0:00:02 > 0:00:07We believe Britain has the best food in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10'Our glorious country boasts some fantastic ingredients.'
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Start eating it, will you?
0:00:12 > 0:00:15'It's home to amazing producers.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- My goodness gracious! That is epic! - Isn't it?
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'And innovative chefs.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'But our islands also have a fascinating food history.'
0:00:27 > 0:00:31The fish and chip shops of south Wales
0:00:31 > 0:00:33are running out of chips.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38'And in this series, we're uncovering revealing stories
0:00:38 > 0:00:40'of our rich culinary past.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:44There is food history on a plate.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'As well as meeting our nation's food heroes
0:00:47 > 0:00:49'keeping this heritage alive.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Let's have them enjoying themselves. It's a short life.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Let's make it a happy one.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'And of course, we'll be cooking up a load of dishes
0:00:58 > 0:01:00'that reveal our foodie evolution.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:05You've got to make it at home. It's brilliant.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11BOTH: Quite simply, the best of British.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24MOTORBIKE ENGINE ROARS
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Look at all these spices!
0:01:28 > 0:01:31They're some of the most important building blocks
0:01:31 > 0:01:33of world-beating British cuisine.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38And the main motivation behind the creation of the British Empire.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Spices were big money, and us Brits were prepared to wage war
0:01:42 > 0:01:47and ultimately create the world's biggest empire to get our greedy hands on them.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Do you know, mate? Our spirit of adventure and appetite for spice
0:01:51 > 0:01:53has got a lot to answer for.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Today's show is about the British Empire...
0:01:57 > 0:02:01- and the way it's influenced the food we eat today.- Yes.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Well, tally ho, Captain Myers.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04SNORTS
0:02:07 > 0:02:09'Although our Empire has been and gone,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12'its culinary legacy still gives us Brits
0:02:12 > 0:02:14'something to be very proud of.'
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Look at them, man!
0:02:16 > 0:02:20'Its rich cultural umbrella swamped us in exotic dishes
0:02:20 > 0:02:22'that have come to define us as a nation.'
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Well, I always think that curries are Scottish.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'And of course, it's not just improved our food.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'It's inspired some of our favourite tipples.'
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Fabulous. Marriage made in heaven.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36'Undoubtedly broadening the tastes
0:02:36 > 0:02:40'and diversifying the diet of our tiny islands.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:42- Oh! Ey, man!- Oh!
0:02:42 > 0:02:48'If there's one thing we're still great at...it's food.'
0:02:48 > 0:02:52But first, a little something to whet your whistles.
0:02:52 > 0:02:58- AFFECTED ACCENT - What drink, above all others, says British Empire to you?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- Probably gin and tonic, my dear fellow.- Yes!
0:03:02 > 0:03:06But in Victorian England, gin was synonymous with the gutter.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- Really?- Yes. Moral corruption.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13- Good lord!- And ladies of the night. - Ladies of the night? Good lord!
0:03:13 > 0:03:17So how come it became a drink of the ruling elite?
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I have no idea, my dear fellow.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24I'll tell you what, though, there's a gentleman down my club called Jared Brown.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28He seems to know a thing or two about gin and the role it played
0:03:28 > 0:03:32in the building of the mighty British Empire.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34FANFARE
0:03:39 > 0:03:43'Drinks historian Jared Brown undertook his first distillation aged ten
0:03:43 > 0:03:47'and has since gone on to write dozens of books on the subject.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50'Now head distiller at Sipsmith's,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53'he's perfectly qualified to explain gin's Empire-inspired
0:03:53 > 0:03:57'Cinderella-like rise from rags to riches.'
0:03:57 > 0:04:01What part do you think that gin played in our British Empire?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Oh, well, you can look at the ingredients in gin
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and see a partial map of the Empire, to start.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Also, where rum rations were the drink of the sailors...
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Yes?- ..the officers were given a gin ration.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19So British gin made it round the world
0:04:19 > 0:04:22with the officers on board the British naval ships.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25And that could be - I'm not saying it is -
0:04:25 > 0:04:29but it could be why gin is now a bit hoity-toity.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35Which is a sad thing, to think that gin would be considered a bit hoity-toity.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Anyone can appreciate gin.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Well, they did, cos it was blamed for prostitution and drunkenness for years!
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- Don't bring your home life into this.- Shut up, will you?
0:04:46 > 0:04:53'Only kidding, Si! Fortunately, where gin was once a crudely distilled anaesthetic for the poor,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55'over the last 100 years,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59'it's evolved to something a little more refined.'
0:04:59 > 0:05:01What makes gin gin?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04First and foremost, what makes gin gin is juniper.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08If you just put one botanical into gin, it's this.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12These are just off the juniper bush.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And if you pinch it, it's oily.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- It's got a nice fresh pine to it. - It smells of gin!
0:05:18 > 0:05:23The rest of the ingredients in gin are just there to highlight the flavours of the juniper.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27So we've got coriander, orange and lemon.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32There's almond going in. There's orris root, cinnamon and cassia.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36'Of course, this is Jared's own unique recipe.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41'Most gins these days have developed their own individual nuances.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44'But what hasn't changed is how you make it.'
0:05:44 > 0:05:49Now that we've established these ingredients, what do you do with them? How does it work?
0:05:49 > 0:05:54- We can load them into the still, if you like.- Is that it?- That's it.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- So, that's warm alcohol in there. - Yeah.- Base alcohol.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- Dear me! That just...- Like being hit with a hammer.- Isn't it?
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- I tell you what, that clears your tubes, as they say.- It does.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- Shall we get these in? - Yeah. I've got the juniper.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12And I've got the coriander.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Gin, it really symbolises the British Empire, doesn't it?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20People travelled, explored and traded.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25The cinnamon and the cassia bark were coming in, naval oranges.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28It's amazing. It sums up the Empire, doesn't it?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I'm just amazed that the quantities of the botanicals are so small
0:06:33 > 0:06:36to flavour that big vat of alcohol.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Distillation is a remarkable extraction process for flavour.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Of course, it's also a great way to preserve flavour.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47So once we bring these flavours over,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51we get every bit of flavour out and it stays in the bottle.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56A bottle of gin will keep its flavour for 100 years.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- Really?- Oh, yeah.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03'We'll not be waiting 100 years to try some of Jared's bespoke gin concoction.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05'But good as it promises to be,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09'it's only half of one of drink's biggest double acts.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13'What really propelled gin into the highest circles was tonic.'
0:07:13 > 0:07:18MUSIC: "Let's Stick Together" by Roxy Music
0:07:18 > 0:07:22'Tim Warrilow spent over a year formulating a recipe for,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26'and then producing, what he thinks is the perfect tonic water.'
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- Three-quarters of a gin and tonic is tonic.- Yeah.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32So the quality of that, we think, is even more important.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37- It's a match made in heaven. - That's right. It's the bitter-sweet.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41And the whole reason this relationship came about
0:07:41 > 0:07:44takes you right back to India.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49It was the British that invented tonic water,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51all the way back in 1820.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56The reason for inventing it was that "tonic" is a medicine,
0:07:56 > 0:08:01because the real ingredient, the secret ingredient, is quinine.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Quinine is this extraordinary medicinal discovery.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10It's the only thing that can prevent, or cure you, from malaria.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14'And that was an important thing when we had an empire.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17'With much of our territory spanning continents
0:08:17 > 0:08:21- 'that were rife with the disease... - quinine became the vital ingredient
0:08:21 > 0:08:24'keeping our soldiers and administrators healthy enough
0:08:24 > 0:08:29'to maintain some sort of order in these hostile lands.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31'It's a naturally derived medicine, easily made
0:08:31 > 0:08:37'from grinding down the bark of the cinchona tree into a powder,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40'then mixing it with water into a tonic!
0:08:40 > 0:08:45'Its only drawback was that even with a generous dose of sugar
0:08:45 > 0:08:47'it was far from pleasant to drink.'
0:08:47 > 0:08:51So, I don't know if I can encourage you to try it,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53but I would do it with caution.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- So when quinine was first... - Oh, yeah. It's there when you...
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Yeah.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03So this is where the marriage of gin and tonic came about.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06So to make it more palatable...
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Yeah. - ..they added quite a lot of gin.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11So expressions like "helping the medicine go down",
0:09:11 > 0:09:14this is where it all came from.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go... Ah, OK.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Why don't we take Tim the Tonic and put him together with Jared the Gin,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and make the most perfect gin and tonic?
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I'm with you.
0:09:27 > 0:09:34# ..the medicine go down In a most delightful way. #
0:09:34 > 0:09:39'Fortunately for us, tonic water has been greatly refined over the years.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43'Most now use substitutes for natural quinine,
0:09:43 > 0:09:49'but Tim's tonic still uses the bark of the cinchona tree for flavouring.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54'Added to a generous dose of Jared's botanically enhanced bespoke gin...
0:09:54 > 0:09:57'..it has enabled us to finally start to concoct and taste
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'what has now evolved into Britain's most famous drinking double act.'
0:10:03 > 0:10:07This is where everyone has their own view as to what's the garnish.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I think just the rind.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12All the time and trouble has gone into choosing the botanicals,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15so you don't want to overpower that.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- It's just twisting the zest. - That's a good-looking drink.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22So one quick mix...and there we are.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- Ho ho ho! - Much deserved.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Cheers. Well, as the sun sets over the Empire...
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- It's probably a good thing, really. - Ay, it is. Indeed.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Oh, that's wonderful. It's crisp. It's clean.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41It's citrus-y, it's...
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Gentlemen, without doubt...
0:10:49 > 0:10:54that is the best gin and tonic I've had the pleasure of drinking.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- Thank you. - Absolutely fantastic product, boys.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Both fabulous. Marriage made in heaven. Thank you.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05# ..two, baby To make your dream come true. #
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'Whilst we'll be forever indebted to our Empire
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'for matchmaking Mr G with Mrs T...
0:11:12 > 0:11:15'..as refreshing as it might have been,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'it was no taste of home.'
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Which takes us from one Imperial drink to another.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- Beer! - IPA beer, to be specific.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Renowned for its quality and quantity of hops and distinctive flavour.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32What does IPA stand for?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Indian Pale Ale.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Hops are quite sour, and to temper that sourness
0:11:38 > 0:11:42we're adding some muscovado sugar from across another ocean,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and another British product as well, Worcestershire sauce.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- You can't whack it.- Oh, it's full of gravy and proper British bangers.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53It's a sausage casserole with two fantastic ingredients,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56the IPA - Indian Pale Ale -
0:11:56 > 0:12:00and...our snorker, great British banger!
0:12:00 > 0:12:04We like the pork sausage to be a pork sausage.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Don't like messed-about sausages. There's history in our sausages.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Our Cumberland sausages are full of black pepper and spice.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13That's because of Cumberland's spice ports.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Lincolnshire sausages, being market gardeners, put sage and herbs in.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20And you know the lorne sausage, the Scottish sausage that's square?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23The perfect thing for a sausage sandwich.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26# Cumberland gap 15 miles on the Cumberland gap... #
0:12:26 > 0:12:29You can use whatever sausage you like in this recipe.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33We're using 12 good-sized plain pork bangers.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Eight to ten minutes. We just want some colour on these sausages.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- Don't prick your sausages.- No!
0:12:38 > 0:12:42The sausage needs to be cooked in its skin.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45If you keep the skin intact, the fat in the sausage
0:12:45 > 0:12:48is like a little pressure cooker around the meat.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52And all of that flavour is going to end up in the bottom of the pan,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54rather than in said "soo-sage".
0:12:54 > 0:12:59So you have been warned - no prrrricking!
0:13:01 > 0:13:04We can slice - but not our sausages.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Supporting our snorkers will be two medium onions, chopped.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Two celery sticks, trimmed and thinly sliced.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15And three medium carrots.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20I'm going to cut my carrots at a jaunty angle. It's kind of British.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Imperial carrots, to make you see in the dark.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25SIZZLING
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Ah, that's it! Look at them, man!
0:13:27 > 0:13:30One thing I am particular with,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- I do like my sausages to be in a natural casing.- Yes.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Plastic casings don't work.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38It's interesting where the term "bangers" came.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42During the war, they pumped so much water into the sausages,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45that when you start to fry them, they go...
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- Bangers!- See? See?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Now we've got, look, a nice bit of colour on these sausages,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I'm going to transfer them to the casserole pan.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Look at those!
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Right, mate?- Oh, lovely.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06- Just enough for two!- Oh, yeah.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10- That doesn't serve more than two. - No. Need a bit more oil.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Now, fry off for five minutes the onions...
0:14:16 > 0:14:18..carrots and celery.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Sausages have been mentioned in history. There was the talking dog!
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- Oh, yeah! - The dog that could say "sausages".
0:14:30 > 0:14:32This fella had a dog and it went...
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- GRUFFLY:- Sausages!
0:14:36 > 0:14:38LAUGHTER
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Sausages.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42- GRUFFLY:- Sausages.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Dog's just got a bad throat. Didn't say "sausages" at all.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Sausages.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- Nice bit of colour there. - Little bit of colour-oni.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Decant the veg to the thingy.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Decant the veg to the casserole dish.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Oh, yes! And you know what we're going to do now, don't you?
0:15:01 > 0:15:06Yeah, we're going to deglaze the pan with IPA bitter beer.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- Now, let's talk IPA.- Yes!
0:15:11 > 0:15:12SIZZLING
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Ah, man!
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- IPA was invented through circumstance.- Indeed.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24Beer that went to India to nourish our homesick troops and sailors,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29it went off and, indeed, they were grimacing just to get it down.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Dark porters, they'd survive, but it wasn't bitter.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36So, IPA was invented, which was super-hoppy, which lasted longer,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and also higher in alcohol content, which acted as a preservative.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Funnily enough, it was stronger, it was tastier
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and we Brits got a proper taste for it.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53Once a splash of that's absorbed all the veg and sausages juices,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56it all goes into the casserole.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Beer goes in.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Beer has been used in casseroles,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06you know, stout for Irish stews and everything,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09but the IPA works great with these sausages.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Some water.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16A stock cube.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20You could make your own, but look, it's Thursday night, we've run out,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23everybody does it so, hey, we've got real.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Some tomato puree.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35You see, with that dry hoppy beer and that tomato puree,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37we need to sweeten things up a bit
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and the perfect thing is dark muscovado sugar.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Two tablespoons will smooth out the bitter edge that our IPA has.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Worcestershire sauce. It's brilliant. Just a splash.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Drop a bay leaf in.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57We're going to bring this to a steady simmer.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59We're going to simmer it for 30 minutes.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Isn't it funny? All those old Victorian flavours
0:17:02 > 0:17:06like Worcestershire sauce, gentleman's relish, anchovy paste,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09devilled things, all quite robust in flavours.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13People said in the 20th century that the British were boring eaters.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17We had a bit of a lull but, nah! To our boots, we like flavour.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'Ay, our Empire might have pulled in flavours from all over the globe...'
0:17:23 > 0:17:24- Cheers, mate.- Cheers.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27'..but we must never forget that when it comes to beer,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31'we're damn good at brewing up the very best ourselves.'
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- I'll go and check it, mate. - Ay. You check and I'll chop.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Right, Kingy, time to add the rest of the veg.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Mm, time to add the leeks. Chunky leeks, I think.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Oh, yes!- Now, these only need about five minutes to cook.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Pop them in. Check they're clean.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54These ARE clean. Sometimes, leeks have mud in.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It's horrendous. So, chunky leeks.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And just going to simmer that for five minutes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- Ooh! It tastes fantastic!- Mm!
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Beautiful. Let's turn that right down.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- We want it a bit thicker.- We do.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Cornflour and water.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21That won't take a moment to thicken.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Just cook it for another three minutes,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- just to cook that flour out.- Oh, ay!
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Pretty soon, that gravy will be thick and glossy,
0:18:30 > 0:18:35just like an estate agent from Shepherd's Bush.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37- I'll go salt.- Go.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Oo-hoo!
0:18:43 > 0:18:45The star turn!
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Take three sausages, working on the theory that odd numbers look better.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Oh, yes!
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Ah!
0:19:02 > 0:19:07That is a dish with heritage. It's British to its roots.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Our sausage. It never did, did it?
0:19:14 > 0:19:16By heck, that's good!
0:19:16 > 0:19:19The gravy's phenomenal.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23I love sausage!
0:19:23 > 0:19:27I love gravy! I love sausage and beer.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32# Give us a bash at the bangers and mash me muvver used to make
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- # Bangers and mash - Minestrone
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- # Bangers and mash - Macaroni
0:19:36 > 0:19:39# Give us a bash at the bangers and mash me muvver used to make. #
0:19:39 > 0:19:42'Whilst we thought nothing
0:19:42 > 0:19:47'of exporting our beer halfway round the world for our thirsty troops...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50'..our government did need to take action to ensure we bought the goods
0:19:50 > 0:19:53'that were exported back to us.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'Our resident guru of historic gastronomy, Ivan Day,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01'is, as usual, more than well equipped to tell us why.'
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Despite the fact that we had this enormous Empire,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08with countries producing all sorts of wonderful commodities,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10food products, we as customers in Britain
0:20:10 > 0:20:14were not very good at buying our own Empire goods.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18What happened was, in the mid 1920s, this board was formed,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22called the Empire Marketing Board which was really set up
0:20:22 > 0:20:26just to encourage people to buy Empire goods.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31'And when some PR whizz decided the best way of doing that
0:20:31 > 0:20:33'would be to dream up a dish
0:20:33 > 0:20:36'incorporating ingredients from all over the world...
0:20:36 > 0:20:39'..Christmas pudding seemed the natural choice to fire up
0:20:39 > 0:20:42'the public's enthusiasm for Empire produce
0:20:42 > 0:20:46'and bind our crumbling Empire back together.'
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I don't think there's a single dish in the history of British food
0:20:50 > 0:20:54that has had so much symbolism thrust upon it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57You've got the unity of Empire,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01you've got trade, you've got education.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04It's an extraordinary phenomenon.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Now it seems utterly bizarre,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11but in those days, it made a lot of sense.
0:21:11 > 0:21:17So, I'm going to have a go at making the 1927 Empire Pudding,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22which was formulated by the King's chef, Monsieur Cedard.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30'So, are we all sat comfortably for our home economics/geography lesson rolled into one?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32'Yes, sir!
0:21:32 > 0:21:34'We'll begin, then.'
0:21:34 > 0:21:40The first place we're going to go to is England.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Pudding is an English invention
0:21:42 > 0:21:46and it was usually made with leftover stale bread.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52The other essential ingredient, of course, is flour.
0:21:52 > 0:21:58By the 1920s, we were importing a lot of wheat from Canada as well.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03So this could be British or it could be Canadian.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07The third foundation ingredient is suet,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11which is the fat that surrounds the kidneys of animals.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13In this case, it's beef suet.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16When the first recipe was published,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20the New Zealand farmers wanted their name to be put next to it,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24and they, indeed, were exporting it to England at the time.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31'And our fourth ingredient is sugar - Master Myers?
0:22:31 > 0:22:34'Definitely not from New Zealand.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38'No, Kingy. We've got to make a trip to the Caribbean for that.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39'Where next, Ivan?'
0:22:39 > 0:22:44We have to cross the Atlantic again and go to South Africa,
0:22:44 > 0:22:49where we were growing these wonderful raisins,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53but also, citrons, lemons and oranges.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55And then from South Africa,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58we've got to head south and far east.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03We're going to Australia, where they grew currents and sultanas.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05It was the Australians,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10whose complaints about how poor the British were at buying their goods,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14who kicked this whole thing off about the Empire Pudding.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16They were very keen on the idea.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20'Yep, the whining Aussies were really keen on Empire Pudding.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25'The truth is, even now, we still get some of our dried fruits from California.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'Anyway, next up, spices.'
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Our first port of call
0:23:30 > 0:23:35is Sri Lanka, which in those days was called Ceylon, and to India,
0:23:35 > 0:23:40to get cinnamon and something which was called pudding spice,
0:23:40 > 0:23:45which was a purpose-made mixed spice exported from India into England.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50We've then got to go across the Indian Ocean to Zanzibar,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53to get some cloves.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Then, believe it or not, we've got to go round the Cape
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and back across the Atlantic to the West Indies to get some nutmeg.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06'So far, so good. Now back to Britain for a few apples.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11'But you can't make a pudding without breaking a few eggs.'
0:24:11 > 0:24:15We're given the option of obtaining these from either England
0:24:15 > 0:24:18or from, interestingly, the Irish Free State.
0:24:18 > 0:24:24This upset the people from Northern Ireland cos they thought they weren't included in this.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27We come to an option they had later on.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34We're going to move, now, on to the alcoholic ingredients.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40Let's start off with this one, which is rum from the West Indies
0:24:40 > 0:24:42or from British Guiana.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46This was a very important product of Empire.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50But there was also...brandy.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53This isn't some fancy French cognac.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56This is brandy made either in Cyprus,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59in Australia, South Africa
0:24:59 > 0:25:04and even Palestine, which was part of the British Empire in the 1920s.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08I'm going to go with Palestinian brandy.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14'With ingredients from over the Empire jostling for position in the bowl,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18'the one addition capable of uniting them all was, of course, beer.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'British beer from anywhere in Britain.'
0:25:21 > 0:25:26I'm going for Northern Ireland because they've missed out so far.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28What I've got here is some nice black stout
0:25:28 > 0:25:31which will give it a great colour, too.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34MUSIC: "Rule Britannia"
0:25:36 > 0:25:39If you like, it strengthens the fact
0:25:39 > 0:25:43that Britain has a hold over the Empire, we're the top dog.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49- JUVENILE VOICE:- 'Is that the geography lesson over with, sir?
0:25:49 > 0:25:54'I've clocked up more food miles than Phileas Fogg on a feasting spree.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00'Ay, well, I'll never look at Christmas pud, sorry, Empire Pudding in the same way ever again.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'But stay seated, class, we've got one more ingredient
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'you wouldn't want to sink your teeth into.'
0:26:06 > 0:26:09In the 1926 recipe,
0:26:09 > 0:26:15it instructs us to take an English thre'penny bit for luck
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and to put it into the pudding.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Remarkably, I've got here a silver thre'penny bit
0:26:22 > 0:26:26from 1926, the year of the Empire Pudding.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31'I think I give Ivan ten out of ten for attention to detail.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'It doesn't stop there - old-fashioned cooking pot!
0:26:36 > 0:26:38'Check.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40'Old-fashioned cooking range?
0:26:41 > 0:26:43'Check.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49'An old-fashioned boiling it for six hours rather than chucking it into a microwave?'
0:26:49 > 0:26:51CLOCK TICKS
0:26:52 > 0:26:54'Check!
0:26:54 > 0:26:58'Fortunately, Ivan knows when to draw the line.'
0:26:58 > 0:27:01The earliest puddings were boiled in sheep's stomachs.
0:27:01 > 0:27:07They weren't called Christmas pudding they were called hakin, but we're going back 300 or 400 years.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Then they started putting them in a cloth.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It was like a big round dumpling.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15They looked like a cannonball, which everyone remembers.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19You get that on Christmas cards, but we don't make them any more.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23The time that the Empire Pudding evolved during the '20s,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25this was the way they were cooked.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27OK, that's a good colour.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I'm going to put this plate on top
0:27:31 > 0:27:33and then, hopefully,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37do a quick flip over, like that.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Is it going to come out or is it not? Oh, my God!
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Ah! Look, look!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I've got an Empire Pudding. CHUCKLES
0:27:47 > 0:27:51There it is, brought back to life - Empire Pudding.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I brought the pudding back to life,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57but I don't really think I want to bring the British Empire back!
0:27:57 > 0:27:59We've said goodbye to all of that.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06'Christmas pudding - what could be more British than that?
0:28:06 > 0:28:10- 'I can think of one thing.' - A good cup of nice strong tea.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14'After air and water, tea is the most consumed substance on the planet,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17'with over 3.2 million tonnes of the stuff brewed,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20'poured and enjoyed every year.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:25That's a lot of tea!
0:28:25 > 0:28:30'Without the British Empire, we might never have fallen in love with the leaf.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33'Although tea's been around for over 5,000 years,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36'it didn't reach Europe until the 17th century.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41'It didn't really take off in Britain until Charles II's Portuguese wife demanded it,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45'instantly making it fashionable amongst the well-to-do set in court.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48'But tea remained eye-wateringly expensive,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51'costing the equivalent of £1,000 a pound,
0:28:51 > 0:28:56'and it could only come from one source - China.'
0:28:56 > 0:28:57WHISTLING
0:28:57 > 0:29:02'To break China's monopoly on tea, we needed a few tea plants.'
0:29:03 > 0:29:06MUSIC: "James Bond Theme"
0:29:07 > 0:29:10The name's Fortune, Bob Fortune.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15'In the 1840s, Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist with a name made for spying,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18'was sent by the Empire-building British East India Company
0:29:18 > 0:29:20'to smuggle tea plants out of China,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23'risking execution if he was captured.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25'Disguised as a Chinese merchant,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29'he snuck out 20,000 saplings into northern India,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32'smuggling them in portable greenhouses.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37'Within 50 years, India was producing more tea than China,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40'feeding the habit back in Blighty.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45'Wherever tea would grow in the British Empire, it was planted.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50'Soon enough, tea was being imported from Kenya and Sri Lanka.'
0:29:50 > 0:29:54Britain has £15 million invested in the tea gardens,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57where Kenya looks like Ceylon or Assam.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01'Tea prices fell massively and what was once a drink of nobility
0:30:01 > 0:30:05'soon became a first choice for the masses, morning, noon and night.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07'And not much has changed since.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11'We're still the second-biggest drinkers of tea on the planet,
0:30:11 > 0:30:15'being pipped to the post by our neighbours, the Republic of Ireland.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17'So whether you prefer jasmine or chamomile,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20'lapsang souchong or builder's with two sugars...'
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Oooh!
0:30:22 > 0:30:25'..get a brew on the go, sit back and enjoy,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27'because nothing beats a good cuppa.'
0:30:27 > 0:30:30- Teatime. Cheers, boys. - Cheers!
0:30:32 > 0:30:35'It's about time we had tea for two, Kingy.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38'Yeah, and as fond as we are of drinking it,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42'there's nothing stopping you from cooking with it, either.'
0:30:43 > 0:30:47We've created what we believe is going to become a new classic.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Do you know what it is?
0:30:49 > 0:30:54It's chai - as in chai, the tea - bread and butter pudding.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Chai that you get in India is spiced tea.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59It's sweet and milky and we had an idea.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Wouldn't it be great to use as a base for a bread and butter pudding?
0:31:03 > 0:31:07- It's like bread and butter pudding gone bonkers.- It has.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11We're going to cut this lovely, beautiful, buttery, gorgeous brioche
0:31:11 > 0:31:14into 12 slices.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19And we're going to place those in, it's about a two-litre dish this.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21It's interesting with bread and butter pudding.
0:31:21 > 0:31:28We've made bread and butter puddings with white sliced bread, with croissants, with tea cakes,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31but brioche - brioche is posh, isn't it?
0:31:31 > 0:31:33It's so full of butter.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35'Anyway, while Kingy's busy sawing bread,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38'I'll knock us up some chai.'
0:31:38 > 0:31:42I'm going to start off by doing me spices.
0:31:42 > 0:31:48I want 15 green cardamoms in their pods and eight cloves.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50Quite specific about the cloves.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Put too many cloves in, it'll taste like the dentist's.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56We give that a crush.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00That's the wonderful thing about using whole spices -
0:32:00 > 0:32:04the fragrance when you give them a good beating.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06They release all that lovely aroma.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10While Dave's bashing his spices, I'm going to liberally butter
0:32:10 > 0:32:14the interior of this two-litre ovenproof dish.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19We're going to butter one side of this beautiful brioche.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23I've got some milk, about 500ml of milk.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Chai is very milky tea.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31That's the cloves and the cardamom.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37I've put the shells in as well cos we're going to strain this before we use it.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39To that, we want a stick of cinnamon.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Spices were one of the great gifts of the Empire.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44There was many a life lost
0:32:44 > 0:32:49- in the pursuit of securing those spice routes.- Oh, crumbs, yes.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53Chai is milky, spicy and it's sweet.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56You go to a tea stall in India
0:32:56 > 0:32:59and it's so sweet it takes your breath away.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02We're dropping in about 150 grams of caster sugar.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05More spice! Half a nutmeg.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Now, a spoonful and a half of ground ginger.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17A teaspoon of vanilla extract.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23And now, the tea. We use Indian tea or black tea.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Two tablespoons. It's a strong brew.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34Now, with me peeler, I want a nice big piece of orange peel.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39It needs citrus notes. Look at that!
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Pop that in.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47To temper the sweetness, half a teaspoon of salt.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53And just let that simmer for five minutes.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Then we'll let that go cold.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59As well as tempering the sweetness, that savoury note
0:33:59 > 0:34:02just bolsters all of those fantastic spices.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06- They just sit there in all their glory.- Smell that, mate!
0:34:07 > 0:34:09- Ay, man!- Oh!
0:34:10 > 0:34:13- Whoa!- Get in! Now, what we're going to do,
0:34:13 > 0:34:18we're going to start to build our bread and butter pudding.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21We've got 125 grams of mixed fruit and peel.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27I'm going to do it like bricklaying.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29You need to stand them up.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33- Takes you back to your days working on the roads!- I love it!
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Exactly that.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38So I just pepper them and then...
0:34:38 > 0:34:42to the side, just layer it up.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47This has been simmering for five minutes. Turn the heat off.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50That needs to infuse for 15 minutes, then we strain that
0:34:50 > 0:34:55and we've got the most wonderfully spiced infused chai.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58# Has to stop and have a pour when the clock strikes four
0:34:58 > 0:35:00# Everything stops for tea. #
0:35:00 > 0:35:04'Er, yeah. While the chai's cooling, why don't you do the custard?
0:35:04 > 0:35:08'Very good, Mr King. We'll start with two whole eggs.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11'And then an additional four yolks.'
0:35:14 > 0:35:17So, see how we've done that, look.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Bricks.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Then what we're going to do, we're going to cut the other four slices
0:35:24 > 0:35:27that's left over in half.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32And we're going to fill the gaps in here.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Where there's a gap, fill it up with bread.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Give the eggs a whisk.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44'We'll whisk the eggs together with 300 millilitres of double cream.'
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Any of the dried fruit and peel that you have left,
0:35:52 > 0:35:55just sprinkle it over the top.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Mate, that's it. Ready to rock 'n' roll.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Well, here I've got my eggs and my cream.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07This spiced chai, it's infused and it's cold.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11So, basically, I'm going to sieve this straight into the cream
0:36:11 > 0:36:13and the eggs.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17It has gone cold, so I'm not going to scramble me eggs,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19which would be a bad thing.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Oh, man! That's a lot of flavour in there!
0:36:26 > 0:36:29That's the elixir of everything Indian.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Yeah. Just whisk that.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37And that's the chai-infused cream and eggs, which is the custard
0:36:37 > 0:36:40of the bread and butter pudding.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43- Shall we?- We shall. - We need to do this slowly.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46It's going to take a few stages while it soaks in.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51At first, you think, "This is never going to go in!" But trust us.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54This is the most wonderful,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57elaborate, original bread and butter pudding
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- that you've ever seen. - It's like eggy bread on steroids!
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- LAUGHING:- It is!
0:37:07 > 0:37:10That's all going to soak through,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14but open the layers up a little bit with your knife.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18'We'll leave this for 15 minutes, to allow the custard to soak in.'
0:37:18 > 0:37:20- Ah! - Now, how do we cook it?
0:37:20 > 0:37:23We'll cook this in a bain-marie, cos it's a custard.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26We want it to set and cook evenly.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28'A bain-marie's a water bath.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31'It'll keep the temperature even around the whole bowl,
0:37:31 > 0:37:34'setting our custard perfectly.'
0:37:34 > 0:37:38Stick it in an oven pre-heated to 160 degrees Celsius for a fan oven
0:37:38 > 0:37:43and bake it till the custard's set, which is about 35 or 40 minutes.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49# He likes bread and butter He likes toast and jam
0:37:50 > 0:37:54# That's what his baby feeds him Cos he's her loving man... #
0:37:54 > 0:37:57BOTH: Oooh!
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Wait till you see this! Fantastic!
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Let's remove it from its water bath.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Ee! Which is easier said than done!
0:38:15 > 0:38:19There is a lot of cream and eggs and fattening stuff in there,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23but that's going to serve eight people, easily.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25And that is perfect.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32Look at that! The custard's just set. It's a lava flow of flavour!
0:38:32 > 0:38:36- Do you think we've done the ultimate bread and butter pudding?- I hope so.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40The cross-cultural fertilisation of the conditional.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- Where nations collide in a pudding! - Oh, ay!
0:38:46 > 0:38:49- You've got to make it at home. - It is brilliant.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06'There's no doubt that, of all our Imperial conquests,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09'the one country that's had the greatest impact on our food culture
0:39:09 > 0:39:11'is India.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16'Memsahibs returning home from the Raj brought back with them
0:39:16 > 0:39:19'a love of Indian cuisine and ingredients,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23'which they incorporated into a host of Anglo-Indian hybrid dishes.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35'With the arrival of many Indian and Pakistani immigrants
0:39:35 > 0:39:37'in the '50s, '60s and '70s,
0:39:37 > 0:39:42'our love of all things Indian was to develop even further.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48'Asif Ali is the third generation of his family to run the Shish Mahal,
0:39:48 > 0:39:52'a landmark Indian restaurant in the West End of Glasgow.'
0:39:54 > 0:39:58Because Britain went out and explored the known world
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and developed an empire,
0:40:00 > 0:40:05it helped my family to come to Britain and make a life for themselves.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09The only thing they could do was to cook.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14You've come to Glasgow, have you? Pretty grim, isn't it?
0:40:14 > 0:40:18'He's not going to get a job for Glasgow Tourist Board, is he?
0:40:18 > 0:40:21'The cold, wet, windy streets of Scotland's second city
0:40:21 > 0:40:25'were remarkably receptive to these new flavours from overseas.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29'The recipes concocted by Asif's dad, Ali, proved a big hit.'
0:40:29 > 0:40:34The amazing thing was that the Glaswegians took to curry like ducks to water.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Because our weather is so dark and rainy,
0:40:41 > 0:40:45the people are the exact opposite - they're warm and generous.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49So when they came in and tasted it, they were addicted.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52They loved it and never looked back.
0:40:52 > 0:40:58'But back in 1971, when a customer didn't like what he was served up,
0:40:58 > 0:41:02'his dad's quick thinking led to a curry that has become synonymous
0:41:02 > 0:41:07'with the success of Indo-British cuisine across the country.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13'Yeah, chicken tikka masala has numerous reported claims of origin.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17'But as far as Asif's concerned, it was born in Glasgow.'
0:41:19 > 0:41:24My father tells me it was a typical Glaswegian night.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27It was pouring down outside, it was dark
0:41:27 > 0:41:30and a bus driver came off duty.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36He'd had a terrible day so he sat down and ordered a chicken curry.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Chicken curry came. He sent it back to the waiter.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44He said, "It's dry. I want something not as dry."
0:41:44 > 0:41:47At that time, Dad had an ulcer
0:41:47 > 0:41:50and he was enjoying a plate of tomato soup.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54Dad says, "Why don't you put some tomato soup into the curry
0:41:54 > 0:41:58"and put some spices and give him a different flavour?"
0:41:58 > 0:42:01So the chef did that and sent it back to the table.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04And he absolutely loved it!
0:42:04 > 0:42:08He came back the next day and the day after and brought his friends.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13Eventually, we decided that we will put it on the menu.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16'And with that, an Indian food legend was born!
0:42:18 > 0:42:21'Its success saw Ali refine the recipe, ditching the soup
0:42:21 > 0:42:25'for fresh tomatoes, cream and a cacophony of spices.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31'These days, it's thought that one in every seven curries ordered
0:42:31 > 0:42:33'is a chicken tikka masala.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36'In many people's eyes, it's now our national dish,
0:42:36 > 0:42:40'but it's not stopped it going abroad - even to India.'
0:42:40 > 0:42:44India's growing so fast. There's so many tourists coming to Britain.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48They want to take away the taste of Britain with them.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51So along with all the other British things,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54they take away the love of chicken tikka masala,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57because it's unique to Britain.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Usually, I'm the guinea pig at some point.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07I come in here and they just say, "Try that. See how that goes."
0:43:07 > 0:43:10It's one of my favourite dishes, Indian. I love haggis as well.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13I think many think that this is home cooking now.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16It's not the porridge any more.
0:43:16 > 0:43:22Chicken tikka masala, I think, has taken over from it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27Well, I always think that curries are Scottish.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31ASIF: Once you start accepting different food,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34then it's not a huge leap to start accepting people.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37You start accepting people, you become more tolerant
0:43:37 > 0:43:41and more open as a society.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43And a much richer society.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49We're at the dawn of the second British Empire.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53First Empire went out and conquered through might.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58The second British Empire is going out and conquering by cuisine.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09'The heart of rural England.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15'Like Glasgow, it seems a long way from the heat and vibrancy of India,
0:44:15 > 0:44:19'but it's also home to another British legend.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22'A product born out of the Raj that has, for a long time,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25'put a bit of spice into the lives of not just Englishmen...
0:44:25 > 0:44:28'..but people from all around the world.'
0:44:28 > 0:44:31The Australians say it's bonza on barbecues.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35The French claim it points up the piquancy of steak tartare.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38There's nothing Chinese like better than to dip their dim sum in it.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42'The product made here is something that keeps this town and county
0:44:42 > 0:44:45'on the tip of just about everyone's tongue.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48'Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52'And it has a long and illustrious history.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57'There are many theories as to how it came about,
0:44:57 > 0:45:00'but legend has it that a fella called Lord Marcus Sandys
0:45:00 > 0:45:05'started it when he was returning to Worcester from a jaunt in Bengal
0:45:05 > 0:45:07'in 1835.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10'He'd obviously got a taste for the spicy stuff
0:45:10 > 0:45:13'and went into a chemist's shop on the high street
0:45:13 > 0:45:17'and handed over the recipe for a fish-based sauce he wanted made.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22'Mr John Lea was behind the counter and so was Mr William Perrins.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25'They had the knowledge and concocted the ingredients,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28'making sure they kept a little bit back for themselves.'
0:45:28 > 0:45:34They tried it and...it was horrible, so they dispatched it to the cellar.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38After about two, three years, they were clearing the cellars out
0:45:38 > 0:45:40and found this in the vaults.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44And dusted it off, brought it back up, tried it.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45Eureka! That was it.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Lea & Perrins sauce.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53'They began commercial production in 1837,
0:45:53 > 0:45:57'and got the Royal Seal of Approval in 1904.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00'Then with the help of Edwardian explorers and colonists,
0:46:00 > 0:46:03'the sauce found its way to foreign shores.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06'Today, it's a household name around the globe.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10'It's been copied more times than a Gucci handbag!'
0:46:10 > 0:46:12# A bottle of love
0:46:14 > 0:46:16# Bottle of love... #
0:46:16 > 0:46:20'Nothing can beat the genuine Worcestershire-made product.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23'That's because what happens behind these doors
0:46:23 > 0:46:25'is a closely guarded secret.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28'The ingredients might be on the bottle for all to see...'
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Vinegar, molasses, sugar, shallots, anchovies, tamarinds,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34garlic, salt and spices are named on the label.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38'But the art of combining them is a very different matter.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40'It's all on a need-to-know basis.
0:46:40 > 0:46:45'In fact, it's said that only four people know the recipe at any time.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48'And those that do aren't about to give it away.'
0:46:48 > 0:46:52I'm afraid I can't divulge any of the work at all.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55It's not our policy to discuss anything.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58'Surely you can tell us what order the ingredients go in?'
0:46:58 > 0:47:00No, it wouldn't do, at all.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02'How long does it take to mature?'
0:47:02 > 0:47:05That's another thing I wouldn't discuss.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09'What about the markings on the barrel? Surely, you can tell us?'
0:47:09 > 0:47:13That pertains to the ingredients that have gone in, but there again,
0:47:13 > 0:47:16I'm afraid I'm reluctant to discuss any further.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18'Oh, you spoil sport!
0:47:19 > 0:47:22'When it comes to Lea and Perrins, there's no doubt
0:47:22 > 0:47:25'that the maturing process is key.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28'It's the anchovies that really give it its fabled aroma.'
0:47:28 > 0:47:31These are left to age for four years.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35They achieve a ripeness which makes even brave men flinch.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37When the sauce has been created,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40it's left to mature for several months, but not left in peace.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44It's given a regular shaking, to remind it of its obligations.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48Bert Ricketts has been shaking the sauces for 20 years.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51'Wow! That man must have some stamina!'
0:47:51 > 0:47:55Worcestershire sauce in bulk gives off a bouquet that commands respect.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59'It might require a gas mask at this stage, but once matured,
0:47:59 > 0:48:01'its taste is one that seduced the world.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04'So much so, some believe it to be the British food
0:48:04 > 0:48:08'that's had the most impact on international cuisine.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17'And without the Empire, the world might never have been able
0:48:17 > 0:48:19'to experience its magic.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27'The British Empire has brought us ingredients
0:48:27 > 0:48:31'once thought beyond our dreams to our very fingertips.
0:48:31 > 0:48:36'But one curry in particular celebrates the huge variety on offer
0:48:36 > 0:48:38'better than any other.'
0:48:39 > 0:48:42Now, the next dish that we're going to cook for you
0:48:42 > 0:48:46is from the far-flung corners of the British Empire -
0:48:46 > 0:48:48a place called Western Sumatra.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51This dish, the beef rendang,
0:48:51 > 0:48:56is one of the tastiest dishes to be found anywhere on the planet.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00Also, I've heard, a favourite, Dave...
0:49:00 > 0:49:01Yes?
0:49:01 > 0:49:05..with a certain frog that wears a crash helmet.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09BOTH IMITATE CRAZY FROG # Reng-deng-deng-deng! #
0:49:09 > 0:49:11We're only joking!
0:49:11 > 0:49:15This quality cut of British beef might look like the centrepiece,
0:49:15 > 0:49:20'but the real star here is what we cook it in.'
0:49:20 > 0:49:24- The first thing we do, Dave, is it not?- The spice paste.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27Let's get on that gravy train to taste!
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Lump of ginger.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Don't want to be too prescriptive.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35Now, I'm going to take lemongrass.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37Remove the outer layers,
0:49:37 > 0:49:42until we get to the soft white bit in the middle, the core of it.
0:49:42 > 0:49:48Then we're going to cut that into four centimetres - about.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51Ginger. And then...galangal.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55Galangal, well, it's kind of like a cross between...
0:49:55 > 0:50:00Taste-wise, it seems to me like a cross between ginger and lemongrass.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03What's amazing about this dish is that you cook it so long
0:50:03 > 0:50:06that the coconut milk goes back to oil
0:50:06 > 0:50:08and the oil acts as a preservative.
0:50:08 > 0:50:14So the rendang was the sort of dish that people travelling could take with them.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16It keeps for a few days in the fridge.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Leave it in the freezer for a month, it seems to be better.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23Leave it a month after that, it seems to get better still.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25Galangal goes in. Lots.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Now we're going to have six cloves of garlic.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33And three long red chillies. Are we going to have it quite spicy?
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- Oh, yeah. - Let's leave the seeds in, then.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40If you don't want it so spicy, take the seeds out. We want it spicy.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43It's a beef rendang, for goodness' sake!
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Take three medium onions or two large onions,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52peel them and quarter them.
0:50:54 > 0:50:59- This dish has been primarily associated with the Minangkabau people of Western Sumatra.- Eh?
0:50:59 > 0:51:01Yeah, no, it's true!
0:51:01 > 0:51:06And CNN did a survey and 35,000 respondents throughout the world
0:51:06 > 0:51:09defined rendang as being the tastiest dish on the planet.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11But to the Minangkabau people,
0:51:11 > 0:51:16the various elements in the rendang have significance.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18- Do they?- Yes.
0:51:19 > 0:51:20They do.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Coconut, for instance, relates to writers, artists and poets.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27- Oh, good.- Yes.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31- The chilli...- Yes. - ..is religious leaders.- Very good.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35The hotness represents the strictness of religious law.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Whilst everything else represents everything else.
0:51:40 > 0:51:45Such is the importance to the Minangkabau people of Western Sumatra.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Shall we process this?
0:51:49 > 0:51:52I've processed too much information for the moment.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54I'm having a h-overload.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57You're having a Minangkabau, aren't you, son?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00I must have to go on Mastermind, again.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07All that remains now is to press a button.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12I dedicate this dish to the Minangkabau people
0:52:12 > 0:52:14of Western Sumatra.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18Anyway, chuck steak... How can you process all that information
0:52:18 > 0:52:21and not be able to use a food processor?
0:52:21 > 0:52:24- DULL WHIRRING - I rest me case!
0:52:28 > 0:52:29Whoa!
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Loads of paste!
0:52:32 > 0:52:35And blitz it to a paste as fine as you can make it.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Fine! We need it fine!
0:52:39 > 0:52:44While Dave's doing that, we're going to cut 1.5 kilos of chuck steak
0:52:44 > 0:52:47into three-centimetre squares.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49- Do you think that's fine enough?- No.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59That'll keep him occupied, trying to work the thingy, for 15 minutes!
0:53:00 > 0:53:02Not very good with things like that.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09There you are, beautiful.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16Look at that! That's all spice and onions.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21Woo! This needs to be cooked for about five minutes.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24This is the heart of your rendang.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29Remember, the spirit of the Minangkabau is in this dish.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- You've got to show cultural respect! - Oh, no. You do.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Don't burn this, whatever you do.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39- Aromatic, isn't it?- It is.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43In fact, I could put my dry spices in now.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Dried spices you tend to cook into the dish.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51And I want two teaspoons of cumin.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53One, two.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57Two tablespoons of dried coriander.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00A teaspoon of turmeric. Phwar!
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Oh, it smells!
0:54:04 > 0:54:07There's no need to sear this beef off first.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11Just smother it in the spicy love.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Kaffir lime leaves. Fantastic.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Now, a whole tin of coconut milk.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21You could use half-fat coconut milk, if you wanted.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24One cinnamon stick.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Some water.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31About 400mls should do.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35There is a bit of a Thai thing going on. We go sweet and sour.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38Two teaspoons of tamarind paste.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42You can use lemon juice, but it's really not as sour.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45But we need to temper that.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49You could use two tablespoons of sugar. We've got palm sugar.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53I love it in this. Palm sugar is like a softer sweetness.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57- Does that make sense? - Yes, it does. Absolute sense.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00- There's a caramel vibe to it, isn't there?- Yeah.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03- That's about two tablespoons, isn't it?- About that, mate.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07That'll melt down quite quickly.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11Seasoning - two tablespoons of soy sauce. It's savoury!
0:55:14 > 0:55:17Teaspoon of salt.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21But that's it now, all you have to do is to cover it
0:55:21 > 0:55:24and let it simmer for at least two and a half hours.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Simmer. Keep an eye it doesn't boil dry.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29Till those bits of beef are falling apart.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Everything's gentle now from the rendang.
0:55:33 > 0:55:38Two and a half hours might seem like a very long time for a curry...
0:55:38 > 0:55:41..but with so many ingredients in play,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44we need to give them as much time as possible to mingle
0:55:44 > 0:55:46and get to know each other.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50The entire house is fragrant.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55Oh! It's filled with the rendang-ness of gorgeousness.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59- See the oil there?- Yes. - It's started to fry in itself.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Right! A nice big bowl of rendang.
0:56:06 > 0:56:07Look at that!
0:56:08 > 0:56:12You know, Si, it is worth remembering a sense of occasion.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15As in that CNN poll,
0:56:15 > 0:56:2035,000 people judged this to be the tastiest dish in the world.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22- This just ain't any old supper.- No.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31Very...
0:56:33 > 0:56:35- Very...- Very, very good.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Maybe because we're not used to beef curries,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41beef Asian dishes like this are thick and heavy,
0:56:41 > 0:56:45it has that quality of a hearty British stew.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49- Mm-hm.- But it's got a few more hidden depths, hasn't it?
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- It certainly has. This is absolutely superb.- Mm.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55And I can well see
0:56:55 > 0:56:59- why 35,000 people voted like they did.- Yeah.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01And the thing is...
0:57:01 > 0:57:04it's going to taste even better tomorrow.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09We realise there are dark sides to British history
0:57:09 > 0:57:11and Imperial Britain,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14but there's no getting away from the big, big positive
0:57:14 > 0:57:17that ends up on our dining tables.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21We've learnt a lot. We've experimented a lot with food.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25And, by crikey, we brought home some fantastic dishes!
0:57:25 > 0:57:29Of which this is certainly in the top three.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49'Because of the legacy of Empire, our country has undoubtedly evolved
0:57:49 > 0:57:54'to accept and adopt tasty foreign food influences like no other.
0:57:56 > 0:58:02'We've become resourceful in adapting these exciting culinary discoveries to our own tastes.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05'And quick to embrace the culinary know-how
0:58:05 > 0:58:08'of the immigrants that have followed in their wake.'
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Aromatic, isn't it?
0:58:10 > 0:58:12'But most importantly,
0:58:12 > 0:58:15'when it comes to the legacy of our once-great Empire,
0:58:15 > 0:58:20'food is one of the things that we can still be proud of.
0:58:21 > 0:58:26'All these dishes and many more from the series can be found at:'
0:58:32 > 0:58:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:35 > 0:58:38E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk