0:00:01 > 0:00:03'For everyone, there's a taste of food,
0:00:03 > 0:00:07'or a smell of cooking that zooms you right back to childhood.'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09It's just like my mum's cake!
0:00:09 > 0:00:11'I'm Brian Turner...'
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It reminds me of someone I used to know at school.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'..and I'm going to stir up the food memories
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'of some much-loved celebrities...'
0:00:17 > 0:00:19- Oh!- Look at that!
0:00:19 > 0:00:23'..going back to their early years, before they were famous.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Oh, my gosh!
0:00:25 > 0:00:27'With recollections of Sunday roasts and school dinners...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:29- It's time for something to eat. - Brilliant.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'..and celebrating food their home regions are proud of.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- Which way would you like to go? - Er, this way.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'I'll recreate a nostalgic family favourite...'
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Mmm. You can't beat a crumble.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45'..and a tribute dish that puts my guest's life on a plate.'
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Magic. Magic.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'Today, actor and comedian Alistair McGowan
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'returns to Worcestershire, where he grew up.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'The walk back in time revives vivid memories...'
0:00:57 > 0:00:58HE GASPS
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Oh, my goodness! Oh, it smells the same.
0:01:00 > 0:01:01HE SNIFFS
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'School days are fondly remembered...'
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Everything happened in this little hall, I think, that I liked.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09'..and I'll be rustling up dishes...'
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Smells great.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13'..full of the tastes of childhood.'
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I was worried, you know, in a Paul Hollywood sort of way,
0:01:16 > 0:01:17that it wasn't always going to gel together,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20but you've done a very, very good job.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27- ANNOUNCER:- Come with us to the beautiful Vale of Evesham,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30scene of market gardens and orchards, fringing the banks
0:01:30 > 0:01:33of the River Avon. It's here, among other delicacies, that the harvest
0:01:33 > 0:01:36of home-grown 'sparagrass', or if you prefer it, asparagus,
0:01:36 > 0:01:37is in full swing.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45'Alistair is from the market town of Evesham in Worcestershire,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48'on the sleepy banks of the River Avon.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52'Fruit and vegetables have been grown here since medieval times,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55'but it was in the 19th century that business boomed for Evesham's
0:01:55 > 0:02:00'surrounding market gardens and numerous fruit orchards.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03'Today, the Vale is rightly proud of its heritage,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07'and it's something Alistair has experienced first-hand.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11'When he was a lad, he regularly worked here, in this orchard,
0:02:11 > 0:02:12'picking fruit.'
0:02:12 > 0:02:14- Welcome to Evesham.- Yeah.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Growing up here in Evesham, I mean, plums were just everywhere.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19I mean, they grew everything, but plums were such a staple part
0:02:19 > 0:02:24of the diet here and a part of everybody's work experience, really.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27And as a kid, I think, I wasn't alone, a load of us,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29you know, during school times, school holidays, and certainly
0:02:29 > 0:02:32during, you know, breaks from college and university,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34would come back and pick the seasonal fruit,
0:02:34 > 0:02:35come and plum pick, yeah.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37So, you are an Evesham lad.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39- You were born and bred here.- Yep.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Lived here for how many years?
0:02:41 > 0:02:44I was here till I was 18, and then moved away
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and live in London now, but I've still got family in the area,
0:02:47 > 0:02:48so I've been coming back for years.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50And always feel a great affinity with it,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and really, those days amongst the fruit and the produce,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56when I was late teens, were really very special.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So, you come from an era then when five-a-day was easy to do
0:03:00 > 0:03:02because it was in the season.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Yes. Certainly five fruit was easy to do. Vegetables less so,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08because I'm from an era also, and I'm sure a lot of people will
0:03:08 > 0:03:11know this, maybe you too, that mothers, especially mothers
0:03:11 > 0:03:14who'd been brought up during the war, would overcook vegetables
0:03:14 > 0:03:17so much that they were just pulverised green mush.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So, I didn't really start to enjoy vegetables
0:03:20 > 0:03:22until I learnt the beauty of steaming.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Asparagus, it is considered by many to be
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- the king of vegetables.- Yes.- Do you have good memories of asparagus
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- or not?- No, I do like asparagus now, but as a child, no,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35I absolutely hated it because it was... Again, it was overcooked
0:03:35 > 0:03:37and my mother would put it in butter on the table, and this thing,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41this limp thing would be held up dripping in butter and stripped,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and there was this awful stringy bit left, and I tried it once
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and thought it was absolutely horrible, absolutely horrible.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51But now, if it's steamed, I think it is just absolutely beautiful.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54'As we take Alistair on a journey into his past,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'I am going to gather ideas from his childhood and home life,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00'take inspiration from this part of Britain,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05'and mix it all together to create two very special dishes for him.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08'Alistair McGowan is famous for his work as a comedian
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'and impressionist. In recent years, he's starred
0:04:11 > 0:04:14'in critically acclaimed theatre productions.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17'He got his first break providing many of the voices
0:04:17 > 0:04:21'for the controversial TV satire Spitting Image.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24'But it was the award-winning series The Big Impression
0:04:24 > 0:04:26'that made him a household name.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:29The headlines again, fighting there, trouble over there,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34corruption further over there and Tony Blair has cut his hair.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Why I had to wait here 27 minutes just to do that again, I don't know.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39Bye for now.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40LAUGHTER
0:04:42 > 0:04:45'Alistair's already given me a strong impression of his great
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'fondness for his hometown here in the Vale of Evesham.'
0:04:49 > 0:04:51'Walking around this orchard,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55'his formative childhood memories are falling like ripe fruit.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- Here we are.- So, here is somewhere that you'll know.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- Yes.- Bring back happy memories?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02A ladder. It does. Some very happy memories, yeah.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04They always seemed taller in those days, and it's not
0:05:04 > 0:05:06cos I'm taller now. The trees were that big.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I think they're cultivated smaller now. Safety reasons, I don't know.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But the worst... I mean, the ladder was your great tool,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14your ladder and your belt and your basket,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and I think we had some, dare I say, health and safety.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Just one little comment about how to put a ladder up a tree.- Be careful.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- Be careful. - That's a traditional basket, is it?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- That's a traditional basket.- Are you going to show how to put it on?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Yeah, I'll do it.- Can you remember? - Oh, yes.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30So, you want to loop your...
0:05:30 > 0:05:32- Loop it through.- Oh, right. OK.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36And then that's your basket. That's your favourite little tool there,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- and then you are as one. There we are.- Oh, well done.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Go on, show us how it's done. I won't go up the ladder yet,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- I'll do the lower ones.- That's a good idea.- Cos a lot of them
0:05:44 > 0:05:47just fall off, so you want to keep your basket underneath, obviously.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49And you can just slip them off.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52See, that's a technique I never would have thought of,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55that you just actually pull them and then let them just drop.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And you can get loads in there.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02'This orchard is owned by Mick Morton,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'who's been growing plums here since 1953.'
0:06:07 > 0:06:09'He was Alistair's boss in the picking season,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11'all those years ago!'
0:06:11 > 0:06:14What are the main varieties that this country grows these days?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17My main, well, the main crop, is a Victoria,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20because everybody knows Victorias.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24All these trees here, there's 1,000 trees in all, I planted them myself.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26So, these are definitely trees that you picked from.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28They would have been, yeah, yeah.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30How does that feel?
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Well, I thought I recognised this one, actually.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I felt an affinity with it. You know, it's interesting,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39cos since the age of 17, more or less, I've had intermittent
0:06:39 > 0:06:41back trouble, and I've never been able to work out why,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44but standing here with this basket round, I thought,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46"Now I know where my back trouble came from!"
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- Cos when these things get full of plums...- 24lb.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51And if you're going up and down a ladder...
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- Yeah, I think that's what it was. - Rather you than me!
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Now, mate, I see you've got some more down here.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04These look like a very different variety.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- Are these earlier ones?- Very early. these are Herman,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and they generally come in about the first/second week in July,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14but I always say, when you... I notice you both...
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Always open a plum like that first.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Have a look to see if there's grub inside.- Oh!
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- Now he tells you!- I trusted you. - There you go.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Take... Take... Take that out.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30- Lovely. Beautiful taste. - Good to meet you.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- Cheers, we'll see you later.- Good to see you, Mick.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I present you with your basket back.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38'These tasty plums have given me some great ideas for later on.'
0:07:39 > 0:07:43'But for now, let's find out more about Alistair's childhood.'
0:07:44 > 0:07:47What was family life like? You have a sister.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- Yep, yep.- And your mother and dad were teachers.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Yes. Yes, and it was a lovely arrangement, really,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55because being teachers, they were both in primary schools,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58so they finished pretty early, so whenever we were at home,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01they were at home, and there was a great sense of family life,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04and certainly, you know, the evening meal was really, really important
0:08:04 > 0:08:06and we ate together every night.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07My mother was very hard working,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09she worked all day in the school
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and then she'd always cook us something at night when we got home.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13And was your mum a good cook?
0:08:13 > 0:08:16She cooked very well and she cooked typical food,
0:08:16 > 0:08:17sort of post-war food, really.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20She used to do meat and two veg and I used to love liver.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23She used to do a lot of liver and she would always cook it really dry.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25There was a period when your mum went through
0:08:25 > 0:08:29going to the frozen supermarket and buying frozen bits and pieces.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Yeah, it was in the late '70s, I think, and everybody did it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36We thought it was very exotic to have Findus crispy pancakes
0:08:36 > 0:08:38and we had them kind of every single night.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42So if you could go back to the past and your mum could cook it,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46what dishes would instantly come to mind, apart from the liver?
0:08:46 > 0:08:47She used to do some lovely desserts.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Her Sunday roasts were always very good
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and she used to do lovely desserts.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Lemon meringue pie, she did very well.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Fruit crumble, she used to do very well. Treacle tarts.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57The one dish she used to do and I've asked her about it,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00and she doesn't know whether she made it up or not,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03was something she called Egg Riviera, which sounded very posh.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05It was the '70s, I think you gave French names to everything
0:09:05 > 0:09:07to make them sound more exotic.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09We did. In the profession, we did that, as well.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10So what was Egg Riviera?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Egg Riviera was this thing that she did with boiled egg,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17which would then be sliced up and put into a big glass dish,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19it was always in the same dish,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21with boiled potatoes that were already boiled
0:09:21 > 0:09:22and then a cheese sauce over it
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and then a very well-cooked bacon, as well.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Normally, sort of really crispy bacon.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32So it was really, you know, eggs, bacon, cheese sauce and potatoes,
0:09:32 > 0:09:33but it was delicious.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And we'd put, which I didn't normally like,
0:09:35 > 0:09:36but I should have done, Worcester sauce,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and we'd put Worcester sauce on it
0:09:38 > 0:09:39and it always worked on that a treat.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What about school dinners?
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Did you do school dinners?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Yeah, we had school dinners.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Well, school dinners round here in those days were terrific
0:09:47 > 0:09:49and I used to really, really enjoy them
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and I used to love the puddings.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54You'd have these things that would be listed on the board at the side,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Eve's Pudding, Charlotte's Pudding, Queen's Pudding, Anne's Pudding,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00everybody's wretched pudding! But they were lovely.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- I bet they always tasted good. - Oh, they were great.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04They always came with wonderful thick custard,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07which was slopped out from this wonderful metallic vat
0:10:07 > 0:10:09with a metal spoon and I used to love it.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15My chat with Alistair has revealed lots I can tap into later,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18when I attempt my two dishes inspired by his past.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25But before I think about cooking for Alistair,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I want to challenge the notion I have got in my head
0:10:28 > 0:10:31that Worcestershire is purely a heritage county,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33full of old farming traditions.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I have heard tell of a corner of the vale
0:10:36 > 0:10:39that's more science park than it is market garden...
0:10:39 > 0:10:41The Holt family have been running
0:10:41 > 0:10:45their tomato-growing business for 40 years.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But their hi-tech approach provides a window
0:10:47 > 0:10:52into what 21st century market gardening is beginning to look like.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Keeping an eye on production
0:10:54 > 0:10:56is second-generation tomato grower Roly Holt.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- Roly, good morning. How are you? - Really well, thanks.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04I'm just sort of gobsmacked, this is not at all what I expected.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08It's almost futuristic or nightclub-ish.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Take us back to the beginning, though.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Your father started as a tomato grower or...?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Well, he started in the late '70s.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17He bought a bit of land, four acres.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20It was a classic market gardening site
0:11:20 > 0:11:23with a bit of glass, bit of arable crops.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I remember sprouts in the winter months.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28So we had a bit of everything.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30And it wasn't until the mid to late '80s
0:11:30 > 0:11:32we started to focus on tomatoes.
0:11:34 > 0:11:3515 years ago,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38the Holts stopped using traditional methods
0:11:38 > 0:11:40and, instead, embraced cutting-edge science
0:11:40 > 0:11:43to see how it could improve tomato growing.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Today, their flagship greenhouse runs on the latest technology
0:11:48 > 0:11:51with temperature, light, carbon dioxide levels
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and air circulation all regulated by computer.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The most recent innovation has been the installation
0:11:57 > 0:12:00of 3,500 LED lighting fixtures.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05These red and blue lights simulate daylight around the clock
0:12:05 > 0:12:07deep within the plant.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10You're pioneers in this kind of experimentation, are you not?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Yeah, there's three real commercial sites in the UK,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16which are trying it out
0:12:16 > 0:12:19and it's been developed over the last five years
0:12:19 > 0:12:21from a lot of trial work.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25And the objective is to have fresh British tomatoes
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- available to the general public all year round?- That's the aim.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33Looking closely, I've noticed these plants don't even touch the ground.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I'll suspend my disbelief until I find out more.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Well, most of the plants will be 15-meters long
0:12:38 > 0:12:40by the end of the season.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43They're each producing or growing a vine a week.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46A vine a week? And that is one vine there?
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- So this is 24 tomatoes? - 24 tomatoes, yeah.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54And you can trace the plant back to where it started on the gutter
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and the roots are growing within this plastic gully.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02See the water flowing within the gully?
0:13:02 > 0:13:06And that is all the root growth between each plant.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09This is a pure hydroponic growing system.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The nutrients enter at one end of the gutter
0:13:12 > 0:13:17and the water flows by gravity to a drain in the middle of the row.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20So there's this system at each end of the row?
0:13:20 > 0:13:21Each end of the row, yes.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24It's like a V and then it gets recycled round and round
0:13:24 > 0:13:26so the plant takes up what nutrients it wants.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29But to appreciate the full scale of the operation,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I need to get a bird's eye view up top in the canopy.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35- OK, we're going up. - Oh, crikey! None of this!
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Wow, just look at that!
0:13:39 > 0:13:41It's a whole new world, is that, isn't it?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44It looks like a jungle, an exotic jungle.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- Which way would you like to go? - Er, this way.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52So you can see all the new growth at the top here.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53And these yellow flowers are the buds?
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Those are actually where the tomatoes will grow?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58That's right. So the bees will pollinate the flowers
0:13:58 > 0:14:00and within a few days you'll start to see
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- a little tomato like this... - Oh, right.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06And then in about eight weeks' time, that will be ready for harvesting.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09If we didn't lower the crop, it would just keep growing and growing
0:14:09 > 0:14:11and it would get too high,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14so we drop the crop a foot a week.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18So we undo the twine, lower it down and move it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22So these plants are lowered and moved to the left once a week.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23As the plants drop lower,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27the new growth will continue growing next week.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31So that, in a number of weeks, it goes from there, to there,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34to there and down to the right height?
0:14:34 > 0:14:37In five weeks' time, this plant will be five meters up there.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38The great thing about this is
0:14:38 > 0:14:41we are always harvesting at the same height,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44so you don't have to go up trolleys just to harvest.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52With our feet back on the ground, we can see the end result.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55After all, that's what all this is about.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00- We need to aim for an orange, even colour at the end of the vine.- OK.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01So that one's fine.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02So do you just hold it and...?
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Yeah, hold it and then cut close to the stem.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07- Cut close to the stem. - That's it.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09And place it neatly in the crate. That's right.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18You know, I never looked at tomatoes with such an eye
0:15:18 > 0:15:19to see how beautiful they are.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21But they're a majestic colour.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Look at that one there. It's a lovely shape.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26It's just the transition, isn't it, from bottom to top?
0:15:26 > 0:15:30While those technological tomatoes point a way to the future,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33it's time now to return to the past,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35on our trip down memory lane.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Back on the outskirts of Evesham, our next port of call is school.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Alistair used to attend this primary school
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and it holds very special memories for him.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Oh, these railings.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Because this is where Mum and Dad both worked as teachers.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01So was school a happy time of life
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and was it difficult having your mum and your dad around?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Generally, it was a very happy time, yeah, I liked school.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I liked learning.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10But being here, the two years I was here, wasn't the best,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12partly because of that reason.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Having my dad here, a lot of the kids would go,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16"Oh, it's your dad, your dad" and all that sort of thing.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18When was the last time you went in there?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I should think about 1971 or something like that.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It will be interesting to see how you come out of there,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27a better or a worse man.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30In the meantime, I'm going to cook a nostalgic dish, just for you.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Great.- So you go and enjoy. - Thank you, Brian.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Cheers, Alistair.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36We've set up a kitchen in the school hall
0:16:36 > 0:16:38and I'm going to make something that I hope
0:16:38 > 0:16:42will bring Alistair's fond food memories flooding back.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Goodness me, here we are.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Well, of course, it all looks smaller,
0:16:52 > 0:16:53the old cliche,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55and brighter.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58There was wooden floors down here, beautiful parquet wooden floors,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02which have been covered with a carpet and there was no brightness.
0:17:02 > 0:17:03It was just very simple.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Very simple.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09My classroom was through there, but that door has been filled in.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12But I think there were two doors, so if we go through there...
0:17:13 > 0:17:15..maybe we'll see it.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Used to be a lovely thing here with the house points on a wooden board.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Whooooah...!
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Oh, my goodness!
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Oh, it smells the same.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Now, my mother taught in here
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and I used to come and see her when I'd left,
0:17:33 > 0:17:34when I was about nine or ten.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37And there is the piano in the corner,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41which probably has my mother's imprints on every key.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45The piano looks a little bit hidden away.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I should imagine my mother played this most days.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57HE PLAYS A SCALE
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Don't know what that scale was down.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12It's strange, because you sort of make this journey in your head.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14I think there are a number of dreams one has,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16or images you have over the years,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and you do come back in your mind's eye.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22But this is the first time I've been back and...
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Yeah, very, very strange feeling being back in here.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29But it's nice. It was nice. There were some nice memories.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31The hall is where countless school dinners
0:18:31 > 0:18:33have been served up over the decades.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35For my nostalgia dish,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I have decided to aim straight for Alistair's sweet tooth
0:18:39 > 0:18:43and do my take on one of his favourite childhood puddings.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45It's fairly obvious what I'm going to cook,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48because those plums were just delicious
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and we know that Alistair loves plums
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and his mother used to make him a plum crumble.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54I'm going to do the same thing.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56So I'm going to make it a little bit different.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59I'm going to start by putting a bit of red wine in here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Make sure it's a hot pan,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06because it'll help to reduce it down fairly quickly
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and I've got some sugar in there.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Honey.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Just give that a stir.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19And this is just to soften the plums a little bit before we start, so...
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And that little bit extra, I've got some nutmeg.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28So in that goes in there.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30There we go.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32And look at these fabulous plums.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Now, I would normally have used a knife
0:19:34 > 0:19:35to cut these in half and stone them,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37but having listened to Mick this morning,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39I'm not going to do that.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43I'm going to split them in half, take out the stone.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Goes on there.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Same with this.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Take it out.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I'm going to keep some of the red wine reduction,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58which I'll need later on.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Then I'm adding the plums and letting them cook
0:20:00 > 0:20:02for two to three minutes.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Here, I seem to recall, was...
0:20:09 > 0:20:12This was the room my father taught in when I was here.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16They're lovely big rooms, aren't they?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Proper Victorian, this is, proper Victorian.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19So I never really came in this room.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21We were always in that room, for two years,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23the one down the corridor.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25And there was a lovely playground, as you can see,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27which, again, looks so much brighter.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It's strange, actually, feeling my father around,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33because he died 12 years ago.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I thought I knew his world inside out,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41but suddenly being in this room, I thought, "Whoof...!"
0:20:41 > 0:20:45This is really nice to see where he spent a lot of time.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Oh, goodness me...
0:21:03 > 0:21:04Goodness me.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07This room was a source of great pleasure,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09because this is where we ate our school dinners
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and it's also where we did what we used to call music and movement.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I don't know if they still call it music and movement.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17They probably call it elementary fitness or something.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Oh, and the vaulting horse! The vaulting horse is still there.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Ah...!
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I used to love these things.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32We used to vault over those, or roll, do forward rolls down them.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39The other thing which is - I could get quite moved in a minute -
0:21:39 > 0:21:43that was in here, on the floor are the markings of a badminton court
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and my father painted these markings with his own hands.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Everywhere he went, he taught at about four schools in the area
0:21:53 > 0:21:55and he was mad keen on badminton
0:21:55 > 0:21:58and he would just make sure there was a badminton court
0:21:58 > 0:21:59and after school on Fridays
0:21:59 > 0:22:00the teachers would play badminton
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and you can still see these marks down here now.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08My father got me playing every sort of racket sport
0:22:08 > 0:22:10from the age of about five onwards, really.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Badminton, and then squash I was playing when I was seven or eight
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and tennis.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18We used to play football
0:22:18 > 0:22:20in the back garden of my house, as well, a lot together.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29We were great pals and, you know...
0:22:29 > 0:22:30Yeah.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37I really cherish everything he gave me sporting-wise to this day.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Yeah, great skills to have.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Great skills to have.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58With the plums simmering away, I'm going to crack on with the crumble.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59And we need some flour.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And I've got some cold butter.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Not too cold, but I don't want it too warm,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09otherwise it makes pastry, not crumble.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14And we rub that together until we get a sand-like texture.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18So that's just about ready.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21You can see how it's starting to look quite sandy.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26I'm aiming for a crunchy topping - sugar, pumpkin seeds, and oats.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Pinhead oats, which I love.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Those succulent plums are more than ready
0:23:32 > 0:23:35for a layer of the textured crumble mix.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Look at that.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41You could almost eat it as it is.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Pop in the oven, heated to 180 degrees,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and cook for 30 minutes.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Everything pleasurable happened in this hall.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Same doors, I notice, in and out.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55We also did a nativity play in here
0:23:55 > 0:23:59and I think that was the first time I ever either acted in anything
0:23:59 > 0:24:03or certainly had the performer's moment of ego,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05where I was watching somebody in it thinking,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07"You know, I could have done that part better."
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Everything happened in this little hall, I think, that I liked.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Sport, drama, food.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19And there's a piano.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21No snooker table, otherwise I could live in here quite happily,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23even now, with those things.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28For Alistair's nostalgic crumble,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I've softened locally-sourced plums in sugar and red wine.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I've added pumpkin seeds, oats and demerara sugar
0:24:35 > 0:24:39to a crumbled butter and flour mix and baked for half an hour.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43But you can't have crumble without custard
0:24:43 > 0:24:46and I'm planning for one that's a bit special.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I have already started by warming double cream and milk on the hob.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51What do you have for me?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Well, you probably guessed what I'm cooking for you.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I think it might involve plums.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00You're such an astute fellow, you are!
0:25:00 > 0:25:01Marvellous. You're absolutely right.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04We're going to do a classic plum crumble.
0:25:04 > 0:25:10I read somewhere you like, or you liked, pink custard.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I liked it when I was here.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16In goes the magical taste of vanilla.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19So you've got bags of flavour.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22And a clutch of egg yolks with caster sugar.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27Then the trick is you put hot onto cold.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- Right. - If you put cold onto hot,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33you get long strings of sweet scramble egg,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35because it just cooks as soon as it goes in there.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39So, this way, it just dissipates the heat.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Returning it to the heat, let's see if we can add some colour.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- I'm going to put this in here because I'm desperate to have... - What's that?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- This is some of the red wine that... - Is this going to make it pink?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Hopefully so. I've never made pink custard before
0:25:56 > 0:25:57and I just thought I'd have a go.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- I think it was all E numbers. - Oh, no, don't say that!
0:26:00 > 0:26:02No. It wasn't as good as this.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- Don't worry.- Well, in fact...
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Right, I'm ready. I'm going to take that off.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Pouring the custard through a sieve
0:26:10 > 0:26:12will make absolutely sure it's nice and smooth.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16I think that will grow in pinkness.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The pink isn't a deal breaker. It smells great.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It might not be a deal breaker for you,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24but for me, it certainly is!
0:26:24 > 0:26:2830 minutes are up and the crumble is bubbling and golden.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32So how was the visit around the school? That's what I need to know.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Oh, it's been fascinating, yeah.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36This room, particularly,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I can remember spending a lot of happy time in here.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40And did you ever have crumble in those days?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Crumble, yes, but I don't think it's going to taste like this one.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49So there it is, my nostalgic dish for Alistair McGowan.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I do have high hopes for this plum crumble
0:26:53 > 0:26:57and my take on an old school favourite - pink custard.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04Oooh...!
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Oh, that's delicious. It's lovely with the pumpkin seeds, as well.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It just adds that crunch and a little gentle flavour.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14Mm...
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Mm!
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Those are good plums. - They're really good.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Good old British pudding.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Mmm, you can't beat a crumble.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Made where it should be made,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- right here in the middle of where they're grown.- Mm.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It's often said that Worcestershire is one of the most fertile regions
0:27:36 > 0:27:38of the British Isles.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41The climate and soil found in the Vale of Evesham
0:27:41 > 0:27:43provide perfect conditions
0:27:43 > 0:27:45for growing the county's most celebrated vegetable.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- NEWSREEL:- The vegetable is grown in about three feet of sandy soil
0:27:49 > 0:27:52and a special knife is used to cut the roots clean.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Of course, the great thing about asparagus is to eat it fresh.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Asparagus has been cultivated in the vale for centuries,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04having been brought over by the Romans.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Traditionally, farmers would have grown their crop
0:28:07 > 0:28:09in four- or five-acre plots.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Evesham's commercial asparagus production
0:28:13 > 0:28:16blossomed in the 1850s, with the arrival of the railways.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- NEWSREEL:- The favourite vegetable of the ancient Romans
0:28:20 > 0:28:21will soon be on your table and mine.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And, for me, it can't be too soon.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28The harvest season is short, running between April and June.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It's the busiest time of year for Evesham's asparagus growers.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35It's such a big deal, there's even an annual festival
0:28:35 > 0:28:38in honour of this venerable vegetable.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44This is Asparafest.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47The festival is all about enjoying asparagus.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49So it's a music festival.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53It's a food festival.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56It's a family festival.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58It's all those things, all combined,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00all with asparagus very much at the fore.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08But we're really about promoting asparagus in all its ways,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10in terms of what a fantastic product it is
0:29:10 > 0:29:13and particularly grown on the Vale of Evesham soil.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16The festival has been going for three years
0:29:16 > 0:29:20and draws in asparagus lovers from across the land.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23It's a great excuse for locals to set out their stalls
0:29:23 > 0:29:27and get creative with this surprisingly versatile veggie.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31Everybody is always taken aback when they see asparagus ice cream.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33They all want to have a try.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36So, yeah, I think it's a... It's something different.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41And I created my asparagus soaps.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44So all handmade, but it doesn't actually smell of asparagus, though.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Smells of apple.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53So if you're wondering about the festival,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56you might get accosted by Gus The Asparagus Man,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59who's a 6'6" spear of asparagus.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Gosh, lots of people today.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07And we've got an Asparamansa, who will tell your fortune
0:30:07 > 0:30:09by throwing asparagus and reading the asparagus,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12much as you might read tea leaves in the bottom of a cup.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15You've got a meeting of some sort going on here,
0:30:15 > 0:30:19either a reunion or a party or a wedding.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23It's certainly a gathering of friends and families.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26She said that I was going to be having a party soon
0:30:26 > 0:30:28or some sort of wedding,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30which is obviously true, because we're here for a hen party.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33That's amazing, that is! The power of asparagus!
0:30:33 > 0:30:34Who knew?!
0:30:34 > 0:30:37As well as more light-hearted fun,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39there are demonstrations
0:30:39 > 0:30:42of time-honoured asparagus-related country skills.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45I'm tying asparagus what they call the old-fashioned way.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48You put your raffia that you are going to tie with,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51you then load the asparagus in.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59Then shut that, to hold it, while I actually tie it up,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01because I've put the raffia in ready.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Tie it round once, twice.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05Tie it.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10And then unrelease it, cut off the bits...
0:31:12 > 0:31:15..and you have a round of grass.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Evesham's love of asparagus is infectious,
0:31:19 > 0:31:24so it has to play a starring role as an ingredient in the final meal
0:31:24 > 0:31:26that I'm going to cook today...
0:31:26 > 0:31:28My tribute dish to Alistair McGowan.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Back in Evesham, we've arrived at Alistair's childhood home.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41So here we are, Brian. This is the family home.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43This is where we moved when I was ten
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and I had my formative years here in this house
0:31:46 > 0:31:49and my mother is still here to this day.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50She's been here for 40 years.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53And you come to visit her quite regularly, I assume?
0:31:53 > 0:31:55I come back, you know, every six weeks or so.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57So I know it well.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58I've cleaned most bits of this house for her.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Every window, with newspaper.
0:32:00 > 0:32:01Different one every time.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04It's like the Forth Bridge, every time I come back, bit more cleaning.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06What a wonderful son you are.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Why don't you just go and have another look around
0:32:08 > 0:32:10and tell us all about the little in-secrets
0:32:10 > 0:32:13of those rooms and your life in there?
0:32:13 > 0:32:16- And I shall cook another dish for you.- That's a good deal.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22While Alistair has a good look around the old family home,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25we've set up my kitchen in the back garden,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27ready to use everything I have learnt
0:32:27 > 0:32:31from my time spent with Alistair, to create my tribute dish to him.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38So here we are. This is my childhood home.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41This is the kitchen, where my mum's magic took place,
0:32:41 > 0:32:42where the Egg Riviera was made.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45And this, if I'm not much mistaken, is my sister Kate.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47- Hi.- Hello, Katie.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48So, I've been asked all day by Brian
0:32:48 > 0:32:50what my memories of childhood food are.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52What are your memories of eating in this kitchen?
0:32:52 > 0:32:56In this kitchen, roast dinners.
0:32:56 > 0:32:57Lovely roast dinners.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00And some fairly limp green vegetables on a Sunday.
0:33:01 > 0:33:02- Allegedly.- Yes.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- I wouldn't comment on that. - You like them like that.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Yes. I've learnt to like them like that. Yes, yes.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09So have you got lots of things, like I have,
0:33:09 > 0:33:10that you still enjoy eating today,
0:33:10 > 0:33:14because you associate them with happy times in this house?
0:33:14 > 0:33:19Yes. Definitely puddings, crumbles, custard, ice cream.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23I still have to have ice cream with custard because of being here,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25because there was, if you remember, always ice cream.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27That's right, there was always ice cream.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Now Alistair's mum used to cook a dish for him
0:33:34 > 0:33:37that she called Eggs Riviera, so I am going to try and...
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Well, I'm going to try and do that dish.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41But I'm also going to do some asparagus with it,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44because we know that he didn't like asparagus once upon a time,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46so I've got a way to make him like asparagus.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48And his mum used to cook roast chicken.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50I'm going to need to do some chicken, as well.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52And crispy pancakes...
0:33:52 > 0:33:53I've got normal pancakes.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55This is a dish of revelation.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04So this is where we would eat, always around here.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06That's where Mum would entertain us.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08She always sat there. I always sat there.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10And it's strange, actually, because Mum and my sister
0:34:10 > 0:34:13were really the ones who were the entertainers,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15they are the ones who would speak happily.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17And I went into this business,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20but always liked to hide behind a character.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22And here we are on the wall,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24this lovely display that Mum put together
0:34:24 > 0:34:26of lots of different Polaroids of the people
0:34:26 > 0:34:28that I did in my show The Big Impression years ago.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31And you can see everybody up there from Mick McCarthy.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34- IMITATES McCARTHY: - Who was manager of the Republic of Ireland at the time.
0:34:34 > 0:34:35Going back a little way now.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Very successful he was, too, at the World Cup, 2002.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40And David Seaman here in the bottom
0:34:40 > 0:34:41and, you know, David would say...
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- IMITATES SEAMAN:- England goalie for about, I don't know, ten years, probably.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46LAUGHS LIKE SEAMAN
0:34:46 > 0:34:48He was always great fun to do, you know,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50because he just had that big laugh and...
0:34:50 > 0:34:51LAUGHS
0:34:51 > 0:34:53As soon as he did that, people were laughing at you,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55because they were laughing at him laughing,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57so there was a lot of laughter, which was great.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00And then up here, one of my favourites to do...
0:35:00 > 0:35:02- IMITATES NICOLAS CAGE: - ..was Nicolas Cage
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and Nicolas Cage was kind of, you know, he still is a major film star,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08but he was one of the few American film stars who I did,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10because I started watching his movies.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Ronnie did a brilliant impression of Willie Carson
0:35:12 > 0:35:15and I played Clare Balding and it was the two of them
0:35:15 > 0:35:17presenting the racing, which they used to do.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19We did loads of characters. we had a ball doing that show.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21It was great fun.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24It was just the two of us, so there was a huge amount of pressure
0:35:24 > 0:35:26to learn all these characters and write the material,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28but we rose to it and it was...
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Yeah, it was just a fantastic time.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34I'm cracking on with the tribute dish,
0:35:34 > 0:35:39my take on Alistair's mum's speciality, Eggs Riviera.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43To start off, I'm frying some lovely back bacon with cooked potatoes,
0:35:43 > 0:35:44salt and pepper.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Smells delicious.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48To give it all a bit of texture,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51the potatoes are getting a going over with the masher.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Then I'm adding a couple of boiled eggs.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57And it's a value-for-money dish, is this.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59It's like an old-fashioned fry-up.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Take that off, let's put that over here.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Let's take these lovely pancakes...
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Oh, look, a bit of chicken.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09She used to do a lovely roast chicken dinner,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12so I'm going to put some chicken in there, as well.
0:36:14 > 0:36:15Fab.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Now, I think the trick here is not to put too much in to each pancake,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23don't get greedy.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25But make sure you've got a bit of everything in there.
0:36:31 > 0:36:32And then roll them over...
0:36:34 > 0:36:35..like that. So.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46So behind me you can see the real talent in the family,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48which was my sister's art.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51She drew this picture of me when I was about 14.
0:36:51 > 0:36:52She was 17.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57But here is my side of the wall and this was...
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Once I stopped doing the TV show, I went in to do a lot of theatre stuff
0:37:00 > 0:37:02and worked at Chichester Theatre
0:37:02 > 0:37:05and then, finally, about a year after that,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07worked at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12And it was very emotional because, all through her life, I think,
0:37:12 > 0:37:13from the 1950s onwards,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16my mum had been going to see absolutely everything at Stratford
0:37:16 > 0:37:18and we had always had a dream when I was sort of 17 or 18,
0:37:18 > 0:37:23when I was that person, of wanting to appear on the stage at Stratford.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28And it was some 20 years, really, after arriving at drama school,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31finally, I was on stage there.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34And I can remember the first night.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37It was a musical version of Merry Wives, The Musical it was called
0:37:37 > 0:37:40and I had a big number in the first half, big solo number.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43And I stood there and completely dried
0:37:43 > 0:37:46because I was just so thrilled to be on this stage.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48And I thought, "Wow, I'm finally here."
0:37:48 > 0:37:51And Mum was watching and it just meant everything to me
0:37:51 > 0:37:53and I knew it meant everything to her to be there
0:37:53 > 0:37:55and I just couldn't think what to sing.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58And I realised a big lesson there and then,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01which is that, in a musical... It was the first musical I'd done.
0:38:01 > 0:38:02If you forget your words in a play,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05either other people or you, yourself, will get you out of it.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08But in a musical, the band carries on.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11So if you forget, the band doesn't wait for you.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13They all carry on.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14But it all came good.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20For a full-bodied cheese sauce, I'm mixing butter, flour and milk.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24And it's good exercise, is this.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28And in go a pair of egg yolks.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Stir it in. It will change the colour and it will make it so much richer.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Use those chicken juices!
0:38:35 > 0:38:37This will really make it...
0:38:38 > 0:38:39..liven up the flavours.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Then I'm ready to arrange the pancakes in the dish.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51This strong mature Cheddar will give the sauce some extra kick.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57And, finally, the bedroom.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59My bedroom, when I was a kid.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01My sister moved in here a few years ago
0:39:01 > 0:39:02when she lived back at home for a while,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04so it's a bit more feminine than I had it,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06when it was covered in Leeds United pictures,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09pictures of Peter Lorimer, Terry Yorath, people who were my heroes.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13But also in this room, most importantly, probably, I once...
0:39:13 > 0:39:15A friend and I were messing around
0:39:15 > 0:39:17recording ourselves on an old Hitachi tape recorder
0:39:17 > 0:39:19and I played it back to my sister and she said,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21"Oh, you sound like John Peel on it."
0:39:21 > 0:39:22And John Peel at the time was...
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- IMITATES PEEL:- ..one of the most famous DJs in the country,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27working on Radio 1 from ten o'clock every night
0:39:27 > 0:39:30and discovering bands left, right and centre.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33And it just made me think, "Well, if I can sound like him without actually trying,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35"maybe I should try a little bit harder?"
0:39:35 > 0:39:38And it was all thanks to Kate saying that, you know,
0:39:38 > 0:39:39accidently I'd sounded like John Peel,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41because my voice had just broken.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43And then I started trying out people like Ted Lowe...
0:39:43 > 0:39:47- IMITATES LOWE:- ..the snooker commentator when we were playing snooker down the road
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and everybody would do that, "Oh, dear, and that's a mistake."
0:39:50 > 0:39:51And suddenly I had two impressions
0:39:51 > 0:39:53and I suppose it developed from there.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59For Alistair's tribute dish, I've prepared crushed potato,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02bacon and egg and rolled the mix into pancakes.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07To go with them, I've rustled up a tasty cheese sauce,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10which now just needs that final ingredient.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12I've got some chives. So I'm going to put the chives...
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Oooh, controversial.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15..into the cheese sauce,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17just to give it a bit of colour.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21And then, what we are going to very carefully do
0:40:21 > 0:40:25is spoon the sauce over the top.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Right.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30It's the combination, really, of those two things,
0:40:30 > 0:40:31the crispy pancakes and the...
0:40:31 > 0:40:35Exactly! And rather than try and do something exactly as it was,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37we'll do a tribute to the little things.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40And, of course, we've got chicken in these pancakes, as well.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Because your mum used to do roast chicken lunches, as well.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44I'm after complex cheesy flavours,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47so I'm adding a light sprinkling of Parmesan.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Now that's done and it's all in the oven,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52it's time to bring in some fresh local asparagus.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54We've got the sacred...
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- Evesham's own. - Evesham asparagus, yes.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- Asparagrass, as some would have it. - That's right, yes.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02But what we've done is we've just blanched it so it's not overcooked.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Right.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Slapping the asparagus on a griddle pan for a couple of minutes
0:41:06 > 0:41:10will really concentrate its distinctive flavours.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14The pancakes are piping hot and the asparagus gets pride of place,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17crowning the dish in all its glory.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21That is my version of Eggs Riviera, but I call it Pancakes Riviera.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Pancakes Riviera? I can't wait.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25It's everything I ate when I was 14 in one dish.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29I've taken inspiration from Alistair's memories
0:41:29 > 0:41:33and created a dish that combines his mum's original Egg Riviera recipe
0:41:33 > 0:41:37with pancakes, roast chicken and, of course, asparagus.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41It's only right and proper we invite Mum
0:41:41 > 0:41:45to give her verdict on my version of these McGowan family favourites.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48You were the inspiration of Eggs Riviera, is that right?
0:41:48 > 0:41:49- That's true, yes.- OK, right.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52I won't ask for the recipe, because I know you won't give me it.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55I can't remember it, to be honest.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Here you are. Grab a little mouthful.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Mm!
0:42:04 > 0:42:06It tastes absolutely beautiful.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09You've got to try it with Worcester sauce, anyway, Alistair.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10Put a dribble on the end there.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12And see if that adds or not.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Mm. Mm! Mm-mm-mm...!
0:42:18 > 0:42:19That's terrific.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22You just want to devour the whole lot, you see?
0:42:22 > 0:42:24I think you've got the seal of approval here.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Is it good?
0:42:26 > 0:42:27Absolutely super.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Yeah, the boiled egg with the potato is really nice,
0:42:30 > 0:42:31the bacon is coming through.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33We didn't have the chives. But the chives are subtle.
0:42:33 > 0:42:34They work nicely.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- IMITATES PAUL HOLLYWOOD: - I was worried that it wasn't always going to gel together,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41but you've got a nice crispy pancake there, which is great.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43The consistency's good and, you know, and I think, yeah,
0:42:43 > 0:42:45you've done a very, very good job.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47I feel really blessed
0:42:47 > 0:42:49that Paul Hollywood's given me so many accolades.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53I just hope you've enjoyed your day today, in your own home,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56at the school, at the orchard.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58It was a real step back in time.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01It's been terrific. A real privilege to see the school again
0:43:01 > 0:43:02and the orchards
0:43:02 > 0:43:05and, yeah, if I'm short of a job next summer, I know where to go...
0:43:05 > 0:43:07- Plum picking. - Yeah, and if you need a tip,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10get in there quickly before your mother eats it all.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12She's doing well, isn't she, eh?
0:43:12 > 0:43:14It's much better than mine used to be.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Thank you, dear lady.