0:00:02 > 0:00:07Welcome to A Taste Of My Life, the show that serves up famous lives on a plate.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30The food of one's life can take us on a surprisingly emotional journey.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Whether it's the highs or the lows, what we were eating back then
0:00:33 > 0:00:36can tell us an awful lot about who we are now.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Which is why I'll be taking yet another guest back down Memory Lane
0:00:40 > 0:00:45to taste, smell and even cook the foods and dishes of their life.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49You'd be forgiven for not knowing that today's guest's first TV role
0:00:49 > 0:00:53was as the school bully in our longest-running children's TV drama.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57It is my handwriting. I just took more time over it, that's all.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00- It doesn't look like your writing to me.- Well, it is, all right?
0:01:00 > 0:01:03She has since gone on to be something of a bawdy
0:01:03 > 0:01:07seductress-cum-swindler in the steamy costume drama Moll Flanders.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11CHEERING
0:01:13 > 0:01:15No, my love, I can't lie to you.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18I have nearly £100 and that is all I have in the world.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22She really hit the big time, avoiding all those hand-held
0:01:22 > 0:01:27cameras and saving lives, in the smash-hit American TV series ER.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Yes, today's guest is actress Alex Kingston.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And, so long as I'm not rushed into A&E, coming up and in today's show:
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Alex Kingston's mum bakes a cake from her childhood,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and tells us about Alex the fashion victim.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49She was voted the worst-dressed actress in LA.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56Her best friend, Jen, makes a pumpkin cheesecake, and remembers the day Alex left for LA.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Very odd feeling of absolutely wanting her to go and yet
0:01:59 > 0:02:03at the same time thinking, "That's the end of an era."
0:02:03 > 0:02:09Alex and I revisit a culinary blast from her past that involves a lot of garlic!
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Didn't it ever cross your mind
0:02:10 > 0:02:13that this just might be a little too much?
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Alex Kingston, welcome to A Taste Of My Life.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- Thank you.- You were born in Surrey. - Mm-hm.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Your father was a butcher. Tell me about your mum.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29My mum's German. She came over as an au pair.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33She and my dad met at some sort of international youth club in London.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35- Who did the cooking?- My mum.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Only my mum. My dad -
0:02:37 > 0:02:44I know he tried once to do beans on toast in a pan of water.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50- He turned it on and the can exploded. - Was it very traditional
0:02:50 > 0:02:53British cooking or was there some German cooking included?
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Aside from the Sunday roasts, the food was quite European actually.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I know dishes like - am I going to pronounce this correctly? Is it Rippchen?
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- Rippchen, yeah.- Wonderful.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10Yeah. Sauerkraut und Rippchen is a traditional thing for Christmas or New Year.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Sauerkraut is simply dried, salted and preserved cabbage.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20Before boiling it, I'm adding some Frankfurters to give the Sauerkraut some extra flavour.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Next I'm preparing a breadcrumb batter in which to coat the Rippchen.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31The meat over there... Rippchen are like pork ribs.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34What they tend to do over there is that they're smoked.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Rippchen is notoriously difficult to buy here in the UK,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40but you could use pork chops.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Although I'm simply frying the Rippchen, you could
0:03:42 > 0:03:47also pop a spare one in with the Sauerkraut for even more smokiness.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Remember, Sauerkraut is a very healthy dish, packed with Vitamin C.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57No wonder Captain Cook considered it to be the key to his successful foreign expeditions.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Somebody, a little bird, told me you used to eat lemon meringue pie.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Actually, that is one of my favourite English desserts.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13I don't know if it really is English, but my mum used to make that.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Lemon meringue pie - a joy to eat, but something of an epic to make.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Preparing your pastry, never rush it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Let it cool in the fridge.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29For the best lemony flavour, be sure not to grate your lemons too hard.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Any white pith will make your meringue taste bitter.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I love citrus. I'm not a huge person...
0:04:35 > 0:04:40I don't like the chocolate fondant puddings or chocolate cake.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I much prefer the sort of tart, citrussy flavours.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48So if I'm in a restaurant or anywhere and I see lemon tart,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52that's what I'll go for rather than some big chocolate gateau.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Once you've made your lemon filling, it's a case of adding the yolks and
0:05:03 > 0:05:07stirring until a thick paste-like consistency.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13Prepare your pastry and simply pour in your filling.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I've been trying to replicate my stepmother's lemon meringue pie
0:05:16 > 0:05:20for the last 40 years and I can't do it. It was so wonderful.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- It's one of my favourite things. - Yeah.- It is that tartness, isn't it?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Yes. It's really good.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30A meringue is really nothing more than a fabulous collection of bubbles.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34The sugar is what stiffens it into a work of art.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38And that is Alex Kingston's taste of childhood.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Can I help you to a...? This is the Rippchen.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Fantastic. Fantastic!
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Can I offer you one of these chappies, too?
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- Oh, my God! OK, then.- You don't have to eat it all. As a child,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- you know, you tuck into something like this.- Yeah.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57But what was your childhood like?
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Your sisters at home and you wanting to be the actress.
0:06:01 > 0:06:07I think it was just a given that that's what I was probably going to be.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10There was no question about being a nurse or a...?
0:06:10 > 0:06:14At one point I entertained being a barrister.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I think, again, it was just the dress-up.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18I liked the look of the wig!
0:06:18 > 0:06:23The cloak and all of that. You can't ask me a question now cos I have to eat this.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- I tell you, it's very good.- Mm!
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- I think you might be tempted to have some of that.- I so will be.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Look, the meringue is perfect.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37God, look at that! Sorry!
0:06:37 > 0:06:40It does look good, doesn't it?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Ooh! Oh, dearie me. Sorry!
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- This is delicious.- Does this bring back happy memories?- Mmm.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56So, were you a close family? Cos there were three daughters.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Yeah, I'd say we are fairly close. I'm the eldest.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02My middle sister was born physically and mentally handicapped
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and she lives at home with my parents.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08My younger sister, she and I are seven years apart.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- And you've got a daughter of your own now.- Yes, I do!
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Yes - five and three quarters.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16She loves baking and loves being involved in cooking.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22I think that also comes from me watching my mum cook. She really was in the kitchen all the time.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I think some cooking you don't set out to learn.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28You pick it up by osmosis almost.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30- Yeah.- You watch mum do it.- Yeah.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35But then if I think about my father, he's had years of osmosis.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38It hasn't somehow worked!
0:07:38 > 0:07:43- I've actually got a little message for you. A little surprise.- OK.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Oh, my God, that's my parents' house!
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Oh my God, were you there?
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Were you at my parents' house?
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Oh, my God! Oh, my God, that's my mum!
0:07:56 > 0:08:01I'm gonna make a cake that in German is called Streuselkuchen.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Translated, I suppose it's crumble cake.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Absolutely Alex's favourite cake from when she was quite young.
0:08:08 > 0:08:15As a little girl, when we used to go to Germany, and of course I used to make it at home all the time.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17And Alex used to absolutely adore it.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19I can't believe this.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Alex used to be quite, at that time, quite a bossy little girl.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26The important thing is the yeast.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31All children do a lot of dressing up, and Alex, it was obsession which never stopped.
0:08:31 > 0:08:3315-years-old she was still dressing up.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Put the flour, the sugar and the egg. Now we just want the butter.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43When she first came to LA, she was voted the worst-dressed actress in LA,
0:08:43 > 0:08:48because she just didn't care. She was wearing all these flowing clothes.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53She dresses quite strangely sometimes, I must say.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57But it's very unusual. It's just her.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The worst-dressed person , but I think she had to tone it down a bit.
0:09:03 > 0:09:10Apparently Spielberg saw her and said, "We want her in ER."
0:09:10 > 0:09:16That's fantastic. So, at the time, she had broken up with Ralph and
0:09:16 > 0:09:19she thought it would be fantastic just to get away from England.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23If it hadn't been for that, she might not have gone. I don't know.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Streuselkuchen!
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Streuselkuchen, Alex!
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Oh, my God!
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- I love it.- It's slightly chewy and crisp. I've seen it.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I didn't realise it was a bread dough and a crumble topping.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54And all German households, the people, mothers, grandmothers, everybody, would have their own
0:09:54 > 0:09:56slight variation on how to make Streuselkuchen.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03A little bird told me...
0:10:05 > 0:10:07about Mexican bean...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10was it soup or stew?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13I don't know quite what it was!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- As bad as that?- Yeah!- What happened?
0:10:16 > 0:10:20This is another very, very dear friend of mine called Clea.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23We were... 12? Something like that.
0:10:23 > 0:10:2712 or 13. We didn't quite understand what a clove of garlic was.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32So we sort of hummed and aahed, and I, being the bossy one,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36made the executive decision that a clove was a bulb.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- The whole lot? That's about ten cloves!- Yeah.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42So we put three bulbs of garlic!
0:10:42 > 0:10:43SHE LAUGHS
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Apparently we stank for weeks.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- Will you make it for me? - Oh, my God. OK. I don't mind.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Yeah, I'll do it.- Thank you. - What's three bulbs?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55It's a lot, that's what it is!
0:10:55 > 0:11:01So, Mexican bean soup - with just a hint of garlic!
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Bit of a blast from the past, isn't it?- Yes, it absolutely is.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08The famed Mexican bean soup.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- Now, the garlic. - Yeah, you'd better get peeling
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- cos you've got three bulbs to go! - I'll be here all day!
0:11:14 > 0:11:16It's almost like a student food.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19I think this was a sort of a mid-Seventies thing.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- I think this was very cool in the seventies.- Yes.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24It would be the quintessential meal, wouldn't it? The big beany soup.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27It was that time when England was just learning
0:11:27 > 0:11:28about foods from other countries.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- You mean, like garlic? - Like garlic, exactly!
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Tell me about your time as Moll Flanders.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It really was huge fun.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- I mean, Moll was a very bawdy story. - I know!
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And it's amazing because Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Which is good family viewing.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46SHE LAUGHS
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And show me the way to live honestly.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52And deliver me from all evil, I beg you.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Because if you don't, on your head be it! So there!
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- A quite revealing part. - Oh, I know. It was.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- How did you feel about all that? - I didn't mind.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04I just thought it was integral to the character.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06'Come back! Don't leave me!'
0:12:06 > 0:12:11You can't accept that role and then say, "By the way, I won't show you my breasts."
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Absolutely part of the story!
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I think I'm nearly at the end of this garlic.
0:12:21 > 0:12:27Didn't it ever cross your mind at any point that this just might be a little bit too much?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Funnily enough, it didn't.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39- The good thing is, we're not going to get flu this season, are we?- Nope!
0:12:39 > 0:12:41We're not gonna get anything this season!
0:12:43 > 0:12:48- Got some whole ones in here. - That was me. I got bored!
0:12:48 > 0:12:50- Naughty, naughty! - I know, but so many!
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Here we go.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59I've never seen so much garlic go into a recipe in my life.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01And I've made garlic soup!
0:13:04 > 0:13:06And chilli pepper, of course.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Oops! Oh, whatever.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- Bung in a bit of salt. - It's making my nose run!
0:13:17 > 0:13:19It smells pretty good.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23It does smell pretty good. OK, let's see how it tastes.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Ooh, it IS hot!
0:13:25 > 0:13:30But it doesn't taste garlicky. D'you think it tastes really garlicky?
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- No.- No, it doesn't, does it?
0:13:33 > 0:13:36But it isn't bad. I'm actually quite pleased.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I think when you look at something like that
0:13:39 > 0:13:41you're not actually supposed to see quite so much garlic.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48Still to come on A Taste Of My Life: Alex is baked a very emotional cheesecake by her best friend, Jen.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50We've been friends such a long time.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51That's all I can say.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Alex reveals the hidden perils of working on hit US medical drama ER.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I clamped this poor man's nipple.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06And we salivate over one of the most sumptuous final feasts yet!
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Tapas representing different countries and cultures of the world.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Your mum did say at one point that you were a bit bossy
0:14:18 > 0:14:22as a youngster, but actually your first part was as the school bully.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28It was actually, yeah, on television. I think it had been going for about six months, so I knew the show.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31And they said they were looking for a school bully - a judo bully.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37You're gonna wish you didn't do that!
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- Then, of course, the RSC.- Yes.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Yes, my first husband, Ralph, he had been in the RSC for a year,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and he'd been asked to do another year,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53and I couldn't bear the thought of him being away
0:14:53 > 0:14:57again for another whole year, so I decided that I was going to audition.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01All my childhood and growing up, when I wanted to be an actress,
0:15:01 > 0:15:05being a member of the RSC - that seemed to me like the pinnacle.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Did things changed sort of food wise at that point, when you were suddenly a success.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Does it change what you want to eat?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Well, it was really nice actually.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21We decided that we were going to take the money that we'd saved and we were going to have
0:15:21 > 0:15:25a fantastic meal in a really good restaurant - five-star Michelin.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And I had never, I'd never been
0:15:28 > 0:15:31in a restaurant like that before. It was just incredible.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36I don't remember the wine, I don't remember the main courses or anything,
0:15:36 > 0:15:42but between each meal we had this little appetizer, little thing
0:15:42 > 0:15:45that they just bring - a little taste.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48It was scrambled egg in an eggshell.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Firstly, empty your eggs of yolks and whites, but you must,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57must boil your eggshells afterwards to clear them of all bacteria.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Then you're all set.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02For cloud-like scrambled egg, add cream or creme fraiche
0:16:02 > 0:16:06rather than milk, and don't be shy with your pepper.
0:16:06 > 0:16:12A very good tip to avoid serving rubbery scrambled egg is to dish it up slightly too early.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It will keep cooking on the plate.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17So it was the egg -
0:16:17 > 0:16:19just scrambled egg, and then I think...
0:16:19 > 0:16:25It can't have been caviar, it must have been truffles on the top, just shaved.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27And a tiny little teaspoon.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30I tasted this scrambled egg and it just was heaven.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33It was like eating creamy cloud.
0:16:33 > 0:16:39Truffles - always a true sign of success, but also something of an acquired taste.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Be warned, they are also very expensive.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47Essentially, a truffle is a knobbly fungus found at the roots of oak trees.
0:16:47 > 0:16:54The largest was recently bought for £90,000, so a little must go a long way.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57And then the very last thing we had was cheese.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02I remember there was one cheese that was under - it was like in a glass box.
0:17:02 > 0:17:09I remember the waiter lifting it up and Simon Russell Beale going, "Ooh, les vaches, ooh les vaches!"
0:17:09 > 0:17:15Whenever now I have a strong cheese, I will always go, "Ooh, les vaches!"
0:17:15 > 0:17:18because it was just such a pungent smell.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26A beautifully fragrant accompaniment to any strong cheese is quince jelly.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32Simply boil your quinces, blend them to a pulp,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36add sugar and let it work its magic.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Divine.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43So, these wonderful little eggs. Do you want one?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45I do want one. I want to try one.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Mm, it's nice, but it's not...
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I'm sorry, it's just not the taste of heaven that I had.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55That's all right. I'm going to have some cheese.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Who wants to do Desert Island Discs when you can do this?
0:17:58 > 0:18:00- Exactly, Desert Island Dishes. - Desert Island Dishes, very nice.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- Oh, I should go for that one. - Yeah, I think I will.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09This is definitely a kind of "Ooh, les vaches." I can't tell you.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Whoa! Oh!
0:18:13 > 0:18:18How have you coped with the whole success thing, because ER was a huge thing.
0:18:18 > 0:18:24I have to say, I've seen pretty much every episode of ER since number one.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Your part as a doctor, there was a patch where
0:18:27 > 0:18:30you seemed to be permanently up to your elbows in blood and gore.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33You were always marching in...
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- That was my favourite bit actually. I loved that.- Really?- Yeah, yeah.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I think being a butcher's daughter...
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- Oh!- Sorry!
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Sorry.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Make you choke!
0:18:47 > 0:18:51But, when I was younger, I would go with my dad to Smithfields sometimes,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and there was a point where they had their own sausage-making factory...
0:18:55 > 0:18:58THEY LAUGH
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Sorry!
0:19:03 > 0:19:09And I also know how to truss a chicken, so...
0:19:09 > 0:19:11So stitching up was kind of...
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Stitching up or sticking my arms in wherever. So yes, doing ER, I actually loved it.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18It's so realistic.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I mean, it is absolutely amazing.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Yes. There was one instance where I had these clamps,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and I thought it was still the prosthetic chest...
0:19:27 > 0:19:31- THEY LAUGH - Wonder what's coming.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36I clamped this poor man's nipple and he let out such a shriek.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Because I thought we were still on the fake one.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Alex, what sort of friend are you?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I think I'm a good friend.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Once I make a friend, pretty much they are there for life.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- Do you cook for them? - Oh yes, absolutely.
0:19:54 > 0:20:02After my first marriage broke up and I was still living in the flat we had together, one of my best girlfriends,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05her marriage had broken up, so she moved in and lived with me.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08We were constantly having dinner parties.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I've got another little surprise for you.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12OK...
0:20:12 > 0:20:16- All right.- A nice one, honest.- OK. Is that me?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Oh, it's Jen!
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- 'The very first occasion...' - Oh, it is, it's Jen!
0:20:23 > 0:20:26We were at drama college together.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28We weren't instantly friends.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31One day, because there was an American, and I'm a Canadian,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Alex got the idea that we ought to have Thanksgiving.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I wasn't sure that English people could cope with pumpkin pie,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41so I did pumpkin cheesecake instead, a recipe of my mother's.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Alex used to create a sensation when she came in.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48She had a red all-in-one cat suit, do you remember?
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It was a days of Fame and things,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57so it had a little tank-top and then these tights, all-in-one.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00And the boys... I think some of them used to have to excuse themselves
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and go off and have a little breather every now and then.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06It smells nice. It smells quite Christmassy actually.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10I think when she was thinking about going to Los Angeles, it was a sad
0:21:10 > 0:21:13thing because we had been living together and having a lovely time.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17I remember when she went to Los Angeles, and I waved out of the...
0:21:17 > 0:21:24I was still there, living in her flat, basically, looking after it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Oh, this is going to make me cry.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Off she went and I was waving out of the window.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And I just knew that it was...
0:21:33 > 0:21:36that she was... that was it, she was gone.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38I remember walking around the flat and feeling...
0:21:38 > 0:21:42There were bits of her in every room
0:21:42 > 0:21:46that the dust particles were still holding.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50It was a very odd feeling of absolutely wanting her to go,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and yet at the same time, thinking,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57that's the end of an era, the end of a chapter of our life together.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Put that in there...
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I don't think there is anything to say.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09We've been friends such a long time, it's all been said.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Ooh, I can't wait for this, this is so exciting.
0:22:26 > 0:22:27- Fab friend.- Mmm.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I just have to say, Jennifer, this is fantastic. Thank you so, so much.
0:22:33 > 0:22:39Time to visit Alex Kingston's culinary comfort zone, Los Angeles style.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41So Alex, your comfort foods.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Cup of tea, please.- I thought so.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50These comfort foods are to do with time and place and situation.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Tea is an absolute staple.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58For me, comfort foods are very much about needing to feel cosy...
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- It's a blanket.- It's a blanket. And of course, Los Angeles is so hot,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04but if I'm feeling a little bit run-down
0:23:04 > 0:23:09I need something that makes me feel cosy, very often I'll have miso soup.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11And then kedgeree is something that...
0:23:11 > 0:23:16I'm not so sure I would call it comfort food, but I really
0:23:16 > 0:23:22miss it because it's impossible to make kedgeree in the States because you cannot get smoked haddock.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26What about the pressure of being an actress. Do you feel that there is a pressure?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29You're asking me this as I've got a chocolate biscuit in my mouth!
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- Pressure about weight? - Sorry about that, yes.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Well, to look a certain way.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35You think there is?
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Mm, absolutely.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Were you asked to do Desperate Housewives?
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I was seen three times.
0:23:45 > 0:23:52I think it was between me and two or three other women, of which Felicity Huffman then got the part.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I wouldn't have fitted in with those women.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58I mean, I would have literally looked like a beefcake next to them.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00They are incredibly, incredibly skinny.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They are incredibly skinny, and the thing is, because
0:24:03 > 0:24:07they are all universally skinny, it looks like that is what women are.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11- Two freckles on a stick is not attractive.- But women are being encouraged to think it is attractive.
0:24:11 > 0:24:17Having said that, if I was a few pounds lighter, I would be very happy.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20But it's not going to happen on this show, is it?
0:24:20 > 0:24:25So what better way to celebrate Alex's life so far than over her final feast?
0:24:25 > 0:24:30- So the final feast, Alex, it's looking gorgeous.- Thank you.
0:24:30 > 0:24:37I couldn't think of one huge dish, or anything that
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I would want to have again - there's so many.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45So I thought more about, why don't I have a series of tapas,
0:24:45 > 0:24:50but tapas representing different countries and cultures in the world.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54So the caviar, immediately one thinks of Russia.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Blinis. Kobe beef, Japan.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Onion bhajis, that's India.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04Swedish meatballs... Funnily enough, oysters, the way I like them, is
0:25:04 > 0:25:07a way that I associate with America because I like Oysters Rockefeller.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Oh, yeah. What's this little thing curling up in the corner, it looks fantastic? Oh, that's a strudel.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17That's an apfel strudel, which, of course, for me represents Austria.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18- You're going to make the Rockefeller.- Yes.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21You've got a little mixture there of onion and celery and spinach.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Yes. The other thing is, you can put grated cheese and melt it.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Oysters Rockefeller is actually a really good way to introduce you,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31if you're an oyster virgin, so to speak, and if you're a bit squeamish.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36So the Swedish meatballs, this is a mixture here of pork and beef.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- Yes.- I'm going to put a little bit of chopped onion in there.- Yes.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Some grated nutmeg.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Allspice. I love allspice.- Yes.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Just a little bit of clove.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56- This beef, this isn't just any old beef, is it?- No, this is Kobe beef.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I think it tastes delicious, but I'm not sure if it's a bit like
0:26:00 > 0:26:03foie gras, whether their cattle are really stuffed. They're pampered...
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- They are pampered beyond words. - They're stroked and cuddled...
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- Massaged!- Massaged.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12But they certainly are looked after, and they do have this regular massage.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16I love onion bhaji, so I'm really interested to see how you cook them.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Very simply. Onions...
0:26:19 > 0:26:25Flour... Baking powder, some ground coriander and some whole cumin seed.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29So it's really like a very casual batter.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33If I was a really neat cook, I'd have cut these up
0:26:33 > 0:26:36a little bit finer, but I quite like knobbly food.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Wow, they cook really fast, don't they?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43They cook really fast and they puff up really lightly.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Yes. That looks fantastic.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53So that's Alex Kingston's final feast, including Kobe beef,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55blinis and caviar,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00onion bhajis,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and Oysters Rockefeller.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06So tell me, is there anything that you haven't done that you would like to?
0:27:06 > 0:27:09I would love to do another costume drama, I really would.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12I've been in scrubs for too long.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I need... I would love to be in a corset again.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I mean, I'm so blessed with everything that's happened so far
0:27:20 > 0:27:23that I certainly can't complain at all.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26You haven't got to eat your final feast alone.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Well I would definitely have my family there.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Certainly my girlfriend Jennifer, my girlfriend Clea...
0:27:32 > 0:27:36I think I'd go for Henry VIII
0:27:36 > 0:27:42because he...was supposed to be incredibly charismatic.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I'd like to invite the Marquis de Sade,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50just because I think it would be fascinating to get into
0:27:50 > 0:27:52the mind of that man.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I'd like to invite Judi Dench because she's...
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I don't know her terribly well, but she's a really good laugh and
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- she and I would have fun with the Marquis de Sade.- I think you might.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09And I'd quite like to invite George Clooney because he also is a really good laugh at dinner.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14Oh, and I would have to invite Shakespeare, wouldn't I, really?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- So Alex...- Yes.- Any regrets?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20A few, but then again, too few to mention.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23And it's been a good day today?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26It's been fantastic. It's been really, really good.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Alex Kingston, thank you so much for being a guest on Taste of My Life.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Thank you, thank you.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35We've nearly finished this bottle.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2007
0:28:48 > 0:28:51E-mail subititling@bbc.co.uk