0:00:02 > 0:00:05If there's one thing I look forward to at the end of a busy day,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09it's the thought of getting back to my kitchen at home.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13For me, nothing beats cooking some simple, heart-warming food.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Oh-ho-ho!
0:00:16 > 0:00:17It is SO good!
0:00:17 > 0:00:22The kind of no-nonsense grub that brings people together.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23Cheers, everyone.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30The dishes I turn to when I want to put a big smile on everyone's face.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35These are my home comforts.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49Some of my greatest food memories are from family holidays as a kid.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51The weather always seemed terrible,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53but my spirits could never be dampened.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58It didn't matter whether we were stuck in a dodgy caravan in the rain,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01we were on holiday, and that meant eating plenty of fish and chips,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03and bucket-loads of candyfloss.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Food like this is the inspiration for dishes
0:01:07 > 0:01:09that keep memories of my travels alive
0:01:09 > 0:01:11when I get back home.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17So, I'm going to put a spin on some great seaside grub.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22Flavours like this remind me SO much of my holidays.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23That is superb.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27I'll also be cooking a barbecue classic for a mother-and-son team
0:01:27 > 0:01:31who started making award-winning relishes after going to Thailand.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35You thought making relish was hard work.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37You're slowing down, Finn, you're slowing down.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42And food historian Annie Gray discovers
0:01:42 > 0:01:45how the Victorians toned their beach bodies
0:01:45 > 0:01:49with all the effort that went into making their holiday grub.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52There's no bingo wings going on around here.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01I'm starting with an easy dish that I first had on a trip to Spain
0:02:01 > 0:02:05that involves everything a bloke like me could want.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Food...
0:02:07 > 0:02:08fire...
0:02:08 > 0:02:10and DIY.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Barbecued sardines
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and a salsa I'm making with cucumbers
0:02:14 > 0:02:15from the bottom of my garden.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Now, one of the first times I tried something similar to this
0:02:22 > 0:02:25was sardines cooked in a wood-fired oven
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and I thought it was a fantastic way to cook it.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It brings a whole different flavour to it.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33The key to it, really, is the wood which you nail the sardines to.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Sounds a bit weird, but we're going to serve it with a raw salsa,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39so it's something really simple, and really quick.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40Now, the great thing about this is
0:02:40 > 0:02:43you can make it with whatever you want.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46When I had it over in Spain, it was just sort of carrot, peppers...
0:02:46 > 0:02:49but I think when you've got something as good as this
0:02:49 > 0:02:53growing at the bottom of your garden, you've really got to use it.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55You can do them with sweetcorn,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56tinned sweetcorn even,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58tomatoes, it's really up to you.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Sardines are often quite fiddly to eat.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04You need to make sure the salsa's nice and small,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07so it's easy to eat with those sardines.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08That's really the key to this.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Throw that in a bowl and then we can add the shallot.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16It's important to use shallot and not onion
0:03:16 > 0:03:19because shallot's much more mild in flavour than onion.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Onion's far too strong for this.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28I do this quite a lot since I've come back from Spain.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I just thought it was a great way to serve it
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and a brilliant talking point as well,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35particularly if you want to cook on a fire-pit,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37or a wood-fired oven, like this.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It's just a fantastic way of serving food.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42So, I'm going to add a little bit of garlic to this.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Now, this salsa only really works with seafood
0:03:45 > 0:03:47and everybody knows, when you're on holiday,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50particularly when you go to Spain or France,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54we seem to eat more seafood than we'd ever do in the UK,
0:03:54 > 0:03:55which is a shame, to be honest,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58because a lot of the seafood that you have, over in Spain and France,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01is actually imported from the UK.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03We don't really eat as much as we should do,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06so things like sardines, the more we actually buy,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08the more demand that we'll get,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and the more you'll actually enjoy fresh seafood like this.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13After the garlic is added,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15bind the mixture together
0:04:15 > 0:04:18with four tablespoons of good quality olive oil.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20I'm going to upset the Italians here
0:04:20 > 0:04:22cos I actually love Spanish olive oil.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It's not just the Italians that produce really good olive oil now.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Next, add some herbs to give the salsa a punch.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31I've got some coriander.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Mint works brilliantly with this.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37It's quite unusual, putting mint with fish,
0:04:37 > 0:04:38but when you've got fish this fresh,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42it really cuts through the flavour, and the oiliness.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44You've got a little bit of dill, really whatever herbs you want.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46You can just use parsley for this.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48The main things is they're classed as sort of soft herbs,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51so you wouldn't use things like rosemary or thyme,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54which are classed as sort of hard herbs, ones that need cooking.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57And then just to bring this all together,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59I'm going to take some lime juice.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00This is the real key to this
0:05:00 > 0:05:02cos you just need a little bit of zing,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05so plenty of lime juice.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Finally, some sea salt
0:05:10 > 0:05:12and plenty of freshly-ground black pepper,
0:05:12 > 0:05:13and that's it.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14Now, it's time for the fun bit.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18I often find these are one of the things
0:05:18 > 0:05:21that northerners prefer more than southerners, to be honest.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23My granny used to eat masses of these.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24I used to eat loads as a kid.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26If you're brought up with them,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I think you like and appreciate them more.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We've got these wonderful sardines that have been scaled and gutted.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Now, I'm going to leave these whole, that's the crucial bit, cos what we're going to do...
0:05:36 > 0:05:38..is nail these to a plank of wood.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Now, I did say this was a bit weird but bear with me.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46We've got these sort of logs here that I've soaked overnight,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and the secret of soaking the wood is you don't get it burnt.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53So, the idea is you take a couple of these on each log,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57press the nail all the way through and just hammer this...
0:05:59 > 0:06:01..in there.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03And repeat the process with two more.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10When I saw this being done in Spain, I just had to bring it back home.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14I just think they're just fantastic. It's just so simple.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17But the flavour you get from it,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19particularly when you're cooking in this oven,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and you can cook these by the side of a campfire, just on the edge.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24You want the sardines to cook
0:06:24 > 0:06:26and bring all that lovely flavour of the wood.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31There's going to be people just tuning in,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33thinking it's a DIY show and I'm making a cabinet,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36or something like that, but bear with me.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39But you need to make sure you get really good quality seafood.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And we're going to get letters saying, "What type of wood is it?"
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's wood.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50It comes from a petrol station, all right?
0:06:50 > 0:06:51And then, all we do with that is
0:06:51 > 0:06:55we just season these with a bit of black pepper and a bit of salt.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00And then, all we do now is just pop these inside the oven,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02just pointing towards the fire.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04I think they just look spectacular.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Now, if you're cooking these by a campfire,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18they'll take about five to six minutes or, in here, about four minutes.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21You can lift these out.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Sardines on wood! Who'd have thought it?
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Look at that!
0:07:30 > 0:07:32This is a dish I only cook at home.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I'd love to serve these in my restaurant,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40but I'd end up with a load of people with white jackets and clipboards
0:07:40 > 0:07:42telling me that I can't do it cos of health and safety
0:07:42 > 0:07:45and nails and planks of wood, but I just love it.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I just think it just looks so fantastic.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51The flavour of it is just fantastic because they're so simply cooked,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and that's how sardines should be cooked.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55Every time I taste this,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I just get the same memories of this wonderful little cafe in Spain,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01by the beach, cooked in a wood fire pit,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03but the flavour is exactly the same.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06It's delicious.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Holidays are such a great way of getting inspiration
0:08:11 > 0:08:15for new food ideas and is something I do all the time.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22After taking some time out in Thailand,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25mum Sarah came back fired up
0:08:25 > 0:08:28to create a range of award-winning chilli relishes.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Made from her and Finn's home near Lands End,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33they're now spicing up the Southwest.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I've been making it for years, just as presents for friends.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41So, we've got the car park hut here, so I thought, "I'll just make it
0:08:41 > 0:08:45"and sell it from the car park hut", and it all went from there.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Hiya. all right? Thank you very much.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Producing the relishes added to a list of jobs Sarah already had.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59I've got the car park, I'm a coastguard,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I make cakes, which I sell at the local farmers' market,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and of course I make the relish.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06OK, lovie, choose your weapon.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09It's a good job Finn is around
0:09:09 > 0:09:12to give mum a helping hand with the relishes,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16which starts off by preparing some chillies, garlic and ginger.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19It took me a long time to come up with the recipes, originally,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21just to get the different heat levels.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24So, the mild was OK, but I quite like the hot,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26but the extra hot's quite variable,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30because a lot of the small chillies I grow really differ in heat,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33so it's real trial and error.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- Enjoying it?- Yes.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Peel a mountain of ginger and then you can go surfing.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Chilli relish was originally Sarah's Chilli Relish
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and then Finn started to help more.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Having the name on, with me on as well,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52makes it feel much more like it's part of the family,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54instead of just being my mum's.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58I've finished the chillies. How are you doing with the ginger?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01All right, I'm just trying to...
0:10:01 > 0:10:02- Coming on?- Yeah.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I just cook them down, then, in the vinegar.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Before potting up, I add the sugar.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's just getting the balance right between the ingredients,
0:10:13 > 0:10:14but it is that simple.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18It's thanks to holidays we now take all over the world
0:10:18 > 0:10:21that ingredients like chilli, garlic and ginger
0:10:21 > 0:10:24are commonplace in many of the foods we cook at home.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28Right, so that's it now.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32I'm going to leave it for about four hours, just to cook at a tremble,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and then that just lets all the flavours infuse,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37and then we'll come back to it and finish it off.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44This gives Finn plenty of time to hit the beach
0:10:44 > 0:10:45and brush up on his surfing.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Paddle.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Go on, then, Finn.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54See if you can get it.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Good boy.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Surfing over, it's time to see how the latest batch of relish is getting on.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11I've added the other secret ingredients to make it just right,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15so now we need to grind it up, and then we'll try it
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and see if it's delicious enough to bottle up.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- I think that would work, yeah. - Right, then.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Let's have a look, OK, off.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Good boy.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Looks good. Shall we have a try?
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Mmm.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- What do you think? Is that a good batch?- Definitely.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40- Ready to be potted? - Mmm, definitely.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44You always know if Finn's labelled up a jar
0:11:44 > 0:11:47cos it's generally a little bit wonky, isn't it, love?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Yeah.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Wonky's best.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53After a quick check, they're ready to be sold in shops
0:11:53 > 0:11:56all over the Southwest and further afield.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- Hiya.- Hello.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Another relish delivery, all right? - Fantastic. Thank you.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05And it's now going across London,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08in various delicatessens and butchers, which is amazing.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12I think when you're making a product from home,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15you just monitor every level of it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16We do it all between us.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Just do a batch at a time.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24You're in charge of it and you just get it so it's just right.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27It makes such a difference in flavour.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It is an artisan product that takes time and effort.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I love seeing people bring exciting new flavours back to Britain
0:12:39 > 0:12:41from all over the world,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and I've invited Sarah and Finn over to my house
0:12:44 > 0:12:47so I can cook what I think is the perfect accompaniment
0:12:47 > 0:12:48for one of their relishes.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Easy to cook on a barbecue in the back garden at home,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55or even after a long day beachcombing,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57it's my ultimate burger.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Well, I haven't got the view that you've got from the house,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04but you brought the weather with you! No surfboard, I'm afraid...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06but I'll do you a deal, OK?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- Now, I know you're a bit of a fan of cars, aren't you?- Yes.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11So I'll show you some cars, if you teach me how to surf.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- Yeah.- Sounds good?- Sounds good.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15What I'm going to do is, seeing as you're here,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17I thought I'd do a simple little burger.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20But I know you've brought some of these wonderful relishes with you,
0:13:20 > 0:13:21so tell me about these.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22What's this one?
0:13:22 > 0:13:23The Mumbai Banana.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's a bit like a mango chutney, but banana-based,
0:13:26 > 0:13:27so it's not got the chilli in.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It's just got the curry spices.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32The apple, I make with lovely cider apples,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35so it's got a real sort of tang, tasty apples.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37And what about burgers, Finn?
0:13:37 > 0:13:38- Big fan of burgers? - Yeah, I love burgers.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- On the beach, while you're surfing? - Yeah, barbecue on the beach.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Sounds pretty good. Well, this is what you can do with it.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Now, the key to this, really, is good quality minced beef.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So, you've got to use a minimum amount of fat,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53enough fat to keep it nice and moist, but not too much
0:13:53 > 0:13:55cos otherwise it ends up falling through,
0:13:55 > 0:13:56setting fire to the charcoal,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and you end up burning the burgers in the first place.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So, all it is, to make really good burgers,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03is you just add salt and pepper to it, nothing else.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06There's no need to add any egg, breadcrumbs, nothing,
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Mix this together,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09and we're just going to mould these up
0:14:09 > 0:14:11into sort of portion size.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15On the grill, easy as that.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19So simple and makes the perfect heart for my ultimate burger.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24To bring this alive, I'm going to use a couple of sauces -
0:14:24 > 0:14:27the mild chilli relish and my home-made mayonnaise,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29made with rapeseed oil.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- Have you ever made mayonnaise before?- No.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You're about to. Made with egg yolks and oil.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39What we're going to do is break the egg yolks and then slowly add the oil,
0:14:39 > 0:14:40or rather you're going to do that.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Now, I'm going to use your mild sort of chilli relish.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45What denotes whether it's a relish or a chutney, then?
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Relish is just cooked more slowly, over a longer time, more gently.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- Right.- Chutney's a quicker cook.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Four hours is a long time to cook something for, particularly like this.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Yeah, I just cook it so gently.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59It's only the chilli relish I cook that long. Just, yeah, so gentle.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03OK, now gentle. This is how you've got to be with this. You ready?
0:15:03 > 0:15:04So what I want you to do is carefully,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- you just need to slowly, slowly pour it, like that...- OK.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10..while I'm whipping it up, OK?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So you've got to put your finger over the end
0:15:13 > 0:15:15and then slowly whip it up.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I've got some mustard in here.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19That's it, concentrate.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And it all starts to come together into a mayonnaise...
0:15:24 > 0:15:26..like this.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29So, what's your favourite sort of relish to make at home then, Finn?
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Probably the apple.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32And who does all the chopping then?
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Is that something that you do or your mum does?
0:15:34 > 0:15:36We share it, mostly.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40It takes a lot of elbow grease to bring everything together,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42so I'm going to need a little bit of help.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48I tell you what, you do this and I'll do that.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Quickly.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Speed it up.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- And you thought making relish was hard work! Quickly!- Yeah.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Come on! You're slowing down, Finn, you're slowing down.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03THEY ALL LAUGH
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It's hard work, this, isn't it?
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- Is that starting to get to mayonnaise, roughly?- Yeah.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13So, we're just going to finish that off with a little bit of grain mustard...
0:16:15 > 0:16:16..and a little bit of lemon.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Right, how does that look?
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Good.- Looks all right?- Yeah, definitely.- Happy with that?- Mm-hmm.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24What about the burgers?
0:16:24 > 0:16:26We're basically just going to put a little bit of oil,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29a tiny bit of oil, on the burgers to stop them from sticking really.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Now, a hot griddle. You don't need anything else with the burger,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35just put it straight onto the coals.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38This is going to take about five or six minutes
0:16:38 > 0:16:40to cook all the way through.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43And I'm going to use brioche buns.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I don't know whether you get many American diners that use brioche,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49but in a lot of sort of trendy American restaurants
0:16:49 > 0:16:51and American places,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54they would use the brioche bun because it's lovely and sweet,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56but also really nice and soft.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I'm just going to basically griddle these nicely,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00just get a little bit of colour on it, just to toast them.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Too many times, burgers are done with those dry burgers
0:17:03 > 0:17:06with burger buns with sesame seeds over the top.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08How does that look?
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Once the burgers are cooked, it's time to assemble them.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I'm starting with the mild chilli relish.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Next comes some salad
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and the burger itself.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24On top of this goes some cheese and my home-made mayonnaise,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27finished off with some red onion and gherkin.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30There you go, dive into that.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- There you go, Sarah. - Lovely, thank you.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35See what you think. I don't know where to start with this.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36Just tuck in.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Mm, delicious.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- Is that any good? - Really, really nice.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Would you pay for it, though?
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Mmm...yes.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Don't think about it!
0:17:47 > 0:17:49That relish is fantastic with it, isn't it? Not too hot.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- Mm. Just a nice heat.- Lovely.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56I'm keen to get a surfing lesson from Finn.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59To keep my end of the bargain, I'm showing him a couple of cars.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03Wow.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05See, this'll be wicked for your surfing, I think.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08You can get your surfboard in the back, put it on the roof.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- Whoa!- Seat's quite small. It was built for you, you see.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- And then this is the coolest of all. Are you ready?- Yeah.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Whoa! That's too big a burger you've eaten.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Whoa.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24My ultimate burger is a great dish that's simple to make,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26guaranteed to please,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28and perfect for eating alfresco.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37For me, no holiday is complete without some outdoor eating.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's a British tradition that stretches back years
0:18:40 > 0:18:44and is something that the Victorians enjoyed just as much as we do.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Food historian Dr Annie Gray
0:18:48 > 0:18:51has been discovering what was on the menu
0:18:51 > 0:18:53when the Victorians took a day off
0:18:53 > 0:18:57and indulged in their favourite pastime - having a picnic.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59The term picnic,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03like so much that is fashionable in 18th and 19th century Britain,
0:19:03 > 0:19:04is a French term.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Comes to mean a very small, select gathering
0:19:07 > 0:19:10with small, sweet, select food,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and it becomes this phenomenon in late 18th century England
0:19:13 > 0:19:17among those who have pretensions to the French culinary arts.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21By the 19th century, of course,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23anything that's small and delicate and sweet
0:19:23 > 0:19:25tends to become over-elaborate.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28You're going to have a massive spread.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31You might have a pie, in this case it's pigeon pie,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33and you can tell immediately what it is,
0:19:33 > 0:19:34if you don't know,
0:19:34 > 0:19:35just by the feet crawling out of it.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Typical Victorian elaboration.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I'm going to cook recipes from either end of the social scale today.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46So, you've got your amazing posh picnics with pies and blancmanges,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and things that took days and days to prepare,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51but at the other end of the social scale,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54this is the period where you really see the growth of working-class leisure.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And, at that end of the social scale, you're also having a picnic
0:19:57 > 0:19:59but you're not having quite the same food.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01So, I'm going to do some sausage rolls.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02You might think, "How obvious",
0:20:02 > 0:20:06but this is the Victorian version of a modern day favourite.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08And I'm also going to do lobster cutlets,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12which are perhaps one of the richest of dishes that you can imagine taking on a picnic.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17A posh Victorian picnic may have put the lords and ladies upstairs
0:20:17 > 0:20:18in the mood to relax on a rug,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22but, downstairs, it was a pretty tough slog to prepare it.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It might not be subtle, but it works.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44This dish was a real holiday treat.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So, once the lobster meat has been extracted,
0:20:46 > 0:20:52it was combined with mace, nutmeg and butter, before being ground.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I have to say, after years of working with Victorian food,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58there's no bingo wings going on around here.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01The mixture was then shaped into miniature cutlets,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and they were coated in egg and breadcrumbs,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06and then fried in lard.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Lobsters were really popular for the Victorians.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11They were regarded as an aphrodisiac.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14One social commentator, Henry Mackenzie, in 1800,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18suggested that picnics could be used to nurture budding romances.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22There's a sense of playfulness with this dish.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24So, you have your meat cutlet shape
0:21:24 > 0:21:28and what I'm using is the claws, the miniature claws from the lobster,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31just to look like the end of the bone coming out of a meat cutlet.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36This is really very much food as art.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37It might look good.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41It doesn't look good enough for a proper Victorian picnic dish.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Bechamel sauce, which is what this is,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45is very popular in the Victorian period,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47and it's quite useful for things like this,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51because it moistens the cutlets, but it's also quite a subtle flavour.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53STILL not good enough.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56So, I thought red and green are very popular Victorian colours.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Maybe trickling a little bit of parsley round the edge here,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and contrast nicely with the red of the lobster as well.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05It looks nice, but I feel it needs a centrepiece,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and what better than a lobster head?!
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Shows what it is.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14I think that looks pretty good.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22The working man couldn't afford lobster cutlets
0:22:22 > 0:22:24or anything fancy like that,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28but he could afford some dough, and some sausage meat.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32So, pretty much any working-class family could afford to make sausage rolls.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34All I've got here is bread dough,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38just plain, straightforward, bog-standard, white bread dough.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41This is a Victorian bread-kneading trough.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46Brilliant idea because you never wash it, you just keep it floured down,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and it really does keep mess to a minimum.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53So, all I'm going to do is take some sausage meat,
0:22:53 > 0:22:54put it in my bread roll,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57so that way, when they cook,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02you've got a piece of sausage meat sealed within your bread roll.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Absolutely perfect for sticking in your pocket.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11No need for a hamper, or tablecloths, or cutlery, or anything else.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14You quite literally stick a sausage roll in your pocket,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16get on the omnibus, and off you go.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21All the Victorian housewife would have had to do now
0:23:21 > 0:23:23is to cover them with a damp cloth,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26leave them for about 30 minutes to prove
0:23:26 > 0:23:28and then pop them in her oven.
0:23:28 > 0:23:3215 minutes later, you're ready to go on holiday, picnic sorted.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43It seems to have all got here in one piece,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46but that's only half the story, unfortunately.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Being good Victorians, we can't do anything that's even semi-posh
0:23:49 > 0:23:52without heavy doses of etiquette
0:23:52 > 0:23:54and picnics are no exception.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58The writers behind Mrs Beeton's reissued Book Of Household Management, in 1888,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01were quite clear on the point of etiquette.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04They suggested, "One of the pleasantest forms of entertainment
0:24:04 > 0:24:06"is a well-arranged picnic,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09"if only a fine day be selected, while nothing is calculated
0:24:09 > 0:24:12"to give greater dissatisfaction than a badly managed one.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16"To have given people wrong seats in the various vehicles,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20"or to have too many ladies in the party, are all often fatal errors."
0:24:20 > 0:24:23So, here we are. I feel positively inadequate
0:24:23 > 0:24:25being the only lady in the party.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28After which, personally, I feel I need a sausage roll.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32That is really good.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36I like the cutlets but I think, ultimately,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I'm probably the kind that just sticks a sausage roll in my pocket,
0:24:40 > 0:24:41forgets the corkscrew,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42grabs some ginger beer,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and sets off tramping in the countryside
0:24:45 > 0:24:48to throw myself on the ground and scoff a sausage roll.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Picnics are all about making the most of the summer
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and memories of holidays in France with my dad
0:25:00 > 0:25:02are all summed up in this rustic cake.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06This my blueberry galette,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09served with an instant chocolate bar ice cream.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Now, if there's one place that I love going to when I'm on holiday
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and that's Paris, and I came across this dessert.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23It's a little galette. Very, very simple to make.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26There's a real key thing you really need to pay attention to,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29to get perfect pastry every time, like the French,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and that's what I think needs to be done by hand.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37First thing to do is put 200 grams of plain flour into a bowl.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42Next is 150 grams of chopped unsalted butter.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47But cold butter. It's really, really important that you use cold butter.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Sometimes you can actually freeze this to get it really cold,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and I've actually seen recipes where they actually freeze the pastry
0:25:54 > 0:25:55as well to get it even colder.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Throw in the butter to the flour, with a good pinch of sugar.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06The secret of this is to actually work the flour as little as possible
0:26:06 > 0:26:10and by doing so, the gluten in the flour,
0:26:10 > 0:26:11the stretchy part of the flour,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15which you knead when you're making bread, doesn't happen.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19What you end up with is a very short pastry,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but a very delicate one that just melts in your mouth.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And even my gran used to rub the butter and flour together
0:26:28 > 0:26:29to make her shortbread,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32while watching Corrie on the box.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34And it meant that when you actually tasted this,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36you didn't need to bite it, you didn't need any teeth...
0:26:38 > 0:26:41..which, in my grandad's case, was probably a good thing.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Using the tips of your fingers, keep on rubbing it in,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47until it creates a small crumb.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50The more delicate you are with it, the better the end product.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52Once it's like this,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56add one egg yolk and bind it all together into a big ball.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Because you've worked it, you need to allow it to rest,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04so I've got one that's in the fridge, just firmed up.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07It'll only take about an hour, two hours, something like that.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Now, I'm going to create the filling for our little galette.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11Now, this is so simple.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14You can do this with any summer fruit, really.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17For this galette's filling, I'm using blueberries.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19To this I'm adding some vanilla seeds,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of lemon.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26What holds all this together is a tablespoon of cornflour.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32And this makes sure the liquid from the blueberries,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35when it does cook, it doesn't leak out everywhere
0:27:35 > 0:27:39and just make our galette look like a big pizza, at the end of it.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41What we're looking for is that sort of texture.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45It's almost like a wallpaper paste blueberry mixture.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Looks nothing now, but when it's baked,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51it just looks delicious, so little bit of that to one side.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53You need to roll out your pastry.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Now, the secret with this is...
0:27:55 > 0:27:57gentle but firm.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02And the least amount of flour as possible.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05The more flour you add to anything, the drier it becomes.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Roll it out on a cold surface until it's about 5mm thick.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And then, I'm going to use sort of one of these rings or tins
0:28:15 > 0:28:17that I just have in my kitchen.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19We're just going to cut these out.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Now, the key to making the galettes is quite simple.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23You make it like a crimped pasty.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26So, you start at one end,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28crimp it,
0:28:28 > 0:28:29and work your way round.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33You've got these wonderful little tartlets, so simple to make.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36And pop them on to a tray.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38You don't need to be too fancy. Nothing's too perfect,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41that's what I love about sort of French patisserie.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Pop a decent amount of the blueberry mix into the casing,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49and put them in the fridge for half an hour,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51which I did with some others, earlier.
0:28:54 > 0:28:55It's quite important to do this.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57It just firms up the pastry nicely,
0:28:57 > 0:28:59just enables us to do some egg wash.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01You don't need to be too fancy with this.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06The final touch is to sprinkle plenty of Demerara sugar
0:29:06 > 0:29:09over the top, and then place them in the oven,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12at 250 degrees centigrade, for 25 minutes.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16While the galettes are cooking,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19I'm going to make a great accompaniment for them -
0:29:19 > 0:29:21peanut chocolate bar ice cream,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23and that all starts with making a custard.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30For that, I'm going to use sugar, egg yolks, milk and cream.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35Put 300ml of milk and 200ml of double cream into a pan
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and start heating it up.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38While this is happening,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42whisk together six egg yolks and 75 grams of caster sugar.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50When this is done, add the warm milk and cream into the bowl,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53mixing together and return to the heat, and then start stirring.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58I always find the best way is to use a whisk.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00And as the bubbles start to disappear...
0:30:02 > 0:30:04..the custard starts to thicken up,
0:30:04 > 0:30:06and at that exact time,
0:30:06 > 0:30:10you take it off the heat, before it boils.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11Pour this into a bowl.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17If I was using a normal ice cream machine,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20I'd be putting the chocolate bars into the warm custard now.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22That way, the chocolate bars melt.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24And as the machine that you're blending it in
0:30:24 > 0:30:25starts to churn round,
0:30:25 > 0:30:30it churns it, and cools it and freezes it at the same time.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31But I like kitchen gadgets,
0:30:31 > 0:30:36so I'm going to make my ice cream in a slightly different way.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39So, I've let some of the custard cool down in the fridge.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41To this, I'm going to add some whole peanut chocolate bars,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44which is then frozen rock-solid.
0:30:46 > 0:30:47It's then ready to churn.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51All that happens with this is there's a blade in there,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53and when I hit this button,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55the blade goes down and comes back up again.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01While that's churning, it's time to take out the galettes from the oven.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06These look like authentic galettes...
0:31:06 > 0:31:10which is lovely. It's nice and delicate, like that.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13And the pastry just breaks open, like that. It's lovely and soft.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18I've got my fancy ice cream,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22but a scoop from a normal ice cream maker, or even shop-bought,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24will go down just as well with this great galette.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28In fact, do you know what?
0:31:28 > 0:31:30It's my house... I'm going to take two.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40It is so, so good.
0:31:40 > 0:31:41You have to make this at home.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55The holidays that hold the best memories for me were by the seaside,
0:31:55 > 0:31:56riding up and down Blackpool Beach
0:31:56 > 0:31:58and tucking into fish and chips afterwards.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Traditional seaside food has always been very close to my heart
0:32:05 > 0:32:08and one that I really love is the salty sea plant samphire.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12It used to be an effort to get hold of the stuff,
0:32:12 > 0:32:14but now people are farming it,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17meaning more of us can enjoy its unique taste.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21In South Devon, Joe Miller has been harvesting samphire
0:32:21 > 0:32:23for the past three years.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29A recent addition to the cattle and veg his family already farm.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32As kids, we used to pick samphire,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34walking along the local beaches and estuaries,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37which is a common thing for local people to do.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Joe's samphire grows in the Erme estuary,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42a short drive from where the cows graze.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48The really unique thing about samphire
0:32:48 > 0:32:51is that it can grow in very salty environments,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53where other plants just would die.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It's a salty sea plant or estuary plant.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00It's not a seaweed because it has roots and it grows in soil.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03So, although it doesn't actually need the salt in order to survive,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05the salt gives it a competitive advantage
0:33:05 > 0:33:07because it can live where other plants can't.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11It's a bit like...
0:33:11 > 0:33:13a very salty, marshy wine gum.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18It was never Joe's plan to farm samphire.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21In fact, it's all been a rather happy accident.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25These fields are called Orcheton Marsh
0:33:25 > 0:33:29and for 200 or so years they were just normal fields,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31used for grazing cows.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Then, ten years ago, this wall burst its banks
0:33:34 > 0:33:36and the sea started flooding in
0:33:36 > 0:33:38and killed all of the grass,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and it killed all the trees, as you can see.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44And for about two or three years it just looked like mud,
0:33:44 > 0:33:45it looked horrible.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47But then, gradually, the samphire,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49which is sort of a pioneer plant,
0:33:49 > 0:33:51it's always one of the first plants to appear
0:33:51 > 0:33:53when land has been flooded,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56it started to grow and it greened up again,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59started looking more like a sort of useful, attractive,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01nice piece of countryside...
0:34:01 > 0:34:03and we got this great crop we can sell.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11So, what at first seemed like an absolute disaster
0:34:11 > 0:34:14has really turned round, and it's thanks to the samphire.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18As it's wild, there's no planting to be done, just the picking.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Picking samphire is quite hard work.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25You end up bending over for a long time.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26You end up getting muddy.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29Traditionally the samphire season starts on the 21st June,
0:34:29 > 0:34:31somewhere around the longest day of the year,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34and then really only lasts for about three weeks.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39We normally have about three to four people picking down here
0:34:39 > 0:34:43and, very often, it's my family who end up shouldering the burden.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46It's legal for anybody to pick samphire,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49and you might find some if you go down to your local estuary,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52but you have to remember not to pull it up by the root,
0:34:52 > 0:34:53because that's illegal.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56And, of course, you must be on public land.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00We want to avoid any of the woody stalks at the bottom,
0:35:00 > 0:35:02just the nice fleshy bit at the top.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04That looks nice.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09Once picked, Joe's samphire goes into a national veg box scheme.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13It costs about a pound for 100 grams, which is quite expensive.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16But, yeah, I think it's definitely worth it.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18It reflects how much it costs for us to pick it.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22It's delicious and you really don't need to have very much of it
0:35:22 > 0:35:24because it is fairly strongly flavoured.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27What I love about this little veg
0:35:27 > 0:35:30is that you can eat it in so many different ways.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32It can be a snack, a starter,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35or a great accompaniment to a main dish,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39and, in my opinion, it's just as tasty raw as it is cooked.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42If you're ever barbecuing down by the beach, or on an estuary,
0:35:42 > 0:35:46and you happen to find some, it's fantastic just thrown into the pan
0:35:46 > 0:35:48and cooked very briefly in some butter,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and you can serve it with any meat and it'll be delicious.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Today, Joe's cooking up a feast to reward his hungry workers.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03I think the best way to use samphire is in relatively small quantities,
0:36:03 > 0:36:04mixed in with other things.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Samphire is very often used with fish
0:36:07 > 0:36:09because it has that nice taste of the sea.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14And I've cooked it with lamb today, which also works very well,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16and it's also delicious on its own.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19It's really nice just heated through.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22You want it to retain that nice crisp succulence
0:36:22 > 0:36:24that it has when it's fresh.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25Works with everything.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37I'm going to use some of this great salty veg in my last dish,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40an update of some classic seaside grub,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44using what I used to have on family beach holidays.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50It's British seaside chowder or, as we call it up north, fish soup.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I've got some cockles, some clams, a little bit of whelks here.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00This is how you usually get them,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04in those polystyrene cups with the plastic fork that you munch on.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08So delicious and accessible all around the coast of England.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10They're just wonderful little things to eat, these.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12With the clams and cockles like this,
0:37:12 > 0:37:14we can cook them straight away with some white wine.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17You cook them very similar to sort of mussels, really.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21So white wine into our pan, a decent slug.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Throw the cockles and clams straight into the pan.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29There's nothing else other than white wine.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33And because I haven't got a lid for these damn pans...
0:37:33 > 0:37:36I'm going to use another one. DIY lid.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38What we need to do is bring this to the boil,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42and it only takes about three, maybe five minutes
0:37:42 > 0:37:43to cook these and open up.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46While that's going on, I'm going to start chopping the veg,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48starting with a shallot.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53And make sure they're quite small
0:37:53 > 0:37:55cos we're not going to blend this.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57So when you're actually chopping everything,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00you think, "Well, can I eat it with a spoon?"
0:38:00 > 0:38:02If not, chop it a little bit smaller.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04A little bit of garlic here,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06just as a nice little flavour.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10And we're just going to take our leeks.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14Keep your eye on these now.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15And they open up quite quickly,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19and they all should open up roughly together...
0:38:19 > 0:38:22and the smell you get from these is fantastic.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25You don't want to overcook them, otherwise they go like bullets,
0:38:25 > 0:38:29so just literally open up and drain them off.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34And just leave those to drain,
0:38:34 > 0:38:39and we can start to then start frying off the rest of our ingredients for this.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42So, you want a good knob of butter.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44What we're going to do is sweat the shallots
0:38:44 > 0:38:45and the garlic, not frying them.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48We don't want to add colour to this, so I'll do this on a low heat,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51which enables you to prepare the rest of our ingredients
0:38:51 > 0:38:53and one that I particularly love.
0:38:53 > 0:38:54This is fennel.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58So often this is sort of underused, but in France they braise it.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00You can have this raw in salads,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02it's fantastic to grow in your garden as well,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05but in soups like this, it really is superb.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10It's going to add a lovely aniseed flavour to the chowder.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14And you can turn up the heat now,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16once you've got the fennel in,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19and we can really start to impart flavour into that.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22For that I'm going to use two spices, including saffron.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It's one of these things when you do go on holiday,
0:39:26 > 0:39:30particularly to sort of markets like Tunisia, Morocco,
0:39:30 > 0:39:35when you see cheap saffron in these big piles in one of those markets,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39it's NOT saffron, it's the outer casing of the saffron,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42so don't buy it. There isn't such thing as cheap saffron.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Only a small amount needs to be added - too much will spoil it.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Take the juice of our lovely clams and cockles here
0:39:55 > 0:39:58and just carefully drain this through.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00As soon as you get to the bottom,
0:40:00 > 0:40:04you can see where the little bits of grit...
0:40:04 > 0:40:05I'm not really selling this!
0:40:05 > 0:40:08..but there is little bits of grit underneath there.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11You don't want that in your lovely chowder.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Next, I'm going to add a whole star anise,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17building on the aniseed flavour of the fennel.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23To bulk this out a bit, I'm going to use some chicken stock.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Now, the reason for chicken stock basically is
0:40:25 > 0:40:28that it's too fishy if you use fish stock.
0:40:28 > 0:40:29It sounds daft,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32but chicken stock like this adds a nice little mellow flavour
0:40:32 > 0:40:35and what we're going to do is just bring this to the boil.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40While that's happening, I'm going to cut up some potatoes,
0:40:40 > 0:40:42the same size as the rest of the veg.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44This will help thicken the chowder.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50This dish reminds me so much of going on holiday to Scarborough.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54It was a wonderful, still is a fantastic seaside town,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58and I suppose it was really Scarborough that taught me luxurious ingredients.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02It may sound daft, but things like cockles and clams and mussels,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05I'd never really tried them before and, for me,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07it was sort of a revelation really.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09The potatoes will take three to four minutes to cook,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13so while that's happening, I can get all the meat out of the shells.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18It seems like a lot of work for just a small amount of gain,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21but the flavour you get from this...
0:41:21 > 0:41:25is just everything you need into our soup.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28I've got that and the whelks, which is wonderful.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32These are almost ready to add, but before that,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35I'm going to put some double cream and some samphire into the pan.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40It cooks in record time, really, and what you need to do with this
0:41:40 > 0:41:44is just add a little bit and then you can add some tomatoes.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46And at the same time your tomatoes go in,
0:41:46 > 0:41:50we can turn this heat down and then add our wonderful seafood.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Just stir this, just to warm it through,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59and you can see everything starts to thicken up
0:41:59 > 0:42:02and you get this wonderful soup.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06What you have to do, you've got to hunt for that star anise.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08It's in here somewhere.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10There.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12And get rid of this little fellow
0:42:12 > 0:42:14cos if that sticks in Granny's teeth,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16she ain't going to be chuffed.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18I'm also going to add some chopped chives.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24My finishing touch is a garnish of some celery leaves and seasoning.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32That is delicious.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Flavours like this remind me so much of my seaside holidays.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38That...is superb.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:42:51 > 0:42:52ALL: Cheers!
0:42:53 > 0:42:57Holidays have given me so much inspiration over the years,
0:42:57 > 0:43:02from windswept British beaches to exotic places further afield.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06And these dishes have kept the holiday spirit
0:43:06 > 0:43:07alive and well in my home.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16You can find all the recipes from the series on bbc.co.uk/food.