0:00:02 > 0:00:06Sometimes there's no place like home, and few things are more
0:00:06 > 0:00:09comforting and delicious than real home cooking.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13'Living in this beautiful country
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'with great produce right on our doorstep,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'we really are spoilt for choice.'
0:00:18 > 0:00:21So in this series, I'm inviting you into my kitchen to share with you
0:00:21 > 0:00:23some of my tasty home-cooked treats.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29'The dishes I turn to whether entertaining friends and family
0:00:29 > 0:00:30'or just relaxing on my own.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:54'Home for me is a retreat and a place to revive my spirits.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Today's show is all about dishes I like to cook
0:01:00 > 0:01:03when I'm running on empty, whether recovering from a night
0:01:03 > 0:01:06out on the tiles, or coming back from a long day at work.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I'll be cooking food that's so packed full of flavour
0:01:08 > 0:01:10you can't help but feel great when you eat it.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12It's what I call "pick me up" food,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16dishes that are guaranteed to put a spring in your step.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17Just like you, eh?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25'But first, I'm going to kick off with a dish I always turn to
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'whenever I'm feeling a bit under the weather.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'It was my granny's favourite.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'Poached haddock with egg and spinach in a mustard sauce.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37'Rich in flavour and packed full of protein,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'it's my perfect prescription to get back on track.'
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Really, for this, it's all about the quality of the smoked haddock.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50This is beautiful, it smells lovely and smoked, it's just delicious.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52And what we're going to do is
0:01:52 > 0:01:55just basically poach this nice and easily.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01'I'm using a basic poaching liquor of milk, sliced onion and bay leaf.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'While that's doing, I can get on with the egg.'
0:02:05 > 0:02:08What we're going to do is just bring this to the boil,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10with a good pinch of salt,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and just a small amount of white wine vinegar.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I use white wine vinegar instead of malt vinegar,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18purely the fact that it flavours the egg too much
0:02:18 > 0:02:21if you use malt vinegar, and also colours the water too much,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24you end up with a slightly grey-looking egg.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The great thing about these eggs, you can make them in advance,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and to do that, just take a bowl with some ice in it.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Just a little bit of cold ice water.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43And really, the secret with poached eggs is
0:02:43 > 0:02:45plenty of water, rapidly boiled.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48What you do with this is just create a little swirl,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50a little vortex in the middle,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and then crack the egg on the side of the pan, in the centre...
0:02:56 > 0:02:59..and what's happening is, as it swirls round, you get this sort of
0:02:59 > 0:03:02egg white seal on the egg yolk,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05which is exactly what's happening in our pan now.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09And the most important thing with this is we use fresh eggs,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12cos if you use old eggs, the whites actually start to separate,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14and end up being very thin and watery,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and when you break them in the pan they just go everywhere.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21What you want to do is just basically very carefully
0:03:21 > 0:03:23flip the fish over...
0:03:24 > 0:03:27..at this point. Now, be careful with it, really,
0:03:27 > 0:03:28cos you don't want it to break.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31That's why it's really important to keep the skin on the haddock
0:03:31 > 0:03:33as well, that way it'll actually hold it together.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36It only takes about two minutes on one side, turn it over,
0:03:36 > 0:03:37and two minutes on the other side.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Now the egg is actually nicely cooked like that.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Ice cold water, it stops the cooking,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and you can keep those in the fridge now for about 24 hours.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51At this point, really, we can take the haddock out.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The key to this, really, is not to overcook it.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54The best way to tell
0:03:54 > 0:03:57whether it's cooked is just basically by pressing it.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00If the flesh of the haddock starts to break,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02just ever-so-slightly, that's cooked.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04So just keep it warm in the oven,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and then we can turn our attention to the sauce.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10'It couldn't be easier.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13'Melt some butter in a pan, add a sprinkle of flour...
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'..give it a stir, then, hey presto, you've got a roux.'
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And then we can, just literally,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29decant some of our milk into the pan.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Don't add too much of the milk at the same time.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36'And it'll come together a treat.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'A dollop of English mustard will give it a bit of added bite.'
0:04:44 > 0:04:45Pinch of salt.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Nice crack of black pepper.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54And then you'll need a squeeze of lemon.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00'It's the perfect mustard sauce, just like my grandad used to make.'
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Now, I'm going to serve this with some spinach.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Simply wilted in hot butter for about 30 seconds.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14So, little bit of spinach on the plate.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Before I take the haddock out,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19the great thing about doing an egg like this is
0:05:19 > 0:05:22when you get the egg, and you can see it's perfect like this,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24lovely and poached in the middle,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27then all we can do is just drop it back into the water.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31All it wants is about 20, 30 seconds in there.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32We can then take our haddock out...
0:05:35 > 0:05:37..onto the plate like that.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Lift it out, you can see it's hot, like that.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42You've got a perfectly cooked egg.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47You've got this lovely sauce to go with it over the top.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51And when you crack the egg...
0:05:51 > 0:05:55See, that's what it's all about. Beautiful, rich yolk.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58But this combination of the mustard, the spinach,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02the beautiful poached haddock...
0:06:04 > 0:06:06This is what it's all about.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Almost as good as my grandad's. Not quite but almost.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'Gorgeous. Just what the doctor ordered.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19'But, like any recipe,
0:06:19 > 0:06:24'it'll only ever be as good as the quality of the ingredients you use.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26'Luckily for me, I don't have to go far
0:06:26 > 0:06:29'to find first class veg, fruit, seafood and meat,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33'because I've got fantastic local producers right on my doorstep...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'Roy Hunt's family have farmed in a traditional way
0:06:37 > 0:06:41'in the New Forest in Hampshire for over 100 years.'
0:06:42 > 0:06:47'My grandfather came here about 1904.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51'He started off with, I think, about five cows to start off with.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56'We've been here three generations. Grandfather, my father and myself.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01'It's a hard life, it's a way of life, it's what you're brought up to.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04'We've got the rare breed pork.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09'That's what we mainly specialise in, ourself, is rare breed pigs.'
0:07:09 > 0:07:12To me, it's a different flavour altogether.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16People are beginning to realise that we can produce
0:07:16 > 0:07:19good food on a small basis, and it's aged as well.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22We make good sausages and we make good bacon out of it.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25'In late summer, Roy's rare breed pigs
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'are released into the forest to forage.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32'This practice is part of an ancient tradition called pannage.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36'It dates back nearly 1,000 years to the Norman Conquest,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40'but finding the pigs in the autumn can prove a challenge.'
0:07:40 > 0:07:42They've definitely come through here.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45You can see where's he's... they've had a bit of a wallow.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'But helped by the rustle of a bag of feed, soon enough
0:07:49 > 0:07:53'Roy locates his beloved rare pigs.'
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I put these pigs out in the forest
0:07:55 > 0:08:01because they help the ponies and the cattle, cos the acorns kill ponies,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04and they're a poison to ponies and cattle,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06which they aren't to pigs and sheep.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11The pigs generally go out for 60 days, but they've had to extend it
0:08:11 > 0:08:14this year because there's so many ponies and cattle being poisoned.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Whereas a pig, it doesn't affect them.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23'Roy's wife Sarah works in the farm shop,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26'and is in charge of making their award-winning bacon.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27'Sarah believes that the rich
0:08:27 > 0:08:31'and varied forest diet has a real impact on the taste.'
0:08:32 > 0:08:36The acorns make quite a big difference to the actual pork.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40They have a very unique, nutty flavour to it,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and sometimes the meat can be a bit darker as well.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47So we've got a boneless leg of pork,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51this is then what we put into our brine solution.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54You can see there's some bay leaves in there,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56but I'm not going to tell you what the rest of it is.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00'The next stage of the process involves massaging the joint
0:09:00 > 0:09:03'with the brine mix to ensure it penetrates the meat.'
0:09:04 > 0:09:08If you tried to just get the salt to work down from the outside in,
0:09:08 > 0:09:09you'd struggle.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13What we're doing is helping that along by pushing it through
0:09:13 > 0:09:15the middle to speed up the process.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19'The joint is put into the fridge to cure for five to ten days,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22'and afterwards, it's hung for a day to dry,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'then put into the smoker for up to 48 hours.'
0:09:27 > 0:09:31The secret to good pork, it's allowing the pigs to have a life,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and not fast-forwarding them through the chain.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35That's what I would say.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39You know, truthfully, pigs need time to mature.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43If you rush them too quickly, the pork has very little flavour.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'Well, now I know Sarah makes such a mean bacon sandwich, I can't
0:09:53 > 0:09:59'resist inviting her and Roy along to show them my souped up version.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03'It's a dish I often turn to when I'm feeling a little bit hung-over
0:10:03 > 0:10:05'after a big night out, and it works a treat.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08'And, luckily for me, they haven't come empty-handed.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:11We've brought you a selection today.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13There's middle bacon, that's unsmoked,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16or we've got some really nice smoked back as well.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Your choice, Roy.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19- The nice smoked one.- Yeah?
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- This one?- Yes.- This is the one we're going to go for.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26'This recipe incorporates so many of my favourite things.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28'There's bacon, which goes without saying,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31'beautiful home-made apple chutney and Welsh rarebit.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34'Individually, they're great,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36'but combined, few things could make me happier.'
0:10:36 > 0:10:38First thing we're going to do
0:10:38 > 0:10:41is make our little chutney over here by slicing the apples.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44No need to peel them or core them or anything like that,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45just chop them up into dice, really.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49The key to this is get all the ingredients prepared in advance.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53'The chutney will go great with the bacon and cheese.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57'Once I've chopped the apples, I need some onion and tomato.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01'Then I'm adding some brown sugar into the pan,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03'along with a handful of sultanas.'
0:11:05 > 0:11:07So we caramelise the sugar and the sultanas,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and then what we do is grab some malt vinegar.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11What you're doing with this
0:11:11 > 0:11:14is you're speeding up the cooking process.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Normally, with chutneys, they take a good 45, 50 minutes.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19This one you can cook very quickly.
0:11:19 > 0:11:25And then we throw in the apples, tomatoes and onions.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26And you just chuck it all in.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29And then if you keep it on the stove with that vinegar in
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and a good pinch of salt, that will actually come down now
0:11:33 > 0:11:36into a chutney, very, very quickly.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38One thing that fascinates me about the pigs,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42particularly from a foodie and a farming point of view,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44the great thing about it as well, you can use every part of it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Absolutely.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49I just feel that, you know, having a pig, you're doing it justice by
0:11:49 > 0:11:52going through every process that you possibly can,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56so we make hams, we do our own bacon, our own sausages,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59pork pies, we make black pudding from the blood, use the back fat
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- in the black pudding, so...- Keeps you busy, then, don't it?- Yeah!
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It's quite interesting the diet of these things,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10cos I go on and on about how good Spanish ham is in particular,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14and sort of pigs, Iberico pigs that people spend, you know,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18£1,000 on just a ham that's bred on acorns,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20specifically on acorns, and you're producing it here.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25This year there's been a lot of acorns, and crab apples, beech nuts.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29But there's still a lot of acorns and food out there for them really now.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33'Now for the rarebit.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'I'm going to use mature Cheddar to give it a full flavour.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'Grate it and melt it in a pan with a bit of good quality beer.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42'If you've been out the night before,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45'a little hair of the dog certainly won't hurt.'
0:12:47 > 0:12:51I'm going to flavour this with a little bit of mustard.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53And then I'm going to add some Worcester sauce and some Tabasco.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57The Tabasco gives it a little bit of fire,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00like that, and a bit of Worcester sauce.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Tiny bit of flour, and what this does,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04it just brings it all together, really.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Mainly stops it from separating, cos often when you boil cheese,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09it will actually separate and split.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11That's quite liquid.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12Going to put a little bit more in.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'The bacon's done all nice and crispy,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'and it's time to get stacking.'
0:13:29 > 0:13:33So, I'm just going to put a bit of cracked black pepper in here
0:13:33 > 0:13:34to up my game.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Just a touch.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Pinch of salt as well, not too much cos obviously we've got the bacon.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Then all we're going to do is pour this over the top.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'Be nice and generous with the rarebit, it's fantastic stuff.'
0:13:53 > 0:13:55All I'm going to do now is
0:13:55 > 0:13:58just take this and pop it under the grill to brown.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02That'd be really nice for canapes or something like that,
0:14:02 > 0:14:03wouldn't it, if you let it go cold?
0:14:03 > 0:14:05You could do if you cater for weddings.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- Yeah.- We do. - I know, that's the problem.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Well, here you go.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12This is your...
0:14:12 > 0:14:14It's a bit fancy that, innit?
0:14:14 > 0:14:17And, of course, you've got your chutney.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19It's so simple. So easy.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24And the thing about this is that it doesn't take, sort of, 45 minutes,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27which a conventional sort of chutney would take.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Tastes the same, but I actually think it tastes better
0:14:30 > 0:14:32cos it's fresher, really, more than anything else.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34You aren't boiling everything to bits.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38'The chutney will add a lovely punchy note to the dish,
0:14:38 > 0:14:43'and it finishes off my crispy bacon with rich rarebit perfectly.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46'It's a recipe that might not be shy of the odd calorie or two,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49'but it's jam-packed full of flavour.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51'Just the trick to put a spring in your step
0:14:51 > 0:14:54'if you're feeling a bit fragile.'
0:14:54 > 0:14:56It will be hot.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- (Ohhh...)- Oh, wow, that is lovely.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01It's not bad, that, is it?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Bacon's not bad either.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Bacon, I think, helps it quite a lot, but...
0:15:06 > 0:15:08God, that is absolutely gorgeous.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I think with the bread, the bacon, the chutney...
0:15:11 > 0:15:14That cheese mixture is absolutely yummy.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17The ultimate cheese on toast.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18There you go. Thank you for coming,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20thank you for my present as well.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22You're welcome. Thank you very much for that.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23I'll give you the recipe for that
0:15:23 > 0:15:25- if you give me the recipe for the brine.- No.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29This is, to be honest, if you've got all the ingredients,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31the ultimate pick me up.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I call it "hangover food." It's, erm...
0:15:33 > 0:15:35You don't have to make the chutney,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39but bacon, cheese, bread, does it get any better?
0:15:39 > 0:15:40Plus...
0:15:41 > 0:15:43..you can get back on it again, can't ya?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Now, food historian Ivan Day knows that using food to revive body
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and soul is a tradition that dates back centuries,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and he's going to show us a recipe our ancestors used to
0:16:00 > 0:16:03invigorate themselves before bedtime.
0:16:03 > 0:16:10In the past, our ancestors were well aware of lots of recovery foods
0:16:10 > 0:16:12and beverages.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The favourite recovery food of Charles II,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and all of his contemporaries,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20was something which was called a posset.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Today, a posset refers to a runny syllabub,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29but for hundreds of years it was a hot, alcoholic custard drink.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34This food was usually consumed in a communal way.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38For instance, it was popular at supper, posset, just to pick you
0:16:38 > 0:16:39up in the evening.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43If you used the word restorative in the 17th century,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45it would also mean an aphrodisiac,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48so it restored your vigour.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52And this food was given to newlyweds on their wedding night,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56and the custom was that the bride and groom would be put to bed,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59the company would come in with a great posset pot,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01and everyone would have some.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04And then the last people to have it were the bride and groom,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and it would help them, basically, have the
0:17:07 > 0:17:09vigour to get through the night.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11The recipe I'm going to make is
0:17:11 > 0:17:14called My Lord of Carlisle's Sack Posset.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20It was first published in 1669.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25The author of the recipe was a man who had been a very famous
0:17:25 > 0:17:29cavalier and royalist who was called Sir Kenelm Digby.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35So, I've got my egg yolks ready. I need a whisk.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39And here I've got white sugar, some blades of mace,
0:17:39 > 0:17:40and a stick of cinnamon.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Both spices in this recipe were considered to be very,
0:17:44 > 0:17:50very good for settling your digestion and, actually,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53very, very stimulating spices all-round.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56It's the only pick-me-up they had.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58They didn't have coffee. They didn't have tea.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00This goes back a lot further.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04And gradually, as coffee and tea and chocolate become more popular,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06posset gets rarer and rarer and rarer,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and then becomes extinct.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11The most important ingredient, of course, is the sack,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14which gives this posset it's name - Sack Posset.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18You see, it's a very strong, sweet wine.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25This is how a lot of women cooked in most of the houses in England
0:18:25 > 0:18:27at one point.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35The thing is, when you've worked as hard as this to cook this,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38you really are going to need some kind of recovery
0:18:38 > 0:18:39food to recover, I guess.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I've got here a posset pot.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48This is an English one, from the early 18th century.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51And the idea now is to pour the wine
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and posset mixture into the posset pot.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58So what I'm going to do now is put this back in the warmth of the fire
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and we're ready for the final stage, which is
0:19:01 > 0:19:04to pour the scalding hot cream into the custard.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11And this is the dangerous bit. I'm going to get up onto the chair.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19They like to have their posset really frothy...
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and the best way of doing that was to stand at a great height
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and pour the cream in from high up,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and then you get one little stream, which should make lots of froth.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Perfect.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35And then you leave it by the fire just to rest for about 20 minutes,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and it separates into three layers.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42If we have a little peep inside, at the bottom,
0:19:42 > 0:19:48you have a very strong liquid layer of powerful, high octane alcohol.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Above that is a thick custard - really delicious.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55And if you really do it well, you can add a third layer on top,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58which is called the grace of the posset.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00And the grace is this lovely, light froth.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Mmm!
0:20:04 > 0:20:08It's really extraordinary because it's so light, but so rich.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12So, once everybody had had the grace,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16the posset pot would go round the company, and this time
0:20:16 > 0:20:22the bottom layer, which is now a clear, very alcoholic liquid,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24is sucked like a straw.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26This is really a ceramic straw.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28This is not a pouring spout, like a teapot.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31And you...
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Hmm.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35My God. And it hits the back of your throat,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37and suddenly you're awake again.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40And, of course, you wipe the...
0:20:40 > 0:20:42The spout...
0:20:42 > 0:20:43and pass it on to your neighbour.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Amazingly, though, in the 18th century
0:20:45 > 0:20:48the posset pots become individual ones,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51so I think it was more of a private indulgence in these much
0:20:51 > 0:20:53smaller ones.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55But this was in the days, really, when...
0:20:55 > 0:21:00sharing food, sharing a comforting recovery beverage like this was
0:21:00 > 0:21:04very much part of the social dynamics of the age.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08In the 17th century, when it was its heyday, it was considered to
0:21:08 > 0:21:14be something which was probably the healthiest food that you could drink.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Times have changed.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I have my own way of lifting the spirits,
0:21:21 > 0:21:26but unlike posset, it doesn't involve copious amounts of alcohol.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It's my butternut squash soup
0:21:28 > 0:21:30with lime served with freshly baked bread.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34A nutritious and delicious way to pep yourself up
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Now, home-made bread doesn't have to be complicated cos
0:21:37 > 0:21:39when I'm at home, I use some of this stuff.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42It's a readymade dry mix, really.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Grab a packet like this, good pinch of salt,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and 300mls of warm water.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Now, the secret with making bread also...
0:21:50 > 0:21:53..is get...the water right.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55And you can actually make it with cold water -
0:21:55 > 0:21:57it just takes longer to prove.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59The one thing you don't want to be using is too hot a water
0:21:59 > 0:22:02because it actually kills the yeast.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05We're just going to mix this all together.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08And really, with bread doughs, you kind of follow a recipe
0:22:08 > 0:22:11but it's all in...your fingers.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14And it's only through experience and having a go at it...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17where you'll actually understand what you're trying to achieve.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20The problem is, most flours react differently
0:22:20 > 0:22:23to different amounts of water.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24It changes so much, really,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27whether you buy flour in the winter to buying it in the summer.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Whether you buy it abroad as well.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Different flours absorb different amounts of liquid,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33so it's not really one recipe fits all.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36You've got to get the moisture into it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38If it's dry at this stage, it's going to be really dry
0:22:38 > 0:22:40when it comes out of your oven.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43But you just roll it up like that.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46You've got this nice little ball of dough, really.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47You can tell when it's ready.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49If you just press the top of it, if it springs back,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51which that's doing there,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53that means the dough's ready.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'You can buy great bread mixes from most supermarkets
0:22:56 > 0:22:59'and it's a brilliant way to take some of the guesswork out
0:22:59 > 0:23:01'of making the perfect loaf.'
0:23:02 > 0:23:04'The dough needs an hour to prove,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06'so while that's happening I'm preparing
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'my baking tins - flower pots.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12'Great for baking these little loafs in
0:23:12 > 0:23:15'and they certainly add the wow factor to any pick-me-up meal.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20'Coat the insides with butter and line with grease-proof paper,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22'and then it's back to my dough.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Then you can, what we call,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27"knock the dough back" and watch what happens.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31When you chuck your hand in, the dough collapses.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35There you go. It almost sort of decreases in height by half.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37So once you get to this stage...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39And already you can smell the dough.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43It actually smells like sour dough, that great-tasting bread,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and you can see the texture of it.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46This is what it should be.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50So roll that out.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55Now, ideally, for these little pots, you want sort of 150g rolls really,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58but something about that sort of size.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59When you're moulding it,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02the best way of doing it is to actually just put the bread,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04fold it in on itself together...
0:24:05 > 0:24:08..turn it over. And just using the palm of your hand,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10is actually just push down...
0:24:11 > 0:24:13..and cup your hand at the same time.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So flatten down first
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and then gradually cup your hand up, so it comes up to a ball like that.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23And then just pop these into the bottom of the moulds.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31And then just sprinkle it with a bit of flour. No egg wash needed.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Just a touch of flour over the top.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And then leave this to prove.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38This is what we call the secondary prove,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41so you allow these pots to rise up again.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43You can see, you've already knocked it back
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and they will rise again, like what we've got here,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48and these are just about ready to go in the oven now.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'For a little decorative finish, cut a slice into the top
0:24:53 > 0:24:56'of the loaves, then put in a very hot oven for about ten minutes.'
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Well, that was simple. And now for the easy bit.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05For my nutritious soup, all I need is a diced butternut squash...
0:25:07 > 0:25:09..a finely sliced onion,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and a frying pan with some butter.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17What you need to do is cook it quite quickly,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20so for this soup, when you dice it this size,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23it'll take no more than about five minutes to cook.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24'Add some veg stock...
0:25:26 > 0:25:29'..and some milk. Full fat, of course.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Salt and pepper.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Bring this to the boil
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and cook this for about five minutes.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And the key to this
0:25:47 > 0:25:49is to not overcook the veg, like in any soup.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51You wouldn't overcook the carrots if you served them
0:25:51 > 0:25:53for Sunday lunch. Well, don't overcook them
0:25:53 > 0:25:55when you turn it into a soup...
0:25:55 > 0:25:57cos you want all that flavour in there,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59that fresh flavour of this wonderful veg.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04What we do now is just blend it.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15So once it's nice and finely blended...
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Now the key to this, really,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19is you don't need to pass it through a sieve.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24See how smooth it gets? That's because you've cooked it nicely.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26But also what you've got to do is finish this off.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Now I'm going to use some... lime zest and lime juice,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33which I think goes amazingly with butternut squash.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37So a good amount of lime juice and lime zest.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41And then always what you've got to do with soup is season it.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Make sure you've got plenty of seasoning in there.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49Now, what the lime will do is really freshen up this soup.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51It's a great addition.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55And you can put it in together with carrots and all manner of stuff.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57It just really lifts up the flavour.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59And then, of course, you've got your bread.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I just think this looks fantastic.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Lovely and simple... these little pots.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Certainly the soup, I just think it's simple, it tastes great.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12It's full of flavour.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15And, of course, when you're at home...
0:27:15 > 0:27:16you can be a bit poncey.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Just got a little bit of watercress...on the top.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25And there you have it.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Sort of a butternut squash and lime soup...
0:27:29 > 0:27:30with home-made bread.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38The lime is really key to this - it makes it really come alive.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Butternut squash is great as it is, but when you put it in there...
0:27:42 > 0:27:43it really lifts the soup.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50'It's a bowl of sunshine, guaranteed to put a spring in your step.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56'Few things can revive you as much as a good meal.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00'From a quick vitamin hit to a comforting dinner,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03'food really does have the power to heal body and soul.'
0:28:06 > 0:28:09If you'd like to know more about how to cook any of the recipes
0:28:09 > 0:28:12featured on today's show, you can get all of them at our website...