Gregg Wallace on Potatoes and Clarissa Dickson Wright on Pork Great British Food Revival


Gregg Wallace on Potatoes and Clarissa Dickson Wright on Pork

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-The best British produce is under threat.

-At the mercy of foreign invaders, market forces...

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-..and food fashion.

-Produce that has been around for centuries...

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..could die out within a generation.

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So together, we're on a mission...

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-..to save it.

-We'll give the best tips how to find it, grow it and cook it.

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And, crucially, how to put sensational British produce...

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..back on the food map.

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When you look at the supermarket shelves nowadays, you simply don't see

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the hundreds of potato varieties that used to be available to us.

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Well, I am on a mission to bring those varieties back to our dinner plates.

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Growing potatoes is a vital part of our heritage.

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We've done it for over 500 years, and for centuries,

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potatoes have played an important part in the British diet.

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But shockingly, over the past 40 years, 97% of potato farmers have left the industry,

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and heritage varieties have all but disappeared from our supermarket shelves.

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In my campaign to revive the ailing British potato, I'll be meeting

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the unsung heroes who are striving to secure our heritage varieties.

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That is the maddest thing I have ever seen!

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I'll be showing you what you can do to save our great British spud.

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The fun of digging them up is you never know what you're going to get underneath.

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And I'll be wowing you with three mouth-watering recipes, including potato dauphinoise.

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That's the closest you'll get to a snog on a plate.

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Because I'm a greengrocer, I often get asked what my favourite vegetable is,

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and I think people are really disappointed when I tell them it's the humble potato.

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But it's the most versatile thing I know.

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I've got lovely memories of my grandmother's roast potatoes.

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I can remember the first time I tasted a Jersey Royal.

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I can also remember my first batch of Pink Fir Apples I sold to the restaurants.

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Where would we be without mash?

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Where would we be without chips?

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It breaks my heart to think we are not making the most of this beautiful crop.

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Here in Britain, we know how to grow great spuds.

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We produce over six million tons of them every year, and most of the spuds we do eat are homegrown.

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But our tasty tubers have taken a bit of an image battering in recent years.

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One in ten adults think they don't contain any nutritional benefits,

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and the younger generation are turning to foreign rivals.

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I prefer rice or pasta, because they're a lot easier to cook.

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They take less time to cook. Potatoes take a lot longer.

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And I also think you can kind of jazz up pasta and rice a bit more interestingly than potatoes.

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They tend to be quite boring, I suppose.

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Healthy? Absolutely not! Not the way I coat them!

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I put so much olive oil in them that I don't think you'd call that healthy.

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I think potatoes do have an image problem.

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My children definitely seem to think so.

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If I give them a choice and I say, "Do you want mashed potato or baked potatoes?" They go, "No! Pasta!"

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I want to find out how the industry is combating this huge threat.

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So I've come to this commercial potato farm at Aberlady in East Lothian,

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where the owner also happens to be the chairman of the Potato Council.

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What is happening to potato growing in this country?

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One of the challenges is that

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we have structural decline in demand for potatoes.

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Some people think potatoes can be unhealthy, but also some people feel that

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there are more convenient and immediate ways in which you can cook a meal, using rice and pasta.

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How can that be right, that people are turning their back on the British spud?

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Well, people don't necessarily want to have to peel a potato.

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But we are able to offer now a whole range of potato products, from fresh to processed, that provide

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immediate convenience, just as easy and quick to cook as rice or pasta, but much more nutritious.

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There's as much vitamin C in a potato as in a glass of tomato juice. People don't realise.

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Are people just going for all-rounders, and is it making potatoes a bit dull?

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It's a challenge, yes.

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There are many people who don't know one potato variety from another, and it's up to the industry to

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make sure we show consumers how to make the best use of potatoes.

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Now, the best way to fall back in love with the potato is to get cooking with it.

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I've got here one of my favourite potatoes in the world, and that is the King Edward, OK?

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It's a really good mixture of waxy and floury, and I'm going to prove

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that the only starch that you need in your cupboard is the spud.

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I'm going to make the Italian classic potato gnocchi.

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I've boiled the potatoes in salted water for about ten minutes.

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Now, I'm going to leave those to cool, and I'm going to start my sauce.

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Gnocchi is no different to any other potato dish in that,

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once you've learnt how to make it, like mash,

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or chips or boiled potatoes, once you've learned how to

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do them probably, they will go with any flavours you like, OK?

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Tomato I'm doing now, because I think everyone should know how to make a good tomato sauce.

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Pasta and rice is not part of our heritage.

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They're nice things, but that's not what we grew up with.

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That's not what our culinary tradition is built on.

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We are northern Europeans. We don't grow rice.

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We grow spuds, it's what we do! Right.

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Onions in.

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I'm going to lightly flour this surface.

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I've got here one of my favourite contraptions...

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..a potato ricer. Look.

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Stick that in there...

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..and then you just squeeze, gently squeeze,

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onto the floured surface.

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More flour,

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lightly...

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..over the top.

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And now, all you're doing is bringing this together

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like a dough, and work it.

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Work it and work it,

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like a lump of Play-Doh.

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Look.

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And all we've got is the moisture in that potato and flour. It's light.

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Look at it. Beautiful thing.

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To my base of tomato sauce with onions and garlic, I'm adding some puree to give the flavour more depth.

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You take your gnocchi dough. That's still warm.

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Break a bit off and roll it.

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Now look, that's perfect.

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It's up to you, the size of your gnocchi.

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I just want to break the end bits off.

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I reckon about there, OK?

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That's about the size of it.

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And then you just press your fork into it like that.

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If it starts to come apart on you, put a little bit of flour to hold it.

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Feel it. Get to know it.

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So it's all coming together.

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Before I cook the gnocchi, I need to add herbs to the sauce.

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If it's a soft, leafy herb, it goes in at the end.

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And I've heard chefs say that you shouldn't cut basil,

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you should rip it, cos you lose flavour.

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Well, I'll give any blindfolded chef 50 quid if he can tell me

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the difference between a cut and a ripped basil.

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Stir that in there.

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Then, cook the gnocchi.

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Remember, we've already cooked the potatoes, OK?

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So when they start floating up to the surface, they are done.

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Come on, baby.

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Drain off the excess water, then add the gnocchi to the tomato sauce.

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Mmm.

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OK, one last bit of basil.

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There it is - my great British potato gnocchi.

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It's firm, the potato, yet it's soft.

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You may have never had potato like this before.

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I told you, you don't need pasta.

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Go on, please, just have a go.

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On my campaign to revive the ailing British potato, I've found that

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it's not just farmers who are working hard to produce great-tasting spuds.

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This is the unseen world of potato growing.

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Most people think to grow potatoes you throw seeds in the ground,

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but it's a lot more complicated than that.

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Here in Edinburgh, at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture,

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there's a whole department devoted to potatoes.

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Some are researching new ways of combating crop-threatening diseases, such as potato blight,

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whilst others test the properties of new varieties

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to make sure we have the very best chippers and boilers.

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But what gets me really excited is there's a massive data bank of heritage potatoes.

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OK, so in here we have our living genetic resource collection of over 1,000 potato varieties.

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About 1,000 varieties of potatoes growing here?

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Every year we grow 1,000 varieties of potato

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so that we can keep maintaining the right trueness of type.

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So, are they all stored here?

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Yep. We can see something you might ask for.

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-So is there any particular variety you haven't had?

-Really?

-Yep.

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Do you have any Pentlands?

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-Yeah, sure. Heather will bring one up for us.

-This is mad!

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This machine is like the Noah's Ark of potatoes, and it houses

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some varieties which are no longer grown anywhere else in the world.

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Here at the front we've got Pentland Falcon...

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-Loads.

-Pentland Hawk, Pentland Ivory, Pentland Raven.

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So, all Scottish-bred varieties which aren't very much grown any more.

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Beautiful potatoes, but these probably haven't been on the shelves for 20 years.

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That's right. That's right.

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-Can I have another go?

-Of course.

-A game!

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Salad potatoes - a Roseval?

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Yeah, we should have a Roseval for you.

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Ha-ha!

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That is the maddest thing I have ever seen!

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-Roseval.

-There it is. There you go.

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It's a little bit sad that you can't access these anymore. You can't get 'em.

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Not in supermarkets, but if people want to grow them,

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they're here, ready for us to supply to people.

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One of the reasons we've lost so many of the old-fashioned heritage potatoes

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is that they were prone to the dreaded disease, potato blight,

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which is exactly what happened with this particular potato,

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which contributed to the deaths of over a million people from starvation

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in Ireland in the 19th century.

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-This is Lumpers, and this is the potato which is famous for the Irish potato famine.

-You're kidding!

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And it's now fallen into complete disuse.

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Was the blight that great because they were all growing the same variety?

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-Yeah, that was one of the main reasons.

-I didn't know that. Crikey!

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I kind of want to keep one!

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No, you can have it.

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Incredible. And what is that thing that looks like a turnip?

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This is a new variety bred by a Scottish breeder,

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which is a general-purpose variety called Apache.

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Obviously, it's got a particular look to it,

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and it's a very flavourful potato.

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Mate, that is just weird.

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That's true, but it's eye-catching, though.

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But at the end of the day, it all comes down to taste,

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and I can't be in a room full of spuds without wanting to eat them.

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This is the Apache, which is the new one. You can see already the colour of the flesh.

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And here's the Lumpers, which is much paler flesh colour.

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-Dig in?

-Yeah, go for it. Apache.

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I have to say,

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that is really nice.

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Firm but slightly creamy, really earthy flavour. I really like that.

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And what the potato breeders try and do, is blend

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the best of the old flavour with new disease-resistant characteristics.

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Go for the Lumpers.

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See if it was worth all the angst of the famine.

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The Lumpers has got nowhere near the flavour...

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..of the Apache.

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It's almost slightly watery.

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Whoa! The science of it!

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You know, I had absolutely no idea.

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I find that comforting, that people are working really hard to make sure

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we've got the best chippers, the best boilers, the best roasters.

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I tell you, this has got to help potato sales. It's got to.

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The new varieties, they're just cousins of the old ones.

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The old ones are still living.

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They're living inside the new varieties. They are great.

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If you want to get the most from your spuds, you have to remember that different potatoes do different jobs.

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If you want to make perfect mashed potato, you want a floury potato.

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And the one I've picked here, that you'll be able to get, is the Arran Victory.

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For chips, you want something really, really starchy.

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I've picked the King Edward. It's one of my favourite chippers, OK?

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And for boiling, you want something really waxy.

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This is a beautiful, nutty potato. It's a Charlotte.

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That's a really good salad potato.

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Boils really well. It also roasts really well.

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For my second recipe, I'm going to cook a good, old favourite of mine.

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I've got here a beautiful red Duke of York. And the reason I've picked it is it's slightly waxy.

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I need it waxy, because I don't want it soaking up loads of liquid.

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Start by peeling the potatoes.

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The dauphinoise is a buttery, garlicky, absolute delight.

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I don't know anybody who doesn't like it.

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You bring one of those steaming out of the oven...

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Basically, it's layers of potatoes with pepper, salt, butter and garlic. I mean, who wouldn't love that?

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Would you like me to tell you a story?

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When potatoes were brought to Europe, people wouldn't eat them.

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They were scared of them. The reason is,

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they grew underground and the leaves are related to deadly nightshade, which is poisonous.

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Parmentier said to Louis XVI - the last French king who had his head cut off -

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"I can get the poor to eat potatoes.

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"I'm going to grow some outside the walls of Paris, and would you lend me the Royal Guard?"

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People thought they were valuable because they were being guarded,

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and like all good, blue-collar city dwellers like me,

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they came out at night and nicked 'em.

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And they caught on really quickly, as clever Parmentier knew they would.

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And his name is still celebrated in France with a cut-up potato.

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Peeled 'em, they're clean, we now need to slice 'em.

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Get yourself a mandoline.

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Which is one of these, not a musical instrument.

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You want them about that thick.

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Any thicker, they take too long to cook.

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Any thinner, and they might actually dissolve into mush.

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Keep these in water.

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Can you see how the water's changed colour? That's the starch coming off the potatoes.

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Starch is what makes them sticky.

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Now for the other main ingredient - garlic.

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Sprinkle with some sea salt and crush together.

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I don't know how much you use garlic.

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I'm going to do a dish that big,

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and I'm going to do probably three cloves, OK?

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But I really like garlic.

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There's an old cooking adage which is, you can put in, but you can't take away.

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So if you're not sure, do a little bit.

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And then next time, do a little bit more.

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Drain the potatoes, dry them off, and then you can begin to build your potato layers.

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Once you've covered all the holes in the first layer, OK, finer salt now,

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twist of pepper...

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..little knobs of butter scattered in there.

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It will melt and cook and all ooze in, don't worry.

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And then little bits of garlic that you crushed up, smeared over it.

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It's a messy job. You're going to have it all over your hands.

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That's the beauty of it.

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On MasterChef,

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everybody has to get everything done at breakneck speed.

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It's not like that, cooking at home. If you're late, pour your guests another glass of wine.

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You don't have a bald bloke behind you shouting, "You've got ten minutes!"

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For the sauce, I'm mixing milk and double cream.

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Yum, yum, yum.

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Then pour the liquid over the potatoes until it just covers the surface.

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Stick it in the oven at 180 degrees for about an hour.

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'Ave a butcher's!

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Look at that.

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Oh, baby, baby!

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Mmm!

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A few more little crispy ones on top.

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One of my favourite ways of serving this dish is with

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a good, old-fashioned British pork chop and succulent red cabbage.

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Mmm! Mmm, mmm, mmm!

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It's getting through that crunch to that beautiful softness underneath.

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There's a little hint of garlic there, but the main flavour there is of

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good, British, earthy potatoes, straight out of the ground.

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It's our heritage. It's beautiful.

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That's the closest you'll get to a snog on a plate.

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The past 40 years have been tough for potato farmers, and for many,

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the only way to stay in business was to concentrate on growing

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just one or two varieties, such as the Maris Piper or King Edward.

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But there are some brilliant growers out there who are actually bucking the trend,

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and they are keeping some amazing heritage varieties alive.

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Carroll's Heritage Potatoes in Northumberland

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is a relatively small 50-acre farm,

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but amazingly, they grow 20 different types of heritage potato,

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including this very rare Red King Edward, which dates back to around 1900.

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What's special about them? What would people get from heritage varieties they can't get from the big shops?

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Some of the conventional varieties, Maris Piper,

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they're fine, nothing wrong with them,

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but they tend to be Jack of all trades, master of none.

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If you want a fantastic roast potato, use something like Arran Victory.

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You can have yellow mashed potato out of Yukon Gold.

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You can have some absolutely snow white out of Witch Hill.

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So there's a whole series of things you can do with these

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heritage potatoes that you can't do with the more modern varieties.

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Anthony's lifting his last crop of the season, and now,

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they'll be cold stored, ready to be shipped to customers when they're required.

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Ooh!

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We have some Red King Edward that we were harvesting today.

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Fantastic potato. It's a red potato with the white eyes.

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The opposite to the King Edward that you are probably familiar with,

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which is basically pink eyes with a white skin.

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We think a slightly better taste, but then we would say that!

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-Still a good all-rounder?

-Fantastic.

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Ooh!

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What you have with you is some Shetland Black and some Highland Burgundy.

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I'll just cut through this one here, and you see that it has some blue flesh through, which is fantastic

0:20:490:20:56

if you want to saute potatoes, which keeps the colour.

0:20:560:21:00

And are these ones the equivalent in red, then?

0:21:000:21:02

Yeah, these are Highland Burgundy Red you have in your left hand there.

0:21:020:21:06

And that's it there. So, again, you could call it

0:21:060:21:09

a novelty potato, but it does produce a wow factor on the plate.

0:21:090:21:14

The reason I love heritage spuds is that they have better flavour,

0:21:140:21:18

better texture, colour, and a real taste of history.

0:21:180:21:21

So before I leave, I want to sample Anthony's wife's Union Jack potato recipe.

0:21:210:21:26

Wonderful! Wonderful!

0:21:260:21:28

-For you, Gregg.

-Thank you.

0:21:280:21:30

You've got Salad Blue, Yukon Gold, Red Duke of York and Highland Burgundy.

0:21:300:21:36

Mmm.

0:21:390:21:40

Smashing my way through these. These are delightful.

0:21:420:21:45

This is delicious, which is quite surprising, as I've never been a fan of the Salad Blue potato.

0:21:450:21:50

I thought they were hopeless, the only thing to recommend them was their colour. That's not right.

0:21:500:21:55

Well, they don't yield very well, but they are pretty brilliant potatoes.

0:21:550:21:59

Mmm.

0:21:590:22:01

The fact is, it produces something which gets people thinking, looking,

0:22:010:22:05

discussing food, which is really what we're about.

0:22:050:22:09

I've got to say thank you.

0:22:140:22:16

If it wasn't for people like Lucy and Anthony, we'd lose loads more varieties.

0:22:160:22:20

They've got this wonderful potato, the Arran Victory.

0:22:200:22:23

Beautiful heritage variety.

0:22:230:22:24

The reason I've chosen it, it's light and fluffy.

0:22:240:22:27

It makes wonderful mash, which means it's perfect for

0:22:270:22:30

my last recipe which is the good old British traditional shepherd's pie.

0:22:300:22:35

First thing, get the potatoes on, and I'm starting with cold water,

0:22:350:22:39

no salt, and I'm leaving the skins on.

0:22:390:22:43

And the reason I'm going to do this is the nutrients, the flavour of these beautiful potatoes...

0:22:430:22:47

They're not everyday potatoes. I want to treat them with love and care.

0:22:470:22:51

All the flavour is just under the skin. I don't want them waterlogged.

0:22:510:22:55

I don't want them absorbing loads of water, so we're going to boil them up

0:22:550:22:59

with their skins, and peel them afterwards.

0:22:590:23:01

Whilst they're cooking, slice up the veg.

0:23:020:23:05

Just rough, OK? Because we're going to put them all in a blitzer.

0:23:050:23:12

Blitz the living daylights out of it.

0:23:130:23:15

I still think the best thing about the shepherd's pie...

0:23:150:23:18

And, you know, I'm a very enthusiastic carnivore. The best thing about it is the mash.

0:23:180:23:23

Mash - soft, buttery, white mash - I think is probably the ultimate comfort food.

0:23:230:23:30

It just goes with absolutely everything.

0:23:300:23:33

Onions and potatoes. An absolute marriage made in heaven.

0:23:330:23:37

They're very similar because they're both sort of humble.

0:23:370:23:40

Always the backing singer, never the star. We'll make it into a star.

0:23:400:23:45

Right. Pulse the vegetables in a blender.

0:23:450:23:48

Then fry the veg on a medium heat until they go soft, but don't let 'em go brown.

0:23:510:23:57

For shepherd's pie, of course, I'm using lamb, and I think there's nothing better than leftovers.

0:23:570:24:03

As I slice this, the temptation to just

0:24:030:24:05

stick it between two slices of bread is almost overpowering. Cor!

0:24:050:24:09

Mmm!

0:24:100:24:11

Medium-sized chunks are OK, as they're also going to be blitzed in the blender.

0:24:110:24:16

Voila...

0:24:180:24:19

..as they say in Lambeth. Now...

0:24:200:24:23

Can I just make a plea?

0:24:250:24:26

If you don't cook, just learn how to do this, cos it's wonderful, and everyone will love it.

0:24:260:24:32

Can you see now, look, the colour it's taking on, the little speckles?

0:24:320:24:36

Now, I've got some pretty sexy flavourings I want to stick in there.

0:24:360:24:42

Anchovy sauce, OK?

0:24:420:24:45

Now, all of these things are big, distinct flavours. Taste as you go.

0:24:450:24:49

Redcurrant jelly next.

0:24:490:24:51

Anyone who watches me knows I've got a really sweet tooth!

0:24:510:24:55

Mmm!

0:24:550:24:58

Mushroom ketchup, right? You may not have used it.

0:24:580:25:01

Readily available. Quite sour.

0:25:010:25:03

Add Worcester sauce, tinned tomato and a few sprigs of thyme.

0:25:050:25:12

And remember, these herbs are powerful.

0:25:120:25:15

Don't go putting a whole bush in.

0:25:150:25:18

So, the potatoes have been boiling away for about 20 minutes.

0:25:210:25:24

Wow! Just look at those beauties!

0:25:240:25:26

Now they're ready to be peeled.

0:25:260:25:29

Now look, the skin just comes away really easily, and we've protected all that lovely flesh underneath.

0:25:290:25:36

The water hasn't gone near it.

0:25:360:25:38

And using the ricer again, press the flesh through to get that light and fluffy consistency.

0:25:380:25:45

You want them to be like that - I'll get milk

0:25:450:25:48

and butter in there in a moment, and you want 'em to incorporate that liquid.

0:25:480:25:53

And that's what fluffy potatoes do.

0:25:530:25:55

Waxy keeps the liquid out.

0:25:550:25:57

Look at that.

0:25:570:25:59

Not a lump anywhere.

0:25:590:26:02

Apart from in my throat at the beauty of the mashed potato.

0:26:020:26:06

So, back on the heat. Butter. I'm going to put a big knob of it.

0:26:080:26:13

Ta-da!

0:26:130:26:14

A little bit of milk.

0:26:140:26:17

Who was the first man to decide to mash a potato?

0:26:170:26:20

I want to give him a kiss.

0:26:200:26:23

Done.

0:26:260:26:28

Done. Perfect, absolutely perfect.

0:26:280:26:31

And let's put the whole thing together.

0:26:310:26:33

Place the lamb in an oven-proof dish, followed by a liberal helping of mash.

0:26:330:26:40

In the oven.

0:26:430:26:45

Right. Depending on the size of your shepherd's pie, between 20 minutes

0:26:450:26:49

and 30 minutes at 180. Pour yourself a beer.

0:26:490:26:53

You know what?

0:26:560:26:58

I've got an oven full of childhood memories!

0:26:580:27:02

Oh, my word! Oh!

0:27:030:27:07

Bubbling, singing to you!

0:27:080:27:11

Mmm!

0:27:110:27:13

Don't be stingy.

0:27:140:27:17

Nice, big helping.

0:27:170:27:19

Served with some green cabbage, lightly cooked, still got its crunch.

0:27:190:27:24

And there you have my traditional shepherd's pie,

0:27:240:27:27

topped off with those truly wondrous Arran Victory heritage potatoes.

0:27:270:27:32

If the British potato is to stand any chance of being revived,

0:27:320:27:36

we've all got to play our part, and that includes growing our own.

0:27:360:27:40

The great thing about potatoes is they only need a small container,

0:27:400:27:44

so you can grown them in soil on a balcony, or an allotment.

0:27:440:27:48

Best to plant your seeds around April.

0:27:480:27:50

It'll take roughly five months, and then you'll be cooking your own spuds.

0:27:500:27:54

The fun of digging them up, you never know what you'll get.

0:27:540:27:57

So far, I've been getting some really good results. You know, a good couple of kilos per plant.

0:27:570:28:02

It really is that simple, and I promise you, you will love the results.

0:28:020:28:07

Mmm!

0:28:090:28:11

That tastes delicious.

0:28:120:28:13

That is truly wonderful.

0:28:130:28:16

I've been on a bit of a journey here and, yeah, I'll admit that

0:28:160:28:21

bog-standard potatoes, they do do a decent job,

0:28:210:28:24

but if you want something truly lovely - I mean, outstanding -

0:28:240:28:28

then you have to track down some of these old heritage varieties.

0:28:280:28:31

Look, right now, why don't we just start a great British spud revival?

0:28:310:28:37

Now you've heard from me, but here's someone else who is just as a passionate

0:28:370:28:42

about reviving the fortunes of a great British meat.

0:28:420:28:45

My name's Clarissa Dickson Wright and I'm going to introduce you to

0:28:520:28:56

an ingredient that you may very well never have tasted,

0:28:560:29:00

rare-breed British pork, and you are going to love it.

0:29:000:29:03

From the humble bacon sandwich to the glorious Sunday roast,

0:29:030:29:07

pork is one of the most popular meats in Britain.

0:29:070:29:10

That looks lovely.

0:29:100:29:12

I'm passionate about pork, so join me on a sumptuous odyssey

0:29:120:29:16

through the forgotten world of our traditional British breeds.

0:29:160:29:20

As part of my revival, I'll be meeting one of our rarest pigs, the British Lop.

0:29:200:29:26

Our breed secretary described them as being more rare than the giant panda.

0:29:260:29:31

I'll be finding out what you think of some of our traditional pork dishes.

0:29:320:29:38

-Can I offer you a piece of Lincolnshire chine?

-No, that's all right.

-I'm a vegetarian!

0:29:380:29:42

And I'll be using pork lard in the revival kitchen to make a wonderful pudding for Sunday lunch.

0:29:420:29:48

You only get pastry like this using lard.

0:29:480:29:51

As well as revealing my secret for the perfect crackling.

0:29:510:29:55

CRACKING

0:29:550:29:56

Hear how lovely the crackling is.

0:29:560:30:01

Hey! Off we go!

0:30:010:30:03

I first fell for pigs when I was really quite small and I came to love pigs,

0:30:060:30:13

both for the pleasure of their company and the joy of their flesh.

0:30:130:30:17

Here, piggy, piggy, piggy. I'm not going to eat you yet.

0:30:170:30:20

Yes, I love pigs. Pigs are wonderful. Piggy, piggy, piggy.

0:30:200:30:24

Go out and meet the pigs, look at the pigs, talk to the pigs, but eat them, by all means eat them.

0:30:240:30:33

There is no question that we are a nation who loves our pork.

0:30:350:30:39

But 98% of all the pork we eat is from commercial pigs,

0:30:390:30:45

bred to suit the demands of the supermarkets.

0:30:450:30:48

In our drive for profits, have we forgotten our heritage?

0:30:480:30:53

Some of these handsome, traditional breeds have been brought back from the edge of extinction

0:30:530:30:59

by a few brave farmers. And now it's up to us to safeguard their future.

0:30:590:31:06

For the first stop on our revival of rare-breed pork,

0:31:070:31:11

I want to discover a little more about rich pig heritage,

0:31:110:31:16

so I'm meeting Richard Lutwyche,

0:31:160:31:18

a wonderful pig historian.

0:31:180:31:22

You've got to think that everything was dominated by the

0:31:220:31:25

local lord of the manor, the squire,

0:31:250:31:27

and he would be the only one who kept a boar for breeding purposes.

0:31:270:31:32

Whatever boar type he had, if he had a black pig, then gradually in that area,

0:31:320:31:36

all the pigs were dominated by the genes and they became black. And so it spread out.

0:31:360:31:41

But everybody kept pigs, didn't they?

0:31:410:31:43

Oh, they did, certainly in the country. I mean, people had a very close relationship with pigs.

0:31:430:31:49

And that shows up in our folklore and our English language, very much so.

0:31:490:31:54

My father kept pigs in St John's Wood on a bit of land in Hamilton Terrace.

0:31:540:31:59

People said, "Who killed them for you?"

0:31:590:32:01

and he said, "I'm senior surgeon of St Mary's, Paddington.

0:32:010:32:04

"Who the hell do you think killed them?" So they're our heritage.

0:32:040:32:08

We should be proud of them.

0:32:080:32:09

It was a government publication in 1955 that would change the fate

0:32:090:32:15

of our traditional breeds forever.

0:32:150:32:18

Ruddy government, interfering again.

0:32:180:32:21

I mean, this...

0:32:210:32:22

the Howitt Report,

0:32:220:32:24

makes me so angry. Listen to this.

0:32:240:32:28

"In the first place, we have formed the view that one of the main handicaps facing

0:32:280:32:33

"the British pig industry today is the diversity of the type of pig

0:32:330:32:36

"which is found throughout the country.

0:32:360:32:39

"The pig industry will, in our view, only make real progress when it concentrates on a few main types

0:32:390:32:46

"and, if it were at any time found possible, on a single type of pig for commercial production."

0:32:460:32:53

Absolutely.

0:32:530:32:54

How angry does that make you?

0:32:540:32:57

The sort of pigs they were going for are the ones that

0:32:570:33:01

we've now been blighted with in our commercial life,

0:33:010:33:04

which are very fast growing, very, very lean and taste of nothing at all.

0:33:040:33:08

A single type of commercial pig!

0:33:080:33:11

All our heritage, all those delicious pigs. That's what they're asking for.

0:33:110:33:15

That's what they wanted. Just one dull, dull type of commercial pig.

0:33:150:33:20

Makes me so angry.

0:33:200:33:22

After the Howitt Report came out and there was all this move to intensification,

0:33:220:33:27

we actually lost four unique, distinct breeds from this country.

0:33:270:33:31

Once it's gone, it's gone. It's extinct.

0:33:310:33:33

Gone forever. There are people who say you can recreate them,

0:33:330:33:36

but it is really just science fiction, it will never happen.

0:33:360:33:39

So that was lesson number one.

0:33:420:33:45

A history lesson. How we got to where we are now.

0:33:450:33:48

If you're still not convinced, stick with me and watch this space.

0:33:480:33:55

One of the best ways to get rare-breed pork back on our food map is to cook it.

0:33:550:34:00

For my first recipe, I'm going to cook...

0:34:000:34:04

The great thing about rare-breed pigs is the fact that they have a good covering of fat on them.

0:34:080:34:15

Between the skin and the fat there is a little line of muscle

0:34:150:34:20

which raises the skin and just gives the most perfect crackling.

0:34:200:34:25

And you won't find that in a commercial, numbered breed pig.

0:34:250:34:30

Start by making the walnut and caper stuffing that will soak

0:34:300:34:34

up any extraneous fat and really bring out the flavour of the pork.

0:34:340:34:39

Put the garlic and onion on to a gentle heat until they are soft.

0:34:400:34:45

I'm now going to add these morsels of bread, day-old bread, so they're not too fresh.

0:34:450:34:51

Otherwise it just falls apart.

0:34:510:34:53

For texture, I also use walnuts in the stuffing

0:34:530:34:58

and then, for flavour, some capers and lemon juice.

0:34:580:35:02

These ingredients will offer a sharp contrast to the sweet meat.

0:35:020:35:07

Then take the pan off the heat and bind the stuffing by mixing in two eggs.

0:35:080:35:15

Leave it to cool and start to prepare your meat.

0:35:160:35:19

In order to get the crackling to crackle, you need to score it

0:35:210:35:25

and for that you really need a craft knife.

0:35:250:35:29

The whole point of scoring your skin is so that it can rise up into crackling.

0:35:290:35:37

If you were doing this with a commercial pig,

0:35:370:35:40

you'd be straight through to the meat because there's not enough fat.

0:35:400:35:44

Once scored, rub the fat with oil and salt.

0:35:440:35:48

And then take your stuffing and put it into the pocket in your meat.

0:35:510:35:57

Then tie up the shoulder as tightly as possible.

0:35:570:36:01

So not only will you hold your stuffing in, but you will also

0:36:030:36:07

form a cohesion in the meat, so that when it's cooking, it'll be tightly bound together.

0:36:070:36:15

You may say, "Oh, it's too much trouble!

0:36:150:36:17

It's too much to go out and "find rare-breed pork.

0:36:170:36:21

"It's a little bit more expensive."

0:36:210:36:24

Well, put your children in expensive trainers and watch them grow up without the benefit of good food

0:36:240:36:32

and the better the quality of the food we eat, the healthier we will be.

0:36:320:36:36

Good food takes effort and time, and this shoulder will roast in the oven for almost three hours.

0:36:360:36:44

But the results are spectacular.

0:36:450:36:47

Remove the crackling to reveal one of the many advantages of rare-breed pork.

0:36:470:36:53

You see the little ridge of muscle that runs under the fat

0:36:530:36:59

and raises the crackling up so you get really good crackling?

0:36:590:37:02

And there again you see how lovely and crisp the crackling is.

0:37:110:37:17

And let's have a little bit of kale on this

0:37:170:37:19

for colour.

0:37:190:37:20

And there you have it.

0:37:220:37:24

Really nice stuffing, too.

0:37:290:37:30

That's very satisfactory.

0:37:300:37:33

I don't only want you to enjoy the taste of rare-breed pork.

0:37:370:37:41

I want you to fall in love with the pigs themselves.

0:37:410:37:44

So I'm taking you to Oakham in Leicestershire.

0:37:440:37:48

Here we are at Northfield Farm and I'm here to meet a dear friend of mine, Jan McCourt,

0:37:480:37:55

who is almost as passionate about saving rare-breed pigs as I am.

0:37:550:37:59

Jan McCourt was once a high-flying City banker, but now he invests in

0:37:590:38:05

one of our rarest breeds of pig, the British Lop.

0:38:050:38:08

I'm really excited about seeing the Lops.

0:38:080:38:10

We've got quite a few more from the last time you saw them.

0:38:100:38:14

We've had a couple of litters born and we've brought in a few from the rare-breed sale at Melton,

0:38:140:38:19

including a very smart, young, new boar.

0:38:190:38:21

Oh, very exciting!

0:38:210:38:23

So it's all aboard as we start our rare-breed safari.

0:38:230:38:27

Hey! Off we go!

0:38:280:38:30

When you took over the farm, presumably,

0:38:350:38:37

it would have been a lot easier for you just to have ordinary breeds.

0:38:370:38:42

When I left the City, I was made redundant and I decided this was

0:38:420:38:46

an opportunity, so I opened the farm shop within a very short time.

0:38:460:38:51

And the biggest challenge was finding pork, rare-breed pork.

0:38:510:38:54

So I thought the only obvious thing to do was to start them ourselves.

0:38:540:38:59

There's a couple of our Saddlebacks.

0:38:590:39:00

-Yes.

-Good old girls.

0:39:000:39:03

It's wonderful to see these pigs in so much space, a world away from most commercial pig farms.

0:39:040:39:11

-Look, British Lops, surely.

-There you go, yep.

0:39:130:39:16

There's our new boar in with one of his girlfriends. Do you want to have a look?

0:39:160:39:20

Yeah, why not?

0:39:200:39:22

Ah! Look at them.

0:39:230:39:25

You can see why they're called "Lop". Look at the ears on her.

0:39:250:39:28

Yeah, they're absolutely fantastic.

0:39:280:39:29

-Amazing.

-Some of them have even bigger ears.

0:39:290:39:32

They'll end up the size of the average, decent-sized kitchen table.

0:39:320:39:35

And his ears will be probably twice the size of that.

0:39:350:39:39

How rare is the British Lop? I know it's one of the very rare ones.

0:39:390:39:43

Well, our breed secretary, in the latest newsletter,

0:39:430:39:47

he described as them as being more rare than the giant panda.

0:39:470:39:50

More rare than the giant panda!

0:39:500:39:52

-Think of it.

-A colourful character in his own right, I don't know whether that's statistically correct,

0:39:520:39:57

but when you think that this breed was saved from extinction by just three families in Cornwall,

0:39:570:40:02

it's still very delicate.

0:40:020:40:03

You're talking in the hundreds of breeding females, not thousands or tens of thousands.

0:40:030:40:08

If people understood that the most simple way to save these breeds

0:40:090:40:13

is to encourage and the support the farmers that are rearing them.

0:40:130:40:17

And you do that by saying, "I want to eat rare-breed pork,"

0:40:170:40:21

and taking as big an interest as you possibly can.

0:40:210:40:24

This is all about passion first. Because one of the things...

0:40:240:40:27

-it certainly isn't making money.

-No.

0:40:270:40:29

What a lovely rub.

0:40:310:40:33

That's a fantastic image of a happy pig, isn't it?

0:40:330:40:36

If I can get you to eat more rare-breed pork, then together

0:40:380:40:42

we will be safeguarding the future of these beautiful animals.

0:40:420:40:46

But before you eat it, you need to buy it

0:40:460:40:49

and for that you will need to find a good butcher or farm shop.

0:40:490:40:54

Most people will never see this. They're afraid of this.

0:40:540:40:59

They are afraid of it and I think the simplest way to distinguish it,

0:40:590:41:03

go and buy a piece of pork,

0:41:030:41:06

particularly a leg of pork from a supermarket.

0:41:060:41:08

You might as well chew on that block.

0:41:080:41:10

You might as well chew on cardboard or a paper bag

0:41:100:41:13

for the comparison.

0:41:130:41:16

Once people discover quite how good it is, do they mind the extra cost?

0:41:160:41:21

No, I've found they don't, because people that understand,

0:41:210:41:24

what they can't afford, they'll reduce the amount.

0:41:240:41:27

Because eat less and eat better is fundamental to the whole thing.

0:41:270:41:31

You can see the marbling that runs through and that is all important.

0:41:310:41:36

No fat, no flavour.

0:41:360:41:37

If you cook it with the fat on,

0:41:370:41:40

cut the fat off and give it to me, if I happen to be sitting at the same table,

0:41:400:41:45

it's the flavour, it's the taste.

0:41:450:41:47

Pig fat has a variety of uses, not least in pastry and, in particular, pork pies.

0:41:480:41:56

This is the hand-raised Melton Mowbray pork pie with our own pork

0:41:560:42:01

and, of course, with lard, which is the pig ingredient as well, even in the pastry.

0:42:010:42:07

Very good.

0:42:090:42:10

It's delicious.

0:42:100:42:12

So there you are, the end of lesson two.

0:42:120:42:16

What have you learnt from this?

0:42:160:42:19

Passion and good husbandry make perfect pigs and farmers make food for you.

0:42:190:42:26

You must be convinced by now.

0:42:260:42:28

For my second recipe I'm going to make...

0:42:310:42:34

Now this type of pastry

0:42:370:42:40

is made by heating together lard and water to a rolling boil.

0:42:400:42:46

As the lard and water begin to boil, add a pinch of salt to the flour

0:42:490:42:56

and then pour in the boiling liquid.

0:42:560:42:58

Begin by stirring the mixture, but as soon as it is cool enough to handle, it is time to knead the pastry.

0:42:580:43:06

It cools quite quickly and it's quite important to do it as soon as you can, so that the

0:43:060:43:12

fat doesn't cool too much, otherwise it won't mix in well with the flour.

0:43:120:43:18

Now do you see? It's a very soft, malleable crust.

0:43:210:43:25

And what I have here is a dolly.

0:43:250:43:29

This is a traditional implement.

0:43:290:43:31

It comes in all sorts of different sizes for raising a pie crust round.

0:43:310:43:35

You just want to mould your pastry up the dolly.

0:43:350:43:41

As well as the pie crust, it is vital to remember to shape a lid for the pie at this point.

0:43:420:43:48

Once the pastry has been prepared, allow it to cool in the refrigerator.

0:43:490:43:54

The lard solidifies and it will help the crust to hold its shape for the damson pie filling.

0:43:540:44:00

So here is a ready-chilled raised pie.

0:44:000:44:04

I'm something of an authority on raised pies,

0:44:040:44:07

because I have judged the great Yorkshire pork pie contest on three separate occasions

0:44:070:44:13

and, I have to say, it was one of the most terrifying things

0:44:130:44:17

I ever had to do in my life, because I could have lost all my reputation in Yorkshire if I'd got it wrong.

0:44:170:44:23

Layer the pie with quince paste, a thick jam that will turn to liquid in the heat of the oven.

0:44:240:44:31

Then the damsons.

0:44:310:44:32

These have been stoned and frozen to give them a delicious texture.

0:44:320:44:37

A sprinkle of sugar will help to sweeten the filling, but the pie should still have a sharp kick to it.

0:44:370:44:44

And finally, all I have to do is put the lid on and crimp it.

0:44:440:44:51

And then make a little hole in the top to let the steam out.

0:44:510:44:56

It takes only 25 minutes for the ingredients to melt together and make the perfect pie.

0:44:560:45:02

So the "moment critique".

0:45:020:45:06

You see how it's sunk down on itself

0:45:060:45:09

and has gone into this rather nice sort of medieval look really, hasn't it?

0:45:090:45:14

And...

0:45:140:45:16

See, look at that. Look how lovely and gooey and sticky.

0:45:160:45:20

And you only get pastry like this

0:45:200:45:25

using lard

0:45:250:45:26

and you only get really good lard from old-breed, rare-breed pigs.

0:45:260:45:32

Mm. Lovely acidity with the damsons.

0:45:390:45:41

The real crunchiness of the pastry.

0:45:410:45:44

There you are, you see? Terribly simple.

0:45:440:45:46

Nice little pie for your pudding.

0:45:460:45:48

What could be more delicious?

0:45:480:45:50

The great tragedy of my revival campaign is that we are too late for some our rare-breed pigs.

0:45:550:46:02

They have already died out.

0:46:020:46:05

I'm heading to Louth in Lincolnshire

0:46:050:46:08

to find out about a massive beast of a pig that is sadly extinct...

0:46:080:46:13

the Lincolnshire Curly Coat.

0:46:130:46:15

Is it true that you remember the Lincolnshire Curly Coat as a boy?

0:46:150:46:20

Yes, I do.

0:46:200:46:21

When I was a lad, almost everyone kept a pig down the garden

0:46:210:46:26

and traditionally

0:46:260:46:27

they were unhappy unless the pig reached 40 stones at least.

0:46:270:46:31

40 stone!

0:46:310:46:33

And the fat on the back would be that deep.

0:46:330:46:35

It's sad, isn't it, that today's youngsters will never have the chance to sit on the back of a

0:46:350:46:41

Lincolnshire Curly Coat and never see a pig like that?

0:46:410:46:44

Although the Curly Coat has gone, its legacy lives on through the work of local butchers like Jim Sutcliffe.

0:46:450:46:53

In Lincolnshire, we used to butcher our pigs very differently,

0:46:540:46:57

because the Lincolnshire Curly Coat was so fat that they couldn't get in

0:46:570:47:02

very well with a saw to cut down the middle of the spine.

0:47:020:47:05

So they had to go through the rib bones,

0:47:050:47:08

and that then produced a cut that is exclusive to Lincolnshire.

0:47:080:47:12

This exclusive cut follows the line of the pig's backbone and includes the meat on either side.

0:47:130:47:19

The chine, when it is released, is a long meaty cut, perfect for curing.

0:47:210:47:27

Jim uses the cured meat to make Lincolnshire stuffed chine, a traditional regional dish.

0:47:270:47:34

Given that this was a dish that was associated with the Lincolnshire Curly Coat,

0:47:350:47:40

was it ever in danger of going out because there wasn't a suitable pig?

0:47:400:47:44

I think there was a possibility that it would have done had

0:47:440:47:48

certain people not carried on curing a chine no matter what.

0:47:480:47:53

And, luckily, there's been quite a good number of rare-breed pigs in the county

0:47:530:47:58

to fall back on a substitute.

0:47:580:48:00

But I'm quite sure that the stuffed chine probably

0:48:000:48:03

isn't a patch on what it used to be when it was made from a Curly Coat and matured for months.

0:48:030:48:09

The pork is stuffed with fresh parsley, before being steamed in an oven for eight hours.

0:48:090:48:15

Only then is it ready to eat.

0:48:150:48:19

That's lovely, really lovely.

0:48:190:48:20

I think you should cut me a few slices and I can take it out

0:48:200:48:25

-to the people of Louth and see what they think about it.

-Certainly.

0:48:250:48:30

And if you can give me a meat cleaver in case they don't like it.

0:48:300:48:34

Hello. Can I offer you a piece of?

0:48:380:48:40

Chine! Do you know, we were teaching this to children the other day,

0:48:400:48:44

all the products of Lincolnshire.

0:48:440:48:45

Yes, please. My mother always used to buy chine. Thank you.

0:48:450:48:48

I would offer you a piece of chine but I think you've got your hands full.

0:48:480:48:52

I've got a spare hand now.

0:48:520:48:54

-Well, done.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-Isn't that good?

0:48:540:48:57

It is. Chine's lovely.

0:48:570:48:59

-Can I offer you a piece of Lincolnshire chine?

-No, it's all right.

-I'm a vegetarian!

0:48:590:49:04

Yes, I can do that with this.

0:49:040:49:06

It's great to see that most of the people of Louth

0:49:060:49:10

still have a healthy appetite for their traditional food.

0:49:100:49:14

Before I leave, I want to investigate one farm

0:49:150:49:19

which claims to have brought back the Curly-Coated pig to Lincolnshire.

0:49:190:49:25

-Good morning. Brian Codling.

-Hello.

-And this is my wife, Sylvia.

0:49:250:49:29

-Welcome to the Old Rectory, Clarissa. It's lovely to meet you.

-Lovely old rectory.

0:49:290:49:32

So this property would have known the Lincolnshire Curly Coat?

0:49:320:49:36

They used to have some here and just at the farm, across the road. Do you want to see some?

0:49:360:49:41

I'd love to see some of your pigs.

0:49:410:49:44

-Walk this way.

-Thank you.

0:49:450:49:48

Well, they're certainly curly coated.

0:49:480:49:51

-Hello.

-These three are very good examples of Curly Coats.

0:49:510:49:54

They've got lovely thick coats.

0:49:540:49:56

So what are these pigs?

0:49:560:49:58

These are pure-bred Mangalitza curly-coated pigs.

0:49:580:50:01

They're native to Austria and Hungary.

0:50:010:50:04

And you have a theory that they are related to the Lincolnshire Curly Coat?

0:50:040:50:10

There's some of the Lincolnshire Curly Coat genes in.

0:50:100:50:13

We don't know how much, but definitely Lincolnshire Curly Coats

0:50:130:50:17

were exported from this country to the Austro-Hungarian area and cross-bred with the Mangalitza.

0:50:170:50:24

-And so now you think they've come back to Lincolnshire? Well, they have come back to Lincolnshire!

-Exactly.

0:50:240:50:29

It's nice to have curly-coated pigs back in Lincolnshire.

0:50:290:50:33

Yes. Very good.

0:50:330:50:34

-Delilah's next door to these...

-Oh, right.

0:50:340:50:37

Oh, look.

0:50:370:50:40

Now there's a magnificent pig.

0:50:400:50:42

Hello, Delilah.

0:50:420:50:43

My, my, my, Delilah.

0:50:430:50:45

Wonderful, and look at the size of her. Magnificent.

0:50:450:50:49

Like the Lincolnshire Curly Coat, the Mangalitza is bred for its fat.

0:50:490:50:53

It's a tallow pig, but it produces a very agreeable meat.

0:50:530:50:58

Although, technically, not a British pig, it is interesting to see them where the Curly Coats once stood.

0:50:580:51:04

For my third and final recipe I'm going to cook...

0:51:060:51:10

Start by pouring some anchovy oil into a baking tray with a dash of olive oil.

0:51:140:51:20

Into this, place chopped onion and garlic.

0:51:200:51:25

The trick with not crying when you peel onions, or chop onions,

0:51:250:51:32

is to leave the pointed end intact, cos that is where the gland is that causes you to weep.

0:51:320:51:39

There you are, not a tear in sight.

0:51:420:51:45

Once the onions begin to simmer, crush the garlic.

0:51:450:51:50

One of the advantages of being my sort of weight

0:51:500:51:55

is that when you lean on a garlic clove...

0:51:550:51:58

It stays leaned on.

0:52:000:52:02

There was a time in my life when I used to get rugby forwards to come and roll out my pastry for me.

0:52:020:52:08

I don't need to do that any more.

0:52:080:52:11

One met a lot of nice rugby forwards.

0:52:110:52:13

When the onions have softened, add the anchovies

0:52:150:52:19

and the chestnuts.

0:52:190:52:21

Then score the meat.

0:52:220:52:24

The secret to good crackling is to rub salt and oil deep into the fat of the belly.

0:52:260:52:32

As Fanny Craddock used to say,

0:52:320:52:34

rub it as if into the face of your worst enemy.

0:52:340:52:39

And then take your piece of pork and just put it on top

0:52:390:52:44

of everything that's in there.

0:52:440:52:46

Then add some beer to the bottom of the pan, making sure not to cover the skin.

0:52:460:52:54

This is providing some liquid just to help cook the pork and to stop things

0:52:540:53:00

sticking to the bottom, cos it's going to cook for quite a long time.

0:53:000:53:04

It's going to have half an hour in a hot oven just to

0:53:040:53:07

set the crackling and then it's going to have about three hours

0:53:070:53:12

in a cooler oven just to gently cook away and bring out the flavours.

0:53:120:53:17

This pork belly is so simple to prepare, but the results are magical.

0:53:180:53:25

Look at that. Doesn't that look lovely?

0:53:270:53:29

The extra fat, the texture of the meat and that indescribable sound of Sundays.

0:53:310:53:39

CRACKING

0:53:390:53:40

Hear how lovely the crackling is.

0:53:400:53:43

Look at that. You see how soft and lovely it is now? See that?

0:53:470:53:51

The knife just goes straight into it as though it were butter.

0:53:510:53:55

And, of course, the advantage with rare-breed pork is that it will hold together

0:53:550:54:01

until it's soft as butter, rather than just fall apart as it would if it was a horrid commercial pig.

0:54:010:54:07

Excellent accompaniments to this delicious meat are celeriac puree and wilted spinach.

0:54:080:54:16

The final touch is to flambe the sauce with a ladle of brandy.

0:54:160:54:22

Brandy, of course, will not ignite until it's hot enough, as those of you who've failed

0:54:220:54:27

to ignite your Christmas pudding will have learnt the hard way.

0:54:270:54:30

So there we are, you see?

0:54:300:54:32

Just pour it into the pan

0:54:320:54:35

and it burns off not only all the alcohol but any extraneous fat that you might have.

0:54:350:54:43

A few chestnuts and the beer sauce with melted anchovy complete the plate.

0:54:430:54:51

So there we have it, belly of pork with anchovies and chestnuts.

0:54:510:54:55

And what more could you ask in life really?

0:54:550:54:58

Scrumptious.

0:55:030:55:05

I would hope that you are now ready to jump up from your sofa and hunt down your local rare-breed supplier.

0:55:100:55:17

Of course, you could always keep rare-breed pigs yourself, like these pig fanatics.

0:55:170:55:23

As long as you register with DEFRA, anyone can do it.

0:55:230:55:28

Tony York runs a one-day pig-keeping course for the hobby farmer

0:55:280:55:32

and he thinks there will be a big increase in the number of us keeping pigs.

0:55:320:55:37

I think over the next five to ten years,

0:55:370:55:40

we're going to see such a dramatic increase in rare-breed

0:55:400:55:44

pig keeping and people keeping pigs on a small scale that we will almost

0:55:440:55:48

be getting back to those days around the end of the Second World War when so many families had their own pigs.

0:55:480:55:55

It's not difficult to keep a pig.

0:55:550:55:56

It's very easy. Probably almost the easiest farm animal to keep.

0:55:560:56:01

But don't think you have to work alone.

0:56:010:56:03

You could form a co-operative, like this group of friends in Staines.

0:56:030:56:09

We were all a bit fed up with the quality of the pork we got in supermarkets

0:56:090:56:13

and, for me, the biggest benefit of keeping my own pigs is knowing the provenance of the meat.

0:56:130:56:19

I know exactly what they've eaten and I know therefore that the meat is going to be good quality.

0:56:190:56:26

So there we are, the end of the journey,

0:56:290:56:32

and I hope you are now convinced to eat British rare-breed pork

0:56:320:56:37

and that you will save lots of species from extinction and enjoy the journey. Have fun.

0:56:370:56:43

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0:56:460:56:49

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0:56:490:56:53

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