0:00:06 > 0:00:12It's incredible. This journey has ended. This is the last programme!
0:00:12 > 0:00:17# Hallelujah!
0:00:17 > 0:00:22# Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! #
0:00:22 > 0:00:30The last programme! And my ship, the HMS Gastronaut, rusted, rotten, abandoned by the BBC!
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Beached here on the Orkneys, where I will end up well and truly in the soup!
0:00:38 > 0:00:41MUSIC: "Waltz In Black" The Stranglers
0:00:47 > 0:00:51CHATTER AND LAUGHTER INAUDIBLE
0:01:06 > 0:01:09MUSIC CONTINUES THROUGHOUT
0:01:18 > 0:01:22To begin, an Orcadian chunky fish soup.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27A simple affair of fresh halibut, salmon, scallops and sole.
0:01:27 > 0:01:33Meanwhile, a trip round the islands is essential, for a sense of place.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39There are more standing stones and ancient sites here than in any place its size in Northern Europe.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Here they came - from unknown Stone Age peoples to the Picts,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Celtic monks, Norsemen, Vikings, and Scots of all types -
0:01:46 > 0:01:49from religious refugees to cattle thieves.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Even shipwrecked Spaniards from the Armada sought refuge here.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57And in both World Wars, Scapa Flow was Britain's main naval base
0:01:57 > 0:02:02with the rusting hulls deliberately placed to impede German submarines.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Orosius, the Roman travel writer,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07was dead right in his 5th-century guide to Northern Europe
0:02:07 > 0:02:13when he said that this place was brilliant for fresh scallops and wildflowers - especially in May.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18WHISTLE Ha! Yes! What beautiful islands!
0:02:18 > 0:02:24No wonder Orcadians don't really want to be considered Scottish. They're very proud of this place.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26While you've been away, I've been cooking away busily.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30My soup's been simmering delicately away.
0:02:30 > 0:02:39I chopped up some onions, fried them in butter, added some vermouth and white wine and then fish stock.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I thickened it with beurre manie - flour and butter.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Added cream, simmered it a bit... And added my bits of fish.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I used scallops, salmon, turbot...
0:02:49 > 0:02:54All these lovely expensive things because we like to exploit the BBC.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56You don't have to go to those lengths.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59You could use simple fish like cod and conger eel, for example
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and still have a very fine dish indeed.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I think it's time to taste it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10It's very delicious, but it needs a little salt.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12It's worthwhile to add flavourings
0:03:12 > 0:03:14to delicate things like this at the end -
0:03:14 > 0:03:17you get the best and the freshest flavour.
0:03:17 > 0:03:24My director wanted a joke like, "I don't think this horse will work again." Rather tasteless.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27This is, in fact, fish stock. WHINNY
0:03:27 > 0:03:34And this is a bit too thick so I'll stir some stock in...
0:03:34 > 0:03:39And it's ready to go. A quick slurp...
0:03:39 > 0:03:44That's better. A silk handkerchief to wipe the drips off my thing...
0:03:44 > 0:03:48And let's have a taste. Orcadian fish soup.
0:03:52 > 0:03:59It's heavenly. It doesn't need to be smothered with parsley or herbs.
0:03:59 > 0:04:07The subtle flavour of the fish from this wonderful cold sea is unimpaired, is delicious.
0:04:18 > 0:04:24Off to Hoy, the roads being fairly otter-free.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30David Hutchinson has been a TV cameraman, restaurateur, writer...
0:04:30 > 0:04:35But he turned his back on the bright lights of Kirkwall
0:04:35 > 0:04:43to find a more meaningful existence making crab soup -
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Partan Bree, as the Scots call it.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51In his designer kitchen, made from discarded fish-boxes, he explained.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Making the soup is a dawdle. A chunk of butter, melted...
0:04:56 > 0:05:01You didn't rise to me calling this a Scottish soup. No, no, no.
0:05:01 > 0:05:09It's very much an Orcadian thing. In the old days, the crofters only had about five hectares of land.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14They all had little fishing boats and they went out in the bay.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19And they fished for lobsters, which are very sought-after and expensive.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24If they pulled up crabs in their lobster-pots, they threw them away.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29But when times were hard, they would resort to gathering crabs.
0:05:29 > 0:05:38By cooking it in butter and milk... The milk goes in at this stage. Or you can add it all at once.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43A lot of people used to make it with the brown meat from the back,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46but you can put white in.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51The brown meat gives it colour and I think it has more flavour.
0:05:51 > 0:05:59In it goes... What, the whole lot? The whole lot. If you're going to make soup, do it on a grand scale.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Our crew will be well-fed! Yes... And you just simmer it...
0:06:04 > 0:06:07because it's been cooked already.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Now, Orkney... It's all Scotland, isn't it? No!
0:06:12 > 0:06:17You'd never get an Orcadian admitting to be a Scot.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Our origins are Scandinavian.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25A lot of people are surprised that we don't speak Gaelic.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31And Orcadians too, when they go to concert parties with southerners,
0:06:31 > 0:06:36and some splendid figure strolls on to the stage in a kilt,
0:06:36 > 0:06:42and he starts warbling in a foreign language. It's as alien to Orcadians as Chinese or Greek.
0:06:42 > 0:06:50And these stirring songs about "Granny's Hielan' Hame"...
0:06:50 > 0:06:54It's been bull-dozed for time-share flats!
0:06:54 > 0:07:02Do I detect a hint of bitterness? No, surely not! David wants for nothing!
0:07:02 > 0:07:07He even brews his own electricity with a propeller on his roof!
0:07:07 > 0:07:15But back to this brilliant soup. Once the crab is warmed in the milk, you add some fresh cream,
0:07:15 > 0:07:21and thicken it with about four generous handfuls of oatmeal.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25It takes five minutes. But don't serve it as a starter.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It's truly a meal in itself!
0:07:29 > 0:07:34You cooked it so I'll serve it. Very good.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It does look splendid.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Thank you. Get your eating tackle around that, as they say.
0:07:43 > 0:07:51What do you reckon? Oh, yes. Can I tell you something funny? I haven't made this for six years.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57I made it every day in my restaurant and I was sick of it. It's supreme!
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And this is quite extraordinary.
0:08:00 > 0:08:08This is not a set-up shot. I arrive in these places working off a researcher's notes.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13From the way the researcher wrote about you - lovely lady I'm sure...
0:08:13 > 0:08:21"He's a kind of superannuated beach bum..." And I was expecting some laid-back kind of hippy.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26But you haven't opted out, you've opted IN !
0:08:26 > 0:08:33My grandmother used to say that the more you ran away from something, you ended up getting nearer to it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:39Like when you're trying to avoid someone and you keep meeting them!
0:08:39 > 0:08:44I don't think I've run away. When I came here, it was very quiet.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48But now we've got the ferry, bus tours...
0:08:48 > 0:08:53So it's not the quiet, remote place it used to be. Thank you.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20In case anyone from the tax office is watching, this is NOT my yacht!
0:09:20 > 0:09:25But what a fabulous place to be - against the backdrop of cliffs.
0:09:25 > 0:09:34My diving chums are going to plunge over and raid the sea-bed for lobster and crayfish and ling.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39But I've been to sea before, and they may come back with nothing!
0:09:39 > 0:09:44So I've taken the precaution of preparing traditional Scotch broth.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49I've got some mutton bones simmering away.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54I've got the obligatory dried pulses - barley, lentils and peas.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Onions, leeks, carrots, turnips and celery.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04All of that simmers for about two hours or until they come back.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08OK, lads! Over the side!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16The plumage is certainly fetching.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21I told them not to come back if they don't catch anything!
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Yaggh!
0:10:24 > 0:10:28These guys were on holiday diving on wrecks.
0:10:28 > 0:10:36And they weren't in the business of plundering the birthright of the regular fishermen, OK ?
0:10:36 > 0:10:44Meanwhile, I put ashore on Shapinsay, to thump my tub about the production of British cheeses -
0:10:44 > 0:10:49something that doesn't get as much support as it does in, say, France.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54It's usually the director who decides where we go and what we do.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58But when it comes to cheese, I stick my oar in.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03We don't see enough of real farmhouse British cheese in shops.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07So I couldn't resist visiting Minnie Russell,
0:11:07 > 0:11:12whose cheese even the locals say is the best on the island.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Minnie, what is this contraption?
0:11:16 > 0:11:20We had to put it on to frighten the sparrows away.
0:11:20 > 0:11:26They came and pecked the cheese. Naughty sparrows! Can we go in?
0:11:26 > 0:11:34Richard, don't let this put you off. You just follow us in, if I don't knock everything over...
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Come in. Have a lovely look.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43That is one woman's work, from a few cows on a windswept island...
0:11:45 > 0:11:50Why are they different colours and shapes? Well, they mature.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55That one there... Can you hold it up for Richard to see?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58That's a beautiful, mature cheese.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03It's not been good weather for drying them, but some of them...
0:12:03 > 0:12:09So how old would this one be? Maybe three weeks.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14Show me a very young one, perhaps. Well... That one's a bit younger.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17It's not dry yet, you understand.
0:12:17 > 0:12:23So you'd like to keep it for a week or so... Yes. Before we sell it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25What do you have this oatmeal for?
0:12:25 > 0:12:32Yes, we rub them with oatmeal to give them a more authentic...
0:12:32 > 0:12:37They used to keep them in meal in the old days, you know.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40And people seem to like it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Can we taste one of these, Minnie? Yes. Which one can we taste?
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Well, I've got this one.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Oh, doesn't that look beautiful?
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Fabulous. What sort of cows do you have for this? We have about five.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05Would you like a bit? Oh, I'd love a bit. Yes, please!
0:13:05 > 0:13:10That's not quite as dry as I thought at first, but never mind.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16It's difficult to say... It's very cheesy, very creamy...
0:13:16 > 0:13:22It smells and tastes of the sea, which isn't surprising,
0:13:22 > 0:13:30considering the wind blows from the sea over the pastures to give the cheese its regional identity.
0:13:30 > 0:13:38But back to our intrepid aquanauts, faithful hounds back from the hunt, bearing all sorts of gifts!
0:13:38 > 0:13:43A plump crayfish, very tasty they are... And what else have they got?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46A HUGE lobster!
0:13:46 > 0:13:51A seven-pound lobster! At an inch a year... An enormous beast!
0:13:51 > 0:13:56And a sack of scallops the size of carthorses' feet!
0:13:56 > 0:14:04I know this is uncharacteristically pious of me, but we couldn't bring ourselves to cook this one.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10Nobody could sacrifice such a fine beast to a trivial TV programme.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14So it's going back to live and to breed.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24It would have tasted really good!
0:14:24 > 0:14:27The things we do for Greenpeace!
0:14:31 > 0:14:36For our nautical cooking sketch we have this spacious galley.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39You couldn't swing a seal in here!
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Remember I made the Scotch broth -
0:14:42 > 0:14:47chopped carrots, onions, leeks, barley, dried peas and mutton...
0:14:47 > 0:14:50And a rich and warming brew it is!
0:14:50 > 0:14:56That would cheer up any diver who'd been about 50 fathoms deep.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Now to get on with the job in hand.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03They pulled up scallops, crayfish, a feast of stuff!
0:15:03 > 0:15:08But what I've decided to do in this very tiny space
0:15:08 > 0:15:12is to cook a fillet of fresh crayfish.
0:15:12 > 0:15:18That is the freshest crayfish you will ever get to taste.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23In a London restaurant, that piece alone would probably cost 18 quid.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28But it might taste a little better than mine. Did I say that!?
0:15:28 > 0:15:33We pop that into some melted butter. Whack the gas up...
0:15:33 > 0:15:36We never rehearse these programmes.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41You couldn't possibly rehearse in a space this size.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46We add a little chopped bacon while the gas is up at frying speed,
0:15:46 > 0:15:53and some little pieces of red pepper, plucked from the mast,
0:15:53 > 0:15:58from the window-boxes, or porthole-boxes they grew in...
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Let that sizzle around for a moment...
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Sometimes we get letters saying,
0:16:05 > 0:16:10"You don't always explain exactly what you're doing."
0:16:10 > 0:16:15It is difficult on a small ship to give precise cookery lessons.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20But if I can cook under these conditions, YOU'VE got no problems!
0:16:20 > 0:16:25Right. Now, earlier, I made myself some fish stock
0:16:25 > 0:16:29from some crayfish legs and white wine.
0:16:29 > 0:16:35And I need that now. So, Richard, a little close-up, if I may.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44And let that sizzle for a few moments, keeping a close eye on it.
0:16:44 > 0:16:50And by the magic of television, we'll rejoin that at a later stage.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58That's excellent. It's been cooking for about five or six minutes.
0:16:58 > 0:17:06Now, for the stock, I chopped up some onions, added white wine, water and a few crayfish legs,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and simmered it about 45 minutes.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14You could use a fish-head instead. We didn't happen to catch any fish.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18That's the situation, little bit of juice, peppers, bacon.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The crayfish is slightly undercooked,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23because it is so delicate you mustn't overcook it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Now we add some leeks,
0:17:26 > 0:17:32which have been cooked in salted boiling water and chopped fine.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Whack the gas up to maximum now.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42This is a good stove, but I'm not familiar with it...
0:17:42 > 0:17:48And then we simply take the piece of fish out so it doesn't overcook.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Put it on a plate while we finish off the sauce.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57Put this down to minimum again. Help... Very difficult. There.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03And...a little drop of good Orkney cream.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Check the seasoning, which I will do in a second...
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Mmm! That is extremely delicious.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21A little bit of pepper...
0:18:21 > 0:18:27And...pure extravagance... sorry I'm wobbling, Richard...
0:18:27 > 0:18:33I feel a bit sick, actually, Keith. He'll reply one of these days...
0:18:33 > 0:18:39I did. Right. There's our sauce. I think that's OK.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45Mm! It's a delicious sauce, a delicious fillet of crayfish.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Try and make it a little bit more decorative...
0:18:57 > 0:19:03And I'm going to offer this to the captain, to the skipper.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08Naturally, the divers who caught it will have to eat the Scotch broth!
0:19:08 > 0:19:11There is a class structure.
0:19:11 > 0:19:18We'll call this after the ship - Crayfish Sulair Sgorr.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29Excellent! All right, is it? Delicious indeed.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Can you tell me the name of the ship again?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33I can't pronounce it properly.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37The name of the vessel is Sulair Sgorr. Sulair Sgorr.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42You don't need to have had too many Scottish ones together muddled. What does it mean?
0:19:42 > 0:19:46It means Gannet Rock in Gaelic.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48But this is far better than gannet.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Great. That's it, I've done my bit. I'll do the washing up now.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Back to being the galley boy, as usual. OK. Thanks a bundle.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00You wouldn't lash us up another one, would you, Keith?
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Sure I will. Yes, thank you.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And some nice white wine as well? I forgot the wine!
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Back on terra firma, it's time to go to St Margaret's Hope
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and meet one of Orkney's rising stars, Alan Craigie.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Without any further ado,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18a quick swig of this homebrew from... Your auntie or uncle makes this?
0:20:18 > 0:20:21That's right. Cheers. Terrifying stuff. They said if I drank a whole glass of this
0:20:21 > 0:20:23I would be carried out of this place.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26But I don't think that's going to happen.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Talk me around these dishes. They look superb.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31This one is poached turbot.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Poached in a fish stock with a wee touch of white wine
0:20:34 > 0:20:38and finished off with a mild mustard grain sauce.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Looks delicious. Very good indeed.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44This one is halibut.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48It's poached in a wee bit of Noilly Prat and stuffed with some scallops
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and finished off in a fresh chive sauce. Supreme.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54You've been in Los Angeles, you've been around the world,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58you've been cooking for kings, senators, princes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Why on earth have you come back to this place?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Why? Well, I suppose you've always got to come back to where you belong,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07and the location here is second to none.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11When you can get food like this, it's well worth being here, I would say.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16What was Los Angeles like? It was big, smoggy, dirty, smelly.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The food was disgusting.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Even their markets where you would go and buy what they term as...
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Fair enough, the vegetables look beautiful, lovely big tomatoes,
0:21:27 > 0:21:28massive strawberries.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32They all look very presentable, but they had no taste at all.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Every thing seemed to be forced.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Even the fish, if you went for scallops they were all pre-poached
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and the salmon you got, it was just crap.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Even the beef. My mate Ewan Donaldson was out there for a wee while on holiday,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49he's a butcher, and he just couldn't believe the quality of the beef.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51He said he couldn't sell it in his shop.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Although you get the sunshine and the sand and all the rest, you can't get food, that's for sure.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Alan, you are my newest and freshest chum, but this is my program,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02hop it, mate, because I'm going to cook some soup, OK?
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Thanks, that was superb. OK, cheers.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07This is the beginning of the end sequence of the first phase
0:22:07 > 0:22:09of my Cullen skink recipe.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Cullen is a village near... Somewhere or other in Scotland.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15It's a fish soup. It is very simple.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Look at the ingredients very quickly.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Superb haddock, lightly smoked,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22no nasty artificial flavourings or colourings in that.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26A bit of flour, a few potatoes cut up, tatties as we call them here.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Onions, a bit of butter, a bit of cream,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32local Orkney cream from the wonderful cows here.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35And Alan does this in a modern way, I've pinched his recipe.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Rather than boiling it up in milk, he uses a real fish stock,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41finishes it off with cream and makes
0:22:41 > 0:22:44a modern but classic Scottish soup. OK? Off we go.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Thanks to the magic of television, the soup is almost ready
0:22:53 > 0:22:57to add the haddock, but before I do, let me explain exactly what I did.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Melted some butter in the pan, added some sliced onions
0:22:59 > 0:23:02until they were soft, stirred in some flour to make a roux,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06poured in the fish stock to make the sauce which we have,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08added the potatoes, let it simmer for 20 minutes.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Now time for the haddock.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15In the haddock goes, in nice bite-sized pieces. No problem.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18And that simmers for another 10 to 15 minutes
0:23:18 > 0:23:20until the fish gets really tender.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23In the meanwhile, let me show you this.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25This is a bannock. What is a bannock?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It's a very simple Orkney griddle cake made from the locally-milled
0:23:29 > 0:23:33barley flour, which is this, which in turn is mixed
0:23:33 > 0:23:36with milk, cream of tartar and baking powder
0:23:36 > 0:23:37until you have this sort of paste.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40It's formed into a shape, whacked onto the pan
0:23:40 > 0:23:42and cook either side for about five minutes.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45The best way to enjoy one of those, if not with the Cullen skink soup,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48is of course with a piece of Orkney cheese.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Wonderful, locally-made farmer's unpasteurised Orkney cheese.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54It's absolutely superb.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Meanwhile, back at the soup, have a good luck,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01because I think it's nearly OK. Needs a few more minutes to cook.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02The best way to really enjoy that
0:24:02 > 0:24:05and to get the full flavour of the Orkneys, from its legends,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07its history, its mists of time,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11is through a poem by the great Orcadian, George Mackay Brown.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Beach shineth in blackness After hard voyage
0:24:16 > 0:24:18A hidden valley
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Hills for bees to be hived Beasts kept
0:24:22 > 0:24:24A cod-hungry boat
0:24:24 > 0:24:28A comfort of fire in the crofts
0:24:28 > 0:24:31we furled sail Set firm our feet
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Stone laid against stone
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Laboured long till ebb of light
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Hungry men round a dead hearth
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Dreamed I that darkness?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Of horse Harp, hallowed harvest?
0:24:52 > 0:24:55That was good. I know we're not Omnibus, but that was a good poem.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Anyway, it is a cookery programme. Richard, deep into here.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Have a good sniff and a good look.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The pieces of haddock, the potato, the onions and stuff like that.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07All I need to finish the soup off, add a little cream, not too much,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and a bit of fresh parsley,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and then this is the moment in the program when I invite our guest.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Richard, where are you? We haven't got much time left.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21This is the moment when I invite our guest who has leant us his place to give us his opinion on this.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Usual rules apply - "yes, it's brilliant"
0:25:23 > 0:25:25and you stay in the program.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Anything less firm than that and of course we edit you out.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30You don't mind that, do you?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So you've got about 30 seconds to taste this,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and it's either "yes" or "yes definitely."
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Tell me what you think. What will he do? Will he be edited out?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Yes, definitely. Lovely. It's all right, is it?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Is that Orkney on a plate in fact?
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Without a doubt.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I'm very proud of it. Beautiful.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Thanks for teaching me the recipe. My pleasure.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58The thing is, what I also do on these programs,
0:25:58 > 0:25:59I learn a great deal.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Although I'm carrying my flag saying, "eat simple, eat fresh."
0:26:02 > 0:26:06It isn't without these people who can cook really sophisticated meals
0:26:06 > 0:26:09that I learn these very simple things from.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Simple food, well cooked, with love and with heart is the best.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Isn't that? That's it, without a doubt. Brilliant.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23The island of Stronsay is not the fishing centre it once was.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26But, happily, tradition dies hard.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Certainly, the tradition of running to the pub will never die.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37In the garden, the works raven guards the landlord's smokery.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44"The appliance of science," quoth the raven.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49A born again refrigerator - another example of Orcadian practicality.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55But this evening is special. Folk come from far and near,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59drawn to the social event of the week.
0:26:59 > 0:27:05It is, of course, the ceilidh held at the village hall.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16John is the local witch-doctor. He doesn't mind if I call him that.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21All that evil liquid goes into this "bridescog",
0:27:21 > 0:27:26and it gets passed round and you all have a little slurp!
0:27:26 > 0:27:32How's it doing? Not bad. Is this drink unique to Stronsay?
0:27:32 > 0:27:37Oh, yes. Look, John, I'm taking an executive decision.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42He tells me it isn't quite ready. I don't think I care any more!
0:27:42 > 0:27:47How much of this should I drink in any one day, in any one go?
0:27:49 > 0:27:53My God, it's like an alcoholic curry!
0:27:53 > 0:27:57It's brilliant. I'm now going for a little reel!
0:27:57 > 0:28:00SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE MUSIC
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Stronsay's brew is top secret,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33but I can reveal that it contains home-brewed beer,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36pepper, sugar, rum and whisky.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39They don't take any prisoners,
0:28:39 > 0:28:44and thank God there isn't a ceilidh EVERY night in high summer!
0:28:44 > 0:28:48The nights only last about ten minutes!
0:28:48 > 0:28:53Day turns to night and back again as swiftly as a dram slips down.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56MUSIC PLAYS IN DISTANCE
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Thank you!
0:29:01 > 0:29:06It's a brilliant way to end a brilliant series!
0:29:06 > 0:29:11We've champed all over the country from Belfast to Somerset,
0:29:11 > 0:29:17Scotland for gigot and langoustines, Norfolk for its dumplings,
0:29:17 > 0:29:22and Orkney for its bridescog, which is absolutely amazing!
0:29:22 > 0:29:26I used to be a highly-paid TV presenter,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29until I discovered this!
0:29:57 > 0:30:02Subtitles by BBC Scotland - 1988