0:00:02 > 0:00:04Whether cooking at home or eating out,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08the choice of dishes and ingredients in modern Britain is mind-blowing.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Lebanese, Turkish, Polish, Greek.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It's all here.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17And as a cook, I want to know more about the cuisines
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and cultures from all over the world that have landed on our shores.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25I'm taking a trip through Britain's kitchens, to find
0:00:25 > 0:00:28out about the rich mix of people that call this country home.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32What's familiar to these home cooks, may seem completely foreign to me.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- Isn't it beautiful? - Well, it is beautiful,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37- but a bit of a mystery as well. - Yeah, yeah, OK.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42But their dishes are often close relatives to those I know and love.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44You know what this tastes of to me? My Christmas.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46- Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49For me, this is about much more than food.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Behind every mouthful is a personal story
0:00:52 > 0:00:56or an insight into a culture that has travelled far to get here.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The taste continues from one generation to the next.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Finally, as a thank you for the generosity of the brilliant
0:01:04 > 0:01:07home cooks I meet, I'm going to use what I learned
0:01:07 > 0:01:09to cook something for them.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12A celebration of what makes us different,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14but also, what brings us together.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Soup makes us feel that all is right with the world.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Across Britain, everyone has their favourite soup,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35whether it's clear or thick,
0:01:35 > 0:01:36hot or cold,
0:01:36 > 0:01:37it's always welcome.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41But before I meet three home cooks to discover recipes they love,
0:01:41 > 0:01:46I want to make one of my favourite comfort foods - pea and ham soup.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I love it on a winter's day, but it actually takes forever to cook.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53So I've come up with a modern version that takes
0:01:53 > 0:01:55a fraction of the time.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59This is so quick. I'm going to start with some stock.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I'm using chicken but you could use vegetable.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Bring that to the boil.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The reason that pea and ham soup takes so long
0:02:07 > 0:02:11is because the peas are dried and they take ages to cook.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I'm going to use frozen.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I'm not just talking about trimming the time for making this soup,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I'm talking about giving it a whole new life,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21a very contemporary flavour, fresh and bright and modern.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26Traditional pea and ham soup would use bay leaves and parsley stalks.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29But with this, because it's lighter, I want something fresher
0:02:29 > 0:02:33so I'm thinking tarragon with its lovely aniseed note.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35And just a little bit of salt.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Now you can put this in the blender,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43food processor, or you can use one of those stick blenders.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Now, this soup's got a lovely, bright colour.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56It smells wonderful, it's really fresh.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01I've left it with some texture. It's quite a thick soup.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04You know, there are some soups that make you feel good,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06they make you feel well just by looking at them.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08This is one of those.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I did say it was pea and ham.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Pea and ham it will be.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19I've got some very thinly sliced pancetta.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23It's as thin as you can get it, you can almost see through it.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Flame on.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's so thin, it is literally done in seconds.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30As soon as you get the sizzle.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Pea and ham soup for now.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38I find pea and ham soup so comforting
0:03:38 > 0:03:43partly because peas are so familiar, they're a taste of home.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45But for lots of people,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49home can be Britain AND somewhere far, far away.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I've come to Bristol
0:03:52 > 0:03:56to meet someone whose soup speaks of sun-soaked Caribbean islands.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- Hello.- Nigel! How are you? How are you?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Miles is part of a thriving Jamaican community in Bristol
0:04:03 > 0:04:07and I wanted to find out what that means for him, and his cooking.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- Wow!- Yeah. Isn't it beautiful?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- Well, it is beautiful but a bit of a mystery as well.- OK.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Well, this is a mixture of vegetables from the Caribbean.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18You've got your chocho, your dasheen...
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Which one, which are the chocho? Show me.- These are the chochos here.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25These are really good for blood pressure, apparently, I'm told.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27And it looks like an apple, doesn't it?
0:04:27 > 0:04:28It does a bit.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Yeah, yeah, but then this is a vegetable.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I suppose it's a cross between, like, a cabbage and an apple.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- OK, no, no... - You peel it again, slice it,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39boil it and that adds consistency to the soup.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41I don't know, I'd probably get four of those.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44You know what these are? HE LAUGHS
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- You got me there. You got me there. - I got you there.- A couple of those?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Yeah, I say, yeah, maybe four, four or five of those.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52You've also got...obviously, your yams.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55You've got different... You've got yellow yam and white yam.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Can I be honest with you? I don't know what to do with them.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00You can fry it, you can boil it, you can bake it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Usain Bolt swears on these.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05He says it gives him his energy, his power
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and you know Jamaicans are famous for their sexual prowess.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Yams! Especially yellow yams.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I shouldn't be telling you that, should I?
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Don't tell my mum I told you that.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- I'm afraid you just have. - I just have, haven't I?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23When Miles' parents came to England in the '60s,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26they would have struggled to find ingredients familiar to them.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28So what do we need?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30We need some snappers but I've seen the doctor fish there
0:05:30 > 0:05:34and I'm in two minds because my mum recommended doctor fish.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37But as more Jamaicans arrived so did their produce,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41and Miles' mum was able to cook her favourite Jamaican classics
0:05:41 > 0:05:43for her young boys.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45There were two soups that Mum used to cook,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47which was chicken soup and fish tea.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50And it's like a comfort thing, really,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54to come here and to be able to choose the doctor fish,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56the snapper fish, and to make the fish tea.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59It takes you back to that place when you were a child.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01A place of safety.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I know I should grow up and stop it.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04No, no, it's good!
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Miles' fish tea is full of big chunks of Caribbean flavour,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13but like my pea soup, it's still relatively quick to make.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15We start by filleting the fish and making
0:06:15 > 0:06:20a stock from the leftovers, boiled with thyme in salted water.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23The fillets are rubbed with plenty of peppery seasoning
0:06:23 > 0:06:24and lemon juice.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25How long do we leave that for?
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Well, by the time we've cut up the vegetables and put them
0:06:28 > 0:06:31in and let them boil, I'd say, 15-20 minutes.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34That should be ready to go in and then the flavour will seep in.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Miles' parents met in England after his father was posted here
0:06:38 > 0:06:41with the British Army and his mum came to study nursing.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44They settled in the small market town of Trowbridge,
0:06:44 > 0:06:49some way from the main centre of Caribbean culture at that time.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50When Jamaicans came here,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54obviously the British government invited them over.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57You know the story. There were lots of jobs that needed done
0:06:57 > 0:07:00after the war to rebuild the country and they sold it to them
0:07:00 > 0:07:04on the premise that you can better yourself, you can aspire.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07My parents' generation, a lot of them came over,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09they were the middle class of Jamaica.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But it wasn't like what it was promised and they ended up
0:07:12 > 0:07:15having to settle for menial jobs, manual jobs.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20And our parents were, you know, sort of short sold really.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23In Trowbridge, I would have been the only black guy in the class,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27the only black guy at college, the only black guy at work,
0:07:27 > 0:07:28and it was a real fight.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31You know, my brother and I, we were boys, little tearaways.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35But I think our concept was - attack is the best form of defence.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Now I wouldn't dream of having grown up anywhere else
0:07:37 > 0:07:43because it's given me the components for life, and surviving life.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Miles' story is a common one for second generation Brits.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52While embracing the country of their birth,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55they cherish the things that speak of their roots,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59and the soup we're making is a perfect example of that.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01We've got the fish tea bubbling away in there.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Yeah, which hopefully should be ready to come off the bone.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- And then going in there. - Will be all these vegetables.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- The yams...- Carrots, we've got the green bananas,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12we're going to put the spring onions as well and we've got the chocho.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- Then we've got Scotch bonnet pepper. - Yes.- Green one.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17These seeds here are really hot.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20If we totally opened it up and dropped the seeds in
0:08:20 > 0:08:22then we'd have to call the fire brigade!
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Yeah, you've got a bit of a twinkle when you say that.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26We don't know if the white man can take it!
0:08:26 > 0:08:29THEY LAUGH
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Our coarsely chopped veg goes into the stock
0:08:31 > 0:08:34to be lightly boiled with a big bunch of thyme.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37And as we put in the seasoned fillets and Scotch bonnet,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40I'm struck by a fragrance that to me says Jamaica
0:08:40 > 0:08:43but for Miles is so much more.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47- Miles, I'm liking what's going on in here.- Oh, really, yeah?
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Yeah, just that hint of something good, bubbling away.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51That aroma, that's home for me.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54That's Mum, that's an evening,
0:08:54 > 0:08:59a hard day at school or hard day at college or it's memories,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02it's Trowbridge. It's taking me straight back to Wiltshire
0:09:02 > 0:09:05and that Jamaican house we grew up in, which is beautiful.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Oh, beautiful colour!
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Can I just say, that smells absolutely fantastic.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14That's what you want!
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Fish tea.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22A light soup that's as much a reminder of dark, damp nights
0:09:22 > 0:09:25in Trowbridge as it is of an ancestral home in Jamaica.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29That's nice, that's all right actually.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Don't sound so surprised.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34No, I was waiting for you. I was thinking, "Is that too salty?"
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Has it got a kick there?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- You know what it's got.- Yeah, go on?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41It's got this incredible glowing warmth.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44My mum would be proud of me.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50What I love about Miles' fish tea, is its rustic simplicity.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Like my pea soup, it feels substantial and rewarding.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But hearty soups don't always have to be warming.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02The Spanish have a soup for hot weather that leaves your
0:10:02 > 0:10:05taste buds tingling while cooling you down.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11It's chilled, has all the freshness of a salad and it's called gazpacho.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Put tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, shallots and garlic
0:10:17 > 0:10:22into a blender with handfuls of stale bread soaked in cold water.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Whizz to a rough and rustic consistency,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30then add a glug of olive oil, plenty of seasoning,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34and a healthy splash of sherry vinegar to give it a vibrant bite.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39A final whizz and you have a gorgeous bowl
0:10:39 > 0:10:43of gazpacho you can garnish with some of the same finely chopped veg.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50I'm discovering that a soup is about personality,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52not just of the people that make it,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55but of the country in which it was born.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57And there's a soup in particular that is
0:10:57 > 0:11:01so much part of one country, it comes with almost every meal.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Today I've got Sumiko coming, who's going to teach me
0:11:07 > 0:11:10how to make one of my favourite things in the whole world.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Miso soup is a central part of Japanese cuisine.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's something I've heard Sumiko cooks to perfection.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22And having been to Japan, I've experienced its gentle beauty,
0:11:22 > 0:11:23whether served on its own
0:11:23 > 0:11:25or as an accompaniment.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Because this is the soup that I love, but I, up until about
0:11:30 > 0:11:34four years ago, five years ago, I had never had miso soup.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36You hadn't?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- No, up until about four years ago, I'd never had it.- Oh, really?
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Exactly!
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And then one trip to Japan,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I realised I had it almost with every meal.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Yes, always.- I had it at breakfast. Every single meal.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50People still eat a lot of miso soup.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Like many soups, this starts with a stock.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58This one's called dashi, which is made by gently flavouring hot water
0:11:58 > 0:12:03with Japanese seaweed before adding katsuobushi - flakes of dried fish.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Beautiful.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Oh! Mackerel, tuna, bonito...
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Yes, but it shouldn't be strong
0:12:11 > 0:12:15because dashi is a kind of basic ingredient for any
0:12:15 > 0:12:20kind of Japanese food and it should harmonise with other seasoning.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22In this case, miso.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Tell me about miso because I know some people find miso
0:12:26 > 0:12:28a little bit of a strange ingredient.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30We're not quite sure what it is.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Miso is made of soy.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34It's fermented, isn't it?
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Fermented. In many regions, they've got different taste of miso.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42For example - in Kyoto, they like to use white miso.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47In Tohoku, northern part of area, they prefer dark miso.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50OK, so it's actually regional variations.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53It's varied region to region.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58In my family, we prefer mixing white and dark.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Sumiko's family comes from Kawasaki,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07near Tokyo, where they ran a green tea shop.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11She was brought up surrounded by traditional Japanese values
0:13:11 > 0:13:12and cooking.
0:13:12 > 0:13:18When I was small in Japan, I woke up with the smell.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23This was my alarm clock, when my mum was preparing miso soup.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25It's a nicer alarm than mine.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Now that Sumiko has her own young family in Britain, she continues
0:13:31 > 0:13:36to cook traditional dishes like miso soup to pass on her heritage.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40The stock is strained before adding the miso paste
0:13:40 > 0:13:42through a sieve.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46We always use a net because otherwise the...
0:13:47 > 0:13:49How can I say this?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- The lumps.- Lumps will remain.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55What's so beautiful for me is the clouds.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59- If you have a look, it's almost like clouds.- Oh, yes, indeed.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01You can add all sorts of things to a miso soup
0:14:01 > 0:14:05but Sumiko's chosen soft tofu and steamed spinach.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09The care she's taking speaks volumes about the respect the Japanese
0:14:09 > 0:14:11have for their food.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Oh, look, they're perfect.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Absolutely perfect.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18- Into our soup.- Yes.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25I've never seen a Japanese cook who didn't take exquisite care
0:14:25 > 0:14:28over every single detail.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34It's a total thought process about every single detail.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I find that a very beautiful thing,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38both to watch and to be involved with.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Really? That's a great compliment, thank you.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44No, it's a wonderful thing.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- Great.- Is there anything else you want to add to that?
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Let's taste...then decide.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01Beautiful. But I'd like to add a tiny amount of mirin
0:15:01 > 0:15:07to make it more round. The taste is quite sharp
0:15:07 > 0:15:10so mirin helps to make the taste rounder.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15When did you start cooking?
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- I don't know. - Have you always cooked?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- LAUGHING:- I really don't know.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27As my family runs a tea shop, my mum was sometimes busy.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32I've got two elder sisters and we all cooked together.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39I think since I was small perhaps. Maybe.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41You've just always cooked.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42I love cooking.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44You cook every day?
0:15:44 > 0:15:45Yes, I do.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Oh, I see what you mean by rounded.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- I see exactly what you mean. - This is really better.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59This is a Japanese mum's taste.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06It's been wonderful experiencing first-hand the almost religious care
0:16:06 > 0:16:08the Japanese take with this soup.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10But there is another culture in Britain
0:16:10 > 0:16:14whose food really does have religious significance.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The Jewish community is famous for putting
0:16:20 > 0:16:22food at the centre of their religious festivals.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28And in doing so, have come up with possibly the most iconic soup ever.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Jewish chicken soup is meant to have almost magical powers of healing
0:16:32 > 0:16:35and I'm meeting two ladies who know all about it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Regina and her daughter, Linda.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Hello.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Hello, Nigel. This is my daughter, Linda.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45At 87 years old, Regina's been making what's known as Jewish
0:16:45 > 0:16:47penicillin for most of her life.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52My mother taught me to make chicken soup when I was eight years old.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53Eight, yes.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I said, "Don't tell Grandma you're making soup, she'll go mad."
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Yes, too dangerous!
0:16:58 > 0:17:02My mother, I have to say, she's a magnificent cook, there's nothing...
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- I can't wait.- There is nothing my mother can't make
0:17:06 > 0:17:10and she's one of those cooks that, she doesn't need a recipe.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12She just kind of knows what to do.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14My mother didn't know what recipes were.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I used to say to my mother, "How do you make this, Mum? Write it down."
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So she'd write it down and I'd say,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22"It's no good, it never come out like you make it, Mum.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24"What shall I do?"
0:17:24 > 0:17:26"You have to come and watch, that's the only way."
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I'm obviously not going to get the recipe out of Regina easily
0:17:30 > 0:17:32so there's only one thing for it.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I've come to her home in Leeds to watch how it's done.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37Chicken soup.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- Well, you need a chicken, don't you? - I do, I do.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45You know where the skin is hard, get that off,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47it'll come off with the hot water.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- Clean the skin so you get all the grease off.- Yep, done that.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52And each one will go in the pan if you've done it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55You want to the equivalent of five or six carrots.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Come on, you need more.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00Two onions.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Cut off the heads and the little tails, as you so well know.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08No, that one needs taking off, no brown bits.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09OK, no brown bits.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Next, you will get take two sweet potatoes.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Peel them and slice them like you would carrots,
0:18:16 > 0:18:17they dissolve in the soup.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21- I didn't know you ever put sweet potatoes...- Sweet potatoes.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- ..in chicken soup.- Yep!
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I bet I sound like an old witch bossing you about.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28No, you don't.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32When you go out of here you'll say, "That woman is a pain in the..."
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- HE LAUGHS - I so won't!
0:18:34 > 0:18:36I'm not going to say it!
0:18:36 > 0:18:38PHONE RINGS
0:18:38 > 0:18:39Hello?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Well, this is my daughter. She wants to know how it's going.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Would like to tell her? Nigel?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Hello, Nigel here.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We're having a wonderful time. I can't tell you how much I've learnt
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and I've only been here a few minutes.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Oh, you're kidding me!
0:19:00 > 0:19:04She certainly is, she certainly is.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06All right, I'll pass you back to her.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Wash that, trim that, Nigel.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13And cut them in small pieces.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Cut the ends off, because they...
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Nigel is making soup now. To my recipe. All right, love.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- Bye, Linda. - NIGEL CHUCKLES
0:19:24 > 0:19:29So, we've got carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, leek, celery, swede and a
0:19:29 > 0:19:33mix of beef and chicken stock cubes. And we'll top that up with water.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Put the lid on, tilted. Your chicken's in the bottom, isn't it?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- Chicken's in the bottom.- Right.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- Onions, leeks, sweet potato. - When it starts boiling, I skim it.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44To get rid of the froth?
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Yes, the froth. Then salt and pepper.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Then make a medium light like that
0:19:49 > 0:19:52so that it's doing a bubble the whole time, and forget about it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Keep giving it a stir every hour.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Although the vegetables were chopped coarsely like those
0:19:58 > 0:20:01in Miles' fish tea, they won't stay that way,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04because the secret of this soup is the incredible cooking time.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06You get the flavour out the vegetables.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I throw the vegetables away, and the chicken afterwards,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10because what good is it?
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It's been boiling for four hours.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14All the goodness has gone in the soup.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Once the soup's cooked, it's strained and chilled
0:20:20 > 0:20:24and the fat skimmed off the top, leaving it almost crystal clear.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28It comes off so easily.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Have you noticed the quality of the soup?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Look, it's like a jelly.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36It is soft set jelly, OK.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Think of all the goodness that's in it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42At 87, no wonder Regina's proud of her soup,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47it's clearly done her good. And finally, I'm getting a taste.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48It's bound to strengthen you.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Now that is chicken soup!
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Thank you.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- That is absolutely...- Thank you.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02You know when people say, "If you're ill, you need chicken soup."
0:21:02 > 0:21:05That is chicken soup what they mean.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08This is chicken soup to heal the soul.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11It doesn't heal broken hearts.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13It'd go a long way towards it.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Are you enjoying it? Truthfully?
0:21:15 > 0:21:19I'm truthfully loving it. It's like liquid gold.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Words like that from you mean a lot to me. Thank you.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Regina's chicken soup always has pride of place at family gatherings.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Friday nights mark the start of the Sabbath, with the traditional
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Shabbat meal, that includes other Jewish favourites like gefilte fish,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41dumplings poached in a vegetable broth on a very low heat.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45It's bubbling now, isn't it?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49- Yes, it's very, very slightly. - That's great, that light is good.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52There's an awful lot of work involved in making these meals
0:21:52 > 0:21:56but when food's a key part of the religious experience,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58it has to be just right.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01SHE SAYS HEBREW PRAYER
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I knew there would be a great big fuss over
0:22:05 > 0:22:08the clarity of the chicken soup. And I knew that the gefilte fish
0:22:08 > 0:22:12would have to be cooked very, very gently so that they didn't break-up.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14But it's not the recipes that have been so unusual,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18there is a cultural and there's a religious reason behind it,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21which is something that's probably missing from my cooking.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25So it's an opportunity that I'm very, very grateful for.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29So a few butter beans, a little bit of vermicelli...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34..and then this soup.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37This amazing, awesome, wonderful, gorgeous soup.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48This is a very, very important part of Friday nights
0:22:48 > 0:22:51but it's actually, for me, it's the reason I came.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58I just wanted to see this from start to finish.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I didn't actually know I was going to do it from start to finish.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04THEY SAY HAMOTZI BLESSING IN HEBREW
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Amen.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11All of the soups I've encountered have been full of personality.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16They've been warm-hearted, colourful and nurturing.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21They've also meant a great deal to the people that have shown me
0:23:21 > 0:23:22how to make them.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28But I want to do something which, whilst drawing ideas from there,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31is actually heartier, more of a meal.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35This dish will be centrepiece in a meal for the friends that
0:23:35 > 0:23:38have shared their stories and recipes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42I want every element of this beef and butternut squash soup
0:23:42 > 0:23:45to ooze thanks for their generosity.
0:23:45 > 0:23:52I really admired that clear broth, the miso broth that Sumiko made.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I want to keep an element of that clarity
0:23:57 > 0:24:01but by using these dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I'm aiming for something much more substantial.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Just look at that colour.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09It's jewel bright and I'm going to use that
0:24:09 > 0:24:10as the heart and soul of my soup.
0:24:11 > 0:24:17The heroes of my soup is a cut of beef that is so rarely used
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and yet, it's one of the best.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21It's just fabulous.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23It's beef cheeks.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30So just a little bit of salt and pepper on the outside of the beef,
0:24:30 > 0:24:31then brown it all over.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Beef cheek. It's a great piece of meat.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It needs a slow oven and some liquid to cook with it.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41And that liquid could be anything.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44It can be water, it can be stock, wine, cider.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Whatever you fancy. But I'm using the mushroom broth.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55Now, I want to put some veg in this soup and I'm using butternut squash.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01I just like the way Miles used great big generous chunks of vegetable.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04They soaked up all the broth, all the flavours.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Now, as well as that, I want some onion in there,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09it will give a lovely sweetness to the soup.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Once the onion is soft, almost see-through
0:25:15 > 0:25:19and caramelised around the edges, it's time to add the stock.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27So those mushrooms have been working hard to make a really
0:25:27 > 0:25:32glowing broth, full of flavour, it's going in my soup.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I'll bring that to the boil.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Turn the heat down and then leave it,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44just to putter away very quietly for a good couple of hours.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Check the soup every now and again
0:25:50 > 0:25:52and if it looks as if it needs topping up,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54then a little bit of hot water.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Inspired by Regina's noodles.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02the ones that went into her chicken soup.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06I'm putting in some orzo - my favourite pasta.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09And I can put in as much as I like and there's no-one there to
0:26:09 > 0:26:10tell me I'm doing it wrong.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15My guests are coming because I've promised them a soup to share,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18but I don't want to just ladle it out of a tureen.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22I'm going to serve it in this.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28The idea being that the soup will sit comfortably in its container.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30But then slowly, as we eat...
0:26:32 > 0:26:34..the juice will soak through into the bread
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and then we can tear it all to bits!
0:26:37 > 0:26:41We've got bits of loaf, saturated with this stock.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44You know, you do things and you're never quite sure
0:26:44 > 0:26:47whether they're going to work or not.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Not just this, I'm thinking of the fact that I've got three
0:26:50 > 0:26:53utterly, utterly lovely people who I've had a great time with
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and I'm bringing them together over a bowl of soup.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02But this is quite a big one for me actually because they are truly,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04truly, the most different people I could imagine.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Yeah, I'm sure they'll get on.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12People do, especially when they share food.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16So I've learned about soup from all over the world,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19thanks to Sumiko's Japanese reverence...
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Miles' Jamaican exuberance...
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Hello, hello, hello.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24..and Regina's...
0:27:24 > 0:27:25How shall I put it?
0:27:25 > 0:27:26Heart of gold.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29That's my share. It's a bit big, isn't it?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31It's all right. You're a big boy, you can take it.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I'm a big boy, I can take it! HE LAUGHS
0:27:34 > 0:27:39You know this is my soup, it's my recipe but it's theirs as well.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I feel as if everybody has put something into this.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44This is for them.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Soup can be a healer,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48a reviver,
0:27:48 > 0:27:49for comfort...
0:27:49 > 0:27:52but my soup is a thank you.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56- Ooh, what's this? - I'll pop it on the table as well.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Wow, amazing.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00What's that?
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Well, I was so inspired by all of your soups that I got
0:28:05 > 0:28:10a little bit of an idea from all of you that's kind of all in there.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12So which bit did I influence?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14THEY LAUGH
0:28:14 > 0:28:16It looks amazing.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17The bread is...
0:28:19 > 0:28:20It's like doing it the other way round.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Instead of dipping your bread in the soup,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26- you're dipping your soup in the bread!- Exactly.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Very tasty.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30So this is our dish? Just for us?
0:28:30 > 0:28:32NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE