0:00:02 > 0:00:05The heart of my home is the kitchen.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10And it's here that I love to cook delicious meals
0:00:10 > 0:00:13for my nearest and dearest.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Cheers!
0:00:16 > 0:00:20There's no better way to celebrate everything good in life...
0:00:20 > 0:00:25than sharing some great food... with the people you love.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33- These are the dishes that- I- cook when I want to bring people together.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34These are MY home comforts.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48When I'm at home, I love to get a few friends round for dinner,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51but I know that cooking for a crowd
0:00:51 > 0:00:54gives some people serious stage fright,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and those nerves can turn the whole experience into a bit of a drama.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59But I'm going to banish those jitters
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and show you some great dinner party dishes
0:01:01 > 0:01:04that I guarantee will wow your guests.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'I'll be serving up a spicy and sweet duck dish
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'that's literally bursting with flavour...'
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Most people would never have even tasted it before.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16This really is delicious.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20'..showing my Strictly Come Dancing buddy Camilla Dallerup
0:01:20 > 0:01:22'the quickest steps to the perfect roast...'
0:01:22 > 0:01:25- It's chopped now.- No, it's not, you've still got to chop a bit more.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Go on, the plasters are ready...
0:01:27 > 0:01:30'..and rustling up the kind of dessert
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'that'll have calorie-counting guests running for cover.'
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It's, like, the biggest doughnut in the world.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39I'm putting on a stone, here, tasting this.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45But I'm kicking off with one of my favourite starters.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48A carpaccio of tuna with watermelon.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Simple to make, a dream to taste.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54What's not to love?
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Now, I do loads of dinner parties at home and this is a dish
0:01:58 > 0:02:01that I never, ever take off the menu.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05It's got a unique taste, texture, flavour,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09and you wouldn't believe it, looking at the minimum amount of ingredients.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I've got a little bit of watermelon,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14some shallot, chives, a touch of bread -
0:02:14 > 0:02:17this is sourdough, just thinly sliced and dried out -
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and then some fresh tuna in the fridge.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25You'll need 50g to 75g of fish per person, and the fresher the better.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Carpaccio is made from raw meat
0:02:28 > 0:02:31so you'll also want get it nice and thin.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34To do that, put it between two sheets of clingfilm
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and flatten it gently with a rolling pin.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40What you don't want to be doing is whack, whack,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43which pulls the tendons out of the tuna, ruins the fish.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47You just carefully bat it out.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50What you're looking for is a flat piece of tuna
0:02:50 > 0:02:53which is the same right throughout.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Now, for me, the idea of a dinner party is to create things
0:02:56 > 0:02:58with a little bit of flare and imagination
0:02:58 > 0:03:00but to keep things nice and simple
0:03:00 > 0:03:03so you can spend most of the time with your dinner guests,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05not working like a Trojan in the kitchen.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09And this is the prime example of that dish.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12So you've got a nice piece of tuna. You can see it's nice and thin.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16And then, just using a bowl...
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Now, you want a bowl the same sort of size as the plate, really,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21that you're going to serve it on.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Place this over the top and then, using a really sharp knife,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26you cut it all in one go.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28You don't want to make little tiny cuts
0:03:28 > 0:03:31because it's going to break up the clingfilm
0:03:31 > 0:03:34and make it very difficult to take off.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And what you end up with is a lovely disc of tuna, like that.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42There's no way these trimmings are going to waste.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45They're chopped up to make a tasty little canape
0:03:45 > 0:03:48that'll be hidden under the disc of tuna.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Now, I've got these garden chives that I produce in the garden,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54which are lovely and firm.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00And then just some finely diced shallot.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Now, it's really important that you get this nice and fine.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06You don't want big chunks of onions.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10The tuna gets a squeeze of lemon juice
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and then it's mixed with the shallots and chives,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17along with a touch of salt and pepper.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And this is what I love about this dish, is its simplicity,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23great flavour and simply prepared,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and this is the essence of great cooking.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I top off my tuna and shallot canape with watermelon.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34And for me, this is what really sets this dish apart.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37First, take the skin off a slice of watermelon
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and then pop it in a bag with a pinch of salt.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Now, what the salt will do is draw out some of the moisture
0:04:45 > 0:04:48from the watermelon, like that.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49That's all it is to start off with.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52You need to prepare this a little bit in advance
0:04:52 > 0:04:54cos this needs to sit in the fridge now for a couple of days.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I'll show you the difference, what it looks like,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00once it's been in the fridge for about 48 hours.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03You can see the liquid starts to come out of it
0:05:03 > 0:05:05and you see how the colour changes.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07It almost goes translucent. Look at that.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10It almost looks like candied melon, really, it's really unusual.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Now the melon's had a couple of days in the fridge,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I can cut it into slices before frying it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20And there's only one ingredient for that job.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Now, you must get this butter to a lovely nut-brown colour,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27then and only then do you put the melon in.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35A lot of chefs will call this "mock foie gras".
0:05:35 > 0:05:37There's a lot to be said about foie gras,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39whether you like it or whether you don't,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41but you can get the same flavour,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44that buttery, lovely liver-y sort of flavour
0:05:44 > 0:05:47that you get with foie gras, you can get with watermelon.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51I've fooled many, many famous chefs with this.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Now, this is ready when the melon starts to change colour.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Lift it off the heat, a nice pinch of salt.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Put this cooked watermelon to one side,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07then get on with assembling the dish.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10The first job is to make the concealed canape.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Pile the tuna and shallot mixture
0:06:12 > 0:06:15on to small slices of crisp sourdough toast,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19and then top each one off with chunks of that amazing watermelon.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Then put that on the plate, and then you can grab your tuna.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Now, this, you can make in advance in the fridge
0:06:26 > 0:06:27and then when you actually serve it,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30you just take the clingfilm off one side
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and then flip it over and pop that over the top, like that.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37So you've got this nice disc which will leave dinner party guests
0:06:37 > 0:06:40wondering what on earth's underneath it,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43but also, how on earth you get it into a circle like that.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Then it's just a matter of taking off the top layer of clingfilm,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50brushing the tuna with extra-virgin olive oil,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and using more of the chopped shallots and chives as a garnish.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Finally, just before you serve it, a touch of lemon.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01If you put it on too early, it cures it.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06And then just a touch of black pepper over the top.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12This has got to be one of the best starters I've ever tasted.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15The delicate flavour of the tuna is fantastic enough,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18but the canapes topped off with that fried watermelon
0:07:18 > 0:07:21takes the dish to a whole new level.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Believe me, you'll never find a better curtain-raiser
0:07:24 > 0:07:26for your dinner party.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Of course, any dish is only as good as the ingredients you put in it.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Luckily, the UK is peppered with dedicated producers
0:07:35 > 0:07:41that are all dead set on bringing us the best British food.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46In Cornwall, fifth-generation farmer Roger Olver
0:07:46 > 0:07:50and his wife Tanya produce something very confidential.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54But those in the know reckon it's the very best they've ever tasted.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57And what they farm is...
0:07:57 > 0:07:58Come on!
0:07:58 > 0:08:00..top-secret ducks.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05The birds waddled into their lives
0:08:05 > 0:08:08after a conversation with a local chef.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10He said, "Have you ever thought about doing duck?"
0:08:10 > 0:08:14And we hadn't, so we found some duck in Devon,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16we brought them back, reared them,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19took them down to him, he cooked them off and said,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22"That is stunning, that is absolutely stunning.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26"I've got lots of other chefs who can't get good duck."
0:08:26 > 0:08:29The birds they bought from Devon were a secret crossbreed
0:08:29 > 0:08:32of at least four different types of duck,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34to which they've added even more.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36We like to keep the breed strong
0:08:36 > 0:08:40by bringing in extra stock every once in a while.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44I can't tell you what stock it is, what type of duck.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49What makes their classified duck so special
0:08:49 > 0:08:52is the proportion of fat to meat, and its taste.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57To achieve this, they believe they have to do everything themselves.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02We've got everything here. It makes it so unique.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04I think there's only a few places in the country
0:09:04 > 0:09:07that does the whole lot - hatch to dispatch.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Keeping everything in-house means
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Tanya has to first collect the eggs from their laying ducks.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18Here, I've got a lovely clutch of eggs and, as you can see,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21they've got a lovely...the classic egg shape,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23which will help them to hatch out.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26They'll come out the top there, so it's all important
0:09:26 > 0:09:28to get the right size and shape eggs.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So I'm really, really happy with these.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33The eggs are then placed in an incubator,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36where things remain very quiet for about four weeks.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37OK.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- CHICKS CHEEP - Hello!
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Now, this is welcome to the world.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47But there's always one running a little late.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52He's got to dry off but he'll come along well, he's absolutely fine.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57OK...
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Hello.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01From the hatchery, the ducklings are taken to
0:10:01 > 0:10:03a series of brooder houses -
0:10:03 > 0:10:05heated pens where they live for two weeks,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09until they're big enough to roam outside in the paddocks.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14They're like puppies. They expend all their energy,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18then you'll see them all together, huddled up and gone to sleep.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- Morning.- Roger and Tanya hatch 300 ducklings a week in peak season,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29and they graze and mature on the farm for two months.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32That's two weeks more than most mass-produced ducks.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34In the big processing places,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38they'll probably process about 3,000 a week,
0:10:38 > 0:10:44so in comparison with everybody else, we are quite small.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46That way, we can have all the individual care.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49It's really hands on, but I feel that really matters
0:10:49 > 0:10:53and it matters with the end product.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56That hands-on approach even extends to their own range of burgers,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59which they sell at farmers' markets.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00We eat a lot of duck.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It was my favourite meat before we started producing them,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05so that's rather good.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08These burgers we eat an awful lot of.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12We use them if we have friends coming over for a dinner party,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and so many people have never sampled duck burger before.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20As well as being a hit with amateur cooks,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23the secret ducks have gone down a treat
0:11:23 > 0:11:26with Michelin-starred chefs, like Chris Eden.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28I believe in this duck completely
0:11:28 > 0:11:31because the fat layer on the outside of it roasts up
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and it renders down so it'll become beautiful and crisp.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37And then when you cut into it, it's quite a bloody duck,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39so it stays lovely and pink,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and the flavour is obviously unique as well.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Roger and Tanya's ducks may well be delicious,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49but there are two birds back on the farm
0:11:49 > 0:11:51which will never reach the dining-room table.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54These are Romulus and Remus, they're the famous duck twins
0:11:54 > 0:11:57and they were born in 2009.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And they're famous because they came out of one egg,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04which is incredibly rare. I was told it wouldn't happen.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05They're very dear to us
0:12:05 > 0:12:07and after their natural day,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09the Natural History Museum want them,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13so I think they're going to go down in history.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18These two certainly have a special place in Roger and Tanya's hearts.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22But the truth is, the couple are quackers about them all.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Yeah, we eat, sleep, live, breathe ducks,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29and they're just such beautiful creatures.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31They've got so much character
0:12:31 > 0:12:35and they just keep us sane, I think, and they make us really happy.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I'm more of a dog-lover myself, but I do enjoy cooking duck.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48When I have people coming over,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53I often rustle up my no-hassle duck breast with umeboshi sauce.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57It's a fantastic combination of rich, succulent meat
0:12:57 > 0:13:01and a spicy, sweet sauce, with a very unusual flavour.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Now, duck for a dinner party can be quite tricky
0:13:05 > 0:13:08but I'm going to use the duck breast for this
0:13:08 > 0:13:10and it's a great way to use it for a dinner party
0:13:10 > 0:13:13because you can prepare this way in advance.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15But the first thing we're going to turn our attention to
0:13:15 > 0:13:17is the spice mix, cos I'm going to do this
0:13:17 > 0:13:20sort of an Asian, sort of Japanese-y sort of spice.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25I start the mix with curry powder, ground ginger and five-spice.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27A teaspoon of each will do the trick,
0:13:27 > 0:13:32but you'll need two teaspoons of the final ingredient, sancho pepper.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It's quite a lemony, fragrant mixture
0:13:35 > 0:13:39of sort of different peppers and spices, it's wonderful.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42You'll find sancho pepper in Asian supermarkets or online.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49When the spice mix is ready, rub it on to the duck breasts.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51And you'll need to seal the meat,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and getting this bit right is really important.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Don't put any salt, no pepper, nothing,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58it's just got the spice mix on it,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02and you take the duck breasts and you place them in a dry pan.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Now, I like to do this from a cold pan, really.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Make sure it's on low to start off with
0:14:07 > 0:14:09and then gradually, you're heating up this pan,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13and you'll see how much fat comes out of these duck breasts.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The duck will take three to four minutes,
0:14:16 > 0:14:17so I can get on with the sauce.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21For that, I'm using another interesting ingredient.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25These are umeboshi plums, which translate to picked plums.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29You can get a paste form or you can get the whole form,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31and you can see inside, you've got the seed in there,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35so what you need to do is just take the seeds out of these.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Now, I've actually seen these being harvested,
0:14:37 > 0:14:38generally around June time.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41They're picked and they put them in big barrels
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and put loads of salt on it, or use a mixture of salt and vinegar.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46And what you end up with is these sort of pickled,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49really strong-flavoured plums.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51These Japanese salt plums, like the sancho pepper,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54can be found in Asian supermarkets.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57To make the sauce, put 200g of the plums in a blender
0:14:57 > 0:15:02with a teaspoon of the spice mix and two tablespoons of honey.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Blitz the lot.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Then set it aside while you finish off the duck.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Now, the key to this is just to make sure you get a lovely colour on it
0:15:13 > 0:15:18before you turn them over, and you can see that beautiful colour.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Now, at that point, we could take it off the heat,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25so what we're going to do is grab some honey...
0:15:26 > 0:15:29So just a good drizzle of honey over the top.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Of course, that combination of sweetness,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36together with the sourness of the plums,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39is going to work fantastically well.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Now, all they need is eight to ten minutes
0:15:41 > 0:15:43in an oven heated to 200 degrees.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50I'm going to serve this with a little bit of bok choy,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53just steamed, very, very simply.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Too many people try and reinvent the wheel
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and try and do something too fancy for dinner parties.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00You've got to keep it nice and simple
0:16:00 > 0:16:03so you can spend more time with your guests,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and this is the perfect dish for that.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07To give the bok choy a bit of kick,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11chop up half a red onion, and thinly slice a chilli to go with it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15And then ginger... Now, when you're buying ginger,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17go for ginger with a smooth skin.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20It means that it's full of moisture inside.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And for this, I'm just going to cut it nice and thin.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Little bit of garlic. We could just crush that.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And then we've got our bok choy.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Now, actually, I've tried growing this here
0:16:32 > 0:16:33with varying degrees of success.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37To be honest, the slugs like it, so you've got to keep them away from it.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I pile this slug-free bok choy into the steamer,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42top it off with the other ingredients
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and cook for five minutes or so.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Now, our duck, after about halfway through the cooking,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50it's a good idea to check it.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54The honey can burn, so what you've got to do is take it out...
0:16:55 > 0:16:57..and then just baste it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01There's no need to get the tissues out
0:17:01 > 0:17:04but, as a chef, we don't get invited to dinner parties very often.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07One of the dinner parties that I got invited to about eight years ago,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09I got asked for a recipe
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and I gave them a recipe for a delicious little coq au vin,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and when I got there, it was a black-tie gig,
0:17:15 > 0:17:16I got shown into the kitchen,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19shown the fridge, shown the knife, shown the chopping board
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and said, "We'll see you in two hours,"
0:17:22 > 0:17:24and I cooked the entire meal for 30 people.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26That was an ex-friend.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Right, we're there with the duck.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Once basted, give the duck another four to five minutes in the oven.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38When it comes out, let it rest for around five to eight minutes,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42then warm the plum sauce in the pan with the juices from the meat.
0:17:44 > 0:17:50So, the bok choy's done, nicely steamed. Now we're ready to serve.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57And there we have it.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02It's sharp, it's sour,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05it's everything you want to go with the duck.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I love doing this for a dinner party,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10cos most people would never have even tasted it before.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12It's good, that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17It's pretty hard to beat the flavour of crispy duck,
0:18:17 > 0:18:22but serving it with this really unusual sauce makes it even tastier.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25This dish is also easy to multiply up
0:18:25 > 0:18:28if you have loads of friends coming round.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Mind you, if you're cooking for a really big crowd,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35you need lots of skill and a very cool head.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Chefs aboard this famous ship had all that and more.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Night after night, they turned out amazing meals
0:18:43 > 0:18:45for well over 1,000 passengers.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47But on one fateful evening,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50they served up their dishes for the final time.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Food historian Dr Annie Gray is discovering
0:18:56 > 0:18:58more about that last supper.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04On the night of 14th April 1912, the RMS Titanic,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07the most luxurious liner of its day,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12hit an iceberg and shortly thereafter sank.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15The loss of 1,500 lives shook the whole world.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19But the ship had sailed for four days before that fateful night,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22with the passengers on board enjoying various meals.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28And even that very evening, they'd all sat down to a stupendous feast.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Amazingly, some of the menus from that fateful night survived,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38so we do have a fairly clear idea of what was cooked and what was eaten,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43and I'm going to prepare a selection of dishes from those dinners.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47The menu that I've got here is from the first-class dining saloon.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49I'm going to cook filet mignons Lili,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and peaches in chartreuse jelly.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57This dessert will take two to three hours to prepare,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01so Annie starts it off mixing gelatine with water,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03sugar and chartreuse,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05a liquor made by French monks.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09As with nearly all of these monastic products,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12the recipe is a closely guarded secret
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and no-one can know what's in it, but essentially it's a herb liquor.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Annie puts the mould into a bowl of ice
0:20:20 > 0:20:22to help the jelly set more quickly.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25She then pours in the jelly itself,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29which she allows to set slightly before adding peaches.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32The process is repeated until the mould is full,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36and the whole jelly is left to completely set.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38No time or expense was spared
0:20:38 > 0:20:42when it came to indulging the ship's rich guests.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Catering on the Titanic was on a truly gigantic scale.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51There were over 50 tonnes of meat, poultry and fish,
0:20:51 > 0:20:5740 tonnes of potatoes and 27,000 bottles of beer and soda water.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Turning all those raw ingredients into show-stopping dishes
0:21:01 > 0:21:04required careful preparation and real technical skill,
0:21:04 > 0:21:09and that was definitely true of Annie's meat course.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Filet mignons Lili is a very expensive dish.
0:21:12 > 0:21:18It comprises layers of potatoes with butter, artichoke bottoms boiled,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21a fillet steak and a very, very rich sauce,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24which is finished with Madeira and truffles.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Annie starts off the super-posh dish
0:21:29 > 0:21:32by peeling and thinly slicing potatoes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35She then puts the slices in a ring with butter.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37This is my kind of food!
0:21:37 > 0:21:41And then it will just go in an oven for about 20 minutes.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Titanic carried a huge catering crew,
0:21:44 > 0:21:49over 400 people preparing over 6,000 meals a day.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Many of those meals were labour intensive.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Annie's next task is to prepare the artichoke,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02a job that was just as much of a workout then as it is now.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It's really good if you're feeling a bit frustrated with life.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13And that needs to cook for probably 15 minutes or so.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It's not an exact science. I'll prod it and check.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The top-notch fillet steak has to be cut into medallions
0:22:24 > 0:22:26before being fried in butter.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Standards were obviously high in the first-class kitchens,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33but when disaster struck,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36one cook went above and beyond the call of duty.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Most of the chefs went down with the ship
0:22:39 > 0:22:42but there was one exception - Charles Joughin, the baker.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45He's a bit of a hero - he spent most of the night baking
0:22:45 > 0:22:48so that those people who went out on the lifeboats would have
0:22:48 > 0:22:52hot rolls and various bread to keep them going throughout the night.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55In between baking, he was drinking steadily.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58As the ship went down, he put on his lifejacket and leapt
0:22:58 > 0:23:03from the deck and he survived several hours in icy-cold water,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05something which he attributed later
0:23:05 > 0:23:08to the level of alcohol in his bloodstream.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Right, I think I'm ready to assemble my dish.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Annie stacks the potatoes, artichoke and fillet steak
0:23:19 > 0:23:22before finishing off the dish with a rich sauce
0:23:22 > 0:23:24infused with Madeira and truffles.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28With her meat dish plated up,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Annie just has to hold her nerve to turn out the boozy jelly.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38Phew. Well, there we have it, my first-class dinner is ready.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51What can I say? It's steak, potatoes and gravy. It's really good.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's very refreshing, very sort of palate cleansing.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04It's a sobering thought that this would have been the last dinner
0:24:04 > 0:24:07for an awful lot of people on board Titanic that night,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and it wouldn't even be remembered
0:24:10 > 0:24:13if it hadn't all ended quite so dramatically.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Creating high-class food may require a huge amount of technical skill,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25but that doesn't mean you have be a genius
0:24:25 > 0:24:28to turn out fantastic dishes in your own kitchen.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33One of my favourite puddings is this bourbon-glazed monster doughnut.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It packs a huge punch in the flavour department,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40and you can make it well in advance.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Now, the key for me to a no-drama dinner party
0:24:42 > 0:24:45is to have everything prepared beforehand,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46and that includes dessert.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49And this is a really simple dessert.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51It's just a massive doughnut.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Now, the idea of this being that you can just make one dessert,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and this is enough to feed about 10 or 12 people.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Now, first thing we're going to do is make the doughnut dough.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Put a kilo of plain flour with 100g of caster sugar in a mixer.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15Then gently heat 100g of butter with 300ml of milk, full fat of course.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20When the butter is just melting, it's time to add the yeast.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23For this, I'm going to use just some fresh yeast.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Now, you can use dried, I much prefer this.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29You can actually buy this from your supermarket.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32If you go speak to the bakery, he often will sell you
0:25:32 > 0:25:34a big block of this sort of stuff.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36And for this one, we want about 18g.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Take the pan off the heat before adding the yeast,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43then mix it in gently with a spoon.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45It's really an important part of this process because
0:25:45 > 0:25:47if you don't mix this in,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50you just end up with lumps of yeast in the mix.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Now, ideally, what you want it is to be body temperature, really.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57If it's too hot to your finger, it will kill the yeast.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59When all the yeast has dissolved,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02add the liquid to the dry ingredients in the mixer,
0:26:02 > 0:26:07pour in another 300ml of milk, and then start it off on a medium speed.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Now, I first came across this recipe while working in America,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15in the oldest doughnut shop in the States.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18What I loved about it, it was still in the same family,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and we have this thing in sort of TV land, it's called a pack shot.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24It's where, basically, you would get all the family outside the shop
0:26:24 > 0:26:26so you just take one shot.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29The director said, "Smile everybody," and everybody smiled
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and there was one tooth between every single one of them...
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Five generations of the same family!
0:26:34 > 0:26:37..obviously from eating too many doughnuts.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And after about five minutes, this dough should be about there.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47This is exactly the texture that we're looking for.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50It's not bread dough. This is an enriched yeast dough,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and because of that, it should feel quite tacky.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57And it's really important at this stage not to make it too dry.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01So what you need to do now is just cover this over
0:27:01 > 0:27:05and leave it somewhere warm for about an hour to prove.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09And while it's doing that, I can get on with another part of my recipe -
0:27:09 > 0:27:12fantastic homemade ice cream.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17I start by warming 250ml of double cream
0:27:17 > 0:27:20with the same amount of full-fat milk.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Now, you can flavour this ice cream with whatever you want
0:27:23 > 0:27:28but I'm going to put in some malted milk powder, just a touch.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Just adds a really nice flavour to our ice cream.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Once this milk powder has dissolved and the mixture is just simmering,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40combine 100g of caster sugar with six egg yolks
0:27:40 > 0:27:42in a separate bowl.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Then add the warm cream mixture to the eggs and sugar,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47whisking all the time.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Finally, pour the whole lot back into the pan.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Now, one thing you don't want to be doing is boiling this
0:27:53 > 0:27:56otherwise you end up with scrambled eggs.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59So just lift it on and off the heat as and when you want.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02But the key to this is looking at the bubbles,
0:28:02 > 0:28:07cos as the mixture starts to thicken up, the bubbles start to disappear,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10as you get this custard-style texture.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15That's now ready, we can take the entire mixture
0:28:15 > 0:28:17and pop it in my container.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Now, at this stage, if I had an ice cream machine,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I'd use it to churn and freeze the mixture.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26But I don't, so I'm putting it in the freezer to set.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31And once that's done, I'm using this fancy bit of kit to churn it.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33I do love my gadgets!
0:28:33 > 0:28:35MACHINE WHIRRS
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Then I'm putting the ice cream back into the freezer
0:28:37 > 0:28:39for half an hour or so.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44During all this time, the dough has doubled in size,
0:28:44 > 0:28:48so the next step is to knead it for a couple of minutes.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Now, what you want to do is mould this into what looks like a big bun.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54It's looking pretty good.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Then...you grab a little pair of scissors.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02What we want to do is just cut the centre open...
0:29:03 > 0:29:06..and open this up into the start of our big doughnut.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10"And how are you going to deep-fry this monster?" I hear you ask.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Well, I'm not. I'm going to bake it instead.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17But before that,
0:29:17 > 0:29:21I'm smothering it in some of my favourite low-fat ingredients(!)
0:29:22 > 0:29:24So, in the butter first...
0:29:26 > 0:29:29..roll it again in the sugar, fold it over.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Once it's fully coated in my cinnamon-and-sugar mix,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37the doughnut goes back into a large greased baking tray,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40and then I stick a small greased tin in the hole in the middle.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43And then it's left to prove for 45 minutes
0:29:43 > 0:29:48before going into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for half an hour.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Now, what you need to do is just leave this to cool down a little bit.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01You just loosen the tin in the centre and just tip it out.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07Fingers crossed.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Monster doughnut!
0:30:11 > 0:30:13But I'm not finished yet.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16I drizzle the whole thing with a glaze
0:30:16 > 0:30:20made from 200g of icing sugar mixed with two tablespoons of bourbon.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Well, dinner parties aren't the place to count calories!
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Look at that, a proper big doughnut,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31and not forgetting you've got this amazing ice cream.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Of course you can buy ice cream to serve with the doughnut.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39But, for me, nothing beats the flavour of this homemade version.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42And all you do is just grab a chunk of it.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Look at that, it's like the biggest doughnut in the world.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58I love this dessert.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Let's face it, we all want a no-fuss dinner party,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06great food you can just dunk in the middle of the table
0:31:06 > 0:31:08and let everybody dive in.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12By midnight, all this is gone, I promise you.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I'm putting on a stone here, tasting this.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Of course dessert doesn't have to be supersized to be tasty
0:31:20 > 0:31:22or comforting.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Here in Britain, we spend more than £3 billion a year
0:31:27 > 0:31:31on sweetshop goodies of all shapes and sizes.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Londoners Melanie Goldsmith and Emile Bernard
0:31:35 > 0:31:38have hit on a new way to satisfy our sugar cravings.
0:31:38 > 0:31:44They created sweets that put a tipsy twist on your average pick and mix.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Melanie fell in love with sweets at a very young age.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51From the point at which I could chew,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53I was pretty much obsessed with sweets.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55I've never stopped having that craving.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58When I was at uni, I thought rather than get a part-time job in a bar,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01I'd get a job in a local sweet shop
0:32:01 > 0:32:04so I sold everything from Kendal Mint Cake to strawberry bonbons.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06I of course got to dip in myself.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13While at uni, Mel met Emile, whose passion for cooking was in his blood.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17I'd come from a really big foodie family, I'm one of eight kids
0:32:17 > 0:32:21and all five of the boys are chefs, so just cooking, cooking, cooking.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24I was always interested about how and why things happen with food.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Their combined passion for flavours and all things sweet
0:32:28 > 0:32:32led them to set up a business with a unique product,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35an alcoholic fruit pastille.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37The idea came about by accident
0:32:37 > 0:32:40whilst they were running a series of student dating nights.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43The whole concept of it was adults acting like kids,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45"adult play" we called it.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47I approached Emile to do an adult candy bar
0:32:47 > 0:32:49so that people had something they could have at the event
0:32:49 > 0:32:51and then take home with them.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Soon the sweets became a bigger hit than the dating nights,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and it was clear which business had a brighter future.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00We got a market stall
0:33:00 > 0:33:04and we managed to sell £3,000-worth of sweets in three weeks.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07And then we get this e-mail asking for 20,000 sweets,
0:33:07 > 0:33:09so we knew we were onto something.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13A couple of years on,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16and the friends are still producing cocktail confectionary,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19and they love experimenting with different flavours.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22What we're going to eat today
0:33:22 > 0:33:24is actually testing our new vodka recipe
0:33:24 > 0:33:26which is for a Canadian campfire.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29It's a vodka-based pastille with maple and smoke essence.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33To start with, we have glucose and we have our sugar
0:33:33 > 0:33:37and that is a boiling process to one pan. We get to a certain temperature
0:33:37 > 0:33:41and in our other pan we just have our vodka and peach essence mixture.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44And it being powdered gelatine, it's nice and easy.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47You don't need to soak it like a lot of the leaf gelatine out there.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Just pop it in there and let it absorb.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51And we're going to add our secret ingredients,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55so in here we have our maple essence and a little something special
0:33:55 > 0:33:58in there, so that is where all the flavour really happens.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00We really need to make sure that
0:34:00 > 0:34:04this doesn't go up above 40 degrees centigrade,
0:34:04 > 0:34:05just so the alcohol doesn't burn off
0:34:05 > 0:34:08and those delicate flavours don't get ruined.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10When the flavouring reaches the right temperature
0:34:10 > 0:34:12and the sugar syrup has thickened,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15the two are combined a little at a time.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18All those bubbles just dramatically reduces the temperature.
0:34:18 > 0:34:19When it gets to this stage,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21you can start adding in a bit more at a time.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24We just have to be patient when we're pouring the alcohol mix in
0:34:24 > 0:34:27because we want each sweet as boozy as possible.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29It was about six months of just trial and error,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32making sure it works, to get the recipe right,
0:34:32 > 0:34:34and making the template what we have now,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36so interchangeable with so many different cocktails
0:34:36 > 0:34:39that it will almost work every single time now.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45And there we have a beautifully coated sweet, as you can see.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46Aren't you gorgeous?
0:34:49 > 0:34:53But will their new vodka flavours be a hit with their friends?
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Can I try one?
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Hmm, really soft.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58Hmm. Nice.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02- You want another one? Cos five and you can't drive.- Five?!
0:35:02 > 0:35:05We aim to develop a range of products
0:35:05 > 0:35:07but for now we're keeping with the pastilles,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10and the future holds some secrets.
0:35:10 > 0:35:11It's an interesting idea,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14but I'm not sure I'd be up for too many boozy sweets
0:35:14 > 0:35:16after a dinner party.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Tonight, I'm hoping for a quiet-ish evening with friends,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23because my mate and former Strictly Come Dancing partner
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Camilla Dallerup is home from LA.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- Hey!- Hi.- Hello!- How are you?
0:35:29 > 0:35:32- I'm good, thank you. - The dog first, go on then.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33Oh, wow...
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Camilla's helping me out with making dinner,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37but before we get busy in the kitchen,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40we need a vital ingredient from the garden.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43So we need... For this, we need some lavender.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48- So, do you have this in LA, then? - No, this is very British.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50So, is it just a concrete jungle where you are now?
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Yeah, a bit!
0:35:52 > 0:35:54I'm right in the middle of the city centre of LA.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- That's the trendy bit, innit? - Of course.- They're all cool.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00- You live on wheatgrass and all that sort of stuff.- Yeah.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Wheatgrass is definitely off the menu tonight.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Instead, I'm cooking a succulent leg of lamb in hay.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10- I know what you're like in the kitchen.- What do you mean?
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Well, you're better on the dance floor, aren't you, really?
0:36:13 > 0:36:15Right, I've got you an apron.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18- Oh, thank you, I've always wanted one like that.- There you go.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22So we're going to do roast lamb, roast potatoes, mint sauce.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25But we're going to do roast lamb slightly differently...
0:36:25 > 0:36:31- You've got hay.- ..in this stuff. Hay from a pet shop. What?
0:36:31 > 0:36:34- Really?- Yeah, well, I think you'll like it at the end of this.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37- I think it's all right. So, we've got a leg of lamb here.- Lovely.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38Now, this is called the long leg.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41There's a long leg and a short leg and a half leg,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43like there's a rendez turn...
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Yeah, go on. Whisk.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Whisk. And was it chas... What was that other one?
0:36:48 > 0:36:50- Chasse turn?- Chasse, that's the one.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Do you still remember your ballroom hold?
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I try to forget! Anyway, moving over to the lamb.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57No, cos I'm thinking, before we cook,
0:36:57 > 0:37:00we should just check, just do... just show me.
0:37:00 > 0:37:01Well, it was like that.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03I got told off cos the hands weren't the same.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06It's a little bit higher. I remember. That's it, head up.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10- Oh, smile.- You see. I'm smiling. - You see, you still remember.- OK.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13It's just when I was doing that I was a different colour, orange mainly.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15- Do you remember when you put me in the spray room?- I remember.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18I've never seen anything like it in my entire life.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Now, what we're going to do is, we're going to take our knife...
0:37:21 > 0:37:24- You'll be quite good at this. - Oh, dear. Everywhere?
0:37:24 > 0:37:26Yeah. Randomly, not just...
0:37:26 > 0:37:28- A bit more over there. - Oh, mind your finger.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31That's it, and then one more, that'll do.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Once the skin's been pierced a dozen or so times,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38you need to push small pieces of lavender into the holes.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Make sure you use edible lavender for this job.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Now, what we're going to do is grab our hay.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47So this is hay from a pet shop.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Don't go getting this out of your rabbit hutch.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53And then, if you can just break this hay up, like that...
0:37:53 > 0:37:55That's it, just break it up and just put it around.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59- Think I can do this bit. - OK. I'll just stay out the way(!)
0:37:59 > 0:38:02With the hay in place, it's just a matter of sprinkling it
0:38:02 > 0:38:06with a little bit of lavender, then plonking the leg of lamb on top.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09But I wouldn't let it go anywhere near the oven
0:38:09 > 0:38:12without a good coating of softened butter.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17- Right, salt over the top. - Yeah, yeah.- Black pepper.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19I actually think I could cook this dish.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21So far, it looks pretty simple.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24We haven't done anything yet, it's not even gone in the oven.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27To be fair, anyone can roast a leg of lamb.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Just as long you cover it with foil, preheat the oven to 180 degrees,
0:38:31 > 0:38:36and remember to take the meat out after two to three hours.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38What we're going to do is roast potatoes.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Now, if you can fill me the pan half full with water.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46- So, you actually boil them first, then?- I always parboil them.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48I don't, you see. Maybe that's why I go wrong.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Well, this is why you're here. I'm here to teach you, you see.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54I spent 16 weeks having to listen to you tell me
0:38:54 > 0:38:57what to do all the time. This is a little bit of payback.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Remember, in the rumba and the cha-cha,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01I asked you to scrape your feet?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04I do remember that. That was when I wore all black
0:39:04 > 0:39:08and then Darren Gough came out with one sequin like that.
0:39:10 > 0:39:11The following week, I looked like Liberace.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15I wanted sequins everywhere, inside the jacket, outside the jacket.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17You were loving it, you even had it on your tie.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19I was on a different planet.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22When the potatoes are peeled and chopped,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26they're parboiled with a pinch of salt for two minutes.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Now, we can't have lamb without mint sauce, all right?
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Do you know what? I prefer mint tea to mint sauce, actually.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33I've got used to baked beans.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35I've got used to a lot of the British ways,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38but the two things I'm not used to yet is custard
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- and this mint sauce thing. - Well, just get with it.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45I suppose I can understand someone not liking mint sauce from a jar,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47which is why I use the fresh stuff.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Make it like this, and it's a whole different ball game.
0:39:50 > 0:39:51Can you chop that up for me?
0:39:51 > 0:39:54So when you're chopping it up, do it this way.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56- You mean rustic size.- Just... That can be just...
0:39:56 > 0:39:57It's chopped now, isn't it?
0:39:57 > 0:40:00No, it's not. You've still got to chop a bit more as well.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04- Go on, the plasters are ready. - Right.- That's it.- Is that it?
0:40:07 > 0:40:09- Is this chopped?- Little bit longer.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- No, little bit longer. I'll take over.- Do you think?
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Yeah, cos this is going to take quite a long time.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21And with the mint FINALLY chopped,
0:40:21 > 0:40:23the next job is to drain the potatoes.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26And to make sure they come out nice and crispy,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28give them a good shake to fluff them up.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33Then grab yourself a tray, and this...
0:40:33 > 0:40:34That's the bad stuff, right?
0:40:34 > 0:40:37- This is dripping. - It's right on the...
0:40:37 > 0:40:40This is like layers! So, this is dripping.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44I think that makes the best roast potatoes.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48You just pour that in, all right,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and we take the whole lot and pop that in the oven.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53See, I just use a bit of olive oil on mine.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55The healthy...
0:40:55 > 0:40:57So, we put the whole lot... You haven't tasted these yet.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Wait till you see. Put the whole lot in the oven.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04This'll take about an hour, all right, so we're nearly there.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Now it's time to finish the simple mint sauce.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12Heat up 75ml of malt vinegar with 25g of caster sugar
0:41:12 > 0:41:14and a pinch of salt.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18It's an easy job, convincing Camilla is a bit harder.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22It's a stonking hangover cure, right, if you smell that.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Yeah. No, I can smell it from over here, thank you.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Look at that, all right?
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- As soon as that... - Your sinus is cleared!
0:41:28 > 0:41:31As soon as that's dissolved, you take the mint, throw it in...
0:41:32 > 0:41:38..and then you mix that together and that is mint sauce.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45You've really picked out some really easy recipes today for me, right?
0:41:45 > 0:41:48- I do appreciate that, you know, James.- Thanks.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51We can just leave the roast for a while,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54giving us chance to relive our dancing days.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58You see, there's bits and pieces that I remember from Strictly.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Was this the rendez turn?
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- Do you remember the run, when we did the run?- That was it.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05That's it, let's run!
0:42:05 > 0:42:06SHE LAUGHS
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Let's go and lay the table.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Right, enough of all that!
0:42:11 > 0:42:13The meat's had two hours in the oven,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and I've got a table of hungry guests.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- Wow.- Right, who's for a piece of lamb?
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- Chuck us your plates down. There you go.- Lamb in hay.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24For my friends and I, there's nothing to beat this meal,
0:42:24 > 0:42:28but then you always get one picky guest.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Mmm, I quite like the mint sauce. I never thought I'd say that.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34First step to a stress-free dinner party?
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Don't invite a fussy eater!
0:42:37 > 0:42:42Second, choose tasty recipes you can prepare well in advance.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46And most important of all, don't try to reinvent the wheel.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50You see, the key to making no-drama dinner parties like this
0:42:50 > 0:42:53is simple, honest flavours, really good-quality lamb,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55nice little bit of hay to add flavour,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58and not forgetting that amazing mint sauce.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- Hey, you forgot to mention me. - That's all right.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07You can find all the recipes for the series at...
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- And the lamb...- You see.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14I don't know why I sound surprised, I knew you could cook!
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Yeah, thanks(!)