Episode 1 Mary Berry's Easter Feast

I love Easter -

it's one of my favourite times of year,

full of new life and hope.

It's a time when food is at the very heart of our celebration.

In my family, Easter isn't Easter without hot cross buns,

simnel cake, and, of course, roast lamb.

'As well as showing you how to cook some of my Easter favourites...'

It doesn't get better than this.

'..in these two programmes,

'I'm off to find out how Britain's many vibrant Christian communities

'commemorate Easter...'

THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE

'..why cooking has such an important place...'

What does that say?

-"Have faith in my cooking."

-"Have faith in my cooking."

Well, you certainly did have faith in my cooking.

Found one!

'..and why food is particularly symbolic at this time of year.'

Yay!

-Aw...

-Aw...

I don't mind. You can be the winner.

So I'm going to meet families and cooks

from different cultures across Britain.

You should be very proud of that.

-I think it looks...

-Oh, that looks beautiful.

-Oh, I do like that.

-I'm pleased.

-It's lovely.

'And I'll be doing all this so that, this year,

'we can have the most marvellous Easter feast,

'where I'll be serving the delicious foods

'I've collected from around Britain.'

-There we go, young man.

-OK.

'It'll be a celebration that brings us all around one Easter table.'

The lead-up to Easter is a time when all of us give thanks.

I go to church regularly so, for me,

it's a time of reflection as well as celebration.

This year, I'm preparing my own big Easter banquet,

so I want to find out all about the specialities

that capture the spirit of the season.

Easter wouldn't be Easter without hot cross buns,

but before I show you how to make them,

I'm going to see where they originated.

I've come to the oldest site of continuous Christian worship

in Britain, the rather wonderful St Albans Cathedral,

on the trail of this Easter favourite.

The cathedral warden, Stephen,

has promised to let me into the secrets of its distant past.

Now, Stephen, I know you are going to tell me

that here in St Albans was the original hot cross bun,

and you call it the Alban bun.

-We think that is true.

-You've got to prove it. Come on.

Here's the evidence we have.

"In the year of our Lord 1361, Thomas Rockcliffe,

"a monk attached to the refectory at St Albans Abbey,

"caused a quantity of small, sweet, spiced cakes, marked with a cross,

"which he directed were to be given away

"at the door of the refectory on Good Friday."

It might have looked like a gift of charity,

but the Abbey knew which side of its bun the butter was on.

The abbey, in the 14th century,

had a pretty rough relationship with the local people,

and I think it's interesting that here's Thomas making these buns

to give to the poor of the abbey on Good Friday.

-I think he's also trying to do a bit of, erm...

-PR.

..perhaps PR. A bit of, you know, "We're good people, really."

The Alban buns are made to a secret recipe, passed down by the abbey.

They're more spicy than the familiar ones.

'These days, the abbey commissions a local baker

'to make around 3,000 buns every Easter,

'and they sell like hotcakes in the cathedral cafe.'

-Well, I think it's about time we had a try.

-I think so.

-Shall we have a go?

-Right.

-Well, I can see that you certainly like butter.

-I'm ready.

-Yes.

-Yes.

It's an excuse. The bun's an excuse for the butter, really.

What do you think? Have we converted you?

Do you think the Alban bun is superior?

I think it's a very different bun,

because it is strongly spiced and it just has currants in.

I think you're right. I think it's a... It's a...a unique.

It's another dimension for me.

Personally, I think we've improved on the bun down the centuries.

From its spicy beginnings at St Albans,

the recipe has evolved, and so has the attitude towards Lent -

traditionally, the 40 days when we abstain from luxuries.

Over the years, the hot cross bun

has changed from a Good Friday offering

into a staple of the high street that sells all year round.

In my family, we have hot cross buns throughout Lent.

I love them with lots of butter

and, when they've been about for a few days,

I toast them with more butter on.

They're a bit of a palaver to make,

but I promise you, it's worth a try.

I've got all my ingredients weighed out and ready.

First of all, a strong, white flour.

'To make a batch of 12, I'm using 500g of strong flour

'and 75g of castor sugar before I add the spices.'

Traditionally, it would have been allspice.

I use mixed spice because I like to have things on the shelf

that I use often.

'In go two teaspoons of mixed spice to one of cinnamon,

'and 10g each of yeast and salt,

'making sure to put them on opposite sides of the bowl.'

If you put them together on top of each other,

you'll find that it won't rise so well.

You mustn't mix the two, one on top.

'Then, for a lovely flavour, add the zest of a lemon,

'40g of melted butter, a beaten egg and 300ml of warm milk...'

MIXER BUZZES

'..and work it all together.'

Right, that's all come together.

Let's have a look.

That's it.

It looks just about right.

'Now, for the fruit.

'I like a generous helping of mixed orange and lemon peel

'and plump sultanas.'

You might think it's a lot of fruit in my buns -

I like them heavily fruited, and a bit of a luxury bun.

'That goes back in the mixer,

'before being left to rise for an hour and a half.

'A quick knead,

'then back in the bowl for a second rising.'

When I first made hot cross buns in the '60s,

I only used to do one rising,

and the result was rather close-textured buns,

so with having a double rising of the dough when it's in one piece,

you get a wonderful, open texture.

'Now I'm ready to shape the buns.'

Everybody's got different ways of rolling.

You can just bring it in from the side like that

and if you're very proficient, you can do it with two hands,

if you've watched some true bakers doing it.

I shall do it with one, because that's how I get on.

It takes a bit of practice, this, I can tell you.

So, you press them down

and then bring your hand up again.

There we are.

'Then, cover the baking sheets for an hour for a final prove.'

That's just as they should look.

They've joined up,

they're a good size,

but they're without their crosses.

'Use a simple flour-and-water paste to pipe across the top.'

And, of course, the cross symbolises Christ on the crucifix

and it's a very essential part of the hot cross bun.

'Now, into the oven at 200 fan for 15 to 20 minutes.'

How about that, then? I think they look splendid.

But what's lacking is a lovely glaze on top.

'Warm golden syrup gives them a lovely, delicious, sticky finish.'

Mmm. Do you know?

The moment I've cut those in half,

the spices are hitting me.

I can't wait.

I'm really proud of these.

They taste absolutely superb.

They're light, they're full of fruit,

and I shall enjoy these all over Easter,

not just Good Friday.

Wherever you go in the Christian world,

you find the hot cross bun has got there before you.

The Caribbean community began coming here in large numbers

in the 1950s, and they brought their own version with them -

the Jamaican bun.

Bettina was born in Jamaica.

She moved to Nottingham when she was nine years old

but she still loves the foods of her childhood.

I made these yesterday...

..cos, you know me, I just love the baking.

-These look lovely but...

-It looks a bit moist, though. Moist.

-Yes, very moist, here.

-Yeah.

She bakes the strangely loaf-shaped Jamaican bun every year

to share with friends at her local Baptist church.

THEY SING A HYMN

Surprisingly, this distant cousin of the hot cross bun

is made with stout and, often, no eggs.

There are different ways of making the bun

because the older people would make it with yeast.

I tried it with yeast and, well, I tell you, you could have thrown it

and you could have killed a bird in the air.

Would you like some bun and cheese?

Traditionally, the bun is served with Jamaican cheese.

I can't wait to try it...

..so I've invited Bettina to bring her bun,

and a few more of her traditional Jamaican foods,

to give me some inspiration.

-Bettina.

-Hello.

-How nice to see you.

-Thank you, Mary.

What about this bun over there that I think is a loaf?

I'm going to let you taste a piece of it, Mary.

It looks a lovely texture.

You have to... You have to have the bun with some cheese.

You can't eat it without cheese.

-Can I just have it without to begin with?

-Yeah, go ahead, Mary.

As you're Mary, I'll let you.

Mmm! Oh, I do like that.

-I'm pleased. I'm pleased.

-It's lovely.

'For Caribbean households right across Britain and the West Indies,

'Good Friday means fish

'and for lots of Jamaicans,

'escoveitch fish is sure to be on the menu.'

On Good Friday, we would have fried fish, and this is a snapper.

It's normally cleaned with a concoction of lime, lemon,

vinegar and salt,

so start off by one, two...

'The fish is given a generous helping of native Jamaican allspice

'and seasoned with salt and pepper.'

-Is it beginning to sizzle?

-It is.

And I want it to go really, really brown and crispy.

'Abstaining from meat is a kind of penance for many Christians,

'which is how the tradition of fish on Friday came about.'

-It's lovely, the way the slashes that you made...

-Yeah.

..have opened, and it's a crispy brown.

I think that should be about ready.

Gosh, it looks good, doesn't it?

The "escoveitch" part of the recipe

is a medley of vegetables with one unusual ingredient.

-I bet you don't know what this is.

-I have no idea what that is.

This is called a cho-cho.

-And that...?

-It grows wild and...

How can I describe the taste?

Between a cucumber and a courgette.

-Oh, it's mild and watery.

-Yes, very watery,

so you can have it raw in salads.

-If you can pour some vinegar...

-How much?

Just pour, Mary. I'll tell you when to stop.

-And this is just ordinary malt vinegar?

-Yes, yes.

-Vinegar.

-And that's it.

'Then in go the peppers, onions, spring onions,

'with a sprig or two of thyme,

'and to give it its true Jamaican flavour, the mysterious cho-cho,

'a little fiery Scotch bonnet chilli and some native Jamaican allspice.'

Over the top...

'The tradition of fried fish in vinegar stretches back to

'the Moors who occupied Spain in the Middle Ages.

'When the Spanish came to Jamaica 500 years ago,

'they brought it with them.'

Right, so we're part-steaming it

-and part-cooking it in the vinegar at the bottom?

-Yes, yes.

'It's quick and easy to make - just right for Good Friday,

'traditionally a quiet time, when thoughts turn to higher things.'

I remember my grandmother, once we'd been to church on Good Friday,

would come back home, the fish and everything

would have already been done and she'd sit for hours reading a Bible,

but I couldn't go outside to play -

I had to sit and learn something from the Bible,

because that was how it was.

-I think she brought you up really well.

-She did.

'After ten minutes, fold in some shavings of carrot

'and it's ready to serve.'

So, we can put this bad boy...

I think it's a good boy.

It looks so tempting.

Look at that.

It... Oh...

Mmm!

I think it's absolutely delicious.

That, to me, is something totally different and so simple.

It's simply cooking a really fresh fish beautifully.

Thank you so much.

I've really enjoyed it with you, Mary. Thank you.

The plans for my own Easter feast

at our local church hall

are already taking shape.

My team of expert decorators are hard at it.

I'm hoping to bring the most exciting Easter dishes

from around Britain to inspire me,

together with firm favourites of my own,

and I've already had one new idea to spruce up my trusty regulars.

We are going to have fish on Good Friday.

We always do, but I have to say, it's nearly always fish pie.

Bettina has inspired me to do something a little bit different.

'So, I'm cooking a whole fish as well, and I'm using coriander

'and a colourful salsa to spice things up a bit.'

I've got a sea bass here - a whole sea bass.

I've got the fishmonger to take the head off.

Also, to descale it.

So, to begin with, I'm going to make three slashes on each side.

'It's important to have a good, sharp knife,

'and go right down, almost to the bone,

'because I'm going to be filling this fish with lovely, fresh herbs.'

So, there's a generous bunch of coriander.

'Nothing goes to waste -

'even the stalks help to give the fish flavour.'

So, just take a pinch of that

put it into the slit,

and the coriander will permeate the flesh.

A little bit of pepper and salt in each of the slashes

and, to be really fussy,

because this is for Good Friday,

I'm going to cut the tail.

It's called vandyking.

Don't ask me why it's called vandyking,

but it just looks very extra pretty.

That's it.

'Transfer the fish to a large sheet of lightly-buttered foil.'

Pull that over like that,

and we're going to safely

tuck our fish in

so that none of the juices come out.

'The fish goes into the oven at 180 fan.

'A big fish like this will take about half an hour, and don't forget

'to turn it after 15 minutes so it cooks evenly on both sides.'

Now, to my salsa.

It's a wonderful, colourful salsa,

full of flavour - a bit like Bettina's.

I have some tomatoes, grapefruit, green chillies,

lime, ginger, mango chutney,

and I don't have cho-cho, but I do have cucumber.

So I'm going to use half a cucumber.

You need to take the seeds out of the cucumber,

otherwise the salsa will be too watery.

I've got the end of a spoon here, so I'm going to try that.

You can use a melon baller, you can do all sorts of things.

That's it.

Chop the cucumber and add it to the flesh of a large grapefruit,

along with six seeded and diced tomatoes,

one finely chopped green chilli,

the juice and zest of a lime

and some freshly grated ginger, to add a little zing.

Right, now it comes to the mango chutney.

Three really good tablespoons - are you watching me?

A big tablespoon - one...two...three.

That's it.

I really like a bit of sweetness with it.

We've got plenty of sharp there -

we've got the grapefruit and we've got the lime -

but the mango chutney just brings it all together.

Lastly, a good glug of olive oil.

Out comes the fish.

Leave it to rest for a few minutes,

and I like to warm the salsa, to bring out the flavour.

At the last minute,

season and add a little chopped coriander or parsley.

I like to serve my fish with the skin removed,

so you can really see that fresh green herb.

I think that's something really, really special for Good Friday.

Nothing is more full of Easter symbolism than eggs -

they're signs of new life and promise.

As I continue to gather fresh ideas for my big Easter feast,

I've come to find a traditional Russian recipe

that serves eggs in a truly imaginative way.

I think it might provide me with the perfect canape.

'I've come to meet Karina, who moved here from Moscow 12 years ago,

'to see how she gets ready for her Easter celebrations.'

-Karina. Hello.

-Dobro pozhalovat.

-Welcome.

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

There are 40,000 Russian expatriates living in Britain.

For the Christian community among them,

Easter has always been the most important feast of the year.

For some mysterious reason,

Easter was the only holiday which survived.

Christmas was banned, all other religious holidays were banned,

but Easter, for some reason, survived.

So Easter was really a climax of the year for you,

because if you were not allowed to have Christmas,

Easter would be something to look forward to.

This looks well loved, well worn,

-and it's lovely to see a cookbook that is used.

-Absolutely, yeah.

This is from, um, the "abundance era", as we call it.

It's 1953, so imagine - it's really special.

This was like, probably, you know, like a cooking bible.

It looks as though it's a sponsored book,

because there are all sorts of branded goods...

-LAUGHING:

-It's government-sponsored!

-Is it government-sponsored?

-Yes, because, you know, Stalin...

It was the period of Stalin, so Stalin was absolutely determined

to convince Soviet people

that we are heading towards abundance.

So you were supposed to be looking forward to plenty.

Yes, we were looking forward to that.

Which was just exactly what you were not looking forward to.

Things were going to get, um...

It was getting worse and worse, actually, yes.

Stalin's cookbook was hardly a true reflection

of what dinner tables looked like across Russia.

As communism fell, Karina really felt the pinch.

Sometimes, you walk into the shop, and the only thing you see

is, like, spaghetti sticking out - that was it.

There's nothing else.

So we were looking at it, thinking,

"Mmm, what can we have with spaghetti?

"There is no butter, no cheese."

Despite the shortages,

Karina remembers their family gatherings with affection

and the dishes that her mother created when she was a child,

especially during the Easter celebration.

Karina is going to show me

these beautiful stuffed devilled eggs -

a gorgeous first course for my own feast.

The eggs are pickled with beetroot to give them a vibrant colour,

along with shallots, garlic and allspice,

mixed with cloves and peppercorns

to give it some heat.

You've got some cinnamon bark in there.

Yes, yeah, because it just... I don't know,

it just gives a little warmth to it.

So rather than sugar, you use honey.

So, that looks a good mixture, there.

-All we need is vinegar and water.

-Absolutely.

Not wanting to make the pickling water overpowering,

Karina mixes two parts water to one part vinegar,

then lets it simmer for a few minutes.

She then strains the liquid and lets it cool,

before pickling the hard-boiled eggs for 12 hours.

So that's magic.

We'll cut them in half and see what they look like.

See what's there.

-Doesn't that look pretty?

-They're pretty,

with all three colours going on.

The yolks are then scooped out

and mixed with something rather special

to give it that authentic Russian flavour.

So, this is a pickled herring.

A Russian table without herring is not really a Russian table.

I love herrings.

Added to the egg yolks and herring is Dijon mustard, chives and dill...

-It smells really nice, doesn't it?

-Yes.

..all blitzed together to make a smooth paste ready for piping.

They look very colourful, don't they?

Really remarkably simple to do.

Yes, and it's a nice little appetiser, isn't it?

And in the spirit of real indulgence at Easter,

she tops them with red salmon caviar.

It looks the part, doesn't it? It looks lovely.

Mmm...!

That is a wonderful combination.

I particularly like herring.

The dill is coming through and it does taste...

Pickled egg is nice and spicy.

-It's delicious. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Mmm!

Those divine devilled eggs have given me an idea

for a canape with a Russian twist,

to break the Lenten fast at my Easter banquet.

I'm going to use quails' eggs and herrings to set off my feast.

Very simple recipe, but I think, really good.

To begin with, I need a couple of slices of light rye bread.

I've got some full-fat cream cheese, here,

and I'm going to put some dill with it.

Dill is one of my favourite herbs

and it goes exceedingly well with herring.

So if we just chop that up...

Add the chopped dill to the cream cheese,

then a splash of lemon juice

and some black pepper.

A little salt, cos the herrings will be quite salty,

and then just mash it down.

Once mixed, spread each canape with the cream cheese.

Good thing about these

is that you can do them several hours ahead,

because if you're preparing for a feast, like I'm doing,

I want to do as much as I can ahead.

So, for the quails' eggs, you cook them just under three minutes,

and that will have a firm yolk in the middle,

cos I'm cutting them in half.

Once they are boiled, put them straight in cold water,

and as soon as you can handle them, peel them,

cos it's much easier to get the shell off.

Cut each one into four,

so a quarter of the egg tops each canape.

Now, to complement Karina's eggs, I'm using herring, too.

You want bite-sized pieces placed on top of each square,

then a touch of cream cheese on the top of the herring

to help those little quails' eggs stay put.

So it's good for our feast

to serve eggs in all different forms.

It takes little or no time to do.

I'm rather proud of those -

a little bit of Russian Easter inspiration

for my guests at the feast.

Mmm...

Every element of that goes well together.

The rich cream cheese, then you get the flavoursome herring,

and the dainty little egg on top.

I think you're going to enjoy those.

Please make them. Mmm!

SLAVONIC CHORAL SINGING

I want to take the Russian theme in my banquet a bit further.

I think the Russians have got it spot-on

when it comes to the idea of Lenten fasting,

followed by Easter feasting.

There's been a Russian Orthodox community in Britain for 300 years.

Their Easter falls later than ours,

as they follow the old Julian calendar,

used in Roman times.

-Good morning, Mary.

-Good morning.

-Father Peter.

I better shut the door, it's pretty blowy out there.

I've never been inside a Russian Orthodox church

and I'm hoping Father Peter will enlighten me.

Father Peter, tell me about the Orthodox Russian faith

on the lead-up to Easter.

Our Lent starts on what we call Forgiveness Sunday.

We start the fast, which is a vegan fast,

and this continues right the way up into Holy Week,

when the fast is more intense, because on Good Friday,

there's a total abstinence from all food.

For the Orthodox church, the culmination of Holy Week

is the evening service on Holy Saturday -

late at night, the congregation stands outside,

in the dark, and just after midnight, Easter begins.

The priest will say, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered",

and then we declare, "Christ is risen",

which is the joy of...the Paskha joy,

and the doors will be flung open and all the candles will be burning,

and then that will finish at around about three to half past three.

-In the morning?

-In the morning.

-Oh!

-So they come as families and children.

-Yes.

So, the children, do they have a little sleep in a corner, or...?

Some do, some are backwards and forwards

and looking to see what's going on.

But the wonderful thing is, after the Easter service,

we have the meal, the common meal, which we share together,

-with wine and vodka...

-Oh!

-..and the toasts,

and we can eat and drink everything

that we've been denied for the last six to eight weeks beforehand.

-What an exciting time that must be.

-It's very good.

HE LAUGHS

The most important dishes for this Easter breakfast are the desserts -

paskha, a kind of cheesecake,

and kulich, which is a bit like panettone.

These specialities are blessed by the priest on Holy Saturday,

but they're prepared two days before.

Behind the scenes of the church are a group of ladies called

the Sisterhood of Saint Xenia, who keep the place running.

Vera and Tanya are making paskha, ready for the Easter breakfast.

It's very important for Russian tradition.

It's a very old tradition, obviously.

Every family in Russia will have, at the table, this cheesecake.

Paskha is a mixture of rich ricotta cheese,

butter, eggs and cream.

It's deliciously indulgent after weeks of fasting.

Before Easter, we have 40 days' Lent,

and all the ingredients they include in the Easter cake,

actually, the main ingredients -

the cheese, the butter, the eggs -

they're not allowed during Lent.

-We're not eating them.

-Only vegetables...

-Potatoes.

-Yeah.

In goes sugar, candied fruit, nuts, raisins and blueberries.

It's going to be quite a shock after the blandness of Lent.

It's quite difficult, after Lent, to start rich food.

Usually, you just try a little bit and say, "Oh, no, I'm full."

"I'm full" - yeah!

The paskha mix goes into the mould to be set overnight

on what the Orthodox community calls "Clean Thursday".

Clean Thursday is the day before Good Friday.

A...special time for us to prepare for Eastertime,

and people cleaning around their houses

and try and make themselves ready for Eastertime.

It's a day of quietness and prayer as they prepare the paskha.

SHE PRAYS IN RUSSIAN

When the paskha comes out of the mould,

on one side is the Orthodox cross.

On the other, the letters "XB",

which stands for the Easter greeting

"Christ is risen".

The paskha now is ready for blessing.

Everyone should enjoy this meal

after the long Lent.

It really, really does mean something for the Orthodox church.

I think there's a lesson to be learnt about this Clean Thursday.

The Russian ladies have got the right idea -

do everything ahead, and then you've got time

to be with the family and enjoy all the Easter festivities.

One dish I always prepare in advance is my apple frangipane tart -

a simple but tasty recipe that I'm sure will go down a treat,

whether you've been fasting or not.

So first of all, I'm going to make the case.

I've got a tin here.

I'm going to do a very simple crust.

I'm not making pastry - this is far quicker.

So, I've got 175g of digestive biscuits

and I'm going to crush those and add them to melted butter.

Slip the biscuits into a reusable bag,

making sure it's sealed.

And then just press that down and get a rolling pin

and give it a bash.

If you've got any thoughts of getting rid of something

out of your system, now is the time.

And then just shake down the bag, and on again,

cos you don't want any big pieces of biscuit in it.

That's just perfect.

Melt the butter over a warm heat and stir.

That's it - then tip in all the crumbs...

..and just stir it till it's well mixed.

All well coated with the butter.

So the next move is to just tip the whole lot in here.

Flatten down into a base.

Then pop into the fridge to set firm.

I'll now get on with the frangipane filling.

I'm adding 75g of softened butter

and the same amount of castor sugar into a food processor.

So I'll pop that on like that.

So that's softened in there.

Then add 75g of ground almonds,

two eggs, and one teaspoon of almond extract.

Then on with the lid again, until everything's mixed together.

So that's the filling made. Couldn't be much easier.

Now peel an apple. I use a Bramley for extra sharpness.

I'm going to put the apple at the base of the tart.

You don't have to keep it a perfect shape,

because it is hidden by the frangipane.

The important thing is to have thin slices.

You'll notice I'm not as fast as the chefs,

but I have got all my fingers.

The base has chilled and set in the fridge,

so now it's ready to fill.

And I'm going to take the apples.

You've just got to get an even layer of the apple.

Don't hang about, because it'll go brown.

Best peel it just before you put it in the tart.

Right - now, can you see?

It's sort of like a runny whipped cream consistency.

I want to get every scrap out of here, because it's so good.

That's it.

Right, spread it over.

And it should come right to the top

of the crumb crust.

So, flaked almonds on the top.

The reason why I like a lot

of almonds on the top of here

is that you have a sort of crunchy layer to go through.

It'll take about 25 minutes to cook at 180 fan.

Once it's cooled,

I like to finish it off with a light dusting of icing sugar.

This is a perfect Easter pud, simple to make

and full of sweetness that we can finally enjoy after a long Lent.

One of the joys of Easter

is that it falls just as the sun returns at last,

after a long winter absence.

It's the perfect time for my Easter feast to celebrate spring.

I'm visiting a Polish family in Cambridgeshire,

whose Catholic traditions are full of new life and new hope.

Hi, Mary.

-Damian?

-Hi, yes.

-Hello.

-Terribly breezy out there.

-It is indeed, yes.

They're in full swing, preparing for Easter,

and I'm sure I'm going to find inspiration for my banquet.

This certainly is a hive of activity.

Everything is ready for...preparing for Easter.

It is, indeed.

In Poland, families are immensely proud

of the basket of Easter specialities

which they take to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday,

and the community here carry on the same custom.

This basket is quite a tradition for Easter Saturday.

And is this...? This is olive, is it?

Yes, it is olive.

It's a symbol of growing and new life.

'Decorated eggs are integral to the Easter basket.'

Let me have a look. Did you scratch all that?

It's a bit like battlements, isn't it?

It's like a castle.

And what a lovely way to involve all the family.

So what do I have to do? Hold it really firm?

Goodness gracious me!

You need a lot of pressure, and I'm doing, working really...

That's all as far as I've got. I do the two sides, do I?

The traditional Easter game of tapping eggs

is all about whose will crack first.

I'm a bit of a champion.

-That's...

-Mine is cracked!

-Yours is cracked. I am the winner!

Yay! Bravo.

The two winners ought to play each other.

Shall we?

Go and get your egg, come on.

-This is the final.

-That's the final.

I'm holding mine firmly.

CRACKING

Oh...

I don't mind, you can be the winner.

HE LAUGHS

Alongside the eggs in the basket

are other typical Polish foods to be shared on Easter Sunday.

We're going to have traditional white sausage.

We have also horseradish.

We have a little bit of salt, so all the food gets seasoned.

Pepper, and we also have our cake, which is the Polish babka.

"Babka" - sounds like a baby. What is it, babka?

OK, so, babka is a traditional Easter cake.

Let me show you.

-Oh, good, you've got one?

-Yes, of course.

-Oh...

Already made, already made.

Oh, I'm going to... I haven't seen one of these before.

Goodness gracious, it's huge!

Yes, indeed. So, basically, this is a similar way of making bread,

but you're starting three days before.

I always start this one on Wednesday.

-It looks so exciting.

-Thank you.

Do you think you might come to my kitchen

and show me how to do it?

Of course, but get ready for hard work,

because it takes a lot of time to prepare the dough.

Oh, no, not hard work for me -

-hard work for you. LAUGHING:

-Of course!

I will be in attendance.

I'm dying to see how to make Damian's babka,

which I think might just steal the show at my Easter feast.

This looks a very big...

Something's going to happen.

I've never seen so much equipment.

It's a long process, passed down through the generations.

-So, we start with the butter.

-Right.

-So we're using 500g.

And now the hard bit is coming -

-basically, because we don't use the machines.

-OK.

We're using the hand.

And it reminds me, in my house,

when I was little, my mum was sitting on this little chair

and just kept turning this butter like this, so, you know...

And I was laughing, and I don't laugh any more,

because I know how hard the job is.

This is dedication - Damian churns the butter by hand

for half an hour before zesting oranges and lemons.

-"Babka"...what does it really mean?

-Well, it's two different meanings.

Babka is obviously the Easter cake, but also babka,

you can call a lady a "babka".

You can say to your grandma, you can say "babka",

or when there's a nice lady walking on the street,

you can say "Oh, there's a nice babka."

-I think it's very charming.

-There we go.

Zest, lemon juice and vanilla go into the butter,

to give the mixture its flavour.

To begin the next stage of this rich dough,

he needs eight egg yolks.

Would you mind to give me a hand with the icing sugar?

Right, certainly.

This is 500g of icing sugar, and what do we want?

We want to keep adding gradually.

For me, this is a totally different kind of mixture -

putting all this amount of icing sugar in one cake.

It is quite, quite different.

The whole method is different. I'm learning.

There we go.

OK - so once nice and smooth...

There you go, very good.

..we will mix the egg yolks with the butter.

-So that goes in in one dollop on top.

-Yeah, yeah.

Damian doesn't stir the mixture together.

He whisks it until it's beautifully smooth and shiny.

Next, in goes the carefully sieved strong flour and baking powder.

We will fold gently. We don't want to have any lumps.

OK, so as you can see,

this is nearly ready,

and what we're going to do now, we're going to add the starter,

-which we made three to four days before.

-Right.

A starter is used in the dough as a sort of natural yeast.

I'm not sure if you know - the funny story about the starters

and making the yeast at home,

is when you're making it, you need to whisper.

You cannot be too loud, because it's alive.

When you put it in the oven, you need to still be quiet,

because it could collapse, and this would be a disaster.

-So we've got to be all very quiet here.

-Absolutely.

-Everybody around has to be really quiet...

-Absolutely.

..when it goes in the oven.

Once that's very carefully mixed,

we're at last at the final stage of the babka dough -

whisking two egg whites by hand.

This really is going back to Victorian times for me.

I've never seen so much mixing by hand.

And we do this once a year, you see, Mary -

it's once a year, a little bit of exercise,

keeping tradition, keeps Mum happy...

Why not? Do it.

I've got a sort of feeling that you're thinking about

your grandmother, your mother, happy times in Poland.

Absolutely - you see, we can talk about happy times,

but also, I forgot to mention

my grandma was in the concentration camp

when she was 18, during the Second World War,

and she was telling me stories about...

She was living on potatoes.

When they saw the bread, they prayed to the bread -

they didn't see bread, they were eating only potatoes.

So I remember, by now, she was telling me about those trains,

she was in the trains, animal trains,

locked down completely for months, so it's really, really good history.

She survived - she passed away,

but she passed away just a few years ago -

and the...you know...

-This all reminds me this.

-Food is very important to you,

and the history of the food.

-Absolutely.

-I bet your children will follow, just like you have.

-They already do.

-A sad time.

Once the egg whites are folded in,

this lovingly prepared dough is almost ready for the mould.

Damian's full of clever tricks -

the breadcrumbs will give a slight crust

and help the babka release from its mould perfectly.

We need to pour very...gently from this side...

Wait a minute, you're forgetting - quietly.

-(Yes, sorry.)

-(Yes.)

-That's me.

-I'll turn it round, so it goes all the way.

-Thank you.

This is team spirit, here.

This is really good.

-So what we do, we want to add the swirls...

-Swirl, yes.

..inside, yes, absolutely, so we have nice marble inside.

So...one...two...three.

Damian's marble mix is simply a dollop of the dough

combined with a little cocoa powder.

And finally, we're ready for the baking -

it goes in the oven at 160 fan for around 45 minutes.

When it comes out, it's a full two-and-a-half hours' wait

before the moment of truth.

Here we go - that's the testing bit.

Upside-down...Up...

That's fine, got it.

-Was that a wing and a prayer?

-Yeah...

Voila!

That, to me, is sheer perfection.

All the way round, here it is -

look, every little bit is perfectly coloured.

I reckon he's pretty proud of that.

-I am.

-I'm proud of you.

Come on - let's get on with icing it.

I love the way Damian ices it -

one side is melted dark chocolate,

with a clever dash of olive oil so it keeps the sheen,

topped with crushed nuts.

So that's half the job done.

The other, a mix of icing sugar, lemon juice and candied fruit,

creating the most beautiful finish.

Do you know, I think that looks so original,

something quite, quite different.

Now, if you're making this for Easter,

-would you finish it on Saturday?

-Yes, of course.

It will be finished on Saturday morning or Friday evening,

because we go to church.

Go to the church - and that fits in the top of the basket.

Well, the basket is already full with food,

so we cut a little piece of the babka...

-Ah.

-..and on Sunday, we share,

all of us, with this little piece -

the whole family, four of us, small family -

we share with the blessed babka.

I'm enchanted by everything about this cake.

It's a wonderful tradition,

and the perfect addition to my Easter feast.

I'm relieved I don't have to wait until then to try it.

-Mmm!

-That's for you.

Want me to cut a piece?

Now, I'm just looking -

it has a lovely, light crust

where that crumb is round the outside,

and a good layer of icing.

It's taken you an age to make,

but I think it's going to be worth it.

-Absolutely.

-I'm going to have a little bit of it.

There we go.

Going to get a little bit of everything.

Really good. Enjoy, Mary.

It's absolutely beautiful.

And, of course, it has a high proportion of butter in,

so it will keep well, is that right?

Absolutely, and it's very, very healthy as well!

I beg your pardon?

I think you can leave off the health,

but it's only once a year we have Easter Sunday,

so it's just a joy, thank you very much.

My pleasure. Enjoy, Mary. Thank you very much for having me here.

It's very emotional, listening to Damian talk about his family.

Here we are.

'For me, too, the lead-up to Easter is a time full of happy memories,'

from Easter holidays as a child in Bath,

to when my own children were young.

It's lovely to see all the spring flowers.

Can you see any snowdrops?

'But for our family, it's also a time of sadness,

'when we remember the loss of our son William,

'27 years ago, when he was just 19 years old.'

Now, there's Will - you see?

William's got lots of snowdrops around him.

I think it's about time we changed those flowers.

Can you take off those? The pansies have got caught by the frost.

-And we'll take those home.

-There we go.

-And...

Let's put the primroses on. There we are.

'We renew our family bonds

'as we come together with our children and grandchildren,

'and this time of year,'

one recipe seems to combine all my feelings about Easter,

like Damian's babka does for him.

Making it is an act of faith.

There's one recipe that I always make at Easter,

and it's simnel cake.

I've made it ever since I got married.

I can remember having it at home on Easter Sunday

and Easter just wouldn't be Easter without it.

And I want to make sure this cake turns out beautifully,

because I'm taking it as a gift to someone rather special.

So three eggs in the bowl.

'Add 175g of soft butter,

'and the same amounts of self-raising flour

'and light muscovado sugar.'

Two teaspoons of mixed spice.

That'll make it taste of Easter.

And 100g each of sultanas, dried apricots and cherries,

that are quartered and washed first.

So it's really colourful, this,

and the little jewels of the cherries are lovely.

'Lastly, add 50g of ground almonds and three tablespoonfuls of milk.'

You could do this in a mixer, if you want to, on slow speed,

because you don't want to break up the fruit,

but the essential part of this, when you're weighing everything out,

is to have the butter really soft.

Otherwise, it won't mix evenly.

So I'm going to put that to one side

while I roll out my two disks of marzipan.

Divide a 450g block of golden marzipan into thirds.

And roll out one piece until it's the same size as your cake tin.

And just trim round with a knife.

So there it is -

now that's ready to fill the tin.

Put half in the bottom, like that.

I'm going to just spread that around.

And then slip in your marzipan disk -

once baked, this will give your cake a wonderfully moist texture

as the marzipan melts.

In goes the top.

And just level it off.

Then bake for about two hours at 140 fan.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from the tin.

I'll leave that while I get on with the decoration.

I've already rolled out the actual top.

I'm now going to roll out the balls that are part of the decoration.

There is something symbolic about this cake. There are 12 disciples.

Judas was the traitor, so he doesn't come on the cake,

so we have 11 balls to decorate all round the cake.

Once the balls are ready, brush the top of the cake

with warm apricot jam,

before covering with the top disk of marzipan.

Make sure it's just hanging over a little, which it is,

and then I'm going to pinch it, to flute it all the way round -

imagine you're doing it like a steak and kidney pie.

To glaze, brush the top of the cake with beaten egg

before placing the balls on top.

And to finish,

I like to add a little nest

made from leftover marzipan.

And now for the final touches -

I'm going to use a blowtorch,

just to get it perfectly, sort of, speckly brown on top.

Just to warn you, I haven't got a degree in blowtorching -

this is only the second time I've used it.

For years, I've been putting this under the grill

to get it nice and brown,

and I have succumbed to using a blowtorch.

It's just to give the sort of...baked appearance.

I think that's pretty good - if I go any further,

I'm bound to burn it, and it's very important that I don't.

Right, mission completed.

A few more finishing touches and it'll be ready to go.

I'm not going to have a taste now,

because it's going to a very important destination,

and it shouldn't arrive with a wedge out of it.

So there it is, all ready.

I'm off to Lambeth Palace

to meet the head of the Church of England

with my freshly baked simnel cake.

There's nothing like tea with the Archbishop of Canterbury

to put you on your very best behaviour.

-Ah!

-Hi, Mary. How lovely to see you.

-Lovely to see you, Archbishop.

Look what I've brought you.

It looks absolutely wonderful - did you make it?

-I made it.

-You are amazing.

-It's a classic.

You are absolutely amazing.

-Would you like to come in?

-I think I would love to.

-Right, we just lean on this...

-Gosh, it's a heavy door, isn't it?

It's a very heavy door, yes.

Justin Welby's official residence may look rather resplendent,

but it's also a family home.

Everyone runs about and plays hide and seek and it's just huge fun.

-It's such a privilege.

-Are we going this way?

-Yes.

Now, I have been told that you're not a great fruitcake man...

-But if you've made it, Mary, I think I...

-You might have a go.

I will certainly have a go. Now, do you want a cup of tea?

-I'd love a cup of tea, thank you.

-So would I.

-There it is.

-Oh, my goodness.

You'd think it would be a line of marzipan,

but it does actually melt.

Thank you very, very much indeed.

'I'm hoping the Archbishop will tell me

'exactly what makes Easter so special for him.'

What is the part of Easter that you like best?

There's a wonderful moment,

at the end of Evensong on Easter Sunday afternoon,

and I go home, and we sit down and we have some cake

and some tea with the family,

and it's relishing the human contact,

the love for one another, the security in one another,

that is the gift of family,

and I think that's one of my rejoicing moments.

Yes, I think Easter Sunday is the highlight,

because it's when the whole family...

If they're coming to church at all throughout the year,

it's so likely that they'll all come at Easter.

It is a great moment of being together and, of course,

it's the oldest celebration.

It's the first thing that the earliest church did,

was to celebrate the conquest of death.

And I find - I mean, I know this is something we share,

the experience of bereavement in a family -

and when we get the family together, we're always conscious

that we have five children with us, and there's one who's missing,

who's not there.

I know exactly what you mean,

because you lost Johanna very, very tiny, wee,

and William was a lot older - he was 19 -

but Easter, when we're having our celebration lunch,

-we all raise a glass to Will, and...

-Absolutely, absolutely.

..we don't quite have an empty seat for him, but you know,

it's very good to remember, whether it's a child,

-a husband, a wife...

-Whoever it is.

..an aunt - somebody dear to you.

It's to suddenly bring it back and think, "We were lucky to have them."

Oh, absolutely - to celebrate life, and to celebrate hope.

Every year, when I come together with my family at Easter,

we get the chance to enjoy each other's company,

and to look forward to the year to come

with our favourite Easter foods.

Come on, then - who wants some?

Are you hungry for Easter biscuits? Come on.

'In this programme, I've been discovering new recipes

'and ideas that will add fresh flavours

'to my Easter celebration this year.'

-Has everyone said thank you?

-Thank you, Granny.

And in the second programme in the series,

I'll be continuing my search for Britain's

most vibrant Easter traditions.

-Did I say as much wine as that?

-You said...

It is going to be particularly good gravy!

HE LAUGHS

And I'll finally welcome everyone to my great Easter feast,

where I gather together all the cooks and cooking

that make this time special.

So enjoy the feast. I promise you, there's plenty.