0:00:02 > 0:00:06Just how do you prepare when a queen decides she's going to pay you a visit?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08And not any old queen. Victoria.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14And as a chef who loves food, I'll be stirring up things downstairs
0:00:14 > 0:00:18making a 19th-century dish that would have been served to Victoria.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24We'll be delving into Victoria's personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Today we're not visiting a traditional stately home.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30More a full-blown fortress.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Warwick Castle.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35And as someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:35 > 0:00:41I'll be upstairs exploring just what would have excited Victoria on her visit here.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Wild.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49And, as a chef who loves food, I'll be stirring things up downstairs,
0:00:49 > 0:00:54making a 19th-century dish that would have been served to Victoria,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and trying it out on Tim's 21st-century tastebuds.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02You're just a genius.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Victoria and Albert popped in to Warwick Castle
0:01:16 > 0:01:20during their four-day tour to Warwickshire.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23They'd been nearby in Birmingham,
0:01:23 > 0:01:28opening the stately Aston Hall as a tourist attraction.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32But a trip to Warwickshire wouldn't have been complete for the royals
0:01:32 > 0:01:36without a visit to one of England's best-loved castles.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38CHEERING
0:01:41 > 0:01:48Warwick Castle was as much a tourist attraction in 1858 when Victoria and Albert visited, as it is today.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53The Earls of Warwick had been allowing the public into the castle
0:01:53 > 0:01:56for at least 30 years before the Queen popped in.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58And with the coming of the Victorian railway,
0:01:58 > 0:02:03more than 10,000 visitors a year were regularly pitching up here.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07So it was 16th June 1858
0:02:07 > 0:02:12when Victoria and Albert became tourists themselves,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16in order to enjoy this medieval treasure trove.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The Queen had been on the throne for 21 years
0:02:28 > 0:02:31when she visited Warwick Castle as a day-tripper.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33The Earl of Warwick and his wife,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35hosts for the three-hour visit,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38were originally meant to put them up here,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40but they had the builders in
0:02:40 > 0:02:42so the royal couple stayed with the Leigh family
0:02:42 > 0:02:44at nearby Stoneleigh Abbey.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50This was such a brief visit.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54It was just time for her to have a good snoop and a little lunch,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58but there was still masses of preparation going on downstairs,
0:02:58 > 0:02:59which is where I'm off now.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05And I'm off to take the royal tour around this grand old castle.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- Bye, Rosemary.- Bye.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And with them on their look-about, was Georgina Leigh,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24who they'd been staying with at Stoneleigh Abbey the night before.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28She kept an exquisite journal of the Queen's tour of Warwickshire,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32which includes details of the visit to Warwick Castle.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38She records, "I was told at the last moment
0:03:38 > 0:03:41that I was to be one of the party to Warwick",
0:03:41 > 0:03:45and that her carriage had to take a shortcut to the castle
0:03:45 > 0:03:47in order to get there on time.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Victoria, meanwhile, took the scenic route,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53with well-wishers cheering her on,
0:03:53 > 0:03:59as this picture from the Illustrated London News Report of the day, shows.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Victoria arrived through these portcullises
0:04:05 > 0:04:09and into the courtyard or keep of Warwick Castle.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14She records in her journal, "At two, we reached Warwick Castle,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19the position of which, surrounded by trees and just overhanging the Avon,
0:04:19 > 0:04:20is beautiful."
0:04:20 > 0:04:25"The old entrance through the battlements cut out of the wall, is very curious,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29and there's a keep just in the style of the one at Windsor."
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Most of the castle was built some 500 years before Victoria's visit.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43It was owned by the Crown until 1604,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47when it was gifted to a chap called Sir Fulke Greville
0:04:47 > 0:04:52and it was the Grevilles who were eventually given the title of Earls of Warwick,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57and it was them who created a stately home inside the ancient walls,
0:04:57 > 0:05:02transforming the fortress from a cold and uncomfortable place
0:05:02 > 0:05:07into a warm and luxurious stately family home.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13With such a brief visit,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17the Earl of Warwick was keen to impress with a fabulous lunch.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Over 30 dishes were prepared for Victoria and Albert's feast.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26One of the dishes on the menu was an absolute favourite of mine.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Mayonnaise de homard,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31a lobster and mayonnaise salad,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and that's what I'm going to make today.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I'm going to crack on,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40just as the servants would have done downstairs
0:05:40 > 0:05:41ahead of the Queen's arrival,
0:05:42 > 0:05:43starting with the eggs.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46They had to make their mayonnaise
0:05:46 > 0:05:50because the jars weren't available until 1905,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and actually, in my opinion, I think home-made mayonnaise tastes better.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58To an egg, I'm adding Dijon mustard.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Next, some olive oil.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08We add the oil drop by drop by drop,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10so it starts to get thicker.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Lobster was quite a delicacy in those days.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25They had potted lobster, curried lobster, grilled lobster,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and lobster salad.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31So it was pretty versatile.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Oh, it's really stiffening up now. It really is.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41I would have thought this was given to the under maids to do.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45And imagine, they would have done vast quantities of this.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46That poor little under maid.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Right, that's finished, so I'm now going to put it on ice.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Perfect. I'll be tackling the lobster a little later.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03CHEERING
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Having entered the courtyard,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10the 39-year-old Victoria alighted from her carriage with Albert
0:07:10 > 0:07:12to meet the hosts for her brief visit.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Victoria's diary tells us,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17"Lord Warwick met us at the door,
0:07:17 > 0:07:22but Lady Warwick, a pretty, graceful person, but in delicate health,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27having to be wheeled about in a chair, received us at the top of the stairs."
0:07:28 > 0:07:30In fact, also waiting at the door,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33according to newspaper reports,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35were the couple's three children,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39the eldest of whom was five at the time of the visit,
0:07:39 > 0:07:40and it clearly had an effect.
0:07:40 > 0:07:47Because later, when he became the 5th Earl, he records in his memoirs,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50"I know that I had to present a bouquet to the Queen,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and that she kissed me and my brother Alwyn."
0:07:53 > 0:07:57"Doubtless, Alwyn and I, duly honoured,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00but my baby brother in arms, Louis,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03whom Her Majesty tried to kiss,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05resented the attention bitterly
0:08:05 > 0:08:10and screamed, struggled, and finally, I regret to say, blew bubbles."
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It is not recorded if Her Majesty was amused.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17BABY CHUCKLES
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Below stairs, preparations for lunch would have been well underway,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29and with the mayonnaise finished, it's time to tackle the lobster.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Here we have our lovely, native lobster.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37They're absolutely delicious.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Now, I'm going to take the claws off first, these big claws,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and I'm going to remove the rest of the claws.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47There.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Right, so, first of all,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52we need to take the meat from the claws.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57There we go, so it all comes out in one.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00There we go.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Now I'm going to do the other claw, which is the bigger claw,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08which is actually the claw that holds onto the prawn if they're eating prawns,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10and the other one is the scissors.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13This is actually a right-handed lobster.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Lobster needs to be cooked alive,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17and Warwick is a long way from the sea,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21so the creatures were shipped live from the coast in tanks,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24making it an expensive and high-status food,
0:09:24 > 0:09:25much like today.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27So you take the intestine from here,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29which is the little bag,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and take the tail out.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33That's the hard work done.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37The next step will be to put it all together.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Before lunch, the royal party was shown into the Great Hall,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53where objects from across the centuries were on display.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Perhaps the most Victorian of objects
0:09:56 > 0:10:02that Victoria and Albert would have seen here at Warwick Castle, is this,
0:10:02 > 0:10:08the Kenilworth Buff-ay or Buffet, depending on how you pronounce it.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It's carved from an oak tree felled at nearby Kenilworth,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and the carving depicts an earlier chivalrous age,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18a reminder of Britain's medieval past.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22To some eyes,
0:10:22 > 0:10:27this is an absolute tour de force of the oak carver's skill.
0:10:27 > 0:10:33To others, it is a monstrous, out-sized sideboard.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Either way, Victoria would certainly have admired it.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41It was given to the 4th Earl of Warwick as a wedding present.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42I wonder if he liked it.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47He couldn't exactly take it back to the shop and exchange it, could he?
0:10:48 > 0:10:52One of the extraordinary features of this sideboard
0:10:52 > 0:10:54is these pillar supports,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58which are carved in the form of a bear,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01as in bear-baiting, chained to a tree,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05which is an emblem of the town of Warwick.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09But what's strange about them is that they've been made so they can revolve
0:11:09 > 0:11:11like that.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Wild.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23As the Queen and Albert, her own knight in shining armour,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26continued their whirlwind tour of the castle,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29they must have relished the cool interiors
0:11:29 > 0:11:33on what was, according to Victoria's diary, "a very hot day".
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Victoria was dressed appropriately in a white muslin dress.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Yes, she really did once wear colours other than black.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46When it came to creating a luncheon worthy of Her Majesty,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49it wasn't just the food that had to stand out on the table.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Decoration was just as important.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54I'm off to the conservatory
0:11:54 > 0:11:58to meet Jane Edmonds, a period floristry expert.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Victorians loved flowers and had them all around,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07on their person they wore them, in their hair and in their clothes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:14They particularly liked in the house, plants with the new variegated foliage,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and the more contrasts the better.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- Oh, really? Quite garish? - Yes, it isn't to our tastes now.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24The same with the flowers in the vase, the fern, and the limey green with the dark red.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27That was a very popular colour scheme.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- Doesn't seem to be subtle, does it? - No, it's not.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37This picture from the Illustrated London News Report
0:12:37 > 0:12:40shows the Queen seated for lunch at the castle.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44If you look closely, you can see a flower arrangement on the table,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46known as an apern.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51And we've got a copy here of that table centre,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53and we're going to make it.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57We know the curtains and chairs in the dining room where Victoria ate
0:12:57 > 0:12:58were in crimson velvet,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01so we've chosen rich, crimson roses
0:13:01 > 0:13:04that would have co-ordinated with the decor.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08And in true Victorian style, we've added some yellow roses
0:13:08 > 0:13:10to give some real contrast.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15They used wire and twigs, packed matchsticks or twigs,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17and then they supported them
0:13:17 > 0:13:20to place them deep into that construction here.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24When Victoria came, they'd have picked all the flowers here.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- They didn't buy any? - They wouldn't have bought them. They may have had gardens.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Queen Victoria herself provided flowers for her homes
0:13:32 > 0:13:36from a big garden, and they were sent overnight.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42Interestingly, the head gardener would have been responsible for growing the best-quality flowers,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and he would have also made the actual flower arrangements.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51The apern's height allowed the diners to enjoy conversation with the person opposite
0:13:51 > 0:13:53without encroaching on the view.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54It's very pretty, isn't it?
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Flower arranging was very popular in Victoria's day.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00The middle classes were inspired
0:14:00 > 0:14:03by pictures of grand tables in country houses.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07The prettiest flowers were placed in the eye line of the most honoured guest,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10in this case, of course, Queen Victoria.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13There were many magazines of the time
0:14:13 > 0:14:17telling people how to make their flower arrangements,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21recommending not too many types of flowers
0:14:21 > 0:14:22and not too many flowers.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Fantastic!
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Makes a bit of a change from cooking.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33- Well, Jane, I think we're nearly there.- Yes.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37And I think all I have to do now is place it on the Queen's table.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41- Yes, indeed. - Fantastic. Looks wonderful.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45The last-minute invitation to Warwick for the Leigh family,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49who Victoria had been staying with at nearby Stoneleigh Abbey,
0:14:49 > 0:14:50caused some chaos,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54as Lady Georgina Leigh explains in her marvellous journal.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57She says she arrived just in time for lunch
0:14:57 > 0:15:01and was hurried into the dining room with her companion Lady Gwendolen.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08In her diary she commented, "The Queen was sitting on a kind of throne
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and was talking to Lady Warwick,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13who, being an invalid, was in a Bath chair."
0:15:13 > 0:15:17But as Georgina and Gwendolen circled the table looking for somewhere to sit,
0:15:17 > 0:15:22it became apparent that, shock horror, not enough places had been set for lunch!
0:15:22 > 0:15:26An unwelcome game of Victorian musical chairs ensued,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28as Georgina explains.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33"Lady Gwendolen and myself found only one place."
0:15:33 > 0:15:36"Of course, we were both preparing to back out
0:15:36 > 0:15:39when the Queen, who had an observant eye,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44exclaimed, 'Poor girls, they will neither of them get any luncheon.'"
0:15:44 > 0:15:50"This remark had the effect of sending Lady Gwendolen, who was nearest the door, quickly out of it,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and I had to remain."
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Hm. I wonder if poor old Lady Gwen ever got any grub.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05After lunch, Victoria was back on the tourist trail.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07First up, the state rooms,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10which she records in her journal.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12"We passed through several fine rooms
0:16:12 > 0:16:16with beautiful furniture and splendid Van Dykes."
0:16:18 > 0:16:22The rich and sumptuous style of the rooms must have impressed Victoria.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28The Illustrated London News described how "She must have found many features of special interest,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32and much for contemplation, as well as observation."
0:16:33 > 0:16:36A century and a half before Victoria's visit,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40another queen was due to put in a similar royal appearance.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45In 1704 Queen Anne was due to visit Warwick Castle,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49and her own bed was sent from Windsor, along with her travel chest,
0:16:49 > 0:16:50ahead of her arrival.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52But she never turned up.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Queen Anne's visit was cancelled.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01But the bed and the chest remained here until 1773,
0:17:01 > 0:17:07when King George III made them a permanent gift to the Earl of Warwick.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12It is indeed a very fine bed,
0:17:12 > 0:17:17as are all the tapestries which contain this room.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Look at the detail, and quite how bright these colours are.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25That's because, it's said,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29that the weavers employed a man to drink as much beer as he possibly could
0:17:29 > 0:17:33in order that he would produce as much urine as possible
0:17:33 > 0:17:36because the weavers used the urine
0:17:36 > 0:17:39to stop colours in the dyes from running.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Nice work if you can get it.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Not so sure about that, Tim.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I wonder if that was part of the tourist information for the royal guests.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52We do know that outside in the courtyard,
0:17:52 > 0:17:58a Warwickshire Yeomanry band was playing to entertain Victoria and Albert.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02And today the current band of the Royal Yeomanry is here
0:18:02 > 0:18:03to recreate the atmosphere.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Somewhere under that beautiful plumage
0:18:07 > 0:18:11is their Director of Music Major Roy Falshaw.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Tell me about the origins of the Yeoman movement.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23It wasn't just about music, was it? It was about the militia as well.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Yes, the militia would protect the land for the wealthy owners
0:18:26 > 0:18:30and, of course, the landowners were the officers, generally,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34and the farmers and farm workers were, in fact, the yeomen.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- So it was a bit of a mix of upstairs-downstairs.- Absolutely.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42- For everybody. - Most of the landowners would have had a small band.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45They'd be local musicians and other militias as well.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49These eventually formed into the regimental bands of the Yeomanry.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53What music did they play in Victorian times, and what do you play now?
0:18:53 > 0:18:59Well, the pieces we play today, firstly the regimental march of the Royal Yeomanry,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03and the regimental march of all Yeomanry regiments in England is The Farmer's Boy,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07and Queen Victoria would most certainly have known that one.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Today's Yeomanry band is also made up of part-time musicians,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17but now from the Territorial Army.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I must tell you, I love your hat.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I think your hat is absolutely wonderful.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- It's a Chapka.- A Chapka.- A Chapka.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32No-one really knows why the band ended up wearing this hat
0:19:32 > 0:19:35that was originally Polish military attire.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Maybe they just fancied wearing it.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47While the band played on, the royal couple continued their tour
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and headed for the boudoir. Cripes!
0:19:49 > 0:19:52As the Warwickshire Standard describes,
0:19:52 > 0:19:58"The boudoir was a perfect picture, fitted up with blue and white satin."
0:19:58 > 0:20:00But it wasn't quite perfect.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Unfortunately for the poor Warwicks,
0:20:03 > 0:20:08some dodgy seating provided a true moment of farce.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13A relative of the Earl had a contretemps with a chair in front of the Queen,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16as the 5th Earl's memoirs reveal.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21"My mother's kinswoman, old Lady Mexborough was with us,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and the Queen, who knew that she was even older than she looked,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29said to her, very kindly, 'Please sit down.'"
0:20:29 > 0:20:31"Lady Mexborough thereupon sat down
0:20:31 > 0:20:34on one of the new and incomplete chairs..."
0:20:34 > 0:20:36THUMP
0:20:36 > 0:20:42"..and her partial disappearance was very swift and dramatic."
0:20:42 > 0:20:45"Queen Victoria's strict sense of decorum
0:20:45 > 0:20:49was not quite proof against this incident."
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Clearly, Victoria had a complete fit of the giggles.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57And Lady Georgina continues in her diary,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00"Her Majesty expressed a wish to go out of doors,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05and we all followed and explored the gardens in all directions."
0:21:05 > 0:21:08No doubt giggling hilariously wherever they went.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Georgina records that as they passed through the gardens,
0:21:16 > 0:21:23the Queen noticed the Illustrated London News artists in the shrubbery making sketches,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and she asked to see their work.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Ha! The Victorian paparazzi had been caught out by the Queen herself.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Fortunately for them, she approved.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Could have been tricky, though.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Back downstairs, I'm assembling my lovely lobster salad
0:21:41 > 0:21:44that Victoria and Albert were served when they visited.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49So I'm going to just take some Little Gems.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55Many lettuce varieties that were used in Victorian times are no longer popular.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58One in particular was called the Tennis Ball lettuce,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00so I'm using a Little Gem instead.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03So now I'm going to put...
0:22:04 > 0:22:07my lovely pieces of chopped lobster tail,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09which I'm going to bung in there.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13I'm going to dress it with the mayonnaise. Not too much.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15A large, rounded tablespoon.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18And I'm going to just mix it all up.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Now, what will happen is,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24the lettuce will wilt a tiny bit.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25It's bound to.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29We're going to place it in the bowl.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Now, I'm going to do this with my hands
0:22:32 > 0:22:35because this is going to be much easier to control.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39So don't worry about it. My hands are very clean indeed.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41So I'm going to pop it in there.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46You've got to make it into a dome
0:22:46 > 0:22:49so I'm going to squeeze it together.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53The next stage is to mask the salad.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56"Masking" is a Victorian term, meaning "cover".
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I have to mask the entire thing.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04The reason for masking is so that the garnishes stick to the dish.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Just like glue.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11The Victorians were mad about their garnishes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15And to garnish, I'm using hard-boiled eggs,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18anchovy,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20beetroot,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23gherkin, green olives,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27and garnish with a little fresh dill to make it really pretty.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31And I'm going to use these little antennaes
0:23:31 > 0:23:32just from the lobster,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34just to give it that lobster feel,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38rather dramatic and hopefully "wow" look about it.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41I think Tim is going to love this,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and it's what Victoria ate as well.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Albert, somewhat tiring of the official tour, went off on his own.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59When Victoria asked where he was,
0:23:59 > 0:24:05she was told he'd headed to Guy's Tower, and who can blame him?
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Up here on the battlements,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19he must have got a real sense of this fantastic castle.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Ha ha! Typical bloke, hey?
0:24:29 > 0:24:33What is it that from early childhood about castle ramparts
0:24:33 > 0:24:37particularly excites the male of the species?
0:24:37 > 0:24:39I don't know.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Where's my arrows?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48In every sense during these royal visits,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Victoria and Albert were taking first-hand history lessons.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56It was through such visits that Victoria came to piece together
0:24:56 > 0:24:59a continuous story of the country she ruled.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04But stately home tourism was a popular pastime
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and not just confined to royalty.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Such was the popularity with the common people
0:25:10 > 0:25:14that the housekeeper here at Warwick, one Maria Hume,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18earned the amazing sum of £30,000 in today's money,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23in tips from the public, for simply showing them round the castle.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25No wonder she's smiling.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Let's hope I can make Tim smile,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30by showing him just what I've been up to.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33We're in the very dining room the Queen ate in,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36feasting on dishes including the lobster salad.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And the table's adorned with a fabulous flower arrangement
0:25:39 > 0:25:42that would also have greeted Her Majesty.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46This is Mayonnaise de homard, which is just lobster with mayonnaise.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51- God.- A very simple dish, but absolutely delicious.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55This was one of the many dishes that she would have had for her lunch
0:25:55 > 0:25:57on her very brief visit.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00But this is what gives me goose bumps, you see,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02cos we're in the dining room,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and having the dish that she actually had for lunch,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and it was prepared by your fair hand.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11It gave me great pleasure to do something from start to finish.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- What are these red, squiffery things on top?- The antennae of the lobster.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19- I'm going to just pop this on your plate.- Let me just put it there.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Yes, it's quite tricky to serve.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24It's what my mother used to call "moist".
0:26:24 > 0:26:25It certainly is.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Right, OK, well.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Well, you've done a lovely job demolishing that.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33I certainly have. That was difficult to serve.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36- So, do try it. - Thank you very much. How lovely.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38So let's go for it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42- Mm.- Oh gosh!
0:26:42 > 0:26:44That is delicious.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Darling, you have done well here.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47That is lovely, isn't it?
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It's no wonder you are who you are. You're just a genius.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54- Mm.- Mm.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57It's an incredibly simple dish to prepare.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Because after all, they had to have simple dishes
0:27:00 > 0:27:03amongst all the complicated dishes, but lobster was a great delicacy.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Well, it's absolutely delicious. - Absolutely.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Before the royal couple left,
0:27:12 > 0:27:16the Queen just about had time to do the obligatory tree-planting
0:27:16 > 0:27:18in the grounds of the castle,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22as this illustration from the Illustrated London News shows,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26before hurrying off to catch the train back to London.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31At Warwick railway station, they bid farewell to Lord and Lady Warwick
0:27:31 > 0:27:35and the Leigh family with whom they had been staying at nearby Stoneleigh Abbey.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39She thanked them for an enjoyable visit.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Lady Georgina Leigh wrote in her diary,
0:27:44 > 0:27:50"So ends my account, and I trust all true-hearted Warwickshire folk
0:27:50 > 0:27:52will respond to the sentiment
0:27:52 > 0:27:54that their county has become dearer to them
0:27:54 > 0:27:57now its soil has been trodden,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00its beauties visited, its scenery admired,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03by the beloved sovereign Victoria."
0:28:03 > 0:28:07"The great, the good, the model woman."
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Join us next time on Royal Upstairs Downstairs,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20when Victoria and Albert exchange authentic medieval
0:28:20 > 0:28:23for a newly-built castle, Penrhyn in North Wales,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26complete with all mod cons.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28A flushing loo!
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk