0:00:06 > 0:00:10We've travelled the world and eaten everywhere from roadside bars to
0:00:10 > 0:00:12restaurants with Michelin stars.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17But there really is nothing like a bit of home cooking.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Coming into a warm kitchen filled
0:00:25 > 0:00:27with the aroma of a tasty meal bubbling away -
0:00:27 > 0:00:31it's one of life's great pleasures.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Lovingly prepared dishes with flavours that pack a punch -
0:00:37 > 0:00:41it's the perfect way to put smiles
0:00:41 > 0:00:45on the faces of your nearest and dearest.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51We also uncover why some recipes are so special that they're handed down
0:00:51 > 0:00:53through generations of the same family...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55The smell is absolutely fantastic.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01..drop in on some of the UK's homeliest tearooms and cafes, and...
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Service!
0:01:02 > 0:01:06..find out what chefs like to cook on their days off.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10- Look at that! - It's much easier and much quicker.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17There's nothing quite as comforting as simple home cooking.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Today, a taste of Northumberland,
0:01:32 > 0:01:37showing off some great recipes and amazing local produce.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39It's food fit for a king.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43We're going to do Northumberland lamb meatballs.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And this is a homage to the lamb we have in Northumberland,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49because the breeds that we have vary. We've got Mule,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52we've got Suffolk, we've got Scottish Blackface,
0:01:52 > 0:01:53we've got all sorts.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01What I've got here is some pine kernels.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04We've toasted off these pine kernels and all we're going to do is just
0:02:04 > 0:02:07crush them a little bit in a pestle and mortar and add them to this
0:02:07 > 0:02:10- wonderful lamb. - You've got the lot, haven't you?
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Cos Newcastle's an amazing city.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14You've got the coastline.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16The salmon rivers - the Tyne's producing salmon.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Just to the north, you've got the Tweed, and then, of course,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23you've got the countryside. The most wonderful beef and lamb.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Well, I think that's the good thing about the diversity
0:02:26 > 0:02:28of Northumberland. What frustrates me,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31in Northumberland we're not that great at shouting about it.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- Well, do you know what? - And it is frustrating.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38So, we've got the lamb and the pine kernels toasted and crushed slightly.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41I'm just going to put some breadcrumbs in here.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44I've put a teaspoon of allspice powder,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46a teaspoon of cumin, some nutmeg.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Here, I've got some flat-leaf parsley, some mint,
0:02:50 > 0:02:51some coriander and dill.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53There's a lot going on in these meatballs.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56But, you know, I think when you've got a city like Newcastle
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and that region, which is an embarrassment of riches
0:02:59 > 0:03:00with produce,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04you know, it's justified to use all of these wonderful things.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Smell that.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10That is as fresh as you get - parsley, mint, dill, coriander.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11A lot of greenery in there.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13One egg...
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Would you like it?
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Right, then, that's just to bind the meatballs.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23- Have you seasoned?- Not yet, mate.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Should I oblige?
0:03:25 > 0:03:28About a teaspoon of sea salt.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29And we like our black pepper.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Oh, look at that. Now, that's just coming together lovely.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35My hands are really, really clean,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and it's best to just get stuck in there, and get in,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and just push all of those fantastic ingredients through
0:03:43 > 0:03:46the Northumberland lamb.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And I know you must be thinking at home, well, "They don't grow cumin!"
0:03:49 > 0:03:50- We know that.- Aye.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55But we do have a history of spice in the North East because of the trade,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- you see.- Shall I help?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Yeah, please, man. - About 20, shall we get?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Oh, no, that's too big.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03I think walnuts.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Now, we start these meatballs off in the oven at a hot heat.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11We just need to brown them at 220 degrees for about ten minutes.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14They'll still be raw in the middle, but then we cook them in the sauce.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- Yeah, get some colour on them. - Oh, aye.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Look at them!
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- Look at that.- It's great.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- Let's get some heat on. - Right, so, onion goes in.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43And we're going to saute these off for a little bit.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- This is what you need, as well. - Yeah.- Swiss chard.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Oh! Doctor Livingstone, I presume.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I'll take the stems off. But we're not going to throw them away.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I'm going to cut these and shred them finely.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I'll put those in with the onions and the garlic.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- They look lovely, don't they? - Absolutely.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05I'll just saute these off a little bit.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10A little bit longer. Mate, would you pass the broad beans, as well?
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Now these, they're frozen broad beans that have been double-popped.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Let them thaw out.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18And the white husk around the bean,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22you just pop out these green beans, and it's like a pan of emeralds.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24They are such a good eat.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26They look so good on the plate.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- Oh, man, that smells brilliant. - Doesn't it just?
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Absolutely gorgeous.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Right, I'm going to put our herbs... Put those in.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Just roughly chop the herbs.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41Don't worry about the stalks,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43because it is all going to be blitzed.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46So it's actually about equal quantity of chopped herbs
0:05:46 > 0:05:51- as the chard leaves.- I'm going to reserve a fifth of the stock
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- for Dave.- Now, remember, the meatballs have only been browned.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57They need to cook through now in that wonderful, ethereal broth of
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- flavour.- It's so good, this dish.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02The remaining stock goes into a pan.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05So bung this in. I'm just going to sweat that down
0:06:05 > 0:06:08for a couple of minutes in that stock.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12I just want to wilt down that chard...
0:06:14 > 0:06:15..with the 'erb.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Oh! What?
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- That's fabulous. - Right, I'll take your device and...
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- WHIRRING - ..and puree this green.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Thank you.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47That'll do nicely.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Oh, what?!
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Now, we stir this through the meatballs.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00And apart from colour,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03this is completely and utterly flavour-packed.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- Look at that. - That is beautiful, Dave. Yeah.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Oh, yeah. This really is the icing on the cake.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Mr Myers.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19There we are, mate, I'll take this off the heat.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- There we go, mate.- That's brilliant.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24We've tried to make the most
0:07:24 > 0:07:26of all the ingredients, not least your lamb.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- Let's have a look. - I think we should.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30They're juicy, which I think
0:07:30 > 0:07:33is one of the essential elements of the meatball.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Good old Northumberland lamb, mate, perfect.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- I'll drink to that, shall we? - What a good idea!
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The secret to creating delicious comfort food is using the right
0:07:59 > 0:08:01ingredients.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03The real work is done by the producers,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06who put all of their passion and expertise
0:08:06 > 0:08:09into getting their ingredients just right.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13I'm Andrew, and this is my wife Billie,
0:08:13 > 0:08:19and together we farm and mill in the heart of Northumberland.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21We've lived here together for 16 years.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25I've been up here for 24 years.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27We were the first cereal farm in Northumberland
0:08:27 > 0:08:30to convert to organic production.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35The considered wisdom was you could only grow milling quality wheat,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37so baking quality wheat, in the south of England.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39This far north everybody said,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42"You're wasting your time, it can't be done."
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Now we grow milling quality wheat every year under organic conditions.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49We've gone back to growing very old varieties of wheat.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51We found, during our research,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53that the further back in time we went,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55the better the baking quality got.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58When we look at what we grow now,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02it's akin to what was grown at the end of the First World War.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06This is what we grew here this year.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09This is spelt that's thousands of years old.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And if you look at any field of wheat anywhere else in the country,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19it's 40, 50 centimetres, and we're growing stuff that's over a metre.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22And these really ancient varieties - the spelt in particular -
0:09:22 > 0:09:26they're so tall that when we grow them in an organic field,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28they overshadow all the other weeds.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32They grow in an environment they were designed for.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34We have very, very deep soils.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38And as much of the plant is growing below the soil as above,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42so these plants will scavenge for their nutrients in a way that
0:09:42 > 0:09:44modern varieties can't.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47And they produce really nutritionally rich grains.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53So, when you walk into the mill, the first thing you see
0:09:53 > 0:09:55is the big 3½-tonne millstones.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57It's two stones. The bottom stone is static,
0:09:57 > 0:10:02and the top stone is driven and mills the wholemeal flour.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07And we mill somewhere around 250 kilos of grain an hour.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13The industrial milling process is called roller milling,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and they're milling at about 11 tonnes an hour,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19and they are predominantly focused on producing white flour.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24The grains that we mill have an enormous amount
0:10:24 > 0:10:28of minerals and vitamins in them. And if you mill them slowly,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30and you retain those minerals and vitamins,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33then you are bringing to the customer, really,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37the best nutritional delivery system that we could possibly produce.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43It's only half the story to say that we've got grains that have high
0:10:43 > 0:10:48nutritional value. The moment you add water to a grain it'll start to
0:10:48 > 0:10:52germinate and a chemical process will happen.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53And it's exactly the same
0:10:53 > 0:10:56when you add water to ground-down grain as flour.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01The only way that you can stop that process and make those minerals and
0:11:01 > 0:11:04vitamins available to us to digest
0:11:04 > 0:11:07is if you lower the pH of your dough.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And low pH is sour, it's acidic - it's sourdough.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Every sourdough starts with a good sourdough starter,
0:11:16 > 0:11:17or called a mother.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21And my sourdough comes from a lovely bakery in Newcastle.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Add a bit flour to it, a bit of water.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Now, what we've done here is called a poolish,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36and that best sits overnight in a plastic bag
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and just let it ferment away.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45So, here's the poolish I made yesterday, and you can see
0:11:45 > 0:11:47it has changed quite a bit.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49We need 200g of this.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54The gluten now begins to develop.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55It's still very stiff.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59So with every knead and with every rest, it will be better.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02And now the long wait begins.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06We put it in the bag
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and let it rise for six hours in a warm place.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I think it's just one of the simplest pleasures in life,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17to bake bread. It fills the kitchen and the house
0:12:17 > 0:12:19with a beautiful smell.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22It also satisfies something very deeply inside us.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23It nurtures us.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39We're going to cook some crab, mate, because it's, you know,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42off the coast of Northumberland, absolutely fantastic.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46- But what's THIS crab?- Well, it's crab with tomato and capers.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53So, I've got a nice piece of pancetta.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55It could be dry-cured back bacon.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59But this is the bit where Northumbria meets Umbria.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04So, we separate the body from the legs.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06We'll deal with the body first.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10These bits here are the feathers, and they are the filters,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13so we want to discard them because it's like...
0:13:13 > 0:13:14The reason they're called feathers,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16if you put them in your mouth, it is like chewing a feather.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18But they're not poisonous.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21There used to be this thing, "Oh, they're deadly," and all this.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24They're not, they're just like trying to eat, well, feathers.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Yeah. There is a membrane in here that you need to take out,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30just like that. You see this here?
0:13:31 > 0:13:35This fundamentally is the mouth of the crab and all you do is you push
0:13:35 > 0:13:37your thumb there, like that, and break that off.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Now, if the crab's fresh, like this is, what should happen...
0:13:44 > 0:13:46..is it should just come out perfectly.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49No meat on that, so discard that for the minute.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Then, take a spoon.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55All I'm doing with the pancetta is rendering it down slowly.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59And this is the first building block of the sauce.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And very gently just prize all of that meat away,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and this is the dark meat. And look at that.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- That's joyous, isn't it? - Absolutely beautiful.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- There we are. - That is fantastic crab.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12That's such good quality, isn't it?
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Then the other ones, it's very simple,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18all we do is start to crack the legs.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Just snap them off.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25I've got a heap of tomatoes here on the vine.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27So I'm just going to chop those roughly.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32After you've taken the legs off, you're left with this fantastic
0:14:32 > 0:14:34body of the crab, if you like.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35You take a knife...
0:14:39 > 0:14:41..and in half it goes.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46And you just pick all of that meat and it pops out.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I'm going to put in two cloves of garlic.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50And I'm leaving these whole.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Give it a bit of a bashing so that the flavour can come out,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55and just let those go for a minute or two.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Then we pop the tomatoes in now.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Start cooking them down with that pancetta, olive oil...
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Now, onto this. There is a tin of chopped tomatoes, too.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13Now, the legs...
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I just give it a crack, a little crack...
0:15:18 > 0:15:20..either side,
0:15:20 > 0:15:21and then you just...
0:15:23 > 0:15:25..scoop the white meat out.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28This is enriching already. It's doing down nicely.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32It's on quite a reasonable heat because I want it to cook down.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33I've got a green chilli here.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Chilli and crab is a classic.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38I'm going to chop this finely.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We put in a whole onion,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46just like that, they're for flavour, as is this chilli.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49And a good pinch of saffron.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52That can go straight in. Some fish stock.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Beautiful. Look at that.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02How beautiful is that?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05To this I'm just adding a teaspoon of sugar.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07For now, we just let that go.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12If this is slow food, then I'm all for it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- Good.- I'll just have a sit whilst you finish your crab.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16You're obviously very happy.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18You can give us a hand, if you like.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Oh, no, you're doing fine, you're doing fine.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26It is nice to see you doing a bit of work for once.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27- What do you mean?!- Well, you know.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Shall we get the spag on?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- Yeah, let's do that.- Oh, yeah, defo.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44Salt the water. Then you just push that in.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Right, shall I finish this sauce off with the capers?
0:16:47 > 0:16:48You might as well.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52About a good tablespoon of capers will do us nicely.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53And chop them.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59And those capers impart such an earthy note, it's lovely.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- All the parsley?- Yes, all the parsley, mate, yeah.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I'll put this in with the crab, because we don't want this
0:17:04 > 0:17:06- to cook too much, do we? - No, we don't.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Stalks and all, I think.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- Absolutely.- Oh, look at that.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- Should I take the onion out now? - Yeah, take it out.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Right, are you ready?
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I'm ready. This is a big moment, Kingy.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Look at that.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21There's no lack of generosity...
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- No.- ..in the amount of crab that's in this dish.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29And this is the dark meat. And don't worry, just break the crab meat up.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33By heck, that's rich, Kingy. I'll put my parsley in now, Si.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Absolutely.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40And just let those flavours just meld together.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- Now, at this point, mate, we'll float some butter into it.- Yeah.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Just sprinkle it up, and...
0:17:47 > 0:17:51Just clear the decks in anticipation of our feast.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52I think that's about ready, mate.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53Right.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56The funnel with a chunnel.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59We don't want it TOO dry, do we?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01No, because then what we're going to do is...
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- Blind me.- That goes in there.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Boom. We'll coat that beautiful spaghetti in the butter.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16Just gently push the sauce through the spaghetti.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23- Right, Kingy, it's time to go on our holidays.- Oh, brill.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Now, this is home cooking.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Look at that.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33That looks dead right, the amount of sauce to pasta.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Oh!
0:18:49 > 0:18:52That is wonderful.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57The taste of Northumberland, with the crab,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00the taste of Tuscany, with the spaghetti.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Happy?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09It's good to be home.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Britain has an army of creative chefs who, day after day, send out
0:19:22 > 0:19:26sensational dishes to customers in their restaurants.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31But back at home, what is THEIR idea of comfort food?
0:19:31 > 0:19:38My name's Dave Coulson, I'm a chef, proud owner of Peace And Loaf in Jesmond, Newcastle.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Opening Peace And Loaf was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Long days, we did all of the painting and stuff ourselves,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47picked all of the pictures, got the kitchen ready.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Modern Geordie is our style of food.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Full-flavoured food, just with a little twist.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57We just take our local ingredients
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and turn them into something a little bit different.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05My philosophy on food is buy as good ingredients as you can,
0:20:05 > 0:20:06process them simply,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10treat it with respect and you'll get good dishes at the end of it.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Thank you, Louis.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Canapes for two, please, one mackerel, one pie, two trout,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18- one fries, oui?- Oui, Chef.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19Quite a relaxed kitchen.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22We're all here for the same reasons, that's to cook lovely food.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26It's, like, six chefs, and we are all barging for space.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28We get along well. We've got a good team in there.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33'Cooking is a great buzz when you have a perfect service.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34'The whole team is on a high.'
0:20:34 > 0:20:38We get cleaned down and go and have a beer. There's no better feeling, really.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Being a chef is everything to us.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46We wake up early, we go to bed late, barely see our families,
0:20:46 > 0:20:47but you still come and do it.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It's a passion for cooking great food for the customers.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53When you see them enjoying it, it means something to you.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58I'm very passionate about the North East,
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Newcastle and County Durham.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03We have loads of different cultures, we have Polish restaurants,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Portuguese, Jamaican, all serving brilliant food.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09You don't have to be down south to be a good chef.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It doesn't matter.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Up north, we know that it's better than down there.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I love comfort food, which is obviously what I eat on my days off
0:21:19 > 0:21:23and stuff. I love going for fish and chips at the coast and, like,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25a beef burger. There's a lovely Chinese down the road
0:21:25 > 0:21:29from the restaurant that does a mean chicken satay chow mein.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Most chefs, if they're honest, eat takeaway food, and 99p burgers -
0:21:33 > 0:21:36it's easy, it's convenient.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Get home, get looked after by my lovely girlfriend Laura.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44A real change of pace - I don't really do much around the house!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We've just had a little boy, as well, so we're looking after him.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49It's hard work, as everybody knows.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54When I'm at home, I cook completely different food.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I just knock up, like, steak and chips and salad.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I like a quick curry or stir-fry, or something like that.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Just things that only take 10, 15 minutes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I'm making my version of mince and dumplings.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Every northern family's favourite.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10This is the first dish I ever cooked for my girlfriend.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12This is our family favourite.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18I start with carrot and onion and leek in a pan,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21and I sweat it down just with veg oil.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24This is the longest bit, getting the vegetables cooked.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Dumplings is just two thirds self-raising flour,
0:22:31 > 0:22:32one third beef suet,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and then just bake them on top of the mince mixture.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39They go, like, soggy on the bottom, crusty on top.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49When you look at dishes from across all the world,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51everybody's peasant food is better than the posh food.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It's natural trying to make tougher,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56cheaper bits of meat into something beautiful.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57The more you've got to cook it,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59the more flavour you're going to get out of it.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Brown the mince, add them both together.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Add stock, and just cook it out until the desired consistency.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11A tablespoon of flour in there, to thicken...
0:23:17 > 0:23:18Dumplings.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Mashed potato - beautiful.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35My favourite meal in the world is mince and dumplings.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41It's warm, it's hearty, it's cheap to make, it's filling,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43it's got everything. I would take it
0:23:43 > 0:23:46to a desert island with us and eat it forever.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Here you go, my love. - Thank you very much!
0:23:59 > 0:24:03'Learning about food has been the best journey I've ever been on,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05'you know? Food is my life.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:17- What are we doing, mate? - Deep-fried ice cream, mate.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20What on earth has that got to do with Northumberland?
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Quite a lot, because we have a massive Italian community
0:24:24 > 0:24:26in the North East
0:24:26 > 0:24:27and in Northumberland particularly,
0:24:27 > 0:24:32because everybody in the big houses in Northumberland
0:24:32 > 0:24:34were the big industrialists,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38and they got a load of Italians over to make the beautiful plasterworks
0:24:38 > 0:24:39in their big country houses, you see?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42I do remember you used to take me to that ice cream shop in Whitley Bay.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44- There you go.- It was superb.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48So, there is a tradition of ice-cream making in Northumberland.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50And this is why I thought
0:24:50 > 0:24:51deep-fried ice cream.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Well, I'm working under instruction.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03In this bowl I have crushed ginger nuts and desiccated coconut.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05I suppose this is your crumbs for your frying, is it?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08This is it. The most important thing is, about deep-fried ice cream,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11is your ice cream balls need to be as tight as possible, because,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- you know, we're going to deep-fry them.- They've got to be super-cold,
0:25:14 > 0:25:15- haven't they?- Super-cold.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17And we're going to put them back into the freezer.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19You want them rock-like, don't you?
0:25:19 > 0:25:24- Yeah.- I've got two eggs and I'm going to stir in some coconut cream.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27So, I can see that we've got the Caribbean vibe coming on
0:25:27 > 0:25:31with the rum, the coconut... I'm beginning to like this, Mr King!
0:25:31 > 0:25:34You see? I know it sounds a bit bonkers, but it's not.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Do you know what, as well, mate?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I just thought it's a nice wintry recipe for ice cream,
0:25:39 > 0:25:40do you know what I mean?
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Because it's deep-fried and warm on the outside.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Most of us have got freezers, and I, actually, to be fair,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48most of the time in my freezer,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- I have to wait for the ice cream to thaw before I eat it.- Yes.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- Should I put the raisins on, Si? - Would you mind?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56No. So, the raisins go into a pan.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- How much rum would you like in there?- About 150ml, mate, please.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Whoa!- Well, you know what we're like up in the north, dude.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05We don't do anything light.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- Two, four, six, eight...- Right, I'm going.- Put them in the freezer.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Yeah, I've got to put them back in the freezer.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- Don't be long.- I won't.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Now, he said to put a teaspoon of cinnamon.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20As soon as it comes to a simmer, I'm going to grate the zest of a lime.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21Kingy!
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- I'm coming!- I don't want this to catch light because, if it does,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29we'll take the kitchen out. So, I've got the cinnamon, the rum
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- and the raisins.- Perfect, mate, perfect. Right, now...- Oh, wow.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Well, I did some earlier, you see.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- They've changed character, haven't they?- They have.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- Right, we'd better be quick. - We do. So,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42into here first, and just scrunch it a little bit,
0:26:42 > 0:26:43so you get a nice coating.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47- Now, I've got my eggs and my coconut cream.- Yep.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And it's back to you, isn't it?
0:26:51 > 0:26:56Yeah. And you cover it again in the ginger nut and coconut mixture.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58And you have to work quick.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00That's one of the fundamental things with ice cream,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03its propensity to melt.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- I'm getting it, though, Kingy. - Are you getting it?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Yeah, yeah. I think those ice-cream balls need to go back in there
0:27:09 > 0:27:11for a couple of hours to firm up.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I'll bash on with this, but don't linger. I know you -
0:27:14 > 0:27:16once you go out there, that's it, I never see you again.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I mean, this is possibly the ultimate grown-up
0:27:21 > 0:27:25rum-and-raisin ice cream sauce. Now, we turn the heat off.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27I want the zest of a lime.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30This needs to go cold.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32And whilst the ice cream's getting harder,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35this will be macerating all that lovely lime, cinnamon,
0:27:35 > 0:27:36raisins and rum.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39And those raisins are going to plump up and look absolutely amazing.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Do you know what, I'm beginning to like this recipe, you know?
0:27:42 > 0:27:44But it's very odd being here on my own.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Right, now, we haven't finished with the sauce yet.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58We're going to make a caramel.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02Sugar. Do you know how we've always told you not to stir caramel?
0:28:02 > 0:28:03Well, this is a little bit different.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05So, we're taking 100ml of water...
0:28:07 > 0:28:10..and we're just going to stir it until it looks like wet sand.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11So, like that.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16And then, we'll turn it up and let it turn into caramel.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21Now, at this point we definitely, definitely do not want to stir it.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23While that's going, you can see the bubbles now,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Dave's just swirling it around.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28- And we don't want it to go to toffee, do we?- No.- Just caramel.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31That's it, Kingy, look. It smells of caramel now.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33We don't want it to go any more, so let's get that cream in.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Now, bearing in mind, when you put the cream in,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38it is going to split and splatter.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39HISSING
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Look at that. And this is very, very, very, very hot.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50- Ready?- Yeah.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58Now, this is what you call a rum-and-raisin sauce.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Now, we will have to wait for this to go cold
0:29:02 > 0:29:03before we put it on the ice cream.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Now, THAT is a rum-and-raisin sauce of some calibre.
0:29:11 > 0:29:12And as it cools, it'll thicken.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Oh, this is nice. I think the nice thing is,
0:29:19 > 0:29:23we should serve this sauce warm, but JUST warm, just tepid.
0:29:23 > 0:29:24Yeah, nice, nice.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Here we go, mate. So, these have been in the freezer again.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32They are like rock. That's what you want.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36That's what you want. The oil is preheated to 190 degrees,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40and we're going to drop the three balls in at the same time,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42and cook them for 15 seconds.
0:29:42 > 0:29:43Take them out, set them aside.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51- Right.- Are you ready? Are you counting?- I'm counting, now!
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Five seconds.
0:30:00 > 0:30:01That's the 15.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Oh, yes, golden and crispy.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09A three-ball scoop of magnificence, Si.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13- Shall we spoon some of this over? - Oh, yeah, go heavy on the raisins.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16- How's that?- I just can't wait to taste it.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Right, let's do it.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Remember, the outside of the ice cream is crispy and red-hot,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23and the inside is frozen solid.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31The coconut's toasted, the ice cream's fabulous.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33The sauce is immense.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Kingy, I'm not really an ice cream man...
0:30:39 > 0:30:42This is the best ice-cream dessert I've ever tasted.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Well...
0:30:44 > 0:30:45it's always a joint effort.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Nothing beats home-made comfort food,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01but every now and then it's nice to have someone else cook for you.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Thankfully, all over the country
0:31:04 > 0:31:07there are places that make us feel right at home,
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and keep enticing us back.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14My name is Mary Manley,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17and we've been running this bookshop since 1991,
0:31:17 > 0:31:22when we opened in only 800 square feet of the shop,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25which has grown since to 8,000 square feet.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30In 2008, our shop manager was looking around for space
0:31:30 > 0:31:32for an office.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36And he found space on the other side of the building.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41When we walked in, it was this glorious room, really,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43and I said, "This isn't going to be an office,
0:31:43 > 0:31:44"this is going to be my buffet."
0:31:46 > 0:31:51This building was built in 1888. Huge - it's 30,000 square feet.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55The first room that was discovered, we changed into the buffet,
0:31:55 > 0:31:56was a boiler room,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00for boiling water to heat foot warmers that go in the carriages.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Then the next room we expanded into
0:32:03 > 0:32:05was the gents' first-class waiting room.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09And the third room is the ladies' first-class waiting room,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12which still has the original marble fireplace.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18We get a lot of regulars come in every morning, read the paper,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22have breakfast. Some stay all day, some people come with their dogs.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30What I wanted in the buffet was just simple, good food, local produce.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Creamy mushrooms and a quiche.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Simple but well done.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36And people liked it.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38And we grew.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Well, they're one of the best bacon sandwiches in town.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Plus, I have quite an affinity towards the place.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47My father used to work on the railway,
0:32:47 > 0:32:51and he's got his name up on the board along the side there.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55And I have fond memories of coming here as a schoolboy, actually.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00And also, we feel very proud of it, because so many people visit it,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02and are so enamoured by the place,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05that we feel it's part of us, as well.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09It's been named by one magazine
0:33:09 > 0:33:12as the British Library of second-hand book shops.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16And the difference between this and the British Library is here you
0:33:16 > 0:33:19can see all the books at once and handle them.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21This cafe is wonderful.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26You can take a book in, you can read it over a teacake and coffee.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30The only problem is, you mustn't get the jam on the pages of the books.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31That's frowned upon.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36The thing I love cooking most is the macaroni cheese.
0:33:36 > 0:33:37Cream cheese going in.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42A lot of people say mac-cheese and they think of what they had
0:33:42 > 0:33:45in school, but mac-cheese can be an art.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Put in our magic.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51That's the cream reduction that has the herbs, the wine, the butter,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53the whole lot, really.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Parmesan.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Now we just add the sharp Cheddar.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Just warming the pasta through.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Boiled in water beforehand.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10And in we go.
0:34:13 > 0:34:14Sprinkle the crumbs.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16And I love doing...
0:34:16 > 0:34:20a simple dish like that, but really well.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23That's what I'm after in our buffet.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27The macaroni cheese is wonderful.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29You get the bacon bits on the top.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32They're really, absolutely divine.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Very nice American influence, I have to say!
0:34:36 > 0:34:39The cafe is definitely an added draw for me.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41It's grown so much over the years.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Whenever I come in, I like to come, sit at this table,
0:34:46 > 0:34:47table number nine.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51I've warned the staff that when I die, I'm going to come back
0:34:51 > 0:34:53and haunt table nine.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Restoring the old station has been a great joy, the whole thing.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Restoring all the clocks and all of the architectural features of the
0:35:07 > 0:35:09station. Labour of love, yes,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12but we've a canny business idea behind it.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15What we do is what brings people in.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17I love it.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I really tell myself and think it's true,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22the very kind of customers we have
0:35:22 > 0:35:26are the same ones who used to come to the railway station.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31Every age, every...class come here.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33And that is what I aim for.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51That, to me, says Northumberland, Kingy.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55- Yes, yes.- Some of the best coldwater fish, I think,
0:35:55 > 0:35:58in the UK comes from the North Sea.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01We thought, we'll do a John Dory.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03And then we thought, we might do a turbot.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06Then we saw this brill.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08- Look at that.- How beautiful.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11We've got a few bits and pieces to do.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13We've got the most wonderful langoustines, mussels and the fish.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15And they're going to be steamed,
0:36:15 > 0:36:17which is like the purest form of cooking.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22The first thing that we're going to do is
0:36:22 > 0:36:26I'm going to give our beautiful brill a bit of a haircut.
0:36:26 > 0:36:27So, it's just...
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Take that off...
0:36:33 > 0:36:34..like that.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38And then the same on the other side.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41This is a celebration of what you have locally.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44- Yeah.- What I love about brill, Dave, and I know you do, too,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47the flesh of the brill is quite compact and solid,
0:36:47 > 0:36:51and it flakes beautifully. And also,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55it just imparts this wonderful, wonderful flavour.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I'm just going to make, like, the steaming vessel now.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01So, I'm making sure that I've got
0:37:01 > 0:37:02enough to wrap around.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Because we want to create some vapour...
0:37:06 > 0:37:08..for the fish.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10I'll put some oil on this side, Si.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15- Yes, please, mate.- So, some oil on here, and a little knob of butter.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18- Beautiful.- A couple there. A couple of bits of garlic.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20And some zest, mate.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23So, we've got, like, the strip of lemon peel, so we'll get the aroma,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26but you're not actually eating the lemon.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Look at this. Gosh, there's some meat on that.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I've put some garlic just in its inside.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36- And there's some more zest, mate. - And some salt in here.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Some lemon zest.
0:37:42 > 0:37:43Bits of garlic.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47And now the steaming liquor.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51You can use white wine, water, or vermouth.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Vermouth is, it's lovely.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56So you want about 100ml of this.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58I'm just pouring it around the sides, cos I don't want to take off
0:37:58 > 0:38:00any of the seasoning that Dave's put on.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02And it's almost cooking in this wonderful,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05- kind of, nice, boozy steam. - That's about there, mate.- Yeah.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08And just gather your foil up.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11We want to do what you call a tent.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15We want the steam to be able to circulate around the fish,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17which it will do.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20So, we need to put this in now for about 15 minutes,
0:38:20 > 0:38:21for a fish of that thickness.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24The oven's being preheated to 200 degrees.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28So, it's quite a fierce oven, but we want the steam.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32- Beautiful. - There we go. Now, we'll time this.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Again, what do we serve this with?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Well, you don't want to detract from the quality,
0:38:37 > 0:38:41you want to focus your head on the langoustines, mussels and fish.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44So, I'm going to do some game chips.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47You know, just posh crisps on the side.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Basically, the first one's sacrificial,
0:38:49 > 0:38:54and then you turn it 90 degrees, 90 degrees, 90 degrees 90 degrees, and,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58look, we get these lovely perforated crisps.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01And I'm going to do an aioli, which, fundamentally,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04is really a garlicky mayonnaise.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07In a bowl, take two egg yolks.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Just to start the emulsification, we're going to put a little,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13little bit of lemon juice in.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15A teaspoon of Dijon mustard in.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18A little bit of salt. I'll give these a whisk.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Suddenly, when you start to make crisps or game chips,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28you realise what a lot of crisps you get out of one potato.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34The game chips are deep-fried at 190 Celsius until crisp and golden.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Now, a key ingredient with aioli is garlic.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42So, we're going to put one lovely fat clove in.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49And, you whisk it until the egg yolks change colour,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and they go slightly light, and then from that point
0:39:52 > 0:39:55you start to add your sunflower oil.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Just in a little dribble every now and then.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10And then I'm just going to add a little olive oil, just for flavour.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12And then...
0:40:13 > 0:40:14..the saffron.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Whisk it in again.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21A little touch of lemon juice.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25And I think, mate, just have a taste of that and see if we're there.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Oh, wow.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30- That's superb.- Yeah?
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Oh, yeah. I mean, it's going to be the richest thing on the plate,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35but I think you leave that to people,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38- how much they want to enrich. - Absolutely.- You forget, you know,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42little garnishes like this add such a lot to a dish,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45and they really are supporting players to that gorgeous fish.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Right, mate, I'm going to take this brill out.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50- I've got my last batch on. - So, at this point...
0:40:52 > 0:40:55Oh, yeah, mate, come and have a look at this.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57- It's beautiful.- Oh! - We can put our langoustines on.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Yeah. Put our langoustines and mussels in.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01That's an event, isn't it?
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Absolutely. For people who are frightened of cooking fish,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07this is a great way to do it, because it's simple.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11How beautiful is that?
0:41:11 > 0:41:15Now, more butter...
0:41:15 > 0:41:18and then we're going to seal her up again.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26Five more minutes, mate.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29I think we've got enough game chips here.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30Yes!
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Right, bit of a tidy-up, eh?
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Yeah, and wait for the main event.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- Oh!- Oh, yeah.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47Now, this is a bundle of joy.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51I'm so excited...
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Oh, look at that!
0:41:56 > 0:41:58See, Mr Fish, there you go.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Oh, come on, Si, at least let's get it on a plate.
0:42:03 > 0:42:04Right.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08There we have it.
0:42:10 > 0:42:16Brill with mussels and langoustine from the cold waters around the UK.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18It's completely brill.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Yeah.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21- Drop of white wine?- Oh, absolutely.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25Langoustine?
0:42:27 > 0:42:29Look at that.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32When people say about opalescent,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35white, flaky fish, that's what you want.
0:42:36 > 0:42:37Plain...
0:42:43 > 0:42:46It's the best, Si. It really is.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Because the pure way we've cooked it, it ticks all the boxes -
0:42:50 > 0:42:52it's moist, it's tasty, it's lovely.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56It's one of those occasions, in cooking,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59where you just let the ingredients speak for themselves,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01because they are of such a high quality.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Cheers. Here's to Northumberland.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Here's to Northumberland. Cheers, mate, cheers.