Episode 3 Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites

I'm Mary Berry and in this series

I am going to be showing you some of my absolute favourites.

Not too difficult to make, not too many ingredients

and the sort of recipes that the family are going to say,

"Oh" and "Ah" and, "Please can we have them again?"

These favourites have been inspired by the places I love...

The countryside...

..by the sea...

markets and gardens.

And, of course, my home.

I'll be sharing with you some brand-new ideas

and some recipes that I never, ever tire of.

Tonight...

They should grow really well.

..it's dishes inspired by my love of fresh herbs.

I love growing my own herbs.

It's very easy.

I'm getting better at it

and they're an inspiration for many of my recipes.

When I started cooking, which was a long time ago,

you could only get dried herbs.

Nowadays, almost all supermarkets stock fresh herbs.

But you can't beat growing them yourself.

Fresh herbs can really give a lift to a recipe.

They can take it from the ordinary to the sublime.

And tonight I'm going to show you some delicious recipes

using my favourite herbs.

A luxurious platter for special occasions...

A dish my grandchildren love...

A Mediterranean summertime supper...

My all-time favourite cake...

But first, this simple salad using fresh mint.

Mint is not only one of my favourite herbs, it's the easiest to grow

and, once you've got it growing, it is prolific.

I'm going to use it today in a salad.

So I've got a really nice bunch of fresh mint.

The smell alone sets me wanting to do something with it.

And, remember, if you keep the stalks and you've got some lovely

new potatoes, you could put those in to give flavour.

Then I'm going to do the cucumber.

This is rather a big cucumber.

I'll only need half.

Peel the cucumber and cut it down the middle.

And I always take the seeds out for a salad

because they just make the salad very, very wet.

Then I'm going to just cut

little half moons of it.

All that remains is for me to do the melon.

Isn't this a prize beauty?

You know, you can grow them.

Thomas, our son, has a raised bed and he grew them

just about this size last year.

I'm growing them too, but mine are miniature ones.

So I'm going to cut that in half.

And all the glory is in the middle.

Look at that! Doesn't it look tempting?

It makes you think of summer.

Cut the melon into quarters

and remove the skin.

Cube and take out any seeds.

This salad is simplicity itself.

For a simple, zesty dressing,

I'm using the juice of half a lemon.

Lemon and mint go so well together.

Four tablespoons of good olive oil,

a little seasoning

and mix it till it all comes together.

That's it, that's ready to go over the top.

Put the melon in the base,

some cucumber.

A generous amount of mint there.

I'm also adding some halved black olives

and Feta cheese.

A lot of them do it in neat, little cubes.

I just break it off in decent-sized pieces,

sort of crumble it.

Isn't this simple?

It just reminds me of summer, these vibrant colours.

Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the top.

Well, that's my favourite way of serving mint in the summer.

Oh, that smells of summer.

That mint - the aroma is amazing.

I can get all that in one go, can't I?

To me, that tastes of midsummer -

lovely, warm sunny days,

full of flavour and lots of crunch.

Growing your own herbs is not only easy to do,

it's so much cheaper than buying them in the shops.

And it's something my granddaughters, Grace and Abby,

love to help me with.

That looks good, Abby.

Right, just put it in like that.

You've got a watering can behind you, can you stretch for that?

That's right, and then, with your hands, put the earth all around.

They should grow really well.

Thank you very much.

Spending time with my grandchildren is one of my great joys

and my next dish is one of their favourites.

So I've got 500g of good minced beef here.

Add a finely chopped onion to the mince.

And two cloves of grated garlic.

It's only actually since I've been married that we've had meatballs.

Mum used to do what she called Scotch mince

and that was just fried mince,

no onion, and a good gravy.

We used to love that as children,

but I've found that my young absolutely love meatballs.

Then I'm going to put some thyme in there.

This is broadleaved time.

As you can see, it's got a very woody stem

and it is very strong - much stronger than you would

buy in supermarkets because it has matured over the years.

Thyme is wonderful because it's always there - winter and summer.

It doesn't lose its leaves.

In it goes.

Next, add 50g of grated Parmesan

and half a teaspoon of paprika.

It gives a nice bit of colour to it.

Then pepper and salt.

One small egg - that just holds it all together.

So just mix all that together and, you know what? I'm going

to discard the spoon and use my hand.

You can really get the feel of it.

If it's a wet day and it's school holidays,

children will help. They love to help to cook,

especially when it's something they're going to enjoy for their lunch.

Shape the mixture into a cake and divide it in four.

Each section will make six meatballs.

You just get the mixture, slightly damp hands

and shape them into a ball.

I would say they're golf-ball size.

My husband plays golf. They look just like golf balls to me.

So there's the last one done.

It makes a pound of mince, 500g, go a long way, doesn't it?

It's best to chill the meatballs in the fridge

for half an hour before frying.

One of the secrets of making really good meatballs

is to brown them well and then not to cook them for too long.

They should be soft when you break into them,

just like a good beefburger.

And be gentle because, in fact, if you're brutal with them,

they will break up.

Once they're brown all over,

start the tomato sauce in the same pan.

First soften one finely chopped onion...

It's essential to get that tender before you add

the other ingredients.

So in goes two or three cloves of garlic,

just to what your family likes.

Add 600mls of passata,

one teaspoon of caster sugar,

and three tablespoons of tomato puree.

If you like it fairly piquant,

a few drops of Tabasco,

and then we need salt and pepper.

Stir that in

and so I add about 300mls of water to that.

You might say, "Why add water?" It does intensify the flavour.

I'm just going to leave that for about ten minutes to bubble

gently and reduce.

I love basil, it's an absolute natural with tomatoes.

That goes in there like that.

Then in goes the meatballs.

Then a low simmer for about ten minutes.

Then it's done.

You serve it from the pan -

one pan to wash up. That's a joy, isn't it?

After ten minutes, the sauce will be reduced

and the meatballs will be wonderful and juicy.

It really is an intense tomato flavour

and the basil is coming through.

I think the family will really enjoy that.

I've used herbs in my cooking all my life,

but I never tire of learning more about them.

I've come to The Dairy in South London to meet chef Robin Gill.

He's well-known for his brave and exciting use of fresh herbs,

which he grows himself in his rather unusual garden.

Come on up, let me show you what I'm most proud of.

Well, one of the things I'm most proud of up here.

-Um...

-Gosh!

We've been so lucky to have almost as much space on the roof as we do

-in the whole dining room.

-This is quite amazing, isn't it?

All growing in these boxes that are normally chucked out once

-they've been used a bit for deliveries.

-Exactly.

We did everything pretty much on a shoestring.

The idea was that we could pick something up if it needed more

sunlight, or less sunlight, and then just move it around.

Robin's passion for fresh herbs means he now

has over 40 different varieties growing on his restaurant rooftop.

As I glance around, there's many of the herbs that I know.

I mean, look at this wonderful French tarragon.

Yeah, it's stunning.

I've no idea what that is there.

Is it Sweet Cicely?

Exactly. I love it. I think it's got an aniseed flavour.

Let me tell you.

A bit like fennel.

A little bit of an aniseed! It's very strong aniseed.

Something we really like, and we use a hell of a lot

because it's quite versatile, is sorrel. I find it quite refreshing.

We use it with fish but we've done a really interesting dessert with it.

Really? I'd never think of putting sorrel with a pud.

We use it with sorrel and apple.

Along here we've got... Is it garlic chives?

This is normal chives and garlic chives.

If you taste a chive like that, it's peppery, you know.

Chives, when you buy in a supermarket,

it's not got that same heat.

It's times 100, the power of this chive,

compared to something you would buy.

That's one of the main reasons why we do this here.

You can grow herbs anywhere.

I mean, right over there is somebody growing it on a window sill,

-very much in the style you're growing it here in boxes.

-Exactly.

So you don't need a big garden to grow herbs.

All the herbs that Robin grows feature on his menu.

He often combines them in ways I've never seen before.

Three or four different herbs on one plate.

I can't wait to try some of them.

So this is one dish which really sums up what we do here.

We try to take three ingredients

and to only use flavours like herbs to intensify the ingredient.

So we've got peas, celery and mint and that is pretty much all it is.

Then we just use herbs from the garden.

We've got some of the fresh sorrel here, the black peppermint,

Corsican Mint and then we have a little bit of the apple mint.

OK. Then, finally, just...

What's that?

Mint snow, we call it - it's like a refreshing ice.

-That's frozen?

-Yes, frozen.

I can hear the crunch.

Do you know, that's sheer heaven.

The herbs really help the dish.

-The sorrel is coming through strongly.

-Yeah.

And I like the idea that there's a hint of lemon, a lot of mint.

It's not only Robin's diners who benefit from the herb garden -

they also provide an urban haven for the bees.

I'm going to take...

Oh, gosh! That was bursting out of the middle.

Yeah.

-You needn't bring the bees too near.

-No!

This is one of the dishes I'm most proud of from the garden point of view.

It really represents what we do here.

It's basil, rooftop honey and courgettes.

That's pretty much it.

What are those yellow flowers? I've never seen them before.

They're rocket flowers.

-Oh, gosh, you've let it go to seed.

-Yeah.

Mm.

The honey is unusual.

It makes me think of elderflower cordial.

That's exactly it. It's a dominant flavour of the honey, you know.

Without a doubt - it's elderflower.

You use a very small amount of herbs,

but because you've grown them, they are so much more piquant and strong.

I've certainly learned a lot and I shall be using those rocket flowers.

-You mark my words.

-Excellent. OK, then.

I've learnt a lot from Robin and I'll definitely be planting

a few new varieties in my garden next summer.

My next dish uses one of the most popular and widely grown herbs...

basil.

Pesto lemon chicken.

It is just lovely to have on a warm, summery day,

and it always reminds me of the Mediterranean.

Start the dressing for the chicken with six tablespoons of mayonnaise...

..and four tablespoons of fresh pesto from the shop.

You can make it yourself if you've got a lot of basil and it's simply

basil, olive oil, garlic,

pine nuts and a little Parmesan cheese.

So, the juice of half a lemon. Now, I use a lemon squeezer.

I know the chefs just go like that and all the juice comes out.

I don't seem to have those sort of muscles, so I use a lemon squeezer.

It makes it easy and effortless.

So, I've got the juice of half a lemon in there...

..then I'm going to add some pepper and salt.

Could that be easier?

You get a lovely fresh, bright green colour.

Now, to the chicken to go in it.

I'm using chicken breasts that I've lightly roasted for 20 minutes

until they're cooked through.

You needn't necessarily use breast of chicken, at all.

You could use a whole chicken and just take the skin off and cut it into strips.

I'm making sure that every bit is coated.

I think that looks really, really summery and good.

I like to serve it with a salad round the outside,

so it's a complete dish and you just help yourself.

I grew cucumbers this year and they were prolific

and far too many for us and I began and did some pickling of cucumber,

giving them away to friends. I think I was dead lucky.

I'm also adding two sliced avocados -

I'm now going to just coat them in a little bit of lemon juice,

because that stops them discolouring...

..and some halved baby plum tomatoes.

A little bit of pepper and salt and with the cucumber, too.

Now, I'm going to assemble the dish.

I'm going to put the chicken down the middle, and remember -

ideally make it the day before and just leave it in a bowl

covered with clingfilm in the fridge

and the chicken will taste of basil.

So, quite, sort of, higgledy-piggledy here.

This all looks so beautifully fresh and tempting.

If you like, top it off with some micro herbs

and a handful of toasted pine nuts.

I'm just going to put a little drizzle

of oil and vinegar dressing over the top.

And because this is very much a basil salad,

I'm going to put a few leaves on it

like that, on the top.

For me, that's a taste of the Mediterranean.

Full of flavour and sunshine.

Herbs are a great way to add sophistication to a dish

when entertaining guests.

And I love using them to add zing to this salmon,

prawn and potato salad platter.

If we're having friends round and I'm doing a buffet,

I always include a salmon dish.

First, season three medium salmon fillets

and add a good squeeze of lemon.

Lemon and fish go very well together.

Wrap them in foil -

but only to seal it, because it's not going to run away -

and cook at 160 fan

and it'll take about 15 minutes.

I've already boiled 500 grams of new potatoes

and whilst they cool, I can make the dressing.

Three tablespoons of Dijon mustard.

Three tablespoonfuls of white wine vinegar,

four tablespoonfuls of oil and then a tablespoonful of sugar.

And best to use caster sugar, because it dissolves quickly.

Add a little seasoning and give it a good whisk.

Now, this is a very mustardy dressing,

but it goes well with the potatoes.

It doesn't take much mixing, that's it.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, quarter them

and add them to the dressing.

I think that potato salad is something not to be forgotten.

So much pasta and rice is served as salads,

but there's nothing to beat a good potato salad.

The warm potato will absorb

this lovely mixture of mustard and oil.

To add some crunch, slice three spring onions

and four sticks of celery.

When I was young, Dad used to grow it

and we had celery with everything. It was almost too much celery.

Next, add six tablespoons of mayonnaise

and the chopped spring onion and celery.

So, it is not going on the floor - it's going straight in the bowl.

That's it.

And to add a bit of colour - a few thinly sliced radishes.

Mix all that together.

The radishes have a very piquant flavour,

so if they're thinly sliced, they just fit very well with this salad.

That's it.

Now, some wonderful fresh parsley.

If you can't be bothered to chop parsley,

I've got a quick tip to speed it up.

Put it in a cup and then just snip it with scissors.

And if you've got an extra pair of hands in the kitchen and it's one

of your children or grandchildren, they love doing this little job.

That's it. Then put some of it in here.

So, mix all that together.

Parsley works really well in this potato salad, because it

gives the brightness of the green,

as well as adding to the flavour.

I'm just going to put that to one side and see how the salmon's doing.

There we are.

Now, that is absolutely perfect.

And then, you just flake that up in, sort of,

reasonable-sized pieces.

Potato salad down the centre.

I'm trying very carefully not to drip it on the side.

So, there's the salmon all the way down.

And to make it extra special - some king prawns.

If you get hold of each one,

and tuck the tails into each other

and then lie them across the top.

I would serve this on an occasion that perhaps it's a special

birthday or an anniversary and you've got a crowd round

and you want to really push the boat out.

I think they look fun and very special.

And I've got something to crown the glory -

you might call it showing off!

I've been dying to grow micro herbs, because you can't get them

very easily and just look at that - it looks so smart.

It's all different kinds of lettuce and mustard,

so I'm going to snip some and just put it across the top.

If you haven't got micro herbs, of course, you can just put parsley

over the top,

but I think that looks really special.

So, how about that for your next very special occasion?

Worth trying?

Herbs aren't exclusively for savoury dishes -

they can also be great in cakes and puddings.

Lemon verbena is the unsung hero of my herb garden.

It's just wonderful in tea, but think further -

finely chopped leaves are a great addition

when you want a lemon flavour.

I love it so much, I'm going to use it in my signature lemon drizzle cake.

If you ask anybody what their real favourite cake is,

it's nearly always lemon drizzle. It's certainly mine.

So, lemon verbena - if you rub your fingers against it

it is strong lemon. A bit like lemon thyme,

but it's rather sweeter than that.

If they're really tough, old leaves from a big plant,

you want to take out the middle of the leaf,

so that it's not too tough.

Don't worry if you can't get hold of lemon verbena -

the recipe will still work without it.

So, I'll end up with about a tablespoon of lemon verbena.

That's it.

To make the cake, add four eggs...

..225 grams of caster sugar,

and the same again of baking spread.

If you like to use butter, it must be really soft.

Then add 275 grams of self-raising flour,

two teaspoons of baking powder

and four tablespoons of milk.

I've been making this for as long as I can remember.

And when the children were very tiny, I had my closest friend

living across the road - her mother came down to see her

from the north and she said, "You girls don't do enough baking."

and she stood in the kitchen with the little prams all round

and the children and made the cake for us -

and it's been my favourite ever since.

Add the zest of two lemons and beat for about a minute

until beautifully smooth.

That is beaten to perfection.

This amount of mixture fills a tray bake tin, 23 by 30 centimetres.

You grease the tin really well

and then you line it with nonstick paper.

I've made more of these than you've had hot dinners.

If you haven't got this size tin, the same amount of mixture

will fill a 20 centimetre round tin,

or two one-pound loaf tins.

It needs to go in the oven at 160 for about 35 or 40 minutes.

Whilst the cake bakes, get on with the delicious lemon drizzle topping.

Nothing could be simpler.

Start with the juice of two lemons,

then add 175 grams of granulated sugar and it's ready.

Well, that's just as it should be.

A gorgeous pale, golden brown.

Wait ten minutes for the cake to cool slightly before topping

with the lemon drizzle.

Make sure you get it all to the edges

and then it will be really delicious.

Once the topping has completely soaked in, it's ready to slice.

Now, I cannot resist.

That is as light as a feather.

You can just see the flecks of lemon verbena.

Mm.

That is sheer bliss.

When I've finished that, I'm quite sure I'll be ready for another slice!

Next time...

-Is that a bit sharp at the moment?

-No, I think it's lovely.

..it's my favourites from the local farmers' market.