right in.'

Are these the rough crowd?

Yeah, they're all a lovely bunch of guys.

-Are they?

-Yeah.

Laurie there, he's a fisherman...

-I thought his name might be Magdalene Anne.

-LAUGHTER

So, what should we have to eat? What have you got?

We've got some lovely kippers and poached eggs.

I suppose you don't like kippers.

-I'll force one down.

-LAUGHTER

-You'll manage one.

-And a Yorkshire pudding with his one, please, dear.

-And a nice cup of tea for him.

-A cup of tea. No problem at all.

'For many, this small restaurant will serve their final meal

'before braving the tempestuous swells of the great North Sea -

'so the kippers should be spectacular.'

-Here we go.

-Look at this.

-Ooh, lovely.

-Kippers from Whitby...

-Wa-hey!

-Whitby kippers.

..served with a poached egg.

-Thank you very much.

-Wow.

-What did you just put on your fish?

-Vinegar.

-Oh, my God.

The reason I've put jam and marmalade out

is because it's supposed to stop it repeating on you

for the rest of the day.

-So you're supposed eat something sweet afterwards.

-Oh, right.

-Yep.

Never knew that.

If I may say so, your kippers are a credit to you.

Are they OK?

Did you hear about the crab that went to the seafood disco?

He pulled a MUSSEL.

I don't get it.

-What?

-MASON LAUGHS

As Chamberlain points out,

Scarborough has much more to offer than just the fish.

There's the castle,

the golden sands - and, of course, the seaside entertainment.

That's the way to do it!

It's years since I've seen a Punch and Judy show.

Oh, my poor nose.

There's an element of violence there, isn't there?

He's talking to you.

Oh, hello, Punch.

One muppet to another.

That's the way to do it...

Where did they go?

-Ah!

-Hey! Pleased to meet you, Terry.

You'll be Uncle Brian.

Scarborough's Punch and Judy man.

Good to see you, Brian. How long have you been doing this?

It must be 40 years ago when my father first brought me

down onto the beach to go round with the hat for him...

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

Unfortunately you find me financially...

I'm a bit like Prince Charles, I don't carry cash.

In the early '60s, Scarborough's beach

would have been crammed full of holiday-makers

expecting to catch a glimpse of this Victorian seaside tradition,

and a mischievous peek inside the striped booth

was as attractive then as it is now.

HE LAUGHS

Ah...

Hang on. Here we go.

Hello, Terry! Nice to see you in Scarborough.

MASON LAUGHS

How is it, Tel? Am I good?

No. Rubbish.

Hey, don't...

No, you're destroying the reality. You look like Norman Wisdom now.

Where do you get your passport pictures done? Is it here? THEY LAUGH

That's hard work, Bri.

As a reward for his epic performance,

we're off to sample another Great British seaside tradition.

-Do you like rock?

-No.

I mean, do you like seaside rock?

-Not really, no.

-When I was a kid, yeah, I loved it.

'This shop has been selling rock to holiday-makers

'on the Yorkshire coast for over 100 years.

'Although those early confectioners may not recognise

'the variety of colours and flavours available today.'

Have you ever seen such a selection of rocks in all your life?

Oh, look - I've got one for you particularly. Look.

Very funny.

Oh, yeah? Touche, my friend. There's one for you.

Have at you, then!

It seems Chamberlain didn't clock the rock at Scarborough,

but if he had, chances are he would have been served

by a member of Trevor Hodgson's family.

Is there still a demand for rock,

are there are still little chaps like me saying,

-"I want a stick of rock?"

-Certainly, everybody still wants a stick,

it's still the cheapest gift there is.

It's the cheapest souvenir when you come to the coast.

That's what makes it so popular.

Yeah, I know, but people nowadays

tend to think that anything with sugar is bad for children.

Ah, we've moved on from there. We're making sugar-free rock now,

-and sugar-free dummies.

-You're moving with the times, aren't you?

Yeah, moving with the times. You have to do, you can't stand still.

Rock isn't the only Scarborough snack on the seafront.

You can't come to the beach and not try a little ice cream.

Whatever the weather.

-Isn't this amazing?

-Good morning!

-Good morning.

-Morning, girls.

-When did we last see an ice cream parlour like this?

-I know.

From the look of you, sir - you're the same colour as the counter -

-you must be the proprietor.

-I am.

This is an ice cream parlour from my past.

Well, this is the Harbour Bar in Scarborough.

It's been here since 1945.

It set up after the war.

It's giving me that sort of sense of Scarborough, you know? Years ago.

Our customers don't want the shop to change.

-I don't want the shop to change.

-No, it's unique.

Even if we change the wallpaper on the ceiling, they get upset.

But the ice cream's got better.

'This restaurant has become a Scarborough institution.

'But the interesting bit happens out the back,

'where they MAKE the ice cream.'

-What have you got here?

-Well, this is a vertical freezer.

I knew that.

It's one of the few ice cream machines made in England, actually.

So how much ice cream would you get through in a day?

This is an eight-gallon freezer. We would probably erm...

during the day, maybe,

use this 20 times.

It makes a very solid ice cream,

so that when it's in the shop the girls can scoop it.

It's nice and frozen.

And so they can design ice cream dishes without it melting.

This is the liquid ice cream.

It is made up of...?

Milk powder, milk,

butter, double cream,

some single cream in there,

some glucose

and some seaweed.

It's the seaweed that thickens up this product.

What's going in here?

This is a natural colour...

..which is made from...beetroot.

Is this Yorkshire beetroot?

-This is absolutely Yorkshire beetroot.

-I thought so.

And this - this is Yorkshire rhubarb.

I see.

Oops, sorry. Stand back.

It's a little bit late to say that.

Now, we'll leave that for...

20 minutes,

and then you get some beautiful rhubarb ice cream.

'Having been attacked by this odd concoction

'and despite my aversion to rhubarb,

'I'm going to have to try some.

'Served in the Harbour Bar's favourite dish.'

I'm going to make you a Knickerbocker Glory.

I know a Knickerbocker Glory, and if you make any mistake on this

there'll be trouble.

So a Knickerbocker Glory...

That's the right kind of glass for a start,

you've got to have it in a glass like that.

So you've got your strawberry juice there...

-..and then you've got your vanilla ice cream.

-OK...

I used to have jelly in mine.

Some people did, yeah.

We HAVE jelly, if you'd like some.

No, it's too late.

This is rhubarb ice cream which we don't normally put in.

Then you want some pineapples...

-This one's got to be super.

-OK...

Then you've got your wafers.

Now, this...

is the finishing one - the cherry on the top.

Ah, the coup de grace.

THEY CHEER

-Sir...

-Do it right, son.

-..your Knickerbocker Glory.

-That's it.

-What's the straw for?

For the juice at the bottom.

At the bottom? You'll never get to the bottom of this.

You can't do it without slurping.

-That's it.

-Wa-hey! There you go.

I bypassed the rhubarb.

Are you sick to death eating on this thing?

Never.

No, I didn't think you were.

So we should be all right for the old fish and chips.

That's what I'm looking forward to, Terry.

Yeah, I'll bet.

At the same time as we order the fish and chips somebody will say,

"Would you like a little Yorkshire pudding with gravy?"

On this culinary caravan,

we've managed to avoid the humble chip shop,

but this stretch of coast is the spiritual home to our national dish.

'Chamberlain mentions a unique establishment

'called the Tunny Club...'

-Bit windy out there. Hello, mate.

-Just a bit blowy.

-John, hi.

-John. Nice to see you.

'..which I'm told cooks up some of the best fish and chips in town.'

-How long have you been...

-Oh!

..slaving over the old hot fat?

Been slaving over the old fat for about 35 years I think, now.

And it don't seem a day too much, do it(?)

Can I just ask, are you a cod or haddock man?

-I think cod's a bit tasteless...

-OK.

-..so I like a haddock.

Would you feel it in your heart to be able to get me a bit of haddock?

-Absolutely, sir, no problem at all.

-Good man. OK.

Where do you hide the haddock?

-Just inside this fish fridge here.

-OK, let's have a look.

-There we go.

-Two nice pieces ready for you.

-Oh!

-So this is locally caught, is it?

-It is indeed. Only the finest.

-Just putting it into some rice flour...

-Rice flour?

..just so... It just fluffs up the batter a bit better.

This won't take long, will it?

No, four-and-a-half minutes.

While this is all going on, what happens to the chips?

Well, the chips... Then what we do,

we par-fry them first to retain the goodness,

and then we drop them in.

They'll be in there for a couple of minutes.

-CHIPS RUSTLE

-So this is...?

That's what you're listening for.

-What, the crispiness?

-Yep.

-There we go.

-That looks good enough to eat.

With the cookery lesson over,

we head back to the restaurant to taste the goods.

Mason, what are you putting on your fish and chips?

Don't start, Terry. I have vinegar on me chips.

Nobody puts vinegar on chips or fish.

You're in Scarborough, not St Tropez, mate.

Only lemon on your fish. Gosh.

Oh!

Mason may joke, but from the 1930s

Scarborough was an exclusive European resort -

and stranger still, this small, unassuming room was the big draw.

Not for its haddock, but rather its tunny, or bluefin tuna,

and the deep sea sport of catching them.

I never think of...

these waters, the North Sea, having tuna.

Well, between 1930 and 1950 there was a tuna run along the coast during August and September.

And these fish followed the herring and mackerel

up through from the Atlantic.

And they came close inshore as they passed Scarborough on the way up to Scotland.

Whilst going past, one was caught on a rod and line

and it became a sport. So they brought all these people from...

The great and the good used to come from

all over the place to do this sports fishing.

They would partake in this wonderful deep sea adventure.

I mean, Scarborough was at that point a very fashionable resort.

Now, it has been suggested that these denizens of the deep

are returning to the waters here,

but I fear the sport of fishing for them

has been resigned to the vaults of local museum.

-We'll head off into the basement and look at the tunny archive.

-OK.

Tunny...

'This basement room holds some of the last remaining artefacts

'of this dangerous sea sport.'

-There we go.

-Wow.

-God, the weight of it.

-It is really heavy,

so you had to be really strong.

The rules meant you had to be strapped

to the back of a row boat, and the daring fishermen and women

could be dragged miles from the coast

by some of the largest fish in the North Sea.

-Well, there's plenty of eating in that.

-Wow.

-He's a big fish.

-There'll be a lot of tins in that tuna.

So this one was caught by a chap

called John Hedley Lewis from Lincolnshire,

and he's nine foot six inches long

and he weighed 852 pounds.

That'd look nice over my fireplace.

Yeah.

-If I had a fireplace...

-Have you got a room big enough for that?

'Risking life and limb for a big fish

'is not my idea of relaxation, so

'leaving the coast behind, we're heading into

'the North Yorkshire Moors for something a little more tranquil.'

So, Tel, we've left Scar-bados.

HE LAUGHS Did you enjoy that?

-IN FAUX YORKSHIRE ACCENTS: Fresh air.

-Fresh air and fun.

-I'm going to be frank with you, Mason...

-Go on.

Much as I enjoy your company,

I'm getting a bit bounced around here

in the back of this taxi.

You won't take offence, will you?

I thought I might take an alternative mode of transport.

I'm trading in Mason's cab for the glamour of steam.

Scarborough's development as a seaside town

relied upon the railways - not only for getting the fresh fish out,

but also getting all the fresh tourists in.

Do you know,

you're a very, very fine fellow,

and I'm terribly sorry you can't join me on this train.

See ya, Tel.

I'll miss ya!

-Have the engine turning over when I get back.

-Your Lord.

HORN TOOTS

This is the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

And having never been on the Moors before,

I'm looking forward to the view.

I heard there's a chance for a light bite -

better find out what's cooking.

-You'll be Sammy Sykes?

-I am.

-Put it there.

-Nice to meet you.

This ain't easy for you, is it?

-No...

-Tiny little compartment like this.

-It's not.

-It gets so hot in the summer...

-Yeah.

..and obviously you can see there's not a lot of space.

Do you like the excitement of this, and everything lurching back and forward?

-Oh, yeah, it's an experience, definitely.

-Yeah.

I love it. It's amazing on here. We're all like a big family as well.

So what are you doing for them today?

Today we've got roast beef on the menu, and...

-Is that a Yorkshire pudding?

-Yeah.

-Why?

-I thought it might be.

SHE LAUGHS

So how many people are you catering for today, Sally?

Today we've got 83 on, but we hold 109.

It's great to see so many people here -

OBVIOUSLY...your cooking is making a difference.

Obviously. Obviously everyone loves it.

I'm looking forward to trying it.

-Good.

-Sammy...

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

While my dinner is squeezed out of Sammy's kitchen...

Yep...

..I'm taking in the scenery with the railway's managing director,

Philip Benham.

-There you are.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you.

You can't, apparently, have a meal in this county without pudding.

I think Yorkshire pudding comes with most things, as you can see.

So this is train cuisine

as it should be, as it was,

-but is no longer?

-Absolutely.

The first dining train was actually in 1879,

and that was in this county, it was from Leeds to London,

and it really reached its peak in the 1920s and '30s.

Of course it took a lot longer in those days

to get from one place to another. You could have...

Maybe you'd have lunch on the train and then there was time for high tea as well.

-So it's quite a leisurely experience.

-All the more gracious.

-Everything's been sacrificed in the name of speed.

-Yes.

As my tribute to Yorkshire...

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

..and the train agrees,

I'm having a little Yorkshire pudding.

Who said they didn't like Yorkshire pudding?

You don't get many people saying that here.

Well, they're afraid to,

-they'd be drummed out of Yorkshire if they said it.

-Well...

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

With my tour of the North Yorkshire Moors coming to a close,

it's good to see a familiar face.

The poor little fella must be starving.

-Thank God you stayed.

-Terry...

-I was sick with worry.

How was it?

I'm still shaking a bit, but it was great.

Yorkshire pudding?

-I ate it.

-You ate it?

Didn't eat it all, but I had a bit of it.

I'm proud of ya. I really am.

With the gravy.

Army and Navy as well?

Do you know, the gravy - you could trot a mouse across that gravy.

Well done.

So, where are we going now?

-Scarborough Fair.

-Oh, well, here we go. You ready?

And you've heard that song a few times.

# Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme... #

Simon and Garfunkel, yeah?

I actually wrote the song and they stole it from me.

Scarborough Fair was an annual 45-day medieval festival

that began in the 13th century.

Today, the name has been adopted by a local collection

of steam engines and fairground attractions.

-Ever seen a place like this in your life?

-I love it, Tel.

-It's extraordinary.

-What a collection.

'While the fair that Simon and Garfunkel sung about

'is no longer with us,

'its namesake does hold another very traditional Scarborough event.'

It's a "the dansant" - a dancing tea.

Let us go in there and see these people, shall we?

'Time to show those Northerners how to move.'

Lovely.

We move... Don't we move well?

MASON GIGGLES

With Mason's twinkling toes leading the way,

we find the man behind the music - Michael Carr.

Michael, you're playing the mighty Wurlitzer like a thing possessed.

Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.

-It's a Yorkshire tradition, the dancing tea.

-Yes.

There's dancing, and then in the interval

you can have coffee, tea and a nice piece of cake.

-Well, we've done the dancing...

-We've earned it.

-..we deserve a bit of cake.

I know that Yorkshire people are proud of their pudding,

but it seems they're pretty pleased with their cake as well.

And there's no better person to ask than local cake maestro

Maggie Barrowclough.

-That's a courting cake.

-A courting cake?

Yeah - traditionally given by young girls to their betrothed.

I see. Well, unfortunately I'm married...

-I'm married 50 years this year.

-Oh, dear.

So I'm a far cry away from a courting cake.

I thought it was called courting cake

cos you wouldn't go out after eating all that and...

SHE LAUGHS ..you're going to get friendly.

Oh... That's a credit to you.

What is it about Yorkshire and cake?

I mean, I know about Yorkshire and rhubarb

and Yorkshire and pudding...

and all the other stuff.

But Yorkshire and cake?

People obviously from the working industry

needed to get together...

and have big teas like this I suppose,

and just enjoy themselves.

-Yeah, socialise.

-Socialise, cos there wasn't, you know,

a great deal of happiness in going down a mine

so if they could get to a big spread like this on occasion...

-So the Welsh...

-..it was a way for all of the community...

-..the Welsh would go down in nine, come out, burst into song...

-Yeah.

-..the Yorkshire people would go down a mine...

-Eat cake!

-..come back and bake a cake.

And they'd do it very well.

-We manage it.

-Mmm...

I love a bit of fruit cake with a cup of tea.

In Yorkshire, we like our fruit cake with cheese.

-Oh...!

-That good?

-Good combination.

This is a Grosmont tart.

-A what?

-A Grosmont tart.

Grosmont. What does that mean?

-It's where we live.

-Silly question.

-Yes, it is. I'm sorry.

Excuse me, I have to...

Excuse us.

Mm-mm-mmm.

'Now, the people of Scarborough may seem a temperate bunch,

'but show them a table of cake

'and it's every man for himself!'

Is somebody eating my cake here?

Yes. Sorry. Sorry about that. We're going to enjoy it.

-That my bit of frangipani.

-Oh, is it?

-Yeah. Honestly...

I don't think I could eat any more cake.

Do you want more?

Just one more piece, sir?

HE LAUGHS

-Get it down you, son!

-That's good.

-Yeah.

'Scuse the fingers.

I'm glad we came now, are you?

Oh, yeah.

Where do we go next?

I'm going to need a sit down, I think, before we go anywhere.

Yeah. And a nice cup of tea. Let me...

Come with me, I'll get you a cup of tea.