0:00:03 > 0:00:04- Oh, Mason.- Ah...
0:00:04 > 0:00:07- "Constant and faithful." Look at that.- Yeah.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09And yours says, "The ancient arms."
0:00:09 > 0:00:11They got the ancient bit right!
0:00:11 > 0:00:12THEY LAUGH
0:00:14 > 0:00:18It's taken 50 years in broadcasting, but I've finally cracked it.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19TERRY LAUGHS
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'A chance to meander around the country, see the sights,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24- 'meet the people...' - THEY LAUGH
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'And, ah, yes, eat and drink.'
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Is melt in the mouth a suitable phrase?
0:00:31 > 0:00:33I've hailed a cab with one of London's finest cabbies,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Mason McQueen,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38to steer me around Britain's highways and byways.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40I'm looking forward to a decent meal, are you?
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Oh, I'm starving, I can't wait, Tel.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Our route has been mapped out by an adventurous gourmand,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Samuel Chamberlain,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49in his book, British Bouquet.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'Almost 60 years later, we're following in his footsteps...'
0:00:52 > 0:00:53I'll do all the work, Tel!
0:00:53 > 0:00:57'..to seek out weird and wonderful regional British cuisine
0:00:57 > 0:01:01'and discover how our tastes have changed over the years.'
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Do it right, son.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05WHOOPING AND LAUGHTER
0:01:05 > 0:01:09- Look at you.- Fantastic. - You were born for this, son.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- Similar faces. - He's a spoiled actor, you know.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Our motoring tour around these fair isles
0:01:25 > 0:01:27has brought us to the ancient city of Chester,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29close to the Welsh border.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37History lurks around every corner of this magnificent place,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41and so, I hear, a feast of gastronomic delights,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44so it's up to me and Mason to seek them out.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I'm looking forward to Chester.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48- Yeah.- I've heard a lot of good things about it.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50You know old Sam Chamberlain?
0:01:50 > 0:01:52He said, "We promise you that the touring epicure
0:01:52 > 0:01:56"will find a few notable shrines of food and wine."
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Well, that's part of our endless search, our brave efforts,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05to try and lift the British cuisine...
0:02:05 > 0:02:06- Yes.- ..into the higher echelon.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Yes, our voyage of discovery, Terrence.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Do you know, I wish I'd said that.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15As well as being a dedicated foodie,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19old Chamberlain was also a bit of an amateur historian.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23And Chester, with its Roman walls, Norman cathedral and Tudor streets,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25was meat and drink to him.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The architecture's great here, I love it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And the balconies that you see everywhere...
0:02:33 > 0:02:36- Yeah.- It's like a Mediterranean town. - Yeah?
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Mediterranean town with, with Tudor pretensions.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Hello, Terry!
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- You all right?- Lovely.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48- Thank you. - GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Are you sure about this?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- There goes your street cred.- There.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Chester is one of the largest cities in Cheshire,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03a county famous for its cheese of the same name,
0:03:03 > 0:03:08which is defined by its crumbly texture and mild, salty taste.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Smoked Staffordshire? We don't want that. Double Gloucester?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Cheshire we're after, isn't it?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- Let's get in there and get some Cheshire.- OK, come on.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19It also happens to be one of the oldest named cheeses in the land.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23What more excuse do we possibly need?
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- Hello there.- Hello.- You're Carol.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- Welcome to the shop. - Nice to meet you. Mason.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- Carol.- Hello.- Have you got enough cheese here?
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- Er, a little.- "Drunken Burt."
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- Yes.- He used to be in charge of the BBC.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37MASON AND CAROL LAUGH
0:03:37 > 0:03:40No, it's a different, it's a different Burt.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43There are over 150 varieties of cheese here,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and five types of the long-established Cheshire cheese.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49So, these are the old, traditional ones.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- "Bourne's cloth-bound Cheshire."- Mm.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- Lovely, creamy cheese. - It is, it's beautiful.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Would you say that's the defined flavour of Cheshire?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01What would you say is the absolute...?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Well, this one, definitely.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- Definitely.- It's home pasteurised... - The Cheshire cheese?- Yes, yes.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09This one here is pasteurised,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13because some people think unpasteurised is going to kill you,
0:04:13 > 0:04:14- but it won't. - THEY LAUGH
0:04:14 > 0:04:17It's extraordinary the things people get into their heads, isn't it?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20It's funny when some Americans come in and taste it
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and I say it's unpasteurised, their faces, they go, "Agh!"
0:04:24 > 0:04:25Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- You're not going to make it back on the plane.- No.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Chester used to be a shipping centre.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Yeah?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Sailing craft used to call from all the ports of Europe
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and the River Dee...
0:04:43 > 0:04:45clogged up with silt
0:04:45 > 0:04:47and the prestige of the Port of Chester passed to
0:04:47 > 0:04:51a little fishing village a little further up, called Liverpool.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Called Liverpool, yeah.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- Liverpool.- Wow.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Although Chester is no longer a trading port,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01at an old converted warehouse just outside the city,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03there's an exciting new venture,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07where people meet to buy and sell food on a weekly basis.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10That is a tasty meat pie.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Oh, my God. That's lovely, Tel.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It looks like a usual farmers' market,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19but it's actually something called a food assembly.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Customers buy local food online directly from regional producers
0:05:22 > 0:05:24and turn up at a venue to collect,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27sample, and meet the people who make it.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30It's like supermarket click and collect,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32but you've got real food, real producers,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34and you can meet the people
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and talk to the people who produce the food you're going to be eating.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- I like this little... This is a nice, for a lunch or something...- Yeah.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Isn't it, Tel? It's...bijou.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- TERRY MUMBLES - Bijou...
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Bijou... STALLHOLDER LAUGHS
0:05:50 > 0:05:53We whet our thirst with a little local juice,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56made from some of Chester's finest apples...
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Prosit!
0:06:00 > 0:06:01- Ah!- Ah!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Salut!
0:06:03 > 0:06:06..before something more substantial catches our eye.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10We've got traditional breakfast or we can go for pork and chilli.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- Give me a pork and chilli. - Pork and chilli.- I want to live.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14We're using natural land casings.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17These are the best casings that you can buy.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19A lot of people are using synthetic skins,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21which at the end of the day, is a man-made product.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22We want to leave that
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and go back to the original way of producing sausages.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29- You're not telling porkies, can I have a traditional one? - Course you can, of course you can!
0:06:29 > 0:06:32After the savoury, comes the sweet.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Oh...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37That's the best brownie I've ever tasted in my life.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Really tasty, Tel.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- And I'm not a big fan of brownies... - Really?- That's terrific.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I'm going to have to lie down.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Have we had enough?
0:06:49 > 0:06:50Do you want to go round again?
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- Do you know, I would. - You would! So would I!- I would,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- but I feel we've had an elegant sufficiency.- I think so.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Having filled our little bellies,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I think it's time to get a little better acquainted
0:07:06 > 0:07:08with the history of this fine town.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10The four main streets in Chester
0:07:10 > 0:07:13are lined with galleried walkways, known as The Rows.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Basically, the medieval version of a covered shopping mall.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19There's a lady I want you to meet here. I know you're,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21you're keen to meet women.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- I have Liz here for you.- Hello, Liz. - Hello, nice to meet you...
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- And you too.- ..welcome to Chester. - Liz.- Lovely to meet you.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29It's a pleasure.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- And I think it's terrific. - It is, it's...- Really lovely.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34It's something I've not seen before.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37You can have a stroll and not get wet and you're looking in the shops.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- It's perfect...- Everyone's a winner. - ..we can move all around town
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and the best thing is, back in the Middle Ages, the ladies,
0:07:43 > 0:07:44remember in their long dresses?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46You know what the filth was like in the street?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49What did they do with all their rubbish back then?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- SHE MAKES WHOOSHING NOISE - And when I say rubbish, I am being polite.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55It included the contents of the chamber pots, literally anything.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- A little bit too much information. - Too much information, I do apologise!
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Let's walk The Rows.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Is that a fashionable thing to do, two gentlemen in Chester?
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Listen, a lady with her dress would've promenaded
0:08:06 > 0:08:08with a gentleman on her arm. It was the fashion.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Well, you've got... Do you mind sharing?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13I haven't got a dress on, but we'll try.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- Well, neither have I, but never mind.- Let's walk The Rows.- Indeed.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19This is a bit of all right, isn't it, Algernon?
0:08:19 > 0:08:21MASON AND LIZ LAUGH
0:08:23 > 0:08:26My stomach is telling me, it's time to eat again.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29We've had some magnificent fare so far in Chester.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34But sometimes, all you want is some good old comfort food.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- Look at this place. - A little fast food joint.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Who's this fella? Look. Kenneth Williams, isn't it?
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Got some Roman nose there, hasn't he?
0:08:41 > 0:08:46See up there? It says, "Come and see our Roman remains inside."
0:08:46 > 0:08:47That's not very...
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- Do you think we'll find some Roman remains in the potatoes? - I don't know, let's find out.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Spudulike has been flogging the humble baked potato
0:08:56 > 0:08:59as fast food for over 40 years.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04But here in Chester, they not only sell them, they grow them.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06So, what came first with you?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Growing the potatoes or saying,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10"I've got a spud you like, and I must grow potatoes"?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Certainly the growing potatoes came first.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Been growing potatoes for 30 years on our farm,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16so we know quite a bit about it
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and we thought, we will diversify into this.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21What sort of a potato is it that's best for a Spudulike?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24There's a lot of different sorts. We find estima are very good.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26- Estima?- Estima. Have you heard of those ones?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- What about a Maris Piper? - Maris Piper are good.- See?- Yeah...
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- You know your potatoes.- I'm the one who said it.- King Edwards?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34King Edwards can be used, yeah.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36What are you having?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Cheese and beans for me.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41My friend, he has caviar, normally with yours. Or foie gras, don't you?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I'll tell you what I'm going to have, though,
0:09:44 > 0:09:45tuna and sweetcorn mayonnaise.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- That's a good choice, very good choice.- Thank you.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Just what the doctor ordered.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56This, would you believe it, is 1,800 years old, down here?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It seems only fitting that a food with a long pedigree
0:10:00 > 0:10:03is eaten in historic surroundings.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07It is called a hypocaust, which is, basically, old underfloor heating.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Fantastic.- This ain't how you cook the potatoes, Dave, is it?
0:10:10 > 0:10:12We don't cook the potatoes down here, no.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13They're not cooked down here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15A maximus decimus spudulike-us.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Commanders of the potatoes of the North.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I bet the Romans would eat a lot of this.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Of the tuna fish with the...
0:10:25 > 0:10:26- Jacket potato.- Yeah.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And a bit of mayonnaise...
0:10:28 > 0:10:32A bit of Roman mayonnaise and some sweetcorn.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It is a shock though, Tel, cos we were in a modern shop
0:10:34 > 0:10:37a minute ago and now we're down here with this...
0:10:37 > 0:10:38How old did he say this was?
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Oh, it's only 1,800 years old.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45But the Romans were slightly ahead of their time, weren't they?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- Oh, just a little bit. - Underfloor heating?- Yeah.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50We think it's quite a modern thing.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Per ardua ad astra.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Oh, yeah.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Jacket potato, see you later.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Cave canem.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58And that one.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Chester started life as a Roman camp,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08called Castrum Deva,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12and some portions of the ancient fortifications are still intact.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15The old walls, eh? Look.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17- Look at that drop there. - Look at it, mate.- Goodness sake.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19What a good view of Chester here, Tel.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Yes.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22These are the old Roman walls.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24The old Roman ones.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Let's take a stroll around here.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28From this lofty vantage point,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I feel like an ancient Roman nobleman out for a walk
0:11:31 > 0:11:33with his slave.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Look, there's shops here. There is even a cafe, look. "Tea on the Wall."
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- Nice cup of tea?- Oh, you've...
0:11:39 > 0:11:42A dish of Rosy Lee, while on the Roman wall.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Lovely. You have twisted my arm. After you, sir.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Doug is the chef at Tea on the Wall
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and a born and bred Cestrian,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54as Chester folk are known,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56so he knows all the best stories.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Just adjacent from us, outside,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00we have a thing called the Bridge of Sighs,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03which is, sadly, where convicts were taken over the bridge
0:12:03 > 0:12:05to be given their last rites before they were...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07popped off the bridge and said goodbye to.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- They just threw them off the bridge? - If they were lucky,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12if not, you're taken and beheaded somewhere else.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Depending what the crime was. - Oh, there was no rope involved?
0:12:15 > 0:12:17No rope, no. They weren't that kind.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Throw them off. Let the wolves eat them.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Straight over the wall and that was it.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- Are you asked to serve strange stuff here...- We are. Lots of things.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26- ..because of your strange location? - That is it.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Especially things like our Chester tart.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Mmm.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Oh, a nice tart from Chester.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Yeah. Sadly, only one little, depressing slice left, but...
0:12:34 > 0:12:37- It is a popular choice, obviously. - It is indeed.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39I would be happy to take someone in the back
0:12:39 > 0:12:40if they feel like making one for me.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42- Would you?- I would indeed.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46- Will you excuse me? Because I don't think you're quite up to this.- OK.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51So, myself and "le chef" are off to have a bit of a go.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- You sit down and do what you're told.- OK. See you soon, guys.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- So, what have we got? - So, here, we have our meringue.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03To start with, we make ourselves a basic shortcrust pastry case.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- Shortcrust...- BOTH: Pastry case.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09And we fill that with a lemon and almond jam.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11So, now we need to whisk our meringue up...
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- You need a very strong left arm for this.- We do.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16A good wrist action is what you need.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18A good wrist action, you'd make a nice golfer.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20So, now we've given that a good whisk.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21If you'd like to do the honours.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Tip away, cover the top...
0:13:24 > 0:13:25and we'll put them in the oven.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Notice the skill with which I am able to evenly spread...
0:13:32 > 0:13:33..this mixture.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39The tart takes around 35 minutes to cook
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and looks very like a lemon meringue pie to me.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44Now then, Mason.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46- Oh, there he is.- Look at me when I'm talking to you.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I have here...
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Terry's Chester pie.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Or, if you like, Terry's Chester tart.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Made with my own fair hands.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58You made this?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Of course I made this. Who else?
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Where's Doug gone?
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- Have you disposed of Doug? - He took the day off.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08He said, "I leave it to you, Ter."
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- And I did. - So, why is it a Chester pie?
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Because this is Chester...
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- and I've made a pie. - That's it, is it?
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Or, if you like, a tart.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22Anyone else want a slice?
0:14:22 > 0:14:23ALL: Yes.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25You're out of luck.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Myself and Mason are going to force this down.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It's a very historic town, Chester.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Of course, there is the Cathedral of St Werburgh.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Who was she? I've never heard of her.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I can make a list of saints...
0:14:49 > 0:14:51as long as your arm that you have never heard of.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Have you ever heard of St Athanasius?
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- No, you've got me there.- You see,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- that's another one. - I've heard of St Trinian's.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01THEY LAUGH
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Of all the monuments in Chester, the noblest by far,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07in the words of our Sam Chamberlain,
0:15:07 > 0:15:08was the cathedral.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10The earliest parts of which
0:15:10 > 0:15:13are the remains of the Benedictine Abbey of St Werburgh -
0:15:13 > 0:15:16the female patron saint of Chester.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22The Normans were a tough crowd,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25but they built a lot of wonderful cathedrals.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26The detail, though.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Isn't it something extraordinary?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34But you do get a sense of age and time.
0:15:37 > 0:15:44ORCHESTRAL CHOIR MUSIC
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- It's a restful place to come, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- It's a place to come and reflect.- Yeah.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52And think back on, you know...
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Of all the sins I have done.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I didn't mean to cut that driver up.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Sorry, I don't want to go south of the river.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06St Werburgh achieved her sainthood
0:16:06 > 0:16:10after performing a rather unusual miracle.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13There she is. St Werburgh.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Smaller than I thought, but...
0:16:17 > 0:16:18Nick, how are you?
0:16:18 > 0:16:19- How do you do, Terry?- Tell us all.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21A remarkable saint?
0:16:21 > 0:16:22A martyr, no?
0:16:22 > 0:16:26No, she was a healing saint, really.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28She was actually a Mercian princess
0:16:28 > 0:16:31who gave up her royal status to become a nun.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35A very holy lady during her life, performed various miracles,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37but the big miracle, the big showstopper,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40was that she brought a goose back to life.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- A proud boast.- Indeed.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44- Not many can say it. - With just the placing of the hands?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Or was it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Restored to full life, plumage, the whole bit.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Do you mind if I say, I don't believe a word of it?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It's symbolic. I think that is the point we take from it.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56It's symbolic. Yeah.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02The best preserved part of the original abbey
0:17:02 > 0:17:04is the original refectory,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06now a popular restaurant.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08- Isn't this extraordinary?- Fantastic.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10It's an ecclesiastic refectory.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- A what?- Yeah.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- A canteen, yeah?- It's a holy canteen.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22- Hello.- Hello.- How you doing?
0:17:22 > 0:17:23I'm OK. How are you doing?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And is this a traditional Chester dish?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28A local Cheshire speciality?
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Well, what we're doing is...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32We call it a St Werburgh special.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- I see.- So, we have goose ragout.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38St Werburgh, of course, brought the goose back to life,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and you have brought it into a pasta dish.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Yes.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45That's again...
0:17:45 > 0:17:46A reference to the goose.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48It's known as St Werburgh's toast.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- Grazie.- Grazie.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03- So, you don't often get a goose bolognese.- No.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05It's very nice.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- What do you reckon, Tel? - This is very good.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10St Werburgh wouldn't have liked this
0:18:10 > 0:18:14because she was all for bringing geese back to life.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17She wouldn't have brought this one back to life, Tel, would she?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I don't think even Paul Daniels...
0:18:20 > 0:18:22would bring that goose back to life.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33You know old Sam Chamberlain?
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- Yes.- Our strong right arm.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37"If you wish to enjoy Cheshire," he says,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40"it's necessary to get off the main highways," which we're doing.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- But it is very rural, isn't it?- Oh, yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46You're in safe hands, Tel, enjoy the scenery.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I've been sitting in the back of this cab for weeks,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I know the kind of hands I'm in.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56The next stage of this Chester food trip
0:18:56 > 0:19:00takes us on a journey five miles east of the city,
0:19:00 > 0:19:01to the village of Waverton.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05There's been a watermill on this site since 1200
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and this latest edifice has been rebuilt brick by brick
0:19:08 > 0:19:11in what can only be described as a labour of love.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16We were just admiring your wheel.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Well, we bought this farm in '97
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and there has been a mill...
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Well, it was a ruin, it was mostly a pile of rubble really...
0:19:25 > 0:19:28..so, we thought, "Why not rebuild the mill?" So...
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Just a minute.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32"Why not rebuild the mill?!"
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Yeah, we just thought it'd be a good idea.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But that is an enormous project.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Well, we didn't think it was going to be quite as enormous as it is.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42- As it was.- I can't believe that.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43You've refurbed it and
0:19:43 > 0:19:46now you actually make the bread as well, yeah?
0:19:46 > 0:19:47Well, Caroline makes the bread.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49I make the bread, he doesn't make the bread.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- He is the miller.- I'm the miller.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52He's banished to the mill.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- So, it is teamwork, though, Caroline? - Absolutely, yeah.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57There isn't much to making bread, though, is there?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- Oh, no, no. You just leave it to prove, don't you?- That's it, yes.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Walk Mill is the first watermill
0:20:05 > 0:20:08to be constructed in 150 years.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Those of you who love a bit of old machinery
0:20:11 > 0:20:15might like to know that it's got a 14-foot Poncelet wheel.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17What is a Poncelet?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20It's the style of the waterwheel.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23So, the water comes in under pressure slightly higher up,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26it fills the buckets and takes it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29So, it's a bit different from an undershot wheel...
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- It is, of course.- I was going to say it looks slightly different
0:20:31 > 0:20:33from an undershot wheel.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34It's more efficient, you see.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- Cogs of industry, eh? - Oh, look at this.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Yeah, I know a cog wheel when I see one.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47So, that's pounding something into...?
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Well, the waterwheel's turning all the gears,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51which turns the millstones upstairs.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54The flour falls into the hot brewer there and round into the...
0:20:54 > 0:20:57through the sifter, into the sacks.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58As a person who's never really done
0:20:58 > 0:21:02a hand's turn of work in his life, I'm astounded.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06What makes you decide to do something like this as a hobby?
0:21:06 > 0:21:09And then it turned into a grand old business for you.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Can we see some finished product?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13So, here's some of our wholemeal flour...
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- A-ha, the finished product! - ..freshly milled.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20- Nice and soft. It's stone-ground.- It is.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23And then I take it and bake it in the bakery to make...
0:21:23 > 0:21:26And that's rather relevant, seeing you've got one in the oven, right?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Well, absolutely, yeah.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30There's one baking there!
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Always baking.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34It takes a good one to get past you!
0:21:34 > 0:21:35- LAUGHTER - I'll tell you what...
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Sparing all of our blushes, I take Mason outside
0:21:40 > 0:21:42where the miller and his wife
0:21:42 > 0:21:43have generously furnished us
0:21:43 > 0:21:44with a delicious picnic.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49This is the old bread, which looks very good, I'm bound to say.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Good cheese.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57- Health-giving bread.- Yeah?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- Couldn't get any fresher, Tel, could you, really?- No.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08CARNIVAL DRUMS BEAT
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Chester is famous for a special event
0:22:12 > 0:22:14that takes place in the city every year.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23The Midsummer Watch Parade
0:22:23 > 0:22:25is one of Britain's oldest festivals.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29This year's event was bigger and better attended than ever.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Unfortunately, Mason took a wrong turn off the M1,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36so, we got here a day late and missed it...
0:22:39 > 0:22:42..but luckily, the artistic visionaries behind the event
0:22:42 > 0:22:44have invited us to their headquarters
0:22:44 > 0:22:47for a privileged peep at the puppets.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Look at that.- Wow.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- Morning.- Good morning. - Good morning.- Good morning to you.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- Good to see you.- The raven!
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Raven. MASON SQUAWKS
0:22:58 > 0:22:59Do you make these all yourself, here?
0:22:59 > 0:23:01They are all made here, yeah.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03We've been doing this for 600 years, just about.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- On and off.- There's not a mark on you.- Not a mark on me.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12This is Cernunnos.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- This is the Celtic god of fruit and veg.- Is it?
0:23:15 > 0:23:16Woodland creatures.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Graeme Souness.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19- Cernunnos.- Oh, Cernunnos.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Oh, he moves!
0:23:21 > 0:23:24He'll even shake your hand.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Put it there, Cernunnos.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Celtic god, eh? Bit like myself.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And of course, the old favourite is the devil.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37The devil. Who is that man interfering with the devil?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39HE LAUGHS
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- I'm the devil himself. - A-ha, good man.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43- Oh, you're not going to get into it?- Yes.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45It's like a giant backpack.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48So, I've done him for about four years
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and I have to say,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I think the devil is the best thing in the parade.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54OK, come to us.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56So, what he does...
0:23:56 > 0:23:59he's got clutching hands, so if children get in the way,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02or passers-by, he can snatch and grab on to you with his hands.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09The ever-enthusiastic Mason is keen to join in.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12And I've found the perfect character for him.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Lord of Misrule is when the Lord of the Manor
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- changed places with his top servant.- Ahh!
0:24:18 > 0:24:20So, the top servant
0:24:20 > 0:24:22would get to sit at the main table
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and order everybody about.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- Perhaps I'll be driving Mason from now on.- Ah!
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- Look at you.- Fantastic.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33You were born for this, son.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I think, as you're doing so well,
0:24:35 > 0:24:36we could take this to the streets
0:24:36 > 0:24:38- and you can run around a bit.- Yeah?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Just mind your head on the way through.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43There is no way of getting through that door, is there?
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- No, I'll take it off.- I'm not going to have anything to do with this.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50DRUMBEAT
0:24:59 > 0:25:01It may not have quite the impact of the day before,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05but Mason still manages to make a spectacle of himself.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08He's living the part.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18So, I'm all done. Get me out of this thing.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19I need refreshments.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21No, look, if you wouldn't mind just entertaining
0:25:21 > 0:25:25the good people of Chester while we all go off for a drink.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Terry, come back. Tel!
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Right, I'm done now.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Leaving Mason to fend for himself,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I'm off to the pub where the team has disrobed
0:25:42 > 0:25:44and are enjoying a well-earned drink
0:25:44 > 0:25:46at one of the cities oldest hostelries
0:25:46 > 0:25:49which has been feeding revellers for centuries.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Today, the chef is preparing some old Chester recipes
0:25:52 > 0:25:55that would have featured in parades past.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Is anybody in here called Chrissy Henshaw?- Yes.- Good man.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00You're the very man I'm looking for.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02I have got some hungry paraders outside.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- Fantastic.- And...
0:26:04 > 0:26:06What are you doing here?
0:26:06 > 0:26:09This is the heart of the lamb.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12So, it's stuffed lamb's heart wrapped in bacon -
0:26:12 > 0:26:17it's stuffed with rosemary, mince, sausage meat, sage, onion -
0:26:17 > 0:26:19which I'm about to just drop this in the pan here.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Drop it away.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I like the way it's sizzling already.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25We've got a potage of lamb.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28How do you like cooking in this old-fashioned way?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Oh, it is fantastic. It gives you a bit of a break from cooking normal,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33run-of-the-mill, everyday food.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35It's not that much different, is it?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- It's a stuffed loin of lamb, isn't it?- It's very similar.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38Very similar.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Chrissy has also got a beef stew on the go -
0:26:45 > 0:26:47to be served in a brown bread trencher -
0:26:47 > 0:26:50slipcoats of cheese, whatever they are,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52pig's cheeks in a tomato sauce
0:26:52 > 0:26:54and on the dessert trolley,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56an old English fool.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Talking of which...
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- Tasty.- It's terrif.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04There's potatoes, mushrooms...
0:27:04 > 0:27:06but mainly...
0:27:06 > 0:27:09good English meat.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- This is wonderful. - It's got the devil's approval.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16And of course, no feast would be complete
0:27:16 > 0:27:19without the food that the town is so well-known for.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21We've got to try the cheese.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Mmm.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26How is it?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28It's cheese on toast...
0:27:29 > 0:27:31LAUGHTER
0:27:31 > 0:27:35..with a little herb.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37- Chin-chin.- Chin-chin.- Good health.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Here's to the great parade. Here's to Chester.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43ALL: To Chester!
0:27:48 > 0:27:51So, what did you think of the old food in Ye Olde King's Head?
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Yeah, I'm not ready for civil war
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and I'll be glad to see the back of him.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Yeah, the Lord of Misrule.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- You were a natural for that.- Yeah.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Well done, my son.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00Where to next?
0:28:00 > 0:28:03I don't know. The safari of sustenance rolls on.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Hang on!
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I think I can smell more food.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07Let's go.