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 > 0:00:08Not just any old queen.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Victoria.
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 > 0:00:22We're delving into her personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.
0:00:22 > 0:00:29Today, a visit Queen Victoria made when she had been on the throne for 22 years.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34We have come to the northern most tip of North Wales
0:00:34 > 0:00:39to visit the magnificent and stately and enormous, Penrhyn Castle.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And as someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited
0:00:42 > 0:00:44by antiques, I'll be exploring
0:00:44 > 0:00:48the curiosities of the castle that would've surprised Victoria.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52These things are gobsmackingly desirable
0:00:52 > 0:00:58- to the really rich of this period. - As a chef who's passionate about all sorts of food,
0:00:58 > 0:01:05I'll be downstairs in the kitchen, rediscovering an amazing 19th- Century recipe made for Victoria.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09- We have the juices and the meat... - How delicious!
0:01:09 > 0:01:14- And giving Tim a right royal treat. - Rosemary, you HAVE been busy, darling.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21This doesn't look very Victorian.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Do you know something, you're absolutely right. It looks medieval.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27But the style is called neo-Norman
0:01:27 > 0:01:33and it was actually constructed in the early 19th century.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35A pure fantasy.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38It was built entirely to impress
0:01:38 > 0:01:44and was completed just before Victoria came on the throne in 1837.
0:01:44 > 0:01:51Victoria visited with hubby, Albert and four of their children and as was the way during these
0:01:51 > 0:01:55royal outings, the kids, if not exactly palmed off on her staff,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58were very much seen, but not heard.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They were on their way back from Scotland
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and had made this massive detour all the way to North Wales
0:02:04 > 0:02:09as part of a PR exercise, to improve Victoria's popularity
0:02:09 > 0:02:12in the less populated regions.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14And you know, they were thrilled to have her.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Bangor came out in droves, thousands of people.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21They had illuminations and flags.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26You know Queen Victoria said in her diaries, it reminded her of arriving in Paris.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30But not so posh for me. I'm off to the servants' entrance.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And for me, it's a medieval gateway.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Victoria had been to Penrhyn before, in 1832,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45when she was 13 and the place wasn't quite finished.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50But for Albert, this was the first time, a real eye opener,
0:02:50 > 0:02:57and because he was particularly interested in design and technology, he'd have been intrigued.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Albert might have chuckled as he passed under this phoney medieval gateway.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Like a toy castle, Penrhyn's turrets and arrow slits
0:03:07 > 0:03:12are more fun and games than serious defence devices.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15As Queen Victoria and Albert arrived with the kids in tow,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19they were met by their hosts, Lord and Lady Pennant.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25And it's here that Victoria would have descended from her carriage
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and gone through the front door of the castle.
0:03:28 > 0:03:34But I wonder whether she had any opportunity to examine in detail the door itself.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Because it's a tour de force of shammery.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41But my favourite bit has to be the door knob.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Look at this, here we've got a perfect circle
0:03:44 > 0:03:47that fits into another circle
0:03:47 > 0:03:52but looks as if it's made of bronze, but actually it too is made of oak.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Do these two pieces articulate at all? Does the bottom bit swing out?
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Not a bit of it. It's fixed.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02It's simply there for show.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It's sham. And for me,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10it sums up the sham nature of this Norman, or not so Norman, castle.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18This place is all about show and who better to show off to than Her Maj.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Queen Victoria was led into this, the grand hall,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26a kind of cathedral-like space.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29On that evening, it was filled with local dignitaries,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34all the local aristocrats, the Lord Lieutenant and the like.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The Pennants were well connected and filthy rich.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42It was perhaps this clout that secured the visit.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48A lot of their cash went on mod cons. In fact, Penrhyn Castle was renowned for its technical gizmos.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53Thomas Hopper, the architect, hadn't forgotten creature comforts,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56because this, even in the 1830s,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00is an example of warm air central heating.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05This castle, on the ground floor, has a series of ducts and grills like that,
0:05:05 > 0:05:10that enable the hot air to come in and warm the guests. Wonderful!
0:05:13 > 0:05:19While Victoria was having her tootsies warmed in the hallway, her staff would have been lugging
0:05:19 > 0:05:22the row of baggage over to the other side of the castle.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27This servants'service area is enormous!
0:05:27 > 0:05:30You've got the housekeeper's tower there.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Then you have the footman's tower sneaked over the other side.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38The footmen had their own tower. Then you have an ice tower here.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41There was a soup kitchen, a bakery and a laundry.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43It was all here.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Downstairs, the heat was on to rustle up a royal feast.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Helping me to rediscover the story of Victorian cooking
0:05:57 > 0:06:01is historical food expert, Ivan Day.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Today, we're cooking an amazing, elaborate feast of a dish.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08It was created by one of Victoria's own chefs
0:06:08 > 0:06:11for grand occasions like this royal visit.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15A spectacular recipe for spit roast beef.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18What a magnificent piece of fillet.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21This is called a fillet of beef a la Provencale.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Devised by Francatelli, who was Victoria's chef in 1841.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31He only stayed for a year. He instructs us to lard the fillet.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Then we're going to marinade it for about an hour.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We're then going to put on a spit and roast it in front of the fire.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Oh... And what's in the marinade?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43The marinade has got olive oil,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46carrots and onion and a little bit of garlic.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49That's the Mediterranean Provencale element.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51It doesn't sound very British, Provencale.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Garlic wasn't used very much at all in English Victorian cooking.
0:06:55 > 0:07:01What these great houses liked was an Anglo-French style of cookery.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04You're larding it. That's something we wouldn't do today.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07It's going onto a spit in front of a roaring fire.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10It would dry the meat out very, very rapidly.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15- You're putting the fat in?- Have you done this before?- I've larded, yes.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- Have you done it this way? - Not using this thing, no.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24I have a plate with strips of bacon fat with some ice and salt underneath,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26which makes it like a miniature freezer.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28They haven't got a freezer in a kitchen like this.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So you make a miniature one. It keeps it nice and firm.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35What a great little tip! That's what I'm after. Show me this first.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Then I'll do it myself.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42First of all, I've got two sets here of Victorian larding pins.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45This is the original holder which every cook had.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48These are from the period.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52As they prepared this dish, the kitchen team would
0:07:52 > 0:07:56have been juggling to cook eight other courses - yes, eight -
0:07:56 > 0:07:58to be served to the Queen.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02As well as fish, other roasts, like mutton and game birds,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05would have taken their turns with our beef.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09This is what's called a releve. It's the course
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- you have after the fish.- Natural.- Perfect, amazing,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15you've done it before!
0:08:15 > 0:08:18It's the dish that's served after the fish.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20The idea was to put
0:08:20 > 0:08:23as much abundance on the table to honour your royal guest.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27The ironic thing was Victoria actually liked plain food.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32They would bring wonderful dishes and she might just say, "Can I've some rice pudding, please?"
0:08:32 > 0:08:35And they would have to give it to her! But they would!
0:08:35 > 0:08:38That would be the thing, rice pudding.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42While the kitchen staff were beavering away downstairs...
0:08:43 > 0:08:48..upstairs the Queen would have been enjoying a charm offensive from her
0:08:48 > 0:08:53hosts, the Pennants, as they showed off the grandeur of their house.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Having finished meeting all those dignitaries, Queen Victoria was
0:08:57 > 0:09:01ushered into this space, the Penrhyn library,
0:09:01 > 0:09:07and quite appropriately, too. Because it's a most impressive area.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11And it has the added advantage of being practically unchanged
0:09:11 > 0:09:15from the moment that Victoria visited.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Just look at this lovely little reading room, just off the library,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24that's circular and built into one of the castle turrets.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29Who knows, maybe Queen Victoria read a little book in here herself?
0:09:31 > 0:09:33One thing that would have struck Victoria,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37walking through the library, is the amount of slate on show.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Not surprising, since the Pennants made their fortune
0:09:40 > 0:09:43quarrying the stuff up the road, and one particular object
0:09:43 > 0:09:47definitely would have got Albert's attention.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50You've got it! It's the billiard table.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56This one was ordered in 1844 for Colonel Douglas Pennant,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and what's unusual about it
0:09:58 > 0:10:01is that it's made of solid slate,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04slate, mined here.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10These things are absolutely gobsmackingly desirable
0:10:10 > 0:10:14to the really rich of this period. The Duke of Wellington had one.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Even Victoria and Albert had one in their home
0:10:17 > 0:10:19at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
0:10:22 > 0:10:29While Albert was potting balls upstairs, downstairs, the kitchen staff were cooking dinner.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I've added fat to the beef ready for cooking
0:10:32 > 0:10:34and now it's time to add some spice.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38For this dish we're using a popular Victorian blend
0:10:38 > 0:10:40of black, white and red peppers.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Oh! On the tongue the spice coming through, fantastic.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47We've got to plonk it in here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:53So, we're going to very gently give this a Thai massage.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56You don't want to remove the lardons away.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Yeah, we're going to massage the onions and garlic in.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It'll marinade for a very short time.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04So the garlic, even the carrot flavour gets transmitted
0:11:04 > 0:11:06into the surface of the meat.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10- It doesn't go into the heart of it. That's physically impossible.- Yeah.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12We just rub it all in.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17What I'd like you to do is get some of the pepper and give it a really good sprinkle...
0:11:17 > 0:11:21- Oh, yes!- ..while I massage the pepper in as well.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24An even sprinkling, be quite generous with it.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27I'll rub that in between the larding.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- So it's a peppered steak? - It's a wonderfully peppered steak,
0:11:32 > 0:11:37but this is very, very sophisticated food in the 19th century.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39This is something new.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- Only for places like this. - Absolutely.- Only.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Ordinary people wouldn't eat this.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47But we have to remember that ordinary people are preparing it.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50How much would this cost in the Victorian days?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Well, it would probably cost about...
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- 15 shillings. - That's about £100 in today's money.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Think about it, it's not changed.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Money hasn't changed in terms of that piece of meat.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08This has been revered for centuries though, this particular cut, as being the most tender piece of the animal.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Now, what's going to happen now?
0:12:11 > 0:12:13We'll let it rest for about half an hour.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Then I'm going to spit it and we'll get it in front of the fire.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24Let's hope HRH got a chance to put her feet up in the library, because
0:12:24 > 0:12:30the next stage of Lord Pennant's tour of the castle involved a bit of a workout, the grand staircase.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Grand it certainly is.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39It's just the sort of staircase you can imagine a queen ascending.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43And eventually, it does lead to the royal bedrooms.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47If you don't mind walking for another half a mile or so.
0:12:47 > 0:12:53Well, it turns out Victoria did rather mind that half-mile hike to bed.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56And to avoid it, she broke all protocol.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Adela, the daughter of the household,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02was only one when the Queen came to stay.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06She later published for the family an account of her visit.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10And according to the story, Victoria liked to take a shortcut
0:13:10 > 0:13:14to her suite of rooms using the spiral staircase.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17This was the servants' staircase.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21But you must remember, there was no electricity in those days
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and the family hired a lamp man.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29They bought him specially from London to light up the Queen's way.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34But Adela tells us that the man deserted his duties and she wrote,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37"When my mother took the Queen to her room,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41"she found the stairs in complete darkness.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46"My mother begged the Queen to wait while she ran upstairs for a light.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50"But on returning to the head of the steps, she found the Queen
0:13:50 > 0:13:54"had laughingly groped her way up behind her in the dark."
0:13:54 > 0:13:59Well, imagine, Queen Victoria stumbling up these steps,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03without even a candle, wearing the wide, long dresses.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07She was laughing. She wasn't even upset!
0:14:07 > 0:14:11But whichever staircase she used, waiting for her in the bedroom was
0:14:11 > 0:14:16another surprise so typical of Penrhyn's eccentricities.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17The bed.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Unusual? Sure.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's made of solid slate.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26It looks like just like the grey stuff down in the library.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30I think probably made by a Welsh craftsperson
0:14:30 > 0:14:33more accustomed to making gravestones.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Just look at the shape and form of that foot board.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39But did the Queen actually sleep in it?
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Well, there's some controversy here. Some say she did.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Some say she thought it was ghoulish and ordered another bed.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50What do I think, personally?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Well, let's sleep on it!
0:14:52 > 0:14:55BELL RINGS
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Wherever she ended up sleeping, if Victoria needed anything during the night,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01all she had to do was ring for it,
0:15:01 > 0:15:06as the upstairs rooms were all linked to the servants' quarters by these bell pulls.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10How's that for Victorian room service?
0:15:10 > 0:15:16But there's one cord that no servant wanted to hear, the call of nature.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Clearing out the dreaded chamber pots, yuck!
0:15:20 > 0:15:23But here at Penrhyn, not everyone had to stoop that low.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28I've snuck upstairs to see another one of the castle's prized mod cons
0:15:28 > 0:15:31that would've thrilled the guests and the staff alike.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36Here's an invention that would've been a great relief to the servants,
0:15:36 > 0:15:37a flushing loo!
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Now, Penrhyn was one of the first grand houses
0:15:40 > 0:15:44to actually incorporate it at the beginning of their construction.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48We know that Prince Albert had an interest in technology, and
0:15:48 > 0:15:54he would've been fascinated by this, and he actually probably sat on it.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56TOILET FLUSHES
0:15:57 > 0:16:04While Albert was otherwise engaged upstairs, downstairs the beef is roasting on the spit.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08It makes my mouth water just looking at it!
0:16:08 > 0:16:14Most people, when they think of spit cookery, think of campfire cookery, but this is on a different level.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's really sophisticated, very flexible cookery.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Timing is absolutely important so that you don't overdo it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:27But also I see it almost while you're describing, it's actually very like a barbecue!
0:16:27 > 0:16:32- This is a high-end barbecue.- This is a high-end barbecue, but that's it.
0:16:34 > 0:16:40The spit or attishry was powered by a smoke jack rotated by heated air rising in the chimney.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46It was a skilled job to make sure the joint was cooked at the correct distance from the fire,
0:16:46 > 0:16:51and for the right amount of time, while continually basting the meat in its own fat.
0:16:51 > 0:16:57A lot of visitors of these old kitchens, they see these extraordinary spits, which are large,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02and they think, "They must've roasted a whole pig or an ox on it," but that's not the case because
0:17:02 > 0:17:06a Victorian meal had lots of roast meats at different intervals in the meal,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10so what that's for is for cooking lots of different types of meat
0:17:10 > 0:17:15rather than one great big, massive ox. And of course, it's all about control.
0:17:15 > 0:17:21You've always got one cook in charge of that who's keeping his or her eye on it. It tended to be a male.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25It was barbecue man again in the Victorian incarnation of the sense,
0:17:25 > 0:17:30but he knows to a turn exactly when it's cooked.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34So he is now called the spit cook?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- The rotisserie cook. - The rotisserie cook!
0:17:36 > 0:17:39In the 19th century, yes. They took the French term for it.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44- So why is there a screen there? - Well, it's hot work. It looks like there's a wardrobe plonked in the
0:17:44 > 0:17:47middle of the kitchen, but it's the most essential piece of equipment.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- It does!- That protects all of us from the heat.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55It reflects the heat back into the fire because it's coated with a tin
0:17:55 > 0:17:59interior, and you can also use it for warming up your plates.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- This is original?- Oh, yes. Yeah. It was called a closet or a screen.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Every kitchen had one.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07So we've got our meat, but what about the veg?
0:18:08 > 0:18:13- To go with the beef, we're going to make stuffed tomatoes. - We'll finish them under the fire.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- So they had the juices of the meat dripping over them. - How delicious is that!
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Which is something we've forgotten all about, cooking under the joint.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24But people don't want to eat fat any more and that's where all the flavour is.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28That's what it's all about, isn't it? Time to fry up the stuffing.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I love this combination of bacon, onion and thyme, and garlic.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- Have you got some garlic there? - Remember, this is a la provencale.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37A la provencale. And so...
0:18:37 > 0:18:41And this wonderful ham, which is the dry English ham that you would
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- get from the smoking loft here in the kitchen.- It's like a serrano.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47It's superb. It is English, you see.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52- We knew how to make this stuff hundreds of years ago.- Oh, that's delicious!- It's superb.- Oh!
0:18:52 > 0:18:55So you've got ham here from the bacon loft.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Bacon also made here on the estate.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Herbs from the herb garden.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Mushrooms, field gathered.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08- Oh, fabulous.- So the whole kitchen is completely self-sufficient.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- No supermarkets. - No, absolutely wonderful.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17While the meat cooks away on the spit, I'll leave Ivan to stuff
0:19:17 > 0:19:22the tomatoes, so I can try and find some of the other key rooms in the labyrinth below the stairs.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31After a whirlwind welcome, the Queen must have slept like a baby.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36She woke the next morning to this magnificent view from her window,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40which, she wrote, "reminded her of the Highlands."
0:19:41 > 0:19:44On Queen Victoria's first morning here
0:19:44 > 0:19:49in 1859, she went for a walk with her children
0:19:49 > 0:19:51despite the inclement weather.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56I bet it was blowy, like today. Albert, on the other hand,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00shoved off to the quarry, the source of so much of that Pennant wealth.
0:20:03 > 0:20:10Victoria didn't bother going this time because she'd already seen it during her earlier trip in 1832.
0:20:10 > 0:20:17This painting was done after that visit, and she's meant to be one of the figures in there somewhere.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Was she secretly into abseiling?
0:20:24 > 0:20:30Victoria described her experiences here outside in her diary.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33She writes, "Walked out after breakfast
0:20:33 > 0:20:38"with the children in the grounds, visiting the fine flower and kitchen gardens.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41"But felt SO tired.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45"The atmosphere SO thick, dull and heavy,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49"so different than Balmoral, that I did not go far."
0:20:50 > 0:20:56She did, however, leave her mark by planting a giant redwood tree,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59which we can see just there.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Victoria planted trees like they were going out of fashion.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07But the Pennants made quite sure this one was a bit special.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11This giant redwood would have been imported from America.
0:21:11 > 0:21:17They grow to over 100 metres tall and can live for over 3,000 years,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20so as far as a lasting legacy of the royal visit goes,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22it doesn't get much better than this.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31Downstairs, while Ivan's placing the stuffed tomatoes under the spit so they become
0:21:31 > 0:21:35infused by the juices dripping off the beef, I'm off exploring.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39It's clear that the kitchen is one of the most important rooms
0:21:39 > 0:21:44downstairs, but a whole suite of rooms played a huge part in feeding them upstairs.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49But it's the pastry room I've had my eye on all day, and
0:21:49 > 0:21:53it's not these delicious Victorian cakes that have taken my fancy.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57It's something that might appear far more mundane.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02One of the most exciting things here is actually a bread roll.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Now this bread roll was one of the original bread rolls
0:22:07 > 0:22:12that was baked for Queen Victoria on her three-day visit here to Penrhyn.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17I have to be very careful because if it breaks, I will be in a lot of trouble.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I'm going to leave this right where it is.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23I don't want Ivan making croutons out of this Victorian treasure.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Back in the kitchen, we're now ready for the final stage in preparing
0:22:27 > 0:22:31today's wonderful royal dish, beef provencale.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Spectacular!
0:22:33 > 0:22:36The beef has cooked for two hours and it's ready to dress.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38We've got to get it off the spit.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42The succulent beef is removed from the hot spit,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44but that's not enough for Queen Victoria.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The garnish is even more amazing.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49And not a lettuce leaf in sight!
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- We're going to use these wonderful skewers...- Yes.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56..which are called Hatherly skewers.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01- Hatherly skewers?- Yes. And we will probably put one in the middle
0:23:01 > 0:23:06that doesn't have anything on it, so we'll put that one in like that.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Right.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12OK. And what we mean to do is to put a truffle...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- Right, shall I put one?- Yes.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16You have a smell of those. They're absolutely amazing.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20- Oh, fantastic!- OK. And then one of the smaller crayfish.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Now this is quite difficult.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26You've got to get it through the middle of its back like that. OK?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Like so. Now push it right down so it's on top.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- Right, OK.- Then you want a gherkin.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35A gherkin, right. So we'll do this, OK.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And then finally the mushroom.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41This may all seem a bit OTT, but in Victorian times,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43food was a way to prove your status,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47so the garnish was almost as important as the beef itself.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- OK, got it.- That's it. OK.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53That looks magnificent!
0:23:53 > 0:23:57All we've got to do is surround it with the tomatoes and then it's ready for the dining room.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Can't wait.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The tomatoes have been stuffed and are toasted under this special spade
0:24:05 > 0:24:10known as a salamander, and finely cooked through on the gratin dish.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15It's almost architecture, in a way, isn't it, just making sure it's well-balanced.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19- Yeah, I mean, this is not camp fire cookery, is it?- It certainly is not.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22We're on a completely different level here. This is really...
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- Very sophisticated.- Extremely, yeah.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Shall we put the sauce on?
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- I'm just going to glaze this. - Yes, a bit of your meat glaze.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32This looks incredible.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38But imagine the pressure creating a dish like this, especially if Queen Victoria was waiting upstairs.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It's bad enough that it's Tim!
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Well, that is beautiful and I think Tim is going to love this.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53It had been a long old day for Victoria, and to finish it off,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57she had a dinner party to get through, staged in this room.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02The Queen described it as, "very handsome with everything well done,"
0:25:02 > 0:25:04and she says, "the dinner was excellent."
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- Well!- Ooh!
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Rosemary! You HAVE been busy, darling.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Now, this is a wonderful fillet of beef a la provencale.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- And why do you think it's called "provencale"? - Because it comes from the country.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20Because there's a bit of garlic.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22- Ah, is that what it is? - That's what it is.
0:25:22 > 0:25:29I can't tell Tim this, but I've already sneaked a taste before serving him and it is amazing.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33I can tell you, spit-roasting is as far away from a barbie as you can imagine.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Now this is a typical dish that actually Queen Victoria
0:25:37 > 0:25:41might have eaten, but it was only part of a whole host of dishes she would have got through.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Actually, I feel a bit of a dribble coming on because
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- that looks really good. - I'm going to give you that.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49- Can I have a tomato, too?- Yes.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52They're stuffed with mushrooms, onions, garlic, thyme.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Garlic? Oh, good. I'm glad I'm sleeping with myself tonight.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Now, here we go, look. I'm going to have a morsel of this delicious
0:26:00 > 0:26:06provencale beef that you have slaved away at. Rosemary, you are an angel.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Now, one, two, three, down the cakehole.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Cor!
0:26:17 > 0:26:20And that is cooked on the spit
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and it's larded to give it moisture. It's absolutely delicious.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27I mean, this is sophisticated food, and to think they had this sort of
0:26:27 > 0:26:32food then, to me, this is top quality restaurant food.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35It certainly is. And do you know how tall Victoria was?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- No, how tall was she?- About 5ft 2.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- And do you know how wide she was?- How wide?
0:26:39 > 0:26:4448 inches around her middle and about 53 inches tall.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Oh, well, then there's hope! - HE LAUGHS
0:26:47 > 0:26:52So, Rosemary, after a splendid dinner like this, there would be
0:26:52 > 0:26:58a suitable entertainment from the quarry men's choir.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- Shall we?- Let's.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Choral singing was hugely popular in Wales during Victoria's reign.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18And here a choir, assembled and conducted by one of the quarry workers, performed for the Queen.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27And among those here today
0:27:27 > 0:27:30are some of the descendants that sang with that very choir.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Do you know, Rosemary, Queen Victoria really loved the quarry men
0:27:39 > 0:27:43and she wrote in her diary, "they have such fine voice.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46"They sing in such fine tune."
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Just like our Penrhyn Male Voice Choir here.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Magnificent.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01Absolutely right. And what more fitting way for us to conclude
0:28:01 > 0:28:03our visit to Penrhyn Castle.
0:28:08 > 0:28:15Next time, we catch up with Victoria at Floors Castle in Scotland, and everything has changed.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The Queen was in mourning after the death of her beloved Albert, and it
0:28:21 > 0:28:26was the first time in six years she had left home on an official duty.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:55 > 0:28:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk