0:00:02 > 0:00:06Just what do you have to do when a Queen decides she is going to pop in
0:00:06 > 0:00:10to see you and not just any old Queen - Victoria?
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Like a pair of obsessed Victoria groupies, we're pursuing her
0:00:14 > 0:00:17around the country to the posh pads she visited.
0:00:17 > 0:00:23We'll be delving into her personal diaries to reveal what happened behind closed doors.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29- Today, Belvoir Castle in Rutland and, boy, what a castle! - It's stunning!
0:00:31 > 0:00:35As someone who's spent a lifetime getting excited by antiques,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39I'll be upstairs to discover what would have titillated Her Majesty.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45If you were a coach driver, you would want one of these.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50And, as a chef who's passionate about great food, I'll be getting to grips with a classic Victorian dish
0:00:50 > 0:00:54that would have been cooked for HRH during her visit here...
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I'm covered in beer!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02..and seeing if I can beef up Tim's taste buds.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05What have you been beavering away at here at Belvoir?
0:01:17 > 0:01:23Victoria and Albert travelled to Belvoir from Chatsworth House for a three-day visit in 1843.
0:01:23 > 0:01:30Victoria was 24, had been married for nearly four years and already had three children. They were here
0:01:30 > 0:01:37to try to improve Albert's image by showing him off at one of the country's most high-profile hunts,
0:01:37 > 0:01:43a hunt famous for the land it covered and the number of foxes it caught, often over 80 a year.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Rosemary, this is a bit different from anything we've seen so far.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Did you know that there's been a castle here
0:01:52 > 0:01:56- since just after the Battle of Hastings?- Ah, 1066 and all that.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00You can see why it's called "Bellevue", or "Belvoir",
0:02:00 > 0:02:05as it translates in French, which means, "beautiful view or beautiful to see".
0:02:05 > 0:02:09All that goes back to its Norman roots, you know, and these locals
0:02:09 > 0:02:14they couldn't pronounce any foreign names so that's why today we call it "Beaver".
0:02:18 > 0:02:24When Victoria and Albert came to Belvoir, Albert's popularity rating was pretty low.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29Although his missus adored him, he wasn't liked by the public or the upper-classes.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35So Victoria's advisors, the spin-doctors of the day, thought the sight of a handsome man on horseback
0:02:35 > 0:02:40hunting heroically might help boost his image. They had a bit of a fight
0:02:40 > 0:02:43on their hands to overcome the public's anti-German feelings
0:02:43 > 0:02:49and a view amongst the snooty aristocracy that he was too middle-class.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54So this notionally private visit was designed to have a public impact.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03I'm heading off to an inventive entrance that gave upstairs Belvoir a modern twist.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08And I'm going downstairs just to see how the servants coped with the arrival.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- Toodle-oo!- Bye!
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Belvoir stands high on a hill in the middle of Rutland in the East Midlands.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21It's the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26Victoria and Albert's host was the Fifth Duke of Rutland, John Manners.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Is it me, or does he look a bit like Colin Firth?
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Anyway, he was a man who simply loved to entertain on a lavish scale.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39His castle had been rebuilt some four times over the years and was
0:03:39 > 0:03:42state-of-the-art when the Royal couple visited.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Its modern features are set into an ancient style,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47apparent from the moment you arrive.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55If you were a coach driver and you wanted the ultimate chic way
0:03:55 > 0:03:59to enter your newly-constructed castle,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01then you'd have one of these.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04This is called a porte-cochere,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08literally from the French, meaning carriage gate.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13It's a covered structure enabling the whole carriage to be drawn
0:04:13 > 0:04:16into the building, so that you'd remain nice and dry,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20which is where Victoria arrived and was ushered into the castle here.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27On the other side of Belvoir, the servants had a very different entrance.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Hidden out of sight below the castle, this was the discreet way in,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and it's not for the fainthearted.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44This is the most unusual servants' entrance I have been to yet.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's like a dungeon down here.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50It's really quite scary, actually.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55These are the long corridors in the basement of Belvoir Castle.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58They're known as the dooms.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01What an appropriate name.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Every day, the servants would come in and they'd be given a candle
0:05:10 > 0:05:14at the other end so they can find their way, just like me,
0:05:14 > 0:05:20through to the top end. But just imagine a new young housemaid
0:05:20 > 0:05:24coming just from the local village, how scary would that be?
0:05:24 > 0:05:31I can't imagine anything worse, on your own, in a long, dark corridor,
0:05:31 > 0:05:37not knowing quite what to expect, but you knew this was your destiny.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39That was a long time ago.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Thank goodness they don't have to do it any more!
0:05:42 > 0:05:45BELL RINGS REPEATEDLY
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Servants would surface near the kitchen and enter a labyrinth.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Tunnels, corridors and hidden staircases were all designed
0:06:05 > 0:06:08to keep the servants out of sight downstairs,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11but above stairs it was all about being seen,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15particularly for Albert, who needed to raise his profile.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Victoria was keen to show off her hubby
0:06:17 > 0:06:20to his best advantage throughout the visit
0:06:20 > 0:06:23while their host was keen to show off his pad
0:06:23 > 0:06:26from the moment his Royal guests arrived.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32So this is the guard room, effectively the grand entrance hall into the castle.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35It was rebuilt in the gothic style.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40We've got these two smashing fireplaces either end
0:06:40 > 0:06:45and the floor is covered in Nottingham stone with this lovely inlay and 3D geometric effect.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55So, Colin Firth - sorry, the Duke of Rutland - led Victoria and Albert
0:06:55 > 0:07:01through this room to meet a few close friends who he'd assembled for this private visit.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Well, actually, the 200 VIP mates he had invited to stay at the castle.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11The guest list was like a page out of Who's Who, with names such as the Prime Minister,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Robert Peel, and the military hero, the Duke of Wellington.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17And fittingly here he is,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20represented on the wall - I wonder if he noticed!
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Wellington would have been impressed with the military exercise
0:07:29 > 0:07:32that went on downstairs in order to feed the guests.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35The castle was pretty self-sufficient, and it had to be.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41As well as the 200 VIPs staying, the Duke invited a whopping 1,000 people
0:07:41 > 0:07:45for dinner over the course of the three-day Royal visit,
0:07:45 > 0:07:51including all his tenants and those who worked for the hunt, as well as the local movers and the shakers.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57It also needed a pretty big kitchen and I think chef Ivan Day,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01our historical food expert, has found it.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Listen, look at this kitchen, it's incredible!
0:08:04 > 0:08:08It was designed to cook food for the family but on special occasions,
0:08:08 > 0:08:14like Victoria's visit, it was used to cook sometimes for about 1,000 people.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19There were, I think, 800 in the granary, there were another 100 in the Stuarts' room
0:08:19 > 0:08:21and nearly as many in the servants' hall,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25and the secret for cooking for all those people is over here.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29This is the epicentre of this kitchen. These are the two boilers
0:08:29 > 0:08:36which were used for boiling meat, puddings and vegetables all at the same time,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41so half a dozen cabbages, 1,000 turnips could all be put into this great thing.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45It is what we have in restaurants - big cauldrons for stock pots and things like this.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49If you don't have it, you can't cook the food, it's as simple as that.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Next to the boilers is the roasting range.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55It allowed the joints of meat to be cooked at the same time.
0:08:55 > 0:09:03This one at Belvoir was installed in 1820 and would have therefore cooked HRH's meals for her three-day visit.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09One dish in particular that would have been cooked for Victoria
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and the servants alike would have been a hearty brisket.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17- And that's what we'll be cooking today.- Here it is.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Fantastic, a piece of brisket.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- A lovely piece of brisket. - It really is, isn't it?
0:09:24 > 0:09:29What we're going to do with it is prepare something called hunters' beef,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34which was the traditional dish that was often served at a hunt supper. It's salted and spiced,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- cured beef dish, absolutely wonderful.- Delicious!
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Brisket is a cut of beef that needs slow cooking after we've cured it with salt and spices,
0:09:45 > 0:09:50and I've discovered, like so many Victorian dishes, we could be here for some time.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58The Duke of Rutland had many suites to host his Royal guests in
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and journalists on the newly-created Illustrated London News,
0:10:01 > 0:10:07desperate for the inside story, were left to guess the details.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10But just like today, why let the facts get in the way of a good story, hey?
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Their report claimed that a state bed had been made for Her Majesty
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and she stayed in the state apartments.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20But it hadn't and she didn't.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23This illustration of an apparently specially-made bed
0:10:23 > 0:10:29is totally disputed by the castle curators, who believe she stayed here
0:10:29 > 0:10:34in the King's apartments, which she described in her diary as "very nicely arranged".
0:10:37 > 0:10:41The most arresting piece in the room has to be this bed.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44I mean, just look at the quality of that mahogany,
0:10:44 > 0:10:50richly encrusted with gilt-carved wood. Absolutely gorgeous!
0:10:50 > 0:10:54And in the Empire style. This type of bed is called a half tester.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58It's got posts at the back, but they're really only for show.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The canopy or tester is supported from above
0:11:01 > 0:11:05and there are no posts at the end, hence half tester.
0:11:05 > 0:11:12Now, if there's one thing about Belvoir Castle, it's the views which are stunning from most of the rooms.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16That's why the choice of this suite of rooms
0:11:16 > 0:11:19for the important Kings and Queens staying is so peculiar.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24Because if you look out of the window, all you see is flat lead roofs.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30But maybe Victoria and Albert, known to be a couple of lovebirds,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33weren't so interested in the views from the window.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39We've had a look at the dates of their visit and their fourth child, Prince Alfred,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42was very probably conceived here...
0:11:43 > 0:11:47..perhaps in this very bed. Ooh, Lordy!
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Well, there's one thing I do know -
0:11:54 > 0:12:00country pursuits, that's the hunt they were here to take part in, of course - really built their appetite.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09The hearty hunters' beef certainly fits the bill, and Ivan and I have to start the curing process.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18We've got to salt it and spice it and in order to get the salt and the spices
0:12:18 > 0:12:22penetrating into the meat, the first thing we got to do
0:12:22 > 0:12:25is make lots of little holes with a knife in the flesh.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- Right.- So they're to allow all the flavours to penetrate.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32The salt has to get in too because that is going to cure it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Ivan, you know, I do so much curing.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37This is incredible because it's exactly the same.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43It's really amazing to think that we are still using the same techniques today.
0:12:43 > 0:12:50This process will draw the water out of the beef brisket, kill the bacteria and preserve the meat.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55I think we can actually put that now into the salting pan.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- Fantastic.- The most vital ingredient in this recipe is this,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01which is salt peter,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04or potassium nitrate.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09It's been used for centuries to prevent bacteria from infecting the meat.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- It kills them off very, very quickly.- It kills everything.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17What I'm going to do is, according to the recipe, I'm told to sprinkle this on first by itself
0:13:17 > 0:13:20before we put any of the other ingredients on.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- There's very little as you can see. - You don't want too much.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25You need a tiny amount.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30And the whole secret is, is to rub it in all over.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33In fact, you can see the meat changing colour already because
0:13:33 > 0:13:36the salt peter makes it go a much brighter red.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Sometimes this was called scarlet beef - that was another name for it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Ground pepper, mace and allspice are rubbed into the beef,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48followed by salt and brown sugar.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53This, as you can see, is a coarse salt. If you use ordinary table salt
0:13:53 > 0:13:58it forms a cake over the meat and the salt doesn't penetrate.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- So with this you get a lovely slow release.- Lovely, yes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06- Unfortunately, it does dry the meat out because it dehydrates it, as you explained.- It draws the water out.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11To counteract that, we put in sugar, sometimes honey or molasses is used.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So if you could pop those in, Rosemary, and I'll rub them in.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21And now it's a case of just rubbing everything in...
0:14:24 > 0:14:29..so we get the benefit of the salt, the spices, and the sugar.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33The last thing we need to do is to get that fresh thyme into here.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37- I tell you what, I can't stay away. - I thought you'd say that!
0:14:37 > 0:14:38I have to do this!
0:14:38 > 0:14:42You take over then. You do that. Just rub it in really well.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47God, it's wonderful. It's absolutely fabulous.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Oh!
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Right, well, the good news is, you'll be able to do that once a day for the next 16 days...!
0:14:57 > 0:15:04'Well, I'm not sure I've got 16 days to spare. Let's hope Ivan has something up his sleeve for later.'
0:15:08 > 0:15:12On day two of the Royal couple's visit to the castle,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16the famous Belvoir Hunt was swinging into action,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18and a lot was riding on Albert's performance.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22The main purpose of the visit was about to begin.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27He'd brought six horses with him, and chose to ride his favourite, called Emancipation.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31The Times newspaper described how Victoria proceeded thither
0:15:31 > 0:15:34by carriage to witness the start of the meet,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37which was being held five miles from the castle.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Numerous horsemen rode alongside,
0:15:40 > 0:15:45at least 300, and a further 500 joined them on the way.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50Victoria notes in her diary that much like her beloved Albert, the hounds were very handsome.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56And I'm heading off to see the direct descendants of those good-looking mutts,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01and to meet author Michael Clayton, who knows just how important the hunt was.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05- Oh, Michael. Hello. Very nice to see you.- And you.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Most appropriately with some of your gorgeous girlie hounds.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- HOUNDS BARK - Hello, girls. How are you?
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Look at that! They are magnificent. Fantastic.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20One of the great packs of England, they are.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30The kennels were built in the early 19th Century and nothing much has changed since Victoria
0:16:30 > 0:16:35and Albert were here, although, of course, they no longer hunt foxes.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39What was it like when Victoria and Albert were here?
0:16:39 > 0:16:46It was absolutely central to rural life as it has remained since. But at that time, particularly so.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- There weren't any competing things like Premiership football.- Or telly.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55Or telly, so it was terribly popular and it wasn't just a class thing, there were people right across the
0:16:55 > 0:16:59rural community who would come and enjoy hunting on foot just as much on a horse.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Your normal field would be how many, then, mounted?
0:17:03 > 0:17:08In those days, they would have had up to 200 on a good day with theBelvoir,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- although many days they would have less.- When Albert came?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Well, they had 800 people who came.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- Mounted?- Yes, because people came from all over Leicestershire,
0:17:17 > 0:17:24the Cotswold people came in as well, and several thousand, perhaps 3,000-4,000 people on foot.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27What a do. Do you think they all came to watch Albert fall off?
0:17:27 > 0:17:32I think that's always at the back of hunting people's mind when visitors come to their country.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37- They say afterwards, "Well, he may be good, but he couldn't ride our country."- No.
0:17:37 > 0:17:44Imagine, the adrenaline coursing through Albert's veins as the master of the hunt sounded the horn.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47HORN BLARES
0:17:47 > 0:17:53A report in The Times said, "It was impossible to describe the animated scene, such were the crowds
0:17:53 > 0:17:59"of horsemen, so numerous the vehicles from every part of the country, and so galing
0:17:59 > 0:18:05"with the red coats mingling with the immense moving mass of several thousand persons present."
0:18:05 > 0:18:11And so with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, just how well did Albert do?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Albert passed with flying colours. His aides fell off,
0:18:16 > 0:18:21which probably pleased local sentiment a bit, both of them he recorded later he fell to the right
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and to the left of me. Albert did jolly well.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Phew, thank goodness for that.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33The Royal advisors could sleep easy, knowing that their man had pulled it off.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Victoria was proud of Albert, but like any loyal wife,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40she was also a bit put out at the stir it caused.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45She never doubted his prowess. Writing to King Leopold of Belgium,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48she said, "Albert's riding has made such a sensation
0:18:48 > 0:18:51"it's been written about all over the country.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57£They make more of it than if he had done some great act. It rather disgusts one.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00"but still it does good for putting an end
0:19:00 > 0:19:05"to the impertinent sneering about Albert's riding." Ooh.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12While the weight of responsibility sat on Royal shoulders above stairs,
0:19:12 > 0:19:17below stairs it sat most heavily on one particular member of staff,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21as Betty Elmer, one of the castle guides, explains.
0:19:22 > 0:19:30Well dressed like this, I am the Victorian housekeeper Mrs Hill from Victorian times here at the castle.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35When Queen Victoria visited in 1843, what was expected of the housekeeper?
0:19:35 > 0:19:41Well, the housekeeper was the most important female servant in any great establishment.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45The responsibilities, which sat on her shoulders, were immense.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49So would the housekeeper be as important as the butler?
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Well, I think so, certainly. She hired and fired the female servants,
0:19:54 > 0:19:59she did the accounts for the Duke and Duchess. Her watchwords were thrift and no pilfering.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02When you think about it, items like pepper and tea
0:20:02 > 0:20:07cost almost as much as gold, so it was very, very important
0:20:07 > 0:20:12on the housekeeper's part to keep a good strong grip on the effects under her controls.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16How long would a housekeeper stay with a big house on average?
0:20:16 > 0:20:22- Possibly until she retired. - Really?- Because I believe that most housekeepers were single ladies.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27So really they had no life, their owners were their family?
0:20:27 > 0:20:29That is very true.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33And of course her work schedule was so full to capacity,
0:20:33 > 0:20:39and when she wasn't supervising the servants or liaising with the cook
0:20:39 > 0:20:43about which provisions to buy, she would be in a little room in
0:20:43 > 0:20:49the castle called the still room, from the word distillation, and she made all the lotions
0:20:49 > 0:20:54and potions that were necessary to keep the staff healthy and the castle clean.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00She would distil essential oils such as lavender from lavender flowers
0:21:00 > 0:21:02and other oils from other leaves and roots,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and she would use them in making medicines,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09medications, soaps, polishes, whatever.
0:21:09 > 0:21:15How she found time to go to sleep, she led a very full life.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Well, I tell you what, it's sounds to me as if her work was never-ending.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Much like Ivan in the kitchen!
0:21:24 > 0:21:28He's preparing the rest of the ingredients for our hunters' beef,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31having cured the brisket as if by magic.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Now, I know this is not the piece that we actually did earlier.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Because, as you said, it would take 16 days to cure.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47So, you've had this going for 16 days.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53Every single day I've rubbed the salt and spices in and turned it over, that's what you do.
0:21:53 > 0:21:5716 days is up. That's now ready to cook.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02- What would you like me to do now? - Pop it into the braising pan. - Let me finish it. OK.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07- There we go. - Then just straight into the pan,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10some very roughly chopped onions and roughly chopped carrot.
0:22:10 > 0:22:16- This doesn't need any seasoning because all of the salt and pepper is in there already!- Yes.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Now that all the vegetables are in, the last thing we have to do is
0:22:20 > 0:22:23just top this up with a very large amount of beer.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29And Belvoir was very famous for its ales and beer, which were brewed in the village,
0:22:29 > 0:22:34brought up to the castle and stored in huge barrels down in the cellar.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38So this dish is absolutely perfect for this place and for this occasion.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44- Fantastic!- So here we have some, it's a good old English ale.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47There must be two gallons in there.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- Top it up. Really...- Fantastic.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56You really want to make sure... I'll put it all in, it's almost covered.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- That's absolutely fantastic. - Look at that!
0:23:00 > 0:23:06- So before you cook this, I really want to get my hands in there, I can't help it.- Go on, do it!
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- You are what I call a touchy-feely cook!- I am.- It's the best kind.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Ooh! SHE LAUGHS
0:23:14 > 0:23:16I'm covered in beer!
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you?- I love it!- Right.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Well, we've got to cook it.- OK.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31This pan is very special because it's what's called a braising pan.
0:23:31 > 0:23:37- Oh, right.- We now think of braising as being a type of slow stewing.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But it was something quite different at this time.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44And this is this wonderful piece of equipment which we're going to braise in.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49- I have never seen anything like it. - The lid fits on very, very tightly.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54- Yes.- And sometimes it was even sealed with a mixture of flour and water so it is completely...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57So nothing could get in? It was totally sealed.
0:23:57 > 0:24:04- What we are going to do is to put it on to the stove over here, it's very heavy.- I'll help you.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Get it into the middle.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Really is a two-person job.
0:24:11 > 0:24:17This extraordinary pan will first of all warm up from the stove below
0:24:17 > 0:24:23and it will start to simmer very, very gently, we want to cook it gently for a long time.
0:24:23 > 0:24:29- After about an hour, I'm going to put a couple of shovels of charcoal on the lid.- Really?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- That is what it's designed for.- Why?
0:24:32 > 0:24:38Because you are going to get heat above, and heat below it, and you get this very slow process
0:24:38 > 0:24:45of the meat cooking and gradually changing its character and ending up really tender and beautiful.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46And we've stopped doing it.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- We now think of braising as being slow stew.- Absolutely.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52This is what it was originally.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Once cured, this meat will keep for months.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Really handy if a couple of hundred guests suddenly popped in.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It's not like today when you could get something out of the freezer.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13While Albert had proved himself to the doubters out on the field,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16one person he never had to prove himself to was Victoria.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Her love for him is clear.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Having stayed with the hunt until a fox broke cover, she returned
0:25:23 > 0:25:28to the castle and waited, perhaps wandering these very rooms.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37As the hours passed, she grew worried - hunting is and was a dangerous sport.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42She writes, "I waited very anxiously for my beloved Albert's return,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47"which was not till near 5.00 when it was already quite dark."
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Well, Tim's been waiting anxiously for his supper, too.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I hope he likes it.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00So, Rosemary, what have you been beavering way at here at Belvoir?
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Well, as we know,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Victoria and Albert came here for the hunt, hunters' beef.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- That's what this is? - This is exactly what this is.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Hunters Victoria and Albert, would they have had their beef like this?
0:26:14 > 0:26:18This was cooked for the tenants and the servants,
0:26:18 > 0:26:24but they would have eaten the same thing, but then it would have been dressed up with a lot of garnish.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26We've got the basic model here?
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- We have totally the basic model. So can I give you some?- Yes, please.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Now, it looks a little bit like pastrami in colour.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38I have to say, a bit of brisket like this is my favourite
0:26:38 > 0:26:41if it's done beautifully, as this is.
0:26:41 > 0:26:48- And there's something, as my mother used to say, about the constituency of it.- Constituency!
0:26:48 > 0:26:53- Where the fibres of the meat stay together.- Yes.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58But you know that this is going to be tender before it disappears down your cake hole.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- Most definitely.- So here goes.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03Mmm.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09In a way, it's a sort of beefy ham, isn't it?
0:27:09 > 0:27:15- It is. You know what, I think Queen Victoria would have loved sandwiches made of this.- Mmm.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- Wouldn't that be wonderful? - Absolutely.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And it takes you exactly, exactly to the quality fodder...
0:27:24 > 0:27:26..that these chaps enjoyed.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29- Exactly.- I'm going to have a sip of beer now, too.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34- Shall we have a sip of beer? - Cheerio to you. You have certainly beavered to great effect.
0:27:34 > 0:27:41The Royal couple's time at Belvoir Castle seems to have achieved its aim of boosting Albert's popularity,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45at least in the eyes of Victoria, who sums up the visit in her diary,
0:27:45 > 0:27:52"This journey has done great good and my beloved angel in particular had the greatest success."
0:27:54 > 0:27:59Join us on our next visit, to Blair Castle in Scotland...
0:27:59 > 0:28:02My gosh, you can tell you're in the Highlands here, can't you?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05..where Victoria was recuperating from the birth of Prince Alfred,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09the baby who might just have been conceived at Belvoir.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14And Albert was back out in the field, this time bagging stags.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16I think he must have been pretty good at this.
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0:28:38 > 0:28:41E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk