0:00:02 > 0:00:03He's Brian Turner.
0:00:03 > 0:00:07And she's Janet Street-Porter.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09I'm passionate about walking.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13These feet have taken me the length and breadth of Great Britain.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I've been privileged to cook all round the world,
0:00:17 > 0:00:18but it's Britain that I love.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Fabulous produce, great ingredients right here on the doorstop.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27We're joining forces to explore Britain's rich heritage.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And the landscape that's given us such wonderful produce.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35He's in charge of the food.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And guess what, She's in charge of everything else!
0:00:38 > 0:00:40- This is...- A Taste of Britain.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51We're in the fantastic coastal county of Devon,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56an area steeped in history, abundant in fresh local produce
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and home to the English Riviera.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04We'll be getting our claws into some of the county's sensational seafood.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05- The crabs are fantastic... - Ah, ah, ah!
0:01:05 > 0:01:07- Hold it like that from the side. - Come on!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..which I'll be cooking up with the help of the great British weather.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14That's got a secret ingredient, English rain.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18It's afternoon tea for two as we sample another Devonshire delight.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I treat the cream like caviar.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I don't have to shove a great big lorry load of it in my mouth.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And I'll be impressing the locals with my culinary skills as
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I cook up a celebratory dish that captures a flavour of Devon.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Hallelujah! Oh, grand. Thank you very much sir.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Brian, here we are in Devon on top of a hill,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51fabulous views in all directions.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56To the north over there, Dartmoor and, look, down there, Totnes,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58fantastically important historic town.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03It's got a Norman castle, loads and loads of listed buildings.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04I can't wait to show you Totnes.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08And it sits on the River Dart at the head of the estuary that goes
0:02:08 > 0:02:09all the way down to the sea.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- Is that Dartmouth down there as well? - Yep.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14I need to go there, there's a gentleman there who lands
0:02:14 > 0:02:17perfectly beautiful crab and I've got to see those.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22But just look at these wonderful hills here, fabulous produce.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25First, for me, please, it's Dartmouth and crabs.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- Off we go. - Let's away.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34The nautical town of Dartmouth dates back to 1147
0:02:34 > 0:02:38when it was used as a key port during the Crusades.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Nowadays, it's big on tourism and even bigger on fishing.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49There's nothing better than freshly caught British seafood.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I can't possibly come to Dartmouth without getting my hands on
0:02:52 > 0:02:53some fresh Devonshire crab
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and Alan Steer is just the man to help me.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Looks like a busy stretch of water out there.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- Oh!- Yep.- This looks slippery.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Allow me. Hi, Alan. - Morning. All right, guys?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- I'm not your mother! - There you go, madam.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- Thank you.- And I don't mind someone giving me a hand.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- No, OK.- I appreciate it, thank you very much.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Welcome aboard.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20These just look magnificent, lovely crabs.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22So how long you been crab fishing?
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I started with my father probably when I was about five years old.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Started on the shore just working in the small boat, messing around.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29I've been in it ever since.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31As soon as I left school, started on the boat.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Was your dad doing it for a long time before that and his dad?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Father, grandfather. I'm third generation crab fisherman.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- Oh, fantastic.- And how often do you go out? Every day?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42We put the pots down and we let them fish for a day and then we go back
0:03:42 > 0:03:45the following day and pick them up, empty them and re-bait them.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48So, it's an every other day sort of season for us.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50And what are you using as bait?
0:03:50 > 0:03:53We really like red gurnard, it's one of our favourite baits.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55That's one of my favourite fish too.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58This is the problem, our bait prices are going through the roof
0:03:58 > 0:04:00because they're getting popular to eat. That's...
0:04:00 > 0:04:02You mean these are kind of gourmet crabs,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04they'll only eat certain things?
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Crab really likes fresh bait.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09So what's it about this part of the world that makes
0:04:09 > 0:04:10these crabs so special?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It was one of the birthplaces of the crab fishing, really,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16it's been going on down here since the Domesday Book.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And it's the clean, deep waters, really.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Relatively warm for around the British Isles,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and abundance of food.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27That's why the crabs like it and they grow to such decent sizes.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29What age are these crabs here?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Average age a crab will live to, is sort of, 25/30 years.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35They can get a lot older but that's the sort of average age.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37- What about this one? - It's very hard to...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- He looks pretty mean. - ..to age a crab, to be fair.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Yeah.- The old fellows, the old fishermen,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44they always used to reckon an inch a year across the back
0:04:44 > 0:04:46of the shell but I don't know how much truth is in that.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49So, you'd say that would be about eight or nine years.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Probably eight, nine years, ten years maybe so...
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Alan, how can you tell the male crabs from the female crabs?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57We've got... There are two sorts of crab here.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59This is the male crab. Here you are Janet,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- I'll give you that one to hold. - Yeah.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- Is that the best way to hold it? - That's probably the easiest way.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06If you put your hand in here they automatically close round,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08so it's probably not best to do that.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10If you put it in here, they'll trap your thumbs with their claws.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Hold them by the back, you're absolutely fine.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Brian, you can have the female. There you go.- Sounds good to me.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The easiest way is looking at the bottom of these crabs.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21The male has a very narrow flap on the abdomen here.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- OK, yeah, yeah.- The female has this great big wide flap.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27This is for carrying eggs when she's breeding.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30This flap opens right up and gets full of orange eggs,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32thousands, thousands of eggs.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Now, as a professional fisherman, what do you prefer eating?
0:05:37 > 0:05:41They're both nice. I prefer the female.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I think it's a slightly more delicate, sweeter flavour.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45How long do you boil them for?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48We put them into the water once they've been killed,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51bring them to the boil and we boil them for about 20 minutes
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and then tip them out straight into cold water, stop the cooking.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Oh, I love the whole idea of crab.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I'm just getting more hungry by the minute.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01So just quickly looking in here, the crabs are fantastic.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- Ah, ah, ah!- Hold it like that from the side.- Come on!
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- There you go.- Yeah.- That's it,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- cos you've got him in a ball now he can't...- Of all the people I know
0:06:07 > 0:06:10who are good at dealing with males, you're the one to...
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Well, the good thing about it like this, it's not grabby, is it?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- No.- Unlike a lot of blokes.- Yeah.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- They really are fantastic looking beasts, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Wonderful. So we're obviously going to cook with these if we may,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but I'm going to keep it simple, so perhaps you can boil a couple for me.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Do you have some crabs I can have?
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- No problem at all, we can sort that out for you, Brian.- Come on.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38I want to prepare something that really sums up the sea.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42It's a classic recipe but with a bit of a Dartmouth twist.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It's a good job I packed my sea legs,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46it's getting a little bit choppy.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50A life on the ocean wave, my dear. Right.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- You've made it extra wavy. - I can't believe all of this.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55I'm just trying to maintain my balance.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Look, what I'm going to do is something simple,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58- not a lot of cooking.- Yeah.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00- A crab cocktail, just like a prawn cocktail.- Yeah.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03But I'm going to show you how to properly do it,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06so it eats and tastes well. Alan! How we doing with that crab?
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Here you go, Brian. Some of Devon's finest crab for you.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10You're a gent, look at them.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Fantastic, I'm going to leave that for a second, all right?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15I'll show you what I've got in a minute, but the first thing
0:07:15 > 0:07:17we need to do, we need to make the two sauces
0:07:17 > 0:07:19to make this wonderful crab cocktail.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- So, a bit of mustard goes in there. - Yeah.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26A bit of white wine vinegar. Kapow!
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Or lemon juice, anything in the citric works well there.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Give it a good old stir. And then some olive oil.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36And some groundnut oil, yeah.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Carefully measured in there.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42A bit of sea salt, a bit of pepper and give that a whirl round.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45So we've got that one ready to go, that's fine.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Then, of course, we want to make this very famous Marie Rose sauce.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Now everybody makes it with just the tomato sauce, mayonnaise
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and that's it. We're going to put a little bit more than that in there.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57So what we do, is we put the mayonnaise... You don't have to make
0:07:57 > 0:08:01your own mayonnaise, you can buy it. Good stuff. In it goes in there.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05As much tomato as you want, that suits you.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Is that tomato ketchup? - Tomato ketchup, it's traditional.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- Yeah.- Just to give you that lovely colour.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14However, I think it deserves just that little bit more now.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16So, I'm going to put some horseradish in there.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- Oh, that's a great idea. - Give it a bit of bite.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- Yeah. - Goes in there, that's lovely.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24And then...
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- ..skipper's tot here.- Ah. - This is a bit of brandy.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33So, this is fresh dressed crab.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37What I want to do now, just quickly, is take some of the brown
0:08:37 > 0:08:39and put it into the Marie Rose sauce, yeah.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44So that just makes it a different sauce again,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- but just gives it that wonderful... - Thickens it up as well.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Exactly. Gives it a lovely crab flavour.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49So if it's too thick,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52you put a bit more brandy in there to let it down, OK.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55But only if you tell people that they're going to get it.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56So, crab's over here.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59We've taken the claws off.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Now, I learnt something today that I've never known before.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06I understand if you very carefully
0:09:06 > 0:09:09bash it off there, that should release this.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12It comes off so easy, that's fantastic.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14- I never realised that before. - Yeah.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16- It's so much easier to open. - This gentleman showed me.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17It does. Alan, that is a top tip,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20because usually I do it with a hammer and it goes everywhere.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- You, you see people with rolling pins, hammers.- Yeah.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And then, of course, you hold this and you just give it a tap.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30And if you're very careful, the whole thing comes out together.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33We can slide that claw out. However, I think
0:09:33 > 0:09:37sometimes, it's easier just to have this wonderful dressed crab.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39So we're going to kick off.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I've got some lettuce here, some little gem lettuce,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43which I do love. Lovely and crispy.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Into the bowl.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48A dice of cucumber.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53I'm just going to cut a nice little dice of avocado pear.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Now, I think the real problem with this, is that people don't
0:09:58 > 0:09:59actually season it correctly.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01So if we put a bit of vinaigrette in there.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07So now it's a proper salad already.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09A little bit of salt, a bit of pepper.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And I've got under here two nice...
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- Oh, yes.- ..Martini glasses.- Yeah.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Presentation just elevates the whole thing up.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19So we put our salad...
0:10:21 > 0:10:23..in there.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26As much or as little as you want but it's dressed, that's the secret.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Yeah, there's nothing worse than
0:10:28 > 0:10:30a load of old dried leaves down the bottom of the glass.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33But do you remember in the '60s, when it used to be the favourite
0:10:33 > 0:10:36dish of everybody, it was never seasoned at all?
0:10:36 > 0:10:40So I'm going to take my crab meat now, as much or as little as you like.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I'm going to put a little bit of sauce in there.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Now the nice thing about this sauce is it's got a secret ingredient -
0:10:49 > 0:10:52English rain... THEY LAUGH
0:10:52 > 0:10:54..that I hadn't expected to put in there.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55So that goes...
0:10:55 > 0:10:57in there - that's delicious.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Give it a whirl round.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02If you've got time to let that sit for five or ten minutes
0:11:02 > 0:11:04so much the better, so the whole thing marinades
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and the flavours then become really quite prominent.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I'm going to put a bit of sauce on top.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Remember, we've got that brown crab meat in there.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23A bit of tomato on top for colour.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And I've got pea shoots over here just to make that little
0:11:32 > 0:11:35bit of a focal point.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36And there you have it.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41That's what I call a real crab cocktail, thanks to you, Alan.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43In a downpour, well done.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56So come on, underneath the umbrella, let's have a taste,
0:11:56 > 0:11:57tell us what you think. I'll hold it.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Right.- Ladies first.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02It's not often I get called that, Alan.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Right.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Mm.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09Very crabby.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Can I just taste the bottom bit?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Course you can.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19That makes all the difference.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Thank you very much.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23That, and the local crab.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25The flavour of the crab, it's plain, simple,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28that's just how I love it - it's a beautiful dish.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Despite the weather, Brian's crab cocktail was a great way to
0:12:36 > 0:12:38begin sampling a taste of the region.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Devon may be a Mecca for seafood lovers from all over the world
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but it's also heaven for history buffs like me.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Totnes is a market town perched on the River Dart
0:12:52 > 0:12:56in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02It has a rich history dating all the way back to 907 AD.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's home to a famous Norman castle, and guide Win Scutt
0:13:05 > 0:13:08has kindly agreed to give me a tour.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Come and have a look at this wonderful castle. All right.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15This dates to the sort of 1200s, really.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17So this was built by the Normans.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18The Normans, exactly, so...
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- Was it to frighten the local Anglo-Saxons?- Yeah.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Well, they built about a thousand
0:13:25 > 0:13:27of these motte-and-baileys around England.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29It's just beautifully preserved.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- So you've got a big, tall, flat mound, the motte.- Yes.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35And on the top of this was a tower.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And surrounding that was a large wooden wall,
0:13:38 > 0:13:39so it was really defensive.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41So it replaced a hill fort.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- Well...- What would have been on this hill before?
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Well, just sort of out that way, towards the river,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50is a wonderful Saxon town which was started in the early 11th century -
0:13:50 > 0:13:51a really important one.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54I'll take you around over there.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56So this really was the stronghold.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58But this isn't where people lived - this is where they would have
0:13:58 > 0:14:01kept the swords and the shields and everything like that.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02And also the treasure -
0:14:02 > 0:14:04if they'd got any valuables they'd keep them up here...
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- So if they thought that Totnes was under attack...- Yeah.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10..everything valuable in the town was piled into here.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13And I think they'd probably have kept stores in here, just in case.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16You know, you'd have, what would be the equivalent of
0:14:16 > 0:14:19your tins of peaches or something here, you know.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24What a fantastic view of the River Dart.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Yeah, and in front of it, all these lovely grey, slate roofs.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31This is the town that belongs to the sort of 15/1600s.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34But it's built on top of the early Medieval town,
0:14:34 > 0:14:35and that lovely Saxon town.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38And this was a really important Saxon town in the 1000s.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43So before William the Conqueror conquered in 1066, this was already
0:14:43 > 0:14:45a bustling town, commanding that
0:14:45 > 0:14:48sort of crossing point of the River Dart.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49And this is where the market was,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52there was wealth coming in from the fields - presumably sheep and wool.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54So a fantastically important place.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56In fact, by the time of Domesday
0:14:56 > 0:15:00this was the second most important town in Devon after Exeter.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- How did it get the name Totnes? - Ah, a good question.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07"Tot" means lookout place and the "nes" is like a nose.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11So you can imagine like Dungeness and Loch Ness and places -
0:15:11 > 0:15:14it refers to a headland, like a nose of land.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17So it's the lookout place on the headland.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19That's where it gets its name.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20And look at the views.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32While Janet soaks up some local history,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36I am still trying to pin down a taste of this region.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Someone who embraces Dartmouth's abundant fresh seafood supply
0:15:40 > 0:15:43is award-winning chef and fishmonger, Mitch Tonks.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Good to be here, what you going to cook for us?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I've got a cracking bit of local hake and I'm going to cook
0:15:49 > 0:15:51it in a very typical Basque style with some garlic,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54some sweet vinegar and some smoked peppers and a bit of sauce romesco -
0:15:54 > 0:15:56it's lovely.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- Do you know what the Spanish for hake is?- Merluza.- Oh, no!
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- Merluza.- I thought you hadn't got the answer to that.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04It's one of the... We've just got a bit of olive oil in the pan there.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It's one of the kind of forgotten fish down here.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10A lot of fisherman have turned over to catching it
0:16:10 > 0:16:13and we've got a huge supply of it. I mean, look at it - it's just fantastic.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17What I'm going to do is just going to get a little bit of colour on the skin
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and I'm then going to turn the fish over and put it in the oven.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21All these lovely fillets of fish just need a nice bit
0:16:21 > 0:16:23of all-round heat in the oven to finish them off,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25except if you've got something really thin.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29That's a lovely colour, is that.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32And then in there we go. Sorry, Brian.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I take it that you're a kind of guy that likes to cook fish pink,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- dare I say it.- Yeah, I think the thing is with fish,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and certain fish, you need to get them just right.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43There's a way that they just need to be flaking apart.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46You just want all that lovely membrane between the flakes
0:16:46 > 0:16:48to have just melted so the fish is flaking.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50But, for me, all the best fish I've ever eaten in my life
0:16:50 > 0:16:53has been all around the Mediterranean,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55around the shores of southern France, Italy,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- where it's all about simplicity. - That's the secret.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02- A - it's simply treated, and B - it is ultra-fresh.- Absolutely.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And that's what you want to taste, you want to taste the sea.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I don't want to taste any kind of overpowering ingredients.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Well, this sauce, lots of olive oil but we're using
0:17:10 > 0:17:12really good extra virgin olive oil.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Would you think of using rapeseed oil?
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Cos that's fairly fashionable these days in the UK.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I think it's fashionable and the flavour's OK,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22but you can't cook without olive oil in my opinion. I love olive oil.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And then what I've got here is some sliced garlic, nice and thin.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29I want the temperature quite low because this is a dish where you
0:17:29 > 0:17:31want the garlic... You don't want it to fry -
0:17:31 > 0:17:34there's a difference between fried garlic and garlic that's just...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36I call it being encouraged.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- Perfect. Get the flavour out but without colour.- Right.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- Because if you colour that, it's going to be bitter, is it not?- It is.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43If you cook it too hot...
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I want colour but I don't want colour quickly.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And then I've got some of these nora and choricero peppers which
0:17:49 > 0:17:50have been smoked over wood
0:17:50 > 0:17:54and they give it a really smoky richness, really good.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55They're not fiery, they're not hot,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58but we get this real depth to the sauce which is so good.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00So what do we do about
0:18:00 > 0:18:03educating the British public to enjoy fish?
0:18:03 > 0:18:05You've started an academy, I believe.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Yep, I was working with a college one day
0:18:07 > 0:18:09and I just noticed all this, this wonderful talent, cooking
0:18:09 > 0:18:12the curriculum but they weren't using a lot of our local fish.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15So I thought it would be good for them to get some practical skills,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17understand a bit about our seafood and then when they
0:18:17 > 0:18:20go off into jobs, they've got something really, really tangible.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23For me, if you've got a restaurant in this area,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25the whole South West peninsula, this is the best fish in the world,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27it's what we should be doing.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29And I suspect that's just about ready now, chef.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33I just like to take the skin off,
0:18:33 > 0:18:34cos I love that moistness of that hake.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Look at it, it just looks beautiful.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's perfect and I totally agree with you that the
0:18:40 > 0:18:43moisture in there suddenly and the pure whiteness of it.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45It just comes out, doesn't it?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- So we've got our garlic, our peppers.- Yeah.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49We've got a little parsley in there.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53We'll just give that a quick fry.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55So we've got some temperature in there.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Very good vinegar made from Cava grapes - slightly sweet.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01And that goes in.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05That's not hugely acidic. And then over the top...
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Perfect. And then just a little bit of the sauce romesco on the side,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16which is roasted almonds, roasted peppers, roasted onions,
0:19:16 > 0:19:21sweet paprika, smoked paprika, garlic, a little vinegar.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22And there you have a bit of local hake -
0:19:22 > 0:19:24just the type of thing you'd eat
0:19:24 > 0:19:26while you're wandering through San Sebastian
0:19:26 > 0:19:28with your peppers, your garlic,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30a little bit of vinegar, your sauce romesco. Top.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Delicious.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Hake is one of my favourite fish
0:19:34 > 0:19:37so I can't wait to taste Mitch's version.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Here's some of our local hake cooked in a very traditional
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Spanish style with sauce romesco. Enjoy.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- Thank you very much. - Thank you, Mitch.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Now you don't get hake very often - when was the last time you had hake?
0:19:48 > 0:19:49Two weeks ago.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52You don't get hake many more times than once a fortnight.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I'm sorry. Well, I'm only telling the truth!
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I do like it but it's quite hard to get here.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00These peppers, you can smell the peppers and garlic - so simple.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01He's done a great job.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Mm.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10It smells delicious. Those are nora smoked peppers.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12This is the way you want to eat hake when you're in Spain...
0:20:12 > 0:20:14but they don't do it this well!
0:20:14 > 0:20:16BRIAN LAUGHS
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Look how beautifully fresh it is.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Well, the beauty of course is the water's just over there.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- Mm-hm.- It's landed locally - it doesn't have to travel anywhere.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And he's treated it so simply, he hasn't mashed it up with anything.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- Mm, good sauce. - There's lumps of almond in there.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- Mm-hm.- They're delicious. - It's that smoky red pepper.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39- A bit of garlic in there. - Yeah.- Lots of lovely garlic.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40You're looking very serious.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I'm working out how to do it at home.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46That's why I was looking serious, cos I love hake.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48- But that's... - And I want more people to eat hake.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51But that's the beauty of this dish, people can do this at home,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53cos it's not complicated at all.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56No. And you can whack up that sauce in the blender.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Mm.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10You just can't beat a bit of fresh British fish.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Now I've had a look around Totnes Castle, I'd like to show Brian
0:21:17 > 0:21:20a few more historical sites around the town.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25There is a lovely little passageway. It's fantastic, this is.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28This is fabulous. This dates from Tudor times.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29It's called Butterwalk
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and it's where they used to sell dairy products.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Obviously all the fields around were full of cows and
0:21:35 > 0:21:39they made butter and milk and cream and cheese,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and then they came into Totnes to sell it.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43I love book shops, don't you?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I do, I do, I do - I buy too many books.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Look, Little Miss Scatterbrain, I wonder who that is?- Yeah.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- Look at this fantastic church. - It's brill, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It's 15th century, and it's probably at least the third church that
0:22:07 > 0:22:10stood on this site. The original one dates back to Saxon times.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- And look at that tower. - What's it made of?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Red sandstone - that's the local stone.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26All those amazing ornaments on it and look at, over the portico here.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- Uh-huh.- Angels or knights flying off into space.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Yeah. It's amazing, isn't it?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Totnes is not just a town for seafood fans
0:22:44 > 0:22:48and history lovers, it also has a strong new-age community,
0:22:48 > 0:22:53many of whom still worship at the intriguingly named Leechwell.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Brian, see that sign - leeches were used for bloodletting,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03which was thought to help cure you in Medieval times.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07But more importantly the leech well,
0:23:07 > 0:23:12the fount of all healing in Medieval times.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16The three spouts relate to three different springs,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20and each one had a name and each one cured a different ailment.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24- The right one - snake, for bites. - Oh, right.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28The middle one.... This is like Mastermind on springs.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32- Long crippler, and that's for eyes. - Right.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And the toad is for skin.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Now there's no leeches in there now, are there?
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- No, but I'm not going down there. - Right, well I'm going to have a look.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- Be careful!- Right, what's this for?
0:23:43 > 0:23:49Er, long crippler. Um, I think that's for eyes.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51OK, right, so let's have a quick look.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Well, today, the locals,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57the new-age locals, think that these springs have healing properties.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01And there's a little shrine behind you of offerings to the gods.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I'm going to have some of what it's worth.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06Don't put it in your mouth!
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- No, I won't, I won't. Do you want some of this?- No thanks. No, keep it away.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- Ju-just, just-ta-ta-ta... - Brian, Brian!
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Only one thing goes on my face and that's face cream.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17- Keep that water away. - OK, right, fine.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27After all that walking, we've earned a bit of relaxation and we couldn't
0:24:27 > 0:24:32possibly come to Devon without sampling its world-famous cream tea.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- I just want to look at the menu. - Beautiful, I know what I'm having.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37- Hello.- Hello there.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- I'm going to order for Brian. - Right.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45SHARE a cream tea - forget that. He'd like a cream tea.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47- Yes.- A cream tea!
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Yes, plenty of cream.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- With, a pot of tea? - Oh, absolument.- Yes.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54I'll have the mini cream tea, please.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56You're not supposed to have it with coffee.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00What's the difference between a Devon cream tea
0:25:00 > 0:25:02and a Cornish cream tea?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- I know.- I believe that the, the Devonshire cream tea,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08you put your cream on first and then your jam on the top,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11but if you're in Cornwall it's the other way round.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16Do the two counties compete in the history of the cream tea?
0:25:16 > 0:25:17I believe they do.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I think probably Devon thinks that they do the best
0:25:20 > 0:25:22and probably Cornwall think they do the best.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- Oh, well, thank you. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- Hello.- I hope you enjoy it.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- Oh, look at that.- Oh, my goodness.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33That's the cream that we're going to have to share.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- That's mine.- Yeah, yeah.- Yes, yes.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39That's home-made strawberry jam, raspberry jam and gooseberry jam.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- Thank you so much.- I hope you enjoy it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42Here you are, Duchess.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- Would you like me to pour the tea for you?- No.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48See, I don't quite understand why you're having green tea today -
0:25:48 > 0:25:50it's like weak pea soup.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52In my life there's the word moderation.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I'll just have a bit of strawberry jam.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Raspberry jam looks lovely.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Oh, my God. Look at the difference, look.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- You've eaten half of yours already - look.- No.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I'm going to try gooseberry as well.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17These are really good scones, because I'll tell you what
0:26:17 > 0:26:20I don't like is when you get a scone and you pick it up and it feels
0:26:20 > 0:26:23like a boulder and you cut it in half and it's a big lump of dough.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- How was the gooseberry? - Very good, I like it. It's tart.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- Did you have cream with it?- No.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40What is the point of coming all this way,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43having the best cream tea and then not eating anything?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45I treat the cream like caviar -
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I don't have to shove a great big lorry load of it in my mouth.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- I'll take your pulse in a minute. - Oh!
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I think that's been fantastic. I've really enjoyed it.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00I'm going to have a bit of fresh fruit.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Oh, like that's going to cancel out all the cream?!
0:27:03 > 0:27:05My cholesterol's getting better by the second.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Well, we've got to get some ingredients for you to cook with.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10I need some vegetables next,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and I've got a good idea where to get 'em from.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Come on, Brian.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Did me the world of good, did those scones.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Don't let those carbs hold you down.- Hey-ho, hey-ho!
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Devon's fertile soil is renowned for producing top-quality vegetables
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and I think they'd make the perfect ingredient
0:27:30 > 0:27:32for my celebratory taste of the region.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I'm hoping I might be in luck over at Riverford Organic Farm
0:27:37 > 0:27:39in Buckfastleigh.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42It's run by vegetable producer, Guy Watson.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44So, Janet and Brian, this is dispatch here.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46We've packed up the boxes, we wheel
0:27:46 > 0:27:49'em in here on pallets, all the different types and then we break
0:27:49 > 0:27:53them down and add milk, yoghurt, fruit, anything the customer wants.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57And that'll get rolled onto a lorry, off at one of the hubs tomorrow,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00onto a van and it'll be on the doorstep tomorrow morning.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02- So this is the nerve centre? - Yeah, it is.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05It takes a tremendous amount of logistics -
0:28:05 > 0:28:08could be about 100 vans leaving from here tomorrow.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10So packing's a big skill?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Yeah, we're masters of logistics.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14It's become a large part of the business,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17just making sure that everyone gets the right order.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Right, Guy, what have I got to do, please?
0:28:19 > 0:28:22You've got to put a bunch of beetroot in each box. That one's got one.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25- I'll put the spinach in.- Right, OK.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Brian, put the tomatoes in. Off we go. A bit faster, please.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Put 'em in the right place.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33So how did the veg box thing come about?
0:28:33 > 0:28:35We started off selling to local shops, then wholesalers
0:28:35 > 0:28:39and then supermarkets and I hated that.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41And so I really wanted to sell direct to people
0:28:41 > 0:28:44who liked my vegetables, and become a bit of an obsession now.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46I'd never go back to conventional farming -
0:28:46 > 0:28:48I think I'd rather give up, really.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51So how many boxes do you do a week these days?
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Er, we're on, up to almost 50,000 -
0:28:53 > 0:28:56one every three seconds, so we'd better speed up.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Not on this line!
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- So you've got a cafe?- Yeah, yeah.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Would you like to go and have a cup of tea?
0:29:02 > 0:29:03We've got a fantastic cafe on the farm.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06I think I will. Brian, get on with your packing.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08- Yeah, I'm doing my best here. - Brian, I think we're going to go
0:29:08 > 0:29:12and see where some of this beetroot and radish and garlic is grown...
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- Lead on, sir, lead on.- Let's go.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25How do you actually go about being organic?
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Do you have get a certificate or...?
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Yeah, you do.
0:29:29 > 0:29:30You decide to be organic
0:29:30 > 0:29:33and you create a plan for converting the farm,
0:29:33 > 0:29:38weaning it off the chemicals - the nitrogen fertiliser in particular.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41And whilst you go through that process, the Soil Association
0:29:41 > 0:29:44or another accrediting body will come and monitor it,
0:29:44 > 0:29:45make sure you're doing it right.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48So when you set out to do it, is there ever a moment when you
0:29:48 > 0:29:51think, actually this too hard, I don't know why I'm doing this?
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Oh, yeah. I can remember a couple of times
0:29:53 > 0:29:55when I did actually weep in the fields.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58But, I don't know, there was a sort of pigheaded determination,
0:29:58 > 0:30:03stubbornness that made me carry on and I've learnt a lot since then.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05You have to have an interest in doing it and
0:30:05 > 0:30:07a kind of sympathy with nature
0:30:07 > 0:30:11and a kind of understanding of ecology really,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14and to really want to get involved in that rather than,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17you know, reach for a chemical container for your solutions.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19But your initial motivation was the fact that
0:30:19 > 0:30:22you were ill and your brother was ill.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Yeah, my brother had been in hospital with paraquat poisoning.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28As a teenager, I'd made myself ill spraying my father's barley
0:30:28 > 0:30:32with herbicides and I just didn't like handling
0:30:32 > 0:30:35the chemicals, with skull and crossbones all over the containers -
0:30:35 > 0:30:37didn't seem right putting it on food, I suppose.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Now those radishes look really good.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43I am going to cook, for this celebration meal, a tarte Tatin
0:30:43 > 0:30:45of wonderful vegetables that you grow here,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47but I'm going to use those if I may.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Great. Well, there you go, they couldn't be fresher than that.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Thank you very much, sir.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55I'm really impressed by this Devonshire organic veg box empire,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59and I think vegetables are the perfect star ingredient
0:30:59 > 0:31:01for my celebratory taste of the region.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04I just hope Guy and his staff are equally as impressed.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Well, we've had some wonderful crab.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10- Yes.- I'm now going to go to a vegetable fiesta.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14I'm going to make a vegetable tarte Tatin.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16I can't wait to see yours come out.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18I know yours is going to be miles better than
0:31:18 > 0:31:20when I had a feeble attempt at this.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Well, I'm not sure about that.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25I think the idea of this is that when you've got lots of
0:31:25 > 0:31:29pre-cooked veg left over, use those to make it - roast veg is fantastic.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31- Yeah.- Or if you've got raw veg you can cook them to order.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35So what I'm going to do first of all is, into the pan we put some butter.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I've got rapeseed oil to go in as well - just a tad.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42And then, I've got here some cumin seeds,
0:31:42 > 0:31:44which I think work tremendously well.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45And then...
0:31:46 > 0:31:48..a bit of crushed garlic.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50So just crush that up.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53And any of these things, if you say, "I don't really like 'em,"
0:31:53 > 0:31:55well, don't put 'em in. You know, it's up to you.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57But I think this just is a nice little mix here.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00It's surprising how sweet root vegetables are actually
0:32:00 > 0:32:02when they're roasted and cooked through.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04It is, but this helps to complement it and we will serve a little
0:32:04 > 0:32:07dressing with it with a bit of vinegar as well, so that'll help.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10That's fantastic. This is a little bit of sherry vinegar -
0:32:10 > 0:32:12take it away from the heat, just put it in there.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20We've got these wonderful beetroots...
0:32:22 > 0:32:26They're probably going to take about half an hour to cook, are those.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28And then sugar - not too much sugar.
0:32:29 > 0:32:30And then if you've got a leek,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34stick that in the oven for about 30 minutes - just a nice gentle heat.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36And I've got some here.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38But just look at those, they look fantastic.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41- Now you didn't peel those, did you? - No, left the skin on.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Is that cos the skin's so thin when they're that small?
0:32:43 > 0:32:47- Because they're baby ones. - Yeah.- They're little ones. Then I need some puff pastry.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Now, there are lots of schools of thought.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52It takes a long time to make puff pastry, it is a big skill -
0:32:52 > 0:32:56you can buy some. Some are better than others.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59So just do a bit of research and find out what works for you.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01What you're saying is, don't feel guilty if you buy it.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05I agree. It's a very quick dish to put together.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07So, if you hold this table so it doesn't rock too much,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10so I don't feel seasick - like you're back on the boat, Alan.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14We don't want that to happen, do we, eh? So, nice and thin.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Now, we want puff pastry cos of its crispness -
0:33:16 > 0:33:19what I don't want is it to rise too much,
0:33:19 > 0:33:23cos when you turn it over to serve it, it sort of looks odd,
0:33:23 > 0:33:28and that's not what we're looking for in this particular instance.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I'm going to use this pan - it's about a 10 inch, this pan.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32And it's better, actually,
0:33:32 > 0:33:36if you have a little bit more pastry than you actually need. So that...
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Fantastic, great.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43I'm just going to leave it here for one second. OK.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46So this is the vegetable version of the classic
0:33:46 > 0:33:50tarte Tatin which is normally apples or sometimes pears.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Absolutely right, yeah.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54And in real terms, it's not really a Tatin
0:33:54 > 0:33:56but it's the nearest thing to it,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59and it gives everybody an idea as to what it is.
0:33:59 > 0:34:00So look, please...
0:34:00 > 0:34:03This is where I'm learning because when I tried to make this,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06it did look like a little bit of a road accident when I turned it out.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Well, please, be careful at this stage
0:34:08 > 0:34:11because this caramel is very hot.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- Yeah.- And it can cause all kinds of problems.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Right, so we've got the basis now ready to go.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19So, take boiled onions - these are lovely,
0:34:19 > 0:34:20they're sort of not overcooked,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23they're just nicely undercooked but not...
0:34:23 > 0:34:25How long do you cook them for roughly?
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Well, it depends on the size - about 15 minutes, I would think these.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30- Yeah.- Just gently boil.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32And then we've got these lovely carrots.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35And all I'm just going to do is cut them in half.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37- So you've already cooked them. - These are already cooked.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40- As I say, this could be a leftover dish.- Yeah.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44So then we take these and we just put them like that.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47I'm trying to make a sort of a little pattern but I don't want it
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- to be too patternified, if you know what I mean.- Rustic!
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- Oh, is that what I'm saying, is it? - Yeah.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54That's lovely. Then we've got these...
0:34:54 > 0:34:56You're not doing a smiley face or anything? What is that?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58- No, absolutely not.- Just checking.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03- We've got peppers here.- Yeah.- So we now put those, fold those - comme ca.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07These are lovely - I do love these roast peppers.
0:35:07 > 0:35:08So those go in there.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11And the nice thing about this dish is I think it's got plenty of colour.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14You haven't taken the skins off your peppers either.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- No, I know, life's too short. - No, I like taking the skins off.
0:35:17 > 0:35:18- I don't know why I do. - Well, neither do I.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22It appeals to something a bit weird in me, but I always take the skins off.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24I can understand that, I can see that that would take...
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- Just get on with it. - OK-cokey there.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30- And then we need to just put these onions in there.- I am learning from how you're doing this.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Yeah, well, wait till you...
0:35:32 > 0:35:36When mine turned out, I tried to do this but when you turn it out...
0:35:36 > 0:35:38I haven't turned mine out yet.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40So let's not just push our luck.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42OK, so bring this here so we can see it.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51The one thing I don't want it to do, I don't want it to rise high.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55So, take a fork and dock it.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58And that'll stop it rising too much
0:35:58 > 0:36:01but it'll still give us a lovely crispness.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03And hopefully, with the liquor in the bottom there,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06which will soak into it, that'll be fantastic.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07Now, the big problem is...
0:36:08 > 0:36:12- ..I ain't got an oven here. - No, even I can't magic up an oven.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14I suspect you could if you tried.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16So what I'm going to do, I'm going to quickly nip off.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19I've got one in the oven there, so I'm going to go and get that
0:36:19 > 0:36:21- and bring it up, all right? - All right.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Alan, have you ever cooked anything like this?
0:36:25 > 0:36:28No, I'm not a vegetable cooking person -
0:36:28 > 0:36:31- I normally like my seafood. - I was going to imagine, Alan,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34that you live on a diet of fish, fish, crab, crab, lobster.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38- It's fairly much like that, yeah. - You haven't grown gills yet.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41No, I like me crab and seafood and meats and that.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Really looking forward to trying this, it'll be really interesting - looks good.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48I'm going to ask you a rather rude question, can you actually cook?
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Yeah, I'm a bit of a dab hand in the kitchen.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53- You are? Well, that's good.- I do most of the cooking at home.- You do?
0:36:53 > 0:36:56- Yeah.- Oh, well, excuse me for being patronising, then.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58That's put me in my place. What about you, Guy?
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I mean, you grow all these vegetables.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02Do you actually do the cooking?
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Oh, I do do the cooking on the whole at home, yeah.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Good, so I've got two men who are new-age men.
0:37:08 > 0:37:09Guy, have you cooked this?
0:37:09 > 0:37:12I've never made a tarte Tatin, no. It looks good.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15- Yeah.- It always seems a bit of waste to do so much to 'em, really.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17I just like to eat 'em as they are.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19You say that and see how it goes down.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Well, perhaps I should try it first.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Anyway, well, let's wait for the tart.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Now this is looking quite good, look - it hasn't risen too much.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30It's got a lovely colour to it. You need to let it stand.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33So it actually did stand for five minutes down in the kitchen to set,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36but you also need it to be slightly warm so that it'll tip out,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38otherwise it might stick in the bottom.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40So let me put that there.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Whilst that's just sitting there we're going to make a little
0:37:43 > 0:37:45dressing for this and that's really quite simple.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48I just want to do a bit of radish - a lovely colour.
0:37:50 > 0:37:51Just dice 'em, chop 'em up.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55There's a sort of a zinginess about these that go nicely
0:37:55 > 0:37:59- with the sweetness of the tart that we've actually done.- Mm.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02And a bit of chopped shallot as well - nice and finely.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06- So, shallots and radishes.- Yeah.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Some mustard here.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11And your mange tout that you carefully picked the ends off.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16Yeah, indeed. Absolutely, yeah, just pick the stalk end off.
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- Yeah, very good therapy. - A bit of white wine vinegar.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24And then a nice bit of oil in there -
0:38:24 > 0:38:28I've got rapeseed oil again, that's fine.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- Salt.- Yeah.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Pepper.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36- I'm going to take a bit of that out now and put it in here.- Yeah.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38That's lovely.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41And then I'm just going to chop a bit of fresh parsley.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43I love parsley.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47I love curly parsley - just chop it up, freshly, at the last minute.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- It's got more flavour then, hasn't it?- Just got more flavour, absolutely.
0:38:50 > 0:38:51I think it's so vastly underrated.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54We get all these wonderful herbs these days, we've forgotten
0:38:54 > 0:38:57about the one we always used to use that was the only one about.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00And it's also got a great colour.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04- Right, now I'm, you may think I'm stalling now, which I am.- Yeah.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Cos I'm very nervous that this tart will not come out.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09- I want to see your turning-out technique.- Ah!
0:39:09 > 0:39:11- Because do you put...? - Yes, yeah.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13- You put the plate over it... - Yeah.- ..and flip it.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Yeah. What we really need now is a roll on the drums, cos we're not
0:39:17 > 0:39:19actually going to put that plate on there.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22You know how sometimes you wish you'd never said things, don't you, eh?
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- Come on.- Right, OK. So this goes...
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- on top here. - Oh, you're doing it on a board.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31- This has never been done...in public.- I always do it on a plate.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Look at this wonderful audience we've got here.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37And, er... Right, you ready?
0:39:37 > 0:39:39One, two, three, go.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- Oh.- Whoa!
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Oh, just listen to 'em behind me. Talk about encouragement.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Hallelujah! APPLAUSE
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Oh, grand. Thank you very much, sir.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57- Very good. - So, we just put our salad on here.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59That looks lovely.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03It's just the green of this, just makes a really nice contrast.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05And it's a help-yourself dish.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09We've got the dressing here - just put a little bit in the middle.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14So people can help themselves.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19And you may think that I'd gone to the kitchen to sort everything out
0:40:19 > 0:40:22but I did hear the conversation that went on over here whilst I was away.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- So there you are, sir, there's a carrot...- A very nice carrot.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28..on its own with nothing else. It looks a good carrot.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30It would be better if it was raw, but thank you.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34LAUGHTER But look, there you have it -
0:40:34 > 0:40:36vegetable tarte Tatin with a radish dressing
0:40:36 > 0:40:39and a little salad on the side. APPLAUSE
0:40:52 > 0:40:54OK, Duchess, so what do you actually want to taste?
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Do you want some beetroot, some carrots, some onion?
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I want to start with beetroot cos it matches my hair.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02There's a little piece there, just try that - it's not too hot.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04OK. What do you think?
0:41:08 > 0:41:09Very good.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- Yum.- Is it better than you thought? It's not too sweet, is it?
0:41:14 > 0:41:17No, it's not too sweet - it's not too sweet at all.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- The proof of the pudding, of course, is over here, innit?- Mm.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Come in, you two, let's have a... You can help yourselves.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24- It looks lovely, Brian. - Thank you.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- I think Alan likes it. - Oh, that's good.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33I'm not a big vegetable man but the roast peppers -
0:41:33 > 0:41:36fantastic flavour in that, beautiful.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39OK, Guy, moment of truth. Onions, carrots there.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42If you've got to cook 'em, you've done a pretty good job.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- LAUGHTER - Just go with it, Brian.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Ladies, come in and be courageous - tell us if you like it.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Come in here. You come round, sir.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55It's a wonderful feast of fresh vegetables, with cumin and garlic.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Tell us what you think of it.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02- Whoop.- That is really good. Sorry, Guy, it's really good.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- Thank you.- She works in accounts.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08LAUGHTER What do you think, darling?
0:42:08 > 0:42:11I would say that the vegetables are the star of the show there, Brian.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13BRIAN: Guess who she works for?
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Did you hear that? Guess who she works for?
0:42:16 > 0:42:18OK, Janet. Final word, tell us what you think, dear.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Right.
0:42:23 > 0:42:24It pains me to say it...
0:42:25 > 0:42:27..but it's better than my one.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- I think I'm going to burst into tears.- Don't milk it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33Mm.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- Well, Brian, that was a success. - Do you think?
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Yeah, because people think vegetarian food is stodgy and dull
0:42:52 > 0:42:56and that is a fantastically beautiful, vibrant dish.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59I like good vegetables and I think whether that's leftovers or
0:42:59 > 0:43:03just a light lunch with that bit of salad, that's fantastic.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06And not only that, A Taste of Britain in Devon...
0:43:09 > 0:43:12- ..that says it all. - Did the business.