Bordeaux Rick Stein's Long Weekends

A little bit of what you fancy does you good

and that's precisely what I think

about taking off for a long weekend

somewhere not too faraway and not obvious like Paris or Rome.

So, over the coming weeks,

as I travel across Europe visiting new cities,

maybe I'll take in the odd gallery or museum, but being a chef,

it's mainly about food,

because it's a big part of the culture of a place.

Someone once said,

a wedge of cheese has as much history as a baroque cathedral.

I think there's some truth in that.

So, do you love really rare beef cooked over vine trimmings

accompanied by some of the finest red wines in the world?

Do you like mooching around markets searching for

great things to eat like ceps straight from the forest?

Or do you like oysters out of the bay

or going to restaurants and bistros and watching the world go by?

Then this weekend could be for you.

# Hey, Rick

# Where we going this weekend? #

Bordeaux.

# Are we flying a few hours away for some delicious food, they say?

# So, Rick, make the booking And let's get cooking

# And get those taste buds going this weekend. #

So, why Bordeaux?

Well, perhaps it's not enough to say on television

that I really like it,

but when I was last here,

all I can remember is a lot of sooty black buildings, warehouses, mostly,

right beside the River Garonne.

Now they've all been pulled down, letting the light stream in

and that's perhaps why they call Bordeaux

the sleeping beauty of France.

Like an old forgotten watercolour covered in dirt and grime,

she's been cleaned and looks brilliant.

What I really like to do is to find a good restaurant

that has rooms somewhere in the centre of town

where you don't have to get taxis and mess about.

Your table's just down there and your bed's here,

nothing fancy, just practical.

Wow.

I suppose I would have liked a view over the Garonne,

but this is more meaningful to me.

This is the restaurant, these are the rooms.

It's called La Tupina.

Last time I was here, it's 11 years ago,

I can remember now, we were about to get on a barge

and go down a couple of canals all the way to Marseille,

but I particularly remember this restaurant

and so glad to be back.

They had fantastic cote de boeuf cooked over a wood fire

and duck fat chips - I remember that -

in a big old pan just cooked in duck fat.

So delicious.

And I remember big bunches of radishes

and having that cote de boeuf with a lovely bottle of Bordeaux.

I can't wait to get in there tonight.

I had to wait an hour or so before it got dark because, to me,

the entrance is pure theatre

and the smell of chips cooking in duck fat is wonderful.

Well, this is just as I remember it.

I mean, it's great when you sort of have things in your mind

and you come back to a place like this and it's even better.

Look at it.

Look at those cote de boeuf, look at those pigeons,

look at those whole chickens with their heads.

No messing here.

It's that sort of lovely real food.

It's not like itsy-bitsy bits of stuff on plates.

It's the stuff you want to really get stuck into.

I think I'm almost more of an enthusiastic eater than a cook,

but one thing leads to another

and the style of cooking here over a brazier is pure Bordeaux.

Look at these wood pigeons basted with duck fat.

Kidneys wrapped in their own fatty caul

and chicken roasting on the hearth.

I have to admit, and you can call me a prude, if you like,

I hate the term food porn,

but it doesn't get any ruder than this.

Well, I can't help feeling

I'm sitting at the best table at the house

with all this going on behind me.

Tierry is just a master of...

It's hard to cook over charcoal and wood like that.

He's just doing it so well, answering the phone,

cutting up everything.

Even sliced up this grattons, which is made with pork fat and pork leg.

I just wanted something really simple. It looks so good.

I'm told you've got to eat it with the radishes, so here we go.

I mean, it just looks good on the table, but...

That...

People put too much into pate, you know.

This is just a bit of pepper, a bit of salt,

some beautiful pork, some beautiful fat and...

with the radishes, it is perfection.

I just think, keep it simple, keep flavours simple,

and then you'll be rewarded.

Fab.

I'll definitely be taking some of this back in my suitcase

along with a couple of bottles of Bordeaux's finest,

maybe a Pomerol, and, well, a Pauillac.

They'd go so well with rich pates and roasts.

And now the chicken.

Well...

When I was a child, chicken was more expensive than beef

and a special treat was to be taken out and have roast chicken,

and that's how this chicken tastes.

It's just so full of flavour.

I mean, chicken has become just a commodity,

but a proper roast chicken is something really, really wonderful.

While I've been eating all this,

I've just been glancing up here as a solitary diner.

There's this lovely piece from the International Herald Tribune

on the wall here and it says,

"Diners come here as though they are making a pilgrimage

"to a long-lost grandmother, to be warmed by the fire and attended to."

And doesn't that that feel like here? Well, it does to me.

But the last bit, and the bit that I love,

"The gentle red Bordeaux is poured and we're home again."

A stroll before breakfast in the early morning light

just by the arches of Napoleon's famous bridge

is a magical part of the Bordeaux experience.

There's one arch to every letter of his name.

A coincidence or just vanity?

I can't help but think of Venice here, because here the sky is king,

there's no high-rise because both cities are built on clay and mud.

There's a wonderful sense of space and also a feeling

you could film a period drama without changing a thing.

I was just walking past here and noticed to my astonishment

that the water is red.

It may not be true, but I don't really care.

To me, it's wine.

And up there, those gorgeous girls are pouring urns of wine.

Normally when you come to a square like this,

it's some conquering general on a great big horse,

but here, it's the wine that conquers everything.

When you've got 8,500 chateaux producing here,

of course it does.

I mean, what could be a better way of starting a long weekend

than breakfast in Bordeaux?

I mean, first of all, I love the jam.

It's a sort of lemon marmalade that you only find in France,

and what is it about cafe au lait in France?

It's so strong, it's so highly roasted,

nobody makes black coffee quite like the French.

It's just a perfect morning, great to be alive,

and starting what I hope is going to be a great weekend.

Bordeaux is 1.5 hours from the UK, if that.

Not too obvious, like Paris or Cannes,

definitely a bit warmer than home

and perfect for a long weekend.

It's got great restaurants - well, that's why I'm here -

lovely seafood with seriously fresh fish

from the Bay of Arcachon nearby.

And Bordeaux gives its name to one of the best meat sauces

ever created, bordelaise.

Brilliant wines, well, of course.

And it's all in the terroir,

the soil, the sun, the rain, the stones, the sea breezes.

That's what makes Bordeaux synonymous with good wine.

I like to think I'm always looking for ways of improving things,

certainly in food, so how could my Bordeaux experience be better?

-Right, so that's arriere?

-Yes.

-That's neutral.

-Yes.

-'Well, it's simple.'

Explore the vineyard in France's most iconic tin box,

the deux chevaux, designed to carry a farmer

and his eggs to market over ploughed fields

because all the roads were shot to bits after the Second World War.

I used to have one of these, but I can't remember...

The gear change was always a nightmare.

CAR HONKS HORN Oh!

'Frein a main - the handbrake, Rick!

'Objectives for being here - number one, find good places to eat.'

HE LAUGHS

'Number two, find great dishes I'd like to cook back home in Cornwall.'

'And number three, try not to write off the hire car!'

HE LAUGHS

And number four, get out of the city,

because mention the word Bordeaux to anyone past a certain age

and they'll say, "It's a bottle of red wine, Ricky!"

Well, I have to say that travelling down the D2

through the Medoc on a sunny day like this in a deux chevaux

is pretty close to heaven.

I mean, you can say what you like about wines from all over the world,

but nothing, to me, quite beats the reds from Bordeaux.

I think it's really the combination of grape types,

the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,

and the way they're blended all the time,

and, of course, the terroir.

I mean, I love wine.

It makes me happy, I love the taste of wine

and I love the way that wine makes food taste better,

and none of it, none of it, is quite as perfect

as a great Bordeaux with some great food on a lovely day.

Lunch, as we all know, is the most important meal of the day here.

I think it's all to do with the French

being a largely agricultural nation.

You work hard in the fields

and then you go to your local cafe du commerce in the village

for whatever they're serving for lunch.

What's it going to be?

Will it be rabbit cooked with prunes?

Steak tartare? I love that.

Or petit sale - pork and lentils? Yummo!

Or poulet au pot - chicken with vegetables?

Or duck confit and a bit of red cabbage?

Oh, I hope it's cassoulet.

But whatever it is, it's freshly made that morning at Chez Meme

in the Medoc village of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle.

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

La cuisine. It's when things taste what they are.

This is so nice, isn't it?

It's absolutely fresh as a daisy.

Just thinking, I seem to spend all my time having my lunch alone.

The crew call me Ricky-No-Mates because, generally,

it looks more sensible, but I just thought, actually,

anybody can see that I don't do this on my own,

so I just thought I'd show us having lunch,

and what we've all got is the menu du jour. It's 15 euros.

We had a great vegetable soup to start with,

now it's chicken parmentier, sort of Provencal sauce

with some olives in it, and beautiful vinaigrette,

really thick vinaigrette, on the lettuce,

then we're going to have chocolate tart afterwards.

And a simple bottle of local wine.

Cheers, chaps.

-All the very best. Here's to you.

-Cheers.

'And that chicken parmentier was lovely.'

So, without further ado, I'm going to cook chicken parmentier

in my humble cottage in Cornwall.

First of all, a little bit of butter and some shallots, carrots,

and then some celery.

Now some garlic.

And I think I'm just going to add a bit of white wine.

See what I've got in the fridge.

Champagne, that will do.

Just before you accuse me of being a bit posh

using champagne in this,

that champagne has been in the fridge

for about six weeks from a party and I'm so mean,

I didn't want to throw it away.

And now for some tomato puree, about a tablespoon.

Let it all sweat down a little bit.

Just turn the heat down.

I've already skinned these

because I don't actually want the skin in this nice dish.

And now some chicken stock.

Good, well-reduced chicken stock.

And now I've just got to leave this

to cook down for about ten minutes or so.

At this stage, I just need to season it.

Salt and plenty of black pepper.

Now to add the chicken.

The chicken is previously roasted.

I mean, that's the whole thing to me about a good chicken parmentier.

It's not about using fresh chicken,

it's about using up the family roast.

It's, as the French call it, a rechaufait dish.

And there's far too few recipes for leftovers, I think.

A handful of black olives with the stones cut out

and parsley, roughly chopped.

And presenting one of life's most comforting foods,

mashed potato with butter, of course, and cream.

And finally, a couple of egg yolks for colour

and an extra bit of luxury.

Now we enter shepherd's pie land, with nice creamy dollops.

Not very expertly placed, I agree,

but this isn't fiddly food.

And now a generous grating of gruyere. Don't be mean with it.

Antoine Parmentier, an army officer

in the days when many thought the potato was a poisonous vegetable

or at best, hog feed, went out of his way to show France and the world

what a fabulous vegetable it was.

This is not specifically a dish from Bordeaux,

but that's where I had it, amongst the vineyards of the Medoc

and that's where it will stay in my mind's eye.

The chateaux of the Medoc are pretty imposing.

They have a rather disdainful air about them,

like Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey,

as if they're saying to the great unwashed,

"Don't think of traipsing over my lawns

"or driving over my well-raked gravel, you oiks."

It's a little-known fact

that if you make wine in an Appellation Controlee,

like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the rest,

that you're not allowed to water the vines.

I didn't know that until now.

So the hardship of growth makes the grapes taste

all that much sweeter, just like life.

A bit of a struggle is good for the soul.

Now, this very imposing chateau was founded by a descendant

of well-heeled Irish Jacobite mercenaries.

They called these disaffected Irish aristos the Wild Geese.

They married the local girls, and their offspring now own

some of the finest vineyards in the world, like this one,

Phelan - that's the Irish bit - Segur.

Bonjour.

-Veronique.

-How are you? Welcome. Chateau Phelan Segur.

-Very nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, too.

The boss here is Veronique Dausse.

Today is the last day of the harvest.

Here they grow mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot,

and a smidgen of Petit Verdot.

And I may be showing my ignorance, but I couldn't get over

how stony the ground was.

It's like Chesil Beach!

I'm just amazed at this ground.

I hope you don't mind me saying this, Veronique,

but it looks terrible.

Like nothing could grow here.

It's funny, Rick, that you say that

because that is exactly the opposite.

You need this kind of gravel to make great wine

and it's very typical from the Medoc,

the soils are very well-drained.

So, you need good drainage because you get plenty of rainfall.

The soil doesn't need to be rich.

We are not growing carrots, we are growing vines, you know.

It's almost human beings.

You know, when you are taking care of such incredible individuals...

Like this one, for example, was planted in 1956.

Could you almost tell from the flavour of the grape

what the wine's going to be like?

Yes. I mean, it takes years and years, because...

When you taste the berry...

There are techniques of tasting the berry.

But, yes, you remember the berries from the previous years

so then you relate to what the wine has become.

So, obviously, yes, it's something very, very special.

You know, now you're talking tenderly about rearing them.

-They are human beings to you, they really are.

-They are, almost.

Not exactly human beings, but I wish they were, actually.

Veronique promised me the best beef barbecue I've ever tasted.

She called it winemaker's cote de boeuf.

That's basically a Sunday joint

cooked over wine-soaked vine trimmings

and then marrowbone jelly with shallots

seared with a hot iron onto the beef.

The smell was delightful.

I mean, all you who believe in barbecues,

who believe in the perfection of barbecued beef

with really good red wine, we are at the temple of barbecue.

I mean, the beef now on there, the shallots,

the way he's searing the marrow into the beef, it's just...

I can't believe how good this is.

Well, this is how it's supposed to be,

and I know many of you will be saying,

"Oh, no! That's taking the biscuit. Surely you can't eat that."

Well, the short answer is that's perfect.

So, Rick, how do you like our entrecote maitre de chai?

I like it well.

It's the tenderest, most flavourful,

most excellently cooked piece of cote de boeuf

I've ever eaten, with some ceps and a beautiful wine.

The French absolutely know how food and wine goes together.

-Yeah, because we were born with that.

-You were, you lucky things.

When I first came here many years ago now,

I used to think these chateaux appeared to be a bit...

well, snooty and unapproachable.

But most of them, I'm told, will welcome you.

That's if you want to taste their wine seriously.

Lots of them do lunches

and you might be lucky to taste their cote de boeuf.

I find it quite pleasing to say

that the English ruled this part of France for about 300 years,

and that's where we got our love of the ruby-red claret,

and maybe roast beef and mustard.

Bordeaux is an extremely pleasant place to wander about

in search of something good to eat.

There's a gentle calmness about the place.

Fashions may change over the years,

but people will be behaving in exactly the same way they are today,

having a glass with friends before supper.

I do think the French do windows terribly well.

I mean, look at those windows up there.

I just think...

I'm staying in a hotel this weekend,

but I'd just love to take over that flat on the second floor there

and I'd literally just spend all weekend

just looking out of the window at what's going on in this square

and just nipping out for the odd dish or two.

Look at that. That's obviously a tuna, but this really interests me.

It's like a bass out of a nightmare.

It's just like you wake up and think, "Gosh, it's after me!"

It's called a maigre, but it's a type of bass.

I think maigre means thin,

but there's nothing thin about this fish.

It must be about 40 kilos.

Well, that's what I'm going to have tonight.

I mean, I love bass, anyway,

but I'm told this is absolutely legendary, the taste of it.

I must say, I really like the look of this restaurant.

It's not mucked about with.

It looks like it's been here for 20, 30, 40, 50 years.

It's one of the things that I really like about France,

because I think in a lot of cases, maybe because in the UK

restaurants are such a new and emerging thing,

all the restaurants are a bit smart.

Well, this one's clearly smart, I mean, the prices are smart,

and the wines are smart,

but it doesn't have to look smart, you know.

It's more to my taste, I must say.

And the rugby is on, too.

Come on, Wales.

I never thought I'd be saying that, but they're playing the Wallabies.

I think the look and feel of a restaurant

is nearly as important as the cooking.

And the smell here that I like wafting into the restaurant

is that of hot butter and garlic,

to give a real sense of expectation,

in other words, an appetite.

The famous French food writer Brillat-Savarin

wrote very seductively about the joys of smells and tastes.

He said, "I'm tempted to believe the smell and taste

"are, in fact, but a single sense

"whose laboratory is the mouth and whose chimney is the nose."

It would have to be a Frenchman to put it quite like that!

This is the first time I have eaten maigre.

There is something really special about a very thick fillet of fish

because it just retains its moisture,

and I have to say,

this is very, very delicious.

Particularly the skin.

A lot of people don't like fish skin,

but when it's cooked on a plancha like this is

and it's crisp,

it's the best bit.

That was a new fish sensation for me, it really was.

I'd come here again easily.

Or maybe I should settle for a steak and chips at L'Entrecote.

Every time I go, there's a queue.

It must be the most successful steak and chips restaurant in Europe.

Maybe tomorrow.

Saturday morning, just had breakfast, the usual.

Fresh bread, coffee, fabulous butter, lovely jam, perfect.

And we're two hours before lunch, the best time to explore the market.

The Marche des Capucins is right in the centre of Bordeaux.

The market of the Italian Capuchin friars.

The even more famous coffee is named after their brown habits.

Funny how things adapt in life.

This is the biggest market in Bordeaux

and I have to say it's very pleasing on the eye.

In French markets, it's not just the place for the daily shop.

It's a good place to eat really fresh produce.

Before I came away, somebody was saying,

what does make a perfect weekend for you?

And I was sort of thinking, well, this makes a perfect weekend.

In the middle of a market, everybody sitting down,

eating some lovely seafood and drinking some fresh white wine.

That's it for starters.

What I love to look for in French markets, any markets,

is what you can't easily get back home in the UK.

Oh, look at this.

I mean...

Mint, parsley, sorrel, chervil, purslane, dill.

But look at the quantities. Piles of it.

I mean, that is confidence.

They obviously know they're going to sell out of this.

It's so appetising.

I've never seen that in a market anywhere before. It's lovage.

Very, very strong celery-like herb

that is used here for putting in pot-au-feus,

for putting in beef stock, giving a real celery flavour to it.

I just love French markets.

-Could I have cep, pour moi?

-Oui.

-Oui, merci.

Wow!

The smell of fresh ceps frying, it's almost like floral,

there's so much fragrance from them.

No wonder they're the best mushrooms to the French. Pardon.

In her way, actually. Sorry about that!

It's a real nightmare doing TV sometimes,

cos people are just going about their normal life

and you sort of interrupt them.

She just gave me a great shove,

like, get out the way, I want my ceps!

But they smell so good.

And, you know, the winemaking now, the vintage is in,

the grapes have all been picked, and the mushroom season's starting.

You couldn't imagine a more perfect time of year to be here in Bordeaux.

I can't resist actually eating them, I must say.

Just the smell, and that persillade, garlic and parsley...

sprinkled on them...

Fab.

I just noticed I'm standing in the "Allee Margaux"

and the intersection is with the "Allee Saint-Emilion".

If you want to say, "Where shall I meet you in the market?"

you say, "The corner of Saint-Emilion and Margaux."

Or "Pauillac", another alley just over there.

Great way of saying, yep, meet me here and we'll have some cep.

You may not like the places I choose or the dishes I eat.

-That is a risk, I know, but it's what

-I

-like.

It's all about local food, good wine

and, actually, places that I think would put a smile on your face.

-Excuse me for asking.

-Yeah.

But try and clarify what makes a Rick Stein's Long Weekend perfect.

It's not like one of those travel programmes

where it's all about, you know, the cheapest flights you can get,

29 quid with this lot, 36 with the other.

It's just really impressions,

and it's trying to build up a picture of a place

from a food and drink point of view, particularly.

I mean, people that I imagine coming on a long weekend

will be going for the food.

It's really just trying to build up

a sort of "I wish I was there" sort of feeling.

I've heard lots of people talk about this restaurant -

Garopapilles.

In Bordeaux terms, it's cool - very cool -

it's small, modern, and the food is all about taste,

blending flavours and textures to excite the mouth.

The portions are small and intense,

and the chef, Tanguy, is very intense.

He goes to the market every morning, sees what's fresh,

and then gets back here and starts to compose his symphony.

I know, mainly by the film crew's faces,

it's not to everyone's liking,

but this is very much part of the modern Bordeaux eating scene,

which I feel honour-bound to reflect.

-Hello, sir. Want to go for the wine?

-I'll go for some wine.

-By the glass?

-Yeah, to go with it.

-I will do that. Perfect.

Just... I can see what's going on here,

but just explain to me the concept of the restaurant.

Well, you know, we always describe it...

For us, it's like having friends coming to dinner.

When you go to a friend's home, you don't know what you're going to eat,

and you're going to have a nice glass of wine with a nice meal.

-This is where it becomes interesting.

-Looking forward to it.

Well, I hope so!

OK, the food isn't particularly hearty Bordeaux fare,

but the chef, Tanguy Laviale,

learnt his trade in the best Parisian restaurants.

He sees his job as creating a new taste sensation for people,

explosions of flavours, emulsions, foams are de rigueur.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

This is clams in a shell with an emulsion of smoked ham.

Crab with a puree of Jerusalem artichoke.

Herring roe with hard goat's cheese

and smoked bell pepper-flavoured cream.

That's lovely. I mean, this is fun.

I think... I think just a few courses like this is fun.

It's when you have 17 of them and that constitutes a course,

that's when you just get a bit bored.

I tend to be a bit down on this rather picky food.

I'm just getting a bit old, I think.

Now, this is the main course.

It's veal with pan-fried ceps, shallots, lardons, grapes, croutons,

and pumpkin ravioli

with a sauce of beef stock, preserved lemons,

black olives, topped with slices of truffle,

and truffle foam, and cucumber flowers.

Now, this is Chateau Bellevue, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon,

with a touch of Merlot and a hint of Petit Verdot.

Now to try.

Oh, that veal's lovely. Perfectly cooked.

I mean, when you look at it,

and you look at all the effort that's gone into it,

the skill that's gone into it, it is delightful.

It's not the way I cook, but you have to say,

this is real craftsmanship

and it just looks like a painting.

Maybe I need to think about this again.

Now a little wafer of caramel parfait.

Caramel ice cream with a pineapple sage leaf

and a nice sticky grave.

Mm.

Sensational.

Cap Ferret, about an hour and 40 minutes from Bordeaux.

Probably quicker in a normal car.

I was desperate for a swim.

I go every day in Padstow, come wind or shine.

And here, I was told, is excellent for bathing.

Lots of lovely sand, no nasty currents, and it's quite sheltered.

Well, I should have looked at the tide table, I suppose,

and it's just starting to rain.

But the smell of seaweed... ozone is intense,

intense enough to start thinking about seafood.

It's gone 12 and time, I think, for lunch in one of the region's

best-known seafood restaurants - Chez Hortense.

I have to say, I find it an absolute pleasure

to be in a really busy seafood restaurant -

lots of kids, mums and dads, the odd dog,

all enjoying their Sunday seafood lunch.

It's a joy to be here, and this dish of mussels

has been on the menu for nearly 80 years, exactly the same.

I am in total heaven, I have to say.

I find that it's always the sort of simplest dishes

well executed that give me the most pleasure.

This one is just sensational.

You've got garlic, you've got Bayonne ham.

You get something like this, a plate of moules,

cooked in the most perfect way, and you just think,

"Well, that's how it should be."

I think that's how...

You know, when the French are at their best,

everything that they do foodwise

is so sort of apt for the occasion.

So I think it's almost right that you should drink red wine with it

because it tastes almost meaty with all that ham in there.

It's a sort of ultimate, dare I say it, surf and turf mix.

But the wine just goes so well with it.

Then when all the shells are gone

and you're left with this wonderful garlicky buttery residue,

it's time to faire chabrot,

which just means a little bit of Bordeaux

into your dish, a little bit of stir, like a dressing...

And then...

That might seem a little bad manners or something, but, honestly,

that is the way to finish a dish like this.

So, now, this is one of those dishes

I'm going to cook back home in Cornwall.

Mussels with Bayonne ham and fines herbes.

First of all, I'm just going to steam open the mussels

with a good sprinkle of white wine.

Now, this should take about no more than two or three minutes

and, as I always say with doing mussels like this,

don't leave them in there too long -

just until the shells have opened.

The longer you leave them, the less flavour

the mussels themselves will have.

After I've opened them, I'm just going to pass them

through the colander, because I want the juices for the sauce.

Yes, they're looking good.

They open so quickly and they've got to be really plumptious.

As I said, the more you cook them, the more the flavour goes in

and, also, the smaller the mussels get.

There we go, so just leave them to drain off

and turn down the heat, add a little bit of butter.

Now just cut some shallots to go in there.

These are banana shallots, which we like to use

because they're much easier to peel than the old-fashioned ones.

Shallots make such good sauces

because of their sweetness and mildness.

OK, there's the shallots, now the Bayonne ham.

I think the idea of Bayonne ham is really good with shellfish.

I mean, I'm thinking Portugal...

You know, you have a lot of salt pork with shellfish there,

and those Cataplana oysters are the same sort of idea.

Let's chop those finely up with the shallots.

That's good, that's fine enough.

Now, finally, just grate some garlic on top of that

and then just add all that into my butter.

Shallot, garlic, ham cooking down in butter, wow!

Smelling lovely.

And now my mussel liquor.

Just leave the last little tablespoon or so back in the bowl,

because there's quite often a bit of grit in there.

Now just bring that down until it's nice and concentrated.

I'm not going to add any salt, cos that is really quite salty

with the mussel juice, but I do like adding plenty of pepper.

Just add the mussels back in there.

I don't want them to overcook.

Just stir that around a little bit

and now I'm just going to chop up some herbs.

These are fines... what we call fines herbes -

well, what the French do -

which is parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon.

A very common herb arrangement in France.

As you can see, I'm not one for really finely chopping herbs.

The reason for that is, the more you chop them,

actually, the less flavour you get out of them.

I think you just expel so much juice

from the herbs into the chopping board,

they end up tasting like... almost like dried parsley.

There we go.

That is done.

That is ready.

So just finish off with a little bit of fresh fines herbes.

What could be more French than that?

An hour in the deux chevaux from Bordeaux,

or 40 minutes on the train, is the wonderful town of Arcachon.

Sandy, gentle beaches

and a famous piece of sculpture

that changes colour every season.

I need a walk, because sometimes I have to have two lunches

and very often two dinners.

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

On these trips, I always like to find a local drink,

and you can't get more local than Lillet.

It's wine, citrus liqueur and a touch of quinine,

and it's very Bordeaux.

It's most famously recorded

in the first of the James Bond novels - Casino Royale.

Bond is in France somewhere and orders a dry martini

and then changes it at the last minute, and he says,

"Three measures of gin, one measure of vodka

"and half a measure of Lillet.

"Shaken over ice, served ice-cold with a twist of lemon."

And after that, it was known as a Vesper in praise of the love affair

that Bond has in that fabulous first novel.

The basin of Arcachon,

a small sea separated by a spit of sand from the roaring Atlantic.

Great for fishing and even better for oysters,

some of the sweetest tasting oysters there are.

The French are very blessed

and this place has to be part of my long weekend.

-Oh, hello!

-How nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

I've heard all about you.

Already opening oysters.

Yes, we're preparing oysters for a boat

with people ordering oysters on a trip on the Bay of Arcachon.

-Very nice.

-Do you want to try one?

Beautiful, thanks.

-Mm.

-Good?

Nice and salty, lovely mineral taste.

Yeah, maybe they are too salty at the moment

because we did not have any rain, so the water is very salty.

-Ah, very salty. Can I have another?

-Look, this one is very nice.

Oysters - you can eat them the whole year.

But they are different. I prefer them in April and May.

There's a lot of food in the water

and so the oysters are eating a lot of plankton and getting fat.

I think it's really the best time.

So it's when they're not too fat, when they've got too much...?

Afterwards, they're getting creamy.

The interesting thing of the oysters

is that it's really healthy and it's natural.

-At no moment you give them something artificial to eat.

-Yeah.

It's really... I think it's one of the last products

100% natural you can find on the market and on your plate.

I could go on eating these all day!

I thought that English people, they don't like oysters. I've met many...

Don't like oysters?! I think the crew like oysters.

You like oysters, don't you?

-CREW MEMBER:

-Not really.

-No?

-Well, it's the impression I got.

-They...

-CREW MEMBER:

-They're a bit slimy.

-Slimy?!

-I've always liked...

-But you like oysters?

-I love oysters, Angelica.

I absolutely love them.

-ALL:

-Un, deux, trois.

Every time I'm in a French restaurant, there are usually

lots of kids getting stuck into bowls of crabs or clams or oysters.

I always think, "Well, this is so different from home."

It just so happened that that morning, a group of children

from a local school came here to learn about the oyster.

Apparently, they go to farms, to cheesemakers,

to vegetable growers,

and so by the age of eight or so, they're all gourmets.

After those oysters, I fancied something classic -

fish, of course.

One of the things I like to do

is to try just one course at the grandest hotel in town.

I ordered sole meuniere, as French as a 2CV.

I know this dish well,

but I'm really interested to see how they do it,

and already they're going to add some extra things to it.

The way they're starting it is frying the floured sole,

first in a bit of oil and then in beurre noisette.

Just how I'd do it.

Now the sole goes under a hot grill - a salamander -

for about five minutes, no longer.

The fish has to be firm, but yielding.

And then the chef here, Olivier, who's really kind to let us in,

fries up some girolle mushrooms and chestnuts.

He adds some beef stock, it goes so well with the mushrooms.

And then he serves.

Wow! Look at that!

Now, call me old-fashioned, call me what you like,

but this is a really good taste of autumnal France.

A perfect lunch.

You've seen it been made. I bet you were thinking,

"That looks delicious." Well, it is - absolutely delicious.

And what's really great about it is that I'm always saying this -

you can eat fish with strong sauces,

particularly when you've got these lovely girolle mushrooms,

you've got the chestnuts and you've got beefiness about it.

Of course, from Bordeaux, they're looking of ways

of drinking some of their best wines - in this case Chateau Leon -

with fish.

Just put a lovely garnish

of mushrooms, beef and chestnuts, thank you.

If I was to guess the restaurant

that does the most business in Bordeaux

then it would have to be this one, L'Entrecote.

Here there are always queues day and night.

They serve the most famous steak, called...

yes, l'entrecote.

I think that's a sirloin back at home.

And now l'entrecote bordelaise.

First, season the steak on both sides.

This time I'm using a ribeye, because it's my favourite.

Melt some butter in a thick-bottomed griddle pan

and it's got to be hot, really hot.

SIZZLING

Because you want to hear that satisfying sizzle.

Now cook for about two minutes a side and let it rest.

'So in the same pan, pour in a good, generous glug of wine.'

Now thyme and bay leaves and finely chopped shallots.

Then pour in some well-reduced beef stock.

After four or five minutes, remove the herbs,

turn up the heat a fraction for it to reduce a bit more.

And then the most important ingredient -

marrowbone jelly.

I baked these marrowbones for about 15 minutes

and inside, they're rich and glutinous

and they give so much sickly sweetness to the finished sauce.

Next, a little bit of butter for that special sheen.

I've come to this conclusion later in life that a bordelaise sauce

has to contain beef marrow.

I mean, I learned how to make a sort of bordelaise at college years ago

and the idea of beef marrow then would have been...

Well, nobody would've ever thought of using it,

but it gives the sauce a lovely mouth feel,

a slightly sort of glisteriny.

The other thing is that everything needs

to be put together at the last minute.

It's really an a la minute sauce

so you can taste all the elements in it.

It needs to be lively and vibrant to do justice to the steak.

And so the end is nigh.

It's finely chopped parsley to finish with, and then serve.

I've got some lightly cooked French beans here,

which I've covered with a fine drizzle of vinaigrette.

Then it's French fries, not too many.

And that lovely sauce, perfect!

Well, what would you say about that?

I just think that looks very French, tastes very...

I'd say as if it's just come from France.

I particularly like that green bean salad that I've done with it.

It just looks very special and very different.

Where's the glass of Bordeaux?

It's my last full day here

and I want to see some old friends I've known for ages.

They're called Gavin and Angela Quinney, and I buy their wine,

and have done for some years.

Gavin made a lot of money in the City of London selling computers,

and almost on a whim decided to buy a vineyard in Bordeaux.

I've been following him over the years.

It's really the stuff of a TV series,

Englishman with vineyard in France,

because owning and running a vineyard is no walk in the park.

But now he's very well-respected by all the local winemakers

and I've always loved coming to see him

because I think it's a very satisfying way of life.

Gavin promised me milk-fed lamb, a local delicacy,

roasted to perfection,

along with dauphinoise potatoes,

one of my favourite vegetable dishes,

and then petits pois, but tinned petits pois.

For some reason, the French petits pois in tins

tastes so good.

Sorry about that. I think I've overcooked it.

-What, the lamb?

-Yeah.

Sorry.

Well, I do like pink lamb, but loads of people don't, Gavin.

You know, my wife hates pink lamb.

Actually, I've started really to like slightly overdone lamb.

-I have, seriously. I actually... I mean it.

-Right.

-So don't worry.

-OK.

-You sound like me.

-Yeah, I know.

I'm always worrying about not getting things right.

Most people don't even notice, you know?!

Oh, well, I'm sure it will be tender and lovely.

-It looks lovely.

-And there's lovely wine to go with it.

-I'm so hungry.

-OK.

-I'm so looking forward to the wine.

-Great. OK.

Well, I have to say the lamb was very good, very good indeed.

A mild, subtle taste

which went extremely well with the Pauillac wine.

Gavin, there was truly nothing to worry about. It was delicious.

-So, been a good trip?

-Yeah, yeah, really nice, actually.

I mean, the weather's fabulous for this time of year.

-What's the vintage been like, then?

-Well, brilliant.

-Really?

-Yeah.

It's the very last day of the vendange, the grape harvest,

when the last of the Cabernet Sauvignon is picked.

While I was there, incidentally,

I was told that the best vintages over the last 20 years or so

are the ones that end with either a zero or a five.

You must be so proud of what you've achieved.

I mean, it just seems like the most perfect life to me.

Well, it does when it's the harvest

but, of course, this is the culmination of 12 months

of graft by the whole team

and then we've got to make it into some fantastic wine.

You were a businessman in London.

Did you ever in your wildest dreams think you'd end up here making wine?

No! No, it wasn't really part of the plan.

But I was...

Wine was my...

You can't say passion any more, can you? It's overused.

I was mildly obsessive about wine, I think, in my 20s and 30s.

And then I got the sort of vineyard bug.

I started visiting vineyards and I started really enjoying the culture

and the food and the wine of wine regions.

That sort of persuaded me to move to the dark side, if you like,

of actually being involved in a vineyard,

which is a little bit mad, I have to say.

Now, Gavin takes wine very seriously and has arranged for me

and my son Charles, who's in the wine business, to be tasters

at a very important tasting of the wine from Graves, near Bordeaux.

Now, let me introduce you to the director.

-Rick Stein and his son Charlie.

-Bonjour.

-Bonjour.

-And Dominique, the president.

-Nice to meet you.

It's a real honour for us to be here, so thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-I'm a bit nervous.

Really?!

Now, this is for real, it's not a set-up.

A real tasting, where our votes count.

I thought there would be about 40 wines or so,

but there were about 250 of them.

I think we were well out of our depth.

So you have to select the wines that we love very much.

-It's very important.

-Yes.

I've never been to a tasting like this before.

We don't do this in London.

This is mega. The people in this room are mega,

so it's an honour to be here, it really is.

I'm very nervous. I want to get it totally right.

I should just explain what the categories are.

Basically, you've got the look of the wine,

they call it the odour,

I think I'd tend to call it the bouquet, the smell.

Then you've got the taste and, finally, how much you like them,

which is, I don't like at all, I like moderately,

I like great deal,

or j'aime enormement - enormously.

What Gavin failed to mention was the amount of time it took.

One hour passed by,

then another and another.

Four o'clock became seven

and we're still at it!

Nearly there, Dad.

Could you honestly tell me that you can really tell the difference?

Isn't your mouth really puckered?

I get a lot of people coming up to me

and they say, "What do you do for a living?" I say, I taste wine."

They're like, "That's not a job! Of course that's not a job.

"You just go round tasting wine all day." It's really, really hard.

Once you get to this point and your palate is exhausted

and you're exhausted.

Honestly, we've had so many wines now,

my mouth is like the outside of a prune, right?

I can't taste a thing.

I mean, it just all tastes either nice or not nice,

whichever way you want to put it.

I just do not understand physiologically

how a human being can still make judgements about wines

at this stage in this marathon tasting.

(Rick.)

(It's a lot easier when you can see labels.)

Well, you live and learn, and I know I'll never become a wine taster.

My favourites things in Bordeaux, though, were...

that fabulous grattons in La Tupina, eaten with radishes.

And that enormous fish,

the maigre - steaky, white and very tasty,

a first for me.

And probably the best of the lot,

cote de boeuf cooked over some vine trimmings

and seared with marrowbone jelly and shallots.

And then, of course, there's the wine.

It is very good, but strangely,

I only feel like drinking fizzy water at the moment.

-Merci.

-Merci.

The tasting took nearly five hours in all.

Charlie and I were given some lovely bottles to take home.

And it was time for the winners to take the stage and rejoice.

And time for Charlie and me to have a beer.

But I had a lovely long weekend.

Thanks, Bordeaux! A bientot.

# Hey, Rick Where we going next weekend?

# Are we flying a few hours away for some delicious food, they say?

# We can try dishes in Roma or Barcelona

# For something more exotic, though, the spices of Morocco

# Yes, you can take your pick

# And even break the ice in Reykjavik

# So, Rick, make the booking and let's get cooking

# And get those taste buds going next weekend. #