Sunday Lunch Mary Berry Cooks

'I'm Mary Berry and in this series, I'm sharing with you my very

'favourite recipes,

'the sort of things I cook at home for my family and friends.'

I've been teaching cooking now for 40 years

and what I know is that people want straightforward recipes,

few ingredients and meals that they can make in advance.

'I'm giving you ideas for afternoon tea, buffets, kitchen suppers,

'posh dinners and summer parties.

'But now, it's my favourite meal of the week - Sunday lunch.

'Sunday lunch has always been a big thing in our family.'

Even during the War, my mother used to make something out of nothing

and make it special on Sunday.

'And today, I'm still keen on Sunday lunch.

'It's a great excuse to get everybody round the table.'

For my Sunday lunch menu, I'll be cooking a family favourite -

slow roast shoulder of lamb, a potato and fennel gratin -

a welcome alternative to just boiled vegetables -

a classic fish pie, for a change,

and for pudding, a plum and marzipan tarte tatin.

But to start, the roast lamb with rosemary and paprika rub.

Oh, I love the smell of rosemary!

And it's so easy to grow, being a perennial.

So I'm going to take the spikes off the stem. And it's quite easy,

with rosemary, if you just go against the grain.

And you've got all the little spikes off.

Now, that stick is very useful when you're doing barbecuing

because you can thread your meat and things on it

and it gives such a lovely aroma and flavour.

'For the rub, chop the rosemary

'until you have about three tablespoons

'and then add a teaspoonful of paprika.

'This spice is used widely in the Middle East.

'The flavour is not overpowering

'and it will add a rich colour to the cooked meat.'

Then to combine it all together, just some olive oil.

It needn't be an expensive olive oil.

You could just use, perhaps, the sunflower oil.

Just two or three tablespoons.

I'm going to mix that together with some pepper and salt.

And I'm going to rub that all over, which will add to the flavour.

So just put it in your hand, start to rub it in.

When I was young, Mum always used to have roast lamb

because it was a good price and it was absolutely scrummy.

And she used to buy the lamb on a Tuesday, I remember,

and she would leave it to mature in the fridge.

And I think that's quite a good idea, to buy it a bit ahead

and let it go on to mature cos some butchers don't

hang their meat as long as they used to.

So there it is. I'm just going to put that to one side.

'I like to roast the lamb on a bed of sliced onions, which will help

'to make a generous jug of gravy.'

Some people are very put off by the thought of Sunday lunch

because of all the timing.

That's why I think that a slow roast is such a good idea

cos you can get it on early and get on with all the other

things that you want to do on a Sunday morning.

And you don't have to watch it all the time

because it's very unlikely that it will be overcooked.

It's cooked at such a low temperature,

so there's no excuse for not making Sunday roast

and getting everybody together for that big meal on a special day.

'The sliced onions go into a roasting dish

'and the lamb sits on top.

'Then pour over two pints of stock made from a cube.

'You need enough to cover the onions.'

Now I'm going to put that in a hot oven, just to brown it.

'After 30 minutes at 200 degrees fan, cover the joint with foil,

'lower the temperature to 140 and cook for 3-4 hours.'

And all those juices, at the end, will be wonderful for my gravy.

'Lamb loves mint sauce and I like to make mine from fresh mint.

'You can buy it but it's so easy to grow at home.

'Even a single plant on a window box will provide a ready supply

'throughout the summer. There are many varieties

'but apple mint is my favourite for mint sauce.'

You know, we're the only country that has mint sauce with lamb.

The French, who often serve lamb, think it's horrible!

But I can't eat roast lamb without mint sauce. It's an essential.

So just take the mint leaves off the stalk.

If you're buying mint, you'll find that you can actually chop

the stalks as well because they're so soft.

But these, you certainly couldn't. They'd be as tough as old boots!

But I keep all those stalks

and they'll be lovely to put in new potatoes

when you're boiling them and you get that wonderful, minty flavour.

So just go across the grain to start with.

Mint really is one of my favourite herbs.

Good job, too, cos there's so much of it in the garden!

The young leaves, I often just chop into about six

and put in a salad, so don't always think of it as just mint sauce.

'With the leaves chopped, pour equal amounts of white wine vinegar

'and golden syrup into a bowl.'

Maybe golden syrup is new to you but it mixes really very easily

and you don't have to go to all that bother of dissolving the sugar.

'Next, add the mint leaves and mash them into the liquid, adding

'more vinegar and syrup until you get a nice sauce consistency.'

It's so easy to adjust it.

Just remember that you need equal vinegar to golden syrup.

So that's the mint sauce made. Into the sauce boat.

Now, you can do this early in the day.

It gives it time for the mint leaves to soften.

And also, you'll get a little bit of extra liquid.

You can even make it the day before

and it gives you that feeling you're organised

and everything's ready.

'After four hours in the oven, the lamb should be really tender

'and the kitchen will smell amazing.'

I'm dying to have a good pick at it. It is really lovely!

Then in the bottom of the pan here, we've got all those lovely

onions that are, by now, are an absolute mush.

All the flavour has gone into the juices from the meat.

So I'm going to sieve that into my jug here.

And it's a glorious colour.

That's because we gave it a good browning before we lowered

the oven temperature.

'A layer of fat will start to form at the top of the stock.

'Take two tablespoons to make a roux to thicken the gravy.

'Remove the rest of the fat,

'then add hot water to the stock to make it up to a pint.

'The rule of thumb for a roux is to add equal amounts of flour to

'fat, so that's two tablespoons.'

So just cook that out for a few moments.

Do you know, when you're making gravy or a sauce, it's always a help

to have the liquid hot?

If it's hot, it goes into the flour far quicker.

It's important to do it slowly at first

and then we'll get a lovely smooth gravy.

And it's going to sizzle, so watch out.

Give that a good stir and it should thicken at this stage.

'Add the stock a little at a time,

'making sure it's completely mixed in

'and smooth before adding any more.

'Continue until all the liquid has been incorporated.'

Now, gravy's a very personal thing.

It really depends where you come from.

When Mum used to make gravy, she often used to add

a dash of gravy browning.

But she said that HER mother used to take a spoon

and she used to put sugar in there

and she would hold it over the open fire and it would make a caramel.

And then she would take the spoon and stir it into the gravy

and the moisture of the gravy would take that lovely dark brown colour.

So things were different in those days.

So that looks just about right. Very important to taste it.

Do you know what's missing? It's something a little bit sweet,

even though there were onions in it.

I think it needs a dash of redcurrant jelly.

'A teaspoonful of redcurrant jelly will give the gravy a lift,

'adding a little sweetness to the flavour.'

That's just made all the difference.

Remember that tip - redcurrant jelly.

'Gravy is an essential part of our Sunday lunch.

'The roast wouldn't be complete without it.'

Now, as you can see, it's lots of little pieces but oh, so tender!

And the crispy, crispy skin!

Now, time for me to pinch some.

Nobody's looking, are they?

Mm! It's a little but spicy with that paprika. And the rosemary's

come through because some of that rosemary got into all those juices.

It's a great family roast.

'Roast beef is a favourite Sunday lunch with my family

'and I think it's my Yorkshire puddings that have something

'to do with it.'

I've made a few Yorkshire puddings in my time and I think mine

are the best.

I'll show you how you can make them ahead and then reheat them.

Doesn't sound too good but it really works.

'Take a Yorkshire pudding tray and pour a splash of oil into each cup.

'Use one that doesn't have too much flavour.'

This must go in the oven

fairly near the top to get absolutely piping hot.

'For the batter, you need 225 mil of milk,

'100 grammes of plain flour, pinch of salt,

'then crack in three eggs.'

And at this stage, I find it best to just put a splash of the milk in.

It makes it easier to work.

'When the mixture is smooth, whisk in the rest of the milk then

'transfer to a jug.

'By now, the oil in the oven will be really hot

'and ready for the batter.'

And if the phone goes at this stage, it can wait,

or the front door bell.

It is important to do it very, very quickly.

You have to hear that sizzle.

That's an essential part, so

when that batter goes in, it gets a shock and it's ready to rise up.

'Put the puddings in the oven for about 20 minutes at 200

'degrees fan, keeping an eye on them

'to make sure they don't go any darker than pale brown.'

Really puffed up, well risen.

Shut the door again.

'If you're not going to eat them straightaway, pop them

'onto a tray to cool.

'They'll go a little soft but when you're ready to serve, a few

'minutes back in the oven and the Yorkshires will crisp up perfectly.'

If I was having them for lunch in a few hours' time,

I know that Thomas, my son, would walk past and if he saw them,

he would look around and just taste one.

So I would put those in a cupboard, away from the family!

I've always thought of Yorkshire pudding as popular accompaniment

to a Sunday roast but in the county that gave the pud its name,

some people consider it too good to be just an occasional side dish.

I've come to a pub on the Yorkshire Moors where the customers are

being served Yorkshire pudding as a starter, main and even a dessert.

The man behind this intriguing menu, head chef Mark Parkinson,

is serving a dessert of rhubarb and custard Yorkshire pud.

So this is a very different rhubarb and custard!

-So tell me how to make it.

-Basically, we're

going to paint it round the sides, on the top, with the apricot jam.

Right.

So the batter that you made for this, what was different about it?

Exactly the same but what we do is take out the salt,

we take out the pepper and we've added vanilla pod.

-Just to give that extra flavour?

-Just to give that extra flavour.

And that is just crushed biscuits?

Yup. And the next one is your creme patissiere.

-A good spoonful of that.

-Right. So that's the custard part?

That next one is your poached Yorkshire rhubarb.

Now, this is a very good colour you've got it.

When you usually cook rhubarb, it goes into a green colour.

But a little bit of grenadine in there

and you get a lovely pink tinge.

-And what's next?

-Next one is your crumble.

Right. And that is a bit like shortbread, all broken up?

It is, yes.

The pudding is served on a pool of warm custard.

It's a stunning-looking dish

but Mark has one final surprise ingredient.

-That's it?

-And then, just as a childhood memory, popping candy.

-Do we have to have that?

-Yeah.

-OK.

It's a bit childish but that looks very professional

and I think they'll be chuffed to bits with that.

Having a Yorkshire pudding that tastes like a dessert

as opposed to a, you know, a savoury thing is beautiful.

I don't even like rhubarb.

And I've eaten it all!

The way in which the creme Anglaise contrasted with the warm custard

on the outside was absolutely beautiful.

Really well thought through.

It's just strange to think you're

eating a Yorkshire pudding because it was so sweet and especially

when you've got this explosion of popping candy in your mouth.

-You're quite excited about it, aren't you?

-I loved it!

Do you know why, Mary? Because before I even tucked into it,

I could just hear it and it was, like, saying "Eat me, eat me!"

Well, everybody's raved about the pudding. So now it's my treat.

I'm going to make quite sure I get a little bit of everything.

So I've got the Yorkshire, there's a lovely bit of pink rhubarb,

some of the crumble.

And I'll have a bit of that sprinkle on the top that's going to

make me jump.

Inside my mouth, it's alive, it's spitting.

It is absolutely scrummy.

'I'm a great believer in simple food that makes life

'easier in the kitchen.

'My next recipe, a fennel and potato gratin, allows you to bake all

'the vegetables in one dish, all at the same time.'

So I've got three bulbs of fennel.

I'm very fond of fennel and once it's cooked, you rather lose that

aniseedy flavour and you just get a nice crunch and a good flavour.

It's well worth trying.

'Remove the feathery tops from the fennel.

'Cut each bulb in half lengthways then slice into thirds again.

'Next, chop three onions roughly the same size as the fennel to

'ensure that they cook evenly.'

It's important,

when cutting up the onions, to leave the root on the bottom.

You see, this is holding together here.

If you cut that root off, it all falls apart.

Now I'm going to par-cook the fennel and the onion.

If you roast it on its own, it never becomes tender. It becomes stringy.

'Bring the fennel and onion to the boil in salted water for five

'minutes.

'In the meantime, chop three large potatoes into wedges then

'add to the pan

'and allow to simmer for a further five minutes.

'Once the time is up and the vegetables have been drained,

'return the pan to the hob, add 50 grammes of butter

'and two cloves of crushed garlic.

'As soon as the butter's melted,

'return the vegetables to the pan and season with salt and pepper.'

And then just gently turn that in all that lovely butter

and the garlic, just until it's really coated with the butter.

'Tip the mixture into a greased oven dish,

'level it out and grate over some Parmesan.'

And that will melt in the oven and give a lovely crust on the top.

You can do all this ahead,

the day before, if you like, or earlier in the day and let it get

stone cold and then cover it with clingfilm and put it in the fridge.

Then into a hot oven and you've got your veggies sorted.

'The gratin needs about 30 minutes at 180 degrees fan.

'If you've chilled it overnight, it'll take an extra five or

'ten minutes.'

Oh! That looks so crunchy and delicious.

A great alternative to just roast potatoes.

'If your family gathers for Sunday lunch as often as mine,

'you might not wish to cook a roast every time.

'A reliable and popular alternative is my three fish pie with

'a leek and wine sauce.

'I've been making it in the same way for over 40 years.'

I've got a selection of fish here. I've got some fresh haddock,

some smoked haddock and some fresh salmon.

The total weight is about 750 grammes.

And just cut it into pieces that you can get on a fork

and it's one mouthful.

If you cut it too small, it'll all go into a mush in the sauce

and you won't be able to taste the individual pieces of fish.

'For the sauce, start by chopping two leeks.

'They form an excellent base with a mild onion taste that

'compliments the delicate flavour of the fish.

'Melt a knob of butter in a pan, add the leeks, giving them

'a good stir until well coated.'

You want to cook these slowly, gently,

until they're beautifully soft.

If you rush it, they're apt to burn and they don't keep their flavour.

So at this stage, I'm going to put the lid on and I'm just going to

let them sort of saute in their own juice until they're lovely and soft.

And that will take ten or 15 minutes.

'Next, make the white sauce.

'Combine 75 grammes of plain flour with 150 mil of white wine.

'And whisk until smooth.

'Once the leeks are cooked, pour in a pint of milk,

'bring to the boil, then stir in the flour mixture.'

So that's a lovely consistency now. It's had a good boil to

drive off the excess alcohol. Now, if you don't want to put white

wine in, just replace the white wine with more milk.

'Now roughly chop a good handful of parsley.'

Now, when you want to keep parsley fresh,

take your bunch of parsley, plonk it in a mug then bag over the top

and you can put it in the fridge.

It'll keep for a couple of weeks. So there's the parsley.

Then I'm going to add the fish.

'Cook the fish for two or three minutes over a gentle heat

'so that it holds its shape and doesn't turn to a mush.

'Transfer the mixture into a buttered oven dish,

'arrange six hard-boiled eggs on top, cut into quarters.'

And I'll just push these down into the sauce.

You could make this fish pie a couple of days ahead,

providing you've got really fresh fish and keep it in the fridge.

If you're going to freeze it, leave out the hard-boiled egg

because eggs get very leathery once they've been frozen.

'Once you've finished placing the eggs,

'leave the mixture to cool completely.

'Meanwhile, make some mash for the topping.'

I'm going to spread that all over the top.

First of all, that must be really, really cold.

And let me feel that. That's quite cold.

If it's hot, as soon as you get the mashed potato on top, it just

mixes in with the sauce and it's infuriating! So take the mash

and put it in blobs on top and then spread it.

All the little ridges get crisp and that's what fish pie's all about.

And I just want it fairly sort of rough and informal.

'Finish the pie off with a good sprinkling of cheese.

'I like Gruyere but Cheddar works well, too.

'Then pop it in the oven at 180 degrees fan and after about 30

'minutes, once the top has turned to a glorious golden colour,

'it's ready.'

The smell is enough. Oh, it's lovely!

I'm going to boldly take a piece out for myself.

So let's have a taste.

And even though that bit was salmon, I can taste

a hint of the smokiness of the smoked haddock.

I think that's an absolute winner.

I don't think Sunday lunch is complete without a proper

pudding but it doesn't have to take ages to make.

My plum and marzipan tarte is so simple -

only 15 minutes to prepare.

It's a sort of variation on tarte tatin

and instead of apples, I'm going to use plums.

You don't need to peel the plums and they want to be slightly under-ripe.

If they're overripe, you'll get too much juice.

I've got nine plums which fit neatly into the base

of an eight-inch tin.

And the tin wants to have a bit of depth to it

because if it's too shallow, it'll bubble over the top.

'This is an upside-down pudding, so the bottom layer, as you prepare

'it, becomes the top layer when you bravely flip it over at the end.

'Start with 75 grammes of light Muscovado sugar.'

And that's what gives the lovely caramel topping.

No need to make a proper caramel as you would have to do

if you were doing the classic tarte tatin with apples.

This is my quick version

cos on Sunday morning, I would make this

and you haven't got an awful lot of time.

And then the plums.

I find it best to start from the outside and squeeze them

up quite tight.

I remember the very first upside-down pudding I did was

at college and it was a pineapple upside-down and we put a cherry

in the middle. And we thought it was the bee's knees when it came out!

I think I might get another one in there. We'll see.

They've got to be tightly done together.

They just have to be persuaded and given the push.

'The next step is to roll out 100 grammes of marzipan into a thin,

'round layer, making sure it's slightly smaller

'than your solid cake tin.

'Now for the pastry.

'For this tarte, I use puff and I think ready-made is just fine.

'Its buttery crispness is a wonderful contrast to those squidgy

'soft plums.

'Cut a circle slightly larger than the tin,

'then place it over the marzipan, pushing the edges down.'

And then, for ventilation, to get that steam through,

just put a cross in the middle there.

Now that's ready for the oven.

'Bake the tarte at 200 degrees fan on the top

'shelf for about 25 minutes,

'until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.'

That looks pretty good to me.

A lovely, crisp top and the juice just coming out round the side.

Now, it's important, when you come to turn it out, that you have a

plate that's got a bit of a lip because all those

juices are going to tip and run round the outside, so a flat

plate, it'll be all over the table and perhaps on the tablecloth, too.

So just put it on top like that.

Have a little prayer for me.

One, two, three.

Now, this is the part I like. Bit of excitement!

Hope it holds together.

Just look at that.

I think we need a dollop of cream with that

and I know Sarah, my daughter-in-law, would love custard.

If you've never made an upside-down pud before, this rich plum

and marzipan tarte tatin is a great way to start.

A lighter alternative for Sunday lunch is my colourful

and exotic fruit salad.

Right. I'm going to start with the melon.

I've chosen fruits that do not discolour when you leave them.

If I put peaches in here, or apricots or apple or pear, they all

oxidise. That means they go brown and the appearance looks horrible.

I don't like fruit salad that you make in tiny, tiny pieces.

It reminds me of those little cans of fruit salad.

I like really decent-sized chunks that you can just eat in one

mouthful.

'Along with the melon, add two mangoes, a papaya

'and the segments of an orange cut away from the membrane.

'Then scoop out the insides of four passion fruits.'

And remember, the seeds are part of its charm.

There's no need to sieve it.

Some people sieve it just to get the juice.

That's it. Mix it well.

If you want more juice, don't add sugar to it. You could add

freshly-squeezed orange juice or the sort you have in a breakfast carton.

So that's all mixed. That will not discolour.

It'll be just as good in 12 hours' time.

'Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in the fridge.

'To serve, add a few fresh raspberries,

'which are too fragile to mix in any earlier.

'And your fruit salad is ready to serve.

'All that's left now is to sit down with the family.

'I've shown you my favourite Sunday lunch recipes, all of them

'dishes that anyone can make and everyone will enjoy.

'And I hope this inspires you to invite your family

'and friends round next Sunday.

'Next time, I'm cooking for a crowd.

'I'll show you how to make salmon en croute with roasted vegetables

'and pesto,

'rich chocolate and orange panna cotta

'and a meringue tranche topped with berries and cream.'