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 > 0:00:17I'm going to stir up the food memories of some much-loved celebrities...
0:00:17 > 0:00:18Oh...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Look at that.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23..going back to their early days before they were famous.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Oh, my gosh.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27With recollections of Sunday roasts and school dinners.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- It's time for something to eat. - Brilliant.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32And celebrating food their home regions are proud of.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- Which way would you like to go? - Er, this way.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38I'll recreate a nostalgic family favourite...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Mmm, you can't beat a crumble.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45And a tribute dish that puts my guest's life on a plate!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Magic, magic.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Today, actor and television personality Christopher Biggins
0:00:52 > 0:00:55returns to the county where he grew up...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57..Wiltshire.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01He'll rediscover where he first got a taste for the high life.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We would order room service, we would order baked beans on toast
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and it gave me the start in which I became so readily accustomed to.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11And go back to the site where he first trod the boards.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I was so rich it wasn't true.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And I'll be creating dishes, to take him
0:01:17 > 0:01:20straight back to those good old days.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21If I knew you better I'd kiss you.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Biggins grew up in Salisbury, one of the smallest cities in England.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45It's got a beautiful cathedral, lots of historic buildings and,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47just moments from the city centre,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49you can be out in the countryside.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56But the beauty about this place is just lovely views whichever way you look.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Cathedral over there and just look at that there.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03It is the most beautiful city.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04I mean, it really is.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06It has a lot going for it, Salisbury.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10It's very special, it was a lovely place to grow up.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Salisbury has been a busy market town since medieval times,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20with its different trades still remembered in its street names.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25The Gothic cathedral contains many treasures,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28including a copy of the Magna Carta.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And dating even further back, just up the road
0:02:31 > 0:02:34is the prehistoric monument, Stonehenge.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Plenty for young Biggins to explore.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43He was born in Oldham near Manchester in 1948, but when
0:02:43 > 0:02:46he caught pneumonia as a child,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49his parents decided to move down south.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53I was wrapped up in cotton wool and put in the back of a Pickfords'
0:02:53 > 0:02:56lorry and brought down to Salisbury and I still, to this day,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59have an aversion to cotton wool, can you believe.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03But we then came down to Salisbury and it was great.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Biggins is best known now as the Grand Dame of pantomime
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and the King Of The Jungle.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12But he got his telly break in the sitcom Porridge.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14You're not going to escape, are you?
0:03:14 > 0:03:17It's a good lunch today. We've got jelly.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24So when was it in life that you saw that acting could be a career?
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I suppose it must have been when I went to Bristol Old Vic School,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29which were the happiest days of my life.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31I was 18 and half and I...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It was the first time I was with my own age group.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Up until then I was always with older people, so it was
0:03:36 > 0:03:40fantastic and it was then that I really knew what I wanted to do.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43So what about food in those days, did your mum cook well?
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Yes, she was, she did, she was a very good cook, but a very simple cook.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51But her roasts were good and I mean, she was,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54both my parents worked, in order for me to go to a public school,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57so it was quite tough, but she would always make sure there was
0:03:57 > 0:04:00something on the... in the oven or on the top.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02We had a... I remember we had one of those plates, you know
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- those square plates on top of the cooker.- Yes, yes, yes.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07And I came home one day from school and I said, "Is this on," and I
0:04:07 > 0:04:11put my hand down on it and I brought it up and it was like an omelette.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13It had all risen my hand.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I mean, I'm so stupid but I mean, they were good days, though.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18I mean, you know, we did eat well
0:04:18 > 0:04:22and Salisbury has a great market once a week, which is brilliant.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Obviously, a lot of agriculture goes on around about
0:04:28 > 0:04:31but it's...it's a city-city.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32And you still enjoy eating?
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I still enjoy eating, I really do and I, I...
0:04:35 > 0:04:38You know, there are so many wonderful restaurants now.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I mean, food has just taken leaps and bounds, hasn't it?
0:04:41 > 0:04:43I mean, it's amazing.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- My belly's telling me it's time for something to eat.- Brilliant!
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- Let's go.- Good idea.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52But I'm going to be taking Biggins back in time,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55to discover the memories he has of the food of his youth.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00I'm going to try and find some fantastic local products I can use
0:05:00 > 0:05:05to make a tribute dish to celebrate his amazing life.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Until he was 18, Biggins was an only child,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15very close to his parents, his grandparents and Auntie Vi.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18I've organised a treat for us
0:05:18 > 0:05:22that I think should kick off lots of great memories.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Oh, Auntie Vi's sponge...
0:05:27 > 0:05:32- That's it, and eat it here. - Look at that.- Thank you very much.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Thank you.- Did you make this? - I did this morning.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Oh, good man, nice and fresh.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Did you make the coffee?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- Thank you very much, yeah. - You're welcome.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41Thanks very much.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Yes, Great Auntie Vi. She was my mother's father's sister,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49and she was a real snob, and she was the one who insisted
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I have elocution lessons and she hated the fact that we all
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- WILTSHIRE ACCENT: - ..talked like that down here.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55You know, we're all Wiltshire people.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58So she insisted I have elocution lessons. That's why I talk
0:05:58 > 0:06:00so proper now, as you've probably noticed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Well exactly, it paid off, what.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04And...
0:06:04 > 0:06:07But Auntie Vi also used to do wonderful things, like I used
0:06:07 > 0:06:09to go and spend holidays with her. She didn't have children,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11her and her husband Arthur,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13so I was like a surrogate child to her
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and I remember she would run a bath for me,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and I'd be in the bath and she would bring me
0:06:18 > 0:06:20a glass of ginger wine, which I thought was terribly chic.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24I was about 11 or something, I thought this was the life.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26So tell me about Victoria sandwich.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28So the first thing that Vi, Auntie Vi,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31taught me was how to make a Victoria sponge.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32And do you still make one?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I can easily make one and I... In fact, funnily enough,
0:06:36 > 0:06:41when I did Celebrity MasterChef I did my Great Auntie's Vi's trifle,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46which was very delicious, and I was voted out in the semifinals
0:06:46 > 0:06:49because they said it was too easy. So I think I was robbed.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- Yeah, I think you were, I agree. - Absolutely.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53And trifle, I think, is a great British dish.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Absolutely, and, of course, the trifle never had any fruit in it,
0:06:57 > 0:07:03it was just sponge cake, strawberry jam, lots of sherry, custard
0:07:03 > 0:07:06and I made my own custard for MasterChef,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and then cream and then decorate with walnuts and cherries.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It's interesting because I remember it when we used to have fruit in there.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15We used to have fruit from a tin, we used to have biscuits from a packet,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18we used to have jelly from a packet, custard from a packet
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and then, if you were lucky, you had real cream from a cow but often
0:07:21 > 0:07:24it was Carnation cream in our trifle. We couldn't find fresh cream.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Well, your trifle sounds very common.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29We were very common, you're quite right.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31So what was your taste in food those days,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34what was the favourite thing you liked to have at home?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36One of my favourites things was, I still...
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- That's very good sponge, isn't it? - Lovely, isn't it?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So my grandparents lived in Swaythling, outside Southampton,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46and I used to go and stay with them and it was unbelievable.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48This is why I am the figure of the man that I am today.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52She would do the most delicious home-made mashed potato,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55very creamy, very light, absolutely wonderful,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and then open a tin of Heinz tomato soup
0:07:58 > 0:08:01and pour it into a saucepan, heat it up, and then pour it over the top.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04It was delicious!
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I hope you got the copyright for that recipe.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So what other kind of things did you enjoy
0:08:10 > 0:08:12in your early days around here?
0:08:12 > 0:08:17Ham, egg and chips was just a wonderful staple diet for me.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I mean, I loved it. Especially if you get really good ham,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24and we do do ham in a very good way in this country, I think.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I think this part of the world also is particularly famous for its pork, its pigs.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- Yeah, its pigs... - And its curing of bacon.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Yeah, we look after our pigs here.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35- Mm, have a drop more cake. - Thank you, I will.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41The story of how Wiltshire ham became world famous can be
0:08:41 > 0:08:44traced to one family from the small town of Calne.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Back in the 1840s, a butcher called Harris discovered how to cure
0:08:53 > 0:08:56ham and bacon in salt water or brine.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58This became known as the Wiltshire Cure.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Soon the small family business had become one of the biggest
0:09:02 > 0:09:06employers in town and, by the 1950s,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09the Harris family had over 2,000 employees
0:09:09 > 0:09:10in their huge pork factory,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14which was just one of many in the county.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20But a slump in the industry meant the factories shut one by one.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23When the Harris factory closed in 1984,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26one in five people in Calne lost their jobs.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Also nearly lost was the secret of the Wiltshire Cure process...
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Come on, then.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40..until a farmer called Roger Keen decided to step in and rescue it.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46And now he has over 350 pigs on his farm near Chippenham.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49What are these ones, they're very distinctive?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Well, this is the Wessex Saddleback,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- the white being the saddle, I suppose.- Right.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56We keep it really for nostalgic reasons.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59OK, does that mean they're not the best bacon or ham makers?
0:09:59 > 0:10:03They make lovely bacon and ham but it's...
0:10:03 > 0:10:07They're inclined towards being a little bit on the fat side for modern tastes.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09People unfortunately now seem to buy with their eyes,
0:10:09 > 0:10:10not with their stomachs.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12If they bought with their stomachs,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15they would know that flavour comes with fat.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17You can't actually get flavour out of lean
0:10:17 > 0:10:20because lean is primarily water, whereas fat is oil.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Absolutely right.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24And what's the lifespan of these animals?
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Well, we think in terms of litters.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- They'll have two-and-a-bit litters a year.- Right.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33And probably about eight litters, which is four years.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36And what do you look for when the people are out in fields
0:10:36 > 0:10:39seeing pigs? What...what shape is it? Is that the ideal shape?
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- The length is the thing we're looking for.- Straight back.- Yeah.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Because again, the longer the pig, the more bacon we get.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Right, so the bacon comes from the loin and the belly.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Yeah, so your middle section, you get your back and your streak,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55the hind leg is the ham, the forequarter is like shoulder bacon,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59so you get your collar bacon or fore hock bacon from the front end.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- So it's all used? - Oh, yes, yes.- Nothing's wasted.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Well, they always say the only thing they can't sell is the squeak.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Yeah, I've heard that as well.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Well I think we should go and look at those little ones over there.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13Why not?
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Here you are, girls, you've had your lot now, look, bag's empty.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Good timing.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26These lovely little piglets are various colours.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Are these different breeds, these brown ones?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31There is. We cross some with a Duroc.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33That's a breed that produces
0:11:33 > 0:11:35that spotted pig that you can see round there.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Oh, right, yes, yeah. And those are what age?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39About three weeks, they've been farrowed, yeah.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And they'll be bacon weight about five-and-a-half to six months.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45And they live outside for most of the time?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Well, they are outside until they get to sort of pork weight,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and then we have to move them in the barn so that we can control them.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55- Sure.- I mean, you can see they're pretty ill-disciplined.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59They certainly seem very happy at the moment, enjoying life as they can.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02But when they get older, they're quite happy to do a bit
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- more like their mums, lie about a lot.- Lovely.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08- So shall we go and look at the factory?- Yeah, that would be good.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13On the farm, Roger makes five different sorts of ham
0:12:13 > 0:12:16as well as bacon and sausages.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Well, this is where it all happens.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- This is the brine tank.- Right.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25So how comes that you're doing this Wiltshire Cure?
0:12:25 > 0:12:27We were pig farmers in the first instance
0:12:27 > 0:12:31- who sent our pigs into a factory in Calne.- Right.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35It closed down and when it did, we faced the fact that there would be
0:12:35 > 0:12:37no bacon produced in Wiltshire any more
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and we decided we would quite like to produce
0:12:41 > 0:12:44a good quality bacon that people could enjoy.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48So we went to the factory with a view to buying some equipment,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51bits and pieces and came away with the factory manager.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56But one of the other things we bought was a gallon of the brine
0:12:56 > 0:13:00from the factory and put it with our freshly made up brine
0:13:00 > 0:13:05so that that could multiply and develop and what we know
0:13:05 > 0:13:10is that we do have here the actual only original Wiltshire brine.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Brine is a mixture of salt, sugar and good bacteria.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17If the ingredients are perfectly balanced,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20it'll never go off and can be used indefinitely.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23By adding some of the Harris brine to his mix,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Roger has a real link with the past in these tanks.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Roger also oak smokes his ham and bacon in the traditional way
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and I'm dying to see how that's done.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38This is Kevin who runs the bacon house.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- Hi Kevin, how are you doing? - Nice to meet you.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43And he can perhaps fill you in a bit on the smoking process.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Fantastic, that's very kind, Roger, thank you very much, yeah.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49So you're the smokehouse expert?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Ah, yeah, amongst other things.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55As you can see, Brian, we use natural oak and beech sawdust.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59We get it from a local sawmill, purely traditional,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02and we use a little bit of straw just to help light it
0:14:02 > 0:14:04in the early stages.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08And then we let it smoulder away for about 24 hours,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11sometimes a little bit more, sometimes a little bit less.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13How do you judge that, by smell?
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- That's just...it's experience.- OK.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Most of us have been here for a good number of years.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22We know roughly what sawdust, you know, how it should look like
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and we know the feel of the sawdust as well, so we know how wet it is.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And if it's very hot, we always tend to be on a bit more
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- of the cautious side.- You've got streaky bacon in there today.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34We've got streaky bacon, we also have middles as well,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37which we can break down into back and streak.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39We have a few three-quarter sides in there
0:14:39 > 0:14:41and we have a few gammons in there, as well.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Oh, fantastic, and it's all ready to go?- It is already to go.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46I'm excited. Show us how it's done.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52Right, Brian, what we are after is a nice consistent
0:14:52 > 0:14:55amount of sawdust, evenly spread.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58As you can feel, there is a little bit of damp in that sawdust
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and that's perfect, that's just what we want.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03We want it to be able to burn long and slow.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05And we're all already to go.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09- Fantastic, so let's, let's do it. - OK.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- As simple as that. - As simple as that.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18That looks like it's burning quite nicely.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I think we ought to make a little bit of a retreat.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25So that was really quite simple, that's it. It was exciting.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27So how long is it going to be in there for?
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I would say in two days' time,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33it will all have died down and it will be ready to take out.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34- Perfect.- Perfect.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I've seen how it's brined, I've seen how it's smoked,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42there's just one thing left to do.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Well, you know, what they say -
0:15:43 > 0:15:46the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49That does look delicious, does that.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52What I do like about it there is still a nice covering of fat on it.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- Yeah.- And it feels moist.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59That's where the flavour is, isn't it, as we both know.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- It's not over-brined. - No, no...- It's not salty.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08We have reduced the content a little on the old days
0:16:08 > 0:16:10because everybody has refrigeration.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13If they didn't, then you would need to up the salt again.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It is a lovely flavour, is that.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19It's not full of liquid and neither is it short of liquid.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21That ham's given a bit of inspiration.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I'm going to put together a dish for Christopher Biggins
0:16:24 > 0:16:26which, I think using Wiltshire ham
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- will remind him of his Salisbury upbringing.- That's good.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30Thank you.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41In Salisbury, both the schools that Biggins attended are long gone.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But there are two places in town that played a huge
0:16:45 > 0:16:49part in his education as a bon viveur -
0:16:49 > 0:16:52The Cathedral Hotel and, right opposite,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54The Red Lion Hotel.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59So this is the centre of Salisbury.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03It is, behind is the market square,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06which is through there and to the right,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10and this is where my mother used to work in the cocktail bar
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and she loved it, made lots and lots of friends.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17And then over there, the Red Lion Hotel, that's where my grandmother
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- paid to do silver service. - Oh, really?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Because in those days the tips were so good that they would pay
0:17:22 > 0:17:25to get the privilege of working over there.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26I mean, it was very grand.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Well, I'm going to cook something that I think will take you back,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33be nostalgic, take you back to those early days.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35- Right, good.- And you should go inside and have a look
0:17:35 > 0:17:38and see what it stirs up, those memories.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- Enjoy the trip in there.- Thank you very much. Enjoy your cooking.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Come on, let's go and have a look in here.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Wow, this has changed beyond all recognition.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00I mean, this used to be the chicest hotel in Salisbury
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and this area here was the cocktail bar,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05which my mother, Pam, used to work in,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and it was certainly the chicest place in Salisbury
0:18:08 > 0:18:09to come and have a drink.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10It was marvellous.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14And as a child, I was brought in with my mother
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and the manger's daughter and I would go up to the manager's flat,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21which was upstairs and we would order room service.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24We would order baked beans on toast and a soft drink
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and it gave me the start of which I became so readily accustomed to.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31I think if I'm right, round the corner is a lift,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33which we used to go up to the flat.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Yes, you can see, look it's all...
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Oh, this is the lift that we used to take up to the
0:18:39 > 0:18:43first floor to the manager's apartment
0:18:43 > 0:18:45where I used to go.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49So I'm going to go up now and I'll see you up there. See you later.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57I've set up behind the hotel to cook a dish inspired by Biggins' nostalgia
0:18:57 > 0:18:58for his hometown.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00And he's already given me
0:19:00 > 0:19:03a great big hint about one of his favourites.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Now, Wiltshire ham, egg and chips seems to me
0:19:07 > 0:19:09like a great dish to cook.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11We're not going to do quite that for Christopher,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13but it will be very similar to that.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18I'm going to marry together this wonderful Wiltshire smoked bacon.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19I've got a pan on here.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23I generally put a wee bit of oil in there, just to get it going.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Then we put some nice bits
0:19:26 > 0:19:29of smoked bacon in there
0:19:29 > 0:19:33and this is going to be smelling so good.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37And the great thing about good bacon is it's not leaching water
0:19:37 > 0:19:39all the time, which is perfect for us.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I'm also going to need some of Roger's Wiltshire ham
0:19:44 > 0:19:46and some local cheese for my dish.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50But first, I've got to get the bacon deliciously crisp.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Let's just turn this bit.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's got a lovely colour, as I said earlier,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59no water in it, so it's making it really nice,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01crispy round the edges, with that bit of fat.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Wow, yes, this is the manager's sitting room.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21His daughter and myself would come up here and we'd put
0:20:21 > 0:20:24the television on, we'd sit, perhaps do a bit of homework,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27have our room service and this is where I got the taste of the
0:20:27 > 0:20:31good life, whilst my mother was working downstairs in the cocktail
0:20:31 > 0:20:35bar and her father was the manager who was working downstairs as well.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40So we got the life of Riley up here, which was very good.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42This brings back so many memories.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44It was so long ago.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Back in my kitchen, the bacon's looking great.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59Time to reveal the dish I'm making, as a twist on an old favourite.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02What I'm going to make is sort of a French Croque Monsieur,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05but we call it a toasted cheese and ham sandwich,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07but with a bit of egg as well.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10So some really good, fresh, country bread,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13as thin or as thick as you like,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15but I think you need a little bit of substance to this
0:21:15 > 0:21:19because it's a good breakfast dish, it's a really great brunch dish.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Then we take some slightly softened butter...
0:21:23 > 0:21:27This is where you can be as frugal,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29or not, as you like.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33So there goes our buttered bread.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38So we're going to take our pieces of wonderful Wiltshire ham on there,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41as much or as little as you like.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45We'll make this really nice and hearty, so plenty of ham in there.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And then we got this tremendous local cheese,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53tastes fantastic, and put that on top.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57We make a sandwich, not that difficult.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02You might think this is a bit of a simple recipe so far,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04but just you wait!
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Biggins is on his way to taste my dish,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10but he's got a bit waylaid over the road.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16This is the infamous Mrs Thomas, who I remember vividly,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and she owned and ran this hotel with a rod of iron.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25She was an incredible, very, very famous woman of Salisbury
0:22:25 > 0:22:28and always has been and I'm thrilled to see this picture,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31because this is exactly how I remember her.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35She would sit in the corner of these rooms and I would come
0:22:35 > 0:22:39in with my friend John Brown and we'd have coffee and cheese scones.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42We always came here to be something special
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and I think we owe a lot to this woman.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47She was incredibly special
0:22:47 > 0:22:50and very much part of my early upbringing.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55I'm about to put the finishing touches to my take on ham and eggs.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02I've cooked some fabulous Wiltshire bacon until it's perfectly crisp,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06and prepared a sandwich of local ham and local cheese ready for the pan.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Now what I'm hoping is that this dish will have a bit of nostalgia.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It's not quite ham, eggs and chips.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- No.- But I've got Wiltshire ham, I've got eggs...- Yes.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- I've got some lovely smoked bacon in a sandwich.- So it's healthy.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- Oh, yes. You see that little hole there?- Yes.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26I've taken all the calories out.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Believe that and you'll believe anything, dear boy.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31So the idea is, just to make it a little more presentable,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I'm going to take a cutter and I'm just going to cut through there,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37because it just looks that little bit smarter.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Let me put a bit of oil into this pan here.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Is that olive oil or just cooking oil?
0:23:42 > 0:23:43- This is rapeseed oil.- Right.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45- Oh, look at those eggs.- Oh...
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Nice, fresh eggs.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Bit of salt and a bit of pepper.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Lovely.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54This way, at least, you don't have to say, "How do you like your eggs?"
0:23:54 > 0:23:56because you get them just as they are. So I'll beat it up there.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59If you want to put a bit of cream in there, so be it.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01So we get the whole thing.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- Careful not to leave it in there too long.- No.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Because it'll get wet and soggy but, actually,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09just make sure that you get some, all the way round there,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11it'll hold the whole thing together.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- I'm salivating here, this is terrible.- So am I!
0:24:16 > 0:24:17Right, so now...
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- Are you going to have a taste of ham? - I can't resist that ham.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Well, I don't blame you at all. I think that's a good idea, is that.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27- If I were you, I'd do the same. - Mmm...wonderful ham.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- It's good, isn't it?- Mmm.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- Just...- Is this Wiltshire ham?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Absolutely.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35That looks so delicious, Brian.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I do know some people, and I may be one of them,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40who would actually cook this in oil and butter.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42This is perfect for you and I because this is, you know,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44we're hams and we're eating hams.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49So a bit of bacon goes underneath.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I'm going to take this now
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- and I'm going to put it in the middle.- Look at that!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It isn't Wiltshire ham, egg and chips...
0:24:58 > 0:25:00..but it's the next best thing.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06This is my nostalgia dish for Biggins - ham and eggs transformed
0:25:06 > 0:25:10into a mouth-watering Croque Monsieur with crisp Wiltshire bacon.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Good for breakfast,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16great for brunch and I'm hoping perfect for right now.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Oh...
0:25:23 > 0:25:25- Pregnant pause...- Oh...
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- It's heaven.- Good man.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It's what I call real comfort food.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32You can't go better than this.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36And hopefully it's just brought you back to the days
0:25:36 > 0:25:39when you used to live in Salisbury as a young man and this is the kind
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- of thing you used to have. - Absolutely, all the time.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Wonderful. Thank you so much.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45If I knew you better I'd kiss you.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I think my version of ham and eggs was a great success.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Now, the ham and bacon may be the home-grown stars of this dish,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59but I think this wonderful local cheese played a very
0:25:59 > 0:26:00important supporting role.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Cheese-making in this country dates back 2,000 years.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08It was a great way to preserve a glut of milk
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and every region developed its favourites,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15like Wensleydale and Stilton.
0:26:25 > 0:26:2840 miles north of Salisbury is the village of Brinkworth.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Here, a young cheesemaker called Ceri Cryer has come up with the
0:26:33 > 0:26:38brilliant idea of reviving a long lost cheese called Wiltshire loaf.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I started out my career as a teacher.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Through teaching I met my husband, Chad.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48We came back to the farm and Chad saw the farm with fresh eyes
0:26:48 > 0:26:51and he saw it as an opportunity and he said,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53"Let's do something with the farm."
0:26:53 > 0:26:55So I had been on a cheese-making course
0:26:55 > 0:26:57so I said I could make cheese,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00and so we set off on the path of cheese making.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Ceri now makes four different cheeses with the milk from
0:27:05 > 0:27:08her family's herd of pedigree Friesian cows.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Today, she's making a batch of the traditional Wiltshire Loaf.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16We make our cheese on our own dairy farm
0:27:16 > 0:27:19so the cows are milked from the same farm where the cheese is made.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22There's just a short distance from the milking parlour
0:27:22 > 0:27:23to the cheese dairy.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26So as soon as the tank's got that last drop of milk in,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28it goes straight across to our dairy
0:27:28 > 0:27:31and starts being turned into our lovely cheese.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34This is the starter culture.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36It's a freeze dried culture
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and it contains bacteria
0:27:39 > 0:27:44that will turn the milk sugars into milk acids.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46So the lactose into lactic acid.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51The next stage is to add the rennet.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56We use a microbial rennet so that our cheese is suitable for vegetarians.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Traditionally the rennet came from the lining of the calf's stomach
0:28:00 > 0:28:03and that makes the milk clot and go solid
0:28:03 > 0:28:05into a big mass of curd.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Since we've started cheese making in the dairy,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11this has been the tank we've always had
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and it holds 700 litres.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16With cheese making, you are really concentrating
0:28:16 > 0:28:18the goodness that's in the milk
0:28:18 > 0:28:20and it's a ratio of about 10 to 1,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23so 10 litres of milk will make 1kg of cheese.
0:28:23 > 0:28:29So from this tank, today we will make 21 Wiltshire loaf cheeses.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Wiltshire loaf was a very popular cheese.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37It was mentioned in two of Jane Austen's novels
0:28:37 > 0:28:42and I'm really proud to be reviving this traditional Wiltshire cheese.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45When world war rationing came about,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48people could only buy a few ounces of cheese per week,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51so there really wasn't the market for cheese.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53I think that might have been the key reason
0:28:53 > 0:28:55why a lot of the regional cheese has died out.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58So solid bits are the curd
0:28:58 > 0:29:01and the liquid part is the whey.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Even right now this tastes quite nice, quite sweet and warm.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07People used to eat curds and whey,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09like Little Mrs Muffet on her tuffet.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I want to keep the curd
0:29:12 > 0:29:16and I want to allow the whey to be released.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22This is Kate and Kate's going to help me
0:29:22 > 0:29:24with the stage of milling the cheese.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26We need to get the cheese into small pieces
0:29:26 > 0:29:28and to use that we'll use the peg mill.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34The peg mill tears the curd into smaller pieces
0:29:34 > 0:29:38so that when we add the salt, the salt will be evenly distributed.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42This is the most physical part of cheese making.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44You can probably almost hear my heartbeat.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48The salt's added for three reasons.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Of course, it adds flavour to the cheese,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54it also helps draw out more of the moisture
0:29:54 > 0:29:56and it also stops any nasty bugs from growing.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Once milled, the curds are packed into cheese moulds before being
0:30:01 > 0:30:03placed into a hydraulic press.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10So in times gone by, cheeses might have been pressed by having
0:30:10 > 0:30:13just a weight put on top of the cheeses,
0:30:13 > 0:30:15or a screw press,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18with a metal screw, like an apple press.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20So you put the cheese on there
0:30:20 > 0:30:23and then you can tighten a board pressing down on top of the cheese.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27The cheeses will be pressed overnight before being transferred
0:30:27 > 0:30:29to the ripening rooms, where they'll be waxed
0:30:29 > 0:30:31and left to mature for three months.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36The bigger a cheese is, the longer it can be ripened for.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Think of the big Parmesans that are ripened for years.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43A small cheese can dry out too much if you try to keep it for too long.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46I find that that three months is just about perfect
0:30:46 > 0:30:48for the Wiltshire loaf.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55I'm going to find a way to use a bit of Ceri's Wiltshire Loaf
0:30:55 > 0:30:57in the final dish I'm cooking today -
0:30:57 > 0:30:59my tribute to Biggins.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Back in Salisbury, we've come to the Queen Elizabeth Gardens
0:31:07 > 0:31:09on the banks of the River Avon,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12a gorgeous park, just minutes from the middle of town
0:31:12 > 0:31:15where I'm going to cook my tribute dish for Biggins.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19So this is central Salisbury.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21You can still see the Cathedral spires.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23You can from almost everywhere, can't you?
0:31:23 > 0:31:27You can, and this is where, this is quite famous here, this park,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29because this is where Constable painted
0:31:29 > 0:31:32his masterpiece of Salisbury Cathedral.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35- Oh, right.- This is the park that he painted from, so it's rather clever.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38And what reputation do you think Salisbury has in the world today?
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Does it have... Apart from, I suppose, the Cathedral?
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Well, I think, yes, I think it's a historical place
0:31:43 > 0:31:46because we've not only got Salisbury Cathedral, we've got
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Old Sarum, which is a very important historical mound.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54And then a little bit further up the road we've got Stonehenge,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56so it's full of history all around here.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59So whilst I go and prepare another dish for you...
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Yes, which I can't wait, because the first one was delicious.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03Good man.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06This is the perfect opportunity for you to go back and have a look where
0:32:06 > 0:32:09you used to live, where the school was, where anything that you....
0:32:09 > 0:32:11- Salisbury Rep... - Absolutely right, yes.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- OK, I'll see you later then. - Be good.- Get cooking.- Enjoy.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20Salisbury is definitely a place steeped in history, as Biggins says,
0:32:20 > 0:32:25but today, I feel like it's his own history that I've found out about.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30I'm going to use some of the things I've learned about him to create
0:32:30 > 0:32:32one very special tribute dish
0:32:32 > 0:32:36using some more lovely, local ingredients.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42So I am going to do a dish, which is going to have pork sausages,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Wiltshire pork sausages, some more Wiltshire bacon, beautiful stuff.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50We've got some local cheese and as a tribute to his beans on toast,
0:32:50 > 0:32:54I'm going to use chickpeas in tomato sauce.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57So this is what we are going to do first. Pan on,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59and it's a bit of oil in there.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Lovely colour, this is.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05Smells wonderful.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07I need to get a good heat
0:33:07 > 0:33:10with a following wind.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Just look at these lovely sausages,
0:33:13 > 0:33:14really are.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Delicious looking, nice and fresh.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Bags of meat, not too much rusk,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22a good balance, really tasty.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I'm sure he's going to love these sausages.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26So we put those into a pan.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Hopefully wants to be nice and hot.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31It's just about hot enough, is this.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38So here we are, this is where I was brought up.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41I was 18-and-a-half years old when I left here, which is
0:33:41 > 0:33:45a long time ago and it's fascinating.
0:33:45 > 0:33:46It brings back so many memories.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49The sort of front room is this room here.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51At the back there was a kitchen.
0:33:51 > 0:33:52We had an outdoor lavatory,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55which I was terrified of going to the loo,
0:33:55 > 0:33:57and there were three bedrooms.
0:33:57 > 0:33:58It seems bigger somehow.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01I mean, those houses are new there.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Those weren't here when I lived here.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Something must happened, they must have pulled down a whole street, I would imagine,
0:34:07 > 0:34:11but all these houses are absolutely as it was
0:34:11 > 0:34:13when I was here 40 years ago.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Yes, unbelievable.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Things don't change.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Biggins should be taking away some great memories of his trip
0:34:22 > 0:34:24back to his old neighbourhood
0:34:24 > 0:34:28and I do hope the dish I'm making will be a meal to remember as well.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31So the sausages have got a decent colour on them.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Take them out at this stage.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35I think six here,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37four for Christopher and two for me.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41I'm going to make a sauce in the same pan,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44starting with chopped onions and bacon.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49So the idea here is to just get flavour going,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51we don't want too much colour
0:34:51 > 0:34:53and I'm just going to put some garlic in there.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Shave the garlic.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Lovely flavours.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Now put the sausages back in.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Any juices there are there,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13those go back in there, that's lovely.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16I've got some fresh thyme here.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18So chopped tomatoes go in
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and then about a glass of white wine.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Give it all a bit of a swirl here.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Look at that lovely colour in there.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30If Biggins doesn't like this I'm in real trouble,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33but I'm sure he's going to love this.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35It'll need half an hour in a hot oven.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Back on the street where he grew up,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Biggins is working up an appetite posing
0:35:41 > 0:35:43with current residents, like Jan.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47- There you go. - Thank you.- Lovely.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- Nice to see you. - It's lovely to see you, yeah.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- How does it feel coming back? - Very odd, very odd indeed.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It's such a long time since I've been here.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57When did you leave?
0:35:57 > 0:36:01When I was 18-and-a-half, so we're talking something like 50 years ago.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04Yes, so it was before we'd even moved here.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Yes, so it was very different then.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Because your brother's quite a bit younger...
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Yes, he's 18 years younger, so when I moved out
0:36:10 > 0:36:12he was a baby because, you know, my mo...
0:36:12 > 0:36:15My parents told me, my mother said to me, "I'm pregnant",
0:36:15 > 0:36:17and I said, "Don't be so stupid!"
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I mean, the thought of one's parents still doing it was appalling.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- I suppose so. - I know differently now!
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Not everything in the neighbourhood is the same as in Biggins' day.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Well I can't remember any cars, hardly, being here.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39So it was a lot of playing, children playing,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42and things happening and, of course, this was the way I walked to
0:36:42 > 0:36:45school and I always remember we had a great view of Salisbury Cathedral.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Where these cars are, there were houses right up to that tree.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Actually, the school... No, I'm wrong...
0:36:53 > 0:36:57The school was on this car park, that's right, the school was there.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59It's all coming back, it's amazing.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Memories.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Biggins left school at 16 without any qualifications
0:37:10 > 0:37:13but got a job as an assistant stage manager
0:37:13 > 0:37:16at the local theatre, The Salisbury Playhouse.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23So this really is a lot of memories
0:37:23 > 0:37:27streaming back because this building was the site of the Arts Theatre
0:37:27 > 0:37:32and Salisbury Playhouse from 1953-1976.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34I mean, it was a fantastic building.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37All this, of course, is new, but it was an old Methodist church
0:37:37 > 0:37:42and it had steps going up to it and it looked very imposing, actually,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45and in there we did the most incredible productions.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48I mean, play after play - two-weekly rep.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53I remember also, the end of two weeks we would take the set down
0:37:53 > 0:37:57and we would put the new one up and so at two o'clock in the morning
0:37:57 > 0:38:01I would walk up this street to home and I would be often
0:38:01 > 0:38:02stopped by the police saying,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04"What are you doing? Where have you been?"
0:38:04 > 0:38:07you know, like I was sort of a robber or something, or a criminal.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10But you know, it was a wonderful experience.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14I mean, I was very proud to have spent two years here working.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18Starting off at £2 a week, heavily subsidised by my mum and dad
0:38:18 > 0:38:21and then in the second year I went to eight and then at the end
0:38:21 > 0:38:24of that second year, I was on £14 a week.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26I was so rich it wasn't true.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30I hope Biggins has enjoyed his trip back here,
0:38:30 > 0:38:35and I've taken inspiration from his memories, and from some
0:38:35 > 0:38:36wonderful Wiltshire produce,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39to come up with a dish just for him.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43I've already browned sausages in a pan and made a sauce of onion
0:38:43 > 0:38:47and bacon, with garlic, thyme and tinned tomatoes.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50I've popped the sausages back in the pan
0:38:50 > 0:38:53and left everything to cook together.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58I've even cooked some mash which, I hope, is as good as his grandma's.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02It's time to reveal all to Biggins.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06I have to tell you, it's perfect timing, as this has been in the oven
0:39:06 > 0:39:11for the last 20 to 30 minutes. Just look at that.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- Oh, my goodness, that's wonderful. - Now that's the start of it.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16- I've got some tomatoes here.- Yeah.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18I'm just going to finish chopping those up.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22I've got tinned tomatoes in so that all goes in there now.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24A bit of local honey.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- Wiltshire honey? - Wiltshire honey, absolutely,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31just to give those tomatoes that little bit of sweetness.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36And I did actually think of, when you used to eat beans on toast,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- so they're not quite beans on toast, these are chickpeas.- All right.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42So the chickpeas go in there
0:39:42 > 0:39:47and we give them a stir round and put it into another dish.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Now this is my take of a cassoulet,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53- a great French dish. - Oh, I love cassoulet.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55And I think this actually works lovely as a dish.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58So we just spread that over the top, that's perfect in there.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Then we get rid of that down there.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Now just one other thing.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- This is a "grate" cheese.- Oh!
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- Oh, yes, it is. - Oh, no, it isn't.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Dear, oh, dear. The old ones are the best.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14They do it and I have to say we're two of the eldest and...
0:40:14 > 0:40:17- And, in my opinion, two of the best.- Yeah, exactly.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20I'm going to put that with some breadcrumbs.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24So all we do now is we sprinkle the cheese,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28the breadcrumb and the parsley mix over the top
0:40:28 > 0:40:32and that goes back into a fairly hot oven.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36It is cooked, so we just want to make sure it gratinates up,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38it gets a really lovely colour.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40That's on, in it goes.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43The dish that we're going to see in just a couple of moments...
0:40:43 > 0:40:47I just hope it encapsulates what I've learnt about you
0:40:47 > 0:40:50from you and here about, about this wonderful place here.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- The tomatoes are meant to represent the tomato soup.- Yes.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57I've got some mashed potato to serve with this wonderful dish.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01The sausages are local, the honey is local, the cheese is local.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06It's really all about what Salisbury and Wiltshire say to me through you.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10- Is that...? - Absolutely perfect and I can't wait.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13I love sausages so it's great that we're going to have sausages.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- Oh...- Oh, that looks OK.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- That doesn't look bad at all. - It's good.- Oh, it's bubbling!
0:41:19 > 0:41:21- Yes, you're surprised, aren't you? - It's bubbling away.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23- And look it's got some brown bits. - Yes, excellent!
0:41:23 > 0:41:25And it's nice to form a nice crust on top.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Now I'm just going to serve it up.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32A nice bit of mash goes on the middle there.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34- That looks good, does that. - It looks very good.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36And then we're going to take one...
0:41:37 > 0:41:39Sausage?
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Two. Do you fancy a third one?
0:41:41 > 0:41:44- Yeah, go on. - That's what I like to hear.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Be careful, it's nice and hot, is this.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50And just put that over the top,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54and I just love this fresh thyme.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57It just makes it look...
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Oh, look at that.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02- There you are, sir. - That's a good...
0:42:02 > 0:42:04- Just for you. - That's a good bit of Wiltshire.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08My tribute to Biggins is a Wiltshire cassoulet
0:42:08 > 0:42:10served with mashed potato.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Local pork sausages baked in a sauce of tomatoes
0:42:12 > 0:42:17and chickpeas as a nod to that childhood favourite, beans on toast.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20And there's a crunchy breadcrumb topping with some wonderful
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Wiltshire Loaf cheese tossed through it.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26I do hope he likes it.
0:42:26 > 0:42:27Oh, this looks very good.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30So what thinkest thou,
0:42:30 > 0:42:32says he before...?
0:42:32 > 0:42:34I'll tell you what, those sausages have got a lovely texture.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Mmm, and you can taste the honey.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- It is, it's quite sweet, isn't it? - It's very nice.- Mmm.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Local pigs, Wiltshire bacon, Wiltshire sausages
0:42:46 > 0:42:48and, of course, mashed potato.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Yeah, mash is great.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Of course when your gran made it, to go with tomato soup,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57she wouldn't have had lots of butter in there,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59it would be margarine, wouldn't it? No cream in there.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- That's got a few extras in there. - Mmm, it's very good.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Excellent, well done, I've really enjoyed that.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Thank you, that's very kind. I hope you've enjoyed the day looking around Salisbury.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10- I have.- It brings back a few memories.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- But life must go on. - Absolutely, it's great.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15- Thank you, sir.- Thank you!