0:00:02 > 0:00:04'The royal family are steeped in tradition, and throughout history
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'the royal tables have showcased culinary excellence.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'In celebration of royal food...'
0:00:09 > 0:00:11We know it's the Queen's recipe
0:00:11 > 0:00:13because we've got it in her own hand.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'..from the present and the past...'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17That is proper regal.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20'..we recreate old family favourites...'
0:00:20 > 0:00:25Now, the Queen Mother had this really wicked trick with these.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26What a mess.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'..we sample royal eating alfresco....'
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Oh, wow!- That is what you want.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34'..and revisit the most extravagant times.'
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Pheasant, stag, turkey, salmon,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39oysters and turbot dressed in a lobster champagne sauce.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Unbelievable!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43'This is Royal Recipes.'
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Hello. I'm Michael Buerk, and welcome to Royal Recipes.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55This is Audley End, one of Britain's finest stately homes,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59built in the style of a royal palace and once owned by a king.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02In the splendour of the gardens, halls,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and kitchen of this grandest of country houses,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10we'll be recreating the food served at the highest royal tables.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12And it all starts here,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16with this gem - a royal kitchen maid's cookbook -
0:01:16 > 0:01:20the only surviving recipe book of its kind in the Royal Archive.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23This is an exact copy of the original,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25which is kept at Windsor Castle.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Inside, the recipes of Mildred Nicholls,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32who worked at Buckingham Palace in the early 1900s.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And for the first time in over 100 years,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37we'll be bringing these recipes back to life.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45This time we're cooking for royal weddings,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48a day the royal family and all the nation can celebrate
0:01:48 > 0:01:51in the most glorious style.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54There's pomp, pageantry, tradition.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56An event that throughout history has produced
0:01:56 > 0:01:58some of the finest royal wedding banquets.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01'Today in the royal recipes kitchen...'
0:02:01 > 0:02:05You can imagine the royal footman coming in with that.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07- Look at that.- Beautiful.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11'..Chef Anna Haugh takes inspiration from a Victorian wedding...'
0:02:11 > 0:02:12So, there you have it -
0:02:12 > 0:02:14stuffed crown of lamb with salsa verde.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16'..the moment baker Fiona Cairns
0:02:16 > 0:02:19'was asked to create a royal wedding cake...'
0:02:19 > 0:02:22It was the most amazing honour
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and I would say the beginning of sleepless nights for me.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30'..and Chef Paul Ainsworth showcases a royal wedding favourite.'
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I know that Princess Anne had lobster and partridge at her wedding.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Very posh.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42In the kitchen wing of this glorious stately home,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44we start our celebration of wedding food
0:02:44 > 0:02:47with a dish created for Princess Beatrice,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49beloved youngest daughter of Queen Victoria.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Hello and welcome to the kitchen wing of the great house,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and with me is top London chef Anna Haugh.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Royal weddings today.
0:03:00 > 0:03:01Everybody loves a wedding.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04But especially, I think, everybody goes mad for a royal wedding.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Yeah, they're not just great dynastic occasions,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10but they're sometimes wild popular celebrations,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and, as far as the royal family is concerned,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16something to be marked by an extra special banquet.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I've got the menu card here for the wedding breakfast
0:03:19 > 0:03:22for Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest daughter.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Look at it. 14 courses.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28But the one that's interesting us today is this one -
0:03:28 > 0:03:32"Les cotelettes d'Agneau a l'Italienne,"
0:03:32 > 0:03:34which I suppose is Italian lamb chops.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36- Yeah.- Now, are you going to do that,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39or something a bit modern twist to it?
0:03:39 > 0:03:40Well, I'm quite inspired by this,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43so I've got a few Italian flavours through this
0:03:43 > 0:03:45and I'm going to use lamb chops,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49but I'm going to do a stuffed crown of lamb with a salsa verde.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Wow. What do you do first?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54So, the first thing I'm going to make is the stuffing.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58So, in a pan here, cooking kind of slowly, I have some onions
0:03:58 > 0:04:00and some garlic.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03And to this I'm going to add the Parma ham...
0:04:03 > 0:04:05You need to crisp up your Parma ham,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09which just smells delicious as it's caramelising now,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and I'm going to add in porcini mushrooms.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13- Everything Italian.- Yeah.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- Everything Italian.- Give that a little bit of a stir.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19OK, so this is pretty much ready to go now.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22I would put it into a bowl to cool down,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25so that we can mix it with the breadcrumbs.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Essentially, something like this is what you need.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- Yeah.- So, I'm going to take a little bit of cheese,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Parmesan cheese to go in there.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34- Parmesan, of course.- Yes.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38And then I'm going to slowly add some crumbs.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- There's going to be bags of flavour in there.- Oh, absolutely.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43I'm going to add just a little bit of olive oil to this,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45just to bring it together.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- What, to give it some sort of...? - Just to bring it together
0:04:47 > 0:04:49because we want to be able to kind of squeeze it
0:04:49 > 0:04:51into the centre of the lamb.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54You want to be careful when you add things like that,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56any wet ingredients to stuffing, you know,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- stuff your stuffing... - MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:04:58 > 0:04:59- OK...- We wouldn't want that.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Next, I'm going to tie the lamb.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02I'm interested in how you do this
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- because you're going to make it into a crown, aren't you?- I am.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06But, first of all, I'm going to season it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08What we need to do is turn this around.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10I promise you, Michael, I know what I'm doing.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12You do, you do, you do.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Just about.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15- Yeah.- So if I hold it like that...
0:05:15 > 0:05:17- Yeah.- Yeah.- Perfect.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19And then I will...
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Because this is the tricky bit, isn't it?
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Yeah, this is the tricky bit.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Trussing.- Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25The old crown of lamb.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29So you just need to kind of try to hook it underneath the bone,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32so that it kind of holds in place as it's cooking.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35It's quite easy, it's not too hard.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I think even you could manage this, Michael.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39I'd be all fingers and thumbs.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Just give it a little bit of a tie.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43It's very grand, though, isn't it?
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Yes.- It makes a wonderful impression when you wheel it on.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- It's quite royal, isn't it? - Yeah.- A crown of lamb.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Now you're going to sort that out.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I am. And now I'm going to stuff the centre
0:05:51 > 0:05:53with this fabulous Italian stuffing.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- That looks good. It smells wonderful, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And you don't want the stuffing to be too wet.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02You kind of want it to be fairly dry
0:06:02 > 0:06:05because you want it to be able to absorb,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07to have the spare kind of dryness
0:06:07 > 0:06:10to absorb all the meat juices from this.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11So I'm going to give this to you,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15pop into the oven at 200 degrees for about 25 minutes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17And when you go out to the oven, will you grab one there,
0:06:17 > 0:06:18I've already got it resting.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20OK. Right, chef.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29You can imagine the royal footman coming in with that.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30Look at that.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- Shall I pop it here? - Look at that. Beautiful.- Terrific.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36So, that looks absolutely perfect.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Perfect. So, next I'm going to make our salsa verde.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41So salsa verde means, essentially, green sauce.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45In here, we have some chopped parsley, basil and mint.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50So, really quite aromatic summer, kind of, feeling herbs.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55So we're going to chop our anchovies and our capers to add in there.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57What a mixture of flavours it's going to be.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Yeah. Anchovies, I always think,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01is like a little secret weapon that you can add to things.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03But they're little explosions of taste, aren't they?
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Absolutely. Absolutely, yeah.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Terrific.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And then I'm going to slice a little bit of garlic because, I mean,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16we can't have salsa verde without some nice little slivers of garlic.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18I didn't think Queen Victoria had travelled abroad much at all,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21but I think she went to Italy a couple of times. Florence, I think.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Oh, I would imagine she went to Florence.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Yes.- Beautiful Florence.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And then last I'm going to add a little spoon of Dijon.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- Anna, why?- Dijon's got a nice little kind of kick to it, acidity,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35which I think is quite important here.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37But also a bit of pepperiness in there, you know.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42And now all we need to do is place our lamb...
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- Oh, be careful. - ..onto its serving platter.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47- Well done.- Here we are.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Carefully does it, Anna.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- A crown for the crowned heads, I suppose.- Yeah.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I'm just going to put a little bit of the salsa verde
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- all around here.- You're actually putting it on the...
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Well, because that means you get a bit of flavour
0:08:00 > 0:08:03on each kind of lamb chop.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04So there you have it -
0:08:04 > 0:08:06stuffed crown of lamb with salsa verde.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- How do you attack this? - Well, I'm going to carve it.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- You're not just going to rip all of them out?- No.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Oh, look at that.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Look at that! That looks beautiful.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Now, do you want to grab yourself some tools there to be able to...
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- Oh, I will, I will.- ..cut into this.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- There you go. I'm just going to pick it up.- Go on.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Oh, yes, please do.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29Mm! Oh.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33The meat's wonderful. The stuffing...
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And the salsa verde, I think that's...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38That's a real flavour of the Mediterranean, but...
0:08:38 > 0:08:40the lamb is terrific.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Mm! You know, Princess Beatrice...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Excuse me a second. ANNA LAUGHS
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Princess Beatrice had 14 dishes at her wedding breakfast...
0:08:50 > 0:08:54..but this must have been the winner of all of them.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59'Not just a winning dish, but a crowning glory.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03'The Victorians knew a thing or two about creating a real spectacle
0:09:03 > 0:09:04'at a wedding.'
0:09:08 > 0:09:10That's certainly true of the wedding cake.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12as historian Dr Annie Gray explains.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16It was Queen Victoria who helped to set us on the path
0:09:16 > 0:09:19towards wanting show stopper wedding cakes.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24So I've come here to rural Leicestershire to meet Fiona Cairns,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26so that we can find out together
0:09:26 > 0:09:29exactly how influential Queen Victoria's cake
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and those of her children were in helping to create what today
0:09:33 > 0:09:36we would think of as a right royal masterpiece.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Luxury cake maker Fiona Cairns made
0:09:40 > 0:09:43the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding cake in 2011.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- Hello, Annie.- Fiona.- Do come in.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49And she went back to the history books to begin her design.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56When Victoria and Albert married in 1840
0:09:56 > 0:09:58the world was fascinated,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and pictures of the wedding circulated across the Empire.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06It must have been really interesting from a sort of public point of view
0:10:06 > 0:10:08because Queen Victoria was a character in whom
0:10:08 > 0:10:10there was so much public interest,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13so when she got married and there was this cake and there were
0:10:13 > 0:10:14illustrations of it...
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Here we have an illustration.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17It was huge, wasn't it?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Three yards across.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20- Yeah.- That's huge!
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- I don't think this really does it justice, does it?- No, it doesn't.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The cake reportedly weighed 300 pounds.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29While the public couldn't copy the size,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32the design helped set trends that continue today.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36The use of white icing, or royal icing as it became known,
0:10:36 > 0:10:37was unusual at the time.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Victoria's love of extravagant decoration
0:10:41 > 0:10:44included very specific flowers,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and Kate Middleton continued the tradition
0:10:47 > 0:10:49by choosing 17 varieties of flowers.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Each flower was made by hand.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It should come away... That's it.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55And then, using your cocktail stick,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57thin the petals out.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- That's it.- Oops.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02In nature, they're always slightly different, so it's not an excuse,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04I just think that they actually look better.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05- Yeah.- It's more natural.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08It's very fiddly, this, isn't it?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- It really is.- You've just got to be very precise.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14That's beautiful. Your first orange blossom.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Altogether, Fiona made 900 flowers,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19each variety adding symbolism.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Myrtle, which was carried in all the royal bouquets
0:11:23 > 0:11:25since Queen Victoria.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Lily of the valley, which was so prominent for
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Kate and William's wedding,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and was on the top of the wedding cake.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36And then we surrounded the entire base of the cake
0:11:36 > 0:11:39with the ivy leaves,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42which mean fidelity, friendship, marriage.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Fiona has been creating bespoke cakes for over 25 years,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49along with design director Rachel Eardley.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53But a royal cake commission is something rather special.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55I've got to ask,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59what happened when you got the call to make William and Catherine's wedding cake?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Sends shivers down my spine now, I must say.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- Yes, it was...- It was the most amazing honour
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and I would say the beginning of sleepless nights for me.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Catherine said, "Could you please go into Buckingham Palace to see where
0:12:13 > 0:12:15"the cake will actually sit?"
0:12:15 > 0:12:16When they showed us around,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19they thought it would be nice on a Queen Anne table,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and we had to explain that it would be
0:12:23 > 0:12:26the weight of a good man, really.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And the royal couple cut the eight-tiered cake
0:12:30 > 0:12:32at the wedding lunch,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34where guests drank champagne
0:12:34 > 0:12:38and enjoyed another royal favourite - canapes.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43What you really need at a wedding buffet are canapes...
0:12:43 > 0:12:44- Yep.- ..of course.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45What's the rule of thumb?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Minimum of probably seven per person, for a reception.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Gosh! Well, at the royal wedding breakfast
0:12:51 > 0:12:53they have a lot more than that.
0:12:53 > 0:12:5617,000 canapes at Charles and Camilla's...
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I heard that it was 10,000 at Will and Kate's.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Exactly. I mean, some of them...
0:13:01 > 0:13:03You know, eggs and cress sandwiches?
0:13:03 > 0:13:04That isn't very imaginative, is it?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- I know. But who doesn't love egg and cress sandwiches? - All right, all right.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10What they did have was miniature Cornish pasties.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12He's the Duke of Cornwall, of course.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13Miniature Cornish pasties.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Mm. What are these other two?
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Well, I believe these are from Will and Kate's wedding.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20So we have duck liver pate here with cornichons,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23and honey and wholegrain mustard glazed sausages.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Why do they put sausages in goo?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Oh, everybody loves a bit of honey and mustard.- Oh, OK.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Now what are you going to do?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31You're going to do one from Kate and William's wedding.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Yes, I am. I'm going to do asparagus and watercress mini tartlets.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37So these are like mini little quiches.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40So the first thing that I'm going to do is make the custard.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46So, I take the watercress and put it into a blender with the cream.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- Got to be cream.- Yes.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52And then we're just going to pulse that.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Good British ingredient.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Yeah, that was the thing, isn't it?
0:13:57 > 0:13:59All of these royal things these days,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01they've got to be British ingredients.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04And watercress is quintessentially British, isn't it?
0:14:04 > 0:14:07It is, yeah. But that's what people want to see.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08That's what people want to eat.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- Yeah.- OK, so I'm going to take this off and pour this into our bowl.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Add the blade, you know, for extra flavour.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Yeah, yeah. A bit of iron.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- Yeah.- Yeah.- Scrape this down.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22So, next what I'm going to do is add my eggs.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- How many eggs?- It's one whole egg and one yolk.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Then I'm going to add Gruyere cheese.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31That's Gruyere for the flavour, for the bite.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Yes. There's a lovely kind of a saltiness off the cheese,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36which is, I think, quite important.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37- A pinch of salt.- Yeah.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I'm going to give that a little mix.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- OK.- So I'm just going to slice some asparagus now.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45This is, for me, so simple.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47There's nothing complicated here.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I mean, the hardest thing is just cutting a bit of asparagus.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Everything else is just...
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Yeah, but it wouldn't be a bit of asparagus.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54I mean, if you were doing,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57even with some other chefs, 17,000...
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- (I know.)- How long does that take?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03It takes a long time, and it's all about logistics.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05It's all about organisation.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Because you've got...
0:15:06 > 0:15:08If you're the chef in charge of a canape party like that,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10you've got to have eyes in the back of your head.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So, we're going to spoon these into our tartlets now.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16So this is just a nice, crisp short pastry.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Just spooning a nice amount of your mix in here.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I mean, all the work is just done.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23It's just so easy.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25We're going to pop it into the oven now
0:15:25 > 0:15:27for probably about 12 minutes.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29That looks really nice, doesn't it?
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Now, I'm going to finish these off
0:15:31 > 0:15:33with a little bit of asparagus tips to go on top.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35So, you'd bake these in the oven,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38150 degrees for about 12 minutes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40- So, not too long.- Not too long.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42No, super-quick. They don't take any length of time.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44But we already have these ready to go...
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- Ah!- ..for the final stage.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- I'm rather glad about that. Final stage? Aren't they finished? - Final stage. No.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52So, on top I'm just going to crumble
0:15:52 > 0:15:54just a little bit of feta on top.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56And I think it just goes really well with asparagus and watercress.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Now, are these designed to be eaten hot or cold?
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Both. That's a very good question, actually.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03You can totally eat them hot or cold.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- And there you have it.- Are you just putting them out for me, or...?
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Yes, they're just for you, Michael.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12- That looks rather nice.- Yeah.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Oh, yes. Very nice.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15HE CLEARS THROAT
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Seven, come on.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- You said seven.- There's your daily allowance of canapes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22MICHAEL LAUGHS OK. Right.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Go on, have one. Have one. Come on.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29Mm!
0:16:31 > 0:16:32- You did it the proper way.- Mm.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Delicious.- Really good.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Perfect for a picnic, perfect for a wedding.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Absolutely. What a winner.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Dainty delights for a lunchtime wedding buffet.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49And these ingredients really are Britain on a plate -
0:16:49 > 0:16:51asparagus and watercress and...
0:16:52 > 0:16:57British lobster is another popular choice for a royal wedding breakfast.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Delicious, versatile and what's more,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02they're amongst the tastiest in the world,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04as Paul Ainsworth has been finding out.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Padstow in Cornwall has a long tradition of lobster potting.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14It's home to a small fleet of fishing boats
0:17:14 > 0:17:16and to chef Paul.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22British lobster is world-class and it tastes delicious.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26And I am so lucky in Cornwall I've got it right here on my doorstep.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Paul knows Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Each chose an exquisite lobster dish for their weddings.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38But he's got a slightly simpler recipe.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Today, we're going to cook Cornish lobster on top of
0:17:41 > 0:17:42a toasted English muffin,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46caper butter, delicious poached egg,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48and some beautiful dressed watercress.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Right, let's get cracking.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51Now, our lobster is out the shell,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I've got a pan on warming.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Meanwhile, I'm just quickly going to make this delicious butter,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and in it we're going to add some capers, some gherkin...
0:18:02 > 0:18:04..some shallot,
0:18:04 > 0:18:05a spoonful of mustard.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09We're just going to take some parsley...
0:18:13 > 0:18:14..seasoning...
0:18:16 > 0:18:17..and now, very gently,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20we're just going to mix all those ingredients together.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24We've made our butter, now we're going to roast our lobster.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Butter in the pan...
0:18:27 > 0:18:29..straight in...like that.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32We're just going to baste that lovely nut-brown butter
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and just cook nice and slowly, not too fast.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Now, lobster in the royal household is very popular
0:18:38 > 0:18:40and in a lot of recipes
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and been served at a lot of banquets and weddings.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44In particular in 1973,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48I know that Princess Anne had lobster and partridge at her wedding.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Very posh.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51We're just going to pull that off to the side now
0:18:51 > 0:18:53and just let it rest in the pan.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55So, poached eggs.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56We've got our eggs ready in the bowl.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Beautiful. Good stir.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04Paul poaches the eggs and toasts an English muffin.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06OK, we're moments away from plating up.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Muffins are lovely and crispy out the toaster.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Our shallot butter that we made earlier,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14just over those lovely hot crispy muffins.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Let it melt right in.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Now our lobster.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Claw, just in half,
0:19:20 > 0:19:21this lovely tail.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27And you can see in the middle it's just slightly transparent,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32which means it's beautifully cooked, resting it on the muffin...
0:19:32 > 0:19:34just like that.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35Out with our eggs,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37just on top of that lovely lobster.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Next, add more of the lobster.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Watercress.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Just look at this.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48We just finish it with this lovely butter.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And that right there...
0:19:50 > 0:19:52that's what Great Britain is all about.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It doesn't get any better than that.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59When it came to the cake ceremony at the most recent royal wedding,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01there were two to choose from.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Not only the official cake,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06but an alternative chosen by Prince William
0:20:06 > 0:20:09because it brought back such happy childhood memories.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It was the chocolate biscuit cake.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And the woman who knows how to make the cake is former chef
0:20:21 > 0:20:23to Charles and Diana, Carolyn Robb.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Prince William was seven and his brother Harry four
0:20:27 > 0:20:31when Carolyn started working for the royal family.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34The biscuit cake was such a hit with the young princes,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37William decided he had to have it at his wedding.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39When I cooked for Prince William and Prince Harry
0:20:39 > 0:20:40when they were small,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I really enjoyed making it with them.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45And today, I'm going to have fun doing it with Mandy, my daughter.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52This version isn't quite on the scale of the one made for William's wedding.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55The first step is melting butter, chocolate drops, cocoa powder,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58golden syrup and vanilla.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Now comes the fun bit.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01This is the bit Mandy's been waiting for, isn't it?
0:21:01 > 0:21:03You get to help me break the biscuits.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Really simple, we have some big chunky bits,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07you can have some broken quite finely.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09It'll work however you do it.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14The royal wedding version contained a staggering 1,700 biscuits.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Just a bit larger than the one William liked to help make.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19When Prince William and Prince Harry were small,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22they used to enjoy coming into the kitchen and we'd bake things together.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24They loved breaking the biscuits and we always used to think of
0:21:24 > 0:21:27different things we could mix into the biscuits as well.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32Next, Carolyn adds chopped apricots, marshmallows and chocolate chunks.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34This recipe is so simple,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37anyone and everyone really can make it.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40All I'm going to do is neatly cover over the top like that,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42and that now goes in the fridge.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51As the cake is left to set, Carolyn starts the glaze,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53which is made of chocolate and butter.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57All I have done here is melt some dark chocolate
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and I have some softened butter here,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03which I'm going to pop in with the chocolate
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and just mix the two together.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Try not to leave any gaps.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10And once you've done that, really, the world's your oyster
0:22:10 > 0:22:12as to what you do next.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Mandy and I are going to do this together.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Mum, are we doing a castle?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19It's a bit like a castle, isn't it?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23And this is where children can let their imaginations run free as well.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25I think that's enough.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27This is a real chocolate extravaganza.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Hey, Anna, look at this. This is Mildred Nicholls' recipe book.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40She was a kitchen maid, pastry chef,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44in Buckingham Palace in the early years of the 1900s.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47But this recipe is a particularly poignant one.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50It goes back to the days of Queen Victoria,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53who you will remember was married to Prince Albert.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Yeah, and they were very much in love.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Very much in love, but he died at the age of 42, very early.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01But every year after that,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Queen Victoria insisted on marking their wedding anniversary
0:23:04 > 0:23:06with a big dinner.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09And this recipe in Mildred's book comes from
0:23:09 > 0:23:12the 57th anniversary dinner of their wedding.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14He'd been dead a long time.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18And it's called Pouding Sax Weimar.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And you are going to do...
0:23:20 > 0:23:21- I'm going to do...- Mildred's...
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- Recipe.- ..recipe out of the book.- Exactly.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25I've never seen a pudding like this before.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26So, first of all,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28what I'm going to do is the first step
0:23:28 > 0:23:30is going to be to whisk my egg whites.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33I'm going to put in my sugar and bring them to
0:23:33 > 0:23:34nice kind of stiff peaks.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Right.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38OK.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Stiff peaks is what you're looking for, is it?
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- That's it.- So, this is ahead of its time, you reckon, this dish?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46It's the idea that we don't have flour in this,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49that we've actually got these finger biscuits
0:23:49 > 0:23:52that have been put into a food processor.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54So, these are almost done.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56It's rather like the start of a souffle, isn't it?
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Well, exactly, that's it. It is quite similar to a souffle.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03So this is just some butter and sugar creamed together.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06OK, so I'm going to add the chocolate in...
0:24:08 > 0:24:10..then my eggs.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And, actually, could you crack me one whole egg there?
0:24:13 > 0:24:14- I can do that.- Thank you.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16- Here we go.- Very helpful.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18There we go. What am I doing?
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- And then straight in.- In here?- Yeah.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- Lovely. Perfect.- I did that rather well, don't you think? You're a natural. Yeah.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26This is a really rich pudding...
0:24:26 > 0:24:31- Yeah.- ..and when you think what else they had at that dinner.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34"Potage a la cressy, potage..."
0:24:34 > 0:24:36There's two soups.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40"Quenelles, le saumon en tranches sauce persil."
0:24:40 > 0:24:45So, they had salmon and sole and ham and lamb...
0:24:45 > 0:24:48They must have starved themselves for a week before it.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50I think not, somehow.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53And then very similar to when you would be making a souffle,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55I'm just going to take a spoon of the egg white
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and I'm just going to kind of beat that in to kind of
0:24:58 > 0:25:02lighten up this mix, because it is kind of heavyish.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04And then you finish with the biggest dollop at the end.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- OK.- Now, this is a professional technique, is it?
0:25:08 > 0:25:12So this creates a lovely, light, light, moist pudding.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I'm going to pop this into a piping bag
0:25:14 > 0:25:18so that I can pipe it evenly into each one of the pots.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19- Fill it all up.- That's it,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- all of it.- It looks rich, it looks gooey,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23it's wonderfully speckled with chocolate.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25That's it.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27And then with a little snip of the scissors...
0:25:27 > 0:25:28Yeah.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- Then to pipe in.- Yeah.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33So, you don't want to fill it up all the way,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37you just want to kind of leave just a quarter of it free.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- Why?- This way it's got space to rise up.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- Right.- And it will rise above the mould as well.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44Oh, will it? Oh, right.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- That's going to look really impressive, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Yeah, those little pots are lined with something, aren't they?
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Yes, they're buttered.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Well spotted there, Michael.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54- No flies on you. - Nothing gets past me. No.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58They're brushed with some butter and then some sugar is rolled around them as well.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Cook these in a tray with some hot water in it,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Now, you are going to take this to the oven...
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- I shall.- ..and you will find some that I've already made
0:26:10 > 0:26:12from earlier on and bring them back. Thanks.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16- They're safe with me. - OK.- Here we go.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Oh, Anna, look at these little babies.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- They have risen the way you said they would.- Yes.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- There we go.- They look perfect.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- There we go.- OK, so, I'm going to make the chocolate sauce.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Now, this chocolate sauce is foolproof.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32It's so easy. You have your water,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35put it onto a nice high heat and all you add is your sugar...
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Yeah.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39..your cocoa powder...
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Yeah.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45..and the trickiest bit of all, add your chocolate...
0:26:45 > 0:26:47MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:26:47 > 0:26:48..and then you just bring it up to the boil,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and then you have a lovely glossy chocolate sauce.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52As simple as that?
0:26:52 > 0:26:53Simple as that.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Instant. Well, almost instant.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Almost instant.- Yeah.- OK.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03OK.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Just pour some of our chocolate sauce in there.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- That chocolate sauce was really quick and easy, wasn't it?- Mm.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Shiny and glossy and...
0:27:10 > 0:27:12- Let's have a sniff.- ..chocolaty.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- OK, come on.- Let's see what they look like.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18This is the part that us chefs often get very nervous about.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I bet. But it's not going to stick, is it?
0:27:20 > 0:27:22You've put butter on the inside.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- Isn't that going to make sure...? - Hopefully not, Michael.- OK.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30- Oh, wow!- Beautiful.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Look at that.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33A bit of chocolate on the top.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37- So...- Here we have it -
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Pouding Sax Weimar.- Oh, yes.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Now, you do it first,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I don't want to ruin the confection.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44OK.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- Is it done, is it just right? - Yes, it looks beautiful.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- Excellent.- Mm!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Get some of that lovely chocolate sauce...
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I seem to have got a bigger piece than yours.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01It really is... I've never tasted anything like it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- It is very unique.- Mm!
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Oh!
0:28:07 > 0:28:11A pudding with a story of love and loss
0:28:11 > 0:28:14to end this programme about the food for royal weddings.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16See you next time.