0:00:03 > 0:00:07You know, we believe Britain has the best food in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Not only can we boast fantastic ingredients...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Piece de resistance.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- Which is which?- Lamb, mutton.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19..outstanding food producers...
0:00:19 > 0:00:20It's brilliant, isn't it?
0:00:20 > 0:00:26..and innovative chefs, but we also have an amazing food history.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28- Oh, brilliant.- Oh, wow!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Don't eat them like that, you'd break your teeth.
0:00:32 > 0:00:38Now, during this series, we're going to be taking you on a journey into our culinary past.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Everything's ready, so let's get cracking.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- We'll explore its revealing stories.- Wow!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And meet the heroes who keep our culinary past alive.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53Pontefract liquorice, it's been my life and I loved every minute of it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58And of course, be cooking up a load of dishes that reveal our foodie evolution.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Look at that, that's a proper British treat.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06We have a taste of history.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Quite simply, the best of British!
0:01:36 > 0:01:38- Coming on lovely. - Aren't they? They're lush.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44Fantastic. Now, us Brits are thought of as a nation of meat eaters, well, that's not entirely true
0:01:44 > 0:01:48because there's about three million of us choosing never to eat the stuff.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51And, looking at this lot, it doesn't seem to be much of a sacrifice.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Vegetables - they're good for you, they're cheap, they're plentiful,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and, in this country, we have the most incredible range of veg.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03And that's the good thing about our climate, isn't it? The mixture of sunshine and showers
0:02:03 > 0:02:06produces some of the most fantastic veggies.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18You might not think it, but Britain has an incredibly rich vegetarian heritage.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22We owe some great food to the cultural,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26religious and ethical convictions of British vegetarian pioneers.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30From the religious zealots of the Victorian era...
0:02:30 > 0:02:34..to well-meaning veggie revolutionaries of the '60s and the '70s...
0:02:36 > 0:02:41..and everyday families whose vegetarianism is steeped in thousands of years of history.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49In this programme, we'll be getting a taste of modern innovation...
0:02:49 > 0:02:55..and cooking up some of the dishes that sent meat-free cooking into the mainstream...
0:02:55 > 0:02:58..as we explore Britain's love of all things vegetarian.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07First up in the Great British Kitchen,
0:03:07 > 0:03:12we're going to cook a recipe that you've probably all heard of, but never eaten.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I'm going to take you back to the summer of love.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17So dust off your loon pants.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Get your kaftan out.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21We're going to make homity pie.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Oh, yes!
0:03:23 > 0:03:30And homity pie was invented by the women of the land army in the Second World War.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And it was...well, hearty.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It was a substantial vegetarian dish
0:03:34 > 0:03:38that you could actually make with the contents of your ration book.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Now, this delicious veggie treat is very simple to make but really flavoursome -
0:03:43 > 0:03:46it's a humble and filling British classic.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51We're going to take the vintage line-up of potato,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53onion and cheese in a pastry case,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and give it a Hairy Biker twist
0:03:55 > 0:03:59by adding spinach leaves, cream and a hint of nutmeg.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Now, what I've got here,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06I'm lining this deep pie dish with a wholemeal pastry base.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10I've used half wholemeal and half plain flour
0:04:10 > 0:04:13because, quite frankly, if I'd used all wholemeal,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15my pastry's going to come out like a flip-flop.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'The pastry is really easy.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21'You just blend 250 grams of half plain,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24'half wholemeal flour, with 150 grams of butter.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29'Then add a beaten egg and whizz it until it becomes a rough dough.'
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Now, it's a deep fill base.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Homity pie was always deep.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36So I don't even have to throw a rolling pin.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I can feel the pastry with my fingers.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41And I just form it around the pie tin.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Press it into the dish, up the sides of the dish.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48And you'll end up with this wonderful pastry case.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- Look at the fibre in that... - Look at that.- Crikey!
0:04:51 > 0:04:53More fibrous than a coconut husk.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59For the bulk of the filling, you'll need three chopped onions
0:04:59 > 0:05:01and 850 grams of boiled potatoes.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I'm just going to kind of break them up with a wooden spatula.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I've got a non-stick pan, so obviously I won't use metal.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Be fairly rustic about this.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14More chunky spuds.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Saute the onions in butter for 15 minutes,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25then grate a couple of garlic cloves in,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and cook for another two.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Simple yet effective! Takes me right back to the '70s.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I should have got me Aran jumper out.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- I should've worn my cords. I used to wear cords.- Did you?
0:05:37 > 0:05:42- Yeah, baggy ones, you know, for that kind of bohemian intellectual look.- Did you?
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Big glasses like that, and alopecia.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51THEY SING: # Those were the days, my friend
0:05:51 > 0:05:53# I thought they'd never end
0:05:53 > 0:05:57# They'd sing and dance forever and a day. #
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Add the onions to the tatties.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08That's all the cooking you need to do.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Give it a pinch of pepper and some sea salt.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Then chuck in 100 grams of green and healthy spinach.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Brown paper bag, eh?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Throw me a piece of karma, man.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26See...?
0:06:26 > 0:06:28And now it's gone.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Nutmeg always works a treat with spinach.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34It's a lovely colour, isn't it?
0:06:39 > 0:06:43'Next, chop two tablespoons of parsley leaves and stir them in.'
0:06:44 > 0:06:48The purity of curly parsley... It's beautiful.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54'To give it some richness, you need 100 grams of mature cheese, but not any old stuff!
0:06:54 > 0:06:57'Don't forget, this is a veggie recipe.'
0:06:57 > 0:07:02This is of course vegetarian cheddar. It's rennet free.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Now, all we simply do is to pop that into the wholemeal base.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10We won't pack it too tightly, though, cos we want the cream to run through it.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Yeah.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13I think that's enough, don't you?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- Oh, that's tasty!- It would be.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- We'll put another one in. - All right, mate.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Actually, Dave, it might all go in.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25No, no, we've got cheese on yet...no, no!
0:07:25 > 0:07:27No!
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Right, that's fine.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33'You just can't help who you work with!
0:07:33 > 0:07:36'Grate some extra cheese onto the top.'
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And now, pop on fruit of the cow.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42'That's 250mls of cream to you and I.'
0:07:42 > 0:07:44'And it's ready to shove in the oven
0:07:44 > 0:07:48'at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:52And this homity pie, which started life as a frugal feast for the land girls,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54was revived by Cranks,
0:07:54 > 0:07:59that well-known vegetarian outlet that struck up in the 1960s
0:07:59 > 0:08:01in Carnaby Street.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I can remember going there in the '80s
0:08:04 > 0:08:08and it was amazing, homity pie was on the menu.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Everything was brown, rustic and rough.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Cranks was opened on Carnaby street in 1961
0:08:19 > 0:08:24and by the '70s they had restaurants and shops across London.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29The name refers to the stigma attached to vegetarians at the time,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31who were seen as a bit eccentric.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35But the restaurant became so influential
0:08:35 > 0:08:38even the queen of cooking herself, Delia Smith,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43went to check it out and meet the founders, David and Kay Canter.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48I know that both you and David are vegetarian, but you haven't always been, so how did you come to it?
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Well, we were brought up as normal meat-eaters and then we both had back trouble
0:08:53 > 0:08:57and we were advised to go onto a whole food diet
0:08:57 > 0:09:01and then I started making my own bread
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and gradually we came around to not liking meat.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10We didn't like our Sunday joint so we gave that up. We didn't like chicken any more and so forth,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and eventually we came round to being vegetarians.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17That's absolutely... we didn't set out to be vegetarians, it just happened.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18And how's the back trouble?
0:09:18 > 0:09:22Oh, much better. Absolutely marvellous.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Good. Is it difficult to lead a vegetarian life and get enough essential protein?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29It's not difficult at all, no.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33It just requires a little more imagination as a housewife.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Ah, times have changed -
0:09:38 > 0:09:41though Cranks did have to use their imagination to come up with a menu,
0:09:41 > 0:09:46especially as their dishes used only organic wholefood.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52They only used 100% whole-wheat stone-ground flour, not only in their bread,
0:09:52 > 0:09:58but also in pizzas, rolls, scones, cakes, flans.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02It could all be a bit of a chew!
0:10:02 > 0:10:05The wholefood chain became incredibly popular
0:10:05 > 0:10:08and made vegetarian food fashionable to eat,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11helping spread the idea far and wide.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Can I have a fruit yoghurt, please?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18At one time, you could eat at one of their six restaurants,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22whilst their shops catered for people that wanted to try veggie and wholefood cooking themselves.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Can you tell me a bit about wholefood rice, brown rice?
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Yes. This is the unpolished rice.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32It's grown organically and it's simply delicious.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Once you've tasted brown rice,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36you'll never have any other rice again.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It's got such a delicious flavour.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Thanks to venues like this, vegetarianism moved out of the home,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49lost its eccentric image and became mainstream,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51as good food that anyone could enjoy.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03The great thing about our British food heritage is how it has absorbed different influences,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05like vegetarian cuisine.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11And our updated homity pie pays homage to the innovation of the Cranks era.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Oh, that looks good.
0:11:13 > 0:11:14It's handsome!
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- Oh, nice!- This looks like a super-charged quiche.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25'Let it cool for a bit, then carefully lift off the sides.'
0:11:25 > 0:11:27'Make sure you've used a spring clip cake tin.'
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Pastry's stood up.- Ooh!
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Mind you, I think it'd survive anything, that.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39D'you know, I'm liking the look of this. It's cutting well.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41- Eh, that pastry's good.- Hmm.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Eh, mate...that's all right.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Looks like chicken and mushroom...
0:11:58 > 0:12:01..without the violence.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- I quite like that. It'd be great with bacon.- Shut up.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- It's really good.- It is, isn't it?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It tastes good, it looks good, and it just does you good!
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I can feel the love.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29That's enough.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Homity pie has had an interesting journey -
0:12:36 > 0:12:39from something people created to eat out of necessity,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44to being reinvented as the iconic food of the '60s veggie movement.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49But now perhaps it can simply be seen as great food in its own right.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Up there with any meaty pies.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Our vegetarian food heritage owes a lot to the post-war generation,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05whose focus was on animal welfare.
0:13:06 > 0:13:12ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: 'This is the kind of protest movement that young vegetarians do feel able to get into.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16'The girls are on the march against the factory farm.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:19But attitudes of the era were hard to change.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Industrialised farming had been a hero of the Second World War,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29massively increasing our food supply at a time of crisis -
0:13:29 > 0:13:31but now it was in the firing line.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37What do you most see against this sort of thing?
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Exploitation of living creatures...
0:13:42 > 0:13:43for mankind.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50But vegetarianism in Britain goes back much further -
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and it was just as controversial and political.
0:13:57 > 0:14:03To find out more, we're off to leafy Altrincham in Cheshire, to visit the Vegetarian Society.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's the oldest organisation of its kind in the world!
0:14:12 > 0:14:15There's been a lot of bad press about vegetarians.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21You know, chunky knit sweaters, nutty yoghurt, mung bean-styled nut roasts, hippies.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24But there is a consistent voice to vegetarianism
0:14:24 > 0:14:27that's as passionate about the food itself as the politics.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30So we've come to vegetarian HQ here in Cheshire
0:14:30 > 0:14:36to find out about the long and distinguished movement that is vegetarianism.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42We're here to meet Liz O'Neill,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46who knows all about the history of the movement.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- Hello, Liz.- Hello! Good to meet you. - Liz, I'm Si, nice to meet you. How are you?
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Thanks for coming over to the Vegetarian Society today.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Myself and most people tend to think that vegetarianism in the UK -
0:15:02 > 0:15:05being a nation of inveterate meat-eaters -
0:15:05 > 0:15:07is quite new, but it's not, is it?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- No.- How far back does vegetarianism in Britain go?
0:15:10 > 0:15:16Way back. I mean, 1847 is the founding of this organisation,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18but back in 1809
0:15:18 > 0:15:23- a guy called the Reverend Cowherd... - Cowherd!- ..I know, brilliant name!
0:15:23 > 0:15:27He founded the Bible Christian Church in Salford
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and he preached abstinence from meat
0:15:30 > 0:15:33along with a very strong social reform agenda.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36He encouraged his congregation into education.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38He provided a free burial ground,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41which was really important at the time.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Cowherd saw meat in religious terms,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47as the ultimate symbol of the fall of man.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51He believed that eating flesh inflamed the passions
0:15:51 > 0:15:53and excited sensuality!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58He died at the age of 50, but the cause was taken up
0:15:58 > 0:16:02by Joseph Brotherton MP, who became one of the founders
0:16:02 > 0:16:04of the Vegetarian Society.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07He and his fellow veggies believed there was a link
0:16:07 > 0:16:10between eating meat and violence in society.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14All of which made them easy figures of fun for the press.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22Let me read you some stuff from the first AGM.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25There's a nice quote here from Brotherton,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28who was addressing the meeting, and he says,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31"There are two classes of persons in society.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35"One we may say lives to eat, the other eats to live.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39"I am willing to hope that we who are assembled on the present occasion
0:16:39 > 0:16:43"are of the second class. Our object is the pursuit of truth."
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Dave and I still use that phrase.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I often say that there are two types of people -
0:16:49 > 0:16:52people that live to eat and people that eat to live.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I'm guessing you don't put yourselves in the same class as Brotherton though.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57- No, no.- Not at all. Not at all.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And I'm not sure many vegetarians today would.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04- We've got the menu laid out here. - Large savoury omelette, vegetables,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07rice fritters, vegetables,
0:17:07 > 0:17:08beetroot!
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Small vase of flowers...
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Followed by onion and sage fritters! With vegetables.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Large vase of flowers.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18We only had a small vase at the beginning,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21but now as you go through they change the vase.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22We think this is actually laid out.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- This is how the table is laid. - Oh! Of course, yeah.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Hence the mention of the flowers.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- Mushroom pie, vegetables. Bread and parsley fritters...- And water.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33The ONLY beverage.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Do you think the fact vegetarianism has been seen like it is here as rather pious,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40that hasn't done the vegetarian image any favours?
0:17:40 > 0:17:44It certainly wasn't... This is in no way about indulgence.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46It is absolutely eating to live.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51I mean, I think that's something that has massively changed in modern times.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56And actually vegetarian food is now a wonderful and exciting part
0:17:56 > 0:17:58of the range of vegetarian food.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02The Vegetarian Society's run a cookery school for almost 30 years
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and the vast majority of people who come through are not vegetarians themselves,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08they just want to learn to cook great food.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Well, it's back to school for us.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19We're going to learn some skills at the Vegetarian Society's very own cooking academy,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22run by chef Alex Connell.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Today what I'd like to do is teach you how to make
0:18:25 > 0:18:30one of my favourite dishes which is called ocean pie.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Alex's ocean pie hasn't got fish in it, obviously,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39but it's got seaweed to give you that flavour of the sea,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42as well as the veggie ingredient of choice - tofu.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48I sometimes think what's been the curse of vegetarian food
0:18:48 > 0:18:51is the lack of care and sophistication of ingredients.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56I'm like you, I think tofu in general is a brilliant ingredient, but you need to work it.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Yeah, if you play around with it, add loads of flavour to it,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02you get all sorts of textures.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07You obviously have done cooking before?
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- No, never. No, it's my first time. - Really?- Yeah.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20It's falling apart on me!
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I just lifted that off cos it was just starting to crisp.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- Your tofu!- My tofu's done, is it?
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Just...it should be fine now to turn over.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Look at that. It's lovely.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38You've got to watch tofu - it's a delicate ingredient.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Is it working out? This is nice.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Very good.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- I like this recipe, Alex. I think it's going to taste great. - Thank you.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52The tofu we're using is the smoked type and we're seasoning it with paprika and soy sauce.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Oh, voila!
0:19:54 > 0:19:58The other main ingredients are oyster and button mushrooms,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00fried up with shallots and the seaweed.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04This really is extraordinary -
0:20:04 > 0:20:08with the seaweed and smoked garlic and the oyster mushrooms, it really does taste of the sea.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12There's a logic to this which really is working.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17'The ocean pie is made in a series of layers, starting with the mushroom mix...'
0:20:18 > 0:20:23'..which is topped with the tofu and then a pea and parsley white sauce.'
0:20:26 > 0:20:32It's a very good example of how vegetarian cuisine works with lots of interesting seasonings,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34also lots of interesting textures.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Really good, really well thought-out recipe. It's fab.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Perfect.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45- Have you done that before?- Yeah!
0:20:45 > 0:20:47'And last of all, you pipe some mash potato on the top,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50'and sprinkle on some cheese.'
0:20:50 > 0:20:52I've gone for the rope effect,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and Mr King has gone for the multiple duchess.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Voila!
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Sir!
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- What's going on?- Finished!
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Ready for the oven! We've finished!
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- Come here.- I'm a bit scared. - Come here.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Genuinely, I am scared.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Oh...blocked.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Tilt!
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Do you not do that with cheese spread in the tube?
0:21:33 > 0:21:35It's good, innit?
0:21:37 > 0:21:43It's really good. Next time we have a class, I will show the students.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- It's an ice-breaker, chef.- It is.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48'I think we've given something back there.'
0:21:53 > 0:21:56'After 20 minutes in the oven, the pies are ready.'
0:21:56 > 0:21:58There is one lovely ocean pie.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01CHEERING
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- Look at the piping skills there! - Oh, Mr King! Little belter.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Hey, that's a well-risen pie, madam.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- There we go, young man.- Nice!
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Last but not least, there we go.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Oh, nice, well done, that looks brilliant!
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so they say.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28This is really good.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I shall definitely do this at home. Just fantastic.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I think I did it a bit wrong, cos it's still a bit not cooked.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I enjoyed it and it tastes delicious.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42I think our British vegetarian food heritage, is doing very nicely -
0:22:42 > 0:22:45like the rest of our food, it's worth celebrating.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50- It's got a past, it's got a present. - That's right.- It's certainly got a future.- Absolutely, absolutely.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55'Vegetarian cuisine has come a very long way from its temperance days.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'Back then, it was all about the denial of pleasure,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02'but now it's the exact opposite of "eating to live".'
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Nowadays, meat-free food is good enough to entice anybody.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20It's not just the standard of British veggie cooking
0:23:20 > 0:23:23that's improved over the years - it's also the sheer variety.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27One of the greatest additions to vegetarian food in Britain
0:23:27 > 0:23:29has been Indian cooking.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36The main religion of India is Hinduism, and, traditionally,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41many Hindus believe a vegetarian diet benefits body and soul.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45And their dishes have an incredible variety of flavours
0:23:45 > 0:23:49and textures that will knock your socks off.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Luckily for Manchester, Monica and her mum Anita
0:23:54 > 0:23:59are so passionate to spread the word about vegetarian Indian cuisine,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03they've set up a private supper society called The Spice Club.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07It's an underground restaurant that we run from our home.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10We like to show there's more to Indian food than just curry.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15We like to serve food that you can't really get in Indian restaurants -
0:24:15 > 0:24:19food that I grew up on, and food that my mum grew up on in India.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21There's so much variety.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25There's so many different types of dishes in Indian cuisine.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29It's nice to be able to show some of those dishes
0:24:29 > 0:24:30at The Spice Club to some guests.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35They don't have that concept that Indian food is so vast and diverse.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I think it's quite special.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It does bring a big smile on your face.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Immigration in the '60s and '70s
0:24:44 > 0:24:48brought thousands of families from India to Britain.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52They mainly settled in cities, and many took up employment in factories
0:24:52 > 0:24:54or the NHS.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59And with them came a huge diversity of regional cuisines.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Anita grew up in the Hindu tradition of the Punjab,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06where delicious vegetarian food is part of family life.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11I've learned so many vegetarian dishes from my mother,
0:25:11 > 0:25:16and this is how I have learned and taught Monica.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20I think this is how she developed all the interest in food.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Mum wanted me to be a good Indian daughter and have all the values,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26so she made sure that I knew how to cook.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28I'm a proud mum.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31She makes lovely food.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41When Anita left India for Britain in the 1980s,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44it wasn't easy getting ingredients for northern Indian food,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and she had to travel miles to do her weekly shop.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55But, since the '80s, Britain's Asian, African
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and Middle Eastern communities have imported foods
0:25:59 > 0:26:01from around the globe, which today we all enjoy.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06There's just aisles of dhals and lentils, and it's really easy.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11It's nice to see Indian food so easily accessible
0:26:11 > 0:26:14in day-to-day English culture - it's great to see that.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17If it's fresh, it's green.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Yes, it's good. ..It's good.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Just as well, because 13 guests have signed up
0:26:24 > 0:26:28to tonight's supper club via social networks online.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Monica and Anita want to wow them
0:26:33 > 0:26:36with the best of India's vegetarian cuisine.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39They've planned a spectacular five course banquet -
0:26:39 > 0:26:43a carefully crafted combination of taste, texture and colour.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Indian vegetarian food is really satisfying.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I think, also, the way the dishes are made up of so many different
0:26:51 > 0:26:53types of flavours and spices.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56You just kind of forget about the meat factor.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01The main course consists of five dishes.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05The first is lentil dumplings with a chewy texture that comes from
0:27:05 > 0:27:08first frying, then soaking them in water.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11So, we eat this at home quite regularly.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16We top them with three different types of chutneys. We use yoghurt.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21That just adds flavour to it and makes it look really colourful,
0:27:21 > 0:27:22and it tastes really nice.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Punjabis can't go without a yoghurt dish
0:27:25 > 0:27:27or else something like this.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28It's a nice little add-on.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Very, very healthy dish.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31Yes.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33At the same time, it's yummy.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Colour comes in the form of pindi chole - a chickpea dish.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41- This is a typical Punjabi dish really.- Yes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44They come in two colours - white and black.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47The good thing about chickpeas is...
0:27:47 > 0:27:49It's not really black, black, is it? It's light brown.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And they come in green colour, too.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Mums know best.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56It's quite filling.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00But the star of the feast is kofta masala, made using lotus root.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Hi, Dad. What have you got?
0:28:04 > 0:28:08An Asian vegetable which Monica's dad has been out to buy.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14It's been grated, mixed with flour, herbs and spices,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and rolled into balls.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20They are a family favourite, even with non-vegetarians.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24These are the balls which taste better than meat.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27You can bite into it and they are meaty.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29They're absolutely delicious.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32The secret to this kind of cuisine
0:28:32 > 0:28:36is the layering of flavours and spices,
0:28:36 > 0:28:41so the kofta balls are served with a masala - that's Indian for gravy.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45It's made with tomato and cream, and, you've guessed it, more spices.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48It's a balance of ingredients, a balance of different spices.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Each spice has its own flavour,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53it has its own benefit.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55That's the nice thing about this food -
0:28:55 > 0:28:58it's made of so many different types of spices,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00and they're blended together and it just creates
0:29:00 > 0:29:04a unique flavour profile that's unlike any other cuisine.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09And, as if the kofta balls aren't satisfying enough,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12they're joined by fresh peas and chunks of paneer.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17Paneer is a really typical Indian cheese.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21It's a great meat alternative as well.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25We're just adding this to the kofta masala dish
0:29:25 > 0:29:28to again add a little bit of meatiness to it.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30And a little bit more flavour as well.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Almost 12 hours after they first started cooking,
0:29:34 > 0:29:38four types of lentils, seven different sauces, and 26 spices later,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40the five course vegetarian feast is ready.
0:29:40 > 0:29:45Fingers crossed everything turns out well and everyone enjoys it.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55Just in time because... The supper club guests are here.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Hi.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Monica and Anita are hoping their guests' perception
0:30:00 > 0:30:02of vegetarian food is about to change for ever.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06We'd like to think we're taking you on a bit of a culinary journey
0:30:06 > 0:30:10from the north of Manchester, all the way to the north of India.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The Indian street food starter katori chaat goes down really well.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20It's really good. A flavour explosion.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Next, the lotus root balls, shahi kofta masala,
0:30:27 > 0:30:32accompanied by the chickpeas, okra, dahl and the dumplings.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34It was absolutely amazing.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37I've never been a fan of okra, and the stuffed okra
0:30:37 > 0:30:40has converted me, it's a gorgeous dish.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43The lotus leaf koftas were delicious.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46As meat eaters, we didn't miss the meat.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50They were like meatballs, very fleshy, delicious tasting.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52The highlight of the meal.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57Far better vegetarian food than I've ever eaten out in any restaurant, I have to say.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59I'm really proud of my wife and my daughter,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03for the simple reason they're making people taste the real,
0:31:03 > 0:31:08authentic Indian food that Indians eat in their own house.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Empty plates, a good sign.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16No Indian meal would be complete
0:31:16 > 0:31:18without a traditional Indian pudding.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22I've never had cardamom ice cream before but it was gorgeous,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24definitely have it again.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Vegetarian cooking doesn't get better than Monica and Anita's -
0:31:31 > 0:31:35dishes like theirs have gone from being Indian specialities
0:31:35 > 0:31:38to much loved British favourites.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42So relieved everything went down well and I think the vegetarian food,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46everyone really enjoyed it. It's been a brilliant night.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49This is the result when you eat vegetarian food!
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Our final Best Of British recipe fuses old and new
0:32:00 > 0:32:02as we liven up a Welsh classic.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05One of our favourite vegetarian dishes, this, Dave, is it not?
0:32:05 > 0:32:07That's absolutely true.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11It's got a bit of history and we love them, Glamorgan sausages.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15And we're going to serve them with an onion and chilli relish,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19a little bit of sweet, little bit of sour, a little bit of heat.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22It's going to be really nice. So Dave is going to do the sausages
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and I'm going to do the relish.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30These veggie treats are full of leek, breadcrumbs,
0:32:30 > 0:32:33herbs and good old Welsh Caerphilly cheese.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37And King's chilli relish will give them a spicy sweet kick.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44Start the relish by chopping up a large red onion,
0:32:44 > 0:32:49which we're going to sweat in a saucepan for about 20 minutes.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Not really surprising, as they're Welsh,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54but the sausages contain leek.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57You only need one, sliced in half and chopped.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02It's odd with vegetarian food
0:33:02 > 0:33:05when people try to make it sound like meat.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09And somehow it does the Glamorgan sausage a disservice
0:33:09 > 0:33:12because there's no way on earth it tastes like sausage.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14It doesn't need to pretend to be a sausage.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17The Glamorgan sausage should stand up, be loud and proud,
0:33:17 > 0:33:22and say, "I'm tasty and I've got no animal thingies in me."
0:33:24 > 0:33:26A big knob of butter goes into a pan.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32One finely-honed Welsh leek goes in there to sweat down.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37This takes about five or six minutes. And do this gently.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43No-one is quite sure how far back the Glamorgan sausage goes,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46but it was first mentioned in a book called Wild Wales
0:33:46 > 0:33:50written in 1862 by George Borrows.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54This old fella wandered around the place. He was an explorer.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57When he wandered through Wales and sampled the culture
0:33:57 > 0:34:01in all its wonderfully varied ways. And he says,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04"I put on my things, which were still not half dry, and went
0:34:04 > 0:34:08"down into the parlour where I found an excellent fire awaiting me.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10"The table spread for breakfast.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13"The breakfast was delicious, consisting of excellent tea,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16"buttered toast and Glamorgan sausages."
0:34:16 > 0:34:21- George would have loved our sausages.- That's good, isn't it?
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Thing is, in the 1860s, there was a scarcity of meat,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27so chances are the Glamorgan sausage was indeed vegetarian.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36My leeks are just about done.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40In this bowl I'll put a goodly quantity of breadcrumbs.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44I've got to say some because I'm going to dust
0:34:44 > 0:34:46the sausages in egg and breadcrumbs before I fry them.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48I'm going to let these onions sweat.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51They're going to go limp and slightly coloured
0:34:51 > 0:34:53but we don't want them caramelised.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56We just want them to be just sweated nicely.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02And then I'm going to add one lovely red chilli, seeds as well.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Vegetarian food doesn't have to be bland.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11You can really make it lovely with punchy flavours.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14That's the vegetarian sort of food I like.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19It's such a lovely recipe, this. Really, really, really tasty.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22As well as the chilli,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25I'm going to chop two cloves of garlic to add to my relish.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33The sausages are going to get a lovely herby flavour from
0:35:33 > 0:35:36two tablespoons of chopped parsley and a tablespoon of
0:35:36 > 0:35:37chopped thyme leaves.
0:35:39 > 0:35:45What I'll do is take these stalks of thyme and strip the leaves off.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49- And the cheese. It's just superb. - Look at that Caerphilly.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52That's sincerely one of my favourite cheeses in the world.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- Let's just have a slither, eh? - Oh, yeah.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Thanks, mate. Can't resist this.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Oh, man.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05The British Isles produce some of the finest cheeses in the world,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07bar none.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Absolutely superb.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15I'm just grating this quite finely into the breadcrumbs,
0:36:15 > 0:36:16parsley and the thyme.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Although these sausages are great with Caerphilly,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26they originally used Glamorgan cheese made from the milk
0:36:26 > 0:36:27of local cows.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31However by 1920, Glamorgan cows were thought to be extinct.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36But in 1979, an East Sussex farmer put his herd up for sale,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39which contained Glamorgan Castle.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Glamorgan Council bought the cattle
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and started to save the Glamorgan cow from extinction.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48There has never been enough milk to produce
0:36:48 > 0:36:49Glamorgan cheese again
0:36:49 > 0:36:53but its close relative, Caerphilly, is available to us all
0:36:53 > 0:36:57and it's absolutely excellent to make Glamorgan sausages.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00I'll mix that together, the cheese, the breadcrumbs,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03the parsley and thyme.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Let's look at these onions because that's how we want them.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Nice, soft, fabulous.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Now it's time to add the garlic and the chilli.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14And this is a fiery little number this chilli,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18so I'm only going to put half in.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22And then we're just going to saute that off for about five minutes.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26# In the cool of the evening when everything... #
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Separate the yolks and whites of two eggs into different bowls.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Then add a teaspoon of English or Welsh mustard to the yolks.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Unlike any sausage, give it plenty of seasoning.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45- Mix the yolks together a bit... - Now let's start the build.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Put those softened, cooled leaks in there
0:37:48 > 0:37:51and now the egg yolk, mustard and seasoning.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Mix that together.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02And this is your vegetarian sausage meat, if such a thing exists.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05While Dave is mixing that,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09I'm going to add 75 grams of Muscovado sugar to the relish.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Now, that's going to be very, very sweet that relish,
0:38:14 > 0:38:15so to temper that sweetness,
0:38:15 > 0:38:20we're going to add five tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24We're going to give that a good mix round
0:38:24 > 0:38:27and cook for a further five to ten minutes.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34What I've done here, I've worked that mixture into like a dough
0:38:34 > 0:38:37and it kind of looks like psychedelic sausage meat.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38Wow!
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Cut it into eight equal portions
0:38:41 > 0:38:44and roll each piece into a sausage shape.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47If you're going to call it a sausage,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50let's have it looking like a sausage,
0:38:50 > 0:38:51not a rissole.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Look at that.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57I want George Burrows to be proud of that.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59We can't be sure what we're making is the same thing that
0:38:59 > 0:39:04George Burrows ate back in 1862 but what we do know
0:39:04 > 0:39:09is that it was very popular in that great era of meat-free cooking.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12No, not the '60s, the Second World War.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15What you should do at this stage is put them in the fridge
0:39:15 > 0:39:19to firm up for an hour but to be frank, I can't wait.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Remember those egg whites?
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Lightly whisk them but don't go too hard or else they'll go frothy.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30We're going to use them to coat the sausages in breadcrumbs.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Take your sausage.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Roll out in the egg white and then roll it in the breadcrumbs.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41They're lovely, quite dense. They're not lacking in flavour.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48And don't be fooled by their appearance.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51There's far more to these than a croquette.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56We're going to be shallow frying these little lovelies
0:39:56 > 0:39:57so heat some oil over a medium heat.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01To check it's ready, chuck in a few breadcrumbs and see if they sizzle.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05That's all right, isn't it?
0:40:08 > 0:40:09That's it.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13And don't start moving these around until you've got a nice,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16golden crust. There you are - a pan of Glamorgan bangers.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Right, I'm going to get my chilli and onion relish out.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Turn the sausages every now and then until they're cooked through.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35It should only take around ten minutes.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Do you know, there might be something to this vegetarian lark.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41There might be, yeah.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43A lack of meat.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46I reckon with a little imagination, we're not going to miss it.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Let's give them a little drain.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58They've held together brilliantly.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01There you are. Eight to the pound.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Good old-fashioned stuff.
0:41:09 > 0:41:10Look at that beauty.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14Home-made Glamorgan sausages with chilli and onion relish.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17- A vegetarian dish with heritage. - Indeed that.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21They're nice and crispy, aren't they?
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Look at that.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Well, if you come home to that,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41you'd certainly know that there was a welcome the valleys.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Hear hear to that.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48It's kind of cheese, pickles and hot sausagey things.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50It's a great meal.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56Well, this still remains one of our favourite vegetarian dishes.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Now that's as good as any meaty banger.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04They're really simple and they make a great snack or meal,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08whether you use our relish or go old school with mustard or ketchup.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19In a country that was once the heaviest consumer of meat in Europe,
0:42:19 > 0:42:25embracing vegetarianism was always going to be a lengthy struggle.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28But in the process, it made us all think about what goes into our food
0:42:28 > 0:42:33and broadened our horizons on tastes, textures and ingredients.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37And with the new era of inspiring, modern veggie food
0:42:37 > 0:42:40and delicious home cooking, we shouldn't forget the classics
0:42:40 > 0:42:45that fed our curiosity, like homity pie and Glamorgan sausages.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Whether or not you embrace the philosophy,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53it's a tradition with some seriously tasty grub.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59And British cooking is all the better for it.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04Visit:
0:43:04 > 0:43:08..to discover some amazing facts about the history of food.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12And to find how to cook up tonight's recipes.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:19 > 0:43:21E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk