Indulgent Entertaining Hairy Bikers Everyday Gourmets

Gourmet food.

A feast for the eyes and the appetite.

Mouth-watering recipes.

The sort of thing that you find in the very best restaurants.

But these ones are dirt cheap and guess what - they're made by us!

The Hairy Bikers, we're going posh!

And we're going to do it without blowing the weekly budget.

You don't need to be minted or Michelin-starred to make great food.

Tell us that's not a belter. Gourmet food is looking the part and creating incredible flavours

and amazing taste combinations.

-We've been too extravagant.

-Us?

Extravagant? Good grief!

But in these difficult times, if you can't afford a restaurant meal,

we can show you how to make one just as good.

In this series we're going to unlock the secrets you need to transform affordable, everyday produce

-to make exceptional food at home for next to nothing.

-Taking tips from the country's best chefs.

-It's just the building blocks of good cooking.

-Mind-blowing.

And put all we've learnt to the test on people who really deserve a treat.

-It's amazing!

-We wouldn't miss this party for the world.

So join us on our quest to show how you can create dishes of exceptional flavour

for next to nothing. The art of making everyday gourmet.

You see, indulging yourself shouldn't just be kept for birthdays and Christmas.

In these times of austerity, we believe you should treat yourself and the ones you love

a little bit more, not less.

We want to show you that delicious, quick gourmet food needn't break the bank.

Cheers.

We all deserve to be spoiled and today's show is about indulgent entertaining, but on a budget.

It's about stretching those common or garden ingredients, feeding more people for less.

But at the same time giving that food an incredible gourmet makeover.

And we're going to use our gastronomic skills to help a lifeboat volunteer thank his crew

with a first-class meal.

CHEERING

Gourmet food doesn't have to be difficult. When you understand the potential of everyday ingredients,

-it's a doddle.

-And our first recipe is as simple a supper as you can get.

-This is what it's all about.

-One night in Vienna we sat listening to the pianist at the Central Cafe

and he cooked us a Wiener Schnitzel with potato salad and it was a meal worthy of a king.

But it was a king's ransom in terms of how many krone it cost.

But we're making ours for a fraction of the cost.

This lemon and thyme pork schnitzel with potato salad will feed four adults for just seven quid.

Ja, der schnitzel! Making meat go further than you thought humanly possible.

-But there's no need to waltz around this one.

-Oh, no.

It's a pork schnitzel, cooked like a classic Wiener Schnitzel.

The Viennese traditionally use veal for schnitzels. We're using pork

and you want to use the leanest, most tender cut of meat.

This is a pork loin chop.

The thing about a schnitzel is it's beaten and it's beaten big.

So that chop is going to end up about that size.

First off, trim all the fat off that pork chop.

'Pork loin is better suited to frying than a fattier cut, but you have to be careful not to overcook.

'Schnitzelling is quick, therefore the perfect method...'

Take the clingfilm, place it on your board. In the centre of that, place the trimmed escallop.

To beat the pork out, it's a matter of choice which weapon you use.

You could use the rolling pin or the hammer. Either of them will work!

'Easy, tiger.'

I'll use the hammer.

Shall we do it in the style of Johann Strauss?

-BLUE DANUBE: #

-Na na na na na

-#

-Na na na na na

-#

-Na na na na na Na na na

-#

-Na na na, na na, na na Na na na!

-#

Look at that. That's enough to cover any platter.

Many, many cultures have a version of schnitzels. My wife's Romanian and we eat a lot of these at home.

You can do this with chicken. Chicken thighs are very good, chicken breasts.

-It's one way of making a chicken breast serve two. You don't feel deprived.

-The Italians eat this.

They have pasta first, maybe, and you really fill up on pasta

so that when the meat comes, because that's the most expensive thing on the table, the protein,

you have a small portion of that. It's a really nice way of doing it.

'Our potato salad is dead easy. Mix steamed new potatoes with mayonnaise,

-'creme fraiche, capers, gherkins and lemon juice.

-These astringent flavours enliven

'an otherwise pedestrian potato salad and make a delicious contrast to the pork's fatty sweetness.'

All I'm doing for a little bit of colouring is put some lemon zest in it to complement the lemon juice.

Into the potato salad we're going to put some parsley.

'Next you need to dress up your pork in a tasty tuxedo of gorgeous fantasticness.'

Crumbs. Ready-made egg straight from the hen.

We've taken something quite humble and we're doing a proper gourmet meal

so I'm even going to sieve the flour I'll use to dust the meat.

I don't want floury crumbs. I want this to be the most perfect schnitzel that you've ever seen.

Let's strip some thyme. We only want the leaves.

All these little tricks make that humble piece of pork that's been stretched beyond believability

really tasty.

'To the breadcrumbs and thyme, add the zest of half a lemon,

'some Parmesan and then season it well.

'These punchy ingredients enhance the flavour of an otherwise plain coating

'and because you don't need a huge amount, they cost pennies.' First, flour.

Very carefully all over. Now the egg.

Then the crumbs. 'Bread that's a few days old is perfect for making breadcrumbs,

'so don't bin those odd slices that are just past their best. Freeze them!'

-I think we're there, mate.

-We are.

'Now the key to a good schnitzel is in the frying.

'The oil is at the correct temperature when a cube of bread browns and crisps in 30 seconds.'

And...there we go.

-Lovely.

-We're talking about two minutes each side.

'To complete those punchy flavours, finish off with a handful of peppery watercress.'

-Right.

-Huzzah!

-The nice thing about a schnitzel is because it's been beaten to death it's tender.

-Yeah.

-It's good.

-It is good.

What we're saying is a little bit of creativity, a little bit of care and you're there.

And there you have it - a gourmet schnitzel to wow your dinner guests.

All for under two quid a head! You cannot get better than that, can you?

Us Bikers believe there is no better way to indulge the ones you care about than with a slap-up meal.

And we want to bring delicious gourmet flavours to some inspirational people

who deserve a treat.

So we've come to Exmouth to meet Roger Jackson,

who wants us to help him cook an indulgent lunch for the lifeboat volunteers he works alongside

as a way of thanking them for their courage, teamwork and dedication.

I actually joined in November, 1998, so I've been 13 years being part of the team here.

You're on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You never quite know when your pager is going to go off.

As a team, as a family, we all work together.

It's that bond together, that family, that gets the job done right.

Roger was awarded a medal for gallantry following the rescue of four teenagers from a capsized boat

-last October.

-The weather was absolutely horrendous.

It was howling gales, really rough.

These poor lads had gone out and flipped it over.

So we actually went out into really big seas. We were climbing and climbing these waves to get to them.

We had to do it four times.

If we'd left it, those lads would have gone into an area where we couldn't have got to them.

They were very lucky lads.

It was a big shout and I can't stress how difficult it was.

For me to be able to say thank you to the crew, as a surprise, is going to be the most amazing thing.

'Exmouth is a small town so Roger's taking us to the only place that won't announce our arrival

'and ruin the surprise.

'Out to sea!'

-We're safe with him.

-Oh, aye. Our Rog? He's good, isn't he?

-It's like St Christopher in the flesh.

'It's also the exact spot where the rescue took place. It couldn't be more different today.'

-How many of your lads were involved in the rescue?

-Basically, we had three shore crew.

And then two volunteers, plus myself. And then the all-weather lifeboat was launched behind us

to back us up. They thought we were going over as well. Big team effort.

'We'll be cooking for all the crew involved and their partners, 12 in total.

'Unbeknownst to them, the two men on the lifeboat with Roger that day are also up for an award.'

Basically, we've got Vellums, the one down from a medal, for Max and for Andy.

They don't actually know they're getting it. It'll be a massive surprise with the meal.

The only thing is that we need to work out what the flamin' Nora we're going to cook!

-It's obvious, innit? It's got to be seafood.

-Got to be fish, I think.

Men of the sea, lads of the sea, and I think to give them something special back,

-and also local stuff as well, would be really good.

-This is a cookery challenge we'll enjoy.

'So a fishy theme is our starting point, but it's got to be more than just a fish supper.

'What we need right now is some inspiration and there's no better place for ideas than from history.

'We've come to Chawton House in Hampshire, home to a library of unique historic cookbooks

'dating from 1600 to 1830.

'Among the pages are thousands of recipes, and we're in search of the origins of some great dishes

-'that pair fish with one ingredient we take for granted.'

-We all love eggs, be it boiled, poached, fried,

-scrambled or even coddled, but there's so much more to eggs.

-They used to say, "Go to work on an egg,"

but we don't think it should be relegated just to breakfast.

They're perfect little parcels of protein, quick to cook and cheap.

-Catch.

-Stop doing that with the eggs!

'We're here to meet food historian Dr Kaori O'Connor, who has picked out some of her favourite egg dishes

'from the past.'

-Hello, I'm Si.

-Hi. I'm Dave.

-Hello!

These are wonderful books.

This is the most exciting manuscript, the cookbook of Jane Austen's brother.

-So she might actually have eaten some of these dishes.

-Are there many egg dishes in that recipe book?

Well, if you were to take out of this every recipe that didn't have eggs in it,

there would be maybe three left.

For us, eggs are as common and cheap as chips, but back then they were really something

because you don't have eggs all round the year.

-Naturally, hens don't lay in the winter.

-Eggs were seasonal?

-Yes.

I've never thought about that. We're used to an asparagus season and Jersey Royals, new potatoes.

-Imagine having an egg season.

-If you look at some of the stuff here,

here's one called Fine Egg Pie. But read the ingredients.

"Take the yolks of 20 hard eggs", but then you put in mace, nutmeg, candied orange

-and you put a lump of marrow on top.

-Right.

-So it's like a savoury mince pie with eggs.

That's a real sign of affluence. Not only do you have the eggs, you have all of that spice as well,

which was incredibly expensive.

So when you bring that to the table, that's really saying something.

It strikes me that a dozen fresh eggs, a bit of imagination and you could make a feast fit for Mr Darcy.

-Yeah.

-Let's crack on.

-See you later.

'Buzzing with inspiration, we're off to the kitchen to meet world-class chef Cyrille Pannier,

'who's here to show us a classic historic dish that combines fish with egg - lobster omelette.

'It was Edward VII's favourite. If it was good enough for the King, it should certainly be indulgent.'

-We'll take the beautiful lobster, take the tail off.

-Yes.

-Slice it.

-Yes, Chef.

-And, Dave, I want you to get those mushrooms, slice them as well.

-Will do.

And we'll cook them with a bit of oil and butter.

British cooking was almost parallel with the French up until the death of Edward VII and World War One.

French chefs were working over here and this was Edwardian British food.

-Absolutely.

-Look at this lobster.

-Oh, yes.

-You did a pretty good job.

-What's that, Cyrille?

-A little port. Then add some cream. If you want to do that, Dave.

-Say when.

-Go ahead. A bit more. When!

Hey!

What a wonderful foundation. The mushrooms, the butter, the port and the cream.

Yes. And maybe some lobster if we've got any left.

-What we will do now, before Si eats everything...

-What are you saying?!

-In the pan.

-Just fold them gently.

-Yes.

-We toss them up again

in that cream, port wine reduction.

-So the old recipe called for 18 eggs.

-Right.

I don't have a pan big enough.

So we'll do six.

-We're going to add a touch of butter.

-Ah, this is a masterclass, isn't it?

We'll keep that soft in the middle.

Look at that. Perfect.

-Take our mixture over here and put that in the middle.

-It's egg porn.

Right.

-That's an omelette.

-Oh, man!

-Go. There we go.

Right.

Pour over the cheese. We'll put it in the oven for 3-4 minutes.

-It is cooked, but you want to glaze that cheese a little bit. OK?

-Yes.

-I will bring it back.

Thanks, Cyrille.

That looks spectacular.

Yeah, but...it's an egg.

-Here we are.

-Wow, Cyrille.

-Marvellous.

-Hoo hoo!

-Eggs, lobsters, mushrooms.

-Right.

That...is truly epic.

-Good.

-It's a superb dish that has more than stood the test of time. It's not just an artefact.

It's a really good dish.

It's funny to think that an omelette could be considered such an indulgent treat by a king.

But it's taken a trip into the history books to remind us how gourmet the simple egg can be.

In fact, the humble omelette is a dish that has given British food international acclaim.

The Omelette Arnold Bennett was created by chefs at the Savoy Hotel in the 1920s.

The story goes that the writer Arnold Bennett, a frequent visitor to the Savoy,

was so delighted with the egg, smoked haddock and Parmesan concoction created for him,

he insisted on it being made wherever he travelled.

The dish received celebrity status in itself and became a highlight of any gastronomic odyssey to London.

Looks delightful. And tastes delicious.

This is a great London dish created from a very cheap fish, haddock, smoked here in London.

It's so popular, it remains on the Savoy menu to this day.

What better reason to make our own twist on this classic dish?

-There's one word that sums up posh, isn't there?

-There is. There is.

Souffle.

This is our homage to that perfect pairing of smoked fish and egg,

which is great for entertaining and truly decadent.

The word souffle simply means puffed-up. This is puffed-up eggs.

Simple it may be, but it's also cheaper than a certain omelette from the Savoy.

That will be enough shrimps to make something special for four people.

What's fantastic about those is they are packed with flavour. They are so, so lovely.

This is a big souffle dish. It's one to place between you and just tuck in.

First, butter the dish liberally.

'Make sure your dish is big enough. The souffle mixture can almost double in size.'

In this bowl, I've got a mixture of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

We're going to line the buttered dish with this to give the souffle a wonderful cheesy crust.

It's all these little bits that cost very little - a bit of stale bread, a bit of cheese -

that make all that difference. Now I want a nice, thick coating.

As we mix this around, the Parmesan cheese will stick to that butter.

And it will, in fact, form a cheesy crust on the souffle.

'Place your haddock into a pan with 350ml of milk.

'Bring to the boil over a low heat and simmer for two minutes.

'That's enough time to let it release all the smoky loveliness and cook the fish to perfection.'

-What a lovely bit of fish.

-Isn't it? Just the job. Now...

What I'm going to do now is just flake this beautiful haddock

and discard the skin. We don't want that.

I'm going to strain this fishy milk into a jug.

And I'm going to use the fishy milk to make the sauce.

In the world of frugal cooking, no flavours are wasted.

Instead of breaking it in your hands, just push those flakes apart.

-Very simple, very easy.

-Now the sauce, we start off with a roux.

Into the pan a big nob of butter. And we melt that down gently.

To the butter, some flour.

Cos it's a thick sauce. And cook that for two minutes,

very gently. That cooks the flouriness out.

'Gradually combine the infused milk with 50 grams of butter and 50 grams of plain flour,

'stirring continuously to make a smooth, thick, glossy sauce.

'Separate six eggs and whisk the yolks and the whites separately.

'To get maximum elevation on your souffle, your eggs should be at room temperature.'

Egg yolks go into the roux.

'The egg whites are puffed full of air bubbles. As the air in the souffle mix heats in the oven,

'it will expand and travel in the only direction it can - upwards!

-'Now to add your flavours to the roux.'

-The gruyere.

'Gruyere is expensive, but you don't need much and its distinctive, nutty taste is definitely worth it.

'Likewise, dill. It's the perfect ingredient for any fish dish.'

Now the wholegrain mustard. You could use smooth. Two tablespoons.

'Finally, add the potted shrimps and the flaked fish.'

It's full of flavour with the mustard, shrimps and smoked haddock. It really is lovely.

When the egg whites move of their own accord and don't stick to the side, you know you've got it right.

There's quite firm peaks there, a lot of air in them to maintain.

-There you are, mate. We're off.

-Right. That's about a third, innit?

-Yep.

-So that's sacrificial.

-We're going to lose the volume in that, but it will loosen up the mixture.

I'm being quite devil-may-care.

-This is a souffle to die for.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-We've made souffles with goat's cheese,

with thyme, with crab, with mustard, with chilli,

but this one is possibly one of our greatest creations. Now, different attitude. Calm.

'Fold the remaining egg whites in slowly, always with a metal spoon to keep the air bubbles intact.'

There are myths about the souffle. One myth is that if there is a loud noise nearby,

the souffle will collapse. It won't. If a door slams nearby, it'll collapse. It won't.

If you open the oven, it might cos it'll go cold. Just treat it with reverence.

Load it into the dish.

Now we pop that into a pre-heated oven, 170 degrees Celsius,

for about 30 minutes.

# Pump up the volume Pump up the volume... #

'Don't worry if your souffle doesn't rise by much. Even a failed souffle will taste great.

'But look at ours! It's popped up like a meerkat on a spring.

'After 30 minutes, it's ready.'

Oh, belter!

Ohhhh!

Ein souffle!

That is a souffle.

Look at that.

Not only are you beautiful, you come in at around £2.50 per portion

and that includes the shrimps!

Now tell me that's not value for money. Look at it.

About 10p a bite and each bite will be bursting with flavour.

Shall we? The souffle is an ephemeral thing. It won't last long.

Crisp, isn't it?

It's light.

-Oh, yeah.

-Oh, yeah.

Absolutely superb.

If you're going to indulge yourself, that's a good start.

-Fabulous.

-Wonderful.

Souffle. There's no finer dish for entertaining with.

The beauty is in its versatility. Eggs zhooshed up with tantalising flavours,

the combinations of which are as limitless as your imagination.

The egg/fish combo is a belter and one we should definitely use for our lifeboatmen,

but we need the most economic way of cooking fish for 12 whilst giving them that gastronomic experience.

Nothing defines indulgence on a budget like a value for money set lunch

and there's no better way than to borrow from the expertise of a Michelin-starred chef.

-So we're in Edinburgh to see Mr Tom Kitchin.

-Itchin' to meet the Kitchin!

-To find out what's in his seasonal and regional larder.

-You ken!

Tom and his wife Michaela opened their waterside restaurant in 2006.

They're passionate about using seasonal Scottish produce and use ingredients found on their doorstep.

Not only does this produce the best flavours, it's economical, too.

Tom has developed a way of getting the best value from his food, so we want to know his secrets.

-Hello!

-Hey, Tom, how are you? Good to see you.

'We're going to help Tom and his team prepare two starters from his lunchtime set menu.

'Langoustine ravioli and mackerel escabeche.'

I've got some amazing produce today, the best in Scotland. I've got mackerel, just caught, line-caught.

I've got creel-caught langoustine.

-Have you made raviolis before?

-Oh, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Easy.

'Nothing goes to waste here. Tom is a master of making the most of his ingredients.

'Every scrap will somehow find its way into his dishes,

'upgrading their colours and flavours.'

-Who's going to fillet the mackerel?

-Dave.

-Dave?

-I tend to fillet. Kingy's more brutal.

-I don't want any waste. Take it off the bone, perfect.

-Me? Waste?

-Never.

-Never, no.

-If there's a gram of mackerel left on the skin, fire me.

-I will.

The mackerel fish is one of the most underrated fish around.

It's incredibly good value. Very versatile. You can have it raw, you can have it cured, smoked,

cooked in an escabeche like today.

-Now...

-Look at that!

-Look at that.

-Bloomin' heck!

What's really important here is that this is a very, very expensive ingredient.

I have to charge a lot of money to use produce like this.

'It's worth splashing out occasionally and using gourmet ingredients where it really matters.

'The expensive tail goes into Tom's a la carte menu. The rest becomes ingredients for his set menu.'

In here we've got these claws. We'll take the claws off and take out the claw meat for langoustine ravioli.

It's using this incredibly pristine ingredient, but utilising it all.

The carcase and the head we'll use to make a bisque as well. Nothing gets wasted.

-That'll take a while.

-I'm not going to pick them. I'm going to cut them.

I don't mind what you do, as long as it's fast, big man.

'Langoustines are part of the lobster family.

'As a rule of thumb, the colder the waters in which they are fished, the better their flavour,

'so Scottish langoustines are particularly sought after.

'My job is to fillet the mackerel and Tom's very particular about how it's done.'

When you fillet it, you want the knife really tight to the bone. No wastage, OK?

What a lot of people don't realise is on a mackerel fillet there's a little piece of clingfilm.

-It's really tough, that.

-Yeah.

-You don't want to eat that.

-Look at that.

'Oh, Tom's a tough act to follow. It's not just knowing how to cut it.

'It's understanding the anatomy of this humble fish. Only then can you get the most out of it.'

-Instead of going that way, go that way. See all that meat there

-Yes.

-That's going in the bin.

-And that's money.

-Aye.

'Oh, my filleting skills are clearly not up to scratch.

'Kingy's making good progress though.

'Geordie swot!'

You're like a steam train, big man, just piling through it.

-Stop sucking up.

-I'm not sucking up.

-What's that?

-I'm just getting this bit off here. That's smashing.

-Trig!

Put that in the wastage book there.

-What?

-Oh, man, that's it. We've lost money now!

-Done, chef.

-Done? Excellent.

"Done, chef!" All he's done is rip the heads off a few prawns.

I've got a seven-stage process here. I've only messed one up. That's one.

You've hidden the other ones at the bottom.

No, I was going to put this at the bottom, but I thought I can't tarnish your reputation.

"Tom Kitchin loses his Michelin star for want of wanton mackerel!"

-"Wanton mackerel?!"

-LAUGHTER

'Ideas like using claw meat for the ravioli is just the tip of the iceberg for Tom.

'His "no waste" policy not only saves money,

'it also means thinking outside the box when it comes to creating new dishes.'

-You know when you get a female lobster...

-Yes.

-Yes.

-When you open up the head...

-It's full of...

-Green coral.

-What we call lobster coral.

-Which is just beautiful.

-Beautiful.

So again, nothing in the bin.

-So we have the lobsters on the a la carte.

-Right.

-We keep the green coral from the lobster.

-That's what's coloured the pasta?

-We put that in the pasta.

-Once we cook it, it goes a beautiful red colour like a lobster.

-Fantastic

'This is a great way to stretch a luxury ingredient and Tom is the pasta master,

'but like his magical langoustine ravioli, he's full of surprises.'

-Get off!

-Right, another wee trick, right?

-Right.

Oh, no!

Right, use that to spray there.

-You spray it with water, so you don't have to go round with the eggy wash and everything.

-Exactly.

'The filling is a mixture of fish, cream and herbs

'with the meat from the langoustine claws claiming the starring role.'

Oh, right, so you're spreading it.

We want that thin. We want that pasta thin now.

'Oh, look at them! They're like bowler hats for leprechauns.'

'Now for the mackerel. Tom's using a traditional Mediterranean recipe with a twist.

'Escabeche is a Spanish dish where fish is poached in a vinegary sauce loaded with herbs and spices.

'Tom's going to marinade his in orange juice.'

OK, this is the escabeche base here. Let's have a wee taste of that.

It's very simple.

We've got carrots, shallots, fennel, coriander seed, bouquet garni, good, old-fashioned bouquet garni.

Bouncing! That's a big bouquet garni.

-And orange juice as well.

-Yeah.

-So that's absolutely delicious.

-Spectacular.

So what you want is the hot liquid...

Because the mackerel is quite a thin fish, it's just going to poach it gently.

Very, very gently.

All that lovely flavour from the mackerel is then going to come out,

then we'll make the sauce from the cooking liquor once it's finished. You see how simple it is.

'Tom's given us some great ideas.

'By using cheaper seasonal produce like mackerel

'or by getting the most out of the ingredients you've splashed out on, you can create value gourmet food.

'Now time for the taste test and, quite frankly, we've earned it.'

-This is the good bit.

-A little reward for all your hard work.

-Nice one, man.

-Look at those raviolis!

-Look at the colour of those raviolis!

-Made by your own fair hands.

-They were green.

-Yeah.

-When we blanched them, bang!

That's incredible.

-Fantastic.

-You have turned green into gold.

So we've got a little butter sauce on there, lovely with the ravioli,

then we've got red-veined sorrel and wild wood sorrel as well which is just in season.

That tastes absolutely sublime.

-Yeah, it's absolutely superb.

-You had a part in that.

-Absolutely superb, Tom.

Hey, Tom, have you ever thought about taking this up for a living?

Hmm!

Right, boys...

-Here's the humble mackerel.

-Wow!

-Hmm

All that work this morning...

That filleting expertise.

There won't be a bone in there, Tom.

It's got its full regalia on now - kilt, sporran, the whack!

Oh, yes, get in!

I think the citrus flavours go amazingly well with the mackerel.

It's a perfect eat, isn't it?

It's refreshing, it's great on the palate, you know...

-I tell you what, though. I've got a bone.

-No!

-No!

No, I haven't!

'This has been an indulgence for sure,

'but now we need to turn our gastronomic brains to lifeboatman Roger's main course.'

I've got it. What about a waterzooi, a big fish stewy thing?

-Nah, it's boring.

-Right.

What about a paella? Look, the sun's out. It's colourful, it's vibrant.

We can incorporate shellfish as well as whatever swims and floats and is chunky.

'A successful paella hinges on heaps of fishy flavours,

'but getting the variety of fish you need can be expensive.

'One trick to make it easier on your wallet

'could be to substitute the Premier League varieties for their Championship counterparts,

'fish similar in taste and texture, but cost a fraction of the price.

'Take mackerel. We've already heard how versatile it is and it's cheap,

'but replace it with sardines or herrings and you save a quarter of the cost.

'Cod is not only expensive, but over-fished,

'so substitute it with its cheaper, more plentiful cousin pollock.

'The smaller fillets tend to be flaky, but with a larger fillet, it's hard to tell the difference.

'As a gourmet treat, crab is seriously underrated.

'It's prolific in British waters and a third of the price of lobster, but we say tastier.

'All that stands between you and that crabby goodness is the labyrinthine shell,

'but you'll get even more out of your fish if you do what Tom does and use every edible part.

'And the best way to do that - how about a bisque?

'A crustacean soup to you and me.'

-Do you remember what Tom did with the langoustine heads?

-Yes, I do.

He made a langoustine head ravioli with very little langoustine meat.

What happens if we put a couple of crabs in that bisque, use the leftovers from the paella,

put some crabs in to make it a main event and make that crab go so far?

Oh, pimp my potage!

-Pudding?

-It's got to be chocolate mousse. All blokes like chocolate mousse and they're all fellas.

You cannot have chocolate mousse, man. It's boring!

What about, um...

Pudding, chocolate pudding, chocolate fondant.

-Soft in the middle, lovely. I think that's good.

-It is.

We just need a platter of fish, a few carbs,

a bucketful of talent and we've got a feast.

Right, where's Roge?

'To get the most out of any ingredient, it has to be fresh

'and this farm shop in Exmouth has its own fleet of fishing boats,

'so not only is the fish sold on the same day it's caught,

'it's caught within six miles of the shop. How local is that!'

-This is a spectacular display, Si.

-Thank you very much.

-It's a cook's paradise.

-It is.

-Fruits of the sea in one place.

-Our lads will be so excited about this. It's amazing.

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant.

'We're here to get the best value produce we can without skimping on the flavour.'

-Grey mullet is tasty, isn't it?

-It is indeed. It does make a great substitute for bass.

But it needs to be caught at sea.

A sea-caught grey mullet is just as good as a line-caught bass, really, and half the price.

Good old grey mullet, it stands up on its own. Perfect for paella.

It is perfect. I think we should have some.

-Shall we have them prepared?

-We need the bones and all the bits for the stock.

We can fillet, pin-bone, keep the bones for your stock, prepare it however you want.

Those four fish are £20.32.

-You are joking!

-If these were bass, these would have cost you...

£47.40. So you've saved more than half

-and you can still re-create your dis and a great product as well.

-It is, isn't it?

-Could we have a kilo and a half of mussels?

-Yeah, these are the River Exe mussels.

-Lovely.

We're going to do a gourmet, three-course meal for 12 people for round about 100 quid.

-Yeah.

-Is that all?

-Yeah, but with the best seafood money can buy.

'Buying fresh fish is easy when you know what to look for.

'First, look into their eyes. They should be clear and bright.

'A cloudy-eyed fish is safe to eat, but it's past its prime.

'A fresh fish should smell like the sea or even a bit like cucumber.

'Never, ever buy a nasty-smelling fish. Cooking won't improve it.

-'Next, the gills. These should be bright red.

-And the scales should be shiny and plentiful.

'And the best thing, if you're in any doubt, is to ask the fishmonger when it was caught.'

I think this is right, Simon.

You catch the fish and it can be from sea to ice in 12 hours?

They drive past us on their way to market, drop off what I've asked for

-then in the morning, it's on the counter.

-Wonderful.

-Look, look at that! How beautiful...

-Yeah.

-..is that creature!

-So how many would you like?

-A dozen, so we've got one each.

-One each?

-Yeah.

-Shall we have a couple of dressed crabs?

-Look at that for 4.95, the size of that and the meat!

-That makes good sense.

-Right, two of them then.

'We're not stopping there. Time for a shopping montage.'

Just a good, local mature.

-Soda bread.

-Sourdough!

-Two or three, Kingy?

-Two, mate, cos it's just for a garnish.

Little Bantam eggs. Look at that!

-That's nice.

-Look at those little, dinky eggs!

Cheap! Bantam eggs, a pound for six.

-Let's get a dozen and a half for three quid.

-Just in case we break one.

'We've spent under a hundred quid here and still bought the majority of our ingredients. Result!'

-That's £16.23 change.

-Thank you.

-Hey, that's brilliant.

-Come on, fat lads.

-Shut up, you!

'I feel inspired by this shop, Kingy.

'It's going to be a real treat for some very deserving people.

'Yes, mate, it's important to get it right.

'When entertaining with food, it's a good idea to put on a trial run before the big day,

'so we're off to make a start on Roger's decadent dessert.'

Do you know, you need an indulgence.

Oh, yes. What's the indulgence that we can all afford,

that's economic, that everybody has access to?

Chocolate. And the other indulgence that we all love at the end of a meal is...

Puddings! And we have done a chocolate, zesty fondant, served with a lovely zesty sauce, and...

Coconut custard just cos we could, but it's a really quick, simple recipe.

It is like a Michelin-starred pudding for a couple of quid.

'To create this chocolate and lime fondant, you'll need a light touch and a bit of patience.

'You can't really go wrong if you're meticulous about your timing.

'If you can make a souffle, these are a cinch.'

First off...

Chocolate. Always use good chocolate, the best you can afford.

'By that we mean dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids.

'It has a richer, more bittersweet flavour than its milky cousin.

'For cooks, it's smoother and easier to work with.'

Use a bain-marie which is a bowl above hot water, so you haven't got direct heat to burn the chocolate.

'Bain-marie simply means a water bath

'and it's a great technique for heating delicate food gently and gradually.

'Just make sure your bowl is heatproof.

'Add 150 grams of butter and stir occasionally.'

While Dave's doing that, what I'm going to do is...

We want three whole eggs and three egg yolks.

'Fondants are effectively steamed puddings,

'firm on the outside, gooey and unctuous on the inside,

'and you'll need individual containers to make them.'

These are called Dariole moulds, a little steamed pudding mould, and now we butter it.

You can buy non-stick ones, but I still butter them anyway

-because I don't trust them. It's true, isn't it?

-You do.

They're nicely buttered. I just put some cocoa in.

Just knock around like that.

Do remember, use cocoa and not drinking chocolate.

You'll find that the cocoa sticks to the butter and it gives you a super chocolatey finish to your fondant.

'To the eggs, add the zest of two limes. We're using a nifty utensil called a microplane.

'Instead of shredding the lime skin like a grater does,

'the tiny razor-like edges shave it finely which helps conserve the flavour.'

-25 grams of caster sugar. Lob it in?

-Yeah, please, man, yeah.

Thank you very much.

It's quite important to get this right, this bit.

Just put some air through it.

You can see at the back of the blades, it's leaving like a little fan shape. That's what you're after.

Nice and thick.

-Are you ready to fold?

-I'm ready.

'As per our souffle recipe,

'we're using a metal spoon to fold the egg mixture to preserve the bubbles.'

-Ready for the flour?

-Yeah.

-Right.

I'm going to sieve that in.

And we just fold that as we go.

-There we go.

-Thank you.

And now all we do is fill up the moulds with the pudding.

These need to be covered in clingfilm and put in the fridge just to chill and settle.

'They'll need at least 30 minutes,

'but you can prep them and leave them in the fridge for up to eight hours in advance.'

This gives us time to make the lime syrup.

This is a really useful ingredient. It's that lime marmalade.

And then what we're going to add is the juice of about two limes.

-Lime juice.

-There's one.

-Nice.

-This is going to be zingy!

-Oh!

'Simmer and stir the mixture for about four minutes until it becomes syrupy, then leave to cool.'

What we do is... Another top tip is these little babies, these cheap plastic bottles.

You know when you go to a posh restaurant and all the blobs and smears are in the perfect place?

You don't do it with a spoon. Get one of these, fill it with your stuff and go plop, plop, plop!

It's the way forward.

'And we'll use this technique for our marmalade mixture.'

Here we go. These go into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 12 minutes,

which gives us just time to make the instant coconut custard.

-You're not wrong!

-Coconut.

-Coconut!

-One.

-Come on, Kingy.

-Two.

-Let's see what you're made of.

-Three.

And in my pan I'm going to heat up coconut milk and cream.

'We're using 300 ml of coconut milk to 100 of double cream.

'Coconut milk can be a great substitute for milk in soups, sauces and desserts,

'so it's worth keeping a few cans of the stuff in the larder.

'While that's heating, add two teaspoons of cornflour to the three egg yolks and whisk.'

Beautiful.

And this needs to simmer.

Now, the trick is...

we add the coconut milk and the cream to the eggy mix.

Oh!

-Smell that. That's an indulgence.

-It's luxurious, isn't it?

-Lovely.

'Return the mix to the saucepan and cook over a low heat.

'Once you've made custard from scratch, you'll never want to open a packet again.'

It's important that you don't overheat it because if you do, it'll split. That's what we don't want.

Five, four, three,

two, one...

Fondants are go!

Oh, now, they're going to...

Look at them!

-Scalpel?

-Yes.

'Use a round-edged knife to loosen your fondant in the mould.

'That way, you won't poke holes in it and release its gooey centre.'

It's soft, it's squidgy...

Oh, look at that!

-Ooze check?

-Yeah.

Nice.

'Think of your gourmet choccy fondant as a work of art,

'a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds.'

Oh, yeah!

'The finishing touch is the lime syrup.

'You can blob it, swirl it, stripe it on your plate.

'Make any pattern you want.

'Get creative, but remember, less is usually more.'

Little jewels of gorgeousness.

-Just like rivets on a submarine's bulkhead.

-Yeah.

But rivets of flavour.

'We're topping it off with creme fraiche.

'It's slightly sour which, along with the lime, helps to counter the sticky sweetness of the pud.

'And taking our inspiration from our Michelin-starred chef, nothing here is going to waste.'

Look, you throw this in the bin,

but we're not.

It's just making it special.

Michelin star for cafe money!

'This fondant comes in at under £2 a portion and is perfect for feeding Roger's crew.

'The most expensive ingredient is the dark chocolate, but even that won't break the bank.'

I love the lime syrup.

If that's not a chocolate indulgence, I don't know what is.

'By applying a bit of foodie know-how and artistry, it's possible to transform any food

'into a dish to excite your gastronomic senses.

'We've discovered how down-to-earth ingredients can reach stratospheric heights of gourmet deliciousness.'

-That looks spectacular.

-But it's an egg.

'And learned how using every last scrap of food can achieve truly wonderful flavour sensations.'

It's a perfect eat, isn't it?

'I think we've got the hang of this indulgent entertaining lark, dude.

'Yeah. Now we've just got to put it all to good use.

'We've joined Roger at the lifeboat station in Exmouth to make a start on our special meal.

'The crew still have no idea of our plans and that we've commandeered a corner of the office

'as our makeshift kitchen.'

I, Mr Myers, think I'd better get on shelling prawns.

And I'd better get on the building blocks to the soup, the bisque.

'This yummy infusion of fishy goodness comes in at roughly £3 a head.'

Fennel, slightly aniseedy in flavour, is brilliant for a fish soup.

This needs to be sweated down for about ten minutes, then we put the garlic in.

'This bisque has a tomato base.

'Passata, sun-dried tomato puree and tinned tomatoes are added

'along with those fish carcasses we got from the farm store.'

The only thing is, do not put the gills in.

The gills can make the whole thing sour.

And some pepper. 'Now for the eggs. The fresher they are, the better for poaching.'

We don't want them to overcook, so we plunge them into cold water.

'To go with the bisque, we're making a rouille - a French sauce

'that's similar to mayonnaise and served with seafood soups.'

The thing is about everyday gourmet... If you're skint, you've got to invest a little bit of time.

But what's nice about it is that if you invest the time, you become a better cook, which is great.

'We're combining eggs, oil, garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and tomato puree.

'Back to the stock. We're going one stage further than our Michelin-starred chef.'

-You're going to think we'll strain all those bones out.

-I am.

We're not. We're going to puree everything - the bones, the heads, the lot.

'And once we've extracted the flavour from the bones, we sieve it to make a smooth soup.

'After adding our crab meat, we're putting all these ingredients aside until we're ready to serve.

'Next, the main course - paella,

'but ours has a twist that not only makes it cheaper, but it also adds a hint of the unexpected.'

Normally, paella would be made with rice. We're doing ours with barley. Barley risottos are all the rage.

Barley paella? You've seen it first, you've seen it here!

'Our paella is not as expensive as you might think.

'Barley is half the price of long-grain rice and eight times cheaper than paella rice

'and we've replaced pricey fish with cheaper alternatives.

'The beauty of this is your guests definitely won't feel short-changed.'

Now, the squid, look at that. It doesn't immediately say, "Eat me."

But when treated with respect and cooked properly, it's a treasure.

'To the fried onions and chorizo, we're adding our barley which has been pre-soaked for 12 hours.

'It's a great substitute for rice - robust enough to carry the flavours of the fish, spices and chorizo.'

Make sure that barley is coated with all of that beautiful oil.

I would never have thought about using barley.

You can treat a barley grain exactly the same as rice.

'Now add a heaped tablespoon of pungent and colourful, sweet paprika.'

Look at that! It's redder than a red setter bathing in iron ore!

'Now we stir in our prepped prawns and squid. You don't need a lot as this paella is packed with flavour.'

So there's no pre-cooking of the fish?

-Oh, no.

-That would ruin it?

-The squid's already starting to curl.

'Don't just bung your fish in.

'Appearance is key. Here I'm using a classic clock-face presentation favoured by the Spanish.'

A spiral of poissons! 'Now for the mussels...'

We'll steam these on the top and these will just cook gently in the vapour.

'Add the chicken stock. Unlike a risotto, stirring is forbidden,

'so we leave it to simmer away for 20 minutes while Roge reveals his surprise.'

Good afternoon, ladies and gents.

As you all know, I've had the limelight, I've had the nice bits.

Now it's for me to say thank you to you guys and actually treat you to a little meal, really.

I couldn't do it all by myself and I've actually had some help,

so... BLOWS WHISTLE

The helpers! APPLAUSE

Your Roger's a good cook, I tell you that!

We'd better go and get your first course out, gang.

-It's at times like this, I'm glad I'm not wearing a skirt either!

-LAUGHTER

'We're serving our crab bisque with croutons of ciabatta,

'topped with a blob of rouille and a sprinkle of local cheese.

'And as fish and egg are such a perfect match, we're topping it off with a poached Bantam egg.'

These cups were car boot specials. They were dead cheap.

-But with a bit of thought, you can really dress the soup up.

-Perfect.

Let's get this out, boys.

Ladies and gents... APPLAUSE

-Go on, Roger. I think you should test the product.

-Can I dunk it?

-Yeah, with your soldier.

-Is it "gorge"?

-Lovely.

-Get in!

That's gorgeous.

-How long did it take to cook?

-I started yesterday morning. LAUGHTER

Hey, dude. That's a resounding success.

-It's gone down great.

-I'm glad we went to Oxfam for them!

'Our barley paella is ready. This is a dish best eaten warm, not piping hot,

'to allow those flavours to come through.' Lovely.

'And at around £5 per serving, paella is a great way of feeding luxury food to a crowd.'

Look at that!

-There you are, ladies and gentlemen.

-His own fair hands as well.

-It was.

-There we go.

-Well done, Roge.

-Thanks very much.

-Go on then. Tuck in.

-What do you think of the use of barley instead of rice?

-Brilliant.

-It's a nice, little twist.

'With the paella a success, there's just the dessert to go.

'I do love a fondant.

'Not quite a cake, not quite a mousse, but somewhere in between.

'Served with Devon clotted cream and pepper-roasted local strawberries, it's just over £2 per portion.'

-The grand finale, shall we do it?

-Yes.

-Let's do it.

This is the ultimate, ultimate in desserts!

Pudding!

You can actually taste the pepper too.

-In it goes.

-Yes!

'We've pulled it off, Kingy - a gourmet, three-course lunch for 120 smackers!'

Ladies and gents, I hope you've enjoyed your meal today.

It's been hard graft. These two guys have given me a great hand to be able to succeed in this

as a great big thank you to everybod here and everybody here as well.

'But it's not over yet.

'The two lifeboat crew, Max and Andy, who played a vital role in the rescue of four teenagers,

'are about to be rewarded for their efforts.'

-Congratulations.

-Thanks very much.

-It's an honour and a privilege to present it to you. Thank you so much. Well done.

-Thank you.

We'd both like to say thank you very much for having us down here.

-This man, what a top boy! What a top man!

-Thank you very much.

-Well done, Roge.

'Indulgent meals needn't be expensive. Gourmet cuisine isn't about using luxurious or rare foods,

'but about taking humble ingredients and lavishing them with love.

'Making the most of your food, so you're not only saving money, you enrich the flavours of your dish.

'And best of all, although Roger's friends were eating food on a budget,

'they certainly didn't feel hard done by.'

-I see no ships, but I see a lot of contented lifeboat folk.

-I do too.

-That one hit the spot.

-Brilliant.

-Look at them all having a good time and all for a tenner a head!

-Fancy a swim?

I fancy a pint.

All right then. Yeah.

'Next time...'

-Come and get it, kids!

-Come on!

'It's party time and we'll show you how to make posh treats to feed the masses.

'We'll find out how the royals raved it up in days gone by.'

-Wow!

-Oh, wow, that's amazing!

-That actually does have wow factor.

'And throw a massive surprise party for some truly deserving people.'

-Hello!

-CHEERING

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