0:00:02 > 0:00:07- Some of the best British produce is under threat.- At the mercy of foreign invaders.- And food fashion.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12- Produce around for centuries. - Could die out within a generation.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15- So together we're on a mission. - To save it!
0:00:15 > 0:00:19We'll tell you how to find it, grow it and cook it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24- And put sensational British produce. - Back on the food map.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02My name is Gary Rhodes and I'm passionate about a fruit that is so often misunderstood
0:01:02 > 0:01:08and not recognised as one of our great British ingredients - the British tomato.
0:01:08 > 0:01:16Now there's no denying we love tomatoes. We buy 500,000 tons of them every year,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20but 70% of these are shipped in from as far as Israel and Morocco,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23leaving the British tomato grower in the cold.
0:01:23 > 0:01:31I fell in love with tomatoes as a little boy at the corner shop, where it was all British tomatoes.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36That was all we had. There were no super airliners flying them in.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40They were true home-grown, soft, they were ready to eat.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44'I'm going to try to revive the fate of the great British tomato.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49'I'll be meeting a grower who's turning waste into watts.'
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Not just British. This is a true green tomato.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57'Rediscovering the incredible shapes and sizes we could be tucking into.'
0:01:57 > 0:02:03- We grow 63 varieties.- 63?!- Some of the older ones are 100 years old.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08'And what better way to honour the good old British tom than a three-course menu
0:02:08 > 0:02:13'with a show-stopping tomato pudding.' Oh, look at that.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17It's really quite odd. All I'm eating here is sweet tomato.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27'In the UK, this juicy little fruit has been demoted to an everyday ingredient,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30'available 365 days a year.'
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I couldn't tell you their season.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I buy tomatoes all year round.
0:02:35 > 0:02:42Out of season, you've got no choice. You've got to buy Spanish-grown or Dutch-grown.
0:02:42 > 0:02:49We just put them in the trolley. We don't mind where they come from. As long as they're tasty.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55'Only 30% of the tomatoes we eat are home-grown, a fact that sadly says it all.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59'I've travelled to Barnham, home of one of our largest tomato growers,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02'to find out where we're going wrong.'
0:03:02 > 0:03:07From the general public's point of view, a tomato is a tomato.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13It's deep red, it maybe has a little bit of different texture or shape or size about it,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17but really where it's from does that bother our public?
0:03:17 > 0:03:24I hope so, because we're very proud of the product that we grow as British growers.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28A lot of the imported tomatoes are a little bit cheaper.
0:03:28 > 0:03:35- How are we going to counter that? - We've got to get the consumer to recognise the investment that goes in
0:03:35 > 0:03:38to make British tomatoes the best.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44Literally, it's millions of pounds that are invested before the first tomato is even picked.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49We've got to make sure the consumer recognises what British represents.
0:03:49 > 0:03:56It's fresh. It can be picked within 24, 48 hours and be on your plate. That is fantastic.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02Are we buying because of some kind of shelf-life here? Because imported last an extra week or more?
0:04:02 > 0:04:04It should be the other way round.
0:04:04 > 0:04:12If product is travelling from Spain, from Italy, the Canaries and takes four, six, seven, eight days,
0:04:12 > 0:04:18it has less of a shelf life. Buying British guarantees a better shelf life.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22It can be picked, packed, in the store within 24 hours.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27I want to know how we can take all of this, show it off and sell it.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Tomato production actually starts towards the end of February.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35And we finish at the end of October, so it is a long season.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37But May is a key time for us.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43We actually have British Tomato Week which kicks off in May every single year.
0:04:43 > 0:04:50It's when volumes are at their highest. If we get supermarket support to push that even more,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54it'll be a huge benefit for us, the consumer and the supermarkets.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59I'll only buy tomatoes during that British season.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02This is the message I want to get across.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08'We need to pay a little bit extra for a premium ingredient
0:05:08 > 0:05:12'and savour British tomatoes when they're at their best.'
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Now you've seen where they're from, I want to show you what we can do.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26It's incredible. Here I am making an Italian dish
0:05:26 > 0:05:32to show off the great British tomato, but I think the British can do just as well, if not better.
0:05:32 > 0:05:39'My version uses beautifully sweet British plum tomatoes and I'm oven-roasting them
0:05:39 > 0:05:43'to intensify their already amazing flavour.'
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Let's take a bowl. There's one or two flavours I want to add to it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54'First, thyme - two or three little sprigs.' It's there to enhance, to add something.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56A hint of garlic.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Just lightly press these on the board.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05And they become that little bit easier to peel.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08'Use as much or as little as you like.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:12There's plenty in there.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Now, other things to add: some icing sugar here.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21'A generous pinch to bring out the tomatoes' natural sweetness.'
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Some sea salt.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28A twist of black pepper.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34And I'm going to add just a touch of olive oil. This is extra virgin.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It adds quite a lot to this dish.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41That's how simple this dish is.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46'These fragrant little toms will be the star of my salad.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50'I just need to pop them into a low oven for 20 minutes.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:57So while they're cooking, I want to make a dressing also using the tomatoes.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01These look fabulous here. Really rich, beautiful to eat.
0:07:01 > 0:07:08And all I want to do is literally chop them up, quarter them roughly like this.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13This is what I love about really good cooking. It can be so simple.
0:07:13 > 0:07:20There's so much intense flavour here. It needs very little. That's the beauty of British ingredients,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25particularly these tomatoes. 'All I'm going to do is get them in a blender
0:07:25 > 0:07:30'with a couple of their sun-dried cousins for added depth.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34'Give them a blitz.
0:07:37 > 0:07:43'And push them through a sieve so I'm left with a smooth, rich tomato puree.'
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Look at that.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52A couple of other bits and pieces to add - English mustard is nice,
0:07:52 > 0:07:58but a little bit too harsh for the tomato. I'm going for Dijon, which still gives strength of flavour,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01but not too strong or powerful.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05'Then a couple of teaspoons of red wine vinegar,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07'a dash of sugar,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11'a pinch of salt, then pepper
0:08:11 > 0:08:13'and some extra virgin olive oil.'
0:08:13 > 0:08:19I'm also going to add to it a little touch of sesame oil. Not essential,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22but it does add that nutty bite.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27'And, finally, the tomato puree.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33'20 minutes later and our oven-roasted tomatoes are ready.'
0:08:33 > 0:08:39There we are. That has such a great flavour and all we've done is warm them.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43'What they need now is a bed of creamy British mozzarella,
0:08:43 > 0:08:48'a drizzle of the nutty tomato dressing,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50'a squirt of fragrant basil oil
0:08:52 > 0:08:58'and a scattering of baby basil leaves.' That's it. Very simple.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Very flavoursome. That is a British tomato and mozzarella salad.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13'I'm on a journey to rediscover the virtues of the British tomato,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16'an ingredient I should find here.'
0:09:16 > 0:09:23This is New Covent Garden Market where they turn over £11 million of fruit and veg every week.
0:09:24 > 0:09:31'With over 200 wholesalers supplying Michelin-starred restaurants to local cafes
0:09:31 > 0:09:35'it's the perfect place to find out why we're not growing British.'
0:09:35 > 0:09:41This is more than a surprise. You don't expect to see this from home-grown, do you?
0:09:41 > 0:09:48It's just a wonderful collection. It's incredible. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm looking at that,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- I have just bought these from a Sicilian market.- Yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:58- It has that kind of shape about it, but these are from our own soils. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04'Not known for our good weather, we have to grow our tomatoes in greenhouses
0:10:04 > 0:10:08'that require heat and irrigation, making them more expensive.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:14What can we do to really help and support the British grower?
0:10:14 > 0:10:20If you went back 10 or 15 years ago, there was a lot of small, independent growers on the south coast, all over.
0:10:20 > 0:10:28Unfortunately, the price just hasn't gone up. We have all the cheaper imports from primarily Holland
0:10:28 > 0:10:34and they seem to get cheaper every year and the small independent English grower can't keep up.
0:10:34 > 0:10:42For me it's like an investment. What it's going to supply you with some of your greatest culinary memories.
0:10:42 > 0:10:49Just those extra few pennies to buy ingredients like this. This is a chef's dream.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54'But a dearer price tag isn't the only side effect to greenhouse growing.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58'The heat needed costs the environment, too,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02'resulting in British tomatoes having a higher carbon footprint,
0:11:02 > 0:11:08'a problem John and Caroline Jones are tackling head-on at their farm in Hertfordshire.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:13- What is it like being a British tomato grower?- It's not easy.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19Production costs are going up, supermarkets in general are trying to squeeze the price,
0:11:19 > 0:11:25these structures you see behind, we have to heat these the whole long season, even in the summer.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29- These are heated throughout the year?- In the summer as well.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34We need a slight amount of heat going through the pipes.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39- But this must be very costly. - It is. Very.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44'But they've found a revolutionary way to reduce their costs and their carbon footprint
0:11:44 > 0:11:49'and it could change the fate of the British tomato industry.'
0:11:49 > 0:11:52I didn't expect to see this!
0:11:52 > 0:11:54That is incredible.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00- So this is what is creating your electricity? - This is the waste vegetables
0:12:00 > 0:12:03that powers our turbines.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09I am in a state of shock. I cannot believe it. There are so many.
0:12:09 > 0:12:15All these great flavours sitting here. And it just goes to show how much wastage there is
0:12:15 > 0:12:21- with great food.- There is, but we're putting it to very good use. - Absolutely, absolutely.
0:12:21 > 0:12:27'It's a unique system that converts rotting fruit and veg from markets like Spitalfields
0:12:27 > 0:12:33'into green electricity to heat their greenhouses. And what's even more incredible
0:12:33 > 0:12:35'is they did it all themselves.'
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- It sounds so simple. Is it that easy?- Absolutely not!
0:12:39 > 0:12:46It's been a real trial and tribulation over the last 5 years. We're nearly there now.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51We are making methane gas and generating electric and heating our nursery,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55but there's been several divorces on the way!
0:12:55 > 0:13:00'All this for the humble British tomato. And to think everything from the hot water
0:13:00 > 0:13:07'to the CO2 pumped in to enrich the atmosphere has come from that waste fruit and veg.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:11And here is the end result. Beautiful British tomatoes.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16- Not just a British tomato. This is a true green tomato. - It could be said.
0:13:16 > 0:13:24- Stunning. Look at the richness and the colour on that.- Superb. - We've done everything we can
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- to reduce our carbon footprint to a minimum.- Stunning.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32It's sweet, it's wonderful. Look at all those rich juices.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36And the colour of the flesh is stunning.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40That is where we win over an imported tomato.
0:13:40 > 0:13:47We can allow these to stay on the plant until we get that fantastic red colour and all its flavour,
0:13:47 > 0:13:53- whereas imports are picked so far in advance, they're green... - Days and weeks in advance.
0:13:53 > 0:14:00So it's very hard, it doesn't develop that full richness. But that's what I'm tasting here.
0:14:00 > 0:14:07'What an inspirational couple. They really are setting an example to the rest of the industry
0:14:07 > 0:14:12'and I can't wait to show off their produce in the Revival kitchen.'
0:14:12 > 0:14:14So for my second recipe,
0:14:14 > 0:14:20I've chosen, of course, John and Caroline's lovely, rich, sweet tomatoes.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25And to go with them, an equally sweet fish - salmon. Absolutely delicious.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36'These tomatoes are so delicious, they hardly need any cooking.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41'All I've done is blanch them in hot water to remove the skin and seeds.'
0:14:41 > 0:14:45That's the beauty I found with John and Caroline's tomatoes.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50Even in its totally raw state, with skin and seeds, it was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Now you'll notice I'm being quite generous with these.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59If you've got something as tasty as this, enjoy it.
0:15:00 > 0:15:06'I'm going to warm them through with a handful of juicy grey shrimps and then plenty of chopped herbs,
0:15:06 > 0:15:13'added at the end, so they keep their exquisite taste and texture. With a beautiful fillet of salmon.'
0:15:13 > 0:15:20Easy to cook, only takes minutes. That's the great thing with this dish. It's very quick to cook.
0:15:21 > 0:15:27'If you want to cook it perfectly every time, dust the fish with flour to prevent it from sticking
0:15:27 > 0:15:32'and resist the temptation to season until halfway through.'
0:15:32 > 0:15:37If you start throwing salt in now, it can draw some juices from it.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Then it begins to stew in the pan rather than fry.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47'I'm serving spinach with it, simply thrown in the pan with a knob of butter.'
0:15:47 > 0:15:50These are actually going to steam.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54'As soon as the salmon starts to turn pink, it's safe to season it.'
0:15:54 > 0:16:00A touch of table salt is all I'm using here. Again, that twist of pepper on top.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10So the spinach is cooked. Let's get rid of that pan. Let's look at the salmon now.
0:16:10 > 0:16:16You can see how far that line has come up the side of the fish, telling me it's almost ready.
0:16:18 > 0:16:24'All I need to do now is add a knob of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice to moisten the fish.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29'And then heat up the little grey shrimps.'
0:16:29 > 0:16:36What you don't want to do is fry them. Fry them and they toughen. That's not what we're after.
0:16:36 > 0:16:42Next our tomatoes. Let's throw some nice tomatoes in there so they can warm as well.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Plenty of them.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52'And, lastly, a handful of chopped herbs for flavour and colour. I'm using chervil, tarragon and chives.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'And it's as simple as that.'
0:16:55 > 0:17:00Look at the fish. You can still see how soft that is.
0:17:00 > 0:17:06Still slightly pink in the centre which means it's retained lovely juices, maximum flavour
0:17:06 > 0:17:12and that lovely sweetness which is going to accompany the wonderful, wonderful tomatoes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17'Just pop the fish on a bed of spinach.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22'And spoon on the warm tomato and shrimp.'
0:17:22 > 0:17:28Very simple dish, but it holds so much sort of character and flavour.
0:17:28 > 0:17:34The strength of tomato is really quite phenomenal. You can almost smell the sweetness.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Right. Let's tuck in.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44Now you can still see... What did I say? That little pink left in the salmon itself.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Wonderful and moist.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Mm.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01That holds quite a melting experience. The softness of the fish,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04the gentle little bite of the lovely shrimp,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09but the real maximum flavour is found from the British tomato.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Quite sensational.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21'Our love affair with tomatoes has always been about much more than just eating them,
0:18:21 > 0:18:28'something I'm keen to explore further at Audley End Organic Kitchen Garden in Essex
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'where they keep the Victorian appetite for variety alive.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:37The Victorians had a strange attitude towards tomatoes. They were newish.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41They grew them, but wouldn't eat them. They believed them poisonous.
0:18:41 > 0:18:47- Really?- Yeah. They grew them as ornamentals and would show them off to their friends.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Somehow they crossed over and began eating them.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56'And thanks to their experimentation, a wealth of British varieties were born,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58'some resurrected here.'
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- We grow 63 varieties of tomato. - 63?!- Yes.
0:19:04 > 0:19:11- Oh, my goodness, me!- Like a food shop.- This is phenomenal! Are these all British?- The majority are.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17- There are one or two Americans, but most of them are British. - How old are these?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Some are almost 100 years old.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25'It's taken Mike over a decade of careful growing to bring these Victorian varieties back to life
0:19:25 > 0:19:32'and he's done it with the help of the Heritage Seed Library, a charity conserving rare seeds.'
0:19:32 > 0:19:36- A classic is Auntie Madge's. - Oh, the little sort of plums?
0:19:36 > 0:19:40- Baby plums.- That was found in the corner of someone's potting shed
0:19:40 > 0:19:45and was sent to the seed library. The real name has long been lost,
0:19:45 > 0:19:51- so they gave it the name Auntie Madge's so we'll stay with that. - Absolutely. You're supporting it.
0:19:51 > 0:19:57There are many, many... Plumpton King, Earl of Edgecombe.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02These are all from certain farms, certain families who sent them in?
0:20:02 > 0:20:08Yes. Some are straight from nurseries. Others have been found in granddad's garden
0:20:08 > 0:20:15- in a box or a drawer. That's the beauty of the seed library.- I'd love to try one.
0:20:15 > 0:20:21- There's a lovely red one there. - One of these?- Take that nice one. - This is called Welsh Farmer Laws.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Look at that. Beautiful.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And actually you smell that...
0:20:27 > 0:20:31It smells so beautiful and rich. Absolutely wonderful.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35That'll be quite sweet, I imagine. I'll let you know.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Look at the colour on it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Ohh...
0:20:41 > 0:20:46That is quite immense in its flavour. Absolutely stunning to eat.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52- Should we be encouraging more and more people to grow their own? - Definitely. I'll show you how.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55That's a good start.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06- Pop it there.- There he goes. - You've partly eaten it, but left us some to work with.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12All you really need to do is simple. We've a sheet of kitchen paper. Go after the individual seeds
0:21:12 > 0:21:19and just let them dry on the paper. Store them in an envelope, somewhere relatively dry for wintertime.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23It's incredible just seeing this because it's given me inspiration.
0:21:23 > 0:21:30I hope it gives everybody watching and seeing this equal inspiration to start growing our own.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35'Even if you don't have a garden, you can still get involved.
0:21:35 > 0:21:41'Take the residents of Brighton and Hove. They've set up a community vegetable plot in the local park,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45- 'which is run by volunteers.' - Over 100 people
0:21:45 > 0:21:49have asked to be involved or given a few hours to help.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53One of our gardeners is growing two dozen varieties of tomatoes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59That's the San Marzano, a plum variety like you find in your tins.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04We try to grow things people might not think of growing, something new.
0:22:04 > 0:22:11These are a black cherry. It's supposed to be the sweetest tomato you can get.
0:22:11 > 0:22:17To plant a seed and wait a few months until food is ready to be eaten, that's really rewarding.
0:22:17 > 0:22:24This actually came from a shop last year and I liked it so I kept the seeds.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27And grew them this year.
0:22:28 > 0:22:36'They also organise allotment shares so neighbours with no outside space can muck in and share the harvest.'
0:22:36 > 0:22:43- They're one of the... - The main thing you look forward to. - Our own tomatoes!
0:22:43 > 0:22:48One of the plants was really big. My little boy thought that was amazing.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54'They even encourage local businesses like this restaurant in the centre of Brighton
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- 'to make the most of whatever space they've got.'- This is our bin alley.
0:22:58 > 0:23:05I started these off in my little back garden in a plastic greenhouse, then brought them here.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11They've shot up the wall. I've got some big beef tomatoes that will make fantastic chutney.
0:23:11 > 0:23:18These little tomatoes garnish my salads. If you can say you've done something on the premises
0:23:18 > 0:23:23and it's literally come off the vine, it's such a good story to tell customers.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30For my final recipe, I'm going to make a dessert.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34That really will show you how versatile these tomatoes are.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Let's face it, they are a fruit.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42I thought they must work in a pudding. This one's going to be a little different.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Where are the white tomatoes from? From here.
0:23:51 > 0:23:59Just look. They're giving wonderfully. Almost that slightly overripe stage.
0:23:59 > 0:24:06They'll be quite sensational, giving me a lot of juice to make that white in the sorbet.
0:24:06 > 0:24:13'A kilo of these plump tomatoes should give me about a pint of juice.
0:24:13 > 0:24:20'Just chop them roughly and pop them in a blender, stopping and starting so as not to overwork them.'
0:24:21 > 0:24:24You can see this looseness.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30That red will all be left behind and it's the pure white juice that you're going to extract.
0:24:31 > 0:24:37'And I'm going to do this by pouring the chopped tomatoes through a piece of muslin.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41'It will take some time to drip through, but it's worth it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46'You can use the pulp for soups or pasta sauces.'
0:24:47 > 0:24:53Once it's all dripped through, you can see that slight little tone in it of the tomato.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Almost a kind of yellow, if you like. An orangey-yellow.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00But that is white tomato liquor.
0:25:00 > 0:25:07The next thing I'm going to make with it is, of course, the base. It won't make a sorbet on its own.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12'Simply dissolve some liquid glucose in a pan with some caster sugar.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17'Add the tomato water and leave to cool.'
0:25:17 > 0:25:22You need to add that sweetness to prevent it setting like a big block of ice.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27While that's happening, I'll make the actual almond pudding itself.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31'It's a simple sponge mix made entirely in the food processor
0:25:31 > 0:25:35'that starts with the dry ingredients, including almonds,
0:25:35 > 0:25:40'and some digestive biscuit crumbs to give it texture
0:25:40 > 0:25:42'and room-temperature butter.'
0:25:42 > 0:25:47It's so quick and easy. Every single ingredient in together.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51'To end, add the wet ingredients, namely three eggs,
0:25:51 > 0:25:58'which once blitzed into a soft runny batter is simply poured into moulds.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:03You want to fill them probably about two-thirds, three-quarters full.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Now straight into the oven. 140 degrees.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13And we're going to leave these now for about 15 or 20 minutes. On they go.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Right. Let's finish off now our sorbet mix.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Let's have a little stir.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26You certainly can't hear the little grains of sugar in there so you know it's absolutely ready.
0:26:26 > 0:26:33'Once it's cooled, pour it into an ice cream machine to churn to the right consistency
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'and pop it into the freezer to set.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:40If you don't have an ice cream or sorbet machine, don't worry.
0:26:40 > 0:26:47Set it, as a block, and then put it into a food processor to create that very thick slush.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Refreeze it and you'll have an ice cream.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Let's have a look at the sponges.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Here, let me show you these.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00I think they look lovely.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Slightly soft in the centre.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07You can see just getting that little colour around the outside.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12And we've got the sorbet. Now this is how it got its title
0:27:12 > 0:27:19of white tomato sorbet. You can see it's firmed up just enough.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Let's have a little taste. Take a clean spoon.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25And we can just... Look at that.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34It's really quite odd because all I'm eating here is sweet tomato.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36It's almost got a strawberriness.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It's absolutely delicious.
0:27:39 > 0:27:45So, without burning myself, let's see if we can pop one of these... There we are.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Take that out of the mould.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51There you have a lovely sponge.
0:27:51 > 0:27:57'I'm serving this with a tangy lime syrup that soaks into the sponge, keeping it nice and moist.'
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Trickle that over the top.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04'A flavour that complements the tomato sorbet perfectly.
0:28:07 > 0:28:13'And I'm garnishing the plate with some oven-dried tomatoes dusted with sugar
0:28:13 > 0:28:17'and more of those fragrant basil leaves.
0:28:17 > 0:28:23'And there you have it. Another exciting dimension to the British tomato.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:27This has been nothing but an education for me.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32Really quite incredible. Finding myself eating a dessert with tomato,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36it's opened up my eyes to the great British tomato.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41I'm convinced by it. I hope you'll agree it needs to be revived.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Let's stick by it.
0:28:43 > 0:28:49Now here's someone else beating the drum for another unsung hero of the British food world.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00So we live on an island, we're surrounded by sea
0:29:00 > 0:29:04and in that sea is the most amazing British crab, but we hardly eat it.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09I want to find out why the British public aren't eating enough of it.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14'I'm Angela Hartnett and I'm passionate about reviving the fortune of the British crab.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19'It's baffling why we export over half our yearly catch of this creature.'
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Don't you just want to eat the lovely white and brown meat?
0:29:22 > 0:29:27'I'll reveal some of the best places to catch crab.' Ahoy there!
0:29:27 > 0:29:30'Meeting people who love crab as much as me.'
0:29:30 > 0:29:34You don't have sex just the one way, so come on, be adventurous!
0:29:34 > 0:29:37'Finding out how to make it supermarket-friendly.'
0:29:37 > 0:29:43- By pasteurising it, how long does that increase its shelf life for? - From four days to 14.
0:29:43 > 0:29:49'And the bit I really love - cooking. I'll show you three deliciously simple suppers,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52'including an amazing spider crab gratin.'
0:29:52 > 0:29:58Fantastic at a dinner party. Everyone loves the crab. They think you're the cleverest chef around.
0:30:02 > 0:30:08My first memories of crab were the little jars of crab paste that you used to have in sandwiches.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12It was only when I started becoming a chef later in life
0:30:12 > 0:30:17that I realised how the original... and most amazing flavour you get from these crabs.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21And recently, my most amazing taste sensation was down in Cornwall
0:30:21 > 0:30:25where we had fantastic crab baguettes with lovely white wine.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29On the beach, just eating that, you can't ask better.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33'Shockingly, only about 5% of us have even tried crab,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36'so exactly what have we got against this tasty crustacean?'
0:30:36 > 0:30:40- Can I ask you something? Do you eat crab?- No.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45- And you, madam?- No, thank you. - You don't like it?- No. - You haven't tried it.- No, thank you.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- Go on, try a bit.- Is it live? - Yes, it is live. Pick it up.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53- I don't want to.- You don't want to. Why not?- Because it looks awful.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55But you're eating the meat.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01- It looks like a coconut. Is it alive?- Yes. That is a fantastic spider crab.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06- They're like giant spiders.- I'm a bit arachnophobic. They freak me out.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11- If you got a crab on your plate, would that freak you out? - Yeah, that would freak me out.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18'So most of us don't like the look of it, but if I'm going to get to the bottom
0:31:18 > 0:31:22'of why we aren't eating enough crab, there is only one place to go
0:31:22 > 0:31:25'and that's London's seafood market in the heart of the east end.'
0:31:25 > 0:31:31We're here at Billingsgate, which is always good fun, about six in the morning.
0:31:31 > 0:31:37If anyone knows why we're not eating crabs and what we need to do to make sure we eat crabs, it's these guys.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43'Here taste definitely comes before looks, but appearance isn't the only problem crab has,
0:31:43 > 0:31:47'as it's traditionally sold live to guarantee freshness.'
0:31:47 > 0:31:51- I don't want to see them moving about.- They're not so bad.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55- Many people are like that, because it moves.- That puts people off.
0:31:55 > 0:32:01'And even the cooked ones need to be picked and dressed, something our busy schedules don't allow for.'
0:32:01 > 0:32:06- People are lazy now. Everything is for convenience. - No-one wants to do the work.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12'So we're missing out on one of the healthiest, tastiest, most abundant meats our shores have to offer.'
0:32:12 > 0:32:18We're like the largest producers of crab in Europe, so why aren't the British eating it?
0:32:18 > 0:32:22The Europeans, generally, are bigger consumers of shellfish than we are.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25That's just bonkers. It doesn't make sense.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31If you go back 20, 30 years, there used to be a shellfish stall outside most pubs.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35- So you could have crab every day? - Crabs, cockles, eels.
0:32:35 > 0:32:41- That's the tragedy. We export to Spain, France and Italy and we're not eating it here.- No.
0:32:41 > 0:32:47But why aren't the British cooking more of the fresh ones? Stick it in a little pot of water - easy.
0:32:47 > 0:32:53- The British people are not fish-eating people.- How do I get the British public eating more crab?
0:32:53 > 0:32:57- What are your suggestions? - Just say to 'em, "Come on, guys.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02"You don't have sex just the one way, so come on, be adventurous!"
0:33:02 > 0:33:08- I'm going to tell them to come to you.- Come and see us. Crab's terrific. It's lovely.
0:33:08 > 0:33:14'So where did it go wrong and how do we rekindle our love affair with this mouth-watering meat?'
0:33:14 > 0:33:20We don't eat enough crab now, but years ago, we were eating tons of the stuff. What happened?
0:33:20 > 0:33:24For example, in 1861, at the old Billingsgate Market, in one year,
0:33:24 > 0:33:28600,000 live crabs were actually sold.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31600,000? That's an incredible amount.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35- It's nothing like that nowadays. - What's changed our eating habits?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38It's just getting hold of the crab.
0:33:38 > 0:33:44In the old days, people would shop more at their fishmonger or a local market where products were available.
0:33:44 > 0:33:49Nowadays, most of us, about 85% of us get our shellfish in the supermarkets.
0:33:49 > 0:33:54- How many times have you seen crab in a supermarket? - What about health benefits?
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Crab are good for us because of high levels of long-chain omega-3 acids.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01How much crab are we eating in this country?
0:34:01 > 0:34:07Despite the fact that we land nearly 25,000 tonnes and it's the sixth most important fishery in the UK
0:34:07 > 0:34:12and the UK fleet lands over half of the entire European catch, it doesn't even make the top ten.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17So on holiday, we're eating crab, that we could be buying up the road,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- for twice the price? Something's wrong.- Absolutely right.
0:34:20 > 0:34:26'The message is clear. Everyone is in love with British crab, except us Brits.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30'So we need to stop being afraid and start eating more of it.'
0:34:30 > 0:34:37I'm going to cook a really simple crab dish. It's easy to make. You've all eaten it at restaurants.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45When you buy your crab, you want to make sure it's at its freshest,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49which means buying it live and dispatching it yourself.
0:34:49 > 0:34:55As an alternative, you can buy whole cooked crab from your fishmonger and pick the meat at home instead.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59Start by removing the shell from your cooked crab.
0:34:59 > 0:35:05Take it from the back and just literally push up, so you start to pull away the crab from its shell.
0:35:05 > 0:35:10OK, remove its claws, which is where you'll find all the white meat.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14And then all the little claws here.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19Gently just pull them away like so from the body of the crab.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23Here you have what they call dead man's fingers.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28These are the crab gills and they are grey and shrivelled. You shouldn't eat them.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32Inside this part of the crab, you've got all the lovely brown crab meat.
0:35:32 > 0:35:39But it's the sweet white meat I'm after for my crab cakes and most of that is found in the claws.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Just slightly crack them
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and again, a little bash there.
0:35:44 > 0:35:49Think of someone you hate at the moment when you're banging it.
0:35:49 > 0:35:55Then scrape out all that flaky white meat, making sure you get into all those hard-to-reach places.
0:35:55 > 0:36:00Just use the back of the spoon and pull away all the crab meat like so.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05But if all this looks too much like hard work,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10you can ask your fishmonger to do it for you. But I say give it a go.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15Some people get very nervous about it, but there's nothing better than being at the beach
0:36:15 > 0:36:22and really tucking into crab like this. Loads of lemon juice, touch of mayonnaise and you're away.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25OK, a final little one here.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Don't throw any shells away.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34You can make them into soup or into bisque. They're great to make a little crab sauce.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39Once you've picked all the meat, check for any sneaky bits of shell.
0:36:39 > 0:36:46Tip a little bit out each time, then with your fingers, just literally go through it like that.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49And that's it. It's dead easy really.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53So is turning it into crab cakes.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57All you need to do is blitz up some spring onion, ginger and chilli.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00They're all going to be used to spice it up.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03And add it to the crab meat.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07It's the most simple dish ever. Just mix that all together like that.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10And throw in some fresh coriander.
0:37:10 > 0:37:16If you don't want to use coriander, basil is another nice herb that you can add to it as well.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Then it's in with some whisked egg, some salt and pepper...
0:37:21 > 0:37:26..and breadcrumbs to help bind it, and you're ready to roll.
0:37:26 > 0:37:32Classic American dish. When we had a restaurant in the States, everyone wanted to eat crab cakes.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37They love them. And we should make them such a thing on our menus over here.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Then we're just going to pat them down.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Just like so, about half an inch thick.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48The smell is absolutely delicious. How simple is that?
0:37:48 > 0:37:54All they need now is a crisp breadcrumb coating, held in place with a bit of flour and egg.
0:37:54 > 0:38:01The first thing you need to do is dip the crab into the flour or do them two at a time.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Great little job to do with kids.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08They like dipping their hands in loads of nonsense and it's perfect to do that.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11You can even at this stage freeze them.
0:38:11 > 0:38:17When you bring them out to cook them, make sure they've defrosted overnight in a fridge.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Then simply fry them in olive oil.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24You just want to lightly move them around,
0:38:24 > 0:38:29just so they get a nice, even golden brown colour.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33And when they're gorgeous and crispy on both sides,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37get them on to a tray and into the oven to warm through.
0:38:38 > 0:38:44Oh, God, they look amazing, absolutely delicious. They've been in for about ten minutes.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49Put your spoon in the end. Go straight into the centre and bring it to your lips.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53It feels hot, so you know they're thoroughly cooked through.
0:38:53 > 0:39:00All these need now is a spoonful of sweet chilli jam, a fresh green salad and a slice of lemon.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04A little bit of olive oil on your salad, just a drizzle,
0:39:04 > 0:39:09and we're going to put two of the crab cakes straight on like so.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12And a squeeze of lemon as well.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17So all finished.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20They look absolutely amazing. I'm sure they taste amazing.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22I'll just tuck in here.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27You can see straight away that fantastic crab there. Beautiful.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Hmm!
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Why are we getting rid of this stuff abroad?
0:39:34 > 0:39:36It tastes amazing, so simple to do.
0:39:36 > 0:39:42It's full of the flavours of the sea. They're delicious, even if I say so myself.
0:39:46 > 0:39:51'No attempt to revive the British crab would be worth its salt without a trip to the seaside,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55'so I'm off to Swanage on the Dorset coast
0:39:55 > 0:40:01'to find out more from a fisherman whose family have been catching crab for five generations.'
0:40:01 > 0:40:05I'm just waiting for Jeff who you can see just coming in now.
0:40:05 > 0:40:11I've eaten nothing this morning because when I go on a boat, I normally throw up.
0:40:11 > 0:40:17'Jeff Lander catches brown crab for the British market and spider crab which he exports abroad.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21'He is one of only a few full-time crab fishermen left in the area.'
0:40:21 > 0:40:25- Hi, Jeff.- Hi, Angela.- I feel like the Queen!- There's your life-jacket.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30'It's a dying trade and one we need to support, seasickness or not.'
0:40:31 > 0:40:33Ahoy there, sailor!
0:40:33 > 0:40:36'Jeff uses a baited potting system
0:40:36 > 0:40:41'and, thanks to checking and re-baiting his 500 pots six days a week,
0:40:41 > 0:40:45'has a fine pair of sea legs unlike me.'
0:40:45 > 0:40:50I'm gripping Jeff with all my might because I feel we're like this.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Explain what's going on, Jeff.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56We're going to lift the pots up. We're going to empty the crabs out.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00And you've got all these pots attached to one another?
0:41:00 > 0:41:05- They're all attached. - How many do you have in one line? - In one line, there's 30.- OK.
0:41:05 > 0:41:11- You've got to be careful.- That one's going back in.- That one's small anyway, so he can go back.
0:41:11 > 0:41:17'Jeff pulls in 100 to 150 kilos of brown crab a day during peak season
0:41:17 > 0:41:23'and like all good fishermen, throws the small ones back to protect future stocks and his livelihood.'
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- That's a good crab. - Those ones are all too small.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30- That one's all right. - This poor little bubba, back in.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36'And size isn't the only factor as crab shed their shells as part of their growth cycle.'
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- When you say it's a soft shell, it feels soft?- It's a new-shell crab.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44- It's shed its old shell and it's going to regrow?- Yeah.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49- It's regrown and now it takes time to harden.- Right, OK. So it's not at peak condition.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53- This is a better crab.- That looks great. That's nice and hard.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57- Can we take that home to eat? - You can take that one home to eat.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Perfect.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03'Now I've got my tea sorted, I'm hoping we can head back to shore.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07'But the crabs keep on coming and not just the brown crabs.'
0:42:07 > 0:42:13- That's a female spider crab.- Wow! How many of those do you get?- At this time of the year, not that many.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17It's a summertime thing - May through to August, September.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20'And we eat even less spider crab than brown crab,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24'despite them being common to our shores. It's sickening really.'
0:42:24 > 0:42:29- Are you all right, Angela? - Yeah, yeah. It'd just be good to turn around now.
0:42:29 > 0:42:35We've done that. Been crab-fishing. Tick that box. Don't need to do that again, thanks very much.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38I don't want to vomit on the crabs!
0:42:38 > 0:42:43'Back on dry land and a little less green around the gills, I'm off to meet a man
0:42:43 > 0:42:48'who cooks up a staggering 90 crabs a day in the summer.'
0:42:48 > 0:42:50You'd like these to eat now?
0:42:50 > 0:42:53'Mick Storer has been dishing up crab for 28 years
0:42:53 > 0:42:57'and will show me a few trade secrets with these cooked crabs.'
0:42:57 > 0:42:59- Take the legs off first?- No.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04I turns him round, puts my thumbs on the back, pushes it and he opens up. Tickety-boo!
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Oh, I've got no strength!
0:43:07 > 0:43:10You can do it any way you like.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Yeah, I'm really useless. Then bring that all out like that. Wow!
0:43:14 > 0:43:18'Mick knows everything about the gills or dead man's fingers.'
0:43:18 > 0:43:23- Do they think they're poisonous? - Yeah. It depends on where they've been feeding.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- So they could be.- Depending on the clarity of their water.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30'And has prepping crab down to a fine art.'
0:43:30 > 0:43:32And then a simple trick.
0:43:32 > 0:43:37If you put your finger close to all the legs and pull at once...
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Oh, I did that one perfectly.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42- All the meat comes out in one go. - Oh, yeah.
0:43:42 > 0:43:47- You haven't got to pick it out. - Very good.- You've just saved yourself a few minutes.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50I love your top tips there, Mick.
0:43:50 > 0:43:56Then we're going to dress the crab in the classic English way. You've got all the brown meat there.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00All the brown meat on the bottom. Just pop the white meat on top.
0:44:00 > 0:44:06- You just leave it all there because you've taken all the rubbish bits out.- This is the way you eat it.
0:44:06 > 0:44:13- Fantastic.- 'It's a favourite with his customers too. At under £5 a head, it's cheaper than fish and chips.'
0:44:13 > 0:44:17So that's my lunch. You're an officer and a gentleman. Beautiful.
0:44:17 > 0:44:23- You can't get better than that - beautiful British crab.- Bottle of wine, tickety-boo!- Beautiful.
0:44:24 > 0:44:30It's been a fantastic experience from fishing the crabs to cooking them and now eating them.
0:44:30 > 0:44:36And the flavour is second to none without having to do too much to it, except prep it.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41One of the best things about today that I've learnt is the abundance of it.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45I've always naively thought that we didn't have loads of crab.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49We have loads of crab, but we're exporting them.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53We have to make sure it's coming straight to us, not going abroad.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57'And there's plenty more we can do with it.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Just to show how versatile crab is,
0:45:00 > 0:45:04I'm going to do the most amazing crab linguine.
0:45:04 > 0:45:09To start off, season our water with rock salt. Make sure it's nice and boiling.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Just straight away, add your linguine in.
0:45:12 > 0:45:18I prefer dried to fresh linguine and cook it for seven to eight minutes to retain its al dente bite,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21which is more than enough time to make my sauce.
0:45:21 > 0:45:27Just to start off, we're going to put quite a bit of olive oil in the bottom of the pan.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30And add some full-on flavours,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32starting with garlic, about a clove.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Cut your knife through it very lightly.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38And for heat, some de-seeded red chilli.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Chilli is fantastic with crab.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46It really enhances the flavour without overkill and making it too spicy.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49So that straight in the pan like so.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51And I want some fragrant herbs.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Some fresh flat-leaf parsley and some lovely, fresh basil.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59All these lovely, fresh herbs are great with crab.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03They really enhance the flavour, basil especially.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06You've got the sweetness of the basil and of the crab.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11We got this fantastic crab here from Jeff down in Swanage, down in Dorset.
0:46:11 > 0:46:18He's one of the few left in this country, so we need to start getting these guys back out on the sea.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23That means eating more delicious British crab meat which is hardly a hardship.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26We'll deglaze it with a bit of white wine.
0:46:26 > 0:46:31Put a little bit of salt in with our crab here, a little bit of black pepper.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Add our spring onions in.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Along with a little bit of lemon zest just to give it that freshness.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43And that's it. It's dead simple.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47This dish works as a main course for two people or for four as a starter.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52When we put it on at the restaurant, people absolutely go mad for crab linguine.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55So our pasta's done. I'm going to tip it out.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00Just give it a really good shake.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Straight into there.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08Add our parsley, add our basil.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12Then really give it a great, nice toss there,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15so you get all the crab going right through the pasta.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20And there you have it, a deliciously straightforward crab supper.
0:47:20 > 0:47:27Just before you eat it, do a little squeeze of lemon juice. It brings out that amazing crab flavour.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30So you couldn't ask for anything better.
0:47:30 > 0:47:36You've got linguine with fresh basil and parsley, but most importantly, the most amazing Dorset crab.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Hmm!
0:47:39 > 0:47:42That really is good.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51'One reason we're not eating enough crab is because it's hard to come by in supermarkets.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55'So I've come to Hampton in Middlesex to visit a company
0:47:55 > 0:47:58'who are trying to change things.'
0:47:58 > 0:48:04If you don't like the idea of cooking fresh, live crab, I've got the perfect solution right now.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08'The answer is pasteurised crab meat,
0:48:08 > 0:48:14'but not the frozen, "steamed within an inch of its life" stuff of yesteryear. This is the real deal.'
0:48:14 > 0:48:21- The fresh crab comes from Cornwall. It's all picked by hand, then we pack it into these small pots.- Yeah.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26- What's that? 100 grams?- Yeah. That's done so we get a portion for two people.
0:48:26 > 0:48:33'It's then vac-packed and steamed or pasteurised at a temperature that ensures it is safe to eat.'
0:48:33 > 0:48:37By pasteurising it, how long does that it increase its shelf life for?
0:48:37 > 0:48:40- From four days as a fresh product to 14.- Wow!
0:48:40 > 0:48:46- That's a long time.- It makes it a lot more plausible for supermarkets to be able to sell it on that basis.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52'So how does it compare to fresh crab meat?'
0:48:52 > 0:48:58The only reason I think that is the fresh crab and that's pasteurised is because of colour.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02- Taste-wise, there's absolutely no difference.- You're right.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07I've tasted pasteurised before which is watery and insipid, but that's really delicious.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10- Thank you.- I'll take them with me!
0:49:10 > 0:49:16So that's a great way of getting crab into the supermarkets and out to the mass consumer.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19The taste was absolutely amazing.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24But if we really want to see a culture that's been embracing eating crab for years,
0:49:24 > 0:49:27I've got to see my Spanish friends.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31'Sadly, not in Spain, but in London's Soho instead.'
0:49:31 > 0:49:35The Spanish love seafood. They eat more seafood
0:49:35 > 0:49:37than anyone apart from the Japanese,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39so crab is really important to them.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42And also I think one could argue
0:49:42 > 0:49:47that the Spanish are much more likely to get their hands dirty when it comes to eating.
0:49:47 > 0:49:52You have to get involved in extracting all those sweet bits of meat.
0:49:52 > 0:49:59'A lesson we can learn from head chef Nieves who brought her passion for crab from the Basque Country.'
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Why do the Spanish eat more crab than the Brits?
0:50:02 > 0:50:07You go to Spain and you have big crabs on the table. You start picking it.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09You drink wine and cava with it.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13It's really common for us to have crab and seafood,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15- especially at Christmas.- Why is that?
0:50:15 > 0:50:21- Why has Spain embraced crab more than the Brits when we've got it all round the island?- I don't know.
0:50:21 > 0:50:27- It tastes delicious.- Yeah.- It's not expensive and it's special. You know, it's something you...
0:50:27 > 0:50:33I think it's a cultural thing that the Spanish, like the Italians and French, eat together.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- It's a family thing, a sharing thing.- Maybe, yeah.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40'This isn't the only Spanish tradition to involve crab.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43'Spider crab stew is a speciality too.'
0:50:43 > 0:50:48- So this is the fantastic spider crab?- Yeah, that's a spider crab.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52- So normally what you do, you put all the mix in here.- Yeah.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56- Then you put this on top like that and you'd serve that whole.- Yes.
0:50:56 > 0:51:01- That's what you do traditionally in the Basque Country in Spain?- Yes.
0:51:01 > 0:51:07'The Spanish use crab in just about everything from simple tapas to elegant souffles like this one.'
0:51:07 > 0:51:10I'm going in for the kill.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14Oh, my God, it's so good.
0:51:14 > 0:51:20- If people ate crab like this, they would eat crab all the time.- Yeah. - That is so nice.- Thank you.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24'That's exactly what we need to do if we're going to revive it.'
0:51:24 > 0:51:30We've got to embrace that Spanish and Italian culture that sits down and eats it together as a family.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33It's an amazing product and we shouldn't give it away.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37We should eat it every week on the British dining table.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41For dressing it, we're going to look at what bits you don't want.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45'If you're still not sure about preparing crab from scratch,
0:51:45 > 0:51:51'many courses around the UK will take you through it step by step, like this one at Billingsgate.'
0:51:51 > 0:51:55People who come on these courses are nervous about handling it.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57They're worried about food poisoning.
0:51:57 > 0:52:03If you're faced with a whole crab, they think, "What do I do with that?" Demystifying it is the key thing.
0:52:03 > 0:52:10This is the main body. A lot of people chuck that out, but there are lots of cavities in the shell here.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13When you first look at a crab, it's daunting.
0:52:13 > 0:52:18But when someone explains to you how to do it, it's fairly easy.
0:52:18 > 0:52:23I'd be happy to go to a fishmonger's now, buy a crab and dress it myself.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28I was always quite concerned as to what parts I should keep and what parts I shouldn't,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30so that's a bit clearer now.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33A course like this is absolutely fantastic.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37Seeing how to do it is an awful lot easier than reading about it.
0:52:37 > 0:52:42'So come on, folks. It's time to start cooking and eating more crab.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45'And I've saved my best dish till last.'
0:52:45 > 0:52:49For my third dish, I'll use the spider crab.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53I'll take out all the meat, make it into a lovely, spicy, tomato ragout,
0:52:53 > 0:52:57put it back in and serve it in the crab.
0:53:01 > 0:53:07This crab is cooked and ready to pick. We prepare the spider crab the same way as you would a brown crab.
0:53:07 > 0:53:12I'm going to start the normal way by basically removing the base of the shell,
0:53:12 > 0:53:15so they separate like so.
0:53:15 > 0:53:21Nieves uses spider crab in her cuisine all the time. It's a real favourite amongst the Spanish.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23We forget we have it in our country.
0:53:23 > 0:53:29We'll eat it in Spain and France, but in fact all they're doing is importing it from the UK.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33So we've got to make sure we start using it here.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Again take off all the dead man's fingers, as they say.
0:53:44 > 0:53:51The great thing about this is the presentation. I love it and so will your friends at your dinner table.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53I'm going to keep the shell.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58We're just going to rinse that because we're going to use that to serve our spider crab.
0:53:58 > 0:54:03Then you can see you've got really juicy, quite wet crab meat.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07And it has that really lovely, salty sort of flavour of the sea.
0:54:07 > 0:54:14Time to get on with the ragout itself which starts with celery, leeks and shallots.
0:54:14 > 0:54:20Straight into a pan with olive oil and we're just going to lightly saute that down.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24A little bit of pepper and salt just to sort of start it off.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30And then some finely chopped ginger.
0:54:30 > 0:54:36And the ginger really does give it that sort of oriental, spicy flavour to it which is fantastic.
0:54:36 > 0:54:41Then it's in with some sweet cherry tomatoes and a good squeeze of tomato puree.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46And that will help to keep the sauce nice and thick.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49For acidity, a glug of white wine vinegar.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Followed by the zest and juice of a lemon.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56If you want, you can really spice this up.
0:54:56 > 0:55:02You can add a little bit of honey to it if you wanted to really have that sweet and sour effect.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04A bit of maple syrup as well.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08I'm going to keep it more on the salty side than the sweet side.
0:55:08 > 0:55:13And once the tomatoes have broken down, we add our juicy spider crab.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19As soon as that goes in, we deglaze it with a bit of brandy.
0:55:19 > 0:55:24Brandy is the perfect accompaniment to crab meat or any sort of light fish sauces.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27It just gives it a little boost.
0:55:27 > 0:55:33And our final little ingredient, just to give it a little bit of a kick, is Tabasco.
0:55:33 > 0:55:39To taste, obviously. Then off the heat, stir through some sweet basil, my herb of choice with crab.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42So straight into the shell like so.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46All I've done is just wash it out and make sure it's clean and dry.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49And once it's all in there,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53scatter some grated Gruyere, Parmesan and breadcrumbs.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57So the last little bit of breadcrumbs and cheese on there
0:55:57 > 0:55:59and then in the oven.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08After three or four minutes under a hot grill, it will be gorgeous, bubbling, golden brown.
0:56:08 > 0:56:13So there you have it - a beautiful, gratinated spider crab.
0:56:13 > 0:56:18This is such a meal in itself with the spider crab, the tomato, the leek,
0:56:18 > 0:56:20onions, celery. Really delicious!
0:56:20 > 0:56:25That's the real shame of it all. We've got the most amazing product
0:56:25 > 0:56:30from brown crabs down in Cornwall and Dorset, spider crabs and the Norfolk Cromer crabs.
0:56:30 > 0:56:35We should be using this stuff daily in our cooking, instead of exporting it.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39I hope you'll with me revive the Great British crab.
0:56:39 > 0:56:45Really make an effort and do these simple recipes I showed you and use crab every week.