0:00:06 > 0:00:10In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:17His name was George Bradshaw. And his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks
0:00:17 > 0:00:24Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:30Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys across the length
0:00:30 > 0:00:35and breadth of the country to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56I've been travelling from Tyneside to the Midlands
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and I'm now embarking on the final stretch.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06I'm completing my railway journey across the northern half of England.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10My Bradshaw's guide has made clear to me how the region's natural
0:01:10 > 0:01:16resources, coal, water and iron, made the Industrial Revolution possible
0:01:16 > 0:01:20and how its inventors, entrepreneurs and craftsmen made it happen.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I'm trusting that my Bradshaw's will help me uncover more
0:01:25 > 0:01:28of the intriguing history of the heart of England.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35On this leg, I'll be learning the secrets of one of Victorian
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Britain's favourite cheeses - stilton. You turn that very well.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42I can't turn an omelette, let alone a thing like that.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Finding out how the railways transformed a traditional British sport.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Special carriages were built to take these hunters from the middle
0:01:50 > 0:01:53of London right up to the shires of Leicestershire.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58And attempting to mould an authentic Melton Mowbray pork pie.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Oh dear. Mine doesn't look like yours, but never mind.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05It's a good job it's a three year apprenticeship!
0:02:10 > 0:02:16I'm nearing the end of a journey which started in the North East of England and has passed through
0:02:16 > 0:02:19the manufacturing cities of Leeds and Sheffield.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Now I'm continuing south, into the Midlands, where I'll
0:02:22 > 0:02:28be exploring the region's rich industrial and rural heritage.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33This final stretch starts just outside Nottingham at Langley Mill,
0:02:33 > 0:02:39before crossing into Leicestershire and finishing up at the county's food capital, Melton Mowbray.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47The first part of the route skirts the city of Nottingham,
0:02:47 > 0:02:55of which Bradshaw says, "Silk, cotton stockings and bobbin-net lace are the staple manufactures."
0:02:55 > 0:03:03When industrialisation came, Nottingham made its fortune out of textiles, and lace in particular.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06In fact, it became known as the lace capital of the world.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09The lace machine was invented in the city,
0:03:09 > 0:03:14but most of the manufacturing was done in towns and villages outside.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20The Erewash valley, near the city, got its first railway in 1847.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Soon lace factories sprang up all along the line.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33By 1900 there were more than 40 mills in the vicinity,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36sending their finished lace into Nottingham by rail.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47I'm getting off at Langley Mill, to find out what's become of the Victorian lace industry.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50I'm visiting an old family firm that's been doing business
0:03:50 > 0:03:55since Bradshaw's day, run by managing director, Charles Wood.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Morning Charles, very good to see you. I can just about hear you.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03How long has your family been in the textile business?
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Since 1831, probably a little bit before.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12The company was founded by three brothers who started making textile machine parts and then eventually
0:04:12 > 0:04:15finished products and really this was at absolute outset of
0:04:15 > 0:04:20Industrial Revolution, certainly as far as textiles were concerned.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Before the 19th century, lace-makers were skilled artisans.
0:04:26 > 0:04:32It could take two hours to create just an inch of handcrafted lace, making it one of the most expensive
0:04:32 > 0:04:40fabrics. Then in 1813, John Levers invented a lace-making machine.
0:04:40 > 0:04:47Mass-produced lace was affordable to the middle classes and came to be used in all kinds of clothing.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53This is one of the products which the company produced.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Silk lace, pure silk lace.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00So they produced silk lace shawls and also silk lace gloves.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02A tiny hand.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Yes, a tiny hand.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09It's interesting that there's no textile machinery today that could produce that product. Really?
0:05:09 > 0:05:14No. And we have to bear in mind that this is not done by hand, this is done on a machine.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Yes. And that is the miracle of it. Yes, absolutely.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26The Erewash valley became a centre of machine lace production.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Midlands coal fuelled the factories,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and the local metal industry was a ready source of machine parts.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Everywhere I go I find it's the same story,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40a combination of metals, of coal, of water,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43of brilliantly inventive people.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48And railways? And railways, absolutely, I mean the lace market
0:05:48 > 0:05:54in Nottingham was the central trading point for lace really throughout Europe and, in many cases, the world.
0:05:54 > 0:06:02And I would say the railways were instrumental in building the brand of Nottingham lace which has
0:06:02 > 0:06:05become so famous and well known to this day.
0:06:05 > 0:06:12To keep up with the times, Charles's family firm invested in ever more sophisticated machines.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Like this one, which transformed lace making
0:06:14 > 0:06:18and surprisingly pointed the way towards the age of information technology.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Goodness, what a fantastic museum piece.
0:06:21 > 0:06:28This is a Jacquard machine for making silk lace from probably the 1840s, which is pretty unique.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I'm intrigued by these things, what are they?
0:06:30 > 0:06:36That's a Jacquard card, so that's the patterning device which would determine the patterns for the lace.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41And this is the sort of coding, which would determine which needles were knitted and which weren't.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46The machine was turned over by hand, so they didn't have to do so many stitches of the pattern,
0:06:46 > 0:06:52and then they come and change the card and do the next section with a different pattern.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56So in fact there were limitless possibilities in terms of patterning.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Punched cards like these were used in the first computers.
0:07:00 > 0:07:07But not everyone welcomed the mechanisation of the lace industry, as my Bradshaw's guide explains;
0:07:07 > 0:07:11"The frame-work knitters and twist hands broke out
0:07:11 > 0:07:14"under the name of Luddites and went about destroying machinery."
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And at the beginning of the 19th century
0:07:17 > 0:07:21they smashed up machines in Nottinghamshire, didn't they?
0:07:21 > 0:07:27Yes, that's right. The Luddite movement was up in arms about the mechanisation, the industrialisation
0:07:27 > 0:07:32of the textile industry, removing their jobs, removing the requirement of so much labour.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35And of course this affected many, many families, so they
0:07:35 > 0:07:39smashed up machines and burnt down Nottingham Castle!
0:07:39 > 0:07:42And they sent in the army to deal with this people?
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Yes, they did. It was, in terms of industrial revolts that
0:07:47 > 0:07:52we see today, that was nothing in terms of what happened in the Luddite revolution.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57The government's tough line including executions and transportation crushed
0:07:57 > 0:08:05the Luddites by 1817, leaving the textile industry to grow and bring great wealth to Nottinghamshire.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Today, Charles's firm remains at the forefront of textile technology.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14It's developed 3D knitting techniques, that produce
0:08:14 > 0:08:20extra strong fabrics for clothing like police body armour.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22That's the protected area.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24OK, have a lunge. Yes, just have a lunge.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30I don't feel good about this but I'll have a go. There we are.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34You see, not really a blemish at all. No, not a blemish.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36It's vital in protecting our police officers.
0:08:36 > 0:08:42The company's fabric is also used in motorcycle jackets with built-in airbags.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45There's a CO2 canister in the jacket.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49So I'm going to pull this lanyard here quite hard.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52There will be a loud bang and then the air bag will be inflate.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54How do I get into these things?!
0:08:54 > 0:08:59OK. Here we go. one, two, three.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04Ooh! Wow, I feel lots of pressure around me.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Masses of protection. Masses of protection.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08That's a great invention.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10It's a fantastic invention.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14With his great respect for innovation, I'm sure George Bradshaw
0:09:14 > 0:09:17would have been excited by these high-tech fabrics.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Now it's back to Langley Mill to continue my journey south towards Leicestershire.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35My route takes in some important railway heritage.
0:09:39 > 0:09:47The wrought iron Bennerley viaduct is 1400 foot long and was built in 1877 to serve the coal trade.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55But, as ever, the railways soon adapted to be used for leisure.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Along this railway line in 1841,
0:09:57 > 0:10:03a devout Leicestershire business man organized an excursion for 500 people
0:10:03 > 0:10:06to go from Leicester to Loughborough for a temperance fair,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and then the following year, he organized a Sunday
0:10:09 > 0:10:16school trip to get kids out of Leicester to Derby on a day when there were races in Leicester.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20And then he organized trips to North Wales and Snowdonia, and in 1851
0:10:20 > 0:10:25a big excursionS to the Great Exhibition in London.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27All that was made possible by the railways.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32And that man has become a byword for organized travel,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35because his name was Thomas Cook.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Thomas Cook negotiated cheap train fares for
0:10:42 > 0:10:46his customers, to go from the North of England to the Great Exhibition
0:10:46 > 0:10:51in the Crystal Palace with entrance included for as little as five shillings.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Mass travel had begun in earnest.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00In Bradshaw's time, the Midlands' railways also enabled
0:11:00 > 0:11:04the upper classes to travel to their favourite sport of fox hunting.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11But what do today's passengers know about the region's hunting tradition?
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Do you live in the Nottinghamshire area?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15No. I'm about to move here.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20Cos there's quite a lot of hunting around the middle part of England.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24I wasn't really aware of it to be honest, but, as a principle, I don't like it.
0:11:24 > 0:11:30I feel like, even if there's a lot of people who depend on it in the countryside,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I feel that I find it uncomfortable the whole kind of blooding
0:11:33 > 0:11:36young people on their first hunt and things like that.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41When I went to boarding school people used to get the afternoon off to go fox hunting, and if I
0:11:41 > 0:11:46wanted to do anything we were never allowed to take the afternoon off to go and do that.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56My next stop is Barrow upon Soar, in rural Leicestershire.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01In Bradshaw's time, was at the heart of an enthusiastic fox hunting territory.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08Bradshaw says we're in the finest fox hunting ground in England.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12That's because the good quality soil is good for the scent
0:12:12 > 0:12:17and he says most of the land is pasture rather than being ploughed.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22And this he says is where the famous Quorn hounds are kennelled, for this
0:12:22 > 0:12:28is the property of Sir R Sutton, baronet, this is Quornden hall.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Many people claim that modern foxhunting was born at Quorn in the late 18th century, when
0:12:37 > 0:12:43faster hounds were bred here. In the 19th century, the hunt's
0:12:43 > 0:12:47popularity grew as the railways made it easier to travel to meets.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Soon rail companies were targeting the sporting
0:12:53 > 0:12:55fraternity with special services.
0:12:59 > 0:13:06The Quorn ceased its pursuit of live foxes in 2005, but it's still an important local institution.
0:13:10 > 0:13:16Some of today's hounds are directly descended from the specimens used in Bradshaw's day.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Hello, gentlemen. Good afternoon.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I'm Michael, very nice to see you.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26And this is the famous pack of Quorn hounds?
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Indeed it is. Beautiful creatures, beautiful.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32I'm joining huntsman Peter Collins and Rad Thomas, a lifelong
0:13:32 > 0:13:36member of the Quorn Hunt, as they exercise the hounds.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40So here we are on a blazing summer's day. No hunting this time of year.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42So what do the hounds do?
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Basically this time of year we're keeping them fit.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49You can see, we've got this many hounds in the kennels all day, they've got to be exercised.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52And how fit do these hounds have to get?
0:13:52 > 0:13:58By the time it comes to the season, these hounds could run anything up to 100 miles a day. 100 miles?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And they would probably hunt two days a week.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06So that would be pretty good training for a marathon runner, wouldn't it? It would.
0:14:06 > 0:14:12My Bradshaw's guide says that this is the best hunting territory in England, in fact he quotes a
0:14:12 > 0:14:18columnist in a sporting paper called Nimrod, and Nimrod apparently said of all the hunts this is the belle.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Is that still the case? I think so, and many others
0:14:21 > 0:14:28do as well and it's a history of the topography of the county, which meant that the sport was faster,
0:14:28 > 0:14:35more scary, and that attracted the interested people who were prepared to come and hunt.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And of course a lot of them came by train to enjoy that sport.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Tell me more - how did the railways affect hunting?
0:14:42 > 0:14:48Before the railways you had to set your stall out and go for the whole season because
0:14:48 > 0:14:55it took so long to get there and get all your equipment and your servants and your horses and everything else.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Now the railways have arrived, the easier routes up to Leicestershire
0:15:00 > 0:15:05from the swells of London, and so they could do it in a day.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07How did they get their horses up here?
0:15:07 > 0:15:12On specially built carriages, which were equipped for the horses
0:15:12 > 0:15:17and room for the grooms and all the provender that went with it.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Not only to get them here, but also to get them back of course.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26The rapid expansion of the Quorn boosted local businesses.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Hunting lodges and gentlemen's clubs sprang up to serve the influx
0:15:30 > 0:15:31of wealthy visitors.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Even today, the hunt looms large in the local economy.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41On an average day there's 100 horses out,
0:15:41 > 0:15:46all those horses have got to be fed hay, hard feed, got to be shod,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49everyone's got to buy their riding clothes.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52So all the local millers,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56all the people that produce the food, hay, straw.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58It's a very, very big thing.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01If that were gone, it would make a big hole in the community.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06It's time to continue my journey through Bradshaw's Britain
0:16:06 > 0:16:11to a town which greatly benefited from both hunting and the railway,
0:16:11 > 0:16:12Melton Mowbray.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22My next train takes me east, from Leicester Station.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Good morning. Any tickets from Leicester, please?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Thank you very much. Thank you. It's a wonderful day.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Absolutely.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39In the 19th century, the fertile land through which I'm travelling
0:16:39 > 0:16:41was the source of much wealth.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48Its yield helped Melton Mowbray blossom into a thriving market town.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57The railway reached Melton Mowbray in 1846 and Bradshaw says,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00"Melton is the centre of a famous hunting country.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02"Horses are bred here.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07"Its pork pies and stilton cheese are also valuable productions."
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I'm here to hunt for those valuable productions.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14The area around Melton Mowbray
0:17:14 > 0:17:19promotes itself as a centre of gastronomic excellence,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22a reputation launched by Stilton.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27That magnificent blue cheese dates back at least to the 18th century,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30but the railways magnified the business.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32In the second half of the 19th century,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36many new dairies sprang up to meet increased demand.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Webster's Dairy, which opened in 1890, is in production still.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57Manager Mark Frapwell has worked here for 27 years.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Hello, you're Mark? Yes.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I'm Michael. Morning. Nice to meet you.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05How do you do? I see your cheese making is well under way here.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Yes, we're working hard this morning and bringing the milk in.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09Why did it all happen here?
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Why did Stilton cheese happen in the area of Melton Mowbray?
0:18:13 > 0:18:17A rich farming area, excellent pastures, good climate,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20so a traditional dairy area.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Farmers' wives would make cheese.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25At some point blue cheese became more popular
0:18:25 > 0:18:27or certainly commanded more money.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Without modern methods
0:18:29 > 0:18:32it was actually very difficult to make cheese go blue.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Once you'd learnt, you didn't tell people about it,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39they kept within the Melton area the secrets of how to make blue cheese,
0:18:39 > 0:18:40that commanded a greater price.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45To create Stilton's characteristic blue veins,
0:18:45 > 0:18:46a special mould is added.
0:18:46 > 0:18:52That tiny amount into this enormous vat makes everything happen?
0:18:52 > 0:18:53Yes, that's right.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Then the cheese is packed into cylindrical hoops to mature.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Webster's is one of only six producers licensed to make Stilton.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04To be allowed to use the name
0:19:04 > 0:19:08they are bound to follow a precisely stipulated method.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The hoops are removed and the cheese is smoothed with a knife.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14This is Amy. Hello, Amy.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16What are you doing there?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Basically, it's to keep the blue inside the cheese.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21To keep the blue inside the cheese.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24So you're removing the holes on the outside?
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Yes.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28You turned that very well.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Did you get that right the first time you tried it?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33No, I didn't!
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I can't turn an omelette, let alone a thing like that.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Takes a lot of practice. I bet it does.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Proper Stilton is made only in Derbyshire,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48But strangely, it takes its name from a village in Cambridgeshire.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52I've come to the village of Saxilby, but this is Stilton cheese.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Why is it called Stilton?
0:19:54 > 0:19:59Because Stilton was sold mostly from the village of Stilton,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02which was on the old Great North Road,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and it was the main point from Melton Mowbray
0:20:04 > 0:20:06to deliver your cheese to London.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So that was in the days when it went by stagecoach?
0:20:09 > 0:20:12That's correct, yes. And then after that obviously it went by railways.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Were railways an advantage to Stilton? I think so, yes.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Stilton compared with other cheeses is a lot more problematic.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20It's much softer,
0:20:20 > 0:20:26it's prone to weep and deteriorate if it's not transported quickly.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28So the faster it goes, the better it is. Yes.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The more places it can reach. That's right, yes.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38The railways allowed city-dwelling Victorians to enjoy Stilton in peak condition for the first time
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and it became a favourite luxury for Christmas and special occasions.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Why do you think it's associated with Christmas?
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Because sometimes some of the best milk
0:20:48 > 0:20:51is from what we call the second bite of grass,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54which is the second growth after the summer.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57That will produce very good September milk,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and also calving then happens, produce a higher protein content,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03therefore that cheese would be perfect for Christmas.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07And if it's a thing you're only going to have once a year,
0:21:07 > 0:21:08you could only afford it once a year,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Christmas would be the perfect time to have it.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Pile up your table with luxury goods.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It takes eight weeks for the cheese to develop its blue veins.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Then, it's ready to taste.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22They're all brought upstairs.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Into this extremely pungent room.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Wow, what a smell of cheese! Ammonia. Ammonia, is it? Yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31And hopefully the cheese are ready for grading.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34By putting the iron in and turn.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37And you can see all that blue grain.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I can just sample that? You can, yes.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43And if you take a little bit from that end. Just off there.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50You've got a winner there, that's lovely.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52It'll be even better in two or three weeks' time.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54It gets better still? Yes, it will.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58That taste makes me crave more,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02but I must abstain because Stilton isn't the only local delicacy.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07In Bradshaw's time, trains leaving for London
0:22:07 > 0:22:11were also packed with the town's famous pork pies,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14cooked in the bake houses surrounding the station.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18With Stilton and pork pies exported from Melton Mowbray
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to the rest of the country,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I'd like to know whether locals appreciate them.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Are you a fan of Stilton and pork pies?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I'm a big fan of the pork pie,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31but Stilton is not my favourite, it's a bit bitter.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34No, I don't like Stilton cheese and I don't like pork pies.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38I thought to live in Melton Mowbray it was compulsory to like both. No.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42I don't like Stilton cheese, I'm afraid. The Stilton cheese is nice.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45I'm vegetarian so I don't eat meat.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49OK, so no pork pies for you and no Stilton cheese for you.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50I'm afraid not.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51What about the pork pies?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53The pork pies are nice from Melton.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00The evolution of Stilton and pork pies alongside each other
0:23:00 > 0:23:02isn't a coincidence.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06It goes back to Bradshaw's era and it's connected with hunting.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Farmer Ian Jalland can explain.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Ian. Hello, Michael.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Lovely to see you, what a beautiful looking shop. Thank you.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Full of temptations, isn't it? Yes.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22But you're famous for your Melton Mowbray pork pies.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24How long have they been around?
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Well, Melton Mowbray pork pies have been around for 200-300 years.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Historically. Why were there pork pies here?
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Leicestershire is a grassland county.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35There's a lot of livestock.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Stilton cheese became quite a big industry
0:23:37 > 0:23:41and a by-product of the production of Stilton cheese was whey,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and whey was fed to the pigs.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45So there's a lot of pigs, a lot of pork,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49and people decided a good use of that was to make a pie.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Now I'm always interested in railways,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55so railways were pretty important for pork pies here, were they?
0:23:55 > 0:23:59It was the railways that brought the hunting fraternity
0:23:59 > 0:24:01from London to Melton Mowbray.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06The hunt's servants often carried these pies in their pockets
0:24:06 > 0:24:08to keep them going on a hard day's hunting
0:24:08 > 0:24:10looking after their master.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And someone from London noticed that they were eating these pies,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and tried them, liked them, thought they were great,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and started taking them back to London by train.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23And hence the popularity of the Melton Mowbray pork pie.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I saw as I came in that you are looking for a pie maker,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and I thought I might offer my services.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32We've been trialling apprentices for a while now.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36I'm sure Lee would like to entertain you as an apprentice pie maker.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Shall we put on funny clothes? Yes, follow me.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Ian's bakery is one of just nine
0:24:42 > 0:24:46still making traditional Melton Mowbray pork pies.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Michael, this is Lee. Head of production.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Hello, Lee. Hi, Michael.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55These pies are special because they're not baked in a tin,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57but moulded round a wooden dolly.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00You place your dolly into the centre of your pastry.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Start lifting the pastry up.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05As you're lifting it, you want to be turning your pastry. Turning.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07That's going nicely.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Yep, mm-hm.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Most pork pies are factory-produced
0:25:11 > 0:25:14but here, to this day, they're made by hand.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Now you want to release the pastry from off the dolly.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Right, you're a bit quicker than I am. OK.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24It's all practice. Yeah, I know.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26OK. A nice pizza!
0:25:28 > 0:25:29That's it!
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Oh, dear. Mine doesn't look like yours, but never mind.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Whilst most pork pies contain cured meat,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38a traditional Melton Mowbray pie contains fresh pork.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42When it's cooked, the filling looks grey, not pink.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Throw it in to take all the air out.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Right, OK. That's fine.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Then you place your lid on top of your meat.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Mm-hm.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57And then you want to go all the way around your pie.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Crimping...
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Are you pulling faces? No, no!
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Good job it's a three-year apprenticeship.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07A couple of little holes...
0:26:07 > 0:26:11It takes skill and a light touch to make the perfect pie.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Qualities I fear have passed me by!
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Right. Mine are not particularly... LAUGHTER
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Would you stop laughing, Ian, please!
0:26:20 > 0:26:23My pie is a sorry sight,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26disgraced by the perfection of Lee's.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Now, this doesn't go in a tin, it just bakes as it is?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Yes, that's why you get such a crisp finish when you're cutting the pie.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38You see how crunchy it was, cutting through it,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and that's what gives you the taste. Wonderful.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Impeccable.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46My Bradshaw's guide said
0:26:46 > 0:26:50that a Melton Mowbray pork pie was a valuable production,
0:26:50 > 0:26:51and indeed it is.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52Thank you very much.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59At the end of my rail trip from the North East of England
0:26:59 > 0:27:03to the Midlands I've been strongly reminded that in Bradshaw's day
0:27:03 > 0:27:05the railways made Britain shrink.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Whether it was the new mass-produced goods
0:27:09 > 0:27:12or delicacies that had been available only locally,
0:27:12 > 0:27:17trains allowed the nation to enjoy the specialities of central England.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Using my Bradshaw's guide on my long journey
0:27:21 > 0:27:25from Newcastle to Melton Mowbray has opened my eyes to history
0:27:25 > 0:27:27that I never fully knew
0:27:27 > 0:27:32and to people and industries that I never fully understood.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36I've made this journey after a long career in public life.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38My only regret is
0:27:38 > 0:27:41that I didn't make it before setting out on that career.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47On my next journey,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I'll be exploring the scenic railways of Kent.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Starting in London, I'll travel south east through Canterbury,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and around the coast to Hastings.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Along the way, I'll be finding out
0:28:00 > 0:28:03how the trains synchronised time across Britain...
0:28:03 > 0:28:06If you wanted to catch a train and you had your watch set to local time,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and they had train timetables on London time,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11you needed to know that otherwise you'd miss your train.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15..Exploring the history of a seaside swim.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18If you were staying in Margate, you'd come out of your lodgings
0:28:18 > 0:28:20and you would wait for a bathing machine to be ready.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Which apparently always smelt like rotting carpet,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25that kind of horrible smell.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29..And hopping with excitement, Victorian style.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30I just yank this, do I?
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Give it a good pull.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34HE LAUGHS
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:29:07 > 0:29:09As the eyes of the world focus on Scotland,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12we wait to discover the future of the United Kingdom.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Will Scotland vote to become an independent country or stay