0:00:02 > 0:00:05If there's one thing I look forward to at the end of a busy day,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08it's the thought of getting back to my kitchen at home.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14For me, nothing beats cooking some simple, heart-warming food.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Oh, oh, oh! It is so good.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22The kind of no nonsense grub that brings people together.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Cheers, everyone.
0:00:25 > 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.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I grew up on a farm in Yorkshire,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49and now I'm lucky enough to call rural Hampshire my home.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52For me, one of the best things about living here
0:00:52 > 0:00:56is that I've got space to keep in touch with my farming roots.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The first thing I did when I moved here was to plant my own veg
0:01:01 > 0:01:03patch and build my own greenhouse.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05I did it as a tribute to my old grandad,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09who was an amazing gardener, and from the age of three, he taught me
0:01:09 > 0:01:11the value of freshly grown fruit and veg.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17So today, we'll be cooking up ideas for your home-grown produce.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18Mmm, look at that!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21We discover that the Victorians
0:01:21 > 0:01:24had some funny ideas about fruit and veg.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Lettuce was said to dampen lust,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29other vegetables were supposed to make you somewhat frisky.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The seeds of a very clever idea are sown in London.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34If you're ingenious enough,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36then you can grow vegetables in the centre of the city.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41And my own garden is the inspiration for some surprising dishes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42From field to fork, they call it,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45but in under ten minutes, you've got a meal.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47It doesn't get any better.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00When I get home after a busy day, I love to get out in the garden
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and work on my veg patch.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Now I was told a good trick - before you pull the carrots
0:02:05 > 0:02:08out of the ground, is to soak it really well with water.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12If not, the tops kind of snap off.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Growing so much fresh produce right on my doorstep is a fantastic
0:02:17 > 0:02:21incentive to come up with new and interesting ways of using it.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23One of my tastiest recipes...
0:02:26 > 0:02:28What I love about this recipe,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32it uses everything that grows in my garden, or almost everything.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Apart from mussels and a bit of stock, of course.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37But I love growing fresh herbs.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40There's nothing better than fresh herbs straight out of the garden.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42And they're so inexpensive when you grow them yourself.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Now the first thing I'm going to get on is the veg,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49because this is so quick to cook.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Chop up a few shallots.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54The key to success with this soup
0:02:54 > 0:02:57is using a good selection of veg as a base.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Along with shallots, I'm throwing in some courgettes, fennel,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05celery, radishes and carrots.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Really, you can use whatever selection of veg you want.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Nothing beats carrots, of course, from your garden.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And don't peel them.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18If you peel these things, you just take half the flavour off.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21All you want to do with this, you just chop them the same size
0:03:21 > 0:03:22as the rest of the veg.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27When your veg are prepped, it's just a matter of sweating them
0:03:27 > 0:03:30with a little bit of butter over a low heat for five minutes or
0:03:30 > 0:03:32so, until they're just softened.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Now, at the same time, I'm going to make my sauce.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40This is classed as a salsa verde, which is
0:03:40 > 0:03:43a selection of different types of herbs.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It's a classic Italian green sauce that can be used,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50not just as a flavouring into soups,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54but it can also be used as a lovely little garnish to go with
0:03:54 > 0:03:57steaks on the barbecue, anything like that, or chicken.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Just a delicious, simple little sauce.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02As well as mint and dill, you'll need tarragon,
0:04:02 > 0:04:07flat-leaf parsley, watercress and basil for the salsa verde.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Blitz the whole lot in a food processor
0:04:09 > 0:04:13until they are roughly chopped, before adding a large shallot.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Then the flavour depends on where you come from, I suppose.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Because different areas certainly have their own secret recipe.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27But the ones that I've always had have always got anchovies,
0:04:27 > 0:04:33and this is what sets it apart, I suppose, from a pesto.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Add six of them, along with two tablespoons of capers,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40the juice of half a lemon and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45You'll need a good glug of olive oil and seasoning,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47before blending it again.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52You almost don't want it too smooth.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Traditionally, this would be done with a pestle and mortar,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and you'd grind it all down.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01And you end up with this delicious green sauce.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04It's a good way to use up a lot of herbs that are in the garden.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07If you've got any overgrowing, it's a great way to use them all up.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11By the time your salsa verde is prepped,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14the veg for your soup should have softened nicely.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16So then it's time to add your mussels.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Now, it's important to pick through the mussels.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21There's a little beard on the mussels - that little fellow there.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24That's what holds it to the rope or the rocks.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25Pull that out.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27And make sure you go through them all.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29These are quite small mussels,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32so these won't take very long to cook at all. Throw them in.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Use 500 grams of mussels, followed by 150 mls of white wine
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and 750 mls of stock.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Cover and simmer for two to three minutes
0:05:44 > 0:05:47until all the mussel shells have opened.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Now, it may be only a short cooking time,
0:05:51 > 0:05:52but I can't wait to taste this.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58So just to finish this off, cos the mussels are now cooked.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00They're lovely and open. You can tell that
0:06:00 > 0:06:02cos you can see the little fellas opening up.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04These are perfect.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Give it a quick season.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And then what I do is just turn off the heat, really.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Because the important bit is this.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15And if you just take a spoonful of this, or a couple of spoonfuls,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18you almost stir this in as it comes to the table.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So, you just pop it in right at the last minute
0:06:21 > 0:06:23so it retains all that lovely colour
0:06:23 > 0:06:25but flavour.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31It's not until you taste it, you really appreciate how good it is.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It's just great, this.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39This soup really is something special.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Not only is it packed with incredible flavours from all
0:06:42 > 0:06:47those veg, it's also got a herby punch from the amazing salsa verde.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Growing the kind of herbs that go into salsa verde couldn't be easier.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Many of them thrive at home in pots and window boxes.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02When it comes to large scale food production,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05you may think you need acres of land.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06But you'd be wrong.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Small-scale growers known as patchwork farmers are banding
0:07:11 > 0:07:15together to produce organic salad, right in the heart of London.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17They're dotted across the borough of Hackney,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19on any green plot they can find.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25They grow over a tonne of award-winning produce every year,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and they call it the Hackney Salad.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32One of the urban farmers is Ximena Ransom.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39So here we are. This is my office.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42It's actually certified by the Soil Association as an organic
0:07:42 > 0:07:46growing site, right here in the heart of London.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50The scheme trains volunteers on how to grow salad, before providing
0:07:50 > 0:07:55them with a plot of land and leaving them to cultivate their own produce.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59People might think that there isn't much land that can be
0:07:59 > 0:08:02used for growing food, but this proves that
0:08:02 > 0:08:06if you're ingenious enough and you manage to find pockets of land,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10then you can grow vegetables in the centre of the city.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13The places that we grow, as patchwork farmers,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16can range from church gardens
0:08:16 > 0:08:20to spaces like this, which is in a community garden.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23The patchwork farmers pool their produce once a week.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And having salad from so many different growers has some
0:08:26 > 0:08:28real advantages.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32I think the beauty of what we do as patchwork farmers,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36is, collectively, we have a lot of leaves in our salad
0:08:36 > 0:08:38and there's a lot more variety in taste.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We've got over 70 different types of leaves,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43over all our patchwork sites.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Every week, the salad bags have at least 20 to 30 different leaves,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51creating flavours you'll never get in a supermarket.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54This variety is called Regina de Ghiacci.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57I think it's a really beautiful open-leaf lettuce.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59The one next to it, which looks pretty different,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02is called Australian Yellowleaf.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06We have a lot of herbs, different types of cabbage leaves
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and things you wouldn't expect to go into a salad.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13This is mizuna, it's an oriental green.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16It's actually gone to flower. And you might not think that they'd
0:09:16 > 0:09:19be edible, but they are, and they're absolutely delicious.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23They're quite sweet and, to me, they taste of honey.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Most of Ximena's produce is sold through a veg box scheme.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Her customers simply collect their salad from any
0:09:29 > 0:09:33one of 13 pick-up points around Hackney.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And because it is grown so locally,
0:09:35 > 0:09:40the salad has zero food miles and zero carbon footprint.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Transport is an electric milk float called Maisy,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46so it's just as well she doesn't have far to go.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50She goes at 20mph max, that's downhill,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54so it can be frustrating for other drivers,
0:09:54 > 0:09:55but usually they just laugh at me.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03We deliver about 400 bags a week.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06All in all, there's about 800 members of the box scheme.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08As well as going into veg boxes,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13the salad is also sold in local cafes, restaurants and shops.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16What I love about doing this in Hackney is that you're right
0:10:16 > 0:10:20in the centre of things and you're...where you're growing,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23where you're selling, where you're producing is where people live.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27In that sense, you're not hidden away on a farm somewhere.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29- All right, here's your salad. - Ooh, lovely salad.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33One of her regular customers, Ben, runs a local bakery,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and he wants his sandwich fillings to be just as fresh as his bread.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's grown here in Hackney, it's a stone's throw away
0:10:39 > 0:10:41from the bakery, you can just taste the freshness.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45It's literally like having a vegetable patch in our back garden.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46And our customers are really
0:10:46 > 0:10:48delighted that we're kind of putting it out there.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52When Ximena's not delivering round London's bustling streets,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55she escapes to the tranquillity of her canal boat
0:10:55 > 0:10:58for a much more chilled pace of life.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Here, she turns any leaves too big to go into the salads
0:11:01 > 0:11:04into delicious pestos, chutneys and cakes
0:11:04 > 0:11:08that she sells at Stoke Newington Farmers' Market every fortnight.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Any leftover can be eaten for supper.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14At the moment where we've got lots and lots of sorrel in the garden,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18so I'm going to make a really delicious sorrel pesto.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Sorrel has a subtle lemony flavour that gives a zing to any sauce.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Ximena blends chopped leaves with olive oil before adding
0:11:26 > 0:11:29toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32And finally some garlic,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34fresh Parmesan and a pinch of salt.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39For me, that's just the right texture, it's really chunky
0:11:39 > 0:11:43and there's just enough garlic to give it a kick.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44Oh, that's so good.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Job done and Ximena has made just enough to enjoy
0:11:49 > 0:11:52a bowl of pasta with home-made sorrel pesto.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I can't imagine doing anything else.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58It's extremely rewarding.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00I would never give up this job.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04It's actually my ideal job and what I dreamt about doing.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08So to do...be able to do this in the middle of London is incredible.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I'm always keen on picking up some gardening tips.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21So I've invited Ximena over to my house for a tasty lunch
0:12:21 > 0:12:24that's packed with her Hackney grown sorrel.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Now, I love the veg plot, but tell me about the milk float.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30How cool is that?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It's pretty cool, yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35We drive it around Hackney delivering the veg bags
0:12:35 > 0:12:39and we get some funny looks, cos it's got horns and udders.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- Nice.- It's actually disguised as a cow.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Where does it come from, then?
0:12:43 > 0:12:46The original one was inherited from Greenpeace.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49What on earth did they want a milk float for?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I think they delivered milk in it.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52Right, as you do, yeah, yeah, OK.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55But it's a pimped out milk float, that's what I like about it.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Yeah, pimped up milk float, exactly.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Maybe one to add to your collection?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02- I probably doubt it, to be honest, but you know, maybe...- No?- Well...
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I've always wanted a car with horns, but maybe not with udders.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12To really appreciate the unique flavour of sorrel, I think
0:13:12 > 0:13:15it's best to cook it in a simple dish.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19So I'm showing Ximena my recipe for salmon and sorrel with vermouth.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Now, to grow this sort of stuff, it's pretty straightforward,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25- isn't it?- It is actually.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It's a perennial, so it keeps coming back. You don't have to
0:13:28 > 0:13:30replant it season after season, which you do with quite a lot of
0:13:30 > 0:13:35other leaves. And it grows like mad, like we have to keep up with it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36You're talking about seasons.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Are you limited to what you can grow in the area? Because
0:13:39 > 0:13:41you can't have anything that's slow-growing, can you?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Or are you looking at things that are quite quick to grow?
0:13:44 > 0:13:45We only grow salad leaves.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47We don't grow things like carrots and potatoes,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51cos they just take up too much land for not enough yield.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55You'd be surprised how much does grow, even over winter.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58We don't have any polytunnels on our sites
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and we still manage to grow quite a lot of salad, winter salad leaves.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04So how do you get a site in the first place? I mean, how do you
0:14:04 > 0:14:07go about that? Because space is at a bit of a premium in London anyway.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- It is.- How do you go about finding somewhere?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- With difficulty. - THEY LAUGH
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- Got to be nice to the council, have you?- Yeah. I mean, one
0:14:16 > 0:14:18of our sites, we just basically asked the vicar
0:14:18 > 0:14:22if he wanted his garden to be worked on and he was quite grateful
0:14:22 > 0:14:24because he didn't have time to maintain it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- Cos the idea, I have to say, is just fantastic.- It's great.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28You can utilise some of the spaces
0:14:28 > 0:14:31often by the side of a railway line or anything like that that's...
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- Yeah, absolutely.- ..normally never going to get used, really.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38I'm going to grill thinly sliced salmon for this dish.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41I start by greasing a baking tray with my favourite ingredient -
0:14:41 > 0:14:43butter.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45And it's a good tip that I learned - black pepper
0:14:45 > 0:14:47and salt the tray first,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50cos this seasons it, which means that
0:14:50 > 0:14:53the slices of fish that we place on the top are going to look
0:14:53 > 0:14:56really nice and not have any little black bits on it as well.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59So just thinly slice.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02And then each slice, you kind of lay on a buttered tray
0:15:02 > 0:15:03nicely, like that.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Collectively, you're producing nearly a tonne of herbs and salad.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- Yes.- Who else is doing that? How many sites have you got?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10We've got 12 sites in all.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12The whole project is called Patchwork Farm Project.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17The idea is to train people to gain a skill in growing food
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- and then give them a plot of land afterwards...- Yeah.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22..that they grow salad on.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25And then they sell it back to the veg box scheme, which is
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- all part...under the umbrella of Growing Communities.- Right.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31So it's skilling people up in gardening
0:15:31 > 0:15:33and encouraging more people to do that.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34How fantastic.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36I start the sauce for the salmon
0:15:36 > 0:15:39by adding a finely diced shallot to the pan.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Once it's softened, add the vermouth.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It's very important that you use this.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It doesn't just work with white wine, but it must be a little
0:15:47 > 0:15:52dry vermouth and a combination of that and white wine.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56I use 75 mls of both the vermouth and the white wine.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Then I bring the whole lot to the boil and reduce by half.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Now, tell me what you've got here, cos it's not just this
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- sort of stuff that you grow. - Yeah.- All manner of different stuff.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08All manner of different stuff. A lot of variety of leaves.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11So we come together on a Tuesday, when we harvest,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and all the sites put our salad leaves into a big trough.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16So you all arrive en masse in milk floats.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18En masse. No, not all in milk floats.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20I can just see that.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Clogging up the Borough of Hackney.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23- Go on.- No, no, we've got our cycles
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- and trailers.- Right. - And we get our salads to base.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And we make sure that, across the sites,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- we all grow varied stuff so we don't all have the same thing.- Right.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35We've got our lovely salmon here.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37There's no need to put any oil on this whatsoever.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38You've got butter, salt and pepper.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Just as your liquid in there is starting to reduce,
0:16:42 > 0:16:43you just pop it under the grill.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Now, that's only going to take about two minutes, which gives you
0:16:46 > 0:16:50enough time to finish off this sauce, and use double cream.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Once I've added 150 mls of double cream, I then cook
0:16:55 > 0:16:59it for about two to three minutes until the sauce has thickened.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01That gives me time to prep the sorrel.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I just de-vein it first of all, just pull the leaves off,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07but, I mean, this is great in salads and...
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's great, yeah. It's quite an unusual taste.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13I think people sometimes are quite surprised by the citrus-y
0:17:13 > 0:17:15- taste of it.- It's one of these things that a lot of people
0:17:15 > 0:17:18are put off. Maybe they've tried it once. It's that sourness in it.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- Yes.- But you can...that can work in your favour particularly with
0:17:21 > 0:17:24this, because of the cream and with the fattiness of the salmon.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27But the most important thing is, I don't think...
0:17:27 > 0:17:29If you are going to cook it, you don't overcook it.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Otherwise, it can go quite bitter.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Once they're de-veined, slice the leaves very thinly.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39When the salmon is cooked, take it out and leave it to rest.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Then add your sorrel to the sauce.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Now this is crucial. If you're going to do this at home,
0:17:46 > 0:17:47turn the heat off,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49right at the last minute, these go in.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- It reduces down really quickly, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- Like spinach.- It's already going,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56you can see the colour's just disappearing already.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58And you just pop that on the plate.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02The key to tasty food is simplicity.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06You don't need 101 things to make a delicious meal.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09By just adding a beautiful, creamy sauce with a zesty
0:18:09 > 0:18:11hint of veg patch sorrel,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15you can bring a humble piece of grilled salmon to a whole new level.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Tell me what you think of that because I think this is the classic
0:18:19 > 0:18:21combination to go with sorrel.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Very French, very classic, but...
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Mm.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29The lemon flavour with the fish is really nice.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32The lemon flavour works, but it must be dry vermouth as well.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Can't just make this with white wine.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Really simple as well. That's what I like.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41It's a dish that I learned in my teens and I still do it at home.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44It just... If you can get sorrel, that is the combination that
0:18:44 > 0:18:45you need to do.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55What I grow at home in my veg patch
0:18:55 > 0:18:58is small potatoes compared to the rich harvests
0:18:58 > 0:19:02that came from the Victorian kitchen gardens of our stately homes.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Food historian Dr Annie Gray is at Audley End House in Essex,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15where she's exploring the surprising dishes those kitchen gardens
0:19:15 > 0:19:16inspired.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23The Victorians grew so many different types of vegetables,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and it was a really good period for breeding intensively.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29They grew all sorts of things that we would know,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33things like broccoli, which had just arrived from Italy, beetroot, turnip
0:19:33 > 0:19:35swede, carrots in lots of different colours.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37You name it, they grew it.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42One of the oldest vegetables is the lettuce.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45The Victorians did eat lettuces raw - just chopped up roughly with
0:19:45 > 0:19:48a dressing on them - but they also used to cook with them.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51One of the most popular dishes was stuffed lettuces,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53which originally is a Georgian and French recipe.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Very sophisticated.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58But today, I'm going to cook a late-Victorian version of it.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01This is laitues farcies, or stuffed lettuces.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08By today's standards, Victorians did strange things with lettuce.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12But the theories behind their approach to food were even odder.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16The Victorians used to cook quite a lot of their salads and vegetables.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18It's partly a hangover from earlier eras,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21where uncooked vegetables were widely mistrusted.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Although the lettuce for Victorians was said to dampen lust,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29other vegetables were supposed to make you somewhat frisky.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30There you go.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33The first unusual step to this bizarre recipe was to parboil
0:20:33 > 0:20:34the lettuces.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Then it was on to the stuffing.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43In this recipe, breadcrumbs, suet, parsley, the rind of a lemon
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and seasoning were added to the veal mince.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Veal was really popular for the Victorians
0:20:49 > 0:20:51because it's a very versatile meat.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55You can do almost anything with it and it takes flavour very well.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The next thing I need to do is to stuff these lettuces.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09The secret is to make sure you've got enough leaves, that you can
0:21:09 > 0:21:15enclose the whole thing afterwards, so I think that will do it.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Once the heart of the lettuce was pinched out,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25the veal meat stuffing was added and the whole lot was tied up tightly.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31It does show you the way in which Victorians
0:21:31 > 0:21:35relied on their servants, but it also shows, you, I think,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38the lengths to which they were prepared to go in order
0:21:38 > 0:21:41to make sure that something looked absolutely beautiful.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45The stuffed lettuces were put in a pan that has been lined with
0:21:45 > 0:21:48fatty bacon, vegetables and herbs.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Then stock was added.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53This is nice veal stock, so it will enhance the flavour
0:21:53 > 0:21:56of the veal in the lettuce, and be a very nice, fine flavour.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01It'll be in the oven for about 30 minutes,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03just while everything cooks through.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Lettuce wasn't the only salad ingredient the Victorians
0:22:10 > 0:22:11cooked with.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14The Industrial Revolution gave birth to glasshouses,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16heated by hot water pipes.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18They were known as hothouses
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and any country pile worth its salt invested in one.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25This meant that exotic fruits could be grown,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and that seasonal salad veg was available all year round.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Cucumber was a hothouse favourite, and, just like lettuce,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37the Victorians had some peculiar ways of preparing it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Annie has made a 19th-century cucumber soup.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45It's a superb recipe and one which really showcases
0:22:45 > 0:22:46the best of cucumbers.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50And the recipe calls for from eight to 20 cucumbers.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54To make the soup, peeled
0:22:54 > 0:22:59and deseeded cucumbers were simply cooked with veal stock until tender.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02At that point,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04in true Victorian fashion,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06the whole lot is put through a sieve,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09so that what you've got is this really beautiful puree.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But as you can see, this is not the thickest of soups.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18What I've got here is two egg yolks. And the way Victorians would have
0:23:18 > 0:23:23thickened their salad soup is pretty much the same as making custard.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27So that's hot soup going into egg yolk.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Cucumbers are one of those vegetables that some people
0:23:31 > 0:23:34got really obsessed with in the Victorian period,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36to the point that it became a mark of pride
0:23:36 > 0:23:38to have a straight cucumber.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41And George Stephenson, who of course is famous for inventing
0:23:41 > 0:23:45the Rocket, the steam engine, was also famous for having
0:23:45 > 0:23:49his factory make glass cylinder cucumber straightening devices.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54So this is just going to go in to thicken my soup.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I think that's about done.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15With the stuffed lettuce out of the oven and the soup nicely thickened,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19it's time to taste these delicacies from the Victorian vegetable garden.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23They're looking pretty good.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29They're really nice.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31You've got sort of crisp still in the lettuce,
0:24:31 > 0:24:32certainly in the stem,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36and that meat is very herby, quite spicy, very rich as well.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38You get something that just looks like a braised lettuce
0:24:38 > 0:24:42and you cut it open and - hey presto, it's stuffed!
0:24:42 > 0:24:43Absolutely brilliant.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Mm, it's superb.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Imagine being a Victorian. Imagine being in the depths of winter,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56but knowing that your hothouse is still producing cucumbers.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58And imagine tasting this.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It really is like a reminder of summer or perhaps
0:25:01 > 0:25:03a hint of things to come.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Absolutely gorgeous.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Just like the Victorians, I enjoy coming up with different
0:25:25 > 0:25:28ways of cooking ingredients from my veg patch.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32One of my favourite recipes, inspired by my home-grown produce,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35is guaranteed to perk up a barbecue.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It's cauliflower salad with barbecue chicken and honey tomatoes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44This is a recipe that epitomises everything that I've got
0:25:44 > 0:25:46in the garden. And what I love about it so much...
0:25:46 > 0:25:48I just love this area of the house.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50We've got the lovely greenhouse behind us
0:25:50 > 0:25:52with fresh tomatoes growing.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Fantastic selection of veg that really sort of inspire you to
0:25:55 > 0:25:57want to cook them. And I thought with this one, we'd do
0:25:57 > 0:26:00sort of like a little couscous, but a couscous using cauliflower.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Quite an unusual ingredient to serve raw,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06but one that works really, really well with chicken.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11For this recipe, I like to barbecue some chicken breasts.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12But before cooking them,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16it's better to toss them in a little bit of olive oil and seasoning.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20The secret of this is not to add too much oil on to the food,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23otherwise it just drips and creates flames on the barbecue.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27I'm going to grab just a tiny bit of fresh thyme.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30This is one of the benefits of having a garden, is you can
0:26:30 > 0:26:32just throw in whatever you fancy, really, whatever you feel.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Thyme, rosemary, a bit of lavender even, which is
0:26:35 > 0:26:38fantastic with this of course, or great with lamb chops.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Just stick this straight on the barbecue.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48We just leave that for about three or four minutes before we turn
0:26:48 > 0:26:50it over. Otherwise, it actually sticks.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Now, while that's cooking, I'm going to grab some tomatoes.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00My uncle and my grandad were amazing veg growers,
0:27:00 > 0:27:01particularly in the greenhouse.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04You had a fantastic smell the minute you walked in.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07There's nothing else like it. The smell of these
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and the taste are just superb.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Throw the tomatoes on the barbecue, too.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17To do this, I'll make a little tray from tinfoil, then put the halved
0:27:17 > 0:27:22tomatoes in it, before drizzling them with olive oil and seasoning.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23Then add a little sweetness.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Just a tiny bit of honey.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Now, you can use maple syrup,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30which I'm going to use for the dressing for this,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34but honey works really well. And of course, not forgetting a few herbs.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39For this, I'm going to use a few sprigs of thyme with the tomatoes.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Then just chuck them onto the barbecue
0:27:42 > 0:27:43for 12 to 15 minutes,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46which gives me time to make the cauliflower salad.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50And for this, you just stick it in a blender.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Chop it up into reasonable sort of small florets.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58And this is an amazing salad that you can have with any meat or fish.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02But the secret is not to blitz it for too long.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04You just want to make sure that they're sort of small pieces. But if
0:28:04 > 0:28:08you blitz it too much, it turns into a puree. So keep your eye on it.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13When your cauliflower has been blitzed into the consistency of
0:28:13 > 0:28:18small grains, tip it out into a bowl and get started on the dressing.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20The dressing is quite unusual.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Due to the fact that it uses, instead of oil as a base,
0:28:24 > 0:28:25maple syrup.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Now, I'm a massive fan of maple syrup.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31I love it.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34But you've got to get the good stuff.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37This is one ingredient I don't skimp on.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41250 mls goes into a pan, followed by a heaped teaspoon
0:28:41 > 0:28:45of curry powder and six tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47And what you need to do is warm this up.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51And warming it up will actually get all the flavours
0:28:51 > 0:28:53out of the curry powder.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57What the maple syrup will do, it will give it a lovely sweetness,
0:28:57 > 0:28:59which goes really well with the chicken.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03And all you need to do is just pour this...
0:29:05 > 0:29:08..over the top of the cauliflower...
0:29:09 > 0:29:11..and mix this together.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Add 75 grams of roughly chopped pistachio nuts
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and the same amount of toasted flaked almonds.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20And then the herbs.
0:29:22 > 0:29:23I'm going to use a combination of two herbs
0:29:23 > 0:29:24that I grow in the garden -
0:29:24 > 0:29:28mint and coriander, which are so easy to grow, particularly mint.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32And anybody will know, if they've got a garden,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35will know to plant mint in containers. Otherwise,
0:29:35 > 0:29:39it just goes everywhere. It's like my food hell- horseradish.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41My mate planted that to wind me up.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Can't get rid of it. It's horrendous stuff.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46I've got to move house to get rid of it.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Next into the salad, it's a generous amount of seasoning
0:29:50 > 0:29:52and four chopped spring onions.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Spring onions, normal onions, I grow them by the masses.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01I think gardening is like anything else -
0:30:01 > 0:30:02it's all to do with practice.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06There's one thing that I do watch. I watch these gardening shows,
0:30:06 > 0:30:07and I really don't understand most of them.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09All I want to know is where you get it from
0:30:09 > 0:30:11and what muck do you grow it in.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Finish off the salad by piling on the barbecued chicken
0:30:19 > 0:30:20and the tomatoes on the top.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Now, there's nothing better than fresh tomatoes from the garden.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34It's definitely one of the best things that come out of my garden.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36The flavour is just fantastic.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Like this, even on sort of toast with proper bacon
0:30:41 > 0:30:42You just can't beat it.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48It's amazing that simple ingredients like maple syrup, curry powder,
0:30:48 > 0:30:53cauliflower and herbs can be rustled up into this fantastic salad.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55But it's all those surprising flavours
0:30:55 > 0:30:59and textures that make this a delicious veg patch dish.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11The salad and the tomatoes is what this dish is all about - it's fresh.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Well, you don't get any fresher than that, do you, really?
0:31:14 > 0:31:19It's just fantastic. Every mouthful just bursts with flavour.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23From field to fork, they call it,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25but in under ten minutes, you've got a meal.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Doesn't get any better.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Every veg patch in the country relies on one little
0:31:38 > 0:31:41creature for its survival - the bee.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47And like Ximena's London leaves, honeybees can thrive in cities, too.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50In a quiet corner of Regents Park, Central London,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53you'll find beekeeper Toby Mason.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Since 2004, he's produced a multi floral honey from the 40 or
0:31:58 > 0:31:59so hives that he tends there.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04I got into beekeeping many years ago when a friend of mine
0:32:04 > 0:32:07showed me his hives and I thought it was just wonderful.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11So I did a beekeeping course and then got my hives.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16I like to collect the honey at night
0:32:16 > 0:32:18because the bees tend to go down to where the queen is,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22so when I'm stealing their honey from them, they don't get too upset.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26Safety considerations aside, the honeycombs of liquid gold
0:32:26 > 0:32:31that Toby's collecting are worth putting in a night shift for.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35I think, very sadly, many people don't know what proper honey's like.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40A lot of the honey that's sold is no more than thick sugar syrup and
0:32:40 > 0:32:45has none of the excitement and the flavours and the joy of real honey.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57In the morning, Toby extracts the honey from last night's collection.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02So this is the box of honey which we collected last night
0:33:02 > 0:33:07and is now bee free, which is the best way for removing the honey.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10The flowers here are completely seasonal
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and the honey changes its flavour throughout the seasons.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17As we start off, it's often much more light and floral-y.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20My favourite is the sort of around June time -
0:33:20 > 0:33:23you get the lime trees and the brambles in flower and it
0:33:23 > 0:33:28produces this lovely light honey that's almost citrus-y in flavour.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29It's truly wonderful.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32And then by the time you get to September, it gets really quite dark,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34where you've got ivy coming through
0:33:34 > 0:33:37and almost a more savoury taste.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Now I need to get the honey out of the frames.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45It's a deceptively simple process.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48To ensure the honey retains its unique character,
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Toby removes the wax caps and places the combs into what is
0:33:52 > 0:33:54the beekeeper's equivalent of a spin dryer.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I first started keeping bees for the beekeeping aspect,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02but at the end of that year, when I took the honey off,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05I was blown away by the flavours in it.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08There was roses and elderflowers. And I suppose it was not surprising,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12given the amazing rose garden that's here in Regents Park.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17The honey's kept in its most natural state.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21All we're doing is doing a very light filter to take out
0:34:21 > 0:34:24small bits of wax that have come off the comb.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27This means that the honey keeps its incredible flavours.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31Commercially produced honey is heated for several reasons.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34One, it flows much quicker, you can do this processing much quicker.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Those light flavours disappear very quickly once you heat it up.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45And like all quality garden produce,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49Toby doesn't have to travel far to find willing customers.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Which is lucky, as he delivers everything on his bike.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56He supplies the likes of Fortnum and Mason,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59as well delis around Regents Park.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07I'm arriving here now at Melrose and Morgan, which is my oldest customer,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11been serving them for ten years now, with their next lot of honey.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Hi, Toby.- Hey, Nick, how are you? - Good, thanks.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18- Here's the honey, 30 jars. - Excellent.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20How long's that going to keep you going for?
0:35:20 > 0:35:21I reckon about a week.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- I'll be back in a week, thank you. - Cheers then, cheers. Bye now.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28This is a great local product.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Our customers understand the quality, they understand
0:35:31 > 0:35:35the seasonality of this product and they're willing to pay for that.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Full of the flavours of London's very own back garden,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Toby's honey has a loyal local customer base.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43It is a very special flavour.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46It's quite different from the stuff that comes out of jars and has
0:35:46 > 0:35:49these extra sort of tones and notes, which sort of set it apart.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51The key to bringing great artisan food to London
0:35:51 > 0:35:53is to have a passion for it.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It's a fight, it's difficult to do.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57And without the passion, it won't happen.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05It's great fun producing lots of different veg
0:36:05 > 0:36:07from your own garden.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08And in the last few years,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11I've also been lucky enough to be able to harvest fruit.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15My gran used to make the most amazing trifle.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18And when I've got my own home-grown raspberries,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22I love to rustle up my own twist on her old recipe.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25It's my raspberry and pistachio trifle.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Now one of my favourite things from the veg patch are raspberries.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31And I'm quite fortunate -
0:36:31 > 0:36:34the raspberry plants I've got in my garden are Scottish raspberry
0:36:34 > 0:36:38plants. And I say that because these are a beautiful little fruit,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40that when they're in season, are some of the best you can get.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43And I'm going to create a wonderful little trifle with this,
0:36:43 > 0:36:44with a pistachio sponge.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48But the way that I'm going to make it, is visit not Scotland
0:36:48 > 0:36:51but France, because I'm going to do a genoise,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54which is a mixture of sort of a standard cake recipe
0:36:54 > 0:36:56but with the addition of butter.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01The butter needs to be melted first,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04so put in 25 grams in a saucepan over a low heat.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Now, what this will do to the sponge is prolong the shelf life
0:37:08 > 0:37:11of the sponge. It adds moisture to it, stops it from drying out,
0:37:11 > 0:37:12basically.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14While the butter's melting,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17whisk six eggs with 175 grams of caster sugar.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Now, really, you've just got to wait for the eggs and the sugar to whisk
0:37:20 > 0:37:23up because, as they're doing it, you're creating air in there, lift,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26and that's going to cause our sponge to be nice and light.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28There's no baking powder, no bicarbonate here.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Now, you can really tell when the mixture's nearly ready because
0:37:34 > 0:37:38it goes from yellow to white as it starts to get lighter and lighter.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41But keep going, persevere with it.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44That's why it's much easier using one of these things.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49When the mixture is pale and thick, add 25 grams of pistachio paste,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52which you can buy from specialist food retailers online.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55And it's a sweetened paste.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Just a puree of pistachio nuts and water.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01But it creates a wonderful colour
0:38:01 > 0:38:03and taste to our sponge.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07And I can always tell when a pistachio cake is done properly.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11It's not vivid green, glow-in-the-dark green,
0:38:11 > 0:38:13it's just a nice, light green colour.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Once the pistachio paste is mixed in,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23add 175 grams of plain flour and the melted butter.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Now at this stage, roll your sleeves up.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31And then using your hands,
0:38:31 > 0:38:33and with your fingers open,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36you carefully fold it through.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41It's much quicker, much easier
0:38:41 > 0:38:44and won't knock out the air that you've just placed in it as well.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Now this is particularly good
0:38:46 > 0:38:50when you're making this style of sponge, with the addition of butter.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Cos the minute you add the butter to the mixture,
0:38:53 > 0:38:55it actually causes it to collapse.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02Pour the sponge mix into a cake tin that has been buttered and floured.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Get it into the oven as quick as you can, even if your hands
0:39:06 > 0:39:07are covered in the cake mix.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Using my other hand, stick it in the oven.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15It's 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 200 degrees centigrade.
0:39:15 > 0:39:16That wants about 20 to 25 minutes.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21And that gives you the time you'll need to get on
0:39:21 > 0:39:23with the rest of your trifle.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Rather than use jelly,
0:39:29 > 0:39:34which my sadly departed grandmother used to do,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38I'm going to use these raspberries to create a wonderful little sauce.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Put 300 grams of fresh raspberries into a blender with two
0:39:42 > 0:39:47tablespoons of water and blitz it until it's formed a puree.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Now if you wanted a smooth sauce,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52you'd pass this through a sieve, to get rid of the seeds.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53Because I'm going to layer it all up with
0:39:53 > 0:39:56the rest of the raspberries, it doesn't really matter.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00The main thing is, we just want the flavour from the raspberries.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05By blitzing them with no sugar whatsoever, this will be just right.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10I've rustled up home-made custard for the trifle, and I just have
0:40:10 > 0:40:14to top the whole thing off with loads of double cream.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19I'm just going to sweeten the cream with a little bit of icing sugar.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22The reason why I'm going to use icing sugar,
0:40:22 > 0:40:24is that it doesn't have any grains in it.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27So when it's whisked up with the cream,
0:40:27 > 0:40:32you get the sweetness of the cream but without the grains mixed in.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37Whip 500 mls of the cream with three tablespoons of icing sugar.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42You always want this just ever so slightly softly whipped,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44not too firm.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Then really, it's kind of like an assembly job.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55Start by lining the bottom of a large serving bowl with
0:40:55 > 0:40:57squares of the cooled sponge.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Then drizzle with kirsch before adding layers of raspberry
0:41:02 > 0:41:06sauce, custard and fresh raspberries.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08So every time you get to a layer of sponge,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10think about what the sponge is going to do.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13It's going to absorb in all that liquid,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17so a bit of kirsch and a bit more of this sauce.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Now my granny's old recipe used to be sherry and jelly, of course.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Nothing wrong with that.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27It did used to put you to sleep, though.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29So I wouldn't annoy her in the garden with the cricket bat,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31banging up against the kitchen window.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Top the whole thing off with a generous layer
0:41:35 > 0:41:37of the sweetened cream.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Finally, I'm going to finish this off with the leftover
0:41:42 > 0:41:43bits of fresh raspberries...
0:41:45 > 0:41:47..sprinkled over the top,
0:41:47 > 0:41:52and then a combination of pistachio nuts and almonds.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00Trifle has always been a firm favourite in my family,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03and I've loved it ever since I was a little boy.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07By throwing in some fresh fruit from my own garden, I think
0:42:07 > 0:42:12I may have even improved on my granny's tried and trusted recipe.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Mm, look at that!
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Now, the great thing about this - it's such a sharing dish.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23So just stick it in a room full of people...and enjoy it.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Here you go guys, a small trifle.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Oh, wow. That's amazing.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37I don't know what you lot are having, but I'm all right.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40There you go.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Mm, that's good.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Oh, wow.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- Mm, really good. - That's all right, though, isn't it?
0:42:48 > 0:42:51When you've got stuff like this growing at the bottom of the garden,
0:42:51 > 0:42:52there's nothing better.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Any chef worth their salt will tell you that nothing is more
0:42:59 > 0:43:02important than cooking with fresh produce.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05And using ingredients that you've grown in your own veg patch
0:43:05 > 0:43:08will make a huge impact in the kitchen.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12Even if you plant just a few herbs in pots at your back door,
0:43:12 > 0:43:14you'll discover that they'll bring
0:43:14 > 0:43:17a delicious burst of freshness and flavour into your dishes.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20You can find all the recipes from the series on...