0:00:02 > 0:00:05For everyone, there's a taste of food,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07or 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 > 0:00:14It reminds me of someone I used to know at school.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16'..and I'm going to stir up the food memories
0:00:16 > 0:00:17'of some much-loved celebrities...'
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Ohh, look at that.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24'..going back to their early years before they were famous...'
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Oh, my gosh.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'..with recollections of Sunday roasts and school dinners...'
0:00:28 > 0:00:30It'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 > 0:00:34BRIAN LAUGHS
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Which way would you like to go? Er, this way.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42I'll recreate a nostalgic family favourite...
0:00:42 > 0:00:53..and a tribute dish that puts my guest's life on a plate!
0:00:53 > 0:00:56There are bittersweet memories of school...
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I came here when I was just over six years old.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02A little shiver went up my spine going up the drive just now.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04..good times remembered with his dad...
0:01:04 > 0:01:07He'd be there with a saw and hammer and I loved doing it with him,
0:01:07 > 0:01:08so it was, sort of, a bonding thing.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11..and dishes that I'll be creating...
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And it comes from the Suffolk coast.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17..to take him straight back to childhood in a mouthful.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18Just like your mum did? Yeah.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20That's how it was meant to be, yeah.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Newmarket -
0:01:27 > 0:01:29that busy little town on the Suffolk border,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32known throughout the world as the metropolis of racing.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Our first stop is a racehorse stables in Newmarket,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42because, like me, our Nigel is a bit partial to the horses.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Friendly-looking beast. He's just having a smell here of me.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52It was in the 1950s, when Nigel's dad, Michael,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54decided to move his young family out of London.
0:01:56 > 0:02:03Michael was drawn to this area of Suffolk through his love
0:02:03 > 0:02:08My first memories as a child was being in Newmarket
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and going to Newmarket races, aged, sort of, five or six. Really?
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I was dragged there, but I didn't know where I was going
0:02:14 > 0:02:25and I just LOVE the atmosphere and I love the horses,
0:02:25 > 0:02:32You could put a shilling on in those days, and I would win.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34My father grew all our vegetables, which was fantastic.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Right, well, that's a good thing.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Yeah, which was a very good thing,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and also, there was a great butcher in Newmarket called Mr Musk,
0:02:40 > 0:02:46he was fantastic. Right.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Oh, look at these gorgeous things. Yeah, they look wonderful.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Morning. Morning. Morning.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54But they are wonderful creatures.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59The line and the form of them is just...
0:02:59 > 0:03:05I do ride, and my wife, who can really ride,
0:03:05 > 0:03:06I said, "Yeah! Look at..."
0:03:06 > 0:03:16and I made a movie in Australia where I ride all the time.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20We're taking Nigel on a trip down memory lane,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23as I gather ideas from his childhood and home life,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26together with inspiration from this part of Britain,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29to create a special dish that pays tribute to him.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35I'm a big fan of Nigel's work in theatre, film and TV.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Recently, he thrilled several female cast members of Coronation Street,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43playing dodgy rascal Lewis Archer.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47But his reputation was built on films like Chariots Of Fire
0:03:47 > 0:03:51and A Passage To India, made in the early 1980s.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And TV stardom wasn't far behind, with the sitcom Don't Wait Up.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Electricity bill, telephone bill
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and a little billy-do from Harrods. LAUGHTER
0:04:03 > 0:04:08Newmarket has been the home of British horse racing for 350 years.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Here, horses rule.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Newmarket doesn't have many claims to culinary fame,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23but it is proud of its sausages,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and at its famous racecourse,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28they're a great favourite with the punters, including Nigel.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Why are Newmarket sausages world-famous?
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Obviously, the quality is the main reason.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The longevity, the association with the area.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42We use whole carcass meat, so that means primal cuts, so loins...
0:04:42 > 0:04:46As well as. ..as well as all the other cuts, as well as shoulder and belly.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48So, it's hand-boned, as well,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50so we have butchers that hand-bone the carcasses.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51Secret seasoning?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54The seasoning, exactly. I mean, again, that is the sort of secret,
0:04:54 > 0:04:55most secret part of the recipe,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58it's handed down from my great-grandfather.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Give us one clue, what we should be looking in for flavour?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Is it quite herby, is it...?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08The character of the Newmarket sausage is quite spicy,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10we do use pepper.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I love white pepper, too. Yeah, yeah. I bet they use white pepper.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Do we normally eat these in a bun, in a cake,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19in bread, or do you eat them just as they are?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22We serve these in a torpedo, soft bread torpedo.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24And it is soft bread? Yes. Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26There you are, sir. Thank you.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I just can't believe how delicious it is. Got the pepper?
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33We always used to call these, in the old days, bangers,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and it is interesting to see that these aren't bangers, actually.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38They haven't split. They haven't split at all.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Well, they can do, but it depends how you cook them.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42The reason they were called bangers in the war years was
0:05:42 > 0:05:45because they put a lot more water in and the water would explode.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47I used to call them snarlers.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Well, I normally find - I come from Yorkshire -
0:05:49 > 0:05:51we used to call them sausages. Really?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53So, on race day, how many of these do you sell?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55We'll do 900 meals.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57For me, a bit of butter on there as it starts to melt
0:05:57 > 0:05:59and drip down, straight on your shirt.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Oh, you've got a bit on your shirt. Have I? No. It's all right.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06What a tasty bite of great British food
0:06:06 > 0:06:07to make a day at the races complete.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14This place is full of potent memories for Nigel,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and standing on the edge of the July course
0:06:17 > 0:06:19is bringing them all tumbling back.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24I stood here as a six-year-old, right there probably, watching.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26And when the horses come down there,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28the ground here starts to tremble,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31because of the, sort of, vibrations from the horses running
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and it's the most exciting thing in the world.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38My brother and I used to hang around when everyone had left
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and we would collect all the thrown tote tickets,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44the ones people had thrown away in the bins all over
0:06:44 > 0:06:46and on the ground, and we would collect as many...
0:06:46 > 0:06:49My parents were so embarrassed, they used to leave.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50THEY LAUGH
0:06:50 > 0:06:53But we'd collect sackloads of these tickets. Really?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56And then, we'd take them home and then, we'd sift through them
0:06:56 > 0:06:58with all the winners, you know, marked out
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and we'd always find half a dozen winning tickets.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Really?! Yeah, and we'd collect about a fiver, six quid,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06in those days, that's like 100 quid now.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08And that would be our betting pool.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Then, of course, we'd lose it the next day,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13but then, we'd do the same thing and every single time we did it,
0:07:13 > 0:07:14we won, we got money.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Was your mum a good cook? Yes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19We used to have cottage pie...
0:07:19 > 0:07:20No hang on, shepherd's pie.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Shepherd's pie is with lamb, cottage pie is with beef.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27All right. So we had both actually, she put lamb and beef in it.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Did she use cooked meat to do it with? Yes, cooked meat.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Yes, so from a joint? We had a mincer. Oh, yeah, I remember those.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35And we'd screw them to the end of the table and you'd go like that.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Just dropped in the little hole.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39And I used to like doing that, so that's how I started learning.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40How often do you eat out?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Once a fortnight, maybe.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Oh, that's not too bad, then. No, my wife's a very good cook,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47so it would be a shame to miss that.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48What does she...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50It's just you and me here, nobody else will know.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53What does she cook that you really love?
0:07:53 > 0:07:54She does a very good roast chicken.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I know it sounds simple, but it's very... To get it so good...
0:07:57 > 0:08:00She does it in a terracotta dish and vegetables around...
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Oh, it's fantastic. She does a wonderful pasta, crab pasta.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I'll give you my telephone number, cos I can come and eat that. Yeah.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09So, what is it about Suffolk that you,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12that you miss, that you loved?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Coming back here last night, it was just...
0:08:15 > 0:08:19I just nearly burst into tears. I was... It was so beautiful.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Yes. The smell of it here.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24I know people say it is very flat, which I suppose it is,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28but it means you have a lot of sky, and the people are wonderful here.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35I can see why Nigel finds Suffolk so captivating.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38It's just knockout scenery!
0:08:38 > 0:08:40And the flatness of this wonderful landscape
0:08:40 > 0:08:43has made it perfect for agriculture.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Yes, a farmer's country.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Rich and generous in return for man's endeavours.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51And endeavour he must.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Wheat has been grown here for centuries
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and to grind it into flour,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01there were once hundreds of mills, driven by wind or water.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04On a good day,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08the miller's wife would produce a batch of scrummy Suffolk lardy cake.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I'm about to discover how to make it
0:09:12 > 0:09:15in just about the most traditional way possible,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16with the help of David Eddershaw.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20He's curator of this watermill in Pakenham.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Hi, Brian. David, how nice to meet you.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26And it's a pleasure to meet you.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30It is just a calming, idyllic place.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Isn't it wonderful? It is, it is.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36But it was once a very busy place and, I mean, the whole of Suffolk
0:09:36 > 0:09:39was full of windmills and watermills.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Windmills like that one.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Pakenham is said to be the only village in England
0:09:44 > 0:09:48with, still, a working watermill and a windmill in the same village.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50But that would have been quite common a long time ago.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52And where does the water come for this watermill?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Where does it come from?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56All that water is coming from underground springs
0:09:56 > 0:09:58about a mile and a half away.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03That's why there has been a mill here for about 1,000 years.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11This building dates back to the 1780s,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15though much of the machinery, and the wheel itself, are younger.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Now, this is where the whole job starts.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22We can't do anything until the waterwheel is turning.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23That is the waterwheel there, yes?
0:10:23 > 0:10:25That's the waterwheel and it won't turn
0:10:25 > 0:10:29until we let the water in by lifting that sluice.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Yeah, like that. Turn... That's right.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33I can see it now, yeah, yeah.
0:10:33 > 0:10:33Bit further.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Right. BRIAN CHUCKLES
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Watch. You see, that's going down.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42There we go.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Crikey, that is fast, that is.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50And that will keep going for the rest of the day now.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57This place is extraordinary with its Domesday credentials,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and every cog, wheel and pulley works a treat.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02So, we go up one floor, now.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04We are up on the first floor up.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05It's called the stone floor,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09because this is where the millstones are. Right.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And the wheat goes in there
0:11:11 > 0:11:15and the flour comes out around the edge of the stone
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and it goes down a chute, down to the floor below into the sacks.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23But it's in the kitchen where I belong,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27so I've washed my hands and I'm ready to bake.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Now, this is the old back kitchen of the miller's house.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34It probably dates from about 1730.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36At the end of a day's baking,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38the miller's wife would, for a treat,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42take the last bit of dough and turn it into lardy cake.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Suffolk lardy cake is the best you can get.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Well, it's almost as good as Yorkshire lardy cake.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Almost, almost. But I know what you mean, aye. THEY LAUGH
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I have to admit, I've never made lardy cake the Suffolk way before,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59so David's going to talk me through it,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02starting with a large dollop of bread dough.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Now, we want that rolled out to a rectangle.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Right.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10The next thing is to take the lard,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and lard it.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15In other words, spread it fairly thick on there.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Now, there's 8oz of lard there, isn't there? In old money.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Yes, but don't put all of it on.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22We are going to have two or three layers.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24So, am I doing all of it?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Yes, yes, you can either spread it or dot it on.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29That's right. Just like that.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Now, sprinkle sugar all over there.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33All of this?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35No, because we are going to do several layers
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and anyway, there's probably... That's right. Right.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41And then the final touch is the raisins.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Lovely raisins. They were quite a luxury in the old days, raisins.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Not all the versions of lardy cake have raisins in.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Don't some of them have chopped mixed fruit?
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Yes, yes, yes. I've seen that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Right, OK. So...next job?
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Now, then, you fold it over and then roll it again
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and you are going to do another layer. Like that? That's right.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03That's right.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I didn't say it would be healthy!
0:13:06 > 0:13:10You add another lot of lard, sugar and raisins, and then fold again.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Then, fold it over. One more time.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16You add the ingredients and fold and roll out once more,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20so you'll get that lovely layered effect when it's finished.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Judging by the eye, that looks about all right.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24And then, into the oven.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26That's right, that's fine.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Close the oven door. That's right.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29Keep the heat in.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31For about half an hour.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Job well done, sir.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36When I was a kid, my dad ran a transport cafe in Yorkshire
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and lardy cake's just the sort of old favourite
0:13:39 > 0:13:41he would have loved making.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43So, when it's ready,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and with a nod to my dad,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I want to add a bit of Yorkshire.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Right, here comes the treat.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52So, what I'm going to do,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53I thought I'd just...
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I didn't put too much lard in
0:13:56 > 0:13:57and so there's not a lot there,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00but I thought if you just take a little bit out... Good idea.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Just brush it on top, just give that a little bit of a shine,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06because my dad, when he made anything like this,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10he'd like it to shine and then he'd also put...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Just to make sure. Just a sprinkle of sugar on it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Well, it just changes the colour.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Looks good.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27And by crikey... BOTH: It IS good.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34but I'm not sure if Nigel would have eaten it at his first school,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37now redeveloped as a retirement village.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42We've brought Nigel back to see what he remembers
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and what's changed.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48It must have been a huge wrench to be sent off to boarding school
0:14:48 > 0:14:49at such a young age.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55This was my prep school, my first proper school
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and I came here when I was just six, just over six years old.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Little shiver went up my spine going up the drive just now.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And I remember that drive being really scary and erm...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12But, no, six is quite young.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Was your brother here when you got here?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19He was, but I didn't see him.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Oh, right. He was in a different... I'm getting all emotional.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Oh, no, don't! He was in a different building to me,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28so I hardly ever crossed, you know, crossed over with him.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Nigel's brother Philip is 18 months older
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and later followed their father into law.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37And when you came up the drive to come here,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40did your father bring you in the car? Yes.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44He shook my hand and said, "Now, be a man," or something.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46"Be a man." No, no tears.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Was your mother there? Yep.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Was she in tears? No, I... She... I didn't see that.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54And then, they drove away and that was that.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Didn't see them for three months.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I know it's a bit odd. It sounds really...
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Victorian. Victorian, and it was,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04but it was the norm then, so I'm not complaining about that at all.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07But I have some very happy memories as well.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10What subjects did you excel at here and what was your...
0:16:10 > 0:16:11What did you hate?
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Actually, I didn't mind any of the subjects really.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17What about food memories at that time?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The dish I remember most of all was called Ganges mud.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22It was chocolate cake with chocolate custard in it.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Oh, that doesn't sound too bad! No, no, it was great.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Thought it was something horrific! We were like, "Yeah, Ganges mud!"
0:16:28 > 0:16:33The roasts and things were fine and I don't remember...
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Now, that's something to remember.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41No tinned pilchards or sardines in anything I make for Nigel!
0:16:41 > 0:16:46I'm formulating my plan for a tribute dish to cook later.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48But first, I'm off to my open-air kitchen
0:16:48 > 0:16:50in the grounds of this magnificent building,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53to make something nostalgic,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55a Havers family classic,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58while Nigel has a look round his old school.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00So, here we are.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03This entrance has stayed the same
0:17:03 > 0:17:04and the headmaster's study...
0:17:05 > 0:17:07..(was here, through here.)
0:17:07 > 0:17:09(I'm just going to go in.)
0:17:10 > 0:17:13This, this, this is the door I used to have to go...
0:17:13 > 0:17:15HE KNOCKS "Come in."
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Ah, it's reception! Hello, good afternoon.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Sorry to bother you. I'm just going round here.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23This was the headmaster's study.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24This was the headmaster's study.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26This was where I was beaten.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Were you? HE LAUGHS
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Many times?
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Quite a few actually, but that wasn't uncommon...
0:17:33 > 0:17:35In those days! ..in those days. We were all beaten.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I've heard all the stories. We get some old boys here.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Do you? Yeah, yeah, all the time. From all over.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43America, Australia, New Zealand. Really? Yep.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Now, this hall here hasn't changed at all.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Winners of the art prize, pictures were hung on the walls here
0:17:51 > 0:17:55and, believe it or not, I won the art prize one year.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59So, my painting was hung somewhere about there.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01You can still see the holes in the wood
0:18:01 > 0:18:03where they would hang the pictures.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And my painting was of the Fire of London.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Beautiful painting, obviously, and I don't know where it is now.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Probably like the Fire of London, it's just gone up in smoke.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18While Nigel continues stirring up schoolboy memories,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22I'm cracking on with a dish that I hope will whisk him back
0:18:22 > 0:18:26to school holidays and cherished times at home with his parents.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Good hot pan is what you need.
0:18:28 > 0:18:34Bit of rapeseed oil and then, we put this mincemeat in there.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36You need to put good heat on that, as hot as you can.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39I'm going to do this in two different pans.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41You can do it in the same pan, but that's if you've got
0:18:41 > 0:18:44really good heat, so I'm going to sweat off the vegetables.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48In Nigel's day,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52most of these vegetables would come from his dad's garden.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Add a diced leek to one onion and one carrot,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and sweat the veg for five minutes without letting them catch.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Wow! This is the dining room.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I used to think it was so big!
0:19:09 > 0:19:10But in fact it's...
0:19:11 > 0:19:13..quite small.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Anyway, when I became head boy... Are you ready for this?
0:19:17 > 0:19:21I was actually head boy at this school when I finished up here.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25I was supposedly the worst head boy they ever had,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27because I let anybody do anything they wanted to do.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30That was my new beginning of a hippy period.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34And the headmaster, he sat at the top table here
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and that's where the headmaster would do this.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38On my first week in school,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40he went... GLASS CLINKS
0:19:40 > 0:19:43"Mr Havers, Mr so-and-so, Mr Jones, come to my study."
0:19:44 > 0:19:46So I thought, "Right!"
0:19:46 > 0:19:48And that's when I went and got a beating,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50not knowing what I had done wrong, but I got beaten.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Now, follow me.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Up the stairs there,
0:20:06 > 0:20:07where it says "exit",
0:20:07 > 0:20:09there was the tuck room.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13And on Wednesdays after lunch, and Saturdays after lunch,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15we were allowed... We had to queue up.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18We were allowed to spend sixpence on the sweet shop
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and so in there was the sweet shop.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Big decision time, you know, what to have.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Er, er... "Shall I have a Bounty this week, or a small Mars bar?"
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I didn't like Mars bars. I went for a Bounty.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Oh! It would have been a Mars bar for me!
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I'm just adding the final ingredients to the mix.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41We've taken the skin off, we're going to take the seeds out.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47This wonderful mixture of meat and vegetables.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50One thing that Nigel's mum probably didn't use -
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I don't know that, because my mum certainly didn't use -
0:20:53 > 0:20:54was a bit of garlic.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00See how the meat's starting to get a bit browner there?
0:21:00 > 0:21:04And then, I'm going to put my vegetables in there...
0:21:05 > 0:21:11..and, I think, a good slug of mustard works well there.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Then, we need some Worcester sauce
0:21:14 > 0:21:15and pepper.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Give it a good old stir, and then put in the chicken stock
0:21:23 > 0:21:27and we're going to leave that to cook for about 30 minutes.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Don't put too much in,
0:21:31 > 0:21:32you can always add a bit more if you need to do.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And just smell those smells!
0:21:36 > 0:21:39And now's a good time to get some peeled potatoes on the boil
0:21:39 > 0:21:41to make the mash,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46while Nigel revisits old haunts in his school grounds.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Now, this is where we...
0:21:50 > 0:21:54first week in July, July 8th probably,
0:21:54 > 0:21:55we would put on...
0:21:55 > 0:22:00The headmaster put on a Shakespeare play, and this is,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03this raised bit was the stage, here,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and they built a set behind
0:22:06 > 0:22:09and then, over here would be a great big marquee
0:22:09 > 0:22:11where all the audience would sit.
0:22:11 > 0:22:17And this is where I gave my first theatrical performance.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Mamillius.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22And I would have stood right here.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26And that's why I've never been frightened of Shakespeare,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29because I was taught it very young and understood the language,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and it was second nature to me to speak Shakespearean.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34"Come let us sit upon the ground,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36"and tell sad stories of the death of kings."
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Things like that.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Wonderful.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43This was a very happy memory, being on here.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54I've got to the finishing stages of my nostalgia dish for Nigel.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57As you can see from what I've assembled here, cottage pie.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59This is the fun bit of it.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01You've got mashed potatoes with a bit of...
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Mashed potato with just a tiny touch of butter in there
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and all you do is just, very carefully...
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Ahh, that's so professional.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11So they go opposite ways.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14So that it goes opposite ways, yeah. Oh, that's so smart!
0:23:14 > 0:23:18But the trick is, and here, one has to be careful what one says,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21is to make sure that you don't have much potato left.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26But likewise, you have enough to cover the whole thing.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Because I just chuck it on and smear it round with a fork.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Well, my dad used to do exactly the same at the transport cafe
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and, listen, it doesn't taste any different like this.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36But if you're going to put it on the table
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and just want it to have that little ta-da, wow effect...
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Yeah, yeah. That just looks amazing.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Let me turn it round for you. What a nice man you are!
0:23:44 > 0:23:47So you are now a commis chef. Yeah, I like the sound of that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49What a team, I can see all this.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52See, I'm now stretching it a little because I'm now just getting...
0:23:52 > 0:23:55just to the end. You're just going to do it perfectly.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00I'm just going to...
0:24:00 > 0:24:05Oh, you've done it. Yes! Yes, brilliant.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10nice and hot, let it set the top of that,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12so let me just stick that in for a second.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17While we're waiting for the pie to cook,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21there's one more thing Nigel wants to find in the grounds.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I'm now going to introduce you to an old friend of mine.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27This is a tree
0:24:27 > 0:24:31and we were encouraged, actually, to carve our initials in this tree.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And it goes all the way round, obviously,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39but I'm going to show you where I think I carved mine, er...
0:24:39 > 0:24:41There's the N...
0:24:42 > 0:24:44..and there's the H there.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46That's me.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48And I did that probably in...
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Let's think about this, it's 1960...
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Ooh, that ages me.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I must have been on someone's shoulders,
0:24:57 > 0:25:02because I was only up to there then, but there I am.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03Fantastic.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08My cottage pie is almost ready.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11I've cooked minced beef in rapeseed oil
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and, separately, sweated onion, carrot and leek...
0:25:16 > 0:25:20..adding chopped tomatoes and garlic.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21To the whole mix,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I added mustard, black pepper,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Worcestershire sauce and chicken stock, and simmered.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Meanwhile, I mashed potatoes
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and assembled the whole lot with seasoning,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33then baked for ten minutes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37I've drizzled on melted butter, then 30 more minutes in the oven.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41So, we talked a lot about meat, of course, er, here,
0:25:41 > 0:25:42the sausages and that,
0:25:42 > 0:25:48and we did mention that you do like a bit of fish every now and then.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51because I'm going to do another dish for you, which is a tribute dish.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Hopefully it'll remind you of certain things of your...
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Certain stages in your childhood.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Did you go fishing? Yes. We fished here.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00There's a great big lake at the bottom here
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and we were allowed to go fishing. What did you catch in there?
0:26:03 > 0:26:04Roach and... Carp.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Carp, little ones. Right.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11A little float, you know.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Mmm. I think fish is the way to go with my tribute dish,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17especially as we're in Suffolk.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22But right now, my cottage pie is ready.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Even in this little oven here, it does look...
0:26:24 > 0:26:32Oh, look at that! It's perfect.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36probably harking back to childhood for many of us - cottage pie.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41There's nowt beats a good old-fashioned dish like this!
0:26:41 > 0:26:43There you go, sir. Oh, that looks good.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Just like your mum did? Yeah.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58That's how it was meant to be, yeah.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Very simple, but absolutely delicious.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04You don't need anything else with this.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I'm beginning to get a good idea of what makes Nigel tick,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11with his fascinating memories of childhood,
0:27:11 > 0:27:12what he likes to eat these days
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and the wonderful food to be found locally in Suffolk.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Of course, with its miles of stunning coastline,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24it's always been a great place for fish - fresh and smoked -
0:27:24 > 0:27:27so I think I'll use both in my tribute dish for Nigel.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34In the heyday of Britain's commercial fishing industry,
0:27:34 > 0:27:39much of East Anglia's coast was a fantastically busy place.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41As load after load of the glistening cargo is brought ashore,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43they pounce on them like hunters on their prey.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Herring was landed in huge catches
0:27:46 > 0:27:48and either left whole, as bloaters,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51or split in half to be smoked as kippers.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Heavily salted and smoked straight from the sea,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56this was the traditional way of preserving fish.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02These days, the local herring industry has shrunk,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04but one Suffolk family is keeping
0:28:04 > 0:28:09the East Anglian fish-smoking tradition alive in Orford.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14We smoke all, all kinds of fish - salmon, trout, mackerel,
0:28:14 > 0:28:20eels, cod roe, kippers, bloaters, sardines.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25Man and boy, Bill Pinney has lived and breathed fish.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31Running a smokehouse is demanding because it is seven days a week.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32The smoker's going 24 hours a day,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35so it needs constant care and attention.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Other people worry about feeding their dogs.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40My main concern is keeping the smoke boxes topped up
0:28:40 > 0:28:43and keeping the smoker running.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47It was Bill's dad who started this family's business.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49My father came here just after the war
0:28:49 > 0:28:52and I suppose, in about the mid '50s or something like that,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54started experimenting with fish.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58He taught me how to fillet salmon, chop the wood,
0:28:58 > 0:29:02keep the smoke house going - all the basics really.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Producing perfectly smoked fish is a delicate operation
0:29:06 > 0:29:10with a few key stages - salting, gutting and then smoking.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16The only ingredients are salt and oak smoke, nothing else.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Smoking is a relatively simple process,
0:29:18 > 0:29:20but it is something that you have to know.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23It's an art rather than a process
0:29:23 > 0:29:28and getting it right does require quite a depth of knowledge, really.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36While the logs of oak get smoking, the fish are prepared.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41We cut the herring along the back and split it open.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47And then, you've got the roe and the guts which you take out.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51That's your split herring and the, um,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53the next stage is we are going to just wash the fish
0:29:53 > 0:29:57and then put them in brine and hang them up in the smoker overnight.
0:29:57 > 0:30:03All the fish are cold-smoked, which dries and flavours them.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10These are the kippers going in, they are going into the cold-smoking end.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16They're now in their raw state,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19but they are going to be left in there for about 12 hours
0:30:19 > 0:30:22and, hopefully, by tomorrow morning they'll be nice and golden
0:30:22 > 0:30:23and ready to come out.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27And this is what the kippers look like
0:30:27 > 0:30:30at the end of the cold-smoking process.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32You see it's gone this lovely golden colour.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35These, actually, these are not cooked in the smoker.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38These you buy cold-smoked
0:30:38 > 0:30:40and then, you are going to take them home
0:30:40 > 0:30:44and put them underneath the grill or in a frying pan and finish them off.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Other fish like sea trout have a final hot-smoking stage.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Bill has to be careful not to let them get too hot
0:30:51 > 0:30:53or the whole lot will be ruined.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59You can see that we are now cooking these fish over an open fire,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02giving them a nice barbecued flavour from the fire.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06But we're actually cooking these so that when they come out of here, they'll be ready to eat.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Locally-produced ingredients like these are helping to inspire
0:31:10 > 0:31:15my tribute dish to Nigel, which I'm going to make at his childhood home.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21We're taking Nigel back to the Suffolk village house
0:31:21 > 0:31:25his parents bought in the '50s to bring up their two boys.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27To start with, it was a wreck,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30with no running water or electricity.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32This is the house I was brought up in.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34It's called White Shutters
0:31:34 > 0:31:39and my father bought it for ?200 in 1957, I think.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42So, what age were you? I was about five or six.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45OK, so this was before you went to school? Yep.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47So, how long did you actually live here?
0:31:47 > 0:31:51I then lived here for, right, most of my... Until 20.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53I'd been going to London for a bit but this was home.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Right. Yeah.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57So, did you have loads of mates in the village?
0:31:57 > 0:31:59I had mates in the village and in the next village,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02and then came the '60s and everyone had to be in a band,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04so we were in a band.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06We had a band in... Not the White Shutter Band?
0:32:06 > 0:32:08No, we were called January and I have no idea why.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11And there's a barn over there and we used to rehearse in that barn.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Must have driven the neighbours crazy.
0:32:13 > 0:32:14What did you do? Were you a singer?
0:32:14 > 0:32:17I was bass guitar and singing, vocals, yeah.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20There was a tiny little sort of outbuilding there
0:32:20 > 0:32:23and I remember, with my brother, I was sort of lighting matches, as...
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Why kids want to do that, I don't know.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29But I was, and I dropped it onto the straw and it burnt down.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33Oh, no! The little building burnt down and the fire brigade arrived,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36and they said, "Who, um, who set this on fire?"
0:32:36 > 0:32:38My brother said, "He did," pointing at me.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42And I didn't know that it was sort of a 17th-century listed building.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44What did your father say?
0:32:44 > 0:32:46He said, "You're a very naughty boy."
0:32:46 > 0:32:49So, how long did your parents own this for?
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Oh, 30-odd years.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52Oh, right. And they loved it.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55I know my dad loved it because he was a keen gardener
0:32:55 > 0:32:57and he was an odd-jobman.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00I used to help him, you know, with building projects and things.
0:33:00 > 0:33:01I don't think he was very good,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04but he'd be there with a saw and a hammer, and I loved doing it with him,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06so it was, sort of, kind of a bonding thing.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08And he loved growing tomatoes and vegetables
0:33:08 > 0:33:11and he had these, sort of, polytunnels. Oh, right.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Yeah, and it was quite, you know...
0:33:13 > 0:33:15It was quite new, that idea of polytunnels,
0:33:15 > 0:33:16but in a big storm,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19all the polytunnels ended up in another field.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23It didn't worry him though. He picked them up, put them back. THEY CHUCKLE
0:33:23 > 0:33:25So, when was the last time you actually visited here?
0:33:25 > 0:33:29I think it must be 40 years. Good Lord. And have you driven past?
0:33:29 > 0:33:30I have driven past,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33because I was asked to do something in the village hall.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Oh, right!
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Well, I'm going to go and cook a dish
0:33:37 > 0:33:40which sorts of represents your life on a plate in many ways,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43represents the area, the people,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45and something that I think you'll enjoy eating.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48Feeling inspired,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51I'm off to the outdoor kitchen we've set up in his childhood garden.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55So, if I've learnt anything about Nigel Havers
0:33:55 > 0:33:57it's that he likes simplicity.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Freshness, no complications,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02so the dish I'm going to cook represents a lot of that.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06I have got some wonderful fish over here, a lovely piece of skate,
0:34:06 > 0:34:07very fresh.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09I'm going to serve it with lettuce,
0:34:09 > 0:34:10but I'm going to cook the lettuce
0:34:10 > 0:34:12and then, some brown shrimps,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14and he's a touch of class is Mr Havers,
0:34:14 > 0:34:16so I've got some smoked salmon
0:34:16 > 0:34:18to make it really just that bit special.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23And while I cook, Nigel's going back into the house
0:34:23 > 0:34:26he hasn't set foot in since his 20s.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Well, this is the kitchen.
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Always was the kitchen,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33but they've, um, they've really made it smart
0:34:33 > 0:34:37and indeed, this was where the sink was.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40So here would be my mum, cooking away.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43If she got exotic, spaghetti bolognese,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47and boiled eggs on toast and all that sort of thing.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50And here we are in the dining room.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54It is exactly the same as it was in, in the...
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Except we had it painted green, I seem to remember.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00And a strange carpet was here, and a dresser there.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02Table in the middle like this
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and our glasses were kept in the same way, there,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10and in here was the wine cellar, or I should really say wine cupboard.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Let's have a look.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Yes! And I can remember one night, when my parents were away,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17my brother and I, we thought we'd have a bottle of wine
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and we opened a bottle of wine, and after we finished it,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23we realised it was a really, really expensive bottle of wine,
0:35:23 > 0:35:24so we lobbed the empty bottle.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Couldn't put it in the bin because Dad might have seen it.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31We lobbed the bottle over the road into a field over there,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34and a week later, the farmer came over the road,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36and said, "I found this bottle of wine!"
0:35:37 > 0:35:39So our secret was blown.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46I'm glad he likes his wine,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48cos there's going to be a drop or two in this.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51I'm making a light dish, starting with summer veg.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57First thing we need to do, we're just going to take off the,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01just the little bit of root there, so it's not colouring,
0:36:01 > 0:36:04then, I cut the lettuce in half - those look lovely.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Salt.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08Pepper.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11Quite a bit of pepper.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18And some fresh local rapeseed oil,
0:36:18 > 0:36:23and that simply goes in the oven for about 15 minutes to roast.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Very nice, very tasty.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27In that goes.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30About 180 degrees, take about 10-15 minutes.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Now, bring the pan down here.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Cut these lovely bits of skate
0:36:35 > 0:36:39so it fits nicely...in our pan.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43Just going to give that skate that bit of extra flavour.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49We do that by cooking it in a nice liquor with bags of flavour in.
0:36:49 > 0:36:55Some sliced onion, goes over the top there, some pepper corns.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59All very simple. Very classic.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04Bay leaf, a dry white wine over the top.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Some water to make sure it's covered...
0:37:09 > 0:37:12..so it will cook nice and evenly,
0:37:12 > 0:37:18and I'm just going to put a little squeeze of lemon juice in there.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21could put it in the oven, if you like.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Bit of salt in there before we forget.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28And just bring it up to the boil and then, turn it down
0:37:28 > 0:37:34so it simmers for about 15 minutes.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36So, let's go upstairs.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40Now... Oh, boy!
0:37:40 > 0:37:47HE LAUGHS
0:37:47 > 0:37:48They never used to shut when I lived here.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53LAUGHING: Ha! This is fantastic!
0:37:53 > 0:37:56See these beams, they are all exactly the same
0:37:56 > 0:37:59and I slept in the bed here.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03This was my bed and my brother slept there.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Wow, this is memory lane time.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08You know it always looked as though the roof was, sort of,
0:38:08 > 0:38:11sort of coming down, because it kind of bends,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14but this is what cottages in Suffolk do and all these beams.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15It's beautiful.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Happy Days!
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I've pulled together all the aspects of Nigel's past
0:38:21 > 0:38:23that we've heard about today,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26with a dish I really hope he's going to love,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29made with ingredients you can find fresh in Suffolk.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35So far, I've put halved gem lettuces in the oven to roast
0:38:35 > 0:38:39and I'm poaching skate wings in a liquor of onion, bay leaf,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43white wine, peppercorns and just enough water to cover.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47You've arrived at the right time,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50because I think this skate is just about there,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52but we can get everything else ready.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54You like a roasted lettuce, don't you? I don't mind at all.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57I think it is one of those things where you...
0:38:57 > 0:38:58Be very careful, this is hot.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00But it just gives it a different appearance and a different taste.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I just think it looks really nice.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Did you just turn that over with your fingers? Do you have asbestos fingers?
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Sadly I do, it's one of those things that we learn.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09I'm not going to do that.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12No, quite! Let's take a bit of smoked salmon here.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13Are you a smoked salmon fan?
0:39:13 > 0:39:16I would get the impression that you are. I am.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19So, what we'll do is we'll just put this together...
0:39:20 > 0:39:26..and just cut it into a small dice.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30just cos, "Oh, I love that! I think I'll put stacks of it on there."
0:39:30 > 0:39:31Sometimes that's as big a mistake
0:39:31 > 0:39:35as it is of not putting enough on there.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Leave them wanting more, as you'll be...
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Where has that knife come from? Is that one of yours?
0:39:41 > 0:39:43This is one of mine. This is a 50-year-old knife,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46I got this at college. Er, it's a great knife, had it...
0:39:46 > 0:39:47It's sharp, then?
0:39:47 > 0:39:49It does its job right and ready, it does.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Right, I'm going to take a little bit of this parsley here.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Just wait till we actually start to chop it up a little bit,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57and I think you should chop it at the last minute.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59There's certain things you can get done in advance.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03The smoked salmon you can get done in plenty of time in advance.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05Now you can smell it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Oh, I love that. Such a difference, isn't it, eh?
0:40:08 > 0:40:11OK, right, I'm going to put the pan on here
0:40:11 > 0:40:16and whilst that's happening, I think I'm going to take this skate off.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18It's not a good idea to overcook these fishes,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21they do tend to fall apart if you're not careful.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23It's delicious, isn't it?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25And it comes from the Suffolk coast.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28Yeah, I think the village of Orford, they actually bring it in.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32See, that's really, just nicely cooked and just drain it off, there.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35OK, right, so just want this butter on the go,
0:40:35 > 0:40:39so whilst that's on the go, let's put a few shrimps in there.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41I do love these shrimps. Yeah, they're great.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44So you can see that all the shrimps are starting to cook in there,
0:40:44 > 0:40:46just starting to change colour.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48I much prefer it that colour than too dark
0:40:48 > 0:40:50and then, the smoked salmon.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Smells delicious.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55And the plate, make sure it's warm
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and we'll just very carefully...
0:40:57 > 0:41:00It's just perfectly cooked, is that.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02It's just starting to fall, which is just what I wanted.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04That is lovely, is that.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06So lemon juice goes in here now
0:41:06 > 0:41:07and what I'm going to do,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09which I hadn't planned on doing,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I'm just going to liven that skate up.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13With a bit of pepper.
0:41:13 > 0:41:19With a bit of pepper because I know that's good for you.
0:41:26 > 0:41:27Like painting a picture.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Well, good presentation. Don't waste too much time on it, so you get to..
0:41:31 > 0:41:33I just want to get the colours...
0:41:33 > 0:41:34There's your bit of lettuce.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36And there we are.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39My tribute dish for Nigel Havers.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Wing of skate with roast gem lettuce
0:41:42 > 0:41:44and a dressing of rapeseed oil,
0:41:44 > 0:41:45lemon, brown shrimps
0:41:45 > 0:41:47and smoked salmon.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52I really hope, Nigel Havers, that that represents you.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54You have good fresh fish, it's simple,
0:41:54 > 0:41:55it represents the area...
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Absolutely. It brings back memories of childhood.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Yes, it does, because Dad would've grown those in the garden.
0:42:00 > 0:42:01We loved all of this.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Would've got that from the fishmonger in Newmarket,
0:42:04 > 0:42:06what we would've done. What a man. Get a knife and fork.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07Yes. Right.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Look at that. Looks fantastic.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Great thing about skate, of course, there's two bits.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13There's one bit on one side...
0:42:13 > 0:42:15and then a bit on the other side.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Tuck in, sir. Shall I dig in? Please!
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Make sure you get some of the garnish.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Yeah, I'm going to get all this, don't worry.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Going to make a pig of myself. That looks just too good.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Mmm!
0:42:28 > 0:42:31That is fantastic.
0:42:31 > 0:42:32So sweet, isn't it?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36It is a good concoction, I have to say. It is.
0:42:36 > 0:42:37It does work well together.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Try it with a bit of...
0:42:39 > 0:42:40This is your recipe, isn't it?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42This is one of your creations, especially for me.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Are you liking it? I'm loving it.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Then, it's definitely one of mine.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48It's just magnificent.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Mmm, that makes it.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54That's quite nice, it's not...
0:42:54 > 0:42:57With the crunch, the flavour, and it is different.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01I must say, it is nice chucking loads of butter on, isn't it?
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Thank you so much, Brian. I've had a great day.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05It's been such a pleasure
0:43:05 > 0:43:08and I've, erm, gone down memory lane in a big way,
0:43:08 > 0:43:10and I've eaten loads of food.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Fantastic.
0:43:12 > 0:43:13Thank you very much.
0:43:13 > 0:43:14Nigel, thank you.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Can I take that home? Please.