0:00:02 > 0:00:08'Just what do you have to do when a queen decides to pop in to see you? And not just any old queen -
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'Victoria!
0:00:10 > 0:00:15'Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies, we're pursuing her around the country
0:00:15 > 0:00:20- 'to the posh pads she visited.- We'll delve into her personal diaries
0:00:20 > 0:00:24'to reveal what happened behind closed doors.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:28And today we're at Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34'As someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:34 > 0:00:41'I'll be upstairs exploring just what would have excited the Queen on her visit here.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:45What we've got here is a rare Repton Red Book.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50'And as a chef who's passionate about all sorts of food,
0:00:50 > 0:00:57'I'll be heading downstairs to rediscover an extraordinary recipe that was served to Victoria.'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59It's mind-boggling!
0:00:59 > 0:01:04'And testing our royal pudding on Tim.' Absolutely wonderful.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20When the 39-year-old Victoria came to Stoneleigh, she'd been Queen for 21 years.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24She was with Albert, but without any of her nine children.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28The Royal Train took her from London to Coventry,
0:01:28 > 0:01:34then she travelled on to Stoneleigh by horse and carriage for this three-day visit.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40So here it is - Stoneleigh Abbey!
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Mmm.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Victoria came here with Albert in June, 1858,
0:01:46 > 0:01:52and this is what they would have seen, this extraordinary house - part Norman, part Jacobean
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and part early 18th century.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Their host was William Henry Leigh and his wife Caroline.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10I'm so excited. We know a lot about Victoria's visit because someone here kept a journal.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18It was William's sister, Georgina, and the book survives to this day. And this is what she wrote:
0:02:20 > 0:02:27"The 14th, 15th and 16th of June, 1858, were long to be remembered in the annals of Stoneleigh Abbey.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40"Nature itself donned her loveliest garb to do honour to our beloved Queen Victoria
0:02:40 > 0:02:43"upon her first visit to Warwickshire."
0:02:43 > 0:02:48It's a fabulous journal, part diary, part gossip column.
0:02:48 > 0:02:54And it's going to be our insider guide to Victoria and Albert's stay at Stoneleigh Abbey.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59It was a very regal and well-arranged arrival
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and her party would have swept through to the front door!
0:03:03 > 0:03:09While the back-up staff would have gone to the servants' quarters, exactly where I'm going to!
0:03:12 > 0:03:18The Queen was at Stoneleigh Abbey as part of a tour of the Midlands and to open Aston Hall,
0:03:18 > 0:03:23a former stately home and park, to the public.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29The middle and lower classes were enjoying far more leisure time and Victoria was keen to support
0:03:29 > 0:03:33the revival of an estate in decline for the benefit of the people.
0:03:35 > 0:03:41Victoria was in a very good mood when she arrived as we can tell from her own diary entry.
0:03:41 > 0:03:49She commented that "the air was delicious, the house very large and fine and the oak trees magnificent."
0:03:49 > 0:03:52For the Leighs, then, so far, so good.
0:03:57 > 0:04:04The first thing that would have struck Victoria on entering this entrance hall is the temperature
0:04:04 > 0:04:06because it's so deliciously cool.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11On the 14th of June, 1858, the temperatures were soaring.
0:04:11 > 0:04:18The top end of 96 degrees! The poor woman would have been baking after her journey
0:04:18 > 0:04:22and would have welcomed this delicious cool with open arms.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28This beautiful panelled hall is the entrance used by the royal party.
0:04:28 > 0:04:35This illustration of Georgina's journal recorded Victoria and Albert's majestic meet and greet.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Georgina says, "She greeted us all with great courtesy,
0:04:40 > 0:04:45"saying a few kind and gracious words to each of us."
0:04:45 > 0:04:52We're not sure who drew it, but I rather think they enlarged the hall to fit the Leighs' aspirations.
0:04:52 > 0:04:59Because, of course, what's happened is that the artist has used some artistic licence.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04He's simply broadened the hall by changing the perspective
0:05:04 > 0:05:08to make it look more impressive for his readers.
0:05:08 > 0:05:14Actually, it's already quite impressive. Just look at the quality of the carving of this oak.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20All this panelling was brought to Stoneleigh from another of the family's properties
0:05:20 > 0:05:25in the 1830s. I wonder if Queen Victoria admired this little fellow.
0:05:25 > 0:05:31Just look at his expression. Like an extraordinary dopey dog with a hook nose
0:05:31 > 0:05:36and then these gorgeous moustaches which droop moistly,
0:05:36 > 0:05:41but then strange owl-like eyes and these odd curlicue bits
0:05:41 > 0:05:46that come down away from his muzzle. Charming.
0:05:49 > 0:05:55While Tim gets to grips with life above stairs, I'm discovering what life was like below stairs
0:05:55 > 0:05:59for the staff and the servants during Victoria's visit.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Here I am in the courtyard outside the old servants' quarters.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09Georgina tells us in her diary that on the morning of the visit
0:06:09 > 0:06:14she was due at any minute and the servants were still scurrying around
0:06:14 > 0:06:19hanging curtains, moving furniture, rearranging paintings
0:06:19 > 0:06:25and making gorgeous flower arrangements - it must have been bedlam!
0:06:27 > 0:06:33The servants' quarters have now been converted into apartments, but would have been buzzing with activity.
0:06:35 > 0:06:42Victoria might not have been aware of the organised chaos, but clearly she appreciated the results,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46commenting in her diary, "We were taken to our charming rooms,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50"beautifully furnished and decorated."
0:06:50 > 0:06:56The Leighs were determined to reflect their status in their handsome home upstairs
0:06:56 > 0:07:03and they also wanted to create a culinary impression to stand out from the Warwickshire crowd.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And to prove I'm not making this up,
0:07:05 > 0:07:11amazingly, we have these original menus from Victoria's visit.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21The meal was broken down into a group of five courses,
0:07:21 > 0:07:27followed by a further four courses in what was known as the Premier and Second Service.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33The Victorian kitchens no longer exist at Stoneleigh, but food historian Ivan Day and I
0:07:33 > 0:07:40will be in the conservatory creating one of the actual dishes made for Victoria and Albert.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45So let's have a closer look at that marvellous menu.
0:07:45 > 0:07:51Here they are. This is the one for the dinner on June 14th, 1858.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Oh! Look at it!
0:07:54 > 0:07:57You've got your potages, the purees and soups.
0:07:57 > 0:08:04- Poisson, turbot... And what are relevees?- Relevees are very large dishes, often roasts,
0:08:04 > 0:08:09and big braised dishes, brought in to replace the soup tureens.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Once the soup was served, there was a big space on the table.
0:08:13 > 0:08:20'The Queen's diary says that they dined after eight and everything was very handsome and well done.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25'It's not really a surprise she was happy with so much to choose from.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30'With menus as extensive as these, meals could take several hours to munch through.
0:08:30 > 0:08:38'Goodness knows how they coped with their heartburn! But the dishes got lighter and sweeter
0:08:38 > 0:08:40'and thank goodness for that.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:45So there's a gateau, a cake made with puff pastry.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49And this one here - a Bavarois de Chocolat au Surprise.
0:08:49 > 0:08:56'And that's what we'll be creating today - a chocolate surprise that will make Tim's mouth water.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00'Even more amazingly, we know every single ingredient.'
0:09:00 > 0:09:04This is a bill from a London confectioner
0:09:04 > 0:09:09to the family for bought-in confectionery and equipment for the occasion.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14One of the ingredients in the Bavarois are pistachio nuts.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19- Extraordinary - two pounds of pistachio kernels.- It's 12 shillings!
0:09:19 > 0:09:23And what is really extraordinary - my hair stood on end -
0:09:23 > 0:09:30is one of the flavourings is this liqueur made from Morello cherries, which is called maraschino.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33And look - one pint of maraschino.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38- Fantastic!- I could not believe it. - Look at this.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43'Lots of ingredients, lots to do, so we'd better get cracking.'
0:09:47 > 0:09:53'Back upstairs, Victoria described Stoneleigh Abbey as very large and very fine.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59'However, it was not on the scale of some of the grandiose houses she was used to.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05'In fact, with more than 30 for dinner, Lord and Lady Leigh didn't have a dining room
0:10:05 > 0:10:07'they felt was big enough.'
0:10:09 > 0:10:13And so they had to use this - the saloon.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17A sparsely-furnished large reception space.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21But actually when it was laid out with a dining table,
0:10:21 > 0:10:26this rather offended our diarist, Georgina, who wrote,
0:10:28 > 0:10:34"This was to be regretted as its great beauty and space as a reception room
0:10:34 > 0:10:36"would thereby be lost."
0:10:36 > 0:10:42But I rather think this beautiful salon would have made the meal go with a swing
0:10:42 > 0:10:49'if this illustration in Georgina the host's sister's journal is anything to go by.'
0:10:49 > 0:10:55The room is embellished with marvellous plasterwork featuring stories from mythology,
0:10:55 > 0:11:03which the Queen had an interest in. This would surely impress any guest whose gaze wandered during the meal.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07For Victoria, though, when she looked up at this ceiling
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and saw the apotheosis of Hercules,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15she said she thought it would be better if it was gilt.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Poor old Lord Leigh. Despite a Herculean effort to impress,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25it seems he hadn't covered every detail.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34The dinner served on the first night of the Queen's three-day visit made up for any lack of sparkle
0:11:34 > 0:11:40in the salon. The original menu details a whopping 39 dishes.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45And we're making one of the desserts, a Bavarois de Chocolat.
0:11:45 > 0:11:52It has some incredible ingredients detailed on the original shopping list for the occasion.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Including, of course, chocolate.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01But the Victorians couldn't just buy a bar at the local newsagent's.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03They had to make it from scratch.
0:12:03 > 0:12:10It was a very labour-intensive process. Luckily, Ivan's doing the labouring!
0:12:10 > 0:12:13First take the cacao beans.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Chop into small pieces called nibs.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Put onto a sandstone slab called a metate.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Heat using a small charcoal brazier.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29Roll nibs with a South American rolling pin called a molo so they release the cocoa butter.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34Crush cocoa butter into the remains of the nibs.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37And hand-made chocolate done.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42- It took me two hours to make that. - Really? Can I have a little taste?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Yeah, tell me what you think.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50- Oh!- Good, isn't it? - That is delicious.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'Our chocolate will be the basis of our dessert.
0:12:56 > 0:13:03'Firstly, we add it to the warm milk until it melts. Then we add spices and lemon peel for extra zing.'
0:13:04 > 0:13:09So you've got your vanilla pod, cinnamon and your lemon.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11You're told to sweeten it to taste.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Now the way that was done was with syrup rather than sugar.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- Fine.- As it's already dissolved.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25'Then that all-important booze, this cherry-flavoured liqueur
0:13:25 > 0:13:31'that was THE taste for Victorian high tables.' Did Victoria like her alcohol?
0:13:31 > 0:13:37- She was quite worried about things like over-drinking.- Oh, right. She wanted to keep composed?
0:13:37 > 0:13:41We know she loved her food, but only plain and simple food.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45'Our chocolate surprise pudding was certainly not plain or simple,
0:13:45 > 0:13:52'but like most Victorian aristocracy the Leighs were using their food to show off
0:13:52 > 0:13:56'and to confirm their status to Victoria and Albert.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59'Now this won't set on its own.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04'We're using something called isinglass and it looks absolutely extraordinary.'
0:14:04 > 0:14:07So what is isinglass?
0:14:07 > 0:14:12You're not going to believe this, but it's the sturgeon's bladder.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16- You know the big fish in the Caspian Sea which we get caviar from?- Yes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21Their bladders are nearly as valuable. It makes the most incredibly good jelly.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26The French called it "colle de poisson" and it was the most popular setting agent
0:14:26 > 0:14:32because it's relatively easy to use, particularly before mass-produced gelatine came in the 1870s.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35This was what those early cooks used.
0:14:35 > 0:14:41How on earth did they discover this setting agent for doing this? Where did it come from?
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Well, it's been known about since classical antiquity and this is it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48That is a piece of sturgeon's bladder.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51This is sturgeon's bladder.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55And it does make a fantastic set. It's very, very good.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59'Just preparing it was very labour-intensive.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03'It's put into a bowl of cold water, soaked overnight
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'and placed into boiling water until it has dissolved.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09'Then finally, it's clarified.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14'The isinglass is added to the chocolate filling and stirred until thick.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18'The mixture is put to one side for three hours to cool.
0:15:19 > 0:15:25'Once cooled, whipped cream is folded into the chocolate mixture and poured into the pudding mould,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29'which is then placed into a bowl of ice.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31'There were no fridges in those days.'
0:15:31 > 0:15:36- Fantastic. How long has it got to set for? - It will need about three hours.
0:15:36 > 0:15:42'Three more hours? I'm not sure if his nibs upstairs will be able to wait that long!'
0:15:44 > 0:15:50Victoria had been on the throne for over 20 years by the time she came to Stoneleigh.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56This picture of her from the Leigh family archive seems to me to show a Queen with high expectations
0:15:56 > 0:16:02and indeed she had become, how can I put it, quite particular in her preferences.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08Palace officials were sent ahead to make sure everything was done just as "Her Maj" stipulated,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13in particular, in her bedroom where the Leighs had made some rather hasty alterations.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18And this is what the Queen's bedroom would have looked like,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22except that at the time of her visit, it was one floor up.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27But the furnishings in it are exactly what she would have seen.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31What we've got, I reckon, is Lord Leigh running out of time here.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36I think he'd got such a small period in which to furnish these spaces
0:16:36 > 0:16:40that instead of ordering brand-new furniture for the Queen,
0:16:40 > 0:16:47what he did was to take extant, existing old-fashioned pieces of furniture around the mansion house
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and have them dollied up.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Now, what is the style of this bed?
0:16:52 > 0:16:54It's Chippendale.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58And as so often happens in these stately homes,
0:16:58 > 0:17:04just because it looks like Chippendale, it's been attributed to Chippendale the maker.
0:17:04 > 0:17:10Actually, what we've discovered is the original bill from the real maker in 1763
0:17:10 > 0:17:12which was William Gomm.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14And there's the bill.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20If you look at the piece of furniture itself,
0:17:20 > 0:17:28underneath the gilt and the paint and the gesso, which is that chalky stuff, the timber is dark nut brown.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32That's because this furniture, that now looks white and gilt,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35once upon a time, was dark brown.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It was expensive mahogany
0:17:37 > 0:17:44and no cabinet-maker in the 18th century would have covered expensive, polished mahogany
0:17:44 > 0:17:46in this stuff in a million years.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50This is the work of the Victorian decorator Charles Moxon
0:17:50 > 0:17:54who Lord Leigh employed basically to spiff up the whole house,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58to make this place fit for a Queen.
0:18:00 > 0:18:06It wasn't just the bed frame that needed attention. The Queen travelled with her own upholsterer
0:18:06 > 0:18:11whose duties are explained by Georgina, our diarist and sister of Lord Leigh.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16She says the upholsterer's duty was to pack and unpack the Queen's boxes.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He also superintended the making and arrangement of the Queen's bed.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24She had sheets and blankets of her own with her
0:18:24 > 0:18:29and the upholsterer had to sew them together in a peculiar way, according to royal fancy.
0:18:29 > 0:18:36We can only surmise what that peculiar way was as Georgina doesn't divulge.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44The three-day visit to Stoneleigh was part of a wider tour of the Midlands
0:18:44 > 0:18:48and just like any major tour, she needed more than just an upholsterer.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53Team Victoria consisted of umpteen royal roadies, as Georgina explains.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56"Her retinue of servants was not small.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59"They numbered altogether 18 -
0:18:59 > 0:19:04"the Queen's dresser, the Queen's lady's maid, two pages in ordinary, the Prince's valets,
0:19:04 > 0:19:09"eight menservants in livery, a coiffeur, a clothes brusher,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13"an upholsterer, a special messenger and inspector of police."
0:19:13 > 0:19:19And in addition to that, she brought her own horses and ten grooms.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25And they would have been housed here. The stables at Stoneleigh were state-of-the-art,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29built in 1820, just 38 years before Victoria's visit.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35The yard is built in a D-shape to give the carriages plenty of room to turn round and it's very nice.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39After all, when it was built, horses were crucial for getting about,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42so they had to be very well looked after.
0:19:42 > 0:19:48Even the air they breathed was controlled by a clever ventilation system.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Air was blown upwards and not towards the horses' middles
0:19:52 > 0:19:55which might have given the poor things colic.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00There were owls with their own owl boxes to keep the mice at bay.
0:20:00 > 0:20:06And they weren't the only ones to live above the stables. The stable boys did too.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11I think they looked after the horses better than they did the stable boys.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17NEIGHING
0:20:17 > 0:20:24After dinner on both nights of her visit, local dignitaries lined up to meet the Queen.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29They assembled in the library and it was here that Lady Georgina, rather cattily I fear,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33records how disappointed she was by the appearance of the ladies.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37"I am sorry to record that the good county of Warwick
0:20:37 > 0:20:41"did not show to great advantage in the beauty of its ladies.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45"Many of the fairest and highest in the county were unavoidably absent."
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Miaow!
0:20:47 > 0:20:52If the ladies didn't cut the mustard, at least the gardens did.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Unlike some of the hasty preparations for the visit,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59they had been created in style many years before.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01The year that she visited
0:21:01 > 0:21:07was effectively the 50th anniversary of Humphry Repton's visit to Stoneleigh
0:21:07 > 0:21:11and the alterations that he made here to the landscape.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Repton was a famous landscape gardener
0:21:17 > 0:21:22and his claim to fame was his fabulous "before and after" books,
0:21:22 > 0:21:28an ingenious marketing ploy that certainly sold his ideas to his clients. Just look at this.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Here we are at the south-west corner of Stoneleigh Abbey as it was,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36the dammed-up end of the leat,
0:21:36 > 0:21:41and a character standing in a blue frock coat holding an umbrella,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44which is Humphry Repton himself.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46He's directing the workers
0:21:46 > 0:21:50in pegging out the edges of the alterations,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55so that ultimately, what Lord Leigh will see...
0:21:55 > 0:21:57is this.
0:21:57 > 0:22:04What more tantalising and delicious sales technique could you have than this?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13The Leigh family carried out most of Repton's ideas,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18including diverting the River Avon to create a lake in front of the house.
0:22:18 > 0:22:25We know from the host's sister Georgina's diary that the Queen walked here after dinner
0:22:25 > 0:22:31and assembled in the grounds were thousands of well-wishers who had been allowed to congregate.
0:22:31 > 0:22:37Georgina recounts, "No sooner did they hear that their beloved Queen was so near to them,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42"they give vent to their loyal feelings in a burst of loud and prolonged cheering.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47"She walked twice round the front garden in full view of the delighted multitude
0:22:47 > 0:22:50"to whom she bowed repeatedly."
0:22:50 > 0:22:54They sound delighted. However, on arrival at Stoneleigh,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58the very same crowds had, according to Georgina, been shocked
0:22:58 > 0:23:02to discover Victoria didn't travel wearing a crown.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Ha! And carrying a sceptre.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07But instead, wore a bonnet and carried a parasol.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12It obviously came as a surprise that she was dressed,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16not as a magical monarch, but a mere mortal like them.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24- Let's do it, OK? We've got to get this dipped into the hot water to release it.- Right.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28'Downstairs, dishes for the Queen's banquet took hours to prepare.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34'Attention to detail was everything if the Leigh family were to impress the royal party.'
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Look at that! Isn't that gorgeous?
0:23:37 > 0:23:40'The food itself was incredibly intricate.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44'The extra decorations would be painstakingly hand-crafted.
0:23:44 > 0:23:50'We're using some original wooden moulds to make collars for the chocolate surprise.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54'They're made from powdered sugar and gum from a South American tree.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06'Now the dessert is free of its mould, I'm filling the centre with lemon cream
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'before its final titivating.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:11That's it. Perfect.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15'After it's been crowned with our sugar decorations,
0:24:15 > 0:24:20'we have delicate strawberry tarts to place around our majestic pudding.'
0:24:21 > 0:24:26I have to be very careful here. I do not want to break anything.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Just get it exactly in the middle.
0:24:28 > 0:24:34Imagine Queen Victoria sitting at the table, these coming in,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36the presentation...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It must have looked amazing. It's mind-boggling!
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- You've got to eat it next. - I will and I will enjoy it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46'And after all that work, I hope Tim will too.'
0:24:54 > 0:25:01Victoria's visit to Stoneleigh was heralded a great success by the Leigh family.
0:25:01 > 0:25:07Georgina tells us, "Never certainly was there a more successful royal visit.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10"Everything had gone off perfectly without one failing
0:25:10 > 0:25:12"or drawback of any kind,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16"and our good Queen, all smiles and amiability."
0:25:18 > 0:25:23I hope Tim's all smiles when he sees what we've been making.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- Oh, look!- There we go.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30This is a "bavarois de chocolat en surprise".
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Absolutely wonderful. Let's go for it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- First, I'll remove this crown. - Remove the crown.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40- I'll give you that little strawberry.- Is that for me?- Yes.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45I'm going to take a little bit of this cream and put it on there.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49And I'm going to cut literally a round...
0:25:49 > 0:25:54This is the Victoria pudding that would have been produced for the...
0:25:54 > 0:25:57This is on the menu. This is an amazing dessert.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Now we're going to have to taste.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Hmm!
0:26:03 > 0:26:05That is extraordinary, isn't it?
0:26:05 > 0:26:10You've got that chocolate with the refined lemon coming through it.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14I'm going to have a look at this creamy middle which is really wicked-looking.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Hmm!
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Which is very nice and lemony too.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22I'm going to have a go at my tart now.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25We'll have the berry off the top like that.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31That sets a nice bit of tart in the mouth and then we have the tart itself...
0:26:31 > 0:26:32Hmm!
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Well, Rosemary, this is quite splendiferous.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- You have presented me with a Victorian treat...- Mm-hm.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45And for a change, I'm going to present you with a Victorian treat.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Now, this thing was produced by Leigh's sister
0:26:48 > 0:26:54and the family were so incredibly proud of the fact that they'd had these royals,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58the family prepared a magnificent scrapbook
0:26:58 > 0:27:01which I want you to revel in.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06- If I have a bit of a flip, you've got all these delicious images, look.- Oh, wonderful.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- Oh, look at Albert! - Albert looking so proud.- Yes.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12And so this thing goes on,
0:27:12 > 0:27:16each of the memories exquisitely preserved.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- What a wonderful record! - Isn't it lovely?
0:27:19 > 0:27:22And just look at this bit here.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25They've actually preserved and pressed...
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Oh, look at that!
0:27:27 > 0:27:34- The posy that she was carrying when she went off to Birmingham to open Aston Hall.- How wonderful!
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- Really special, isn't it? - That is very, very special. - And very personal to the family.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45And here's the pen used by the Queen in the house.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Do you know, looking at this,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51they were unbelievably proud.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55They certainly were. They wanted to preserve every element of it.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And I think they thought they did a very good job.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06To have entertained a monarch at the peak of her reign was an extraordinary honour
0:28:06 > 0:28:11- and the Leighs must have dined out on it for generations to come. - Who can blame them?
0:28:15 > 0:28:20Next time, we stay with the royal tour of the Midlands as they visit Warwick Castle.
0:28:22 > 0:28:28We're not visiting a traditional stately home. Oh, no, more like a full-blown fortress!
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk