0:00:02 > 0:00:06Just what do you have to do when a queen decides she's going to pop in to see you?
0:00:06 > 0:00:10And not just any old queen - Victoria.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17we're pursuing her around the country to the posh pads she visited.
0:00:17 > 0:00:23We'll be delving into her personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.
0:00:23 > 0:00:31And today, one of the largest and most easily recognisable houses in the north of England, Castle Howard.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35She came here in 1850 when she'd been queen for 13 years.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42And as someone who has spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques, I'll be exploring upstairs
0:00:42 > 0:00:47looking for things that would have impressed Victoria on her visit here.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49What a dome.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53And as a chef who is passionate about food, I'll be getting a flavour of life below stairs,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57creating another 19th-Century recipe that was served to Victoria...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03That is so strong.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07'And trying to tantalise Tim's taste buds...'
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Absolutely marvellous.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18In our journey following in the footsteps of Victoria,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21we've arrived in the summer of 1850
0:01:21 > 0:01:25when she and Prince Albert were asked to stay here
0:01:25 > 0:01:29in the fabulous home of the Howard family.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34It was August and the royal family stopped here for two nights
0:01:34 > 0:01:38on their way to Scotland for a summer break at Balmoral.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48The 31-year-old queen was mother to seven children and she brought the eldest four with her.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Castle Howard is still owned by the Howard family.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54They've been here for 300 years.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57The man in the driving seat for Victoria
0:01:57 > 0:01:59was George William Howard,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03otherwise known as the 7th Earl of Carlisle.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06The Earl was a close friend and confidante of the royal couple
0:02:06 > 0:02:13and had suggested Victoria stop off at Castle Howard during one of his regular visits to Buckingham Palace.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Well, it's time for me now to go downstairs to see how the staff coped.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25And as usual, I'm heading upstairs to see how the aristos were getting on.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31Victoria and Albert came to Castle Howard in Yorkshire from London.
0:02:31 > 0:02:37They arrived on a steam train that left from Euston Station
0:02:37 > 0:02:41and this was the furthest north she had ever travelled by train.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49This form of transport was still pretty new, but thanks to their host's interest in railways
0:02:49 > 0:02:55they were almost dropped at the door because he had just opened Castle Howard's own station.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59This picture in the Illustrated London News shows the royal party alighting.
0:02:59 > 0:03:06No longer operating as a station, it's now a private house, but looks just like it did in Victoria's time.
0:03:06 > 0:03:13They travelled the final two miles to Castle Howard by horse and carriage, a real clash of the old and the new.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19In her diary, the 31-year-old queen recalls the moment she arrived that evening.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24"We reached the house at half past six. It is a magnificent building."
0:03:24 > 0:03:27The Earl recalls that as the carriage stopped,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32he had to let down its steps himself, there being no-one else to do it.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38Who knows if the queen was amused by her host's sudden demotion to footman,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42but she certainly would have been impressed on entering one of Britain's most beautiful houses.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Wow, what a space.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56So this is where Queen Victoria met the assembled dignitaries,
0:03:56 > 0:04:01most notably the Earl's mother, the Countess of Carlisle.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07The Earl remained unmarried throughout his life and was devoted to his old mum.
0:04:07 > 0:04:15In 1700, Sir John Vanbrugh was the man tasked with designing and building Castle Howard.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22But the scream is he had never designed or built any other building.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28He was helped by Nicholas Hawksmoor, a leading architect who had worked
0:04:28 > 0:04:34with Sir Christopher Wren, he of St Paul's cathedral fame, with its iconic dome.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38And those connections explain why Castle Howard was the first
0:04:38 > 0:04:42private house in the country to feature a dome.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44What a dome.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50And you can imagine that titchy Queen Victoria
0:04:50 > 0:04:55coming into this entrance hall and literally standing, gaping,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59taking in this extraordinary space.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03And the Earl, of course, would want to show it off to best advantage
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and I'm going to go and have a closer look.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10From the very top of the house to the bottom,
0:05:10 > 0:05:17where our historical food expert and chef Ivan Day is starting to prepare our Victorian dish of the day.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21The kitchens at Castle Howard were destroyed in a fire in the 1940s,
0:05:21 > 0:05:27but that's not going to stop us from creating another amazing dish.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29So what are we making today?
0:05:29 > 0:05:36We're going to make a dish which is called a salad of grouse a la Soyer.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Alexis Soyer, a celebrated chef, was invited by the Earl to cook
0:05:40 > 0:05:45the ball supper for Victoria's visit to Castle Howard in 1850.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And this was his signature dish.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51He won a competition in Paris with this salad.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Let's hope we can do it justice.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59- Soyer instructs us to make a sauce first of all.- Mm-hm.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02And I've got a couple of egg yolks in the bowl here.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08- Right.- And what I'd like you to do is whisk those up for me...- Yes.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13While I pour in, very slowly...
0:06:13 > 0:06:16some olive oil. Just a little bit at a time,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20just a steady, very tiny stream like that.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26'First, we're making the dressing for the salad.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29'It seems a bit like mayonnaise at this stage.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34'This is hard work.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37'I think Ivan's got the easy job.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:43- Today we'd use an electric whisk I think, if you were at home. - We'd plug you in. Come on.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52'If you think that's hard work, Rosemary, you should try these stairs.'
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Oh!
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Welcome to Castle Howard's dome.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Who's got the oxygen?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Not many people make it up here
0:07:01 > 0:07:07and I tell you for one I am not going to get too close to this edge
0:07:07 > 0:07:10with its vertiginous drop down to the great hall.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Ooh! Look at that.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18On the evening of Victoria's arrival,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23they had a pre-dinner reception down there in the great hall
0:07:23 > 0:07:28and much to the amazement of the monarch and all the guests,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33the Earl had arranged up here in the dome a coup de theatre.
0:07:33 > 0:07:41He had had no less than 2,000 tiny gas lamps applied to the inside
0:07:41 > 0:07:44of this banister all the way round, that when lit,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49spelt out the words God Save The Queen...
0:07:51 > 0:07:55..as this picture from the Illustrated London News shows.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02There was even a valve that adjusted the brightness so as the guests left
0:08:02 > 0:08:07the reception below and headed to dinner, the lights went down
0:08:07 > 0:08:15and when they came out from dinner, as if by magic, by turning the valve, up came the lights.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Positively environmental, what?
0:08:21 > 0:08:25And I'm still being environmental with my hand whisk.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Now look, that's absolutely perfect.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's a wonderful unctuous ointment.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- Yes.- A lovely emulsion, isn't it?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- Beautiful colour, too.- Looks great.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39To our salad dressing we add salt, pepper and sugar.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46And once that's mixed in, we add the herbs and shallots.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- Two tablespoonfuls...- Yes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Of the chervil, the tarragon and the shallots.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54How delicious.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57And we're just going to put those into the bowl.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Look at this.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07What a delicious herbal mixture and what a lovely colour, I mean, that's wonderful.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Monsieur Soyer instructs us to put the mixture on ice.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19And there is one rather surprising ingredient to add - two tablespoons of chilli vinegar.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23This recipe sounds rather contemporary, doesn't it?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25It sounds very modern indeed.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Soyer actually said that he didn't think this dish was suitable
0:09:29 > 0:09:33for the ladies because of the strength of the shallot
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and I think the fieriness of the chilli vinegar.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Well, THIS lady likes it!
0:09:41 > 0:09:43That's lovely. It really is special.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49That is delicious. The sauce will stand on ice until we're ready to add the final ingredient.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57Castle Howard was finished in 1811, just 39 years before Victoria's visit.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06It had taken over 100 years to complete and work in the garden was still ongoing.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The current owner, Simon Howard, has agreed to tell me more.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19Well, Simon, on the face of it, this looks to be an immensely grand room.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Is it thought that Victoria slept in this suite of rooms?
0:10:23 > 0:10:28Well, we're certain she did. After all, we do have the record of the queen's visit
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and here it says, the Queen and Prince in the green room,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33the blue room and, of course, in the high saloon.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37And they used this room which was a wonderful painted salon -
0:10:37 > 0:10:42it was painted by Pellegrini in the original 18th-Century decoration.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Either side you have the bedrooms and, of course,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Prince Albert and the Queen would have used this room as a sitting room
0:10:49 > 0:10:56and also for their dinners, lunches, breakfasts "a deux" rather than when they were with the whole family.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00There were at least 14 members in the royal party's entourage,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03including the Earl's sister, the Duchess of Southerland,
0:11:03 > 0:11:09who was mistress of the wardrobe, and 15 other attendant servants such as governesses
0:11:09 > 0:11:13and maids for the children and although Castle Howard looks enormous,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16accommodation was surprisingly tight.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Would accommodating them have been a problem?
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Well, it is extraordinary, how they managed to sleep them all I don't know,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25but at the moment we could sleep 32 in the house if we tried.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28It'd be a squash and I don't think we've got a dining room
0:11:28 > 0:11:32big enough for them but even so, there were 16 bedrooms here.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Notably actually, the Earl of Carlisle stayed in
0:11:35 > 0:11:38his own apartment, so he wasn't being kicked out of his room.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44But quite a lot of rearranging anyway to get them all in and get them all comfy.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I would agree with that and I think the organisation
0:11:47 > 0:11:50would have been tremendous and it would be today as well.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53If one was to have the Queen or the Prince of Wales to stay
0:11:53 > 0:11:55you have quite a large entourage following on.
0:11:55 > 0:12:03Simon, the view is absolutely marvellous, but was the fountain here when Victoria was staying?
0:12:03 > 0:12:08No, it wasn't. We think it was about to be constructed or they may have even had some
0:12:08 > 0:12:11of the work going on, it may have been pegged out, we're not sure.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14But ultimately, what happened was Nesfield,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19having designed this fountain, put it in, it was completed about 1853,
0:12:19 > 0:12:26and indeed we have a letter here from him to the Earl of Carlisle talking about doing some testing.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28You must have a look at it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Look at that. So it's dated October '53.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33"My Lord..." I love it, don't you?
0:12:33 > 0:12:38"The fountain is reported as being all ready."
0:12:38 > 0:12:40This is having spent how much?
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Rather a lot. In fact he went way over budget, but then that's normal these days too, isn't it?
0:12:45 > 0:12:51But I think that's so sweet though, to do your own little ink drawing of the Atlas Fountain, and there it is.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I mean, it is what we see now, isn't it?
0:12:53 > 0:12:55And it still works.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00The Earl not only made the royals comfortable in his home,
0:13:00 > 0:13:05but as a discreet friend, he made them feel comfortable talking about their eldest son,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Edward, the Prince of Wales, known as Bertie.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Victoria and Albert frequently consulted the Earl about Bertie
0:13:13 > 0:13:17who was, in their minds, not very bright and proving almost impossible to teach.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22The children's governess wrote of his constant interruptions,
0:13:22 > 0:13:29getting under the table, upsetting the books and other anti-studious practices.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32A year before the visit,
0:13:32 > 0:13:39the royal parents had taken the Earl's advice to employ Henry Birch, a tutor from Eton.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44But things were not going well and Albert had resorted to submitting Bertie's bumps
0:13:44 > 0:13:49to the professional inspection of a phrenologist, Dr George Combe.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53The Earl supported Albert's decision.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Like Albert, he was a big fan of this popular pseudo science which claimed
0:13:57 > 0:14:02to be able to reveal a person's characteristics by examining the skull.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09Bertie's bumps were duly examined and Combe gloomily concluded
0:14:09 > 0:14:14that the organs of ostentatiousness, destructiveness,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19self-esteem, combativeness and love of approval are all at large.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Gosh.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27This came as no surprise to Albert who clearly didn't hold out much hope for his son
0:14:27 > 0:14:32and moaned that such a brain could not have come from his side of the family.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42Back downstairs, Castle Howard's curator, Christopher Ridgeway,
0:14:42 > 0:14:47is here to tell me about the lengths the family went to to host the royals.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52What are your favourite documents from the downstairs part of the house?
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Well, the documents that are really revealing from downstairs and I like most,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01are this memorandum between John Henderson, the resident agent, and the 7th Earl.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05The agent, Henderson, would have been the Earl's right-hand man,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08involved in all aspects of running the estate.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Henderson sends down a series of suggestions and prompts
0:15:12 > 0:15:16to the 7th Earl and we get his comments alongside them.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19So it's a dialogue on paper.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24"Will the crimson cloth, which we can get here, have to be laid from the north door
0:15:24 > 0:15:32"to the south and from the dining to the drawing room doors and down to the bottom of the great steps?"
0:15:32 > 0:15:38'I love the fact that the Earl has answered yes, yes, yes, to these questions!'
0:15:38 > 0:15:42They talk about whether the billiard room here should be dismantled
0:15:42 > 0:15:47and turned into a drawing room and the Earl says, "No, I am quite against this.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53"Four sitting rooms together would be monotonous and the billiard table is of much use in the evening."
0:15:53 > 0:15:56They did keep a bit of an eye on the cost.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00They did and in the final bill prepared there's a lot of things
0:16:00 > 0:16:04that were simply hired for the occasion, perfectly normal, really.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10- How very sensible.- I think so. They didn't have to indulge in a massive outlay for all sorts of new things.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13As you would for an event today, you hire it in.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17So what sort of things would have been hired in?
0:16:17 > 0:16:22Well, we have an expenses account for the visit, prepared afterwards.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- OK.- And here we see things that were hired in and purchased
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and this talks about, well, the hire of staff, waiters, cooks.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Then you'd have the hire of silver, of carpets too, they talk here.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Whether it's hiring carpets or cleaning them, I'm not quite sure.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42Then there's the hire of candelabras, all sorts of things that you want,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47and then you've got all the food supplies. Then you've got the carriage and delivery of
0:16:47 > 0:16:54everything that comes here, and then you have a kind of rough figure of thumb for wines, spirits and so on.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59So the whole lot comes to £1,594,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04which was a lot of money at that time, but it was pretty light.
0:17:04 > 0:17:10I mean, I think when she went to Chatsworth, it was probably nearly ten times that.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17TIM: The Earl might have hired in the carpets, but he certainly didn't need
0:17:17 > 0:17:23to hire in works of art or antiques - the place is stuffed to the gizzards.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Well, this is Castle Howard's antique passage,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32lined with exquisite examples of Roman sculpture
0:17:32 > 0:17:37dating from the first and second centuries, garnered by the 4th Earl
0:17:37 > 0:17:43from various parts of Italy during his grand tour early in the 18th Century.
0:17:45 > 0:17:53It would appear that Victoria's host, the 7th Earl, was no great expert when it came to these antiquities
0:17:53 > 0:17:57but needless to say, Albert was incredibly interested.
0:17:58 > 0:18:05Albert had been collecting art all his life, indeed he was part of a committee
0:18:05 > 0:18:08that oversaw the purchasing of paintings and decorations
0:18:08 > 0:18:12for the new Houses of Parliament and was described by committee members
0:18:12 > 0:18:17as showing not only taste,, but considerable knowledge.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26Which was not good news for his less knowledgeable host here at Castle Howard, who writes in his diary,
0:18:26 > 0:18:33"Albert asks many questions about busts and statues I am quite unable to answer."
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Poor old 7th Earl, he'd have been embarrassed.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Despite their host's artistic shortcomings,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48there is no doubt the royal couple enjoyed the wonderful art on show.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Queen Victoria notes in her diary,
0:18:52 > 0:18:58"There are fine prints, curious drawings and rare and beautiful antiques which enchanted Albert."
0:19:02 > 0:19:08Well, while the royal party wandered the corridors admiring the views upstairs,
0:19:08 > 0:19:13those below stairs would have been keeping the place running as if by magic.
0:19:13 > 0:19:19Building and maintaining fires night and day was just one of the many tasks for the servants.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23And talking of magic, this fireplace is a real optical illusion.
0:19:23 > 0:19:29Directly above the fireplace there is no chimney,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34it's just thin air.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39This is a very clever piece of engineering because what happens is
0:19:39 > 0:19:45the flue goes into the column on the right, leaving a clear space above where the statues seem to float.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49I wonder if Her Majesty noticed.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Victoria certainly noticed the heat they gave out.
0:19:52 > 0:19:58It was recorded that she asked that they be reduced and that the windows be opened.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11On the second day of their visit, Victoria took a tour of the grounds
0:20:11 > 0:20:15and headed for the last resting place of the Howard family.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20It's a mile from the house and Victoria and the children walked there after breakfast.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The Castle Howard mausoleum, like the main building,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31was the creation of the 7th Earl of Carlisle's great-great-grandfather.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41Now, the queen was clearly fascinated at having the opportunity
0:20:41 > 0:20:47of examining this building as part of her tour of the estate.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52The Earl records that she examined every single foot
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and expressed great interest.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04As far as Victoria was concerned, the Earl was absolutely spot-on
0:21:04 > 0:21:10because she records in her journal the mausoleum as being, "Most beautiful.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15"The whole is a circular chapel with three little curious ones,
0:21:15 > 0:21:21"it's just the sort of thing I might one day build for ourselves."
0:21:21 > 0:21:22Morbid.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Just over ten years later,
0:21:26 > 0:21:31the death of her dear Albert meant she did indeed need to build a mausoleum
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and she hastily constructed the Frogmore mausoleum near Windsor.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And as you can see in this picture from the Illustrated London News,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44it's a monument strikingly similar to the mausoleum at Castle Howard.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53Back at the house, it's rather less gloomy with our colourful salad to cheer us up.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59The first thing we need to do is to start putting in the salad stuff.
0:21:59 > 0:22:06- OK.- Now, in the Victorian period, they grew more salad varieties
0:22:06 > 0:22:12than we have now and in fact I'm going to show you this one.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Now that looks a little bit like a rocket.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's related, but it isn't. Try that.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Oh, my giddy aunt.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23That is SO strong.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27That is hot, peppery...
0:22:27 > 0:22:28cressy.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It is, it's a cress. It's called land cress.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35There's one other one I want to introduce you to,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40which has been used in England probably since the Tudor period,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43but which is completely out of favour now.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- Do I eat that?- Yes, it's the pod.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Mmm.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Mild pea,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56delicious, absolutely delicious. What is it?
0:22:56 > 0:22:58They're radish pods.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- No!- Yeah, yeah, if you let your radish...- Seriously?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04If you let your radishes grow and go to seed, that's what you get,
0:23:04 > 0:23:09- which I think is better than the things underground, the roots. - And there they are.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13I love these salad leaves Ivan's introduced me to
0:23:13 > 0:23:19and for Soyer's grouse salad, we line our dish with them.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22We follow this with a layer of cooked, shredded grouse.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Onto our bed of salad.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Before we go any further, we have to go back to the fabulous egg,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33oil and herb dressing that we put together earlier.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39It has one final ingredient - whipped cream.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45We make our dressing almost like cumulonimbus cloud.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Victoria's chef tells us to "mask" the salad with dressing.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Masking was a common Victorian term meaning to completely cover.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I think that's probably enough.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And now we build up the layers.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Right, that's the very last spoonful
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- of that wonderful dressing. - Delicious.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Ornamentation was everything in the Victorian period,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23so to finish the dish off,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28we're going to decorate it with what was called a garniture.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32- OK.- Which is a little surrounding of garnishes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36And this one is based on these quarter eggs.
0:24:36 > 0:24:44But we're told by Soyer to put a little point of radish on the top.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48As well as the eggs, Soyer tells us to ornament
0:24:48 > 0:24:53with radishes and little diamonds cut from anchovies and gherkins.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It reminds me of a kaleidoscope.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It's wonderful.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05- Now this man won the gold medal with this.- Amazing.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- I just hope it is going to be appreciated by Tim.- Well, so do I.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- You've got to take your time over this sort of cookery.- You do.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15You can't rush this, can you, Ivan?
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- Not at all, no.- No. When would this have been served in the meal?
0:25:18 > 0:25:24- Well, from all accounts, very early on in the meal, possibly after the soup.- OK.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- Possibly even before.- That is early.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30He may not be in his salad days,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34but I rather hope Tim enjoys this offering.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40We're eating in the long gallery where Victoria and Albert themselves would have been served.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41Now...
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- There we go. - I say.- Doesn't that look wonderful?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46You have been naughty, girl, look at that.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Is that the most beautiful dish I have ever seen?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Isn't this stunning? Absolutely so.
0:25:53 > 0:26:01It is called salade de grouse a la Soyer, which is Alexis Soyer
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- who invented it, and he won awards with it.- Did he?
0:26:05 > 0:26:10We are sure that Victoria would have actually eaten this because it was the grouse season that she came in,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14he was famous for this dish and this would be the dish.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15It's absolutely beautiful.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20But I just love the whole idea that you're eating a game bird,
0:26:20 > 0:26:25the thing is wholesome and healthy, you've got all this greenery and delicious veg with it.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Absolutely.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29With these exquisite shapes.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31You can't help but take too much.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I want plenty, actually. And please may I have an egg, too?
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- I love the decoration with these eggs.- Well, you can. I'll just take it off.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40You're a very good egg yourself.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42- Oh, thank you.- How lovely.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- I'm going to go for a bit of grouse, myself.- Yes.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49Find a little piece, just see how succulent this is going to be. Now...
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- Oh, my gosh.- My golly gosh.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- I tell you, girl, that's the business, isn't it?- Oh.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I mean, Soyer or not, absolutely marvellous.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Now, there's one final story that I want to share with you
0:27:06 > 0:27:10that relates to Victoria's departure from Castle Howard.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Four days after the queen departed,
0:27:15 > 0:27:20more than 2,000 people travelled by rail from West Yorkshire to Castle Howard station.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24They were keen to see the house where Her Maj had stayed.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Today's visitors are well catered for, but back then,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32this was a completely new idea.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36They only had two servants on duty and in the scrum that followed,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39windows were broken and ladies swooned.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46The Earl was so infuriated, he created a guidebook
0:27:46 > 0:27:50outlining how one should behave if one wished to visit Castle Howard.
0:27:50 > 0:27:58Well, I believe we've behaved appropriately, so here's to you and your delicious food, Rosemary.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00To the cooks and to Ive.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05- Well, I think so, definitely, to all the cooks.- Good.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Join us next time on Royal Upstairs Downstairs
0:28:10 > 0:28:13when we'll be heading for the Midlands to Stoneleigh Abbey...
0:28:13 > 0:28:16So here it is, Stoneleigh Abbey.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19..to discover some special legacies of a royal visit.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24This is the dessert that was served to Queen Victoria, this is the shopping list for it.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- Really special. - That is very, very special.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:55 > 0:28:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk