Beetroot and Currants Great British Food Revival

We're here to put Britain back on the food map. We're on a mission to

save fantastic British produce from extinction. But we need your accept.

Essential ingredient that is have been here for centuries. Are in

danger of disappearing. Forever. Together we want everyone to get

back to British cullinary basics. And help us revive our fabulous.

Magnificent. Mouthwatering. Unique. And utterly delicious food heritage.

My name is Antonio Carluccio. I may be Italian but I love British food.

You Brits seem to be shy, almost ashamed of using wonderful food

that you have everywhere. We eat those in Italy and they are

delicious. Ahh. But there is one particular vegtable where the

reputation is still stuck in the 70s. It is the great British

beetroot, which I adored. Beetroot represents just over 1% of

vegtables grown in Britain. Even the tiny figure is falling. If we

don't act to safe this versatile, wonderful vegtable, people may stop

using it all together, that would be a tragedy.

To help you share my passion for this glorious ingredient, I will be

unearthing some monster beetroots that will take your Beth away. Look

at this. That is a gigantic one. I will be showing you the benefits

beetroot juice. That is just what I need. And I will be in the Revival

Kitchen, preparing a three-course meal that will change the way you

see the beetroot. Beetroot, Monday amour.

What would life be without memories. This reminds me that my father was

building a lovely fire, we were cooking the beetroots on it. Baked

beetroot is just fantastic. Meanwhile, my mother was preparing

all the other produce of the garden, but the expectation was on the

baked beetroot. For centuries beetroot has been recognised as one

of the healthiest vegtables on the planet. Yet in Britain its image

has suffered. After the Second World War, instead of being eaten

fresh, beetroot was pickled to death, and this normal vegtable

became national joke. Today, the taste of beetroot is still

synonymous with cheap vinegar. comes across a bit vinegary.

don't like the idea of it being on my plate. Slimey experience of a

vinegary object. Some people say it doesn't taste of anything, I think

it tastes a bit weird, I don't like it at all. Makes a stain on the

plate, as far as I was concerned. The truth is, that beetroot

prepared correctly has a wonderful sweet and unique taste. This baked

beetroot has come straight from the field to the fire. Not a pickle jar

in sight. Fantastic, look at this. Just like meat. Two hours in the

hot ember, has created a beetroot with a vibrant flesh. Wonderful.

And an unforgetable flavour. This is the taste of my childhood. But,

can this Carluccio family kaifrt change your mind about beetroot? Do

you like beetroot? No, I hate it. You have to taste this one?

small one. Very thin and very nice. What do you think? It is sweet and

it is beautiful. Why didn't you like it before? Because Antonio

Carluccio didn't cook it for me! This misconception about beetroot

has led the UK to lose half its beetroot fields in just 30 years.

If we don't act soon, the generation of Brits, we will grow

up without experiencing the beauty of this wonderful vegtable. You may

lose beetroots forever. To find out more about this very British

problem, I'm meeting Graham Forbes, who has been selling boot roots in

Britain for over 30 years. For us in Italy it is a normal

vegtable, we use it all the time. Why is it in Britain the Cinderella

of vegtables, what is against it? Really it is after the war years,

when times were hard, we needed to produce vegtables that needed to be

preserved and cheaply preserved. They were pickled in heavy vinegars.

And the market really stagnated. Now we need to give it a kick to

get it to the customer, almost as fresh as it is in this field.

fantastic, when I see the four little bullets in the plastic bag

in some supermarket is hurts my heart, and you take vinegar, here

it is nature. Fantastic nature, look at this. Look at this. The

pleasure to get something out of the earth like this. This,

fantastic. This is a wonderful vegtable, we need to change

people's view of what it is. We need to get them to try it again,

if they were put off from its traditional image. We need to bring

the new consumers, the younger people into enjoying it. Viva the

beetroot! But just how deep does the anti-beetroot feeling go? I'm

head to go one of the largest vegtable box schemes in the country.

To find out. Behind regular contact -- they have

regular contact with 60,000 discerning vegtable lovers in

Britain. They have a unique view. James McGregor is the farm manager.

Is it popular? It is one of the items we will probably give to

customers eight times in a year. It is not really popular at the moment.

If we were to give it to our customers maybe ten or twelve times

in the year, we get customer complaints which I hear about

straight away. What is the complaint? I have too much beetroot,

I don't know what to do with it. would like to tell them what to do

with it. What do they say? People don't know how to cook it. Actually

they just don't know what to do with it. Secondly, a lot of people

don't like it, it sits in the bottom of their fridge, and two or

three weeks go by and the beetroot is there, and they have had two

other deliveries from us. You know, what education, education,

education, that is what we will do. If I am to reeducate Britain about

the value of beetroot, I must start straight away.

Let's write a message. These beetroots are heading to the

kitchens of Britain, where they must not be forgotten, but cooked.

So to inspire you, I will head to the kitchen myself to reveal the

the kitchen myself to reveal the secrets of magnificent beetroot.

Beetroot, Monday amour. I'm passionate about the beetroot. You

can use it in so many ways. I will show you one of them. This is so-

called beetroot souffle, with anchovy sauce.

This souffle, first of all, naturally, beetroot. Which has been

boiled about 25 minutes. I like to peel them under the water, because

usually, you see, you do just this and it peals very easily. I love

the colour, look at this. It looks like you are murdering somebody,

but it is not. It is just the colour which eventually you can

take off with a bit of lemon and salt.

Cut the beetroot into small chunks and put in a blender. The smell

already is wonderful. Beetroot works well with strong flavours.

I'm using grape fruit juice to make a purple pulp and some horseradish.

One teaspoon. I do it a bit more, I like generosity. Mix grape fruit

juice and flour in pan to make a paste. This will work as a binding

agent and help the souffle to rise. Of course, every souffle needs eggs.

We separate the yolk from the white, double yok, look at this, lucky.

Unbelievable. Beat the egg whites until they become stiff. The

souffle is a bit of work, but it is really worth it. Yes. Now the most

delicate part for any souffle. You see we have pumped a lot of air in

the whites of the egg, now we shouldn't take it out again, in

beating, so just, gently folding it together. Spoon the mixture into

two buttered ramekins, these little beauties go into a hot oven for 20

minutes. Beetroot is not just a vegtable. It is a vegtable with a

lot of interest in it. I don't know why I have to revive it. This is

fantastic thing, it doesn't need to be revived. I need to be revived,

but not that. Take a quick anchovy sauce with

butter, cream and, of course, anchovies. This is the sauce that

will go in the souffle. With the souffle ready, make a hole in the

top. Oh I can see it is lovely, soft and wet. That is what I want.

Now you pour in the middle, a little bit of the anchovy sauce.

And this is really a fantastic balance act, it is lightly salty

and creamy. It goes down into the thing, and now you need to just eat

it, very quickly. It the sweetness of the beetroot

and the saltiness of the anchovy, perfect. Delightful.

I want to change the way you think about beetroot. So come with me to

Cornwall, and to the spectacular lost gardens of Heligan. This is

200 acres tapestry of colour, smells and taste. It is also home

to some surprising beetroot varieties. I am in the kitchen

garden to meet head gardener, Nichola Bradley. You are an expert

of growing this, particularly beetroot. What is it like to grow

that? It is pretty easy crop to grow. You do need a light soil, it

has to grow down into the soil. But the reason that we love beetroot so

much is it is such a value crop, there is no wastage. On top of that

it is very good for your body? good for you. I heard. I see

examples, then fantastic. A huge one. May I see this. Look at this.

These are lovely. Probably we need two people. Look at this! This is a

giant gantic one. This is This is Bull's Blood, it is known as a dual

purpose beetroot. It dates back to 1890. This is a British variety?

is known as a classic British variety, from that period of time.

Beautiful old traditional. could feed a family with this?

yes. You make me happy? I'm glad we make you happy. No packaging and no

processing. This is how beetroot should be, fresh from the field,

but she hasn't finished. She has even more varieties to show me.

This one here, is called cylindra. It is more cylinder shape, it will

be really lovely a tender, a thin skin on that. The one everybody

thinks of is the globe, the round one. These ones here that makes

them a little bit different, is the colour.

You have this beautiful golden colour, it still has that sweet

beetroot flavour, obviously the good thing with this is it doesn't

bleed like the red ones, so the stain that you get, you don't get

that bleeding. Faced with such variety, I'm reminded of what a

fantastic vegtable the beetroot is. What can we do to revive it? Raise

I think people should start growing t it is really easy to grow, you

don't need a big garden you can don't need a big garden you can

grow it in spots.. There is no reason -- pots. No reason why you

couldn't grow them in a pot. To grow and eat them at home, and

encourage family and children to do it as well. Come on, just cultivate

beetroot, I need them. Absolutely, yeah.

The only way to get hold of this more unusual varieties, is by

growing them yourself. I hope that the beetroot's image is restored,

they will become more widely available.

I want to get my rare beetroot bounty back where it belongs, the

kitchen. When I tried to think what to do with beetroots, especially

with Bull's Blood beetroot, look at this one here, it is fantastic. It

came into my mind that I could combine it with a bit of smoked ham.

The result is this fantastic dish. Timbale of beetroot. This is the

Timbale of beetroot. This is the beginning of a white sauce.

Bechamel they call it, the French and Italians. When the flour begins

to cook, add the milk, season with salt and pepper. I like to grate

fresh nutmeg. A wonderful thing. All the spices when fresh are

better. You can see it is lovely and thick, as it should be. To the

sauce add leaks sweated in butter. -- leeks sweated in butter,

followed by grated cheddar. So the sauce is ready. Salt, nutmeg,

everything in there. Now prepare the beetroot. These have been

gently boiled so I can cut them easily into slices. Look test at

the pattern, it is fantastic. Look at this, it is a wonder that nature

produces such things. Dress the beetroot is mustard and kol live

oil, before assemble -- olive oil, before assembling the timbale. Put

the beetroot there, and then the sauce and then the ham. It is a joy

cooking. Cooking for other people is an act of love. Because all the

work you do, you do it for others. The next layer is white sauce. I

couldn't not do it without some Italian stuff, this is Parmesan.

This final touch makes my beetroot Rennaissance dish ready for the

oven. 20, 25 minutes, and Bob's me uncle!

Ask That looks fantastic. Look at this. I can hardly contain my

passion for this dish. The smell. Just by the look I know I'm in for

Sorry that you see me mufrpbling away, but I like it. -- munching

away, but I like it. You would like it too.

It was those other hungry Italians, the Romans, who were the first to

cultivate beetroot in Britain. They not only cooked with it, but they

used it in medicine. Even today, at the university in the Roman town of

Exeter, they are still fascinated by the health-giving qualities of

beetroot juice. It is not the greengrocer, the farmer, or the

foodies that will tell us how good the beetroot juice is. It is a

professor. Professor, what is the exceptional quality of beetroot

juice? Well beetroot juice contain as whole variety of potentially

active and health-enhancing ingredients. Consuming nitrate, or

consuming beetroot juice, does significantly reduce blood pressure,

which over the course of a life span could make a difference to

cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart takes and strokes

et cetera. Shall we try a little bit? I never had it. This deep

purple juice is packed full of goodness, antioxidants, minerals

and those magical nitrates. Mmm, wonderful. Tell me, what will

happen when I drink this? We think the nitrate that is in abundance in

the beetroot juice, is converted in your body to nitrite, and that can

be converted into a nitric oxide, we know that helps to dialate your

blood vessels and deliver more oxygen to your tissues. But it also

seems to reduce the energy cost of muscle contraction, those two

things together really help people, including athletes improve their

performance. So, beetroot, good news. Lovely.

It is the application for athletes that is most interesting. And this

lab has been set up to test the true power of beetroot juice. This

is a concentrated version of beetroot juice, it is a beetroot

juice shot, which has as much nitrate as there is in a normal

juice. Can I try it? Sure. Mmm, wow. So this, in fact, can help the

physical performance? Yes, if we ask people to go for as long as

they can at a fixed high intensity work rate, they are able to go for

up to 16% longer. Beetroot juice has revolutionised sports nutrition,

there are sports teams all around the world using it to enhance

training and improve performance. It may be a secret weapon for Team

GB in the run up to the Olympic games. Just what I need. Who would

have thought the humble beetroot has such properties. I wanted to

talk to one of these beetroot guinea pigs. You don't feel it

whilst you are exercising particularly, the results that we

have been showing are evidence. you eat beetroot normally? Not a

lot, to be honest. You don't like them? It is OK, it is all right, I

get enough of it from the shot. This seems to be wow. So powerful

is this position, even I am starting to feel sport --

possession, even I am starting to feel sporty. I'm feeling the power

of the beetroot in me, maybe only in my mind, it is good, very good.

I'm heading down the coast to Torquay, where a mission Len-

starred chef is also challenging opinions on the humble beetroot. Do

you know the chap is very famous here because he loves beetroot.

saw it here. It doesn't surprise you? Beetroot is one of those dull

vegtables. Dull vegtables, that is an image that Simon Hulstone is

trying to change. Hello, you are Simon. I am, lovely to meet you.

From cheesecakes to powder, this is a kitchen convinced about beetroot.

We're just trying to make it a number one vegtable again, the

varieties, the colours, the taste, the flavours, it has everything in

it. For a vegtable that has been known as boring.

I don't know any other vegtable that could be so versatile. In his

cooking he uses heritage varieties, grown especially for him by a local

farmer. This spectrum of colours and flavours allows Simon to be

creative. Almost everything on this plate is beetroot. When I see a

dish like this, I don't want to touch it, it is beautiful. For me

it is not food, it is a painting. It is all about the visual for me,

this dish. But most importantly it tastes fantastic. This is one of

the dishes that everybody remembers. They always say I never expected

beetroot to look like this, taste like this. It is the same response

every time. Beetroot was boring, but you have woken me up.

wouldn't dare to disturb the dish, but may I try it? No matter how

good it looks, for me the real test is always in the taste.

It's wonderful. Usually I don't like dishes like this, because they

give me too little information about each single piece. But

funnily enough, out of six single pieces I could get the taste. And

all together it really is very good. It is a pleasure to cook beetroot

for somebody who appreciates it. I am excited, inspired. Now I have

one last chance to tempt you to bring the beetroot back into your

kitchen. So now we have the dessert called

panna cotta, with lime juice, and beetroot.

Panna cotta, it is by now, you should know it, because everywhere

in the world, it is the counterpart of creme brulee of the French. It

is just delightful. Start by heating milk and cream, to this

milky mix add softened gelatine and sugar. Fantastic. So far it is not

really cooking, you are just really cooking, you are just

playing with food. Then comes the piece de resistance, a bit of dark

rum. A few drops of vanilla essence.

Then pour this sweet-tasting sauce into ramekins, and leave it to set

in the French for at least two hours.

I saw some leaves that I might use for decoration. I do love

decoration, but that leaf is lovely. See you soon. Friends, I know what

you are thinking, Antonio, where is the beetroot. Well, patience. First,

I have to release the panacotta from the mould. You just put it in

hot water. Just melts around, and loosens it up with a little bit of

a knife here, and that should come up. Perfection. Now we come to the

decoration. First of all, the beetroot. That's been cooked and

now I peel it this wonderful colour, look at this. There is the golden

beetroot. They are they are red, golden, purple, any colour now. As

I cut into this wonderful coloured vegtable, it seems more fruit than

root. Fantastic combination of panna cotta and beetroot. They are

both sweetish, and lovely colour. Use the red beetroot and you do it

for Valentine's Day. When you want a red heart and do the panna cotta

for your lover. Do it. It is nice. Then I add my lime syrup, which is

the sugar, lime rind, juice and water. It adds another vibrant

colour to the plate. What do you want more, all for me!

To eat my dessert, I'm dining alfresco. The beetroot is

unbelievable you don't taste it all as a vegtable. Far away from the

beetroot pickles or with vinegar or something like that. I would say

put it on the table of your family. And then we will see the reaction.

I don't think they would say no. I have done everything I can to

persuade you to give beetroot another chance. If you want to go

further, why not try growing some at home. At the Wimpole Estate, the

head quartener knows how brilliant beetroot can be. - gardener, knows

how brilliant beetroot can be. at this, it is one of the most

exciting things on the plot. For the Sunday roast, there is no

reason not to roast it. The more we use it, the more popular it gets.

It is a far better vegtable than many others, it fits the bill, it

is really good. Start immediately and help revive this overlooked

minority vegtable. Enjoy this fresh. Together we can bring British

beetroot back from the brink. Listen, now it is the time, go out

and buy the beetroot, it is a fantastic thing for you.

Now I'm making way for a chef, who wants us to rediscover a forgotten

I'm here for one reason, that is to get you excited about a forgotten

and traditional great British fruit. Packed full of vitamins and flavour,

I love to pick them, cook them and eat them every chance I get. The

trouble is, they are really hard to find.

But what are they? Currants, little balls of flavour, ripe for flavour.

I'm on a campaign to help save the red, white and black, a tasty

tricolore that is quintessentially British. As part of my revival, I

will find out just how rare our British currants have become. This

is one of the only white currant fields in Britain? I don't know of

any others. I will be braving the he will Manchester Uniteds to look

for redcurrants on the river Clyde. I will be in the Revival Kitchen,

proving that currants are gob smackingly good. You need to try

this dish and get currants back in your life.

While you are at home in the comfort of your living room,

sipping your tea and watching this programme, I'm out here in the

hills of Scotland getting drenched because I want you to revive the

great British currant. These juicy little devils have been

part of the British cullinary landscape for over 400 years. High

in pectin, they used to be a British favourite for jams and

chutneys. However today, searching supermarkets and greengrocers,

these precious berries are shockingly difficult to find. We no

longer value how versatile currants are, and something has to be done.

Without your help, these little beauties will disappear from our

shores for good. So, to start my revival, I'm

heading to Scotland's largest city, to see if it is still possible to

get hold of a British currant. It is just before 6.00am, on the

streets of Glasgow, the perfect time to go currant hunting. This is

Glasgow's fruit market, it turns over �250 million of fruit and

vegtables every year, it has one of the largest markets in the country

and surely they will have some British currants. Have you got any

currants, do you sell currants? Red, white. Yes, we sell all that.

you got any currants? No, we don't, none at all. Sorry.

It is the height of the British currant season and no-one seems to

be selling them. This is a good sign, we have found some red

currants and they are Scottish. At last, British currants. Peter

Broghan has been selling currants for over 35 years, he remembers

their popularity. I do remember times gone by when we would have

quite a lot of black currants to sell, and people would make jams

and preserves. Why have we fallen out of love with currants? The pace

of life has changed and the currant is an eating slow pace. Fruit, if

it is hot weather, you will tell sell lots of strawberries and

rasberries, pallets of them, when it comes to the currants it is a

fine night thing. What about white currants have you ever sold British

white currants? Once in a blue bloom, if somebody is having a

lavish garden party I will get them for them. What has gone wrong? It

is clear we only see currants as a garnish. This lack of demand has

pushed some currants to the edge of extinction in Britain. Fortunately

I can trace Peter's currants in Glasgow back to a farm in Dundee.

Peter Thomson is one of the last red currant growers in Britain. Do

you see red currants as a traditional British crop? Very much

so, red currants have always been grown. They have certainly been

grown for as long as strawberries and rasberries, very much a

traditional British crop. Have you noticed the change in trade and

demand? Demand has certainly been declining over the last 20 years. I

think the supermarkets are less keen on small lines that don't have

big sales, they maybe have more wastage on them. At look at them, -

- look at them, they are beautiful. They look nice on plate, but if you

eat them the whole thing comes alive. It is like a slap in the

face? It is crazy to have them on the plate and not eat them. They

are tart, but as long as you are not eating them on their own, the

flavour is good. The flavour is delicious and it is a proper wake-

up. I'm on a mission to give you that wake-up call to the unique

flavour of currants. It is clear to me that these berries badly need

reviveing, if you can get you to cook with them at home, I will have

to come up with a mouthwatering recipe, I have just the one.

For this recipe I will do something that will really showcase these

great British red currants at their best. That will be glazed ham with

best. That will be glazed ham with red currant and citrus jelly.

To do this recipe I need a whole load of red currant juice. We have

about a kilo of fresh red currants. To extract all this juice, we need

to put them in pan over a gentle heat and bring them up to boil with

a touch of water. They can all go in, don't need to take the stalks

off. We have forgotten what to do with these red currants. I was in

the south of France and they were selling little tiny pots of red

currant jam, that some lady had hand picked all the seeds out, they

were charging �20-�30 for the pots of jam. They embrace the traditions

we seem to have forgotten. For my traditional British red

currant jelly, I get to use one of my favourite kitchen untensil, an

old fashioned jelly bag. You can use a Jay cloth and a sieve

or something like that, Thyme, honey, red wine vinegar and dem

remember ra sugar. Dissolve that over a low heat. You will get the

sweetness and fattyness of the ham. The acidity from the glaze. A few

sprigs of fresh thyme and the ham is ready for the oven.

Now we can start the jelly, a perfect Condiment for the ham. Red

currant juice and sugar on a gentle heat. Now we boil that for about

10-15 minutes until you can see it bubbling away, and starting to look

like jam, really. At that point you could leave it and that would be

your traditional red currant jelly I will take it a stage further and

start adding some more spices and some citrus, some lemon and some

orange. The zest and juice of the lemon and orange will give the

jelly a real citrus edge. Now, we're going to let it down,

then we will cook it back out and reduce it all, to strengthen the

flavours and to set the jam again. You can get really creative with

the ingredients you introduce now, I'm using cinnamon, cloves, ground

ginger, mustard, and a slug of port. Combinations are limitless. But

this has always been my favourite. The citrus red currant jelly, it

works beautifully with this ham. You can do it words the end of the

summer when the berries are at their best. In the cold winter

months, looking at January, February and March, when we are all

getting scurvey, and you need the vitamin see and berries, this is

the best time to pull it out and get a dollop on your plate. Pour

out your jelly and leave it to set overnight. At last it is time to

serve. Room temperature or warm, I would.

Rather than cold from the fridge. You will taste the ham a lot better

and the glaze. It will sit nicely with the jelly. Don't be scared of

that fad fat -- fat, the fat is delicious. I'm serving it with a

light crunchy apple salad. You can't leave this food around for

long before it starts to disappear. It is really, really good, working

beautifully with the lovely fatty ham. This is the recipe that will

I want to turn your attention to the most popular currant crop, the

black currant. The red and black currant are rather, but the black

currant is a different story. We produce tonnes of black currants,

95% of that goes to one thirsty customer. For many years Britain

has benefited from the black kurant -- black currant taste. Ribena, I

can't remember when you last had a cold. Andy Husband's family has

been growing black currants for the juice market for three generations.

He loves his little berries. We are walking through 40 acres of black

currant bushes. It looks like a vast expanse, but it is a niche

industry. Very much so. Black currants are grown by a niche

farmer. All these blackcurrants are destined for one area? It is grown

for one custom mer. That seems dangerous? We are always 100%

behind the juiceing side of the business, we would like to get into

other markets to sell the surplus back currants. We want it get out

to the public how good and healthy this product is, smoothies,

desserts. It is endless what you can do, it is a forgotten fruit,

nobody realises the great benefits. One place the blackcurrant has not

been forgotten is Andy as kitchen. His wife Julie has prepared a

spread to show off the blackcurrant's versatility. A

traditional Scottish blackcurrant cake. A cheesecake, and a family

favourite, a blackcurrant mousse. All showcaseing this little berry

beautifully. Really people need to be educated a

little on what they can do with blackcurrants. There is a lot more

than just juice. I don't think people realise how versatile they

are. We need to show them what the blackcurrant is up to, what can be

pulled from it. If you are a real foody the world is your

blackcurrant! Imagine for a moment a blackcurrant that didn't need to

be cooked, a blackcurrant that could be eaten raw, sweet and

flavoursome, straight from the fruit bowl. That blackcurrant dream

could soon become a reality. At the Hutton Research Institute, I'm

meeting Derek Stewart, he will show me around the largest blackcurrant

research facility in the world. 95% of all the blackcurrant varieties

grown in Britain, and over half of all the varieties grown around the

world, started life right here. We're in lab talking about food.

That makes me uneasy, this is not genetics, not modification and what

not? It is genetics, but not genetic modification. We are taking

genetics, a huge history throughout every crop you look at and applying

it to blackcurrants and more smartly. We can look at the genes

within the plants. Know which plants have the good genes, the

ones we want for great taste. And take the plants that have these

genes and cross them with other one that is have other beneficial

attributes. Through the use of genetics can you create another

market for blackcurrants, a market that people can put the fruit in

their fruit bowl and they can pick it up and eat as they would a

strawberry and raspberry? I think so, the rise of something like

bluebury shows it can be done. To my mind blackcurrants are a

superior fruit and can beat black brew on every count. The plants

that could create this superfruit may already exist? One of these

babies could produce the table fruit of the future. What

properties do the blackcurrants need to be able to be acceptable on

the table, they are very tart? can play around, because of our

experience in breeding, we can play around with the sweetness and

sourness, there is the texture of the fruit. When you put it in your

mouth do you want a pop or bite. We won't generate one variety, you

want to put several into the market so people have a choice what type

they would like, like apples. you think, ultimately,

blackcurrants are worth that investment? Without a shadow of a

doubt. I think blackcurrant could make a complete stealer, otherwise

I wouldn't do it. I can feel it in the air, soon we could all be

eating a wonderful new fruit packed full of punch. Fuelled with revival

ambition, I'm heading back to the kitchen to show you another way to

make the most of currants. It is great to see so many people making

such an effort to get the currant back on our plates. Because of that

I have come up with this recipe hopefully that will inspire you at

home. It is wild duck, with blackcurrant and cassis sauce.

For this recipe I have wild duck and blackcurrants, it is almost a

crossing of the seasons, there is only a few weeks you can do this,

where the wild ducks are around and the blackcurrants are available.

Like the blackcurrant, this duck is small but packed full of flavour.

Top, stuffed with thyme and topped with a thick slice of bacon, it

will only take 20 minutes in a medium oven. On to the sauce.

Swaelt some shallots in oil. Then add a good slug of red wine. A good

slug of port. Once boiling it won't take long to

reduce down. It is a great shame we are not using blackcurrants more in

our cooking. Britain is the home, the international home of

blackcurrants and we just don't use them enough. Cassis, a sweet,

blackcurrant liquer, and some precious blackcurrant queues will

really get things moving. To any sauce I will always add some

juice from the cooked meat. That is the queue -- cue to taste it. It is

good, really fruity, little bit sharp, it needs a bit of salt.

Then, lastly, I will add a few more of these blackcurrants to the sauce.

Just to warm it through, just so they start to pop. A little tip

here, add a knob of butter to give your sauce a glossy finish. Now you

can plate up, start carving your duck. Don't be scared of the colour.

It is very, very rich, red meat. But it is delicious.

I serve the duck on the sauce and accompany these powerful flavours

with some watercress and pars nip crisps. Time to try it. Duck is

beautifully tender. Good berry explosion. Lots and lots of fruit,

real bept of flavour. You need to try this dish and you -- depth of

flavour, you need to try this dish and get blackcurrants in your life.

If you have been watching this programme carefully, you should be

leaping out of your seats saying I want currants, I want to pick, cook

and mash them into jam, where do I get hold of this jeweled fruit? If

you can't find them in the greengrocers or the supermarket,

take walk on the wild side. To find out more about the currant's

illustrious past I'm heading to the Clyde valley, once an important

place for Scotland's soft fruit industry. I'm not visiting farmer,

I'm meeting Andy Fraser, a professional forager, I'm hoping to

track down some wild currants. This area was once famous for soft fruit,

is that right? It used to be, it used to be a big industry. It has

fallen away a bit. It used to be a place for rasberries and straw

breeze, there used to be a currant farm. I have come here in the hope

that the seeds have gone in the river and naturalised and become

wild plants. Have we a good chance of finding stuff? I'm pretty

confident. You should always take advice when eating wild berries.

Luckily I have Andy, he knows exactly what he's looking for.

Some red currants there, we need something more accessible,

something we can get without drowning.

These wild berries are a whisper of what was a major industry here, at

a time when currants would have been an important crop.

Soon we find berries within reach. How do we know they aren't

dangerous? As long as you know what you are looking for. Some betteries

will kill you stone dead. Like extreme sport? Never knowing if it

is your last meal. That keeps life interesting. Shall we try it. It

tastes like a red currant, it is sweeter. It still has the tartness.

There is quite a few of them? will never be in the wild where the

whole plant is plant is hanging with red berries. Still a good

couple of handfuls, it is food for free. It is almost worth getting

this wet for? Almost. There is nothing like foraging in

the rain for building up an appetite. I'm heading to a local

hotel where the head chef has promised me a seasonal Clyde Valley

lunch, including foraged red currants. The foraging is a big

thing in the kitchen? It is really important to us, for me, it is

quite pacifying to go out sometimes, especially if we go for a walk in

the afternoon, go along the river, and pick things like the sorrel and

currants and bring them back and getting to use them. It is really,

really nice. Trevor is making me some lamb quoted in a wild red

currant jam and rolled in a red currant powder. Using wild sorrel

to garnish, this is a seasonal plate filled with the flavours of

the Clyde Valley. I'm really hungry and can't wait to taste it. That

looks amazing. That is delicious. It has a really zesty yet sweet

expeeror to the lamb, and soft lamb, beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

That will win them over. Sunday lunch! For my mission, there is a

currant missing, the currant so rare that the only place to find

them is in Dundee, with Peter Thomson, who closely guards a

secret crop. This is a real treat, this is one of the only white

currant fields in Britain, is that right? I don't know of any others.

I'm sure there are very few, this is the only one I know of. It is a

bit neglected, we have trouble selling white currants at all.

are dying out because people aren't demanding them? No-one is growing

them. You are the guardian of the white currant? We feel a bit like a

heritage crop of white currants that we are not managing to sell.

Why are you doing it, if we can't get them on people's tables and eat

them why do you keep going? We are hoping it find someone who will be

enthusiastic about them. Me! see we are starting today. We hope

we can take it from there. White currants have their own place. They

are like little pearls, they are sweeter than red currants. Little

pearls is a very good description, I think. They are sweeter.

Definitely sweeter. They don't have that pow! Which would lead you to

think that people would maybe enjoy them more than if they didn't

particularly like the tartness of the red currant. They are delicious.

They are delicious. They need reviveing. They clearly need

reviveing, because it is not the sales for them now. It is shameful

that such a rare, beautiful fruit, should be left in the field to rot.

I only hope my campaign is not too late for Peter and his precious

white currants. Lastly, but certainly not least, is

my favourite of all the currants, it is the mighty white currant. I

have a perfect recipe to show it to its full potential. It is a white

currant and whiskey semi-frayed dough.

A semi-freddo is nothing to be afraid of, it is a semi-set frozen

cream. It is like making ice-cream without the need of an ice-cream

maker or where you make a base. It is cream, whiskey and these

is cream, whiskey and these delicious white currants. Heat

whiskey and sugar over a medium heat. Then add the tasty white

currants. These white currants are really important, they come from

the last commercial grower in Britain of white currants. These

are very, very difficult to get hold of, this is a very, very

special recipe for me. Add some lemon zest, and freshly

grated ginger. Just let all those lovely flavours

infuse together. When all the berries have popped, we will push

them through a sieve and then it is done. With the currants infusing

start the semi-freddo. To a warm mixing bowl, on a pot of

simmering water. Add egg yolks, and sugar. Then whisk. The heat working

through the bowl will slowly warm the eggs. You don't want to

overcook the eggs or turn them into scrambled eggs. You are thickening

them very gently and cooking them very slowly. You will see the

colour change, the volume of the eggs will double, and then once

they are at that stage, and once it is at the riven stage, we can take

it off and cool it right down. With the cordial infused, train it. In

almost 20 years of cooking, the only time I have ever come across

white currants is garnish in the 80s on the side of plates. They are

delicious, we should all be using them and keeping this great British

ingredient alive. We can all do stuff at home, very simply to

utilise them. Now bring all the flavours together and add the white

currant whiskey to the egg yolks. This is full of booze, it is not

for the faint hearted, but it is almost like a superfood, it is

packed with antioxidants from the delicious currants. You can't feel

guilty about it. The cordial is closely followed by

semi-whipped cream. When all the flavours have combined, put the

mixture into frozen moulds lined with clingfilm. Give them a little

nudge to make sure you don't have any air pockets sat there. These

delicate puddings should now be frozen overnight, fortunately I

have some ready to go. To serve this I have got some white

currants, which I have maserated in some of that whiskey and white

currant cordial. I have pricked each currant and that will draw up

pull it very gently out of the mould. The clingfilm stops the

semi-freddo sticking. A few white currants and a sprig of mint, and

the simple dessert will steal the show at any family Sunday lunch. It

is beautifully soft, it is really quite decadant, for such a humble

little currant, the whole thing is quite decadant and rich. Stunning,

everything I want in a pudding. If you want to help revive currants,

why not get out there and pick your own. The British currant season is

between July and August. It is the perfect way to spend a summer

afternoon. July Anne Barnaby is a law student and berry picker. There

is nothing more she likes than is nothing more she likes than

experimenting with jams and chutneys. I just like using them in

more ways than just the red currant jelly that you have with lamb.

There is more to do with it. I like them because of that. Make currants

part of your life, and come up with your own ceet secret family recipes.

These stunning little fruits offer up such diversity in favour, colour

and texture, they are on the brink of disappearing from Britain all