0:00:04 > 0:00:06Hello, I'm Michael Buerk.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Welcome to a brand-new series of Royal Recipes.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12This time, we're at Westonbirt House,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15formerly a grand country house, now a boarding school,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20which has played host to royal visitors for over 100 years.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22In this series,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24we're delving even further back in time
0:00:24 > 0:00:27to reveal over 600 years of royal food heritage.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29You play Anne Boleyn.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And I will play Henry VIII.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36And we've been busy unlocking the secrets of Britain's great food
0:00:36 > 0:00:40archives, discovering rare and unseen recipes that have been
0:00:40 > 0:00:42royal favourites through the ages.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46From the earliest royal cookbook in 1390...
0:00:46 > 0:00:50It's so precious, so special, that I'm not allowed to touch it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53..to Tudor treats from the court of Henry VIII.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I can't wait for this! One, two, three.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00We'll be exploring the great culinary traditions
0:01:00 > 0:01:02enjoyed by the royal family.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05From the grand, to the ground-breaking,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07as well as the surprisingly simple...
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I did think that was going to be a disaster.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Oh!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16..as we hear from a host of royal chefs.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Prince Philip would walk past or pop his head in and say,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22"What's for dinner? What are we having?"
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Oh, yeah. It's not just a normal kitchen.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27..and meet the people who provide for the royal table.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31If it's OK for the Queen, it's OK for everyone.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Welcome to Royal Recipes.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44This time, we're exploring festival food, and we'll discover whether the
0:01:44 > 0:01:47royals like to do things the traditional way
0:01:47 > 0:01:50when it comes to celebrating the various feast days and holidays
0:01:50 > 0:01:51in the British calendar.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Coming up, we discover how a Tudor king dined at Easter
0:02:00 > 0:02:02after giving up treats for Lent.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05The idea of Henry VIII giving up anything...
0:02:06 > 0:02:08- Well, you know where I'm going there!- Yes.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12We'll delve into the records to see what Queen Victoria was served
0:02:12 > 0:02:14at a royal family Christmas dinner.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Here you've got a roast turkey and sausages. Plum pudding.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21And we'll find out what Prince Charles tasted
0:02:21 > 0:02:24to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26That was one thing he sampled. He loved it.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Well, we're in the Royal Recipes kitchen
0:02:39 > 0:02:43with Executive Chef Anna Hart, and take a look at this!
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- What are you cooking?- I'm going to make Boeuf Roti a l'Anglaise.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50It's English roast beef, for goodness' sake!
0:02:50 > 0:02:53As served to the Prince of Wales, Bertie,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55eldest son of Queen Victoria,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59in 1875 on a naval ship in Calcutta harbour.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02And they did a Christmas banquet for him.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05And this was one of five main courses,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09let alone all the other courses that he had, on that ship.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Boeuf Roti a l'Anglaise.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- What sort of cut of beef is it? - This is a rib of beef.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16It's a perfect cut for a large roast dinner.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20The best way to cook this is to cook it at a kind of medium temperature,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- 180 degrees.- 180 degrees. Well, what do you know?!
0:03:23 > 0:03:25For about two hours or so.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29I'm going to cut some vegetables to go underneath the beef.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32That will really help to make a delicious gravy at the end.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35OK. This is a big, big dish, isn't it?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37This is a big dish.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39He had a hearty appetite, did Bertie.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42He had 50 of his closest friends on the ship.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- HMS Serapis.- Yeah.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Just think, in Calcutta harbour.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- I know!- In all that heat! - Yes!- Do you know what they had?
0:03:49 > 0:03:53They had the ship's crew try to turn the deck into a Christmas,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55wintry scene.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58They used lots and lots of cotton wool to make it look as though it had snowed in Calcutta.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00It must have been incredible.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Tell me, what do you look for
0:04:01 > 0:04:05in a really, really wonderful joint of beef like this?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Well, you're looking for a beautiful, bright red colour.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10You're also looking for good marbling.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12What, the fat inside the meat?
0:04:12 > 0:04:15That is the fat, and it's so important.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Because that's what gives it loads and loads of flavour.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21So I want to place my vegetables in this roasting tray.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26My beef is going to sit on top of them.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And then all the juice, as it comes down into the pan,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31essentially, we're going to have a gravy from it.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33So, I'm just going to season the beef.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40- Very important.- This is the ultimate British or English dish, isn't it?
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Yes. Absolutely.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Especially when it's served with the famous Yorkshire pudding.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Yorkshire pudding, absolutely.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48An Irish woman making Yorkshire pudding.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51This should be interesting!
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Should it be allowed?
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- OK.- There we go. Are you OK? Do you want a hand?- Oh, I'm fine.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00So, I'm going to put some beef dripping on top of this now.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04This was his Christmas banquet dish for him and his mates in India.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09But would you rather have a great, big joint like this of beef,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11or would you prefer turkey?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Now, I think, you know, turkey's the traditional Christmas dish now.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Absolutely I would prefer to have this.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Turkey for me is an interesting meat.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24But not as glamourous and delicious as a rib of beef.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26What are you going to do with that?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29So, this would go into the oven for at least two hours.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30- Yeah.- You'd check it after two hours.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35- Yep.- But I was in early today, and...- We can't wait!
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I've roasted one up already for you.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Ah!- So, I'll get rid of this down here.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- OK.- And I'm going to show you how to make Yorkshire pudding batter.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Ah!- 300g of flour.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50- Yep.- Five eggs and 250mls of milk.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- That should give you actually quite...- That's the right combination?
0:05:53 > 0:05:54That's the right combination.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56I'm just going to give this a whisk,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01and then I'll add the last of the milk just in at the end.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02So, you're doing this for...
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Imagine you're doing this for the future Edward VII,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09he was Prince of Wales then. He was really rather wicked.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Wicked naughty or wicked bad?
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Oh, no, no, no. I think wicked naughty, rather than anything else.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15- OK.- Had a bit of a reputation, you know.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Drank quite a lot. Ate an enormous amount.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Gambled... And did have a bit of a reputation with the ladies.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24So much so, he had a wonderful nickname.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26He was called Edward The Caresser!
0:06:29 > 0:06:31So I've just added the last of the milk.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It should be the consistency of double cream.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Oh, right, OK.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38So, it's really important that you rest this mixture.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Is that the most common mistake people make with Yorkshire pudding?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I think there's so many mistakes with Yorkshire puddings
0:06:43 > 0:06:46that people make, that when you are cooking it in the oven,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48the oven needs to be very hot.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Your tray that you cook your Yorkshire pudding in
0:06:51 > 0:06:52also needs to be very hot.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Your fat needs to be hot.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57You need to be very fast when you open the oven and pour your mix in.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58- If you leave the oven open...- Yes.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Yorkshire puddings are not for the faint hearted.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02They're the souffle of the English world.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08OK, so this mix, you know, you put in the fridge for a couple of hours.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10But I did rustle one up earlier on.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- We're going to make some now. If you want to follow me through.- OK.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Now, in here we've already got our hot tray.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- Yep.- As you can see.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And then we're just going to pour it straight in on top.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23That's it.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Oh, you've got a steady hand.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- There we go. - Closing up quickly.- There you go.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Now.- I don't know how you can walk away from them.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33I'd be sitting there watching them to see if they actually work.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- OK, what next?- OK, now we're going to make the gravy.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- Ah-ha.- This is the best bit of a roast dinner for me.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I'm going to use the dripping that we cut from the beef earlier on
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- when I was roasting it.- Yep. - I'm going to pour that in the pan.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Oh, that looks fantastic.- And that's just going to give it a gorgeous...
0:07:49 > 0:07:51- All golden.- ..beefy flavour.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55I'm going to have a tablespoon or so of flour.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Yeah.- I'm going to give that a little mix.- Yeah.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03Then I'm going to add a very small teaspoon of mustard powder.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07- Ah!- So, we're just going to cook this flour out a little bit.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And then I'm just going to warm this up slightly.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14So you want these two pans to be roughly the same temperature.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16OK. So, what's in this new pan here?
0:08:16 > 0:08:20So, this is the meat juices from the beef after it came out of the oven.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23- Right.- So, now... - Gosh, it all looks...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- ..I'm going to add... - ..really rich.- ..this.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- Are you going to put the two together?- Yep.- Oh!
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And now I'm going to add some red wine.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Oh, an absolute essential, I'd say!
0:08:38 > 0:08:42- Yep.- Then I just want to cook that wine out.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- I think so.- I think Bertie probably had a few glasses of wine.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48When he eventually became king, he was quite a successful monarch.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Well, I'm going to add a little bit of butter to this.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Just stir that butter in.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Gosh, that's gone really dark and really rich, hasn't it?
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- Yeah. Well, the red wine... - It's the wine, of course.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59Yeah, I think it's a Bordeaux.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- Going to have a little taste.- Yep.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Unless you want some more red wine in it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08It's delicious! No, that's perfect!
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- Have you got enough?- Nope. - Gosh, that looks smooth.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Yeah, I think that we are done now. If you want to get the beef.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Oh, yeah. Let me create a bit of space. There we go.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Here we come.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21HE STRAINS
0:09:21 > 0:09:23It really is unbelievably heavy!
0:09:23 > 0:09:24There we go.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Oh, yeah. Go on, pour the gravy first.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And then, we'll do the big reveal.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37If I grab one side, you grab the other.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Yeah, yeah, thunder of drums...
0:09:39 > 0:09:40You grab that. OK?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42One, two, three...
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Yay!
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- That's beautiful.- Whoa, where do you start with that?!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I also have a little bit of cabbage to put in there.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Oh, yes, must have a bit of cabbage.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56It's so important, with a large piece of beef like this,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59to be honest with any meat, that after you've roasted it,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01that you rest it.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Usually it should be approximately half the time, approximately,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08so we're almost there, but we can't forget...
0:10:08 > 0:10:10- Don't forget the... - ..the most important part.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- Those Yorkshire puddings. - Those Yorkshire puddings.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Are you nervous, Anna?- No, I'm not.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- Quietly confident? - Yes, loudly confident.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Loudly confident! Yeah, you're not quietly anything, are you, Anna?
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- Oh, my goodness!- Yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25- Look at that. - So here's our Yorkshire puddings.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Oh, eight huge nuclear explosions in the oven.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- Look at that!- Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Oh, my goodness, well done.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Ta-da. Boeuf Roti a l'Anglaise.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41As served to the Prince of Wales in Calcutta harbour,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Christmas 1875.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Perfect fare for a royal Christmas, even one spent in the heat of India.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55And a fine festive dish to set before a king in waiting.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56- After you.- No, I insist, you first.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- Are you sure?- Yes.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Lovely meat.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Mm!
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Oh!
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Absolutely melting.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12That's a dish that makes you feel patriotic.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16The roast beef of old England that Bertie had for Christmas.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Christmas as we know it today
0:11:28 > 0:11:31is very much an invention of the Victorian era.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34The Christmas tree, crackers,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36even the food we serve
0:11:36 > 0:11:40all owe a great deal to the influence of Victoria and Albert.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45This is Osborne House on the Isle of Wight,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48where Dr Annie Gray unwrapped the story.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It was Victoria and Albert's holiday home,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55a place where they could play with their families, bathe by the sea,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59but it was also, after 1861 when Albert died,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02the place where Victoria spent all of her Christmases.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11The English Heritage curator at Osborne House is Michael Hunter.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16I know that Queen Victoria liked to say she was responsible
0:12:16 > 0:12:19for introducing the Christmas tree to Britain.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Is that really true?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22She didn't.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27The Christmas tree was introduced much earlier in the 18th century
0:12:27 > 0:12:29by Queen Charlotte, who was German.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33And the whole idea of bringing in a real tree and decorating it
0:12:33 > 0:12:34is a German tradition.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38So, of course, when she married the German Prince Albert,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41well, of course, what do you have to have at Christmas?
0:12:41 > 0:12:43A huge, decorated German fir tree.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48And so the idea of that was really popularised by Queen Victoria
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and Prince Albert in the early years of their marriage.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57This period also gave rise to a number of other Christmas favourites.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Crackers were invented,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03and the sending of Christmas cards first began during Victoria's reign.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09But the royals also influenced the meaning of Christmas,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12making it far more family orientated.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16The Georgian Christmas before Victoria,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20was much more riotous and fun and full of drunkenness,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and very, very adult.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Victoria really did change a lot of that, didn't she,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27by projecting this image of family,
0:13:27 > 0:13:32and what I suppose is really quite a conservative, intimate Christmas.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Generally, I think they were trying to improve
0:13:34 > 0:13:36the image of the royal family.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37There was an effort, I think,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41to make the monarchy at that time a bit more sort of respectable,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44bourgeois I suppose, middle-class in sort of image.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46And so the...
0:13:46 > 0:13:50That ideal family unit that Victoria and Albert were projecting
0:13:50 > 0:13:53was something that certainly focused in on Christmas,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and the Illustrated London News in 1848 famously published
0:13:57 > 0:14:01an engraving of Victoria and Albert standing on either side of
0:14:01 > 0:14:05the wonderfully decorated lighted Christmas tree with their family.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09A scene of festive domestic bliss.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12But, despite the similarities,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15there were still a few differences between today's Christmas
0:14:15 > 0:14:20and those enjoyed by the royals in the mid-19th century.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Queen Victoria was fond of presents and the presents were displayed
0:14:23 > 0:14:26with the tree, but they weren't wrapped, were they?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29No opportunity to tear off the wrapping paper on, you know,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Christmas morning, or Christmas Eve, as it was here at Osborne.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Everything displayed very formally on these Christmas present tables.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40But they did have candles, didn't they, they were lit up, the trees,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44in a delightful display of possibly burning down the entire house.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Yeah, no electric fairy lights in those days, all real candles.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I mean, they were only lit two or three times over the festive period.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53I think it must have been quite memorable,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57because visitors to Osborne, and members of the household,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59do record the fact that, you know, the rooms were glittering
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and, you know, the trees looked fantastic,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and all the decorations were absolutely, you know, breathtaking.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07So it must have been quite a sight.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Queen Victoria had a significant impact on our Christmas traditions.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17In particular, the festive foods that feature on dinner tables today.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21In front of me I've got a dining ledger.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25These ledgers were records of all things eaten at the royal palaces
0:15:25 > 0:15:27for whichever day of the year it was.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31This one is for Christmas Day 1897.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34By the 1890s, the Queen was eating sequential meals.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36She had seven or eight courses.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41So, she starts off with pheasant soup and goes on to fried whiting.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44But here you've got a roast turkey and sausages.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Plum pudding, what we now know as Christmas pudding.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Going onto the entremet, she's got asparagus, which, of course,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52is not in season at Christmas.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54A tribute to the brilliance of kitchen gardens
0:15:54 > 0:15:56at the royal palaces.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59She has mince pie, she has a rice pudding.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02One of the most interesting features is a side table,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05which was always a feature of the Queen's Christmas dinner.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09And it was an enormous table, laid out with a stuffed boar's head.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11A huge game pie.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16A massive baron of beef, 300lbs or 400lbs in weight,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18with the tail curving over it.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22That table was there in case the diners at the Queen's Christmas meal
0:16:22 > 0:16:26got a little bit hungry after their seven or eight courses
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and decided to have a nibble on something else.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31This is a tremendous amount of food.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33But through it, we can just see
0:16:33 > 0:16:36the glimmerings of a modern Christmas meal.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39So perhaps this Christmas, when we sit down to our beef and our plum
0:16:39 > 0:16:43pudding, we could raise a small glass of whisky to Queen Victoria,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46for helping us to reach the modern Christmas.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It isn't just the modern British Christmas
0:16:59 > 0:17:01that bears Victoria's regal stamp.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04It was during her reign that chocolate Easter eggs
0:17:04 > 0:17:05began to be enjoyed.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10And sending Easter greetings cards to friends and loved ones
0:17:10 > 0:17:11became fashionable.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Easter, of course, celebrates the new life that bursts forth
0:17:15 > 0:17:18in the spring, and no Easter feast is complete
0:17:18 > 0:17:20without some spring lamb.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Meirion Jones has farmed the slopes of the Cambrian mountains
0:17:26 > 0:17:28since he was a boy.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And his lamb has graced the royal table.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38This is a classic crossbred lamb.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43Out of the Welsh Mountain ewe, and the father would be a Texel tup.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46This is pretty lively.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50This particular lamb is about three months old at the moment.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53And these crossbred lambs,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56if we can show you, they are wider,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59so there's more meat on the bone.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05We specialise in the spring lamb market.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06The lamb in January and February,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10the grass quality is so much better in spring, March and April.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11It's nice and fresh.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16They're sort of slaughtered around 12 to 16 weeks old.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19And the meat is very, very tender and sweet.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23And the feedbacks we get is very encouraging
0:18:23 > 0:18:24all the time.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Meirion is among a band of sheep farmers on these hills
0:18:29 > 0:18:32who've joined forces to promote their wares.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35The Cambrian Mountains Lamb group,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Prince Charles has put his effort and weight behind the group.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40At the very outset,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44he made a painting of the local mountain area.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49And that painting is on the Cambrian Mountain Lamb branding
0:18:49 > 0:18:51on the packages when it's been sold.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Meirion's biggest royal claim to fame was supplying the lamb
0:18:56 > 0:18:59for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Coincidentally, in the year 2012,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06we met Prince Charles in person in the Royal Welch,
0:19:06 > 0:19:11and we asked him how the meat was and he said very, very nice indeed.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Ten miles from the mountain fields is the village of Llandovery.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Butcher Dai Mathews has been running a family business here
0:19:23 > 0:19:25for nearly 30 years.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- Thank you very much. - Cheers, thank you.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Dai's shop has had royal recognition.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Charles visited in 2011.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37And Meirion's lamb is on the royal shopping list.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43We've been supplying him now for about eight years.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45And, you know,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50it's something that we are very pleased and privileged about.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Today, Dai's preparing a leg of Meirion's spring lamb.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01It's quite a simple home-made stuffing made with breadcrumbs,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03we've sauteed off some onions.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Some apricots, and some lemon and thyme.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12It's a very easy stuffing, but a very tasty stuffing.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16The vegetables will help with the gravy.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22So, if we put the lamb on there, the flavour of the lamb is so good,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25we don't need more than a little bit of salt and pepper.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30The flavour that's in the stuffing will complement the lamb perfectly.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37And that then will go in the oven for about three hours
0:20:37 > 0:20:38on 180 degrees.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42And that should be absolutely gorgeous when it comes out.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47While the lamb's roasting,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51local carpenter Mike Blofield installs a plaque
0:20:51 > 0:20:53to celebrate their royal seal of approval.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56There we go!
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- Bit of a wipe now? - Yeah, you can give it a wipe.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Really, really good. Pleased with that.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06- Happy with that?- Yeah. - Excellent. Thank you.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09This year, they were officially granted a royal warrant.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11It's a huge honour.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15It did almost bring a lump to the throat.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It was...
0:21:17 > 0:21:19It was a real...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Really proud moment, you know.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26I thought, well, yes, I have achieved something.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29It was... It was...a wonderful feeling.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34And it's all down to the finest cuts of lamb.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35It isn't about me.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It's about the producers.
0:21:37 > 0:21:43It's everybody that plays a part in having this fantastic piece of meat
0:21:43 > 0:21:46on your plate, Sunday lunch.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Proof of the pudding, it's in the eating.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And that, believe me, is worth the effort.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09It's become a tradition to have lamb at Easter.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12But this is a much older tradition.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15There's no lamb or any other meat in sight.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17What are you doing, Anna?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- I'm going to make Tarte Owte of Lent.- Tarte Owte of Lent.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- Yes.- Much older, Tudor dish. What's in it?
0:22:22 > 0:22:25All the things I guess you weren't allowed to have at Lent are in it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So we have a lovely Cheshire cheese.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Definitely no cheese in Lent.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34Cream cheese, eggs, flour, butter and spice.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Pepper, something very special to have back then.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Pepper would have been incredibly expensive, wouldn't it?
0:22:39 > 0:22:40OK, so where do you start?
0:22:40 > 0:22:43So, I'm going to start with the pastry.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Nice shortcrust pastry.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And roll it out.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- With some flour?- With some flour.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54This is a really, really, really old tradition.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- Yeah.- Henry VIII would probably have had something like this
0:22:58 > 0:23:01at the end of Lent. Though the idea of Henry VIII giving up anything...
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- Yes!- Well, you know where I'm going there.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Yes, yes. Absolutely.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08So this needs to be quite a thick base.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12- Why?- Because it... I mean, this is fascinating.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15There is no mould to hold the case in place.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- Right.- So the first thing we need to do is...
0:23:19 > 0:23:23make the shape...of our base.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- A perfect circle. - Better with that.- Yep.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- And the pastry.- Can I take that somewhere?- Yes, thank you, Michael.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35And then, all you need to do is give it a pinch all the way around.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It's great technique, isn't it?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39It's like a tart and a tin in one.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Yeah, yeah. That's ingenious!
0:23:41 > 0:23:45OK, so I'm just going to move that onto my baking tray there.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- OK.- And I'm going to move onto the filling.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- So, I'm going to take my cheese. - Now, what cheese is that?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51This is Cheshire cheese.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54So, it's got to be a crumbly cheese like Cheshire.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Yeah.- So, Cheddar wouldn't work?
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Well, Cheddar wouldn't work as well. It would be just a bit greasy.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01- Right, right.- So, this is nicer.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04So, I'm just going to crumble this into our food mixer.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06It's actually quite easy to crumble.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Then I'm going to pulse it a bit to break it down
0:24:08 > 0:24:11because you essentially want to make it into a paste.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12I'm going to pop the lid on here.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17These days of course, those people who do observe Lent
0:24:17 > 0:24:21tend to break the fast with chocolate now, don't they?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24But of course, Henry VIII didn't know anything about chocolate.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28We didn't have any chocolate in this country until the 1650s, I think.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31So, whatever else he might have overindulged in,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- chocolate wasn't one of them, OK? - Chocolate wasn't one of them.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So, I'm going to add in my cream cheese now.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Now, why the cream cheese, as well?
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Is that all part of consistency?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Yeah, exactly. It helps with consistency.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44So eggs, pinch of salt.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45Not too salty, yeah.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47And then this.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- The pepper.- The pepper.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Pepper really makes this dish sing.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- Nowadays, salt and pepper everywhere.- On every single table.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56It's so common. It's so reasonably cheap.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Yet in those days...
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Some people would never have had it.- Absolutely. Far too expensive.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Now, you don't want to leave it in the mixer too long
0:25:05 > 0:25:07because you'll add too much air into it,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10- and then it'll balloon up too big.- OK, slop it in.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Yeah, that's it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14That does look good, doesn't it?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Actually, you need the pepper, don't you to give it a bit of briskness?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- Yep, yep. Yep. A bit of bite.- Yep.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Now, almost there.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Yeah, you've done that.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24Now, just flatten it out.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27You want to make sure that you haven't got any little air pockets
0:25:27 > 0:25:29so you're just pushing it to the edge each time.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- Into those little grooves that you've made.- Yeah.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Now normally, you'd want to chill this for probably about 40 minutes.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40If you put it straight into the oven and the pastry hasn't rested,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and the mix hasn't rested, it's likely just to kind of spread.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Go blurgh?- Yeah.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- Yeah.- OK, so would you mind popping that in the fridge for me?
0:25:48 > 0:25:49OK. Yep. Here we go.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53And hopefully on your way out, you'll pass by the oven
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- and there should be one already in there baking.- Excellent.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Look at that!
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- Oh, beautiful. - Look at the colour of that.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- Beautiful, that looks great. - Put it on here?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- Or maybe here would be good.- OK.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- That looks great.- There we are. Ah! There we go, another burn.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17THEY LAUGH
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- I blame you, Anna, actually. - Oh, I'm sorry, Michael.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- Health and safety, come on. - Yes. OK, so...
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- What now?- ..we're going to make our vinaigrette mix.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27This is a mustard vinaigrette which I think goes
0:26:27 > 0:26:29really, really well with the cheese and also the pepper.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31- Bit of sharpness. - And a bit of sharpness, yeah.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34So, a spoonful of your wholegrain mustard.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- That's wholegrain, yeah. - Maybe... I'd say, yeah.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38A teaspoon of honey.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Oh, right. - And then, just English mustard.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43You use honey rather than sugar, I noticed.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44Yeah, I think honey... Well,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46I think honey's got a little bit more flavour to it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- And in Tudor times, of course... - I'm sure they used a lot of honey.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51Cos sugar itself was...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Very hard to come by.- Very, very, very hard to come by.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- Now, what's this?- This is a teaspoon of white wine vinegar.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Yep.- And then I'm going to put, erm...
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I think maybe three teaspoons of olive oil.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- You seem to have rather more oil... than vinegar...- Yes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10..then I would in my... untutored way do.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11What, you like more vinegar?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Mm. Yeah, I'm a bit of a vinegar freak, really.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Well, that's actually a good sign.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- Is it?- It's a sign of someone who has a good palate, yes.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- We prefer acid to sweetness. - All right, you.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21So, it's a nice emulsion there.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- Oh, it's looking good.- Just going to give it a little taste.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- For acidity...- Mm-hm. - ..and deliciousness.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31- Mm.- It's good?- Yep.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- Shall we get those?- Just grab the leaves, yeah. That would be great.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Just keeping it fresh. There we go.- Yep. That's wonderful.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39- OK, great.- OK.
0:27:39 > 0:27:45So, this is just pea shoots, mustard cress and mustard frills.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47So, I'm going to take a little bit of the dressing.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Get the spoon.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55OK, and now I'm going to give the tart a little cut.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's a lovely, lovely colour. Kind of apricot colour, isn't it?
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Yes, it is. That's the cheese.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Aw, yeah.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05- Yes. That looks beautiful on the side.- Looks brilliant.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06Grab a plate.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13Now, the last thing I'm going to add to this is caraway seeds.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Now, caraway seeds are very special.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I think they're extremely versatile.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22- Mm.- And very memorable.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25And caraway is most delicious when you've just chopped it,
0:28:25 > 0:28:26a little bit like pepper.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28You know, the reason why we like to ground that.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I think caraway was in much more widespread use in Tudor times,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33because it had been around longer...
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- Oh, my God. You can just... You can smell the snap.- You can!
0:28:35 > 0:28:40- It's beautiful.- And apart from that wonderful, erm, smell...
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- Mm.- ..what do you think it adds to something like this?
0:28:43 > 0:28:44- A depth of flavour.- Yeah.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48It's depth of flavour. And that's the whole bonus from spices.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52No wonder the Tudors and all those people in medieval times
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- valued it so much.- That's it. And we just give this a little...
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Now, what are you doing here?
0:28:57 > 0:28:59A little roll of our hands, in our hands,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01so you can kind of create a neat presentation...
0:29:01 > 0:29:03- Yep.- ..of your...
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- salad.- Oh, now you put the salad right on top.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06And that way, it sits kind of nicely.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- Yep.- And then a sprinkling of the caraway seeds on top.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11On top of the salad and the pie?
0:29:11 > 0:29:13And that's it. And there you have it.
0:29:13 > 0:29:14Tarte Owte Of Lent.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Oh, a celebratory tart. Come on.
0:29:19 > 0:29:20- What's it like?- Mm.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- The acidity of the vinaigrette goes so well with the...- Mm.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28..the cheese tart and then the finish of caraway.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Mm. Oh, that's really nice.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32- Mm.- It's so cheesy.- Mm.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35And so smooth. And you're right -
0:29:35 > 0:29:36the salad makes it.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39A delicious dish to break a Lenten fast
0:29:39 > 0:29:43and satisfy even the most indulgent of kings at Easter.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49BEE BUZZES
0:29:50 > 0:29:54Christianity isn't the only culture to celebrate festivals with food.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Prince Charles has let it be known that he intends,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01when he becomes king, to be known as Defender of Faiths,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04to reflect modern Britain's multicultural society.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Charles's enthusiasm for the diverse culture in Britain is also reflected
0:30:13 > 0:30:14in the food he eats.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17He's visited the West London restaurant of Dipna Anand
0:30:17 > 0:30:21and her family on a number of occasions.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Smells and looks yummy.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Dipna now serves the delicious Punjabi delicacies
0:30:26 > 0:30:31her grandfather once made for maharajas to British royalty.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35One visit from the Prince was at a very special, festive time of year.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40When Prince Charles visited, that was during the time of Diwali.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42In fact, it was Diwali Day.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46So we were quite lucky to have him here with us.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Diwali is the festival of lights.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50We celebrate it in a really big way.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53So, like Christmas, we light lamps,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56we share great food, especially sweets.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00And that is said to welcome the goddess Lakshmi,
0:31:00 > 0:31:01who is the goddess of wealth.
0:31:01 > 0:31:07A Diwali tradition is the making and eating of sweet treats.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09One of the main desserts is gajar halwa.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Everyone loves to cook that.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13And when Prince Charles was here at the restaurant,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16that was one thing he sampled. He loved it.
0:31:16 > 0:31:17Today, with the help of her dad Gulu,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Dipna is recreating the festival dessert
0:31:21 > 0:31:22enjoyed by Charles and Camilla.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Gajar halwa simply means "carrot pudding".
0:31:26 > 0:31:30It's a hot pudding that I love to eat with ice cream.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34But it goes really, really well with even some single cream.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37So, it's a really royal dessert dish.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Right, now that we've grated the carrots and got a bit of strength
0:31:43 > 0:31:46in our arms, it's time to make the gajar halwa.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50And we're going to start by sweating the carrots down in the milk.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55The reason we add milk is to help the carrots cook faster
0:31:55 > 0:31:57and also add some moisture.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03When Prince Charles visited,
0:32:03 > 0:32:07both the Duchess and His Royal Highness were quite intrigued
0:32:07 > 0:32:11as to how carrots can be made into a, er, Indian dessert.
0:32:11 > 0:32:12And then they tasted it.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- Yes.- They really liked it. They really, really enjoyed it.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Indian desserts are massive during Diwali time.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Not just things like the gajar halwa,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25something else that we love eating during Diwali...
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Dad, bring us over that barfi.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Barfi is an Indian sweetmeat,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34traditionally made by condensing milk and sweetening with sugar.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37They're often flavoured with fruits, nuts and spices.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39That's a chocolate one.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40That's a toffee one.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42And you've got some orange here.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44You've also got gajar halwa barfi.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46- Yeah, that carrot pudding in there. - You've got a layer...
0:32:46 > 0:32:48of carrot pudding here.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53And then, on top, you got the actual barfi.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- Which is cooked with the condensed milk.- Milk, yes.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Dad is the worst because he eats too much barfi.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05- My tum.- So, after his dinner, he likes to have,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08I think about two, three pieces on average.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- Once a year, I think it's fine.- Yes. - GULU LAUGHS
0:33:13 > 0:33:17It takes around 25 minutes for Dipna and Gulu's grated carrot to cook
0:33:17 > 0:33:19and for the milk to evaporate.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- You add in that sugar. Shall I do that?- Yep.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Still on a really high heat.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33And that's really nice now. So let's add the ghee.
0:33:36 > 0:33:41Traditionally in Indian desserts, we do use ghee, clarified butter.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43It kind of melts in your mouth,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46and I think that's what the Duchess and Prince Charles
0:33:46 > 0:33:48were quite wowed...
0:33:48 > 0:33:50by when they tasted this.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55So right now, I can see it's ready for the milk powder.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01And the milk powder makes it even creamier, and more rich.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04And now, you really have to work this with your arms.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Once the sugar, ghee, milk powder and carrots have cooked through,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12it's time for a hint of spice.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Green cardamom powder.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16And some crunch.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20We're just going to add a little bit of pistachios and almonds.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Mm, that looks good.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24- Tastes fantastic. - And it smells even better!
0:34:28 > 0:34:29I'm happy with that.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Switch that off. And time to plate up.
0:34:34 > 0:34:40I'm going to add a little bit of pistachio to the bottom of the bowl.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44And then some carrot pudding, inside this bowl like this.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50And then what I'm going to do is carefully...
0:34:50 > 0:34:51tilt it like this.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Wait for it to come out. Put the ice cream in there, yeah.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02And that's my gajar halwa and ice cream done.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05The perfect Diwali festival pudding,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08fit for a maharaja or a British prince.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19You can't have a festival, you can't have a feast in a festival,
0:35:19 > 0:35:20without a sweet course.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23So Anna, what are you going to do for us?
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- I'm going to make Yule log. - So a royal family tradition?
0:35:26 > 0:35:31Apparently, they have their Christmas lunch at Sandringham,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33they go off for a walk, they come back,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36they watch the Queen doing the Christmas message...
0:35:36 > 0:35:40- And then they sit down to Yule log. - Yule log.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41I thought you were going to say that they made it,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43I was like, "God, these royals are great."
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- No, they just eat it.- Well, maybe sometimes they do, who knows?!
0:35:46 > 0:35:49So the first thing I'm going to make is actually the last thing
0:35:49 > 0:35:51we're going to put on the log.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Because we need it to be cooled and set enough
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- so that we can work it on top of this.- Ah, so you do it first.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58And what is that? What are you doing?
0:35:58 > 0:35:59This is a ganache.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04Ganache is like a thick emulsion of chocolate and cream.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- Whoo...- So, our cream is coming up to the boil,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11and this is essentially what's going to melt our chocolate.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- I'm going to pour that over the top...- OK.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16And this has to cool.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Next, I'm going to make the actual sponge.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22- Right.- Erm, so I need to crack my five eggs.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Every culture's got a midwinter festival, haven't they?
0:36:25 > 0:36:29- Mm.- And in the Norse countries, the midwinter festival,
0:36:29 > 0:36:33they actually had a log, they get a log covered with holly and ivy,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37and they burn it, and the idea is that the smoke would somehow
0:36:37 > 0:36:39cleanse the atmosphere of the evil spirits,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43or the events of the previous year, it was a way of moving...
0:36:43 > 0:36:44A transition from the old year to the new year.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Rather nice idea. And this kind of duplicates that, I suppose.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49- That's quite fascinating. - Yeah, I know.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53- OK...- We're going to whisk this up into a beautiful sabayon,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56where you whisk eggs and sugar on a high speed,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00and this dissolves the sugar into the eggs and adds lots of air.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Lots of air, fluffing the whole thing up,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05making the resulting sponge very, very light?
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- Light.- Exactly. You hope! OK.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10You hope too, because I'm assuming you want to eat it.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11Well...
0:37:11 > 0:37:13If you press me! SHE LAUGHS
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- Oh, look, it's really getting... - Yes.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18- Looking pretty good now.- Yeah.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- Yeah, I think we're good now. - Surely it must be done.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Yeah. Looks good now, let's have a look.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27- Yeah.- Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's done.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31- OK.- Well done.- So now, I'm going to fold in the...
0:37:31 > 0:37:32Shall I hold this?
0:37:32 > 0:37:33- Thank you.- There we go.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Thank you. I'm going to fold in all our dry ingredients.
0:37:37 > 0:37:38Cocoa.
0:37:38 > 0:37:39- Some flour...- Mm-hm.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41..and our mixed spices,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44which gives it, like, a little secret hint of flavour.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46And you just want to fold that through.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Yeah. Don't beat the air out of it.
0:37:48 > 0:37:49We do not want to beat the air out of it.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- OK, now what?- Then pour it in... - I'll make some room.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53- Thank you, Michael.- There we go.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55OK. So I'm going to pour it in...
0:37:55 > 0:37:57- Yeah.- And...
0:37:57 > 0:37:59I think that looks...
0:37:59 > 0:38:00quite enough.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02- It's going to rise a little bit. - Yeah.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06- So you don't want it too thick. - You don't want it to overflow when it rises.- No. OK.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09So, if you wouldn't mind popping that in the oven for me, for...
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Now, let me guess, temperature... 180 degrees?
0:38:12 > 0:38:14- Oh, absolutely. - Just came to me in a flash.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17- And for ten minutes.- Ten minutes. OK.- Ten minutes.- OK.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26Wonderful. So now, I'm going to finish the ganache.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28The chocolate's melted, look, hasn't it?
0:38:28 > 0:38:31- That's it. - Lovely great long, black streaks.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Does the butter give it that shine, or is it inherent in the chocolate,
0:38:34 > 0:38:36- do you think? - It's a bit of both, but yes,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39I think the butter does increase the glossy look
0:38:39 > 0:38:41- of the beautiful ganache.- Yeah.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I'm just going to put a little splash of the rum.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Now I'm going to make the filling.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52- Going to whip some cream and some sugar...- Yep.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54..and then I'm going to add some chestnut puree
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- and some rum to that after. - Oh, chestnut puree!
0:38:57 > 0:38:59The French love it at Christmas time.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04And this is Christmas, we're talking festivals, we're talking Christmas, we're talking Yule!
0:39:04 > 0:39:05SHE LAUGHS
0:39:05 > 0:39:06I'm just going to let that whisk.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11- Mm-hm.- And I'm going to add a little bit of rum to my chestnut puree,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13- to loosen it up. - Modest, I'd call it. Modest.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16This is getting a lovely consistency here.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17Yeah, it's looking pretty good.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19- Yeah.- That's it.- Yeah, well done.
0:39:21 > 0:39:22Oh, yeah.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Pretty smooth, in every way.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26- Yeah.- OK.
0:39:26 > 0:39:27Now...
0:39:27 > 0:39:29And then you put... Ah, right...
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- OK.- Really good. - So that's our chestnut cream.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Now, I'd say it's about ten minutes now, you want to check the sponge?
0:39:35 > 0:39:37You're absolutely right, I'll go and get it.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- My word, it's hot.- Maybe just place it down here, that would be great.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45- Way...- OK.- There we go.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50So the key is that you want to roll this while it is hot.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56- Ah.- Because if you roll it while it's cold, it will crack.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57- It'll split.- Yeah...
0:39:57 > 0:40:00But you've got to do it pretty quickly, before it cools down.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Do it quickly. Yes.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04OK. Oh...
0:40:04 > 0:40:07And then, we'll take our grease-proof off...
0:40:10 > 0:40:12There we go. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16So I want to just be really careful as I'm folding it over.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18And I just keep rolling it...
0:40:20 > 0:40:22And rolling it.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24- Under the cloth?- Under the cloth.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27But you've forgotten to stick the stuff in.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Well, this is too hot now, I can't put the cream in it.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- Right. - But earlier on, I did roll one.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:40:33 > 0:40:36- So...- There is a convention... - ..leave this one here. - ..isn't there?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38And take this one out...
0:40:38 > 0:40:39So this, you did earlier.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43- Equally successfully. - Equally successful.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46I'm just going to put the cream...
0:40:46 > 0:40:48- This is the bit you like, isn't it? - I do, yes. This is great.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- When you're sticking the goodies into it.- That's it. Yeah.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53And you want to be quite generous.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57- Yeah.- A little bit...- There's no point in scrimping, is there?
0:40:57 > 0:40:59- Exactly.- At Christmas time, with a Yule log.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03OK. Just give it a little squeeze,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07and then we'll just roll all the way to here...
0:41:07 > 0:41:09It's not the oldest of our puddings, you know.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- No?- No, I think traditional Christmas pudding, plum pudding.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14It was another royal, George I,
0:41:14 > 0:41:20in his first Christmas as King of England in 1714...?
0:41:20 > 0:41:21He ordered up plum pudding,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and we've been eating plum pudding at Christmas ever since.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Yeah.- But this is the Sandringham favourite.
0:41:28 > 0:41:29And all I want to do now
0:41:29 > 0:41:31is that if you see that I'm just kind of running
0:41:31 > 0:41:36my palette knife along to make it look a little bit more like a log.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Like a log. So you're making it look like bark.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Exactly. Like bark.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42You're an artist, really.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44I don't think this is art, I think this is cooking.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Aw.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48- OK, that looks like a log. - That's it? Is it finished?
0:41:48 > 0:41:52Yeah, I'm just going to serve it with, erm, some strawberries.
0:41:52 > 0:41:53Just a few berries.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57And now I need to go through the nail-biting...
0:41:57 > 0:41:58MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:41:58 > 0:41:59Do you want a hand?
0:41:59 > 0:42:03- No, I'm just about good to go... - Oh, you're getting cocky now.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05You're getting very, very cocky.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I wouldn't say that was cocky!
0:42:07 > 0:42:10- There was a lot of fear there. - Was there? You didn't show it.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- OK. And we put some strawberries... - Throw a few strawbs.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Yeah. I might cut them...
0:42:20 > 0:42:23- OK?- Yeah.- Just make it look good.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26And maybe a little dusting of icing sugar?
0:42:29 > 0:42:31And there you have it.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Yule log with the chestnut cream.
0:42:33 > 0:42:34Would you like a slice?
0:42:34 > 0:42:37I think that's what they call a rhetorical question.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39- THEY LAUGH Come on, let's have a go.- OK...
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- Right. You grab your plate there... - I've got a plate there.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- Very much to hand.- OK.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Kicking the cutlery. There we are.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50- That's nice.- That looks good.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53- Would you like a little strawberry on the side?- I would.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Oh, yeah.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59Mm.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Really light.
0:43:01 > 0:43:02- The chestnut...- Mm.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08It's a really brilliant thing to have at Christmas,
0:43:08 > 0:43:13whether you're in Sandringham, or somewhere perhaps less exalted.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Join us next time, for more Royal Recipes.