0:00:02 > 0:00:05A little bit of what you fancy does you good
0:00:05 > 0:00:07and that's precisely what I think
0:00:07 > 0:00:09about taking off for a long weekend
0:00:09 > 0:00:14somewhere not too faraway and not obvious like Paris or Rome.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16So, over the coming weeks,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19as I travel across Europe visiting new cities,
0:00:19 > 0:00:24maybe I'll take in the odd gallery or museum, but being a chef,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26it's mainly about food,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30because it's a big part of the culture of a place.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31Someone once said,
0:00:31 > 0:00:36a wedge of cheese has as much history as a baroque cathedral.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38I think there's some truth in that.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45So, do you love really rare beef cooked over vine trimmings
0:00:45 > 0:00:49accompanied by some of the finest red wines in the world?
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Do you like mooching around markets searching for
0:00:52 > 0:00:56great things to eat like ceps straight from the forest?
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Or do you like oysters out of the bay
0:00:58 > 0:01:03or going to restaurants and bistros and watching the world go by?
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Then this weekend could be for you.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08# Hey, Rick
0:01:08 > 0:01:12# Where we going this weekend? #
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Bordeaux.
0:01:14 > 0:01:21# Are we flying a few hours away for some delicious food, they say?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25# So, Rick, make the booking And let's get cooking
0:01:25 > 0:01:30# And get those taste buds going this weekend. #
0:01:36 > 0:01:37So, why Bordeaux?
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Well, perhaps it's not enough to say on television
0:01:40 > 0:01:41that I really like it,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43but when I was last here,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47all I can remember is a lot of sooty black buildings, warehouses, mostly,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50right beside the River Garonne.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Now they've all been pulled down, letting the light stream in
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and that's perhaps why they call Bordeaux
0:01:56 > 0:01:58the sleeping beauty of France.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Like an old forgotten watercolour covered in dirt and grime,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05she's been cleaned and looks brilliant.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13What I really like to do is to find a good restaurant
0:02:13 > 0:02:15that has rooms somewhere in the centre of town
0:02:15 > 0:02:19where you don't have to get taxis and mess about.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Your table's just down there and your bed's here,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25nothing fancy, just practical.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Wow.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I suppose I would have liked a view over the Garonne,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33but this is more meaningful to me.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36This is the restaurant, these are the rooms.
0:02:36 > 0:02:37It's called La Tupina.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Last time I was here, it's 11 years ago,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I can remember now, we were about to get on a barge
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and go down a couple of canals all the way to Marseille,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48but I particularly remember this restaurant
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and so glad to be back.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54They had fantastic cote de boeuf cooked over a wood fire
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and duck fat chips - I remember that -
0:02:57 > 0:03:00in a big old pan just cooked in duck fat.
0:03:00 > 0:03:01So delicious.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03And I remember big bunches of radishes
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and having that cote de boeuf with a lovely bottle of Bordeaux.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09I can't wait to get in there tonight.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16I had to wait an hour or so before it got dark because, to me,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18the entrance is pure theatre
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and the smell of chips cooking in duck fat is wonderful.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Well, this is just as I remember it.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31I mean, it's great when you sort of have things in your mind
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and you come back to a place like this and it's even better.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Look at it.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Look at those cote de boeuf, look at those pigeons,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41look at those whole chickens with their heads.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43No messing here.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It's that sort of lovely real food.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's not like itsy-bitsy bits of stuff on plates.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52It's the stuff you want to really get stuck into.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I think I'm almost more of an enthusiastic eater than a cook,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00but one thing leads to another
0:04:00 > 0:04:05and the style of cooking here over a brazier is pure Bordeaux.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Look at these wood pigeons basted with duck fat.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Kidneys wrapped in their own fatty caul
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and chicken roasting on the hearth.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21I have to admit, and you can call me a prude, if you like,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23I hate the term food porn,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26but it doesn't get any ruder than this.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Well, I can't help feeling
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I'm sitting at the best table at the house
0:04:33 > 0:04:35with all this going on behind me.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Tierry is just a master of...
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It's hard to cook over charcoal and wood like that.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42He's just doing it so well, answering the phone,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44cutting up everything.
0:04:44 > 0:04:50Even sliced up this grattons, which is made with pork fat and pork leg.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55I just wanted something really simple. It looks so good.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00I'm told you've got to eat it with the radishes, so here we go.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02I mean, it just looks good on the table, but...
0:05:06 > 0:05:08That...
0:05:08 > 0:05:11People put too much into pate, you know.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13This is just a bit of pepper, a bit of salt,
0:05:13 > 0:05:20some beautiful pork, some beautiful fat and...
0:05:20 > 0:05:23with the radishes, it is perfection.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26I just think, keep it simple, keep flavours simple,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and then you'll be rewarded.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Fab.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35I'll definitely be taking some of this back in my suitcase
0:05:35 > 0:05:39along with a couple of bottles of Bordeaux's finest,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42maybe a Pomerol, and, well, a Pauillac.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47They'd go so well with rich pates and roasts.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49And now the chicken.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Well...
0:05:55 > 0:05:59When I was a child, chicken was more expensive than beef
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and a special treat was to be taken out and have roast chicken,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and that's how this chicken tastes.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06It's just so full of flavour.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09I mean, chicken has become just a commodity,
0:06:09 > 0:06:14but a proper roast chicken is something really, really wonderful.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16While I've been eating all this,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I've just been glancing up here as a solitary diner.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23There's this lovely piece from the International Herald Tribune
0:06:23 > 0:06:25on the wall here and it says,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29"Diners come here as though they are making a pilgrimage
0:06:29 > 0:06:35"to a long-lost grandmother, to be warmed by the fire and attended to."
0:06:35 > 0:06:39And doesn't that that feel like here? Well, it does to me.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42But the last bit, and the bit that I love,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47"The gentle red Bordeaux is poured and we're home again."
0:06:57 > 0:07:01A stroll before breakfast in the early morning light
0:07:01 > 0:07:05just by the arches of Napoleon's famous bridge
0:07:05 > 0:07:09is a magical part of the Bordeaux experience.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13There's one arch to every letter of his name.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16A coincidence or just vanity?
0:07:19 > 0:07:23I can't help but think of Venice here, because here the sky is king,
0:07:23 > 0:07:28there's no high-rise because both cities are built on clay and mud.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33There's a wonderful sense of space and also a feeling
0:07:33 > 0:07:37you could film a period drama without changing a thing.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I was just walking past here and noticed to my astonishment
0:07:43 > 0:07:45that the water is red.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47It may not be true, but I don't really care.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49To me, it's wine.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54And up there, those gorgeous girls are pouring urns of wine.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Normally when you come to a square like this,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59it's some conquering general on a great big horse,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03but here, it's the wine that conquers everything.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06When you've got 8,500 chateaux producing here,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08of course it does.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I mean, what could be a better way of starting a long weekend
0:08:18 > 0:08:20than breakfast in Bordeaux?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I mean, first of all, I love the jam.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28It's a sort of lemon marmalade that you only find in France,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and what is it about cafe au lait in France?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36It's so strong, it's so highly roasted,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40nobody makes black coffee quite like the French.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44It's just a perfect morning, great to be alive,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and starting what I hope is going to be a great weekend.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Bordeaux is 1.5 hours from the UK, if that.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Not too obvious, like Paris or Cannes,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02definitely a bit warmer than home
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and perfect for a long weekend.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08It's got great restaurants - well, that's why I'm here -
0:09:08 > 0:09:11lovely seafood with seriously fresh fish
0:09:11 > 0:09:13from the Bay of Arcachon nearby.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19And Bordeaux gives its name to one of the best meat sauces
0:09:19 > 0:09:21ever created, bordelaise.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Brilliant wines, well, of course.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27And it's all in the terroir,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31the soil, the sun, the rain, the stones, the sea breezes.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35That's what makes Bordeaux synonymous with good wine.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I like to think I'm always looking for ways of improving things,
0:09:44 > 0:09:50certainly in food, so how could my Bordeaux experience be better?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- Right, so that's arriere?- Yes.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- That's neutral.- Yes. - 'Well, it's simple.'
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Explore the vineyard in France's most iconic tin box,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03the deux chevaux, designed to carry a farmer
0:10:03 > 0:10:07and his eggs to market over ploughed fields
0:10:07 > 0:10:11because all the roads were shot to bits after the Second World War.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I used to have one of these, but I can't remember...
0:10:16 > 0:10:18The gear change was always a nightmare.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40CAR HONKS HORN Oh!
0:10:40 > 0:10:42'Frein a main - the handbrake, Rick!
0:10:45 > 0:10:50'Objectives for being here - number one, find good places to eat.'
0:10:50 > 0:10:52HE LAUGHS
0:10:54 > 0:10:58'Number two, find great dishes I'd like to cook back home in Cornwall.'
0:11:02 > 0:11:06'And number three, try not to write off the hire car!'
0:11:06 > 0:11:10HE LAUGHS
0:11:10 > 0:11:12And number four, get out of the city,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16because mention the word Bordeaux to anyone past a certain age
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and they'll say, "It's a bottle of red wine, Ricky!"
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Well, I have to say that travelling down the D2
0:11:26 > 0:11:29through the Medoc on a sunny day like this in a deux chevaux
0:11:29 > 0:11:31is pretty close to heaven.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36I mean, you can say what you like about wines from all over the world,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40but nothing, to me, quite beats the reds from Bordeaux.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I think it's really the combination of grape types,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and the way they're blended all the time,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and, of course, the terroir.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52I mean, I love wine.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56It makes me happy, I love the taste of wine
0:11:56 > 0:12:00and I love the way that wine makes food taste better,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05and none of it, none of it, is quite as perfect
0:12:05 > 0:12:10as a great Bordeaux with some great food on a lovely day.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37Lunch, as we all know, is the most important meal of the day here.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38I think it's all to do with the French
0:12:38 > 0:12:41being a largely agricultural nation.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42You work hard in the fields
0:12:42 > 0:12:46and then you go to your local cafe du commerce in the village
0:12:46 > 0:12:49for whatever they're serving for lunch.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51What's it going to be?
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Will it be rabbit cooked with prunes?
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Steak tartare? I love that.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Or petit sale - pork and lentils? Yummo!
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Or poulet au pot - chicken with vegetables?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Or duck confit and a bit of red cabbage?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Oh, I hope it's cassoulet.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22But whatever it is, it's freshly made that morning at Chez Meme
0:13:22 > 0:13:25in the Medoc village of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:13:30 > 0:13:35La cuisine. It's when things taste what they are.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37This is so nice, isn't it?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40It's absolutely fresh as a daisy.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Just thinking, I seem to spend all my time having my lunch alone.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The crew call me Ricky-No-Mates because, generally,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55it looks more sensible, but I just thought, actually,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58anybody can see that I don't do this on my own,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01so I just thought I'd show us having lunch,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06and what we've all got is the menu du jour. It's 15 euros.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08We had a great vegetable soup to start with,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11now it's chicken parmentier, sort of Provencal sauce
0:14:11 > 0:14:14with some olives in it, and beautiful vinaigrette,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16really thick vinaigrette, on the lettuce,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19then we're going to have chocolate tart afterwards.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And a simple bottle of local wine.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Cheers, chaps.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- All the very best. Here's to you. - Cheers.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30'And that chicken parmentier was lovely.'
0:14:32 > 0:14:36So, without further ado, I'm going to cook chicken parmentier
0:14:36 > 0:14:38in my humble cottage in Cornwall.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46First of all, a little bit of butter and some shallots, carrots,
0:14:46 > 0:14:47and then some celery.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Now some garlic.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And I think I'm just going to add a bit of white wine.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58See what I've got in the fridge.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Champagne, that will do.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Just before you accuse me of being a bit posh
0:15:04 > 0:15:05using champagne in this,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07that champagne has been in the fridge
0:15:07 > 0:15:09for about six weeks from a party and I'm so mean,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I didn't want to throw it away.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And now for some tomato puree, about a tablespoon.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Let it all sweat down a little bit.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Just turn the heat down.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I've already skinned these
0:15:23 > 0:15:26because I don't actually want the skin in this nice dish.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31And now some chicken stock.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Good, well-reduced chicken stock.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36And now I've just got to leave this
0:15:36 > 0:15:39to cook down for about ten minutes or so.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42At this stage, I just need to season it.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Salt and plenty of black pepper.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Now to add the chicken.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52The chicken is previously roasted.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I mean, that's the whole thing to me about a good chicken parmentier.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It's not about using fresh chicken,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00it's about using up the family roast.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04It's, as the French call it, a rechaufait dish.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08And there's far too few recipes for leftovers, I think.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14A handful of black olives with the stones cut out
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and parsley, roughly chopped.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And presenting one of life's most comforting foods,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26mashed potato with butter, of course, and cream.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31And finally, a couple of egg yolks for colour
0:16:31 > 0:16:33and an extra bit of luxury.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Now we enter shepherd's pie land, with nice creamy dollops.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Not very expertly placed, I agree,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47but this isn't fiddly food.
0:16:47 > 0:16:53And now a generous grating of gruyere. Don't be mean with it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Antoine Parmentier, an army officer
0:16:56 > 0:17:00in the days when many thought the potato was a poisonous vegetable
0:17:00 > 0:17:06or at best, hog feed, went out of his way to show France and the world
0:17:06 > 0:17:09what a fabulous vegetable it was.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12This is not specifically a dish from Bordeaux,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16but that's where I had it, amongst the vineyards of the Medoc
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and that's where it will stay in my mind's eye.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The chateaux of the Medoc are pretty imposing.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32They have a rather disdainful air about them,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35like Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38as if they're saying to the great unwashed,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41"Don't think of traipsing over my lawns
0:17:41 > 0:17:46"or driving over my well-raked gravel, you oiks."
0:17:48 > 0:17:50It's a little-known fact
0:17:50 > 0:17:53that if you make wine in an Appellation Controlee,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the rest,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00that you're not allowed to water the vines.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I didn't know that until now.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05So the hardship of growth makes the grapes taste
0:18:05 > 0:18:09all that much sweeter, just like life.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11A bit of a struggle is good for the soul.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21Now, this very imposing chateau was founded by a descendant
0:18:21 > 0:18:25of well-heeled Irish Jacobite mercenaries.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30They called these disaffected Irish aristos the Wild Geese.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33They married the local girls, and their offspring now own
0:18:33 > 0:18:37some of the finest vineyards in the world, like this one,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Phelan - that's the Irish bit - Segur.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Bonjour.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44- Veronique.- How are you? Welcome. Chateau Phelan Segur.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- Very nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, too.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49The boss here is Veronique Dausse.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Today is the last day of the harvest.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Here they grow mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and a smidgen of Petit Verdot.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01And I may be showing my ignorance, but I couldn't get over
0:19:01 > 0:19:03how stony the ground was.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04It's like Chesil Beach!
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I'm just amazed at this ground.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12I hope you don't mind me saying this, Veronique,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14but it looks terrible.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Like nothing could grow here.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18It's funny, Rick, that you say that
0:19:18 > 0:19:20because that is exactly the opposite.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24You need this kind of gravel to make great wine
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and it's very typical from the Medoc,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29the soils are very well-drained.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33So, you need good drainage because you get plenty of rainfall.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35The soil doesn't need to be rich.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38We are not growing carrots, we are growing vines, you know.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40It's almost human beings.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45You know, when you are taking care of such incredible individuals...
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Like this one, for example, was planted in 1956.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Could you almost tell from the flavour of the grape
0:19:52 > 0:19:54what the wine's going to be like?
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Yes. I mean, it takes years and years, because...
0:19:58 > 0:20:00When you taste the berry...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02There are techniques of tasting the berry.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05But, yes, you remember the berries from the previous years
0:20:05 > 0:20:08so then you relate to what the wine has become.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11So, obviously, yes, it's something very, very special.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14You know, now you're talking tenderly about rearing them.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- They are human beings to you, they really are.- They are, almost.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Not exactly human beings, but I wish they were, actually.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Veronique promised me the best beef barbecue I've ever tasted.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34She called it winemaker's cote de boeuf.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37That's basically a Sunday joint
0:20:37 > 0:20:40cooked over wine-soaked vine trimmings
0:20:40 > 0:20:42and then marrowbone jelly with shallots
0:20:42 > 0:20:46seared with a hot iron onto the beef.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48The smell was delightful.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I mean, all you who believe in barbecues,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59who believe in the perfection of barbecued beef
0:20:59 > 0:21:04with really good red wine, we are at the temple of barbecue.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I mean, the beef now on there, the shallots,
0:21:07 > 0:21:12the way he's searing the marrow into the beef, it's just...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I can't believe how good this is.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Well, this is how it's supposed to be,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23and I know many of you will be saying,
0:21:23 > 0:21:28"Oh, no! That's taking the biscuit. Surely you can't eat that."
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Well, the short answer is that's perfect.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38So, Rick, how do you like our entrecote maitre de chai?
0:21:38 > 0:21:40I like it well.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44It's the tenderest, most flavourful,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47most excellently cooked piece of cote de boeuf
0:21:47 > 0:21:52I've ever eaten, with some ceps and a beautiful wine.
0:21:52 > 0:21:58The French absolutely know how food and wine goes together.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- Yeah, because we were born with that.- You were, you lucky things.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06When I first came here many years ago now,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I used to think these chateaux appeared to be a bit...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11well, snooty and unapproachable.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14But most of them, I'm told, will welcome you.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17That's if you want to taste their wine seriously.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18Lots of them do lunches
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and you might be lucky to taste their cote de boeuf.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I find it quite pleasing to say
0:22:28 > 0:22:32that the English ruled this part of France for about 300 years,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and that's where we got our love of the ruby-red claret,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and maybe roast beef and mustard.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Bordeaux is an extremely pleasant place to wander about
0:22:48 > 0:22:51in search of something good to eat.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54There's a gentle calmness about the place.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Fashions may change over the years,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01but people will be behaving in exactly the same way they are today,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03having a glass with friends before supper.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09I do think the French do windows terribly well.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I mean, look at those windows up there.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12I just think...
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I'm staying in a hotel this weekend,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19but I'd just love to take over that flat on the second floor there
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and I'd literally just spend all weekend
0:23:22 > 0:23:26just looking out of the window at what's going on in this square
0:23:26 > 0:23:29and just nipping out for the odd dish or two.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Look at that. That's obviously a tuna, but this really interests me.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41It's like a bass out of a nightmare.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46It's just like you wake up and think, "Gosh, it's after me!"
0:23:46 > 0:23:48It's called a maigre, but it's a type of bass.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I think maigre means thin,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52but there's nothing thin about this fish.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56It must be about 40 kilos.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Well, that's what I'm going to have tonight.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I mean, I love bass, anyway,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03but I'm told this is absolutely legendary, the taste of it.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I must say, I really like the look of this restaurant.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It's not mucked about with.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18It looks like it's been here for 20, 30, 40, 50 years.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21It's one of the things that I really like about France,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23because I think in a lot of cases, maybe because in the UK
0:24:23 > 0:24:26restaurants are such a new and emerging thing,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29all the restaurants are a bit smart.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Well, this one's clearly smart, I mean, the prices are smart,
0:24:33 > 0:24:34and the wines are smart,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37but it doesn't have to look smart, you know.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It's more to my taste, I must say.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42And the rugby is on, too.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43Come on, Wales.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I never thought I'd be saying that, but they're playing the Wallabies.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I think the look and feel of a restaurant
0:24:52 > 0:24:54is nearly as important as the cooking.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And the smell here that I like wafting into the restaurant
0:24:58 > 0:25:00is that of hot butter and garlic,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03to give a real sense of expectation,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05in other words, an appetite.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11The famous French food writer Brillat-Savarin
0:25:11 > 0:25:16wrote very seductively about the joys of smells and tastes.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20He said, "I'm tempted to believe the smell and taste
0:25:20 > 0:25:23"are, in fact, but a single sense
0:25:23 > 0:25:28"whose laboratory is the mouth and whose chimney is the nose."
0:25:28 > 0:25:32It would have to be a Frenchman to put it quite like that!
0:25:35 > 0:25:37This is the first time I have eaten maigre.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42There is something really special about a very thick fillet of fish
0:25:42 > 0:25:45because it just retains its moisture,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47and I have to say,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50this is very, very delicious.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Particularly the skin.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54A lot of people don't like fish skin,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56but when it's cooked on a plancha like this is
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and it's crisp,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00it's the best bit.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07That was a new fish sensation for me, it really was.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I'd come here again easily.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Or maybe I should settle for a steak and chips at L'Entrecote.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Every time I go, there's a queue.
0:26:16 > 0:26:22It must be the most successful steak and chips restaurant in Europe.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23Maybe tomorrow.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Saturday morning, just had breakfast, the usual.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Fresh bread, coffee, fabulous butter, lovely jam, perfect.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50And we're two hours before lunch, the best time to explore the market.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54The Marche des Capucins is right in the centre of Bordeaux.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57The market of the Italian Capuchin friars.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02The even more famous coffee is named after their brown habits.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Funny how things adapt in life.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10This is the biggest market in Bordeaux
0:27:10 > 0:27:14and I have to say it's very pleasing on the eye.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17In French markets, it's not just the place for the daily shop.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21It's a good place to eat really fresh produce.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Before I came away, somebody was saying,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28what does make a perfect weekend for you?
0:27:28 > 0:27:32And I was sort of thinking, well, this makes a perfect weekend.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34In the middle of a market, everybody sitting down,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38eating some lovely seafood and drinking some fresh white wine.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39That's it for starters.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46What I love to look for in French markets, any markets,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50is what you can't easily get back home in the UK.
0:27:50 > 0:27:51Oh, look at this.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I mean...
0:27:53 > 0:27:59Mint, parsley, sorrel, chervil, purslane, dill.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03But look at the quantities. Piles of it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04I mean, that is confidence.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07They obviously know they're going to sell out of this.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10It's so appetising.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13I've never seen that in a market anywhere before. It's lovage.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Very, very strong celery-like herb
0:28:17 > 0:28:20that is used here for putting in pot-au-feus,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24for putting in beef stock, giving a real celery flavour to it.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27I just love French markets.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- Could I have cep, pour moi? - Oui.- Oui, merci.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Wow!
0:28:37 > 0:28:41The smell of fresh ceps frying, it's almost like floral,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44there's so much fragrance from them.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48No wonder they're the best mushrooms to the French. Pardon.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52In her way, actually. Sorry about that!
0:28:52 > 0:28:55It's a real nightmare doing TV sometimes,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58cos people are just going about their normal life
0:28:58 > 0:28:59and you sort of interrupt them.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01She just gave me a great shove,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03like, get out the way, I want my ceps!
0:29:03 > 0:29:05But they smell so good.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10And, you know, the winemaking now, the vintage is in,
0:29:10 > 0:29:14the grapes have all been picked, and the mushroom season's starting.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18You couldn't imagine a more perfect time of year to be here in Bordeaux.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24I can't resist actually eating them, I must say.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29Just the smell, and that persillade, garlic and parsley...
0:29:29 > 0:29:31sprinkled on them...
0:29:31 > 0:29:32Fab.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38I just noticed I'm standing in the "Allee Margaux"
0:29:38 > 0:29:42and the intersection is with the "Allee Saint-Emilion".
0:29:42 > 0:29:45If you want to say, "Where shall I meet you in the market?"
0:29:45 > 0:29:48you say, "The corner of Saint-Emilion and Margaux."
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Or "Pauillac", another alley just over there.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Great way of saying, yep, meet me here and we'll have some cep.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06You may not like the places I choose or the dishes I eat.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10- That is a risk, I know, but it's what- I- like.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15It's all about local food, good wine
0:30:15 > 0:30:20and, actually, places that I think would put a smile on your face.
0:30:22 > 0:30:23- Excuse me for asking.- Yeah.
0:30:23 > 0:30:30But try and clarify what makes a Rick Stein's Long Weekend perfect.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32It's not like one of those travel programmes
0:30:32 > 0:30:35where it's all about, you know, the cheapest flights you can get,
0:30:35 > 0:30:3829 quid with this lot, 36 with the other.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41It's just really impressions,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44and it's trying to build up a picture of a place
0:30:44 > 0:30:48from a food and drink point of view, particularly.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51I mean, people that I imagine coming on a long weekend
0:30:51 > 0:30:53will be going for the food.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55It's really just trying to build up
0:30:55 > 0:30:58a sort of "I wish I was there" sort of feeling.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07I've heard lots of people talk about this restaurant -
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Garopapilles.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12In Bordeaux terms, it's cool - very cool -
0:31:12 > 0:31:17it's small, modern, and the food is all about taste,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21blending flavours and textures to excite the mouth.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24The portions are small and intense,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28and the chef, Tanguy, is very intense.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32He goes to the market every morning, sees what's fresh,
0:31:32 > 0:31:37and then gets back here and starts to compose his symphony.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40I know, mainly by the film crew's faces,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42it's not to everyone's liking,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46but this is very much part of the modern Bordeaux eating scene,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49which I feel honour-bound to reflect.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53- Hello, sir. Want to go for the wine? - I'll go for some wine.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- By the glass?- Yeah, to go with it. - I will do that. Perfect.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Just... I can see what's going on here,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02but just explain to me the concept of the restaurant.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Well, you know, we always describe it...
0:32:04 > 0:32:08For us, it's like having friends coming to dinner.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11When you go to a friend's home, you don't know what you're going to eat,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14and you're going to have a nice glass of wine with a nice meal.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18- This is where it becomes interesting.- Looking forward to it.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Well, I hope so!
0:32:21 > 0:32:25OK, the food isn't particularly hearty Bordeaux fare,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27but the chef, Tanguy Laviale,
0:32:27 > 0:32:31learnt his trade in the best Parisian restaurants.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36He sees his job as creating a new taste sensation for people,
0:32:36 > 0:32:41explosions of flavours, emulsions, foams are de rigueur.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- There you go.- Thank you.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49This is clams in a shell with an emulsion of smoked ham.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Crab with a puree of Jerusalem artichoke.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Herring roe with hard goat's cheese
0:32:56 > 0:32:58and smoked bell pepper-flavoured cream.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04That's lovely. I mean, this is fun.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09I think... I think just a few courses like this is fun.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14It's when you have 17 of them and that constitutes a course,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16that's when you just get a bit bored.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20I tend to be a bit down on this rather picky food.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22I'm just getting a bit old, I think.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Now, this is the main course.
0:33:27 > 0:33:33It's veal with pan-fried ceps, shallots, lardons, grapes, croutons,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35and pumpkin ravioli
0:33:35 > 0:33:38with a sauce of beef stock, preserved lemons,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40black olives, topped with slices of truffle,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43and truffle foam, and cucumber flowers.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Now, this is Chateau Bellevue, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55with a touch of Merlot and a hint of Petit Verdot.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Now to try.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Oh, that veal's lovely. Perfectly cooked.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04I mean, when you look at it,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07and you look at all the effort that's gone into it,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10the skill that's gone into it, it is delightful.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12It's not the way I cook, but you have to say,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16this is real craftsmanship
0:34:16 > 0:34:19and it just looks like a painting.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Maybe I need to think about this again.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Now a little wafer of caramel parfait.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Caramel ice cream with a pineapple sage leaf
0:34:32 > 0:34:34and a nice sticky grave.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Mm.
0:34:39 > 0:34:40Sensational.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05Cap Ferret, about an hour and 40 minutes from Bordeaux.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Probably quicker in a normal car.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I was desperate for a swim.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I go every day in Padstow, come wind or shine.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16And here, I was told, is excellent for bathing.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Lots of lovely sand, no nasty currents, and it's quite sheltered.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Well, I should have looked at the tide table, I suppose,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31and it's just starting to rain.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34But the smell of seaweed... ozone is intense,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37intense enough to start thinking about seafood.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41It's gone 12 and time, I think, for lunch in one of the region's
0:35:41 > 0:35:45best-known seafood restaurants - Chez Hortense.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53I have to say, I find it an absolute pleasure
0:35:53 > 0:35:56to be in a really busy seafood restaurant -
0:35:56 > 0:36:00lots of kids, mums and dads, the odd dog,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03all enjoying their Sunday seafood lunch.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06It's a joy to be here, and this dish of mussels
0:36:06 > 0:36:10has been on the menu for nearly 80 years, exactly the same.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16I am in total heaven, I have to say.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22I find that it's always the sort of simplest dishes
0:36:22 > 0:36:25well executed that give me the most pleasure.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28This one is just sensational.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30You've got garlic, you've got Bayonne ham.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32You get something like this, a plate of moules,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35cooked in the most perfect way, and you just think,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38"Well, that's how it should be."
0:36:38 > 0:36:40I think that's how...
0:36:40 > 0:36:43You know, when the French are at their best,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46everything that they do foodwise
0:36:46 > 0:36:49is so sort of apt for the occasion.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53So I think it's almost right that you should drink red wine with it
0:36:53 > 0:36:57because it tastes almost meaty with all that ham in there.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01It's a sort of ultimate, dare I say it, surf and turf mix.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04But the wine just goes so well with it.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Then when all the shells are gone
0:37:08 > 0:37:12and you're left with this wonderful garlicky buttery residue,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15it's time to faire chabrot,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19which just means a little bit of Bordeaux
0:37:19 > 0:37:24into your dish, a little bit of stir, like a dressing...
0:37:27 > 0:37:29And then...
0:37:32 > 0:37:35That might seem a little bad manners or something, but, honestly,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38that is the way to finish a dish like this.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45So, now, this is one of those dishes
0:37:45 > 0:37:47I'm going to cook back home in Cornwall.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Mussels with Bayonne ham and fines herbes.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58First of all, I'm just going to steam open the mussels
0:37:58 > 0:38:00with a good sprinkle of white wine.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Now, this should take about no more than two or three minutes
0:38:06 > 0:38:08and, as I always say with doing mussels like this,
0:38:08 > 0:38:10don't leave them in there too long -
0:38:10 > 0:38:12just until the shells have opened.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14The longer you leave them, the less flavour
0:38:14 > 0:38:16the mussels themselves will have.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21After I've opened them, I'm just going to pass them
0:38:21 > 0:38:25through the colander, because I want the juices for the sauce.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Yes, they're looking good.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33They open so quickly and they've got to be really plumptious.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36As I said, the more you cook them, the more the flavour goes in
0:38:36 > 0:38:40and, also, the smaller the mussels get.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42There we go, so just leave them to drain off
0:38:44 > 0:38:49and turn down the heat, add a little bit of butter.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Now just cut some shallots to go in there.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55These are banana shallots, which we like to use
0:38:55 > 0:38:58because they're much easier to peel than the old-fashioned ones.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Shallots make such good sauces
0:39:00 > 0:39:02because of their sweetness and mildness.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06OK, there's the shallots, now the Bayonne ham.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10I think the idea of Bayonne ham is really good with shellfish.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13I mean, I'm thinking Portugal...
0:39:13 > 0:39:17You know, you have a lot of salt pork with shellfish there,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20and those Cataplana oysters are the same sort of idea.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Let's chop those finely up with the shallots.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26That's good, that's fine enough.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Now, finally, just grate some garlic on top of that
0:39:28 > 0:39:31and then just add all that into my butter.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38Shallot, garlic, ham cooking down in butter, wow!
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Smelling lovely.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43And now my mussel liquor.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Just leave the last little tablespoon or so back in the bowl,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50because there's quite often a bit of grit in there.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56Now just bring that down until it's nice and concentrated.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59I'm not going to add any salt, cos that is really quite salty
0:39:59 > 0:40:02with the mussel juice, but I do like adding plenty of pepper.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Just add the mussels back in there.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10I don't want them to overcook.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14Just stir that around a little bit
0:40:14 > 0:40:17and now I'm just going to chop up some herbs.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19These are fines... what we call fines herbes -
0:40:19 > 0:40:21well, what the French do -
0:40:21 > 0:40:25which is parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31A very common herb arrangement in France.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36As you can see, I'm not one for really finely chopping herbs.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38The reason for that is, the more you chop them,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41actually, the less flavour you get out of them.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43I think you just expel so much juice
0:40:43 > 0:40:46from the herbs into the chopping board,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50they end up tasting like... almost like dried parsley.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52There we go.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54That is done.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56That is ready.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07So just finish off with a little bit of fresh fines herbes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11What could be more French than that?
0:41:19 > 0:41:20An hour in the deux chevaux from Bordeaux,
0:41:20 > 0:41:25or 40 minutes on the train, is the wonderful town of Arcachon.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Sandy, gentle beaches
0:41:28 > 0:41:30and a famous piece of sculpture
0:41:30 > 0:41:33that changes colour every season.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39I need a walk, because sometimes I have to have two lunches
0:41:39 > 0:41:42and very often two dinners.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50On these trips, I always like to find a local drink,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and you can't get more local than Lillet.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57It's wine, citrus liqueur and a touch of quinine,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59and it's very Bordeaux.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04It's most famously recorded
0:42:04 > 0:42:09in the first of the James Bond novels - Casino Royale.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14Bond is in France somewhere and orders a dry martini
0:42:14 > 0:42:17and then changes it at the last minute, and he says,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20"Three measures of gin, one measure of vodka
0:42:20 > 0:42:23"and half a measure of Lillet.
0:42:26 > 0:42:32"Shaken over ice, served ice-cold with a twist of lemon."
0:42:32 > 0:42:38And after that, it was known as a Vesper in praise of the love affair
0:42:38 > 0:42:42that Bond has in that fabulous first novel.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53The basin of Arcachon,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57a small sea separated by a spit of sand from the roaring Atlantic.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Great for fishing and even better for oysters,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05some of the sweetest tasting oysters there are.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08The French are very blessed
0:43:08 > 0:43:11and this place has to be part of my long weekend.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- Oh, hello!- How nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22I've heard all about you.
0:43:22 > 0:43:23Already opening oysters.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Yes, we're preparing oysters for a boat
0:43:25 > 0:43:30with people ordering oysters on a trip on the Bay of Arcachon.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32- Very nice.- Do you want to try one?
0:43:32 > 0:43:33Beautiful, thanks.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38- Mm.- Good?
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Nice and salty, lovely mineral taste.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Yeah, maybe they are too salty at the moment
0:43:44 > 0:43:47because we did not have any rain, so the water is very salty.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- Ah, very salty. Can I have another? - Look, this one is very nice.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Oysters - you can eat them the whole year.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56But they are different. I prefer them in April and May.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58There's a lot of food in the water
0:43:58 > 0:44:03and so the oysters are eating a lot of plankton and getting fat.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05I think it's really the best time.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09So it's when they're not too fat, when they've got too much...?
0:44:09 > 0:44:11Afterwards, they're getting creamy.
0:44:11 > 0:44:12The interesting thing of the oysters
0:44:12 > 0:44:16is that it's really healthy and it's natural.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20- At no moment you give them something artificial to eat.- Yeah.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22It's really... I think it's one of the last products
0:44:22 > 0:44:26100% natural you can find on the market and on your plate.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30I could go on eating these all day!
0:44:30 > 0:44:34I thought that English people, they don't like oysters. I've met many...
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Don't like oysters?! I think the crew like oysters.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39You like oysters, don't you?
0:44:39 > 0:44:41- CREW MEMBER:- Not really. - No?
0:44:41 > 0:44:43- Well, it's the impression I got. - They...
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- CREW MEMBER:- They're a bit slimy. - Slimy?!
0:44:45 > 0:44:49- I've always liked...- But you like oysters?- I love oysters, Angelica.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51I absolutely love them.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56- ALL:- Un, deux, trois.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Every time I'm in a French restaurant, there are usually
0:44:59 > 0:45:04lots of kids getting stuck into bowls of crabs or clams or oysters.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08I always think, "Well, this is so different from home."
0:45:08 > 0:45:11It just so happened that that morning, a group of children
0:45:11 > 0:45:15from a local school came here to learn about the oyster.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18Apparently, they go to farms, to cheesemakers,
0:45:18 > 0:45:20to vegetable growers,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23and so by the age of eight or so, they're all gourmets.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33After those oysters, I fancied something classic -
0:45:33 > 0:45:34fish, of course.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37One of the things I like to do
0:45:37 > 0:45:42is to try just one course at the grandest hotel in town.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46I ordered sole meuniere, as French as a 2CV.
0:45:48 > 0:45:49I know this dish well,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51but I'm really interested to see how they do it,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54and already they're going to add some extra things to it.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57The way they're starting it is frying the floured sole,
0:45:57 > 0:46:00first in a bit of oil and then in beurre noisette.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Just how I'd do it.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Now the sole goes under a hot grill - a salamander -
0:46:07 > 0:46:10for about five minutes, no longer.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12The fish has to be firm, but yielding.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18And then the chef here, Olivier, who's really kind to let us in,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21fries up some girolle mushrooms and chestnuts.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26He adds some beef stock, it goes so well with the mushrooms.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27And then he serves.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32Wow! Look at that!
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Now, call me old-fashioned, call me what you like,
0:46:35 > 0:46:40but this is a really good taste of autumnal France.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42A perfect lunch.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51You've seen it been made. I bet you were thinking,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54"That looks delicious." Well, it is - absolutely delicious.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57And what's really great about it is that I'm always saying this -
0:46:57 > 0:46:59you can eat fish with strong sauces,
0:46:59 > 0:47:03particularly when you've got these lovely girolle mushrooms,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06you've got the chestnuts and you've got beefiness about it.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Of course, from Bordeaux, they're looking of ways
0:47:09 > 0:47:13of drinking some of their best wines - in this case Chateau Leon -
0:47:13 > 0:47:15with fish.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16Just put a lovely garnish
0:47:16 > 0:47:19of mushrooms, beef and chestnuts, thank you.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24If I was to guess the restaurant
0:47:24 > 0:47:27that does the most business in Bordeaux
0:47:27 > 0:47:30then it would have to be this one, L'Entrecote.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Here there are always queues day and night.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37They serve the most famous steak, called...
0:47:37 > 0:47:40yes, l'entrecote.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42I think that's a sirloin back at home.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48And now l'entrecote bordelaise.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51First, season the steak on both sides.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55This time I'm using a ribeye, because it's my favourite.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Melt some butter in a thick-bottomed griddle pan
0:47:58 > 0:48:02and it's got to be hot, really hot.
0:48:02 > 0:48:03SIZZLING
0:48:03 > 0:48:07Because you want to hear that satisfying sizzle.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11Now cook for about two minutes a side and let it rest.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20'So in the same pan, pour in a good, generous glug of wine.'
0:48:23 > 0:48:28Now thyme and bay leaves and finely chopped shallots.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Then pour in some well-reduced beef stock.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35After four or five minutes, remove the herbs,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39turn up the heat a fraction for it to reduce a bit more.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42And then the most important ingredient -
0:48:42 > 0:48:44marrowbone jelly.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47I baked these marrowbones for about 15 minutes
0:48:47 > 0:48:50and inside, they're rich and glutinous
0:48:50 > 0:48:54and they give so much sickly sweetness to the finished sauce.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58Next, a little bit of butter for that special sheen.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02I've come to this conclusion later in life that a bordelaise sauce
0:49:02 > 0:49:04has to contain beef marrow.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08I mean, I learned how to make a sort of bordelaise at college years ago
0:49:08 > 0:49:10and the idea of beef marrow then would have been...
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Well, nobody would've ever thought of using it,
0:49:12 > 0:49:14but it gives the sauce a lovely mouth feel,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16a slightly sort of glisteriny.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18The other thing is that everything needs
0:49:18 > 0:49:20to be put together at the last minute.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22It's really an a la minute sauce
0:49:22 > 0:49:24so you can taste all the elements in it.
0:49:24 > 0:49:29It needs to be lively and vibrant to do justice to the steak.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31And so the end is nigh.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35It's finely chopped parsley to finish with, and then serve.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41I've got some lightly cooked French beans here,
0:49:41 > 0:49:44which I've covered with a fine drizzle of vinaigrette.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49Then it's French fries, not too many.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51And that lovely sauce, perfect!
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Well, what would you say about that?
0:49:57 > 0:50:01I just think that looks very French, tastes very...
0:50:01 > 0:50:03I'd say as if it's just come from France.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06I particularly like that green bean salad that I've done with it.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10It just looks very special and very different.
0:50:10 > 0:50:11Where's the glass of Bordeaux?
0:50:21 > 0:50:23It's my last full day here
0:50:23 > 0:50:26and I want to see some old friends I've known for ages.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30They're called Gavin and Angela Quinney, and I buy their wine,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32and have done for some years.
0:50:33 > 0:50:39Gavin made a lot of money in the City of London selling computers,
0:50:39 > 0:50:43and almost on a whim decided to buy a vineyard in Bordeaux.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46I've been following him over the years.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49It's really the stuff of a TV series,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Englishman with vineyard in France,
0:50:52 > 0:50:57because owning and running a vineyard is no walk in the park.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01But now he's very well-respected by all the local winemakers
0:51:01 > 0:51:04and I've always loved coming to see him
0:51:04 > 0:51:07because I think it's a very satisfying way of life.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Gavin promised me milk-fed lamb, a local delicacy,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17roasted to perfection,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19along with dauphinoise potatoes,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22one of my favourite vegetable dishes,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25and then petits pois, but tinned petits pois.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28For some reason, the French petits pois in tins
0:51:28 > 0:51:30tastes so good.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Sorry about that. I think I've overcooked it.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35- What, the lamb?- Yeah.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36Sorry.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Well, I do like pink lamb, but loads of people don't, Gavin.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43You know, my wife hates pink lamb.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47Actually, I've started really to like slightly overdone lamb.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51- I have, seriously. I actually... I mean it.- Right.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54- So don't worry.- OK.
0:51:54 > 0:51:55- You sound like me.- Yeah, I know.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57I'm always worrying about not getting things right.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Most people don't even notice, you know?!
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Oh, well, I'm sure it will be tender and lovely.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05- It looks lovely.- And there's lovely wine to go with it.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09- I'm so hungry.- OK.- I'm so looking forward to the wine.- Great. OK.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16Well, I have to say the lamb was very good, very good indeed.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18A mild, subtle taste
0:52:18 > 0:52:22which went extremely well with the Pauillac wine.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26Gavin, there was truly nothing to worry about. It was delicious.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32- So, been a good trip? - Yeah, yeah, really nice, actually.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35I mean, the weather's fabulous for this time of year.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40- What's the vintage been like, then? - Well, brilliant.- Really?- Yeah.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43It's the very last day of the vendange, the grape harvest,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47when the last of the Cabernet Sauvignon is picked.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50While I was there, incidentally,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54I was told that the best vintages over the last 20 years or so
0:52:54 > 0:52:57are the ones that end with either a zero or a five.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03You must be so proud of what you've achieved.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06I mean, it just seems like the most perfect life to me.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Well, it does when it's the harvest
0:53:09 > 0:53:12but, of course, this is the culmination of 12 months
0:53:12 > 0:53:14of graft by the whole team
0:53:14 > 0:53:19and then we've got to make it into some fantastic wine.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21You were a businessman in London.
0:53:21 > 0:53:27Did you ever in your wildest dreams think you'd end up here making wine?
0:53:27 > 0:53:30No! No, it wasn't really part of the plan.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32But I was...
0:53:32 > 0:53:33Wine was my...
0:53:33 > 0:53:36You can't say passion any more, can you? It's overused.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40I was mildly obsessive about wine, I think, in my 20s and 30s.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43And then I got the sort of vineyard bug.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47I started visiting vineyards and I started really enjoying the culture
0:53:47 > 0:53:51and the food and the wine of wine regions.
0:53:51 > 0:53:56That sort of persuaded me to move to the dark side, if you like,
0:53:56 > 0:53:58of actually being involved in a vineyard,
0:53:58 > 0:54:01which is a little bit mad, I have to say.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Now, Gavin takes wine very seriously and has arranged for me
0:54:09 > 0:54:13and my son Charles, who's in the wine business, to be tasters
0:54:13 > 0:54:18at a very important tasting of the wine from Graves, near Bordeaux.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Now, let me introduce you to the director.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24- Rick Stein and his son Charlie. - Bonjour.- Bonjour.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27- And Dominique, the president. - Nice to meet you.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30It's a real honour for us to be here, so thank you very much.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33- Thank you.- I'm a bit nervous.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35Really?!
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Now, this is for real, it's not a set-up.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41A real tasting, where our votes count.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43I thought there would be about 40 wines or so,
0:54:43 > 0:54:47but there were about 250 of them.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51I think we were well out of our depth.
0:54:51 > 0:54:57So you have to select the wines that we love very much.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59- It's very important.- Yes.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03I've never been to a tasting like this before.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05We don't do this in London.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07This is mega. The people in this room are mega,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10so it's an honour to be here, it really is.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12I'm very nervous. I want to get it totally right.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19I should just explain what the categories are.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23Basically, you've got the look of the wine,
0:55:24 > 0:55:26they call it the odour,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30I think I'd tend to call it the bouquet, the smell.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Then you've got the taste and, finally, how much you like them,
0:55:34 > 0:55:37which is, I don't like at all, I like moderately,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40I like great deal,
0:55:40 > 0:55:43or j'aime enormement - enormously.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55What Gavin failed to mention was the amount of time it took.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57One hour passed by,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59then another and another.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Four o'clock became seven
0:56:01 > 0:56:03and we're still at it!
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Nearly there, Dad.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Could you honestly tell me that you can really tell the difference?
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Isn't your mouth really puckered?
0:56:17 > 0:56:19I get a lot of people coming up to me
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and they say, "What do you do for a living?" I say, I taste wine."
0:56:22 > 0:56:24They're like, "That's not a job! Of course that's not a job.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27"You just go round tasting wine all day." It's really, really hard.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Once you get to this point and your palate is exhausted
0:56:30 > 0:56:31and you're exhausted.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Honestly, we've had so many wines now,
0:56:33 > 0:56:38my mouth is like the outside of a prune, right?
0:56:38 > 0:56:41I can't taste a thing.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43I mean, it just all tastes either nice or not nice,
0:56:43 > 0:56:45whichever way you want to put it.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48I just do not understand physiologically
0:56:48 > 0:56:52how a human being can still make judgements about wines
0:56:52 > 0:56:54at this stage in this marathon tasting.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57(Rick.)
0:56:57 > 0:56:59(It's a lot easier when you can see labels.)
0:57:04 > 0:57:10Well, you live and learn, and I know I'll never become a wine taster.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13My favourites things in Bordeaux, though, were...
0:57:13 > 0:57:19that fabulous grattons in La Tupina, eaten with radishes.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22And that enormous fish,
0:57:22 > 0:57:26the maigre - steaky, white and very tasty,
0:57:26 > 0:57:28a first for me.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31And probably the best of the lot,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34cote de boeuf cooked over some vine trimmings
0:57:34 > 0:57:37and seared with marrowbone jelly and shallots.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41And then, of course, there's the wine.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43It is very good, but strangely,
0:57:43 > 0:57:49I only feel like drinking fizzy water at the moment.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51- Merci.- Merci.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54The tasting took nearly five hours in all.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01Charlie and I were given some lovely bottles to take home.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05And it was time for the winners to take the stage and rejoice.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14And time for Charlie and me to have a beer.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19But I had a lovely long weekend.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21Thanks, Bordeaux! A bientot.
0:58:23 > 0:58:28# Hey, Rick Where we going next weekend?
0:58:28 > 0:58:36# Are we flying a few hours away for some delicious food, they say?
0:58:36 > 0:58:39# We can try dishes in Roma or Barcelona
0:58:39 > 0:58:44# For something more exotic, though, the spices of Morocco
0:58:44 > 0:58:47# Yes, you can take your pick
0:58:47 > 0:58:51# And even break the ice in Reykjavik
0:58:51 > 0:58:54# So, Rick, make the booking and let's get cooking
0:58:54 > 0:58:59# And get those taste buds going next weekend. #