0:00:02 > 0:00:06We believe Britain has the best food in the world!
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Our glorious country boasts some fantastic ingredients...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Start eating it, will ye?!
0:00:13 > 0:00:16It's home to amazing producers...
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- My goodness gracious. That is epic. - Isn't it?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23..and innovative chefs.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28But our islands also have a fascinating food history...
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The fish and chip shops of South Wales
0:00:31 > 0:00:33are running out of chips.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35BOTH: Yes!
0:00:35 > 0:00:38..and in this series...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42..we're uncovering revealing stories of our rich culinary past...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Now, there is food history on a plate.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47..as well as meeting our nation's food heroes
0:00:47 > 0:00:49who are keeping this heritage alive.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Let's have them enjoying themselves. It's a short life.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Let's make it a happy one like they always have had.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59And of course we'll be cooking up a load of dishes
0:00:59 > 0:01:01that reveal our foodie evolution.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Spring, summer, autumn or winter, it's brilliant.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11BOTH: Quite simply the best of British.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29# Sunday, Monday, Happy Days Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days
0:01:29 > 0:01:34# Thursday, Friday, Happy Days Saturday, what a day
0:01:34 > 0:01:35# Rockin' all week... #
0:01:35 > 0:01:37The fact that we are an island nation
0:01:37 > 0:01:38has not only shaped our history
0:01:38 > 0:01:42but also shaped the food that we eat, and indeed, how we eat it.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Our proximity to the world's second largest ocean, the Atlantic,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49has been influencing our diet for centuries.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Not only the fish who swim beneath its silvery surface,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54feeding our national obsession with seafood, it's also
0:01:54 > 0:01:59the body of water that separates us from the good old US of A.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00Yes, man!
0:02:00 > 0:02:03And I think there's little doubt that our approach to food
0:02:03 > 0:02:08and eating has been influenced by that very special relationship.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10So today's show is a celebration of all things great
0:02:10 > 0:02:14and good that the Atlantic has contributed to our great cuisine.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22- They may call us Limeys... - ..we may call them Yankees...
0:02:22 > 0:02:24..and we may have a bit of history.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26But, over the years,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29our relationship with the US of A
0:02:29 > 0:02:32has made us allies in food and drink...
0:02:32 > 0:02:33..that we invented...
0:02:33 > 0:02:36..and they stuck a flag in and made their own...
0:02:36 > 0:02:38..which we nicked back...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40..from hearty seafood...
0:02:40 > 0:02:43..or a transatlantic salad...
0:02:43 > 0:02:44..to the downright devilish.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Us Brits and our friends across the pond sure love good eating. Mmm-mmm.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56And there's nowt better than a good old clam chowder.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It might be seen as a classic American dish but it is believed
0:02:59 > 0:03:04to have originated in Europe and was taken Stateside by settlers in the 1730s.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09But we're going to give it our very own spin using glorious
0:03:09 > 0:03:12home-grown cockles and soda bread.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Making it more Best of British with an American accent,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17rather than the other way round.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I think cockles are one of
0:03:19 > 0:03:21the tastiest seafood shellfish we have got.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Cockles, Americans would call it clams and charge you a fortune.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25They would.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29This is chowder in a bap, reclaimed.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34The first step is to wash the cockles thoroughly in cold water.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Now, live cockles can be difficult to find these days.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But your fishmonger should be able to sort you out.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43And if you can't get hold of them, well, other shellfish will do.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47They should remain closed. Because that means they are alive.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Discard any that has got broken shells or that are slightly open.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Because if they open, they're dead - throw them away.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56We're going to cover them...
0:03:58 > 0:04:03by about two centimetres over the surface of the cockles.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07On the surface of this water, porridge oats, wholemeal flour.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Anything like that.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Take a teaspoon or two,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and just float that over the top, and leave it.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Don't stir it in. Leave it.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21What will happen, the water will moisten those particles of flour,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23the cockles will then take it in,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and go, "What in goodness' name is that?! Pfft!"
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Then spit out their grit.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Meanwhile, the base for the chowder.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And I'm chopping an onion. I spend half my life chopping onions.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- You do, mate.- I do. - You do it very well.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42You're only just saying that because you don't like chopping onions.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44This is true.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Add the perfectly chopped onions to the butter.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54To that I am adding one chopped stick of celery,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and three rashers of streaky bacon.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02- Si, I've got an idea.- What's that? - You know the celery leaves?- Yes.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- Let's use the celery leaves as a garnish.- Nice idea.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08There's so much flavour in those.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12To me, chowders are characterised by the fact they are quite creamy,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14and they are thickened with potatoes.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18But our old friend, Hannah Glasse, in her thingy on "currey",
0:05:18 > 0:05:21she writes about chowders as being a rich soup
0:05:21 > 0:05:23laced with seafood and truffles.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26While Dave's doing that, I'm just going to
0:05:26 > 0:05:30put 150 millilitres of water, and the juice of half a lemon,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33into a saucepan, and I'm going to bring that to the boil.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36That's what we will cook off our cockles in.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- What do you love about America? - What I love about the States?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44You know, I tell you, you know like when you are sitting
0:05:44 > 0:05:47in restaurants and stuff?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Genuinely, I thought it was all a bit false. You know?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53And all, "Oh, hi! Have a nice day." All that sort.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56But actually, the Americans really do mean it.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58It's just because I'm a cynical Brit.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- But I like the food too, because it's just as eclectic as ours. - Yes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03It's fantastic.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06You can eat your way around the world in most cities in the States.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- And I find that's brilliant. - Good bakers as well.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10They are good bakers.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13You buy American baking books off the Internet.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Really interesting, quirky techniques.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- Which is a culture born out of settlers.- Indeed.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Now, to this, I'm going to put some thyme, three or four sprigs,
0:06:22 > 0:06:23and a bay leaf.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And just let that sweat down with the bacon, the celery,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35the onion and the butter.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Wash your now grit-free cockles.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And here's how to cook them to perfection.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Once you know shellfish, it needn't be scary.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Pan, good solid pan, with a good, tight-fitting lid.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Bring the water to a boil, and then add your cockles.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56As soon as you add your cockles, give them a good shake,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58holding the top of the pan lid.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- They're just like clams, really, aren't they?- Exactly the same.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05We treat them exactly the same.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08But really these are going to be in for three to four minutes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12And all it is, the reason you shake them in the pan
0:07:12 > 0:07:15is to constantly redistribute the heat.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17It's time for our soda bread.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Start by mixing 350 millimetres of whole milk with a pot of yoghurt.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27Make the bread kind of rustic stylee, straight onto the board.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And there is me with my fresh weskit on.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34To the board, I have got a big heap of wholemeal flour.
0:07:36 > 0:07:45And a big heap of bread flour. And I'm going to make six large rolls.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Each of these rolls is going to be big enough to contain
0:07:48 > 0:07:50a portion of soup.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55To the mountain of flour, add two teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57With no yeast in this bread,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00this really is fast-food baking, American style.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Two teaspoons of salt.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08And two teaspoons of sugar.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12And just mix this gently.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Make your flour mountain resemble a volcano
0:08:15 > 0:08:19and pour a splash of yoghurt and milk into the crater.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21That's fine.
0:08:21 > 0:08:28Put about a fifth of that in. Start in that Irish housewife style.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33Just mix and make a bigger hole until all this liquid has been used up.
0:08:36 > 0:08:43What I am doing, in about 1½ to 1cm cubes,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46dice a potato, quite a large one.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50With this fantastic base that Dave has prepared,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53we are going to add two tablespoons of flour.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57And just cook that through and stir it.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02At this point we are going to add the potatoes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Add 300 millilitres of chicken stock and the same again of whole milk.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Stir it in, and simmer for 15 minutes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- Dough.- That will be a lovely mucker, that.- It is.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16And the flour now is beginning to take up the liquid.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Divide the dough into six, and coat an oven tray with flour.
0:09:20 > 0:09:26Look at that. And that's going to make six wonderful soda bread loaves.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28And each one, we are going to hollow it out
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and fill it with the chowder.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I am just going to give it a brush with milk.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Just to glaze it in traditional soda bread style.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39So we are going to put that in a pre-heated oven, 180 degrees,
0:09:39 > 0:09:44about 30 to 35 minutes until it' risen and golden.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46While they are baking,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51all I am going to do is pick through the lovely cockles,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55discarding any that are unopened...
0:09:55 > 0:10:00- They're big ones as well, aren't they?- They are fabulous.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03These ones, this one here, look at the difference.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05That's a nice clean cockle.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07This one has still got a load of grit in it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13- Not good.- This one hasn't spat. So, you are in the reject pile!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Don't add the steamed cockles to the chowder just yet.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18If you do, they will overcook
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and it will be like eating seafood chewing gum.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- Look at that.- Get in.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32With the rolls golden and risen, it's time for leek chopping.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Thinly sliced for the chowder.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40I am just going to add some white wine.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42About 100 millilitres should do the trick.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44One leek, chopped finely.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49- Stick that in there. - This won't take long to cook it down.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- I will break it up a bit.- Thank you. Just stir that in.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56And then add 100 millilitres of double cream.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I am going to take this off the heat,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06add the cockles...
0:11:08 > 0:11:12..let them heat through gently, for a minute or so.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Season the chowder with salt and pepper,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and now it's ready to rest in its bready bowl.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21You can eat the crockery.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Fill your edible receptacle with a hearty helping
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and top with chopped celery leaves.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Imagine if we had baked the plate.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- There would have been no washing up! - That's a good idea.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The cockles are wonderful. The bread is wonderful.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50What a lovely combo.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53And what a lovely way to serve your soup
0:11:53 > 0:11:56if you've got some friends coming round for dinner.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59All it takes is to use your loaf!
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Well, from our friends from over the Atlantic,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08to the cockles on our shores.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11This is the best of British.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14And this will warm the cockles of your heart.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23The dark depths of the Atlantic continue to be a bountiful
0:12:23 > 0:12:27source of food for peoples both side of the pond.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And whilst the Yanks have found their own unique way of preparing
0:12:30 > 0:12:33some of the wonderful things you can catch in it...
0:12:33 > 0:12:37..us Limeys are still discovering that the vastness of the Atlantic
0:12:37 > 0:12:41is even now revealing culinary delights we have yet to tap into.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Looking like a monster out of a '60s B-movie,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55these spindly-legged, lumbering, armoured orange hulks
0:12:55 > 0:12:59would make the hardiest of superheroes hide behind his cape.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Yet in a turn-up for the books, these spider crabs are starting
0:13:05 > 0:13:08to be landed in increasing numbers by British boats.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14In Teignmouth, Devon fisherman Rob Simmonds and his wife Amanda
0:13:14 > 0:13:17are looking to alert us to the delights
0:13:17 > 0:13:19of this at Atlantic delicacy.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29On the whole, because we catch a lot of edible crabs,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31the spider crabs I don't target. Because of the price.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33We don't get a good price for the spider crabs.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Even though we can sell them, we don't get a good price.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38And they are a bit of a by-catch.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40But there is an abundance of them
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and you can catch tons and tons of them.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45When I was a kid, I used to do lots of snorkelling.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50I have actually seen the whole floor here carpeted with spider crabs,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52and they seem to move in balls, sometimes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56There has a reported ball of these crabs in Lyme Regis.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58They reckoned it was the size of a football pitch.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I have had pots come up full right to the top with them.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Absolutely jammed. And we just throw them back.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Which is a bit of a crime, when they taste so good.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12And this is something they have known on the continent for a whale.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Any catch Rob does end up keeping tends to get landed in France.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18They will sit down with a family
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and have a very large spider crab and then divide it up into pieces
0:14:21 > 0:14:24and sit there and have a family meal over the spider crab.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28They have the right utensils and they'll pick it and they will get
0:14:28 > 0:14:31the mouth up to it and make lots of slushy noises,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34which is, you know, it might be a bit daunting for the English,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36but things are changing.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And perhaps I am here to try to make that change a bit.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48We have got something in there, for sure.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51That there is definitely a good one. You see that?
0:14:51 > 0:14:55That's a good spider crab. Whereas that one there...
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I tell you what, we will put that one in the bin before he bites me.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03This one here is a bit small. We'll chuck that one away.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06He's no good to us. Back in the water, alive.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09This one here, your common brown crab, edible crab.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11This is the thing we predominantly fish for.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14One reason is that it is worth more money.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19Brown crabs are something that all crab fans will be used to seeing.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The question for Rob is, can we stomach the ungainly
0:15:22 > 0:15:26appearance of the Atlantic spider crab?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28It's a little bit daunting.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31It looks like a prehistoric monster, really.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Which I think is great!
0:15:33 > 0:15:37A lot of our problem is we want everything processed,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39put on our plate, battered, no bones,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42we don't want to get dirty, don't want to get messy,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I think it's time now we actually had a go at it.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Because the flavour of the spider crabs
0:15:47 > 0:15:50is one of the best flavours that you can get, I think.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54It tastes good. It's abundant.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56And even better, spider crab
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and crab fishing is about as ecologically sound as it gets.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05If it is too small, we throw it back.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07If it has got eggs, we throw it back.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09If it is not good quality, we throw it back.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11And it all goes back alive.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12It is a great way of fishing.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Rob is convinced,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19but his wife Amanda is also doing her bit to turn the tide of opinion
0:16:19 > 0:16:21when it comes to the creature from the deep...
0:16:21 > 0:16:25..by setting out to prove to diners at her restaurant
0:16:25 > 0:16:28that looks definitely aren't everything.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31But if you're taking on one of these monsters, you have got to be
0:16:31 > 0:16:34kitted out with the right gear.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37A couple of bibs here, because it does get a bit messy.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41It might be messy to eat but it is simple to prepare.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45After boiling it for a few minutes you simply pop the top off,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47remove the lungs, and you're ready to go.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- That looks stunning. - A magnificent crab.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Don't be daunted by how it looks. Because the meat is fab.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Your best meat is in the legs.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06So, literally, lift the body up, rip the legs off, get your picker,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10get your cracker, and pretty much get stuck in.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Look at the meat on that.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17- That is superb. - Well, of course it is an ugly beast.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21But having eaten it now for the first time, the meat of that,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25I think, is actually superior to your standard brown crab.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It has got that little extra sweetness and depth of flavour.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- Absolutely superb. - The meat is wonderful.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38And there's plenty of it if you know how to get it out of the crab.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41We are so on the go all the time, always on the hop,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43grabbing a sandwich, we're grabbing this,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46we need to actually sit down and have a feast,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and do things properly, rather than everything done for us.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55We may take some convincing as to the merits of this Atlantic treat...
0:17:57 > 0:18:00..but there is an American culinary invention
0:18:00 > 0:18:03that we now take for granted that we were once slow to embrace.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09The difference between us and our friends across the pond has
0:18:09 > 0:18:13never been so glaring is in the immediate post-war years.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Whilst their economy was booming and cars were flying
0:18:22 > 0:18:26off the production line, in Britain it was a very different story.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We were still suffering after 14 years of rationing,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and while we were filling up on dumplings, they were feasting.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41In fact, back in 1953 they had more food than they knew what to do with.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54And this supposedly led to the creation of one of the most
0:18:54 > 0:18:59notorious food inventions of the 20th century - the TV dinner.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04'Swanson announces new three-course frozen dinners.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07'The most complete frozen meal ever put in a single package.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10'The first and only three-course frozen dinner.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13'Look for Swanson three-course dinners at your grocer's.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16'Remember, you can trust Swanson.'
0:19:16 > 0:19:19The story goes that after Thanksgiving that year,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23the Swanson company were left with hundreds of tons of excess turkey.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31With no spare warehouse space, the meat was being transported up
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and down the country by railway car to keep it chilled.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42It could have all ended up in a smelly, slimy mess,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46or a fuel crisis, if it hadn't been for some bright spark
0:19:46 > 0:19:51who came up with the idea for the pre-packaged meal.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53'Tender juicy slices of turkey.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56'With tasty dressing, fluffy whipped potatoes,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59'and green peas, in butter sauce.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:02From that moment on, the company never looked back.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It's said they sold a record 10 million meals that first year,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08securing them a place in American history.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11# Radio was great but now it's out of date
0:20:11 > 0:20:15# And TV is the thing this year... #
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The frozen turkey dinner tapped straight into the hearts
0:20:18 > 0:20:21of a nation newly in love with the television.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25But it would be a while before the complete meal for one would
0:20:25 > 0:20:27make an impression over here.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29In fact, it wouldn't be until 1961
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and it took something a whole lot more exotic.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38This is the chef, the Vesta chef, who diced the beef,
0:20:38 > 0:20:43sliced the onion, mixed the fruit, ground the spice, stirred the curry,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46prepared the rice that went into Vesta beef curry
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and it took him three hours.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51This is the wife who went to the pantry, who opened the packet
0:20:51 > 0:20:53and cooked and served that wonderful Vesta beef curry
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and she did it all in 20 minutes.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57This was our first ready meal.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02And perfect for a population who didn't actually own freezers,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05still preferred to eat at the table
0:21:05 > 0:21:09but who were starting to develop a taste for something a bit spicy.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Curry, somehow it couldn't have been thought of anywhere else.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20It was new, innovative and very British.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Over the coming decades, as more of us did get freezers,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26we flirted with other forms of convenience meals.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Birds Eye roast beef dinner for one.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33But it wasn't really until the arrival of that other
0:21:33 > 0:21:36technological advance, the microwave,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39that the TV dinner really began to appeal to us Brits.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50George, I'm going to shove something in the microwave. What do you fancy?
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Indian?
0:21:55 > 0:21:59But here in the UK, it was chilled meals rather than frozen ones
0:21:59 > 0:22:02that really revolutionized our eating habits.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04First, perfected by Marks & Spencer,
0:22:04 > 0:22:09the ready meal market was driven by the supermarkets.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12It might have taken us a while, but once we got a taste for them,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15there was no stopping us, we ran with it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21By 2007, over 14 million ready meals were eaten each week in Britain.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24So much so, that today, we are the largest consumer
0:22:24 > 0:22:29of convenience meals in Europe, only the Americans eat more than we do.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32And we have the most varied range of anywhere in the world,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35encompassing dishes from around the globe.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Back in 2010, it was estimated that around
0:22:38 > 0:22:42a mind-boggling 12,000 options were available.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Satisfying all tastes from cheap and cheerful to gourmet,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47we've got it all.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49A selection that even puts the Yanks to shame.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Now, we have nothing against a ready meal, but sometimes, fresh is best.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01And there's nothing better than this American classic
0:23:01 > 0:23:04with our own British twist.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07You see, the Waldorf salad traditionally has been cooked at the
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Waldorf Astoria in New York and is a real symbol of Americana on a plate.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11It is!
0:23:11 > 0:23:15The Waldorf salad has been combined with many things over the years.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- It has.- You can have a chicken Waldorf, a ham Waldorf...
0:23:18 > 0:23:20You can have a nut Waldorf.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- Yeah, but if we're going to combine the Waldorf with something...- Yeah.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- ..with the Atlantic... - What's it going to be, dude?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29We think this good old British mackerel is a perfect bed mate
0:23:29 > 0:23:32for the all-American Waldorf salad.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Packed full of goodies, we're going to show you to how bring
0:23:35 > 0:23:37a slice of the Big Apple to your dinner table.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42It's an oily fish. It sits well with the flavours of the nuts.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46It's a good, good, meaty, fishy, fishy.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51The Waldorf salad is a mayonnaise-based salad. Crack on.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52You know what?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54We're going to make our own mayonnaise because that's key.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57It's a lovely, lovely thing to do. Don't be frightened of it.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58It's not that hard.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02The mayo is the star and I'm going to crack on with the stripes.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The celery, apple and grapes.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Making mayo takes complete concentration
0:24:08 > 0:24:09and an attention to detail.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11First of all...
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Right, the Waldorf salad was invented by Oscar Tschirky
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- in those years between 1893 and 1896...- Smashing.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22..when the Waldorf Hotel became the Waldorf Astoria.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Oscar had worked there since the beginning right
0:24:25 > 0:24:31until the 1940s and he published a book called Oscar At The Waldorf.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33He was maitre d' though, he wasn't a chef.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36As I was saying, crack an egg...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Our recipe contains toasted walnuts, which is quite traditional
0:24:39 > 0:24:42in a Waldorf salad, but did not become part of the recipe
0:24:42 > 0:24:45until a revision in 1928.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- Celery is interesting.- Shut up!
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Two egg yolks. Large egg yolks, OK?
0:24:52 > 0:25:00Because that is the start of your Waldorf mayonnaise.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Now I have seen some recipes for Waldorf salad that actually
0:25:03 > 0:25:06has grapefruit, which would be fine with the mackerel,
0:25:06 > 0:25:07but ours contains grapes.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Grapes have been around for years.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14I'm using seedless grapes because you don't want pips in your salad.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16That would be boring. Just half your grapes.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17The red ones are nice
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- because it's good colour with the green of the celery.- Great.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Once you can get a word in edgeways, add two teaspoons of Dijon mustard,
0:25:25 > 0:25:30one tablespoon of white wine vinegar and half a teaspoon of caster sugar.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Isn't it funny how grapes seem to taste the same
0:25:35 > 0:25:36and yet grapes make wine
0:25:36 > 0:25:42and wine tastes of really different things like peaches and apricots?
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Elderflower?
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Intrinsically, it's grapes. How does that work then, hey?
0:25:47 > 0:25:51- It's a miracle. A miracle in the skin.- Blitz until light and creamy.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57This is the start of the emulsification process with the oil,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00so you want to get this until it changes colour,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04until all those egg yolks are lovely and light.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Patience is a virtue while making mayonnaise.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Keep that going, keep the blades going through it
0:26:10 > 0:26:15and then we're going to add, very slowly,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17you need to take your time, some sunflower oil.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Now one ingredient we've got for the Waldorf salad
0:26:20 > 0:26:24that's better than the Americans, it's two eating apples.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26We've got so many apples in Britain, we could eat a different
0:26:26 > 0:26:30variety of apple every day of the week for five years.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Take two good British eating apples, peel them, core them,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37slice them, slap them with the celery and the grapes...
0:26:41 > 0:26:47That is a beautifully unctuous, thick, gorgeous mayonnaise.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50We need it spoonable, so what we're going to do...
0:26:53 > 0:26:57..we're going to add a tablespoon or so of water.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03And then to that, some creme fraiche.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Just pulse it this time.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08100ml of creme fraiche will not only help us
0:27:08 > 0:27:11achieve the desired consistency for the dressing,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14but gives it a slight sour note and a bit of zing.
0:27:14 > 0:27:20Now, the consistency should have changed to a soft drip,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- which is exactly what we're looking for.- Oh!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27So the apples, I've peeled them, cored them, quartered them
0:27:27 > 0:27:29and now I'm going to slice them.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33The apple joins the grapes and the celery
0:27:33 > 0:27:39and a nice big squirt of lemon juice to stop the apples going brown.
0:27:39 > 0:27:46And that is kind of the stripy substance of our proper
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Waldorf salad. Look at that, mate, there you go.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Perfect, man, thank you very much.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55You know when we say spoonable and slightly drippy,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57that is what we mean. It's that.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Now the eagle-eyed amongst you might have noticed there is no
0:28:00 > 0:28:01leaf in our salad.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Well, that's about to change.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08I'm just going to chop up some celery leaves and put them into the salad.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10It really works.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15You don't need much because they're quite a powerful flavour.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Add the chopped celery leaves to the grapes, apple and celery stalk mix
0:28:19 > 0:28:23and start toasting 65 grams of walnut halves in a dry pan.
0:28:23 > 0:28:30When it comes to facts, the walnuts beat everything else.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Did you know that walnuts are very, very good for you?
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Although they're high in calories, walnuts can reduce cholesterol.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42It used to be said, that you could immobilise a witch
0:28:42 > 0:28:44by putting a walnut in her lap.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48And do you know that in most parts of the world, the walnut is
0:28:48 > 0:28:50known as the English walnut?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Because English Marines used to transport walnuts around the world.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57- What for?- Well, they like walnuts.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00As fascinating as that all is, mate, will you get on with the mackerel?
0:29:00 > 0:29:03I will, Si, and it could not be simpler.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09So in the oven tray, we've got olive oil, lemon juice, salt,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11pepper and parsley.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14I'm just going to put the mackerel fillets in there
0:29:14 > 0:29:17before I grill them to make sure they're evenly coated.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20The mackerel has always been a bit of a dandy of a fish.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22You know, in Georgian England,
0:29:22 > 0:29:26- the Dandies were known as the maquereau.- Were they?
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Yes, because they were all kind of shiny and flashy like mackerels.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33They are beautiful fish. I really enjoy mackerel.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34That looks good, mate.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Just fold them... It's a delicate fish.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40It actually is quite soft flesh.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42You can't be too rough and robust with it.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Grill these for a couple of minutes, skin side up.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50They're not going to take long at all.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51We've toasted our walnuts.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53While Dave has got the mackerel under the grill,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56I'm just going to finish the salad off.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Spoon all the mayonnaise.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03- It is a wonderful, robust salad, isn't it?- It's fabulous.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07There's no delicacy apologies behind it. It just delivers.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- I think this mackerel's done, Kingy.- Let's have a look, mate.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14Ah, yes, lush.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Put the Waldorf onto the plate.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32Oh, lovely. There's a lot of fruit in there. A lot of good stuff.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36The bulk of it really is apples, celery.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39That's a really, simple, clean, straightforward dish.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44- In fact, it's a fusion dish, without the confusion.- Exactly.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47But it looks appetising to eat and actually, you could do
0:30:47 > 0:30:50a really healthy version of that using low-calorie creme fraiche.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- You could.- You could make a skinny version.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55That would be lovely.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02Do you know, I reckon mackerel, from this day on,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- will always go with a Waldorf salad. - It should do.- Perfect, isn't it?
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Absolutely is perfect. What a lovely flavour.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12- Great combinations. - And so easy to cook, as well.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14You can get the fishmonger to fillet the mackerel for you.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19How long did that take? Four minutes - a dowsing, salads and assembly.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- Best of British Atlantic. Come on.- Mmm!
0:31:27 > 0:31:30Tell you what, Kingy, I'm loving this Waldorf salad.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Well, American and British hotels are synonymous with great
0:31:35 > 0:31:37inventions and not just food.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41For over 70 years, the Savoy Hotel has been considered
0:31:41 > 0:31:44THE place to come for a classic cocktail.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47We're here to meet historian, Jared Brown, to discover more
0:31:47 > 0:31:52about the rich and often surprising history of this transatlantic tipple.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55It's a tough job, you know, but somebody's got to do it,
0:31:55 > 0:31:56- haven't they?- Yah.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Former bartender, Jared, has written many books about making
0:32:06 > 0:32:08the perfect alcoholic concoction
0:32:08 > 0:32:13and there isn't anything he doesn't know about this mix marvel.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16He's even co-founder of the Museum Of The American Cocktail.
0:32:19 > 0:32:25Jared, what is it about the cocktail that lights your candle?
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Why are you so passionate about it?
0:32:27 > 0:32:30The alchemy of a cocktail happens here, now in front of us.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34The alchemy of a good wine happened ten years ago in France.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37All you can do is pull the cork and pour it.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41This is magic that you experience and enjoy.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45This taller version of Tom Cruise is world champion cocktail maker,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Eric Lorincz, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge
0:32:48 > 0:32:51of how to get you tipsy with all manner of options.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56American writer in the 1930s, HL Mencken,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59brought a mathematician into a bar
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and had him calculate the number of possible combinations
0:33:02 > 0:33:07and he came up with a figure of 17 million something.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12It's up to people like Eric to ferret out which of those are good.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- Eric, in essence, you're a liquid chef, aren't you?- Pretty much.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19I'm always saying that chefs combine the flavours with a flame,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21we are combining the flavours with ice.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26The Savoy became a haven for American bartenders jumping
0:33:26 > 0:33:30the pond in search of work after the introduction of Prohibition.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Soon the flamboyance of cocktails blended with it's prestigious
0:33:36 > 0:33:40clientele, lifted the image of alcohol and the bartenders
0:33:40 > 0:33:42who served it into a new level.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46London had become one of the forerunners of the roaring
0:33:46 > 0:33:51Twenties, where having a tipple or two was legal, giving free reign
0:33:51 > 0:33:55for creative bartenders to concoct an array of mixed drinks.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00But where did the cocktail actually come from?
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Up until recently, the world thought the beginning was 1806
0:34:03 > 0:34:07in the United States, where the definition of cocktail
0:34:07 > 0:34:11was first printed and they said it was a mixture of spirits
0:34:11 > 0:34:14of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19Then my wife and I found it used in a British newspaper in 1798.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24The truth was, a lot of the drinks that became American drinks were
0:34:24 > 0:34:27born in Europe from European bartenders.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31American tourists sitting in a bar, would jot down the great drink
0:34:31 > 0:34:33the bartender made, go back home,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36teach that to his local bartender, a few years later,
0:34:36 > 0:34:42hit the newspapers and come back over here as a great American drink.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49The first British cocktail book was published in 1869,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52William Terrington's Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks,
0:34:52 > 0:34:56and it gathered together many recipes with a European flavour.
0:34:58 > 0:35:04- First drink in it was a gin or brandy cocktail.- Right.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07- Shall we make it today? - We should definitely make it today.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Yeah, that would be fantastic.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I'm starting off with a few drops of aromatic bitters,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15followed by orange liqueur.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Little bit of ginger syrup.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29A bit of brandy.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31This technique that Eric is going to use,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35is how virtually all drinks were mixed from the 1790s
0:35:35 > 0:35:38into the early 1900s.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42He makes it look so effortless but it's really difficult to do,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44- isn't it?- Oh, it is.
0:35:44 > 0:35:45You end up with a wet floor
0:35:45 > 0:35:47when you're starting out learning this technique.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Once you get a white jacket, once you have a white jacket,
0:35:50 > 0:35:51you don't want to mess it up.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59This is the brandy version of the first cocktail that was
0:35:59 > 0:36:02ever in print in England. 1869.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05This is, what we are just about to taste, a little bit of history here.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09- This refers back to the drink from 1798.- Right.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Oh, Eric, it's fantastic.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19What I don't understand is, if we were so instrumental in the creation
0:36:19 > 0:36:22of the world of the cocktail, how come America's got all the credit?
0:36:22 > 0:36:27America has always done a great job of promoting and marketing America.
0:36:27 > 0:36:28There is no question.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32But if you read the papers from the times, the Americans shouted
0:36:32 > 0:36:37every creation from the mountain tops, but over here, by 1905,
0:36:37 > 0:36:41the whole concept of the American bar had fallen out of fashion.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44A lot of places weren't really making a go of it
0:36:44 > 0:36:49and dropped the whole American bar, but The Savoy was one spot
0:36:49 > 0:36:53where they were not going to let go of a great tradition.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57And so they hired in an American bartender.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00A young man named Harry Craddock.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04Harry left the US in 1920 and went on to become one of the most
0:37:04 > 0:37:05famous bartenders in the world.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09He popularised the dry Martini and invented a number of classic
0:37:09 > 0:37:15cocktails, which take pride of place in his Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21- My goodness.- Look at the style though.- It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:37:21 > 0:37:25And Eric is going to let us try Harry's famous Corpse Reviver No. 2.
0:37:27 > 0:37:33Orange liqueur, a dash of absinthe, lemon juice, aperitif wine
0:37:33 > 0:37:34and a slug of gin.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38This is a Corpse Reviver No.2.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Oh, man, that smells like it would wake the dead.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Welcome back to the 1920s.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- That is fabulous.- Is it?- Yes.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Oh, Eric, you've made Harry Craddock proud.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55It's funny. Everyone thinks Harry Craddock was an American
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and certainly he was touted in the press as an American
0:37:58 > 0:38:02and he never came out and said anything different about that.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07- Harry Craddock was originally from Stroud.- Really?
0:38:07 > 0:38:10So it's fair to say that Harry Craddock
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- was, in fact, best of British? - He was.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Well, there's a turn up for the books.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19You know what, Kingy, I think we should show these guys how we do it.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22- I'm leaving the bar.- Oh, crumbs!
0:38:22 > 0:38:25No pressure then, we've only got a world champion bartender
0:38:25 > 0:38:29and the mastermind of the cocktail world to impress.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Gentleman, I thought for your delectation,
0:38:31 > 0:38:36I would go very traditional and do a dry Martini.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38That is my favourite.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- Oh, good.- What about you?
0:38:40 > 0:38:43- Oh, I love the Martini.- Here we are.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44Lucky old you.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Ah, you can't beat a classic.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Dave, however, has gone a bit more freestyle.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58What is this called?
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Erm...
0:39:00 > 0:39:01It's called a Brain Scrambler.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05I'm confident that Jared and Eric will know class when he tastes it,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07unlike my Geordie chum.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Definitely more than the sum of its ingredients.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15- Flavours coming one by one. - That's nice.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19It tastes like one of those melted-down rainbow lollies, with gin.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Dave's drink was great.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24It was wonderful, it's an amazing drink,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27but it is hard to impeach the classic.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28Dry Martini.
0:39:30 > 0:39:31There is no denying it,
0:39:31 > 0:39:35- the traditional Martini is an absolute winner.- Love it, love it.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37- I can sense we're going to have a couple.- Yes.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- So that's the bikes out the window. - Yes.- Shall we get a room?
0:39:41 > 0:39:43- I haven't brought my wallet. - Oh, quelle surprise.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49So the great American cocktail is actually British.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53What else have those pesky kids laid claim too?
0:39:53 > 0:39:55The farmers' market, that's what!
0:39:55 > 0:39:58No, man! You're joking!
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I know it's hard to believe, but they're actually a relatively
0:40:01 > 0:40:02new phenomenon in the UK.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07They didn't spring up in an idyllic village somewhere in Somerset,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09but in Los Angeles!
0:40:09 > 0:40:10What?!
0:40:13 > 0:40:16This was the original farmers' market.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19It was started in the 1930s by a group of farmers who decided
0:40:19 > 0:40:23to cut out the middle man and sell direct to customers.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28- AMERICAN MAN:- New ideas have a way of popping up in Los Angeles.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Like this unique farmers' market, which daily attracts
0:40:31 > 0:40:32thousands of shoppers
0:40:32 > 0:40:35and tourists who wander through long aisles of booths,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38where farmers display products grown on their own land nearby.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42And by the '50s, it was huge.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44Man, look at those strawberries!
0:40:44 > 0:40:45Picked at the crack of dawn.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48Over the years, the idea slowly spread,
0:40:48 > 0:40:53but suddenly, in the 1990s, the concept would take America by storm.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58John Craven was flown all the way to LA to investigate this
0:40:58 > 0:41:02incredible innovation of people buying food from market stalls.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Farmers' markets are a retailing phenomena in the States.
0:41:06 > 0:41:0920 years ago, there were only four of them in California,
0:41:09 > 0:41:10now there are 300.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15Hang on, hang on. "It's a market!" I hear you yell.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16What's new about that?
0:41:16 > 0:41:20We Brits have had them for over 10,000 years -
0:41:20 > 0:41:22ever since we had farmers, we've had markets.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25They needed to sell their produce to someone, didn't they?
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Ah, but with industrialisation,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30more and more people moved away from the country and into the towns and
0:41:30 > 0:41:34we began to buy our food from market traders and shopkeepers instead.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I don't want six or five, not even four pounds.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Sadly, we grew apart from our old friend, the farmer.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Those enterprising Yanks saw a gap in the market and brought us
0:41:44 > 0:41:46together again.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49We do all the work ourselves and we usually reap the benefits ourselves.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52And we've become friends with a lot of our customers.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- It's a lot of fun.- These farmers' markets were indeed ground-breaking.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Those clever Americans had managed to reinvent the wheel.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Or at least put a clever spin on it.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07And in the 1990s, it was a case of the right place at the right time.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08And throughout the country,
0:42:08 > 0:42:1420,000 farmers are selling direct to the public at their local market.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17The growth of the slow and organic food movements
0:42:17 > 0:42:20meant they were exactly what people were looking for.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Every Wednesday we buy fresh fruits, fresh vegetables,
0:42:24 > 0:42:26good for our health.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30The freshest fruits and vegetables you can find in the city.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33And it's all locally grown and most of it is organic.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37It wasn't long before they found their way over here.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41The first one opened in Bath in 1997.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45For a generation brought up with the supermarket, farmers' markets
0:42:45 > 0:42:49reconnect us face-to-face with the people who produce our food.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Well, I just really enjoy coming out and bringing the things that
0:42:56 > 0:42:58I've just picked the day before out,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and selling it to the people and having a communication, just
0:43:01 > 0:43:03learning what my customers want of me.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07You get a lot of feedback, talking directly to the customers.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09It's a mutually beneficial arrangement
0:43:09 > 0:43:12that not only helped reignite our passion for British produce
0:43:12 > 0:43:17and ingredients, but perhaps also tapped into the deep-seated need
0:43:17 > 0:43:19for us to know where our food comes from.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30There might be over 3,000 miles of water between us
0:43:30 > 0:43:31and the States...
0:43:31 > 0:43:35But it's not stopped a relatively steady flow
0:43:35 > 0:43:38of American goodies continuing to roll up on our shores.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Cupcakes are one of the latest trends to have braved the crossing
0:43:48 > 0:43:49and set up home here.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55To many, they're simply a beefed-up version of our own dainty,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57frugal fairy cakes.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02But to Tarek Malouf, owner and founder of a chain
0:44:02 > 0:44:03of US-inspired bakeries,
0:44:03 > 0:44:07which he's set up in our glorious capital London,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10cupcakes have an identity that comes straight out
0:44:10 > 0:44:12of the heart of American culture.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17Well, I think in general American baking, to me,
0:44:17 > 0:44:21represents indulgence, an abundance of ingredients,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24but there's also creativity to American baking
0:44:24 > 0:44:27and cupcakes definitely lend themselves well to that,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31because they can be decorated in a million different ways.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37But at its heart is a simple cake mix,
0:44:37 > 0:44:41once known as a "1-2-3-4 cake" after the one cup of butter,
0:44:41 > 0:44:43two cups of sugar,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46three cups of flour and four eggs that would go into making it.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52Its creative metamorphosis into the cupcake we know today
0:44:52 > 0:44:55comes more from its excessively indulgent deployment
0:44:55 > 0:44:59of its signature buttercream frosting.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03American buttercream is simply a combination of butter
0:45:03 > 0:45:04and icing sugar -
0:45:04 > 0:45:07a flavouring of your choice and usually a bit of milk or cream,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09and that's pretty much it.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16It's by no means unique to baking in the good old US of A,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20but, like with most things in life, they don't half lay it on thick!
0:45:21 > 0:45:26We just use our palette knife to create a cone in the top of it.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28And twist the palette knife round
0:45:28 > 0:45:32and we get the Hummingbird swirl, which is what we're famous for.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34It's actually not a very good one!
0:45:34 > 0:45:36# You'll always be my sugar candy
0:45:36 > 0:45:39# You'll always be my sweet, sweet dandy
0:45:39 > 0:45:41# You'll always be my sugar candy
0:45:41 > 0:45:45# I'll be true to you, to you... #
0:45:45 > 0:45:48When we first opened, people didn't really know how to take them.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51Initially, people walking through the door did see them
0:45:51 > 0:45:54as something purely for children.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58But that did soon change, and within the first month we started
0:45:58 > 0:46:02having regulars coming in on a daily basis for their cupcake fix.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07It's just something a little bit... cheeky.
0:46:07 > 0:46:08Good comfort food.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15Well, I have just bought a cupcake because who doesn't love cupcakes?
0:46:17 > 0:46:20We'll get another cake now. It was lovely.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Whilst most of the nation seemed to have succumbed to the might
0:46:28 > 0:46:31of the full-fat Lady Gaga of the cake world...
0:46:32 > 0:46:37To British food historian Annie Grey, these American invaders are nothing
0:46:37 > 0:46:43more than a gaudy copycat version of our own dainty fairy cakes.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45I think I'm rather ambivalent towards the cupcake.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49That's the kind of ambivalence that verges on the cupcake
0:46:49 > 0:46:51as abomination, really.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55I'm all in favour of the real cupcake, the kind of early version
0:46:55 > 0:46:58which is like what I would call a fairy cake - something small,
0:46:58 > 0:47:00delicate, well-balanced, spongy,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03very limited decoration, if any at all.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Something that's just a little flippety-jibbet,
0:47:05 > 0:47:07you put in your mouth and it floats away.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11What I hate is what I would think of as the Americanisation
0:47:11 > 0:47:13of something which is quintessentially English.
0:47:17 > 0:47:22Ah, but will our UK resident California "cupkate" be able
0:47:22 > 0:47:26to convince Annie the merits of this sugary sweet show-stopper?
0:47:28 > 0:47:31While fairy cakes do have heritage
0:47:31 > 0:47:34and they're quite cute to look at, the frosting...
0:47:34 > 0:47:38Eh... I always find fairy cakes to be a little bit of a let down.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41- Do you want to tuck into that one? - Yep.- And then we can all just...
0:47:41 > 0:47:46- Brilliant.- ..watch the delight that's going to take over your face.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56- Wow, that's sweet.- Mm-hm. - Very sweet.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57But nice.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01That's not a cake for a country that's been through rationing, is it?
0:48:01 > 0:48:05Greedy, greedy, American-sized cakes and I am a greedy American,
0:48:05 > 0:48:06so I'm totally OK with that.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10This is all about instant gratification and about wanting
0:48:10 > 0:48:13to eat it now and, therefore, when I think of cooking cakes,
0:48:13 > 0:48:16especially small cakes, I think of, especially as a food historian,
0:48:16 > 0:48:19of making nice little fancy things which I've spent
0:48:19 > 0:48:21loads of time on, which are probably for afternoon tea.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25I think in its own way, the cupcake has its own sort of heritage,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28and even though it's become very popular and very trendy,
0:48:28 > 0:48:32you can't blame the actual good cupcake, because it is delicious.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36I'd probably rather have a bacon sandwich.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Well, Annie might still not be sold on them, but it's clear
0:48:39 > 0:48:42the British public have taken them to their hearts.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46So these brash newcomers look set to be around for some time to come.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51- Just like that other important American beauty...- The brownie!
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Beloved by children, pensioners, rich and poor alike,
0:48:56 > 0:48:58everybody loves a brownie.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01And we're using white chocolate as well as dark chocolate.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05- If we'd used all white chocolate, it would in fact be a whitey.- It would.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07It would be a whitey.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11Now, what we're going to do is melt some butter in a pan.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15Because, as you well know, brownies are rather calorific.
0:49:15 > 0:49:20And it's a bit of a treat for us, seeing as we've lost a few pounds.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22Shed a bit of the timber.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25- I've got four eggs in a bowl. - Oh, you haven't!
0:49:25 > 0:49:27- I'm going to whip 'em!- You're not.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31I'm gon' whip these eggs until they're nice! Did you know...
0:49:31 > 0:49:32Oh, God.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34..that it's thought that the brownie
0:49:34 > 0:49:39was first made at the Chicago Palmer Hotel,
0:49:39 > 0:49:42and it was the proprietor's wife, a Mrs Bertha Palmer...
0:49:42 > 0:49:47- Not Bertha!- And she created the brownie for a Columbian exposition.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49- Really?- Because it was full of Columbian ladies,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53and she wanted Chef to make something that wasn't as big as a cake,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56that was more delicate, could be eaten in the hand or indeed
0:49:56 > 0:49:59packed in a Colombian exhibition lady's lunchbox.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01So they say the brownie was born then,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05and actually the Chicago Palmer Hotel exists to this day,
0:50:05 > 0:50:09and one of their favourite things to serve is a version of the brownie.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11But these days it's got more chocolate
0:50:11 > 0:50:12and it's covered in apricot jam.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15I have a baking tray here, or a brownie tin.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18A brownie tin is like a baking tray with high sides.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21- Now we're going to liberally butter this.- Oh, butter it, butter it.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23You don't want your brownie to get stuck.
0:50:23 > 0:50:28And there is nothing worse, ladies and gentlemen, than a stuck brownie.
0:50:29 > 0:50:35Once the brick of butter has melted, add 175 grams of brown sugar
0:50:35 > 0:50:38and then the same of white caster sugar.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43- There's no way you're going to get a low-fat brownie that tastes good, are you?- No.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46It's a sweet little number, this.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Oh, aye - chocolate, you know, it's an aphrodisiac.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51- Does it put zip in your pip, chocolate?- Yes.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54Of course it does, cos it releases endorphins. Yes.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Endorphins are the things that make you happy.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01But, you know, after Bertha Palmer invented the brownie in 1893...
0:51:02 > 0:51:07..their popularity spread massively due to the GIs in World War II,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10spreading brownies all over the world.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Well, they would, wouldn't they? They were...
0:51:13 > 0:51:16There was a great saying about GIs, wasn't there?
0:51:16 > 0:51:20- Overpaid.- Oversexed.- And over here.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23- My mother went out with a GI at one point.- Broke her heart, didn't he?
0:51:23 > 0:51:24He did.
0:51:24 > 0:51:25- Nasty man.- Nasty.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29'But there's nothing nasty about this sweet treat.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32'Once cool, add the sugar and butter mix to the eggs.'
0:51:34 > 0:51:38And just make sure that you're stirring all the time,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40to make sure that it's well combined.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Look, you can see what's happening now is,
0:51:42 > 0:51:45it's kind of like a toffee consistency.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Kind of really melty and lovely.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50These are brilliant to do with kids, aren't they?
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Apart from the pleasure they get out of eating them,
0:51:53 > 0:51:54they're good fun to make.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57You see, while our kids were making rock buns,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- the American kids were making brownies.- Kingy.- Yeah?
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Do you remember in Memphis we went to Piggy Wiggly's,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04- the world's first supermarket. - Oh, yes.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09And it's amazing, the kind of choice and also the fella at Piggy Wiggly's
0:52:09 > 0:52:10invented the kadoozle.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16The kadoozle was a thing where, like, little boxes where you wanted
0:52:16 > 0:52:19a sandwich - you put your money in and got it, it was called kadoozle.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22- It was American. That spread over here as well.- It did.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25- It didn't work very well because they kept breaking down.- They did.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27There's nothing worse than a broken down kadoozle.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30That was a famous record by George Formby.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34# There's - hey-hey! - nothing worse than a broken kadoozle! #
0:52:37 > 0:52:40POSH VOICE: We need to sieve the flour and the cocoa.
0:52:40 > 0:52:46I had a posh girlfriend once who used to say "cou-cou". It's "co-co"!
0:52:46 > 0:52:49- It is.- Look at that. It's quite pretty, isn't it?- It is.
0:52:49 > 0:52:50Terrific, isn't it?
0:52:50 > 0:52:53The only lumps in this brownie are going to be pecan nuts,
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- chocolate and sour cherries. - Oh, don't you just?
0:52:56 > 0:53:00And remember, use cocoa, not drinking chocolate.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02Lots of people make that mistake,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05they try to make a chocolate cake with drinking chocolate.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07And it shouldn't, it should be cocoa. Hey!
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- Roy Rogers!- Trigger!
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Hi-ho Silver, away!
0:53:17 > 0:53:20That was something we got big time when we were kids,
0:53:20 > 0:53:22from America, wasn't it? Cowboy films.
0:53:22 > 0:53:23Oh, I loved them. Loved them.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26DAVE HUMS WESTERN TUNE
0:53:30 > 0:53:32Chocolate.
0:53:32 > 0:53:38Now, these chocolate brownies, they are full of chunky chocolate chips
0:53:38 > 0:53:40and it's a mixture of white chocolate and dark chocolate.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44And, basically, we want to roughly hew them into chunks,
0:53:44 > 0:53:50so you want proper chunks, you want a treat. And random chunks, lovely.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52And while Dave's chunking his chocolate,
0:53:52 > 0:53:54I'm just going to cut through...
0:53:54 > 0:53:57some nice pecans, just chopping through.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00So your pecan nuts go into the batter.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05- We're not shy on chocolate in these, are we?- I know.
0:54:05 > 0:54:06It's important that that is cold
0:54:06 > 0:54:09cos you don't want the chocolate to melt.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11You want to keep its integrity, don't you?
0:54:11 > 0:54:14You want to have those lovely bites and bits of chocolate.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17And there's that much fat in this that they will stay fresh
0:54:17 > 0:54:19for about three days, but get real.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- Ain't no way they're going to last for three days.- Not a chance!
0:54:22 > 0:54:24You're going to have a frenzy on.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28'Add the chocolate chunks to join the pecan nuts and stir in.'
0:54:29 > 0:54:32'Now add 70 grams of chopped sour cherries.'
0:54:33 > 0:54:38- Kingy, sour cherries are a very interesting ingredient.- How are they?
0:54:38 > 0:54:39Yes, they are.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42They've been around since the Romans introduced them in the
0:54:42 > 0:54:451st century AD, and they were popularised during the time of Henry VIII.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47By the time 1640 came,
0:54:47 > 0:54:53there were more than 22 registered growers of sour cherries in Kent.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57So much so, the American colonists in Massachusetts,
0:54:57 > 0:55:01the first sour cherry that they planted was called the Kentish Red.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07- You don't say!- So, we're giving, we're giving all the time.- We are.
0:55:07 > 0:55:08'And the giving continues.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12'To your greased brownie tin, add the mix. And don't worry, Si -
0:55:12 > 0:55:14'I'll take care of the washing up.'
0:55:17 > 0:55:19What we're going to do
0:55:19 > 0:55:24is just make sure that the batter... Dave Myers!
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Stop that. ..is pushed right into the corners.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31And pop your tray into a preheated oven,
0:55:31 > 0:55:33170 degrees Celsius for a fan oven
0:55:33 > 0:55:38for between 30 and 35 minutes, and they will be risen up and gorgeous.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40Yes!
0:55:42 > 0:55:46THEY WHISTLE AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
0:55:55 > 0:55:58Well, Kingy, let's have a state-off!
0:55:58 > 0:56:00- Texas.- Utah.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02- New York State.- Kansas.
0:56:02 > 0:56:03Tennessee.
0:56:03 > 0:56:04Massachusetts.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06Mississippi.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08- Louisiana.- Washington.
0:56:08 > 0:56:09- Michigan.- Oregon.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11- Ohio.- Alaska.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Yeah, good one. New Mexico.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15- California.- Nevada.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16- Hawaii.- Florida.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Maine.
0:56:18 > 0:56:19- Nebraska.- South Dakota.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21- North Dakota.- Tennessee.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23Kentucky.
0:56:23 > 0:56:24Minnesota.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27'And once you've reached all 50 of them, it's time
0:56:27 > 0:56:29'for a state-of-the-art brownie.'
0:56:33 > 0:56:34- Oooh.- It's risen.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41- Ho-ho, look at that!- Get in.- Phwoar!
0:56:42 > 0:56:45- That's it. It's changed colour, hasn't it?- It has, mate.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48The thing is, it's bound to be liquid
0:56:48 > 0:56:52because all the chocolate that's in it will be molten.
0:56:52 > 0:56:53Oh, yeah.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57'20 minutes of self-control letting this slab of brownie to cool,
0:56:57 > 0:56:59'and your reward will be this.'
0:57:00 > 0:57:03- Oh, it's a good cutter. - Oh, it's a lovely cutter!
0:57:03 > 0:57:06- Ooh, the chocolate is still moist, still melting.- Gorgeous.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09It'll be a great one to keep in the fridge, this,
0:57:09 > 0:57:11and that chocolate is going to be crispy.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14There was a lot of chocolate, a lot of stuff in there,
0:57:14 > 0:57:16but there's a lot of slices.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19- You're not going to be able to eat many. Shall we?- Oh, aye.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24It's sticky, it's unctuous.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31They're still a bit warm, which has pleasure in itself.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36The pecan nuts, the cherries, the chocolate.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40This is definitely a Hairy Bikers' homage to that special relationship
0:57:40 > 0:57:43between the UK and the US of A.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45Yep!
0:57:47 > 0:57:49They're the best chocolate brownies in the world.
0:57:51 > 0:57:57- Two nations united by that bountiful ocean, the Atlantic.- We Brits...
0:57:57 > 0:57:59And those flaming Americans...
0:57:59 > 0:58:01Are comfortable bedfellows
0:58:01 > 0:58:04when it comes to our mutual love for cooking and eating.
0:58:05 > 0:58:10So, may we continue to share and share alike.
0:58:15 > 0:58:22If you want to make a splash with our Atlantic recipes, then dive into:
0:58:50 > 0:58:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd