Royal Haunts Royal Recipes


Royal Haunts

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Royal Haunts. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

The royal family are steeped in tradition,

0:00:020:00:03

and throughout history the royal tables have showcased culinary excellence.

0:00:030:00:07

In celebration of royal food...

0:00:070:00:08

We know it's the Queen's recipe

0:00:080:00:10

because we've got it in her own hand.

0:00:100:00:12

..from the present and the past...

0:00:120:00:15

That is proper regal.

0:00:150:00:17

..we recreate old family favourites.

0:00:170:00:20

Now, the Queen Mother had this really wicked trick with these.

0:00:200:00:25

What a mess!

0:00:250:00:26

We sample royal eating al fresco...

0:00:260:00:29

-Oh, wow!

-That is what you want.

0:00:290:00:31

..and revisit the most extravagant times.

0:00:310:00:34

"Pheasant, stag, turkey, salmon,

0:00:340:00:37

"oysters and turbot dressed in a lobster champagne sauce."

0:00:370:00:39

Unbelievable!

0:00:390:00:41

This is Royal Recipes.

0:00:410:00:42

Hello, I'm Michael Buerk, and welcome to Royal Recipes.

0:00:470:00:51

This is Audley End, one of Britain's finest stately homes -

0:00:510:00:55

built in the style of a royal palace and once owned by a king.

0:00:550:00:59

In the splendour of the gardens, halls and kitchen

0:00:590:01:03

of this grandest of country houses,

0:01:030:01:05

we'll be recreating the food served at the highest royal tables.

0:01:050:01:10

And it all starts here, with this gem -

0:01:100:01:13

a royal kitchen maid's cookbook,

0:01:130:01:16

the only surviving recipe book of its kind in the royal archive.

0:01:160:01:20

This is an exact copy of the original,

0:01:200:01:23

which is kept at Windsor Castle.

0:01:230:01:25

Inside, the recipes of Mildred Nicholls

0:01:250:01:27

who worked at Buckingham Palace in the early 1900s.

0:01:270:01:32

And for the first time in over 100 years,

0:01:320:01:35

we'll be bringing these recipes back to life.

0:01:350:01:37

This time, we cook the food members of the royal family choose

0:01:420:01:45

when they're away from their public duties -

0:01:450:01:48

the personal favourite they enjoy with family and friends,

0:01:480:01:51

whether at a picnic or dining out.

0:01:510:01:53

Today, in the Royal Recipes kitchen,

0:01:560:01:58

chef Anna Haugh creates a dish that would have found favour

0:01:580:02:01

with Edward VII and his mistress Lillie Langtry.

0:02:010:02:04

I admire Edward VII.

0:02:060:02:07

If I had this, all I'd want to do after this is go to sleep.

0:02:070:02:12

Historian Dr Polly Russell

0:02:130:02:14

visits the restaurants given the royal seal of approval.

0:02:140:02:18

Princess Margaret so loved this pie

0:02:180:02:20

that she would send her butler from Kensington Palace

0:02:200:02:23

to come and get one.

0:02:230:02:25

And Michelin-starred chef Anton Mosimann

0:02:250:02:28

reveals how cooking for Prince Charles

0:02:280:02:30

is all about home-grown produce.

0:02:300:02:33

He wants the best and, for me,

0:02:330:02:35

that's exactly what I cook for - the best.

0:02:350:02:39

In the magnificence of the Victorian kitchen wing,

0:02:430:02:46

we start with stout-hearted fare

0:02:460:02:49

fit for the gourmand king Edward VII.

0:02:490:02:53

Hello, I'm here in this grand kitchen of this stately home

0:02:530:02:56

with Anna Haugh, who's executive chef of a top London restaurant.

0:02:560:03:00

A bit different from this, I imagine?

0:03:000:03:02

Oh, absolutely.

0:03:020:03:03

It's like a dungeon where I normally work!

0:03:030:03:05

THEY LAUGH

0:03:050:03:07

Today, we're going off duty with the royals,

0:03:070:03:09

taking a look at some of the dishes they're served

0:03:090:03:12

in some of their royal haunts.

0:03:120:03:14

First stop, Rules Restaurant in Covent Garden, London.

0:03:140:03:16

It's supposed to be London's oldest restaurant.

0:03:160:03:19

Yeah, famous for its game.

0:03:190:03:21

Famous for its game and famous for being the rendezvous for Edward VII

0:03:210:03:26

when he was Prince of Wales, and his mistress, Lillie Langtry.

0:03:260:03:29

Yes, naughty Eddie.

0:03:290:03:31

With the banquette. Anyway, we won't go into that.

0:03:310:03:34

One of the things he probably had actually,

0:03:340:03:36

because it's famous for game, is woodcock on toast.

0:03:360:03:40

-Yeah.

-But they wouldn't have it as a main course, would they?

0:03:400:03:43

-No, no.

-This is a savoury for the end of the meal

0:03:430:03:46

after the sweet pudding.

0:03:460:03:47

That's it, so they could continue...

0:03:470:03:49

-Ah, the port tastes a bit better after something savoury.

-Exactly.

0:03:490:03:53

Anyway, you're not going to do this kind of woodcock...

0:03:530:03:56

NO. You're going to do a completely different woodcock dish.

0:03:560:03:58

Absolutely, I'm going to do woodcock pudding.

0:03:580:04:02

And I love recipes like this.

0:04:020:04:04

When you say "woodcock pudding",

0:04:040:04:06

this is woodcock pudding like a steak and kidney pudding,

0:04:060:04:08

not like a dessert.

0:04:080:04:10

Exactly, exactly.

0:04:100:04:11

OK, so the first thing I'm going to start with is the suet pastry.

0:04:110:04:14

You can make it hot, you can make it cold.

0:04:140:04:16

Today I'm going to make it cold.

0:04:160:04:17

So you just add your suet in, pinch of salt.

0:04:170:04:20

And then you want to add your water in kind of gradually.

0:04:210:04:24

It's roughly about 100 mls or so of water.

0:04:240:04:26

It's a really simple mix.

0:04:260:04:27

You just have flour, suet, pinch of salt and water.

0:04:270:04:32

When you do actually make a recipe like this,

0:04:320:04:35

you realise why it was ever created

0:04:350:04:37

because it is meatier than just using butter or olive oil.

0:04:370:04:41

-More sustaining.

-Mm, mm.

0:04:410:04:43

So what are you doing here?

0:04:430:04:44

You're just mixing it or are you trying to crush it as well?

0:04:440:04:47

No, I'm just bringing it all together.

0:04:470:04:49

You see, if I add any more water, it would come together easier

0:04:490:04:53

but it would be too wet.

0:04:530:04:54

-Can you dispose of that for me, please?

-I can.

0:04:540:04:56

I've lined the mould with just a little bit of butter

0:04:560:04:58

-and then also...

-You've got something on the bottom there.

0:04:580:05:01

Yeah, a bit of greaseproof paper on the bottom just to make sure...

0:05:010:05:03

Ah, is that so it doesn't stick?

0:05:030:05:05

I don't think it would stick but I'm just being extra careful.

0:05:050:05:07

Well, yours never stick.

0:05:070:05:08

Just because you're around, Michael, I'm just being extra careful.

0:05:080:05:11

I'm actually going to take a little bit of this off

0:05:110:05:15

and this will go as the top.

0:05:150:05:17

-Yeah.

-Then on the line of it, just roll it out.

0:05:170:05:20

It really has a feel of an Edwardian dish, doesn't it?

0:05:200:05:24

Mm, it does, yeah.

0:05:240:05:25

Of chaps with ample girth putting down their cigars and tucking in.

0:05:250:05:31

I'm just going to roll it on the rolling pin

0:05:310:05:33

so that it doesn't break.

0:05:330:05:34

-Yeah?

-And just place it over the bowl and fit it in.

0:05:340:05:41

It's a very forgiving pastry.

0:05:410:05:43

You know, it lets you away with blue murder.

0:05:430:05:45

So we can just squeeze it into...

0:05:450:05:47

Is that why you like it?

0:05:470:05:48

That's why I like it, yes. It's very forgiving.

0:05:480:05:51

Good squeeze around.

0:05:510:05:53

So I'll roll the lid before I go to finish the mix.

0:05:530:05:57

OK, so this is going to be the top of the thing.

0:05:570:06:00

You're going to pop this on here

0:06:000:06:02

once you've put the contents of the pie in there.

0:06:020:06:04

Exactly. You want to have a lot of time to do this.

0:06:040:06:07

This isn't something you're going to rustle up in 15 minutes.

0:06:070:06:09

You know, it's something that if you have it ready in advance,

0:06:090:06:12

I think it's a bit of a showstopper.

0:06:120:06:14

Yeah. So what are you going to put in here?

0:06:140:06:17

OK, so now we're just going to add in the raw chopped woodcock.

0:06:170:06:21

-Raw?

-Yeah, raw now because you're going to cook this pie

0:06:210:06:24

for quite a few hours. And a bit of parsley.

0:06:240:06:27

In here I've sweated down some mushrooms with some onions

0:06:270:06:30

-and I've got a bit of demi-glace in there.

-Demi-glace?

0:06:300:06:34

Yeah, it's a bit of a fancy word

0:06:340:06:36

-for meat stock that has been reduced down.

-Right.

0:06:360:06:39

It has some red wine in it

0:06:390:06:41

and a little drop of Madeira has gone into our one as well.

0:06:410:06:44

So that's ready to go inside the centre.

0:06:440:06:46

-That's great, a demi-glace.

-Yeah.

-Poncey, isn't it?

0:06:460:06:49

-Doesn't that look beautiful?

-It does.

-Just look at it.

0:06:490:06:51

Yeah. Put that on the top.

0:06:510:06:53

Yeah, I'm going to squeeze it down.

0:06:530:06:55

Our forgiving pastry is going to let me away with blue murder.

0:06:550:06:58

This is brilliant because it barely even shrinks at all.

0:06:580:07:01

It will shrink a very small amount,

0:07:010:07:03

but you'll see when I open up my pie later on.

0:07:030:07:06

So you just want to clean it up, cut around the edge.

0:07:060:07:09

Now...

0:07:100:07:11

Then your tinfoil goes on top.

0:07:130:07:14

Buttered tinfoil so it doesn't stick to your pie

0:07:140:07:17

and you just make sure that your foil is nice and tight

0:07:170:07:20

because you're going to steam this.

0:07:200:07:22

-Yep. Steam it?

-It's important that you actually don't let the steam in,

0:07:220:07:25

it's more that the steam is cooking it from the outside.

0:07:250:07:28

-A steamed suet pudding.

-Yes.

0:07:280:07:30

This is straight out of the past, this, isn't it?

0:07:300:07:33

So here is one that's been simmering away now for the past few hours.

0:07:330:07:39

-How many hours?

-Three.

0:07:390:07:41

-Three hours?

-Three hours.

0:07:410:07:42

This isn't fast food we're talking about, is it?

0:07:420:07:44

Now, Michael, my hands aren't asbestos

0:07:440:07:46

-so you're going to have to move.

-Oh, sorry, sorry!

-Thank you.

0:07:460:07:49

OK.

0:07:490:07:50

I'm so excited. I love this!

0:07:510:07:53

I love this so much!

0:07:530:07:54

Like, genuinely, I love this.

0:07:540:07:56

Do you like woodcock itself or is it just the pudding that excites you?

0:07:560:07:59

Game in general just excites me.

0:07:590:08:01

OK, Oh, look at that!

0:08:010:08:03

Look at that!

0:08:030:08:04

-Isn't that beautiful?!

-Yes, yes.

0:08:040:08:07

That's absolutely stunning.

0:08:070:08:10

Just going to run a knife along the edge,

0:08:100:08:12

just to make sure that when I flip this over

0:08:120:08:16

that it doesn't stay stuck.

0:08:160:08:19

Oh, but that just smells AMAZING!

0:08:200:08:22

-It does, doesn't it?

-It smells amazing.

0:08:220:08:23

-Now, this is a big moment.

-This is a big moment.

0:08:260:08:28

You're just going to sort of...boomph!

0:08:280:08:30

Pretty much, so let's hope I don't mess it up. OK...

0:08:300:08:35

Oh!

0:08:350:08:36

-Very deft.

-Yes, well,

0:08:390:08:40

the second thing I'm hoping for is that it releases.

0:08:400:08:43

Ah, right.

0:08:430:08:44

Oh-ho-ho-ho!

0:08:450:08:48

Oh, I say!

0:08:480:08:49

Oh, the smell of that is just...

0:08:490:08:52

-Let's have a sniff.

-It's amazing.

0:08:520:08:54

Oh, yes! It's...

0:08:540:08:55

..warm and... Oh, yeah.

0:08:560:08:59

So the last thing we're going to add...

0:08:590:09:00

The two things we're going to add is a bit more demi-glace,

0:09:000:09:03

-or a bit more gravy.

-Demi-glace?

0:09:030:09:06

Oh, is that gravy?

0:09:060:09:07

Yes, demi-glace is posh gravy.

0:09:070:09:09

And then to really make it luxurious and special,

0:09:100:09:15

I'm going to put some truffle on top.

0:09:150:09:17

Oh!

0:09:170:09:18

Just for you. It's just for you.

0:09:180:09:20

OK. This is aroma, pure aroma.

0:09:200:09:24

So the joy of truffle is the speckles going everywhere.

0:09:280:09:32

That, to me, is just beautiful.

0:09:320:09:34

Oh, yeah.

0:09:350:09:37

A bit more?

0:09:370:09:38

Yeah!

0:09:380:09:40

You can imagine Edward leaning over,

0:09:400:09:41

his whiskers all twitching with appreciation.

0:09:410:09:45

I wouldn't have thought Lillie Langtry had too many suet puddings.

0:09:450:09:48

No, I would not think so.

0:09:480:09:50

Not by the looks of her.

0:09:500:09:52

-No, indeed.

-So there you have it,

0:09:520:09:54

steamed woodcock pudding with demi-glace and truffle.

0:09:540:09:57

Wow! Now, what would you serve it with?

0:09:570:10:00

Maybe some crushed swede and freshly steamed greens

0:10:000:10:03

would be nice with that as well, I'd say.

0:10:030:10:06

OK, let's crack this...

0:10:060:10:08

This is really hearty stuff, isn't it?

0:10:080:10:10

Oh, my goodness!

0:10:100:10:12

-Look at that!

-That is so delicious!

0:10:120:10:15

If I do say so myself!

0:10:150:10:18

OK, come on, come on.

0:10:180:10:19

-First I'm going to try the filling.

-OK, I'll do that, too.

0:10:200:10:23

Mm!

0:10:230:10:25

I'm not sure I've had woodcock before.

0:10:260:10:28

Tell me what you think. It's so good.

0:10:290:10:31

-Lovely.

-Isn't it so good?

0:10:310:10:34

Isn't it so good?

0:10:340:10:35

-The meat is really tender, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:10:350:10:38

I better have some of that suet.

0:10:380:10:39

Yeah, I love the pastry.

0:10:390:10:41

Mmm, mm, mm.

0:10:410:10:42

-Mm!

-Mm.

0:10:420:10:45

So much flavour.

0:10:450:10:47

It's rich. Really, really rich.

0:10:470:10:50

It's just soaked up all of that.

0:10:500:10:51

Mm!

0:10:510:10:52

Mm!

0:10:540:10:55

This is lovely but I admire Edward VII.

0:10:550:10:58

If I had this, all I'd want to do after this -

0:10:580:11:01

finish the glass of port, go to sleep.

0:11:010:11:04

ANNA LAUGHS

0:11:040:11:06

The Prince of Wales was breaking with royal tradition

0:11:080:11:11

when he dined out in a restaurant, but I can see why.

0:11:110:11:13

Decades after Edward VII's first forays,

0:11:190:11:22

younger royals started dining out as regulars on the restaurant scene.

0:11:220:11:26

Historian Dr Polly Russell explorers the range of royal tastes.

0:11:260:11:30

Princes William and Harry are as at home in a burger bar

0:11:320:11:35

as a royal banquet.

0:11:350:11:36

Their mother, Princess Diana,

0:11:360:11:38

was a regular at fashionable eateries like San Lorenzo,

0:11:380:11:41

having her own table there in the 1980s.

0:11:410:11:44

But the idea of princes or princesses

0:11:440:11:46

going out to dine at a restaurant was once unthinkable.

0:11:460:11:50

It wasn't until the 1930s that a restaurant actually reserved a table

0:11:520:11:56

for an HRH, and that's where I'm going now.

0:11:560:11:59

Opened in 1929, Quaglino's quickly became the restaurant

0:11:590:12:03

for bright young things.

0:12:030:12:05

Until this time, fine dining had been stuffy,

0:12:050:12:08

but here the dress code was relaxed,

0:12:080:12:10

with cocktails flowing and a heaving dance floor.

0:12:100:12:14

By 1935, it had even tempted notorious party boy

0:12:140:12:18

the future Edward VIII.

0:12:180:12:20

-Hi.

-So nice to meet you. Thanks so much for having me.

0:12:200:12:22

This is the most amazing place.

0:12:220:12:24

Thank you.

0:12:240:12:25

Current head chef James Hume has been overseeing

0:12:250:12:29

the most recent refurbishment.

0:12:290:12:31

Prince Harry was at the launch party.

0:12:310:12:32

There is a sort of history of royals coming to Quaglino's, isn't there?

0:12:340:12:38

Yeah, it goes back to the '30s when the old Prince of Wales came in.

0:12:380:12:42

-He had his own room.

-He had his own room?

0:12:420:12:44

Yeah, there's a private dining room just behind you.

0:12:440:12:46

We still call it 'The Prince of Wales' to this day.

0:12:460:12:49

Fantastic. And I suppose he could have gone there and abandoned

0:12:490:12:52

the formal dress codes of the day

0:12:520:12:53

and sort of relaxed with his friends, presumably?

0:12:530:12:56

Yeah, exactly.

0:12:560:12:57

What was the menu like in the 1930s?

0:12:570:13:00

So much different to today.

0:13:000:13:01

Very, very classical French.

0:13:010:13:03

Oh, really? And written in French?

0:13:030:13:05

-All in French.

-All in French.

0:13:050:13:07

Yeah. It took me a while to translate them.

0:13:070:13:08

POLLY LAUGHS

0:13:080:13:10

Two decades later, following the royal abdication

0:13:100:13:13

and post-war depression,

0:13:130:13:15

a new set of young royals emerged and started to hit the town again.

0:13:150:13:19

By the 1950s,

0:13:190:13:21

the Princess Margaret was ready to party again

0:13:210:13:24

and this is where she came.

0:13:240:13:26

She used to have a cornered-off table called the Royal Enclosure.

0:13:260:13:28

It was called the Royal Enclosure?

0:13:280:13:30

Yeah, just for her, every night reserved.

0:13:300:13:32

So she could be seen and see everyone else.

0:13:320:13:35

I'm not surprised, because it is the most fabulous, glamorous,

0:13:350:13:38

exciting place to be.

0:13:380:13:40

In 1956, her sister, Queen Elizabeth,

0:13:400:13:43

came and dined here, according to Quaglino's,

0:13:430:13:46

and that was apparently the first reigning monarch

0:13:460:13:49

-to ever come and eat in a restaurant.

-Or so I'm told.

0:13:490:13:51

By the 1960s, however,

0:13:540:13:55

Princess Margaret sought out a different dining experience.

0:13:550:13:59

Around the corner from Kensington Palace,

0:14:000:14:02

this hideaway became a favourite for her and her husband,

0:14:020:14:05

Anthony Armstrong-Jones.

0:14:050:14:07

In 1965, when Princess Margaret and her husband used to come here

0:14:070:14:12

to eat, these were her favourite booths to sit in.

0:14:120:14:14

It's a space that's about intimacy, relaxing and feeling comfortable.

0:14:140:14:19

That must have been the most wonderful thing

0:14:190:14:22

if you were Princess Margaret.

0:14:220:14:23

This new relaxed style of dining in the 1960s was a direct contrast

0:14:230:14:27

to the traditional formality of eating out.

0:14:270:14:31

To me, that really speaks of a moment in Britain

0:14:310:14:34

where we are starting to question the sort of hierarchies and rules

0:14:340:14:38

and that plays out in terms of food.

0:14:380:14:41

The restaurant was originally named Nan's Kitchen in the 1960s,

0:14:410:14:44

serving home-cooked food.

0:14:440:14:47

It's said that their chicken pie was Princess Margaret's favourite

0:14:470:14:50

and she enjoyed it so often that they changed the eaterie's name

0:14:500:14:55

to Maggie Jones, in her honour.

0:14:550:14:56

In the 1960s and the 1970s, Princess Margaret so loved this pie

0:14:560:15:01

that she would send her butler from Kensington Palace

0:15:010:15:04

to come and get one to eat at home.

0:15:040:15:07

And I've heard that some members of the royal family

0:15:070:15:10

still like to come here.

0:15:100:15:12

Glamorous royal haunts in fashionable London

0:15:170:15:19

but for many of the royals,

0:15:190:15:21

their favourite haunts have been as far away from London

0:15:210:15:24

as you can possibly get.

0:15:240:15:25

Yeah, and ever since Queen Victoria they've been mad about Scotland.

0:15:250:15:29

Yeah, the late Queen Mother in particular.

0:15:290:15:31

She had that Castle of Mey right up in the north of Scotland.

0:15:310:15:35

Any further and you're in the Shetland Islands!

0:15:350:15:38

The Castle of Mey's got its own cookbook

0:15:390:15:41

with a foreword by Prince Charles,

0:15:410:15:43

which gives you a bit of an insight into the way of life up there.

0:15:430:15:47

Yeah, and today I'm going to prepare a Queen Mother's favourite -

0:15:470:15:51

jam puffs - from that cookery book.

0:15:510:15:53

Also, it was one of my favourites when I was a little girl.

0:15:530:15:56

So I'm going to show you how to make them today.

0:15:560:15:58

OK. These are things you can gobble.

0:15:580:15:59

Yes, yes, and it's super easy.

0:15:590:16:02

All you need is some puff pastry.

0:16:030:16:04

This shop-bought, roll-out puff pastry is perfectly fine.

0:16:040:16:07

You just want to cut out...

0:16:080:16:10

..as many discs as you feel your belly can take.

0:16:110:16:14

MICHAEL LAUGHS

0:16:140:16:17

But I think recipes like this are so special because you feel like you

0:16:170:16:20

have a bit of insight into the kind of more normal or familiar side

0:16:200:16:24

of the royal family. Especially if you can relate...

0:16:240:16:27

Yeah, you get the sense with the Queen Mother up in the Castle of Mey

0:16:270:16:30

that this was kind of,

0:16:300:16:32

by royal standards, very simple country life

0:16:320:16:34

and probably, looking at that cookbook as well,

0:16:340:16:38

fairly simple, if rather upper-class, fare as well.

0:16:380:16:42

Yeah, absolutely.

0:16:420:16:43

-So we have all our discs here now.

-Very neat.

0:16:430:16:46

And we're going to make six of the mincemeat and six of the jam.

0:16:460:16:49

So would you mind helping me with that?

0:16:490:16:51

Would you do the jam ones and I'll do the mincemeat ones?

0:16:510:16:53

-Absolutely.

-OK, so...

0:16:530:16:55

So what jam is this?

0:16:550:16:56

This is apricot jam.

0:16:560:16:57

So on one side you just want to give a bit like...

0:16:570:17:00

Like a small teaspoon of jam.

0:17:000:17:03

-Now, I will be judging you on this.

-I know, I know.

0:17:030:17:05

So if it's wrong, you'll be tidying up.

0:17:050:17:08

You can do the washing up afterwards.

0:17:080:17:09

You've got the easier one.

0:17:090:17:10

It's difficult to get the jam off the spoon, isn't it?

0:17:100:17:13

Yep. So try to keep it on one half, one side.

0:17:130:17:15

All on one side? OK.

0:17:150:17:16

Well, you're going to fold it over, of course, aren't you?

0:17:160:17:19

Exactly, and then we're going to put the egg wash on the other side.

0:17:190:17:22

Here we go. Oh, I got a lot on that one.

0:17:220:17:24

Yeah. Now, you're very slow.

0:17:240:17:26

I'm streets ahead of you. I'm very fast so I'm just going to go ahead

0:17:260:17:29

-with my egg wash.

-OK.

0:17:290:17:30

They love jam, the royals, don't they?

0:17:300:17:33

Apparently at Buckingham Palace every Sunday

0:17:330:17:35

they used to have something called jam pennies,

0:17:350:17:38

which was actually just a jam sandwich cut into penny-shaped sizes

0:17:380:17:43

by a cake cutter. I think it was mainly for the kids.

0:17:430:17:45

-Yeah, I'm going to say, I would have loved that as a kid.

-Yeah.

0:17:450:17:48

-So you need to egg-wash your...

-OK.

-Come on, chop chop, let's go.

0:17:480:17:52

All right. All right, chef.

0:17:520:17:53

I'm going to start folding as you're doing it.

0:17:530:17:55

-Oh, I'm making a mess of that.

-And give it a good squeeze.

0:17:550:17:57

Actually, I think I've got a rare talent for this sort of thing.

0:17:570:18:00

I think you do not, but let's keep going!

0:18:000:18:03

I think you've just got high standards.

0:18:030:18:04

You can't recognise potential when you see it staring you in the face!

0:18:040:18:08

Ha-ha! OK, so when you've egg-washed them

0:18:080:18:10

you want to fold them over and give them a really good squeeze,

0:18:100:18:14

so you're kind of squeezing out the air of them

0:18:140:18:17

and sealing it really, really well.

0:18:170:18:19

Like a little fruit pasty, if you know what I mean?

0:18:190:18:22

There's nothing to this cooking lark, is there?

0:18:220:18:25

-No, it's easy-peasy, pie-squeezy.

-Turn it over like that?

-Yeah.

0:18:250:18:28

-Then what do you do?

-You're trying to tuck in the filling,

0:18:280:18:30

-so that you've just got the pastry on the outside.

-OK.

0:18:300:18:33

Ah, well, I shouldn't have been so greedy.

0:18:330:18:36

The jam's coming out, look.

0:18:360:18:39

ANNA LAUGHS

0:18:390:18:40

Might have been a little bit too much jam in that!

0:18:410:18:43

In all of them, yeah!

0:18:430:18:44

-That's greed for you. It's a man thing.

-Yeah.

0:18:450:18:47

Here we go.

0:18:470:18:48

Well, actually, the fun bit happens next.

0:18:480:18:50

So now we're going to cut them out. This bit I actually quite like.

0:18:500:18:54

As a little kid, this was definitely a side of it that I loved.

0:18:540:18:59

Yeah, neatness wasn't the Queen Mother's thing, really,

0:18:590:19:02

because they had jam puffs

0:19:020:19:03

but I think the Queen Mother had a bit of a wicked sense of humour.

0:19:030:19:08

Rather liked them as kind of...

0:19:080:19:09

..booby traps for her guests.

0:19:110:19:12

-Oh, dear!

-I'll tell you more about it.

0:19:120:19:14

So you're not going to tell me beforehand, you're going to booby-trap me?!

0:19:140:19:17

Yeah, maybe I'm...

0:19:170:19:19

I'm going to do what the Queen Mother did to her guests.

0:19:190:19:21

-Is that revenge for me getting you to help me to bake?

-Exactly.

0:19:210:19:24

They go straight into the oven just like this.

0:19:240:19:26

-We don't egg-wash the top of them.

-No? Why's that?

0:19:260:19:29

When we take them out we're going to dust them with icing sugar

0:19:290:19:32

and then a bit of magic happens. You put them underneath a grill

0:19:320:19:36

and they turn into this beautiful caramel mirror on top.

0:19:360:19:39

-Wow.

-It's lovely, yeah.

0:19:390:19:41

I might leave these ones for later.

0:19:410:19:43

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

0:19:430:19:45

I'm going to put these straight into the oven

0:19:450:19:48

for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

0:19:480:19:50

Now, these ones are already cooked.

0:19:500:19:53

But they're not finished, there's still one more stage to go.

0:19:530:19:56

So if you just pass me the icing sugar there, please.

0:19:560:19:59

-There we go.

-And the sieve.

0:19:590:20:00

-Yeah.

-So all we're going to do is dust these with icing sugar on top

0:20:000:20:05

and then we're going to grill it.

0:20:050:20:07

We're going to grill it underneath...

0:20:070:20:09

Just your normal grill but with the door open

0:20:090:20:11

because you've got to keep an eye...

0:20:110:20:12

-With the door open?

-Door open. You've got to keep an eye on them.

0:20:120:20:15

Within 30 seconds to 40 seconds,

0:20:150:20:18

these will turn into caramelised kind of glazed mirrors

0:20:180:20:22

sitting on top of your jam puffs.

0:20:220:20:24

But it's really just a flash grill?

0:20:240:20:26

Yeah. Nice and hot.

0:20:260:20:27

OK, that's my kind of cooking, takes 30 seconds.

0:20:290:20:31

That sounds wonderful to me.

0:20:310:20:32

Yeah, that sounds right.

0:20:320:20:33

Fast food!

0:20:330:20:35

So I'm going to take this over to the oven.

0:20:350:20:38

Ah!

0:20:380:20:39

Come back soon.

0:20:390:20:40

How's it going, Anna?

0:20:460:20:47

OK, they're just starting to get crispy, Michael!

0:20:490:20:52

That sounds good to me.

0:20:520:20:53

How's it going, Anna?

0:20:550:20:56

A couple of more minutes, Michael.

0:20:590:21:00

If he keeps this up, I'm not going to let him eat them.

0:21:000:21:03

Come on, Anna!

0:21:040:21:05

They're ready!

0:21:060:21:07

Oh!

0:21:080:21:10

-Check these puppies out!

-Wow!

0:21:100:21:14

That looks really nice, doesn't it?

0:21:140:21:16

Are we ready to try?

0:21:160:21:17

Absolutely, yeah. Come on.

0:21:170:21:19

Now, the Queen Mother had this really wicked trick with these.

0:21:190:21:24

She'd set off on a picnic with her guests...

0:21:240:21:28

-And they loved a picnic, the royals.

-They loved a picnic.

0:21:280:21:30

And they'd sit down and these would be served

0:21:300:21:33

and the Queen Mother would say,

0:21:330:21:35

"There's a traditional way to eat these things."

0:21:350:21:38

You've got to bite the top off...

0:21:380:21:40

Mm! Really nice, by the way.

0:21:410:21:43

And you have to, traditionally, fill it up with cream.

0:21:450:21:49

Oh, my God! What a mess!

0:21:490:21:51

Wait a minute. Exactly.

0:21:510:21:53

Fill it up with cream and then eat it.

0:21:530:21:55

Now, there's no tradition whatsoever of doing this

0:21:550:21:59

but the end result is... Watch...

0:21:590:22:01

You can't do it without making a complete mess.

0:22:060:22:08

Of course all the people in the presence of royalty,

0:22:080:22:10

they've got their little fingers stuck up and all this sort of thing.

0:22:100:22:13

Yes!

0:22:130:22:15

-I think it was rather cruel.

-Yeah!

0:22:150:22:17

-Are you going to have one?

-Yeah, I'm going to have a go.

0:22:170:22:19

Have one of my better ones.

0:22:190:22:20

There's a tradition here, Anna.

0:22:220:22:24

You've got to fill this up with cream.

0:22:240:22:26

There you go. I just want to see you make a mess of yourself.

0:22:260:22:30

I'm not going to make a mess.

0:22:300:22:31

I'm not going to make a mess. I'm going to eat like a pro.

0:22:310:22:33

Go on, go on! Go on!

0:22:330:22:35

Mm! I don't care that I made a mess. those are really good.

0:22:390:22:44

You were disappointingly neat about that, if I may say so.

0:22:440:22:46

Disappointingly neat.

0:22:460:22:47

Mainly because you shoved at all in your mouth, all in one!

0:22:470:22:52

Well done. You managed the Queen Mother's obstacle course

0:22:520:22:55

rather better than most of her guests ever did.

0:22:550:22:58

I might have another one.

0:23:000:23:01

A passion for jam puffs isn't the only royal favourite

0:23:020:23:06

of the late Queen Mother.

0:23:060:23:08

She also championed a rich egg and prawn dish

0:23:080:23:10

created at another Scottish haunt.

0:23:100:23:12

Drumkilbo House in Perthshire is just six miles

0:23:150:23:17

from the Queen Mother's childhood home of Glamis Castle.

0:23:170:23:21

Once owned by her nephew,

0:23:210:23:23

Drumkilbo was once often visited by the royal family.

0:23:230:23:26

It was here that the Queen Mother first tasted

0:23:280:23:30

their signature seafood delicacy, Eggs Drumkilbo.

0:23:300:23:33

Anna's here to find out the recipe's origins

0:23:340:23:37

from the Lord of the Manor, Geoffrey Bunting.

0:23:370:23:39

Welcome to Drumkilbo.

0:23:410:23:42

-Hi.

-I'm Geoffrey.

0:23:420:23:43

This is the drawing room.

0:23:440:23:47

Wow! My goodness, this place is fabulous.

0:23:470:23:51

This house evolved out of a medieval fortification

0:23:510:23:57

which belonged to the great Robert the Bruce.

0:23:570:24:00

So, Geoffrey, tell me how did Eggs Drumkilbo come about?

0:24:000:24:03

There was a royal party staying here in my predecessor's time

0:24:030:24:10

and one member of the party was very late in arriving

0:24:100:24:14

and they realised would not be here in time for dinner.

0:24:140:24:19

And the chef, Gladys Davidson, improvised a cold dish to leave out

0:24:190:24:25

for the final member of the party

0:24:250:24:28

and that was the origin of Oeufs Drumkilbo,

0:24:280:24:31

which was then picked up and used at later royal occasions.

0:24:310:24:36

Waiting in the Drumkilbo House kitchen

0:24:380:24:40

where this royal favourite was created is chef Mark Bull.

0:24:400:24:45

It's a lovely dish. Very simple to make at home.

0:24:450:24:49

We'll put some of the harder ingredients in first.

0:24:490:24:52

The lobster...

0:24:520:24:53

..then we put in our prawns.

0:24:540:24:55

A bit of tomato puree, a small amount of Tabasco...

0:24:550:25:00

The anchovy essence.

0:25:020:25:04

I love anchovies. Get them in there.

0:25:040:25:06

Give this a little bit of a mix around just now.

0:25:080:25:11

You want everything... By the time you put the mayonnaise in,

0:25:110:25:14

you want it all evenly mixed and not any lumps, as such.

0:25:140:25:17

OK, so, we put the tomato in here now.

0:25:170:25:19

Mm-hm.

0:25:190:25:21

A lot of tomato goes in here.

0:25:210:25:22

We come to the mayonnaise.

0:25:220:25:24

That's a lot of mayonnaise.

0:25:250:25:27

You don't want it to be pure fish that you're eating.

0:25:270:25:29

It's like an upmarket prawn cocktail.

0:25:290:25:31

So it does have to have its proper amounts of mayonnaise and...

0:25:310:25:35

So, we'll mix this very lightly.

0:25:350:25:38

You don't want to...mush up anything at all in here.

0:25:390:25:44

Now, the last thing we put in, the eggs.

0:25:440:25:47

Have a taste.

0:25:520:25:53

Ah!

0:25:530:25:54

-Mm! Oh, my God!

-Good?

0:25:560:25:58

Mm!

0:25:580:26:00

So many different flavours.

0:26:000:26:01

Mm!

0:26:010:26:02

Next stage...

0:26:020:26:03

I think I can help you with this.

0:26:060:26:07

Yeah, you can. That's good.

0:26:070:26:08

Of course, yeah.

0:26:080:26:09

Yeah. Are we going to have enough for these?

0:26:120:26:15

Yeah, we'll see, we'll see.

0:26:150:26:16

We don't put too much in -

0:26:160:26:17

you want it to have a bit of character, rather than just flat,

0:26:170:26:20

as you've just done. That's good. Well done!

0:26:200:26:23

We put little bit of garnish on them.

0:26:230:26:26

Just a little piece of fancy tomato.

0:26:260:26:28

Easy to do, put a little bit of slice through it.

0:26:280:26:30

-I always like dill.

-I love a bit of dill.

0:26:300:26:32

I like dill with any kind of fish. It's nice and soft, plenty flavour.

0:26:320:26:36

Is it true that the royals have used it often as a picnic dish?

0:26:380:26:41

It was a favourite of the Queen Mother's

0:26:410:26:42

but I know a lot of the royal family also like it.

0:26:420:26:45

Do you reckon they're using the same recipe as you?

0:26:450:26:47

I would hope so.

0:26:470:26:48

So am I eating a dish fit for a queen?

0:26:480:26:51

Well, you are. Now some people will change it a little bit

0:26:510:26:55

but this is the original recipe.

0:26:550:26:57

Eggs Drumkilbo has travelled far beyond its Perthshire roots.

0:26:570:27:01

For staff travelling with the busy royals,

0:27:010:27:04

an understanding of their personal tastes is essential.

0:27:040:27:07

Grant Harold here has been butler to Prince Charles and Prince William

0:27:110:27:14

and Prince Harry, and been off on several trips to their haunts.

0:27:140:27:18

You were based at Highgrove when you were Prince Charles's butler,

0:27:180:27:21

but you went on tours with him to some of these places.

0:27:210:27:24

Absolutely, and I felt very lucky to be able to travel to Castle of Mey,

0:27:240:27:27

and Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House

0:27:270:27:30

and Holyrood obviously as well - the main residence in Scotland.

0:27:300:27:34

So it was quite a privilege to be able travel round with him.

0:27:340:27:37

Was it a fairly gamey affair? I mean, what are these places like?

0:27:370:27:41

Some of them are huge, as you can imagine.

0:27:410:27:44

They can be a little bit eerie.

0:27:440:27:45

I remember being at the Castle of Mey, arriving up there

0:27:450:27:48

and it was my first evening.

0:27:480:27:49

I went to bed after obviously doing the dinner,

0:27:490:27:52

as you can imagine, quite tired, sat on my bed and suddenly I felt

0:27:520:27:55

this thing hit me in the back of the head,

0:27:550:27:56

and I looked up and there was a bat.

0:27:560:27:58

I thought, "Fantastic! Just what I've been always wanting,

0:27:580:28:01

"a bat flying round the room."

0:28:010:28:02

So I very quickly opened the window and it went back out.

0:28:020:28:05

-Did you yell?

-I did, actually.

0:28:050:28:07

Yes, I did. I yelled rather loudly.

0:28:070:28:10

I think the royals and the staff all could hear my screams.

0:28:100:28:14

And being a butler there when you're on the road,

0:28:140:28:16

is that different from being a butler back at Highgrove?

0:28:160:28:19

-It's very much...

-Do you mix more with the royals?

0:28:190:28:21

Well, you do. I mean, you're still doing all the traditional jobs

0:28:210:28:24

of a butler, serving the tables,

0:28:240:28:25

looking after the guests, but at the same time,

0:28:250:28:28

they actually allow you to get involved in, for example,

0:28:280:28:31

the kind of balls that take place, the parties.

0:28:310:28:34

I mean, I've been so lucky that I've been invited to many different

0:28:340:28:36

royal events, including the Ghillies Ball,

0:28:360:28:39

which is obviously quite a famous dance at Balmoral Castle.

0:28:390:28:42

Have you danced with the Queen?

0:28:420:28:43

I have danced with the Queen.

0:28:430:28:44

I danced with the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall

0:28:440:28:47

and this was a dream of mine when I was a youngster.

0:28:470:28:49

I remember watching a documentary about the Queen

0:28:490:28:51

and seeing the Ghillies Ball and I thought it'd be amazing

0:28:510:28:53

one day to actually get to dance with them.

0:28:530:28:55

Little did I realise that probably about 20-odd years later

0:28:550:28:57

I would be dancing with the Queen.

0:28:570:28:59

Does Prince Charles take his own food with him from Highgrove?

0:28:590:29:02

He's a bit of a foodie, isn't he?

0:29:020:29:04

He's a huge believer in obviously food with...

0:29:040:29:07

Being grown organically.

0:29:070:29:08

Highgrove is a fantastic example of that.

0:29:080:29:10

I think like anybody that believes in growing things the correct way,

0:29:100:29:15

you know, the food will travel round, and he's passionate about it.

0:29:150:29:18

You know, he really promotes organic food

0:29:180:29:21

and obviously you can see that from Highgrove.

0:29:210:29:24

I'll bear that in mind. Thanks.

0:29:240:29:26

Prince Charles is always keen to talk about food,

0:29:270:29:30

particularly with his chefs.

0:29:300:29:32

One renowned chef who's very familiar with Highgrove produce

0:29:370:29:41

is Anton Mosimann.

0:29:410:29:43

Four generations of the royal family have enjoyed his cuisine

0:29:430:29:46

and he's a firm favourite of Prince Charles.

0:29:460:29:49

I was asked to cook for Prince Charles the first time in Prague

0:29:490:29:54

for the Prague Heritage fund.

0:29:540:29:56

350 people for four days.

0:29:560:29:58

It was an incredible occasion.

0:30:000:30:01

Most head of states of Europe were actually part of it.

0:30:030:30:06

Since then, I have been cooking many, many meals for him.

0:30:080:30:10

I must say, he loves his food.

0:30:110:30:14

It's such a pleasure to have such a distinguished guest

0:30:140:30:17

with such good taste.

0:30:170:30:18

They both share a passion for food

0:30:180:30:20

and how to grow the best quality ingredients.

0:30:200:30:23

I was brought up with organic food.

0:30:230:30:26

In those days there was nothing artificial.

0:30:260:30:29

Everything was fresh from the farm.

0:30:290:30:31

Not necessarily the most expensive ingredients, but the best.

0:30:310:30:34

And you can do wonderful things with very basic, simple produce.

0:30:350:30:39

His Royal Highness the Prince, very much in the same line.

0:30:400:30:44

We have very much in common and when we talk about food

0:30:440:30:48

it's always a fantastic pleasure.

0:30:480:30:50

It's not just food this Michelin-starred chef uses,

0:30:500:30:53

but his style of cooking that finds favour with royalty.

0:30:530:30:57

25 years ago I created cuisine naturelle, a style of cooking

0:30:570:31:01

without fat, without cream, without butter, less salt and less sugar.

0:31:010:31:08

So instead of salt,

0:31:080:31:09

I used fresh herbs and for less sugar

0:31:090:31:12

I used orange juice, grapefruit, fruit juices to make it up.

0:31:120:31:16

It's what I like to cook.

0:31:180:31:21

And that's what people today like to eat because it's healthy, it's fun,

0:31:210:31:26

it's sharing food and it's very honest food.

0:31:260:31:29

Today, Anton is preparing a typical Highgrove dish.

0:31:320:31:35

This dish is a saddle of lamb,

0:31:350:31:38

Highgrove Lamb fillet.

0:31:380:31:40

The quality is just outstanding.

0:31:400:31:42

Look at the colour. No fat whatsoever.

0:31:420:31:45

All just plain, pure meat.

0:31:450:31:48

I can't really wait to tuck into it.

0:31:480:31:50

I roast it with some fresh rosemary.

0:31:510:31:54

As a garnish I have roast new potatoes,

0:31:540:31:57

kale with some spinach,

0:31:570:31:59

Brussels sprouts - just the leaves...

0:31:590:32:01

..and carrots.

0:32:020:32:04

First, we heat a bit of oil.

0:32:040:32:08

Give that a bit of salt and pepper.

0:32:080:32:11

You know, I'm a great believer that food should be seasoned

0:32:130:32:16

before it's cooked because once the pores are closed,

0:32:160:32:19

you can't season it any more.

0:32:190:32:21

You have to season it beforehand.

0:32:210:32:23

I just want to sear the lamb on both sides very quickly.

0:32:250:32:29

Nice and brown.

0:32:290:32:30

A piece of rosemary.

0:32:310:32:33

The smell of fresh rosemary now is just so beautiful.

0:32:350:32:39

Just fantastic. So off it goes in the oven for about three minutes.

0:32:390:32:44

Anton has cooked for the grandest of occasions but many of his royal fans

0:32:500:32:54

have also come to his private dining club in Belgravia.

0:32:540:32:58

Here, I'm cooking for friends.

0:33:000:33:02

I'm cooking for people I know.

0:33:020:33:04

It is like a big family.

0:33:050:33:07

It's fantastic. Only this week we had a head of state here.

0:33:070:33:11

Because it's private, that's what people like.

0:33:110:33:13

Back in the kitchen,

0:33:160:33:17

after three minutes in the oven, the lamb is ready.

0:33:170:33:20

Anton serves it with a red wine sauce...

0:33:200:33:23

..perfect for any royal occasion.

0:33:240:33:26

I had the pleasure of cooking

0:33:270:33:29

for his Royal Highness's 50th birthday party

0:33:290:33:32

and this exactly the kind of food he likes.

0:33:320:33:35

He wants the best and, for me,

0:33:350:33:37

that is exactly what I cook for - the best.

0:33:370:33:41

And if this tasty dish observes the best principles of healthy eating,

0:33:410:33:45

it surely allows for a spectacular dessert.

0:33:450:33:48

Our palace kitchen maid Mildred Nicholls

0:33:500:33:52

was clearly influenced by the chef Escoffier

0:33:520:33:55

at the favourite royal haunt the Savoy when she created her...

0:33:550:33:59

Pudding time now. Time to wind back the clock.

0:34:030:34:06

Time to open the recipe book of our kitchen maid Mildred Nicholls,

0:34:060:34:11

who, remember, worked in Buckingham Palace

0:34:110:34:13

in the early years of the 1900s,

0:34:130:34:14

and a wonderful pudding.

0:34:140:34:16

Look, Anna - mille feuilles Mont Blanc.

0:34:160:34:19

Mont Blanc's the mountain covered in snow,

0:34:190:34:22

which might be appropriate later.

0:34:220:34:24

Mille feuilles, 1,000 leaves.

0:34:240:34:26

Escoffier's recipe, wasn't it?

0:34:260:34:27

Yes, I think you're right. Yes.

0:34:270:34:29

Royal chef, king of chefs. Do you think he was the king of chefs?

0:34:290:34:32

Oh, well, I think it's up for debate.

0:34:320:34:34

You know, there's been a few greats, but he's definitely up there.

0:34:340:34:38

Are you going to do this, the very same recipe?

0:34:380:34:40

I'm going to do it exactly the same as she did.

0:34:400:34:42

-As Mildred did it 110 years ago?

-Absolutely.

0:34:420:34:45

What do you start with?

0:34:450:34:46

OK, so start with our puff pastry.

0:34:460:34:48

You need to cut out five disks.

0:34:480:34:50

You need two cutters, one needs to be your large one

0:34:500:34:53

and then a smaller one to cut out the centres.

0:34:530:34:55

Now, this is the puff pastry, the thousand leaves

0:34:550:34:57

Escoffier thing. In the school tuck shop it was called a cream slice.

0:34:570:35:01

-Oh, right. This is a very posh...

-Or vanilla slice.

0:35:010:35:03

This is a posh cream slice.

0:35:030:35:04

OK. So we're going to...

0:35:040:35:06

These have been baked in the oven

0:35:060:35:08

at about 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.

0:35:080:35:10

So we're going to stick these discs of puff pastry together

0:35:100:35:14

with an apricot jam. So I'm going to use a brush for this.

0:35:140:35:18

We brush it all around.

0:35:180:35:19

-You're going to make a tower of this stuff, are you?

-That's right, yes.

0:35:190:35:22

And use apricot jam as the glue?

0:35:220:35:24

That's right, exactly.

0:35:240:35:26

So it gives a bit of sweetness to it and, just like you say,

0:35:260:35:29

it's like a glue. So we place it on top.

0:35:290:35:31

You know I love building things. This looks like fun.

0:35:320:35:36

And this will really make it stick, will it?

0:35:360:35:39

Yes, this will make it stick because

0:35:390:35:41

the jam has been warmed up so to make it more liquid. So then it is,

0:35:410:35:44

it's like a little sweet glue holding it all together.

0:35:440:35:47

It's quite a tower, isn't it?

0:35:470:35:48

It is. Then we're going to fill the centre with some cream

0:35:480:35:53

and some chestnut puree.

0:35:530:35:54

So at the end we'll finish it as well with the marron glace.

0:35:540:35:58

-You're putting some on the top as well?

-Yeah.

0:35:580:36:01

Because that's the top of your stack.

0:36:010:36:03

Yeah, and I think it needs the sweetness as well, yeah.

0:36:030:36:05

So tell me about the other ingredients you've got there.

0:36:050:36:08

OK, so, you have your whipped cream,

0:36:080:36:11

you've got your chestnut puree and you've got your marron glace.

0:36:110:36:15

Now, marron glace is what?

0:36:150:36:17

A crystalline horse...

0:36:170:36:19

Not horse chestnut, chestnut.

0:36:190:36:21

Yes, that's right. A very...

0:36:210:36:23

The French love them, don't they?

0:36:230:36:24

Yeah, they do love them.

0:36:240:36:25

Now, I'm not 100% a massive fan.

0:36:250:36:28

Why? I don't know, I think it's the texture

0:36:280:36:31

-but I also think it's an acquired taste.

-You're right.

0:36:310:36:33

-Do you like them?

-I don't know.

0:36:330:36:35

-I'll see if I can acquire it.

-Go for it.

0:36:350:36:37

I'm pretty keen on nuts.

0:36:370:36:38

How's that?

0:36:410:36:43

UNCONVINCINGLY: Mm...

0:36:430:36:44

I've acquired it. This minute.

0:36:440:36:46

Oh, that's quite nice. I'll have that later.

0:36:470:36:49

OK, so let's start with this.

0:36:490:36:51

I'm going to start with the puree in the centre.

0:36:510:36:53

-A spoonful...

-So is that a pureed version...?

0:36:530:36:56

Exactly. That's exactly it.

0:36:560:36:57

It's a pureed... And you can buy chestnut puree,

0:36:570:36:59

you don't have to make it yourself.

0:36:590:37:01

OK. I'm going to put a little bit of cream in the centre.

0:37:010:37:03

Oh, so you're doing this...

0:37:030:37:05

So you want to fill the centre. It's like a surprise inside it,

0:37:050:37:08

so nobody knows that that's there until you cut into it.

0:37:080:37:11

So another big spoon of that.

0:37:110:37:14

So you're doing a layer each of these as well?

0:37:140:37:16

Yeah. The whole thing is in layers

0:37:160:37:18

-but this is cream and the pureed chestnut?

-Yeah.

0:37:180:37:20

It's quite a unique cake.

0:37:220:37:24

I've never seen anything like this before.

0:37:240:37:26

But then it's a combination of two things, isn't it?

0:37:260:37:28

I mean, the mille feuilles is one thing

0:37:280:37:31

and Mont Blanc, that is a cake all to itself, isn't it?

0:37:310:37:34

You're so knowledgeable. Honestly, I think you're teaching me!

0:37:340:37:37

You know how it is. Years of experience!

0:37:370:37:39

But that's right, isn't it? Mont Blanc is a cake in and of itself?

0:37:390:37:44

With chestnuts. Oh, right.

0:37:440:37:45

And presumably it's got cream on the top like the snow on the mountain?

0:37:450:37:49

Yeah. OK, so...

0:37:490:37:51

Oh, my God!

0:37:510:37:52

So plenty of cream on top.

0:37:520:37:54

It's a Weight Watchers cake, isn't it(?)

0:37:550:37:58

Yeah, no, you're not on a diet when you're eating this.

0:37:580:38:01

Surely not. Golly.

0:38:010:38:02

Whoa!

0:38:020:38:04

OK. Yeah!

0:38:040:38:06

So the whole idea is to pile it up on top

0:38:060:38:09

then gently nudge it around the sides.

0:38:090:38:12

That's why you want it

0:38:120:38:13

kind of top-heavy, so it can kind of drip down.

0:38:130:38:16

Now, tell me, Mildred was a pastry chef at Buckingham Palace.

0:38:160:38:19

Yep. And she was there, I don't know, 14-15 years,

0:38:190:38:22

and she managed to get from being seventh pastry chef

0:38:220:38:25

to being third or fourth pastry chef...

0:38:250:38:26

-Which would have been a huge thing.

-Over that whole career.

0:38:260:38:29

But that would have been a huge thing

0:38:290:38:30

because once you got a job like that, you'd never let go of it.

0:38:300:38:33

So you'd be waiting for people to be dropping like flies

0:38:330:38:36

before you could get promoted.

0:38:360:38:37

-But you were a pastry chef.

-I was... God, many, many moons ago.

0:38:370:38:40

Now you're an executive chef and a real boss.

0:38:400:38:42

-Yes.

-A tyrant I think they call you.

0:38:420:38:44

A tyrant, yeah.

0:38:440:38:45

Over a couple of restaurants.

0:38:450:38:47

Nobody would dare say that to my face but...no, I'm not a tyrant.

0:38:470:38:50

But you've had the opportunity for promotion

0:38:500:38:52

that she presumably wouldn't have had.

0:38:520:38:54

No, but I mean, it's a different world now.

0:38:540:38:57

Cooking for back then... I mean, the opportunities are huge.

0:38:570:39:01

Back then, to work for the royals, you know,

0:39:010:39:04

that's the best job she could have gotten.

0:39:040:39:06

Presumably, she'd never have been first pastry chef,

0:39:060:39:10

let alone like you, an executive chef.

0:39:100:39:11

Well, I mean, she probably wouldn't have been allowed

0:39:110:39:14

-because she was a woman.

-Yeah.

0:39:140:39:16

That was left for the boys to be in charge.

0:39:160:39:18

So you're putting pistachios on the top.

0:39:180:39:20

Yeah, I'm going to put pistachios on the top, and quite generous.

0:39:200:39:22

Give it a sprinkle.

0:39:220:39:24

Why? Well, it looks nice but...

0:39:240:39:26

it gives it a crunchy top to it?

0:39:260:39:28

It a lovely crunchy top

0:39:280:39:30

and a lovely flavour off your pistachios as well.

0:39:300:39:32

-So, now I'm going to...

-Whoa!

0:39:320:39:35

I know, actually, it's pretty heavy!

0:39:350:39:38

-Oh...

-This is the bit...

0:39:380:39:40

Don't drop, don't drop!

0:39:400:39:41

Well done.

0:39:410:39:43

I was never going to drop it.

0:39:440:39:46

OK, so now I'm going to bring this to here.

0:39:460:39:49

I think in Mildred's recipe

0:39:490:39:50

she does mention placing the marron glace around...

0:39:500:39:53

-On the side?

-Yeah.

0:39:530:39:54

I have a feeling this is partly her creation.

0:39:540:39:57

I don't know why I think that but, just reading the recipe,

0:39:570:39:59

I feel like there's an interpretation from her.

0:39:590:40:02

She made it her own?

0:40:020:40:03

Well, perhaps. I'm sure there would have been opportunities for them...

0:40:030:40:06

To experiment?

0:40:060:40:08

Yeah, there must have been.

0:40:080:40:09

Well, they must have spent long, long hours in the kitchens.

0:40:090:40:12

Also, I think Mildred did mention the idea that

0:40:120:40:15

she just piped a little bit of cream in between each one.

0:40:150:40:18

This decoration, isn't it?

0:40:180:40:20

And you kind of hoped you'd get one of the marron glace in your slice?

0:40:200:40:23

Well, that's what you'd be hoping for. Well, that's what you...

0:40:230:40:25

Unless it's me! That's what I'M hoping for!

0:40:250:40:27

We're perfectly matched here because

0:40:270:40:29

you don't particularly want the marron glace, do you?

0:40:290:40:32

No, I don't but I wonder if I were to make this for myself,

0:40:320:40:34

what might be a nice alternative could even be any fresh fruit.

0:40:340:40:38

-Yeah.

-Because it's cream and pastry,

0:40:380:40:40

it could be lovely with some strawberries.

0:40:400:40:42

Something to cut into that softness of the taste.

0:40:420:40:44

Yeah, it could be quite nice.

0:40:440:40:46

OK, shall I put that over here? There we go.

0:40:460:40:48

I might have a bit more of my marron glace.

0:40:480:40:50

So there we have it - mille feuilles Mont Blanc.

0:40:500:40:53

-Tricky thing to cut, I would imagine.

-Yes.

0:40:540:40:56

But don't let that put you off.

0:40:560:40:58

It's not going to put me off because you're going to cut it!

0:40:580:41:01

OK. Here we go.

0:41:040:41:06

Righto.

0:41:060:41:07

Let's put that there.

0:41:070:41:08

OK. Oh, yes.

0:41:110:41:13

Yes, yes, yes. It's going through.

0:41:130:41:15

Mind you, I am rather good at this sort of stuff.

0:41:150:41:17

Oh! OK.

0:41:170:41:20

Is that about the right size, do you think?

0:41:210:41:23

Yeah, I think, as a portion.

0:41:230:41:24

I don't want to wreck it.

0:41:240:41:26

Don't wreck it.

0:41:260:41:27

I'm not sure I've gone all the way to the bottom.

0:41:300:41:34

There we go.

0:41:340:41:35

-Now, have I made a complete horlicks this?

-Looks OK.

0:41:350:41:38

You don't sound terribly convinced.

0:41:380:41:41

I'm not convinced.

0:41:410:41:42

Here we go.

0:41:430:41:45

There!

0:41:450:41:46

-That's not bad.

-That's not bad!

0:41:460:41:47

Oh, there we go.

0:41:490:41:51

Now, I missed the...marron.

0:41:510:41:54

There we go. I'll pop it on the back.

0:41:560:41:58

You can eat that because I'm not interested in the marron glace.

0:41:580:42:01

I'll have the marron glace. What about you having the other bit?

0:42:010:42:04

-Go on.

-OK.

0:42:040:42:05

That wasn't exactly a big bite.

0:42:110:42:13

What's it like?

0:42:130:42:14

I'm being careful. It's delicious.

0:42:140:42:17

-Is it?

-Mm!

-OK.

0:42:170:42:18

Mm!

0:42:240:42:25

Takes you back to the school tuck shop!

0:42:250:42:28

I mean, that was a bit better and I was a bit younger.

0:42:280:42:31

Keep going. Go on, have a bit more.

0:42:310:42:34

No, I'm OK. I think I'll leave it up to you.

0:42:340:42:36

Mm! No, I like it and I'm going to finish it off.

0:42:360:42:40

It's going to take me a bit of time, and we have to go, I'm afraid.

0:42:400:42:44

That's it from the celebrations of delicious

0:42:440:42:48

and sometimes rather wicked royal haunts.

0:42:480:42:51

See you next time.

0:42:510:42:53

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS