0:00:02 > 0:00:03The Royal Family are steeped in tradition,
0:00:03 > 0:00:05and throughout history the royal tables
0:00:05 > 0:00:10have showcased culinary excellence. In celebration of royal food...
0:00:10 > 0:00:11We know it is 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 > 0:00:20We recreate old family favourites.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Now, the Queen Mother had this really wicked trick with these.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26What a mess!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We sample royal eating alfresco.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Oh, wow!- That is what you want.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And revisit the most extravagant times.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Pheasant, stag, turkey, salmon,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39oysters and turbot dressed in a lobster champagne sauce.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Unbelievable!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43This 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 > 0:01:01In the splendour of the gardens,
0:01:01 > 0:01:05halls and kitchen of this grandest of country houses,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10we will be recreating the food served at the highest royal tables.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And it all starts here with this gem -
0:01:13 > 0:01:16a 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 > 0:01:27Inside, the recipes of Mildred Nicholls
0:01:27 > 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 > 0:01:38we'll be bringing these recipes back to life.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48This time we cook food served to world leaders
0:01:48 > 0:01:49during royal state visits,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52and learn the art of diplomatic relations.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The state banquet is an essential part of the sovereign's role.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Today in the Royal Recipes kitchen,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01chef Paul Ainsworth prepares a dish
0:02:01 > 0:02:06inspired by the dinner the Queen laid on for President Obama...
0:02:06 > 0:02:08That is... It's unbelievable!
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Well, you can see why President Obama
0:02:11 > 0:02:14enjoyed his visit to England.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17A former royal butler introduces historian Matt Green
0:02:17 > 0:02:19to banquet etiquette and protocol...
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Remember, we don't put elbows on the table.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23- No.- We don't put wrists on the table.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24We don't lie on the table.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26The only time your hands are on the table
0:02:26 > 0:02:28is actually when you're actually using...
0:02:28 > 0:02:30obviously picking up the cutlery and you're eating.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31..and the royal banquet,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35with British bubbles from the vineyards of the South Downs.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38We've actually been served at three state banquets.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40We hear when the menus get released
0:02:40 > 0:02:42that we see that our wines are on the list.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43It's really quite exciting!
0:02:47 > 0:02:50In the grandeur of the historic kitchen wing of this stately home,
0:02:50 > 0:02:56we start in 2011, when the Queen welcomed Barack and Michelle Obama.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Welcome to the marvellous old kitchens,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and indeed the marvellous young Michelin-starred chef
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Paul Ainsworth.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It's the big one today. I mean, no pressure.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Actually, a lot of pressure. - There is a lot of pressure.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08It's the royal state banquet.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- What are you going to do?- Michael, we're going to do a wonderful dish
0:03:10 > 0:03:12of paupiettes of lemon sole
0:03:12 > 0:03:15with a wonderful watercress mousseline and Nantua sauce.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Oh, it sounds marvellous - and is actually the dish...
0:03:19 > 0:03:20See? This is the menu card
0:03:20 > 0:03:23for the state visit of President Obama in 2011.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24- Wow.- First course.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26First course! Right.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Right, let's get on with what President Obama got.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- We've got a lot to do. I might need a bit of help from you today.- OK.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Right, so the first thing I'm going to make
0:03:32 > 0:03:33is the watercress mousseline,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- and that's what we're going to stuff the sole with.- Mm.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- So here we have our chicken breast, which goes on like so...- Yeah.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43..and then we're just going to put in a little pinch of salt with it.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45And we're going to blitz that first.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47- OK, like so.- Yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Just to break down the protein.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52OK. Next, we're going to add in one egg white.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56OK, and again another blitz.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59So we don't load all the ingredients in there.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00It's stage by stage.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03So when you say paupiette, what does that actually mean?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Rolled and stuffed.- Ah.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- With this?- Absolutely.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- And then we're going to add a splash of cream.- Yeah.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10- OK. Like so.- A splash of cream(!)
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Just a splash.- Do you ever do a dish
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- that hasn't got a splash of cream in it?- Oh, stop it -
0:04:14 > 0:04:17this is royal dishes, they are very fond of their French cooking,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- which is obviously very heavy with butter and cream.- Yeah.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22So we've just added in there some watercress.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24So you've got this lovely chicken mousseline.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The cream lightens it, believe it or not,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and then we've got this lovely pepperiness happening.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29Right, so what we're going to do
0:04:29 > 0:04:31is we're going to take our lemon sole fillets
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and we're just going to take some of this -
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- and it really is worth doing. It may look fiddly...- Mm.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39..but just spread them
0:04:39 > 0:04:44right the way down the length of the fillet.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Actually, taking trouble is the whole thing about state banquets,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49isn't it? You know they start laying the table up
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- five days before the event itself? - Really?!- Yeah.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54You know, polishing the porcelain,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56getting the silver out and all that kind of stuff.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00So, we just put in our mousse, right down the middle.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02And a lot of it you might think, chicken - why chicken?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- I was thinking, chicken and fish. - Why are you not using a fish mousse?
0:05:05 > 0:05:06But chicken's such...
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Because it's kind of got that neutral flavour,
0:05:08 > 0:05:14it's such a good protein when you're making mousselines and stuffings.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And it gives it a bit of body within the delicacy of the fish.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18With the fish, yeah.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20And it doesn't take away from the flavour of the fish.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Now, just really simple, it's not too difficult.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Just take your fillet and just roll it up like so.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Just like that. And then with a cocktail stick...
0:05:30 > 0:05:32..through the tail end, just watch your fingers,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and then just go out the other side like that.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38- Like so. Would you like a go, Michael?- Yep, I'll do that.- OK.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- All right. - This might take some time.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44All right, OK.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46So what I'm moving on next to, Michael, is the sauce -
0:05:46 > 0:05:48and the sauce is beautiful.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51It's a Nantua sauce, which is basically a crayfish sauce.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Now, classically, this would be done Bechamel base,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56but what I've tried to do is lighten it
0:05:56 > 0:05:58and make it more like bisque sauce,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00but still keeping it true to its French roots
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- with cream and some cognac and some butter.- Oh, yes!
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- Oh, wonderful. - So, it's not quite as heavy.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- So...- What's going on in there? - This is our steamer.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Right, we're just going to gently place those in the steamer.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14- Mm-hm.- Like so. OK.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Important, Michael - some seasoning.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Just some sea salt, just round on our flesh, like so.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Lid on.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And because that's so delicate,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29now let's just let the residual heat just steam those gently away.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30You've taken it off the heat?
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Just taken it off - and that steam will just rise up through,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36cook the mousse gently, keep the fish nice and moist.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- Right, on to our sauce.- OK.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42So we've just roasted off some crayfish shells.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- The way you do.- Yeah. With some carrot, onion, leek, celery,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48a little bit of paprika, a little bit of tomato puree,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50some brandy and then some fish stock.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Wow! And how long have you done that for?
0:06:53 > 0:06:55And we've just simmered that for a couple of hours,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58just to kind of get a really nice, deep flavour.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02The reason they're not favoured by chefs, sometimes,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05is because they are quite difficult to prep -
0:07:05 > 0:07:08but they have got such wonderful flavour.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Now, it's important... - Actually, you can smell it.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12- It's beautiful, isn't it?- Yeah, yeah.- Push all of that through.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- OK.- And now we return that back to the heat.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- That looks brilliant.- OK.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19I'm going to get some asparagus on,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22cos we're just going to finish this with some beautiful asparagus.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Turn up our heat. We want to bring our sauce to the boil.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Right, the first thing we're going to do
0:07:26 > 0:07:28is we're going to add just a little bit of cognac.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Now, we don't want to add a lot...
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- Why not?- ..because we're going to reduce it out.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33Because it's so strong,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- we don't want to kill the flavour of the sauce.- Mm-hm.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Little bit of cream.- Oh, inevitably.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Now, this would have been a lot richer
0:07:40 > 0:07:43if we had stuck to the original classic recipe
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- of making it like a Bechamel sauce. - Mm-hm.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- So, Michael...- This by your standards is pretty light?
0:07:49 > 0:07:50This is quite light, yeah.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Right, I'm going to add, now, some butter.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55And what the butter is going to do
0:07:55 > 0:07:58is it is going to emulsify with the sauce, slightly thicken it
0:07:58 > 0:08:00and give it that wonderful richness.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03OK. If I could get you to just carry on whisking that sauce,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- just like that for me, please, Michael...- Yeah, will do.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07..and we're going to start to plate up.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- Yes.- We've got some asparagus
0:08:09 > 0:08:12that we've just kind of warmed in some beautiful butter.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13All British ingredients.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18- All British ingredients.- British asparagus, British lemon sole.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21So, we've just got these lovely wonderful asparagus spears.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- A beautiful colour, aren't they? - Stunning.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Once that sauce has thickened
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- we're then going to add our crayfish tails.- Oh, I love those.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28- So, we've used everything.- Yeah.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30We've used the meat from the tails
0:08:30 > 0:08:32and then those wonderful heads in our sauce.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I think I've done this rather brilliantly.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- You see how it has thickened and gone nice and velvety?- Yeah.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- It's my touch.- It's beautiful. - It's my touch.- It is your touch.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- Right, OK, the bit that I'm really dying to show you...- Mm.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45..is these beautiful paupiettes of lemon sole.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47- They've been off the heat? - They've been off the heat.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- OK - and look.- And they've cooked.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- I'll bring them over to you.- Yeah.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57And now just remove our cocktail sticks.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Look at that.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- Just look how succulent and juicy they are.- Yeah.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Without any heat at all.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Just the residual heat.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08We're going to finish them with a little bit more sea salt.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- Yeah.- OK? Now our sauce.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- We're going to add in the crayfish tails.- Yeah.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Like so. Stirring.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18A quick taste.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19- A little bit of lemon.- OK.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21It's a bit too rich even for you, is it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It's not - you just want that lemon just to cut it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26- A little bit of bite to it as well. - Absolutely.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29A little bit of lemon juice, which goes so nice with the fish...
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- Yeah.- ..and also a little bit of lemon on our fish.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Delicious. Lemon, asparagus - God, I can't wait to get into this.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38This is something else.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41OK? And now just those crayfish.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44- Oh...- Over the top like that.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Some on the side.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52There we have it. That, for me, is proper banquet food.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57They still talk about President Obama's state visit to the UK,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01and, perhaps, at least part of the success of it, was down to that.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Yeah. That is something else.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- (Come on, come on.) - You're dying to taste it!
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- I am, actually, yeah.- Go for it. I'm just as excited as you.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10I'm going to have that one.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- Oh, God, it's a bit big. - That's a lovely tail, that one.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Yeah, that was what I was going for.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18A nice bit of tail, as President Obama might say.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19Here we go.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Lovely.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Oh... I feel a bit underdressed for this.- Oh, my God.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I should be wearing white tie and tails, shouldn't I?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- Mm. That is really good, isn't it? - That is.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32It's unbelievable!
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Well, you can see why President Obama
0:10:35 > 0:10:37enjoyed his visit to England.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44A light dish that really delivers on flavour.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Banquets are not just about the food,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50they're about the whole spectacle.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53The royal butlers play a crucial role in creating that.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Where better to learn about preparing for grand royal banquets
0:11:00 > 0:11:03than at this monumental country house,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07given to a duke by a queen in the 18th century?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It may not be a royal home, but it's a palace -
0:11:10 > 0:11:15and historian Matt Green is here to learn all about royal etiquette.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18I've come to Blenheim Palace to meet someone called Grant Harrold
0:11:18 > 0:11:20who runs the Royal Butler School
0:11:20 > 0:11:23to get a crash course on how to put on a royal banquet...
0:11:25 > 0:11:26..but, on second thoughts,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30I think I should be entering via the servants' quarters.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32For seven years, Grant Harrold worked as a butler
0:11:32 > 0:11:34to Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- Hi, Grant.- Hello, Matt. - How do you do?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40- How do you do?- Good, thanks.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41This way.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Blenheim Palace was built for the Duke of Marlborough.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51150 years later his descendant, Winston Churchill, was born here.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Over the generations, there have been many royal guests.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Wow! This is the entrance hall of Blenheim Palace?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01- Yes.- It's like something out of a fairy tale.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04State banquets, per se, don't happen here -
0:12:04 > 0:12:05but it's not dissimilar,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and it gives us a sense of the much grander state banquets.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10And is it true that they are laid out
0:12:10 > 0:12:12with almost a degree of military precision?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14They are. I mean, obviously,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18royal standards are what everyone wants to kind of aspire to
0:12:18 > 0:12:19in these kind of homes,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and the aristocrats are known for copying
0:12:21 > 0:12:22the way that royals do things.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Presumably, in order to achieve the meticulousness of this layout,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30to have that effect that's really quite mind-blowing,
0:12:30 > 0:12:31you have to measure everything?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33In Buckingham Palace they have what's...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35They've got, obviously, a measuring stick
0:12:35 > 0:12:38that's actually got the markings on it as to where things should be.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41So, there's a distance, obviously, which they will measure
0:12:41 > 0:12:43- from the edge of the table to the back of the chair.- OK.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- They will measure the space settings between each place...- Yeah.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48..to make sure that it's at the right distance.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51They measure the glass, they measure the cutlery.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54So it's right, that's how precise it has to be.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57As butler at Highgrove, Prince Charles's private residence,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Grant would oversee this kind of table preparation.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02Before work can start,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05each member of staff must don a pair of white gloves.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06The white gloves, obviously,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08it's so we protect the silver and glassware
0:13:08 > 0:13:09and we don't get any marks,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11because it's already probably been polished and cleaned.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- Yeah.- We can always double-check it,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15but normally it is already done by the time it comes to the room
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and then all we're having to do is actually put things down.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20You want to make sure it is symmetrical
0:13:20 > 0:13:24and you're not off to the side or anything.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25If there's any crests or anything,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27always make sure that they are pointing to the top.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- Pointing north.- Yes.- OK.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Another trick to laying a table is the rule of thumb -
0:13:31 > 0:13:34the gap between crockery and cutlery must be an inch,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37about the length from a thumb knuckle to tip.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40The soup spoon is going to go on the right.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- On the right.- And again, with maybe a millimetre or two between.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46And then the pudding cutlery...
0:13:47 > 0:13:49..on top. That's good.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- OK.- Maybe just a fraction down.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Right.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Then we're going to get the side plate, and the small knife.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58So they are going to go to the left.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00To the left.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02And then the knife is just going to go on the edge.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Just perched on the edge.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05The blade pointing away.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07OK, so it's looking pretty complete now.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Then we'll go and get the glassware.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10This is going to be for the red wine,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and this is going to be for the white.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14So you want to put it just to the right
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- of the blade of the, obviously, of the main course knife.- Yeah.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21The red wine, just up to the left, like that.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Maybe push it just a little bit closer,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25just, again, a millimetre, maybe, away.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Pop the red there.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31So, the champagne goes to the right of the white wine,
0:14:31 > 0:14:32directly opposite the red.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34And then, lastly, you've got the port glass,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37and that just goes directly behind -
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and then you've created the diamond formation.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42We just need a napkin.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- In the centre.- In the centre.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47- Like that.- Beautifully done.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48And there we are, voila.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53It's really pleasing to see it come together like that.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Protocol and etiquette governs everything at the banquet -
0:14:58 > 0:15:01how to sit and, of course, how to converse.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Remember that we don't put elbows on the table,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07we don't put wrists on the table, we don't lie on the table.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10The only time your hands are on the table is when you're actually using,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13obviously, when you're picking up the cutlery and you are eating.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16What would you say is the biggest faux pas I could make?
0:15:16 > 0:15:18If you were sitting at the table and you brought your mobile phone,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- that would be such a big...- Right.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I think somebody would probably even say something to you,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24because it wouldn't be done.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- Say I were lucky enough to be sitting next to the Queen...- Mm.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28..would she talk to me?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Is there a protocol about who she talks to, when?
0:15:30 > 0:15:31With a state banquet,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33you're going to have the most senior guests to the right,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35and the Queen will normally speak to that person
0:15:35 > 0:15:37for, say, the starter, the main course.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38and, then, going into the pudding...
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- So, you get your guaranteed face time with the Queen?- Oh, yes.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- You'll get some time.- You don't need to worry about cutting in with a...?
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- No.- So it sounds like a pretty decorous occasion.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I'm guessing there are certain foods that were off the menu
0:15:50 > 0:15:51because they were too messy?
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Yes. I mean, things like spaghetti -
0:15:53 > 0:15:56you really don't want to sit there trying to eat spaghetti,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and we know how tricky it can be, and how messy,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and with all of the finery, that's the last thing you want,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03is bits of spaghetti landing all over the place.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07So, ideally, you want to keep it as graceful and elegant as possible.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I can't wait to do it for real.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- I know. So all you have to do now is write to the Queen...- Yeah.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13- ..and ask for your invitation. - I'll get that.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- Good luck.- Yeah. Thank you!
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Being a royal butler is not really a job, it's more a vocation.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26More a kind of state of mind.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31Anyway, from grand diplomatic banquets
0:16:31 > 0:16:34to something a great deal simpler.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- Absolutely.- Bubbling away. - Bubbling away.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- It's my butter making noise. - It would be.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Yes, we are going to do the Queen's recipe for drop scones.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- The Queen's recipe? - The Queen's recipe for drop scones.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- Ever had a drop scone? - I have had drop scone.- Yeah?
0:16:49 > 0:16:51The important thing about this one is,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55not only is at the Queen's recipe for drop scones,
0:16:55 > 0:16:56but they played their part
0:16:56 > 0:16:59in the special relationship with America, as well.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00They did, they did -
0:17:00 > 0:17:03and we're going to do the original recipe,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06which was caster sugar, with some sieved flour.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Some bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11What do they do, then?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13- Well, the bicarb, first of all... - That gives us the lift?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15..gives us the rise. It gives us a lift.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17The cream of tartar lends a nice bit of acidity to the recipe.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19- Bite, yeah.- A bit of bite.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20So while we're doing that,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22we're going to add a little bit of butter to the pan here, Michael.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Why do they call them drop scones?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The reason they're called drop scones is exactly in the name.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30They drop - as opposed to a normal scone which, you know,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32you'd have with clotted cream or jam,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35it's like a dough that you cut out and then bake.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38These, it's a dropping consistency.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So, we're going to take two eggs with our milk.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- I'm seeing the Queen doing this now, you understand?- Are you?- Yes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Because the great thing about this is we know it is the Queen's recipe,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50because we've got in her own hand.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- A hand written letter to President Eisenhower...- Right.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55..who was then president of the United States.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56January the 24th, 1960 -
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and he'd actually visited the Queen at Balmoral
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and she had cooked him these drop scones.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Or at least we think she cooked them.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06This is the letter in which she sends him the recipe.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07The recipe that you are doing now.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- What are you doing there?- So, we're just gently now bringing together
0:18:12 > 0:18:14the eggs and the milk.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17We're going to have basically a pancake batter.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18And once we've whisked it smooth,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20we're going to add a little bit of butter.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23So you see now how the mix is coming together nicely?
0:18:23 > 0:18:25I'm just going to add a couple of spoonfuls of butter.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28There, like that.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31And already that lovely smell of the butter, it is delicious.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35I absolutely love drop scones, or blinis -
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- that's what they're like. - The letter is really quite charming,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40because it says, "Dear Mr President,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42"seeing a picture of you in today's newspaper
0:18:42 > 0:18:45"standing in front of a barbecue, grilling quail," as you do,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47"reminded me..."
0:18:47 > 0:18:48- Do you not grill quail? - HE LAUGHS
0:18:48 > 0:18:50"Reminded me that I had never sent you the recipe
0:18:50 > 0:18:54"of the drop scones which I promised you at Balmoral."
0:18:54 > 0:18:57That's rather nice, isn't it? Do you think she did them herself?
0:18:57 > 0:18:59You know what, for this - I think it's lovely.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00- I would love to imagine...- Yeah.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- I'm making the Queen's... - There's a lot of elbow work.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03A lot of elbow work, yeah.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07OK, so we've got a nice, lovely smooth...
0:19:07 > 0:19:09And that there, that's the drop.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12As opposed to a kind of like... Do you know what I mean?
0:19:12 > 0:19:13- Yeah.- Like a scone.- Yeah.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- Now we're ready to go... - It's lovely and gooey, isn't it?
0:19:18 > 0:19:20..into the pan. Yeah. We're going to add a little more butter...
0:19:22 > 0:19:24..into the pan there, and simply, just...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27..just like that.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30We're going to put... I think we'll get four or five in there.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33In her letter to him, she says,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37"I have also tried using golden syrup or treacle
0:19:37 > 0:19:39"instead of only sugar."
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- What do you think?- I think it could.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I think the Queen is on to something there -
0:19:43 > 0:19:45and the reason why I think it could be nice
0:19:45 > 0:19:49is because, with the golden syrup, or especially the black treacle,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51you're lending a real molasses note to it.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53You're getting more flavour into it,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- as opposed to using sort of quite a bland sort of sugar...- Yeah.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57..like caster sugar.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- Because it could be very bland, couldn't it?- Absolutely.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Without that extra flavour, the nuttiness that you're going for.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Yeah. So, we're just going to have a little check underneath.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Oh, look at these.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09These are special.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Turn them round - just quickly turn them over, like that.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Look at that. They look delicious, don't they?
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- They certainly do. - Just gently over, like that.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Just nice and steady.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20You come to the last one and you see just on the top, Michael...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- Yeah.- ..you've got that lovely caramelised butter.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26- Just on the top.- I wonder what President Eisenhower made of it all.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Remember, he was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe
0:20:29 > 0:20:31in the Second World War, he was responsible for D-Day -
0:20:31 > 0:20:34here he is, the president of the United States, 1960,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37height of the Cold War, and here's a menu for drop scones.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41So when he was not running America, he was in his pinny
0:20:41 > 0:20:43making drop scones.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46But actually, it's really interesting,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48because he replies and says,
0:20:48 > 0:20:49"What's caster sugar?"
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Now, is that because he wasn't a cook?
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Well, I think in America they call it superfine.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- Oh, right, right. - Yeah, it's the same sugar.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- So, he did reply.- He did reply.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02He's running America, but he did reply,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- he wrote a letter about the scones. - He obviously made them.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06- Or his chef replied.- Yeah!
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Right, a little tip right here, you just want that...
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- So, when you put your finger in... - Yeah.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15When you put your finger in there, they just come back up and that's...
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- they are lovely cooked.- Yeah.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Now we're just going to bring them out.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21On top of these...
0:21:21 > 0:21:23And they are absolutely fantastic.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26And you know what? Serve these, you could do sweet or savoury.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29If I was doing savoury, a little bit of smoked salmon
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and some creme fraiche. Really extravagant.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34You can have a little bit of caviar.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Come on, I want to taste them. They look good, don't they?
0:21:36 > 0:21:38They've risen. Just have a smell of them.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- Oh, yeah. - That lovely caramelised butter,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- that scone smell.- It really leaps at you, doesn't it?- Yeah. And then...
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We're just going to add butter, no clotted cream, no jam.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49No, we are keeping it nice and simple.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52You have got that lovely quality butter.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53- Oh, wonderful. - Slight saltiness to it.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I'm on the edge here. I'll have that.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57To think they played a part...
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I just think - I like the history of it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02To think they played a part in the special relationship
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- between Britain and United States! - It's fantastic.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Scones cement the relationship.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- They smell delicious.- Yeah.- Ready?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- They are good, aren't they? - They are.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- Oh!- Done a good job there, Paul. - Thank you.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20A case of drop scone diplomacy.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Perfect for the more informal occasion.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27The fine dishes served on these grand royal occasions
0:22:27 > 0:22:32have historically been washed down with vast quantities of champagne -
0:22:32 > 0:22:35but these days, even the bubbles are British.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42At the foot of the South Downs in Sussex,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45six vineyards make up the Ridgeview Estate.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49They've been making award-winning sparkling wine here for 20 years,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51served at the highest tables,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53including Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57It was the vision of the late Mike Roberts,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59nicknamed the "King of Fizz".
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Well, my dad, he loved Champagne.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05He loved going to Champagne and he loved drinking Champagne,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and he wanted to do something in wine -
0:23:08 > 0:23:09and if you look at a map,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14we are actually only 66 miles north, longitudinally, than Champagne.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15So, the soil's virtually the same,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17the climate's almost the same,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19and he thought, "Well, if we're going to make wine,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22"let's make something to our closest neighbour."
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Simon Roberts is now a head winemaker...
0:23:27 > 0:23:30..and his sister Tamara is the CEO.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33This is very much a family affair.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37The first ten years of Ridgeview between '95 in 2005
0:23:37 > 0:23:43was probably spent convincing people that English wines were OK to drink.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44That they weren't all bad,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46that there was quality and there was change on the way.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Because, prior to that, people's opinions of English wines
0:23:50 > 0:23:52were that they were low quality.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55The family were pioneers at a time when home-grown fizz
0:23:55 > 0:23:57was almost unthinkable,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and their passion for British bubbly
0:23:59 > 0:24:02is what has taken their bottles to the top tables.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05We've had some really exciting royal connections.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Perhaps one of the earlier ones was with the Queen's 80th,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10when one of our wines, a Blanc de Blancs,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13was actually chosen for that, which was really exciting,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15and that was our first sort of foray into that area -
0:24:15 > 0:24:20and since then we have actually been served at three state banquets.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22We're not told that it's going to be served.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25We hear, almost, when everyone else gets - when the menus get released -
0:24:25 > 0:24:26that we see that our wines are on the list.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28It's really quite exciting!
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The wine is produced from grapes grown on these vines.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Every one planted by Simon's parents.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37When they bought the estate,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40it hadn't been really used for farming for about 20 years,
0:24:40 > 0:24:41so it was a blank canvas.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45This was literally just fields, so we developed the garden.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46We have had the winery built.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49So, I mean, it has changed hugely.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51The whole estate is 36 acres.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54We have 16,000 vines here.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56We have ten acres of Chardonnay,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59and we have eight acres of pinot noir and pinot meunier,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02which are the two black grapes that go into our wines.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04The grapes are picked in the autumn
0:25:04 > 0:25:07then brought into the winery to be processed.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Large presses extract the juice which is left to settle
0:25:10 > 0:25:12before yeast and sugar are added.
0:25:12 > 0:25:18This ferments and turns the sugar to alcohol, and the wine is born.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22There are 64 large tanks here, holding thousands of litres,
0:25:22 > 0:25:27and the winery now processes 300,000 tonnes of grapes a year.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Once bottled, all that's left to do is wait.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32So the grapes that we processed in October,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35they'll come down here in bottles in January,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and we have space down here for 250,000 bottles,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and they all stay down here in the cellars,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44anywhere between 18 months and ten years.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47These go back about ten bottles, so in each of these caverns,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49we have got about 10,000 bottles.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54These Sussex wines are exported all over the world,
0:25:54 > 0:25:59and the family have even taken on the French Champagne producers.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Decanter Wine competition
0:26:00 > 0:26:03is probably one of the most recognised worldwide,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05and it's one of the only competitions
0:26:05 > 0:26:09that actually has Champagne and sparkling wine in the same category.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13And the year we won best wine in the world,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17we were up against two very well-known Champagne houses -
0:26:17 > 0:26:18and we are since, the only English wine,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22or the only wine outside Champagne, ever to win that award.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Mike died in 2014,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28shortly after his pioneering work had been recognised with an MBE
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and a trip to Buckingham Palace.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32We, as a family, couldn't have been more proud.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33It was such an honour.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37So, my mum, my sister and I went with Dad to Buckingham Palace.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Prince Charles awarded him his award and it was just...
0:26:39 > 0:26:41It was an amazing, amazing experience.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43We are so proud of him.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49British produce is such an important part of the modern state banquet.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52These days, it's more about showcasing Britain
0:26:52 > 0:26:54than the Royal Family.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Well, I'm here in the grand library of the house with Fiona Ross,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03who is a food historian and writes a lot about the royals.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Tell me, what is the actual purpose of these grand state banquets?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Well, as you would expect, they are very much...
0:27:10 > 0:27:13they very much showcase everything that is British,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17and they are intended to cement diplomatic relations,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19welcome foreign visitors,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22show the sort of grandeur, elegance...
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- To impress? - Yes, to impress, absolutely.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Given that, how carefully are things arranged?
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Oh, they are arranged months in advance.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Invitations are sent out up to 12 weeks in advance.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The Queen personally inspects the banquet before it happens
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and she even checks the toilets.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And footmen polish the tables -
0:27:44 > 0:27:47they even polish the fruit on the tables.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50So, there is enormous attention to detail at royal banquets.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52And what about the logistics -
0:27:52 > 0:27:55how many glasses, how many settings, all the porcelain,
0:27:55 > 0:27:56all this kind of stuff?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Well, if you imagine there are six glasses per guest,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04that could involve easily polishing up 1,000 glasses -
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and then you are speaking about cutlery that goes back to George IV,
0:28:08 > 0:28:09so it's in the family,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12and it's silver-plated,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15so that has to be cleaned and polished as well.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19So, enormous effort goes into the presentation of the table.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21How different is it now from what it was in the past?
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Well, remarkably enough, it is less excessive than it was in the past.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28At the time of, say, Charles II, 1671,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31when he threw a banquet for the Knights of the Garter
0:28:31 > 0:28:34in Windsor Castle, he actually...
0:28:34 > 0:28:38They ordered in something like 16 barrels of oysters,
0:28:38 > 0:28:462,500 feathered friends, including crane, owl, swan, peacock.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50There were something like 6,000 asparagus spears
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- and 20 gallons of strawberries. - Not a picnic?
0:28:53 > 0:28:54No, not a picnic.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Now, tell me, do they always go smoothly?
0:28:57 > 0:29:01I mean, do all the guests understand the conventions?
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Well, not necessarily. For instance, in 1971, when President Jimmy Carter
0:29:06 > 0:29:09turned up for the state banquet, he had an enormous bow tie on.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Then he proceeded to congratulate the Queen Mother
0:29:11 > 0:29:14on how much she resembled his own mother,
0:29:14 > 0:29:15and then he planted a kiss on her lips.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- On her lips!- And she said she had never been kissed like that
0:29:18 > 0:29:19since her husband died.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23- What else has gone wrong? - Well, Queen Mary, for instance,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27once handed a guest a dog biscuit
0:29:27 > 0:29:29with the intention that he feed it to her dog,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32and unfortunately he was quite hard of hearing,
0:29:32 > 0:29:33so he popped it his mouth.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38- And more recently? - More recently, Barack Obama,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41unfortunately, started speaking...
0:29:41 > 0:29:45during the national anthem, while it was playing.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48The Scots Guards had just started playing God Save The Queen
0:29:48 > 0:29:51and he had to quietly allow his speech to fizzle out.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54Oh, gosh. Red faces.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Fiona, thank you.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Preparing a souffle can be a risky business for a state banquet -
0:30:00 > 0:30:04but one royal chef knows a fail-safe way to create the perfect
0:30:04 > 0:30:07high-rise pudding for a high-end dinner.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13In the 1980s and early 1990s,
0:30:13 > 0:30:15chef Darren McGrady would regularly cook
0:30:15 > 0:30:17on board the Royal Yacht Britannia,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20preparing grand banquets for the Queen and world leaders.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Demanding conditions called for low risk puds.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26A lot of the times, the dishes that we would serve
0:30:26 > 0:30:29would be dishes that were served day-to-day
0:30:29 > 0:30:31to the Queen and her family.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33One of the Queen's favourites was the cold lemon souffle.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Start off with some lemons.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37The zest is going to give it a real zing.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Just going to give it a nice colour, as well.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Once I've got my lemon zest, I want some juice in there, too.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47The cold lemon souffle is not really a souffle.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49It doesn't go in the oven.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50It actually goes in the refrigerator.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54This is a mousse masquerading as a souffle.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Darren's next step is to separate the eggs
0:30:57 > 0:31:00and add the yolks to the lemon juice.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02And then some sugar in there, as well.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06I'm going to put that into boiling water, what we call a bain-marie,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10and whisk all of those ingredients together.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13That's going to sit on there and while my eggs are getting hot,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16I need to whisk the egg whites to make them nice and stiff.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Once the egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Darren combines water and gelatine powder.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27He then pops it on the heat and leaves them to dissolve.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30So once my egg yolks are hot to the touch,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33then I can take them off and put them on the machine...
0:31:35 > 0:31:37..and we whisk it until it goes cold.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39So all we are doing is creating a sabayon,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41and so that gives our volume
0:31:41 > 0:31:45that we then fold some whipped cream and some whipped egg whites into,
0:31:45 > 0:31:50and that gives us our mousse, our souffle, that great bulk.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Once it's been on the machine, look how it changes in consistency.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Now we can add our whipped cream...
0:31:59 > 0:32:04..and then lightly whisk that into the egg mixture.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Then I have my gelatine that has warmed,
0:32:07 > 0:32:12and I am going to fold that into my mix, as well.
0:32:12 > 0:32:13And finally,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15my egg whites.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24So everything in there is now folded in, and it's nice and smooth.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Darren's wrapped grease-proof paper around a souffle dish,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33stapling it top and bottom.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36It will allow the mousse to set above the top of the dish
0:32:36 > 0:32:38like a risen souffle.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41So, now I'm pouring the souffle mix into the mould.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45What you really need to see is just a little bit over the mould, there,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48so it looks like that souffle is climbing out of the dish.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52So this goes into the refrigerator now, overnight, to set.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07It has set nicely.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11All we have to do now is take off the paper from around the edge.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15One of the most memorable times of making this dish
0:33:15 > 0:33:20was on the Royal Yacht Britannia in Miami in 1991.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24I was in the royal galley preparing a banquet for President Reagan
0:33:24 > 0:33:27and President Ford. There we go, lovely.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Now we can just put some cream on the top, just to finish it off.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36It's so much easier doing this, piping it on a nice still table,
0:33:36 > 0:33:38than rolling about on the Royal Yacht Britannia,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41preparing this for President Reagan and trying to make sure
0:33:41 > 0:33:42every piece was exact.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49All it needs is some chocolate on the top,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52so I'm going to use a really fine grater to grate some chocolate
0:33:52 > 0:33:53to go around the top.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59And that just looks fantastic.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03A simple cold lemon souffle in a souffle case.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05You're going to have all of your friends asking,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07how did you manage to get that to rise
0:34:07 > 0:34:10if you didn't even put it in the oven?!
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Cold lemon souffle - souffle au citron froid.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Fit for President Reagan.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24For our final recipe we're going to go back in time to the late 19th,
0:34:24 > 0:34:29early 20th century, and that Prince of Gourmands, King Edward VII.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34One of his favourite, all-time favourite puddings, desserts,
0:34:34 > 0:34:39- Chartreuse a la Royale has a ring to it, doesn't it?- It really does.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43And a dish fit for a big diplomatic banquet.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Yeah, it is. Look at it already.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47You can kind of see our ingredients here.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Very royal, very rich...
0:34:49 > 0:34:50And very tricky for a chef.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52And very tricky for a chef.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55So I'm going to start off by taking a mango.
0:34:55 > 0:34:56We've got mangoes and melons.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58I'm just going to show you the slicing of a mango.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01So we're just going to top and tail it.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07And then basically, Michael, just very thinly all the way around.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09- Like so.- Now, this is fascinating -
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I was talking to one of the royal chefs who told me
0:35:12 > 0:35:15that the Duke of Edinburgh had come into the kitchen one day,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17saw him with a mango and a knife, just like you, and said,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20"You don't do it like that, you get a spoon!"
0:35:20 > 0:35:23And with a spoon you can actually get the flesh of the mango
0:35:23 > 0:35:26away from the stone better than with a knife.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- Is he right?- I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree
0:35:29 > 0:35:32with the Duke of Edinburgh. No, because by doing it like that,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35you're just going to have lots of wastage with a spoon.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40And the idea is to get as much of that beautiful fleshy fragrant fruit
0:35:40 > 0:35:42off the stone. And that is it.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47And now you've just got that lovely fragrant fleshy mango.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- Gosh, you can smell it. - You can, can't you?
0:35:49 > 0:35:51And it's absolutely delicious.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53So the next bit is just now turn them out like that
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and getting as many as you can
0:35:56 > 0:36:02and don't waste that. Turn it into a puree, fruit salad, anything.
0:36:02 > 0:36:03- Or even eat it.- Or even eat it.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05So now they go into our lime jelly.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11And what we're going to do now is painstakingly go all the way around.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- It's very labour-intensive, this one.- It is very labour-intensive.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18And also as well, you will see from the title,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20you will see I'm using lime jelly.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24The title would suggest that it's the liqueur, chartreuse.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27What they would do is they would painstakingly brush
0:36:27 > 0:36:30each individual piece of fruit with the liqueur.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- Can you imagine that?- It must've taken hours.- Absolute hours.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38But do you know what, there's far more flavour as well in this,
0:36:38 > 0:36:39in this beautiful lime jelly.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42So basically you can see I'm going right round like that.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44But they stick OK?
0:36:44 > 0:36:45They stick because the jelly,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48it's important that the jelly is just starting to cool down.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51And as the jelly starts to cool down it's getting nice and thick.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54I'm just going to give it a last disc of mango on there
0:36:54 > 0:36:56- like so, Michael.- It looks terrific.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- It does, doesn't it?- It does.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Now, we're going to spoon in the remaining jelly.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Like so.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11And then the idea is, you can see now it's just starting to set.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Just spin round.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Do you see how as you spin round,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18it's just basically kind of sticking to all of the fruit
0:37:18 > 0:37:20and going all the way around the mould?
0:37:22 > 0:37:24It's amazing.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Right, now just transfer that to the fridge, please.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29We're just going to let that set.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Ideally for about two or three hours.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32- OK.- OK?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38OK, that's done. What's next?
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Fantastic.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Next, the filling. Very rich, very royal.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46So here we've got some milk on the stove,
0:37:46 > 0:37:47that we're bringing to a simmer.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50We've got some lovely rich egg yolks and sugar
0:37:50 > 0:37:52that we're just going to mix together.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54And we mix them so they're nice and pale.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Just in there like so.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- Six eggs?- Six egg yolks. Sugar in.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02And the reason we mix it now together like this
0:38:02 > 0:38:06to make it nice is to make the custard lovely and rich.
0:38:08 > 0:38:09It's a wonderful colour.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11- A kind of apricot colour. - Absolutely.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Gorgeous eggs. So we just keep whisking that.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16About two to three minutes, so it goes nice and pale.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Because what you're doing, you're basically dissolving the sugar
0:38:21 > 0:38:24into the egg yolks. Can you see it changing colour?
0:38:24 > 0:38:26- From what it was?- Yeah.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29OK. Now we're just going to take our hot milk
0:38:29 > 0:38:33- and just pour that onto this egg yolk.- And just to be clear,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35this is the kind of custard that goes into the mould
0:38:35 > 0:38:39- that you've already made? - Absolutely, yeah.
0:38:39 > 0:38:40Now we go back into the pan.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Like so. OK.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48And we basically just
0:38:48 > 0:38:49stir that over the heat.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Now that's going to get thick and nice and rich,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56but we need to set it so it holds in the middle of our chartreuse.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58So what we've got here, Michael, is gelatine.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01OK? We just get rid of the water.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03And straight into our custard mix.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06- And that just melts. - And that just melts in,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09and will basically give you like a nice setting property
0:39:09 > 0:39:12in the custard. And once that cools down,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16it will thicken and be beautiful and rich and smooth, just like that.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Oh, lovely.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Now we've got some lovely whipped cream here
0:39:20 > 0:39:22and we're just going to, what we call folding.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25As if it wasn't rich enough.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29As if it wasn't rich enough! So we'll put about half of that in
0:39:29 > 0:39:32and gently fold it. We don't want to just beat it in there
0:39:32 > 0:39:34because we do want it to be nice
0:39:34 > 0:39:35and light and airy. OK.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Just nice and gently.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41This is a kind of dish for a really sumptuous banquet, isn't it?
0:39:41 > 0:39:43But also, a slightly gloomy thought,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46it was actually served on the Titanic, you know, this dish?
0:39:46 > 0:39:48- Was it really?- Yeah.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51I think the night before it hit the iceberg.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Wow.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58So, just keep mixing until it's completely folded in like so.
0:39:58 > 0:40:05And you'll go to this kind of very light kind of creamy mixture.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Now, Mike, if I could ask you to go back and get me
0:40:08 > 0:40:09the one that we set earlier,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12we are going to put this wonderful filling in the middle.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14- OK.- Thank you.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Back in a minute, chef.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22Here we go, Paul. Nice and cold.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- Yes, lovely. - And pretty set, I'd say.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27You see, it's got that lovely film going around the edge.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Now, look, that's our custard and cream mixture.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Can you see what I mean by the folding technique,
0:40:31 > 0:40:33how lovely and light it is.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37So we're just going to pour that in like so.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Oh, a waterfall of sin.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Yeah! I like that, a waterfall of sin.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46- Brilliant!- There we go.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48Oh, yes, don't leave on any on the side of the bowl.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51Like so.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53- Perfect, isn't it?- Absolutely.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56OK. Now, again, just right to the edges.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- Yeah.- We don't want to see any of that fruit.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02OK.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- Another little important... - Just with your thumb,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08just right the way around any of that mix,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10because when we turn it out,
0:41:10 > 0:41:12it's all those little things that can catch when you're trying
0:41:12 > 0:41:15to turn it out. And, again, just a little tap so there's no air.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- Settle it down.- Just settle it down. There's no air bubbles in there.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22If I could ask you to pop that in the fridge for two to three hours,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26setting time, and out there should be the finished one.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- Should be.- Right, chef.
0:41:28 > 0:41:29Thank you.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39There should be trumpets.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42There should be trumpets. There should be a fanfare.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44- I'll put it there.- I am so excited.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46This...
0:41:46 > 0:41:49You don't see stuff like this any more and it's a shame
0:41:49 > 0:41:51because it's absolutely gorgeous. Ready?
0:41:51 > 0:41:52Yeah.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Oh, look at that!
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Chartreuse a la Royale.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01You can see that at a banquet, though, can't you?
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Oh, yeah. There's no words.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04You can see the footman coming in with, you know,
0:42:04 > 0:42:07the waiters coming in and popping it down in front of
0:42:07 > 0:42:09the president of Yugoslavia or something.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Absolutely. You don't see things like that much any more
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and it's so beautiful. It really is beautiful.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18- It looks too perfect to cut. - It does.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Oh, no, it doesn't! Come on.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Don't make too much of a meal of it.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27So we just want to cut through that fruit as well.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Here we go. Look at this, ready?
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Yeah.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Straight out like that. Oh, yes!
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Look at that!
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- Oh.- I hope you're not calorie counting!
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Not this week, I can tell you.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- OK?- Go for it, let's try it.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54This lovely cream mixture with some of that fruit.
0:42:54 > 0:42:55Yeah.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02It's surprising. It is very light, isn't it?
0:43:02 > 0:43:04It's incredibly exotic, isn't it?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Yeah, absolutely delicious.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12We're going to have to wrap it up. That's all from Royal Banquets.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14See you next time.