0:00:02 > 0:00:05If there's one thing I look forward to at the end of a busy day,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08it's the thought of getting back to my kitchen at home.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14For me, nothing beats cooking some simple, heart-warming, food.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Oh-ho-oh! It is so good.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22The kind of no nonsense grub that brings people together.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Cheers, everyone.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28The dishes I turn to
0:00:28 > 0:00:31when I want to put a big smile on everyone's face.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35These are my home comforts.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46I live deep in the Hampshire countryside
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and I really enjoy all the space and freedom here.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52After a hectic day, I just love jumping into my car
0:00:52 > 0:00:57and driving back to the peaceful surroundings of my own house.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Food is one of the best forms of comfort,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and coming home to the smell of a hearty
0:01:01 > 0:01:06and wholesome meal in the oven warms me up before I've even tasted it.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Today, we discover how a new kind of wholesome cooking
0:01:09 > 0:01:11took off in the 1930s.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14These are plain vegetable dishes, but then you take them
0:01:14 > 0:01:17and you make them extraordinary.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21We set the stage for the revival of a hearty English mustard.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Think of William Shakespeare carrying
0:01:23 > 0:01:26one of those around with him. An amazing thought.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32And I'm in my kitchen making the wholesome food that I love best.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37To me, that's a real winter warmer, it's proper hearty food.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47When it comes to hearty and wholesome grub, you can't beat
0:01:47 > 0:01:49the amazing flavour of a piece of lamb.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And I've come up with a recipe that turns all that richness
0:01:58 > 0:02:00into a winter warmer.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05It's my fantastically tasty lamb shank pie.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Now, you certainly don't get any more hearty
0:02:07 > 0:02:08and wholesome than a pie,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12but this is a special pie because I'm going to make it with something
0:02:12 > 0:02:16that I've been cooking with for quite a long time, lamb shanks.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19They're a fantastic cut of meat cos they produce so much flavour.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20It's one of those things...
0:02:20 > 0:02:23That part of the animal that does the most amount of work,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26tastes the best, but it has to be the longest to cook.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28So to get the ball rolling,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32I seal my lamb shanks in a casserole dish with rapeseed oil.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Now you want to make sure these are really well browned at this
0:02:36 > 0:02:39point because this is the only bit of food colouring that you're
0:02:39 > 0:02:42going to get into your stew.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45To get a brown stew, you have to brown the meat beforehand.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51It's the perfect portion of meat really, but what you have to
0:02:51 > 0:02:54do is treat it with respect and cook it for a long time.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57It's no good cooking lamb shanks for half an hour, they're just...
0:02:57 > 0:02:58It's going to be tough as boots.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05When the shanks are sealed, leave them to one side,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08then add two roughly chopped onions and four cloves of garlic to the
0:03:08 > 0:03:13same pan, followed a few minutes later by two tablespoons of flour.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16And really, this is where it can all go wrong, so you just use
0:03:16 > 0:03:18enough flour to thicken the sauce.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21So you've got to use just a small amount
0:03:21 > 0:03:24otherwise it's going to end up like my sort of auntie's gravy,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26thick!
0:03:27 > 0:03:30You could line cavities, you could fill cavities with it.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32So cook out the flour.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Touch of white wine, just a little bit...
0:03:37 > 0:03:39..more.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Pour in 250ml of white wine followed by 750ml
0:03:43 > 0:03:46of chicken stock, and then it's time for the veg.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49These lamb shanks are going to take quite a while to cook,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53a good two hours to gently simmer, so it's no good slicing the veg
0:03:53 > 0:03:56and dicing the veg into pretty small pieces.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01It's just going to dissolve, so everything you want is chunky.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09'Chop three large carrots, 600 grams of spuds
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'and four sticks of celery then add them to the pot.'
0:04:13 > 0:04:18And then some herbs and I'm going to use some rosemary and thyme.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23So just chunks of rosemary, of course that classic
0:04:23 > 0:04:27combination with rosemary and lamb, and some fresh thyme.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31'For added flavour, I throw in a couple of bay leaves.'
0:04:31 > 0:04:33And then what I love with this
0:04:33 > 0:04:35is beans and rather than...
0:04:36 > 0:04:41..get some dried beans and soak them for 24 hours,
0:04:41 > 0:04:42get them out of a can.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Just drain them off, now it's entirely up to you which
0:04:44 > 0:04:46beans you use.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I've got some haricot beans here, but flageolet beans will do.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56And then we can grab the lamb and pop that in.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01So ideally, what you want to do is bring this to the boil
0:05:01 > 0:05:05and gently simmer it for about two hours.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Now you can do this on the stove or you can do it in a low oven.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10When the stew is cooked,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14let it cool because you can't add the topping when it's hot.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And I've got one that's cold in the fridge.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Now it's important when it does go cold to make sure that the
0:05:21 > 0:05:25lamb shanks are pointing upwards, and then let it set.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31And you can of course coat this in potato, you can do whatever
0:05:31 > 0:05:35you want on the top, but I find puff pastry the best to go with this.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Now, it's better off to trim this first before you put it over
0:05:45 > 0:05:49the top, so measure it, it wants to be about an inch bigger than
0:05:49 > 0:05:54the size of the pot, which is about there.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Looks pretty good.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And you want a rough circle,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04or a hexagon, either way.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07'Your pastry will need to be about half a centimetre thick
0:06:07 > 0:06:09'and before you lay it on top of the stew
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'you'll need to brush the dish with egg wash.'
0:06:13 > 0:06:15So lift this over,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18it sits on the top
0:06:19 > 0:06:20like that.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And then as the bones poke through,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28you can just poke them through like that.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32You can then just crimp it around the edge.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Then brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with salt before
0:06:46 > 0:06:51putting it into a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.
0:06:55 > 0:07:01And this is the reward for all that time that it spent ticking away,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04simmering away nicely, this wonderful pie.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09'This is a dish that drips with richness and warmth
0:07:09 > 0:07:12'and I absolutely love it.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16'It's packed with wholesome, tasty ingredients and because they simmer
0:07:16 > 0:07:20'away for so long, all the amazing flavours come together perfectly.'
0:07:22 > 0:07:26To me, that's a real winter warmer, it's proper hearty food.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30But the best part of this dish, you almost don't need a knife
0:07:30 > 0:07:34and fork, this is so tender it just falls off the bone.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36You can almost eat it with a spoon.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46There's no denying the British love of tasty lamb dishes.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49By contrast, home cooks usually avoid venison,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51despite its hearty flavour.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54But deer farmers Jane Emerson
0:07:54 > 0:07:58and Peter Stokan are on a mission to change all that.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Some people think that venison is strong and gamey
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and when I'm standing there on my farmer's market stall,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07I get really cross and sometimes I even shout at them,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12"Stop saying that," but it doesn't have to be a strong gamey meat.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It can be a mild, tender, succulent meat.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Not only are we selling a product, but we're having to re-educate
0:08:18 > 0:08:23the general public as to the benefits and values of venison.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28Jane and Peter have 210 acres of land in a stunning
0:08:28 > 0:08:29part of the Lake District.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33They have been farming deer here since 1987.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Deer have been kept in parks for hundreds of years and then the...
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It went out of fashion sort of managing the deer population
0:08:42 > 0:08:44as cattle and sheep were domesticated,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46so it's only relatively recently, sort of
0:08:46 > 0:08:49in the last 30, 40 years that people have started farming deer again.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Come on, girlies.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We had a smallholding of ten acres and we introduced the deer
0:08:54 > 0:08:59onto there, here we are today with a herd of 300 to 400 deer.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05The first British deer farm was established 40 years ago.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Today, there are 300 with around 28,000 deer.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12The breed that Jane and Peter keep are red deer,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15our largest native species.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Genetically, all our animals are just the same as the wild deer
0:09:18 > 0:09:21but they're... Obviously, over the years they've been
0:09:21 > 0:09:25selectively bred so that the hinds are maybe a little bit bigger,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28the temperament's better for a farming environment.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34They have one or two little quirks, but once you understand those,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37they're a very, very easy animal to handle.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Oh!
0:09:40 > 0:09:43The flavour of meat generally is to do with its texture,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46to do with the fat content and the age of the...of the animal
0:09:46 > 0:09:50when it's slaughtered. So, in our situation, the animals are about
0:09:50 > 0:09:52sort of 18, 24 months when they're slaughtered.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56But if you're, obviously, if you were taking a wild deer out
0:09:56 > 0:09:58of the population it could be ten, 12 years of age
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and so the flavour of that could be quite different.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Come on! Come on!
0:10:03 > 0:10:05There are some very, very good wild venison
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and...and don't make any mistake, but it can be tough.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14It's no picnic for red deer in the wild.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Most of them live in the Scottish Highlands and the harsh
0:10:17 > 0:10:20conditions there affect the quality of the meat they produce.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24With any animal, it's all about reducing stress,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28whether it's nutritional or weather or just social,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31is minimal and then they'll do OK.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35We make sure they've always got good grass in front of them
0:10:35 > 0:10:37from an early age.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40The size of a deer's antlers depends on the quality of the food they
0:10:40 > 0:10:45eat, so these boys are living proof that no-one's had to go hungry.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47We find that the meat is much more consistent.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52They've not gone through periods of nutritional stress and so you do
0:10:52 > 0:10:56get a better quality meat that way than animals that may potentially
0:10:56 > 0:10:59have sort of had a period of starvation upon the...the hills.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Jane and Peter oversee every stage of production.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08They even have a butchery on the farm where all the meat is prepared.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12And after all that work, they like to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Most people like to eat their venison a little bit pink,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17so we'll cut a decent thickness steak.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21The steak is coated with olive oil,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and then it's placed on a griddle when it's piping hot.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30When I'm cooking a steak, I don't tend to keep turning it over.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I just put it in, let it cook for four minutes the first side and
0:11:33 > 0:11:36then turn it over and give it another three minutes on the second side.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40And that way you're not sort of constantly changing
0:11:40 > 0:11:41the position of the meat.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44At the end of the cooking time, rest it
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and that way, it doesn't end up tasting like boot leather.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- Here we are, dear. Would you like to try some of this?- Yes.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Really good.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I didn't think you could cook as well as that.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01SHE CHUCKLES
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Venison might have a reputation for being tough and gamey,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07but Jane and Peter are proving nothing
0:12:07 > 0:12:10could be further from the truth.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Venison is just as wholesome and hearty as all the traditional meat.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16You shouldn't be nervous of using it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18It's easy to cook and delicious to eat.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I really love venison, and believe me, if you've got a good
0:12:30 > 0:12:34quality cut of it, you're halfway to a wholesome and hearty meal.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Jane and Peter have agreed to come over to my house with some of
0:12:38 > 0:12:41their produce and I'm going to use it to rustle up
0:12:41 > 0:12:42a very special lunch.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49The question is, why venison? How did it all start?
0:12:49 > 0:12:53We had a smallholding, there was a deer sale and we bought some deer.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- There was a deer sale...- Yeah.- ..and you bought some...
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- What were you doing before then, then?- Cattle and sheep.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Cattle and sheep. Cos up where you are I suppose there's...
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- You can't have any arable up that neck of the woods.- No.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06'Jane and Peter have brought along some fantastic venison fillets
0:13:06 > 0:13:10'and I'm putting them right at the heart of an amazing dish.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13'It's my venison, chicken liver and Armagnac terrine.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17'I start by seasoning the venison
0:13:17 > 0:13:19'and sealing it in a hot pan with some oil.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:25So, how do you eat yours then cos I hear you're a bit of a chef?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27SHE LAUGHS No.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Well, you know... Pan-frying the old steak
0:13:29 > 0:13:30and that sort of stuff, you know?
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- As time goes by, rarer and rarer. - Rarer and rarer.- Yeah, yeah.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37It's one of those things really, you... People are always a bit
0:13:37 > 0:13:39sceptical about it, overcook it and this is where the problem lies.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- When you do overcook venison... - It goes dry.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43..cos it's beautiful and tender,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46but there's very little fat on it as well so the combination
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- of those two things. - So, you need to undercook it.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52'When the venison is sealed take it off the heat and leave it to rest.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'Next, you'll need 350 grams of chicken livers,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58'which are sealed in the same hot pan.'
0:13:58 > 0:14:01What's life like living up in that neck of the woods,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- the Lake District? It's farming cos...- It's wet.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07..but it can't be the easiest thing because the secondary effect really
0:14:07 > 0:14:10with wet farmland, of course, you get things...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Problems with the animals' feet and bits and pieces, don't you?
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Well, great fortunate for...for us, deer don't have feet problems
0:14:16 > 0:14:19unlike sheep. We don't have to clip them, we don't have to dip them,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22we don't have... They're very healthy animals.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24I know they can jump a fair way, those fences are pretty high.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- They also wriggle under. - Yeah.- That's where they go.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29- They're very lazy.- They go under. - Oh, they go underneath, do they?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Yeah, if they have the opportunity, then he'll go underneath
0:14:32 > 0:14:33rather than over the top.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37'Once sealed, the livers are flambeed in Armagnac.'
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Why farming then in particular?
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Erm, it was basically a form of relaxation from business.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47- Relaxation(!)- It isn't any more.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50I was a farmer's kid, it's not really relaxing, is it?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52It wasn't when we when we started.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54So, what kind of business were you in then before?
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- We were in forestry and landscaping. - Right.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00But then we bought the farm and...
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- You've got to do something with it. - You've got to do something with it
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and we bought the deer and it just grew from there.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Then puree the chicken by blitzing 300 grams of skinless breast
0:15:13 > 0:15:16meat and then adding 200ml of double cream.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24And we end up with this lovely sort of smooth mousse, really.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Well, the French call it a 'farce,'
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- up in the Lake District you call it a pate, is that right?- Yeah.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Yeah, exactly, yeah. The difference is 20 quid.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33HE CHUCKLES
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And then we season it afterwards. It's quite an important thing,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39obviously, seasoning, but afterwards
0:15:39 > 0:15:42because the salt can toughen up the meat,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45particularly when you're blending it.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47And then I'm going to throw in two other things
0:15:47 > 0:15:50- which I love with venison, venison and hazelnuts...- OK.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Big fan, all right?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Add 50 grams of toasted hazelnuts
0:15:56 > 0:15:59and the same quantity of dried cranberries.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Then line a loaf tin with dry cured, streaky bacon.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08And the reason for dry cured is that you don't want
0:16:08 > 0:16:12the moisture to come out of the bacon, otherwise it's just going to
0:16:12 > 0:16:14add too much liquid to our terrine.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16But just basically line this,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19so you've got enough bacon to fold it over.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21That's all you're doing.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23A third of the chicken mousse goes in first,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27followed by the venison fillets
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and another layer of the mousse.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32And what do you do with the leftover bits of meat, then?
0:16:32 > 0:16:35If it's big enough chunks, then we use it for casseroling
0:16:35 > 0:16:38and then after that it's sausage, burgers, venison mince is good.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41So, are you one of the only venison farms up that neck of the woods
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- then? You must be, I suppose. - Yeah.- We are, yes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Yeah, your...next nearest one would be down in Yorkshire.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- Down in, down in my neck of the woods?- Yeah, Barnsley.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Well, I'm putting a herb that I love with chicken, but it
0:16:52 > 0:16:56goes particularly well with venison. This is some tarragon and then
0:16:56 > 0:17:00we've got the cold, sealed, flambeed chicken livers,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03which go on there as well. It's important to do this early,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06so they're nice and cold when you layer this up.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08And then finally, the final layer...
0:17:11 > 0:17:13..of our chicken.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Finish off the terrine by flattening down the top layer of the mousse
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and folding the bacon over it.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25So, predominantly, where would the most amount of venison come from?
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Would that still be UK-based or...? - No, regrettably no.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- It would be...- New Zealand. - New Zealand.- New Zealand?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Yeah.- That's ridiculous, isn't it?! - I know, I know, but...- Absolutely!
0:17:33 > 0:17:36..that's where the biggest amount of venison is produced is in
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- New Zealand still. - I never knew that.- Yeah.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So once you've got this terrine nice and lined and full,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44you want it sort of domed over the top cos as it cooks,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46it puffs up and then once it's in the fridge
0:17:46 > 0:17:49it presses back down again. So make sure it's got a domed top on it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Place the lid on, into a tray.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55This is actually the most important part of the cooking process really.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58You need to sort of half fill this with water.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01'This is absolutely crucial
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'because if you don't do it the bacon can burn.'
0:18:04 > 0:18:08A 'bain-marie', as the French call it, or as us guys up North,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10a tray of 'at watta', is that right?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12HE LAUGHS
0:18:12 > 0:18:17Stick it in the oven. Now this needs to cook about 170, 350 Fahrenheit.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19It needs to cook for about an hour and a half.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Once cooked, I'll let the terrine cool
0:18:22 > 0:18:25before popping it into the fridge to chill.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31This has got to be one of the richest dishes I cook at home.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's hard to beat the robust meaty flavours of venison and chicken
0:18:34 > 0:18:39livers, but when they're combined with that creamy mousse along with a
0:18:39 > 0:18:44boozy kick from the Armagnac, you've got yourself a proper hearty lunch.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46There you go. I feel quite nervous putting this
0:18:46 > 0:18:48in front of you guys, you know?
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- But you get to dive into that. - That's great.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- Tell me what you think.- Well.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- Go on, I'll let you go first. - Will you indeed?- Yeah.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00This is very, very nice.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05- Yeah.- Any good?- Yeah.- That's great.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- It's definitely your venison?- Yep. - Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Well, I wanted to do this cos it's sort of hearty, wholesome,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15- proper family farming grub.- Yep.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Or as my mother would say, "It's a bit poncey, but it tastes nice."
0:19:19 > 0:19:21- SHE LAUGHS - It's something.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Ideas of which foods are wholesome
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and hearty have changed over the years.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Food historian Dr Annie Gray is stepping back 80 years to
0:19:40 > 0:19:44an era when lighter dishes were becoming more fashionable.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53In the 1930s, most people were living on pretty plain stuff.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55The very poor ate very badly indeed,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58but the vast majority of middling sorts, the kind of people
0:19:58 > 0:20:00that would live in a house like this,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05they tended to live on things like meat pie and three types of veg.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Quite heavy and quite stodgy.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09But times were changing.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13We discovered vitamins, we'd discovered calories!
0:20:13 > 0:20:16And so in the wake of the Great War, there was a great move to
0:20:16 > 0:20:20throw out the old ideas of Edwardian excess and bring in new,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22healthy, wholesome foods.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26I'm talking salads,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and salads were the kind of thing that you really do see start
0:20:29 > 0:20:34to appear in middle-class homes more and more in the 1920s and '30s.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37The salads I'm going to cook are the kind of salads that would
0:20:37 > 0:20:40have graced a beautiful, rich person's table.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43But there's no reason that a woman in a house like this couldn't
0:20:43 > 0:20:46have taught herself what to do and thought to herself as she did
0:20:46 > 0:20:49it, "I've got a little bit of glamour in my life too!"
0:20:53 > 0:20:56I'm cooking salads from this book.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The book's by a man called Henri-Paul Pellaprat.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00He was one of the early teachers
0:21:00 > 0:21:02at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Paris.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06He also published books, among them this, which was published
0:21:06 > 0:21:09first in French and was an immediate best-seller.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13You can see that some of these salads are brilliant.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18These are simple plain vegetable dishes but then you take them,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and you make them extraordinary.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24Annie's wholesome and hearty dish
0:21:24 > 0:21:30from the newly health-conscious 1930s is a salad marguerite.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Marguerite means 'daisy' in French.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The base layers are potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and green beans, all of which need to be cooked and they all need to
0:21:38 > 0:21:41be cooked separately because they all have different cooking times.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43So this is a fairly involved salad.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54All of these vegetables were really good for you
0:21:54 > 0:21:58and there was quite a craze in the 1920s and '30s to give up
0:21:58 > 0:22:02carbohydrates, to eat very healthily, to in fact, diet.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Ideals about what the female figure should look like were changing.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08If you were a good mid-to-late Victorian,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11then you aspired to be a true Englishwoman,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14to have the kind of figure that the young Queen Victoria had
0:22:14 > 0:22:17when she came to the throne, which is to say quite voluptuous.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Everything changed however in the wake of the Great War.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24The ideal became a little bit more boyish.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27If you wanted a straight up and down figure, if you wanted to look
0:22:27 > 0:22:31glamorous and posh and aristocratic, there's no way you could
0:22:31 > 0:22:35continue to eat as you would have done in the Edwardian period.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41There was also a bit of a fitness craze among women in the 1930s.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44The Women's League of Health and Beauty was set up to encourage
0:22:44 > 0:22:46ladies to take up exercise.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51And the League staged public demonstrations of their routines.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I've cooked my vegetables and now I need to let them cool, but these
0:22:58 > 0:23:04vegetables alone don't look exotic enough to be an aspirational salad.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07The quintessential ingredient is mayonnaise.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13The mayonnaise was made by mixing egg yolk and mustard
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and slowly pouring in oil.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I'm going to add a little bit of lemon juice just to help
0:23:20 > 0:23:21the oil emulsify.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24It must be said that
0:23:24 > 0:23:28whenever I make mayonnaise I am reminded that its constituent parts
0:23:28 > 0:23:32are basically an egg yolk, very good for you, and a bucket of oil.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37So I need to add some seasonings and I need to add some vinegar.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It just makes the whole thing go white.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I can't just throw everything in.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48We'll start with the green beans,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50then the cauliflower.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Asparagus,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56potatoes.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Everything needs to be in layers so green, white, green, white.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07So, a nice healthy hearty wholesome salad, not Cordon Bleu cookery.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09The decoration, that's where it's all at!
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Lots of people today think that the salad wouldn't be complete
0:24:14 > 0:24:18without a bit of mayonnaise, but they mean a teaspoon on the side
0:24:18 > 0:24:22of the plate. This is not a teaspoon on the side of the plate.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26The recipe now suggests that in order to make your salad
0:24:26 > 0:24:30look like a salad marguerite, a daisy salad,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33you use hard boiled eggs to decorate the top with daisies.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49This is the middle of my daisy, and these are going to be my petals.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02It is quite a mad salad,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06but it's not the maddest salad that Henri-Paul Pellaprat recommended.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11He also included things like the 'salade du berger',
0:25:11 > 0:25:13the hour of the shepherd.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15It is a similar principle to this one in that it is layers
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and layers of different fruit and vegetables. Again covered
0:25:18 > 0:25:23with fine mayonnaise and then made to look like a clock face.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28It might not really be hearty and wholesome exactly with that
0:25:28 > 0:25:33quantity of mayonnaise on, but your guests are going to talk about it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35You are literally going to be the talk of the street.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Introducing hearty wholesomeness to your cooking doesn't have to
0:25:48 > 0:25:51mean rustling up endless stews and steamed puddings.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Just as Annie did with her salads,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58you can also add a homely touch to lighter dishes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01And one of my favourite recipes injects a bit of hearty
0:26:01 > 0:26:04fruitiness into a traditional dessert.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08It's my greengage meringues with cream.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Now one of the things that I grow quite successfully at home
0:26:10 > 0:26:14are plums, but these are a type of plum, they're greengages.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20Now not all gages are green, some are actually plum coloured.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I'm going to be using these to create a wonderful, little dessert.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29First off, I pit and quarter 750 grams of the greengages.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33I remember using these first of all in France
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and all I had to do was make these little tartlets
0:26:36 > 0:26:37on the pastry section.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And all the French head chef used to do was just shout at me.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46'Tart Martin,' that was all I was called, for six weeks.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48I was only 14.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I'm making a compote with the greengages by cooking them
0:26:54 > 0:26:58with two tablespoons of water and 120 grams of caster sugar.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Now, like a normal compote really you just bring this to the boil
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and the idea is do this with the lid off because as it reduces
0:27:07 > 0:27:11the water evaporates and you want it just to thicken slightly, almost go
0:27:11 > 0:27:15to a nice little syrup. So just cook this for about 15 to 20 minutes.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Once the fruit is softened and syrupy, remove from the heat
0:27:20 > 0:27:22and cool down completely.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Now, I've already got some cold
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and you want it cold for this meringue and as it goes cold
0:27:28 > 0:27:30it thickens up even more.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33And you get these slightly tart greengages.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37To make the meringue, whisk five egg whites
0:27:37 > 0:27:40until they form soft peaks before adding the sugar.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I'm using caster sugar and icing sugar
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and I think this is really important in terms of this meringue.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47It makes it lovely and silky,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51but also quite soft and sticky in the centre.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56First, add 150 grams of the caster sugar into the egg whites.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Mix to soft peaks and then follow on with 150 grams of icing
0:28:00 > 0:28:02sugar before mixing again.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06And then start it off slowly, for obvious reasons,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10otherwise you'll need to redecorate your kitchen,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14until it's mixed together and then fire it up.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16And this breaks every rule of making a meringue.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20You're beating it once the sugar goes in and it creates this lovely,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24soft silky meringue then you end up with this.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27The texture is fantastic.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32'Carefully fold a good handful of the greengage compote
0:28:32 > 0:28:34'into the meringue.'
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Now this recipe works fantastically well with soft fruit, things
0:28:37 > 0:28:39like raspberries, strawberries.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46And then before I put them on the tray, a quick tip.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Stick the paper down first,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51otherwise if you've got a fan oven,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54your meringue shells, when you turn round in about an hour's time,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58will look like the National Lottery balls flying around the oven.
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Then you can if you want,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02and this is what I used to do in France,
0:29:02 > 0:29:03is shape them
0:29:03 > 0:29:06to which the French call a 'quenelle,'
0:29:06 > 0:29:07but in my house, it's a dollop!
0:29:13 > 0:29:15When you're finished with dolloping, stick the meringues
0:29:15 > 0:29:20into an oven that's preheated at 100 degrees for two hours.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Now I've got some that are cooled, over here.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And you end up with these lovely sticky-style meringues.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33And you can see when you tip them up, the greengages are lovely
0:29:33 > 0:29:36and gooey and chewy in the centre
0:29:36 > 0:29:40and this is what makes this recipe, I think, so good.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Now to fill this I'm just going to use a bit of whipped cream
0:29:43 > 0:29:45flavoured with vanilla.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48Double cream, of course.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51Throw that in.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Now, so often this would be done classically with creme Chantilly,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59which is whipped cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence,
0:29:59 > 0:30:04but if you've got vanilla pods you get a much better flavour, I think.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Whip 300ml of cream with the seeds of one vanilla pod.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Now you almost want the texture of the cream like the texture
0:30:15 > 0:30:16of the meringue, soft.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18You don't want it too firm.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23You just want it to hold ever so slightly,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26so it's a good idea just to take this off and finish it by hand.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31'This is such a simple dish.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37'The syrupy greengages add a touch of fruity warmth to the meringues.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40'It's crunchy and creamy, sweet and tart.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42'The dessert that has it all.'
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Let's face it, who doesn't like meringue
0:30:44 > 0:30:46and cream in the first place,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48but then you kind of dive into this.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59And it gets better because it gets chewier and chewier.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01I just think it tastes delicious.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Whether it's a pork pie or a joint of roast beef,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15one condiment has always been guaranteed to complement
0:31:15 > 0:31:19wholesome and hearty flavours - strong English mustard.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23There's evidence that mustard was widely produced in the market
0:31:23 > 0:31:26town of Tewkesbury as far back as the Tudor period,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29but it's taken award-winning home producers Robin Ritchie
0:31:29 > 0:31:34and Samantha Ramsey to revive this once-famous, local artisan industry.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37Tewkesbury has a tradition going back
0:31:37 > 0:31:40to about the 17th century of making Tewkesbury mustard.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Obviously it was a condiment of its time,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45being mentioned in Shakespeare.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Falstaff is given the words describing Poins as having
0:31:49 > 0:31:51"a wit as thick as Tewkesbury mustard."
0:31:55 > 0:31:58But reviving Tewkesbury's famous medieval mustard would take
0:31:58 > 0:32:00a bit of research.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Talking to local historians and local people,
0:32:03 > 0:32:08I soon found the idea of the mustard,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11the genuine Tewkesbury mustard, being a mustard ball.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17Yes, you heard it right. Medieval mustard wasn't sold in jars,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19but it was rolled into handy, pocket-sized balls.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26It was the difficulty of transporting them
0:32:26 > 0:32:31around the country that made them turn them into balls.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34And then they would put them in their pocket,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37go off to the pub and mustard balls
0:32:37 > 0:32:42were used as a condiment much the same as we use mustard out of a jar.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48You can just do shavings onto your meat or you can reconstitute it,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51adding whatever you're drinking to turn it into a paste.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57With the research done, Robin needed somebody with passion
0:32:57 > 0:33:01and drive to take the mustard balls to the next level,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and that's where business partner Samantha came in.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09The key to making any a great mustard is obviously mustard flour.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15We'll be making it how it was made in medieval times.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21Robin had found evidence that back in the 1500s there were plenty of
0:33:21 > 0:33:26apple orchards around Tewkesbury, so cider seemed a natural ingredient.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29I use cider as the basis which added sweetness,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31and a little bit of appleyness,
0:33:31 > 0:33:33which was wonderful.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35We have stuck with that ever since.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39But back then, apple trees were not the only thing that could be
0:33:39 > 0:33:41found growing everywhere.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44For that hit of heat common in so many English mustards,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Robin and Sam turn to horseradish
0:33:47 > 0:33:48but they don't grate it, they
0:33:48 > 0:33:53concentrated it into a fiery essence that needs to be used sparingly.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58It is pretty mean stuff, add a tiny drop and it will react
0:33:58 > 0:34:03massively, or add another few drops to that and it will be explosive.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Just fold all the liquid into the flour
0:34:07 > 0:34:10and knead it through your fingers.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13It's basically the same as making a cake.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Give it a good old mix together
0:34:15 > 0:34:20and you will eventually come to a nice, hard dough,
0:34:20 > 0:34:24which you'll be able to separate and make into individual balls.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28But making authentic medieval mustard isn't without its drawbacks.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32This is when you first start to notice the chemicals actually
0:34:32 > 0:34:35starting to react. The mustard flour is now reacting
0:34:35 > 0:34:37to the horseradish that you've added,
0:34:37 > 0:34:39which is now starting to make my eyes water.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42But if you look now...
0:34:42 > 0:34:46that's more of the sort of dough that you'd like.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51This is it, this is where the pain comes in.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53It is a painful operation.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56I do pity the women that would have had this job, definitely.
0:34:58 > 0:34:59And there we have it, that is
0:34:59 > 0:35:04the consistency that it should be at. That is the finished ball.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10All that remains now is to individually roll
0:35:10 > 0:35:12the dough into convenient pocked-sized balls.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18Think of William Shakespeare carrying one of those around with him.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21- It's an amazing thought, isn't it? - Mm.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25There's no denying Tewkesbury mustard's rich history,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29and with Robin and Samantha on board the future is looking bright too.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32We don't really like to call it a condiment.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34We like to call it more of an ingredient
0:35:34 > 0:35:37because there is so much you can put it in, either stick it in a broth
0:35:37 > 0:35:39or a casserole or a stew.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Or to simply make your own salad dressings. Take a tiny piece
0:35:42 > 0:35:46of the ball with a bit of olive oil and a tiny bit of vinegar,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49whisk it up, and you've got yourself a fantastic salad dressing.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51But the big question is,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55does the latest batch of this age-old recipe cut the mustard?
0:36:00 > 0:36:01That is just perfect for me.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03I don't like it too hot.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06It's nice, actually.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15I love wholesome and hearty home-cooked food
0:36:15 > 0:36:18because it's packed with rich, warm, comforting flavours.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25And if there's one dish that ticks all three of those boxes,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28it's my beer marinated rack of pork with chard gratin.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32I'm going to marinate the meat first of all.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Now it's actually quite a modern technique really
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and one that is used in a lot of restaurants because it really
0:36:38 > 0:36:42imparts so much flavour in, and it's so easy to replicate at home.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47The base of the marinade is a brine made by heating 100ml
0:36:47 > 0:36:50of cold water with two tablespoons of sea salt
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and the same amount of dark brown sugar.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57And all I'm going to do really is just dissolve the sugar
0:36:57 > 0:36:59and the salt in the warm water.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Now you can use this brine for so many different meats.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Not only does it work well with pork,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06but it's fantastic with chicken.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08'Once the sugar and salt have dissolved,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11'add another 400ml of cold water.'
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Now I don't want this brine hot.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17That's the reason why I'm popping a little bit of cold water in there.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20The brine is transformed into a marinade by adding one
0:37:20 > 0:37:24teaspoon of black peppercorns, four cloves of crushed garlic,
0:37:24 > 0:37:29a couple of bay leaves and two tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Now a few herbs, you can put whatever you want in there, really.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38A little bit of thyme, some parsley, just pop the whole lot in.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Finish the marinade off with 500ml of good quality beer.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Don't use lager for this, you want really a rich ale
0:37:49 > 0:37:52because it's the molasses with the sugar and the beer
0:37:52 > 0:37:55that really imparts so much flavour into this dish.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01And then for the pork, I've got a nice rib of pork.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Now there's no fat on the top, so this is not going to be
0:38:04 > 0:38:07a roast joint with crackling.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09But fans of crackling needn't worry
0:38:09 > 0:38:12because this tasty marinade more than makes up for the lack of it.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17You'll need to leave the pork in the marinade for 24 hours,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21make sure you turn the meat every now and then.
0:38:21 > 0:38:22And I've got one here.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27What you need to do... We'll open up the bag
0:38:27 > 0:38:32and really lose the marinade and then just pat it dry on the outside.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Now you can see, with the marinade, when it sits in there,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38it changes colour slightly, but most importantly,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41it changes texture. It adds so much moisture.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44To ensure all the amazing flavours of the marinade stay within
0:38:44 > 0:38:46the pork, you need to seal it.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51So a hot pan on the stove and then get a little bit of butter in.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Make sure you seal the meat on all sides before putting it onto
0:38:58 > 0:39:01a baking tray and sticking it into an oven
0:39:01 > 0:39:04preheated at 200 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Now to serve with the pork I'm going to do a nice little gratin,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12and a gratin using this,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14chard. I love this sort of stuff.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20So many times people have tried this and it's very bitter.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23That's cos mainly, I think, they don't cook it properly,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26or certainly don't cook it enough.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29I've grown my own over the years in my garden
0:39:29 > 0:39:32and you get a whole array of wonderful colours when it
0:39:32 > 0:39:36comes into season. Pinks to reds to purples, it's a wonderful veg.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Next, chop two large spuds into small chunks,
0:39:41 > 0:39:46then throw the potatoes, chard and sliced onion into a pan.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51All the veg is baked in a white sauce.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53To make it, melt 50 grams of butter into a pan
0:39:53 > 0:39:56before adding the same amount of flour.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Keep it on the heat and mix it together.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05You can see the paste that you get out of this is just nice.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07And then you can add the milk.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10You'll need 400ml of full fat milk,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13which you should add gradually.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16And also a good tip to stop your white sauce from going lumpy,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19get rid of this at this stage and use a whisk.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Keep it on the heat, and keep mixing.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28Now you've got yourself a simple little white sauce
0:40:28 > 0:40:31but I'm going to slacken this down a little bit
0:40:31 > 0:40:33with some chicken stock.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Whisk in 200ml of the stock,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38followed by 50 grams of gruyere cheese.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Then pour the sauce over the veg
0:40:42 > 0:40:44and top it with more cheese.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48Now I love cooking this dish here in my kitchen
0:40:48 > 0:40:51because it's one of these dishes that can be prepared in advance.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53You can make this the day before.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56'Your next job is making the crust.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00'The key ingredient is brioche, a rich, buttery bread from France.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05'Start by blitzing 100 grams of it in a food processer.'
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Now brioche produces an amazing crumb, a buttery,
0:41:15 > 0:41:16delicious crumb.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20It's better than bread, in my opinion, for a crust.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21'To give the crust a real kick,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25'I throw in one teaspoon of English mustard powder and one tablespoon
0:41:25 > 0:41:27'of brown and yellow mustard seeds
0:41:27 > 0:41:29'that I've soaked in water overnight.'
0:41:32 > 0:41:35And then just to bind it, a little knob of butter.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45'When the mixture has reached the consistency of pastry,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47'and the pork has had 15 minutes in the oven
0:41:47 > 0:41:49'it's time to add the crust.'
0:41:50 > 0:41:53And the key to this is not add the crust too early
0:41:53 > 0:41:54otherwise it's going to burn.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58Then take the entire lot with the gratin,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00and put them back in the oven.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09'Reduce the heat to 180 degrees and cook the pork for 45 minutes
0:42:09 > 0:42:12'but give the gratin an hour.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17'This is the kind of food I love.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22'The creamy gratin is delicious enough on its own, but serve it with
0:42:22 > 0:42:26'meat this succulent and you've hit on a hearty and wholesome winner.'
0:42:26 > 0:42:34# Let me wrap you in my warm and tender love... #
0:42:36 > 0:42:40This crust is delicious, and that combined with the simplicity
0:42:40 > 0:42:44of the veg, I just think this is one of my all-time favourite dishes.
0:42:47 > 0:42:48I could eat the lot!
0:42:57 > 0:43:01I love trying out new and exciting flavours and I've had
0:43:01 > 0:43:03plenty of fancy meals over the years,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07but there are times when all I want is hearty and wholesome grub
0:43:07 > 0:43:10that I've cooked in my own kitchen.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Not only is this food easy to prepare, it's also bursting
0:43:14 > 0:43:16with the kind of comforting flavours
0:43:16 > 0:43:18that are guaranteed to warm you right through.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24You can find all the recipes from the series on...