0:00:25 > 0:00:27In Britain's not too distant past,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30our relationship with food was such that, for most people,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33going for a meal outside of the home was not
0:00:33 > 0:00:35something done for pleasure.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37This is one of the new British Restaurants.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39They're starting them all over the country to feed people
0:00:39 > 0:00:42during war time and - ha, ha - do they feed you!
0:00:42 > 0:00:46But the dining-out experience was about to be transformed.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49We'd soon get into the habit of eating out.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53But first, we needed quite a bit of help and encouragement.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57The only spaghetti we knew was like baked beans-y stuff in a tin,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and tomato sauce.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07And it wasn't just the spaghetti that changed.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Migrants from Italy, China
0:01:09 > 0:01:14and the Indian subcontinent helped us develop a taste for eating out
0:01:14 > 0:01:18and, in the process, created meals that we've come to call our own.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Leaving their home countries with the hope of starting a new life
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and arriving in Britain with few options, many opened restaurants.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31As an immigrant, you have no choice.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33You slightly have to take what you get,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35you have got to carve out your own niche.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40They brought with them new ways of dining and they taught us
0:01:40 > 0:01:44how a meal out could be something not to endure but to enjoy.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49These restaurants helped to democratise the dining-out
0:01:49 > 0:01:53experience by making a meal out accessible, inexpensive and
0:01:53 > 0:01:54a touch exotic.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56And you just sat there and quaked
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and hoped that you ordered the right thing.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And it was pretty red hot. It was really brilliant.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05And they built on the British culinary tradition of fusing
0:02:05 > 0:02:10tastes from elsewhere to spice up the often dull traditional cuisine.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14If you look at our food culture, since time immemorial, we've begged,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19borrowed, stolen, used, adapted foods from all over the world.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24This is the story of how Britain's food migrants helped us
0:02:24 > 0:02:26discover the joys of eating out.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42In September 1940,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46British people were forced to discover the benefits of eating out.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52The government encouraged millions to dine at their communal-run
0:02:52 > 0:02:56restaurants - not as an enjoyable treat but as a necessity.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02War in Europe and at home had displaced large
0:03:02 > 0:03:05sections of the population and caused shortages.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Strict food rationing soon followed.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10People often, for the first time,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12were living away from home.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Not just soldiers, but, you know, factory workers and so on.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And so therefore, you had to eat out much more.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21And I think they weren't necessarily going out to eat for pleasure,
0:03:21 > 0:03:22as we think now.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25We think of going out to eat now as we're going to go and have a
0:03:25 > 0:03:29really nice dish of something interesting or good to eat.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Then I think you went out to eat
0:03:31 > 0:03:34because that's where you had to find a meal.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39To help ease the pain of rationing and being away from home,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42the government opened its own chain of canteens.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46It was a smart move and mass catering became an effective
0:03:46 > 0:03:50way of conserving precious resources and keeping people fed.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The canteens were to be called Communal Feeding Centres,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57but it was decided that British Restaurant sounded more appetizing.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00We've had as much as we can eat, with rice pudding
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and cups of tea to follow, for four and tups.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And another thing, it helps the country.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It saves food, fuel and time.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13At its height, the so-called British Restaurant had
0:04:13 > 0:04:18over 2,000 branches and was serving some 600,000 meals a day.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Whilst the fare served was basic,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25the British Restaurant brought people together.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And pudding for tuppence provided much needed comfort food.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Because that built on
0:04:32 > 0:04:35the egalitarian sort of experiences
0:04:35 > 0:04:38of the war, where no matter where you came from,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40you had fought together,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43you stood shoulder-to-shoulder together, you died together,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45this was, you know,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48a statement of the new Britain that we were all hoping to build.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55This new Britain would be a long time coming.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Peace had been secured in 1945, but the victory was bittersweet.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Rationing would cast a long shadow
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and the hardship of food shortages continued.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Rationing sort of ended in 1954.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13And why did it take so long?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16And you can imagine that the population actually was
0:05:16 > 0:05:19somewhat resentful of this process
0:05:19 > 0:05:23and felt that it was, shall we say, an imposition.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Even after rationing ended in 1954,
0:05:28 > 0:05:29dining out for leisure
0:05:29 > 0:05:32remained something restricted to the better-off.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37For eating out regularly, that was people with a good
0:05:37 > 0:05:40deal of money who would go off to what were always
0:05:40 > 0:05:42smart French restaurants.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Yet for those who could afford it,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49the range of dining options was still somewhat limited.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57If you go back and look at the Good Food Guide of the 1950s,
0:05:57 > 0:06:02you'll see how restricted the range of culinary cultures to
0:06:02 > 0:06:04choose from actually were.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10There had been a restricted diet during the war, there was
0:06:10 > 0:06:12a restricted diet after the war.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15And so there was very little glory on the plate.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26But Britain was changing.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30A new optimism was mirrored by an increase in aspiration.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33People were hungry for something new,
0:06:33 > 0:06:34something better.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39The time was right for culinary change,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43but the revolution, when it came, would happen in the very British,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47very traditional setting of...the pub.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Although converting a pub into a fine dining venue might have
0:06:52 > 0:06:56seemed like a very British solution, the idea actually came
0:06:56 > 0:06:57from elsewhere,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00from two Italians -
0:07:00 > 0:07:04brothers Frank and Aldo Berni.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08They even gave their new concept their Italian surname -
0:07:08 > 0:07:09the Berni Inn.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18The first Berni Inn opened in 1955.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Frank and Aldo's timing was perfect.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I think the Berni Brothers were absolutely inspired
0:07:28 > 0:07:31in realising just what the British public needed
0:07:31 > 0:07:34imm...you know, fairly soon after the war,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38when they hadn't had any meat or any sugar or any fresh eggs or
0:07:38 > 0:07:40any of the things that we take for granted now.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44And they were sick and tired of eating horrible old ration food.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Serving up a dining experience
0:07:47 > 0:07:50that was both sophisticated and aspirational -
0:07:50 > 0:07:52at a price most could afford -
0:07:52 > 0:07:56the Berni Inn seemed to be just what the British had been waiting for.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I had prawn cocktail.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Prawn cocktail followed by steak or chicken.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Prawn cocktail, steak and chips,
0:08:05 > 0:08:06and Black Forest gateau.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15That was by far the most popular meal you could have there,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18but also, it's a great meal! People sort of make fun of me,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21but I think a prawn cocktail is absolutely delicious.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Steak to me was a sort of...an aspirational dish.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29And the steak at the Berni Inn was really good,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33to the extent that I went round the back one night,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35in Leicester or Northampton or somewhere
0:08:35 > 0:08:38to see what kind of steak
0:08:38 > 0:08:40they were cooking.
0:08:40 > 0:08:46And I found a box. And it was short sirloin or short rump from Argentina.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50So, in other words, they weren't skimping on the raw materials.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58The Berni Inn would become THE place to go for a special night out.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I seem to remember it being very much a family thing.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The family were going for a night out for Mum's birthday,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09maybe couples would go there for anniversaries and things.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12But it was a family atmosphere, as far as I can remember.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16If you are talking about my first-ever attempt to take
0:09:16 > 0:09:18a date out for a meal,
0:09:18 > 0:09:23in places like Northampton, Newark and Darlington,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25it would've been at a Berni Inn.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Drinks were an important part of the offer at a Berni Inn.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33What was incredibly successful
0:09:33 > 0:09:35was the schooner of sherry.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Cos in those days,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39people did drink at lunchtime.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It was about that big. Yeah.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47The sophisticated thing
0:09:47 > 0:09:49was to go and have a schooner of sherry.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51And it looked vast.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54It was only when you had actually drunk it, in about two mouthfuls,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57you realised that the schooner was almost entirely made of glass
0:09:57 > 0:09:59and the actually bit inside to put the sherry in was minute.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01But they were great big things.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06MUSIC: Sh-boom by The Chords
0:10:06 > 0:10:10The first-ever Berni was set up in an old coaching inn in Bristol.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13For Frank and Aldo Berni, it gave them
0:10:13 > 0:10:15a chance to experiment with their new ideas.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20The Rummer was the first Berni Inn that was opened.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I think Dad got an understanding
0:10:27 > 0:10:29of what customers wanted through working
0:10:29 > 0:10:32in catering from a young age,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34from seeing how much...
0:10:35 > 0:10:37..waste there was.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Cos if you go to a very grand restaurant,
0:10:39 > 0:10:40you have...
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Because it's part of the sophisticated thing of going
0:10:43 > 0:10:46to a restaurant. ..you get a huge choice of exotic foods.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Very expensive if you're a restaurateur to run.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50So he saw that actually,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54if you just provide steak and chips or chicken in a basket,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57um, that's all you had to provide,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and that is precisely what the public came to eat.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09# I get no kick from champagne... #
0:11:09 > 0:11:12The Berni Brothers had a clear idea of what diners wanted
0:11:12 > 0:11:16because they had a lifetime of experience in the catering business.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22They had a canny understanding of what would encourage us to eat out.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27They were a good foil for each other.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Particularly Dad
0:11:30 > 0:11:33was quite a shy man
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and quite sort of cerebral.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39And he needed time to think and develop things.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Uncle Aldo was not as shy as him
0:11:43 > 0:11:45and was much more the front man.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54The Berni Brothers' concept - to make quality dining accessible to
0:11:54 > 0:11:58all - was one that had been simmering away for many years.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03The success of their business had its roots in their Italian origins.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08The Brothers Berni had migrated to Britain from the poverty
0:12:08 > 0:12:10of rural Italy.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13They were one of many Italian families who moved to the
0:12:13 > 0:12:15mining valleys of South Wales.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21Frank Berni arrived in the 1920s to be with his family in Glamorgan.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27He came over by train, not understanding a word of English.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29And was on the train with another Italian who
0:12:29 > 0:12:31got off the train before him.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35And he said, "Well, what do I do when I get there?"
0:12:35 > 0:12:38He said, "Just get off the train and say, 'Berni,'
0:12:38 > 0:12:39which he did.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42And then he worked in the business.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Frank got off his train in Merthyr Tydfil.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55His surname was well known in the area because it was above each
0:12:55 > 0:12:59of the 48 Italian cafes owned by other members of his family.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07But the Berni's family business was just the tip of the iceberg -
0:13:07 > 0:13:10there were hundreds of family-run Italian cafes
0:13:10 > 0:13:11throughout South Wales.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16They didn't go down in the mines because their prowess was
0:13:16 > 0:13:19they knew they could cook.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21They know... They can make coffee,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23they could do this, they could do that.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And opening up a shop...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Because, don't forget, at that particular time,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30there weren't pubs around.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It was more of a temperance movement with the Welsh people.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And cafes then became meeting places.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41The shops were famed for serving hot coffee, ice cream
0:13:41 > 0:13:42and evening meals.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46There was one family name that would become the catch-all
0:13:46 > 0:13:49name for all these Italian cafes -
0:13:49 > 0:13:50Bracchi.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Because they were so popular and so numerous,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58they were all called bracchis, with a hint of Welshness -
0:13:58 > 0:14:00braaacchis. SHE LAUGHS
0:14:02 > 0:14:04There were a lot of Bracchis,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06but there were also a lot of other Italians,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08like the Contis.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10We had 17 cafes at one point.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Popular with the mining community, Italian cafes, or bracchis,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20were a familiar sight throughout South Wales.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Because the miners were always down in the pits, it started off with
0:14:28 > 0:14:29when they came back up again.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Their throats were sore, they were filthy and thirsty.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35And the Italians were very good at ice cream,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37so they used to make ice cream.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43The cafes developed, I think, into more restaurants, where I can always
0:14:43 > 0:14:46remember steak and kidney pies, the steamed steak and kidney pies,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49which was a big seller in my father's cafe.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55The Italians were very, very good to adapt to the needs,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59if you like, of what the South Walians wanted.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04You know, people love these places because they were welcoming
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and people were very friendly.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Quite often there was music played in the coffee shops
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and people singing along.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18So the atmosphere would have been great.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Also, you have got to remember, cafe meant sobriety.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Southern Wales had a long Methodist tradition, chapel tradition.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28There was a great worry about drinking.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30So you could all go out but do something sober.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34And your wives could come too without feeling threatened or frightened.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40The family only lived at the back of the shop, and so would come in
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and... You know, it was pretty much a very friendly
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and family atmosphere in the Italian shop.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49The Italian-owned cafes of South Wales
0:15:49 > 0:15:52played their part in democratising eating out,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55long before the government-run British Restaurants.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59The Italian emigrants brought with them an informal approach to
0:15:59 > 0:16:03dining that working people could enjoy and, crucially, afford.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09A lot of Italians, well, they knew what it was like to be hard up.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11They didn't used to up the prices of anything.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15They used to try and keep all the prices as low as possible
0:16:15 > 0:16:19so the working people could afford to just go out and relax.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23It was in this Italian catering business where Frank
0:16:23 > 0:16:28and Aldo Berni learned their trade and how to identify a target market.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42But it would be on a trip to America where Frank Berni found
0:16:42 > 0:16:44the inspiration for the new dining concept that
0:16:44 > 0:16:48lay behind the idea of the Berni Inn.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Uncle Frank had the idea of steak bars from a trip to America.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58When he went to America, he saw the beginnings of that
0:16:58 > 0:17:02kind of restaurant where you could multiply a formula.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Frank had noticed that the American steakhouse had strict
0:17:09 > 0:17:11but simple rules that allowed
0:17:11 > 0:17:13them to multiply quickly.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17This principle would be applied to the British pub.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18The Berni Brothers kept
0:17:18 > 0:17:23their menu simple and trained their own chefs using the Berni Manual.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26They could take people
0:17:26 > 0:17:28almost off the street
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and within a reasonable amount of time, train them
0:17:31 > 0:17:35to serve steaks properly cooked,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37fish properly cooked. And chips.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40That meant that you could go out into other cities
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and train people quickly.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Can I read you a bit out of Bernie's Rules?- 'Of course you can, yeah.'
0:17:46 > 0:17:48HE SIGHS Well...
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Here is a Berni's Rule Book.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00"Ingredients.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03"3oz of sirloin steak.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05"3oz of gammon steak.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07"3 1/2 ounces of lamb cutlet.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13"See card number G3-7.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16"Watercress - one tenth of a bunch.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26"Sausage four minutes.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29"Service and presentation.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34"Place grilled items, vegetables on a very hot plate and garnish."
0:18:37 > 0:18:41This formulaic approach meant that diners knew exactly what to expect.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49They were getting very straightforward, simple,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51not risky food.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54The English, as we know, are very cautious about their food.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56And they knew what it was going to cost them.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59And that is, I think, what...
0:18:59 > 0:19:02It actually encouraged people to start going out.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04A - they knew what they were going to eat.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06B - they knew what it was going to cost.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08And it was hugely attractive.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13The concept proved massively effective.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17By the 1960s, Berni Inns had expanded nationwide
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and were widening their appeal.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26'Tennis champions eat at Berni's Inns.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29'They like the first-class service.'
0:19:32 > 0:19:34All right, let's go.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42'But what everyone likes at Berni Inns are the tender Berni's steaks.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46'There's a place for you at your Berni Inn.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47'Why not join the Berni Set?'
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Members of the Berni Set didn't enjoy just a steak dinner.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Whilst the food and the pub setting might have been traditional British,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08the Berni dining experience was delivered with Italian style.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Frank and Aldo refurbished many old coaching inns, giving them
0:20:11 > 0:20:13a particular look.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Eating at a Berni would be easy on the eye as well as the pocket.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22It was a little bit of a fold-a-roll
0:20:22 > 0:20:24and sort of curly-Q kind of world.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I remember them as having dark wood,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34with a mixture of sort of banquettes and tables and lots of red and
0:20:34 > 0:20:38lots of candles and bright lights in a nice, old-fashioned building.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43It was Italian warmth, Italian service,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45but with a great Englishness.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48They tended to be slightly mock-Tudor, if I remember.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It'd almost try and be an Italian pub, you know.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52So if it was the Duke of Wellington,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54they'd have a whole lot of prints of Waterloo.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56But they were great fun.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And obviously, that helps sell these places.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01People were always interested in the history of them.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03That was always written up.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06When you went to the restaurant, you could see...
0:21:06 > 0:21:10"Do you have the history of that?" It was written up everywhere.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17I have nothing but good memories, so, the Berni family...
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Grazie.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24The Berni Brothers combined Italian informality and flair with
0:21:24 > 0:21:27the formula of an American steakhouse chain -
0:21:27 > 0:21:30all delivered in the familiar surrounds of the traditional
0:21:30 > 0:21:31British pub.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Although the Berni Brothers brought some Italian panache
0:21:36 > 0:21:38to the dining-out experience, if
0:21:38 > 0:21:42you wanted to actually eat Italian, you'd have to look elsewhere.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Italian migrants in London had been a familiar sight to
0:21:54 > 0:21:56diners for many years.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59The capital had a long tradition of Italians
0:21:59 > 0:22:00working as waiters.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05By the 1960s, some of these waiters
0:22:05 > 0:22:06opened their own restaurants,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09this time selling their home cuisine.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Pasta was an acceptable foreign food.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Garlic might be hidden away and it wasn't too obvious.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Tomato sauce was not actually...not that much different from tomato
0:22:23 > 0:22:26ketchup. Anyway, it's that sort of familiarity.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28And it made pasta familiar.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33At first, Italian food was an urban affair.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35You could get a carbonara on Carnaby Street,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39but you wouldn't find any linguini in Loughborough.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42The only spaghetti we knew was like baked beans-y stuff.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44You know, in a tin and tomato sauce.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46'There are a thousand ways of cooking spaghetti,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48'but only one way to eat it properly.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50'It takes skill and enthusiasm.'
0:22:50 > 0:22:54And where did this mystery foodstuff pasta come from?
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Thankfully, the BBC were on hand to inform, entertain and enlighten.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03In 1957, there's this famous broadcast on April Fool's Day
0:23:03 > 0:23:04by Richard Dimbleby,
0:23:04 > 0:23:10where he says...he talks about the spaghetti harvest in northern Italy.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14And there are these fantastic shots of young girls taking
0:23:14 > 0:23:17the spaghetti down from the trees.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19'The last two weeks of March are an anxious time
0:23:19 > 0:23:21'for the spaghetti farmer.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24'There's always the chance of a late frost, which,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26'while not entirely ruining the crop,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29'generally impairs the flavour and makes it difficult for him
0:23:29 > 0:23:33'to obtain top prices in world markets.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37'But now these dangers are over and the spaghetti harvest goes forward.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39'After picking,
0:23:39 > 0:23:44'the spaghetti is laid out to dry in the warm Alpine sun.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47'Many people are often puzzled by the fact that spaghetti is
0:23:47 > 0:23:49'produced at such uniform length.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53'But this is the result of many years of patient endeavour by plant
0:23:53 > 0:23:57'breeders, who've succeeded in producing the perfect spaghetti.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02'And now the harvest is marked by a traditional meal.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'For those who love this dish, there's nothing like real,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'home-grown spaghetti.'
0:24:11 > 0:24:15This broadcast went out on television and people genuinely believed it,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18so much so that inquiries came in saying,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20"How do I grow my own spaghetti tree?"
0:24:20 > 0:24:22The official answer given back was,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25"Buy a tin of tomatoes and put one sprig in it."
0:24:25 > 0:24:30# Veni, vidi, vici Veni, vidi, vici
0:24:30 > 0:24:33# The moon above was yellow... #
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Whilst we might not have impressed the neighbours with a spaghetti
0:24:37 > 0:24:41tree, an Italian restaurant was soon a favoured romantic rendezvous.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45# Veni, vidi, vici Veni, vidi, vici... #
0:24:45 > 0:24:50What you went there was for the sense of occasion, the sense of pleasure.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53If you were with a girl, they were going to fawn on her,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56make her feel that she was the most beautiful and the most wonderful
0:24:56 > 0:24:59person in the entire world, and that would reflect very well on you.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And I think everybody felt that they could go there.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05# In our little rendezvous We kiss... #
0:25:05 > 0:25:07And I remember, you know, in my 20s,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09when I went to an Italian restaurant, I couldn't afford
0:25:09 > 0:25:12to have the main course, the meat and fish dishes,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15but you could sit there with a bottle of Frascati
0:25:15 > 0:25:16and have a pasta course.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19So the Italian restaurants completely democratised
0:25:19 > 0:25:22glamorous eating out.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24They were... It really was a revolution.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Well, sometimes I'll have a spaghetti, which I like very much.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33But I think the coffee...the coffee bar, it's marvellous.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It's a good thing.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37So the ordinary cafes, some people, you know,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41they think...at least I think they're higher class than me
0:25:41 > 0:25:44because perhaps they're artists and things like that.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46But I think they're no different than me, really,
0:25:46 > 0:25:47so that's why I come in here.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I mean, I'm just a common chap, like, which likes his pint
0:25:51 > 0:25:52and all that.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Italian migrants were among the first to encourage the cautious
0:25:58 > 0:26:00British to try something different.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06They may have started it at a very small, local,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10domestic level through cafes and ice cream shops,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14but they brought the same sort of energy
0:26:14 > 0:26:17and sense of hospitality when they started opening, you know,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20these smart trattorias up and down the country.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25And a visit to an Italian restaurant wasn't just about the food -
0:26:25 > 0:26:27it was about the experience.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31By stepping inside, diners were transported to an imagined Italy.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36The decor was to give people a sort of feeling of Italy.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I mean, OK, it was completely...
0:26:38 > 0:26:41You now, artificial grapes hanging from the ceiling
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and vistas of the Bay of Naples on the walls. But simple tables.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Instead of carpeted floors, they were tiled floors.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51So it was much more romantic.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57The trattoria had this sort of grape vine up there.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And what we did, we used to put the grapes, hang the grapes,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02in the morning. So when people ask
0:27:02 > 0:27:06for grapes to eat, we stood on a chair,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08picked up the grapes and cut it.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12And one waiter would hold the bowl like this, full of water.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13And then we cut the grapes
0:27:13 > 0:27:16and put the grapes inside and give it to the customer.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Which again, it was part of the ambiance, part of the atmosphere.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23While the music in the background was playing,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27singing Amore, or whatever.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Whilst diners enjoyed the bolognese
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and chianti, there was one Italian classic that wasn't on the menu.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Pizza originated in Rome and Naples,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and it was served mostly as street food.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18You wouldn't find pizza on the menu of the Italian coffee shop,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20spaghetti house, or Berni Inn
0:28:20 > 0:28:23because Italian street food wasn't thought of as something
0:28:23 > 0:28:24the British would enjoy.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It would be an entrepreneur from Peterborough
0:28:31 > 0:28:33who would see the potential of pizza.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Peter Boizot would discover a slice of Italy
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and bring it back to Britain.
0:28:39 > 0:28:44In doing so, he gave us a new dining experience - the pizzeria.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Well, I had my first pizza in Italy in 1948.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50And then I lived abroad for a while.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52And when I came back to England, in 1964,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56I couldn't find any place to eat a pizza, a decent pizza.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58So I thought, "Why not open my own pizzeria?"
0:29:00 > 0:29:01It really was a revelation.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Because there hadn't really been pizza until that time.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07And the huge difference with Peter Boizot's pizza was,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09they were actually...they were authentic.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16In 1965, Peter Boizot opened his first Pizza Express
0:29:16 > 0:29:18in London's Soho.
0:29:18 > 0:29:19In the early days,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21he presented the food exactly as it would be served
0:29:21 > 0:29:23in Naples or Rome.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30I started with big trays -
0:29:30 > 0:29:33square trays, oblong trays -
0:29:33 > 0:29:36and I cut the pizza into eight slices
0:29:36 > 0:29:39and served it on a piece of grease-proof paper.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42And it went well.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46But a dear friend of mine, now dead,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Ron Simpson came along and said,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52"Why don't you server round pizzas with a knife and fork?"
0:29:52 > 0:29:55So I moved over to that, and it went very well.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00By moving it from the street to the table,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Pizza Express had taken an unpretentious Italian food
0:30:03 > 0:30:06and dressed it up for the modern British palate.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09The timing was key. In 1965,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12we were in thrall to all things Italian.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Italian chic may have been too expensive for many.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Dining in a pizzeria, on the other hand,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33was a stylish and affordable way to sample la dolce vita.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Pizza Express wasn't expensive.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37I think it was affordable-chic.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43From top to bottom of society, they came.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45And, um,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47I didn't do anything to stop them.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51If the music of Mozart conjures up for you images of Baroque cathedrals
0:30:51 > 0:30:53or the hills of Salzburg,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56as you listen to this performance of the Salzburg Serenade, think again.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Oh, yes, the setting is Continental all right,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01but it is not quite so exotic as the music might suggest.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05In fact, it is a pizza bar next door to the British Museum.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17This was a wonderful democratic form of eating out.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21They were an excellent product.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24And not only that, but the places themselves were big,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27they were buzzing, lots of people coming and going.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33It becomes part of the evolution.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38It's another stage in the evolution of British eating-out.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40He wasn't interested in the family atmosphere.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43He wasn't interested in big fat mama with her great big
0:31:43 > 0:31:44sort of steaming bowl of pasta
0:31:44 > 0:31:47coming out and smiling at everybody.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Whilst Peter Boizet's mother might not have been on hand
0:31:50 > 0:31:52to serve customers,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55to attract hip Londoners to his restaurant, he had to get
0:31:55 > 0:31:57the atmosphere just right.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02We did have classical music on a jukebox.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05And one afternoon, Timothy Cramer came in and said,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09"Would you like to have music for real?" Classical music.
0:32:09 > 0:32:10I said, "I'd be delighted."
0:32:10 > 0:32:14And, uh... So accordingly, he started playing.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- 'Are you delighted with the results?'- Very much so, yes.
0:32:17 > 0:32:18'Is it good for business?'
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It's good for business, but I think the aesthetic
0:32:21 > 0:32:24pleasure of the thing is what interests me the most.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27The fusion of music and mozzarella would prove to be
0:32:27 > 0:32:31a recipe for success, and a string quartet with a side of
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Mozart wasn't the only thing on the menu.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39I went there to listen to jazz, actually.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40One, two, three four...
0:32:40 > 0:32:43JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS
0:32:54 > 0:32:59I had always been interested in music and jazz.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04You had a carafe of wine,
0:33:04 > 0:33:08you had a very satisfactory pizza, probably more than you could eat,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12and you got music. It was a fantastic deal, you know.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14It was a really good evening out.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Um, simple, you know, no frills.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21And you pretty much knew what you were going to pay when you went in,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24unless you had a second carafe of wine, which...sometimes we did.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37There was more than just music providing the entertainment -
0:33:37 > 0:33:40making pizza was an amusement in itself.
0:33:43 > 0:33:44There you are, you're seeing
0:33:44 > 0:33:46the pizzaiola chuck the base up in the air.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48You're seeing waiters come in like that,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50with a pizza in each hand, shouting out the names.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52It's fun! It's a good atmosphere.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00I didn't want to hide them away in the kitchen.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01So I brought the kitchen out.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07I can work at the rhythm of the music, you know, it's very good.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10'Do you prefer it the nights the musicians are here rather than
0:34:10 > 0:34:11'when they're not?'
0:34:11 > 0:34:12Yes, I prefer when they are in.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18With authentic pizza-makers in charge of the food,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22Peter brought in an Italian designer to complete the Pizza Express look.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Whether it's the Berni Brothers introducing the Welsh to
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Italian ice cream and coffee
0:35:22 > 0:35:27or Peter Boizot fusing Neapolitan street food with jazz,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29the modern British eating-out experience
0:35:29 > 0:35:31owes more to immigration than it
0:35:31 > 0:35:36does to the foreign travel industry or the recipes of celebrity chefs.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41And it wasn't just Italians who enticed us to eat out.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Italian cuisine was largely popular in big cities.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52But in small towns and suburbs, there was another migrant community
0:35:52 > 0:35:55opening restaurants in their thousands - the Chinese.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59'A few of Britain's Chinese live and work in the city Chinatowns,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01'like London's Gerrard Street.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04'But the great majority live in small family groups scattered
0:36:04 > 0:36:06'throughout every town in Britain.'
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Chinese was our way of going out, I think,
0:36:16 > 0:36:21because we didn't feel threatened by Chinese food or Chinese service.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23We felt warm in it.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Whereas I think we've all been nervous with a French waiter,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and even Italian waiters sometimes, looking down on us
0:36:28 > 0:36:30cos we're not as sophisticated as them,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32we haven't...we're very ignorant of food.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34But of course, it's OK to be ignorant of Chinese food
0:36:34 > 0:36:37because of course we haven't been to China.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47Many of these Chinese who opened restaurants throughout Britain
0:36:47 > 0:36:50had emigrated from Hong Kong during the 1950s.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56They had moved to Britain in search of a better life.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00Civil War and revolution in mainland China had forced
0:37:00 > 0:37:02thousands of refugees into Hong Kong.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Many continued their journey, settling eventually in towns
0:37:07 > 0:37:09and cities up and down the British Isles.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22When a community settles overseas, its first problem, of course,
0:37:22 > 0:37:26is to survive. In other words, to make a living.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Now, how do we Chinese tackle that problem?
0:37:29 > 0:37:33There are two major lines of business which we Chinese go into -
0:37:33 > 0:37:35the food business and laundering.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Certainly when the Chinese came over as immigrants to England,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44they worked in launderettes.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49And as that industry died, because people had washing machines at home,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53the only thing they could convert those into was maybe take-aways
0:37:53 > 0:37:54or restaurants.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Chinese restaurants soon became a favourite place to eat out,
0:37:59 > 0:38:03and by the 1960s, there were over 2,000 of them.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16In 1965, a survey revealed that almost a third of those questioned
0:38:16 > 0:38:20had eaten at a Chinese restaurant whilst only 5% of people had
0:38:20 > 0:38:22dined on French cuisine.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27The Chinese restaurant drew us in to unchartered waters,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30and we were intrepid explorers.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35Absolutely terrifying. I mean, there it was in the far East End of London,
0:38:35 > 0:38:36never been that far east,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and you just didn't know where you were.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42And you just sat there and quaked
0:38:42 > 0:38:44and hoped that you ordered the right thing.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47And it was pretty red hot. It was really brilliant.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54The first Chinese restaurant I ever went to was this Chinese
0:38:54 > 0:38:57restaurant just off Piccadilly Circus.
0:38:57 > 0:38:58It was upstairs.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02And it had a wonderful gloominess to it.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05And there was a sort of sense of going into a foreign country.
0:39:05 > 0:39:10It was wonderfully exciting for a ten-year-old boy,
0:39:10 > 0:39:12nine-year-old boy, whatever I was then.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14And everything about it was strange.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21And of course, there were these things called chopsticks,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24which took you the entire meal to try and master.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Western people often wonder
0:39:28 > 0:39:30why we Chinese use chopsticks
0:39:30 > 0:39:33instead of the usual knife and fork.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Well, the answer dates back to Confucius,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38as so many things in China date back to Confucius.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44He once said that a man of virtue will never live or go
0:39:44 > 0:39:48anywhere near to the kitchen or the slaughterhouse
0:39:48 > 0:39:54because he doesn't want to hear the killing of animals or to see
0:39:54 > 0:39:56the meat being carved and sliced up.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00And that's why, in China, the slicing and carving of meat
0:40:00 > 0:40:02has never been allowed onto the dining table.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Confucius almost certainly didn't have much to do with it,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19but chopsticks went a long way to promoting Chinese food in Britain.
0:40:21 > 0:40:251960s Butlins holiday-makers might have encountered,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28alongside the knobbly knees and bonnie baby shows,
0:40:28 > 0:40:30the eating with chopsticks competition.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38VOICEOVER: Use chopsticks, it's easy,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40or so they told these other holiday-makers
0:40:40 > 0:40:42at a Clacton holiday camp.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44They've entered a Chinese eating competition,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47because they've never tasted Chinese food before.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Nobody realised they'd have to do it the hard way.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55This fellow would do better with a spoon and pusher.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01And look at that lady's stroke play.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Yes, it does taste good,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05and he wouldn't know, of course.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06He hasn't started yet.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Hey, what's this?
0:41:09 > 0:41:10He's really mixing it now.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Madam, please, that's just not cricket.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Oh, forget the chopsticks then.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22He's found the chop.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35The showbiz version of chopsticks and chop suey
0:41:35 > 0:41:37was a world apart from the real story.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Many migrants from Hong Kong followed in the footsteps of
0:41:42 > 0:41:44the Italians in Wales,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47opening restaurants in working class suburbs and towns.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54Lily Kwock set up her restaurant in 1950 just outside Manchester.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56It was one of the first of its kind.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59There's a famous quote that says,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01"The journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step",
0:42:01 > 0:42:05and it really started with her in Hong Kong
0:42:05 > 0:42:07working for an English family.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10And after post-war Britain,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12the English family wanted to come back.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17The lady that she looked after and cared for passed away,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19left a small inheritance for her,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23and then, from there, she used that money
0:42:23 > 0:42:25to start her own business.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32She set it in Middleton, in the 1950s.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35And they initially thought she was Japanese,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38so they boycotted her first restaurant, the Lung Fung,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41cos they thought she was going to poison their food.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Er, my grandmother, being entrepreneurial
0:42:44 > 0:42:46and determined to succeed,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49hired a local lady called Mavis,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51and it was Mavis that helped to bridge the gap
0:42:51 > 0:42:54and bring locals to come and try the food.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58They were won over by the spices, by the tastes...
0:42:58 > 0:43:01You know, by the whole experience of dining out.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Lily's initial business, The Lung Fung Cafe
0:43:07 > 0:43:09was modest by today's standards.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17My grandmother's restaurant in the 1950s
0:43:17 > 0:43:19was a very basic restaurant
0:43:19 > 0:43:23with, you know, white walls, tables and chairs.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27I think expectations were quite low.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29So, it didn't matter that she had a very basic restaurant.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35Middleton is a working-class area, you don't want to make it too posh
0:43:35 > 0:43:36and put your diners off.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39You've got to make it comfortable, so that they feel welcome there
0:43:39 > 0:43:41and that's exactly what Lung Fung was.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48She was obviously, you know, very entrepreneurial,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51and I think she went up to about 26 shops,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55which was amazing for a woman in the '50s to do that.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00She had so many regular customers
0:44:00 > 0:44:02who would order the same thing again and again
0:44:02 > 0:44:04that I don't think she even needed a menu at one point.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10Some of those original customers still remember their introduction
0:44:10 > 0:44:11to Lily's food.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15The first time I went to Lung Fungs
0:44:15 > 0:44:18was with my friend on a Friday night
0:44:18 > 0:44:20and he said, "I'll take you for a good curry",
0:44:20 > 0:44:24and we went to this, Lung Fungs is like a Chinese restaurant.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26So, we went in there
0:44:26 > 0:44:30and it was, had flags on the floor, and all that,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32and she used to have a dish, a jug,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34and organise some forks in.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36So, it was really like, old fashion.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40After she'd been here a couple of years, they had a toilet put in,
0:44:40 > 0:44:42but it was right in the centre of the room,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45and if you were on the toilet, everyone could hear you.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Opening a Chinese restaurant during rationing posed its own problems.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58When she first opened in the 1950s,
0:44:58 > 0:45:02obviously, there is a limitation on what kind of foods is available,
0:45:02 > 0:45:06and she was very creative, so she would adapt.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08If there wasn't sugar, she'd put apples into the curry
0:45:08 > 0:45:10to sweeten things up.
0:45:10 > 0:45:11Um...
0:45:11 > 0:45:15I know the curry used to change colour from green to yellow
0:45:15 > 0:45:17depending on what was available.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20But, you know, she managed to find the spices from somewhere,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23and kept the customers really hooked on what she made.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27CHINESE MUSIC PLAYS
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Lily's culinary legacy is still evident today.
0:45:36 > 0:45:4060 years on, her family continue to cook her curry.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44My grandmother and my parents have had
0:45:44 > 0:45:46a massive influence on my life.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50You know, in a former life,
0:45:50 > 0:45:51I used to be a lawyer.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55And so, I've given that up to open up a restaurant with Lisa,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57who used to work in finance.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01So, we have actually changed our paths quite significantly.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06To actually be able to make her dishes today
0:46:06 > 0:46:07keeps her memory alive.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Hong Kong wasn't the only territory that would have
0:46:15 > 0:46:18a profound influence on the British eating out experience.
0:46:19 > 0:46:25By 1970, Britain was fast becoming a diverse, multicultural society.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27MUSIC: Paper Sun by Traffic
0:46:33 > 0:46:36There were already well-established Asian communities
0:46:36 > 0:46:37throughout Britain,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40but relatively few Indian restaurants existed.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46It was migration from a specific region of the Indian subcontinent
0:46:46 > 0:46:49that would introduce many of us to 'Indian' food.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54There's a lot of Bangladeshi people in Great Britain,
0:46:54 > 0:46:57but 90% of the people there came from Sylhet province.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00So, basically, actually, there are 90% Bangladeshi people,
0:47:00 > 0:47:01they're called Bangladeshi,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04but they are from a particular part of Bangladesh,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06and they all speak with the same Sylheti dialect.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11The 9,000 Indian restaurants in this country
0:47:11 > 0:47:13are actually owned and staffed by Bangladeshis.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17So much is the connection between the two countries
0:47:17 > 0:47:20that St Albans actually is twinned with Sylhet.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26In 1971, Sylhet became a focal point in a civil war
0:47:26 > 0:47:29between East and West Pakistan.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32The conflict arose when politicians in East Pakistan
0:47:32 > 0:47:35declared independence from West.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37They named their new state Bangladesh.
0:47:39 > 0:47:40There was a refugee crisis.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Millions fled the conflict.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Thousands of families from Sylhet came to Britain
0:47:46 > 0:47:48in the hope of starting afresh.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52With limited employment opportunities,
0:47:52 > 0:47:54these migrants found Britain a difficult place
0:47:54 > 0:47:56to begin their new lives.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00I think, for a lot of the immigrants, if not every immigrant,
0:48:00 > 0:48:02I think it was a really big shock to come to England.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05I mean, I don't know what they had quite expected,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07but you leave this vibrant country
0:48:07 > 0:48:08where there is this big sense of community
0:48:08 > 0:48:10where you sort of know a lot of people,
0:48:10 > 0:48:12you have a lot of family around you,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14there is colour and there is music and there is Indian food
0:48:14 > 0:48:16and there is everything on the street and at home.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20And it's quite chaotic but it is anything but dull.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22And then you sort of come to England and...
0:48:22 > 0:48:25And it's grey and it's dark early and it's raining.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28And you come back and your neighbourhood's really quiet
0:48:28 > 0:48:29and you come back to your flat.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31That's quite a culture shock.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36- PRESENTER:- The Pakistanis are moving in and doing well.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Kusna has to rub shoulders with the Nasral restaurant.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42The Ironmonger Libovitch has a new neighbour -
0:48:42 > 0:48:44the halal butcher.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45It's the East End story.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48One wave of immigrants being followed by another.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56Servicing the fallout from one particular British pastime
0:48:56 > 0:48:58would present a late-night opportunity.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05When the Indian food started, I can still even...
0:49:05 > 0:49:11my father and my uncle...used to be trouble all the time.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Indian food actually was the last option at the late-night.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Their Indian restaurant used to open
0:49:16 > 0:49:18until two, three, four o'clock in the morning.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21And on Friday, Saturdays, they had a lot of trouble.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27They were the only people who would stay open that late
0:49:27 > 0:49:29to try and get some business,
0:49:29 > 0:49:31and they found quite soon that actually
0:49:31 > 0:49:33if we stayed up until after the pubs close,
0:49:33 > 0:49:34we have a passing trade.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37And no-one else really wanted to be open that late,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39they want to be in bed with their families.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41But, as an immigrant, you have no choice,
0:49:41 > 0:49:42you slightly have to take what you get,
0:49:42 > 0:49:44you've got to carve out your own niche.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50The 1960s and '70s are now seen as
0:49:50 > 0:49:53a time of increasing liberalisation,
0:49:53 > 0:49:55but for many migrants these decades were tainted
0:49:55 > 0:49:59by racism, violence and routine discrimination.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07I'm sure if we are going to make ourselves
0:50:07 > 0:50:11more acceptable to this society here
0:50:11 > 0:50:13and have good relations with them,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17we have to readjust ourselves
0:50:17 > 0:50:19and try to know their point of view as well.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22But dining out was one way the British
0:50:22 > 0:50:25could get to know their new neighbours.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I think the great thing about what Indian restaurants have achieved
0:50:29 > 0:50:31and, in fact, all restaurants achieved
0:50:31 > 0:50:35is they've managed to break down the barriers of race, class and sex,
0:50:35 > 0:50:37but especially race.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41It's very difficult to feel racist or xenophobic
0:50:41 > 0:50:43when someone's just entertained you,
0:50:43 > 0:50:45in extensibility, their home, their restaurant.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49If someone feeds you, it's difficult to distrust them after that moment.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51Obviously, unless you get food poisoning.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53But, but, you, I think that's been,
0:50:53 > 0:50:57that's why this country has such a good track record of racism,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01because of the plurifilation of Indian, Chinese, Italian restaurants
0:51:01 > 0:51:03throughout the UK.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04Definitely, if you look around,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07I think the British culture is the one who's sort of accepted...
0:51:07 > 0:51:09and adopted all these cuisines.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12And now, I mean, you get them on every street corner.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14I would almost say it's almost like modern British now
0:51:14 > 0:51:16because you can eat modern British food
0:51:16 > 0:51:18and have some spices from here and,
0:51:18 > 0:51:19I don't know, you just do.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21And I don't know if it's because
0:51:21 > 0:51:24they have the whole Commonwealth and they've travelled more
0:51:24 > 0:51:26and they have more of a history
0:51:26 > 0:51:29or if English food just really needed it.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37Just as the Bernis had gone into serving steak rather than pasta,
0:51:37 > 0:51:40and Chow Mein was often eaten with chips,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Indian cuisine has adapted to cater for British diners.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51A lot of the early Indian food in this country
0:51:51 > 0:51:53was made for a British palate.
0:51:56 > 0:51:57Hey, too hot for you, is it?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00No, no, it's fine, is this. You know, it's all right.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01We've had much hotter than this.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Remember where we used to go to
0:52:03 > 0:52:04- after night school?- Oo, yeah.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06- I like it hot.- Hey, what is that?
0:52:06 > 0:52:07- It's lime pickle.- Chilli, I think.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10Here, you're looking really flushed.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Carling shatters more thirst than any other lager
0:52:13 > 0:52:15and leaves you with a flavour to savour.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17It's safer to not have really strong spices
0:52:17 > 0:52:20when people are not really used to spices.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26ALARM RINGS
0:52:26 > 0:52:29HE PANTS
0:52:29 > 0:52:31HE SIGHS
0:52:31 > 0:52:35It's not what you would call proper Indian home food,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38and I think that's why our curry houses are slightly confused
0:52:38 > 0:52:41because the people who cooked it all from one region
0:52:41 > 0:52:42and its Bangladesh now,
0:52:42 > 0:52:45but at one point it was Bengal, which was part of India.
0:52:45 > 0:52:46They didn't have the right ingredients
0:52:46 > 0:52:48to cook their own home food.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50And, they were used to this restaurant style of cooking.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52So, I think all these forces came together
0:52:52 > 0:52:54and we ended up with the British curry house.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59Indian food in the UK is as much influenced by British taste
0:52:59 > 0:53:02as it is by Indian spice.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03To some British Asians,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06the local version of curry is unrecognisable.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08- VOICEOVER:- This is the chef, the Vesta chef
0:53:08 > 0:53:11who diced the beef, sliced the onion,
0:53:11 > 0:53:13mixed the fruit, ground the spice,
0:53:13 > 0:53:15stirred the curry, prepared the rice
0:53:15 > 0:53:18that went into Vesta beef curry,
0:53:18 > 0:53:19and it took him three hours.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22This is the wife who went to the pantry, who opened the packet,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25then cooked and served that wonderful Vesta beef curry,
0:53:25 > 0:53:27and she did it all in 20 minutes.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30Some of the dishes do show a resemblance to what we eat at home.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33They might not be called that, the same sort of thing,
0:53:33 > 0:53:34but they do have resemblance there.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36And other ones are completely different.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39They're not things we'd even consider making at home.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41I don't think my mum even knows how to make chicken tikka masala,
0:53:41 > 0:53:43so, whereas, obviously, she would know
0:53:43 > 0:53:45how to make something like a bhuna,
0:53:45 > 0:53:48which is that sort of flavouring and that sort of spice.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50MUSIC: Song Of Innocence by David Axelrod
0:53:54 > 0:53:57Well, there isn't really an Indian food, as such,
0:53:57 > 0:53:59and we've now learned that, cos now we have all the regionalities
0:53:59 > 0:54:03coming out in restaurants, in supermarkets, in magazines now.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05Everything's like a Keralan this or a Goan that,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08which is great, because that provenance is enough.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Cos there isn't a universal Indian flavour,
0:54:10 > 0:54:13but there seems to be when you enter a curry house.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16That's where all bets are off and everything changes.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18SITAR MUSIC PLAYS
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Indian restaurants have succeeded so well in Britain
0:54:24 > 0:54:27that nearly all of us have own favourite curry house.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30We're now fluent in Indian food.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Some of them didn't bother to look at the menu.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36They know exactly what dish they're going to have,
0:54:36 > 0:54:38but 40% will ask to look at the menu.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40For 10 minutes, they'll browse for 10 minutes,
0:54:40 > 0:54:42then, 10 minutes later, they'll order the same dish.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47What the Indians did so brilliantly
0:54:47 > 0:54:50was they standardised their menu right from the beginnings.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53When they, even in 1910, they standardised,
0:54:53 > 0:54:56they invented these dishes called dopiaza, and all this sort of thing,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59and they even invented chicken tikka masala for us,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01because a man ordered chicken tikka,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04which, as you know, is a dish without sauce,
0:55:04 > 0:55:06and said, "Where's the gravy?"
0:55:06 > 0:55:09You hear a lot of stories about how it was invented in England
0:55:09 > 0:55:10and it was an English dish.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13And I know that you will never find a chicken tikka masala in India,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15but it's so similar to butter chicken,
0:55:15 > 0:55:19is kind of grilled tandoori chicken in a creamy tomato sauce.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Now, for me, it's so clear that there's an origin,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23so I'm not convinced that that's a true urban myth,
0:55:23 > 0:55:25that it was invented by some punters.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28After over 40 years,
0:55:28 > 0:55:32the typical British curry house is still a family-run business -
0:55:32 > 0:55:33and a thriving one.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37And if you go to London and all over the UK, actually,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40our family and our distant cousins,
0:55:40 > 0:55:43they are still involved with the restaurant business.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45They own a lot of restaurants.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47I wouldn't be surprised if it was
0:55:47 > 0:55:50a good few hundred coming up to 1,000 in regards to numbers
0:55:50 > 0:55:51if you take that into account.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01By enticing us to dine out and to try something different,
0:56:01 > 0:56:03generations of immigrants have transformed
0:56:03 > 0:56:05the British eating experience.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08MUSIC: Marquee Moon by Television
0:56:15 > 0:56:19Migration has given us more accessible, more affordable
0:56:19 > 0:56:21and more accommodating restaurants.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25This has helped democratise dining out for everyone.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30I think people learnt to eat out.
0:56:30 > 0:56:36In 1959, we only spent 10p in every pound that we spend on food
0:56:36 > 0:56:38on eating away from the home.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41In 2005, it's now 38p,
0:56:41 > 0:56:42so very gradually,
0:56:42 > 0:56:47we learned to be comfortable sitting in a restaurant with a menu.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50So, the experience is no longer intimidating as it once was.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57These restaurants encouraged us to try new things
0:56:57 > 0:56:59and be a little more adventurous.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03What it does is that people get used to spending money on food
0:57:03 > 0:57:04that they're not eating at home.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07They get used to eating away from home.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10After a bit they get bored, so they go try something else.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12And that leads them up a food chain,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14and it leads them on
0:57:14 > 0:57:16to expect something better and better and better.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22By fusing their flavours with traditional British tastes,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25they have created dishes that have become standard local fare.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29If you look at our food culture,
0:57:29 > 0:57:30since time immemorial,
0:57:30 > 0:57:35we've begged, borrowed, stolen, used, adapted foods
0:57:35 > 0:57:37from all over the world.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39Spices from here, you know,
0:57:39 > 0:57:41fruits from there, meats from somewhere else.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Ideas, techniques and so on.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50The success of these restaurants is remarkable.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54Italians, Chinese and Asian migrants have introduced the British
0:57:54 > 0:57:58to the joys of eating out and eating differently.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01The desire to build a better life in a new country
0:58:01 > 0:58:04ended up changing the way we all dine out.