A Taste of Christmas Past Home Comforts at Christmas

The heart of my home is the kitchen.

And at this time of year,

it's the perfect place to gather

and celebrate the festive season.

For me, Christmas is all about rustling up some fantastic food...

..and eating it in the company of my favourite people.

These are the dishes that I cook

when I want to spread a little bit of cheer.

These are my Christmas Home Comforts.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be,

except at this time of the year,

when we all crave the sights, sounds and tastes of the past.

So I'm going to take you on a trip down memory lane

and make some of my favourite childhood Christmas meals.

Including this sticky classic, a world away from school dinners.

HE CHUCKLES

Steamed sponge pudding!

One of the best desserts you could ever wish to have.

If you want even more sugar,

Annie Gray serves up some Austrian Christmas candy.

There is something about the bright colours

and the scent that is coming off it.

It just fills you with joy.

And I teach Aussie racing legend Mark Webber

how to barbie like a Brit.

If we have this in Australia, it starts a bush fire.

We've got a national incident on our hands.

But first, I'm delving into my past

with something I first had when I was growing up on the farm.

It's a one-pot winter warmer -

uncomplicated, unfussy, unbeatable.

Now, there are several dishes for me that epitomise my childhood,

and this has to be top of the list.

Proper grub. As my grandad put it,

"You don't get to be a six-foot-three Yorkshireman

"by eating a few carrots."

And it was a big chunk of beef

chopped up, slowly cooked.

It is one of the most amazing dishes I think I ever tasted as a kid.

And it is really simple to do.

And I use my own mother's recipe still to this day, really,

for the beef stew.

So this is a piece, or a chunk, of silverside.

Now, the reason why I like to buy it

as a whole piece is I can dictate the size of the dice, really.

Too many times, diced pieces of beef for stew

are far too small.

And you just end up cooking it, and they just dissolve

into little pieces.

So when you cut it up, cut it up into decent sized chunks.

Next, coat the beef with a touch of flour.

And brown the pieces off in a casserole dish

along with a little oil.

This is where you get the colour of your beef stew.

Once browned, remove the meat from the pan,

then chop up some onions, carrots and celery into big chunks.

So what we're going to add to this is some tomato puree. Now,

you've got to be careful with this sort of stuff.

It's quite bitter and it must go in at the beginning of the cooking.

So we do what chefs call "we cook it out".

Now it is the time to deglaze the pan with some good quality red wine.

All you need to add afterwards is fresh beef stock.

We are just going to bring this to the boil.

Now we can add in the beef.

Right. We are nearly there now.

But then what we are going to create is a little bouquet garni.

Wrap some parsley and thyme in bay leaves

and tie them all up with string, just like a Christmas present.

This way, you can easily remove the herbs

once they've done their job.

Add garlic and bring it to the boil.

Then gently simmer on the hob for an hour and a half.

Which gives me time to sort out my little Christmas mascot.

Here we go, buddy. What is this?

Yes...

It is half a Christmas pudding. Up you get.

How does that look?

Not impressed?

HE SIGHS

And this has only had an hour and a half, so you can imagine

how my mother's used to be

for eight, ten hours, just slowly cooking.

Great dish, this. Now, it is difficult to improve on this, I know,

but we are going to improve this with some dumplings.

To start, put some beef suet in a bowl with double the amount of flour

and a touch of baking powder.

Then chop up some fresh parsley.

This is one of the dishes that inspired me to cook

and do this for a living.

My mother used to tell me that I used to stand there

and put the little dumplings in, stood on a chair,

so I can't have been any more than five, six years old,

making this as a kid.

To make the dough, add salt, then water to the mixture bit by bit

until it feels sticky.

When you are doing this, about half the size of a golf ball,

that's what you're looking for.

And don't be tight either.

These are the things that everybody fights over, I think.

Before you place them on top, remove the bouquet garni,

season and stir,

because you won't be able to once the dumplings are in.

Now, I'm going to enrich this with two ingredients.

One of which - and I know what a lot of people are waiting for -

is a little bit of butter.

Just a touch.

And a little tip...

that I remember as a kid.

Red currant jelly. But just about a teaspoon of red currant jelly.

It's all you need.

It just adds a lovely sweetness to it.

And then you can pop the little dumplings

in and around the stew.

Now, what you need to do now

is just let it gently simmer away...

..for about another 15 minutes.

And it will be ready!

You see, it is the anticipation of this dish which I absolutely love.

Beef stew and dumplings.

It has been a part of my life for nigh on 40 years.

It doesn't need anything else, I don't think.

You don't need any fancy bits of mash.

It's just that. That is all you need.

It is like winter in a bowl.

Then you have got these little golden nuggets, these amazing dumplings.

It is kind of weird, us chefs,

cos we always try and reinvent the wheel all the time.

Why do we bother when we have got food as good as this?

And for me, this is where it all started.

A pot like this is perfect for this time of the year.

Hearty, wholesome

and, for me, packed with memories of Christmas as a kid.

Try it yourself, and don't be stingy with the dumplings!

# Rocking around the Christmas tree

# At the Christmas party hop... #

Now, what can I say about nuts?

Well, they are tasty, filling and as much a part of the festive season

as turkey, tinsel and stuffing.

As long as you know how to crack them open!

At this farm in Kent,

Alexander Hunt has been preparing for Christmas for the last four months.

He grows a very special type of nut, you see.

I'll let him tell you all about it.

The cobnut is a variety of hazelnut

in the same way as a Bramley is a variety of apple.

It is a cultivated hazelnut

with a lovely, large size and a delicious flavour.

They are also the only nuts you can eat fresh.

And our ancestors loved them.

I think, historically, the Victorians always had nuts

after a meal with port and cheese.

And I think that tradition has very much carried on.

And I think most people in the country

would associate Christmas with nuts.

Kentish hop-pickers were also big fans,

and they ate them by the handful during harvest time.

But the end of hop growing in the county had an impact

on the number of cobnut trees.

The 25 acres that Alexander harvests are important survivors,

enabling us to enjoy this fantastic seasonal flavour

just as previous generations did.

When we pick the fresh, green cobnuts in August,

they are milky and succulent and juicy.

And as we then progress through August,

September and October, the real maturity

of the nutty flavour comes out.

And they are delicious in all manner of dishes - from biscuits, cakes...

And the real, true flavour comes out as we lead up to Christmas.

But the job of picking cobnuts is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

We pick in all weathers - wet, wind, rain, sun -

because it is always a race in the autumn

between us and the grey squirrels.

So they brave the cold,

they dodge the rain

and they fight off the squirrels.

What is the best way to describe the people that do this?

The families that pick cobnuts

are known within the industry as nutters.

You see, I'd probably describe them as passionate or productive,

because these nuts are thriving.

2015, the crop we've just finished,

has been one of our heaviest picks ever.

We will sell and market between 15 and 20 tonnes of cobnuts.

As well as being a traditional stocking filler,

cobnuts have many other uses for the Christmas cook.

They can be used in mincemeat and Christmas puddings,

a variety of stuffings, etc, with the turkey.

# I'm dreaming

# Of a white Christmas... #

It has been a hectic few months,

but with his harvest now successfully gathered,

Alexander is celebrating by throwing a festive feast,

and it wouldn't be complete without all the other local nutters.

Cobnuts are ideal when you've got a Christmas dinner party

because you crack them - you have to share the nut crackers

around them - and I like the noise of the cracking, don't you?

I really like them on apple crumble.

They are just so natural and really healthy

and full of vitamins and really good things.

I am a traditionalist and I think I go with the flow.

And I like to eat cobnuts after dinner,

particularly with this sort of cheese and especially port course.

It brings back memories of growing up and working

on the farm,

eating nuts whilst you are working. It keeps you going.

It is almost an activity.

It's like eating crab or mussels,

you have to earn the nut, and then it tastes even better.

It is food that you have earned.

# And may all

# Your Christmases

# Be white. #

Seeing all the hard work that goes into colleting this produce

makes me appreciate it even more.

So I am going to put some cobnuts to good use

in a festive roast that reminds me of my roots.

Around Christmas time, it would be a busy time for the farmers,

and my dad would go out and shoot quite a lot

and bring back partridges -

not like this, oven ready, still in their feather.

And for a young kid, aged six years old,

to earn a little bit of pocket money,

I would be put into the shed with a pile of pheasants

and partridges to pluck.

So the first thing we are going to do is roast these,

and what you need is a little bit of salt and pepper.

Just pop it inside the cavity, to season it well as well.

A nice little bit of butter in the pan.

And then pop the partridges in.

Now, set the oven for this quite high cos I think

particularly partridge, pheasant and grouse

want to be cooked as little as possible in the oven

to keep them nice and pink. But the key to this is making sure

you've got a nice little bit of colour on it first.

# Oh, the weather outside is frightful... #

When the partridges are sealed,

put them in the oven for 15 minutes.

# Since we've no place to go... #

Now, while that's cooking, we can get on with the rest

of our ingredients, and I'm going to do this

with a lovely buckwheat salad.

It is a great, great dish, this.

To get the salad started, rinse the buckwheat.

Put some chicken stock into a pan.

Then add the rinsed wheat.

Now, partridge lends itself to so many different great flavours,

but one flavour that is bang in season at the moment

are these things - cobnuts.

They are wonderful!

They've got an outer casing to it, which is this husk.

And then to crack them open, if you just give it a little tap...

You can stop them flying around just using a cloth.

And always at this time of the year, with the partridges and the peasants,

the cobnuts - these ingredients go so well together.

It's just the perfect accompaniment.

By the time you've got a few whole ones out,

the buckwheat should be ready.

So remove from the heat and drain.

Next, you need to blanch some baby leeks

in salted boiling water.

So, while our leeks are just gently cooking away,

we can make our dressing for this,

using ingredients which I love.

One part pomegranate molasses.

One part runny honey.

And then you need some sharpness with this as well.

You can either put lemon juice, if you want, or this stuff.

This is white balsamic vinegar.

It is fabulous in this salad.

Mix the dressing, drain the leeks...

..and take the partridges out of the oven.

Spoon over a little butter and leave them to rest for 15 minutes.

Which gives us enough time to finish off this.

Now, so often you would just serve

the buckwheat as it is,

but what I am going to do is foam it in some butter.

To give the buckwheat a golden colour,

the butter needs to turn a nutty brown.

As soon as that is done, we can then take our buckwheat...

..and go straight in here.

In we go with the dressing.

You've got this lovely, syrupy, sugary molasses dressing.

Pomegranate.

Fresh pomegranate.

The best way to get the pomegranate seeds out - back of a spoon.

Or a bit like plucking partridges,

give it to somebody else to do!

Or you can buy this pre-done.

Like pre-cooked crispy bacon.

The world is going mad!

There is room in that pan for just a couple more ingredients -

chopped parsley and some delicious cobnuts.

Just wonderful sort of rich... It's not dry.

It's lovely with that dressing over the top as well,

that lovely sweetness. And then finally,

just to add some texture with this...

..we've got...the leeks.

Drizzle them with a touch of oil, season...

..and then chargrill.

While they are finishing off,

it is time to bring this feast together.

We've got this delicious salad.

Wonderful colour from this as well.

And we can pop on this fantastic partridge.

Then your leeks,

you can put those back through the dressing as well.

I love dishes like this -

simple, quick, full of flavour!

It is exactly what I want to eat.

You see, this partridge is perfectly cooked. It is lovely and pink inside.

You have got the cobnuts.

I love the buckwheat with the pomegranate and the sweetness

of that dressing with the honey, the molasses.

This is one of my favourite dishes for this time of the year.

For years, I remember

just being sat in the shed,

plucking partridges and pheasants.

It was an amazing time, but if I had had a pound for every one I'd done,

I might have retired by the time I was 14.

It would have been nice,

but cooking succulent roast partridge along with some fantastic cobnuts

is a great reminder of my childhood now.

Something else that transports me back to my Christmas past

is sweet, spicy and sticky gingerbread men.

Food historian Ivan Day has been tracing their origins and

finding out why we eat these little figures at this time of the year.

Modern gingerbread men like these are a familiar treat,

but these spicy little fellows

have a really interesting history.

Gingerbread has appeared in numerous stories throughout time,

from Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house

to Tchaikovsky's Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker.

I am going to make two important figures

that tell the early history of gingerbread.

Ivan's following the oldest known recipe,

dating from medieval times.

The mould is a rare relic, too,

from a surprisingly progressive era.

I am a firm believer in equality,

and I am going to make a gingerbread woman

from this remarkable

early Jacobean mould,

which was carved at the time of Shakespeare.

He starts by grinding up some pepper.

Then he mixes honey with breadcrumbs,

ginger, cinnamon and red sandalwood

for a splash of colour.

This mixture has to be heated on the hob until it is thickened.

Once it is cooled to the perfect consistency,

the gingerbread can be pressed into the mould.

Ivan has dusted his with red saunders

to stop the mixture from sticking.

My ginger gentlewoman is not going to be baked in the oven.

I am just going to dry her out in front of the fire.

Gingerbread figures come in all shapes and sizes,

but this is one of the most popular - St Nicholas,

the patron saint of children.

Ivan is making a white one using ground almonds,

sugar paste for the dough, and ginger and galangal for flavour.

But what about the real St Nick, what was he made of?

Nicholas was a 4th century Greek bishop.

He received a very large inheritance

and used it to assist the poor,

the sick and the needy.

He was celebrated on the anniversary of his death,

the 6th of December,

when children would receive a gingerbread figure of him.

Countries across northern Europe celebrated the legend of St Nicholas

for hundreds of years after his death.

And in the 19th century,

his popularity spread to the British Isles.

When Queen Victoria married the German Prince Albert,

the German and the English traditions of Christmas merged,

and we see St Nicholas becoming a feature of the English Christmas.

In time, St Nicholas evolves into everybody's favourite visitor -

Father Christmas.

Once Ivan's gingerbread has dried out, he adds the gilding.

Hang on a minute, why does this old figure seem so familiar?

The chocolate Santas that are so popular today

are the direct descendants of the gingerbread St Nicholases.

And the gold leaf has been replaced with metal foil.

So there we have it, a gilded St Nick.

Well, they certainly all look good enough to eat.

In addition to my gingerbread woman,

I have made her partner on the back of the mould, this gingerbread man.

And on behalf of the neglected

equal rights of gingerbread women over the last 500 years,

I am going to behead him.

Off with your head!

That is delicious, actually.

It's lovely because it is very sweet, almondy.

The galangal and the ginger give a lovely kind of

vindaloo like hit. If you like spicy,

you'll like white gingerbread.

Doing this, I think, reminds us that although we have strong

Christmas traditions, we have lost many on the way,

and many of them are very interesting,

like these gingerbread figures.

What could be more seasonal than this beautiful gilded

gingerbread figure of St Nicholas,

the patron saint of children and giving gifts?

# Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer... #

Well, I can tell you what is just as seasonal,

and that is the smell of baking.

This dish couldn't smell any sweeter.

And it couldn't be any tastier.

Now, this time of year, as the nights draw in,

there is no better pudding than a steamed sponge pudding.

But this is my twist on it, really.

It's using the steamed sponge as a classic base but incorporating

a few winter touches as well with it.

The first thing is I am going to cook it

in a tureen mould. Now, normally, you would do this in a pudding basin,

but to do this in a tureen mould, you treat it exactly the same.

First of all, you get plenty of butter to stop it from sticking.

So, take the butter...

I always like to do this by hand rather than a pastry brush.

And then once we have done that, I am going to use some pears.

Now, I love these.

What we are going to do is just basically shave it

on a mandolin.

Now, be really careful with these things.

If you have got a guard, use a guard at home.

Shave this nice and thin.

And what we do is we just layer the pears

in the bottom of your dish.

Once you've covered the bottom of the tin with the slices,

add some golden syrup.

This, as we know, is why we love

steamed sponge pudding. It is that...

..sauce, that glaze that you get out of it when you tip it out

that makes it oh, so special.

And the sponge is just as easy.

To start the mixture,

incorporate 175 grams of both butter and sugar.

Now, I love this recipe. I have been having it...

all my life,

ever since I was a young kid.

My granny used to make this.

Never on a machine like this, though.

She used to be sat there with a bowl.

And her old, gnarly wooden spoon that was actually bent.

It wasn't bent through going in the dishwasher, it was bent through

the amount of use. And she used to

hammer the butter and the sugar together like this -

she had one hell of a grip on her -

to produce a lovely, light sponge.

So now I can add three eggs.

One at a time.

As soon as you have added the eggs, take it off.

Next, mix in 175 grams of self-raising flour.

Now, I didn't learn this tip from my gran, but whenever you use

golden syrup on anything, add a pinch of salt.

Quite a heavy pinch.

Even though this is a dessert.

Because when you bite it, that salt cleanses the palate.

So every taste, you get a hit of the syrup.

Once you have combined everything,

pour the mixture on top of the syrup and fruit.

Now, traditionally of course, you could use a pudding basin for this.

Nothing wrong with that.

Just by doing it in a tureen, it just makes it look good

in the end, especially when you have got

that layer of pears in there as well.

Cover the pudding with grease-proof paper and tinfoil.

Then place in a pan of gently simmering water

for one and a half hours.

Now, on its own, the steamed sponge pudding

is absolutely perfect for this time of the year. But to turn it into

a sort of festive dessert, what you can do is this bit.

I am going to poach some pears using mulled spices,

which go amazingly well together.

To get started, put star anise and cloves into a pan.

Then break in some cinnamon.

Now, rather than just put a combination of just water

and sugar in here, what I am going to do

is add some wine. But I am going to use a sweet wine.

A little bit of muscat.

While the liquor infuses, peel the pears, ready for poaching.

So you cut the pears in half,

and into quarters.

And we'll put them straight into the syrup.

We can then add some lemon and orange zest.

It is just delicious. As soon as it starts to boil up,

you get this mulled sort of wine smell. It's wonderful.

So you're going to bring this to the boil,

cook this for about 15 to 20 minutes.

So we've got our pears in this gorgeous, sweet white wine.

It smells Christmassy, looks pretty festive as well.

And then, of course, you've got your pudding.

It has been steaming away for about an hour and a half.

Take it out of the water and turn it out onto a plate.

All good things.

They all happen if you wait.

Don't rush it!

HE CHUCKLES

Steamed sponge pudding

with a glaze of pears and syrup,

one of the best desserts you could ever wish to have.

Gooey sponge and perfect poached pears,

but you still need another ingredient to make this pud complete.

You know the one I am talking about.

You can't beat...

..steamed sponge pudding and custard, can you?

And the pears just turn it a little bit Christmassy.

Got the right amount of spice in there.

It is that lovely sort of mulled wine sort of taste.

But this is what it is all about.

School dinner steamed sponge pudding?

Didn't taste like this.

Well, it didn't in my day, that's for sure!

This winter warming dessert is guaranteed to bring back

a whole lot of memories.

And if you serve this at Christmas,

you'll be creating even more.

You know me, I love sweets of any kind,

especially at this time of the year.

And few places do confectionary better than Austria at Christmas.

Our festive food reporter Annie Gray has been sampling their delights.

Tough job(!)

That's it!

I am giving up all thoughts of diets

and puritanical constraints. This looks amazing!

Austrian artisans and food producers spend months preparing

for this huge annual food fest,

so a few weeks back, I caught up with one couple who are recreating

the ultimate taste of Christmas past.

Looks like Christmas has come early!

Chris Mayer was a professional pop singer

and his girlfriend, Maria, was a successful lawyer.

But they fell in love with an old-fashioned sweet shop

they visited while on holiday in Amsterdam.

It changed their lives.

It was just... "Wow," I wanted to do it.

Then we came home and two months later, we decided,

"We are doing candy."

The following year, they opened Zuckerlwerkstatt,

or sugar workshop.

Chris is the hands-on sweet maker and showman.

Today, he is teaching me the skilled art of making

old-fashioned Christmas candy,

working with volcanic sugar syrup.

It is pure sugar.

-It's very hot as well.

-It is very hot.

We're doing a candy

with a pattern of a Christmas present, so with two ribbons on it.

-I have absolutely no idea how you would make that.

-Really?

-I will show you.

-Excellent.

Natural flavourings are added to the boiling sugar solution.

My first test is to guess what they are.

Almond.

Not bad.

-It is cherry and almond.

-OK.

So, a Christmassy taste.

Kind of marzipan and Christmas cake...

-Yeah, yeah.

-Sugar... Yep.

It doesn't matter how grey it is outside, inside

-it is just...cosy!

-So now we are going to pour the sugar,

so to cool it down.

And you should be really aware that you don't get burned by the sugar.

Next, the colours are added - again, all natural,

so it is ingredients like elderflower and gooseberries.

The sugar is getting harder and harder.

-Yep.

-And we are going to help.

It is visibly cooling, isn't it?

-As you watch, you can see it start to crystallise.

-Yep.

It is a good work out, isn't it?

Yep. It has got a long tradition already now in Austria,

to do this kind of candy. It just disappeared in the last 50 years.

And we are the first ones taking it back to the future!

But I can see what you mean, because you are taking

-old techniques, so it is 1819 meets 21st century.

-Yep.

And I am not going to miss the chance to meet the man

who provided Chris and Maria with some of his secret,

traditional recipes - Fritz Heller.

Heller is as well-known in Austria

as Cadbury's or Rowntree's are in the UK.

My grandfather started 1891 here in Vienna.

We were one of the largest factories in the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy.

-Absolutely huge.

-Yes.

-Nearly everything was made by hand.

-Wow.

Producing hundreds of sweets and chocolates.

-And how do you feel about...?

-I am very happy that sweets

we made once, 100 years ago...

And now young people make them here. It really makes me happy.

Now it is time for me to get back to work

because these sweets are in demand.

It's really lovely.

Everybody who comes in here stops,

breathes in and this smile spreads over their faces.

To give the sweets their trademark chewy crunch,

Chris needs to work in thousands of tiny air bubbles.

No job for an amateur.

Wow.

It makes you have a new respect

for sweet makers in the past, doesn't it?

-This was really hard work.

-Yeah.

-I mean, it still is!

Yeah.

Bubbles safely sealed, now for the moulding.

The team have to work quickly so the sugar solution stays warm

and pliable.

-It is quite therapeutic.

-Yeah, it is.

It is a bit like making pasta...but hotter

and more dangerous.

It is not quite as neat as yours.

-If you are looking for a job...

-SHE LAUGHS

This is probably one of the most attractive substances

I've ever worked with.

I've kneaded bread and pasta

and fondant and icing sugar,

but there is something about the bright colours and the scent

that is coming off it that just...fills you with joy.

What are we doing now? I can see that this is a Christmas present.

We are putting the ribbons

on the present cos we want to have it nicely wrapped.

It is frenetic, but there is just something really quite involving

about the whole process.

Now, that is what you call a mouthful.

The sugar now needs to be seriously stretched

if it's to be turned into bite-sized Christmas treats.

I thought it was finished when it was big,

that shows how much I know.

Chris and his team turn out about 1.5 tonnes of this sweet stuff

every month,

enough to cause a serious sugar rush.

What do you see?

-It looks like a Christmas present, doesn't it?

-That is unbelievable.

Do you want to try it? Just taste it.

It is still warm.

-But it's...

-It's tasty.

-..incredible.

-Yeah.

-You are a genius.

-Nah!

When I walked in here this morning, I honestly felt just like

a kid in a sweets shop,

but I don't think I've ever realised

how much work goes into something like this.

This isn't just a cute, Christmas-time treat,

this is edible art!

Christmas is a hectic time of the year.

It seems like there is never enough time to do everything,

especially when you're cooking for mates.

Today, Australian F1 legend Mark Webber

has come over to my house.

-Hey. How are you doing? You all right?

-Good to see you.

Come on in.

And we are going to cook up a super quick dish that will channel

a bit of his Christmas past,

along with some Aussie sunshine...hopefully.

-Right.

-Here we are.

-Kitchen.

Chin-chin! I didn't know what to cook for you, really,

so I thought we'd do a barbecue.

-OK.

-I have got some amazing Madagascan prawns.

-Check out these little fellas.

-They are monsters.

OK, they are superb.

I thought we'd do two marinades for this.

-So we're going to do a marinade for the prawns.

-Yep.

-We'll do an Indian marinade for the chicken as well.

-OK.

-So tandoori.

-This looks intimidating, mate.

-What are you like in the kitchen?

-Horrendous.

-Are you?

-Horrendous.

Vegemite on toast?

-Really?

-Nah, I'm only joking, mate!

I hope Mark's knowledge stretches a little bit further

because I want him to start the marinade for the prawns

by grating some fresh ginger.

-Straight in?

-Straight in there. OK?

-Job done.

-OK.

If somebody just switched on now, it would look as if you knew

what you were doing!

I do this every day of the week, mate.

It is like me asking you to get in my race car.

Yeah. Getting in it is a bit of a problem.

So what do you remember about Christmas, then, growing up as a kid?

-Boiling hot.

-Yeah.

Generally down on the beach.

Christmas Eve was a big deal.

My grandfather would dress up as Santa Claus.

That was Christmas Eve.

Massive feed.

And then do all the same on Christmas Day, like.

While Mark makes a meal out of grating that ginger,

I have put some fresh coriander into the blender.

So did you venture into the kitchen when you were a young kid?

Hey, mate, Mum had the kitchen.

Mum's got the kitchen.

No, everyone would bring maybe the odd dish around, but generally,

it was Mum's domain, mate. She was in charge.

Christmas was a massive deal for her.

We then add some ground coriander and cumin.

Along with a tin of coconut milk.

Everything is blitzed together...

..and then finished off with a squeeze of lime.

Now, you take the prawns

and then you skewer them through the head...

and through the tail.

Now, whenever you are doing a barbecue, not that I should be

-telling ANY Aussie how to do a barbecue...

-No.

..leave the shell on

cos it burns the meat otherwise.

Watch those fingers, you'll need them for your next job.

-Oh.

-That was close!

Once those prawns are on the skewer,

it is time for a bit of speedy onion chopping.

Going to show you how to chop mucho quick.

This is where I get nervous.

You guys are weapons at this stuff, aren't you?

So... Slice the onion like this.

Make sure it's flat on the board.

OK? So...

Like that.

-Got that?

-Yeah.

It is like driving, it is a piece of cake.

-You are not even watching!

-JAMES LAUGHS

The key is - keep your fingers out of the way.

-This will take your finger off, you won't even feel it.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Just keep your thumb out of the way.

-So...

Care... Oooh, careful!

It is actually sticking in the board, it is so sharp!

How on earth...? I'm not getting my fingers anywhere near that thing!

Once Mark has carefully chopped the rest of the onion,

he adds it to the blender.

So then...lid on.

Give this a quick blitz.

Just enough time for some amber nectar.

Now, we are nearly there. Look.

And then, what you want to do is spread this

all over the top of your prawns.

So spread it on the top, roll them around on the plate.

Sorted.

Once the prawns are smothered in their marinade,

Mark chops some ginger for our chicken skewers.

Or attempts to.

-I am slow.

-Don't worry. Just keep your fingers...

-Oooh...

-Oh.

-What do I do with the last bit?

-Whoa, whoa!

Put that flat there and I'll do that.

-That's good?

-That's it, keep going.

That thing...is deadly!

Under my strict supervision,

he cuts a chilli and peels the garlic

while I add some tomato puree to the blender.

And then you are going to take a few spices.

So we need turmeric,

bit of chilli powder.

We need some cumin and some garam masala.

The marinade needs a teaspoon of each along with some coriander,

yogurt and a squeeze of lime.

All that is left to do is blitz everything together.

Right, this is the tikka marinade.

So I'm going to get you to blitz this while I chop up the...

chop up the chicken.

Pour the marinade over the chopped chicken.

That smells phenomenal.

Skewer and leave them for about an hour.

Giving me enough time to go back to Christmas past with Mark.

Now, before you got here, I was on the phone to your missus.

-OK.

-And she sent me this.

Oh, here we go! Here we go!

I think this was at Christmas.

Your folks say this was at Christmas.

-Oh, yeah. Hey, look at that.

-Look at that, eh?

That is Christmas, look at the date.

25th of the 12th, '85.

'85. So tell me about this picture, then.

-So, a brand-new BMX, by the looks of it.

-Yeah.

-Um...

And, yeah, pulling some moves on the... That's our driveway.

-So that was a Christmas present, was it?

-Yeah.

-It was one of the best I ever got, mate.

-Well...

-Just.

That needs to marinate.

-But I've got something to show you.

-Beautiful.

Down by the fire pit,

I've a little surprise gift for Mark.

Hey, buddy, I searched high and low.

-What have you been doing?

-Happy Christmas.

-Really?

He might have worked out what it is.

Mate...

I've never had a cracking present off a Yorkshireman, mate.

This is sensational.

-Aw!

-It is even the same colour, buddy!

# We wish you the merriest The merriest... #

-That is a cracker!

-Go on, then.

Take it for a spin!

# We wish you the merriest The merriest

# The merriest... #

Some BMX bandits!

Oh, nearly tapped the front there!

-You are going to come off it in a minute.

-Valentino.

Your mother said if you don't put it down, you are going to hurt yourself.

Keep it tidy, mate.

Mark's managed to put in a few good laps, and the chicken and prawns

are ready to slip onto the barbie.

So are you a charcoal man or you a gas fire?

Just a gas plate, mate.

-Not wood?

-Yeah, not wood.

-JAMES LAUGHS

See, if we have this in Australia, it starts a bush fire.

We've got a national incident on our hands.

The skewers need to go over the flames

for about ten minutes,

and be sure to turn them every so often.

-Looks good, though, mate, doesn't it?

-Yep.

And that is it, the Christmas barbie is ready to eat.

It is not hot. It is a bit colder.

-It is fresh out here, but it's all right.

-It'll do.

Mm!

That is not bad, though, is it?

You never forget the food you grew up with.

Whatever side of the world you are from,

there'll always be some recipes

from your youth that make Christmas unforgettable.

So don't leave them in the past. Bring them into the present.

-I've got a little gift for you.

-What's that?

-Cos you gave me a gift.

-Yeah.

Just...thought it'd come in handy.

Very Australian.

They are called sluggos.

And I reckon they are the perfect size for you, mate.

So when you go down there, you're in business.

Don't say I never look after you.

-Mate, thanks.

-You happy?

-Yeah.

You can find all the recipes from the series at...

LAUGHING: Can you imagine me wearing these things?

You'll break some hearts with those, mate.

I reckon you'll break some hearts.