0:00:02 > 0:00:05If there's one thing I look forward to at the end of a busy day,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09it's the thought of getting back to MY kitchen at home.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13For me, nothing beats cooking some simple, heart-warming food.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Oh, oh, oh. It is so good.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20The kind of no-nonsense grub
0:00:20 > 0:00:23that brings people together.
0:00:23 > 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.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48For me, food and entertaining at home go hand in hand.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51One of my greatest pleasures in life
0:00:51 > 0:00:55is cooking dishes with a wow factor.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58When I have friends around for dinner, I'm always turning
0:00:58 > 0:01:00to a few tried and tested recipes that taste great
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and are stunning to look at.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06These are crowd-pleasing dishes that will keep everyone
0:01:06 > 0:01:07coming back for more.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12I'm going to cook a dish that's a guaranteed dinner-party hit.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15If there's really a true test of a good meal,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17it's got to be that, hasn't it, really.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Make a spectacular cake that involves...
0:01:19 > 0:01:21a bit of dancing.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25If people are just tuning in like this, I haven't been drinking, honest!
0:01:25 > 0:01:26But it never fails to impress.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29And food historian Ivan Day
0:01:29 > 0:01:32keeps the party swinging with some explosive
0:01:32 > 0:01:3318th-century drinks.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37After a glass of this stuff and one of these,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41I'd probably be seeing horses floating off across the Thames, too.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I'm starting off with a crowd-pleasing dish
0:01:49 > 0:01:51that always wows in my house,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and it's well worth the effort when you fancy pushing the boat out.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59It's beef Wellington with a wild mushroom Madeira sauce.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Now, it's really a combination of classic flavours,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08there's really a perfect marriage.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Traditionally this would be just roasted and cooked inside the puff pastry,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16but I actually prefer to cook the beef fully beforehand
0:02:16 > 0:02:20and it means that the pastry is nice and cooked and less soggy in the centre.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Now, this is a whole centre cut of fillet.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Now this is normally where you get these lovely fillet steaks from, if you cut through,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29so the first thing I'm going to do is get
0:02:29 > 0:02:32a little bit of oil, just a small amount of oil,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35cos I'm going to seal off this beef.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38It only takes a couple of minutes to do this,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41giving me time to lay out some clingfilm for cooking the meat in.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Unusual, I know, but it really works.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Just check on the packaging to make sure
0:02:46 > 0:02:48it's suitable for this type of cooking.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Then as soon as the beef is sealed,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57lift it off and place it on your clingfilm,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and then you wrap it up nice and tight.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01We're going to cook it long and slow.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Now the great thing about cooking it this way,
0:03:04 > 0:03:05it doesn't shrink.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I always kind of bring it down to putting your backside in a hot bath.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It kind of clenches.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Now if you leave it for ten minutes in a low heat bath,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15it's kind of nice really. The same thing with this.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Place into an oven that's 100 degrees centigrade for an hour.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26After that, place it in the fridge to cool down.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Now it's time to get on with preparing the fillings
0:03:28 > 0:03:30and I'm going to start with the duxelle,
0:03:30 > 0:03:31a kind of mushroom paste.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36You've just got some field mushrooms here.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38You can just use button mushrooms if you want,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40but the main thing with this is, do not wash them,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44whatever you do, because they absorb moisture like a sponge
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and it's going to make this duxelle quite liquid.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Once they're very finely chopped, fry them off on a hot pan
0:03:50 > 0:03:53for a couple of minutes and leave it to cool.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59So allow that just to chill down nicely.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Next up is the spinach, cooked with a small knob of butter.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06This will add a lovely bit of colour to the Wellington.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11With spinach, you kind of just show it the heat, really.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Just as soon as it hits the heat of the pan, take it off
0:04:15 > 0:04:17and continue to cook it off the stove
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and it kind of wilts down nicely, cos you want all that colour
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and that can go on the tray next to the mushrooms.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27After that comes the pancakes.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30They will help stop the pastry from getting soggy.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I'm using a standard batter of 200ml of milk,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35two whole eggs, 60g of flour
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and a pinch of salt.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41And these are quite crucial because it's going to absorb
0:04:41 > 0:04:43any bits of juices that come out of the beef,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46which is really important to stop the pastry from going soggy.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Cos this is one of the dishes that I kind of think people have tried
0:04:49 > 0:04:52when they've had dinner parties at home in the late '80s,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55something like that. Certainly, may have been the '70s.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58My mother probably is one of them. She's tried it, it's gone wrong
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and never touched it since.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01And this is kind of one of those dishes
0:05:01 > 0:05:04that's really a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Make sure they're nice and thin.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14After the pancakes are cooked,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17leave them to cool along with the other ingredients.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Now it's just an assembly job.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It all starts with some shop-bought puff pastry
0:05:23 > 0:05:28that I'm rolling out large enough to wrap around the beef.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31The first thing I'm going to do is put the pancakes on.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33This is quite crucial when it comes to cooking,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37because the pancakes are going to absorb all the liquid that comes out of the beef
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and prevent the pastry, of course, from being soggy.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43When you're laying these on, you're almost building a patchwork quilt,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45filling in any gaps.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48They taste so good.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And I've got some pate here. It's entirely up to you
0:05:50 > 0:05:52what pate you use, really,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55but chicken liver, duck liver pate is pretty good for this,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58but the most important thing is that it's smooth.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01You don't want anything too coarse,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04in terms of pate, cos it's just going to rip
0:06:04 > 0:06:06when you put the filling in.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12After a thin layer of the pate comes the spinach,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15followed by the duxelle.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17It's kind of like a privilege to
0:06:17 > 0:06:20sort of make this at home because it's a classic dish
0:06:20 > 0:06:21that requires respect.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25It's not a dish that you can rush, but hopefully in the end,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28you get rewarded for the amount of time that you've put in it,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30when it comes out of the oven.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32And then black pepper
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and salt.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Pop your beef on and then, before we start to roll up,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40we just need some egg wash.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42I always find it easier to trim it down afterwards,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45so if you've got the egg wash on the top
0:06:45 > 0:06:46and then you're ready to roll it up.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50You start at one end, flip it over and roll this over
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and when you get to this end, then
0:06:52 > 0:06:55you can trim it up.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57So many times you actually trim this up first
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and end up with not enough pastry, really.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Roll it over like that.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Keep these ends on and just tuck them in,
0:07:05 > 0:07:06so it keeps in all the juices,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08but you can trim this off after it's cooked.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And then in one movement, up and on.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14A bit more egg wash.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I like to use egg yolk for this.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I like to do a nice little pattern and you can use
0:07:24 > 0:07:26a knife, fork, anything you want
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and you just create these nice little patterns.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It's a cheffy thing.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35It goes into the oven at 230 degrees centigrade
0:07:35 > 0:07:37and the beef is already cooked
0:07:37 > 0:07:40so it only takes 25 minutes, leaving enough time
0:07:40 > 0:07:42to make the mushroom Madeira sauce.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50After cleaning 150g of wild mushrooms, put them into a hot pan.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And they don't take very long to cook.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00As soon as they're wilted down you can throw in some Madeira,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03which is a classic flavour in beef Wellington.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Flame it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09This is just to get rid of the alcohol,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12and then just a touch of beef stock to finish it off.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Bring this to the boil,
0:08:17 > 0:08:18reduce it down about a third,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20add a little touch of butter, seasoning
0:08:20 > 0:08:22and that's your finished sauce.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26The 25 minutes is up and the Wellington is ready.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32It's pretty good.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33Looking good.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36It's one of these dishes that so impresses people
0:08:36 > 0:08:37when you take it to the table.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40You can slide this on to a big board,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42take it to the centre of the table,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44with a smile on your face.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47So often, with beef Wellington, when you slice it,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50all the liquid just comes straight out.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52But by cooking it beforehand,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54it really eliminates all that.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58See the whole thing about this is waiting to see what it looks like in the middle.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59Look at that.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Just perfect.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Fantastic!
0:09:03 > 0:09:06You've got a wonderful rich Madeira and mushroom sauce
0:09:06 > 0:09:08to go with it.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And no matter how many times I taste beef Wellington,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20when it's made properly,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I think, to be honest, it's one of the best dishes
0:09:22 > 0:09:24you'll ever taste.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29For me, beef Wellington is one of the greatest crowd-pleasing foods,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31because it gives people something exciting
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and different from the norm.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Another of my all-time favourites,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and something that always goes down a storm in my house,
0:09:39 > 0:09:40is lobster.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Staithes is only half an hour away from where I grew up,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49on the north-east coast of Yorkshire.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52This is where Drew Baxter and his uncle Shaun
0:09:52 > 0:09:55are part of only a handful of fishermen who catch lobsters here.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59I've lived in the village all my life.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I love it, still do, and always just keep doing it.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05We try to make the fishery sustainable.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Lobsters, if you fished and fished and fished them,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12they would disappear. You've got to look after this for the future.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Normally Drew's lobsters are for restaurants in the UK and Europe,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18but today he's on a special mission.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21His uncle Shaun is planning a seafood barbecue
0:10:21 > 0:10:23for friends and family.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Only the freshest lobster he can get his hands on will do.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31It's one of the greatest seafoods there is.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35It's so succulent and it has also an image, an aura about it,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37of being a luxury seafood,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39which is quite rightly so.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42It's a fantastic product, it really is.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Lobsters spend most of their time in shelters
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and only ever really come out at night.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Their hard shells are great at protecting them against predators,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54but don't allow them to grow,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56so the only way they can get bigger is to moult.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00July and August is the best time to catch the lobsters.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02They've just come out of casting,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04which is basically shedding their shells,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05go into a hole, hide,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08they'll stay hidden for two or three weeks,
0:11:08 > 0:11:09to try and harden the shell up
0:11:09 > 0:11:11and emerge a bigger lobster.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14But they're so hungry, they come out of their hiding place
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and the most food around is in the lobster pots,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19so it's a really good time to catch the lobsters.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Drew and Shaun are heading out into the North Sea,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27to check on the lobster pots that were baited yesterday.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32What we'll do is, we'll go out,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35grab hold of one of the flags on it, one end.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39You'll haul yourself along, picking up the pots as you go.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41That is the first lobster pot.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43You're always excited to see what comes up in the pots
0:11:43 > 0:11:45because you've made them lobster pots by hand.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50There you go, that's it. That's a really good example.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52There's two lobsters, a pouting,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54which is really good bait.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Two beautiful-sized lobsters, by the look of it.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59At Drew's level, it's probably one of the smallest commercial levels there is.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02It's a family-size, family-run business.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05It's a very sustainable and enjoyable way to make a living.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Not everything that's caught can be kept, though.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Under a certain size, which is 87mm,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13we can't keep the lobsters,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15they're too small.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17So what we have to do is throw them back until they get
0:12:17 > 0:12:19to the right size and then we'll catch them
0:12:19 > 0:12:21a few years down the line.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23What we do is just check the measure,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25put the measure on the back there
0:12:25 > 0:12:27and if it goes over that part there, it's not sized.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Luckily this one is. So we get to keep this one today.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36There's something every day that's different about the sea.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40That's the bit that gets me up and gets me going every time.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Having caught the main ingredient for the seafood feast,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46expert forager Shaun is getting a few things to go with it
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and seaweed is on the list.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Here we have a very good bladderwrack area,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56so I think we'll harvest some of the bladderwrack from here.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Shaun's plan is to steam the lobsters in this,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02adding a subtle taste of the sea.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05We'll need quite a lot of this to wrap our lobster in
0:13:05 > 0:13:07for this afternoon.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10But Shaun knows of another seaweed that's anything but subtle,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13the intensely spicy red pepper dulse.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15This is one of the main ones we're going to use in the marinade,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but we have to be very, very...
0:13:18 > 0:13:19very, very careful, as it's very strong.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It's a really, really nice-tasting seaweed.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Back at the harbour, Shaun's wife is helping out.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Two whole lobsters are wrapped in bladderwrack
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and put on to the barbecue for 20 minutes.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37The other lobsters are cut in half and cooked in their shell,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39which allows flavours to be added
0:13:39 > 0:13:42directly on to the meat.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Patricia's made some lovely marinade from the seaweed
0:13:45 > 0:13:46that we collected earlier
0:13:46 > 0:13:51and then we'll use the shell to actually boil the lobster in.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54The marinade is a mixture of cayenne pepper, mace
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and the pepper dulse,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59that's blended into some unsalted butter.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02First they're cooked for ten minutes shell side down,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05then turned over for another five.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08There are many ways to cook lobster, but sometimes
0:14:08 > 0:14:11it's hard to beat one freshly grilled, straight from the sea.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Well, if you just want to get stuck in, there's meat there.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I've only ever had barbecued lobsters once before
0:14:20 > 0:14:22and they were very dry. This isn't.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24That was absolutely wonderful.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Lobster has to be one of my favourite foods,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33so I've invited Drew into my kitchen
0:14:33 > 0:14:37and he's brought some of his catch with him.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Now, this is one seriously impressive lobster.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Yeah, he's a really good lobster, he is. He's well over size.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43How old would that be?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I'd say he was about 15, maybe 20 years old.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I'm fascinated by fishermen, to do it for a living,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51because it's not the easiest job in the world.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's very giving. It gives you a lot.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I made all my lobster pots by hand.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Every single one of them pots I know.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Technically I've made that and I've caught that lobster, all on my own.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Is there just you fishing lobsters there?
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Or how many boats are in that neck of the woods fishing for the same stuff?
0:15:07 > 0:15:08Out of Staithes there's four of us,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- each of us have got nearly 300 lobster pots.- Right.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14So there's quite a good little fishery coming out of Staithes, at the moment.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18One of Drew's lobsters will be the centrepiece for a decadent dish
0:15:18 > 0:15:20that isn't cheap.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23But it's definitely worth it for a special occasion.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26It's a celebration of all that's great about the seafood
0:15:26 > 0:15:28around the UK.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32This is my fruits de mer with homemade rye bread.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35So first thing I want to do is get the rye flour mixing.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Add 25g of dark brown muscovado sugar
0:15:40 > 0:15:42to 500g of rye flour,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44followed by a large pinch of salt.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Then pour 10g of instant yeast,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53mixed with 350ml of warm water, into the mix.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It really is a classic combination, this.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02The texture of it lends itself so well together with the crab and the lobster.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Now how would you eat lobsters?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06You like actually lobsters, cos whenever I meet a fisherman,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- they don't actually like what they catch.- Not really, no.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I don't eat lobsters myself. I'm more of a crab man.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15When everything is completely mixed together,
0:16:15 > 0:16:16roll it out into a long log.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Just press this down
0:16:20 > 0:16:24and then grab yourself a rolling pin
0:16:24 > 0:16:26and just pin it out a little bit
0:16:26 > 0:16:27and then just roll it up.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Now this is unlike most bread really,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34where it'll actually prove within an hour.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37This one, you need to leave it to prove kind of overnight, really,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41and it's a long, slow prove. So let's cover it over and leave it.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I've already got some that's been left overnight.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Before baking I'm going to score some lines along the top
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and dust it with a little bit more rye flour.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Then stick it in a preheated oven,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58220 degrees centigrade for 30 minutes,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and while that's cooking I can prepare Drew's lobster and crab,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04that have already been boiling in water for eight minutes,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07cooking them perfectly.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- I'm assuming you know how to prepare one of these. - That's your job. We catch them.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12All right. Well, nature's been kind to us, really.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15It's created a nice little line on the top of the head
0:17:15 > 0:17:20and the easiest way to do this is actually remove the legs off first.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21So remove them off
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and then, holding it flat on to the board
0:17:23 > 0:17:24and using a sharp knife,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26you follow that line.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30First of all you crack it in there, right the way through
0:17:30 > 0:17:31and then turn it the other way,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35open up the tail and basically follow that line, all the way through it.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Open this out, remove the head part.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Everything else you kind of eat, really.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43To remove the claw meat from these shells,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47all you do is use the back of a knife, just a quick crack like that,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49and it'll just crack open
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and the claw meat just comes straight out like this.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Are you the fourth generation fisherman, then?
0:17:54 > 0:17:55Yes, I am, yeah.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57So how has fishing changed over the years?
0:17:57 > 0:17:59It used to be cod fishing all the way,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01but before that, it was herring fishing.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The next couple of years it could be crabs, could be langoustines,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06it could be anything. We don't know.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09So you'd never know what you'll be doing one year to the next?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Not really, no. But I'd never change it for the world, you know.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Cos when you speak to most fishermen, it's not a livelihood where, you know,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18not a glamorous livelihood, where you can earn absolute fortunes,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20unless you've got massive trawlers and stuff like that.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24That's it, it is a way of life, and you work as hard as you want.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27If you work really hard, you can make a lot of money.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30If you want to spend time with your family, you can,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32but you don't earn as much money.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35So there you have your prepared lobster.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Crab is prepared in a similar way.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Pull off the legs and crack the claws.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Well, the easiest way to take the crab shell out, really,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47is to use the back of a spoon, I always find,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49and just whack it in.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Crack it open like that and
0:18:51 > 0:18:53then this comes out.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Just want to remove these little dead man's fingers.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59They aren't actually poisonous, I don't know where that came from,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01but they're just kind of unpleasant to eat.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02So just remove this.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Take the head off and then put all the meat back into the shell.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Everything can now start to be built up.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14You need a platter full of ice
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and then basically you just chuck everything on it.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19You can serve this with whatever you fancy,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22but I'm going to use the fantastic array of seafood
0:19:22 > 0:19:24that's been caught all around the UK,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26including oysters, langoustines and
0:19:26 > 0:19:29steamed razor clams.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36The rye bread is now ready to take out the oven and slice up.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38All of this is served with whipped butter
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and some lemon mayonnaise.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42I don't know where we start with this.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45One end and then work our way through then, I suppose, do we?
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- I'd say so, yeah.- Now, obviously I've done enough for us two.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Well, be enough to do me, maybe.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Yeah, a couple of Yorkshire folk and all that.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57What do you reckon?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- Yeah, that's nice. - It's good, this, isn't it?
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- Yeah, I like that. - You've got to get excited about food like this because
0:20:03 > 0:20:06it's just everything that's brilliant about the food caught around the UK.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08And it's not until you taste
0:20:08 > 0:20:09seafood this fresh,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12you'll appreciate all the hard work
0:20:12 > 0:20:15that these guys go into catching it.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17To me, there's no other dish that epitomises
0:20:17 > 0:20:19what's brilliant about the seafood around this country.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21This is it.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Fruits de mer is a spectacular treat that's well worth the expense
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and never fails to impress.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Crowd-pleasing food doesn't have to be in the eating.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35The cooking itself can be the real event
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and, for me, barbecues epitomise this.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41That used to mean bangers and burgers,
0:20:41 > 0:20:42but there's a growing band of people
0:20:42 > 0:20:45proving that it can be much more exotic than that.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50From his home in south London, 23-year-old Gianluca Ivaldi
0:20:50 > 0:20:54has been mastering the art of Southern style barbecue,
0:20:54 > 0:20:59inspired by tasting it on a trip to Atlanta, Georgia.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02What struck me was the combination of this really, really tender meat
0:21:02 > 0:21:07and the really obvious and strong flavour of the hickory wood smoke
0:21:07 > 0:21:08that they use over there
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and that to me, I hadn't tasted anything like it,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and I wanted to just recreate it, over here in the UK.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22It started with me having one smoker in my back garden.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25After about two months or three months of trading
0:21:25 > 0:21:30at local, smaller markets, I moved my smoker down to this unit
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and bought a few more, and now I've got three smokers
0:21:33 > 0:21:35sitting in the back garden
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and they're running almost every day, all day, all night.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Southern style barbecuing might be melt-in-the-mouth tender,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45but it doesn't start that way.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48It's the slow-cooking that turns tough cuts like pork shoulder
0:21:48 > 0:21:51or beef brisket into something irresistible.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Most barbecue joints in the States actually started out
0:21:57 > 0:21:58as high-end butcher's shops, where,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02to try and promote the sales of these kind of tough or undesirable cuts,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04they would actually smoke the meat,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06so that when the customers would arrive,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09they'd buy it in a cooked form, rather than in its raw state.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The butchers who invented Southern style barbecue,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16ended up creating a food that's become one of the defining flavours
0:22:16 > 0:22:18of the Deep South.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19This is my signature rub.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24There are about nine or so, mostly secret ingredients.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28One of them is brown sugar and I use that
0:22:28 > 0:22:32because it creates a lovely crust on the meat once it's been smoked.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34And also, at the low temperatures that I smoke at,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37it actually caramelises, to produce a wonderful flavour,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39once the meat's cooked.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Obviously with beef, I have a lot of pepper and salt in this rub,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44just to bring out the flavour
0:22:44 > 0:22:46and because beef, you know, being a heavier,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49kind of more robust meat, it can stand up to a lot of pepper.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Gianluca's barbecue has proved
0:22:52 > 0:22:55such a crowd-pleaser at food markets all over London,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59he's now smoking up to 70 kilos a day.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Southern barbecue is all about cooking your meat low and slow,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06over a wood fire.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09This chunk of brisket will cook for 12 or more hours,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11based on how thick it is,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and when it comes out, all this oak smoke will have penetrated it,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16it will seal in the rub.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20If it's a piece of beef, say, you'll get, you know, the nice hit of the beef
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and the fat and then underneath you'll get, if it's oak,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25a really earthy flavour and, you know, if it's something more fruity,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28like cherry, you can actually taste the notes of the fruit wood
0:23:28 > 0:23:30behind the meat. Something that's, you know, very special.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32I take great pride in, you know,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35making the meat taste smoky and getting the authentic flavour
0:23:35 > 0:23:38because, to me, it's something that's really lacking
0:23:38 > 0:23:41in the UK and I think it's something that people really enjoy
0:23:41 > 0:23:42and sort of get hooked on.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44They taste the meat
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and they can't place a finger on why they like it so much,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50but I think it's that real depth of smoke, along with, you know,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52the seasonings and the barbecue sauce that kind of complete
0:23:52 > 0:23:55the traditional barbecue experience.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03After cooking the meat overnight, it's ready to eat,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07and today Gianluca is taking it to King's Cross Food Market.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Visually it's very impressive.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17When you are either pulling a pork shoulder apart
0:24:17 > 0:24:19or slicing into a really thick brisket,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23people can't...even just passers-by, they can't help but stop and stare. That's fantastic.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27And as soon as they see it and see their friends eating it, they want some themselves.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29So they'll get in the queue and it just builds from there.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Queuing up for ages, so salivating while I was waiting,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36finally come to it, pulled pork...
0:24:38 > 0:24:40That hits the spot.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41Pretty good.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44With business going so well, Gianluca's mum and sister
0:24:44 > 0:24:47have both given up their time to help on the stall.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52And if you're going to please a crowd this big,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57then there's no way you can skimp on your portions.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58There are no smalls.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Everything is either a medium or a large.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01We just like being generous.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I had the beef brisket bun
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and it just tastes like
0:25:06 > 0:25:07smoky barbecued goodness.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Yeah, it's pretty stunning.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20There's no doubt that most people love a good barbecue,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23almost as much as a crowd-pleasing dessert.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25There's one I often make at home,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28which is a delicious mix of orange liqueur cream,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31fruit and choux pastry.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32It's my gateau St Honore.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Now this is one dessert that's guaranteed to wow people.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40It's named after the patron saint of pastry cooks
0:25:40 > 0:25:45and it's actually a really simple recipe, when you break it down.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48I'm starting off by making the choux pastry,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51which will form the base and the buns around the edge of this gateau.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55First up, warm 125ml
0:25:55 > 0:25:57of both whole milk and water.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Then add 100g of diced unsalted butter.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04The idea is that it should melt first,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06before it comes to the boil.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Now, a lot of recipes will tell you to put a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I like just a pinch of sugar in this.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Now it's time to throw in 175g of plain flour.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Keep on stirring until it just starts to become thick.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27It will actually start to come together and almost you can hear this pop
0:26:27 > 0:26:32and it's the gluten in the flour as it starts to sort of hit the heat.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36And then, when it's at that stage, you can take the entire lot
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and place it in the blender.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Beating the mixture will start to cool it down.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46It's quite an important bit, this.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48If we add the eggs while our mixture's too hot,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50it becomes very difficult to work with,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53but also sometimes the eggs can cook and curdle it.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58When the mixture has completely cooled,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00slowly start adding four eggs, one by one,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04always keeping a close eye on the texture.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07You want it like that, just so it falls off.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09If you add too many eggs it becomes too liquid
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and almost impossible to work with.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14If it's too solid, literally it just ends up being too solid
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and just sits in the piping bag.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Now the first thing we need to do is create a base
0:27:24 > 0:27:26for our gateau St Honore.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Now, the only way you're going to do that
0:27:28 > 0:27:30is actually move your hips.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32So the idea is you pipe... It may sound a bit weird...
0:27:32 > 0:27:35If there's people just tuning in like this, I haven't been drinking, honest.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38But you hold the piping bag and you rotate your hips.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41See, what you want is a bit of James Brown.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45And as you do it, it creates this spiral.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Start in the middle, it's like a big Catherine Wheel.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51JAMES BROWN: # Paid the cost to be the boss
0:27:53 > 0:27:55# Paid the cost to be the boss... #
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Then, what you do is, you make your choux buns,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and for that you need a larger hole in the piping bag.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04You pipe this slightly differently.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06You pipe it from above, not from the side,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08but you pipe it from the top
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and then almost stop and then lift it up.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Pipe, stop, lift it up.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27But then what you want, really, is you want a flat top to the choux
0:28:27 > 0:28:30and the way you do that is just to grab a little bit of water,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34dip your fingers in and press the tops, just a touch.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Before starting to bake them, here's a trick I always use.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Put a little bit of water into the bottom of the oven.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46This will create steam and help the choux pastry rise.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Take the entire lot, stick it in the oven,
0:28:50 > 0:28:52200 degrees centigrade,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55and it wants to cook now for about 25 to 30 minutes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01After that, take them out and let them cool,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04which gives me time to make the lovely light and soft filling
0:29:04 > 0:29:05for my gateau.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Mix together 300ml of cream
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and 200ml of shop-bought custard
0:29:10 > 0:29:12and start whipping.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Now really you can flavour this cream with whatever you want,
0:29:14 > 0:29:16but a little bit of orange liqueur, I think,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19works brilliantly with this.
0:29:23 > 0:29:24That's perfect.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27And what you end up with is this lovely, light cream.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Taste the vanilla,
0:29:31 > 0:29:33because the vanilla custard.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34It's delicious.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Really simple little cream.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38The choux buns have cooled down and
0:29:38 > 0:29:40I'm making a hole in the bottom of each one
0:29:40 > 0:29:42to pipe in the filling.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48I'm also starting to melt 100g of caster sugar,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52because I want to coat them with caramel afterwards.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Press the piping bag right inside the choux
0:29:55 > 0:29:56and hold it like that
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and they'll just fill up nicely.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03The basis of this is used for so many different French desserts,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05including the most famous one, which is a croquembouche.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08You build the choux pastry all around this mould
0:30:08 > 0:30:10and then pop it out of the mould.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Hold it up, it's massive, it can get to six foot high.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16I've done one at home where I borrowed a traffic cone.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18I did put it back.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20These croquembouche moulds are 200 quid.
0:30:24 > 0:30:25The sugar has melted
0:30:25 > 0:30:29and I'm going to dip the top of each bun in the caramel.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Now you dip in the choux buns, not your fingers -
0:30:33 > 0:30:35you'll only do that once,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37cos this sugar is really hot.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Now it's time to bring everything together.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Start with the base I made earlier.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46On top of this I'm putting scoops of the cream mixture.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Once that's done, the choux buns can be placed around the edge.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56You've always got one for the cook.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04Decorate with some fresh fruit and one final flourish on the top.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05I've got some twisted willow.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07We used to use this in France
0:31:07 > 0:31:10and you can do this with sugar work normally,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13but that's far too much faffing around.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17It may seem tricky, but it's worth making the effort
0:31:17 > 0:31:19and it actually isn't that hard to make.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21When you break it down, it's so simple.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23You've got the choux buns and the cream,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26but yet it looks so elaborate and you can see the reason
0:31:26 > 0:31:29why it's named after the patron saint of pastry cooks.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31And it's doable at home,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33and above all else,
0:31:33 > 0:31:35it tastes fantastic, too.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37Mm.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41That flavoured cream, the crunchiness of the caramel
0:31:41 > 0:31:43and the choux buns.
0:31:43 > 0:31:44What more do you want?
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Satisfaction is guaranteed by creating a spectacular crowd-pleaser
0:31:51 > 0:31:53like this in your own kitchen.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59It's one thing keeping friends happy at home,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01but it's entirely different
0:32:01 > 0:32:04when you've got a huge group of strangers to please.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Food historian Ivan Day is discovering what was being peddled
0:32:09 > 0:32:11to keep the masses happy in London,
0:32:11 > 0:32:12hundreds of years ago.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21As London expanded during the late 17th and early 18th century,
0:32:21 > 0:32:26people needed places to go and enjoy themselves in open spaces
0:32:26 > 0:32:28and a number of entrepreneurs
0:32:28 > 0:32:31opened up what were called pleasure gardens.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34The most famous of these was on the South Bank at Vauxhall.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38It was first known as Spring Gardens and then became known to everybody
0:32:38 > 0:32:40as Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44There were many, many complaints
0:32:44 > 0:32:47about the infamous high prices of Vauxhall food.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51But there were items that were really good to eat and drink,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53which were true crowd-pleasers,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57and I'm going to have a go at making two of those.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01My first recipe is one that's right up my street.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04It's for something called arrack punch,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06which is a very early form of punch.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Vauxhall was the place where people misbehaved in all sorts of ways,
0:33:09 > 0:33:14but the most popular way was to drink a lot of alcohol.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16The first ingredient in this punch
0:33:16 > 0:33:19is the one that gives it its name, is arrack.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Now, arrack was a very popular ardent spirit
0:33:23 > 0:33:26that came from southern India and Ceylon.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30It was distilled from a kind of beer
0:33:30 > 0:33:35and it was brought back to England in the 17th century by sailors,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37who would make punch with it.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42This pleasure garden favourite was made by adding lime juice
0:33:42 > 0:33:44and hot water to the arrack.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47In the winter, the punch was drunk piping hot.
0:33:51 > 0:33:56Followed by a little bit of nutmeg and finally a large amount of sugar.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00A lot of the arrack that was sold at Vauxhall was a rip-off
0:34:00 > 0:34:03cos it wasn't really arrack, which was quite expensive.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04It was made from rum.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09One popular way of flavouring punch
0:34:09 > 0:34:11was to flame it with orange zest.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14You would first warm it gently over a candle,
0:34:14 > 0:34:18to get the oil in the skin to rupture out of its little glands
0:34:18 > 0:34:20and then squeeze it
0:34:20 > 0:34:24and you get a rather dramatic squirt of the oil,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27which ignites. It should go over the top of the candle
0:34:27 > 0:34:30and the oil would go into the drink.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Let me have a swig of it.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36Mm, it's really potent.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43On the surface,
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Vauxhall Gardens was a pretty respectable place,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49with opera and all sorts of theatrical performance,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51but often in the wings and in the bushes,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53there were all sorts of other things going on.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58It wasn't only notorious for the high prices of the food and drink,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01but also for the lewd and unseemly behaviour
0:35:01 > 0:35:04that was probably caused by over-drinking.
0:35:11 > 0:35:17My second crowd-pleasing recipe is a very special biscuit
0:35:17 > 0:35:19which is called a Shrewsbury cake.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23We dunk biscuits in tea nowadays, but in the past
0:35:23 > 0:35:27people dunked their biscuits in wine, alcohol, or even punch.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31I'm going to use a recipe from the 17th century,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35from the time when Vauxhall Gardens were first founded.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38These biscuits are a spicy version of one of our national favourites,
0:35:38 > 0:35:40shortbread.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43They were made by rubbing butter into flour and sugar,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46before a generous amount of ginger was thrown in.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51The Shrewsbury biscuit is actually the very first sweet biscuit
0:35:51 > 0:35:57that we would recognise as being something really nice to eat.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Once the dry ingredients were mixed, an egg yolk was added.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03My final ingredient is some rose-water.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Rose-water and orange flower-water
0:36:05 > 0:36:08were very popular flavours.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12I'm going to put in enough to make it into a pliable paste.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16There's my dough.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22A glass was used to cut out the biscuits
0:36:22 > 0:36:27and their distinctive lines were created in a really novel way.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32We need a surprising piece of culinary equipment,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35which was something that you might have in your back pocket,
0:36:35 > 0:36:36and that is...
0:36:36 > 0:36:38a comb.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44Now, that's not all, because
0:36:44 > 0:36:46we also have to make
0:36:46 > 0:36:50a little hole in the centre
0:36:50 > 0:36:52of each diamond.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Those holes have a purpose.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57They're to stop the biscuit from blistering and rising.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12So my Shrewsbury cakes are ready
0:37:12 > 0:37:16and, if I crack them across the perforations,
0:37:16 > 0:37:20they are then absolutely perfect for fitting into a small,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23but generous
0:37:23 > 0:37:25glass of arrack punch.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27These are really good.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29So you can imagine the scene.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Everyone's dunking their Shrewsbury cakes into their arrack,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36but all around, an incredible range of entertainment.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38There's even a record of a hot-air balloon which,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42instead of carrying a basket, had a horse with its rider,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46which just sort of floated off into south London from the gardens.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49I think, after a glass of this stuff and one of these,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53I'd probably be seeing horses floating off across the Thames, too.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03My last dish certainly doesn't involve
0:38:03 > 0:38:06any floating horses or alcohol.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09It's a one-pot wonder that I'm making for a crowd
0:38:09 > 0:38:11coming over to my house this evening.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15It's my slightly crazy twist on a pea and ham soup
0:38:15 > 0:38:17that everyone always loves.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22It's my spelt bread crusted baked ham.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30One of the dishes that I love to cook at home is a pea and ham soup
0:38:30 > 0:38:33and you wouldn't think of that as a crowd-pleaser,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37but done this way, it's very unique and very different.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39So I'm going to start off with a whole ham
0:38:39 > 0:38:41and cook this first of all.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43So straight into cold water
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and then the aromats that I'm going to add are some onion,
0:38:46 > 0:38:47bay leaf and carrot,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50and you want to cut these up into sort of decent chunks.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54You can impart so much flavour into this and utilise the stock
0:38:54 > 0:38:57to which you cook it in as well, to turn it into a wonderful soup.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03With the seasoning, only use peppercorns,
0:39:03 > 0:39:05as the ham is salty enough.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Then cover and simmer for three or four hours,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12leaving plenty of time to make the rather unusual bread lid.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18The whole point about this is to have the ham sat with all the veg,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21like a ham and pea soup, where you've got all the different veg
0:39:21 > 0:39:25to go with it, but then the bread is like the crust on the top.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28So the whole thing is then baked in the oven.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31To make the dough, I'm putting a couple of tablespoons
0:39:31 > 0:39:36of both caster sugar and salt into a kilo of spelt flour.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38To this I'm adding 14g of instant yeast
0:39:38 > 0:39:41mixed with a little warm water.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Now, I've actually been cooking with spelt flour quite a lot at home
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and I sort of class it as sort of old-fashioned bread.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Some of my friends that come over say that it tastes like beer.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56It's quite an unusual sort of taste with it,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00but one that works really well together with this, particularly as a crust.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02I'm adding 700ml of water.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05It'll have a slightly soft, sticky feel.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07Then place in a bowl to prove.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10When the ham is cooked, take it off the heat
0:40:10 > 0:40:12and let it cool down in the stock.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18Now it's time to prepare the main body of the soup in another pan.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Anything can be used at this point,
0:40:20 > 0:40:22but I'm going for a classic.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25I love potatoes and peas with ham,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27it's this classic combination.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29It's kind of like a wholesome dish, really.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Now the potatoes, you want to chop these
0:40:31 > 0:40:33into sort of decent-sized chunks.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35You don't want these to mush down.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37A little bit of spring onions.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39You cut these into big chunks,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41literally whole pieces, like that.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Same thing with runner beans, really.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45In half and throw these in.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49And even peas in the pod, if you've got them, you can throw those in
0:40:49 > 0:40:53and I'm using fresh garden peas for these
0:40:53 > 0:40:55cos they're going to hold up nicely when they're cooked.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58If you use the frozen ones, they kind of break down a bit too much.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02And then lashings of parsley,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06just ripped up and some mint
0:41:06 > 0:41:08thrown in as well.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11The smell from that is just fantastic.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Fresh mint, lovely.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14And then taking your ham out.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Now this is why it needs to be cooled for this,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19cos you can pull the bone out.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22You can tell when it's cooked, when this bone will lift out like that.
0:41:22 > 0:41:23Throw that away
0:41:23 > 0:41:27and then you need to get your hand in and just peel the skin away.
0:41:27 > 0:41:28You can do this with a knife,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30but it kind of cuts through some of the meat, as well.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33It's much easier to do this by hand.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35This is no good, get rid of that.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39I'm certainly not giving that to the dog, he's fat enough as it is.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42And then just remove any excess bits of fat, really.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45Cooked ham is just a delight.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47I remember having this when I was a young kid,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51and being on a pig farm, we had masses of this sort of stuff, we used to live on it.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Hence I'm six foot three. Didn't eat little portions, this sort of stuff.
0:41:54 > 0:42:01That, where I come from, is a canape.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06Season and pour around one and a quarter litres of stock over the veg.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08Then place the ham over the top
0:42:08 > 0:42:14and now it's time to put the lid on this one-pot wonder.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16You can almost just pull the bread, really.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18You don't need to roll it out.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23And then, just with a little beaten egg,
0:42:23 > 0:42:24just egg wash around the edge
0:42:24 > 0:42:28and then in one movement, you just lift this up
0:42:28 > 0:42:29and put it on the top.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Then put everything in a preheated oven at 180 degrees centigrade
0:42:35 > 0:42:36for an hour.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Well, here it is.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44It's pretty impressive,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46you've got basically a whole meal in a pot
0:42:46 > 0:42:48and you don't need to serve anything else.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50There's a big crowd waiting.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Cooking show-stopping dishes like this at home
0:42:58 > 0:43:02has given me so much pleasure over the years
0:43:02 > 0:43:04and when you've got a crowd round,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06they'll never fail to be impressed.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14You can find all the recipes from the series on: