0:00:03 > 0:00:06The Royal family are steeped in tradition and throughout history
0:00:06 > 0:00:09the royal tables have showcased culinary excellence.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11In celebration of royal food...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13We know it's the Queen's recipe
0:00:13 > 0:00:15because we've got it in her own hand.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17..from the present and the past...
0:00:17 > 0:00:19That is proper regal.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22..we recreate old family favourites.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Now, the Queen Mother had this really wicked trick with these.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27What a mess!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We sample royal eating alfresco.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Oh, wow! That is what you want!
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And revisit the most extravagant times.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Peasant, stag, turkey, salmon,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41oysters and turbot dressed in a lobster-champagne sauce.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Unbelievable!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44This is Royal Recipes.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53Hello, I'm Michael Buerk and welcome to Royal Recipes.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54This is Audley End,
0:00:54 > 0:00:56one of Britain's finest stately homes
0:00:56 > 0:01:01built in the style of a royal palace and once owned by a king.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03In the splendour of the gardens,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07halls and kitchen at this grandest of country houses,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12we will be recreating the food served at the highest royal table.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And it all starts here with this gem,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17a royal kitchen maid's cookbook,
0:01:17 > 0:01:22the only surviving recipe book of its kind in the Royal archive.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24This is an exact copy of the original,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26which is kept at Windsor Castle.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Inside, the recipes of Mildred Nicholls,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33who worked at Buckingham Palace in the early 1900s.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And for the first time in over 100 years,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39we'll be bringing these recipes back to life.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47This time, we cook food served at the biggest royal spectacle of all,
0:01:47 > 0:01:48the coronation.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51When the Queen was crowned, people camped out on the streets.
0:01:51 > 0:01:5527 million watched on television for the first time.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57To mark this historic event,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01new recipes were created for the Queen's guests and for her people.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Today, here in the Royal Recipes kitchen,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Michelin-star chef Paul Ainsworth creates his version
0:02:07 > 0:02:10of the most famous coronation dish of all.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14If there's something that's improved over the last 50 or so years...
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Thank you. ..it's coronation chicken.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18The daughter of Britain's first television cook
0:02:18 > 0:02:23recreates her mother's coronation recipes, including melon balls.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28You press firmly in, you pray, you turn
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and, hey presto, a ball.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34And chef Anna Haugh discovers how not to fish
0:02:34 > 0:02:37for royal coronation salmon.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Catch me a fish. We'll get you a fish.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45In the kitchen wing of this stately home,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49food from the most excessive coronation feast in British history,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53to the more restrained menu of the present Queen's coronation meal.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Hello. This is the historic kitchen,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and joining me is Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01What do you think of it? It's fantastic, what a wonderful kitchen.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Now, Paul, when I mention the coronation, what do you think?
0:03:05 > 0:03:06It's got to be chicken, hasn't it?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Coronation chicken. It's got to be coronation chicken.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11And there it is. It looks pink.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Yeah, well, this one is Rosemary Hume's,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16so she invented the coronation chicken.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Back in the '50s. Yeah, wonderful food writer.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21But why is it pink? Because of the red wine, which is unusual,
0:03:21 > 0:03:22which isn't present in the modern recipe.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Normally they're quite yellow, aren't they? Yeah.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27And is that what you're going to do for us today?
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And that's what I'm going to cook for you today.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31A beautiful version of coronation chicken.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33So, this is your modern take on it?
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Yeah. The original version is quite heavy.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38So what we've got over here, we've got two chicken breasts.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Yeah. And this is a lovely way of cooking chicken.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44We're just poaching, so it's keeping it lovely and most.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Keeping it moist. But we've got a fragrant stock.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48We got some coconut milk, some kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52ginger, little bit of salt, chicken stock and basically,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54great to do at home, bring it up to a simmer,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57turn the gas off and then just let it poach
0:03:57 > 0:03:58for about 15 minutes.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Next, we've got this delicious coronation sauce.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Now, I've already sweated down the onions.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04And in it, I've added some turmeric,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06some mango chutney.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Now, what's great about this dish, we're using all of the flavours,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12so it's just two pots, so nice and simple to do at home.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Literally, we're just going to ladle some of our delicious stock that our
0:04:15 > 0:04:16chicken's been cooking in.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Now, all we're going to do is reduce that right down
0:04:19 > 0:04:24so we get this, and this is the wonderful coronation chicken,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27almost like paste but you see, it's a deep colour,
0:04:27 > 0:04:28it's not that horrible yellow.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Yeah. Absolutely delicious. Really rich.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31So, we're going to go in our bowl.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35So we have some mayonnaise, which is absolutely delicious.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Some yoghurt. The yoghurt giving it a lovely acidity and the mayonnaise
0:04:40 > 0:04:43giving it nice body and nice richness.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45So now you can see we've got this beautiful sauce.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Delicious.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50So I've cooked two breasts, you've got all that,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54now these kind of aromats, they've done their job now.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57That lovely ginger, kaffir lime, you can smell that lemon grass.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Absolutely delicious. And it's as easy as this.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Just going to plate up.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Now, I like to carve the chicken,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06just so I can show you it inside, just like that.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Now, look at that. Oh, wow.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Just look how juicy and succulent that is.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Oh, it's exciting.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17OK. Yeah. And that's it, just as a two and you know what?
0:05:17 > 0:05:19It's just about, it's all that flavour
0:05:19 > 0:05:22from that lovely aromatic broth.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24And now all I want to do is just take some of that
0:05:24 > 0:05:27wonderful coronation sauce.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Not a lot of it because it's nice and we don't want to take away
0:05:29 > 0:05:31too much from the chicken.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Wonderful acidity coming from the...
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Coming from the yoghurt as well, little bit from the mayonnaise.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40We're just going to finish that over with some lovely coriander and with
0:05:40 > 0:05:42some lovely toasted almonds.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44And you know what?
0:05:44 > 0:05:45A dish fit for a king, fit for a queen?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I think so. Would you like me to cut you a piece?
0:05:48 > 0:05:49You get a bit of everything.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52I want a bit of everything. There we go.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Oh, can I have that one? Yeah, go for it.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55And what about you? There we go.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Now that is special.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04It's the texture of the chicken. Chicken. Really, really moist.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06And then you've got that lovely mild sauce,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08which has got that wonderful acidity from the yoghurt.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10It's brilliant, it's really nice.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13If there's something that's improved over the last 50 or so years...
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Thank you. ...it's coronation chicken.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Yeah. Well done, Paul. Yeah. I love it. Good.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It's certainly a light and aromatic dish.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I think it would appeal to a modern monarch's palette.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28A celebratory coronation banquet
0:06:28 > 0:06:32always showcases ingredients from around the United Kingdom.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Lamb from Wales and of course salmon from Scotland,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40where the Royals seem to love fishing for it as much as eating it.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Scone Palace in Perthshire is an ancient site of royal coronations,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51the perfect place for chef Anna Haugh to try her hand
0:06:51 > 0:06:52at salmon fishing.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Scone Palace is on the banks of the River Tay,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58which is the largest river in Britain, and it's full of salmon,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and I'm determined to catch one today, or at least try.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Scottish salmon is famous world over.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Ian Kirk is a gillie who's been fishing the waters here for years.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Ian, hi, how are you?
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Anna. I'm doing fine, yourself? Yeah, great. Nice to meet you.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24And you. So you're here to catch a fish?
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Yeah, I plan on catching a salmon today.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Well, I tell you, it's the right time of year,
0:07:31 > 0:07:32it's the right place to do it.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36So, we'll get you kitted out and if our luck's in, our luck's in. OK.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Scone Palace owns a six-mile stretch
0:07:40 > 0:07:42of this prime salmon-fishing territory.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Oh, it's beautiful here. Yeah, it's quite special.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It's a nice C shape, wonderful.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54And rotate. On the telephone.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Kind of. Kind of.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01First part was fantastic. OK. The second part was horrible.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Under Ian's expert guidance, Anna channels her inner fisherwoman.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08Rotate the body,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11up, two, three. Nearly.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Now, you've done that, you've done that pushing thing again.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Yeah. How come you use this technique to catch them?
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Well, fly fishing is the most artistic, it's the most balletic,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25it's the most graceful form of catching a salmon.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28What's so special about Scottish salmon?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The wild Scottish salmon, the texture of the flesh,
0:08:31 > 0:08:36a fresh, wild Scottish salmon is a thing to behold.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39So I know the Royals love to eat salmon,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42so I've also heard they like to fish for salmon.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44I do know that they're very much into their salmon fishing.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46They've got properties right beside
0:08:46 > 0:08:48some of the best salmon rivers in Scotland.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52So, for my first experience of salmon fishing, it's been amazing.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I mean, I could understand why people would want to come here
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and get lost for a day or half a day
0:08:57 > 0:08:59just feeling the kind of beauty around them,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04but also the fabulous experience of every splash of a salmon passing by.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05It is wonderful. It is.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09It may not have been a catch fit for royalty,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11but the river has cast its spell on our chef.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18These menu cards, Paul, from several coronations... Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22..show that the same dishes crop up time and time again,
0:09:22 > 0:09:23salmon particularly.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Here's the Queen's father, George VI, his coronation, 1937.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Yeah. Rosettes de saumon a l'Ecossais.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Scottish salmon, obviously.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Yeah, yeah. Second course, the same, for the Queen's coronation,
0:09:37 > 0:09:38rosettes de saumon Edinburgh.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41It must be the same thing, only it's obviously some tribute to the
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Duke of Edinburgh, but it's the same thing, isn't it?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Scottish salmon rosettes. Is it easy?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Yeah, absolutely, and you're going to have a go today as well,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51you're going to help me rather than just watching.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53OK, come on. Right, ready?
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Yeah, absolutely. Now, rosettes, noisettes, medallions.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Rosettes, so basically, rose, so we're going to roll it.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02So I think a very royal thing, very regal.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04So we've got some beautiful Scottish salmon.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07And what we've done is what we call a gravadlax.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I don't really know what gravadlax is.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Scandinavian. Yeah. Because it's a way back in the day before fridges
0:10:12 > 0:10:14how they would keep fish. Yeah.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17The recipe is salt, honey and whiskey in this instance.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It sounds more like curing, it's curing the salmon. Absolutely.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24So, we're going to take our salmon.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Yeah. I'm going to cut us a couple of slices.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And then I'll hand some over to you. Very thinly.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Very thin. Because it is cooked,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32but it's cooked with the salt and the sugar.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Cured rather than cooked?
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Yeah, no, well, no, it is cooked, so it's like ham.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41So we've just got a couple of slices.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43You're doing it very carefully. Like that.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47And what you basically want to do, Michael, is take the small end here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Yeah. And then just roll it.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And it's not actually that fiddly, but can you imagine doing this on a
0:10:52 > 0:10:53banquet scale?
0:10:53 > 0:10:57So, we're just rolling them up like this and, can you see? Rosette.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Yeah. It basically resembles... It looks like a rose. A little rose.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Yeah. And then just, these are like petals at the top,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05just pull them out like that.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Right, do you want to have a go?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Can you trust me with that knife? Absolutely. With this lovely salmon.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12It's very sharp, but I'll watch over you.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14All right. I'll just get my finger in it!
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Yeah, just the salmon, no fingers!
0:11:15 > 0:11:17No, all right! All right!
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Adding in a bit of body, literally! That's it, that's it, nice and thin.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Brilliant.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24It's very, very thin.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28All right? Well, sort of, yeah. I was getting a bit clumsy there.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30And then you roll it up.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33They are slightly thick, so you'd want them to be a bit thinner.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36And then you widen out at the top.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Yeah, you see, if you go a bit thinner, you get more of a rose.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41But do you know what? That's fantastic.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Right, moving over here. Yeah. Horseradish. Yeah. Creme fraiche.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Creme fraiche, nice and creamy, but it has a wonderful acidity.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Yeah. And that's what goes really nice because that's got...
0:11:50 > 0:11:55That salmon is actually, it's got quite a, almost like a fat taste,
0:11:55 > 0:11:56you know, really nice.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58So I've got some wonderful Scottish oatcakes.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00I'm just going to lay them on our plate like so.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02It really is a Scottish dish, isn't it?
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Absolutely.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07And basically just a little bit. Oh, you put the horseradish on first?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Put the horseradish on first because the salmon will sit nice.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Like so. It's quite simple then, really.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Now, if you want to grab your rosettes there.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Yep. Grab your rosette there.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Yeah. OK and just... And plop them on the top.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Literally, like that. Just plonk them on the top.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22No messing around.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Mine looks an industrial version to yours, doesn't it?
0:12:27 > 0:12:28There we go.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Right, now take some watercress,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and again, this isn't here just for show, this is here for flavour.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35We're going to get some
0:12:35 > 0:12:37of that lovely heather honey that's in the salmon
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and then just go over our salmon
0:12:39 > 0:12:42so you get this little hit of sweetness, as well when you go over.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Shall we dig in? Yeah. Let's go.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I'm going to have my fat one. Go on, go for it. There you go.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Oh!
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Mm-mm-mm.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Great, aren't they. A little bit of horseradish.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Got that lovely texture of the salmon.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01You're enjoying that, aren't you, Michael?
0:13:01 > 0:13:04That's good. Excellent.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Delicate rosettes of salmon, not too showy or extravagant,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11a change in style,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and symbolic of a different way of celebrating royal coronations.
0:13:19 > 0:13:26June 2nd 1953 witnessed a unique event - a televised coronation.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30It was the first major live broadcast shown across the country,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and 27-million people tuned in.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The nation came to a standstill,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38friends and families flocked to the homes which had one of these
0:13:38 > 0:13:39new television sets.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42One of those watching was Judith Patten,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44the daughter of Marguerite,
0:13:44 > 0:13:45television personality
0:13:45 > 0:13:50and one of the most influential cooks in British history.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Welcome to Woman In The Home.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55In this programme, we have a wide variety of items,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59so I feel sure there's something to interest every one of you.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Judith and historian Doctor Polly Russell
0:14:01 > 0:14:05are going back in time to cook the dish Marguerite created
0:14:05 > 0:14:08for home cooks to serve as they watched the pageant on television.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13And where better to cook than in a house decorated with '50s flair.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Oh, my goodness! Gosh! This is amazing.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18It really is, isn't it?
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Is this reminiscent of your own home in the '50s?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24No, we were a little more calmed down.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Judith has only distant memories of the day,
0:14:27 > 0:14:32the table groaning with food, and minute images on the television.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Imagine we're looking at that tiny television,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37so you're watching dinky little things,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41the size of Dinky toys going past. With rain.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44I think, probably, eating would have been a good thing to do.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Your mother, two weeks before the coronation,
0:14:46 > 0:14:51used the television programme to present a meal which she suggested
0:14:51 > 0:14:54viewers could cook a day in advance of the coronation
0:14:54 > 0:14:58and then have ready to serve on the day and actually eat
0:14:58 > 0:15:02while watching the television so that nobody had to miss anything.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Looking at the menu that she produced, I would have, I think,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11eaten the cheese straws, there was coronation chicken,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13but I think I would have turned my nose up at that.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17But she also had got an avocado dip, and God only knows what.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20It's very telling of its time, sort of, melon balls...
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Oh, melon balls, those are good.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27I can do those. You can do a Patten special? Oh, yes.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Marguerite played a vital role in improving British cooking
0:15:31 > 0:15:32after the war.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Her coronation menu typically mixed traditional favourites
0:15:36 > 0:15:37with exotic delicacies.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41We're going to make the melon cocktail that your mother served,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44we're also going to make the seafood-rice ramekin as well.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47You've made quite a big play about the melon balls, Judith.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49I should learn to keep quiet.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52So we've got a melon baller for you here.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Right. This is a beautifully ripe melon.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59You press firmly in, you prey, you turn, and,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03hey presto, a ball. That is fantastic.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Shall I start putting them on the glass? Yeah.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10Do you want to do the orange? OK. I think just...
0:16:10 > 0:16:13With her coronation cuisine Marguerite was, perhaps,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16unwittingly creating the first TV dinner.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Now we're going to make a seafood-rice ramekin.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24A mixture of crab meat, prawns and rice with cream and mayonnaise,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28this was a dish designed to be made in advance and eaten hot or cold
0:16:28 > 0:16:31whilst watching the big event.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33It looks delicious. On with the breadcrumbs.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35These look fabulous, don't they?
0:16:35 > 0:16:38You know, that actually is a classic example as well
0:16:38 > 0:16:42of just how you would take very simple ingredients,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44and you produce something that really looks pretty.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Yeah. It's lovely.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51When it comes to extravagance, few monarchs can compete with George IV,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54his coronation banquet was arguably the most
0:16:54 > 0:16:56over-the-top feast ever held.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Historian Doctor Matthew Green is treading in the footsteps of this,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06the most famous Royal eater.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Supposedly known as Old Naughty,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Prince George finally got his hands on power when his father,
0:17:11 > 0:17:16George III, descended into his final spell of madness in 1811.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19At his beloved Royal Pavilion in Brighton, the Prince Regent had a
0:17:19 > 0:17:23reputation for laying on the most extravagant banquets.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27So it's no surprise his coronation was the biggest feast in history.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Hi, David. Hello. How are you? Very well, thank you.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32What a fantastic place. Isn't it astonishing?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36David Beevers is keeper of the Royal Pavilion,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and is taking Matt to the grand Banqueting Room
0:17:39 > 0:17:42which gives some idea of George's dining habits.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Wow! Look at this. This is...
0:17:47 > 0:17:49You often hear historical buildings described
0:17:49 > 0:17:53as mesmerising and opulent, but this really takes the biscuit.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Yes, it is one of the most astonishing rooms in England.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It was finished in about 1818, 1819,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and is a, sort of,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07monument to George's love of food and overindulgence.
0:18:07 > 0:18:13So to modern sensibilities, this seems almost unimaginably lavish.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15But in George's world, this wasn't, kind of,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17the scene of his most lavish banquet?
0:18:17 > 0:18:18That took place elsewhere, didn't it?
0:18:18 > 0:18:22It did. At Westminster Hall in 1821, after the coronation.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So that was his coronation banquet. A coronation banquet. 1821.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27He decided not to have it here, why was that?
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Well, because traditionally
0:18:28 > 0:18:30the coronation banquets were held in Westminster Hall.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31But his was the last.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35It was the greatest and most spectacular coronation banquet
0:18:35 > 0:18:37in the whole of English history.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40George turned it into, as here,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44a kind of fantasy vision of the world that he wanted it to be.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Expenditure was around ?240,000. ?240,000, yes.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51How much in today's money is that roughly equivalent to?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Well, it's been computed to be about ?20 million.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55?20 million!
0:18:55 > 0:19:02Yes, 350 people dined in the hall, and I was a bit puzzled, 350 people,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04but 9,000 bottles of wine were issued.
0:19:04 > 0:19:069,000 bottles of wine? How many is that each?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Ah, but 350 dined in the hall,
0:19:08 > 0:19:13but 2,000 others dined elsewhere in the Palace of Westminster.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16In the House of Lords, the House of Commons, in various other...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18So there are these meals all over Westminster?
0:19:18 > 0:19:19They were all over the place.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22At the time of George's coronation, Britain was the richest,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24most powerful country in the world.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Yes. And George wanted to make sure that he, as king,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29represented England.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34It's no surprise that George built the very finest kitchen,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38fit for a king, and one of the most famous chefs of all time.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43So here we are in the kitchen. Wow, this is where the magic happened.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47And my first impression of this is that it's quite a show kitchen.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49There is a great sense of space. It's very well lit.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52You've got those beautiful row of windows.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Up there, it's not as though it's been buried away.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58There was, for a time, a celebrity chef who worked here as well?
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Who was he? Marie-Antoine Careme.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04He liked to be called Antonin Careme.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06The most famous chef of all time, probably.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10He was recruited in Paris, by the Prince Regent...
0:20:10 > 0:20:12So he was quite a catch, to get this celebrity chef.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Absolutely. Netted this man who cooked for Napoleon.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Cooked for the Tsar of Russia.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19It didn't work out in the long term, he only lasted about a year?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21No, he was here less than a year.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25What went wrong, is partly the Pavilion was a building site,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27it rained most of the time he was here.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31So he was working in a rain-lashed building site, not very nice.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36But the main reason he went back to France was he was homesick.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38George may have lost his star chef,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40but his love of food grew and grew.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44His weight reached 20st and his waist 50 inches.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48I've got here an account from the Duke of Wellington
0:20:48 > 0:20:50about George's almost last meal.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And this is just a week or so before he died.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55This is what he had for breakfast.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Two pigeons.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Three beef steaks.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Three quarters of a bottle of Mosel.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02A glass of champagne.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Two glasses of port and a glass of brandy.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06For breakfast. Wow!
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Now, one can either say what gross extravagance, or one could say,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13what an appetite for life the man had.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15If that was for breakfast, I dread to think what he had for dinner.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Well...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Death by knife and fork...and glass, I would imagine. Absolutely.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25But he was ahead of the game with his French chef, wasn't he?
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Monsieur Careme.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28I think he invented haute cuisine.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32So it's no surprise, really, that some of his recipes actually
0:21:32 > 0:21:36feature in this wonderful old recipe book from the kitchen maid
0:21:36 > 0:21:38at Buckingham Palace, Mildred Nicholls.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42And here we are, you know, in her fountain pen, you know,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44the spelling's not very good.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47But creme a la Careme.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Not much detail here, though, is there?
0:21:49 > 0:21:51There's not. Is there something there for you to build on?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Hugely. And I'm so excited about showing you this dish.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Right, so what we've got is, we've got some lovely sponge fingers,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and orange jelly. That's the first part of this dish.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02So what we're going to do, Michael,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06is just dip the fingers into the jelly.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And they basically... We build those around the edge.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10You can see I've started some already.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13We've got these lovely fingers going all the way around.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Now, with the excess orange jelly,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18we're just going to pour that into the base. Yeah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20So when we turn it out,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23we're going to have this wonderful set jelly on top.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27It really has got a wonderful wow factor to it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And now just add a bit more indulgence.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30We're going to add some kirsch.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Just with a brush. And it's so lovely, orange.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34That lovely cherry, light liquor.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Beautiful. Now if I could just give you that, Michael.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39We're just going to set that in the fridge.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42OK. And while you're gone, I'm going to start the creme anglaise.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Now, this is what I'd call custard, is it?
0:22:47 > 0:22:48This is custard, exactly.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51So in here we're going to have egg yolks.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54OK. Straight in like that.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Sugar.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Ordinary sugar? Caster sugar? Ordinary sugar.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And then on here we've got vanilla and milk,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and we're just going to bring that to a boil.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05We're not going to like, scalding boil, just to a simmer.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Whilst we're doing that, I'm going to take our whisk,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and very gently... This is important, actually, this bit.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14That you whisk the egg yolks and sugar together
0:23:14 > 0:23:16until they, kind of, go pale.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19And what you're doing is you're beating the sugar,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21almost dissolving it into those egg yolks.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23See how it's going nice and pale?
0:23:24 > 0:23:26So, in with our hot liquid. Yeah.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Just moving it around, and then we're quickly moving it around.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Now, what you're doing, is that lovely hot temperature from the milk
0:23:33 > 0:23:35is now starting to cook that egg yolks and sugar.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Yeah. Now we return it to the pan.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43And we want all of that lovely vanilla flavour in there.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45One of my favourite ingredients, vanilla.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46Back onto the heat.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50And what we're going to do, we want to cook out the egg yolks,
0:23:50 > 0:23:55and we're going to take the egg yolks to about 75, 80 degrees.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57And what happens is they then start to set,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and that's how the custard thickens.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And also we cook out that lovely egg-yolk mixture.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Now, here I've got gelatine.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And what we're going to do, we're just going to add that in,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11pull it off the heat now. And just let it dissolve.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Can you see how thick that custard's becoming?
0:24:14 > 0:24:15Just instantly, really, isn't it?
0:24:15 > 0:24:17And once that cools down,
0:24:17 > 0:24:22our custard's going to really set and just become almost like what the
0:24:22 > 0:24:24French would call creme patissier. Like a really thick custard.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Yes, I know that term.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30What we do now, we just pass that... Oh, right.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Now we just transfer that over here.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I've got one here that we've done.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36And as you can see, it's gone lovely and thick.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40All right. Oh, yes. So we're just going to bring that back.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Here we've got some candied orange.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47We're going to add that.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52All in. And that will just start to infuse into the custard as well.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Orange and custard, they are so delicious together.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59We're going to fold back through.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02It looks like costume jewellery, doesn't it?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Absolutely lovely. So we're just going to get those out of here.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Now we're going to move over to spooning the cream in.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Just get that cream in.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Just a bit. In fact, do you want to spoon it in for me?
0:25:12 > 0:25:14And I'm just going to stir it in gently.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17You want some more in? Yeah, go for it.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Cos this is, essentially, what you call a bavarois.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25So, Michael, if you could now go and get me back our tian
0:25:25 > 0:25:27that we've done earlier. OK.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Lovely, in there. Yes, Chef. Thank you very much.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36No fanfare this time. Is it nice and set? Yeah.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39It looks like it. Why do you call it a tian, by the way?
0:25:39 > 0:25:41I thought tian was something different.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43It's like the mould. Oh, it means mould, so it could be anything.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Yes. So now we just get... Start to spoon that.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Oh. Lovely mixture.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Get it in there. Get it in there!
0:25:53 > 0:25:55OK. So we've got that in there.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57There's lots of things to get your finger around on this one.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I'm just going to brush some more kirsch over our sponge.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It's just absolute indulgence.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Don't stint on the kirsch. No, no.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And now if we just go underneath there like that.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Don't break it. And just one fell swoop like that.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Pat it down a bit. And that's it.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Pat it down. A bit more kirsch. Around the layers.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Like that. It's gorgeous, isn't it?
0:26:20 > 0:26:22So, Michael, if I could just give that to you.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Pop that in the fridge, and that's going to set.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I shall be very careful. And you should find one that I did earlier.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29You should. I might not come back.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I'm going to have a little tidy up. OK!
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Ta-da!
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Yes! Yes! Look at that!
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Well, I say that I hope it's not being held together by this.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45No, I was going to say... Aren't you a bit nervous, you know?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I am nervous. You lift it up and it all goes...
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Are you ready? I feel we should do it together.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53You want to blame me, don't you? If it goes wrong.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Right. Shall I do it? Yeah. Let's go. Gently. Gently.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01PAUL CHUCKLES TRIUMPHANTLY Yes! Look at that!
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Right. Where's the knife?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Now, tell me. That is proper regal, isn't it? That is royal.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Proper regal, I don't know.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Would you serve that to the Queen? Moment of truth, are you ready?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15I'm going to cut a slice, you grab the plates.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17WET SLICING
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Oh, I love that sound.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It's nice and solid, isn't it?
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Oh, it's... Yeah. But not over set.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32And you know what, for a really nice setting time...
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Oh-ho-ho-ho!
0:27:33 > 0:27:36In fact, do you know what? We're not going to muck about.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37We're going to stand it up.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Look at that. Just a slight wobble.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Let's dig in! Come on! Can we eat it? Let's go, let's go!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Now, can I take it from this end? You do whatever you like.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Go on. I won't do it until you have a bit as well.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Ready? Yeah.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Mm-mm-mm.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02That's good, no? We're off now.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Yeah. I'm having that.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09That's the end of our celebration of coronations.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11See you next time.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Right, what are you having?
0:28:14 > 0:28:15This one here!