23/12/2017 Saturday Kitchen

Good morning, festive food fans.

The big day is nearly upon us, so pop a log on the fire,

curl up with a mince pie,

and enjoy our mouthwatering banquet of top chefs and delectable dishes.

I'm Andi Oliver, and this is a special Christmas edition

of Saturday Kitchen.

Welcome to the show,

and joining me in the kitchen

in their rather fabulous festive outfits

are two amazing chefs.

We've got spice supremo, Vivek Singh,

and the king of seafood, Rick Stein.

And in charge of Christmas spirits, it's the brilliant Susie Barrie.

-Good morning, everybody.

-Good morning!

-How are you doing?

-Good.

Looking very perky and festive, are you feeling it?

-Yes, very festive.

-As soon as you get these on.

All the Christmas shopping's done, we're ready for this.

Rick, what are you cooking for us today?

Well, a bit festive, it's a seafood stew, Italian seafood stew

called cioppino, but it's got the colours of red and green in it,

-sort of Christmassy?

-A little bit of chilli, little bit of warmth.

Yeah, bit of chilli too, from San Francisco.

-Ah, on your recent travels, no doubt.

-Yes.

We will talk about that later.

So, Vivek, what are you making for us today?

I'm doing a spiced roast breast of goose.

It's a rather attractive centrepiece.

I'm doing it with curry leaf and mustard-tempered potatoes.

And a Keralan mappas sauce.

So a little bit of pepper, a little bit of fennel, some chilli,

a little vinegar and coconut milk.

-So, hot, sweet and sharp.

-Really colourful.

Really fragrant, really colourful, really everything, wonderful.

Is that very Christmassy for you?

It is very, very Christmassy in Kerala.

Beautiful. Susie, what have you found us?

I know, that is a bit of a challenge there, isn't it? Whoa!

We've good beautiful wines from all over the world.

Some France, some Italy

and some that definitely will go with your spice.

-Really?

-Delighted.

-Hopefully.

-I can't wait to try all of that.

I'm hoping as well that you've got some non-alcoholic?

We have got some non-alcoholic suggestions as well, yes.

Look forward to all of it.

That's for the drivers and the non-drinkers, of course.

We have dug deep into the BBC archives for some festive shows

from Rick Stein, you're everywhere!

Nigel Slater, The Hairy Bikers and, of course, Mary Berry.

Our special guest is a much-loved actor,

whose soap and sitcom roles have made her a household name.

From EastEnders to Goodness Gracious Me and Still Open All Hours,

she's a shining star indeed.

It's the brilliant Nina Wadia.

APPLAUSE

How are you?

-How are you?

-Really good.

I made this peppermint tea earlier with a teaspoon of honey.

For yourself?

-Just for myself.

-Is that one of your Christmas recipes?

-It's a recipe.

-It's a recipe.

So it's a busy time of year for you?

Yes, yeah, crazy time of year.

-This is, you know...

-Still Open All Hours is out again on Boxing Day.

-So successful, isn't it?

-It's crazy.

This is our fourth series,

-and probably a fifth coming up next year, it's crazy.

-Amazing.

But, really, today's all about the food.

-Yes.

-You're here to eat lots of things from these beautiful chefs,

but also we're going to be deciding whether you're going to get

-food heaven or food hell.

-Yes.

Tell me a bit about what is heaven for you,

what is the best thing you could think of?

My favourite thing, but I have it very, very rarely these days,

is tiramisu.

It's my absolutely favourite dessert in the whole world.

And, something I've discovered recently,

because I'd always been a milk chocolate girl, I love chocolate anyway,

but dark chocolate, all of a sudden, in the last three years, oh!

It's a palate thing, that, right? As you get older, for you...

Yes, thank you for that...

That's how it's worked out for me, for sure.

Definitely, definitely.

And what's hell, what is the worst thing you could think of?

Three things. Two of them are vegetables,

because I was forced to eat them as a child and I can't bear them,

one is the very slimy okra.

-Oh, I love okra!

-No, it's horrid!

-Delicious. It's all about the slime!

No... It IS all about the slime!

-I love it!

-The other is, of course, aubergine.

My nemesis, which is why I created a character who hates aubergine.

In fact, she loves aubergines but makes everybody else eat then.

And then, the other thing is something I don't even like to say - pork belly.

Pork belly, literally one of my favourite things in the world.

Oh, my gosh, no!

We're living at opposite ends of the Earth, really.

-We are!

-So, if you get heaven,

I will be making you a lovely tiramisu cheesecake

-with dark chocolate truffles.

-Amazing.

I will make a chocolate biscuit base and top it with a cheesecake of

custard and mascarpone.

Sponge fingers, espresso and spiced rum and finish it all off with some

more rum, which we are going to infuse

-into the dark chocolate truffles.

-What?!

But, if Nina gets hell, I'll be making okra and aubergine caponata,

with char-grilled pork belly.

I really enjoyed coming up with this!

I will soften the okra and aubergine in butter with capers, garlic,

tomatoes and wine,

and then I'll finish it with fresh basil, parsley and olive oil.

I'll serve this with some caramelised fennel seeds

and pork belly, and some deep-fried okra.

That's double okra, just for you.

-Yay.

-You can thank me later!

But as we're not live today, there's no online vote.

So what Nina gets is in the hands of fate.

So stay tuned to find out how.

Right, let's get cooking, shall we?

Vivek, what are we making today?

Right, so I'm doing a spice-roasted breast of goose

with a Keralan mappas. A coconut and vinegar sauce.

-That's what mappas is, it's a sauce?

-Yeah.

-OK.

We'll also do a curry leaf

and mustard-seed-tempered stir-fried potatoes.

-Shall I get on with that?

-You get on with that.

The potatoes have been boiled in the skin and they've been...

Cut in half.

Peeled and cut into half, so that's...

So I've got this cinnamon and bay leaf in there first, right?

So you're going to start with... Yep.

So the bigger spices in first, and the fennel and the pepper in later.

The ground spices, I don't worry too much about.

-So give it a nice little bosh.

-Nice pestle action going on there.

-It's really good.

-So I'll put these whole spices in first.

Now, tell us a little about your new book, Feasts.

It's absolutely stunning.

The last book I wrote was on Indian festival feasts,

I mean, the idea just came about,

every time I talk about dishes and recipes,

I'll talk about memories from how I remember things from the past.

It would often come around a feasting table and I think back,

and every time, it was something to do with either a festival...

-Or a feast.

-Holi or Diwali or whatever it was.

The manifestation... Or a wedding.

..the manifestation of it all was always a feast.

That's where most of the best memories came from.

So it seemed like a natural thing for you to do?

-Yeah, yeah.

-I'm really interested, actually, because in Indian culture,

it's like Spain, just every five minutes there is another festival

or a party. Do you know what I mean?

-It's a fabulous way to approach life.

-Any excuse.

Any excuse for a party.

So what's the big one for you? Is there one in particular?

Well, there's quite a few. One is difficult, if you ask me for a dozen, I'd probably get close to it.

But...

The biggest ones that most people know of are Holi and Diwali,

the Festival of Colour in spring,

and the Festival of Lights in the autumn.

But then, we celebrate Christmas and Easter with as much gusto

-as anybody else, really.

-Except you work right the way through.

So, Christianity is a very small population

in relative terms in India,

only less than 3% of the population,

which is Christian who celebrate Christmas,

but even that is about 30 million people.

That's half the country here, that's a lot of people.

That's a lot of people. Rick, you've been to India, you did a whole show?

I did, and I'm particularly interested in this dish,

simply because it's genuine Christmas spicy food, you know?

That is... People are always asking for different things from turkey,

-and this is it.

-This is beautiful.

It is the kind of thing you would make in your house at Christmas, Vivek?

This is what I do. If I do it with guinea fowl, if I do it with goose.

This is the kind of thing I would cook.

In fact, better still if I was using the whole bird, I would roast it or whatever I need to do.

And then, at the very end, whatever is left over,

I rip it apart and use it the next morning.

I love the leftovers, don't you?

Yeah, but what's he going to do with it?

Everything that is left over from the roast or the legs

or whatever else you've got, I rip it all up, pull it apart,

then coat it again in the same sauce that I'm making.

So, this sauce here, the mappas sauce I was referring to earlier,

it's onions, curry leaves, ginger, and green chillies.

They've all gone in.

I am going to soften the onions, and then I've got coriander.

Does it matter what chillies you use?

I like to use finger chillies, so they're hotter.

The smaller ones are the hotter ones, right?

The smaller the chilli, the hotter it is, usually.

But not necessarily birdseye or incredibly hot.

-Do you leave the seeds in?

-I leave the seeds in, exactly.

What's the point of taking the seeds out?

-That's the heat.

-You told me something interesting

about garam masala that I didn't know.

So, when you use... Because you use a lot of spices

and people find it hard to balance spices,

they find it a bit intimidating,

they're not sure what should happen when.

For you, garam masala is something that happens at the end of the dish?

Oh, garam masala essentially means a hot, aromatic mixed spice.

And a mixed spice could be anything.

You happy for the potatoes to go in here now?

-Yes. Got some seasoning in there, some salt.

-Yeah.

OK. So, a hot, aromatic mix of spices.

And aromatic spices, being hot, you essentially,

I end up using them as a seasoning spice, finishing spice at the very end.

The general rule would be, if you're using whole spices,

you use them at the beginning of the cooking,

so you always heat up your oil add your whole spices,

the flavour is permeated into the whole dish that way,

and you can cook with it for a long time, don't lose any of the goodness.

So how busy are you?

I mean, all the restaurants are open right through Christmas.

I'm tired thinking about it. You're working on Christmas Day, right?

I am, I do every year.

Every year! And how busy is it in the restaurant for you, then?

-Look at that, that's amazing.

-That looks really good, doesn't it?

# Ooh! # It's making me sing, that's always good!

When I start going like that, you know it's a good thing.

So is it your busiest service?

-Oh, it's the busiest service of the year.

-Isn't that amazing?

We serve over 400 people just at the Club.

We're open in Cinnamon Soho and Cinnamon Bazaar, everywhere.

-Even in Oxford.

-Even in Oxford, you're busy?

Yep, yep. This is the newest place I've opened.

So now, for the New Year, what's happening for you?

You've got Battersea Power Station happening, I see?

Right, I'm doing a Cinnamon kitchen in the Battersea Power Station.

Beautiful, beautiful building.

Honestly, I'm bit of a sucker for great, iconic locations.

So, the old Westminster library

is where I started off with the Cinnamon Club.

And the Battersea Power Station opportunity came up,

and I thought that was just...

It's a beautiful site.

So I've got a bit of vinegar going in.

Yeah, so that's what's happening here.

Just a quick recap, your goose is rendered, you've turned it over.

In here, you've got all of those beautiful spices.

What's that going in now?

Bit of the coriander, bit of the vinegar, it's all gone in.

A little bit of the stock...

And what does the vinegar give you in that dish?

-That's the sharpness.

-The acidity.

-The acidity and the sharpness.

It's not just a one-dimensional richness

or sweetness of the coconut milk.

You've got all of that.

-OK.

-OK.

-Yes.

Those potatoes look great.

Are you ready for...? Are these ready?

-Yep.

-Brilliant. When do you get a break, Vivek?

I take a bit of a break at the end of Christmas.

The first couple of weeks, as Rick would know,

in the restaurant trade, is never the busiest time.

January, yeah, it's pretty quiet.

SHE LAUGHS

So what does Christmas Day look like for the rest of your family, then?

You're obviously at work?

I start the day off with the kids.

Then I'll go to all the restaurants and one of the places,

the children will join me towards the end of the service.

We can have a Christmas lunch.

The main event for us is Boxing Day, actually.

Ah, so what happens on Boxing Day, then?

We do what everybody else does on Christmas Day.

Oh, I see! You do the whole thing.

And do you make goose, do you make turkey?

Yeah, I make goose, I make...

Well, not really turkey, I either do goose or a large capon.

You're not a fan of turkey?

-No.

-Look at the colour on those, it's so vivid, it's wonderful.

Is this what you will serve in your restaurants at Christmas?

One of the restaurants.

-It will be on.

-What are the main things that people are eating

and ordering, what are your main big sellers at Christmas?

All our restaurant menus have several choices.

It's about half a dozen choices on each of the courses.

People will pick... There's lamb, there's prawns,

there will be all sorts of things that people will pick.

I suppose one of the things that will make it special

of course for people is A, not having to cook or clean up,

but then B, having choice.

Do you guys go out for Christmas dinner?

-No, we don't, never.

-Never.

I'm sort of scared of not having leftovers.

The leftovers are really important!

When I started doing this, 10, 11 years ago, we thought nobody

was going to come. It's not the kind of thing you do.

You aren't going to get out of the house and not cook.

But clearly, you were wrong.

-I tell you...

-OK, so that's the beautiful sauce,

-are we ready now with that?

-Yeah.

-That's wonderful.

-If you could just take that out.

Right, we're going to move this for you. Lovely.

-Is this what we serve it in?

-Yeah, let's get it in there, my darling.

Fabulous.

Looking forward to this, guys?

-Yes, very much.

-I'm actually, actually dribbling a little bit.

Wonderful.

This goose looks amazing.

It's such a lovely meat.

People are a bit scared of goose, I think.

But they really shouldn't be. Look at that, how wonderful is that?

-I've never had it.

-You've never had goose?

-No. I've had duck, but never goose.

Oh, we love a first, that's fantastic!

-That's fantastic.

-And I've never...! No.

Wonderful, Vivek. So just tell us what that is, one more time.

So, here we've got a spice-roasted breast of goose

with a Keralan mappas,

a coconut and vinegar sauce.

Some stir-fried potatoes in a mustard-seasoned curry leaf.

This is your Keralan Christmas without even having to buy a ticket.

Without even having to leave home!

Perfect, beautiful. Thank you, Vivek.

How exciting.

Let's get this over here. I know you guys are dying to try it.

Look how beautiful that looks.

-Oh, thank you so much!

-You're very, very welcome.

We've got a little spoon here for the sauce.

-The great thing about a goose breast is that you get a lot more than a duck breast.

-Yes!

-Shall we put a little sauce on it?

-Yes.

-Look at that.

Let's see what you think about that, Nina?

This is your first time having goose, that's exciting.

Bated breath.

-Fabulous.

-Oh, my word!

-It's delicious.

-That is unbelievable.

It's a beautiful recipe. And the colours of it are wonderful.

-What do you think about that, Rick?

-Erm...

In me films, I've always got a mouth full.

People say, "Do you have to speak with your mouth full?"

Well, I do, actually, otherwise you've got to wait.

But it's absolutely delicious.

It's very mild spicing and lovely, pink goose. I love goose.

It's interesting, so many spices and yet it's still subtle.

That's brilliant, isn't it? Susie, what have you got for us?

-I can't speak!

-Are you having a little party? A little goose party?

It was a big mouthful.

Yeah, I mean, it's beautiful.

So what I've got

is the most beautiful red wine

from Sicily.

And it's made in the appassimento style,

it's a Nero Oro...

Does that mean black gold?

Black gold. So, the idea is that the grape is the black,

the nero d'avola, and then it's just so beautiful, it's gold.

They think of it as their golden grape, if you like.

It's the indigenous, main grape variety in Sicily.

So, the appassimento style, what happens is,

the grapes are partially dried before they're fermented,

so you get that concentration of sugars,

and it means you get a raisiny,

slightly, just a tiny little bit of sweetness.

-You can sort of smell that.

-Yeah.

-You get the raisin coming through.

Which is lovely. And the goose cried out for a red, but at the same time,

you don't want anything dry or tannic, and with that spice,

-that little bit of sweetness is beautiful.

-That's really lovely.

This just makes me want to have some more goose.

You are our guest, of course.

Rick, remind us what you're going to be cooking for us later?

I'm going to do this cioppino, which is a seafood stew with prawns,

with mussels and with some cod in it.

And it's a bit spicy, but it comes from San Francisco.

And, actually, it's an Italian dish.

So you've got things from all over the place?

Yeah, absolutely.

A lot of cooking's like that these days, isn't it?

We take all the best from everywhere, make something wonderful with it.

Now, Saturday Kitchen wouldn't be Saturday Kitchen, of course,

without a foodie film from you, Rick.

Well... I know what's coming up,

it was a particularly wonderful experience

at Port Isaac, of Doc Martin fame, as well as the Fisherman's Friends.

And we went out lobster fishing, with one of the Fisherman's Friends,

and then they sang for us.

So let's have a little look at it, shall we? Here's Rick.

Just along the coast from Padstow is Port Isaac,

where some of my newest friends come from.

# We're making money with this sound

# Rattle them winches, oh

# Soon we'll all be homeward bound

# Rattle them winches, oh... #

Music is in the Cornish fishermen's soul,

but only recently has the rest of the world woken up to that fact.

These guys from neighbouring Port Isaac call themselves

Fisherman's Friends.

# Rattle them down and stamp and go

# Rattle them winches, oh. #

I'm off with one of the boys, Jeremy Brown, to pick up his lobster pots,

which, I'm pleased to see,

have plenty of lobsters and crabs and then.

Even some tiddlers.

This is really good fishing, I must say.

In Padstow, there is this lobster hatchery,

and what they do is take these tiny little lobsters

and grow them to about 2cm?

About two inches, I think.

That big? And then they put them back in the sea.

And Jeremy's saying they get a lot of these in the sea,

so it's good news.

We just feed these up and throw them back.

So it's almost like farming, in a way.

It is, really. Except you're not having to pay for the feed.

Well, this is it.

That's just big enough, that crab.

-Just made the measure, that one.

-So you've got quite an optimistic future, lobster fishing,

and then you've got your Fisherman's Friends as well.

-Yeah, it's all going on, isn't it?

-So how did you get involved in that?

Well, we are literally all friends.

We would have been down the pub on a Friday night anyway.

So why do you think fisherman sing on boats?

The sea shanties, obviously, on board sailing ships,

were actually essential to bring up the heavy ropes,

to bring up the chains for anchors and that.

-It's like...?

-They'd have a chant going, like...

# In South Australia I was born, heave away... #

# Rattle them down and stamp and go

# Rattle them winches, oh

# Rattle them down and stamp and go

# Rattle them winches, oh. #

The boys will be back later at the banquet.

One of the other stars will be this lobster dish.

I've got my Breton chef Stephane Delourme

to come up with a lobster pithivier.

He's cooked the lobster for just a short time.

It shouldn't be cooked completely,

because it's going to be finished off when the little pies

are baked in the oven, and he doesn't want it to be overdone.

Steph and I are making what I like to call a shellfish reduction.

I'm just cutting up these lobster shells here.

What a lot of people don't realise

is how much flavour there is in a lobster shell.

I mean, also in prawn shells and also in crab.

Once the smashed up shells are in with the sizzling vegetables,

you add a large pinch of saffron and another of cayenne pepper.

Mix it together and then flambe the pan with Cognac.

Add a generous glass of white wine,

followed by some tarragon and a pint of chicken stock.

Now, that has to cook away for an hour,

to extract all the flavour from the ingredients,

before you strain the liquor into another pan.

For the filling, Stephane makes up a fish mousseline with uncooked egg.

I'm keen to use this fish. Fresh double cream, one whole egg...

and some finely chopped shallot.

And then with another egg, beaten in a bowl,

he adds some of the reduction before

gently folding in the smooth, creamy fish.

Believe me, this is all worth it.

The pastry is a straightforward puff pastry,

and the filling must always be generous.

The lobster hasn't been overcooked in the first place,

because it will cook more when it's baked.

And, of course, the fish mousseline will cook at that time, too.

What would you have in Brittany over Christmas? In Quiberon?

We will have a lot of shellfish, fruits de mer, normally, to start.

We used to eat goose a lot, but it's mainly beef now.

Beef en croute or nice fillet of beef.

Of course, this is lobster en croute, really.

Yeah, it could be lobster en croute.

But, yeah, that's a bit posh for family.

Before baking, just give them an egg wash

to make them turn to a golden colour.

And because he's a Frenchman,

Stephane has an irresistible need to draw on them.

But does make them look very pretty.

Back to the sauce, to thicken it with butter and cream,

and to prepare a chiffonade of basil leaves.

That's very French of me, isn't it?

Very nice. Very lobstery, isn't it?

And the basil, just before it goes out.

It comes out of the oven looking a bit like a high-class Cornish pasty.

But don't be fooled by the looks, it would be superb on its own,

but surrounded by that unctuous, creamy sauce with basil,

and it reaches a new plane altogether.

Just thinking, at Christmas,

just the best bottle of old white burgundy I've got will go with this.

I had it in me head, as I was eating that lovely...

I mean, the shellfish, the saffron works really well

with the lobster reduction.

Very deluxe food, I'd say.

-Bon appetit.

-Merci.

That was a lovely looking lobster dish there, Rick, just beautiful,

-wasn't it?

-It is, so...

-That pastry looked gorgeous.

-I would say that.

Absolutely perfect for a special meal with friends and family.

Now, I think a lot of people get fed up with some of the usual Christmas food.

So I wanted to show you something that's a little bit different,

from my family, it's my citrus jerk chicken recipe.

-Oh, love jerk chicken.

-With waffles.

-What?!

-Because we love a savoury waffle.

Are you familiar with savoury waffles?

-No.

-No.

-You've never had chicken and waffles, Rick, all your time in America?

-Yes.

-I have been making chicken and waffles for years now, actually.

I mean, I think when I first...

At Christmas, any time of year, actually, it's a great one with the kids.

You really have a fear of bland food, don't you?

Yes, huge fear of bland food.

Terror of the bland.

Well, this one should sort you right out, actually.

Fantastic. You know, I carry a tiny little Tabasco bottle in my handbag?

-Do you?

-You know, I heard about that,

I heard about you and your hot sauce.

I do, it works really well as defence against attack as well.

So you can just chuck it generally at them.

-There you go, yes.

-So, Nina. Still Open All Hours.

-Yes.

-Amazing show, amazing success.

-Thank you.

-It came out, this is your fourth series, right?

-Fourth series, yes.

-And it came out on Boxing Day.

That's right, it was a one-off special for Boxing Day.

And next thing we know, it got so many hits, because of course,

it has the iconic Sir David Jason and of course people remember Ronnie Barker very fondly.

-Of course.

-And of course, all the gorgeous women in it.

And that was it, they just said, right,

we're commissioning a series and before we knew it,

it's one of the most popular shows on Boxing Day.

It's good, though.

How many viewers did it get on that first massive run?

I don't actually know the exact number but I know it was above 8 million.

I have the number, funnily enough, Nina. It's 12.2 million.

-No way!

-Yeah.

-12.2?

-You smashed it, I believe they say.

Fantastic news.

Open All Hours was an iconic show.

-Yes.

-So was it a little intimidating to sort of try and recreate that and

-move it forward?

-Yeah, I mean,

this happened about four or five years ago.

They decided to bring back a lot

of sitcoms that were very loved and I think some succeeded,

some not so much.

This one, actually, really took off.

Because of the writer, to be honest,

I think Roy Clarke is such an amazing...

It's the original writer.

And what he did was,

he actually made David Jason's character kind of graduate

to be a bit more like Arkwright.

And I think that actually really, really made it work.

And who are you playing?

Tell us a little bit about your lovely character.

I play this very gossipy, interfering, not like me at all!

How rude! How odd for you for them to cast you!

A lovely woman called Mrs Hussein.

She's very quirky, very odd.

And that's why I like her. I love playing characters that are slightly not quite right.

-Yeah.

-I always find them a lot more interesting.

Slightly left of centre.

Yeah, those are the most interesting people to watch, aren't they?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Yeah, and Roy sort of wrote her in after the one-off special.

I was very, very flattered, it was brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

And did you...

All your characters, something I've noticed with you, actually,

is that your characters are quite warm.

There's a sort of certain appeal to the women that you play, Nina.

Thank you. Yeah, I try and make them all rounded.

I mean, even my character on EastEnders, Zainab, my goodness,

when they came to me and they said, can you do Pauline Fowler but funny,

I thought, how on earth am I going to do that?

She's a grumpy old, you know, piece of work.

So, but my husband said, just be yourself, which didn't...

But I thought, all right, fine, I'll come up with something and with her,

I thought it would be great if she was blunt.

So it was this really grumpy woman but blunt.

And she seemed to work.

The thing I found is generally with characters is,

nobody is either very lovely or very unpleasant.

Everyone has a mix of something in who they are.

And that's why there's always a little bit of warmth so people feel

empathetic towards that character.

Sorry to interrupt, what's happening in your chicken?

So much going on here. We've got chicken, we've got cumin,

we've got paprika, we've got coriander, we've got mustard,

we've got thyme, we've got Scotch bonnet.

We've got rum.

And we've got three different types of citrus - we've got lime,

we've got orange and we've got lemon.

Because I just think it gives it a sort of,

because I find often that jerk chicken can be a bit muddy.

You know? It gets a little sort of down in the dark.

So we put the citrus to give a bit of brightness to the dish, basically.

-Amazing.

-And bring it back up, back up, back up.

Right, so here's one we've got marinated.

-OK.

-Now tell us a little bit about what's going to be going on

on Still Open All Hours this Christmas, then?

Obviously without giving too much away.

Yes, no, well, it's just hilarity.

It's old-fashioned kind of warm humour

that everyone from a four-year-old

to a 95-year-old can watch together and that's rare these days on TV,

to have a show that everyone feels comfortable watching and is actually

-genuinely funny.

-And that's on this Boxing Day?

That's on this Boxing Day,

and then it goes on for the next seven episodes.

And what channel is it on?

BBC One, of course.

Right, so this chicken is going to go into the oven now.

Got everything on there.

The rum is a really nice little addition to it as well.

Rum is often a really nice addition to cooking, I find.

-There was half a bottle in that.

-Just slip that in there.

I'm going to pull the other one out.

Those waffles are coming along nicely.

-Fantastic.

-Now, tell me a little bit about you and your food story.

Right, which one?

Well, I mean, because you grew up, so you were in India and then you went to Hong Kong?

-That's right, yes, yeah.

-And is this is where your fear of okra and aubergine...

-When did that actually happen?

-That was when I was still in India.

My mum was obsessed with getting my dad to eat the one vegetable he

wouldn't eat, which was aubergine.

And so she tried to make it in several different guises.

So that's why I created this mad aubergine character

in Goodness Gracious Me,

who insisted that everyone has to have everything in their life

with a small aubergine.

She was not happy about that.

So we did that. And then when we moved to Hong Kong,

my parents ran a restaurant called the Ashoka in Hong Kong.

So I ended up working in a restaurant from a very young age.

So I kind of,

I know how hard restaurant life is and I appreciate any hard work

that goes into it.

Because I don't think people get how difficult it is.

And can you tell me a bit about Parsi cooking? I'm really interested in that.

Sure. Well, I'm Parsi, I'm a Zoroastrian.

And Parsi cooking is, it's for me, it's a blend of Persian and Indian.

It's kind of...that's literally that's what it is.

And I love... I'll be honest,

when I was younger, I did not love to cook at all.

In fact, I quite despised it.

And it was my mum, when I finally met the person I'm now married to,

said, "If you want this marriage to last more than six months,

"you'd better learn how to cook."

And she was right. Because he eats a lot.

So, do you cook with your kids and stuff at home?

Yeah, that's one thing that I absolutely love to do.

It's strange, it's a strange thing with kids,

I don't know if it's like psychology with kids, if they cook with you,

they'll eat the end product because they've put the effort into it.

Well, it connects them to the food, doesn't it?

That's why it's kind of important, I think, for kids to cook.

And what does Christmas look like around your house?

Absolute chaos.

-Is there quite a lot of you?

-There's, yeah, there's a few of us.

In fact, this year we're staying...

Normally we go to Canada, because my husband's Canadian,

so we go back to his family and I end up cooking there as well.

Over here this year,

my son's doing his 11 Plus exams, which are a nightmare,

so we'll stay back here and I'll just do everything this end.

But I might steal your goose recipe.

-Oh, absolutely do.

-Definitely.

But, yeah, looking forward to Christmas.

Wonderful. Right, I am plating up your food here, now, my darling.

Oh, wow, again, all for me.

So we've got two cornmeal waffles.

-Wow.

-We've got the orange and ginger chicken.

I think I can fit it all on this plate.

It's a little tight but I think we can do it.

I've made a little bit of gravy, because, you know, in my house,

-you have to have gravy.

-Yes.

Even if you're going to... Because I've also made on the side,

we've got a lovely syrup that we've made with honey, chilli,

more orange, more ginger, and some more Scotch bonnet, actually.

So the gravy is going to give us...

You see when you pour the gravy

and it sits in the little pockets of the waffles?

Makes me very happy, that.

-Right.

-That's just a small portion.

This is just for you to have a little tuck in.

See, I'm upset, there's five of us and there's only four pieces.

-Get in quick!

-This is an enormous plate of food.

-Good Lord.

-Give me one second, I'm going to put this...

I think some other people in the room are going to have a little bit.

-No!

-You know, the crew have all got forks in their back pocket,

-you do realise that?

-Yeah, come and get it!

And here is your chilli honey syrup.

That looks incredible.

That is my citrus jerk chicken

and cornmeal waffles with a chilli-spiced syrup.

But I've got one more little present for you.

-Right.

-Because of your Tabasco.

I brought you some of my home-made hot sauce.

-No way!

-This is really hot.

-OK.

-I warn everybody, people always go, "Yeah, yeah, it's fine."

I'm like, "No, no, really! It's actually really, really hot."

So it's got yellow bullet chillies and Scotch bonnet and turmeric

-and roast garlic.

-Wow.

-So I thought you'd quite like that.

-All right. Sounds good.

-There you go, my darling.

-Thank you.

-You get stuck in.

-All right!

-What will I be making for Nina at the end of the show?

Will it be her food heaven, tiramisu?

If so, I'll make a scrumptious tiramisu cheesecake

with dark chocolate truffles.

I'll make a chocolate biscuit base and top it with

a cheesecake of custard and mascarpone, sponge fingers,

espresso, spiced rum and finish it all off with some

rum-infused dark chocolate truffles.

How's that, is that working for you?

I feel so sorry for the three of you.

If Nina gets hell,

I'll be making okra and aubergine caponata

-with char-grilled pork belly, say it again, say it for me!

-No!

Pork belly! I will soften the okra and aubergine in butter with capers,

garlic, tomatoes and wine and finish it with fresh basil,

parsley and olive oil. We'll serve this with some caramelised

fennel-seasoned pork belly and some deep-fried okra, double okra.

Never forget. We're not live today, so there's no viewer vote.

But you'll find out what she gets

and how she gets it at the end of the show. How is that?

-That was unbelievable.

-Was it delicious?

-Unbelievable.

-Marvellous, that's what we like.

-Yes.

-Have you tried the hot sauce?

-No, I've got to, may I?

-Get some of that into you.

-I'll be very careful.

-Yeah, be careful.

You've given me a warning, there we go.

I mean, I'm quite pathetic, I think everything's really hot.

But this is definitely hot.

-OK, here we go.

-Have a little try.

-Right.

-Here you go.

-Quite warm?

-Can't feel my face.

Happy Christmas, my darling.

And now it's time for some seasonal treats from Nigel Slater.

He's got some great ideas for using up those inevitable leftovers.

What leftovers?

Not in my house, not really, not many.

The Boxing Day lunch in my house champions one of the greatest

Christmas tastes of all.

Every Christmas, I love to have a ham in the house.

I love the juicy pink meat and I love the fat, too.

But I also like the crust that I put on it.

This year, I'm covering my ham with a bacon crust.

Which I'm going to marinate in some maple syrup,

a good three tablespoons,

and then three tablespoons of black treacle.

Just cover all the rashers.

And then I'm going to leave this in a cool place to marinate.

Three or four hours minimum.

Next time we see that, the bacon will be very dark.

These flavours are going to intensify with time

and give my ham a luscious crust.

Now, I think the best way to cook a ham is poached in liquid.

And for me, it's got to be apple juice.

This nice, big, juicy ham and the apple juice will tolerate plenty of

aromatics, so in goes the onion, whole,

pierced with a few cloves.

You can just throw the cloves into the apple juice if you want.

I'm doing this because it's the way my mum did it.

A handful of whole black peppercorns and a bay leaf.

And then a couple of stars anise and that will give a very,

very gentle aniseed flavour.

And then I'm going to bring that to the boil,

turn it down to a simmer and leave it

for about an hour and a half on low heat.

This is one of those dishes that

will always lend a hand over Christmas.

Whenever anyone's peckish, they'll always reach for the ham.

Once it's had its time absorbing all those wonderful flavours,

it's ready for my marinated crust.

It smells gorgeous.

The bacon's got really sort of treacly and interesting.

I'm going to spoon a little bit of the marinade over the top.

The perfect partner to ham, is, for me, the pumpkin.

This bright, wintry vegetable has been softening in the oven,

seeds removed,

trickled with oil and given plenty of butter and black pepper.

And it's looking great.

A little bit crusty and black on the outside, and then really tender...

..on the inside.

While that rests and gathers its thoughts,

my ham goes into the oven for 15 minutes to let its crust darken

and the flavours intensify.

By now, the kitchen smells pretty wonderful.

The bacon is glossy, nice and crispy in parts.

Succulent ham in there.

Soft scoop of roast pumpkin.

And then I've still got a little bit of my apple juice.

Pour that all over.

It's a fabulous plate of food for a cold day.

The Boxing Day gammon never fails to delight.

Thank goodness there's plenty left over.

There's always that moment at Christmas where you think,

am I ever going to use up all those leftovers?

But this is a time that I relish.

Even those little delights sitting on saucers wrapped up in film

can be turned into the ultimate comforting feast.

My bauble and squeak.

Where anything goes, even that classic taste of Christmas...

..sprouts!

It's a sort of Christmas one-pan supper.

It needs a savoury base, it needs something to bring it all together.

So over a moderate heat, I'm going to soften the onion,

maybe even let it brown a little bit.

It's a dish that welcomes some juniper.

This is the spice that tastes of winter to me.

It's very clean tasting.

And I've got a bit of ham going in here

so it's going to work very nicely.

So these are my goodies.

This is the treasure I found in the fridge.

Rip the pieces into chunks and then drop them in.

I've got some goose there.

I've also got some bits of cold ham.

A bit of bacon, too.

I'll put the soft stuffing in.

And the crisp stuffing balls.

That'll work, too. I'm going to put these little roast potatoes in.

Give it a little bit of a stir.

Now, here, I've got the beautiful roast pumpkin.

This will hold everything together.

Just spread it throughout.

And then, for the special ingredient.

Those fresh Christmas greens that didn't make the big day roast.

I think this is the time to use up the remains of the sprouts.

It's just that injection of freshness and vitality

into what is a pan of quite rich, sweet flavours.

If, like me, you once felt that the sprouts outstayed their welcome

at Christmas, cook them up in this and I guarantee

you'll be surprised and delighted.

You can hear that crust forming on the bottom.

All the flavours of Christmas coming together in one pan.

This, to me, is what Christmas is about.

This is the perfect end to an indulgent Christmas,

and the best way to let sprouts win over even the most

resistant members of the clan.

Thanks, Nigel. Some top festive tips there.

Still to come, Mary Berry makes a gala pie

that is just perfect for the festive season.

She makes a hot water pastry crust, fills it with gammon,

chunks of chicken, pickled walnuts,

hard-boiled eggs and sausage meat and then bakes it to perfection.

It's just delicious. Now, at this time of year,

there's always a lot to do in the kitchen.

Those Christmas cakes won't ice themselves, you know.

Later on, we're giving our chefs

a very special Saturday Kitchen Christmas cake challenge.

That's not easy to say!

I can't wait to see who decorates the most impressive Christmas cake

but never fear, we've still got all of our puns.

This week inspired by all things festive.

And they are far and AWAY IN A MANGER the worst ones yet.

There's no rest for ye merry gentlemen.

Will your cakes be shining stars or a pair of turkeys?

Oh, I'm leaving. I'm done.

Will they get a frosty reception?

I ho-ho-hope it won't end in a ding-dong.

YULE have to keep watching to find out.

Now, let's get on with the SNOW! So, will...

Just terrible! So, will Nina get her food heaven?

-Yes!

-Yes, yes, you can keep saying yes, it doesn't make it true.

That will be a tiramisu cheesecake with dark chocolate truffles.

Or her food hell - okra and aubergine

caponata with char-grilled pork.

We'll find out later in the show.

Right, let's get cooking, shall we?

-Rick.

-Yes.

-What's next?

Well, Andi, it's called a cioppino.

It's...Italian origin, some say Liguria, some say Sicily.

-But I got it from San Francisco.

-Ah!

Where it's the signature dish of restaurant called the Tadich Grill

which is the oldest restaurant in San Francisco.

Your trip, your recent trip, through San Francisco, California

-down to Mexico, is just a dream.

-Oh, you're nice.

It's a wonderful show. You're brilliant on it.

You just look like you're having the best time ever.

Well, I mean, who wouldn't be having the best time ever?

-What's it called, the show?

-It's called My Road To Mexico

and it's actually, it starts in California, in San Francisco,

and ends up in Tulum in southern Mexico.

And it's on BBC Two?

Yeah, but it was actually a journey I made in the '60s, in 1968,

from San Francisco to Mexico.

So, in a way, and that was like nearly 50 years ago.

I'm getting too old, Andi!

But it's a journey I made and part of it was a sort of return to the

places that were quite formative to me.

-I'm going to pass this over to you.

-Oh, thank you very much.

-What else can I do for you?

-Well, I'll tell you,

this dish is a seafood stew but it has grilled bread in it.

Sourdough bread

rubbed with garlic and olive oil.

-Right, let's get that on.

-So if you can just slice a few bits.

-There's another bit of celery for you.

-Thank you.

-I've been watching avidly, the show, it's absolutely brilliant.

-Thank you.

There's some real highlights.

Some of the places you visit are just amazing.

What's inspiring about a journey like that for you?

Well, I mean, apart from going back over times when I was very young

and seeing how it's changed, it's just the food.

I mean, I just love the food of Mexico and

I fell in love with the food in Mexico

when I was there as a 21-year-old.

Simply because it was so exotic.

It's funny when I was watching you make that jerk chicken,

and you got the cornmeal waffles, well, Mexican is very similar,

very citrusy food, lots of coriander.

And everything that you eat in Mexico is with corn pancakes,

with tortillas. So it's sort of like very similar.

And it's also that mixture of well-cooked meat, generally,

and the lovely flavours of lime generally, lime, coriander, avocado.

-Oh, beautiful.

-And seriously,

when I was really, really young like that,

it was the first time I'd ever tasted anything truly exotic.

Were they new flavours for you?

Yes, I mean, I was used to Indian and Chinese in England, in Britain.

But nothing like that.

And I think, I often say tasting Mexican food for the first time,

proper Mexican as opposed to Tex-Mex, which is a bit different...

I think we're not really sure what Mexican food is here.

I mean, we know burritos,

but we don't really know, we don't have it here.

I mean, not really, no.

It's a lot fresher and a lot lighter than the Tex-Mex food.

But actually, this dish, it's part of my journey.

But it's from California.

What's interesting, it's very Italian,

but I think this particular sauce is also very American.

Because I can't imagine the Italians putting green peppers, celery,

-a good hit of chilli in there as well.

-Dried chilli flakes.

-Yeah.

Now, I was interested to see on your series, you seem to go,

you've been to India, you've been all over the place.

-Yeah.

-You seem to be very clear about what chillies do what.

Well, certainly, I think it's true in both India and Mexico.

The Indians have very specific uses for chillies.

And same with the Mexicans.

And also, what's great in Mexico and in India,

but probably more so in Mexico, is dried chillies.

-Right.

-And they dry them in such a way and they use particular chillies

that give a lovely fruity, chocolate fruitiness to a lot of sauces.

-A fragrance.

-Fragrance.

And I suppose the one we know best in this country is chipotle,

because they smoke that as well.

Smoked jalapeno.

Where would a barbecue sauce be without smoked chipotle?

But what I'm doing here, I've just got that cooking away,

my sauce there, and I'm just going to make a little thing called a gastrique.

Which is a bit of a tip.

Give us a tip, we like tips. Especially from you, sir.

If you're making a tomato sauce, essentially, this is like a sort of,

yeah, this is a tomato-based sauce.

If you just put a bit of sugar and a bit of vinegar

-and boil that down a bit, right?

-Yeah.

It just gives this really elusive sweetness.

So this is a French thing?

-Yeah, it is.

-So we're going all over the globe.

Definitely. But, I mean, I think it's something that you learn

when you travel that you can take ideas from one culture

and put them into another.

And I most notice that,

funnily enough this is a bit of oregano going on in here

which is very, actually very Italian and Mexican.

-Or-egano, even.

-Or-egano.

When you went back on this journey, after 50-odd years,

did you notice any changes in the way people eat?

Well, not particularly.

I certainly noticed the way people eat in California,

they're very health conscious.

You don't get, I thought I was going to be really snooty about it

and say, "Oh, they've all got allergies and all this."

But, you know, people have got allergies and Californians

-really look after them well.

-That was a big change.

And they're really into healthy eating, really into this...

There's a very famous vegan restaurant we went to, which actually...

-Was it great?

-It could almost get up there with

the Indian vegan restaurants, it was so inventive in flavour.

Now, the other place that looked amazing,

have you guys seen the series?

It's a beautiful series, if you haven't watched it,

just get it on the iPlayer and watch it.

There's an amazing... La Cocina de Dona Esthela.

Apparently the best breakfast in the world, tell me about that?

I will. Tomato gone in, the gastrique gone in.

I think we'll move over now to the one we made earlier.

But before that, I'm just going to take...

I've already done the prawns here.

-Talk us through that.

-I forgot to put the white wine in there,

spilt half the worktop.

-Whack it in, darling.

-So, I kept the prawn heads, right?

And I'm just going to put them in there with a bit of fish stock,

-rather than water.

-Lots of flavour.

Lots of flavour, and don't throw away prawn shells, they're very,

very good for flavouring a stock.

Gives you some ballast, gives you some real depth of flavour, right?

Absolutely, absolutely. Flavour for nothing, you know?

It always slightly upsets me when

you see people throw things like that away.

You know, protein, particularly seafood,

is so incredibly expensive and valuable, don't throw anything away,

-use everything you can.

-Use everything.

Right, if you would like to try Rick's recipe or of course any of

our studio dishes, then just visit our website,

bbc.co.uk/saturdaykitchen

Right, over here now...

Now Dona Esthela, I'm dying to know about it.

It was just this wonderful restaurant

in the Valle de Guadalupe,

which is the Guadalupe Valley,

which is where they make the best wines.

So I've just done this stock now,

I'm going to pour that into my reduced...

I'm going to get rid of this, because we'll plate up in a minute.

There's the prawn stock going in there.

But it's a bit, they like to say it's Mexico's version of the Napa,

it's in Baja, California,

and it's this very good area for growing really good wines

and the best Mexican wines come from there.

But this woman just opened a breakfast place.

You've got to drive from the sea,

because Baja California's on the Pacific,

inland about three quarters of an hour for breakfast.

But for breakfast...

You look quite cross about that, actually.

It's just, like, I was just thinking, I need my coffee!

Sorry! I'm just going to cook these all now.

We're going to start plating up in a minute, yeah.

I was just amazed that so many people went out there.

-I know, it was really busy.

-Yeah, really busy.

And not just with the locals,

but there were buses of people, because it's so famous.

And she'd done something quite extraordinary with that lamb?

Yes, it's called borrego,

it's like very slow-cooked lamb, but it's cooked with agave,

you know that they make tequila?

-Cactus.

-But with the leaves, just to keep it all moist.

-How much of this do you want in there?

-Just two pieces, I think.

Two pieces? Let's put a big one and a smaller one.

-That's just cooking for a few minutes.

-How long would the stew normally cook for?

I would give this, once it's boiling, about two or three minutes.

So that's going to go on the bottom to form the base?

-That's right.

-And was it worth the journey?

It so was, but more than anything, Dona Esthela was...

One of the great things I think in the Mexican programme is

the people, they're so friendly and so sort of into what they're doing.

She's like a natural cook.

You know when you see people tasting everything all the time

and sort of like really worried that it turns out well?

Yeah, every single day.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Every single day they go back and make it perfect every single time.

The book is absolutely wonderful.

-Thank you very much.

-What have you got coming up next, then?

Well, next, I'm going to have a bit of a break, really.

-I'm going off to Australia for Christmas.

-Lovely.

And my wife's Australian family,

they have turkey at Christmas,

but they also have ham and they have beef.

And I'm not allowed to cook any of that stuff

because it's a big family, I'm just doing the veg.

-You're doing...

-But I'm very happy because...

Are you making vegetarian food or are you just doing the sides?

Oh, I'm doing the veg, but I'm going to just, you know,

tweak it a little bit, not too much.

But actually, I think the main thing,

the thing that I really like at Christmas are the veg.

I just do this dish of carrots and I take the carrots down till they're

sort of caramelised with a bit of sugar in there, salt and butter,

and tarragon, fresh tarragon.

-Beautiful.

-And sometimes I put some fresh beans in there,

sometimes some fresh broad beans or peas.

-Certainly Australia in the summer.

-Does it feel like Christmas still in Australia?

Well, they all run around in Santa Claus outfits.

I sometimes say to them,

but they don't really care for me saying this too much,

ever thought of doing Christmas in July?

It might have a better feel to it!

Are you ready for this parsley now, sir?

-Yeah, let's pour it on top.

-How much do you want?

-Show me how much you want.

-That's beautiful.

-Beautiful, there we go.

Tell us what that is one more time.

This is cioppino, which is a seafood stew of cod,

prawns and mussels with a tomato and green pepper base.

Smells incredible.

-It does, actually.

-Thank you so much.

Marvellous, thank you so much.

Look at how beautiful this is, guys.

It's quite a nice day today, isn't it?

-I went a bit wild with the chilli.

-A very good day.

-A bit wild with the chilli?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Chilli madness!

Why not. It's always a bit of Christmas chilli.

-Nina?

-Yes, may I?

-Let's see what you think about that, Nina.

Right, let's try it. Oh, my word. I'm going to have to go for a prawn.

-But of course.

-Get your napkin on.

-Well, yes.

I'm a naturally messy eater.

And Susie, what have you chosen to go with this?

So, I know we talked about the fact

that you've got some Italian influence here

and some American influence,

but I also felt it was a little bit French in style,

this sort of southern French style.

-Yeah, definitely.

-So I have gone for a southern French wine.

-It's a Picpoul de Pinet.

-Oh, love it.

It's the Baron De Guers Picpoul de Pinet 2016,

so this is £6.50 from Sainsbury's.

So amazing value.

And it's a really typical Picpoul in that you've got a lovely kind of,

the scents of wild herbs from down in the south of France.

It's from the South, it's from the Languedoc.

And then when you taste it, it's dry and tangy,

it's got almost a salty tang.

But fruity, because that little bit of chilli needs that.

That's really lovely, it's a good one.

And also the sweetness from that reduction,

I think you need to be able to match that as well,

-so a nice fruity white peach.

-What do you think about that?

I love it. Absolutely delicious.

-I think that's what you call moreish.

-Moreish!

Very gluggable, very gluggable.

And Nina, what do you think about that?

Oh, my goodness. Again, it just... The match-up.

-You're amazing.

-So fresh and clean at the beginning.

And then just the warmth at the very end, it's just...

-Delightful.

-I know what you mean, Andi, not everybody drinks alcohol.

But at this time of year,

you kind of want to be able to have a really nice drink whatever.

And I think I thought with this,

something like an elderflower presse,

you've got a little bit of fizz.

It's not too powerful.

Because you don't want to overwhelm that gorgeous fish.

And just something that's, again, like the wine,

quite fruity, but just an easy-going

and gentle drink that will sit alongside it.

Thank you very much, Susie.

-Christmas Eve, maybe.

-Very quick question.

-Yes.

-How does one eat mussels in a delicate way?

Well, the French quite often just sort of eat them out of,

they break the two shells in half

-and then use the empty shell to scoop out the...

-The next mussel.

I just use my fingers!

I wouldn't worry too much!

Now, let's catch up with Si and Dave.

The Hairy Bikers are enjoying Noel in Newcastle,

serving up three French hens three ways.

# Alouette, gentille alouette

# Alouette, je te plumerai. #

The French poulet Bresse, the finest French hen in the world.

We've got three of them, three French hens.

Yes, you see, because you know what? They're renowned for being tasty.

So, if it's fine dining and Michelin starred flavours you're looking for

over the festive period, then this is it.

We're making three dishes, because with a bird this fine,

you waste nothing, you'll even eat the cluck.

Yeah! And we're doing chicken thighs stuffed with parsley and thyme,

citrus-crusted chicken breast

and a fantastic noodle soup,

ideal if you're feeling like Billy Bloater after eating too much

or worse for wear after too much beer.

Over to you, Signor Butcher.

-Right.

-I'll go and peel the carrots.

-Are you peeling carrots?

-You go and peel a chicken.

I'll peel a chicken, right.

We're going to start taking the legs and thighs off.

You can see where it falls away - look.

Then what you do,

you turn it over, with your thumbs,

and then you press, and you pop out those thigh joints.

And then what we do is make a small incision there,

to cut through the tendon.

While Dave struggles with the veggies,

I'm removing the breast and cutting away the drumstick from the thigh.

See that - that is said thigh bone.

So what we do, take the knife -

which is a good thing for cutting with -

and then just pull the flesh away from the bone, like that,

until you get to a point where you

can put your knife underneath the bone.

Just cut up towards the bone - nice and gently,

you don't have to be tough with it at all.

One boned thigh - how simple is that?

Come on, just give it a go.

-Give it a go.

-That was brilliant!

So we have the drumstick that's going to go into the soup,

the carcass that's going to go into the soup, the lovely thigh,

two lovely breasts.

What an awesome iconic place to cook!

-Yeah.

-The Tyne Bridge - the mighty Tyne.

-It's nice to be home.

-Let's get on with this great winter soup.

Right, put the carcass in, I'll have the wings in,

I'll have the drumsticks in as well.

Leek goes in, a couple of sticks of celery, and don't forget the leaves.

Whilst Kingie's work is cosmetic and beautiful,

mine can be a bit of a hatchet job -

because I'm in it for flavour, not for beauty.

Bung that in.

Just put some peppercorns in, just whole peppercorns,

and I'm going to make a little bouquet garni.

Take just three or four bay leaves, a bunch of thyme,

put the string on there like so,

and it's like a little Christmas present full of flavour.

That's it - just bring that to the boil,

let it simmer for at least two hours, preferably all day, really.

There's going to be pints and pints of lovely chicken noodle soup.

So whilst the chicken soup is on the go,

it's time to get on with the stuffed chicken thighs.

This stuffing is a classic lemon and parsley - lots of zesty flavours,

herbs, breadcrumbs, and all held together with an egg yolk,

and that's it. So it's over to you, Kingie.

Oh, that's going to be great, man.

Look at all those lovely flavours coming together -

it's making my mouth water just thinking about it!

Now the citrus-crusted chicken breasts.

To start off, I'm going to melt down some lardons,

and I want to sear the chicken breasts,

but I'm doing that in the bacon fat, so it's super juicy.

Ooh, look at you and your posh lardons!

You can't beat a lardon for flavour, Kingie.

Whilst the lardons are sizzling away,

I'm going to get on with the citrus rub for the chicken breasts.

I'm combining lots of fruity flavours

with a little bit of thyme and garlic and seasoning to taste.

Now that the paste is ready,

it's time to sear the chicken for a few minutes.

I only want it colouring,

so remember - I don't want it frying through -

I don't want it to get tough.

You put this on here, ready for the oven.

I sincerely wish you could smell these.

Abso-blooming-lutely!

Oh! So just about a teaspoonful of this paste,

just spread it on to the chicken breasts.

And we're not forgetting, we've got that lovely bacon fat and lardon.

We're going to baste the chicken with that,

and what we're going to get in the bottom of this dish is the most

wonderful kind of drizzly juices.

Then place in an oven for around 20 minutes.

Whoa - that stock's brilliant!

The stuffed chicken thighs are superb,

the citrus breasts are grilling up - time to get the calling birds!

Let's go.

To go with our three French hens, we need four calling birds,

and we know just the place to find them...

..one of Newcastle's biggest call centres.

These birds are definitely worth a fine three-course meal.

Alfresco, mind!

And we are serving them the best chicken money can buy,