0:00:01 > 0:00:02BOTH: We're the Hairy Bikers.
0:00:02 > 0:00:06And we're on the road to find regional recipes to rip up your appetite.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10We're riding county to county to discover, cook and enjoy the best of British.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Come on!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Today, we're in search of the real taste of Herefordshire.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Look, Si, it's beautiful.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51You're not wrong.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Although it's one of England's most rural counties, you know,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57it still feels a little bit like the Archers but with a bit of grit.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- Yes, I know exactly what you mean. - You've got the three major towns.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04There's Hereford, Ledbury and Leominster.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09And, you know, in some of them you've still got those wonderful black and white medieval buildings.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Over there you've got the Brecon Beacons and Wales, and the landscape, the rolling hills.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Did you notice as we were tootling through, we've seen hops,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19we've seen apples, we've seen pears, we've seen soft fruits.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I mean, it's quite remarkable.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26It is. Come along, let's go and hit an olde worlde town to investigate.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33On our quest to define the true flavours of Herefordshire,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37we cook up some of the county's world famous export. Everyone wants a bite.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42We head into the fields to find the juiciest blackcurrants and an extra special tipple.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44It all gets a bit damp and slimy on a snail farm.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46They really are local delicacies.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And representing Herefordshire in the cook-off later,
0:01:49 > 0:01:50is James Arbourne.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52I bet you're great at chopping logs!
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Will we be able to beat him in the blind tasting judged by local diners?
0:02:01 > 0:02:03To find out what gets local people's taste buds racing,
0:02:03 > 0:02:08we're heading to Ledbury, an old market town steeped in history.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Ledbury's a beautiful town, isn't it?
0:02:10 > 0:02:14I mean, you could call it half timbered paradise.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16So what do people eat in Herefordshire?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19- Well, they drink a lot of cider, will be the first thing.- Right.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Herefordshire beef. Very famous.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25- Yes.- Hereford hop cheese is also a good one. That's very nice.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- Yes, cos you produce a lot of hops here, don't you?- Yeah.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29What is Herefordshire produce to you?
0:02:29 > 0:02:31All the fresh vegetables and fruit.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Local ciders. Local cassis.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Well, if you like a tipple, definitely the Hereford cider cake.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Cider makes me giggle, you see.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42It makes me giggle a lot. Yes.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Right, we can't wait any longer,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46we need to try some cider.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Local expert James Marsden has offered us a sample.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55OK, what I thought we'd try now is a cider made of two different apples.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- Brown's apple, which is a sharp, an early sharp.- Yes.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01And Tremlett's Bitter, which is a bittersweet apple.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I think this is my favourite cider, this year.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10The other thing that you'll notice when you taste it, is it was matured in whiskey barrels for nine months.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11That's complex, isn't it?
0:03:11 > 0:03:16- At first it hits your palate, it's quite sweet and then it goes off in a dry...- Yeah.- Goes on forever.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17What exactly is perry?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Perry is made with pears.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- Right.- And not just any old pears but special pears. Perry pears.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29There are more than 50 varieties. It should be crisp and quite dry.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Well, that's made with a single pear called Thorn.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- Oh, I like that very much.- Fermented over two years to give that finish.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39I'm very impressed with the bubble cos it's very fine.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43It's not something you associate with perry, particularly.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45- Clarity's superb. - It is, it's excellent.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I think these are some of England's forgotten flavours.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Ciders and perry has become quite fashionable,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53but I think it's important to get back to the fact
0:03:53 > 0:03:55they're really old flavours.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Back on the trail of the county dish.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Madam, what is Herefordshire food to you?
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Well, it's beef. It's Herefordshire beef.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07There's a lot of organic beef here.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Big hairy cows.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Hey, this looks a canny 'in.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Everybody's been telling us about Herefordshire beef.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17That's a pure, pure Herefordshire cross, that is. It's the most beautiful, beautiful beef.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- Look at the colour of that fat. - That is whopper.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21OK, look at the bark on it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- Nice bark on it and especially the marbling that's in the middle.- Yes.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30So as you know yourselves when you cook that, the marbling melts and makes such delicious, tasty beef.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33There's another beautiful T-bone. Look at how dark that one is.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36That there is the fillet. And that there is the sirloin.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- That's how it gives you your fine T-bone.- Yeah, exactly.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44This is one of our pork sausages that we mix with a Henry Weston's special reserve cider
0:04:44 > 0:04:46which gives it that lovely little unique flavour.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49That sausage, that's a thing of beauty.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Oh, that's fabulous. That is fabulous.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53You're very kind, thank you.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54The locals have spoken,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57the traditional taste of Herefordshire has to be beef.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Hereford cattle are one of the UK's oldest native breeds.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04They can be traced back to the mid-1700s.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Free Town Herefords, that's the place for beef.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09That looks like him.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Richard's family have been breeding Herefords in Tarrington for four generations
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and his herd regularly wins show cattle competitions.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21So Richard is the man to tell us how good husbandry gives the best flavour.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Are they the proper purebred Herefords that people talk about?
0:05:24 > 0:05:28They are pedigree Hereford cattle. Yes, this is the Free Town herd.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- We've been in action for 102 years, now.- Super beef.- It is, indeed.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Come on in, boys. - Thanks very much.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36These are some first calving heifers
0:05:36 > 0:05:41with their calves at foot, as you can see. We calve them when they're two and a half year old.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43- So these are young mothers.- Yeah.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45A cow's a heifer until she's had her first calf.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Right.- Then she becomes a cow.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51The main features is the white face, the red coat, the white crest, the white socks.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56- Are the Herefords farmed outside of Herefordshire?- Oh, yes, certainly, they're all over the world.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01They estimate there's about 100 million plus Herefords or Hereford Crosses throughout the world.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03In over 120 countries.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07That's a wonderful Herefordshire export to the rest of the world, isn't it?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09I think it's our main agricultural export, yes.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11When do you slaughter, normally?
0:06:11 > 0:06:16The Hereford is fairly early maturing compared to some cattle,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20but 20, 22, 24 months. They're quite a slow-growing breed compared to some of the continentals.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24- I think that slower growing keeps the tenderness and succulence.- That's brilliant.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- Let's go in here, this is our stock bull.- He's a whopper. - Two and a half years old.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32So, Richard, what do you mean by stock bull?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34He's a stock getter and stock is cattle.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36He'll have the life of Riley. He's the dude.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38What would a bull like that be worth?
0:06:38 > 0:06:43- I paid £2,000 for him as was a year ago.- Right.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46That would not be a top price. A top price breeding bull is 6,000.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- Right.- Really?
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- Yes.- I think we'd better leave him to his empire, really.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56This is my son, Tony, he prepares one of our young bulls for showing.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- It's an important part of pedigree breeding that you show your stock to other breeders.- Yes.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06You advertise your wares, in effect. First, they have to be washed and then hairs clipped,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09to try and improve the profile a little bit of the animal.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Sort of blow it to keep all the dust out.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15You mean, you hair-dry your cows?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19We do, yes. It's an important part of the preparation of cattle for showing.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Tony, can I have a go, cos I've done an elephant?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- Certainly, course you can. - Brill. Are there any rules?
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- Brush gently upwards. You're raising the hair up.- Yeah.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29He's enjoying that. Look at his tail.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35You're a bonny lad. Is there, like, rules for grooming a bull?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39There's definitely techniques to emphasise the bull in the right places
0:07:39 > 0:07:41and to groom him in the best possible way you can.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Bobby Dazzler.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51With Richard and Tony's Hereford meat,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54we're on our way to the kitchen. We're cooking in Goodrich Castle.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59Built in the 11th century, it stands majestically in the valley of Symonds Yat.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08We're cooking up the perfect Herefordshire roast beef with a homemade horseradish sauce.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14You can't come to Herefordshire and not cook beef.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19We visited the great Herefordshire beef producer...
0:08:19 > 0:08:22who's there. The way we're doing the sirloin, it's actually...
0:08:22 > 0:08:25something, well, it's your gig really. It's your recipe.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28First time I had it was at the christening of one of your children.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Yes, of which I have many. It's very simple.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Take some peppercorns. You take some English mustard and then some salt.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40- Yes.- And you make a rub. This rub goes all over this beautiful piece of Herefordshire beef,
0:08:40 > 0:08:45but before we do that, what we have to do is we take the beef and we sear it.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50And what we're going to do is we're going to leech some of the fat out as it just sears.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52One thing that I've got...
0:08:52 > 0:08:55about a tablespoon black peppercorns.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59I'm just grinding it down cos you want it quite gravelly.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Some sea salt. About a tablespoon.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06English mustard, it was built for beef, wasn't it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:10We are going dead traditional on this one.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And you can't do beef without mustard or without onions.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16So, all that wonderful rendered down fat...
0:09:16 > 0:09:21we're going to put some butter in there and do a whole heap of fried onions to go with the beef.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23It's my sort of food.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25It's great! OK.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27That's the bone.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30We're gonna use that as a little trivet.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35We've seared the beef off and now, the rub that Dave made, all you do, it's very, very simple.
0:09:35 > 0:09:41Rub it nicely into the skin. And it's a good coating. Don't be frightened of it. Just rub it in.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44So, here, we've got the rendered down beef juices, the fat...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47the big knob of butter... and put the onions in.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51And just let these sweat down till it's like a big onion cake.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Now, then, the rules of cooking beef.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Set your oven to 220 degrees centigrade, a hot oven.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Put the beef in for 30 minutes at that.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Now, after that first 30 minutes,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06you turn that down to 160 degrees centigrade,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09then you calculate depending on the weight of the beef.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13For rare beef, it's 20 minutes per kilo.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Whatever you do, though, you need to let the beef relax.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Bring it out the oven, chill out for 15 minutes before you carve it,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and the core temperature of the meat will go up ten degrees.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29This piece is two kilos.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30That's correct.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- And we want it rare. - Rare going on to medium rare.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37So, we need that to go in now at 220 degrees for 30 minutes.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42- Yes.- So we want two lots of 20 minutes, that's another 40 minutes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- An hour and a half. - No, it's not, actually,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47it's one hour and ten, total cooking time and rest for 15.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54To go with our beef, we have another super traditional accompaniment, but we're making our own.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- What's that?- Horseradish root. Look.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Fresh horseradish and it's a good root, that.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Horseradish? Call that horseradish. That's a root.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Excuse me, can we borrow your root?
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- You certainly can. - Did you grow that yourself?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09- My mother did.- Look at that.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13We're gonna make a creamed horseradish cos that's kind of slightly mellower,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15nice and sticky and it's great for a beef sandwich.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Look at the cream. You can tell the quality of the root
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and the quality of the horseradish by the colour of it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23It's so, so beautiful.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27We want about four teaspoons. It's going to be quite lively,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31this horseradish sauce so you're not going to need much more than that.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Whoa! Ho-ho!
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Next step, I want a tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41And if it wasn't hot enough, a good pinch of English mustard powder.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Teaspoon of sugar.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46That's just to counteract the vinegar and all the sharp things.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Salt and pepper. Guess what comes next?
0:11:50 > 0:11:51- Cream.- Cream.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Which?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Si, have a taste of this, see what you think.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Is that or is that not the best horseradish ever?
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Yes. Fabulous.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06That's been half an hour now, let's have a look.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Yes. Look, that's searing up, beautifully.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13So we knock that down to 160 degrees centigrade.
0:12:13 > 0:12:20And as it's a two kilo piece of meat, we want it to be done rare, so we leave it now for...
0:12:20 > 0:12:2320 minutes, per kilo.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Which is?- 40 minutes in total cos it's a two kilo bit of meat.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27And then we leave it to rest for?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- About ten, 15 minutes.- Brill.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- Well, it's looking good. - It certainly is.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Let's see if it works. Right.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42What we need to do now is to put a temperature probe in that meat
0:12:42 > 0:12:44to see the temperature inside.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48We want about 45 degrees for rare.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50It's now 60 degrees for medium.
0:12:50 > 0:12:5252 degrees. 53.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55That's perfect for carving. Go on, Kingy.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Right, dude.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Oh, that for my money's perfect.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Take the bap and just press it in there...
0:13:07 > 0:13:09in those juices, like so.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Look at that.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Not much of this horseradish.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15We don't want to kill the beef.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- Oh, look.- It's a work of artness.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Blob of horseradish there. Compote of onions there.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31There we have it. That's our tribute to the Hereford beef, the pride of Herefordshire.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33So, thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40It's time to give the local people a taste and get their verdict.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44What will they make of our take on Hereford roast beef and homemade horseradish?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47OK. There you go.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53- Terrific.- It's good and rich and sort of farm-y.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I'm not normally much of a horseradish fan but this is really, really good.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Words can't describe it. It's too scrummy.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Look at that, they like the baps.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I shall be making my own horseradish in future.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06- Tony.- Tony, have we done you proud?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Very well cooked. It's got the sweetness there.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- You've got a bit of the horseradish, as well.- Yeah.- Yeah, excellent.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14- Have we done justice to your horseradish?- We have, indeed.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Look at the littl'un. Is that good, sweetheart?
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Our beef and horseradish baps went down a treat but a bigger challenge is just around the corner.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28As always, we're taking on one of the county's top chefs in their restaurant, using local ingredients
0:14:28 > 0:14:30to see who can best define the taste of the region.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35Local diners will decide whose dish best represents the true flavours of Herefordshire.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Our opponent today is...
0:14:38 > 0:14:39James Arbourne,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41head chef at The Bridge At Wilton.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Local lad, James, came to The Bridge four years ago.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49His imaginative cooking is adored by locals and he's quickly gaining a national reputation.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53It's great being a chef in Herefordshire because we are surrounded by the best produce.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56If Herefordshire didn't have the best produce, I wouldn't use it,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59but it's pointless me going anywhere else cos I can't get it better.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Lots of our produce we use is from less than ten miles away.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06We use Dairy House, at Weobley, for our dairy products.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Our eggs we get from Winn's Free Range Eggs. They're not far away, at all.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12My butcher, Andy Cornwall, in Ross, will call and say,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15"I've got some fantastic wild boar from the Forest of Dean,"
0:15:15 > 0:15:17or "The beef's particularly good at the moment."
0:15:17 > 0:15:20My suppliers are always on the phone to me.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23We've got a vegetable garden, our gardener tends to grow us things
0:15:23 > 0:15:27that we can't pick up at market all the time, things like Jerusalem artichokes,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31but also he grows the staples, root vegetables, peas, broad beans, strawberries.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35The beauty of having the supplies so close is that it's so fresh.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40If I want to change something on the menu, you know, I can source that ingredient within minutes.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Flavours of Herefordshire Awards we've won now for a couple of years running.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48It's an award for using local produce, it's very satisfying to win,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50but we do understand that we're only as good as our last meal.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53To take on the bikers today, my taste of Herefordshire is...
0:15:53 > 0:15:55best end of Phocle Green pork
0:15:55 > 0:16:00with a twice-baked Herefordshire hop souffle and a Broome Farm perry reduction.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Here we are at The Bridge At Wilton.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07I hope James knows what he's letting himself in for.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10So, James, what you cooking?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13What we've got is best end of Phocle Green pork,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17with twice-baked Herefordshire hop souffle and a Broome Farm perry reduction.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- Fabulous.- What we've got is the loin on the bone.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- Yep, OK.- So we're going to take it off the bone.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Look at that there. - That's coming off the bone lovely.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30I'm not going to take any bone off this side here.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33That's kind of accurate, that.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- We've got some bones there.- Yeah.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38None of our beautiful Herefordshire produce goes in the bin.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Basically, with this dish, all we want is the eye of the meat.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43When people are coming and spending good money,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45they don't want to be chewing through sinew and fatty bits.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Expertly done, chef.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- It is, isn't it? - Takes a little time. Bit fiddly.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Absolutely trounce you in the cook-off, unfortunately, gentlemen.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56There's many that have said that, James. Many have said that.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59These little bits in to make a bit of stock.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04So, basically, all we've got there is the eye of the meat.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06So this is a full larder trim now.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The finishing touch for this...
0:17:09 > 0:17:12just gonna wrap it in a slice of cured ham.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- One more of those.- Look at those.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16We're gonna get these little beauties in the fridge.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19What we're gonna do now is our souffles. First bake.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The beauty of a twice-baked souffle is that you get to tip it out
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- and then you get a nice golden crust around it, as well.- Yeah.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28- What have you put in here? - A little olive oil.- Olive oil.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33OK. In here, I've got some breadcrumbs and some toasted hops.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38- Interesting.- Now, did you know, Herefordshire produce more than half the hops in the UK?
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- So unlucky Kent.- Really.- Yeah.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Hops give a great flavour, don't they?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- It's just a bitter note, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48What we setting fire to now?
0:17:48 > 0:17:53In here we have got milk, some grated Hereford hop cheese. Just gonna melt that.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Got flour here for our souffle.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01Going to pop that in there and what I've tried to do is get a more seriously cheesy flour.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05- Fab.- So we've taken the butter content of the souffle, so we can't make a roux anymore.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Bake the flour first, cook out the flour cos you can't cook it out in the butter for the roux.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- Of course. - Bit of salt and pepper in here.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17Just waiting now for our cheese to melt, even, and our milk.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Right. There's our timer for our flour.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Five minutes. Right on cue.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25All of it, bang it in there.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- Right, give that a good old mix now. See it all come together.- Yeah.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31But we still need to cook that out a little bit more.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36A little blend over here, make sure there's no lumps in there. Put it back on the heat.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Cook it out a little bit more.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Just work that flour.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44This is a bit of milk now I'm just adding, just to loosen the mixture.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Give it a good old mix.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49See, just dropping, dropping consistency.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Bit more salt going in there, now. Pepper.
0:18:52 > 0:18:53So we've got egg whites in here.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- Pinch of salt in there.- Yeah.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00To help the egg whites break down. I'm going to whip my egg whites up.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Give them a good old whisk.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Just gonna add a little lemon juice to that.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- What does the lemon juice do? - Just helps them rise.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- You see these just starting to come up now.- Yes.- That's peaky.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16It's getting there. Egg whites going in there, so we're folding them in,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19bit by bit, gently. Basically, we've got quite a bit of mixture here,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22but with a souffle recipe, it doesn't divide down very well.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- So you make a big batch up. - I've made plenty.- Good lad.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Here we go. So we're going to put a little bit of mixture in there.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33About half full. Half full cos we've got a little extra going in there now.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36We're gonna pop a little chunk of cheese, the Hereford hop, in the middle.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Now, when you cut through it, and this opens the souffle, it's going to ooze.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45Now, we don't have a fan-assisted oven here, otherwise you'd have a fan-assisted oven a bit less, 175.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- Yeah.- And cook them for ten minutes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49This, what we're doing now, is known as a bain-marie.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- Yeah.- In we go. Timer on.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55It's a myth you can't open the oven door when you're cooking souffles.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Just be careful. Next I get my perry on to reduce. Nice big pan on.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Now, this is Broome Farm perry.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Broome Farm is about a mile and a half that way.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06If you drink too much of this you won't be able to stand up.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08- Cor, yeah.- I'm off!
0:20:12 > 0:20:14What I'm going to do with this, I'm gonna reduce it.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18When it comes down to a certain level, I'm gonna add a little bit of glucose to it,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22should thicken it up. That's very sour. We're gonna sweeten it up.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- Sweet and sour. Sweet and sour pork.- Perfect.- Everyone's a winner.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Hoo!
0:20:27 > 0:20:28Little bit of oil in there.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- Just some roughly chopped vegetables there.- Right.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- This consists of onions, carrots. - Shallots.- Shallots.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37We're going to get a little bit of colour on that.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Put some caramelisation on there.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Just going to give it that sweet flavour. In with our perry.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Then we're going to reduce that down, as well.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49What I'm going to do next is I'm going to put my mash on.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52What I'd like to do, as well, just rinse them off, as well.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Coming down to a syrup, you can see there. Liquid is reducing nicely.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- We're gonna add some of our pear juice to that.- Right.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- These juices are all from Herefordshire.- Souffle, chef.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04How are these looking now?
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Beautiful.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- Yeah, happy with those. Don't mess around with salt, though. Get it in there.- Yeah.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16So that's the mash on, the sauce and our reduction ticking over nicely.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Now going to do the crushed roots. Same principle with the mash.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I'm going to cut these into manageable size pieces.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27It is quite fashionable now to serve crushed vegetables.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29So we want a little bit of oil in the pan.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Weobley Dairy House butter.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Coat our vegetables in that. Salt and pepper.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Give it a good old turn over. Just turn it over.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Put a lid on top of that. That's to stop the steam coming out.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46- We've got our reduction now of our sauce and you can see our perry and our juice.- Yeah.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48It's reduced down to almost nothing.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53- We're gonna add to that is reduced pork stock from the bones that we had earlier.- Yeah.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57A little simmer of our reduced pork stock and our perry and pear juice.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01And that is our sauce. Do you see how they're starting to sweat there?
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- Yeah.- And you've got the nice sort of syrupy, the juices coming out of there. Can you smell that?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- Yes.- Buttery sweet vegetables there. - Oh, yes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Now, for a garnish for the dish, I'm going to make a little pear compote,
0:22:14 > 0:22:19almost like a little chutney, a light chutney, to go with it, so it's like a posh apple sauce.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25- Right.- Right, OK? I'm gonna do a couple of little pear crisps to sandwich my pear compote.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31So nice thin slice.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38- They're conference pears? - Yeah, there we go. Going to dip those in syrup.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40This paper is phenomenal.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Put them on to some siliconised paper and dry them out in the oven.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45And you just pop them in an oven,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- turn it right down.- Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49In the bottom.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54- How long for, James?- It's better to leave them all day, just very, very low heat. Dry them out.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Have you done some earlier, chef?
0:22:56 > 0:23:01I have. Just dried out. Little bit of golden on them and you end up with something like that.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Perfect, aren't they?
0:23:03 > 0:23:05We're going to peel these.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Chop them. I'm going to cook them with some perry pear juice,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12a little bit of vinegar, maybe a little bit of sugar,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16cos you're gonna cook it right down to, like, a jam.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19So, basically, just throw this in the pan.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Bit of perry. Splash. Bit of pear juice.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- Supercharge the pears.- Yeah, and we're gonna reduce that.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26We might add a little sugar, we might not,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29depends on how sweet the pears are. Put this sauce now through a cloth.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- Yeah.- It strains off any sediment.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35So I'm going to let that just pass through into there
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and we should have a lovely clear glass-like sauce,
0:23:38 > 0:23:39you can see through it.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40See, good old-fashioned.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- You know when the potatoes are done, stick a knife in.- Yeah.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Stick a knife in. Nice and soft.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Give it a shake. I'm going to put them in the oven for a minute,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- dry them out, so we get a nice firm mash.- Yeah.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Stops you getting a sloppy mash, then you can add more butter, hence more flavour.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57So that's your 'tatoes dried.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Spuds dry. A little mash.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04- We're just going to pass it through here. This just ensures there's no lumps.- Really.- Absolutely.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06No mash goes out of here without being passed.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09That's seen some action, that.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- It has, hasn't it? - It's a really dry, fluffy mash.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- That's without the butter? - Yeah.- Back in the pan.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16We've got a good old spoonful of butter that's gone in there.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- Can you see?- Yeah. - Lots of butter, cos it's just...
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- Yeah.- You guys know that. A little bit of a mix before service.- Yeah.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Make our mash up nice and fresh.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Hereford potatoes in there.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Herefordshire butter, not a lot else.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Salt and pepper. And that is it.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- Bag it up.- Yeah.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38Cut the end. So we've got our roots there come right down. Just going to give these a good old mashing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Put that to the side of the stove.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42The moment of truth. The one that you're praying all goes wrong.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Well, I am praying.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Silicone paper in there. Give them a little shake.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- Ah, so get it out now.- There we go.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And what happens when we reheat them in the oven for the twice-bake,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59is the breadcrumbs and the hops outside toast up.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Fantastic. They look like a big macaroon.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Two pounds on there for the pork. Little bit of olive oil.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07I'm going to season the other side of these, now.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Going to cook them both sides.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Again, look, you've got a nice golden ham there.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- Beautiful.- Yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Bit of Herefordshire butter in there now.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Nice foaming butter over the top. Yeah. Just feel that.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22It's still very rare...
0:25:22 > 0:25:25so we're going to roast that in the oven now for a few minutes.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- They look edible, don't they?- Yeah.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Let's put four minutes on the timer there. Put the souffles in.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- How long do the souffles take on the second baking?- A couple of minutes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Purple sprouting, straight in the boiling water.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- It's all coming together now. - That's your crushed roots. - That's the crushed root.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47- They're only gonna need another minute, but see how they're puffing back up?- Yeah.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50There's our mash in our piping bag.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Little rosette, there.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58So I'm going to drape some purple sprouts now over the mash.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- That's our perry that's reduced down.- Yeah.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04And then finished with glucose syrup.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06So there's our pear sandwich.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Nice, light chutney.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13Keep it nice and warm while we do the dressing.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Just like an ice-cream sandwich.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- Oh, man!- That's perfect.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Salt, pepper... on there like that.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25So, James, just headline your dish.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27We've got a best end of pork,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30twice-baked Hereford hop cheese souffle
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and a Broome Farm perry reduction.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Now then, that's something I would order in a restaurant.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37It's fabulous. Perfectly cooked.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Oh, crikey.- Crisp, crisp.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48It's gorgeous. The hops go through that root mash, don't they?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50- It's good, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53It's all very well what we think but the real judges are the locals
0:26:53 > 0:26:56who will decide whose dish is best in a blind tasting coming up.
0:26:56 > 0:27:02James' pork with local pears was really delicious and a great taste of the county.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04We need something special to take him on.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09- Hereford is home to a traditional British ingredient that's recently fallen out of favour.- Snails.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13And the local breeder, Tony Vaughan, is making the introductions.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16They're bigger than the average garden snail, aren't they?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Yes, they're a slightly larger cousin of them.- Yes.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21- They're very juicy, aren't they? - These ones are, yes.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22What is that trail?
0:27:22 > 0:27:24You know when you see this trail...
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Well, that's a protective trail that the snails will lay down
0:27:28 > 0:27:30so that they don't rip the bottom of their foot,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33so they lay this down so that it glides across a rough surface.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36So, Tony, who buys your snails?
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- We sell them to Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White, Shane Osborn. - Crikey. So these are top-end snails.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Yes, certainly in the West Country, they were known as wallfish
0:27:44 > 0:27:48cos where they were located, they were simply knocked off the wall.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50We are one of the largest consumers of snails in the world,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53We just don't know it. They're just called welks and winkles.
0:27:53 > 0:27:59We eat somewhere in the region of about 18,000 tonnes of these a year, yet we don't regard them as snails.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Yeah, Let's have a look at one, Tony.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05- Right. Let him grab hold of you. - I will. Are you on?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Very clean and beautiful things.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10How did we used to eat them?
0:28:10 > 0:28:17Certainly, steak and snails has been a tradition in this country for as long as I know,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22that steaks were being sold with, or prepared with snails.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26- It's a match made in heaven, isn't it?- Could you show us how to farm snails, Tony?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Yeah. Go on then. Gonna go in to our breeding room.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33The room has a light system which emulates the sunlight and dark.
0:28:33 > 0:28:39The humidity in here is 85% and the temperature is 20 degrees centigrade.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42It does have the atmosphere like an old mouldy cellar.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Yes, and also, it has that characteristic smell.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46What do you feed them on, Tony?
0:28:46 > 0:28:48We feed them on a cereal-based meal...
0:28:48 > 0:28:53- Right.- ..which contains everything they would normally need.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56It's a dried substance, as well,
0:28:56 > 0:29:01because we couldn't use wet leaves cos they'd just rot.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04What I'm going to show you now is the different stages.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08We've got the breeders which'll mate and lay eggs.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- It's like caviar.- Soft, aren't they?
0:29:11 > 0:29:12- Yeah.- These are the eggs.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15They will take 14 days to hatch.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- These are the babies.- Right.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21And then, gradually, they get bigger and they go from this stage
0:29:21 > 0:29:24to these ones here which are about seven to ten weeks old.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27So, Tony, how long from egg to table?
0:29:27 > 0:29:32Roughly 20 weeks from the egg to the finished product which would be these ones here.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Right. The bag of beauties.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38It's a whole world that I didn't even know existed.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40- Brilliant. Thanks, Tony.- Thank you.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Tony's suggestion of serving snails with beef is great,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49so let's crown some Hereford beef with a snail crust and a snail beignet on the side.
0:29:49 > 0:29:55I think we need just one more taste of the county to really give this dish the edge. Something fruity.
0:29:55 > 0:30:02Despite its French reputation, cassis is being produced in the UK, right here in Herefordshire.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06And it's not just any old cassis, it's won two stars in a Gold Tastes Award 2008.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Jo Hilditch is going to show us the fruits of her labour.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Here's one of our plantations of blackcurrants.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15We've got eight varieties growing on the farm.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20These are not quite in full flower but we don't want to see a big frost now, that's for sure.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23Why is Hereford so good for making blackcurrants?
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Well, this sloping land is really good. The frost all drains away.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29The quality of the soil is good.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32And the sun shines, sometimes.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35My family has been here about 150 years
0:30:35 > 0:30:39and they started growing fruits in the 1880s when they were first here.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43I know that my grandfather was supplying Smithfield Market
0:30:43 > 0:30:45cos I've got wonderful old marketing material.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47And then it went on from there.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49My dad started supplying a local jam maker
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and then this big UK drinks maker, so, it's gone from there.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56We sell some locally in the supermarkets and the grocers.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59We have to find a new avenue to get rid of the excess crop now.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01So you've got your cassis.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Got the cassis. Come in. This is the winery.
0:31:04 > 0:31:09Blackcurrant Central. Tell us about cassis cos, I mean, from going to France, we know the Kir,
0:31:09 > 0:31:14- which is white wine and cassis. We know the Kir Royale, which is champagne and cassis.- Yeah.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18- But what is it? - It's an alcoholic product and we only make it up to 13%.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23- They make it a lot stronger in France but here we do it to 13%. - How do you make cassis?
0:31:23 > 0:31:27We take our blackcurrants from the field which we harvest by machine.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32We send them off to somebody to be crushed and pressed and they come back just as the pure juice.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36- OK.- And then we put them in the big vats which are just next door.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- Right.- And there's about 200 gallons in each vat.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41And then we start the fermentation process.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46We put in some yeast and some nutrients to begin with, get it bubbling, get it going.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51That takes a couple of weeks. And then we just keep it going with more yeast and maybe some more sugar.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53We'll try and just keep it going up to 13%.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55- Do you want to try a bit?- Oh, yeah.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Oh, madam, I thought you'd never ask.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59- Just a sip cos we are on the bikes. - I know.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Normally, you wouldn't drink it on its own, but it's great in cooking.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07It's really good venison stew or sorbets or something like that. Enjoy.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11- Oh, yeah. Thank you.- It's not as syrupy and sweet as the French one.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- No.- Oh, man, that's fabulous. It's got a great acidity to it.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17I'd like that with ice and a glass of lemonade. Or with beef.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19- Hereford beef.- Hereford beef.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Yeah, because the thing is, it's not sweet, it's not sticky.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25So if you made a red wine and cassis sauce,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27you're not going to kill the beef, are you?
0:32:27 > 0:32:31- You're not going to turn it. Your cassis rocks.- Thank you very much.- Thanks, Jo.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34And all the best. Good luck for using it in the cooking.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41We're going to do a garlicky snail topped fillet of Hereford beef.
0:32:41 > 0:32:48Served with a snail beignet and a little quenelle of spinach.
0:32:48 > 0:32:54Accompanied by straw potatoes and with some roasted garlic and a cassis and red wine sauce.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59But will the local diners think our dish is good enough to beat James in the blind tasting?
0:32:59 > 0:33:03Snails have been eaten in this country for centuries.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08OK. They went a bit out of fashion but, you know, in the olden days, they were known as wallfish,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12so from this point on, gentlemen, this shall be known as a wallfish.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14That's our first ingredient.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Step one, I need, first, some melted butter.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Now these snails, these are what you call blanched.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22So these are blanched wallfish.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25All I'm doing now is roughly chopping them.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Don't they look lovely? Finely chopped shallots.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Has to be done with care cos it's classically French, reducing a shallot to atoms.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36- Well, it's a wallfish gratine, do you know what I mean?- Yeah. - Bit of garlic going in there, mate.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40- You can't have wallfish without garlic, can you?- That's true.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45- Effectively, this is a crust you're making, with breadcrumbs, butter. - It's like a wallfish gratine.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Some breadcrumbs, which are pretty dry.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Plenty of salt on the snail wallfish.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Now what we do, melted butter...
0:33:54 > 0:33:56That on now.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Can you pass the parchments?
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Two bits of baking paper.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Can you pass us the rolling pin, chef? Roll this, like that...
0:34:04 > 0:34:06gently. I'm not making pasta.
0:34:06 > 0:34:12Thank you. Now, just put this in the freezer till it goes firm, then I'll be able to cut out roundels.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15What we're going to do is straw potatoes, draw them across
0:34:15 > 0:34:18and we're going to have like a julienne, small but long strips.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21- Nice.- Yeah, and then we're going to rinse them off
0:34:21 > 0:34:22to get all of the starch off them.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25So these are snails for the beignet.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28A beignet, basically in English is a fritter, yeah?
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Yes, like choux pastry.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33What I'm gonna do, while Dave's chopping the herbs,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37I'm going to take these over to the tap and rinse them cos I want the water to run clean.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41I've got chervil, tarragon, parsley and thyme.
0:34:41 > 0:34:46To that I'll add a good glug of olive oil...
0:34:46 > 0:34:47salt...
0:34:47 > 0:34:52and pepper. And leave these little fellas just to marinade for about half an hour.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Just going to do a couple of heads of garlic.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Going to start the process of our sauce.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07What we've got is about 200mls of red wine.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11And just to sweeten it, we put some port in there, two bay leaves,
0:35:11 > 0:35:16six juniper berries in there. We're going to reduce this by half now.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Two heads of garlic, topped and tailed. Sea salt.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Olive oil.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25I'll roast that for about 20 minutes.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28- This is fantastic, this product. - Wonderful, isn't it?- Brilliant.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32When you mix that cassis with a wallfish, it can be like nitro-glycerine.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33I've got to be honest, guys.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36I never thought I'd see snails, Herefordshire fillet of beef
0:35:36 > 0:35:40- and Herefordshire cassis on the same plate.- You're not the only one!
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- If I lose, I will put it on the menu. How's that?- Great, done.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45So I'll make the croutons, mate.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Elton John.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Nice marbling in that fillet, guys.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54- Isn't that beautiful?- Yeah.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55That's reduced by about half.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59I've taken the juniper berries and I'm putting the crouton in
0:35:59 > 0:36:02the oil and butter, that's all I've got to say
0:36:02 > 0:36:03and the rest will do itself.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Next minute you see 'em it'll be golden.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Onward. I'm going to put that back into the pan.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13This is what you get in proper kitchens. Proper beef stock, isn't it? That's beef gold.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Be careful with that cos, you know, it's powerful stuff.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21I'm going to put a tablespoon of cassis into there.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25Look at these, like three golden doubloons.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30- Clear the decks.- I'm just about to sear these steaks off, OK?
0:36:30 > 0:36:31- Nice hot pan.- Salt.- Got that.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35This side goes on to the hot surface.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Salt on at the end. A little bit of pepper on again.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44They should just lift off now lovely, look at those.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- A lovely bit of beef, that. - That's wonderful.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Now we're going to add some butter and take it off the heat.
0:36:53 > 0:36:54Look how gorgeous they are.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58- Now, we're going to finish them off in the oven with the snails.- Yeah.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01So really, they can just rest, now.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06The next bit of preparation before the final push is to make the batter for the beignet.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08So, first thing is to get some water.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15Put that on the boil and we're going to emulsify some butter in with it.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19Listen, while you're doing that, I'm just going to sweat off the old spinach.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22As you can see, I have seemingly achieved the impossible.
0:37:22 > 0:37:28I've emulsified fat and water and made one, but the flour needs to go in. Now, I do this off the heat.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Go on. Mix it in.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33This'll be better, won't it?
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Now, put that back on the heat. This is the profiterole bit, isn't it?
0:37:37 > 0:37:42- You've got to beat that flour in there, you've got to get it working. - I'm working it.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Right.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52Two.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53One.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57Last thing you want is your shell in your eggs.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- I'm going, Kingy.- Oh, do go.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02- Is someone setting me up? - No, go!
0:38:05 > 0:38:07What about the whisk?
0:38:10 > 0:38:14- Gentle, gentle.- I've passed that point of no return, now.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21That's what you want. Just look at that. Strange but true.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24So, mix that together.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28That's it, it's got a lovely texture, hasn't it?
0:38:28 > 0:38:30Beignet madness.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31Two pans of hot oil.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34One for the beignet, one for the straw potatoes.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Look at that. Snail butter biscuit. Look.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Wallfish, let's see if it'll cut.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49- I will put these in the oven. - Are you timing, Kingy?
0:38:49 > 0:38:51I'm timing, dude. Two minutes.
0:38:51 > 0:38:52Go.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59Just going to test the beignet mix. Which pan do you want, Si?
0:38:59 > 0:39:01- I'll take the far one.- Yeah, fine.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Hasn't fallen to pieces, yet.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05Right, dude, there's the timer.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- I think they may be slightly... we should finish them off under the grill.- I think so.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15I want to get the beignets in. The beignet mixture is here.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17It's looking quite nice, that.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Kingy, you beauty.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29So when they stop singing, means that's sizzling, means they've released all their moisture,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32they're going to be nice and crisp. That's what you want.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33Yeah, listen.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35FOOD SIZZLES
0:39:35 > 0:39:36Nice.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Right, Dave, steaks are out and resting.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Beignets are nearly done. Time to get the plates and plate up.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Croutons.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50- Got this juice in your sauce. - Yeah, man.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- Got to have green on the plate, haven't you?- Yeah.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55That looks all right.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01What can I say, gentlemen, you've surpassed yourselves.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03There we have it, James. That's a taste of Herefordshire.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08It's a gratine of snails on a Hereford beef fillet.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12Garnished with the most lovely cassis and red wine reduction.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Snail wallfish beignet,
0:40:14 > 0:40:20served with a confit garlic and buttered spinach and straw potatoes.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Have a bit of everything, chef. Look at that.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32It's gutsy. It's got oomph.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Fillets, good and flavoursome.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36It's nicely caramelised, juicy. Loads of garlic.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40You did say there was garlic but it works. Beignet's lovely.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Straw potatoes, crispy.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45And the jus is...
0:40:45 > 0:40:46monster.
0:40:46 > 0:40:52It's the moment of truth. The diners here will taste both dishes but without any idea of who cooked which.
0:40:52 > 0:40:59First up is James' best end of Phocle Green pork with twice-baked hop souffle and a perry reduction.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02- It's very delicate.- The chutney's really, really nice with the pork.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04It's really nice, these are crunchy.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08First impression of the dish was fantastic. Had the wow factor.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11The pear chutney topped with that little pear crisp,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14it takes time to do, I'm sure, but it's well worth it.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16A bit chewy, got stuck in your teeth.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21You don't normally serve pears with pork although that is a wonderful alternative.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25For me, it was a Herefordshire meal, with the pork, the Herefordshire hop.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Souffle was very good, very nicely double-baked and finished off and mashes were perfect.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32No lumps or anything. Absolutely lovely.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35I thought the pork was really well cooked.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38It was really moist and I could never get it to taste like that.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40They seem to like that.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Next to be served is our dish.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Fingers crossed.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49Quite a strange combination. You wouldn't expect snail with the beef.
0:41:49 > 0:41:50I've had snails before.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54Bit chewy but these ones weren't, so cooked to perfection.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56The snails and everything else, I didn't enjoy at all.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01I think I'd try them again, possibly with a little less garlic so you can taste the flavour more.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06Cassis was very good with it. Fillet was a little bit too rare for my liking.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10The crispy potatoes cos they were hard to get round. I prefer a chip.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14Hello, hello. How are you?
0:42:14 > 0:42:17I must say, we had a brilliant time in Herefordshire.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22I mean, you've got incredible kind of landscape and rolling hills and products and cider...
0:42:22 > 0:42:24- Kingy's giggling juice.- I love it.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Well, we're going to name both dishes.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31For the dish that you like the most and you felt represented Herefordshire most,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33we'd like a show of hands.
0:42:33 > 0:42:34For the pork dish.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38One. Two.
0:42:38 > 0:42:45So could I have a show of hands, please, for the snail, beef and cassis dish?
0:42:45 > 0:42:47One. Two. Three. Four.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49Five. Six. Seven.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53The pork dish was James and the beef dish was ours.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55We definitely need a recount.
0:42:55 > 0:42:56THEY LAUGH
0:42:56 > 0:43:00I think that both dishes were really, really fantastic.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03I think maybe some of us plumped for the snail and beef
0:43:03 > 0:43:08cos the beef was the traditional Herefordshire but then with the quirkiness of the snails
0:43:08 > 0:43:14but I do think that James' dish was very complex and very much fine dining and it was totally delicious.
0:43:14 > 0:43:15Yeah, it was very delicious.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19Absolutely. Absolutely. James, we'd just like to thank you so much.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21We've learnt so much from you and thanks for having us.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24The beef is an undeniable winner in this county
0:43:24 > 0:43:28but James was a brilliant competitor and so impressive in the kitchen.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29His food is exceptional.
0:43:29 > 0:43:35Herefordshire has so much on offer and a great variety of produce. It's well worth the visit.
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