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.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Oh-ho-ho! It is so good.
0:00:17 > 0:00:23The kind of no-nonsense grub that brings people together.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Cheers, everyone.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31The 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 > 0:00:48I am a child of the '70s, and the craze for ready meals
0:00:48 > 0:00:51arrived in the UK about the same time as me.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54And they went on to be quite popular too.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We eat more of them than any other country in Europe!
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I grew up on a farm, so a ready-made meal for me
0:01:02 > 0:01:05was something we picked from the veg patch.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10But I think you can achieve a happy medium between convenience
0:01:10 > 0:01:14and freshness, by cooking up your own home-made ready meals.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I'm convinced that fresh food cooked at home can be every bit
0:01:21 > 0:01:25as tasty and just as convenient as a shop-bought ready meal.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30I'll be cooking 1970s ready-meal classics
0:01:30 > 0:01:34that are just as easy, and far tastier, if you make them yourself.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And making my own glamorous version of a ready-made cheesecake.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Coming up, we meet a farmer
0:01:41 > 0:01:44who produces a must-have ingredient for ready meals.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47That one will actually make your tongue bleed.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Leave that one alone then, OK.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52And food historian Ivan Day shows us
0:01:52 > 0:01:55the 18th-century equivalent of a TV dinner.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00But first I'm going to start with a deceptively simple, spicy dish
0:02:00 > 0:02:02anyone can knock up in a jiffy.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Now, Chinese food has to be the ultimate ready-made meal
0:02:07 > 0:02:09but it's so easy to make your own at home
0:02:09 > 0:02:11if you've got the right ingredients.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13And this recipe for sweet and sour pork
0:02:13 > 0:02:16comes from a great mate of mine, the legend, Mr Ken Hom.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21This sweet and sour pork and pineapple stir-fry served
0:02:21 > 0:02:25with rice omelette is a classic home-made Chinese recipe.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Lean pork, fresh pineapple and pre-cooked rice means
0:02:30 > 0:02:34this dish can be cooked in five minutes and tastes amazing.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38So, first of all, to prepare our pork.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I've got some pork loin here.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Now, the reason why this is particularly good,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46it's got no fat on, but it takes very little time to cook.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It's important in all sort of Chinese food,
0:02:49 > 0:02:50particularly when using a wok,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55make sure that all the ingredients are prepared in advance.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00I'm going to marinade my pork in a trio of classic Chinese flavours.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Add about two tablespoons of Shaoxing rice wine..
0:03:06 > 0:03:08..a tablespoon of sesame oil,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and two tablespoons of light soy sauce.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15A little cornflour will thicken the mixture
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and help it stick to the meat.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Just going to have a quick wipe down.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Now, it is important when you're cooking food like this
0:03:22 > 0:03:24that you'll need to make sure
0:03:24 > 0:03:28all the ingredients are kind of the same size
0:03:28 > 0:03:30so they all cook nice and evenly in the wok.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Cube up your pineapple and then finely dice
0:03:35 > 0:03:39four cloves of garlic, and chop up some fresh spring onions.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43And then, we need to fire up our wok.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The key to this is to get it nice and hot, of course.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47So, you get that on there.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Always use normal oil, this is groundnut oil, sunflower oil,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53or vegetable oil, something like that.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57You would never, ever fry in sesame oil. It's got what they call
0:03:57 > 0:04:01a low flash point which means that it burns very, very quickly.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Fry the garlic before adding the pork.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11After three minutes, add the pineapple
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and a couple of tablespoons of sugar for sweetness.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18And then we can take our marinade, this is the marinade
0:04:18 > 0:04:21that we've done with the cornflour.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Anything else, throw that in.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Very quickly, this starts to come together now.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Starts to thicken up. Always keep it moving.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38And we'll finish this with our spring onions
0:04:38 > 0:04:40and a splash of dark soy sauce.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And that's kind of it finished, we can turn this off,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49leave that to one side.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Now, for my special fried rice.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56The thing about rice is, that it can cause food poisoning,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59so, one thing you have to do, really, is cool it down as quick
0:04:59 > 0:05:03as possible and then make sure when you reheat it, get it really hot.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Rather than do, sort of, fried rice the normal way,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11where you just pour the eggs onto the rice...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14..I'm going to do something slightly different.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20This Ken Hom-inspired rice omelette takes two eggs, lightly beaten,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24with two tablespoons of sesame oil.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Now, this is great, you'll like this, so simple,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30you just take some oil first of all, roll it around the pan,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33and then take the eggs, into the pan,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38same time, roll the omelette all the way round the edge, like that.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40It's that quick!
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Then just sprinkle your rice onto the omelette
0:05:43 > 0:05:44and let it heat through.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51It's just a great and a different way to serve egg fried rice.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Finally, I'll chop up some fresh coriander
0:05:56 > 0:05:57and then add it to the pork.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Don't need anything more than that, it's a very quick dish,
0:06:03 > 0:06:04very tasty dish.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And no need for any salt and pepper because you've got
0:06:09 > 0:06:13plenty of seasoning with the rice wine vinegar and the soy.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18And you can just put that on the side.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And there you have it, sweet and sour pork,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28in my mind, quicker than any ready meal and far tastier.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35It's fantastic. You can taste the ingredients in it.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38You know that it's going to be good for you as well.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41There's no butter, unfortunately, there's no cream,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44nothing, you just, you know, you'll end up like Ken Hom,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48living till you're 196, it's fantastic.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56The popularity of flavoursome dishes like this shows that us Brits
0:06:56 > 0:06:59have adventurous tastes when it comes to ready meals.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04With Italian, Indian and Chinese dishes making up the bulk
0:07:04 > 0:07:08of ready meals sold here in the UK, the popularity of garlic has soared!
0:07:11 > 0:07:13It's one of my favourite ingredients,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16but there's far more to garlic than the white bulbs
0:07:16 > 0:07:18we just chuck into our weekly shop.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Mark Botwright runs South West Garlic Farm in Dorset.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26He started out as a sheep farmer,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and then an unusual gift changed his life.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35I've been growing garlic down here now for nearly 17 years.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41Started, um... Blimey, back along when my wife Wendy bought me
0:07:41 > 0:07:46three bulbs for a birthday present and they grew so well I decided
0:07:46 > 0:07:50that I'd keep growing them, really, and very quickly we had hundreds
0:07:50 > 0:07:55and then thousands and to where we are now, really, where we've got
0:07:55 > 0:07:59ten acres, with about 900,000 bulbs growing, this year.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Mark grows a number of different types of garlic on his farm,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10but today, he's picking the variety that his wife Wendy first gave him.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15This is elephant garlic, that we're harvesting today.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18They're absolutely amazing baked, they crisp up and caramelise,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21they're not as strong as regular garlic,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23they give you a nice, earthy garlic flavour.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26They kind of retail out at about £2.50 each
0:08:26 > 0:08:29but compared to a normal bulb of garlic, you're looking at
0:08:29 > 0:08:32something that's about six to seven times the size of a normal bulb.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Once picked, the garlic goes into one of the farm's
0:08:37 > 0:08:39many poly-tunnels for the next stage.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42What we're doing now is laying the elephant garlic
0:08:42 > 0:08:45out on the bench to start its drying process.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47This takes between four and six weeks,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49depending on the weather conditions.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Elephant garlic is one our top sellers.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54It goes really, really well.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57People like it because it's a bit different,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00there's people that even eat it that don't actually like true garlic.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02It just hasn't got that harshness,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04the real garlic kick that you get.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Different types of garlic ripen
0:09:06 > 0:09:09at slightly different times of the year.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13So far, we've harvested four different varieties
0:09:13 > 0:09:16over the past couple of weeks. This is called Violet Spring.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I'd say that's kind of like an everyday kind of garlic.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24This is Iberian. It's got a lovely, lovely, mild, rounded flavour to it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Really, really nice.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Excellent for eating raw
0:09:27 > 0:09:30just on, like, put onto tomato salad or something like that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34This is a Turkish variety I picked up on my travels a few years ago.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Really quite a hot little garlic for the size of it.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41He's doing a great job with his garlic bulbs, but Mark's also
0:09:41 > 0:09:46got something going on in his garden shed that's strictly top secret.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52He's discovered a winning formula to make the rare delicacy black garlic.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58It's taken me over two years to work out the process.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03Black garlic is fermented for 40 days under a controlled heat and humidity.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08The amino acids and the waters and the sugars within the bulb
0:10:08 > 0:10:13react with each other and turn the inside of the cloves jet black.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Well, first of all, it's just so soft.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19A lot of the top chefs are making foams, purees,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22and I'll show you how easy it is to make it into a paste.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25It's got a flavour of a sweet balsamic vinegar,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29smoked liquorish, smoked cardamom, it doesn't taste
0:10:29 > 0:10:32anything like normal garlic at all and it's one of our top sellers.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It actually is our top seller.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Another speciality that chefs come to Mark for is scape,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42something he only discovered a few years ago.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45This is an elephant garlic plant.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47At this time of year they produce a stalk, here,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49which is called a scape.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54We remove the scape to put energy back into the bulb of the plant,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58to aid in its swelling and producing nice, big, strong garlics.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Up to two or three years ago that would have just been thrown
0:11:01 > 0:11:04on the floor just as a by-product that wasn't even used at all.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And just chatting to a really good chef friend of mine,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09he told me that you could eat them,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12which was amazing and now we have another product.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Since Mark's discovered that scapes are edible, he's been
0:11:16 > 0:11:19experimenting in the kitchen with different ways to use them.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23You take the scape and literally split it up the middle.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27All of this is totally edible, but you get the absolute beauty of it.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30You can steam it, pan-fry it, anything you would do with asparagus,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33it's really cool. And it looks amazing on the plate.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37It's truly inspiring that this successful family business
0:11:37 > 0:11:40grew from only three little garlic bulbs.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43These are being bunched up into bundles of 250g
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and they're going to be picked up by a courier company
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and they're off to London and Bristol,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51where they're going to be cooked by top chefs
0:11:51 > 0:11:55and they'll be served tomorrow night, which will be fantastic.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05It's great to see a farmer who's as passionate about his produce
0:12:05 > 0:12:07as I am about cooking it.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10So, I've invited Mark along today to cook him
0:12:10 > 0:12:13a ready-meal classic using some of his home-grown crop.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17This is a fantastic selection of garlic you've brought along here.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21What are the main different ones we've got in here? I assume this is the elephant one?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Yep, that's the elephant garlic, yep,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26that's the biggest you'll ever get growing in the UK.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27Initially comes from Russia.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And what else have we got then, what's this one?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32That's Morado, that's really, really hot.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34That originally came from southern Spain.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37What do you mean hot? I mean, spicy hot?
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Spicy, but nearly in the realms of, like, a chilli.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42That one will actually make your tongue bleed
0:12:42 > 0:12:46- if you actually put it on your tongue.- Leave that one alone then!
0:12:46 > 0:12:48You can see, also, we leave the roots on.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50The least damage you can actually do to the bulb,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53the longer shelf life the bulb will actually have.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Also, keeping them on the windowsill in the daylight is really, really important.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00If you put them in the fridge and try to store them like that,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04it's putting them into their dormant state and they'll sprout straight away.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06So, when you're storing these at home, windowsill.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Yep, kitchen windowsill.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Now, I thought I'd do a great dish with this, but hark back
0:13:11 > 0:13:15to the 1970s because all the best things were invented in the 1970s.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Including this, the chicken Kiev.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Back in 1979, it was successfully launched as the UK's very first
0:13:24 > 0:13:28chilled ready meal and it's still just as popular now.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34The enticing combination of garlic butter and tender cooked chicken,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38all encased in a crispy breadcrumb shell, is a timeless classic.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Should I use something like that?
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I wouldn't, I'd go for an Iberian.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46I'll use this one, then,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50and we're just going to base the... Make this quite simply, really,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53because first of all, we need to make the butter itself.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I'll start by dicing up a few cloves of garlic,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01then chop up some parsley before adding a modest dose of butter.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Mix in well.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08How do people grow garlic at home?
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Because it's kind of a hit and miss affair, really.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15I've tried it in my garden, it's some degree of success, some not.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17It is.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19So, people at home, you would take this.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- You could, but I wouldn't. - You could do it with this.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26You could, but I wouldn't recommend it. Basically what happens is,
0:14:26 > 0:14:32if you were to take a garlic from Scotland or in Spain
0:14:32 > 0:14:36and then grow it here, initially it would not like that climate change.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41So, the first year, they probably would grow deformed,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43like you just said, you get really bad results, you might get
0:14:43 > 0:14:48a solo bulb or something that looks deformed and bursts out of its skin.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51But if you then keep those cloves back, dry them
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and replant them, then they kind of come zone friendly.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58It's what I was like when I moved from Yorkshire to Hampshire, I was too hot.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It's what it was, you see. It's too hot down here.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Garlic butter freezes well
0:15:04 > 0:15:07so don't be afraid to make more than you need.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11When it's mixed, pop it into some clingfilm and bung it in the fridge.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I'm using a batch I prepared earlier.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Take two skinned supremes of chicken breast and make an incision.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Insert the hardened garlic butter into the pocket.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27It's just got this, sort of a nice lump in the centre.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29And now, for the Kiev coating.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Using a couple of beaten eggs, some plain flour
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and breadcrumbs, we can get on with sealing our chicken.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Now, you said you started it with just three bulbs of garlic,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41was that...is that true? You just had...
0:15:41 > 0:15:44That is a fact, completely, yep.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47So, from the three, each one has six of these, inside,
0:15:47 > 0:15:48on an average kind of thing.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52So, were up to 18 straight away for the next year
0:15:52 > 0:15:56and then I kept doing it for five or six years, seven, eight years,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and it got a bit of a joke and everyone was going,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01"You're mad, what are you doing?" and we had a big vegetable patch,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03over a quarter of an acre and there was about
0:16:03 > 0:16:065,500-6,000 bulbs just of elephant garlic growing in there.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- And where were you selling this to, because...- I wasn't.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10I wasn't, I was doing it
0:16:10 > 0:16:14- because it just looked really cool in the garden.- Right.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17To make sure the garlic butter doesn't leak out,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21coat the chicken with flour and eggs twice before the breadcrumbs.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Cook these in a deep-fat fryer for about 8-10 minutes
0:16:27 > 0:16:29at 150 degrees Centigrade.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32This should make sure the chicken is cooked and golden brown.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36While they're cooking, I'll just do
0:16:36 > 0:16:39a simple little bean ragout, with garlic as well.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Quickly saute some runner beans, peas, spring onions,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48some of Mark's garlic, broad beans and parsley, with a knob of butter.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53You've got a wonderful little sauce to go with it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57I'm intrigued by Mark's scapes, so he's brought some along for me to try.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03What do you reckon on the flavour of those?
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- It's not garlicky, though, is it? - No, not at all.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09It's got asparagus sort of texture.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- Yeah, exactly. - But really nice.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Eight minutes up, and our Kievs are fried to perfection.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I'm chucking Mark's scapes into the ragout to warm them through.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Both ex-farmers, you see, go on, stick it in there, on there,
0:17:26 > 0:17:27and then you can dive in.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Yeah, I'm hoping to see a great big garlicky explosion
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- out of the middle. - Yeah, we got one, yes, you see.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Look at that. I should imagine it's going to be pretty good.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39Any good?
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Mm. I like the chicken with the bone on, that's really nice.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It's nice, just a nice little touch.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48You just charge an extra fiver for that in a restaurant.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54It's like all the best things were born in the '70s.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Hm, for sure. Not like you, though.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- I was born in the '70s. - Were you?- Yeah!
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Cheeky beggar! The years might not have been kind to me,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06but these home-made chicken Kievs taste every bit as good
0:18:06 > 0:18:09as their pioneering cousins from the 1970s.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17People have always needed grub that's tasty and convenient.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23Food historian Ivan Day is exploring the story of an 18th-century dish
0:18:23 > 0:18:25that would have made a great TV dinner
0:18:25 > 0:18:28if there'd been anything to watch in those days.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31If I was to hunt through all the ancient recipes to see
0:18:31 > 0:18:35if I could find an ancient equivalent of a modern
0:18:35 > 0:18:40home-cooked ready meal, I'm sure I would choose a remarkable pie
0:18:40 > 0:18:43from a recipe from 1727,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and it's for something called a sweet lamb pie.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51This multi-purpose pie contained meat, two veg,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and even the elements of a sweet dish.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58So, it was, in fact, a complete family meal in a pastry package.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04There are many ways of making these pies which are self-contained,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08they're not baked in a pie dish, so they have to stand up.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12I'm going to use this pastry, which is a remarkable material
0:19:12 > 0:19:14because it's like modelling paste
0:19:14 > 0:19:17but it's also incredibly good to eat.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23It's made by rubbing some fat into some flour in the usual way
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and then actually adding a lot of egg yolks
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and it's the egg yolks that give it strength.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Once a circle was cut out for the base,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35the serious work of building the pie case got under way.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39It's so strong that I can flex it around very, very gently
0:19:39 > 0:19:44to make the walls of the pie without it collapsing.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And then, I just stretch it
0:19:48 > 0:19:53so that those two thin walls can be joined together.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58To ensure there were no gaps or holes, a special gadget called
0:19:58 > 0:19:59a pastry jagger was used.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05But by pushing it in like that, it's actually joining
0:20:05 > 0:20:08the wall to the base.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15And finally, a spoon and water were used to iron out any imperfections.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18What I've got to do with this next is to just put it
0:20:18 > 0:20:21in a cold place and get the fillings prepared.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28This is a pie from what we call the Baroque period and it's a time
0:20:28 > 0:20:33when people liked real complexity in music and decorations in churches
0:20:33 > 0:20:37and in architecture, and the food is very, very similar.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41This is the sort of complicated pie that they loved back at this time.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Less certainly wasn't more in those days - more is more.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48The first of many ingredients in this elaborate Sweet Lamb Pie
0:20:48 > 0:20:53were, unsurprisingly, lamb and sugar.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57The sugar in these pies acts as a flavour enhancer.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01It's there but you hardly notice it, but it's lifting the flavour.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Adding grated nutmeg and ground mace and cloves
0:21:05 > 0:21:08gave this dish a spicy kick.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12The story goes that a lot of these ingredients first came to England
0:21:12 > 0:21:15with returning crusaders who were often
0:21:15 > 0:21:20living in the Middle East for years and got used to the local diet.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Sweet meatballs made with lamb mince, suet, sugar,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29spices and currants were also added into the pie.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31And finally,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36so I can bind this all together, I've got the yolks of two eggs.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Once the lamb and the meatballs were added to the pie case,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44they were topped with a layer of artichoke and sweet potatoes.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Unlike the orange ones we're used to seeing today,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49these sweet spuds were white.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52These were the very first potatoes that we had in Britain
0:21:52 > 0:21:54in the 16th century
0:21:54 > 0:21:58and it's amazing to know that sweet potatoes were actually eaten during
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Shakespeare's lifetime and eaten mainly in puddings as a sweet dish.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06A sprinkling of candied fruit and a knob of butter were
0:22:06 > 0:22:10the final flourishes in this amazingly complicated pie.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16The lid was put on,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and the pastry jagger was used again to seal up the whole pie case.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25What I really want to do is to make it much more
0:22:25 > 0:22:28like the highly decorated pies of this period
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and they had special equipment to do that.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Carved wooden boards, called pie boards, were used as moulds.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40With them, pastry chefs would create all kinds of amazing decorations.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45The final crowning glory to my pie
0:22:45 > 0:22:48is something which was known as a haystack.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53That is my finished sweet lamb pie.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58This 18th-century, home-cooked ready meal
0:22:58 > 0:23:00took just an hour and a half in the oven.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03So, it's not quite as handy as a microwave dinner.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07But before it could be tasted, the lid was taken off,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10so that the final flavouring could be added.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15A sauce, which was usually like a wine custard, it was egg yolks
0:23:15 > 0:23:17mixed up with wine, bit of sugar,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22sometimes some lemon juice, is then poured into the pie.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28What does a sweet lamb pie taste like?
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Well, let's start with the top.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34This is really like a sweet potato custard, it's the pudding, in a way.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39And it's very good.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Let's see if I can find one of those little sweet meatballs.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46Hm.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51It is definitely sweet, but the acidity of the wine
0:23:51 > 0:23:55and the lemon juice allay it, so it's perfectly delicious.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Then, finally, there's the lamb itself.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Hm, oh. It's cooked beautifully.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Isn't it a shame that most of us don't make pies like this any more?
0:24:09 > 0:24:15Because this really, I think, is the perfect home-made ready meal.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Ivan's fancy pie gives us
0:24:18 > 0:24:22a good example of how ready meals have changed over the years.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Thankfully, these days we have our mains
0:24:28 > 0:24:30and pudding as separate dishes.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Ready-made desserts are a popular pudding short cut for those of us
0:24:34 > 0:24:37who don't have too much time to spare.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40But my strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake is
0:24:40 > 0:24:43far tastier than anything from the chiller cabinet.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48A delicious blend of strawberries, cream and white chocolate
0:24:48 > 0:24:53that can be put together from scratch in less than half an hour.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Now, this dish is really simple, it comes from the home
0:24:55 > 0:24:59of the ready-made meal, I suppose, the United States of America.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Their version of a cheesecake is baked, this one is actually set,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06although this is almost instant because you don't really need to set it.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08But what I'm going to do is I'm going to serve it with
0:25:08 > 0:25:09a little bit of white chocolate
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and we're going to create these little shards with it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14So grab yourself some white chocolate
0:25:14 > 0:25:17because this is a great combination with strawberries.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20First, I need to melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24In Yorkshire terms, a "pan of 'at watter", basically.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Whilst this is melting, get some clingfilm
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and wrap it around a baking tray.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I'll pour the melted chocolate over this later.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Chocolate will only take about two or three minutes to melt,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40which gives us enough time to create our lovely jelly to go with it.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Now, you can actually use your own bought-in jelly, it's entirely
0:25:43 > 0:25:46up to you for this, but I'm going to make my own, purely due to the fact
0:25:46 > 0:25:49that I've got some lovely fresh strawberries in the garden.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52It's an incredibly quick and easy thing to do.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Just chop up some strawberries,
0:25:54 > 0:25:59cover with 40ml of water, then add 25 grams of sugar.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Simmer this for 8-10 minutes.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05While that's going, soak some leaf gelatine in cold water
0:26:05 > 0:26:06and set aside.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12This chocolate is now ready and we can pour this onto our tray.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18What I'm going to do is spread this nice and evenly over the tray.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And also, you've got a little bit of chocolate left over.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And then stick this in the freezer to get it really cold.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Only wants about five or six minutes to get it nice and chilled.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Now, over to our jelly, which is nearly done.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42So at this point, you can take your little sieve
0:26:42 > 0:26:44and carefully pour this through.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49So, you get this lovely clear liquid which tastes of strawberries.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Once the gelatine has softened,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56dissolve it into the strawberry infusion.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And when it's cooled, I'm going to use it to make a fancy glaze.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07A ready-made flan base cuts a few corners.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10I'm going to use one of these fancy rings that I've got in my house
0:27:10 > 0:27:12but you can use a biscuit tin,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15cut the base out with a tin opener, you've got a round one.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Cut it into your desired shape
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and for a rich, luxurious touch, drizzle on some raspberry liqueur.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26So, now I can concentrate on my filling.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28This is really quick and straightforward.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30You need a decent bowl,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and then it's really a combination of three ingredients.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39To fill a mould this size, I'm using 200g of cream cheese
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and the same amount of full-fat creme fraiche.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Then add 300ml of double cream.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50To this, I'm going to add the seeds from two vanilla pods,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53before mixing it all together with 100g of caster sugar.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59And then you need elbow grease because you need to whisk this
0:27:59 > 0:28:02until the cream starts to thicken,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06which should take about three or four minutes.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Now, so often with cheesecakes, they're set with something
0:28:12 > 0:28:16like gelatine and you get this horrible, distinct taste,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19but doing it this way it keeps it lovely and light,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21but it happens quite quickly.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25So, when you get to this stage you can see the mix is starting to thicken.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Keep going.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28You don't want to go too much,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30otherwise it's going to split the cream.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35But that's about there.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And you take this filling and pop it in.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44The best way to do this, really, is to press it in, first of all.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Once it's all smoothed over, top it with some fresh strawberries.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56If you're going to do this, put plenty of stuff on there.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01You don't want anybody fighting for the little bits that are left over.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Now, the best way to take rings off things like this and mousses
0:29:05 > 0:29:08is to actually warm it up and you can do it two ways, either use
0:29:08 > 0:29:12a hot cloth, where you get it warm round the edge, that way it just
0:29:12 > 0:29:16loosens up the mixture, but the best way, I find, is to use a blowtorch.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21Just warm up the edge on one side, same on the other side
0:29:21 > 0:29:23and the same on this side.
0:29:23 > 0:29:28Remember, give the metal a few seconds to cool before lifting it off.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31And then, you've got your jelly,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34just a little bit over the top, fill in any gaps.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42And then, of course, we've got our white chocolate.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46And you can take this out. Now, the best way to do that is just
0:29:46 > 0:29:49basically use a knife.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Cut through the clingfilm...
0:29:54 > 0:29:56..and then break it,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59because what we're after is sort of shards of this.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Thing with white chocolate, you need to make sure it's really cold.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06So, freezing it is a really good idea.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15The best part of this is, of course, the tasting.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Sure enough, you've worked up an appetite, but it's payback time.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27That's delicious.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33The white chocolate and the fresh strawberries from the garden.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Life doesn't get any better, does it, really?
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Knocked up in half an hour and made with strawberries
0:30:45 > 0:30:49picked from my very own garden, this cheesecake is, to me,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52more ready meal than anything you can buy in the shops.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01When I was a kid, harvesting my grandad's home grown fruit and veg
0:31:01 > 0:31:03was the fastest way to make a ready meal.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08But it's a fact of life that these days, ready meals are something
0:31:08 > 0:31:10that many people buy from shops
0:31:10 > 0:31:13and not something that they can grow and pick themselves.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Fortunately, up in my home county of Yorkshire,
0:31:19 > 0:31:23there's a team of people looking to inspire the next generation of kids
0:31:23 > 0:31:25to produce their own ready meals.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29So, spinach doesn't need a right lot of light, at all, to grow.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30Oh, in the darkness it's coriander.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34- Coriander's growing all right.- Yeah. - That's interesting, isn't it?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Pam Warhurst is one of the leading lights behind this unique
0:31:37 > 0:31:42lottery-funded educational facility, teaching schoolchildren of all ages
0:31:42 > 0:31:46ingenious ways of growing their own food.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Ready meals are not all about stuff in plastic and it's not
0:31:48 > 0:31:51all about stuff that comes from the other side of the planet.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Ready meals are healthy food that you've grown locally
0:31:54 > 0:31:57that you know yourself what's in it and you can be really pleased
0:31:57 > 0:32:00that you're giving your kids a healthy option.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Oh, that's fantastic, you might have to hold that in your hand.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Teacher Aine Douglas is committed to getting kids to understand
0:32:08 > 0:32:10the basic origins of what we eat.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14Today, she's helping kids pick veg to put into a salad for later.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Right, so, when we get through here, if you spot something ripe,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22how do we know if a tomato is ripe, Daniel?
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Because you can see it's red.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28With 35% of the salads we buy going to waste,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31it's one ready meal that really pays to grow yourself.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36For many years, this country and a lot of the western world
0:32:36 > 0:32:40has been focused on finding labour-saving devices for everything,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43you know, we're very luxurious and I think people have lost that
0:32:43 > 0:32:46connection with food because it's so easy to buy convenience food.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And what I've seen as a teacher,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52and as a mum, is a whole generation of children growing up not knowing
0:32:52 > 0:32:55that cucumber doesn't have plastic on it naturally, for instance.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59So, for Aine, educating children to appreciate that healthy,
0:32:59 > 0:33:03tasty, ready meals are something that we can grow ourselves is
0:33:03 > 0:33:06something we should all be doing.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09And did you notice, look, these are all ready to eat already,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12isn't that fantastic? So, we've just grown them,
0:33:12 > 0:33:16all we did is walk down and pick them, and they're ready for eating.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18But here, they're not just teaching the kids
0:33:18 > 0:33:20the merits of growing their own food,
0:33:20 > 0:33:21they also get to cook with it.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Fantastic. So, what we're going to do, we're going to make pizza today
0:33:25 > 0:33:28because, at home, everybody has pizzas.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30In the UK, the ready-made pizza market is worth
0:33:30 > 0:33:34a staggering £375 million a year.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It's one of our most popular ready meals.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41But here in Todmorden, the kids are taught how to make them from scratch.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Young children have grown up thinking that
0:33:45 > 0:33:47if you want to do something quick, you take off a packet,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49you put it on an oven dish or in a microwave
0:33:49 > 0:33:53and what's important is to show that actually, it can be far, far,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56far quicker and more enjoyable to make a ready meal from
0:33:56 > 0:34:00something you're growing yourself or something that you've done yourself.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02There couldn't be anything more ready than fresh salad,
0:34:02 > 0:34:04fresh fruit and that sort of thing.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07So very much, they're seeing it doesn't have to take
0:34:07 > 0:34:09three quarters of an hour and a shopping trip
0:34:09 > 0:34:11to put something onto the table.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15So, that's a ready-made ready meal of a pizza and side salad,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18all picked and cooked in no time at all.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25- What's your very favourite bit, Ava? - Picking them.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Picking was your favourite, was it?
0:34:26 > 0:34:29And what's your favourite taste on your plate today?
0:34:29 > 0:34:31- The tomato.- The tomato, is it? What about you, Carol?
0:34:31 > 0:34:33The salad.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35The salad, ah... What about you, Daniel?
0:34:35 > 0:34:38- Tomato.- The tomatoes, how gorgeous!
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Well, it's been fantastic, you have been top chefs and top pickers.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46So, I think what I'm seeing now is a real delight that's springing
0:34:46 > 0:34:47with the generation of young people,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51aged four, who come here, and onwards, who are now seeing
0:34:51 > 0:34:54it's very, very natural to go out and to grow something,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57pick it, bring it in and actually use it on their own table.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02It's great to know that this class at least won't lose sight
0:35:02 > 0:35:05of the fact that not all ready meals come in packets.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14Just like the school,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18in my garden this summer, I've had a bumper crop of tomatoes.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Making a quality home-made tomato sauce out of them will give me
0:35:21 > 0:35:25something I can freeze and use in all sorts of meals.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28This, for me, has to be the ultimate ready meal.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32It's a tomato and basil sauce, a classic Italian staple.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37Italian dishes are one of the most popular ready made meals in the UK
0:35:37 > 0:35:41and many are based around a quality tomato sauce.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I'm going to use my home-made tomato sauce three ways.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47It'll make a tasty dressing
0:35:47 > 0:35:51for a rustic bread and tomato panzanella salad.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It's perfect with pasta.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56And it makes a brilliant accompanying sauce for
0:35:56 > 0:35:58a fresh-grilled tuna steak.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01But first, we need to make the sauce.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05You need a decent amount of garlic, about four cloves, really, for this.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06Just dice these up.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11In a pan, heat up a decent amount of good-quality olive oil
0:36:11 > 0:36:13before adding the garlic.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17We're not frying it, we're just warming the garlic through to release its flavour.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22Now, the whole point about this sort of tomato sauce is that
0:36:22 > 0:36:25if you've got the advantage of fresh tomatoes at the bottom
0:36:25 > 0:36:28of your garden, you can use them.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30But I find the combination of tinned tomatoes
0:36:30 > 0:36:32and fresh works just as good.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35You can actually just make this with tinned tomatoes
0:36:35 > 0:36:38but you've got to buy really good quality ones.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42So you just bring this to the boil
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and gently simmer it together with some basil leaves,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48and the oil actually emulsifies into the tomatoes
0:36:48 > 0:36:50which creates a lovely little sauce.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55And the great thing about this dish is that once you've cooked
0:36:55 > 0:36:59a big batch of it, you can store it in the fridge or it'll freeze
0:36:59 > 0:37:02really well and you can use it throughout the rest of the week.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Now, for my first dish that we're going to create using
0:37:05 > 0:37:07this sauce is a panzanella.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10The basis for a panzanella salad is crusty bread.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Cut this up into chunks, then fry it off with the olive oil
0:37:13 > 0:37:15to crisp it up.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20And then we can make the dressing for this, which is great.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Take some of your tomato sauce
0:37:23 > 0:37:26and blitz it with some red wine or sherry vinegar.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Don't be tempted to use malt vinegar, it won't taste the same.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34And then, I'm going to serve it with these fabulous tomatoes that
0:37:34 > 0:37:36I've got growing in the bottom of my garden,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38which you just basically chop up.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46We throw the tomatoes in, little bit of basil, as well.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54Add the crispy bread along with a few anchovies for a salty kick.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57And just have a quick taste before.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02It's the vinegar, it's that red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
0:38:02 > 0:38:05that adds a real kick to it and you pour this over the top.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09You can be quite generous with it.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11The bread will soak up the juice.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Season with salt and pepper, and it's done.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And then we can grab our next dish.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24This is great, it's just a real simple tuna steak.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Season the tuna steak with cracked black pepper
0:38:31 > 0:38:34and some salt, then rub over a little oil.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38When you use a griddle pan, always oil the food, not the pan.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Now, while this is cooking, I'm just going to spice up
0:38:46 > 0:38:47our lovely little sauce to go with it.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Finely chop a chilli, seeds and all, and add it to our ready-made sauce.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56Salt.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Little bit of black pepper.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02And I have the same obsessions when I'm cooking a steak
0:39:02 > 0:39:05to when I'm cooking tuna, I keep telling everybody,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07it's already dead, you don't need to kill it again.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10So, it wants to be just nice and pink,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13medium rare in the centre, that way you'll get all this lovely flavour.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16So, once it's sealed on one side, turn it,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18and then you only need to turn it again.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22So, flip it over and you get this wonderful charred mark.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24So, cook it the same the other side.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Our sauce is almost done.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Lift this off.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Little drizzle with the old oil... over the top.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48And then, of course, we've got our pasta
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and for that, I've got my gadget out.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52My gadget in my kitchen,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55So, live with me for this one because this is my pasta machine.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58This machine churns out tons of the stuff.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01A bag of super-fine 00 flour gets us under way
0:40:01 > 0:40:05and follow that with another whole bag of semolina flour.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08I got this at a food show
0:40:08 > 0:40:11and some Italian was very good at flogging me stuff
0:40:11 > 0:40:15and I actually went for a new oven and came back with a pasta machine.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Chuck in a dozen eggs, yolks and all, and it's good to go.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Of course, you can always buy fresh pasta
0:40:24 > 0:40:27if you don't have a gadget like this.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29This forces the mixture through here
0:40:29 > 0:40:33and then you can rotate this little spinning blade,
0:40:33 > 0:40:34which cuts the pasta.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41Mmm! And it's warm as well, look at that! It's warm.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Every time I use this, I just love it.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49To be honest with you, you do need a lot of mates who like pasta
0:40:49 > 0:40:53because this produces about three kilos of the stuff at any one time
0:40:53 > 0:40:56but, to me, it's a thing of beauty.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01I need to get out more, but you just get these small little shells,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04like that, and let them naturally dry out,
0:41:04 > 0:41:08only for about an hour, and you get this beautiful pasta.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17How cool is that? I just think it's brilliant.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18And when you've stopped admiring it,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21you need to cook it in a pan of boiling salted water.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23And then you throw in the pasta.
0:41:23 > 0:41:29Now, fresh pasta like this takes 30 seconds, 45 seconds, to cook.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31But you can use penne pasta at home.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35The ideal pasta, really, when you're serving anything with tomatoes
0:41:35 > 0:41:37is something that's got ridges in it,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41because all that lovely sauce goes into all these lovely ridges.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Alternatively, phone me up and I'll send you some of this,
0:41:44 > 0:41:45I've got plenty.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54As soon as it's cooked, we'll drain it off.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Now, the key to any good pasta dish
0:42:00 > 0:42:05is to finish off the cooking in the sauce.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08For some reason us Brits just end up with a pile of dry pasta
0:42:08 > 0:42:10and chuck the sauce on the top.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Good pinch of salt.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21I personally would put a knob of butter in there, but...
0:42:21 > 0:42:26the Italians watching this might get a little bit upset, but that's
0:42:26 > 0:42:31how I'd finish it off. But you've got this wonderful fresh pasta.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33You've got a great tomato sauce.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Because it's for TV...
0:42:38 > 0:42:41..on there, nice little drizzle of olive oil
0:42:41 > 0:42:42and there you have it.
0:42:44 > 0:42:45Don't like that bit.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49So, there you have it, three meals with one sauce, easy as that.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Whether it's an American, Chinese or Italian dish,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58us Brits are big fans of the ready meal.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00But these days, all those international flavours don't
0:43:00 > 0:43:02have to come out of a packet.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06With a little prep and a few choice ingredients,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10I believe our favourite ready meals can act as inspiration for us
0:43:10 > 0:43:13to start cooking these very same dishes at home.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19So, in an age where convenience is king, why not take a little time
0:43:19 > 0:43:21to cook your very own ready meal,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23just the way you like it?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28You can find all the recipes from the series on...