0:00:03 > 0:00:10'Just what do you have to do when a Queen decides to pop in to see you? Not just any old Queen. Victoria!
0:00:10 > 0:00:14'We're chasing our longest reigning monarch around the country
0:00:14 > 0:00:17'to the magnificent mansions she visited.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22'We'll be delving into her personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Today, we've come north of the border
0:00:26 > 0:00:30to the home of the Dukes of Roxburghe at Floors Castle.
0:00:30 > 0:00:36And we're going to be finding out what happened here during three days in 1867.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41'And as someone who has spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'I'll try a Victorian fishing rod.'
0:00:44 > 0:00:49You wouldn't need to be catching a salmon. You're taking all day to wind that in.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54'I hope Tim gets a bite because as a chef who is passionate about great food,
0:00:54 > 0:01:00'I'll be in the kitchen creating a spectacular Scottish salmon dish, Victorian style.'
0:01:01 > 0:01:04What a treat and how extravagant!
0:01:04 > 0:01:10- 'And serving it to my very own catch of the day, Tim.'- We have to raise a glass to you and your team.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21There's a true sense of sadness about our visit to Floors today
0:01:21 > 0:01:25because out of the many royal trips that we're making,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29this is the first official public visit
0:01:29 > 0:01:35that Victoria made after the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39And it was a whole six years since the passing of Albert
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and Victoria was still deeply affected by it.
0:01:44 > 0:01:51Albert's death in 1861 came after a long fight against typhoid.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58So after years of self-imposed seclusion and obsessive mourning,
0:01:58 > 0:02:04Victoria's return to official duty north of the border would have been particularly emotional.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06But the show had to go on
0:02:06 > 0:02:11and besides, Victoria had been promising a visit to the Duke and Duchess for some time.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Well, she may have been without Albert,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20but at least she did have four of her nine children with her
0:02:20 > 0:02:25because travelling with her were Helena and Louise, Beatrice and Leopold.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30And it's wonderful to have a large family to have supported her.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34And also she had ladies-in-waiting and her equerries as well.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Yeah, they all came up from Windsor on the train
0:02:37 > 0:02:42and they overnighted in Carlisle, just south of the border.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48I'm going downstairs to see how the Duke and Duchess's staff coped with Victoria's visit.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- Toodle-oo, Rosemary.- Bye.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53While I head upstairs to investigate how Victoria got on
0:02:53 > 0:02:57on her first visit after the death of her beloved Albert.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00After her overnight stay in Carlisle,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Victoria arrived by train the next morning in the local town of Kelso
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and for once, the fine Victorian railway system let her down
0:03:09 > 0:03:13as the train rolled in more than an hour and a half late.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15That didn't deter her loyal public.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21After six years out of the spotlight, Victoria was greeted by hordes of loyal subjects,
0:03:21 > 0:03:27as seen in these drawings made for The Illustrated London News, the popular rag of the day.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32For the mournful Victoria, these scenes of loyalty must have been heart-warming.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38But once the Queen finally arrived here at Floors, it would appear that she is really rather impressed.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41She writes, "The park is remarkably fine
0:03:41 > 0:03:45"with the approach under splendid beech, sycamore and oak trees.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48"The house? Very handsome.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52"Built originally by John Vanbrugh in 1718,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56"but much improved by the present Duke."
0:03:56 > 0:03:59He hired Edinburgh architect William Playfair.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04He was determined to create a fairy-tale castle on the banks of the River Tweed.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08He created this grand structure at the front of the house,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12so that carriages could drive up to the front door without getting wet.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18This wonderful porte-cochere or carriage porch was added by Playfair,
0:04:18 > 0:04:24along with all these other, lovely, decorative, little turreted pieces.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Charming!
0:04:26 > 0:04:33And it was Playfair himself who pronounced that these door handles were worthy of the Vatican.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Bit over the top!
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Morning.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Playfair also rebuilt the staff quarters
0:04:43 > 0:04:47which must have gone down pretty well with the royal entourage.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I'm at the far end of the kitchen wing.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53This is the kitchen courtyard!
0:04:54 > 0:04:57This was the hub of the downstairs domain
0:04:57 > 0:05:01because all the servants, including Victoria's staff,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05would have stayed in many of the rooms dotted around this courtyard.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Right up to the present day, this still serves as a home for the people who work here
0:05:10 > 0:05:17and the people who still live here - the butler, the chauffeur and the housekeeper. How lucky are they!
0:05:23 > 0:05:30While the staff were finding their rooms, upstairs, Victoria was being greeted in the entrance hall.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Having been greeted in the porte-cochere,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37the Queen was very quickly ushered into the library
0:05:37 > 0:05:43before being quickly taken to a private breakfast with her children.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46She records, "It was ten past twelve."
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Very precise. Kind of royal brunch time.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54This room quite obviously now is a billiard room.
0:05:54 > 0:06:00But originally, it was designed by Playfair as one of the state bedrooms.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03But it wasn't occupied by Victoria.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07She was allocated a trio of rooms upstairs.
0:06:07 > 0:06:14It was actually her sickly, haemophiliac son Prince Leopold who got this state bedroom.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19The most appropriate picture in this room, I guess, has to be this one
0:06:19 > 0:06:22of the 6th Duchess.
0:06:22 > 0:06:28You see her here pretty well as she would have looked when Victoria came to visit
0:06:28 > 0:06:32because this picture was only completed a few years afterwards.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38As mistress of the house, she would have been responsible for the allocation of bedrooms.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42And whilst Prince Leopold was down here,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47for Victoria, whose heart, even six years after the loss of Albert,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50was aching uncontrollably,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54had this to say from her diary.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56"The children were close at hand,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01"but the feeling of loneliness when I saw no room for my darling
0:07:01 > 0:07:08"and felt I was indeed alone and a widow overcame me very sadly.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13"It was the first time I had gone in this way on a visit
0:07:13 > 0:07:18"and I thought so much of all dearest Albert would have done and said
0:07:18 > 0:07:24"and how he would have wandered about everywhere, admired everything, looked at everything
0:07:24 > 0:07:26"and now...
0:07:26 > 0:07:29"Oh, must it ever be so?"
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Poor woman.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41'This was Victoria's first official visit in six years, so the pressure would have been ramped up a notch
0:07:41 > 0:07:45'for the servants downstairs, especially in the kitchen.
0:07:45 > 0:07:51'Time to see what Victorian delicacy chef and food historian Ivan Day has got up his sleeve
0:07:51 > 0:07:53'for today's royal dinner.'
0:07:53 > 0:07:56This is the River Tweed,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58so really it has to be salmon.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02This is one of the greatest salmon rivers in Britain.
0:08:02 > 0:08:10And I've chosen a recipe which actually appears in two cookery books written by Victoria's chefs.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13And it's called salmon a la Chambord.
0:08:13 > 0:08:20It's a very aristocratic, incredibly ornate dish and it's going to take some preparation.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24'First, we put roughly chopped onions, shallots and carrots
0:08:24 > 0:08:28'into the special poaching pan known as a fish kettle.'
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Why are you putting in the vegetables now?
0:08:31 > 0:08:35They will keep the strainer from sitting on the bottom,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40so the salmon will be totally surrounded by water. It won't burn on the bottom.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44How clever is that! Now you're going to put the salmon in.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Let's just gently get him over on to the drainer. Look, he fits perfectly.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54I love the way you put a little string to keep the jaw attached, so it doesn't fall off.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Yes, this is very much a centrepiece dish and he's got to look really good.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04- Put a bit more wine in there, Rosemary. That's fine. - That's the bit I like.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Right, let's get this into the salmon kettle.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Perfect.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16- Rosemary, could you put some salt in while I get the lid ready?- OK.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Right, how long?
0:09:21 > 0:09:26I'm going to get that up to a nice simmer and I'll give it 18 to 20 minutes, I think.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Gosh! Just look at that!
0:09:35 > 0:09:38What a vista!
0:09:38 > 0:09:43I'm on the South Balcony of the castle and in front of me is the River Tweed.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49This balcony was constructed so that it would get most of the sunshine during the day
0:09:49 > 0:09:55and of course, it makes a great platform to be able to see the outline of the Cheviot Hills
0:09:55 > 0:09:57and England beyond.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00This is rather fun, look,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03an engraving from The Illustrated London News,
0:10:03 > 0:10:08showing the evening celebrations for the Queen's visit.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12We've quite obviously got a corner of the castle here
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and down below, the town of Kelso
0:10:14 > 0:10:18with their firework celebration, look.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22There's quite clearly the spire of the church down there.
0:10:22 > 0:10:28What I like are these bonfires, six of them, lit on top of the Cheviot Hills.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33But actually, do the tops of the Cheviot Hills look like that in reality?
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I'm not entirely sure that they do, actually.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Perhaps it's just a bit of artistic licence, eh?
0:10:43 > 0:10:50Victoria was already very familiar with Scotland by the time she came to Floors in 1867.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55In fact, the trip was made en route to her Highland property Balmoral
0:10:55 > 0:10:57which she had bought 15 years earlier,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01but she still used her visit to explore the local sights.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05And her highlight was a day trip to the home
0:11:05 > 0:11:10of one of her heroes, Walter Scott, in nearby Abbotsford.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14One of his relatives, a Mr Hope Scott, gave her a personal tour
0:11:14 > 0:11:16which she describes in her journal.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20"They showed us his library where we saw his manuscript
0:11:20 > 0:11:24"of Ivanhoe and several others of his novels and poems,
0:11:24 > 0:11:30"then his study in which is a bust in bronze, done from a cast taken after his death.
0:11:30 > 0:11:36"We saw his journal in which Mr Hope Scott asked them to write my name."
0:11:36 > 0:11:41This must have been a great thrill for Victoria because she was a huge fan of Walter Scott.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47Not surprising, given that they both did so much to popularise the Scottish landscape.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51'While the Queen was indulging in a bit of sightseeing,
0:11:51 > 0:11:56'at the castle, the kitchen staff would have been preparing for dinner.
0:11:56 > 0:12:02'Our salmon has been simmered in the kettle for 18 minutes and is now ready to decorate.'
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- I've removed the skin.- Right.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08What I'm doing now is I'm spreading a mixture of breadcrumbs
0:12:08 > 0:12:11that have been cooked in fish stock.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16- Yes.- Mixed in with a little bit of pulverised whiting.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22It acts as an adhesive to stick on little strips of sole
0:12:22 > 0:12:26which have little slits cut in them with a sharp knife
0:12:26 > 0:12:30and then these little tiny slithers of truffle are inserted
0:12:30 > 0:12:35and it flavours the sole and makes almost like a zebra pattern all over the salmon.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It's a technique that had a name called "contised".
0:12:39 > 0:12:45- Rosemary, would you like to have a go at "contising" a sole fillet? - You know me, don't you? I would.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Let's turn it round. I have to work from this end.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53The technique is to just cut a very thin slither like that and curl it up.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58- Right, OK.- Then you can pop in a little bit of truffle and push it down.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04'The lengths Victorian cooks went to are amazing. It's far more intricate than anything you'd see today.'
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Pop one in.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08There.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14- While you're doing that, I'm going to start to put some more forcemeat at this end.- Yes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17And we'll get the whole thing finished.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22Now, once we've got it adorned with the fillets of sole,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26we're going to put it very briefly into a hot oven.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30You only need minutes to cook the sole. It's as thin as anything.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34It's very intricate work, isn't it? Can I put it on?
0:13:34 > 0:13:39That's it. Make it touch the bottom of the... I've got it at that side. That's great.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Just tap it down, so it sticks down perfectly.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Let's get it on the right way round.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48We've lost a bit, but I can easily pop that in.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55Now, Rosemary, could you open the door for me, please?
0:13:57 > 0:13:58There we go.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04'The dish goes into the oven for precisely seven minutes on a moderate heat,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07'just enough time to cook the thin strips of sole.'
0:14:07 > 0:14:11The kitchen would never have had a short supply of salmon.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16During Victoria's visit, the River Tweed would be brimming with them.
0:14:16 > 0:14:22And one chap would certainly have been swimming in this river when Victoria was here.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26How about this for a bit of local produce?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29The Tweed's record-breaking salmon.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Caught in 1886
0:14:31 > 0:14:35when it weighed in at 56 and a half pounds.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39I don't know about you, but I prefer mine with chips.
0:14:39 > 0:14:46'We know Victoria loved to soak up the views across the River Tweed, but it was tinged with sadness.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50'For she would also know that as a keen fisherman,
0:14:50 > 0:14:56'her dear departed Albert would have been in his element here.' There's my man!
0:14:56 > 0:14:59'I meet fishing expert Ian Gordon.'
0:14:59 > 0:15:04They used to say that in Victoria's time, the salmon was so plentiful
0:15:04 > 0:15:09that the locals would feed off it several times a week. They were fed up eating salmon!
0:15:09 > 0:15:14- Is that true?- It's strange. It's like a farm servant at that time.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20It's like a contract of work. They were told they weren't to be fed salmon more than two times a week.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Can you imagine that? Imagine!
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- "I'm not eating salmon. Enough!" - "I want beef!"
0:15:27 > 0:15:29"Give me a bit of pig!"
0:15:29 > 0:15:35Is it just the aristocrats oinking out these fish with flies and rods and stuff?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38That really is the common perception.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42In Victoria's time, all the fishing that was done on this river
0:15:42 > 0:15:48was done by invitation of people like the Sixth Duke of Roxburghe, as Queen Victoria did.
0:15:48 > 0:15:55We're going to ignore that modern rod. I want to see you have a go with this greenheart fellow.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- With this I can out-fish you, yeah? - Tim, there's no chance of that.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05- I'll take that one. - No, you've got the greenheart. - Stop it! Stop it! Get off!
0:16:07 > 0:16:11'Prince Albert isn't the only Royal who had a passion for fly fishing.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15'Apparently, Prince Charles also likes a cast or two.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20'If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. Bring it on!'
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Wow! Yes!
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Look at the whip on that!
0:16:27 > 0:16:31I'll leave you to wind that in. Think you'll manage that?
0:16:31 > 0:16:36My God! Honestly, you're taking all day to wind that in.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44I'm being very, very gentle with this antique piece of equipment.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- There's no need to be TOO gentle with it.- Well...
0:16:49 > 0:16:56'This rod might have been all the fashion in Victoria's time, but it's brought me no luck today.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00'Just as well Rosemary didn't rely on me catching a salmon for tea.'
0:17:02 > 0:17:07After lunch on her first day at Floors, Victoria took a stroll
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and admired the beautiful walled kitchen garden.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15The walls create a micro-climate a good deal warmer than outside.
0:17:15 > 0:17:21The estate gardeners grew everything from cut flowers to Brussels sprouts.
0:17:21 > 0:17:28They not only looked great, but more importantly fed the staff and guests, including Victoria.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32'The man who looks after these gardens today is Andrew Simmons.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:38- What was the brief of a walled garden?- To get as much as you could for the table.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43And once the table was supplied, it was the staff.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49In Victorian times, there would have been such an entourage of staff following on.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55You could possibly have up to 100 staff to feed as well, living in.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59This is why there was such great produce being grown.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05'The Victorians took gardening to a whole new level with the introduction of greenhouses
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'to grow more exotic fruits.
0:18:08 > 0:18:15'Some of these standing here today date from Victoria's visit. They even had central heating.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21'To make sure the Queen's greens were up to scratch, they had to fight off numerous pests
0:18:21 > 0:18:23'with some quite shocking methods.'
0:18:23 > 0:18:27What pesticides did they use? They used all sorts of things.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32They used pesticides, but the head gardener was under pressure
0:18:32 > 0:18:35to produce this perfect fruit and vegetables.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39And if he didn't, his job could be on the line,
0:18:39 > 0:18:44so he did use an awful lot of chemicals. Lead, arsenic,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48I think there is still a recipe for making your own liquid nicotine.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53That would have been a favourite. Certainly smoking with nicotine.
0:18:53 > 0:19:00They'd make the concoction with liquid nicotine and soak rags and then light it
0:19:00 > 0:19:02and smoke the greenhouses.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08'The Victorian kitchen garden made an impact on the Queen.
0:19:08 > 0:19:14'She had one built at Balmoral and her children had their own vegetable patches at Osborne House,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17'the family's home on the Isle of Wight.'
0:19:19 > 0:19:23There's an immense sadness that hangs over this visit.
0:19:23 > 0:19:30Despite Victoria's obvious love of Scotland, she cannot escape the constant feeling of loneliness.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34But luckily she had the perfect hosts.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40She wrote, "Nobody could be kinder or more discreet or anxious that I should be undisturbed
0:19:40 > 0:19:43"when at home than the Duke or Duchess."
0:19:43 > 0:19:48In years to come, Victoria enjoyed a close friendship with the Duchess.
0:19:48 > 0:19:54They often wrote to each other and some of these letters are still on show at the castle today,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58but their relationship was cemented 14 years after this visit, in 1881,
0:19:58 > 0:20:03when she, the Duchess, was awarded the Order of Victoria and Albert.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08And two years later she received the ultimate honour
0:20:08 > 0:20:15when appointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria, senior lady in the Royal household.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- 'Talking of senior ladies... - Careful, Tim!
0:20:19 > 0:20:23'Downstairs, our salmon a la Chambord is nearing completion.
0:20:23 > 0:20:30'The strips of sole have cooked perfectly and our dressed salmon is ready for the final assembly job.'
0:20:31 > 0:20:35I've constructed a little cushion of cold rice
0:20:35 > 0:20:40and covered it with a thin film of a herb butter.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44'To make this, we've taken soft butter and added green herbs -
0:20:44 > 0:20:49'parsley, chervil, tarragon and burnet, a lovely old-fashioned herb.
0:20:49 > 0:20:55'Then we've added chopped gherkins, capers and garlic. Once it's spread over the rice, it forms a bed
0:20:55 > 0:20:57'for the salmon to sit on.'
0:20:57 > 0:21:01The most difficult thing is to get the fish off here and on to there.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06We have to do this together. If you get that in front of you.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10This is a little bit shorter than the salmon,
0:21:10 > 0:21:15so before you start taking it off, I have to get it in the right place.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Gently start to move it across. Is it coming? That's it. Perfect.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24- So what's next?- We need to embellish it with the garnish.- Right.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29- It's very complicated.- OK. - We start off with some quenelles.
0:21:29 > 0:21:36'Quenelles are small, fried patties made from forcemeat - ground meat or fish. We're using whiting.'
0:21:36 > 0:21:42- Amazing!- When you get a Victorian dish like this...- Yes. - ..you get the main dish
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- and always you get a garnish.- Right. - This usually is in two forms.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51- One surrounds the dish.- Mm-hm. - The other is stuck in the top.
0:21:51 > 0:21:57- In order to get this started, we need those truffles. These are whole truffles.- Oooh.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59What a treat! How extravagant!
0:21:59 > 0:22:04If you could just push them in so they actually stand there.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- Like that.- How many do you want?
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I think five. If you put a third one there...
0:22:12 > 0:22:18- Now push it so it is actually sticking into it.- Into the butter, into the rice.- And one more.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23- So there's our fifth one. - Push it in hard.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- The next thing is crayfish. - Oh, wow.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32- We put one between... - I'll bring them here.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36You can sit them like that with their claws. Put another one there.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41You're lining the crayfish up with our contised fillets.
0:22:41 > 0:22:48These are also quenelles, with a little strip of contised sole fillet down the middle.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50And these have been cooked.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53We put them in between the crayfish.
0:22:53 > 0:22:59Oh, amazing. 'Any one of these garnishes could be the centre of a dish on their own.
0:22:59 > 0:23:06- 'And there's more!'- We're going to decorate it with these beautiful silver hatelet skewers.
0:23:06 > 0:23:12We've got a crayfish, a mushroom and this quenelle, which is our whiting forcemeat again,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16this time decorated with this little pattern made in truffles.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21And what we do with those is we put them right in the middle of the salmon
0:23:21 > 0:23:26and then it should sit beautifully like that.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30So if you could do one at the other end.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- It's the bone.- I've got it.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40I'll put another one in there.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45- You'll feel the bone, but... - You can work around the outside.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Come in like that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- And we'll do another one here. - Get your guy in there.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- That's perfect.- It's so ornate!
0:23:55 > 0:23:57This would be one dish of many.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Unbelievable.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02It's almost immoral.
0:24:02 > 0:24:08- Do you know what I mean? - Well, it's a dish fit for Queen Victoria, I hope.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I hope it'll be fit enough for Tim!
0:24:10 > 0:24:16'There's one key part of floors we haven't visited yet - a small corner of the gardens
0:24:16 > 0:24:22'where the Roxburghes created something special just for the Queen to enjoy during her stay.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25'A summer house.'
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Victoria mentions that she walked onto the flower garden
0:24:29 > 0:24:35"and took tea in a pretty little room adjoining them, which is entirely tiled."
0:24:35 > 0:24:43This is it. Her pretty little room which Floors Castle still refer to as the Queen's House.
0:24:43 > 0:24:50'How great to be able to show off Rosemary's culinary skills in a place we know Victoria loved.'
0:24:51 > 0:24:55- Ah, Rosemary! - What a feast for your eyes!
0:24:55 > 0:25:00- Magnificent. - What have you been up to, girl?
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Well, it's actually some salmon which was put in a fish kettle,
0:25:04 > 0:25:09then we baked it in the oven and we've put this wonderful fish decoration.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13- This is a dish that Queen Victoria would have eaten.- I'm blown away.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18- So you should be.- These little crayfish fellows look colourful. - They are.
0:25:18 > 0:25:24This is a little quenelle. It has mushroom, quenelle, and they're shaped, steamed,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29- and then crayfish.- This is the moment for a drop of plonk.
0:25:29 > 0:25:35- Special white. - I'm going to cut up a fillet and just prise it off for you,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- like that.- Yes. Now, whoopsie.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- That's always the dodgy bit.- Yes.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45- It's falling off the bone. - It's absolutely sensational.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Mmm.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52- That's superb, isn't it? - It just oozes with bouillon.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- We have to raise a glass to you and your team.- Absolutely.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Now this is all very special. I'll do a little show and tell.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06I'd like to present you
0:26:06 > 0:26:08with the basket award.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12This is a little special something.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16It looks like something that came with Little Bo Peep.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Actually, if I take the cover off,
0:26:19 > 0:26:24I'll show you a little piece of paper inside and it says,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28"Basket given by the Queen to the Duchess of Roxburghe.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32"Straw plaid by Her Majesty."
0:26:32 > 0:26:33So...
0:26:33 > 0:26:39Queen Victoria actually wove this exquisite straw exterior,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- the construction of the basket. - She did it herself?
0:26:43 > 0:26:50Yeah. You'd think she'd go out and buy one and maybe make up the silk to go in it,
0:26:50 > 0:26:56but she actually wove the basket herself for her mate, the Duchess of Roxburghe.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00- Inside, we've got a little bracelet. - Oh, it's adorable.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03It contains a portrait of the Queen.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08And it was again presented to the Duchess of Roxburghe.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11And if I'm very careful and press in these little lugs,
0:27:11 > 0:27:17we can take the actual portrait of Her Majesty out
0:27:17 > 0:27:21and on the back of it, on the gold, it is inscribed,
0:27:21 > 0:27:28"To the Duchess of Roxburghe, from her affectionate and unhappy friend,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30"Victoria".
0:27:30 > 0:27:37Even in a gorgeous gift like this, she has to make reference to her unhappiness
0:27:37 > 0:27:42- at the fact that she's a widow. - She was still in love with Albert.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47I think that's a lovely gift, but they gave her a lovely time.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52I think we have had a wonderful time here. It has been a brilliant day.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57- What a joy to come here. - A joy to behold.- It is.- Like you.
0:27:59 > 0:28:05'Our next stop on Victoria's tour of Britain takes us to Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09'home to the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15'This was not a social call. Britain was on the verge of war.
0:28:15 > 0:28:20'We'll be looking at some fascinating documents that reveal
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'how Victoria was right in the thick of it.'
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2011
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk