0:00:02 > 0:00:04For everyone, there's a taste of food,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06or a smell of cooking that zooms you right back to childhood.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's just like my mum's cake!
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I'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 > 0:00:16of some much loved celebrities...
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Oh! Look at that!
0:00:19 > 0:00:23..going back to their early years, before they were famous.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Oh, my gosh.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'With recollections of Sunday roasts and school dinners...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- It's time for something to eat. - Brilliant.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33'..and celebrating food their home regions are proud of.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:34HE CHUCKLES
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- Which way would you like to go? - Er, this way.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'I'll re-create 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 > 0:00:52'Today, TV newsman Michael Buerk is back in Hereford.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54'There are memories of courting his wife...'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I remember standing out here for the photographs
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and feeling very, very happy, you know?
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'..good times discovering food he'd never heard of...'
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I did not know you could get pasta other than in a tin,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08and I didn't know you could eat it other than on toast.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12'..and dishes that I'll be creating, inspired by local ingredients...'
0:01:15 > 0:01:17- Eh! Oh! - It bites, doesn't it?
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'..to take him straight back to his youth in a mouthful.'
0:01:21 > 0:01:22My word!
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Mm! Just talk amongst yourself for a while.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31COWS MOO
0:01:33 > 0:01:36'For Michael, the city of Hereford holds a very special
0:01:36 > 0:01:40'place in his heart. He first got to know it as a young man of 20,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44'and it's where, in many ways, his life really began.'
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'It was a world away from Birmingham's well-to-do
0:01:49 > 0:01:53'suburb of Solihull, where he was raised in his grandparents' home.'
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'We've brought Michael back to Hereford to tap into his
0:01:59 > 0:02:03'memories of life in those early years, and his experiences of food.'
0:02:05 > 0:02:08We are in the shadow, literally in the shadow,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12of the wonderful Hereford Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Marches,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16right in the centre of the town of Hereford, which, damn near
0:02:16 > 0:02:2050 years ago, is the place where my life took off, really.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I was a very young reporter on a little weekly newspaper,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26and I met my wife, who came from Hereford,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and my life completely took off.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It took off, obviously because, you know,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I met the love of my life, which is great, and it took off in all
0:02:34 > 0:02:37sorts of other ways, because I discovered food.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41'Michael's mother had married a Canadian,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43'but they split when Michael was three,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47'and he and his mother moved in with her parents in Solihull.'
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'He was an only child, and by the age of ten his mother became ill.'
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'She died when he was 16, leaving his grandparents with sole
0:02:59 > 0:03:02'responsibility for raising their grandson.'
0:03:03 > 0:03:07I was effectively an orphan for a lot of my childhood.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Lived with my grandparents, and my grandmother, bless her,
0:03:10 > 0:03:16had a lot of qualities, but she was probably the world's worst cook.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Certainly... Certainly of her own generation, possibly of all time.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25You know the kind of thing, you know - didn't know
0:03:25 > 0:03:29what a fresh vegetable was, except for sprouts,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31that she'd start to cook in September to make sure
0:03:31 > 0:03:34they were probably cooked by Christmas.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36But apart from that, you know, all vegetables
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and things came out of a tin.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40You know, I was astonished when I saw a green pea,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42because I thought they were grey.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47I did not know you could get pasta other than in a Heinz tin,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50and I didn't know you could eat it other than on toast.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I just didn't know any of these things.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54You know, I didn't, I never had these experiences
0:03:54 > 0:03:57until I came to Hereford, until I met Christine,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and met Christine's mum, who was possibly the world's BEST cook.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04You know, she was a butcher's wife. They had a butchers business here,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06so the meat was absolutely wonderful.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The vegetables from around here were, you know, beautiful
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and green and gorgeous.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Wonderful potatoes, proper cream.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I'd never seen cream before.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20You know, I thought cream was what we would now call,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and probably did then, evaporated milk.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- Right, yes, yes.- In a tin, of course.- In a tin.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Everything comes in a tin.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29I mean, I was in love, of course, with Christine,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34but very soon with her mother, and there was a moment
0:04:34 > 0:04:38when I really did think, you know, that I fancied her mother more
0:04:38 > 0:04:41than her for no other reason but the fact that she was a marvellous cook.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Did you ever tell Christine that?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I did unwisely mention it once, actually,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- and I haven't heard the last of it. - Never to be said again.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49THEY LAUGH
0:04:51 > 0:04:54So, what kind of things did your mum-in-law to be do
0:04:54 > 0:04:55that really impressed you?
0:04:55 > 0:04:59I remember the very first Sunday lunch, when I got my feet under
0:04:59 > 0:05:04the table, round the corner from here, behind the butcher's shop,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08was this wonderful joint of pork with the most marvellous
0:05:08 > 0:05:13crackling on it and a whole beautiful chicken, perfectly cooked.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Two joints on the table? - The two, the two.- Oh, paradise!
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Absolutely! And this rich, wonderful gravy over the whole thing.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Ah! I died and went to heaven.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'I'm soaking up these anecdotes, and will combine them
0:05:29 > 0:05:31'with inspiration from the food that's produced
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'in this part of Britain to create a special dish later on
0:05:35 > 0:05:37'that pays tribute to Michael.'
0:05:38 > 0:05:43'His career began in local newspapers, then radio,
0:05:43 > 0:05:44'where he is still at home,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48'having presented Radio 4's The Moral Maze for the last 25 years.'
0:05:50 > 0:05:55'But it's as a TV news reporter and presenter that he's best known.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:59'His stint as the BBC's Southern Africa correspondent
0:05:59 > 0:06:01'landed him in the news.'
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- FEMALE NEWSREADER:- Michael Buerk of BBC Television News
0:06:03 > 0:06:05has been refused a new work permit.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10'But it was his moving account of the Ethiopian famine in 1984
0:06:10 > 0:06:12'that really shook the world.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:14- MICHAEL BUERK:- Dawn, and as the sun breaks through
0:06:14 > 0:06:17the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Korem,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the 20th century.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'And those of us who saw it will never forget it.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'Practically his whole career has played out with his beloved
0:06:30 > 0:06:32'wife Christine at his side.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35'It was she who brought him to Hereford,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39'and who introduced him to this Italian cafe 50 years ago.'
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Morning.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Good morning, sir. Ah, there's a gent. Wonderful, thank you.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45And I've managed to pick up an old menu from the 1960s.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It looks like a '60s menu.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Similar to the one that you would have looked at a long time ago.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53But I didn't need glasses last time.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- There we are. - Do you still do spaghetti on toast?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Sometimes.- Can you do it now?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00We can. Are you going to charge one and six?
0:07:00 > 0:07:01One and... One and sixpence.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03I think it works out at...
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Sixpence. Six new pence.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06THEY LAUGH
0:07:06 > 0:07:07- A bargain.- That's a deal.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- That's a deal. 16 pence. - We'll have one.- OK. Thank you.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Look at that, though, one and sixpence for spaghetti on toast.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16But look at this. Well, actually, I suppose it's true today,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19the light meals, everything "with chips", "with chips", "with chips",
0:07:19 > 0:07:22"with chips, "with chips", "with chips", "with chips", "with chips",
0:07:22 > 0:07:26"peas and chips", "peas and chips", paying five and six for that.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Fancy. What's that?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Five and six must be about, what, 26 pence?
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Well, it's a quarter of a pound.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33You could have the entire menu for a pound.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34It is fantastic.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- I'm just gobsmacked that they've still got one.- Yeah.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41- And in good condition.- I mean, 1960s. 40, 50 years ago.- Yeah.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- There we are, two spaghetti on toast.- Oh!- Oh!
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Look at that!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48My word. Talk about taking you back.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Look at the way it slithers down between the toast.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- Fantastic.- We had four children at home, and I sort of remember
0:07:56 > 0:07:58trying to find out who could suck up the longest one.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- HE LAUGHS - Yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01THEY CHUCKLE
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Now, I want to get that taste.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05Mm.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- Mm. Al dente, it isn't!- No.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08THEY CHUCKLE
0:08:09 > 0:08:12And the one thing we're not going to do is something
0:08:12 > 0:08:16I remember my brothers trying to do, was to make a spaghetti sandwich.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19So, you put the two pieces of toast and then you ate it,
0:08:19 > 0:08:20and it sort of shoots out...
0:08:20 > 0:08:23I was going to say, as soon as you do it, brrrrrrmmm!
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- Just an impossible task!- Exactly.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- So, if you close your eyes... - I'm 18 again.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30BRIAN LAUGHS
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But when I look in the mirror...
0:08:34 > 0:08:35You're 25.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- HE LAUGHS - Yeah! The eyesight's failing as well.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40THEY LAUGH
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Herefordshire is a bountiful county.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Probably its best known agricultural assets
0:08:50 > 0:08:52are the famous Hereford cattle.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53COW MOOS IN DISTANCE
0:08:53 > 0:08:56These gorgeous creatures thrive on the county's
0:08:56 > 0:08:59succulent, green pastures...
0:08:59 > 0:09:03..and they have inspired a team of locals to step up to the grill.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04FUNKY HIP HOP MUSIC
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Meet the Beefy Boys.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10They're cool, smart and award-winning,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and they're working wonders with the local meat.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Look at those butchery skills.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19They run a pop-up restaurant specialising in barbecue classics.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21I've got a butter knife inside, if you'd rather use that. A spoon?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25One of their dishes is beef brisket.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29This is from the local butcher and it's a brilliant piece of meat.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31And Murph is their spokesman.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Brisket's, like, it's quite a cheap cut, and it's one from the front
0:09:34 > 0:09:38of the animal, so it's kind of the breast kind of area on
0:09:38 > 0:09:42top of the ribs, so it's a really hardworking muscle, and because
0:09:42 > 0:09:44of that, it's got loads of connective tissue
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and it's quite fatty. That's a good thing, because you want that fat,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50cos that fat's what brings all the flavour when you...
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Cos as you cook it low and slow, all that fat's going to break down
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and melt into the meat and it's going to be beautiful, tender
0:09:55 > 0:09:56and fall apart.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Because long slow cooking is the secret to perfect brisket,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02they start it off well in advance.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05The guys are going to put the rub that we've just made all over
0:10:05 > 0:10:08the meat right now, and we want a real kind of thick coating.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It's a huge slab of meat, so we want to get as much
0:10:11 > 0:10:14flavour into it as we can before it goes into the smoker.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Their secret recipe for the beef coating contains a mouth-tingling
0:10:20 > 0:10:23mix of flavours including coffee, molasses and cumin.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30The brisket will be smoked for up to 16 hours.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Well, this mesquite. Mesquite's a really, really strong flavour,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and really gets that smoky flavour into it quick.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So we use a mixture of mesquite and hickory.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Hickory's got, like, the classic barbecue smoky flavour,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and then mesquite really hits it with a real savoury kind of
0:10:45 > 0:10:48musky kind of smoke.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Their mission to produce the ultimate British barbecue
0:10:51 > 0:10:53began four years ago.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56We kind of learnt all this through a mixture of trial
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and error, really. It was, like, years ago,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01we saw on TV people talking about brisket and pulled pork,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03and back then you just couldn't get it in the UK.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It's everywhere now and there's lots of barbecue joints.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09So the only way that we could do it was by, yeah, jumping online,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12looking at videos, reading articles and stuff, and, yeah,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14it was through trial and error that we thought,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17"Oh, we'll give it a go ourselves." And it's something that you keep
0:11:17 > 0:11:19learning, really. It's not really a science,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21it's more like kind of an art.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It's lunchtime, and brisket's on the menu alongside the boys'
0:11:27 > 0:11:31homemade local-beef burgers, and they're ready for the rush.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35OK, so, working today, you can see we've got Christian.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38He's on the grill. We've got Dan, who's on front, putting
0:11:38 > 0:11:39the burgers together,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and obviously we've got Lee, who's taking the orders.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45As you can see, we've got an honorary Beefy Boy for the day.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47We've got Tegan working on the Royal Patties,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and we've got Al, who's working on the fries.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52So, yeah, it's a good, slick, oiled machine.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Every ingredient that goes into their burgers
0:11:55 > 0:11:57has been carefully sourced.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59The secret of a good burger is getting all the little
0:11:59 > 0:12:02details right, and the start of that is getting a really good bun.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04We get these specially made.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's a sourdough starter and a semi-brioche bun, so it's
0:12:07 > 0:12:10ever so slightly sweet, but the most important thing is, it holds
0:12:10 > 0:12:13together and doesn't break up as you're eating the burger.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15So, you can see as Christian's cooking here,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18we've got 21-day aged Herefordshire beef,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21which has been freshly ground today, and then alongside it
0:12:21 > 0:12:24we have the brisket that we put in the smoker yesterday.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Christian's going to put that meat on top of there,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and then we're going to put barbecue sauce on it
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and then we are going to top it with American cheese and Swiss cheese.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36They've developed a range with quirky names.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So, this is our American Boy, and that's American Boy double,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44that's almost two-thirds of a pound of meat in that one.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48So, this here, that is our Butty Back Burger, which is 21-day aged
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Herefordshire beef patty topped with our 16-hour smoked brisket,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56butty back barbecue sauce, Swiss cheese, American cheese
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and red cabbage slaw, and that's served with our brisket fries.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02After winning a couple of UK food awards,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06the Beefy Boys were invited to take on the big boys across the pond.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09So, this is a little taste of Hereford that we took
0:13:09 > 0:13:12all the way to Las Vegas, and it's the one which helped us
0:13:12 > 0:13:15win second best burger in the world, so, yeah, we're very proud of it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Back in the '60s,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Michael was warmly welcomed into his girlfriend's family.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Her father ran a butcher's shop in Hereford,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and we brought Michael back to try and find it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Now, Michael, I'm slightly confused.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40We're outside a beauty salon.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Well, I thought, Brian, it was time.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43THEY LAUGH
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I didn't want to break it to you too much.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47No, but this used to be a butcher's shop,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and it used to be my wife's parents' butcher's shop.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53This is where my wife was born and brought up, you know,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55above the shop here.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59But I can remember my little sports car being - it was a Sunday -
0:13:59 > 0:14:04being the only car, practically, in High Town, Hereford,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07with me very, erm - how can I put this? - athletic and handsome.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09The young man of the day.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Yes, cross-legged on an Austin-Healey Sprite,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16parked exactly here outside the butcher's shop.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Lovely memories, but there must be other memories round here,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- so why don't you just have a troll round?- It's a trip into the past.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Exactly. See what you can find, and I'm going to go up there.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- You know what's up there, don't you? - I do. The courtyard
0:14:27 > 0:14:29where my father-in-law had a sausage house
0:14:29 > 0:14:32where he made sausages with meat in them, which was a change.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34So, I'm going to cook a nostalgic dish up there,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36and just to tell you, it's not sausage and mash.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Off you go, enjoy the moment. - OK.- Cheers.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I'm formulating my plan for a tribute dish to cook later on.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54But first, a bit of nostalgia on a plate, using ingredients
0:14:54 > 0:14:56that I hope Michael will recognise.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00This is one of my favourite spots.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Just round the corner from Christine's dad's butcher's shop,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07right in the centre of Hereford. This is the Castle Pull.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09There used to be a castle here - the castle's gone now -
0:15:09 > 0:15:13but this presumably used to be the moat of the old castle.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Really tranquil place right in the centre of Hereford,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19absolutely beautiful, and the house at the end...
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Isn't that house absolutely beautiful?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26I said to Christine when we were courting, nearly 50 years ago now,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I said, "One day, we're going to live in that house."
0:15:28 > 0:15:30And do you know?
0:15:30 > 0:15:31We haven't!
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I'm going to use some belly of pork. They used to use it in the sausages,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39but of course he loved roast pork, did Michael,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41because he didn't really get it at home.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Skin off, so there's no crackling in this,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and most of the fat off, but keep some of the fat on there.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48It looks lovely, and if you can get your butcher
0:15:48 > 0:15:51to get you that nice square piece that fits in a roasting tray,
0:15:51 > 0:15:52so much the better.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And then we've got some wonderful fresh vegetables here
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and I've also got a bit of cabbage.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00This we're going to keep green and creamy.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03So firstly, let's just chop these vegetables up.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08And this is a slow-cooking job. It takes bags of time,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10but it will give us lots and lots of flavour.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16There's no real recipe for this bit, it's what you've got.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20If you've got bags of it, so much the better, because it will be worthwhile
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and the gravy you get from this is just delicious.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I'm not sure that Michael's mother-in-law
0:16:27 > 0:16:29would have put garlic in there, but nevertheless.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32We put all these vegetables in two bits.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Let's put a bit of oil in this pan here.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39I'm going to put half the veg into there.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42And add some fresh thyme.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And the rest of it goes into this roasting tray.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03When I grew up in the '50s, I didn't know that you could get cheese
0:17:03 > 0:17:07other than in those little silver packets. Rather like plasticine.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I didn't know you could get proper cheese until I came to Hereford
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and Christine's mother, who had these great wonderful blocks
0:17:13 > 0:17:17of really tangy Cheddar and Stilton and cheeses like that.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20And now look what you can get in Hereford.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21I mean, a lot of local cheese.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Hereford Sage, Little Hereford. Mmm... Mmm!
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Little Hereford.- Good, isn't it? - Little Hereford is great.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Unpasteurised. Lovely cheese.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Does that mean I'm going to be ill?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33No, you won't be ill. You haven't eaten enough.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Oh, all right. Thanks very much.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- Thank you, bye-bye.- Bye.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43So now we need to get all these wonderful flavours
0:17:43 > 0:17:46into our stock, our juice, just to cook the pork in.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Some stock.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Some red wine,
0:17:54 > 0:17:55soy sauce...
0:17:58 > 0:18:01..some Worcester sauce, because it comes from nearby...
0:18:03 > 0:18:04..and a touch of local honey.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11So now, we're going to put the pork,
0:18:11 > 0:18:12the pork belly...
0:18:13 > 0:18:14..skin side up...
0:18:16 > 0:18:18..on here. And we're going to put our stock.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Now, the thing about the stock is, when we cook it,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23it might all evaporate,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26so have a bit of stock ready, just in case you need to top it up.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30That smells delicious.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Just take the veg off a little bit to the side there.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35It'll all give it bags of flavour.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37And slowly cook the pork
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and then it'll colour the fat on top there.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41We're going to put this in the slow oven
0:18:41 > 0:18:43for about two and half to three hours
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and let it really cook really through and the stock evaporates
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and all the flavour gets together. It's going to be delicious.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59This was where you had a sophisticated night out
0:18:59 > 0:19:01in the end of the 1960s.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03The Old Imperial. It was a steak bar.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06You'd go there, you'd have a schooner of sherry,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08you'd have a prawn cocktail,
0:19:08 > 0:19:13you'd have a rump steak and then black forest gateau.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Perfect meal. Oh, and an Irish coffee at the end of it.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17High living in the '60s.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28For my pork belly dish, I've placed the trimmed meat
0:19:28 > 0:19:34on top of mixed raw veg - onion, celery, carrot, leek and tomatoes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37I've cooked the rest in stock, red wine,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Worcester and soy sauces, and a drop of honey.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43The mix goes in with the pork to slow-cook in the oven
0:19:43 > 0:19:44for around three hours.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I prepared another one last night,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and removed the veg to reduce into a flavoursome liquor.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55What a change.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57This is the sausage house courtyard.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- It is indeed.- And you've turned it into Le Tour D'Argent.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Now there's a great restaurant.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So what we've done, I've tried to come up with a dish
0:20:05 > 0:20:08that will make you think back to your youth and your childhood.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11So you'll see we've got some wonderful green cabbage there,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14that is green and it will be green when we serve it to you.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And I'm not going "Eugh!"
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- Yet.- Yet. No.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- And under here, what I did was I took some pork belly.- Ah!
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And I cooked it for about three hours, pressed it here.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27It's been in the fridge overnight, has this.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I think this looks delicious.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Oh, gosh.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33- May I smell? - You may certainly.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Any other place and I'd push your nose in it.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40We only ever had lamb, overcooked lamb. Pork is so rich and lovely.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41But it is nice, is this kind of pork,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44when it is not overcooked, when it's well cooked.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46- Yeah, look at that. - Wonderful stuff.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49(Oh, look at that.)
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- Just look at that.- Oh, wow!
0:20:51 > 0:20:54I tell you what, I've given in already. You can have that bit.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Great, thank you very much.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Over here... Let me get these eggs ready.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02This is a very old style of dish.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Not a Weight Watchers special?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Not at all, no. But you don't have it every day, so... There we go.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Right, so, seasoned flour, salt and pepper in flour.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13The flour is there to help the egg stick
0:21:13 > 0:21:17and the egg is there to help the breadcrumbs stick.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22You know, so it's not an expensive meal at all, is this.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25We make sure it's covered up nicely.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28But we'll actually pat that down to make sure they all stick together.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Got a pan on here.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32We're going to put a little bit of rapeseed oil in.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Why do you use rapeseed oil?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36I love the smell.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38It's cheaper.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40It's good for you - Omega 3.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Having said all of that, I still put a bit of butter in there.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45So we put that in there.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Now, remember, this is cooked thoroughly
0:21:47 > 0:21:50for three and a half hours, so in effect all we're doing
0:21:50 > 0:21:54is going to get a really nice colour on it and make sure it's hot.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Let's have a look. Yeah, that's OK.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Just the right golden brown, eh?
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Yeah, they're coming on nicely those. Looks lovely.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Now this bit of cabbage, I think it's very underrated
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and I think it is because -
0:22:07 > 0:22:09exactly the same reason that you have trouble with cabbage -
0:22:09 > 0:22:12because people have treated it like Brussels sprouts,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- they just treated it badly. - Boiled it and boiled it.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- Just take out the stalk there. - It takes trouble, though.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20It does... Well, yes, and you are worth it, Mr Buerk.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23HE LAUGHS So we're just going to shred it
0:22:23 > 0:22:25so it's nice and thin, but just look at it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28See the colour of it? It is too nice a colour to destroy.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- It's fresh green, isn't it? - Absolutely.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33OK, so I've got some boiling salted water on here
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and I'm going to plunge this into boiling salted water.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And then take it out and put it into iced water to shock it
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and that keeps the colour.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- OK, so we've put double cream into here.- Oh, oh!
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Not a lot.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51I want that just to reduce a bit, to thicken up.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I'm going to put a bit of butter in there, just a little bit.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Listen, you want to like cabbage, don't you?
0:22:56 > 0:22:57You're going to like this.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Look at the colour of that cabbage.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02But it was only in for seconds.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04But exactly, that's the whole secret.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08As you well know, people cook it for too long. So we put that in there.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Bit of salt, bit of pepper...
0:23:15 > 0:23:16And that's ready to go.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Just give it a little bit of a stir.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24So now, we just want that lovely bit of wonderful green cabbage
0:23:24 > 0:23:26in the middle of the plate there.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And let me show you here, look, this is the stock that was left...
0:23:32 > 0:23:34So that's stock and it's got the Worcestershire sauce
0:23:34 > 0:23:35- and the rest of it...- Everything.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38All those flavours in there and I've just put that to reduce.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- See how it's changed consistency? - Yeah, it's really quite thick.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Grab a teaspoon. Have a taste.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Because I know you were impressed with the gravy before.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Oh, it's sensational.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Going to put a bit of parsley in there.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52And you put it round the outside.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56You don't dollop it over the top like I would.
0:23:56 > 0:23:57Absolutely not.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Right, right, right.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Well, that's very nice, Brian. What are YOU having?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06I'm going to watch you eat that.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12My twice-cooked pork belly served with fresh creamy cabbage
0:24:12 > 0:24:15draws on the food experiences of Michael's early life,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19and the transformation of his world once he came to Hereford.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23It isn't what you had when you were a child,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25but I hope that some of the things,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27some of these just come flooding back to you.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I'd be completely different if I'd had this as a child.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32I'd be YOUR size, apart from anything else.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34How sweet of you(!)
0:24:34 > 0:24:36- Grab a knife and fork and let's have a taste.- I will.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46It's not only fresh and green...
0:24:48 > 0:24:51..but it's still got an elemental crispness about it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Beautiful, beautiful.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55No, I'm a convert.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56And what about the pork?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Mmm, lovely.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Lovely.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04That could actually be cooked
0:25:04 > 0:25:06in the same way for another hour, could that.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08So it's the slow cooking.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11No, absolutely right for that particular joint,
0:25:11 > 0:25:12for the belly of pork.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Well, I'm hoping that the pork will really remind you of life
0:25:17 > 0:25:19when you came to Hereford,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24but the cabbage, it should bring back memories of Solihull and...
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Well, the great thing about it is, Brian,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29it's not bringing memories of what it was like in Solihull!
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Michael has vivid memories of falling in love with Herefordshire,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45as well as with his wife, of course.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Its fantastic range of produce provides great inspiration
0:25:49 > 0:25:50for a chef like me.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53In my tribute dish for Michael,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I want to make sure that Herefordshire
0:25:56 > 0:25:57is screaming from the plate.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02You hear a lot about superfruits these days.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Well, in Herefordshire, they grow plenty of a particular fruit
0:26:05 > 0:26:08that's up there with the most super superfruits -
0:26:08 > 0:26:09blackcurrants.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15I'm meeting third-generation grower and independent cordial producer,
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Edward Thompson, who is passionate about his little black gems.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23So these are ready. What would one look for?
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Well, they're only just ready.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27If we lift up this branch you will see...
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Crikey, look at all those.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32You can actually measure the force required to remove that berry.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35OK, so what you are saying is that when they're perfectly ripe...
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- They should come off more easily. - Just...easily come off, OK, right.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40But you try it. It'll be quite good.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I was anticipating more tartness to it.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52It's not sweet, but it is certainly not as tart
0:26:52 > 0:26:53as I thought it was going to be.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56There's that little hint, but that is lovely, that is.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- It's lovely, A - because it's ripe...- Right.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02And B - because this variety has a lower acidity than some.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04It's not our lowest acidity,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09but it's got a nice balance of sugar and acid and colour.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Now, that one's just come off nice and easy, so I'm hoping...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- That's even sweeter.- Yeah.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Well, these were all mixed to make a very good juice -
0:27:21 > 0:27:23not from concentrate.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26It would be a crime to turn this into concentrate.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28I see where you're coming from.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29HE CHUCKLES
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Blackcurrants took off during the Second World War
0:27:32 > 0:27:34when oranges became scarce.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Blackcurrant cordial was distributed to children
0:27:37 > 0:27:40to make sure they got their vitamin C.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Harvesting crops like this by hand, with a large seasonal workforce,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48would have been laborious and time-consuming.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52How long have you been using mechanical harvesting?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Oh, since the early 1970s.
0:27:54 > 0:27:59- OK. Oh, that's a fair while. - There's a shaking mechanism in there
0:27:59 > 0:28:01that shakes the bush without damaging it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03That gets the berries off.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Today, they're working in big old bushes, 16 years old,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09but tomorrow they may be working in a bush
0:28:09 > 0:28:13that's only two or three years old, but it will do both jobs.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15And what's the capacity of harvesting with these machines
0:28:15 > 0:28:18as apposed to mere mortals like myself.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20This will go up to five tonne an hour.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Five tonne an hour?!
0:28:23 > 0:28:25So at that point it is probably replacing
0:28:25 > 0:28:26500 people picking by hand.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- It's not something anybody would do now.- Good Lord above!
0:28:30 > 0:28:33We are actually no longer limited by harvesting.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36We are limited by the speed at which we can process.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39The beauty of having all the stages of production on site
0:28:39 > 0:28:44is that there are no food miles incurred between field and factory.
0:28:44 > 0:28:45Inside the processing plant,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49health and safety are king, of course, where food is concerned,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52so you do have to wear a very attractive hairnet.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55We're going to mash it up and we roll it between rollers.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57We don't technically mill it.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59- OK.- That can be damaging to it.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01It can break up the structure too much.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05And then we give it a mash holding time.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06Then we put it in the press.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08This is the press behind me here.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- And she weighs 24 tonnes. - 24 tonnes.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Yeah. I've got a large lump of concrete underneath it
0:29:13 > 0:29:14to hold it up.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18It's a massive machine. And how long does it stay in there for?
0:29:18 > 0:29:21To do a cycle, it takes about two and half hours.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24- That includes emptying it... - OK.- ..of blackcurrants.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And in that two and half hours, it might do 15 or 18 tonnes.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31So after it's gone through the presser, what happens to it next?
0:29:31 > 0:29:36- We're going to filter it and then we're going to pack it.- OK.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40But what I want to do is show you a miniature version of this.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41Our little mini-press.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43We do all our development work on that.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50This saves me thousands of pounds.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54All our juice products are first of all developed here.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56We call this the mini-press.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Oh, right, it's going to go through that muslin bag.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Yeah, and actually that's what our press does.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- Now, you should get the feel of this now.- OK, right.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13You're doing well. Well, that is exactly what happens.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Oh, look at that. Look at that coming out there.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19And how tight does it need to go?
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Tight as you can comfortably go and then we'll call it a day.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24That was about ten minutes ago.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27It looks a fantastic colour.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29The question now is, what are you going to do with it?
0:30:29 > 0:30:31- I want to taste it.- Bang on.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34There you go. Right.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Now, don't give me too much. That looks...very strong.
0:30:41 > 0:30:42It is strong.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Put hairs on your chest, that will.
0:30:47 > 0:30:48Swill it round your mouth.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55- Ehhh! Oh! - It bites, doesn't it? Yeah.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57- That is tarter than I thought. Oh!- Yes.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04I can see how you can use that with other components
0:31:04 > 0:31:09to give the flavouring, but that initial shock got me right here.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12- That really did.- You're not used to blackcurrant juice.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I'm not at all. That is quite...
0:31:14 > 0:31:17That is the real thing. That's what we start with.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Edward mixes in a sweet ingredient
0:31:19 > 0:31:23such as apple juice or banana to make his drinks more palatable.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24Now, this is cordial.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27It's diluted with fresh water and it's ready to drink.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30It's ready to drink and it's about 12% fruit.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31Fantastic.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34See, it's got a very rich colour to it.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38It's still got some of those floral notes.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- It should have.- It's lovely.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48It's got a sweetness about it, but it's not overpowering at all.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50It's balanced, it's balanced.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53That's what it is. Just a really nice, balanced drink.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- Thank you very much for that today. Cheers.- Cheers.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Blackcurrants are perfectly suited to the British climate,
0:32:06 > 0:32:08but have a very short season,
0:32:08 > 0:32:12and they can be relatively difficult to find for sale fresh.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15But if you do find them, snap them up.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19They'll zip up a summer pudding or a fresh fruit salad, and do you good!
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Happily, they're in season, so I've got something in mind
0:32:26 > 0:32:30to use these blackcurrants in my tribute dish.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33We've brought Michael to the dairy where his wife Christine
0:32:33 > 0:32:36used to come and collect cream for her mum's Sunday lunches.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Did you see that, Brian?
0:32:39 > 0:32:41As soon as you stepped out of the car all those cows came running.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Do you have this affect on females of all descriptions?
0:32:44 > 0:32:46How did I know you were going to say that?
0:32:46 > 0:32:48But the answer is, yes, I do.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49It's your cooking.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52We seem to be still in the centre of Hereford.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55We're actually at Bartonsham Farm, which is a dairy farm
0:32:55 > 0:32:58almost slap bang in the centre of Hereford.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03The reason why is all these lovely meadows here are flood meadows.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06- The River Wye is just over there. - Oh, right. Oh, I can see it, yeah.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Yeah, and you can't build on there. It floods all the way up here
0:33:09 > 0:33:11and, you know, when it's really high,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14apparently it gets halfway up this wall.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17You remember I told you that when I was young,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20I didn't know what cream was. You know, I thought it was that stuff
0:33:20 > 0:33:22that's actually evaporated milk in a can,
0:33:22 > 0:33:24and then I came and got my feet under Christine's table,
0:33:24 > 0:33:28or her mum's table, and we had cream from Bartonsham Farm
0:33:28 > 0:33:30and it was thick and it was yellow
0:33:30 > 0:33:34and you could stick your spoon in it and it didn't wobble.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38It was sensational on apple pie and apple crumble
0:33:38 > 0:33:39and all that kind of stuff.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43And, you know, the family still... Actually, hello, Paul!
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Paul, your family has been here for over 100 years.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49Yes. We got the tenancy about 1910...
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- Just before the First World War. - Yes, and in those days
0:33:52 > 0:33:55there was literally dozens and dozens of dairies
0:33:55 > 0:33:57all scattered round the outside of Herefordshire.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00People with a few cows bringing the milk into town
0:34:00 > 0:34:04on the back of a horse and cart and then serving the milk,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- unpasteurised, of course... - From the back of the horse?
0:34:07 > 0:34:09From the back of the horse and cart. People would come out,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13walk down their garden paths with a jug or a bowl
0:34:13 > 0:34:16and then, of course, it was a great business
0:34:16 > 0:34:18because if they hadn't drunk it by the next day,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22it was sour anyway, so you just had a recurring sales base
0:34:22 > 0:34:24because of the fact that it wouldn't keep.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- Is that what they call built-in obsolescence? - THEY LAUGH
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Well, if I may, I'm going to nick those from you
0:34:30 > 0:34:33because I am going to concoct something
0:34:33 > 0:34:37that I hope you're really going to enjoy, because if you don't,
0:34:37 > 0:34:39I will.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43While we set up the outdoor kitchen behind the dairy,
0:34:43 > 0:34:44Michael's going to church.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50This is Holy Trinity Church in White Cross in Hereford.
0:34:51 > 0:34:57Which is where I got married on September the 9th 1968.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Ever since I joined Christine's family, ever since I got married,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04this is the church where the family does all its hatching,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07matching and dispatching, you know.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09This is where the children are christened,
0:35:09 > 0:35:10where the marriages take place
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and, of course, the sadder occasions,
0:35:12 > 0:35:16funerals, when we say goodbye to family members.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20So, from that point of view, it's a family church.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26For a man whose work life has often been a hectic dash
0:35:26 > 0:35:28from one story to another,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31I'm creating a quick and easy dessert for Michael,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33with a strong presence of Herefordshire,
0:35:33 > 0:35:37inspired by my visit to Edward's fruit farm.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40First thing I'm going to do,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44I'm going to put these blackcurrants into the pan here.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Spot of water...
0:35:49 > 0:35:50..and some icing sugar.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54And give it a bit of a stir.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56I'm making a blackcurrant Eton mess.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59We all know that Eton mess has strawberries and raspberries in it,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01but this has got blackcurrants
0:36:01 > 0:36:03because they're local and they are delicious and good for you.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08So what I'm going to do now is just quickly make a puree.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Just look at that lovely, lush, rich colour.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13So what I need to do now,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15I need to strain this off and get all the bits out of the way.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19I don't want the pips, I don't want the skins. Push that in there.
0:36:21 > 0:36:22Make sure you get every little bit out
0:36:22 > 0:36:27and then just very carefully push it through.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32This is just pure blackcurrant flavour and it's delicious.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35What I'm going to do, I'm going to take a little bit out of here
0:36:35 > 0:36:39to use for my decoration when I make the dessert up.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41So I've got plenty there and this,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43I'm going to bring back up to the boil.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50What I'm going to do, because these are quite tart and they're just raw,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53I'm going to take this liquid here,
0:36:53 > 0:36:54this pureed blackcurrant and sugar,
0:36:54 > 0:36:59and I'm going to just very carefully pour that over the top
0:36:59 > 0:37:01and it will just part-cook them.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02It just takes the edge off them
0:37:02 > 0:37:05and it also stops them being quite as tart.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08And look at that lovely shine on there.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11They're really just saying "Eat me, eat me, eat me."
0:37:17 > 0:37:18This is the font, of course.
0:37:18 > 0:37:24The scene of what you might call my first failure as a father.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29We've got identical twins and they were christened here.
0:37:29 > 0:37:30The real problem was...
0:37:30 > 0:37:32I wasn't there.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35It's one of the things about being a television reporter,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39that the day before the christening, I was on duty in London
0:37:39 > 0:37:43when the great Flixborough disaster happened.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47It was a chemical plant up in the north of England that exploded,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49killing a lot of people. Big, big disaster
0:37:49 > 0:37:53and I was the BBC reporter covering it, when I should have been here.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Christine's great line is she was jilted at the font.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Now I need to start with the cream.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10And just look at this wonderful embarrassment of cream here.
0:38:10 > 0:38:16OK, so this is just ordinary double cream, but it gets better.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20And I'm going to give this a whisk...
0:38:21 > 0:38:22Start to thicken it up.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28But the trick here is not to let it get too thick to start with.
0:38:28 > 0:38:29That's looking good now.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33So I'm going to add some extra-thick double cream.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37Look at that! Is that luscious or what?
0:38:37 > 0:38:38This is the real McCoy.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41Give it another whisk.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45You can now see how it's just starting to get
0:38:45 > 0:38:46that little bit thicker. Oh!
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Salivating just thinking about it! It's...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Oh, look at that. It's going to be delicious. Right...
0:38:53 > 0:38:55clotted cream. Made on the premises.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Fantastic stuff. Wonderful.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02So whisk that in there, see how it's starting to stiffen that all up.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07And just to make it that little bit not quite so sweet,
0:39:07 > 0:39:08I've got some creme fraiche,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11which has just got a little bit of tartness to it.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15I'm going to town with the cream because it's here on our doorstep
0:39:15 > 0:39:16and I love it.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20But you could use whipping cream and yoghurt just as effectively.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Now I need to taste that now.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Seriously, I need to taste that.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33(I could eat that on its own. It's delicious.)
0:39:36 > 0:39:37In the churchyard,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Michael's memories of his wedding day are flooding back.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45I remember standing out here for the photographs
0:39:45 > 0:39:46and feeling very, very happy, you know.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50And being surrounded by Christine's family
0:39:50 > 0:39:52and what was left of my family
0:39:52 > 0:39:55and then all going off to the Booth Hall Hotel
0:39:55 > 0:39:56in the middle of Hereford
0:39:56 > 0:40:00for one of those kind of typical wedding buffet lunches.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04Centrepiece - a huge salmon from the River Wye,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06the river that runs through Hereford,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10and me standing there in the penguin suit, so keen to get at the buffet
0:40:10 > 0:40:13that I'd got the knife and fork in my top pocket here,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17and looking a complete prat in some of the photographs, I have to say.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19And in those days you didn't stay. You didn't make a whole day of it.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21There wasn't another party in the evening.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25We were on the six o'clock train out of Hereford to go off to London
0:40:25 > 0:40:28and then on our honeymoon to Mallorca - very, very exotic.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30We didn't go on foreign holidays that much then.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33The train driver obviously got to the mood of the whole thing
0:40:33 > 0:40:36because it went "Toot, toot, toot!"
0:40:38 > 0:40:41And that was the beginning of married life. 47 years ago.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47For my special Eton mess for Michael,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50I cooked half of my blackcurrants with water and icing sugar
0:40:50 > 0:40:52and sieved to make a sauce.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58I've whisked together a glorious mix of creams from the local dairy
0:40:58 > 0:41:01and I've bought meringues to keep things simple.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Now it's an assembly job.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Just going to put a few of those in the bottom.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12This is really good for you, it's vitamin C.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14It's pure vitamin C, I promise you.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16THEY LAUGH
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Now look, I'm going to put...
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- just a little bit of these in there. - That's radical!
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Well, there you go, so just to get that little bit of a...
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Swirl to it. - Exactly, yes, just to make it...
0:41:28 > 0:41:33And then, of course, Eton mess is all about cream, fruit and meringue.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36Just going to put... a bit of meringue in there.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40So let's get this right - this is sugar and cream, basically.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44No, there's fruit there as well!
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Is it one of my five-a-day?
0:41:46 > 0:41:49It is. Well, this is probably three of your five-a-day.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51It's got to be good for you
0:41:51 > 0:41:53because it's fresh fruit, for goodness' sake.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55I can't see what you're going on about.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Look at that.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59You've done this before, haven't you?
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Too right, I've tried to make money out of it, mate, I tell you.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:42:04 > 0:42:06For my tribute dish,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09I've put Michael's Herefordshire on a plate -
0:42:09 > 0:42:12cream from the dairy his wife's family used
0:42:12 > 0:42:13and fruit from the local fields,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17in a lavish, extravagant blackcurrant Eton mess.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22A special treat for figure-conscious Michael.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I want him to let his hair down!
0:42:25 > 0:42:26Get on. Have a taste, lad.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38Mmm, well, I couldn't possibly have a second mouthful.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Mmm. Just talk amongst yourselves for a while. My word!
0:42:48 > 0:42:50- Michael, I hope you've enjoyed today.- I have.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52It's been a wonderful trip down memory lane,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54down nostalgia alley, it...
0:42:54 > 0:42:57You know, coming back to Herford and touching base with,
0:42:57 > 0:43:01you know, the life we lived and remembering the people and so on.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Well, it's been a pleasure to have you here.
0:43:03 > 0:43:04- Finish off your dessert.- Ah...
0:43:04 > 0:43:05OK.
0:43:08 > 0:43:09Hang on.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- MOUTH FULL:- I've got to do something with the belt.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13THEY LAUGH