0:00:19 > 0:00:27You know, making TV programmes isn't all beer and skittles. Sometimes it's champagne and roses.
0:00:27 > 0:00:34Like this dream BBC mini-break. Me in the BBC Batmobile, grinding up the mountainsides of Provence
0:00:34 > 0:00:39with the intention of telling you about "Floyd en France".
0:00:39 > 0:00:47It's such a wonderful experience driving along. Your nose is assaulted by lavender and thyme,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52your eyes are drawn though I daren't lest I tumble overboard
0:00:52 > 0:00:58by wonderful views of sunflowers, cherry orchards, and stuff like that.
0:00:58 > 0:01:06Years ago, you know, I used to live here. This is my first time back in, what, I dunno, ten years.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11And yet I feel, even though I'm a foreigner, that I'm coming home
0:01:11 > 0:01:16coming home to the heart, for me, of civilisation and gastronomy.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And I'd like you to share this wonderful time with me.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Now then, my little gastronauts,
0:02:08 > 0:02:16if you're feeling off-colour, a bit jaded, the next half-hour will put you back into the pink.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20To quote the great Ford Madox Ford:
0:02:20 > 0:02:27"Below Lyons on the Rhone The sun is shining There, there is no more any evil
0:02:27 > 0:02:35"For the apple will not flourish And the Brussels sprout will not grow at all."
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Anyway, it's time for breakfast
0:02:38 > 0:02:44at this remote auberge on the slopes of Mont Ventoux:
0:02:44 > 0:02:49where trucks never die they become chicken shacks.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Mme and M. Dover quit Paris for the country
0:02:53 > 0:02:56to grow their own food.
0:02:56 > 0:03:05After 8 years under the big yellow sun, they have nearly achieved their dream. Powerful script, eh?
0:03:05 > 0:03:11There's nothing smug about these people nor their ambition.
0:03:11 > 0:03:18My director, who thinks I'm right of Vlad the Impaler, was surprised I liked Christian Dover.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24He's no drop-out. He's acquired all the skills of a mountain farmer,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27winning his neighbours' respect.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Bonne sante!
0:03:30 > 0:03:38Like nectar! A dusty drive, he's been farming all morning, and we're having a well-deserved breakfast.
0:03:38 > 0:03:46Come and look at this breakfast, which you lot don't deserve because you haven't done the work we have.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Home-produced stuff. Really a Vermeer painting.
0:03:50 > 0:03:57You've got home-cured ham, home-grown onions, lovely tomatoes,
0:03:57 > 0:04:03apricot jam, fruit from the fields, home-made pork terrine, olives,
0:04:03 > 0:04:09delight of delights: real truffles, not nasty things in tins,
0:04:09 > 0:04:14goats' cheeses in various stages an old one, a fresh one...
0:04:14 > 0:04:20That's a fresh one with sarriette a kind of wild rosemary.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25Come up, Clive, because I want to say this is such a beautiful feast,
0:04:25 > 0:04:33that I have to have a little slice to make me feel happy, before I involve Christian. Christian...
0:04:33 > 0:04:41Explique-moi comment tu trouves les truffes. He's going to tell us how he finds the truffles.
0:04:41 > 0:04:49En anglais si tu peux. Si je peux. Truffle I find with a dog, yes? A little dog.
0:04:49 > 0:04:56And, eh...the dog smells... smells the truffles.
0:04:56 > 0:05:06And with his leg make a little hole and I take a little...un outil... Comment "outil"? A little tool.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11And I make a hole about 20 centimetres
0:05:11 > 0:05:17and I find a truffle. What would happen... What would happen...
0:05:17 > 0:05:21if your little dog ate a truffle?
0:05:22 > 0:05:29Oh, it's not possible. Because I prefer a little dog... Because a LITTLE dog...
0:05:29 > 0:05:35has little legs, hein? And he cannot make a big hole.
0:05:35 > 0:05:43And I can take the truffle before...before him. OK ? By the way, this particular one...
0:05:43 > 0:05:50It's what we call a white truffle. I know it's black but it's white, OK ? It's worth about ten quid.
0:05:50 > 0:05:59The black ones cost up to ?250 a kilo. That's why they're called black diamonds of Provence.
0:05:59 > 0:06:06Some people slice ounces of truffles into a thick omelette and eat it cold. It's great!
0:06:06 > 0:06:13Christian puts truffles and eggs into an air-tight box for 48 hours.
0:06:13 > 0:06:21The eggs absorb the flavour and his omelette tastes of truffle but leaves them to be used again.
0:06:21 > 0:06:27^ Can you explain what's in the soup? What? Explain what's in the soup.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Ah. Viewers, this is what we do when we're not making movies.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37Good, isn't it? Provence, sunshine, and soup a remarkable soup.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39COUGHING
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Stop coughing when I'm speaking. He's the lighting man.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Anyway, this is soupe au pistou.
0:06:47 > 0:06:54The essental thing is lots of fresh vegetables like carrots, beans and haricot beans, these white ones...
0:06:54 > 0:06:58It's just water, there's no meat stock.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04And it's flavoured with fresh basil and garlic and olive oil.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Alright? Yeah, it was quite good. OK. End board.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Yes, I know. I'm posing.
0:07:26 > 0:07:34But it's MY show and if you don't get a buzz out of being here, you're on the way out.
0:07:34 > 0:07:42You can't HELP being carried away by the scents and the colours! The atmosphere is heady, magical...
0:07:42 > 0:07:45The Romans got here 2,000 years ago
0:07:45 > 0:07:50and this ancient land has turned the hearts of man ever since.
0:07:50 > 0:07:58Van Gogh knew there was a better place for a painter to live than the north, so he came south.
0:07:58 > 0:08:05Who says he was mad? At least his adopted home stopped him from painting tulips from Amsterdam.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13# I go to parties Sometimes until four
0:08:13 > 0:08:19# It's hard to leave When you can't find the door
0:08:19 > 0:08:24# It's tough to handle This fortune and fame
0:08:24 > 0:08:29# Everybody's so different I have been changed... #
0:08:29 > 0:08:36That's enough self-indulgence. Now for a short burst of architecture, the director's favourite bit.
0:08:36 > 0:08:44This says, "The buildings grow organically, taking in influences of landscape and climate.
0:08:44 > 0:08:51"Villages cling to the sides of the mountain like raspberry coulis to a vacherin." Etc etc.
0:08:51 > 0:09:00I've had a long, wonderful lunch and all good lunches must end with the eau de vie water of life.
0:09:05 > 0:09:11You may think "eau de vie water of life" is a bit corny,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16but it WAS a source of inspiration, living here in L'Isle-s-La-Sorgue,
0:09:16 > 0:09:23a town of canals and waterwheels, once famous for silk-spinning.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Anyway, it's Sunday morning
0:09:26 > 0:09:30and Sunday is so different in Provence.
0:09:30 > 0:09:37In England, we get up late, read the papers, have a quick half in the pub, watch TV and go to bed.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Here, on Sundays, everybody gathers.
0:09:41 > 0:09:48The farmers come to sell. People trade, they touch, they sniff...
0:09:48 > 0:09:52They get really carried away by the food.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And the food comes from so many influences:
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs, Greeks, Moors...
0:09:59 > 0:10:04all contributed to Provence's style. Even the Italians!
0:10:04 > 0:10:06And I don't mean pizza and pasta.
0:10:06 > 0:10:15The Italians taught the French to cook. Heresy? No, it's true!
0:10:15 > 0:10:21Anyway, that's enough "let's look at Provence" commentary.
0:10:21 > 0:10:30I never intended to buy fish, and here's a whole row of fish auditioning for my next series.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Pour huit personnes, les deux kilos.
0:10:34 > 0:10:41For 34 francs, about three quid, and the price of a few vegetables you can buy a kilo of these fish
0:10:41 > 0:10:49and make a superb soupe de poisson for 8 people. I'll show you how, and it's brilliant!
0:10:52 > 0:10:57I'm going to make a vegetable rainbow. How do you get rainbows?
0:10:57 > 0:11:05You need lots and lots of sunshine. That's why these vegetables are so colourful and succulent.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10Not bitter and hard, they're gentle and soft like this whole area is.
0:11:10 > 0:11:17Peppers, courgettes... You get them at home, but these are different. They're misshapen.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22That's because they're grown organically and naturally.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27Fabulous. Purple aubergines for a ratatouille I'm making later on.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32Superb green peppers along with the red ones.
0:11:32 > 0:11:40In England, you're petrified to pick up fruit and vegetables because they're all in cling-wrap.
0:11:40 > 0:11:47Here, if you don't touch and smell, they think you're mad because you don't trust our own judgement.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Anyway, I must get on. Monsieur...?
0:11:52 > 0:11:56And this is what it's all about down here. Garlic.
0:11:56 > 0:12:02Not those miserable little ones in boxes, but fat, violet cloves
0:12:02 > 0:12:07which enhance and enrich the superb cuisine of this area.
0:12:07 > 0:12:15Here they make their mayonnaise with olive oil and crush garlic into it to make an aioli
0:12:15 > 0:12:20a pungent, yellow ochre thing a sunshine-wobbly jelly.
0:12:20 > 0:12:27And with aioli I'm putting these down, Clive you eat this superb salted cod.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31The English consider it a poor man's dish,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36but here it's soaked for 24 hours then poached gently in plain water,
0:12:36 > 0:12:41served with boiled carrots, potatoes and a bowl of aioli.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46And another thing that is very important to this region is olives.
0:12:46 > 0:12:53You eat these while you're cooking, while you're sipping your aperitif:
0:12:53 > 0:13:00which might be white wine with creme de cassis, or it might just be chilled red wine.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06There isn't much white wine here, so you drink cold rose or red wine.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11There's about 50 varieties. Little, hard, bitter ones...
0:13:11 > 0:13:15or mixed with vegetables in brine or vinegar.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18These have red peppers in them.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Here, they're just dry and hard.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25These have spices like paprika, and olive oil.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Delicious, nutty, green ones...
0:13:28 > 0:13:34Slightly purply ones... In fact, a whole range of beautiful olives.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38MILITARY MUSIC ON TAPE RECORDER
0:13:40 > 0:13:44The star of 1,000 holiday snaps the town crier.
0:13:44 > 0:13:52If we filmed him later in the day, it could be difficult. He gets a bit..."wobbly".
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Anyway, it's time for lunch and cooking sketch number one.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I've got myself into such a mess!
0:14:01 > 0:14:06Driving, shopping... And it's about 100 degrees outside!
0:14:06 > 0:14:11I promised some very old friends... Excuse me, while I...
0:14:11 > 0:14:16I promised them a mind-blowing Provencal lunch. Great (!)
0:14:16 > 0:14:24But the crew went one way, I went another, the director went sky high because he couldn't find anybody...
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Anyway, here I am in the kitchen to cook some marvellous things.
0:14:29 > 0:14:35I didn't plan it, but the director really wanted some fish soup,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39so I went to the market and bought some fish.
0:14:39 > 0:14:45Look at this wonderful selection. That's a miniature whiting.
0:14:45 > 0:14:51Poisson de roche a rock fish. Conger eel. Red mullet.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56And miniature gurnard, which they use for lobster bait in Cornwall.
0:14:56 > 0:15:03You buy fish as "soupe de poisson". You don't buy a kilo of assorted fish. It's sold by the dish.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09The other ingredients you need are some finely chopped leeks,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12some finely crushed garlic,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17some very expensive saffron but the French don't mind expense
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and some really good olive oil.
0:15:20 > 0:15:27And because I've driven a long way, and the shopping and excitement, I need a slight drink.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Anyway, come over with me, Clive, please. Over to the pan.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39I put a drop of olive oil in here. The pan is already hot, OK ?
0:15:39 > 0:15:46It's not my kitchen. As usual we've begged, borrowed, and conned our way in.
0:15:46 > 0:15:52Excuse me, Clive, I'll go get the garlic, which I forgot.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57In goes the garlic. And the saffron goes in much later.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02It's what we call to "mijoter" to cook gently over a hot flame.
0:16:02 > 0:16:10We let that sweat down... You've learnt some French! Come over here and help me carry over this fish...
0:16:10 > 0:16:17The sound man will go bananas. I just crashed a pan. But you can't help that.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22I promised my friends lunch at 12, and it's now 3 o'clock French time.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28But you're watching in winter, so...you won't worry about it.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31In they go. Stay on there, please.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Where's the salt? It's not my kitchen. I don't know where I am...
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Sea salt is best for this. Try not to use the refined stuff.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46Then to speed up the cooking process... You add some water.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51To speed it up, I'm using boiling water.
0:16:51 > 0:16:58Like that. Now, that's all we do for the moment. While that simmers away, have a good look at that.
0:16:58 > 0:17:06That epitomises the beauty of French cookery. The colours, the oil floating on top...
0:17:06 > 0:17:13And we shall add more oil. When we put it through a mouli, that will make it more wonderful.
0:17:13 > 0:17:21These people are hungry people. They work in the fields and offices and eat huge meals.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Which reminds me how thirsty I am.
0:17:24 > 0:17:32So I've prepared a classic French dish. A poulet de fermier a handreared, maize-fed chicken
0:17:32 > 0:17:35roasted with cloves of garlic.
0:17:35 > 0:17:43While I was preparing this, I heard Madame, my host, say: "Ca ne se fait pas comme ca."
0:17:43 > 0:17:51"That's not how they do it." They put salt all over it and a crust of flour to seal in the garlic flavour.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55But I don't know everything about French cooking. Here's what I did.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00Good, free-range chickens, 30 or 40 cloves of garlic,
0:18:00 > 0:18:06fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, olive oil and into the oven.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10I think they know what an oven is, Clive (!)
0:18:10 > 0:18:15Right. One very important thing here is the ratatouille.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20This is a stew of aubergines, peppers, courgettes and tomatoes.
0:18:20 > 0:18:27In England it's often made very badly because it all goes into one big pot and gets boiled up.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32The way to make ratatouille is to cook the ingredients separately.
0:18:32 > 0:18:38We start with this blue pot "bleu" en francais
0:18:38 > 0:18:45and in there I've got aubergines and courgettes and fresh thyme gently sweating away in olive oil.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Separately, I've cored the tomatoes and sauteed them in olive oil.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55I'm now going to add them to those other vegetables there.
0:18:55 > 0:19:02And, equally, I've prepared some green and red peppers.
0:19:02 > 0:19:09I took out the pulpy bit inside, sliced them and sweated them in olive oil. And they go in.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17And these lovely sweet white onions also part-cooked in olive oil.
0:19:19 > 0:19:27Van Gogh couldn't have painted a better picture. That's why he moved here, for these colours.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32The cuisine de Midi and the colours that go with it.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38I reckon that was a brilliant take. I need a little rest.
0:19:38 > 0:19:45When I lived here I painted a masterpiece. You have a look at that and I'll see you later.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56For those of you who can't afford a cook-book
0:19:56 > 0:20:04and who insist on knowing how long things take to cook, that was about 30 minutes.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09The fish has broken away from the bones, which is what we want.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12We whack in our saffron,
0:20:12 > 0:20:17and, to enrich it, stir it round and whack in some more olive oil.
0:20:17 > 0:20:25Look at the beautiful ochre colour, the colour of the mountains of Apt, one of the regions around here.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30Now all I have to do is to lift this great pot over...
0:20:30 > 0:20:38and we have to do the business of putting it through the mouli so we get rid of all the bones.
0:20:38 > 0:20:46But I can't do that on my own so... Monique! This is my friend Monique. We've been friends for 100 years.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50She'll help me finish the soup. This is actually her house.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Lovely lady. Merci. Mm-hm.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Moi, je passe la soupe la-dedans.
0:20:58 > 0:21:06Clive, watch this very carefully. First, to make this soup you need a beautiful lady with blue eyes.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15I need a spoon to lift it in there. Tu veux que je t'aides? Oui.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20We've never worked together before so it's always a bit difficult.
0:21:20 > 0:21:28You need beautiful blue eyes, you need sunshine, good friends, and four pairs of hands.
0:21:28 > 0:21:34Vas-y, vas-y, vas-y. OK ? Et comme ca...
0:21:34 > 0:21:41You get really attractive ladies to do the turning, and stand back with a glass of wine.
0:21:41 > 0:21:49You see, it's a pays d'homme. Un peu de jus. No, it isn't really a male-dominated country,
0:21:49 > 0:21:54because they start ordering you around. A bit of juice. Merci.
0:21:56 > 0:22:04And you grind and grind and grind. Meanwhile, you show the punters... oh, he's just passed me a note.
0:22:04 > 0:22:11I forgot to mention the aioli, which is a wonderful mayonnaise flavoured with saffron.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16You spread it on bread which you eventually will float in the soup.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20You've seen enough grinding, enough aioli.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25I've made some other dishes and we'll rejoin you in a second.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30# Ooh, Boston beans, soy beans...
0:22:30 > 0:22:33# Green beans,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36# Cabbage and greens, Home cooking!
0:22:36 > 0:22:40# I'm not eatin' a butter bean
0:22:40 > 0:22:44# Unless it is a giri-giri-bean, boy
0:22:44 > 0:22:50# I love coffee, I love tea,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54# I love the java-jive and it loves me!
0:22:54 > 0:22:57# Coffee and tea,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02# The java and me! A cuppa-cuppa-cuppa-cuppa-cup! #
0:23:02 > 0:23:07I've cooked them a meal. I hope they'll eat it.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12It was roast chicken with garlic, fish soup, ratatouille,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15apricots stuffed with goat's cheese
0:23:15 > 0:23:21and a salad of basil, tomato and cheese tossed in olive oil.
0:23:21 > 0:23:29I know you read the Sunday Times and the Guardian so you won't need a translation when I ask them:
0:23:29 > 0:23:34C'est mangeable ou pas? Magnifique! Tres bien! Vraiment? Oui!
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Well, c'etait la preuve. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44We're wonderful, they're wonderful, and I'm really tired.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48I'm off to the jacuzzi in my luxurious hotel room.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52# I love coffee, I love tea
0:23:52 > 0:23:56# I love the java-jive and it loves me
0:23:56 > 0:23:59# Coffee and tea
0:23:59 > 0:24:05# The java and me A cuppa-cuppa-cuppa-cuppa
0:24:05 > 0:24:07# Gone! #
0:24:20 > 0:24:27The classical views of Provence. Classical music. The air brilliant and clear.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30The bright sun. The architecture.
0:24:30 > 0:24:38He wanted lots of culture. I'm not very good at that and Frank Bough couldn't do it. He's on holiday.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43There's a church. Think of something meaningful to say.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Look, those belfries. That's very Provencal.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52Little villages and stuff like that...
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and vines, you see...
0:25:04 > 0:25:11Ah. And here's one of me again dressed as a custard tart. I'm on a pilgrimage, actually.
0:25:11 > 0:25:18I'm coming back to the Restaurant St Hubert after more years than I care to remember.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23That is a shellfish soup. You break the crust,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and you smell the aroma of fresh langoustines. Heaven!
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Some of you like my programmes, some have never seen me before.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Some think I'm an arrogant twit. Well, I'll tell you a secret.
0:25:40 > 0:25:48The only reason I'm here is that about 20 years ago I met a man who profoundly influenced my life.
0:25:48 > 0:25:56He was a local lad. A simple chap. Left school at 15. Took over a cafe he couldn't really afford.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01It was full of rough drunks bursting in with shotguns
0:26:01 > 0:26:05while he served up bowls of steaming soup.
0:26:05 > 0:26:0820 years later,
0:26:08 > 0:26:15he's cooking some of the finest food. You won't find him in the Michelin Guide.
0:26:15 > 0:26:23He's Claude Arnot, a simple man who cooks brilliant food. He's my hero. That's why I'm here in Provence.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27You know, there's nothing magic about cooking.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31It takes years of learning.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37I'd have given my right arm to train under a man like Claude.
0:26:37 > 0:26:45He's very strict, but he's a perfectionist and he fills these blokes with enthusiasm.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52Look at this guy folding up his envelope for fish en papillote.
0:26:52 > 0:26:59Those of you who write about me putting my fingers in food better stop when you've seen this!
0:26:59 > 0:27:07I'm not too sure about that... but the cooking will get rid of anything nasty he's blown in.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Cut it open, and the aroma comes wafting out.
0:27:12 > 0:27:18Fresh courgettes, tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, fresh bream and herbs.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Cooking under this guy makes me nervous,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28plus the canaries twittering, as is the director.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33So, we've already started making this wonderful dish of Claude's.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38It's a very white chicken breast fried very gently in butter
0:27:38 > 0:27:42and then served with a curious beetroot sauce.
0:27:42 > 0:27:50We've already cooked that for about 4 minutes on each side very gently so it hasn't dried up.
0:27:50 > 0:27:56And I put it on there. Qu'est-ce que je fais? Le couvercle...
0:27:56 > 0:28:02I cover that so it doesn't dry. A little bit of grease...
0:28:02 > 0:28:06And we'll lift off a bit of the grease.
0:28:06 > 0:28:14It takes two to tango! We've never worked together before. I've always been a customer here.
0:28:14 > 0:28:20Take away a little bit of the fat. Add a little bit of shallots...
0:28:20 > 0:28:26Which I let just soften... Is that right? C'est vrai? Yes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31Quand elles sont transparentes, c'est bon.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36OK. I leave them there for about 30 seconds so they soften.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41I put nearly a glass of white wine in. OK ?
0:28:41 > 0:28:45And let that, eh...I think... reduce a little.
0:28:45 > 0:28:52C'est plus chaud. Oui? You can see, I don't even know where the hot part of the stove is.
0:28:52 > 0:28:58Working with these really good people makes you a bit nervous.
0:28:58 > 0:29:05We'll have to let that bubble down for a second. We might as well have a glass while it's reducing.
0:29:05 > 0:29:13You know I really enjoy wittering, chatting, drinking. Having to do this is, em, a bit worrying.
0:29:13 > 0:29:21Right. That's nearly ready now. C'est bon? Non, non. Oh, I have to leave it a bit longer.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26I'll ask the director what to do while I'm waiting for it to reduce.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31Walk out of shot would be an idea. I'll do that.
0:29:31 > 0:29:39Some years ago, a Parisian painter came here and fell in love with the place and stayed and painted.
0:29:41 > 0:29:50But he was broke, so he gave the hotel these pictures which are now worth a fortune!
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Who said cooks are daft?
0:29:56 > 0:30:01So, we've reduced the shallots and the white wine
0:30:01 > 0:30:06and then we put in fresh cream and just let it reduce a tiny bit.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Salt and pepper, I forgot that.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16Little bit of salt, a grind or two of pepper.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22It's about 102 degrees outside in the shade. It really is.
0:30:22 > 0:30:30This is July in the middle of Provence. It's damned hot and it's unbelievable in here!
0:30:30 > 0:30:37For any of you making cream sauces, as soon as it sticks to the spoon like that, it's ready. OK ?
0:30:37 > 0:30:43CONSTANT STREAM OF FRENCH He's a bit hard, this guy!
0:30:43 > 0:30:51Un petite cuillere. Like that? Oui. This is cooked beetroot mashed up with butter.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55And look how lovely it turns it. Lovely purple sauce.
0:30:55 > 0:31:03I'm not the man to take this pace, you know. Il ne faut pas bouillir. I was cooking it too fast there.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08So that's ready. Et maintenant? Tu passes sur l'assiette. Oui.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13God! I'm glad I'm a television presenter, not an apprentice!
0:31:13 > 0:31:21The little bit of juice that is left from covering it is added just to enrich the dish.
0:31:21 > 0:31:29That's the sort of... Yes, I see... That's just the sort of detail that we don't do in England.
0:31:29 > 0:31:36Et la passoire... And now I sieve this through, because we're going to put the chicken on top.
0:31:42 > 0:31:50Like this... Non, non, non! No? A table! I put this over here. You have to follow me, Clive.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55I'm actually getting a proper lesson here, OK ? You see?
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Tu mets l'escalope la... Ah, bon!
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Oh... NOW what have I got to do?
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Essaie de reconstituer...
0:32:11 > 0:32:16I see. I've got to slice it like this and then put it back together.
0:32:16 > 0:32:24Notice we're both wearing plasters today, Claude and I. That's how close we are.
0:32:24 > 0:32:31But culinary-wise, he's streets ahead of me. I've never admitted that on any of my programmes.
0:32:31 > 0:32:39La garniture. Et les tomates... I shall put the garniture on... the garnish on.
0:32:39 > 0:32:45Very thin slice of tomatoes and courgettes,
0:32:45 > 0:32:50baked in olive oil, onions and herbes de Provence.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54A few julienne carrots, lightly cooked...
0:32:54 > 0:32:58and little haricots verts, little green beans...
0:33:03 > 0:33:08Ca peut aller? C'est bon. He said it's bon. It's OK.
0:33:08 > 0:33:14I found it a bit difficult. He's a bit exigant, as we say. MORE FRENCH
0:33:14 > 0:33:22I could have put a little julienne of...thin strips of beetroot to make it really superb,
0:33:22 > 0:33:27but he says what do you expect of someone who makes TV programmes!
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Claude, merci beaucoup. Chin chin. Chin chin.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34BAND PLAYS "LA MARSEILLAISE"
0:34:01 > 0:34:05The river's flowing by and time is running out.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10It's the end of the most fantastic programme I ever made in my life.
0:34:10 > 0:34:18I lived here years ago and I came back. It was a gift from the gods to make a film about this country,
0:34:18 > 0:34:24with colours, scents, fireworks celebrating Bastille Day...
0:34:24 > 0:34:29They're still a crazy lot, getting drunk, dancing in the streets...
0:34:29 > 0:34:37I'm sitting here, stuck inside Memphis with the mobile blues again. But there's a bright side
0:34:37 > 0:34:41a huge barbecue like you've never seen.
0:34:41 > 0:34:46And on this night of explosions, fanfares and fireworks,
0:34:46 > 0:34:51I'm going to cook a brilliant barbecue for all my new friends.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55We don't get catering vans.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00We had to beg, borrow or steal our way in and actually made friends!
0:35:00 > 0:35:05And I've invited them tonight to say, "Au revoir, Provence!"
0:35:08 > 0:35:16This might look amazingly luxurious to you, as you sit around your ?4.25 hibachi barbecue,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20watching this extravaganza of Floyd on fire.
0:35:20 > 0:35:26But it's not extraordinary for these people. They LIVE outdoors.
0:35:26 > 0:35:33These are merguez spicy sausages. You just need a plane ticket and three and six a pound.
0:35:33 > 0:35:41These are chitling sausages. You can buy chitlings in butchershops all over the place.
0:35:41 > 0:35:47More merguez spicy Arab-style sausages.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52Here, a little tray of sardines sizzling merrily away.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57And a little bit of luxury some quail.
0:35:57 > 0:36:03Lamb kebabs marinated in lemon juice, herbes de Provence and olive oil.
0:36:03 > 0:36:11And what I'm going to do before I feed my friends, and we promised we'd feed them at 7.30
0:36:11 > 0:36:18right now it's five past eleven, they're all very happy, very, very you-know-what-I-mean.
0:36:18 > 0:36:26But any minute, they'll erupt like fireworks, like the visions of this ancient, erotic country.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30And the piece de resistance...
0:36:30 > 0:36:37is going to be this bass, flamed in cognac and fennel which I picked in the hedgerow.
0:36:45 > 0:36:54Mesdames, messieurs, je regrette que vous avez attendu... Voila! Bravo!
0:36:54 > 0:37:00Ca fait une belle image. C'est ca qui compte!
0:37:00 > 0:37:07I said it's bound to be disgusting but the pictures will be fabulous.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12Clive and I are back in business. I say goodnight to them.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Cheerio, Provence. We'll be back.
0:37:47 > 0:37:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:37:54 > 0:37:58I'm Nigel Slater, a cook. And I'm Adam Henson, a farmer.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00We're joining forces to get us
0:38:00 > 0:38:03all back in touch with where our food really comes from.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06You asked me to grow some durum wheat to produce your pasta.