Episode 1 Nigel and Adam's Farm Kitchen

Over half of the land in the UK is dedicated to producing food,

but what do we really know about what ends up on our plate?

I am Nigel Slater - a cook - and I know my way around a kitchen.

And I'm Adam Henson - a farmer - so crops and animals are my expertise.

We're joining forces to get us all back in touch with where our food really comes from.

We'll be revealing the top 50 fresh foods

that we all buy week in, week out.

Together, we'll be bringing you the story of what we eat, tracing it from farm to fork.

And discovering the best way to get

variety, value and flavour from it all.

'We've moved into Old Farm in Moreton-in-Marsh

'with the Righton family who have lived and worked the land for three generations.

'Together we'll be growing our crops, some traditional...'

So, that's cake, that's bread.

'..and some more unusual.'

Now then, Nigel, THIS is where I'm going to put my biodome.

Here, we'll plant your favourite foreign foods,

ones we usually have to import,

but I do worry how will they'll cope

given the unpredictable British weather.

THUNDERCLAP

And we're rearing animals.

So no names. Not naming anything we're going to eat.

COW MOOS

Come on, girls. It's very rewarding, particularly when you see

all these ewes and lambs skipping about the field.

It is a very beautiful sight, isn't it?

I see shepherd's pie.

Bit of Irish stew.

I'll be cooking up all of our produce

and your top 50 fresh ingredients will be turned into delicious,

and your top 50 fresh ingredients will be turned into delicious,

cheap and healthy dishes. Well, that's the plan.

So join us over the next four weeks to get the most out of what we eat...

As we celebrate the very best of British food.

Welcome to our farm in Moreton-in-Marsh.

This is our home for the series

where we'll sow, grow, rear and cook your favourite foods.

Tonight we're kicking off with beef.

But not in its traditional form.

Our busy lifestyles mean we spend

43% less time cooking than our parents did,

so it's out with the roast and in with the ready meal

which astonishingly comes in at number five

on your fresh food shopping list.

They are a convenient way of eating.

You don't want to cook, so you just chuck a ready meal in, ping it in the microwave and there you go.

I probably eat them ready meals at least twice a day, for lunch and dinner.

Sometimes even for breakfast.

That's a challenge for Nigel,

but if anyone can get Britain cooking he can,

so together we're going to try to revive the tradition of the Sunday roast,

and turn your favourite ready meal lasagne, into a home-made

mouthwatering meal for the same price you'd buy it off the shelf.

We'll be doing all this, and more, right here on the farm.

You want me to water the pigs? Off you go.

Just a little bit down the back. PIG SQUEALS

See, you're not going to like this, are you?

Old Farm, in the heart of the Cotswolds, is 300 acres

of arable land and pasture, home to Simon, Sarah,

their children Sam and Meg,

the dogs Bebe, Bonnie and Blue,

and a farm full of animals.

We've got 300 breeding ewes, which should produce us about 450 lambs.

We've got 90 pigs. They're my favourite.

I've worked with pigs for a long time and, um, 130 hens.

And cattle? We've got 60 cattle.

17 of them are cows and we have one Hereford bull.

So, do you trust us with your farm? I dunno. Dunno. THEY ALL LAUGH

Do you know what you're letting yourself in for? No. Yeah.

As long as you put it back when you've finished how you found it,

then it'll be all right. Or in a better condition!

So if we're going to make a lasagne,

we've got plenty of beef on the farm, but what about pasta?

Fresh pasta is number 38 on your fresh food shopping list,

and we eat even more of the dried stuff.

So can we produce it in the Cotswolds?

The majority of pasta comes from Italy and that's where

they grow a lot of the wheat to produce it.

And it comes from a very special kind of seed -

I'll just put a glove on cos it's got chemicals on it to help it grow -

and the seed's known as durum wheat, and it really likes

growing in a warm climate,

so I'm not sure it's going to work over here.

But there's one thing as a farmer I've learnt -

when it comes to the weather, expect the unexpected.

Well done, Simon you got the drill ready to go. And the seed.

We've brought the weather with us as well.

The ground's drying out nicely.

So, do you think it's going to grow?

It'll grow but whether we get any durum flour is another matter. ADAM LAUGHS

To satisfy our vast appetite for pasta

we imported 362,000 tonnes of it last year,

that's 25 times the weight of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

It can't be made from normal bread wheat,

it needs the high protein and gluten strength of durum flour

which is what makes pasta hold its shape.

If I'm successful, Nigel could have enough flour to make lasagne for about 9,000 people!

Fingers crossed this Mediterranean must-have takes to British soil!

Number nine on your fresh food shopping list

is your favourite red meat, beef.

We like it so much, we eat over a million tonnes of it a year.

Now these lovely ladies have been cosy in the cattle sheds for

a very long winter now, one of the longest I can remember

and they're chomping at the bit to get their teeth on the lovely spring grass.

So let's let 'em out, shall we, Nigel? Come on. COW BELLOWS

Come on, girls!

Come on, ladies.

I'm used to my first encounter with beef being in the butcher's window,

so this farming experience is a bit new to me.

Come on, then!

THEY LAUGH

But the butcher's window is getting smaller.

84% of the meat we buy is pre-packed, sealed

and bought off the shelf or online, removing us even further from

the animal and its different cuts.

So what are we all buying?

Well, Northern Ireland are the biggest beefeaters.

They bought a staggering 15,000 tonnes of fresh beef last year.

In Lancashire, they buy the most steak, while in Yorkshire

they're stewing it.

And it's the North East who roast the most.

Well, I just love it all.

But whether you're in Scotland, Wales or the South, one thing we ALL

have in common - a staggering 50% of all fresh beef we buy is mince.

And no wonder, when supermarkets use cheap deals to entice us to buy it.

# Keep rolling, rolling, rolling

# Though the streams are swollen

# Keep them doggies movin' Rawhide...! #

So what do we know, or more importantly,

what don't we know about beef?

We've taken to the streets of Aberdeen,

with a friend in tow, to find out.

Well, Adam has.

I'm going to watch and listen to what people have to say.

Hello, some lovely people. Would you like to meet Angus my bull?

Hello, Angus.

Do you eat beef?

Yes, Scottish beef. Do you? Only? Yes.

We've got lots of pictures down here with the different cuts on.

So point to one you might recognise. Mince. Why do you go for the mince?

It's easier to cook with. What do you cook most?

Steak mince, actually. It's quite versatile. Price? And price.

You see the most popular cut of all, mince.

So if we all love our mince so much,

what does that mean for the rest of the animal?

So tell me what's your favourite cut of beef?

I don't know what I'm buying, I go to the delicatessen and say give me a good bit of beef

and he gives me it and I pay for it. I honestly don't know.

If you see someone behind the butcher's counter at a supermarket,

talk to them, just pick their brains. It's what they're there for.

Here's one your parents might have used, do you recognise that?

Don't really know.

Ladies wear them. Not a dress but a...?

Oh, the skirt of beef. Yes, it's lovely, the skirt.

Such a good piece of meat, the skirt,

you get a lot of flavour for your pound.

Do you know where the brisket goes? I've no idea. Absolutely no idea.

I think it's there. OK.

I'm not sure, though.

It's here. Oh, my goodness.

Under there through to the front.

I think we're not educated enough.

It's not touched on at school when you're growing up.

Maybe we should ask the older members of the family about it

because it's true we did use cuts that we don't use now.

Hello, ladies. Bet you know your cuts of meat, what's your favourite?

For roasting, I like a piece of topside. Yes.

If I was having steak, I'd like fillet steak.

Um, don't particularly like rump steak cos it's a bit tougher.

If I was buying shin of beef for making casseroles and things like that.

And then there's oxtail soup, so that would obviously come from its tail. Of course!

I would love to cook with that lady cos she's using bits and pieces that we often don't, that we ignore.

It's staggering the amount of cuts you can get from one beef animal,

more than 80 different cuts.

I just have a small selection of them here.

This is the silverside, a really lovely cut of meat

and if you take an average size joint, you can get 15 of those

from one animal,

then there's the topside here, and that's a big joint we've got here,

but you can get 13 of those from one animal.

The country's most popular cut of steak - the sirloin -

75 from one animal.

And then good old rump, about 55 of those.

And of course you've got all of this lot down here as well,

the shin, the chuck and the skirt.

Often they are made into just mountains of mince which is everybody's favourite.

I want to rescue these cuts from the mincer, these are fabulous cuts.

This skirt is actually a very good steak, great for flash frying.

The chuck - wonderful in a pie or crumble.

And this, the beautiful shin, it needs a lot of cooking,

but so much flavour!

So what do you look for when you are buying joints of meat or steaks?

Well, this beef animal was grown on the farm here,

slaughtered and then hung for at least 21 days,

which means the meat has gone slightly darker,

the enzymes naturally working the meat and tenderise it.

So the idea of this incredibly attractive,

bright red piece of meat is maybe a little bit misunderstood.

We should go for something darker, almost more purple.

But what interests me almost as much as the meat are the bones -

there's so much flavour there, for stock, for soup, for glorious gravy.

Just ask your butcher, they'll probably be free.

So, this is what I want, Adam, pieces of shin bone about like that.

OK, I'll get that cut out for you, and can I give the rest to my sheepdogs back home?

No, no, no, I want that for my stock. OK, anything else, chef?

Yeah, you can tidy up a bit. All right, I've got it sorted.

And don't call me "chef".

So this is the meat for my cow crumble,

it's going to be soft, tender meat, a crisp, and very unusual crust.

A bit of shin, some chuck and some skirt.

Hello. Ah, here's your bone, is that about the right size?

That is perfect, sir, thank you.

So what are you going to do with that, then? Ah, wait and see.

Is there anything I can do to help? Oh, yes, can you cut that up for me?

The sort of size you'd have in a steak and kidney pie.

OK. So little cubes. There you are, sir. Very good.

Hope you're a better butcher than I am herdsman!

Adam, can you chop some celery?

'You'll need three basic vegetables -

'it's deliciously simple.'

These may be cheap cuts, and they may not look appetising now

but they will when I'm finished.

That's if Bebe doesn't get there first.

Oh, watch the dog with that meat.

Get out, dog, go on!

Go on, out! Go on, out!

You're really good with animals, aren't you? She's not really listening to me.

So just going to cut those into very rough chunks.

This takes a lot of cooking, so the pieces don't need to be too small.

They've got quite a while to go in the oven.

Put some stock in here and I'm going to keep it at very low heat.

'I've made my own stock with the bones

'but there are plenty of good ones on the market.'

So that's your shin, skirt and chuck.

No need to keep it separate, cos I am going to chuck them in together.

When is this going to be ready?

A couple of hours, but don't worry if you are longer.

All right, see you in a bit! All right, see you in a bit!

I'm using olive oil for this, you could use rapeseed,

groundnut, or you could use a bit of dripping.

Get that really quite hot. Going to put in the meat.

What is really important here,

the most essential part of the recipe, it's all the sticky

little bits that are gathering on the base of the pan.

That's where so much flavour is.

I'm going to pour some stock into the pan...

Couple of ladlefuls...

Oh, look at that already!

Then, I'm going to scrape up all that flavour,

every little bit of it.

This is really good stuff.

I've actually seen dishes like these being put in the washing up,

with all that flavour still there, and it breaks my heart.

Because this is just treasure and that goes back in with the meat.

So onions in first, celery and the carrot.

These really need to become gold rather than brown.

I reckon I'm going to get eight really good portions out of there,

for a couple of quid a head.

So once you've got a little bit of colour in there,

the meat can go back in.

And I know it's not very fashionable to put flour in sauces any more,

but I do, because you get a wonderfully velvety texture.

Just cook that for a few minutes, before you put the stock in.

The stock should almost cover the meat.

Some sprigs of thyme, a few bay leaves and as always,

some salt and pepper.

And what that needs is a crust.

But I'm making mine with good old British root veg - a few parsnips...

Apparently one in five adults think they grow on trees.

..and a couple of potatoes.

There's a rule in my house that whenever there's parsnips,

there's also butter and lots of it.

Yes, that's half a pack of butter

but we're feeding a lot of people here.

Just going to put in a couple of tablespoons of mustard seeds.

These are aromatic rather than hot - they are just a little bit spicy.

Put in the roots, so it's mostly parsnip.

If you want to do it all with potato, fine.

Then I'm going to toss the parsnips in the butter and the mustard seeds.

Just so that they become really glossy.

So THIS is our crust.

So what I've got here is my secret weapon.

This bone is just full of goodness, full of this wonderful marrow.

Tuck it in the middle as this cooks.

The marrow in the bone will melt

down right into the heart of the stew.

And all that goodness, all that flavour

is going to go right down into our pie.

That goes into a low oven for a couple of hours

but remove the foil after 60 minutes for a crisp crust.

Three cheap tasty traditional cuts of beef

to make a heart-warming cow crumble, for a couple of quid a portion.

And what a surprise, Adam's turned up just as the food's ready!

Goodness me, that's looking great! It's not looking bad, is it?

So what was the idea of the bone in the middle?

It enriches the meat, and the butcher doesn't charge for bones.

Wow! Is it wonderful? Hmm!

I like a parsnip. Hmm!

Whatever the meat, on average we all eat 85 kilos of it a year.

That's about 33 chickens, a fifth of a cow, three sheep or one whole pig!

Over here, Nigel. Come and have a look at our pigs.

So those are our three little pigs.

Pork is on your shopping list in five different guises,

in fact, it's the most eaten meat in the world,

so to satisfy gigantic demand commercial pigs have to grow fast.

We've brought one in to rear alongside two other breeds

so we can see the difference in how they grow.

OK, so which one is which?

So the ginger one is the Tamworth

which is an old, traditional breed, really for bacon.

And then the black and white one is Sarah and Simon's Glamrock,

which is a mixture of an older and a modern pig.

The mother is a Gloucestershire Old Spot.

And then the white one is really one of the most modern pigs you can get, a commercial pig,

which is an all-rounder, so you've got a bacon pig, a porker, and then an all-rounder.

So I've got breakfast, Sunday lunch and then I've got all day. You've got it! Oh, maybe not.

Will they get on?

They look like they're settling down OK at the moment

but they're likely to sort out a pecking order and scrap a bit, yeah.

I've got you some special lotion to stop them fighting.

That stops them scrapping, does it?

Yeah. It'll make 'em all smell similar so they'll all think they're from the same herd.

You want me to water the pigs?!

Yeah, it makes them grow. Off you go.

Just a little bit down the back, they'll be fine.

Just a wee bit. PIG SQUEALS

Yeah, see, you're not going to like this, are you?

All right, you then. You're missing! I know!

'Making sure our pigs have a happy, healthy life is important

'so if this helps them get on, it's a job worth doing.'

A little bit of water. Ah, see now they know what they're doing. Ah!

This smells quite nice. Did you put it under their armpits?

They smell delightful now.

'So we'll feed them the same, measure their growth rates,

'and of course later in the series, we'll cook them.'

Now as a farmer you learn to manage the unpredictable.

MUSIC: "Wipe Out"

The disastrous weather in the autumn of 2012 hit farmers hard,

so this spring's bout of cold and wet is the last thing we need...

..especially when I'm trying to grow pasta wheat for Nigel.

Wish the weather would clear up.

It's days like these you realise just how far we are from the sun-kissed wheat fields of Italy.

So, Nigel, this is where Simon's very kindly let us do some trials,

so we've got our durum wheat here, that challenge you set me,

and believe it or not it's growing.

A little bit! Not very well.

Well, no. I'd expected more, I'm sorry.

A couple of days after Adam planted it, it's just had snow,

cold rain, rain and, you know, just real bad conditions. So...

Everything nature can throw at it had been thrown at that wheat.

It has. Bitterly easterly winds.

It's windy and blowing a gale today.

At least the temperature is a little bit warmer.

And what does this need now?

There's lots of moisture in the soil, isn't there?

What it needs is warmth to get it growing.

And it ought to be a little bit further on than it is.

I mean, we're probably, what? How far behind?

Well, this should have been up as soon as we planted it.

So three weeks... We're three to four weeks behind.

I've got lots of excuses...

I don't want excuses, Adam. I want pasta.

We've just got to get some warm weather and get it growing. OK.

So you've got something to cook with. Yeah. Well, fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed.

'That's really quite a challenge,

'but at least I've got my own veg patch, so I can rely on that.

'I'm planting three varieties of carrots,

'which we'll be serving later to guests at our Sunday roast.

'Vegetables are number one on your fresh food shopping list

'and I love growing my own, but it's not easy to grow carrots

'uniformly straight as they appear in shops.'

Because if they hit a lump or a stone, then you get wonky carrots.

But you know there's nothing quite like the taste of a home-grown carrot.

Wonky or not, being naturally sweet they're one of the few veg

most children will eat and indeed always have.

Carrots have been a nation's favourite

since World War II when other foods were scarce.

The Dig for Victory campaign planted them at the very heart

of the British diet and they've been allotment favourites ever since.

I know it's a bit bare-boned at the moment, but this is really exciting for me.

I can plant it and grow it, cook it and eat it,

all in this tiny little space.

Today we chomp through 700,000 tonnes a year

and Britain is almost completely self-sufficient in carrots.

So how do farmers manage it?

It's six o'clock in the morning

and I've come to Essex to see one of the biggest carrot growers in the UK.

Underneath all this straw and polythene,

protecting them from the awful weather we've been having recently,

are thousands of carrots.

So while Nigel's are just going in the ground,

the serious growers have carrots that are already fully grown.

How on earth do you manage to produce carrots all year round?

We grow carrots from January through to June, that's when they're

put in the ground and we have various methods

to bring those carrots on throughout the year, so the early ones

would be covered in clear polythene to bring them on early

and then the late ones are covered like you see here, in straw.

We actually store them naturally in the ground.

So the carrot has done all its growing and now you've covered it

in polythene and straw just so it just sits there dormant?

That's right. The carrots will retain their quality and their flavour

right the way through until June the following year.

So you're out here come rain or shine or snow?

Absolutely it's 24/7, 365, well, 364 days a year,

we don't work Christmas day!

So while you're filling your baskets with carrots,

spare a thought for these guys.

They waste no time getting the crop to us.

3.6 million carrots will be processed packed and delivered overnight,

fresh on the shelf for you to buy in the morning. Amazing.

So if you want to know how they grow their carrots

nice and straight, it's all about this fine soil.

No stones, and having a seed range so that the carrots are growing nice and close together.

No lumps and bumps to grow round.

Wonder how yours are getting on, Nigel?

Well, try as they might,

even farmers can't grow them all perfectly straight,

around 30% get rejected by supermarkets, mostly on looks.

Now Mr Henson wouldn't be very impressed with these but I am,

tiny little sweet wonky carrots -

I think they're charming.

Look, it's a double carrot. Meg, look, they're purple.

These are really big and curly.

Wow, mine's the best. Mine's the best.

You know what? If you put all the carrots grown in this country end to end

they'd go to the moon and back two and a half times.

Now these will make the perfect accompaniment for our Sunday roast.

When I was a boy, Sundays were all about joints in the oven

and gathering round the table.

These days almost 60% of us no longer sit down for a weekly Sunday lunch.

I just don't cook 'em myself, just for the fear of it, not doing it right.

It just seems an awful lot of work and effort for something for just me and my partner.

Roast beef's a bit high-end for me. I tend to do chicken instead!

I've never had a Sunday roast beef.

In an effort to get Britain cooking and stop relying on convenience food,

Adam and I are hosting a Sunday roast on the farm, and I've got

the perfect dish that combines two things kids love - carrots and Yorkshire pudding,

which you can serve with the roast or without!

I've already made my batter, that's resting in the fridge

and I'm going to be putting sweet things like carrots

and onions in the pudding.

Now I'm going to cook them a little bit first, I'm just going to caramelise the edges.

Now you could do this in butter or sunflower oil

but I've got a bit of good old beef dripping.

So into that we put the onions, these lovely banana shallots...

some carrots...

..and the whole garlic.

Now you could do individual puddings which are terribly sweet

but I'm doing a big family size one cos I love that idea of sharing

food and bringing something to the table that everybody can dig into.

So these are ready, make sure everybody gets a little bit of each.

And as well as my vegetable patch

I'm growing my own herbs and I've got the perfect one for this.

Got some thyme, a couple of whole sprigs. Why not?

Now batter pudding, really hot oven, I've got it cranked up to 220.

Now I know the batter isn't in there yet but that's because I want

the batter to get really smoking hot before I pour the batter in

and that way it should puff up really nicely.

This is just a simple batter - plain flour, milk, water, and eggs.

Tip the batter straight in...

..and then in the oven for about 30, 40 minutes

or keep having a look at it.

This is a really simple recipe, which is exactly what we need

to persuade people the Sunday roast doesn't have to be daunting.

And there it is, that's had about 40 minutes and it's all puffed up

and golden, and inside, lots of sweet melting veg.

At last summer's arrived, our three little pigs are getting bigger,

Simon's wheat fields are looking green and lush...

..and my field of pasta wheat is loving this sunshine.

Now then, Nigel, you asked me to grow some durum wheat for your pasta...

and here it is. And it's gone through some pretty tough times

but it's looking reasonable.

It's looking pretty good. I have to say, from being rather sceptical.

It's got to double in height before we see any sign

of seed, that's if the sun keeps shining but I'm quietly confident.

It's a bit patchy in parts

but I think this will come to harvest and we should have some grain.

Yeah, I mean, don't get too cocky.

It's coming on.

It's got a way to go.

I suppose, you know,

we have a got to get the seed in... In the bag first.

Let's wait till the pasta's on the plate!

Well, we can't stand around all day watching wheat grow -

there's work to be done.

So it's back to the cattle shed

for number three on your shopping list - milk.

So you actually want me to milk a cow?

That's it, come on, Nigel. Down into the parlour.

Lovely herd. They're ready to be milked, so you can give me a hand.

Grand.

Ever done this before?

No. It comes in a bottle.

So tell me, what is the difference

between a dairy cow and one that would be used for beef?

So, dairy cows are obviously females

and they have to give birth to produce lots of milk.

And they're usually a bigger, angular animal.

Very little meat on it, quite lean.

And really bred purely for milk production.

Whereas a beef animal can be a male, or a female,

and it's big and meaty

and bred purely for laying down lots of muscle and meat.

So let me turn it on, and you can milk the herd.

This one here? This one. This one? On the back one. Yeah.

So, onto there. That's it. And then up. Yeah.

And then let it go.

That's it.

And then that one.

Front one.

He's good at this.

There's about another 120 to go,

so I'll leave you to it.

Thanks(!)

'Every one of us consumes 141 pints a year,

'that's 9 billion pints for Britain.

'But picking up a pinta is far more confusing today than it used to be.

'Most of us remember it was the original convenience food -

'healthy, nutritious,

'and delivered to your front door by a milkman,

'and it was either gold top or silver top.'

But today every supermarket

has just got a vast choice.

There's over 40 different milks to choose from.

But whatever pint you pick,

it's all been pasteurised to kill off bacteria,

homogenised to blend the cream with the milk,

and standardised so it looks and tastes the same.

Production of plain fresh milk in the UK is entirely natural.

Nothing's added, only butter fat removed

to make the different grades.

And it may surprise you

that there's actually slightly more calcium in skimmed milk than whole,

because calcium comes from the watery part,

not the creamy part that's removed.

It's wonderful to have so much choice,

but let's not lose the things

that take us back to our childhood memories,

be it the bottle of milk on the doorstep

or the smell of the Sunday roast.

Tomorrow we're expecting 30 people

who hardly ever find the time

to cook a roast and sit down with family and friends.

'The most iconic British meal, the Sunday Roast,

'doesn't have to be complicated.

'I want to show how easy it can be,

'so I'm cooking a one-pot roast -

'a delicious rib of beef.'

The star of the show -

beautiful, beautiful rib.

I know it's expensive, but you've got the bones,

you've got this beautiful marbling all the way through,

it's so gorgeous.

And you've got other meals to come - Monday, Tuesday,

you can make the best cottage pie in the world.

'So the cost spreads across more than one meal.'

'While my potatoes are par-boiling

'I'm going to make a quick glaze for the beef,

'grating fresh horseradish into beef dripping on a gentle heat.

'Then just add salt and black peppercorns.

'But the real beauty of this dish

'is that most of it goes into one pot,

'so there's no hassle, and less washing up.'

I've kept them big,

because they're going to be cooking for quite a long time.

As the meat roasts, and I baste it,

all the juices go down into the vegetables.

They will be wonderful.

'Then I just baste the meat with the horseradish glaze

'before it goes into the oven.

'You could actually put your potatoes in here too,

'but since I'm cooking for 30, I haven't the room.'

So, into the oven,

for a quick sizzle at 220.

'And then you baste it every half-hour with the glaze.'

I cook these just the way my mum did,

I put them in the oven

at 160 when I turn the roast down

and then if they need crisping up at the end

I can do it while the meat rests.

In the top.

And now the temperature down to 160.

And that's it.

I mean, it's as simple as that. THAT is it!

'So, get cooking.'

'Our guests have come from far and wide

'and for some of them it's their first visit to a farm.'

HORSE WHINNIES Did you hear that noise?

Did he say neigh?

'So they get to meet the animals that produce the food,

'as well as having their first roast for a long time,

'for a whole range of reasons.'

We feel they're gorgeous,

but we simply don't do them.

I don't know how to time it and put it all in my oven.

I don't think we've had a single roast, have we?

I don't think we ever have, no.

The reason we only have a Sunday roast a couple of times a year

is that we're out and about, driving the children round the country.

Mum's cooking is...sometimes nice. SHE GASPS

But it can be burnt at some times.

Nigel.

Clock's ticking. I got your sprouts.

And some almonds.

Look at what I've got.

Wonderful! Just look at that.

That's divine, isn't it? The smell.

Ooh!

That's going to have a little rest now for about half an hour,

just in time for us to get all the sprouts cooked. OK.

'One tradition we could do with losing

'is soggy, overcooked sprouts.

'They're delicious pan-fried

'with almonds and bacon.'

And it's nice fatty bacon,

because that's what Brussels sprouts like.

You chopped a lot of bacon, didn't you?

Mind you, we've got 30 people.

'Whatever joint you use,

'the reason you let the meat rest

'is so it relaxes

'and the juices pull back into the meat

'making it tender and moist.'

I'm quite enjoying all this cooking.

Look at you!

I'm away now. Turn my back for five minutes - MasterChef!

You've got lovely tender sprouts,

you've got crisp bacon -

a little too crisp -

and crunchy almonds. Fantastic.

'So, there we are. And it hasn't meant slaving for hours

'to create a gorgeous, traditional feast.'

It's absolutely delicious. Good? Superb.

They've come out beautifully.

Oh, ho, ho! Yes!

'Now, this is what Nigel's roast is really about -

'bringing our group of busy guests,

'who never take the time to get together,

'round the table, socialising, over platefuls of home-cooked food.'

So this is all about sharing, getting stuck in.

We'll get you a few serving spoons.

'So have we convinced them

'this is a tradition worth keeping?'

Yes, it definitely has.

Absolutely brilliant. Really, really enjoyed it. And inspiring.

I mean, when I was a child,

it was family time.

Everybody cooked Sunday lunch.

Yorkshire pudding with the vegetables in it.

That's unique for me. I've never had that before.

The sprouts with the bacon and the almonds.

Those were absolutely delicious.

It's nice to have a big group of people there to eat it, isn't it?

If you're only cooking it for a few people, it's kind of wasted.

You need a big family get-together.

So you just have to start getting a friendship group

who will come and eat roast dinners with you instead.

It's not just about the roast,

it's about everything else that goes with it.

It's about sharing a table, it's about passing food round,

and it's about what to do with the leftovers.

And the conversations have sparked off, haven't they?

They're all chatting away. Well, they are.

Even without a glass of wine! They're all having a natter.

We'll do this again. When's the next one?!

Are there any doggy bags?

Well, they certainly enjoyed it.

Let's hope they'll go back and keep the Sunday roast alive.

There are, of course,

a host of reasons we don't cook,

not least our busy lifestyles,

which perhaps is what accounts

for number five on our fresh-foods shopping list.

It was the fastest-growing grocery category last year.

And that's even after the horse-meat scandal.

What is it?

The ready meal.

From budget to fine-dining in a foil tray,

whatever the reason, we're all buying them.

They are a convenient way of eating.

When you've done a 12-hour shift, you get home, it's nine o'clock,

you don't want to cook, so you just chuck a ready meal in,

ping it in the microwave and there you go.

I probably eat 'em twice... Twice a day. For lunch and dinner.

Sometimes even for breakfast.

But there's always that guilty feeling at the back of your mind

that you might have made something nicer yourself.

There are now over 426 different varieties of ready meal,

but the biggest-selling across the board is lasagne.

And we're spending anything from 71p to ?4.99 on a portion for one.

I've picked up a range from budget to top-end,

all from the same supermarket,

and I've invited Nigel for lunch.

There we go then, Nigel.

I've been doing a bit of cooking.

Look! You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble(!)

These are for us to try.

'All right, it's not very scientific,

'but let's see what they taste like and how much they cost.'

'Right, I reckon we should rip these apart

'and see if we can work out which is the cheapest one

'and have a look and see what's in them.'

This is a bit pale, Adam.

It is a bit. And a bit...floppy.

It's horrible, isn't it?

ADAM LAUGHS

I've had better.

Do you think it's got any meat in?

So if I drag it off to the side, we'll see how much we've got.

That's about one mouthful, really.

Let's try this one. This looks really good.

I like the colour. Very juicy.

It looks quite oily and almost authentic.

Does that mean it might have more beef in it? I think it might.

That tastes much better.

I don't mind that.

Oh, look - much more meat.

Looks more interesting. OK. Last one. Let's bring this one over here.

Will it taste as good?

Mmm. I like it.

That could be home-made.

Good-tasting sauce.

I wouldn't be embarrassed to put that on the table.

And say that it was mine.

So, over here...

I've got the labels.

So, one of these, Nigel, is only 75p.

Which one do you reckon that is?

The cheap one, straightaway,

has got to be this one.

'The first one we tasted.'

It is.

Right, how about the mid-range?

This one comes in at ?2.20.

I think this one, partly because the quantity of meat is quite good,

but it's still got this very red colour.

I thought that was quite nice to eat.

I think that one. Yeah, you're correct.

And that one is just over ?2.

So the most expensive one is the one you thought could be home-made

and tastes quite nice. That came in at ?3.50.

What?! That is really quite expensive, isn't it?

It is, yeah. That's getting the higher range.

And to be quite honest, eating it, I'd be very happy with that.

If four of you sat down

to a ?3.50 lasagne each,

that's ?14!

That's crazy. That just doesn't make sense.

So although we both really liked the premium,

we think you get more value from the mid-range.

I think that we can make this,

and it is a long-winded recipe,

but I think we can make it into a convenience food at home.

How about you make me a lasagne for 75p.

Ooh!

How about a quid?

OK. But where's the flour for my pasta?

Well, yes, that is something I've got to get to.

It's growing, it's growing. Don't worry about it.

You tidy up, I'll go and check.

Growing durum wheat that really belongs in the Med

here in the Cotswolds has been a big ask.

I planted it in the coldest spring for 50 years,

and far from a warm, dry Italian climate,

we were at the mercy of the British weather.

At last, it got some of the sunshine it really needed

and although my crops at home were droughting out,

those scorching hot weeks in July

made all the difference to the durum wheat.

Well, Nigel may have been sceptical...

but take a look at it now!

As a cook, I think it's awesome

to find the main ingredient for pasta flour

growing right here in the UK.

And it's absolutely beautiful.

And I can't wait to see if the British weather

will have affected its flavour.

But right now it's affecting whether we can harvest or not.

Once again it's been raining,

and we've only got a short window for it to dry out

before the rains come down again.

And since Adam's got to attend to his own farm,

guess who's harvesting ours...

So is this going to be ready to harvest?

I think so. If we take a moisture meter test. Yeah.

Blow all the chaff off.

So there we've got that.

If we pop this into this little moisture meter machine.

Right. Like a coffee mill? That's it!

What moisture level are we after, ideally?

Really want to be below 15% moisture,

for storage, and also the millers like it.

They don't like it too wet.

15% moisture. OK.

So, we'll see what we've got here.

16.3. We're getting there.

Another hour or so and I think we could get you combine driving.

I know! I'm excited. I'm also excited about this.

This is almost flour, isn't it?

Brill!

I like toys.

It'll be a bit comfier

if you push that little button there with your foot

and then push the steering wheel towards you. Keep pulling.

That's it. That feel as bit better?

Yeah. It feels like the last thing I drove - which was a Mini.

It would be a piece of cake.

It would be...

I haven't actually driven for 40 years!

This is really cool. This is the best toy ever.

You just have to keep an eye,

cos the steering's not that great, it wanders a little bit.

Now you tell me!

I think I'm going a straight line.

Though it's a little hard to tell.

Oops. Perhaps not!

You want to go that way again now, cos it'll...

It's always constantly...

backwards and forwards on the steering.

So, this lot are ready for the mill.

Over to you, Adam.

'Nice work. But it still has to make the grade

'before they can turn it into good old Italian pasta flour.

'If it's not good enough, they won't mill it.'

Shipton Mill here have been producing flour

since the 11th century.

But this is a first for them, and for me,

because they've never milled durum wheat before,

but they have kindly agreed to give ours a go.

A bit nervous about this durum wheat,

is it going to make the grade?

I think so. I've been having a look at it

and actually, it's quite impressive, come over here and have a look.

This is your durum wheat, as you can see.

Next to a pile of what we would call ordinary English bread wheat

and you can see immediately there's a distinct difference

between the durum and the bread wheat.

It's almost translucent, isn't it? A very different-looking grain.

It's incredible, that vibrant yellow colour

is something that we've not seen before. So, very exciting.

And I think now is the time

to actually see whether it stands up to the tests

as to whether it will make us good pasta.

Every wheat that we take in,

we do this test before we tip it into the mill.

Because if we don't and it's not right

and it's already in the mill, it's really difficult to get out.

So it doesn't matter who you are, we mill for Prince Charles,

we take his wheat in, we test it exactly the same, it doesn't matter.

Look at that - it's an amazing colour. Now what we'll do is

we'll put it in these special little vessels,

put it in the machine and let the machine do its magic.

Realistically, if ours isn't up to scratch

are you going to send me down the road?

We could send you down the road, or we might say, look, give us a cheaper price

and we'll mix it with something else and make something else out of it.

'This is where we find out

'whether our durum wheat has the protein content it needs

'to make authentic pasta for our lasagne.'

OK, so, Adam, the protein level is pretty good,

it's 9.8%, which is actually higher than I was expecting.

That's good news, cos I really don't want to go back to the farm

with my tail between my legs

and admit to Nigel we've got no flour for his pasta.

I think, for something grown in the Cotswolds,

we're going to make it work.

It's passed! It's passed! Excellent. Hey!

Our tonne of grain will be turned into bags of 00 grade white flour,

just like the Italians make.

This is our grain, coming up from where we poured it in downstairs,

up this elevator, being lifted up by a series of cups

to the top of the mill.

It's really exciting to think we're actually producing flour for pasta -

all from our own farm.

There you go. Let's have a look at that.

that is genuine Cotswolds durum flour.

Wonderful! How exciting.

Very. That's a first for us, too.

'I don't usually see my crops after they leave my farm,

'so this is quite a thrill.'

Well, here it is.

I suppose the proof is in the pudding -

well, actually, the lasagne.

'I've worked out it's cost us over ?2 a kilo to produce.

'So, even with economies of scale,

'that isn't good for a farmer,

'and it makes the pasta in the shops look pretty good value.

'But I'm still really pleased.'

Hi, Nigel, look what I've got. Our very own pasta flour.

Oh, wow! And I've got another...

Well, about 450 of them in the back of my truck.

Really? Yes!

Fabulous. Brilliant.

00 grade. Apparently that means it's beautifully fine.

Yeah, really, really fine enough for our pasta.

Are you confident?

Well, we'll see. The only way to find out is to cook with it.

Oh, it is fine!

It's like old-fashioned talcum powder!

Or cornflour.

The lovely thing about pasta recipes

is that it's simply one egg for each 100g of flour.

Our own eggs, our own flour -

you couldn't ask for more, really.

You know, it's all very well

to have supper on the table in ten minutes, you know,

but the joy of cooking,

the pleasure of getting your hand in,

the whole tactile thing -

you know, it's why I cook.

You need a bit of flour on there just to stop it sticking.

It needs to be very even,

no lumps where it feels a bit dry and where it feels a bit wet,

and it needs to be really quite smooth.

It's just all about the feel of it

and how it feels in your hand, like any dough.

Can I have a go? You CAN have a go.

I mean, people tell you there's a correct way to knead -

there's not.

You want to feel the ingredients.

It certainly works your arms, doesn't it?

Hadn't you noticed?

That's looking good. That's looking really good.

It feels quite even now -

he says, standing like an expert!

So, each piece of dough that we're going to roll

needs to be round about the size of an egg.

Have you used a pasta roller before? No, no.

Yes, feed it in.

Oh, hang on.

It's quite technical, this kitchen equipment, isn't it?

Yeah. Really technical.

'There are nine settings

'and they go from very thick to really fine,

'so you repeat nine times,

'gradually decreasing the setting.'

Now that might be fine enough.

'Obviously you can buy perfectly good fresh or dried lasagne sheets,

'but making your own can be quite fun, if a little time-consuming.'

I mean, look at them.

They're like my granny's silk stockings!

So how long do you leave them hanging on here for?

Just a couple of hours.

I'll go and feed the pigs. Off you go. See you later.

Be back for his lasagne.

So, we've got our pasta,

now my end of the bargain is to turn your favourite ready meal

into a home-cooked convenience food

on a budget of ?1 a portion,

and the only way to do that is in bulk.

So the pasta's ready.

And I can tell that because it's just dry to the touch.

It won't stick together.

Now this is going to make lots of little lasagnes for the freezer.

So, with one of my cartons...

just cut the sheets to fit.

I'm making 20 of these, so I want 60 little sheets.

'Cooking in batches is easy,

'it's all about the preparation.

'So I've already chopped my veg

'and I'm going to cook them in olive oil.'

In go these little onions.

'While it may seem a lot to remember,

''you'll end up with 20 lasagnes in your freezer -

'your very own ready meals.'

I'm also going to put the garlic in there too.

That will melt down, you almost won't see it.

'It'll take a few minutes to brown, and don't be tempted to tinker,

'then keep the pan hot for browning the meat.'

I've got two kilos of mince here.

What you want on this is plenty of colour.

That means plenty of flavour.

That can now go into the carrots and onions.

'And now for the best bit...

'pork ribs.'

Some people start their ragu

with a bit of bacon or pancetta,

but I think ribs are better

because you get all that meat as well.

Really cheap.

Masses of flavour.

We're going to get a lot of meat off there,

it'll all fall off the bone

and it will help us bulk out our mince.

'Brown the ribs on both sides

'and add them to the ragu

'with the last of the glaze from the pan,

'some tinned tomatoes,

'and a few fresh herbs.'

Little bit of oregano. Bay leaves.

I'm just going to top this up with a little bit more stock.

'Now, a classic lasagne is made with a bechamel sauce,

'but I've got something much quicker, and I think more tasty.

'I'm using double cream, Cheddar,

'and, to give it some bite, mustard.'

I would dearly love to use Parmesan cheese for this,

and maybe even a bit of mozzarella,

but it really makes it very expensive.

So, 300g of Cheddar.

'Add seasoning,

'and warm through so the cheese begins to melt.'

'Blitz together around 40 leaves of basil

'and some olive oil.'

That great hit of peppery green basil

just comes straight up.

Amazing smell.

And that's going to be layered

with our meat, our cheese and cream, and our pasta.

While this has been cooking,

the pork has literally fallen off the bones. It just slides off.

There's something incredibly satisfying about doing this.

So now I'm going to do three layers of pasta altogether.

Brush the pasta with the olive oil and basil.

'Then a couple more layers of meat. And pasta.'

'And then top with cheese sauce.'

Just a little bit of cheese.

Not too much.

And then just a few fresh breadcrumbs,

and they'll go really crisp in the oven.

And then...

..just a drop more of the basil oil.

So, ready to go in the oven.

So, in at 180

for about 25-35 minutes.

That'll give us time for the other 18.

'It may seem a lot of effort,

'but in three hours I've made enough for 20

'and it's time- and cost-efficient in the long run.

'And even if we'd bought the pasta,

'mine comes out at ?1.20 a portion,

'which is still ?1 cheaper

'than the mid-range ready meal we really liked.'

'But does it stand up to our taste test?'

Look at those. Wow.

Really keen to find out whether that pasta has cooked well.

Aw! Expertly done.

You're pleased with that, aren't you?

I'm so pleased with that.

How good is that?

Mmm.

Give it to me.

What about that for traceability?

We've planted it, we've grown it, you've combined it.

We've milled it, brought back the flour, you've made the pasta.

You've cooked it in the oven.

And that is it.

From farm to fork.

Aw. I feel a bit emotional.

It's only a lasagne. I'm supposed to be a big, tough farmer.

'Next week - lamb.

'It may be expensive, but I want to get it back on the menu.'

Come on, ewe!

'We grow seasonal staples,

'and reveal how science is putting more fruit on our plates.'

These are strawberry plants.

And they've been frozen.

Looks like compost.

'And we turn all of it into a tasty harvest supper.

'There we are, people.'

Well, all Nigel's recipes are available on our website.

So, get cooking.

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