0:00:02 > 0:00:06Just what do you have to do when a queen decides she is going to pop in to see you?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Not just any old queen, Victoria.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies, we're pursuing her around
0:00:14 > 0:00:17the country to the posh pads she visited.
0:00:17 > 0:00:24We'll be delving into her personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Welcome to the Scottish Highlands.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32Today we're at Blair Castle, the northernmost point of our journey.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36And as someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41I'll be exploring the curiosities of the castle that would have surprised Victoria.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Antlers, antlers everywhere.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47You might think there's been a tremendous bloodbath.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And as a chef who is passionate about great British food,
0:00:50 > 0:00:56I will be re-creating a rustic Victorian dish to warm the cockles of the queen's heart.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Oh, look at that.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And having a Highland fling just like Victoria.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- Have you got something under your skirt?- Everything that I need!
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Goodness sake, control yourself, woman!
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Shucks.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22By the time Queen Victoria came to Blair, she had been on the throne seven years, and had dropped in at
0:01:22 > 0:01:27more stately homes than she'd had hot dinners, but this trip was different.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Queen Victoria didn't come here just for one night,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33this was one of the longest visits she made on her travels.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39Indeed, Rosemary, she came here in September 1844 for three long weeks.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45Her husband, Prince Albert, thought it would be the ideal place for her to recuperate
0:01:45 > 0:01:51following the birth of her fourth child, Prince Alfred, who made an appearance a few weeks earlier.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56Baby Alfred was left at home so Victoria could get some well-deserved rest.
0:01:56 > 0:02:04The poor girl had churned out four sprogs in four years and she was only 25 years old.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10Lord Glenlyon, the host of Blair Castle, had a brother who worked at the Royal Court in London,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14who Albert used as his travel agent to make the arrangements.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20In a letter to Lord Glenlyon two months before the visit, his brother wrote, "Prince Albert is extremely
0:02:20 > 0:02:25"anxious that after the Queen's confinement she should make a little trip for the benefit of her health.
0:02:25 > 0:02:32"They wish to go quietly and without any state, just as a nobleman would go down for a little shooting."
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The royal couple had said to their hosts, Lord and Lady Glenlyon,
0:02:36 > 0:02:43"we don't want to you take any trouble, but..." and this is the killing bit - they did request
0:02:43 > 0:02:48full access to the entire estate for the whole of the three weeks.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52And as a result, Lord and Lady Glenlyon had to move out.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Well, you certainly can't refuse a Royal request like that, could they?
0:02:56 > 0:03:03- No.- Well, I'm looking forward to heading downstairs to see how they coped with such a long visit.
0:03:03 > 0:03:10Good luck with that, Rosemary. I'm heading upstairs to find out quite why they enjoyed the place so much.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Because of the private nature of the visit,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Albert had given strict instructions to keep this top secret.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Fat chance of that!
0:03:19 > 0:03:25They arrived by sea on the royal yacht after sailing all the way from London to Dundee.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29By the time they docked, hordes of adoring subjects and
0:03:29 > 0:03:34a 21-gun salute were awaiting them to celebrate the Queen's arrival.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37The royal couple may have left baby Alfred at home,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40but they did bring their eldest, Princess Victoria.
0:03:40 > 0:03:46From Dundee, they made the four-hour journey by horse and carriage to Blair Castle in Fife.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55When Queen Victoria arrived, there were 200 Highlanders lined up to greet her.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01They formed, effectively, her bodyguard for the duration of her stay.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05They formed part of the Scottish Infantry Regiment known as the
0:04:05 > 0:04:11Atholl Highlanders, commanded by the Duke of Atholl,
0:04:11 > 0:04:16whose traditional home was here at Blair Castle.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21This photograph taken at the time of the visit shows the guards lined up outside the castle.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26As a present for guarding her during her stay, Victoria gave
0:04:26 > 0:04:33the Atholl Guards their own coat of arms, making them, to this day, the only private army in Europe.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36She also threw in a couple of cannons for good measure.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Well, today, we have not 200 Highlanders,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- we have a single bagpiper. - SHE PLAYS BAGPIPES
0:04:45 > 0:04:47And she is female.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51I don't know what Queen Victoria would have to say about that!
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The royal couple arrived here
0:04:57 > 0:05:00on Wednesday, September 11th, 1844.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06Victoria wrote in her diary, "Lord and Lady Glenlyon, with their little boy, received us at the door."
0:05:06 > 0:05:13The castle would have looked more like a house, because at the time there were no turrets or towers.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17These little jokes were added later so, in fact, it looked pretty bleak.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But that's what Victoria loved about it.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22She didn't want pomp and ceremony.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26She got plenty of that back home at Buckingham Palace.
0:05:26 > 0:05:33Gosh, look at this. This is very much the epitome of what you would expect
0:05:33 > 0:05:38a Victorian entrance hall in the Highlands to look like.
0:05:38 > 0:05:44But pride of place in the hall is occupied by this chap,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47known affectionately as Tilt.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49The story of Tilt is this.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54When he was 13 years of age, quite an old codger for a stag,
0:05:54 > 0:06:01he would have been defending his territory from another stag, and sadly he died.
0:06:01 > 0:06:08Now the thing is, when Victoria and Albert were here, Tilt would have been about seven years of age.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12He would have been in his prime, so there is every possibility that
0:06:12 > 0:06:17when the royal couple were out there touring the estate extensively,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20they could have seen old Tilt here,
0:06:20 > 0:06:25literally roamin' in the gloamin', poor old boy.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31On arrival at their Highland hideaway,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35the royal couple wasted no time in exploring Blair's stunning estate,
0:06:35 > 0:06:41heading straight to the vegetable garden which fed the house.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47This is not just a vegetable garden.
0:06:47 > 0:06:53Queen Victoria came here on her very first day of visiting Blair Castle.
0:06:53 > 0:07:00She wrote in her Highland diary, "We then went into the kitchen garden and to a walk from which
0:07:00 > 0:07:06"there is a magnificent view, this mixture of great wilderness and art is perfection."
0:07:06 > 0:07:08How lovely.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15The Hercules Garden, as it is known today, languishes across nine acres of the Blair estate.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Here, Hercules guards its fruit trees and vegetable beds and, more interestingly,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25a Chinese bridge and a folly, where I'm joining food historian Ivan Day.
0:07:25 > 0:07:31Before we decide what to cook, we need a bit of inspiration, and we are hoping to find it in this
0:07:31 > 0:07:35wonderful book recording details of that very trip.
0:07:35 > 0:07:42"Her Majesty and Prince Albert and suite arrived at Blair Castle at quarter before two o'clock."
0:07:42 > 0:07:48And then, the clerk has written the list of the entire royal party.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53So you have Her Majesty, and Albert, of course, the Princess Royal, and then all the notables like
0:07:53 > 0:08:00the ladies in waiting, but when you get a little bit further down, you see all of the royal servants.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02They had brought all of them from London,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06one governess, one nursery maid.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Three cooks.- Plus one...
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Pastry cook. Confectioner.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12I can't believe this.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14One roasting cook.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17She must have brought almost her whole household.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22This is what happened when a monarch went on a progress, they tended to bring everybody with them.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But think about the organisation, how they house them.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29But most importantly, how would they feed them?
0:08:29 > 0:08:31And how would they feed them?
0:08:31 > 0:08:33That's why you have got this huge number of kitchen staff.
0:08:33 > 0:08:39When you look at the bottom, the total comes to 114 people in the royal party.
0:08:39 > 0:08:46To keep all these servants ticking over like well-oiled machines, the royal kitchen must have been
0:08:46 > 0:08:51churning out meals like a sausage factory, and there was no shortage of booze either.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56You have enormous numbers of provisions being brought in from market, porter in gallons.
0:08:56 > 0:09:0116 gallons of porter and, of course, there is a brew house here as well, and it tells you how much beer was
0:09:01 > 0:09:05brewed, and it is an enormous number of barrels of beer.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08And, of course, this isn't for the Queen and Albert,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12it's for the Atholl Highlanders and all the servants.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17And while Victoria's table would have been laden with venison, there was plenty of other meat as well.
0:09:17 > 0:09:23On the 10th September, slaughtered two sheep, a bullock.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29On the 11th, four sheep and on the 13th, another sheep.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Something keeps popping out at me, which is mutton.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37So it seems to me we have got to do something with mutton.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39That sounds a very, very good idea.
0:09:39 > 0:09:46Today we're going to be making a dish that was popular upstairs and downstairs.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I love the fact you have that oyster juice in it.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54A Victorian surf and turf, mutton and oyster sausages.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00So while Rosemary and Ivan are dabbling with mutton, I've found
0:10:00 > 0:10:04out where some of the other meat for this royal visit came from.
0:10:04 > 0:10:11It appears that Prince Albert was quite a deft hand at bagging a stag or two for the royal table,
0:10:11 > 0:10:17judging by the entries in this beautiful record of the hunting trips during this very visit.
0:10:17 > 0:10:24Now what we've got here is the game book, which I've turned to 1844, the year of the visit.
0:10:24 > 0:10:30This gives the monthly return of game shot here,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and if we run down the list of the stags,
0:10:33 > 0:10:39that's the heart, hind and roe deer, very few are shot through
0:10:39 > 0:10:41the month of August and September,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45until we come to the patch when Albert is here, look at this.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50His Royal Highness Prince Albert shot one on the 18th,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55he shot one on the 19th, he shot one on the 23rd, on the 25th he got two,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59and on the 26th, three harts.
0:10:59 > 0:11:06That's big ones, and if you look over here at the weights, look at the monsters, 20 stone, this stag.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The next day he shoots another one, another whopper at 20 stone.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I think he must have been pretty good at this.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Albert would have been in his element here.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20A chance to turn hunter-gatherer and to show off his animal instincts.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Look at this,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31antlers, antlers, antlers, everywhere.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35You might think there's been a tremendous bloodbath, but you would be wrong.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Because what these stags do is to shed their antlers annually.
0:11:40 > 0:11:47And here is our old mate, Tilt, in 1840, as a three-year-old. And you follow his progress as
0:11:47 > 0:11:54a four-year-old, a five-year-old, a six-year-old and, here we go look, as a seven-year-old.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59In 1844, the year of our visit, these are the antlers he shed that
0:11:59 > 0:12:02year out there on the hillside and,
0:12:02 > 0:12:07who knows, they could be the antlers Victoria and Albert saw.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Imagine that!
0:12:10 > 0:12:16And continuing the rather appropriate antler theme, they have even got one of these
0:12:16 > 0:12:23whacky things, a candelabra made entirely out of deer horn,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27but this time constructed in Germany.
0:12:29 > 0:12:35Despite being told not to go to any great expense or trouble, the Glenlyons did upgrade
0:12:35 > 0:12:38some fixtures and fittings to bring its rooms up to scratch.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41It was the Queen, after all.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47In the dining room, she might have been drawn to
0:12:47 > 0:12:55these many paintings of the natural wonders surrounding Blair, in particular, this one of Bruar Falls.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Because we know she made quite an effort to get to the real thing,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01dragging Albert on a three-mile hike.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04And judging by her diary entry, she thought it was well worth it.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10"At every turn, the view of the rushing falls is extremely fine, and looking back on the hills, which
0:13:10 > 0:13:18"were so clear and so beautifully lit up, with the rapid stream below, was most exquisite."
0:13:18 > 0:13:21160 years on, you can see what she meant.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It was all very well for Victoria and Albert swanning about the glens,
0:13:28 > 0:13:34but the kitchen staff really had their work cut out feeding everyone
0:13:34 > 0:13:39with dishes like the mutton and oyster sausages we're making today,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41and it is quite a squishy job.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46The most important ingredient is this lovely mutton,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49which actually comes from a four-year-old sheep.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Oh, wonderful.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53In the 19th century, a four-year-old,
0:13:53 > 0:13:59or what was called an eight-tooth mutton, because it had eight teeth, was considered to be the finest.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04- Really?- I agree. Now the other ingredient which is essential are
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- the oysters, so perhaps you would like to put those on, Rosemary. - Yes, absolutely.
0:14:07 > 0:14:14Added to the mince is some suet, and after throwing in our oysters, we toss in some parsley and chives.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16In they go.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I know you love to get your hands dirty.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I do. I do. I have washed my hands.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Mix it all together.- In I go.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I love the fact you've got all that oyster juice in it.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Absolutely wonderful.
0:14:29 > 0:14:35As well as the herbs, I crushed a little bit of garlic up with some
0:14:35 > 0:14:38salt and put that in there, and you can almost certainly smell that.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Oh, the smell I'm getting is extraordinary, actually.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46It's slightly fishy, but not over fishy.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52Mutton has got the scent of the hills and oysters have got the
0:14:52 > 0:14:56wonderful atmosphere of the ocean, and it really is surf and turf.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01Now that looks pretty good to me, but we do have to add a little tiny bit more of the sea in there.
0:15:01 > 0:15:08- There are just three anchovies, just enough to make a difference.- Right.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10So who would have eaten this?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Well, sausages were popular with everybody.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It cut across all classes, really.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20So I wouldn't be surprised if Her Majesty did have some for breakfast,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24but we know she did favour some of the traditional Scottish dishes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:31- She was fond of oatcake and while she was here apparently she tried out Scotch broth.- Lovely, yes.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34One newspaper report tells us that she
0:15:34 > 0:15:41- was acquainted with the wonderful Scottish iconic dish, the haggis. - That's interesting, isn't it?
0:15:41 > 0:15:48This visit was the beginning of a love affair with Scotland, its people and, of course, its food too.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Now add some ingredients to spice it up -
0:15:50 > 0:15:54starting with ground black pepper.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55There's an awful lot in there.
0:15:55 > 0:16:02- This is Scotland, think about haggis and white puddings, they love their food seasoned.- Yes.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05We also need a tiny bit of nutmeg as well.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10Just a tiny bit, and then finally, some salt, so that's it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12That's the mix complete.
0:16:12 > 0:16:19- Fantastic.- We have some skins, so my job next is to actually get this into some skins.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Easier said than done.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Apparently, Victorian sausage-making was quite a tricky business.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34For Queen Victoria and Prince Albert this was the start of a love affair with Scotland, and they spent
0:16:34 > 0:16:40as much time exploring the great outdoors as the weather would allow,
0:16:40 > 0:16:45making the most of the privacy they could never get in London.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50The Queen was a creature of habit, even on holiday, and the newspapers
0:16:50 > 0:16:58reported that when at Blair, she was often seen walking in the castle grounds at 7am.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01She liked to breakfast between 8am and 9am.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05She had lunch at two o'clock, and in the afternoon, around
0:17:05 > 0:17:13three or four o'clock, she would head off around the estate either in a carriage or on a pony.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18And on top of this, the Queen insisted that every day a bouquet of
0:17:18 > 0:17:25fresh pulled heather and a bottle of spring water from the nearby Glen Tilt should be put in her room.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30And over there, just tucked inside the trees,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34is a substantial property called Old Blair.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39Now, this was the house that was occupied by the Glenlyons' agent,
0:17:39 > 0:17:45or factor, and it is the house that the Glenlyons had to retire to
0:17:45 > 0:17:48for the three weeks of Victoria's visit.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54Of course, that meant that Captain MacDuff, the factor, had to move out also.
0:17:54 > 0:18:00So you see, there was quite a lot of rearrangement of accommodation
0:18:00 > 0:18:03to enable the Queen's Highland holiday.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11While I wash the smell of oysters off my hands, I have left Ivan
0:18:11 > 0:18:13to finish making our sausages
0:18:13 > 0:18:16in exactly the same way the Victorians would have done.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He is using this sausage forcer to pipe the fillings into the skins
0:18:20 > 0:18:23which are made from hog intestines.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28This recipe for oyster sausages is grounded in tradition.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We know they have been made for a couple of centuries and you might
0:18:31 > 0:18:35be surprised to know that, unlike today, in Victorian times,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38oysters were in such plentiful supply that
0:18:38 > 0:18:42everyone ate them, from the very poor to the rich aristocrats.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43There we go.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47One oyster and mutton sausage.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54For Victoria, Blair's vast open landscapes were the perfect
0:18:54 > 0:19:01postnatal tonic, but for Albert, this trip was all about indulging in his passion for deer stalking.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06The estate today is a massive 140,000 acres, but that's just half
0:19:06 > 0:19:09the size it was when the royal couple visited.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Just one gamekeeper looked after the whole lot.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Aha, Sandy.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19And more than 160 years on, it's still down to one man, Sandy Reid.
0:19:19 > 0:19:26Do you think the stalking game has changed a lot since Albert was out on the hill having a go himself?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29It's changed a bit, I suppose, but not as much as people would think.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34The most important thing in the stalker's life is the direction
0:19:34 > 0:19:37of wind, and that's the first thing a stalker would do in the morning.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- Smell the weather. - Check what the wind is doing.
0:19:40 > 0:19:46Because this silent approach is the same, irrespective of which century you are in, isn't it?
0:19:46 > 0:19:50- It doesn't matter. - So how close, in the 1840s,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54would Albert have to have got to his stag before he could have a go?
0:19:54 > 0:19:59- They would try to get within 80 or 100 yards.- 80 to 100 yards.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Need to be close or closer than that.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05- And the whole stalking game is going on your belly?- Yes.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11Maintaining the lowest profile, so the Prince is there scrabbling around on his tum.
0:20:11 > 0:20:18- Yes.- Going through a little burn to get down wind and up to this magnificent beast, so 80 yards.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The Illustrated London News, the popular rag of the day,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26produced a number of sketches from the visit to Blair.
0:20:26 > 0:20:32Here we can see Albert taking aim at some fleeing deer with Lord Glenlyon to his left.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37Now, we know that Albert wracked up some big numbers, but interestingly,
0:20:37 > 0:20:42when his wife was in the hunting party, it appears he wasn't quite as fortunate.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Recalling one of these trips, she wrote, "He has been very unlucky
0:20:47 > 0:20:51"and lost all his sport, for the rifle would not go off
0:20:51 > 0:20:54"just when he could have shot some fine harts."
0:20:54 > 0:20:59Was it the pressure of the trouble and strife looking over his shoulder?
0:21:01 > 0:21:08Well, Sandy, my gosh, you can tell you're in the Highlands here, can't you?
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Sandy has brought me to a wonderful viewpoint, and from here
0:21:12 > 0:21:16we can see where Victoria's favourite jaunts took her.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18We've got the castle down there.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20The castle. And then we have got Tulloch.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Ah, Tulloch Hill.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28Now, Victoria was very keen on that, because she put in her diary that she had the most romantic
0:21:28 > 0:21:34drive that you can imagine, which supposedly would have been with a pony, would it?
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- Oh yes, aye, they'd have the ponies and have a picnic up on the hill.- Have a picnic.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43- And is it a good view from the top? - The views from the top are fantastic looking back up into here.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47And this is that very view Victoria and Albert
0:21:47 > 0:21:53would have enjoyed, seen in a drawing in the report of her visit.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55In the distance, in the centre of the valley, Blair Castle.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Victoria wrote, "The view is like a panorama.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03"You see the falls of the Bruar and a whole range of distant hills.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08"Blair itself and the houses in the village look like little toys from the great height we were on.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10"It was quite romantic."
0:22:13 > 0:22:17As idyllic as these romantic outings were for Victoria,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21they never got in the way of her other passion - food.
0:22:21 > 0:22:28Her Majesty would insist on getting back to base in time for dinner at 8pm sharp - or else.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Ivan and I had better pull our socks up.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Oh, look at that.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35We've made our mutton and oyster sausages.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Now they're frying away in the pan.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I don't know why people prick sausages.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Well, I think it is because they think if they prick it, the fat will come out of it.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Unbeknown to them,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48it can help split it.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51So you shouldn't prick your sausage.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54This is a saute pan, I am sure you will recognise that, but in
0:22:54 > 0:22:59the 19th century, a saute pan nearly always came with a lid,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03which means that you can turn it into a miniature oven.
0:23:03 > 0:23:10And the other thing you can do with it, you can put burning coals on top, so you can cook your sausages
0:23:10 > 0:23:16- from above as well as below, so a very, very flexible way of cooking. - Fantastic.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Well, I think we're getting there.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22That looks wonderful.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Let's see if we can get that. - Look at that.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30- That looks wonderful. - That looks absolutely wonderful.
0:23:30 > 0:23:37I would like you to get rid of all the fat and just put it in there, and we've got
0:23:37 > 0:23:42all these wonderful juices which have caramelised on the bottom.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I'm just going to pour a little bit of porter in there,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47just to deglaze that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52- What is porter?- Porter is what people now call stout.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54OK. It was called porter in those days.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Yes. It is the best way to clean a saute pan, because you deglaze it,
0:23:58 > 0:24:05and I've seen so many people fry their sausages and go and put the frying pan in the washing up.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06It's where all the flavour is.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08It's all lurking in the bottom.
0:24:08 > 0:24:14Well, we are going to make this wonderful porter reduction of those sausage juices
0:24:14 > 0:24:18and then I'm going to pour it over your sausage.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Well, I can't wait to try these mutton and oyster sausages.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I am not sure there will be enough there for Tim, though.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32A visit to Blair wouldn't be complete without a Highland fling, and despite instructions not to fuss, the hosts,
0:24:32 > 0:24:39Lord and Lady Glenlyon, insisted on putting on a ceilidh for the royals.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- How wonderful is this? - I know, isn't it brilliant?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I mean, Queen Victoria records in her journal
0:24:45 > 0:24:49that they had some wonderful evening entertainments here,
0:24:49 > 0:24:54including a particularly fine display of Highland dancing.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- I want to find out more about this Highland fling.- Yes, I would too.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Shall I grab one? Shall we get in? Come on.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03This local dance group are giving me itchy feet,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I quite fancy a go at this, but with all these kilts on show,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10there is one thing I'm desperate to find out.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Can I ask you the very question?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Have you got something under your skirt there?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Well, I have got everything that I need!
0:25:19 > 0:25:21We don't know, do we?
0:25:21 > 0:25:22We all want to know, don't we?
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Rosemary, for goodness sake, control yourself, woman.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Shucks.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- Not only have I got everything I need, it's all working.- Ooh!
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I hate to break you two up and all that, this is a family show!
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Tell me, Robin, who would have been dancing when Victoria was here?
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- All social orders or simply the toffs?- The whole lot, everybody.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48I think it is great fun. Actually quite exhausting too, cos these dances last a long time.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51And you have chosen one of the longest ones, yes.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I think you should have a go, Rosemary.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- Do you think so?- I think you should.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Like Prince Albert, I'm going to stand back.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- No, what about you?- I am going to stand back and watch, actually. - Coward.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04I'm up for it.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Time to see if Twinkletoes is as hot on the dance floor as she is in the kitchen.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13The last Friday night of their stay in the great hall, Victoria
0:26:13 > 0:26:17and Albert attended a ball with an exhibition of national dance.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22Although we have no record they danced together, it's quite likely they were in the mix, after all,
0:26:22 > 0:26:28we do know Her Maj loved to boogie, and so I can't imagine she would have passed up a chance like this.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34It must have been a great party, because the next morning Victoria and Albert complained of head colds.
0:26:34 > 0:26:41Well, it seems our very own queen of the cooks is also a bit of a mover, so watch out Strictly Come Dancing!
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- Great fun, I really enjoyed it. - I wish all my beginners were as good as that.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- If my shoes weren't falling off. - That's your chat-up line!
0:26:48 > 0:26:52That was quite tiring. I think we should go and get some sausages now.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Well done, Rosemary,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56that was brilliant.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01Well, after all that Highland dancing I've built up quite an appetite.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Time to reveal our tasty sausage treat to Tim.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Mutton and oysters, a long forgotten recipe.
0:27:08 > 0:27:14Now this would be the sort of thing that, I suppose, if Victoria and Albert were going off for a picnic,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- they'd take a sausage like this with them?- Exactly.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22I have to tell you I particularly like the period cutlery that we have
0:27:22 > 0:27:27got here, slightly rusty and good for your intestine, nice stag horn handle.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Eat.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36- Mm. Mm.- That is different. - It's what they call a belter.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37It's a belter.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- It is a very, very strong sausage. - Well, there we are.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44They would drink it with a good old stout, a good old strong beer.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Yes, that's what we've got in here.
0:27:46 > 0:27:53- Cheers, my dears.- To the Highland fling.- Absolutely right. Lovely.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57For Victoria and Albert, this three week holiday at Blair Castle planted
0:27:57 > 0:28:02the seed for a life-long passion for Scotland, and eight years later, this love affair was cemented with
0:28:02 > 0:28:09the purchase of their own Highland retreat, Balmoral Castle, just over the hills from Blair.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18But our next stop on Victoria's tour takes us south of the border to another stately home,
0:28:18 > 0:28:23Burghley in Lincolnshire, where the royal couple have a christening to attend.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:43 > 0:28:46E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk