0:00:05 > 0:00:07Hello. I'm Michael Buerk.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Welcome to a brand-new series of Royal Recipes.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13This time, we're at Westonbirt House,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16formerly a grand country house, now a boarding school,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21which has played host to royal visitors for over 100 years.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24In this series, we're delving even further back in time
0:00:24 > 0:00:28to reveal over 600 years of royal food heritage.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33You play Anne Boleyn and I will play Henry VIII.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35And we've been busy unlocking the secrets
0:00:35 > 0:00:38of Britain's great food archives,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40discovering rare and unseen recipes
0:00:40 > 0:00:43that have been royal favourites through the ages,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47from the earliest royal cookbook in 1390...
0:00:47 > 0:00:51It's so precious, so special, that I'm not allowed to touch it.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54..to Tudor treats from the court of Henry VIII.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56I can't wait for this. One, two, three.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We'll be exploring the great culinary traditions
0:01:02 > 0:01:03enjoyed by the royal family,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06from the grand to the ground-breaking,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08as well as the surprisingly simple...
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I did think that was going to be a disaster.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12HE LAUGHS
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Whoo!
0:01:12 > 0:01:15HE LAUGHS
0:01:15 > 0:01:18..as we hear from a host of royal chefs...
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Prince Philip would walk past or pop his head in and say,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23"What's for dinner? What are we having?"
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Oh, yeah. It's not just a normal kitchen.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29..and meet the people who provide for the royal table.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32If it's OK for the Queen, it's OK for everyone.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Welcome to Royal Recipes.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Exotic flavours are on the royal menu in today's programme.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50We're going to be exploring how centuries of royal marriages
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and state visits have helped exotic ingredients and flavours
0:01:54 > 0:01:57to find their way into British cuisine.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Coming up...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05..Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth
0:02:05 > 0:02:08cooks up a favourite pudding of Henry VIII...
0:02:08 > 0:02:12He could eat 20 of these at a sitting.Really?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I'm sure the fibre did him a lot of good.Yeah, I'm sure it did!
0:02:15 > 0:02:19..Mich Turner MBE recreates the luxurious cake she made
0:02:19 > 0:02:22to celebrate Prince Charles's 60th birthday...
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Using the orange liqueur brought in a sense of depth
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and that whole kind of regal status that I felt the cake deserved.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32..and Dr Annie Gray discovers how the royal appetite
0:02:32 > 0:02:36for one exotic fruit spawned a grand fashion.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39They capture all the mystery of the East and the Orient
0:02:39 > 0:02:42and, you know, foreign places.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47And who couldn't be seduced in an orangery? I mean, you know...
0:02:47 > 0:02:48Come on!
0:02:49 > 0:02:52But we begin our exploration of exotic flavours
0:02:52 > 0:02:56with a dish from a continent close to the royal family's heart.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03I'm in the Royal Recipes kitchen
0:03:03 > 0:03:06with Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and something smells very good indeed.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10HE SNIFFS
0:03:08 > 0:03:10What is it?Michael,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13that wonderful smell is bobotie.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Now, this is South Africa's answer to moussaka,
0:03:16 > 0:03:17cottage pie, shepherd's pie.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Bobotie.Bobotie. I know about bobotie.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22This is a famous South African dish,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24and I was the BBC correspondent in South Africa,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28so I have had this several times. I'll be watching you really closely.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Am I doing it right? Don't know yet. You tell me!
0:03:31 > 0:03:35You're doing it not just because, you know, it is an exotic dish,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37but because of the royals' connection with Africa.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40The Queen, famously, when she was still Princess Elizabeth,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44went there on a big and quite famous royal tour in 1947.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46They've got these connections.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49She became queen when she was in Africa.Yeah, yeah.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Wills and Kate were there for their engagement.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Harry says it's the place he feels most comfortable in.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57So, in a sense, this is the taste of the Africa that the royals love.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Would you like an update on how our bobotie is going?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I think you should give us a bulletin.Yes!Tell us the news.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05HE CHUCKLES
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Hard-fried mince.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Then we caramelised our onion off,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10we added a bay leaf in there, a crushed clove of garlic.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13We then added a beautiful madras curry paste.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Now I've just added in some lamb stock.Yeah.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18And all I'm going to do, if you see that now, is reduce it down.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22And I've given it a blinking good seasoning.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24All right? Because you want that seasoning in there early.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26You don't want to be adding it at the end
0:04:26 > 0:04:28because once the top's on, it's too late.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Just going to give that a stir.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32And can you see now how all that stock
0:04:32 > 0:04:34has absorbed into that gorgeous mince?
0:04:34 > 0:04:36And you just get this...
0:04:36 > 0:04:37Oh, you can smell the bay...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Have a smell. The bay leaf, the curry.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41It's good.It's gorgeous.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Well, it's rich and lamby, but it's not exotic yet.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Right. Now we go exotic.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Yeah.Raisins.Yeah. Now, this is the crucial bit.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51This is the kind of thing you either like or...
0:04:51 > 0:04:54At the moment, I'm on the fence, OK? Yeah, OK.I'm on the fence.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56And what's that?Chopped apricots.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58All things that do go with lamb, you know.Yeah.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Now we're going to have a nice dollop of mango chutney.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Mango chutney is lovely. Worcester sauce.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07This is going to give us more seasoning.Yeah.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09A nice mouth feel. Umami.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Umami?Umami.Oh, yeah, that's the famous new taste.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14It's basically a mouth feel.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16A really, really, like, unctuous kind of mouth...
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Very beefy, very savoury, OK? So, again, goes nice with this.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22That's a typical pretentious chef
0:05:22 > 0:05:25trying to justify slugging brown sauce into a dish, is it?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Or Worcestershire sauce, in this case.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29No, it's actually ancient, ancient, ancient tradition.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Umami.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32PAUL CHUCKLES
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Now, what's that you've just put in? Cider vinegar.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36It's a strange combination, though, isn't it?
0:05:36 > 0:05:37It is a strange combination.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40So, you see now our apricots and our raisins
0:05:40 > 0:05:42are almost hydrating again.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44They're kind of getting lovely and plump.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46They're fleshing out, aren't they?Yeah.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49We're just going to go straight in, like so.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50Typically, this was the kind of dish
0:05:50 > 0:05:53that you'd get when you went down to Cape Town.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55But you could get it elsewhere in South Africa,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57and I think in the Netherlands, as well.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Because I think the first time this appeared in a cookbook
0:06:00 > 0:06:02was in 1609, in Holland,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06which was before their colony in South Africa was established.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Now, I'm willing to go with this. I love trying new things.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12For me, I don't think you can beat something like a potato
0:06:12 > 0:06:14on top of something like this.No.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16But what we've got here is milk.Yeah.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20I've just put four eggs in there and I'm now going to add breadcrumb.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Fresh breadcrumb, not dried. Yeah.Fresh breadcrumb, OK?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25But this takes the place of, I don't know,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27potato in a shepherd's pie. Yeah. It's a new one on me.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29So, you can see it's still...
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Even with the crumb in there, it's still very, very thin.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33I sense you're a bit worried about this.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35HE LAUGHS
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Is this true?Right, ready?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39So, we're just going to go over the top.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Now, this is a topping, is it? This is a topping, yeah.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43You're not worried it's going to just kind of sink into it
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and create a kind of sludge?
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Michael, I'm in the dark, just like you.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50THEY LAUGH
0:06:51 > 0:06:54What will happen with the eggs in that mixture...
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Yeah...it'll make it rise up. Right.So, it's going to kind of...
0:06:57 > 0:06:59It looks a bit flat at the moment. It's going to souffle. Absolutely.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02So, now, if you can see all those lovely lamb juices, as well,
0:07:02 > 0:07:03rising to the surface...
0:07:03 > 0:07:06If you could put that in the oven for me, please.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Yeah, OK.Guess what temperature.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Oh, I can't really, but I think 180? You read my mind.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14I know. I'm inspired. 30 minutes, please.
0:07:14 > 0:07:1830 minutes.At 180. Thank you.OK, Chef.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22How are you getting on there, Michael?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Fine, and I'm bringing it out.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Ho-ho-ho-ho!
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Oh, I like that sound.Yes. It certainly looks the ticket.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Does it look the ticket, yeah?Yeah. Should be beautifully caramelised.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Ah! Goeie more, bobotie. Look at that.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41That means good morning, bobotie... OK...in Afrikaans.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Right.Goeie more.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46What a lovely-looking dish. It does look nice, doesn't it?Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Yeah, it does look nice.Beats your cottage pie hands down on looks.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Right.Not sure on taste yet. What are you doing now?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Yoghurt, some beautiful, chopped mint...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Yeah...lime.Lime?Yeah.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59So, again, keeping, you know, the exotics in this recipe.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Lime, yoghurt, mint - honestly...
0:08:02 > 0:08:05There's a bundle of freshness in there, isn't there?Yes.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Yeah, they really do love each other.
0:08:07 > 0:08:13OK, so, nice squeeze of that lime juice in there, like so.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Give that a nice little mix.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Again, just giving that yoghurt more acidity.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24So, that's ready to go for there. Right.And it's dishing-up time.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Let's go for one of these nice, dark...
0:08:27 > 0:08:31You can't beat the corner of anything like this.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Oh, it's got a lovely, eggy-looking top on it, hasn't it?Yeah.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38You know what? It smells wonderful.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40You're warming to it. I am warming to it.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43It's quite nice, that lovely, caramelised crust.Yes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Crispy at the edges, too.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Now, just simply...
0:08:47 > 0:08:50A bit of yoghurt...put a spoonful of that yoghurt like that.Yeah.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Nice dollop of mango chutney. Of mango chutney.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59And there you have, Michael, bobotie.Bobotie.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Oh! Shall we have a go? Go for it. Go for it.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04You first.Get stuck in. You first.Get stuck in.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07I am... I know. I think I need to go first into this.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Oh, you've got the corner!
0:09:07 > 0:09:09PAUL LAUGHS
0:09:09 > 0:09:12The corner's the best bit.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13And the key thing is,
0:09:13 > 0:09:18can you get on with having raisins and apricots in a lamb pie?
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Do you know what?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The texture's lovely. The way it caramelises and rises,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26it's almost like a really caramelised...
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Almost like twice-baked cheese souffle.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30You know, like that kind of texture?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's very light.It's really light.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34The yoghurt and the chutney is great with it.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36That is a fantastic dish.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Takes me back to the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43You know, the old colonial hotel where so many royals have stayed.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Driving along Chapman's Peak road, going to a restaurant...
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Do you know what would just finish that?What? A glass of...
0:09:48 > 0:09:50No. If I had cooked this for you.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54THEY LAUGH
0:09:54 > 0:09:55That would have made all the difference.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58What more would you want? Well, I'd never have come back!
0:09:58 > 0:10:01THEY LAUGH
0:10:01 > 0:10:05A marriage of sweet, spiced meat and a creamy egg topping.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08An exotic taste of the royals' South Africa.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Modern British cuisine is a fusion of flavours from around the world,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and many of the ingredients we take for granted today
0:10:21 > 0:10:24arrived here as much by accident as design.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's widely believed that the potato reached our shores
0:10:29 > 0:10:31in a cargo of exotic produce
0:10:31 > 0:10:35brought back by one of the adventurers of the 16th century.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38John Marshall, who's spent his working life
0:10:38 > 0:10:42promoting and selling potatoes, tells us more.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44People believe that Sir Walter Raleigh,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46or Sir Francis Drake,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48brought it back to the British Isles.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51But it doesn't really stand up to scrutinisation.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55The potato originated in Central America, in Peru,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57over 9,000 years ago.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01The favoured theory is it came in via the Canaries
0:11:01 > 0:11:03and then spread across Europe
0:11:03 > 0:11:06and, eventually, on to the British Isles.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09They may be a staple of many dinners today,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12but when the potato first came to our shores,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14it was a baffling entity.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Initially, people hadn't a clue what the potato was.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20There was great superstition with potatoes.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23They were not written about in the Bible.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Some authorities were saying they caused leprosy.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30And, basically, the European population
0:11:30 > 0:11:33wasn't huge when it first arrived,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36so it was years before it actually caught on.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41At the end of the Seven Years' War in France in 1763,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier
0:11:44 > 0:11:49realised the potato could be the answer to widespread famine there.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52He was so keen to promote it that he enlisted the help
0:11:52 > 0:11:54of the French royal family.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Parmentier persuaded Louis XVI
0:12:00 > 0:12:04to wear potato flowers in his buttonhole,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07and Marie Antoinette wore them in her hair.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Louis XVI had given him ground - 40 acres -
0:12:10 > 0:12:12to plant potatoes round Paris.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14He put an armed guard round it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16This made people think - the local people think -
0:12:16 > 0:12:20it was a really valuable food product.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22So, they befriended the guards,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24they all had a drink, the guards had a sleep,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and the locals streamed into the field
0:12:27 > 0:12:30and took the potatoes away, cooked them and ate them,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32and they were wonderful.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36English growers soon recognised that an association with royalty
0:12:36 > 0:12:40could sprinkle a bit of stardust on the common-or-garden spud.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44They began to recognise that calling a potato after royalty
0:12:44 > 0:12:47was like using a celebrity's name.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50We have King George, King Edward,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and then there's this great one, Victoria.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55By the end of the 19th century,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59potatoes were no longer considered a food for the lower orders.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01According to a member of her household,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Queen Victoria confesses to a great weakness for potatoes,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09which are cooked for her in every conceivable way.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Today, Prince Charles grows many varieties on his farm at Highgrove,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and Andrew Skea has supplied the prince
0:13:15 > 0:13:20with organically grown seed potatoes for a number of years.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22The thing that we're really interested in
0:13:22 > 0:13:26is potatoes for speciality markets.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Different colours, different cooking types,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30traditional and heritage types,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32things that are a little bit flowerier than
0:13:32 > 0:13:34what the mass market produces.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37In recent years, there's been an upsurge of interest
0:13:37 > 0:13:38in heritage potatoes.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41These older varieties tend to be more unusual to look at
0:13:41 > 0:13:46than your average spud, with diverse textures and taste.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Our heritage potatoes include varieties like Arran Victory,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53King Edward, British Queen, Duke of York.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55King Edwards have really stood the test of time
0:13:55 > 0:13:58because they are a good potato to eat.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03They make excellent roast potatoes and chips.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05This variety is called Mayan Twilight.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09It's been recently bred here in Scotland,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13using varieties that have been brought over from South America.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The primitive types tend to have a lot more flowers,
0:14:16 > 0:14:21but they tend to also produce smaller, often more numerous tubers.
0:14:21 > 0:14:27This lot has got a very interesting red and white skin.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32And here we have some Arran Victory,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35named at the end of the First World War.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It's a great potato for roasting.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It's always my roast potato on Christmas Day.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46Andrew's also well-known for growing some eye-catching varieties.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Our speciality varieties are mainly the coloured flesh ones -
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Highland Burgundy Red, Salad Blue.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56So, this is a red variety,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00recently bred by an enthusiast in Germany.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Violetta. Very vibrant colour.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Excellent for making bright red mashed potatoes.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14We Brits eat around 130 kilos a year each.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17The potato has come a long way from its humble beginnings
0:15:17 > 0:15:21since it reached our shores over 400 years ago.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25This versatile, tasty vegetable is far from ordinary,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and can bring a touch of refinement to any dish.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37This is a sweet potato.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39We tend to think of it as rather exotic,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43but it actually came to this country before the real potatoes did.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47And Henry VIII, who died before real potatoes
0:15:47 > 0:15:48were brought to this country,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52was really, really fond of sweet potatoes.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56And we're going to do a dish that he really enjoyed.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59What was it, Paul? Tudor-inspired sweet potato pie.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01HE LAUGHS
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Sounds good.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03A bit like a pumpkin pie? Absolutely, yeah.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04In fact, very, very similar.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It's interesting, you were saying about sweet potatoes -
0:16:07 > 0:16:08botanically, they're not the same.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11They're less calories, lots of fibre,
0:16:11 > 0:16:12and generally really good for you.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15OK.So, in here, if you want to come and have a look,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18we've got some sweet red wine. Sweet red wine?Sweet red wine.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Some sugar. Medjool dates. The fat ones.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24That's the fat ones. Light brown. Yeah, really quite sort of juicy.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Some Bramley apple and this lovely chopped sweet potato.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30So, these all go into the red wine, which has just come to a simmer.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Good English cooking apple with it, eh?Yeah, definitely.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I love the Bramley apple.Yeah. OK, dates go in, like so.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40And then in with the sweet potato and the apple.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Really interesting royal connection with the sweet potato,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44you know, because both potatoes
0:16:44 > 0:16:48and sweet potatoes come from the New World, from the Americas.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51And you know Columbus and the Spaniards were there first,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and they brought back the sweet potato.Yeah.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Henry VIII's first wife - famously, Catherine of Aragon -
0:16:56 > 0:16:59she brought the sweet potato to England,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01and Henry was so fond of them,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04he could eat 20 of these at a sitting.Really?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Yeah. I'm sure the fibre did him a lot of good.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Yeah, I'm sure it did! It would need to, wouldn't it?
0:17:10 > 0:17:12He was a regular guy!
0:17:10 > 0:17:12THEY LAUGH
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Well, he was after 20 of those, I can tell you.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Right, have a look at that. Ever seen that?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18I don't think I have. What is it?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20A really, really old-fashioned ingredient.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Burdock. You know, like the drink, dandelion and burdock?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I used to have that when I was a kid.Yeah, me too. Love it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27HE SNIFFS
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Doesn't smell of much.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29What does it taste like? No, it doesn't.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It's not as hot and as fiery as horseradish,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34but it's got a very sort of slight bitterness, turnip kind of...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Bit of bitter.Yeah. But going in here,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38it really does come alive, especially with the sweet potato.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Something magical happens. We're going to grate it.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43For a recipe like this, it's fine cos it's going straight in there,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47but it does also go dark very, very quickly.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Of course, Henry got rid of Catherine of Aragon
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and that stopped the supply of sweet potatoes.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Yeah.And he was absolutely heartbroken,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57and offered land and gold
0:17:57 > 0:18:00to anybody who could grow sweet potatoes in Britain.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02So, he just absolutely adored them.Yeah.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05There's a wonderful ancient book called Gerard's Herbal,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08which talks about sweet potatoes
0:18:08 > 0:18:12and says they're very good at procuring bodily lust.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16So, forget your oysters. Start munching on sweet potatoes.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Not that Henry needed it, I don't think, with six wives,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20but let's not go there. Let's not go there.No, no.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24OK. Now, where are we?Right, so, we've grated in our burdock.Yeah.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And then what we're going to do here is basically reduce that right down.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30So, we'll put the lid on and cook this for an hour.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33We're going to blitz it to this.Mm.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35You don't need to sieve this. There's no need.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Can you see the consistency of it? OK? Quite thick.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40It's sort of like a sweet... It's a paste. It's a paste.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42You start to see where it's coming into
0:18:42 > 0:18:44almost like that pumpkin pie kind of mixture.Mm.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47To that, we're going to add clove...Yeah.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51..ground mace... That's a husk, isn't it?Yeah.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And it's a very Tudor spice, isn't it?Yes.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56You don't see it much these days. Really old-fashioned spice.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58But they used to use it a lot, if they could get it.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Hugely expensive in those days, yeah.Ground ginger.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Yeah.Some melted butter.Mm-hm.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Would you like to break four eggs into there for me, Michael?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08A bit of a test, eh?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08THEY CHUCKLE
0:19:08 > 0:19:12One-handed, please, Michael.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12HE LAUGHS
0:19:12 > 0:19:16So, I'm just going to mix in the butter and those spices.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Next, I'm going to add rose-water.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Rose-water?Yeah, have a smell.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22HE SNIFFS
0:19:22 > 0:19:27Ah!OK?It's kind of old-fashioned perfume. Or, I tell you what it is - it's Turkish delight, isn't it?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29That's it. You're absolutely right. That's the smell.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32You get it from actual rose petals, do you?Yeah, it's basically...
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Infused? Distilled?Infused, distilled. Absolutely, yeah.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I'm making a bit of a breakfast of this.I know.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39THEY LAUGH
0:19:37 > 0:19:39I like it.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41They're not for scrambled. They're for this.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43All right, all right. There you go. I broke one, actually.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45That doesn't matter. Are you sure?Does not matter.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Good. Good.Right, whisk our eggs.Yeah.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Thank you very much. Now, the reason we're adding the eggs is
0:19:52 > 0:19:54that's when it becomes like a cake mixture.Yeah.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57We need something...Otherwise, it'd be too sloppy.Sloppy, yeah.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59We need something for it to cook, for it to rise.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02We add those into there, like so.Yeah.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Now, next to me, this is what we call a sweet pastry.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09So, that's basically pastry with sugar in it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So, flour, eggs, butter, sugar that we've added in.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16We've then made it, let it relax.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20We then roll it out with flour to about the size of a £1 coin.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Line our pastry with grease-proof paper.Yeah.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Then you can put whatever you like in there.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Some people even put pennies in there.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28HE LAUGHS
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Anything to weigh it down.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Weights, baking beans, yeah, all your old change.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33Anything.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Right, so, we're just basically folding this mixture in, like so,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41till, eventually, we've worked all of that egg into the mix.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43This dish is actually inspired by a recipe
0:20:43 > 0:20:45that we found in a wonderful old cookbook
0:20:45 > 0:20:48that's hidden away in the British Library.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It's called Countrey Contentments, Or The English Huswife.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55"Containing the inward and outward virtues
0:20:55 > 0:20:58"which ought to be in a complete woman."
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Fantastic.Know any complete women?
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Only my wife, Michael. Crawler. Crawler.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Right, how are you getting on there?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Right, see how it's just changed like that?Yeah.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Really delicious, smooth, rich, velvety cake mix.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Look at the way it just ripples into it.It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:21:14 > 0:21:18You can just see that this is going to be absolutely delicious.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21By the way, for the blind baking there of the tart case,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23you want to kind of cook that - blind bake -
0:21:23 > 0:21:25for about 15-20 minutes at 180.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28And then take it out, remove your baking beans,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and then put it back in the oven and just let it dry out.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Right, got you.OK? So, that now goes into the oven, 180...Yeah.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39..for 50 minutes, OK? Five zero.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Medium heat?180, yes. 50 minutes?OK?
0:21:41 > 0:21:42OK.Thank you very much.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47There should be another one on the side there, Michael.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Yeah, got it.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54It's the ta-ra moment. It's looking pretty good, isn't it?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56It does look good, doesn't it? Look at that.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Shall I pop it there? I can't wait for this.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Right...Now, how are you going to do this?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03What are you going to serve it with? We're just going to cut this.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Oh, it's got a nice consistency, hasn't it?It has.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10And a lovely crunch, as well.Yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I can imagine Henry loving this. Wouldn't you?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16And you know what, as well? Don't put it in the fridge.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18You can just feel it's just warm.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Let it cool from the oven. Look at that.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23And that's what the eggs do, Michael.Yeah.All right?
0:22:23 > 0:22:24That's the eggs doing their job.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Now we're just going to get some icing sugar just over the top.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Mm-hm. Just dust it. Not too much. Yeah, just to dust it.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32It makes it look prettier, too, doesn't it?It does, as well.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36And it is nice. It gives it a little sweetness, as well.Yeah.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37And then for me... A bit of pouring cream.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39..just some good pouring cream like that.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41That would be from Cornwall, I expect.Where else?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45And there we have it - Tudor-inspired sweet potato pie,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48thick pouring cream and a bit of icing sugar.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Ah!Look at that. I'm loving it. It's...
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Henry VIII's favourite.Yeah.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Mm!Nice?That's lovely. Yeah?What a nice combination.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04The sweet potato - very exotic then, from the Americas -
0:23:04 > 0:23:06with Bramley apples,
0:23:06 > 0:23:11the quintessential English cooking apple.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15It's a brilliant combination, isn't it? And it's very light.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18It's got a nice sharpness to it, as well. It's not too sweet.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21The spices are really doing their job.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22It's absolutely delicious.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26It's got that lovely kind of set custard-type texture.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Oh, that's very good.I love that.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33A colourful spiced delight from the Americas,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36introduced to the king by his Spanish wife.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45We can thank the Spanish for a lot of our everyday ingredients.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Chocolate originates in the Americas too,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and the Spanish introduced it to Europe, luckily for us,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53and for chocolate-lover Prince Charles.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Cake-maker to the royals Mich Turner
0:24:01 > 0:24:04knows a thing or two about chocolate.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06My chocolate torte has been one of those stalwarts
0:24:06 > 0:24:09in the collection that's always been a favourite,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12but by blending it with additional fresh orange and cherries,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14I'm recreating the cake that I made to celebrate
0:24:14 > 0:24:18the 60th birthday of His Royal Highness Prince Charles.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I'm going to start by mixing together the butter and the sugar,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and creaming those until they're really light and fluffy.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28You'll see that when you've creamed properly,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30that becomes really light and aerated.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I always whisk my eggs together first
0:24:34 > 0:24:36before I pour them into the batter
0:24:36 > 0:24:39because, that way, you get one even liquid,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41so when it pours in, it's easier to control it.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51The melted chocolate is going to be the key ingredient in this recipe,
0:24:51 > 0:24:52for the reason that it adds
0:24:52 > 0:24:55a wonderful depth of flavour to the cake.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00When you're creating a cake for a large birthday,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02where you know there are going to be lots of guests coming,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04the first thing is to think about the flavour
0:25:04 > 0:25:07because you want it to appeal to so many different palates.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10So, chocolate is usually a pretty safe bet,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14and will certainly, certainly stand up well to a royal occasion.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17I wanted to create a cake that would deliver
0:25:17 > 0:25:22a nostalgic memory of childhood, of gorgeous, lovely flavours,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25so it had to be important, it had to have the status.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27And by working with the cherries -
0:25:27 > 0:25:28you know, the cherries and chocolate,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31cherries and orange, using the orange liqueur -
0:25:31 > 0:25:32brought in a sense of depth
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and that whole kind of regal status that I felt the cake deserved.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Now, because this cake has a wonderful,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42almost fudge-like consistency, it has very little flour,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45so it's important that this is evenly distributed.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Fold the flour in carefully.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Once the batter is ready, Mich adds orange zest and vanilla bean paste.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Now it's time for the all-important cherries,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00which are a combination of the sour dry cherry
0:26:00 > 0:26:02and naturally coloured glace cherries.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08There we go. And now it's ready for the tin.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11So, this is where people fight over who's going to lick the bowl.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13SHE LAUGHS
0:26:13 > 0:26:17It bakes in the oven for exactly one hour at 150 degrees
0:26:17 > 0:26:19before being left to cool.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Now Mich can make a start on the ganache - the glazed topping.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26So, for making this ganache, it's one quantity of cream,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28two quantities of butter, four quantities of chocolate.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30And we give it a bit of a stir.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34And that's the perfect ganache.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Look, it coats the back of my spoon and has the most wonderful sheen.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44This buttercream has been made with one quantity of unsalted butter
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and two quantities of an unrefined icing sugar.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And to that, I'm going to add an equal quantity
0:26:50 > 0:26:53of the chocolate ganache that I've made.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01There we are. And that's ready to skim coat the cake.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03The idea is that you use the baseboard
0:27:03 > 0:27:07to ensure that the cake itself is levelled up from that.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11But it just creates that perfect finish on the cake itself.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13So, trim the edges.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16And what happens now is this cake goes in the fridge to firm up
0:27:16 > 0:27:17so that that is completely set.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25The next step is to make the intricate decorations.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Prince Charles is known for having the most gorgeous gardens
0:27:28 > 0:27:31and being a very keen florist, so the idea is that
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I'm going to decorate this particular cake today
0:27:33 > 0:27:37with hand-moulded chocolate roses
0:27:37 > 0:27:39that I'm going to lustre with a little bit of bronze.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43So, again, it's keeping that whole chocolate and orange theme.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56The cake is now cool enough for Mich to add the glaze.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58When it comes to ganache-ing the cake,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00it's important that the cake itself has chilled thoroughly,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03so that the buttercream itself is nice and firm.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05And then the ganache has to be warm enough
0:28:05 > 0:28:07that it flows and is nice and fluid,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09but not so hot that it will melt the buttercream.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13So, it's about getting the temperatures just right.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16What was lovely was that the cake that I made for Prince Charles for his 60th birthday,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18delivered to Clarence House,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20and then he donated it on to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22So, everybody at the hospital
0:28:22 > 0:28:25was offered a little slice of Prince Charles's birthday cake.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Time to add those exquisite finishing touches.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36The cake that I made for Prince Charles
0:28:36 > 0:28:39had three different levels and then a box on the top
0:28:39 > 0:28:42where I painted his coat of arms.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46I'm going to add some fresh cherries
0:28:46 > 0:28:49so that you know that this is a chocolate cherry cake.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54And this is my chocolate cherry truffle torte
0:28:54 > 0:28:55with fresh orange zest,
0:28:55 > 0:28:59exactly like the cake I made for Prince Charles's 60th birthday.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00Perfect for any prince.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Lovely-looking cake, isn't it?Oh, delicious.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I don't know why it should be, but the combination of chocolate
0:29:12 > 0:29:15and orange really works for me, but only if it's dark chocolate.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17What about you?I actually like it
0:29:17 > 0:29:18with dark chocolate or milk chocolate.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22I just think that combination of chocolate and orange is beautiful.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24It's so exotic cos we didn't have chocolate at all
0:29:24 > 0:29:27until the Spanish came across it in Mexico,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30and they brought it back in 1528. And then it was bitter.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32It was only when they found sugar
0:29:32 > 0:29:34that it turned into the chocolate we know today.Yeah.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Now we just take it for granted.We do.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41But, of course, many of today's run-of-the-mill ingredients
0:29:41 > 0:29:44were originally exotic and originally expensive.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48In the 1500s, when sweet oranges first appeared in England,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51brought from the East by the Portuguese traders,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54they graced only the most prestigious tables.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57And such was the fashion for oranges
0:29:57 > 0:30:01that the very rich began to look for ways to grow them here.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Successful cultivation of exotic fruits
0:30:09 > 0:30:14required the construction of hugely expensive specialist buildings.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Annie Gray explores how the monarchy set a trend for their creation.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23300 years ago, growing your own oranges in Britain
0:30:23 > 0:30:26was a real mark of prestige.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Annie went to Hampton Court Palace,
0:30:28 > 0:30:32the site of two of the earliest and grandest orangeries in Britain,
0:30:32 > 0:30:36to meet the deputy chief curator, Sebastian Edwards.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Sebastian, tell me, what is an orangery?
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Well, I think we think, today, of an orangery as a large greenhouse
0:30:45 > 0:30:48where we can sniff the flowers and admire the exotic fruits,
0:30:48 > 0:30:49but in the 17th century,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53the fashion for orangeries was, in fact, an entire garden,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55including the greenhouse. And how do they work?
0:30:55 > 0:30:58What's the actual process of using your orangery?
0:30:58 > 0:31:01In the summer months, the oranges and the other exotic plants
0:31:01 > 0:31:03would be out on the terraces in front in the sunshine.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05And you could stroll between them and admire them.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08In the winter months, they would be carried in
0:31:08 > 0:31:09so they could be then enjoyed in comfort
0:31:09 > 0:31:11by the king and his courtiers.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13And who's responsible for this one?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16The great orangery at Hampton Court was built by William III
0:31:16 > 0:31:19right at the end of his reign in 1701.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25But this wasn't the first orangery here at Hampton Court.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28William had one built a year earlier in the palace itself,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31and its interior isn't quite what you'd imagine.
0:31:37 > 0:31:38This is just remarkable.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41I think I expected something that was white plastered walls
0:31:41 > 0:31:45and very functional, but this looks, to me, just like any other room.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46Well, this is William's...
0:31:46 > 0:31:48I would like to think of it as his show orangery,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51where he could enjoy the oranges in the winter,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54but in the summer months, it would be empty, as you see it today.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56But then what did they do with this room?
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Was it just empty or did it have another function?
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Well, we know from later monarchs,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02particularly Queen Anne and George I,
0:32:02 > 0:32:06that, I think, in the summer months, these were multipurpose rooms
0:32:06 > 0:32:07and they were used on special occasions -
0:32:07 > 0:32:11cos they're great, long galleries - for banquets, masquerades,
0:32:11 > 0:32:12birthday balls.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16They're really not just orangeries in the sense of a greenhouse.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20These are buildings that can be used for all sorts of different things.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22By the late 17th century, they were the latest fashion.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25William and Mary had the biggest and the best orangeries,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28and so did their successors in this land.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31And they were fabulously popular all over Europe
0:32:31 > 0:32:33with any self-respecting royal family.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38A building not just for growing fruit,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40but also for socialising.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44The trend for exotic orangeries blossomed.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49At Chatsworth House in Derbyshire in the early 19th century,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52the 6th Duke of Devonshire commissioned the building
0:32:52 > 0:32:55of a series of glasshouses and entertaining rooms,
0:32:55 > 0:32:59and with his new-found enthusiasm for gardening, an orangery.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Food writer Clarissa Hyman believes orangeries were symbolic
0:33:04 > 0:33:07of the aristocratic excesses of the time.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15It was a status symbol. It was a sign of your wealth.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18It's like Russian oligarchs competing with their super yachts.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21You know, your orangery had to be bigger than anybody else's,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23fancier than anybody else's.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28But it was also a place for assignations and for romance,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32I mean, because they capture all the mystery of the East and the Orient
0:33:32 > 0:33:34and, you know, foreign places.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38And who couldn't be seduced in an orangery?
0:33:38 > 0:33:39I mean, you know...
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Come on!You've got the scent of the orange blossom
0:33:42 > 0:33:44and you've got these gorgeous oranges glistening.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47But they did find their way into the kitchen, didn't they?They did.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49When sweet oranges came in,
0:33:49 > 0:33:56they were used more in sort of custards and creams and jellies.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59People didn't eat oranges on their own.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02There's a wonderful description in Mrs Gaskell's Cranford
0:34:02 > 0:34:04of them eating oranges.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06And the ladies sitting round the table
0:34:06 > 0:34:10are presented each with an orange, and they sort of look at the orange.
0:34:10 > 0:34:11They don't quite know how to tackle it.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13And then it's sort of mutually decided
0:34:13 > 0:34:17that they will each retire to their private bedroom
0:34:17 > 0:34:20to eat the orange because then nobody would see
0:34:20 > 0:34:23the lascivious juices trickling down their chin.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Today, oranges are quotidian. We eat them, we don't think about them.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29We don't even think about how they're grown. They're just there.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31But, suddenly, you eat something and you realise
0:34:31 > 0:34:32how magical, actually, it was,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35at the beginning of the 17th century into the 18th century -
0:34:35 > 0:34:38how something that was both beautiful, naughty and tasty...
0:34:38 > 0:34:41And exotic...Yes...above all. It's got everything, hasn't it?
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Yeah. The most wonderful fruit in the world, the orange.
0:34:47 > 0:34:52It's pretty amazing to think that an everyday fruit such as the orange
0:34:52 > 0:34:56led, in its own quiet little way, to a revolution in house design.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Because the orangery,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01which was once the province of royals and aristocrats,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05now, in a way, is part of many of our houses.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08It's just that we call it a conservatory.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22In the 18th century, oranges were so highly prized
0:35:22 > 0:35:24that they were given as gifts,
0:35:24 > 0:35:28often not to eat, but as what they called pomanders.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Right.Studded with cloves.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Yeah.And you would stick it under your nose.Why?
0:35:34 > 0:35:38Because the 18th century stank, so they wandered around like that.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41There's a challenge. What are you going to do with it?
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I'm going to do something far better than that.Yeah.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Right up your street.Yeah.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Really pretentious.Yeah. Gelee d'orange.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52Eh, orange jelly.Orange jelly. Which sounds mundane...
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Yes...but it is a royal dish.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58Yes.It was served for a wedding anniversary meal
0:35:58 > 0:36:02for Prince Bertie, Prince of Wales - Victoria's heir.Yeah.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06His 17th wedding anniversary for him and Princess Alexandra.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08And this was the dessert course. Absolutely.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11What we're going to do is we're going to take
0:36:11 > 0:36:12the juice of these oranges.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14We've passed it, so it's nice and smooth.Yeah.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17And we've just got it over here, Michael, if you want to come and have a look.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19By passing it, you mean you've strained it?
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Strained it, exactly. So, it's nice and smooth.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23We've brought it to a simmer.Yeah.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25When you bring it to a simmer, basically,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28you see all this foam-like scum that's right along the top?Yeah.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31That will always happen, so what you do is you just skim.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33So, with a ladle just in the centre...
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Now, can you see how we're clearing it?Yeah.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37And then take it to the edge and just get it all off...
0:36:37 > 0:36:39And scoop it up...like so. Just scoop it up.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42It'll just sit on the surface, but it's so important to do that.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Why?Because if you don't, it will then set into your jelly.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Next, we're going to add our sugar. When you heat oranges,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52you instantly get this almost marmaladey kind of effect.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54So, we're just going to sweeten it like that.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Now we're going to take our gelatine. It's bloomed.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59It's gone from that plasticky kind of state...Yeah, yeah.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01..to this. Squeeze the water off.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Why do you need to do that and not just chuck it in anyway?
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Because you need it to go to that jelly state.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09If it went in plastic like that, it would just not disperse properly.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Yeah.Now, drop that in, and the heat in there...
0:37:12 > 0:37:13See, it's not boiling away.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16It's just a lovely what we call hazy heat.Yeah.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18And we're just going to stir it in, like so.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20It's a simple dish, though, isn't it?Very, very simple.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22You've got to make sure that your juice
0:37:22 > 0:37:24is absolutely stunning to start with.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Cos this was a special meal, you know.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28This was for the Prince and Princess of Wales
0:37:28 > 0:37:30on their wedding anniversary,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34so it was obviously kind of considered special.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36I mean, oranges... See how clear that is?Yeah.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39That won't start setting until it goes into the fridge,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41which is like all gelatines.Yeah.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44If it was agar, then it would start to set at actual room temperature.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47So, you're fine to leave it out like that.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48What's agar?
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Agar is the vegetarian version of gelatine.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Ah.So, if you want to do this dish and you are vegetarian,
0:37:54 > 0:37:55and you don't want to use gelatine,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58which comes from basically sheep's bones,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00agar is the vegetarian alternative.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03But agar will also set at ambient temperature -
0:38:03 > 0:38:05what we're in now - so you've got to work quick with it.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09So, we've just got some raspberries going in here, Michael, like so.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Is this...Little bit of sugar to counterbalance that nice
0:38:13 > 0:38:15kind of tartness that you get from the raspberries.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18This all works with just great-quality ingredients.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21A splash of water.They're wonderful-looking raspberries.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Is this what you would call a coulis?
0:38:23 > 0:38:27HE LAUGHS
0:38:23 > 0:38:27Sauce.Sauce.Sauce.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29No, but seriously, is it a coulis? It is, basically.Yeah.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Coulis, normally, you would blitz really, really smooth.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35What we're going to do with this - keeping it nice and simple -
0:38:35 > 0:38:37we're going to cook that down a bit like a jam.Yeah.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40So, you've got the sugar, the water, the thyme in there, the raspberries.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42Once it's cooked down and nice and pulpy,
0:38:42 > 0:38:45we're just going to pass it just to get rid of those seeds.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Yeah. So, we've segmented our orange.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Our raspberries are cooking down. Look at our...
0:38:49 > 0:38:50See already how that little water
0:38:50 > 0:38:53has just turned to that lovely, rich, red colour?
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Right, if we put the oranges at the top...Yeah.OK?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58We've just taken here a mould
0:38:58 > 0:39:00and we've just lined it with clingfilm.Yeah.OK?
0:39:00 > 0:39:01So, it's got a base on it. Got a base,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04so the juice can't escape, which will be the jelly that we put in.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07So, if we just take our oranges, Michael, like so,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09and just literally fill the bottom.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11OK?Just one layer? Yeah, just one layer.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14So, do the outside first and then fill in the middle?
0:39:14 > 0:39:15Yeah, that's it.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Look at that.There we go.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19And now our jelly.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21We're just going to pour that.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And when it's got that bit of temperature in there,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28it'll just lightly poach those oranges, as well.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33That's fantastic. The segments have risen up.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Yeah.Is that what you want? Yeah, absolutely.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Cos then we're going to turn it round the other way once it's set.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Ah, right, right.The clingfilm is just to hold the jelly in.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, to make a cup of it, initially...
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Absolutely. ..at least, before it sets. Got it.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Now, if you could just go to the fridge...Yeah.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51..pop those in. You should find four more, hopefully...
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Right.OK? ..that have been setting from earlier.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Minimum setting time - two hours.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Two hours.Four hours - brilliant. In the fridge?Yeah.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Yeah.All right?OK. Great dinner-party dish.Excellent.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Ooh, yes. Look at those. They do look great, don't they?
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Now, can you see what I mean why it was important
0:40:11 > 0:40:13to skim off any of those impurities on top?Yeah.You want...
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Look at that. Crystal clear.Yeah.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Really, really smooth.Yeah.Yeah.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Now, gently remove the clingfilm from the edge.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Don't worry, it's not going to fall out on you.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Just tilt it to the side like that.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29It's pretty well set, isn't it? Yeah.Now what?Now...blowtorch.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Stand back.Yeah.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35OK?Mm-hm.Really lightly... Remember, it's jelly, OK?
0:40:35 > 0:40:38It's not going to take a lot to get it out of that mould.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40Like so. Just to release it.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42And just check each time.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Yeah.Right?What do you do if you haven't got a blowtorch?
0:40:45 > 0:40:48Blow.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48THEY LAUGH
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Oh!
0:40:51 > 0:40:54Oh, that looks fantastic. Turn the blowtorch off.Yes.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56THEY LAUGH
0:40:56 > 0:40:58While you're admiring it and the kitchen roll's going up.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Yeah, yeah, yeah, and the building burns down.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02OK, real simple here.Yeah.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Raspberries. Some more raspberries. Yeah.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07This is some of that lovely sauce. You held some back.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10All I've done with that is mashed it and passed it. That is it.Yeah.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Now I'm just going to add a little bit into that,
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Michael, and the reason being -
0:41:14 > 0:41:17just going to intensify the flavour of those raspberries.Yeah, yeah.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19See, now, we don't want too much on there.No.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23I just want to glaze them. Now, this is a lovely little trick.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Lemon. Now, just take a little bit of lemon, like so.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28I'd never have thought of putting lemon on raspberries.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Honestly, it just takes it to the next level.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34You hit that and then you just get the instant oils from the lemon.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Yeah.And now, for me, we're just going to
0:41:37 > 0:41:39take our raspberries...
0:41:41 > 0:41:46Oh, this is turning into quite some dish, isn't it?
0:41:46 > 0:41:48It's lovely, isn't it? It looks beautiful.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51A luxury dish.Just onto the top.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Now, you remember that thyme we put into the sauce?Yeah.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56We're just going to... Soft thyme.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00We're just going to put some of those little thyme buds
0:42:00 > 0:42:02just over the top, like so.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04It's very meticulous.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06And you think that makes a difference?I do, because...
0:42:06 > 0:42:11Do you know what? Raspberries, oranges, thyme - they're bezzies.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14What's a bezzie?Michael, come on.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17What's a bezzie? Bezzies - best mates. Bezzies.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Oh, bezzies.All right? Bredwins.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20THEY CHUCKLE
0:42:20 > 0:42:22OK, what do you do with the coulis?
0:42:22 > 0:42:23A little bit more of that sauce, like so.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25A little bit more dribble on the end.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Just round the outside. That looks lovely.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31You are an artist.I know.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Oranges and lemons with some raspberries and thyme.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39Best mates.Bezzies. Bezzies. That's it! Yes!
0:42:39 > 0:42:41PAUL LAUGHS
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Oh, right the way through.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44See the orange at the bottom? Yeah, yeah. Got it. Let me get...
0:42:44 > 0:42:47It's great, as well, cos there's lots of texture. It's beautiful.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49Oh, that's... Look, if I shake...
0:42:49 > 0:42:51That's what you want, isn't it? Look, it's wobbling!
0:42:51 > 0:42:55All about the wobble when you're making jelly. It's all about the wobble. Hang on.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Mm!
0:42:59 > 0:43:03Should just instantly, like sunshine...
0:43:03 > 0:43:06It's like a cloudburst of... Yeah...orange flavour...
0:43:06 > 0:43:07Yeah...in your mouth.Yeah.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10It's sharpness without sourness, in a way.
0:43:10 > 0:43:11What do you think?Mm.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Oh, that's really good.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17That's how you want to end. Absolutely. Happy anniversary.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Join us next time for more Royal Recipes.