0:00:02 > 0:00:06King's Lynn is a very interesting place -
0:00:06 > 0:00:09especially when Naughty Nellie is performing!
0:00:09 > 0:00:14She'll star in my new gastronomic thriller, "Dial M For Mackerel".
0:00:14 > 0:00:37So, with a glad heart, I donate the programme's budget to a celebration of Norfolk's food.
0:01:11 > 0:01:18In the words of the master, Noel Coward, Norfolk is, in a phrase...
0:01:18 > 0:01:21"terribly, terribly flat."
0:01:21 > 0:01:28But East Anglia has always been one of Europe's rich melting pots.
0:01:28 > 0:01:50This is where the Norse,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55but its reticence belies a strong character, reflected in the recipes and produce,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58not to mention Oliver Cromwell, like myself, a misunderstood man.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06He wouldn't have approved of plans to dredge the sea-bed
0:02:06 > 0:02:11in order to build motorways.
0:02:11 > 0:02:19Plans that could put an end to this plentiful source of seafood.
0:02:19 > 0:02:26I have a fine time, don't I ? Cruising down the river... Absolutely idyllic!
0:02:26 > 0:02:31I'm heading for the Wells Bar, which is NOT a pub,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35but this hell of white water ahead of us.
0:02:35 > 0:02:55Beyond it are the shrimp grounds.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59We'll call this potted shrimps - the hard way!
0:03:06 > 0:03:12"Shrimp" is an inadequate word for 2,000 different species of crustacea.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16These little brown shrimps
0:03:16 > 0:03:23have a funny habit of swimming backwards.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28These are the freshest brown shrimps you'll ever see.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31No wonder they're so expensive.
0:03:31 > 0:03:38Not exactly a huge catch for 4-5 hours trawling.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44And it's jolly hard work.
0:03:44 > 0:04:07I was going to cook these on the boat,
0:04:07 > 0:04:08The man who wrote that stuff
0:04:08 > 0:04:11about those who go down to the sea in small boats...
0:04:11 > 0:04:14knew what he was on about!
0:04:14 > 0:04:21Don't whinge about the price of anything that's won from the sea.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30At Wells-next-the-Sea, the serious business of preparing shrimps continues.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35These little boats have shrimp boilers on board.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37This ensures maximum freshness and flavour.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43But sifting these little beauties reminded me of blackberrying -
0:04:43 > 0:04:45one for you, one for the basket.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49The smell of freshly boiled shrimps wafting on this April evening
0:04:49 > 0:04:54became an endearing memory of Norfolk.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57867...
0:04:57 > 0:05:19868.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24You need, this is important, some melted butter,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27which I melted in the galley.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Skim off the scum from the top.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34You don't want that to ruin the dish.
0:05:34 > 0:05:41All you otherwise need is a good pinch of mace...
0:05:41 > 0:05:48Quite a lot of mace, because we've got enough shrimps for a little army.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54Stir the mace in. Add lots of lovely black pepper.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Quarter to seven on this lovely April evening...
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and my little fingers are frozen!
0:06:06 > 0:06:28It DOES worry me, though, as I prepare these...
0:06:28 > 0:06:33So we must make sure it doesn't happen.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Right! The mace, black pepper...
0:06:36 > 0:06:41then you simply pour in this wonderful melted butter...
0:06:41 > 0:06:44till it comes to the top.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49When it sets, you have a golden crust of butter.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53We won't even bother to put that in the fridge,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57we'll leave it here for an hour or two.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03Ten to seven, and they're open in a couple of minutes! I'm off!
0:07:07 > 0:07:11And so to the US base at Mildenhall in my armoured potted shrimp carrier...
0:07:11 > 0:07:37and a quick rundown on American food from Sergeant Joey Garcia.
0:07:37 > 0:07:43Like sauteing the chicken and then frying it...
0:07:43 > 0:07:47But me, I eat anything! I love chicken.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52Have you eaten any British food while you've been here?
0:07:52 > 0:07:58When I'm off duty I try things like...Yorkshire pudding? Right.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01And the traditional Sunday dinner.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Have a nice day!
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's brilliant, isn't it, the flying suit?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Getting into the American way of life is fantastic,
0:08:24 > 0:08:44but also armed with the British potted shrimps!
0:08:44 > 0:08:48I've got some chums here. Eh, Sergeant?
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Yes? Sergeant Susan Luck. What are you doing here? Cooking!
0:08:53 > 0:08:58What are these things? What is this lady doing?
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Treat me as a simple English native. I haven't been to America.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08She's doing Southern fried chicken, her own recipe.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14What's special about your recipe? MY recipe! Wrong person!
0:09:14 > 0:09:17What is YOUR special recipe?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22My special recipe...what I do...
0:09:22 > 0:09:24after I clean the chicken,
0:09:24 > 0:09:30I marinade it in red pepper, a little ginger, hot sauce,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34white pepper, and a little chicken base.
0:09:34 > 0:09:56Marinade it for a little while in the refrigerator.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Mmm!
0:09:58 > 0:10:01It's VERY good.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07What's happening here? These are black-eyed peas...
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Like the song, "It was the third of June. Another dusty Delta day"?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Right. "Papa said, pass the black-eyed peas".
0:10:15 > 0:10:19They're made with ham hocks and onions,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22and cooked for about eight hours.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Fabulous!
0:10:25 > 0:10:27This is...
0:10:27 > 0:10:31That's like a cassoulet, a French dish of beans and pork...
0:10:31 > 0:10:36I've been making this... a very British kind of dish.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41I went out and caught these, shelled every single one of them,
0:10:41 > 0:11:05Look at that face! I didn't do that to your black-eyed peas.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08you'd really enjoy them.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12It's perfectly OK if you say they're dreadful.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18We will, of course, edit this whole sequence from the programme.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21So, tell me...
0:11:22 > 0:11:25See what you think. Good? Mmmm.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30They're just boiled and mixed with melted butter,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32mace and black pepper.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Needs salt.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39It's lovely, though. Tastes like shrimp.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44It IS shrimp. Needs salt, do you think? Yes.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48I don't think I'll open a potted shrimp factory in Memphis!
0:11:48 > 0:11:56I'll go and have another mint julep with people who appreciate me!
0:11:56 > 0:12:16Who was that schmuck?!
0:12:16 > 0:12:18cooked by ace chef Robert Harrison.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20It's time in the programme for a piece of serious cooking.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22And I'm going to take a back seat and let Robert,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24my old mate cook some scallops for us.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I know he has already got some chopped shallots,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30little bits of chopped bacon. Now that is a julienne of vegetables.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31What are the vegetables in it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It is a mixture of peppers, green, red, white peppers,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37carrots, celery, leeks. But anything you want, really.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Fine, good.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Some fresh - and that's the exciting thing - fresh chopped basil.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45That's the main ingredient. The main ingredient. This is lime juice?
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Yes, that's right. And some excellent Norfolk fresh scallops.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54And a bit of wine. So what do we actually do?
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Right, shall I start cooking? Yes, please. Put the butter in the pan..
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Get it very hot. Fry the shallots and the bacon.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Very, very hot, but no colour. That is very important.
0:13:05 > 0:13:26Those have got to start off on their own before the bacon goes in?
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Are you in on that, Richard?
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Scallops, shallots and bacon at this stage. Again, no colour.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Cook the scallops until they are just opaque.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38No more, otherwise they go very tough, very chewy.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44So you fry them quite well. And now, the second menu ingredients.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48The wine. And how much of that? Pour.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51More, more. That's fine.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56And the lime juice, please.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Whoa!
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Too much lime juice. I put too much lime juice in.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Well, you'll be eating it!
0:14:03 > 0:14:05So at this stage, they are quite opaque.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08They are fine. We take them out, keep them warm.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And later on we can put them back in, just to finish cooking. Right.
0:14:11 > 0:14:33And very important not to overcook scallops when you boil them. OK.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37The julienne of vegetables. What's the... I'm totally convinced
0:14:37 > 0:14:41that British chefs are in the ascendancy. We're not so frightened
0:14:41 > 0:14:45of imitating the French any more. What, in your mind, is the state
0:14:45 > 0:14:49of British cooking? I think with all the local produce we are getting,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52especially young vegetables are now being picked, new suppliers
0:14:52 > 0:14:56coming along, that's why really chefs are becoming more...
0:14:56 > 0:14:59better cooks, really. Yes, because of the... It's a matter of supply.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03And the great interest taken, of course, by the suppliers,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06by the cooks. The housewife now is getting more involved.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10They are demanding more all the time. You've got it absolutely made,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13of course, cos you can walk into the garden and pick what you like.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16What would you do if you weren't a chef?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Have you got something else you'd really like to do?
0:15:19 > 0:15:20I always wanted to write.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23THEY LAUGH
0:15:23 > 0:15:42So, the butter's in there,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45At that stage, we add scallops and the juices.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Again, just to reheat. Finish their cooking process very carefully.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Do you have difficulty getting people to work along with you?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Erm... no. I mean, the boys in the kitchen are very, very
0:15:56 > 0:15:59into their food, as well. They really enjoy it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02They show a lot of interest and give me ideas, too, of course.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Really? Lots of ideas, yeah.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08What's the next phase? The last thing is the basil,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11which I add at the end, so it stays very fresh, very green.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The flavour really comes out. Lots of basil. I love it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's up to you. You get it in the summer in the garden.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20We have red basil, we have cinnamon-scented basil,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24lemon-scented basil. They're lovely. You can have a whole combination
0:16:24 > 0:16:28of flavours just from one herb. It really is my favourite herb.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31You need to be as much a gardener these days to be a cook,
0:16:31 > 0:16:51as anything else, don't you? A greedy gardener, yes.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00You can smell the basil coming out. You certainly can.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03The wine, as well, keeps its scent so well when cooking.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08Want some more sauce? Mmm.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Now, this isn't actually a difficult dish to cook, is it?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16There's an awful mystique which surrounds cooking.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20And here's one dish that is simplicity itself, as long as what?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22What are the golden rules for this dish?
0:17:22 > 0:17:26A lot of people put cream in beurre blancs, to stop them curdling.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I just don't like cream in beurre blanc.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32It must be very velvety, very light. That's got to be watched, of course.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Make sure it doesn't curdle. And just your own sense of flavour.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40And the freshness of the herbs and the freshness of the vegetables,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43that is essential, isn't it? Can I pinch some of this?
0:17:43 > 0:18:02Again, not overcooking, keeping everything very fresh.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Now, are you sitting comfortably?
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Because I mean this in the nicest possible way.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I don't want East Anglians to get upset about what I'm going to say.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Promise? You see, this placid region is set in a, sort of, time warp.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Even the names are carved from marzipan.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I feel that the spirit of good King Woofingas lives,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25or has, in fact, never gone away. But back to the cooking.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29I want to create something which says "East Anglia", on a plate.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34I want a couple of good ducks and a chunk of smoked bacon.
0:18:34 > 0:18:40Well, we have fresh ducks from one of our local producers.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Brilliant. We'll have three.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47And a large chunk of that smoked bacon.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50You say where. About there.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52That'll be fantastic.
0:18:52 > 0:19:12That'd be superb. Thank you very much.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Look at this. Here, you can actually buy it.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22This is what you must all have in your larders, all the time.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Can't get it out. Hoist by my own petard.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29And there you've got this lovely, lovely brown stuff.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Melt that over a little piece of fillet steak or a turkey breast
0:19:33 > 0:19:34and you've got a fantastic sauce.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Good cooking has good larders, and that's the sort of thing we need.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41There's something else here which is superb and I'm very fond of.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44This is called brawn.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46It's pig's head and stuff like that.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49All simmered away, straight off the bones,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and allowed to set in that pot.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56Something which typifies real, real English cooking,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and talking about that, I'd better get on with my next sketch.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30I like to come out and cook something on my own.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32It is, after all, MY programme.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35But, here in Norfolk, you have to share SOME things.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38This is 1988,
0:20:38 > 0:20:43and it's an anniversary, it's a birthday,
0:20:43 > 0:20:50of something very important. Guess what it is.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Well, it's the frozen pea!
0:20:54 > 0:20:56It's the 50th anniversary of the frozen pea.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01That's why we've made a cake.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Norfolk is a great place, Britain is a great place.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11We stay in hotels and restaurants, and they look after us very well,
0:21:11 > 0:21:35but we tend to get the same kind of food.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Richard, round the ingredients.
0:21:37 > 0:21:43A duck...I've diced it into morsels.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Some lovely carrots.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Some little white turnips.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Some stock. Up to me, Richard.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The giblets, feet, winglets,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00onion, bay leaf and carrot, stewed in water.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04You don't have to use a stock cube,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07you CAN use the real thing.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Some wonderful bacon.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Gives flavour to the whole dish.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Some diced onion.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20But, most important, the green pea.
0:22:20 > 0:22:44In here, I've got this heavy dish with butter burning in the bottom.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46with wind and rain.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49We have to speed things up.
0:22:49 > 0:22:55So, although I'd like those to be nicely sweated, in goes the duck.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Let that bubble for a moment.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Do you remember Lear?
0:23:00 > 0:23:06Shakespeare? Well, I can't. But I've got it written down.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09When he was on holiday in Norfolk, he said,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14as he was overlooking Wells-next-the-Sea's beach,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17he gazed down and he said:
0:23:17 > 0:23:21"Hangs one there that gathers samphire.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24"A dreadful trade."
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Later, a BBC assistant will pick that up.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30But samphire, this is it,
0:23:30 > 0:23:50this crunchy, wild, seaside asparagus,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54We're now going to create some magic. Over there, Richard,
0:23:54 > 0:23:59and we'll get ourselves out of that sequence in a second.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09Thanks to the magic of television, my beautiful duck is cooked.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I wish, as I travel round the country,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16that I could have a simple dish like this.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Whether it's a duck in Norfolk,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23a rabbit in Somerset or neck of lamb in Lancashire,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26some simple food cooked with love.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Talking of love, have a look...
0:24:29 > 0:24:35Remember I chucked the duck, onion, carrot and bacon in?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Remember the stock I made?
0:24:37 > 0:25:02The giblet stock of water, neck, onion and stuff like that?
0:25:05 > 0:25:09It's REAL, simple, English, BRITISH food.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14The sort of thing you should be cooking instead of lasagne,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16pizza and chilli,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19in your wine bars and pubs.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22"LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY" BOOMS OUT
0:25:26 > 0:25:31I KNOW I'm banging my patriotic drum about British food,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33but I really DO want an OBE.
0:25:33 > 0:25:39Talking of tradition, I was very pleased to find...
0:25:39 > 0:25:45living proof of our culinary heritage - Norfolk dumpling.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50How many dumplings have you made in your lifetime, Kath?
0:25:50 > 0:26:11I've lost count!
0:26:11 > 0:26:14It's home-cured smoked bacon.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Is that enough? No. A little bit more.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I like to make it nice and tasty.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28The proof of the pudding, after all, is in the eating!
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Steaming away for a couple of hours.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37I've never seen one of these before!
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Look at THAT!
0:26:41 > 0:26:45That is BRILLIANT! A golden crust.
0:26:45 > 0:26:51It's going to tip out, isn't it? I'll loosen it just to make sure.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56I don't want you to have a collapsed pudding. No!
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Right...
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Look at THAT!
0:27:01 > 0:27:22That is a Norfolk dumpling, my little dumplings!
0:27:22 > 0:27:25How I wish you could smell...
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Look at THAT!
0:27:28 > 0:27:31The bacon, the onions...
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Look at it, for God's sake!
0:27:35 > 0:27:40I haven't eaten for hours! That is real, REAL food!
0:27:40 > 0:27:43It's really filling, too.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47See what you think of your own cooking.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51What's all this about a Valentine's card?
0:27:51 > 0:27:56I had a Valentine's card, "from Floyd, with love."
0:27:56 > 0:28:02I thought, "Someone's kidding me. They know I always watch it."
0:28:02 > 0:28:05It said, "Your PLAICE or mine."
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Plaice? Like the fish. Because you do a lot of fish cookery.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11I could leave the fish for this!
0:28:11 > 0:28:30I feel... It's brilliant!
0:28:30 > 0:28:33The bacon's lovely, isn't it?
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Smashing. If you're going to do this dish, get some REAL bacon.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43Smoky bacon. It gives the onions a nice flavour.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48That little bit of seasoning and stock
0:28:48 > 0:28:51makes it really lovely and juicy.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56It's always difficult for me to wind up a sequence...
0:28:56 > 0:29:01I think the best thing to do... because we never have scripts...
0:29:01 > 0:29:06So, Richard, work out a nice way of drawing the camera back,
0:29:06 > 0:29:11while we enjoy this, and leave us in peace.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Subtitles by Janice Hamilton BBC - 1988