0:00:02 > 0:00:05Britain is world-famous for its stately homes.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08And when it comes to food,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11our country houses were the taste makers.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Curry and cockles. It's an absolute first for me.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18In this series, we'll sample delicious dishes...
0:00:18 > 0:00:21They look wonderful, Mary.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23..and enjoy the lavish hospitality
0:00:23 > 0:00:26that these homes were celebrated for.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28You look absolutely stunning.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32I'll show you how to cook tasty modern recipes
0:00:32 > 0:00:35inspired by the history of our great houses.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38This is actually Napoleon's chair from Waterloo.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Mind you, I could do with a cushion!
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Join me as I meet the families who own these exceptional homes.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46The best thing about the staircase, obviously,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- is going down on a tray, or on your bottom.- Oh!
0:00:49 > 0:00:53And find out what it's really like to live...
0:00:53 > 0:00:54That looks quite saucy.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55..work...
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- Oh, it's very like cutting a hedge. - I think you're better at baking!
0:00:59 > 0:01:03..and party in the nation's most beautiful stately homes.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05I'm not going to drop it!
0:01:05 > 0:01:08This week, I'm visiting Highclere Castle,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11the home of the Victorian house party...
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I feel just like Lady Mary.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17..where I'll be joining a very special dinner.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22This is your invitation to dine at some of Britain's grandest tables
0:01:22 > 0:01:25in some of the most beautiful houses in the land.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40I'm in Hampshire, 60 miles west of London.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45I'm on my way to explore one of the most significant houses in England.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48It's Highclere Castle.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Although it's probably better known to millions of TV viewers
0:01:52 > 0:01:54around the world...
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Wow!
0:01:55 > 0:01:57..as Downton Abbey.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04There it is, peeping between the trees,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Highclere Castle.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09It is truly magnificent.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12For nearly 200 years,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Highclere has hosted some of the most glamorous and influential
0:02:16 > 0:02:20weekend house parties in British high society.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Now, I've been invited in, too.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26- Good morning. - Hello, good morning, welcome.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27What a glorious day.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28It is fantastic.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31It feels so familiar from watching Downton,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34but it's also somehow different.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39I'm here to find out what and who keeps a home like this going
0:02:39 > 0:02:41in today's world.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Can I take your coat and hat?
0:02:42 > 0:02:43Thank you.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52I'm meeting Fiona, eighth Countess of Caernarvon,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55who lives here with her family and seven dogs.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Quite a welcome.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59How lovely to meet you.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- What a treat. - I am thrilled to be here.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Well, thank you for coming.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Hello! What a family you have! And this is one of your puppies.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12This is little Evie, and she's just like a little lapdog.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- Aren't you?- She's very lovely. Hello, poppet.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Well, you know why I love her, because I have Darcy at home,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and you look as though you're her first cousin.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22Isn't she lovely?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- So, how long have your family been here?- Since 1679.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29So the family have been here for, sort of, 350 years.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31And before that, it was owned by the church.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34People have lived here since 749 AD.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37So, I'm looking after something which is stately,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and something which is a home, which matters a lot to me.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44And sharing it with friends and family, what is more important?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It's living in the now for something I'm trying to preserve
0:03:47 > 0:03:48for the future.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And so, how many can you have to stay here?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Hello, poppet, yes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57I'm happy having, I suppose, about 20 people to stay.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I think that's enough. I'm not a hotel.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03But there are 200-300 rooms in this house.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Wow!- So, it's... And there are.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07So, what happens behind that gallery up there?
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The main bedrooms and guest bedrooms run all around this gallery.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15You can walk round down the stairs and pretend you're Lady Mary,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16if you want to be,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20or some of the illustrious guests from the past.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23In the Victorian era,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Highclere Castle was renowned
0:04:25 > 0:04:30for hosting the most prestigious weekend house parties.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34The weekends were partly for matchmaking among the gentry.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37But the house parties also had a major influence
0:04:37 > 0:04:39on business and politics.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42You're very famous for your house parties.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Tell me more about them.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48I think the weekend house parties began because Highclere provided an
0:04:48 > 0:04:52environment where Cabinet ministers, politicians, diplomats,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56could sit and discuss over dinner challenging matters of the day.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02For example, the fourth Earl drafted the Canadian constitution here,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07which became the Dominion of Canada on 1st July, 1867.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10It's a home that oozes history.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13And the fact that it's only a short distance from London,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16no doubt allowed the more powerful guests to come,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and boosted the impact of the parties held here.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Mary, would you like to see some more of this house?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- I would love to.- Then let's go this way.- OK. Come on, chaps.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Everybody come.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Highclere was designed with entertaining in mind.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36From the grand saloon for receiving important guests,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39to the magnificent library...
0:05:40 > 0:05:43..to the peaceful drawing-room, where the ladies
0:05:43 > 0:05:45retired after dinner.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49This is a lovely room, isn't it?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Absolutely. And it's so light.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55The person who decorated this drawing room, Mary, was Almina,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and she's one of the most important figures in Highclere's history.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04So, there's a photograph of her, when I think she was round about 19.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07And she was the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09She was his only daughter.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13He adored her. So when she married the fifth Earl of Caernarvon,
0:06:13 > 0:06:14with whom she was madly in love,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17he gave her a dowry with some £500,000,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20which in those days was such a lot of money.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Perhaps £60 million in today's terms.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28That'd do a lot of restoration and building and whatever, wouldn't it?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30The fifth Earl married an heiress.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31Jolly useful thing to do.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37In the 19th century, Highclere was the house to be invited to.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42I'm told that Benjamin Disraeli, soon to be Prime Minister,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46and even Prince Bertie, the future King, have partied here.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51But entertaining on that scale required more than beautiful rooms.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56It required staff, and through an unassuming door in the corner
0:06:56 > 0:06:58of the saloon, lies another world.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00This is the green baize door.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05So this was to muffle the sound?
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It was. So we're now in the staff part.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And these stairs go the whole way up.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15So the housemaids and the footmen could operate
0:07:15 > 0:07:18with never being seen by the guests or family.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Look at the number of stairs up here, it's extraordinary.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Goodness gracious, it's almost to heaven!
0:07:24 > 0:07:26LAUGHTER
0:07:26 > 0:07:27- You didn't need the gin.- No!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29These stairs must have been busy.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34I'm told there used to be more than 50 household staff.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39There were chambermaids upstairs, and cooks in the basement kitchen
0:07:39 > 0:07:41where Lady Caernarvon takes me next.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44An astonishing 60 metres away.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45Goodness gracious.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47This goes on for ever.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50This part hasn't really been seen on television
0:07:50 > 0:07:54because Downton filmed all the kitchen scenes in Ealing Studios.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58And our own kitchens have been where they've been for 1,000 years.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02But they really are used today to cook for all our tours and dinners.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06So, they chose to create the kitchen scenes elsewhere.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Well, I'm privileged.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I'm seeing something that the viewers didn't see.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18It's the last part of the journey into the kitchen.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19We're nearly there.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It's a fair sized kitchen.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25It's a great kitchen.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It strikes me that it's an awful long way to the dining room.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33I should think... How you keep the food hot, I don't know.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35I gather Mrs Mackie, one of the cooks of the '30s,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39used to chase the footman down the corridor, saying, "Run, run!".
0:08:39 > 0:08:40Gosh.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42It is very tall.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44So the kitchen wouldn't get too hot.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49And the windows are all quite high, so you've got maximum wall space.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53In most old stately homes, the kitchen would be north facing
0:08:53 > 0:08:57cos then there was less light and the food was less likely to spoil.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58It would stay cooler.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And you've then got an awful lot of space to cook in.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's a very practical, well-designed kitchen.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05And the plates there...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Now, is this the crest of the family?
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Yes. We've just had them made again.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12This is a brand-new set.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And I've copied Almina, the fifth Countess's design, more or less.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So it's quite fun, isn't it?
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I've done enough for a small group of friends.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I've done enough for 80 people to sit down.
0:09:22 > 0:09:2480 people! But they're beautiful.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27So, how important was the food for the reputation of the house?
0:09:27 > 0:09:32To me, the food we deliver, the dinners, the suppers,
0:09:32 > 0:09:33they matter enormously.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37And I want people to enjoy it and to be impressed by Paul,
0:09:37 > 0:09:38our chef's cooking.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40He's excellent.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And so, still today, you use this kitchen that's so far away?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46There's not a day that I don't come into this kitchen.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48But now you're here, Mary,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50I really hope that you might cook with us as well.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52And I really look forward to that.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54I'm itching to get going.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- Will you give me a hand? - I would love to, Mary, thank you.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05Since afternoon tea was an important part of the weekend house party,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I think we should make an indulgent tea-time treat.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12My raspberry tartlets with creme patisserie.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16The creme patisserie couldn't be easier to make.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Start by warming 150ml of milk,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21with some vanilla extract.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Heat the milk until it's scalding hot,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28so you can just put your finger in and lift it out again.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Meanwhile, I'm going to put an egg in here.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Do you have hens here?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I do have hens.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Nothing better than fresh eggs.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Different colours. White eggs, blue eggs, brown eggs,
0:10:40 > 0:10:41and different sizes.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44I used to have a hen which laid green eggs.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Did you? Very unusual.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Which was very good for boiled eggs for breakfast.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Add 25g of caster sugar and 25g of plain flour
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and whisk it all to a stiff paste.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Just until it's smooth.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05There it is. And then I'm going to put the milk into there in two lots.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08That's because I don't want the egg to separate.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11That looks smooth to me.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13And then in goes the rest of the milk.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Now that looks like a thin custard.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23But it will thicken up nicely
0:11:23 > 0:11:25as soon as I've put it back on the heat.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29How about you giving it a jolly good beat?
0:11:29 > 0:11:30Fine.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33A bit of welly in there.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37You know, in earlier days, when we didn't have machines,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40the cooks used to have huge great muscles, didn't they?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44There's a fruit biscuit recipe from 1811, we've got,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48and in the middle it says, "stir for two hours".
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Which seems a bit extraordinary when they're making it.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I think you've done really well.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54I want it really thick.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- And we'll put some cream in it. - How delicious.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03Let the mixture cool thoroughly, then whisk in 75ml of double cream.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07So, the creme patisserie is made, and I reckon...
0:12:07 > 0:12:08it tastes...
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- Go on!- Can I taste it? It's my special role!
0:12:12 > 0:12:14That's delicious, actually.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17And the cream is absolutely scrummy.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20I like to make my own shortcrust pastry,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but you can buy ready cooked cases if you're in a hurry.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Then it's just a matter of placing fresh raspberries on top.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32This is my smiley face.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34There we go. Two eyes and a mouth.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35I'll do it properly, I promise!
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I can see you like having a good play with the children
0:12:39 > 0:12:40- when they're all baking.- Yes.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45And for the glaze, heap some raspberry jam with a little water.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50And that will slacken it down and we just push it through the sieve
0:12:50 > 0:12:52so we don't get the seeds.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54That's it.
0:12:57 > 0:13:03The aim is to put, sort of, minimum on, and let it just run over.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06It's really to give a shine.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09That just looks perfect.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Well, it's been lovely having you as my sous-chef.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Oh, thank you, Mary. Come along.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Now's my chance to really play at being in Downton Abbey.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Taking afternoon tea with a Countess.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28This must be what it was like to be entertained here
0:13:28 > 0:13:33back in Highclere's house party heyday in the late 1800s.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36They look wonderful, Mary.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37You are clever.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51Mmmm!
0:13:51 > 0:13:53That's delicious.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I can see people being very distracted
0:13:56 > 0:13:57with all the beauty of this room.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Well, it's quite a French room, isn't it?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- With all the gold. So it's rather beautiful.- And the views!
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Who else has got a backdrop of the wonderful folly at the back?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08I know. It is beautiful, isn't it?
0:14:08 > 0:14:11You know, I think people might imagine being a Countess,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14that every day you sit down and have tea,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and you have Lewis serving you, even if nobody's about.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- Is that so?- Certainly not!
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I'm often making myself a really nice cup of tea.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25But I'm having it often at my desk in my office.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29It is a hands-on job, whether you're working in the office
0:14:29 > 0:14:32or finding that you need to ring an electrician,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34or you've got various great friends.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Steve the roofer's a great friend, you always need a good roofer.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39The plumbers were here today.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43There's marketing to be done, e-mails to be answered.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Laughter to be had, as we go about every day's business.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48There's a long list.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51And actually, I don't think my husband disclosed
0:14:51 > 0:14:54quite the length of the list when he asked me to marry him.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02It's clear that taking on a house like this is a huge responsibility.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06And I can imagine the maintenance bills are endless.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11So this luxurious home has had to evolve partly into a business.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16And to find out more, I'm meeting Fiona's husband Georgie,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18eighth Earl of Caernarvon.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21We're introduced by the castle manager,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24in keeping with proper protocol.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26- Lord Caernarvon, Mary.- Hi, good afternoon, welcome to Highclere.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I'm very thrilled to be here.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31The Earl is, after all, the Queen's godson.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32- Enjoy your visit.- Thank you.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Much of the 5,000 acre estate is a working farm.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39We specialise in winter oats,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42which we process for feeding for performance horses
0:15:42 > 0:15:44like racehorses and polo ponies.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47And then, for spring crops, like spring malting barley.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And this year we're doing spring beans.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52And you have masses of sheep.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56- How many have you? - Well, we have about 1,600 ewes,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and there'll be about 2,500 lambs.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03Nowadays, we very much use the sheep to help control all of this
0:16:03 > 0:16:06very big area of grassland we have in the park here.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18This beautiful parkland, as well as being part of the house,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21is regularly opened to the public.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Highclere also has a long-standing reputation
0:16:25 > 0:16:29for hosting top-quality game shooting weekends.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Highclere's been involved with game shooting
0:16:31 > 0:16:35all the way back from the end of the Victorian and Edwardian period,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38when it was one of the heights of recreational entertainment
0:16:38 > 0:16:41for country house parties and that kind of thing.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43So, is shooting the main part of the business here,
0:16:43 > 0:16:44or is it just a small part?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Well, I wouldn't say it's a vast part of the business.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50But I would say it's a relevant part of the business,
0:16:50 > 0:16:51especially with the seasons.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54And also because the game does get used in restaurants.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56And we serve game ourselves here in the castle.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58And it's terribly good for us.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It is. It's very low-fat, naturally low-cholesterol,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04and very tasty. As you know, you can cook it in many different ways.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Pheasant shooting is out of season between March and October.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13But the gamekeepers stay busy, clearing woodland,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15rearing birds, and training their dogs.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Lord Caernarvon introduces me to gamekeepers Eddie Hughes,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Tom Hibberd, and Val Maskell.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Hello, Valerie.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I have never seen a bevy of spaniels behaving so beautifully.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Yes, they are perfectly disciplined and well behaved.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37They're all so quiet and happy, aren't they? Hello, poppet!
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Like my Darcy, these dogs are all spaniels,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45a breed which originally came from Spain, hence the name spaniel.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50They've been used as hunting dogs since at least the 15th century,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54with Springer spaniels trained to flush, or "spring" birds
0:17:54 > 0:17:55from their ground nests.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00The smaller cocker spaniels tended to be used for hunting woodcock.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Val has been training and breeding gundogs all her life.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09So, Val, how long have you been here at Highclere?
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Well, I've been here nearly 20 years on the estate, with Eddie.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Gosh, that's a good innings.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19When do you start training the dogs? Do they have to be a certain age?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Well, I start training them as soon as possible.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Ours live indoors because somebody tried to steal them one night
0:18:24 > 0:18:26when they were out in the kennels.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28We don't want to take the risk of losing them.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I bet they'd rather be in your kitchen than anywhere else.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32They certainly would, yes.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Lots more cuddles.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36So, are you going to put them through their paces?
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Yes, we let them hunt around.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39And then we'll fire a shot.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41They all have to sit down.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44And then we'll throw a dummy for them.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47And then one dog is selected to fetch that dummy and bring it back
0:18:47 > 0:18:50- to me and put it in my hand.- OK.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56WHISTLE PEEPS
0:19:00 > 0:19:01GUNSHOT
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Wait!
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Marty.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07Marty!
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Oh, you clever boy.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Good boy.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26A wonderful job, Marty. Well done. That's a good boy.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Spending time with the gamekeepers has given me an idea for a recipe.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Game has been a prominent part of the menus at Highclere
0:19:41 > 0:19:43for 200 years.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46So I'm going to make a rich pheasant casserole
0:19:46 > 0:19:49that could be used for the gamekeeper's lunch.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58First of all, I'm using a big pan
0:19:58 > 0:20:03and I'm going to make sure that it's hot before I fry all the meat.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So I'm just turning that up.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07And I've got a brace of pheasants here.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I've got prime birds.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13A little bit of oil in the bottom, just enough to cover the base.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Expect a sizzle, cos I've got this pan hot.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Keep turning and just get them brown.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32It all adds to the flavour.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Once the meat is browned, put it to one side,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40then in the same pan, fry the bacon.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I'm using smoked for extra flavour,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45along with a roughly chopped onion and celery.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47In goes the celery.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Again, keep that stirring all the time.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And when it's all very, very hot, I'll add the flour.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Sprinkle that in.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09And it's important to make sure every bit is covered in the flour.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Don't worry about that deep golden brown at the bottom.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17That will all come up when I add the stock.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I'm using pheasant stock, but you can use chicken if you prefer.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23And you could use cider,
0:21:23 > 0:21:28although I find cloudy apple juice gives it a warmer, fuller flavour.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Right, we need a little bit of Worcester sauce.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36That just sharpens it up.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39A little redcurrant jelly.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Any fruit jelly will do.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Just whichever one you've got in the cupboard.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It doesn't really matter.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Add seasoning.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53And fresh bay leaves.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57There they are, then I'm going to tip all the meat in there.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05That is quite a good colour, but it's a little bit grey
0:22:05 > 0:22:07so I'm going to do a little bit of gravy browning.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Just a dash. Go easy on it,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13because it's quite dark and it's just caramel colouring.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17And that really does look rich and good.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Then it needs simmering on a low heat
0:22:22 > 0:22:27for around one and a half to two hours, until really tender.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Mushrooms go in for the last half-hour, so they stay firm.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Then it's ready for the gamekeepers.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I'm serving it simply with green veg and mash,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43to let the pheasant flavour shine.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44I hope you're starving!
0:22:44 > 0:22:48I've been toiling away all morning and I want you to eat it all!
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Right, can you take this? It's blooming hot.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54There we are, Val. I know you went without breakfast this morning,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- so you must be starving. - Thank you!
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- Pass it down the line. - Wonderful, thank you, Mary.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I'm told at the end of the 19th century,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10there could have been up to 100 gamekeepers, helpers and staff
0:23:10 > 0:23:12on a single shoot weekend.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I'm glad I haven't got to cook for all that lot.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19So, when you have a shoot here, how many people come?
0:23:19 > 0:23:23- Probably got 25 to 30 people, have been here last time.- Yeah, yeah.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26And there must be some very well behaved dogs here, I should think,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- cos it could be chaos! - There is occasionally!
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Most of you have been working here for many,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38many years and what is it that you like, cos none of you seem to leave?
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Well, it's the atmosphere of the place.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43We all get on well together, don't we?
0:23:43 > 0:23:45- Yeah.- All of us.- Camaraderie.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Eddie does a shooter's meal.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Sorry, Eddie and Valerie do a shooter's meal.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Sorry, Val.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54They prepare a meal for what we call the team,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- or the family. - Eddie's a very good cook.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I carry the things in and out mainly.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Very nice, Mary.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- Is it?- Very nice.- Very good, yeah.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- Oh, good.- Thank you very much, Mary. It's delicious.- Thank you.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19The top-class shoots were a key feature of the weekend house parties
0:24:19 > 0:24:24that made Highclere such an influential and sought after place
0:24:24 > 0:24:25to visit.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30And it was the fifth countess, the young Lady Almina who,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33just months into her new life here,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37had to host perhaps the most influential guest of all.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Her father wanted to make sure that she was fully accepted
0:24:40 > 0:24:45into high society, and he arranged for the Prince of Wales,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49who was going to become later Edward VII,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52came to stay at Highclere, so it was an extraordinary,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57extravagant three-day party and shoot.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01That's what she was in charge of at just 19.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Lady Caernarvon shows me the bedroom that Almina had redecorated
0:25:12 > 0:25:14especially for the future king.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18All in red, very royal.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22So these are the original silk wall hangings from 1895.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24- Good gracious.- It's lovely.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27They must have been of very good quality to have stayed like this.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30And I think this bed was brought in for the Prince of Wales.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32It doesn't look so big today, but yet,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35king-size sheets don't necessarily fit it very well.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37It is quite a large bed.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39The Prince was a very robust man, was he?
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Yes, he was quite a large man,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45with a girth that testified to his love of food, I think you might say.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Yes. And he would have been waited on hand, foot and finger.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Completely. He demanded the best, so the best bedrooms,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56the best decorations, the best food, champagne, wine,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00so if you had him to stay quite often, or longer than a weekend,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03you know, you could find yourself dipping deep into your pockets
0:26:03 > 0:26:05to try to pay for it all.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Luckily, with Almina's huge wealth,
0:26:10 > 0:26:15she was able to go to town for this very special weekend house party.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Delving deep into the family's private archives
0:26:21 > 0:26:27reveals what it takes to entertain a demanding 44-year-old Prince.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Mary, we're so lucky to have this account book
0:26:31 > 0:26:35of the special entertainments with HRH the Prince of Wales,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37December 1895.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42It just shows you the quantity of foods, of provisions,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44the amount of decorating,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47refurbishment that was done, the carpets,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49the hire of marquees,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51it's just endless.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55I mean, I think in today's terms, Almina spent about £500,000
0:26:55 > 0:26:59on entertaining the Prince of Wales for three days.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01All for just one weekend.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Which was just two evenings, if you think about it!
0:27:05 > 0:27:07And then he was on the train again.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Have you any idea what was actually served on the main evening dinner?
0:27:12 > 0:27:16So from my research on this particular weekend,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21I've constructed what I think is the very likely selection of dishes.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24The Prince of Wales was very keen on oysters.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It was a very good safe starting point.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29There were always two soups, a thin soup and a thick soup.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31So it was consomme clair and cock-a-leekie.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35The soups were followed by six further courses,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39served one after the other, as was the new fashion.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42There could have been more than 20 different dishes.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Finally ending with a buffet.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47A buffet. I bet there were some good leftovers!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Yes, I think the staff must have ate well, and of course,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53the Prince of Wales then had a small buffet up in his bedroom,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56in case he became hungry during the evening.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03With food as her secret weapon, the visit was a triumph for Lady Almina,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07securing her a place in English society,
0:28:07 > 0:28:12and cementing Highclere's reputation for distinguished parties.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15And today is little different.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Current royalty have also been entertained here.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Lady Caernarvon is inviting a few friends to a house party.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28I've been asked to join them, and also to suggest a recipe
0:28:28 > 0:28:30to serve at the main dinner.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36All this talk of royalty makes me think of the perfect dish.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39My succulent cannon of lamb,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42served on a crispy celeriac potato cake,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45with a luxurious fresh mint gravy.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Now cannon of lamb is the saddle of lamb,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57it's the eye of the meat, and it's very expensive,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01but it is something that is so special,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03so tender, and quite easy to serve.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05It's for a great celebration.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Having seasoned the meat with salt and pepper,
0:29:11 > 0:29:12and lightly brushed it with oil,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I'm browning it in a really hot pan.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18I want to do this as quickly as possible.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25You can see by the smoke, it's really, really, really hot.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Now already, I need to be turning it.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34The reason for sealing the meat before I roast it,
0:29:34 > 0:29:38it gives a wonderful colour so you have to stand there and let it smoke
0:29:38 > 0:29:41straight in your hair, it doesn't matter.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43I've got some rosemary here.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46There's an abundance of herbs to choose from here,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48which is wonderful.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51So, put that underneath each piece,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55so that will permeate through the meat, and that will be browned.
0:29:57 > 0:29:58There.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02That is beautifully sealed, just what I wanted.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Done really, really fast.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06I'm going to sit those on the top.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10It's got to have eight minutes' roasting.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16So in it goes, to a hot oven at 200 fan.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26To go with that very glamorous cannon of lamb,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29I've decided to make potato cakes but with a difference,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31with celeriac.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33The two flavours go very well together.
0:30:33 > 0:30:40So, you need 350g of potatoes, and 250g of celeriac.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45I've grated the potato and the celeriac, using the coarse grater,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49put it in a tea towel to get every little bit of wet out of it.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53This is something that's got to be done at the last minute,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55otherwise the celeriac goes brown.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57So, salt and pepper.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Divide the grated veg into equal sized piles
0:31:03 > 0:31:05and squash them down to make patties.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09You've got to be firm, and you've got to use force.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11It will begin to stick together.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13That's it.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18It's the starch in the potato which is holding it all together.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Then they're ready for frying,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26but make sure your pan is nowhere near as hot as it was for the lamb.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30Notice how I'm pushing the sides in,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33so that they don't all join up, and good news,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36you can make these ahead and reheat them.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Fry them until golden brown on each side.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47Cook them too quickly and you'll find that they will burn underneath
0:31:47 > 0:31:49and it won't be done in the middle,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52so I've turned the heat down, and doing them very, very gently.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Serve with a traditional gravy enriched with port
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and freshly chopped mint from the garden.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09That that looks pretty good to me,
0:32:09 > 0:32:13so that needs to go into the gravy, like that.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19I'm going to taste it and see that it really is sheer perfection
0:32:19 > 0:32:20to serve with that lamb.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28That's pretty good.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32To me, that's a dish fit for a prince.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I can't tell you how thrilled I am that I'm going to be
0:32:35 > 0:32:40at this great dinner party that Lady Caernarvon is going to give,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43and she's chosen to have this wonderful lamb dish.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45I so hope they enjoy it.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58Whether the guests are visiting royalty, weekend house guests,
0:32:58 > 0:32:59or paying public,
0:32:59 > 0:33:03the rooms here have to be kept in first-rate condition.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06There is a never-ending list of jobs
0:33:06 > 0:33:09that keeps the 14 household staff rather busy.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It'll look much more spectacular here.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15It was rather hidden round a corner before.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17- It's got really good light there. - It's lovely.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24I think it's pretty good to keep out of the way here.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26It must be very, very heavy.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30- It's the frame... My goodness, David, that's very high.- Yeah.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35And then at the top is a picture rail, is it? It will hook over.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- There is.- That's it, down. That's it.
0:33:38 > 0:33:39- The other down!- OK.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45- Happy?- No, left a bit with your left hand, David.
0:33:45 > 0:33:46It's not quite vertical.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Is it tipping down on the top left-hand corner a little bit?
0:33:50 > 0:33:51Yes.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53It's a bit cockeyed.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00- Happy?- Yeah, I think so, actually, John. Brilliant.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01Thank you, very, very much.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04You've got a great team of people here.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Who are they all and what do they all do?
0:34:06 > 0:34:10I have. Well, I don't know, Matthew, you do multitasking,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13afternoon teas, helping with dogs,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15feed the chickens when I can't do that.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19I can't think what you came here to do, but that's what you do now!
0:34:19 > 0:34:21I don't think I'm doing what I came here to do!
0:34:21 > 0:34:23What was the job description when you came?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26I think it was pretty much whatever I needed to do.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- Oh, good.- Walking the dogs, helping to butler in the castle,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32and then it's just grown since then.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34And which part do you enjoy most?
0:34:34 > 0:34:37All of it. It's very varied, so it's fun.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40It is really good fun working here.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42And then, Pat, I don't know how long you've been here for,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44which way exceeds me, doesn't it?
0:34:44 > 0:34:47- Yeah. 57 years now.- 57 years?!
0:34:47 > 0:34:48Yes, yes.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Gosh.- We do painting and decorating all the way around,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54whether it's in the castle, or around the estate.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56I hope you're not going up ladders.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59No, thanks to Lady Caernarvon. No, I don't, not any more.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- She banned me.- So, how many have you got in your team?
0:35:02 > 0:35:05There's three of us. Mike is one, and young Richard's the other.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Mind you, I call them the boys.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10The boys. Well, one's coming 80, and the other's coming 48.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12One's coming...?
0:35:12 > 0:35:1480. I come for 75.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16And no sign of retirement?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18- No.- Not allowed to!
0:35:18 > 0:35:19No! I was just going to say that!
0:35:19 > 0:35:21I understand that, I can tell you.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23You just keep going. It's much better.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27And on a Friday every so often, we have fish and chips together.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Pat goes and gets fish and chips from our local fish and chip shop.
0:35:30 > 0:35:31We sit down and wherever we are...
0:35:31 > 0:35:33We hide.
0:35:33 > 0:35:34- Well, that's good.- Yes.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36My husband doesn't think I should have fish and chips,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38but I think it's excellent!
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Well, it's a great thing to share.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42And then, John Gunter, who's our castle manager.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46I'm not quite sure what's on your CV, either.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49I'm not quite sure I've got a true job description either,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51but it does include everything.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55We do some large events and that takes a lot of planning.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57The team are a relatively small team,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59very hard-working,
0:35:59 > 0:36:02and you've got to have some good humour and good nature,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05otherwise it just doesn't gel and that's the magic gel
0:36:05 > 0:36:07that makes it work for us all, I think.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10And, after a hard week, everybody has some fish and chips.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11I like that idea.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15I've never been invited, so I wouldn't know.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- Hope for an invitation!- I will look more diligently on Friday lunchtimes
0:36:19 > 0:36:21for my fish and chip invitation.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24- Have I put the cat amongst the pigeons?- Yes, I think you have!
0:36:24 > 0:36:27It looks as though you might have to have somebody else.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Yes, I think I might, Mary.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30Cut!
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Now, there's one more member of the team I really must meet.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44Paul Brooke-Taylor cooks for the family as well as for public events.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- Right place, right time?- Absolutely. - Lovely to meet you.- You, too, Mary.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- Thank you.- So how did you come to get here?
0:36:50 > 0:36:53I was in a very big hotel corporation chain
0:36:53 > 0:36:56and I found that as soon as you become head chef, you stop cooking.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58I wanted to get my hands dirty.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I wanted to cook but nine years ago.. It's flown by, to be honest.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- So you got the job?- I did, yeah.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05I took over a sleepy little castle.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09It was lovely. We did the odd posh wedding and then they did a TV show
0:37:09 > 0:37:10here and my life changed.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12What's the biggest number you have for tea?
0:37:12 > 0:37:14A wedding, we'll cap at 120.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16If it's family dining, we'll do 30.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Afternoon teas,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21we do over 110 a day when we're open to the general public.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23And you're two chefs now.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Going back 100 years ago, how many would have been in here?
0:37:25 > 0:37:28I have this conversation with Lord Caernarvon a lot.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30I've got to be honest, his team back then was a lot bigger.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32But it was one chef per job.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35I think now, we have more equipment, we have better ovens.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37It's not such manual labour.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40And it was a totally different environment.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43This house has had to change to match today's society,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45and make some money.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Opening the house to the public is a relatively recent change, but the
0:37:54 > 0:37:59Caernarvon family have been in the public eye throughout their history.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03None more so, perhaps, than Lord Caernarvon's great-grandfather,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06George Herbert, the fifth Earl.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10He was an early pioneer in travel photography.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17And there's that rather wonderful drawing of him with his lucky hat on
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- and his cigarette in his right hand. - Oh, how lovely.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22What I like is the lucky hat.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25It's looking pretty worn and dented there.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28That portrait does have a touch of Indiana Jones about it,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32but you can see the extraordinary character of the man.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37He was the late Victorian, Edwardian eccentric adventurer.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42One great friend of his and a regular visitor here
0:38:42 > 0:38:46was the famed archaeologist Howard Carter.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50I'm told that, together, in these very rooms,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53they would plan their expeditions to Egypt,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56where they made one of the world's most significant
0:38:56 > 0:39:01archaeological discoveries, the tomb of Tutankhamun.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03This is very much the area he worked in,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06because here we are now in the Valley of the Kings.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08I think in very early 1923,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11just only within two months of him actually discovering the tomb
0:39:11 > 0:39:15of Tutankhamun in November 1922 with Howard Carter.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18And there's the famous steps down to the tomb.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21And there's my great-grandfather, the fifth Earl, on the left...
0:39:21 > 0:39:24- Right.- And Howard Carter on the right, looking very dapper.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28The two men's stoic persistence in the heat and dust and flies
0:39:28 > 0:39:32of the dessert paid off in the greatest archaeological find.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Look at the huge smiles! And also look at their dress.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38I mean, they've got waistcoats on in this heat!
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Yes, I think there was a strong tradition of rather wintry
0:39:41 > 0:39:43British dress in rather a warm climate, even in Egypt.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46Can you imagine when they first break down the door
0:39:46 > 0:39:50of the antechamber of the tomb, my great-grandfather says to Carter,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53"Can you see anything? Can you see anything? What's happening?"
0:39:53 > 0:39:55They're all in a high state of excitement, because actually,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58they'd found all this rubbish had been piled up everywhere,
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and Carter had been in previous tombs,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03where there was nothing the other side, but this time,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06he says, "Yes, I see wonderful things."
0:40:06 > 0:40:09And there's everywhere the glint of gold.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Well, I shall not forget the look on their faces.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14I mean, it's magical, isn't it?
0:40:14 > 0:40:16The whole thing is, it was such a time of such excitement
0:40:16 > 0:40:19and it was such bad luck for my great-grandfather
0:40:19 > 0:40:22that he didn't live to see so many of the wonderful objects
0:40:22 > 0:40:24that finally came out of the tomb.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31He went off to take a few days' rest down the river,
0:40:31 > 0:40:36which was when he was bitten by the fateful mosquito in March 1923.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38And what happened after that?
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Eventually, he returned to Cairo with blood poisoning
0:40:41 > 0:40:44but sadly, in the end, succumbed to pneumonia
0:40:44 > 0:40:46and he died in the hour of his triumph,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50and, of course, he never actually saw the wonderful golden mask.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56Nonetheless, Lord Caernarvon was assured of a place
0:40:56 > 0:40:58in archaeological history.
0:40:58 > 0:40:59When you were a boy,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02was it very exciting growing up with all these stories?
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Well, the strange thing was, I used to wonder a lot about all this,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08but my grandfather was very reticent about it.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10- Really?- And he was the one that hid
0:41:10 > 0:41:14quite a number of these incredible objects that we have here
0:41:14 > 0:41:17in dark cupboards, between two rooms,
0:41:17 > 0:41:18and no-one was ever allowed to see them
0:41:18 > 0:41:20and he blocked up the entrance either side.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25I think he was very upset by the fact that his father had suddenly died
0:41:25 > 0:41:27when he really was quite, quite young
0:41:27 > 0:41:31and Egypt had, out of the blue, taken something away from him
0:41:31 > 0:41:32and totally changed his life.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37And my grandfather was just quite quiet about his father's work.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Thankfully, the currant Lord Caernarvon keeps replicas
0:41:41 > 0:41:44of his great-grandfather's finds
0:41:44 > 0:41:47in a public museum deep in the basement,
0:41:47 > 0:41:52a tribute to this remarkable chapter in Highclere's history.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Gosh, that is sheer magnificence.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Well, this is the glorious middle coffin.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59Of course, the actual embalmed body
0:41:59 > 0:42:02was found vested inside three golden coffins
0:42:02 > 0:42:03and this one's known as the middle one
0:42:03 > 0:42:08and it was absolutely covered in an effect of semiprecious stones.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Can you see all the glory of all the colours?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13The reds, the blues, and the gold.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Well, it is absolutely spectacular.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24Wow! There it is, I know it's a replica, but isn't it magnificent?
0:42:24 > 0:42:29It's an extraordinary replica to scale of the real golden mask.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34And this weighs around 11 kilos and it's an extraordinary amount of gold
0:42:34 > 0:42:38on one beautiful artistic object, of the face of the boy king.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Remember, he died when he was only about 19, or so.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44It's so beautiful and gentle and the actual features.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Yes, they really are extraordinary.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49It's one of the world's greatest objects.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55But the days of grand discoveries,
0:42:55 > 0:43:00sumptuous living and weekend house parties at Highclere were numbered.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04The Second World War brought turbulent times
0:43:04 > 0:43:08and the current Lady Caernarvon, a keen historian,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11has been unearthing some of the castle's wartime stories.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17She's arranged an expedition to show me evidence
0:43:17 > 0:43:19of an aeroplane that crashed here.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21Her team of plane hunters
0:43:21 > 0:43:27includes metal detector enthusiasts Paul McTaggart and Robert Coleman,
0:43:27 > 0:43:31and retired Concorde pilot Steve Bowhill Smith.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33What are you looking for? What are you expecting?
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Well, we've got some photographs to show you.
0:43:36 > 0:43:41That's a B-17, which was called a flying Fortress.
0:43:41 > 0:43:42It crashed up on the top of the hill.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45They were usually about ten people on board
0:43:45 > 0:43:47but this was a training flight,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49and they had only seven on board.
0:43:49 > 0:43:55And to search for it, we had to get permission from the MoD.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57- You have to have a licence. - Really, on your own land?
0:43:57 > 0:44:01Yes, it's called the Protection Of Military Remains Act,
0:44:01 > 0:44:02so we had to do it properly.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04We had to get the landowner's permission
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and then we had to get the MoD's permission as well.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18I'm told the main bulk of the American plane was recovered
0:44:18 > 0:44:19a few days after the crash.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21But, over the last few years,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Lady Caernarvon and her team have collected
0:44:24 > 0:44:26dozens of smaller pieces of the wreckage
0:44:26 > 0:44:30that have been lying here untouched since the Second World War.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Perhaps I should explain what we think happened.
0:44:34 > 0:44:35They hit the trees,
0:44:35 > 0:44:38those big cedar trees up on the top, and they just came crashing down
0:44:38 > 0:44:40through the trees here,
0:44:40 > 0:44:45down the slope and it basically exploded into a million bits.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48So you can walk along amongst the trees here
0:44:48 > 0:44:54and you can actually see things in the undergrowth from the aircraft.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56OK, Mary. This is a metal detector.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Put your arm in there and all you do is, basically,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00just wave it backwards and forwards.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02What am I waiting for? A noise?
0:45:02 > 0:45:04You're waiting for a noise. As soon as you go over a piece of metal,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07it'll squeak at you and you'll know exactly.
0:45:10 > 0:45:11That's it. Close to the ground.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13The lower to the ground, the better it is.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18BEEP
0:45:18 > 0:45:20- What was that?- That was the signal.
0:45:20 > 0:45:21Right in the middle of that.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24There, look. It's all over the place. Just underneath the surface.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26That wasn't digging for it. It was just there.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29No, there was no digging, because there's so much of it,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31- just up in the woods. - What have you found?
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Well, this was just on the bank up there.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36It looks like a hatch of some description.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40There's a hinge there and there will be another hinge somewhere else
0:45:40 > 0:45:43- up there.- It's airframe, definitely.
0:45:43 > 0:45:48It's amazing to think that this has been here 70-odd years.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50And it was only three days before the end of the war.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52So absolutely tragic, really.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54They'd done their 30-odd missions,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57so this is where it all came to an end.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00- Rather sad. - Rather sad, terrible, yeah.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04But, for me, it's something about understanding what happened
0:46:04 > 0:46:06to these young men who gave so much
0:46:06 > 0:46:08and doing some sort of memorial for them
0:46:08 > 0:46:11over in the castle gardens, looking up at this hill.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18It's the stories of husbands, of brothers, of sons,
0:46:18 > 0:46:20who died fighting for all of us.
0:46:25 > 0:46:30We're heading to one of Highclere's follies, known as Heaven's Gate.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34It was built over 250 years ago...
0:46:35 > 0:46:41..by the current Earl's great, great, great, great, great, great great uncle!
0:46:41 > 0:46:44With truly breathtaking views over the estate,
0:46:44 > 0:46:49it's a fitting place to reflect on the changing fortunes of Highclere
0:46:49 > 0:46:51since the Second World War.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55What was the impact of the war on Highclere?
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Highclere was commandeered by the Ministry of Health
0:46:57 > 0:47:00and it became home for evacuee children so, suddenly,
0:47:00 > 0:47:05there were between 25 and 50 tiny children aged three to five,
0:47:05 > 0:47:07living on the top floor of the castle,
0:47:07 > 0:47:10throughout the war with their teachers, nursing assistants.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14So the chef, therefore, was now cooking for 80 people a day,
0:47:14 > 0:47:18breakfast, lunch, and high tea for the children.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21It was a time of hardship.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23You had to really look after the food you were growing.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25Nothing was wasted.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28I mean, the vegetable garden here, the kitchen garden was invaluable,
0:47:28 > 0:47:29because it was very successful
0:47:29 > 0:47:32and it not only supplied the castle and the children
0:47:32 > 0:47:34but it could also supply beyond that, as well.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38After the war, things changed for the great estates.
0:47:38 > 0:47:39Is that right?
0:47:39 > 0:47:42It did. There was no money, no resources,
0:47:42 > 0:47:44rationing still continued.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47It was a very tough time so no-one could afford to employ
0:47:47 > 0:47:50anybody either and nor could you repair anything,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53because there was nothing to repair anything with.
0:47:53 > 0:47:58It's amazing this house survived, because, I think, during the 1950s,
0:47:58 > 0:48:03a lot of great houses of England were knocked down or destroyed.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05What a sadness that is.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11The post-war era marked a turning point
0:48:11 > 0:48:14for Highclere's lavish house parties.
0:48:14 > 0:48:19The prestigious and glamorous weekends that sparked off adventure,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22shaped politics, and even created a country.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30In order to survive and prosper in the modern world,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33the house had to change.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37It had to become more businesslike and open its doors to the public.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Nonetheless, this is still a home
0:48:44 > 0:48:48and Lord and Lady Caernarvon still host house parties,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52albeit on a smaller scale than during Almina's time.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57And so, tonight, I will be able to witness this wonderful home
0:48:57 > 0:49:00in all its dinner party glory
0:49:00 > 0:49:03but, first, I've been asked to choose our pud.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09So for the grand finale for this special dinner party,
0:49:09 > 0:49:13I'm going to make gooseberry and elderflower fool.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17It's luxurious, it's British, very, very special.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21It's a classic English pudding,
0:49:21 > 0:49:25served at country house dining tables for hundreds of years.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28I'll be serving it with a delicate honey biscuit,
0:49:28 > 0:49:30made with local honey.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35In the pan, I've got 500g of gooseberries,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39100g of caster sugar - a bit less, if you like it sharp.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43And three tablespoons of Lady Caernarvon's
0:49:43 > 0:49:45home-made elderflower cordial.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Though, of course, you could buy it.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52I'm gently cooking that, squashing them down.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55You notice that I've got green gooseberries.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59If you're cooking with gooseberries, always pick them young and green.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02They're very bitter to eat like that, freshly,
0:50:02 > 0:50:04but they're much better for cooking.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08When they're soft, take the pan off the heat,
0:50:08 > 0:50:12remove about a quarter of the mixture to use later as a topping,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15then blitz the rest into a mush.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22There we are. That's a mush.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25But if you put that just with the cream for a fool,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28you would have lots of pips which aren't very nice to eat,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31so that's why we're going to sieve it.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35You just need to force it through, so keep pressing.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Now look at that. That is just pips
0:50:38 > 0:50:41and I'll just discard it to one side.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42There we are.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Before you can mix it with the cream to make the fool,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50you'll have to chill the puree in the fridge until it's nice and firm.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55Traditionally, you would add all double cream.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59But I've decided to make it a little bit sharper by adding yoghurt
0:50:59 > 0:51:04and I've got 100ml of full-fat yoghurt
0:51:04 > 0:51:07and 200ml of whipped double cream.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09Start with pouring cream.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11It's easier to whip.
0:51:11 > 0:51:12So in it goes.
0:51:13 > 0:51:18Then I'm going to add the cream, so just beat that in like that.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Just until you've got no streaks.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27That's it. That looks perfect.
0:51:27 > 0:51:32A lovely smooth consistency and I can smell the elderflower.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Serve in elegant glasses and top with the reserved compote.
0:51:42 > 0:51:47And then, just to finish it, a little mint, fresh from the garden.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51Don't always think of mint as being always to go with lamb.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54It's lovely to have on a pud.
0:51:54 > 0:51:55Just gives it a lift.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00So there you have it - our wonderful, luxurious British pud,
0:52:00 > 0:52:04all ready for that very special dinner party.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Talking of which,
0:52:12 > 0:52:16the household is starting to prepare for this evening's extravaganza.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23There's much to do, everything from seating plans,
0:52:23 > 0:52:26flower displays to laying the table,
0:52:26 > 0:52:28which the butler, Luis Coelho, is in charge of.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Luis, I've come to see what you're up to. How's it all going?
0:52:32 > 0:52:35It's going very well. I think we're pretty much set.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Well, it's all looking pretty magnificent.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41The glasses come from Italy and they are hand painted in gold.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42They do look really special.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45- Now, you're the butler.- I am indeed. - What is it like to work here?
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It's a great responsibility
0:52:47 > 0:52:49and we've got a lot of standards
0:52:49 > 0:52:52and we're serving like they served many years ago.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54So it's a tradition, as well.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56It's looking really lovely.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58All that's missing are the flowers.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Five acres of gardens and greenhouses at Highclere
0:53:05 > 0:53:09provide a ready source of fresh flowers and plants
0:53:09 > 0:53:12to decorate the staterooms on special occasions.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17The gardens used to be attended by a team of over 20 gardeners.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Nowadays, it's just Paul Barker and his team of two,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24who ensure a year-round supply of floral colour.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32Lady Caernarvon has been arranging flowers from the garden
0:53:32 > 0:53:35to provide a centrepiece for the sumptuous dining table.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52As the household prepares to receive this evening's guests,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55there's only one thing left for me to do,
0:53:55 > 0:53:56dress for the occasion.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01I feel just like Lady Mary in Downton Abbey.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06GENERAL CONVERSATION
0:54:12 > 0:54:13At the end of the 19th century,
0:54:13 > 0:54:17Highclere was the epitome of luxurious entertaining.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27The gatherings here had defined a generation.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33The parties have evolved since then but they still bring people together
0:54:33 > 0:54:37to talk, laugh, to dine in an elegant style.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Mary, you look absolutely stunning!
0:54:40 > 0:54:41How lovely to see you.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Very exciting to see the salon so alive with people.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Can I offer you a drink before you go any further?
0:54:49 > 0:54:52There's a nonalcoholic or a champagne cocktail.
0:54:52 > 0:54:53Oh, I shall.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55To keep up my reputation.
0:54:55 > 0:54:56Okey doke.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01Compared to the house parties from a bygone era,
0:55:01 > 0:55:03this dinner party is more modest.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06But the guest list is just as varied.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Including a bishop, a gardener,
0:55:09 > 0:55:10and a cook.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15As the guests are summoned into the dining room,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18we are reminded of the special history of this house.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22The place names are written in Egyptian hieroglyphs.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25- Gracious me.- I can explain, right-to-left.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Meanwhile, chef Paul and his team have been cooking
0:55:28 > 0:55:30in the distant kitchens.
0:55:30 > 0:55:31Have you got half a lemon?
0:55:31 > 0:55:35Then they whiz the cooked food along the long corridor
0:55:35 > 0:55:37to a plating room near the dining room.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41That's Paul's secret to serving my cannon of lamb
0:55:41 > 0:55:43while it's really piping hot.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Ready, Josh? Let's go.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48It's like a military operation.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59Centuries-old traditions of hospitality
0:55:59 > 0:56:02meet entertaining in the modern world.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08It's a rare glimpse into the private side of a very public house.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13You are a wonderful family and thank you for welcoming me.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17You're so kind and we've really enjoyed this week, as well.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21- It's been great to have you. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26I will leave Highclere with great memories,
0:56:26 > 0:56:30especially of the people who work behind the scenes
0:56:30 > 0:56:35to keep this great house alive for everyone to enjoy.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Next time, I visit Scone Palace,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Scotland's crowning glory.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58They were crowned on this very stone?
0:56:58 > 0:57:01I'll cook up a feast fit for royalty.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03I reckon you might have topped the chart with that.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05And get a taste of the sport of kings.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08Look!
0:57:08 > 0:57:11I'm reeling with excitement...
0:57:11 > 0:57:12Woohoo!
0:57:12 > 0:57:14..for my Highland adventure.