0:00:04 > 0:00:06Kingy, we've been on the road for a few weeks now.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Yes, mate, and with a proper mission.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10A rescue mission,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13to save Britain's favourite family recipes from extinction.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The kind of dishes that have been handed down from one generation
0:00:17 > 0:00:19to the next and stood the test of time.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21That brings back memories.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23It's a dish to share with your friends.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Over the last few weeks we've persuaded the nation's mums to open their cookbooks,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31and pass on their best cooking tips for posterity.
0:00:31 > 0:00:37This is our last week on the road meeting mums with dishes that they really want to save.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41And do our last get together, where foodie folk can come and swap their favourite recipes.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Welcome to our Mums Knows Best recipe fair.
0:00:44 > 0:00:50Where mums come to share their family recipes with us, with each other, and the nation.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Come on in!
0:00:55 > 0:00:59While we're enthusiastically devouring the dishes that people bring along...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02- No, you mean saving the recipes for the nation.- Oh, yeah.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Gerard, our food historian, will be collecting all sorts
0:01:05 > 0:01:09of wonderful recipes and seeking out the stories behind the food.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Sometimes in Scotland you see Scotch pies
0:01:11 > 0:01:13and they'll have macaroni cheese in,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16or cheesy beans or cheese, beans and sausages.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It's bonkers what you can put in a pie.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20All these fantastic family recipes
0:01:20 > 0:01:24are going to be on the Mums Know Best website for you to cook at home.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Because we reckon that when it comes to great home cooking,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29mums really do know best.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50The theme of today's show is birthday celebrations.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51It's food that's made with love...
0:01:51 > 0:01:54That has warmth and great memories attached...
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- That can be sweet, can be savoury. - Children have got to love it.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02But it's your birthday, so you can have special food that you want.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Before we can get our recipe fair started, we need to enlist the help
0:02:06 > 0:02:10of three fantastic mums with their take on birthday recipes.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Because we'll want them and their dishes to be part of our grand finale,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18a birthday banquet to celebrate the fact that on your birthday
0:02:18 > 0:02:20you can eat whatever you want.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25- And, dude, with over 60 million people in the UK, that's a lot of birthday treats!- Calm down, Kingy.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31Now, our first stop is in Lincolnshire to meet mum Yvonne, who comes from a long line of cooks.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34She really enjoys cooking, and her tasty dishes are enjoyed most often
0:02:34 > 0:02:37by her daughter Bethany and her husband Peter.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40There's some great smells coming out of that kitchen.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Well, come in and have a look and see what there is.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44- Right, my darling. - Marvellous, thanks.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47'And even before we arrived, Yvonne has been rustling up
0:02:47 > 0:02:51'one of her childhood birthday favourites, a Manchester tart.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55'Composed of delicious layers of bananas, custard and roasted coconut,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57'it was my favourite school dessert, mate.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59'And you couldn't have a party without it.'
0:02:59 > 0:03:02So this is your culinary photo family tree.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- It is, yes.- Who's that, Yvonne?
0:03:04 > 0:03:06That's starting with my grandad.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10He was in the army and that's the one that I've just found out
0:03:10 > 0:03:12that he was a chef in the army.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16And then that's my grandad again, in his uniform.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18He'd put weight on by then.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Ah, must be the good cooking, you see. That's what it is!
0:03:22 > 0:03:24- What's your book? - Yeah, let's have a look.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27That's the one that me and Bethany are actually doing,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and these are the different things that we've been doing like leek and potato, and bacon soup.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37- Wow, fab.- So when this one's full, presumably she'll be able to pass it on to her grandchildren.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- That's it. And this is the one that me mum did for us.- Oh, brilliant.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41Oh, brilliant.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45These are all the different recipes that we've got, like raspberry buns.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48What I loved most was the birthday cake.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54- Yeah.- I mean, you had to have a lovely birthday cake with candles on and plenty of jam and cream in it.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- Brilliant.- Do you know why you have candles on your birthday cake?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Why is that?- Well, it was thought in the old times
0:03:59 > 0:04:04a cake was an offering, and you looked at the candles and the smoke sent your prayers quickly to God.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08- Oh, right!- And, of course, if you can blow the candles out in a oner...
0:04:08 > 0:04:11All the smoke... that means you get all your wishes come true.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16So, dude, if it was good enough for the ancient Romans, it's good enough for us.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18But what are we going to cook together today?
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I've made a Manchester tart already, and also a sausage plait
0:04:22 > 0:04:26we're going to make, and a good birthday celebration cake.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Modern sausage rolls are descended from a medieval meat pasty.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40In the mid 1800s, the basic pastry was replaced with flaky pastry and they've never looked back.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45For my money, a birthday party isn't a birthday party without a sausage roll.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48And I think a sausage roll is one of those...
0:04:48 > 0:04:50It's just been cheapened, hasn't it?
0:04:50 > 0:04:55People go and buy a big bag for two quid, and it's full of liquid pig and, like, bad pastry.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58But like you're doing, if you make your own, they're fabulous.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01You're a smarty pants, you've made your own pastry.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I have. I have. There's nothing, you can't beat making your own.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- This is rough puff pastry. - Aye.- This is rough puff, yes.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09What's in the filling?
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Sausage meat, onions, sage. There's salt and black pepper in it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17We do a nice one with half haggis, half sausage meat.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Or indeed, put some black pudding in is good. Is that all right?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23That's fantastic, you've done a good job.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26So just start cutting at the sides here.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'By keeping the meat juices inside the plait,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33'Yvonne is ensuring that the flavours will seep into the pastry.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'And to give it that fantastic golden hue,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'she brushes the top with an eggy wash.'
0:05:39 > 0:05:41- Is that one of Bethany's favourites? - Oh, it is.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43And she always has it at her party.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- No party would be the same without a sausage plait.- Fantastic.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49There we have it, ladies and gentlemen,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Yvonne's sausage celebration plait.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- Now you need to put it into the oven for about 20 minutes.- Yeah. Great.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Let's not hang around and watch it.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'While the sausage plait cooks in a moderate oven,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'Yvonne has time to make us a birthday staple for her family - a celebration fruit cake.'
0:06:08 > 0:06:13In ancient Greece, on feast days people would offer a round cake to the moon goddess Artemis,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and then, put candles on it to recreate the moon's glow.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18But Yvonne's got her own special birthday offering.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- Fruitcake. A special fruitcake. - Right.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22What sort of special fruitcake?
0:06:22 > 0:06:27It's special because this has been in our family for over 30 years.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- Oh, brill!- Is it complicated?
0:06:29 > 0:06:30So easy to make.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36Right, so what we need to do now is cream the margarine and the sugar together.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38So how about you doing it, Si?
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I know you'll do a good job.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43'Once the mixture has been creamed,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'five eggs are added to help it rise
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- '- and keep the cake fresh for longer.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'And it's back to you, the human whisk.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:52He comes with attachments as well, you know.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- Does he?- Oh, aye.- A jaw attachment.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Put him in some tight jeans and he's a mincer.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57LAUGHTER
0:06:57 > 0:07:00'Yvonne gradually adds the flour.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03'This is a very simple recipe for a great fruitcake,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'and not just for birthdays, but for any celebration.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:09So what we need to do now is pour the fruit in.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13'Fruitcakes are considered a British classic dating from the 13th Century,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17'when dry fruit started to be imported from the Mediterranean countries.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:22It was in Victorian Britain that we really started to make birthday cakes.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24A bit like Christmas cards and Valentine's cards,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26you know, in Victorian times.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29But then they used to put things in the cakes, like money,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and they used to put a thimble in.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33So if you got the coins, that was lucky,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35it meant you were going to be prosperous.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38If you got the thimble, it would mean you were going to stay single.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40So you can imagine all these Victorian spinsters:
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- "Oh, not the thimble again!"- Right.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- So what we need to add now is the brandy.- That's a generous measure.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- But it does also keep the fruitcake nice and moist as well.- Yeah.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52And it acts as a preservative so you can keep the cake
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- for a long time, can't you? - That's it.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56So now it goes into the tin.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59And into the oven for two and a half hours.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Yvonne's daughter Bethany is back from school,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05and as luck would have it, it's her birthday in a couple of days.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09So we've decided to give her an early Mums Know Best birthday party.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10And look at the feast.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13It's full of treats we love. Piping hot sausage plait,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16the schoolboys' favourite, the Manchester tart,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18and especially for Bethany's birthday,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Yvonne has iced another of her special fruitcakes.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22She's a bit of a dab hand.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29And to help us decide which of these dishes are worthy of our recipe fair
0:08:29 > 0:08:32are Yvonne's husband Peter and her mum and dad.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- First, it's the sausage plait. - Oh, Yvonne, that's brilliant.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- So what do you think to the pastry? - Superb.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It is good, and you can vary the fillings.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44You can experiment, can't you? But the whole thing works beautifully.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46It's like a really good party food.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- Yeah.- Yeah. - To get you in the mood for dancing.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53THEY LAUGH
0:08:53 > 0:08:55'Kingy, I'm really in the mood
0:08:55 > 0:08:57'for one of my favourite childhood memories.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- 'Like what, the Nolans? - No, no! The Manchester tart.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:03There you go, Grandma.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05- Thank you.- Manchester tart.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- Mm.- Fab.- Everybody's school dinner favourite, wasn't it?- Mm.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13- Never had it with bananas before. - This is how we used to have it at our school.- Oh.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Down our way, your neck of the wood, I suppose it would've been the Sunderland slapper?
0:09:17 > 0:09:21'Here, wind your neck in, you, I've got mates that live down there.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- 'Sorry, man, I couldn't resist.- It's time for Bethany's birthday cake.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30'Yvonne has prepared another of her fruitcakes and simply iced and decorated it.'
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Hooray!
0:09:35 > 0:09:40A one, a two, a one, two, three! # Happy...
0:09:40 > 0:09:42No, no! No, no, no, you can't.
0:09:42 > 0:09:49In 1893, Mildred and Patty Hill, they wrote that song and they've been on royalties ever since.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53It'll cost, like, thousands if you sing it on the telly.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55I tell you what we'll do, we'll go...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57HE MIMES
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'Last year, the song Happy Birthday made around £3,000 a day for its owners.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04'Cor, that'd be a nice birthday present, wouldn't it?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'Well, we may not be able to sing the song
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'but nothing's going to stop us from tucking in to that cake.'
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- I think we should, Si.- Do you?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I think we should.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Darling, we'd like to extend an invite to you and the family.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21We want you to come to the recipe fair.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Come to the fair, have a giggle, share, swap,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27get enthusiastic about all the recipes that your family has
0:10:27 > 0:10:31and just share that with loads of other like-minded people.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33That would be great. I'd love to.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34- Brilliant.- Thank you.- Fabulous.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Thank you for a great day, and great recipes. We've had a lovely time.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42What a spread, Dave. That sausage plait is the ultimate sausage roll.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43It's nectar to the gods, dude.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47And what a great savoury treat for the birthday bonanza at the recipe fair.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Si, don't you forget my favourite.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52That Manchester tart has to come to the fair.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Bye, Yvonne.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- Bye. Thanks a lot.- Thanks very much.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- Nice to see you. - Nice to see you. Bye.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Isn't it great that celebration dishes are alive and well?
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Yeah. Well, let's hit the road and find some more.- Done.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08- Onwards and upwards, dude. It's our turn to cook.- Yes, mate.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13And talking about birthdays, it makes me want to cook only one thing. Trifle.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17A summer berries trifle, like me mam used to make me on my birthday.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Dude, I love it.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Let's do a huge one, bikers-style.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Whoa, what a great place to cook. Outside an Elizabethan crib.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37Wick, wick, wah. We've got a dessert that links back to that sort of era in time.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42- Now, not any dessert, it's a birthday celebration dessert, a mere...- Trifle!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Trifles were first eaten in the 16th Century and were relatively
0:11:45 > 0:11:48simple affairs, just boiled cream with some flavourings.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It was in the mid 18th Century that biscuits soaked in wine
0:11:51 > 0:11:55were added and it was considered a dessert fit for the king's table.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59From there it gradually mutated into the trifle that we have today.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Everybody loves trifle. Whether you're four, 40, 400... Trifle.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06You can't have a birthday celebration without a trifle. You can't, man, it's wrong.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09You have to start with some form of sponge cake.
0:12:09 > 0:12:15In olden days it'd be leftover stale cake and basically you infuse that cake with booze.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17The old fashioned English one, a good sherry trifle.
0:12:17 > 0:12:23Now, what I'm going to do is I'm going to line the bowl with this lovely sponge.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25The other thing you have to have is jelly.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26It ain't a trifle without jelly.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30You have to, have to, have to have jelly in a trifle.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Oh, making jelly is really difficult.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Top tip, just dissolve your jelly in as little hot water as possible,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39then make up the quantity using cold water
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and the jelly will set a lot quicker.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46Now, you may want to make your own jelly from fruit juice and gelatine.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52But there's nothing wrong in using some good readymade jelly to make a perfect trifle.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56With this cup, I'm now just going to start to build up
0:12:56 > 0:12:58a little roll of loveliness.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And it's got a real wow factor, a good trifle.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Oh, it has. I get very excited about this. It's great.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05- Kingy.- What, dude?
0:13:05 > 0:13:09I always knew that time you spent on that brick laying course would come in handy.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- Now, five tablespoons of sherry, I think.- Yeah.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- Roughly.- Or liquor of choice.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18If you've got little 'uns and you don't want to put it in, don't put it in. You can do it with fruit juice.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21But it just makes it special. It's your birthday.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25What we're going to add to this now is the lovely fruits.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Now just pour the jelly on without destroying the creation.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Once it's set, it's going to help keep together
0:13:31 > 0:13:33the integrity of the trifle.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37So when you serve it it's going to come out a lovely spoonful
0:13:37 > 0:13:39and sit provocatively on your plate.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43You need to set that aside now to cool. Time to make the custard.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Homemade custard's great, isn't it? It is different to the packet stuff.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50- Without a doubt. - First step, cream and milk.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54So we want to infuse this with vanilla.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59So you take a vanilla pod, split it and slash it like that.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And inside you see all those lovely little seeds,
0:14:02 > 0:14:03and that's where the flavour is.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07So just scrape them out with your knife. See, that's it.
0:14:07 > 0:14:13And you stir that in. All those little seeds are going to distribute.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I'm just going to bring this to the boil, take it off the heat.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18That's the base for the custard.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Vanilla is an Aztec spice brought back to Europe
0:14:20 > 0:14:24by the Spanish conquistadors during the reign of Elizabeth I.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28- The second part of making custard is you need four egg yolks.- Yeah.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Oh, look at the colour of these.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- They're fantastic, aren't they?- Aye.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Dave, while I'm whisking this can you just drizzle that sugar in for us, mate?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Yeah.- As we beat the sugar into them it will start to lighten.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Hey? See the colour change already.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Look at that. That's the sort of consistency and texture you need.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55So what we're going to do is we're going to add the infused milk.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Now this is the only thing you really have to be careful of.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02If there's too much heat in the milk, it will kind of curdle the egg yolks.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05So we don't want that, this is proper custard.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Now, you see how that looks really, really watery?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12The secret is that what we now need to do
0:15:12 > 0:15:17is put this back into your vanilla pan. OK?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Instantly, when you add heat to this mixture...
0:15:20 > 0:15:21THEY LAUGH
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- You got most of it in the pan. - It's all right.- It's all right.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29And the top tip here, viewers, is never, when you're pouring your custard back into the pan,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33don't leave your whisk in it because you look like a right Charlie.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Back on the heat. Now the top tip -
0:15:35 > 0:15:38take two tablespoons of cold water,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43two tablespoons of corn flour and mix the two together.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45That'll thicken the custard.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46It'll also make sure that it sets
0:15:46 > 0:15:50and it doesn't kind of disintegrate into that lovely, fruity jelly.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Now we need to cook that till the corn flour's thickened.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57That then goes into our bowl.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Now we want to cool this down quickly so I'm just going to put that bowl into some iced water.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07The colour of that is so custard yellow, and of course it's completely natural which is a wonderful thing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10That won't take long to cool down. Obviously, if you're at home
0:16:10 > 0:16:13just wait for it to chill and put it in the fridge.
0:16:13 > 0:16:14- Yeah. But we haven't got one.- No.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16That's proper custard, mate.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19But when we were kids our mums used powdered custard, of course.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Amazingly, it doesn't contain any eggs.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Yep, it was invented in 1837 by Alfred Bird,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26a Brummie chemist, as a gift to his wife.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30She was allergic to eggs and couldn't eat real custard.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32But it ain't going to sink.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- It's going to sit on top like Nelson on his column.- It is, dude.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40- And this is definitely a bowl to lick out.- Oh, yeah.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45But can you imagine, though? It's something like your tenth birthday and your mum comes in with this.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50- You are going to be through the roof, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52On top of this, whipped cream.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- Oh, it's that cream, look. - Me mum used to say, "Make it like a stormy sea.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59"Then we look at your almonds, they'll be like little boats."
0:16:59 > 0:17:05Toasted almonds. Isn't it wonderful to think that probably when this house was built
0:17:05 > 0:17:11there was a mother making a variant of that for the children's birthday tea?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13- Yes.- And it's still brilliant.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16If we don't eat it in a minute, I am going to cry.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- Yeah. Our trifle rocks.- Yeah.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22Happy birthday, mate.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Oh, that's it.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30- Oh, look, have a look inside. - Oh, yes.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34It's lovely. It's grown up,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38- but it's got all the traditional kind of flavours.- Mm.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42I tell you what, with this, all your birthdays can come at once.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- It's a tango on your taste buds, dude.- It's a party on your palate.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50So with our great trifle plus Yvonne's sausage plait and Manchester tart,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54we've got some real classics for our birthday banquet.
0:17:54 > 0:18:00But what we need now is something that'll compliment these dishes and inject a bit of a twist, dude.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Mate, I know exactly where to go - to Birmingham,
0:18:03 > 0:18:08where mum Ira is keeper of the family recipes for her big fat Greek family.
0:18:08 > 0:18:14Greek? Like the moon goddess Artemis, who was behind the first birthday cake, dude. Clever, clever.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16'Now it's all coming together, Kingy.'
0:18:16 > 0:18:18No, I'm not the Avon lady.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Do-do-do, I've got lipstick.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Hello, fancy seeing you here.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Nice to meet you, Dave.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Greek style, two kisses.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29- Hey!- Come here, then.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Geordie style, tongues.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Please, come on in. It's cold out here.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Thank you.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Ira's Greek Cypriot heritage, means a lot of cooking for family get togethers.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45At the heart of which are husband Paul and kids Christie and Tim.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- So we're going to make bastichio now.- Bastichia?
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Yeah. No, bastichio.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52- Bastichio.- Yeah.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Bastichio!
0:18:58 > 0:19:04Bastichio is a traditional baked pasta dish and the kids favourite for a birthday meal.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08It's our Greek equivalent of lasagne but nicer.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Ooh! Controversial.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11- Controversial.- Controversial.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16OK. So, if you wouldn't mind putting the pasta in the boiling water on the hob over there for me...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- Yeah.- So we'll get that started...
0:19:18 > 0:19:22So, like in many pasta bakes, Ira precooks her penne pasta.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27She then browns some minced pork with onions, garlic and cayenne pepper, to give it an extra kick.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32And to finish, she folds in some flat leaf parsley, a real Greek favourite.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- We've got to make the bechamel now. - Yes.- Mmh-mmh.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40It's a way that my mum's developed this way of making bechamel sauce with corn flour.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44It's easier and lighter, it's not quite as rich and heavy
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- as it is with ordinary flour. - OK. Yeah.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Ira just chucks everything together, to create her white sauce.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52You may think that's going to get lumpy.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55The secret is, you have to whisk for England.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01But the whisking's going to do the trick and her sauce is getting smoother.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Yeah! The corn flour is binding it all together.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07What a great and easy way to make a white sauce.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09So if you bring this over here...
0:20:09 > 0:20:13With the pasta and the white sauce ready, it's time to assemble the dish.
0:20:13 > 0:20:20And it's really like lasagne - a layer of pasta, followed by the mince and the white sauce. Enjoy!
0:20:20 > 0:20:24It's essentially a Greek bolognaise with bechamel.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Do you know what, dude?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I didn't expect the dish to turn out like that at all.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30There you go.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- Ira, is genius.- Do you reckon?
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- Yeah, I do.- Yeah.- Oh, I think that great, great, great dish...
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Let's have a taste of it.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Well, coming from you, I take that as a huge compliment.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41It's fab!
0:20:41 > 0:20:45A sprinkling of halloumi cheese, 45 minutes in the oven
0:20:45 > 0:20:49and then Ira will leave it to rest for another 40 minutes, before serving.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58The Greeks love to party and Ira is adamant that no birthday would be complete,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03without dolmades, a real delicacy dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Dolmades are simply stuffed vine leaves.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12The leaves are blanched, filled with a mix of pork mince, rice and plenty of spices and then slowly steamed.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Have you seen the plate of dolmades that Ira made earlier?
0:21:15 > 0:21:17They look fabulous, don't you think?
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Dude, stop thinking about your belly. Ira's already moving on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22For pudding she is making us a real family treat...
0:21:22 > 0:21:25This sweet is called mahallebi.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30But, the story behind this particular version of mahallebi
0:21:30 > 0:21:35is to do with my grandmother in Cyprus, my yiayia Sophia.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39On our summer holidays in Cyprus we would go down to the farm
0:21:39 > 0:21:42with my grandfather and we would pick all these almonds,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44me and my sister and my brothers,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47bring them back in these huge straw baskets
0:21:47 > 0:21:52and we would start to create this sweet of my grandmothers with water, sugar,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and at the very end she would add generous amounts of rosewater.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00- Very time consuming.- A real family heritage recipe?- Without a doubt.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Mahallebi is a refreshing milk-based dessert of Lebanese origin,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12which has found its way all over the Mediterranean region.
0:22:12 > 0:22:18Ira mixes condensed milk, full fat milk, sugar and ground almonds together to create the basic mixture.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23- It all, it bit of lumpy mush to begin with but, trust me, it kind of dissolves...- Brilliant.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25..into a beautiful creamy custard at the end.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So, those are our ground almonds.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32And finally, we have our corn flour and our ground rice.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37It's all kind of mixed in there together. So, in that goes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:44Like with her white sauce, she needs some heat and some muscles to beat these lumps into a smooth sauce.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47What we do to loosen it slightly, is add our rosewater.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52Rosewater was popularised in the ninth century by Muslim chemists
0:22:52 > 0:22:55as a non-alcoholic wine and it is often used in perfume.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Ira pours the mahallebi mix into ramekins
0:22:57 > 0:22:59and then sprinkles it with nuts,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02before letting it cool to enhance the flavour.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04And that's it, then.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- My mahallebi.- Mahallebi.- Mahallebi.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- Brilliant. Well done.- Got it!
0:23:09 > 0:23:13What a brilliant eclectic collection of birthday favourites.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16The traditional stuffed vine leaves or dolmades,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20the kids favourite bastichio and a real family treasure, the mahallebi.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23To help polish off the feast, the rest of the gang is joining us.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Ira's son Tim, husband Paul, and her daughter Christie.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29That's it.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Are the dolmades, are they something that you look forward to?
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- Oh, definitely. We've had this all our life.- Yeah.- And, I love it.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39If you had your birthday tea, you can have what you want because it's your birthday.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40- Yes.- What would it be?
0:23:40 > 0:23:45- Erm...I'd probably go for the bastichio, to be honest.- Right.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50It's really nice. A classic, to be honest. We have it quite often.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Happy birthday, love!
0:23:51 > 0:23:53THEY CHEER
0:23:53 > 0:23:58You see, the good thing about both these dishes, as far as parties are concerned,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00is that you can make them both the day before.
0:24:00 > 0:24:06But, yeah, hot or cold so, you know, another reason why they're so good for these birthday celebrations,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- or any type of celebration.- Mmh-mmh.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- The perfect buffet presentations. - Oh, yes.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13People could have been put off by the bechamel sauce.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15- But, the way you've done it...- Yeah.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19You don't have to be afraid of and it comes out absolutely perfect.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20- Brilliant.- Yeah?- All in one.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23'That was fab, mate.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27'And to finish our birthday feast, we've got Ira's granny's pudding.'
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- It's very perfumy, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35It's like eating joss sticks, but in the nicest possible way!
0:24:35 > 0:24:41'Mate, every family does birthdays differently, and I would never have thought of bastichio. But I loved it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46'And can you imagine a mountain of dolmades at our recipe fair finale?'
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- Bye, Ira. - Bye! Thank you for cooking with me.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- Bye, Ira. Thanks.- See you in a bit!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Safe journey.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55- Great family.- Great birthday food.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Perfect for the fair!
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It's time to sort out a second recipe for our banquet.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13But how do you feel, mate,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17about us having a go at our own families birthday favourites?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23'My mum's shepherd's pie!
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'And me mum's cottage pie. Game on, dude, game on!'
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Shepherd's pie, here I come.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Cottage pie, here I come.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Ah! Listen to the top.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36- Oh!- Crispy.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Even though we grew up on different sides of the country,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42our mum's pies are the same recipe.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Apart from, well, the meat that they used.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Oh, that's good beef.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Nice. Nice contrast with the lamb.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- Yes.- And the haggis. I like it, man. - Yeah.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56East coast to west coast,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00cottage pie and shepherd pie were family staples.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Even so, it was still the birthday tea of choice for me.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And me. And this is how our mums used to do it...
0:26:07 > 0:26:13Slice some celery, carrots, onions and garlic and sweat them until soft.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16But you know, shepherd's pie originated in the north,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I mean Scotland, because of all the sheep.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20We started eating it in the 1870s,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24because primarily that's when mincing machines were invented.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27You could mince your leftovers and make a pie.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32For my mum's shepherd's pie, it mix of two thirds lamb, to one third haggis.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Just like she used to do on my birthday.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36And for my mum's cottage pie, it's quality beef.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Simply brown the meat and add the veggies and stock.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42She wouldn't have done this, but I also add a bit of red wine,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44just to butch up that beefy flavour.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Then add a couple of tablespoons of flour to thicken it all and let it simmer for at least half an hour.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Now, the little tricksy bit at the end.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Once you've got that pan of mince, season it,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58salt and pepper tasting all the time just so you make sure it balanced
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and then a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04For the mash, it's worth using the right kind of spuds.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Like me mam used to say, floury ones are the best.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09That means, more tattie and less water.
0:27:09 > 0:27:16Now, what we added to that is we added some butter, some salt and some pepper. And...
0:27:16 > 0:27:21And...some cheese. In our case to go with the Lincolnshire red, it was Lincolnshire poacher.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24But for my birthday pie, me mam always used mature cheddar,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26just to give it a bit of welly.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28So, you have your component parts.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31You've got your mince and you've got your cheesy mash.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Now, look, if you want to put some more cheese on your cheesy mash,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39hey, listen - it's your celebration, you can do with it what you like.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Having birthday parties, you know, it was just so exciting.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- A great opportunity, wasn't it? To kind of have your mates round.- Yeah.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56- But like, sharing...- Yeah. You're the centre of attention.- Yeah.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- You're the main person.- And just to share all that food and...
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- Mmm.- And just sit and have a crack and, you could have toys.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Milk jellies, I remember, and all of those things that you really...
0:28:07 > 0:28:12But the main event was always, it was always a pie of some description, a big massive pie. You know?
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Yeah. Yeah. Look at that. It's golden, it's crispy.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17And that's one of the best bits, isn't it?
0:28:17 > 0:28:19The bit you can't stop picking.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21And just serve it with pride, and happy birthday.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24You can even put a candle in it if you want, you know?
0:28:24 > 0:28:25That's the whole point, mate.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28On your birthday, you can have whatever you want.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36This isn't just a road trip, it's a nostalgia trip.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37Right, mate, we're off.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40We've got one more mum to visit and she's in Leicester.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Last, but not least, Connie.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46A professional chef running her own traditional Jamaican kitchen.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50She's enthusiastic about passing on her culinary heritage
0:28:50 > 0:28:54to her daughter Charlotte and her extended family,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56who queue up at the door to be fed.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Dude, I like the sound of her.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01I can't wait to taste her birthday specialities.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02Hot and spicy, the Caribbean way.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05First Connie is making a traditional Saturday soup.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Er...why Saturday soup?
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Well, because in Jamaica, mums don't cook on Fridays. It's their day off!
0:29:11 > 0:29:16So, on Saturday, they make a good healthy broth to refill their families bellies
0:29:16 > 0:29:20and that's the Jamaican comfort food that they all want on their big day.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23What a good idea! Oh, this mum sounds fab.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25'Do you think she can adopt us?'
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- Hello, Connie.- Hello.- How are you?
0:29:28 > 0:29:32- OK.- I'm Si. How are you doing? - Hiya, Connie. I'm Dave.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Please come to my kitchen.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37- We're following you!- Yeah.- Yes!
0:29:42 > 0:29:43Next up, it's curried mutton.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46The main dish when celebrating a birthday at Connie's.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50It's more than just one dish, it's a meal in itself,
0:29:50 > 0:29:52with fried dumplings and rice.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55The first thing we're going to cook is a curry of mutton.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57- So, originally it would be curried goat.- Yes.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Although you still get it with curried goat, you're using mutton.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04When I used to go out with all the different little groups of children
0:30:04 > 0:30:08and I says "curried goat", their little faces and they says, "It's a pet."
0:30:08 > 0:30:10So I said, "Oh, my God. I better use mutton."
0:30:10 > 0:30:12So this is mutton, they all says...
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Mutton is a much under appreciated meat,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17but because it's hung for at least two weeks,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20it's juicier and more flavoursome than the more expensive lamb.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24And it's perfect for slow cooking dishes like curries and casseroles.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27- What's in there, Connie? - I've got the curry powder in.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30I've put some carrots in, I put some celery in and,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34naturally you have to put our friend the Scotch bonnet, and the garlic.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- What sort of curry powder? - Oh, I use a mild madras.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41A lot of people believing that Caribbean food is overly spiced.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45- Mmh-mmh.- It is not. It must be...just be mellow.- Yeah.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47Because my dad have a theory of saying,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51"It is a sin for a man to eat his food and cry at the same time."
0:30:51 > 0:30:56So, if his food is too hot that it's going to bring tears to your eyes,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58my dad says no, "It's a sin."
0:30:58 > 0:31:01# Love in a bowl Going into the Dutch pot... #
0:31:01 > 0:31:06Inherited from the Dutch settlers, a well seasoned Dutch pot or Dutchie,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09is the ultimate non stick pan and is perfect for long slow cooking.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12- Connie, who taught you to cook? - Oh, my great grandmother.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Great grandmother?
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Yeah. Old Matilda.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Everything is from a learning tree.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20- And you have to learn from the old.- Yeah?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22You'll never forget that person.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26You know, in the Caribbean, all over the Caribbean, we'll never cook food exact.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31You always left one for the passing stranger. There's always a portion of food left over.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36Right, we'll just check the meat to see if everything's OK. There it is, cooking in its own juice.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38- Oh, it smells great, Connie.- Oh!
0:31:38 > 0:31:40And it's not sticking, it's not burning.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- No, no, no, no, it's not burning. Just...- That's your pot.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46And you just put it on the Dutchie, make the noise - Maaaer!
0:31:46 > 0:31:49- And we'll go off now and we'll do the dumplings.- Brilliant.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Mate, Connie's dumplings are the simplest in the world.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58She just mixes together self raising flour, salt, margarine and some water.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Some ladies might get it wrong and think,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03"Oh, my God, that's gone wrong." Yeah? It hasn't.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06All you have to do is just common sense, get a little bit more...
0:32:06 > 0:32:10- Mmh-mmh.- And bring it in. And when you're using your hands now,
0:32:10 > 0:32:16just like pastry, see, but you don't mould so hard because you want some air to get into it and lift it.
0:32:16 > 0:32:17And that's all it is.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21It's so simple and yet so powerful in a Caribbean household.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24- See? See the loaf?- Yeah. - Yeah.- I see the loaf, yeah.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26- Yeah.- That's it. - It's a Jamaican dumpling.- Yes!
0:32:26 > 0:32:30'These dumplings are Johnny cakes or, journey dumplings.'
0:32:30 > 0:32:33And they mustn't cook too quick because if they're too quick,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35- they're not cooked inside.- Yeah.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38They came from the plantation days when the worker's wives
0:32:38 > 0:32:42would make filling, long lasting food for their husband's journey to work.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45- Love in a pot!- Love in a pot!
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Dumplings are philosophy and pot love, that's it.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49Is it all ready? Can we eat?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52- Now we can get ready to eat.- Great.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55- So shall we?- Yeah! - Gentlemen, after you.- Thank you.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00That's it. The food is nearly ready and Connie's daughter Charlotte is helping set up the feast.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03What a birthday meal.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08It may not be traditional to us, but in Connie's family it doesn't get any better than this.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Piping hot Saturday soup...
0:33:12 > 0:33:16And curried mutton served with Johnny cakes and Jamaican rice,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18cooked in coconut milk with kidney beans.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21And, right on cue, some of the family have turned up
0:33:21 > 0:33:25to share one of the best takeaways we've ever tasted.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- Oh, let's start with the soup. - Right.- Charlotte, do the honours.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32- Go on, Charlotte.- I'm going to put a little bit of everything on here...
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Be honest, is Saturday soup part of the great family tradition then?
0:33:34 > 0:33:38- Yes. Yes.- The soup is the most important part, I'd say, for me.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Can you make sure I've got a hard dumpling in there, please?
0:33:41 > 0:33:45- That's food that makes you grin. - Oh, yeah.- Oh, yes.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48- Big people soup that is. Not for children.- A big feast.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52- Big people soup.- When we come in here there's a variety of everything.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55So you can't say, "Mum, can you cook me some mutton today?"
0:33:55 > 0:33:57- Or, "Can you cook me a surprise?" - It's there, isn't it?
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- It's already here.- You've got a menu!- This is the best!
0:33:59 > 0:34:01- And it's not greasy, is it?- No.
0:34:01 > 0:34:02Shall I pour everybody a drink?
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- Please.- Yes, please.- Yes.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Connie's sky juice, is made of condensed milk, pineapple juice and nutmeg.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12A bit indulgent, but a real treat on a birthday.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14- Well, cheers, everybody. - Mmm.- Cheers.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18- I tell you, I want to come here for me birthday party.- Yes. For sure.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20We're having a recipe fair.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22- OK.- A big tent, a big, big top. Loads of fun.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24And we'd love you and the family to come.
0:34:24 > 0:34:29- Cook some food, swap some recipes, talk with like minded people about the fair.- Yeah?
0:34:29 > 0:34:32- Just hang out and have a good time with us.- Oh, that's fantastic.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34And about a couple of hundred other mums.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37- Yeah. That would be nice. - Bring your sky juice.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Oh, it great day. We'd like to propose a toast to you all.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43For all the birthdays we've got yet to come. Cheers!
0:34:43 > 0:34:44ALL: Cheers.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49Kingy, that mutton with dumplings is amazing and a bit different too.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52It's going to be a real treat for our guests at the banquet.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Bye, Charlotte.
0:34:54 > 0:34:55- Bye, boys. Bye.- Bye!
0:34:55 > 0:34:59What a great international feel to birthday celebrations, mate.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02# Celebration time, come on! #
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Well, it's great. We've got an English mum, a Greek mum and now a Caribbean mum.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10That's it, dude. Welcome to the international tent of food love.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23The perfect combination of birthday treats, for a grand birthday banquet.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28Yvonne's classic sausage plait, a must for kids of any age.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32Ira's dolmades to stimulate our palates and get the party going.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36And Connie's mutton curry, which will bring spice and colour to our celebration.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Dude, don't forget our dishes - summer berry trifle
0:35:39 > 0:35:44and our own favourite savoury treats, cottage pie and shepherd's pie.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Well, Kingy, after months of touring the country,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00the day of our last recipe fair has arrived.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02So, I wonder how they're getting on.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- Yeah? Well, it looks all right, doesn't it?- It is.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07And it's going to be better than ever.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10- So let's roll up our sleeves and give the team a hand.- Or two!
0:36:10 > 0:36:14We've got a big top where we'll be cooking one more birthday recipe,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17and three other tops where the visitors can come,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21share their recipes and taste other people's birthday favourites.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23In the little top, Gerard Baker our food historian,
0:36:23 > 0:36:28will be collecting recipes and passing them on to keep birthday traditions alive.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30That's my contribution to the recipe tent
0:36:30 > 0:36:33because I realised that I hadn't written one yet.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36So, this is our family's everyday cake,
0:36:36 > 0:36:37which is called a Dr Field cake,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40- which my gran Elsie used to make for us.- Aw!
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Yorkshire butter.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Caster sugar, free range eggs. Oh! It frugal cake, Gerard.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49It is. There's not a lot in it, but then, if you've got good butter and good eggs, what more do you need?
0:36:49 > 0:36:53- Well it's true, actually.- Sugar and flour would help. That would help!
0:36:53 > 0:36:57I mean, you know, cos otherwise you'd have an omelette, wouldn't you, really?!
0:36:58 > 0:37:02'And we'll end our recipe fair with the ultimate birthday party,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06'where the mums we met on our journey will be cooking their family favourites.'
0:37:06 > 0:37:07- Now then.- Ta da!
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Wow!
0:37:09 > 0:37:10- The mum's tent.- This is it?
0:37:10 > 0:37:13- Isn't it great?- First things first.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16That's your Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best aprons.
0:37:16 > 0:37:17- Oh, thank you.- Wow!- Brilliant!
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Standard issue, for all those in service.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22We've got the ingredients table.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25- All these tables you can use for your prep.- Right.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28- Come on, girls. Come on!- Yeah. - We will. We'll work as a team.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32- Will do. Absolutely.- Yeah. - See you later.- See you!- Bye!
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- Connie?- Yes?- Your lid's dry. How long do we wait till it simmers?
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- No, no, no. Full on, straight away, please.- OK.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45With our VIP mums getting to know each other
0:37:45 > 0:37:47and getting to grips with their new kitchen,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50it's time for us to open the recipe fair and greet our guests.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54And, mate, just look, hundreds of mums and dads have turned up,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57with their recipes and their favourite birthday dishes.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00That's it. Our birthday celebration is officially open.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02- What have you got?- Cinnamon rolls.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06- Cinnamon rolls. Somebody's had a bite.- On the train!
0:38:06 > 0:38:10- What have you? - My mam's chocolate cake.- Oh, brill!
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- You know it's your birthday when you've got a chocolate cake.- You do.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It's all about sharing and tasting each other's food.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19And that's what our guests are doing all around us.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24At every fair in our other top, we ask guest cooks to come and cater for all of our visitors.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27And share their ideas, and some of their best recipes.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Today it's the Bradford Curry Project.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31They're used to feeding a crowd.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Twice a week, they cook for homeless and underprivileged people in Bradford.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38But today, they're cooking for lucky old us.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40We're doing some onion bhajees first.
0:38:40 > 0:38:45One of my colleagues is making a curry called mutter paneer which is basically yoghurt and peas.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Back at the mums' tent it all seems to be going very well.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51They're helping each other and sharing the workload.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53And I was going to my children,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56"My hands was made for being a boxer so I can hold it."
0:38:56 > 0:38:59But really and truly if you've got nice dainty hands,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03you should put it in a tea towel. But I'll just do the mummy thing. Ah!
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Oh, OK. There you go. There it is.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11In our little top, food historian Gerard, is already mobbed by mums
0:39:11 > 0:39:16donating their recipes, and with dishes for him to taste.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17Oh, yes,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Smell this, this is fantastic.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23We need smellyvision. Be careful.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27Don't whiff too hard because you might inhale a little bit too much.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29- Oh, wow!- Ooh. - Alcohol. Very good.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- Oh, wow that is... - Dig in.- Is that tapioca?
0:39:32 > 0:39:34It's frumenty. It's made of wheat.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39'Frumenty is a sort of porridge dating back to the Middle Ages.
0:39:39 > 0:39:45'To make it, wheat or barley in colder countries, was cooked in milk, spices and alcohol.'
0:39:45 > 0:39:48So where does the recipe come from?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51We all make at Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55You'd never get up for Christmas morning if you ate all of that.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00- A thick version of eggnog. It has all those lovely Christmas flavours in.- Or like the Scottish cranachan.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- Yes.- Yes. Yes.- You know with the whiskey and the oatmeal.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06But it's the barley and that that gives it such a lot of body.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- It's lovely.- It's like a rice pudding on steroids, isn't it?
0:40:09 > 0:40:13What else have we got? What else have we got?
0:40:13 > 0:40:18Well, where's Michelle because we've got a very special birthday treat here which are...
0:40:18 > 0:40:21- they're called sau tau pau. Bau. Is that right?- Yes.- Sau tau bau.
0:40:21 > 0:40:27- It was meant to represent peaches because in Chinese tradition, peaches represent longevity.- Yes.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Traditionally they're made and given to people on their 60th birthday,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34because many years ago people didn't live until 60.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37- No absolutely.- Wow! - Was it the Queen of the West that...
0:40:37 > 0:40:41- She used to give them as presents. - Had an immortal peach tree.- Yes.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45She did. And, if you were lucky she gave them to you for your birthday.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50- How wonderful. - They're the most amazing looking thing we've had all week.- Yes.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52- Pretty.- Peachy birthday buns.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I like the idea of that.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- Oh, they're great.- They're lovely, aren't they?- Really good.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Well, I'm going to cut all these up so everyone can have a share.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Get the recipes on the wall and then we can all share.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- Brilliant.- And we'd better get on, hadn't we?
0:41:06 > 0:41:08- We have. We have a party to prepare. - We do.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10And if you want to try that recipe,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13or any of the other ones we've collected at the recipe fair,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15you'll find them on our website.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Back in the mums' top, Connie, Yvonne and Ira are grafting away.
0:41:19 > 0:41:25Not only cooking up their dishes for the birthday banquet, but sharing top tips with the rest of the guests.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Can you tell us what's in the sausage meat, please?
0:41:27 > 0:41:31In the sausage meat I've got onions, that are finely chopped, and some herbs.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35I mean, you can change that. If you want a spicy sausage plait,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38then add some chilli, add some garlic.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40It's entirely up to you what you want to do.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Across the field in the other top, a crowd is gathering to taste the food
0:41:44 > 0:41:48that our friends from the Bradford Curry Project, have prepared.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52Working every week to provide free meals to people in need,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55they are used to catering for hearty appetites.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59I'm cooking a tarka dal which is lentils and spices
0:41:59 > 0:42:03that are fried off with ghee and onions and garlic.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08As you know, if there's any curry up for grabs, me and the Myers have got to be first in line.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12- Bradford is blessed with some of the best food in Britain, isn't it? - It certainly is.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15But for your birthday now, we would very often go out and have a curry.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19- You know, it is a treat. It's something you look forward to.- Yes.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23- I'm just going to cook you a few onion bhajees.- Oh, brilliant.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Do you have regulars?
0:42:25 > 0:42:29Oh, absolutely. Some people are in a rut. They haven't moved on in their life.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34Some are drugs, alcoholics, some have other reasons. Whatever they have, we don't ask their reason.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- No.- My job is to provide a meal. Give them some comfort for an hour, an hour and a half.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Then they go back to the life where they came from.
0:42:41 > 0:42:42And we go back to ours.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46'Mate, I've got such respect for what they do, cooking for the homeless.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50'It really shows how good food brings people together.'
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Oh, it's spicy. It's nice.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54That was absolutely gorgeous.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58I'm waiting in case she's not quite finished with them all, so...
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Two chances of that, fat and slim.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Dave, the fair's going from strength to strength.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05The weather, the mums, the recipes.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10Yeah. And like any fair worth its name, it's time for some not so serious fun and games.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12So let's gather the troops.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Welcome to the high tech, low tech challenge! Yeah ha hey!
0:43:15 > 0:43:21- Yay!- And this week it's whisks. Do you know what I mean, there's whisks?
0:43:21 > 0:43:25We've got whisks from the very primitive, to the very sophisticated.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29'Whisks are an essential kitchen utensil for making perfect sauces
0:43:29 > 0:43:31'or, to beat eggs, especially the whites.
0:43:31 > 0:43:37'Gerard, who's a real history anorak, has been busy making a whisk out of twigs.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39'Naturally, it was the first type of whisk.
0:43:40 > 0:43:45'Then we've got the rotary egg beater, invented in 1870 by American, Turner Williams.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48'It's still really popular today.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51'The balloon whisk is the most common one in our kitchens today.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55'Probably because it was the first whisk used on TV in the '50s.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58'The flat whisk is a variation on the balloon whisk,
0:43:58 > 0:44:00'but used mainly for sauces,
0:44:00 > 0:44:02'so I don't expect it to do that well with egg whites.
0:44:02 > 0:44:08'And in the high tech category, we've got a hand held automatic whisk with two rotating beaters,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11'invented by Herbert Johnston in 1908.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16'And a much revered food mixer, which has been helping mums across the world, since the same period.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19'And it's my turn to use the gadget, Kingy.'
0:44:19 > 0:44:23Now, we need to decide which one is the best. So we're not going to get that with whisking the eggs.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27We want you to separate the eggs, and it's the whites we want.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31- So it's the first to firm peaks, is the winner.- Dave?
0:44:31 > 0:44:32We've got a Ninja in our midst.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36I bet you this lady has separated more eggs in her lifetime,
0:44:36 > 0:44:40- than we could ever hope.- Oh, aye. - She just looks the type.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43- Remember it's the whites we're after.- Firm peaks. Count to three.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45Here, hold on, hold on!
0:44:45 > 0:44:49Put your eggs back in the thingy, you lot.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51You stop leading them astray.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Mr Myers.
0:44:53 > 0:44:54- Three, two, one.- Off!
0:45:02 > 0:45:05'The point of whisking or beating raw egg whites,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08'is to incorporate air bubbles which make it change colour,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11'and can increase the volume by up to eight times.'
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Peak, you ... thing!
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- I think I'll just get a cup of tea! - Oh, I'm running out of steam.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21'And it's the same effect when you cook them.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25'Like in a souffle, the air bubbles heat up and expand, making the souffle rise.'
0:45:25 > 0:45:28I think I'm there.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31'The electric food mixers are definitely the winners,
0:45:31 > 0:45:33'they're perfect for the job.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37'But there is only one way to check if the other whisks can make firm peaks.'
0:45:37 > 0:45:38Hooray!
0:45:38 > 0:45:42Right, that's interesting. See if it works with Kingy's.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Hooray!
0:45:45 > 0:45:46Yes!
0:45:46 > 0:45:48'You know what, Kingy?
0:45:48 > 0:45:50'If you've got a few bob, go electric.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52'If not, get a rotary egg beater.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55'Not really the most scientific test, but they all did the job.
0:45:55 > 0:46:00'And frankly, it just depends how much exercise you want when you're beating your eggs.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04'Back in the little top, Gerard is collecting plenty of mums'
0:46:04 > 0:46:07'birthday favourites, from all around the world.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11We've such a delicate but beautiful book here, Helen and Kathy.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15This is your grandmother's handwritten recipe book.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Almost too delicate to... to turn over.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23But you've very kindly resurrected a recipe for us from it, which is this lovely damp gingerbread.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28- Tell us about your food memories of her.- She used to make us eat wholemeal bread with ice cream.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31That sounds pretty, pretty good actually.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34When you're children, anything with ice cream is good, isn't it?
0:46:34 > 0:46:39and quite a bizarre collection of recipes in this old book of hers
0:46:39 > 0:46:42- with brain cake and fish jelly and...- Yeah.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Things that I might be glad you didn't bring those today.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Are you OK if we share these with everyone?
0:46:48 > 0:46:50- Yeah. Please do.- It's lovely.- Is it?
0:46:50 > 0:46:52- Mmh.- We've not tried it yet.- Mmh.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56Absolutely... oh, the smell of that.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01- Elizabeth, you've brought along a beautiful pie and it's not a British recipe, is it?- No.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03- It's from...- Malta.- It's from Malta.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- Yes.- Fantastic. And, what makes it Maltese?
0:47:06 > 0:47:08- It's a basic meat and tomato base. - Yeah.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12- With ricotta and eggs on the top. Right.- And then there's puff pastry.
0:47:12 > 0:47:17But I think in Malta they tend to use aubergine in the middle of those, as well.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19- Is it something that you would make at home?- Yes.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23She used to make it when we were kids and I've made it for my daughter as well.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24- Lovely.- She loves it.- Grand.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27- Oh, it's amazing, all in layers. - It has pasta in it as well.
0:47:27 > 0:47:32Great. I love the idea of having pasta, meat and cheese all in a pie.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36It's like a... sometimes in Scotland you see little Scotch pies,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39raised Scotch pies and they'll have macaroni cheese in,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42or cheesy beans or cheese beans and sausages.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44It's bonkers what you can put in a pie. Have a taste.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48That's so like Ira's bastichio, but in a pie.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53Kingy, it seems that Mediterranean mums have been swapping recipes for centuries.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57But now we're finding their best loved secrets in our everyday British food.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Meanwhile in the mums' top, the girls are swapping tips
0:48:00 > 0:48:03and putting the finishing touches to their dishes.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08You're getting the custard and then you get the coconut on top of it as well.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11- Yes. You get the Caribbean on it. - Oh, yes!
0:48:11 > 0:48:14- Oh, you didn't think of that, did you?- You see.- Fantastic.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16We think it's traditional English,
0:48:16 > 0:48:20but really all food has some form of other parts of the world in it.
0:48:20 > 0:48:21- That's right.- There you go.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Dude, after trying everybody else's food,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26it's time for us to share one of our birthday recipes.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30And with everybody gathered in the big top, we'd better make a move.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35It's funny, there's been so much talk about birthdays.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39And I get really excited. It's like that thing when you're a kid.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43Have you sat there by the front door and you wait for that letterbox to open,
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and your cards to come through in a cascade?
0:48:45 > 0:48:50- And postal orders.- I used to get a cheque from my Uncle Gordon. - Ooh!- Oh, it was brilliant.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53£5 a month from my Uncle Gordon, and 15 quid when it was your birthday.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Mega. I put it in my mam's account and never saw it again.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00- Yeah, that wasn't a present, that was maintenance.- Oh, aye.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04So what we're doing today is something that's got real history,
0:49:04 > 0:49:08a real kind of, for you, a real personal family history.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12It's the humble, yet impressive, snow queen.
0:49:12 > 0:49:19The first time I came across the dessert known as snow queen, was at your house on Christmas Day.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23- Yeah, it was. - But it is like a birthday thing, it's a celebratory thing.
0:49:23 > 0:49:28It was an alternative to Christmas pudding, and it was Margaret, his mother in law, came with this thing.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32And it's like a stem ginger base, you know the crystallised ginger?
0:49:32 > 0:49:35So get some ginger, first chop it finely.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'And with the ginger, the other main ingredient is double cream.'
0:49:38 > 0:49:41We do that in a provocative sort of way, so it looks like Nigella.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43LAUGHTER
0:49:44 > 0:49:51You take a whisk. Preferably one with, not made out of sticks,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54and you beat it, to firm peaks.
0:49:54 > 0:49:59If you beat it too much, the cream will break down and you've lost your queenliness.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02So you've got to get that right point.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05'Once the cream is beaten, gently fold in the chopped ginger,
0:50:05 > 0:50:09'a shot of brandy, some sugar and broken meringue.'
0:50:09 > 0:50:14If you were to put kind of like glace cherries and almonds in this,
0:50:14 > 0:50:16it would end up like a frozen nougat dessert.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21Or you can kind of experiment with it. I mean, there's loads of desserts now that involve meringue.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25I mean, an Eton mess, it's like a pavlova that somebody's dropped.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29Lemon meringue pie. But this one, a similar vibe, but frozen, it works.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32And it could be even a question, from Newcastle.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35Am I right? Or am I meringue?
0:50:38 > 0:50:42The syrup from the ginger... a final flourish... drizzle that in.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45And that's nice and sweet. This kind of tempers the brandy.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Now we take a bowl, oil it and line it with cling film.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52And we pour that in there and put it in the freezer,
0:50:52 > 0:50:55and when it sets solid, it's like a frozen igloo.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59- Obviously it's lumpy. - Just like your bechamel, that.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01LAUGHTER
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Put it in the freezer, for about eight hours or overnight,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07and it's something, obviously before your dinner party,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10- you can make individual ones or you can do it in advance.- You can.
0:51:10 > 0:51:15Now, obviously seven hours and 20 minutes, that would just be plain silly, wouldn't it?
0:51:15 > 0:51:18So we get to utter those immortal words.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20ALL: Here's one I made earlier.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Ee, they're great. It's like playing to the Blue Peter crowd, isn't it?
0:51:24 > 0:51:26- It's great. - Right. Go on. Pop your queen.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28LAUGHTER
0:51:28 > 0:51:30Oh, you old romantic, you.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37Fabulous! Now we like to serve it with like a simple chocolate sauce.
0:51:37 > 0:51:43'So simply melt some butter, add dark cocoa powder mixed with sugar
0:51:43 > 0:51:48'to take the bitter edge off the cocoa, and some cream. And voila!'
0:51:48 > 0:51:51It's a proper chocolate sauce, like you'd get when you were a kid.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55It's just like tarmac when it melts on a summer's day.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Oh, wouldn't you be chuffed if you got this on your birthday?
0:51:58 > 0:52:02- Wouldn't you?- Yes. - You would? Oh, Dave.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04It's what I love about you. Less is more.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06LAUGHTER
0:52:07 > 0:52:09What do you think?
0:52:10 > 0:52:16And like for all birthday treats, we need some candles and a birthday boy. Hey!
0:52:18 > 0:52:21I've never seen anything quite as beautiful.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Well, it's not really your birthday either, but there you go.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27- No.- All the best, mate.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- Thank you.- Oh, that's nice.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32- Make a wish. - Gerard, watch your nasal hair!
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Right. Come on. I think we've got to taste this.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37- Yes. Come on.- Absolutely.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41- What do you reckon, dude? - He's dropped it!
0:52:43 > 0:52:45- It's spot on. - Oh, it's good, isn't it?
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Oh, we've got to let you taste this.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50I don't know where to start. I feel guilty.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- It was his birthday yesterday. - Happy Birthday.
0:52:53 > 0:52:59Kingy, your mother in law Margaret's special birthday treat, is a success.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04This, ladies and gentlemen, is the snow queen.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07'Mate, I think we can all be proud.'
0:53:07 > 0:53:12What a beautiful day to celebrate birthdays and family cooking.
0:53:12 > 0:53:18We've gathered hundreds of recipes, and people have shared and tasted each other's dishes.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20- Thank you for a lovely day. - Oh, thank you.
0:53:20 > 0:53:25- This is my birthday treat, it was my birthday.- It's your birthday?! - Happy birthday.- Happy birthday.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29I've got one really good one though. I haven't got the measurements. I got the snow queen.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31The snow queen, it's a 150 grams.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34Oh, you can just mix anything, it'll come out right.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38- Pan haggerty. That's Si's mam's. - Is it?- Oh, yeah it is, yeah it is.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41And now for the icing on the cake, a fabulous banquet
0:53:41 > 0:53:44to celebrate what people really want to eat on their birthday.
0:53:44 > 0:53:50For our birthday celebration, we've invited a selection of food lovers,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53as well as the friends and families of our VIP mums.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57Well, I think our ladies have done you proud. Welcome!
0:53:57 > 0:54:01'Welcome to our Mums Know Best Birthday buffet,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04the culmination of our culinary journey.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09'The first mum is Ira, and with her Greek Cypriot heritage, she's made the mighty dolmades.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13'In her family, a birthday part wouldn't be a party without them.'
0:54:13 > 0:54:14We have Connie.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18Now, Connie's dumplings are amazing.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22'Connie's mutton curry and fried dumpling may not be what you'd expect on your birthday,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25'but it's definitely putting the spice into ours.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28'Yvonne's traditional cuisine is a winner.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32'Her succulent sausage plait, which is her own daughter's favourite,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35'and a Manchester tart, especially for Dave.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38'And served alongside these great dishes, our own birthday favourites.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41'Our mams' - the shepherd's and cottage pies.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44'Our mighty summer berries trifle.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48'And your mother in law's snow queen, now a King family classic.'
0:54:48 > 0:54:52So, please dig in. Savouries first, and bring your plates.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55- No nicking the trifle!- No. - Come on, everybody up. Let's go.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Our journey has shown us that these dishes are what people
0:54:59 > 0:55:03in our modern Britain, are actually choosing for their birthdays.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05And the rule is, there is no rule.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07From traditional to eccentric,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10on your birthday you get to eat what you fancy.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15Well, as they say, "Life's too short, eat dessert first."
0:55:15 > 0:55:19Well, it's because you've been eating cake all week.
0:55:19 > 0:55:20I have. I know.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21What would your birthday favourite be?
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Probably meat and potato pie.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28I think your mutton curry's pretty high on my list actually, now.
0:55:28 > 0:55:33Is there any sausage plait left? I had my curry first, then I was going to go up for the sausage plait.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Oh, I don't know. I might have to fight you for that.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40- Oh, hey, there's not. You had the lot.- Is there not?
0:55:40 > 0:55:44Oh! It's gone. There's a few crumbs.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46- There you go.- I don't want crumbs.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Oh, look, look, look. There's a bit of meat there.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51'I'd rather savoured the sausage plait.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53'Come on, Kingy, I know what'll cheer you up.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56'I've heard rumours that it's one of our guest's birthday tomorrow.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59'Tomorrow? Dude, that's good enough for me.'
0:55:59 > 0:56:02You can't have a birthday cake without a birthday girl, can we?
0:56:02 > 0:56:04- Rosie! - Come on, me little green goddess.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06APPLAUSE
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Hey! Happy birthday, Rosie.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Right. Let's get stuck in.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14Oh!
0:56:16 > 0:56:19- Oh, more.- You've got to have a...
0:56:19 > 0:56:21- Oh, there you go, girl.- Fantastic.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28Connie's dumplings were amazing. And for pudding, obviously my birthday cake, but the trifle was amazing.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31The best trifle I've ever had. But don't tell my grandma.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34The curry was... got to be the best. Absolutely perfect.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36And the lady, Connie who cooked it,
0:56:36 > 0:56:40said if she'd had more time it would have been even better. How? Perfect.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43The snow queen as well, it was absolutely lovely.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Not too sweet but just sweet enough and just the right mixture of everything. Lovely.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51I've never tried it before, but the Manchester tart, absolutely fantastic.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53I'm going to be asking for that again.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55My favourite sweet was the snow queen.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58As you can see, I've licked the plate clean. Sorry, mum.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03'It's fair to say that everybody loves birthdays, and the memories that go with them.'
0:57:03 > 0:57:07'It's about sitting down with your family and your friends, to share the food you love the best.'
0:57:07 > 0:57:10- There you go, mate.- Cheers. Thank you.- A birthday cake.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13- You cannot have a birthday party without a birthday cake.- No!
0:57:13 > 0:57:16I tell you what, though, I've got quite a few more ideas now
0:57:16 > 0:57:18about what I want for my birthday next year.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20- Happy birthday. - Happy birthday, mate.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25'Kingy, it's all over. But hasn't it been incredible?
0:57:25 > 0:57:30'Not only have we been all over Britain, we've met dozens of mums keeping great home cooking alive.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35'And, dude, we've discovered what an amazing breadth of culinary talent there is in this country.'
0:57:35 > 0:57:36Let's eat.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40From family favourites and simple suppers,
0:57:40 > 0:57:42to grand picnics and Sunday lunches,
0:57:42 > 0:57:44Britain has a hugely diverse food heritage
0:57:44 > 0:57:47which is being kept alive by the nation's mums.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49I'm so excited, I don't know where to start.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52It's been a real privilege to be able to bring mums together
0:57:52 > 0:57:56to share and taste their families' most cherished dishes.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00- Hot biscuits straight out of the oven.- Nice one.- Thanks, Victoria.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04And, if any of you mums out there want to share your family treats,
0:58:04 > 0:58:05please go to our website,
0:58:05 > 0:58:09where you'll also find all the recipes from the series.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11It's a legacy, something that's going to go on.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14And you can volunteer to take part next time we hit the road.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16And that's what brings people together, the food.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19So, people at home, keep on sharing those recipes
0:58:19 > 0:58:21cos there's nought like your mam's cooking.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23Great food, great people!
0:58:23 > 0:58:24Yeah!
0:58:43 > 0:58:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:46 > 0:58:49E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk