Comforting Food

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0:00:02 > 0:00:06'British cooks are great, cooking amazing food for their families

0:00:06 > 0:00:09- 'all over the country. - 'A unique legacy handed down

0:00:09 > 0:00:12'by generations of hardworking mams and grandmas.

0:00:12 > 0:00:15'But the quest for new flavours means our food heritage

0:00:15 > 0:00:18- 'is at risk of being lost forever. - 'So we're on a mission

0:00:18 > 0:00:22'to rediscover our culinary roots

0:00:22 > 0:00:25'and save these family recipes for the nation.

0:00:25 > 0:00:29'We'll visit the kitchens and cook with the people who know these dishes best...

0:00:29 > 0:00:33'And uncover the history behind the food on our nation's tables.

0:00:33 > 0:00:37'But we're also inviting people to bring their treasures to us!

0:00:37 > 0:00:42'Never has a field been so filled with people talking all things foody.

0:00:42 > 0:00:44'It's great!'

0:00:44 > 0:00:46Welcome to the Mums Know Best Recipe Fair.

0:00:46 > 0:00:50- You can already feel the warmth... - Cheerfulness!- Cosiness.

0:00:50 > 0:00:54- Happiness!- And pleasure. - And a sense of deep gratification...

0:00:54 > 0:00:57As we delve into the world that is comfort food.

0:00:57 > 0:01:00Comfort foods are what we eat to cheer us up a bit,

0:01:00 > 0:01:03things that make us feel that little bit better.

0:01:03 > 0:01:05Oh, yeah. I like oxtail stew,

0:01:05 > 0:01:08doughnuts, treacle pudding, fish fingers...

0:01:08 > 0:01:11- Oh, that's comfier than your old jeans.- Isn't it?

0:01:13 > 0:01:16But that's not the end of it. Food can be a deeper comfort too.

0:01:16 > 0:01:20We find recipes that have comforted generations of farming families.

0:01:20 > 0:01:23For us, the comfort is because we've got through lambing time.

0:01:23 > 0:01:28And recipes that bring back memories of people we never want to forget.

0:01:28 > 0:01:30I felt as though I'd had a hug from my mum.

0:01:31 > 0:01:35We know Britain loves to cook, so we've put the recipes on the website

0:01:35 > 0:01:39for you to add to your own family table.

0:01:39 > 0:01:42'So, friends, spend the next hour with us in recipe heaven...

0:01:42 > 0:01:46'Because we know our mams really do know best.

0:02:07 > 0:02:11'We're setting off to visit three home cooks who have comforting recipes of their own.

0:02:11 > 0:02:16'And, we hope, recipes we can showcase back at the recipe fair.

0:02:17 > 0:02:20'Now, Dave, what do you think of comforting food?

0:02:20 > 0:02:23'What's the first thing that springs into your mind?

0:02:23 > 0:02:26'Er, pies, mate. It's got to be pies.

0:02:26 > 0:02:29'Yes, and not just any pies. For maximum comfort,

0:02:29 > 0:02:31'you need maximum pie.'

0:02:31 > 0:02:35Well, for big pies, I reckon this place is the business.

0:02:35 > 0:02:37Since 1788, the small Yorkshire town of Denby Dale

0:02:37 > 0:02:41has been baking enormous pies to celebrate special events,

0:02:41 > 0:02:43each pie bigger than the last.

0:02:43 > 0:02:47Their Millennium Pie weighed 12 tons and was 40 foot long.

0:02:47 > 0:02:49Imagine the comfort from that pie, dude!

0:02:49 > 0:02:52'We've been invited to Denby Dale by Dee,

0:02:52 > 0:02:54'but it's her dad she really wants us to meet.'

0:02:54 > 0:02:57- Hello, Dave!- Pleased to meet you.

0:02:57 > 0:03:00Got something special to show you here. Just follow me!

0:03:00 > 0:03:03'Dave remembers the baking of the 1964 pie.'

0:03:04 > 0:03:07- What do you think of that? - That's a pie dish.

0:03:08 > 0:03:11- You mean you make a pie in that? - Make a pie in that.

0:03:11 > 0:03:15Well, I've heard of big portions in Yorkshire, but that's ridiculous!

0:03:15 > 0:03:16That's mad!

0:03:16 > 0:03:20'So that tin, now full of earth, was once full of meat and potato

0:03:20 > 0:03:22'with a nice pastry lid.

0:03:22 > 0:03:24'Bonkers!'

0:03:26 > 0:03:28Dee's dad, Dave, is a retired butcher.

0:03:28 > 0:03:30'Not only did he help out with those huge pies,

0:03:30 > 0:03:34'but he made normal-sized ones daily in his butcher's shop.

0:03:34 > 0:03:38'But Dee has never been allowed to make one until now.'

0:03:39 > 0:03:41I think Dee's come of age, just about,

0:03:41 > 0:03:45so here's the special secret recipe.

0:03:45 > 0:03:47Wow! I've never been allowed to have this,

0:03:47 > 0:03:50so this is a bit of an honour. There we go.

0:03:50 > 0:03:53There's nobody watching. You're safe with us.

0:03:53 > 0:03:56But the secret of it is in the seasoning.

0:03:56 > 0:03:58"6119"!

0:03:58 > 0:04:046119 is a very significant number to anybody who's a guitarist.

0:04:04 > 0:04:05SHE CHUCKLES

0:04:05 > 0:04:08'6119... Is that a riff or something?

0:04:08 > 0:04:12'6119, my friend, was the guitar that Beatle George Harrison played.'

0:04:14 > 0:04:16It doesn't taste o'nowt!

0:04:16 > 0:04:17THEY LAUGH

0:04:17 > 0:04:20The taste comes out in the cooking.

0:04:20 > 0:04:22'I think we'll be the judge of that!'

0:04:22 > 0:04:24Thanks! Nice to see you!

0:04:25 > 0:04:26We're going to be present

0:04:26 > 0:04:30at the birth of Dee's very first baby Denby Dale Pie.

0:04:30 > 0:04:35'I know! My pie midwifery skills are a bit rusty!'

0:04:35 > 0:04:37- Let's see the recipe, then! - OK, then.

0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Oop!- Oh, you ripped it!- Dad!

0:04:40 > 0:04:43- It's all right. We won't tell him. - It's illegible.

0:04:43 > 0:04:45- His writing's terrible.- "Wispy"...

0:04:45 > 0:04:49Oh, mince! "Dice beef and onions mixed together with salt

0:04:49 > 0:04:52in a large pan." Is there any particular size chunks?

0:04:52 > 0:04:55- He does 'em about that big. - I'll crack on.

0:04:55 > 0:04:58What's your most comforting dish, though?

0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Is it the meat-and-potato pie? - I think so.

0:05:01 > 0:05:04That's a proper family dish that we would have.

0:05:04 > 0:05:07- I think we enjoy that more than us Christmas dinner.- Yeah?

0:05:08 > 0:05:11'The recipe calls for the beef to be boiled with onions and salt

0:05:11 > 0:05:13'for a whopping three hours.'

0:05:13 > 0:05:16It's interesting. You're not browning the meat first.

0:05:16 > 0:05:19- No.- I suppose you seal it to keep the flavours in,

0:05:19 > 0:05:21but in this, we want a whole big mass of flavour,

0:05:21 > 0:05:24The pie is an entity, not a series of individuals.

0:05:24 > 0:05:27# Om...

0:05:27 > 0:05:28# Hum... #

0:05:28 > 0:05:32'Now do yoga and chant for three hours while your meat cooks.

0:05:33 > 0:05:36'Or you can make lots of lardy pastry, which we prefer.'

0:05:36 > 0:05:40Oh, the mysterious world of pastry-making!

0:05:40 > 0:05:43Pastry. So, now, my dad makes it in a machine.

0:05:43 > 0:05:45- But I make it by hand.- Now, look...

0:05:45 > 0:05:47which way are we going?

0:05:47 > 0:05:50- By hand.- Ooh!- Controversial!

0:05:50 > 0:05:53Listen - if he comes in, I'm saying nowt.

0:05:53 > 0:05:56- I'll just say... I'm saying nowt. - I ain't got a machine anyway.

0:05:56 > 0:05:58- Great. - HE LAUGHS

0:05:58 > 0:05:59That'll be it, then!

0:05:59 > 0:06:03'Dee's dad's recipe calls for a whole bag of flour...'

0:06:03 > 0:06:04There it goes.

0:06:04 > 0:06:07- '..a lot of salt...' - I like it flavoured.

0:06:07 > 0:06:10'..a block and a half of lard, and the same of marge.'

0:06:13 > 0:06:16# Lard, beautiful lard

0:06:16 > 0:06:18# It makes your arteries

0:06:18 > 0:06:20# Very hard #

0:06:22 > 0:06:27'Such a lot of pastry calls for the cement-mixing method to be employed.

0:06:27 > 0:06:30'When the water's mixed through,

0:06:30 > 0:06:34'put it to bed in the fridge, and prepare the potatoes.'

0:06:35 > 0:06:38These are just good potatoes that have been boiled until they're soft?

0:06:38 > 0:06:41- In a little bit of salt water.- Aye.

0:06:41 > 0:06:45"Gravy - five tablespoons 6119. Mix with water."

0:06:45 > 0:06:47"Stir through. Add to meat juice."

0:06:47 > 0:06:49Now, if you haven't got 6119...

0:06:49 > 0:06:51- You can do it with Bisto powder and Bovril.- You can?

0:06:51 > 0:06:55Yes. But we might as well use this, seeing as it's taken me 32 years

0:06:55 > 0:06:58- to get hold of it.- Absolutely!

0:06:58 > 0:07:01'The pie is going to be so full of flavour

0:07:01 > 0:07:05'because the juices from the meat form the basis of the 6119 gravy.'

0:07:07 > 0:07:11That smell really smells of my childhood, that.

0:07:12 > 0:07:16'And then all the meat and all the potatoes go into the pie tin.'

0:07:16 > 0:07:19I never thought that lot would fit in there.

0:07:19 > 0:07:21- Ah, you see?- You're right.- Perfect.

0:07:21 > 0:07:24- OK. We just need to roll a bit of pastry out now.- Right.

0:07:25 > 0:07:29'Now, this is a good tip. Because the pie is not pastry-based,

0:07:29 > 0:07:32'Dee remembers her dad putting an extra rim of pastry round the edge

0:07:32 > 0:07:35- 'to attach the lid to.' - You know what it's reminding me of?

0:07:35 > 0:07:39You know when you re-seal your windshield on the bike?

0:07:39 > 0:07:41- You know? - SHE LAUGHS

0:07:41 > 0:07:43- Yeah!- Look at that.

0:07:43 > 0:07:45Just pour a bit of gravy over there.

0:07:45 > 0:07:47Oh!

0:07:48 > 0:07:54'These potatoes are going to have the flavour of the meat going right through them. Oh, man!'

0:07:54 > 0:07:57- I think we'll need about that much. - No, you use it all!

0:07:57 > 0:08:00- It's a thick 'un! - It's going to be a paving slab.

0:08:00 > 0:08:03Great! I love that. I love thick pastry.

0:08:03 > 0:08:06- Look at that! - He just crimps the edges.

0:08:06 > 0:08:10- Like that!- I think we should make something to go on top,

0:08:10 > 0:08:12because that's what my dad used to do when we were little.

0:08:12 > 0:08:15- A cow. Shall we make a cow?- Yeah.

0:08:15 > 0:08:19THEY LAUGH

0:08:19 > 0:08:21It's not the perfect cow.

0:08:21 > 0:08:24Our Dee's Yorkshire-terrier pie.

0:08:24 > 0:08:26THEY LAUGH

0:08:32 > 0:08:36Back in 1964, Dee's dad watched his father

0:08:36 > 0:08:39bake Denby Dale's eighth enormous pie.

0:08:39 > 0:08:41It was a big occasion for the town.

0:08:41 > 0:08:44The pie was transported on a huge wagon

0:08:44 > 0:08:46pulled by a steam traction engine.

0:08:46 > 0:08:49The pie attracted huge crowds,

0:08:49 > 0:08:53and it fed a massive 30,000 people.

0:08:54 > 0:08:5647 years later,

0:08:56 > 0:09:01Dave is about to inspect his daughter's first baby Denby Dale pie...

0:09:01 > 0:09:03Which has been baking for a good 50 minutes.

0:09:03 > 0:09:05- Oh, yes!- What do you reckon?

0:09:05 > 0:09:08Yeah, that looks nice. The pastry hasn't shrunk.

0:09:08 > 0:09:10SHE SIGHS IN RELIEF Nicely filled over.

0:09:11 > 0:09:15'Dee's dad must have made thousands of pies in his life.'

0:09:15 > 0:09:16Wow, look at that!

0:09:16 > 0:09:20'And probably tasted thousands before this one, too.'

0:09:20 > 0:09:22Your dog's just been chopped in half.

0:09:22 > 0:09:24It's not my dog! It's a cow! It's a cow!

0:09:24 > 0:09:28- Well, it looks a bit like a dog. - Woof-woof, moo-moo.

0:09:28 > 0:09:31So far we're looking all right.

0:09:31 > 0:09:33- Oh!- Look at that!

0:09:34 > 0:09:36Has the pastry cooked?

0:09:36 > 0:09:39It's just not quite cooked through to the bottom, the pastry,

0:09:39 > 0:09:42but that's all right for a first-timer.

0:09:42 > 0:09:46'Good grief! I think Dee's dad thinks we're filming MasterChef pie edition.

0:09:46 > 0:09:49'"Pie-cooking doesn't get any tougher than this, mate!"'

0:09:49 > 0:09:53Just falling to pieces as you taste it. Doesn't take any chewing.

0:09:55 > 0:09:58Mmm. That's just cooked right, them potatoes.

0:09:59 > 0:10:04'Evidently a pie in Denby Dale should be eaten with mushy peas and mint sauce.'

0:10:04 > 0:10:06Great flavour!

0:10:10 > 0:10:12That meat is superb. It just melts!

0:10:12 > 0:10:17'Well, mate, I think Dee should make her second-ever meat-and-potato pie

0:10:17 > 0:10:19'at our comfort-food recipe fair.

0:10:19 > 0:10:23'Pastry steak, melting potatoes, thick gravy...

0:10:23 > 0:10:25'Mate, it would be mad not to let her.'

0:10:25 > 0:10:28- Lovely to see you. Come again, won't you?- Ooh, yeah.

0:10:36 > 0:10:39'Now, biking round like we do is lovely,

0:10:39 > 0:10:42'but it can take a certain toll on the backside after a while.

0:10:42 > 0:10:45'Are your leathers chafing again, mate?

0:10:45 > 0:10:47'No, but it would be nice to stop for a bit.

0:10:47 > 0:10:50'What, here? Isn't Castle Howard a bit posh for us two?

0:10:50 > 0:10:54'We'll just sit in the gardens. The Honourable Simon Howard won't mind

0:10:54 > 0:10:57'if we don't make a mess.' A bit of traveller's comfort

0:10:57 > 0:10:59- on the road.- I'm there already!

0:10:59 > 0:11:03'Grand houses like this were built as playgrounds for the rich

0:11:03 > 0:11:07'to indulge in the greatest comforts of the period, especially food.

0:11:07 > 0:11:09'And I've brought a handwritten recipe book

0:11:09 > 0:11:13'that came straight out of a house like Castle Howard.'

0:11:13 > 0:11:16It's the cook's handwritten Victorian cookbook.

0:11:16 > 0:11:19- "Pea soup". They loved their soups! - Look at that!- God, yeah!

0:11:19 > 0:11:23Isn't it funny? Tomato soup is one of those comfort things.

0:11:23 > 0:11:26Do you know what my favourite was, in our house?

0:11:26 > 0:11:29We used to have fish-finger sandwiches.

0:11:29 > 0:11:32- Yes!- That was just mega.

0:11:32 > 0:11:35I think we should reinvent our childhood favourites.

0:11:35 > 0:11:38We're going to cook ourselves grown-up versions -

0:11:38 > 0:11:40Hairy Biker fish-finger sandwiches,

0:11:40 > 0:11:44but first, Dave's mam's tomato soup, pepped up with a spicy rouille

0:11:44 > 0:11:46and cheesy croutons.

0:11:47 > 0:11:52'Start by getting your friend to finely chop onion and garlic,

0:11:52 > 0:11:55'and get your frying pan good and hot.'

0:11:55 > 0:11:57Nearly there. Got a ripple on it.

0:11:57 > 0:11:59Hey, man! Give over!

0:11:59 > 0:12:01- Pick that up!- Oh, aye.

0:12:01 > 0:12:05- We'll get chucked off.- I know. What a place to cook your dinner!

0:12:05 > 0:12:09'Sweat onions and garlic down for just three or four minutes.'

0:12:09 > 0:12:14I like cooking outside, because you get bits of grass in your dinner. And that's always great.

0:12:15 > 0:12:18'Then add in one can of plum tomatoes,

0:12:18 > 0:12:20'and the same quantity of water.'

0:12:20 > 0:12:24To that we add some mixed herbs - half a teaspoon.

0:12:25 > 0:12:28'While that simmers away, we'll make a rouille.

0:12:28 > 0:12:32'It's a fresh mayonnaise beefed up with spices and saffron to dollop in the soup.

0:12:32 > 0:12:37'It's very easy, especially if you have a Geordie to do most of the work.'

0:12:37 > 0:12:40We need three chillies and four cloves of garlic.

0:12:40 > 0:12:43- Are you doing anything? - No. I'm keeping an eye on the soup.

0:12:43 > 0:12:47How tired could that leave you? And a nice big pinch of saffron.

0:12:47 > 0:12:49Now, that, my trusty Geordie bonhomie,

0:12:49 > 0:12:53that needs to be grinded to a very fine paste.

0:12:54 > 0:12:56I'm not doing it.

0:12:56 > 0:12:59You can do it! I'm not doing... I always do this.

0:12:59 > 0:13:03I always get to grind, to...to knock out dough,

0:13:03 > 0:13:07to whisk... Any manual labour, I get to do it. You can do it!

0:13:07 > 0:13:10There's a difficult way, and there's an easy way.

0:13:10 > 0:13:12- What are you doing? - Look what I've got, son. Whoops!

0:13:12 > 0:13:14What?

0:13:14 > 0:13:18There you go! The appliance of science.

0:13:18 > 0:13:22When Geordie goes on strike, get out the electricals.

0:13:22 > 0:13:25You know it makes sense. Yummy!

0:13:25 > 0:13:28In case it's escaped your notice, you bright spark,

0:13:28 > 0:13:32where you going to plug it in? We haven't got any electricals!

0:13:32 > 0:13:35In time of strikes and civil disobedience,

0:13:35 > 0:13:37- be prepared.- Civil disobedience?!

0:13:37 > 0:13:40The handy portable generator.

0:13:41 > 0:13:43You are having a laugh!

0:13:43 > 0:13:48If he can do this is a one-er, I will eat my own shoes.

0:13:48 > 0:13:51The thing about electricity, you've got to know how to work it.

0:13:51 > 0:13:54GENERATOR ROARS

0:13:54 > 0:13:56Sucker!

0:13:56 > 0:13:58'Deftly grind your spices up,

0:13:58 > 0:14:01'then it's just like making a normal mayonnaise.'

0:14:01 > 0:14:03DAVE SPEAKS OVER ENGINE NOISE

0:14:13 > 0:14:15'Now drizzle olive oil in.'

0:14:27 > 0:14:30That has more colour than a jaundiced canary.

0:14:30 > 0:14:32Look at that! Ooh!

0:14:33 > 0:14:37'Dave's rouille is super-spicy with chillies and raw garlic,

0:14:37 > 0:14:40'but with a soft, almost smoky edge from the saffron.

0:14:40 > 0:14:42'It's awesome.'

0:14:42 > 0:14:46'Cream of tomato soup is smooth. Everyone knows that.

0:14:46 > 0:14:51'And if your Geordie boy is on strike, just use a hand blender.

0:14:51 > 0:14:53'It's so easy!

0:14:53 > 0:14:55GENERATOR COUGHS

0:14:56 > 0:14:58Do that slicker, I think.

0:14:58 > 0:15:01GENERATOR CLICKS

0:15:01 > 0:15:03DAVE MUTTERS

0:15:05 > 0:15:07GENERATOR GASPS

0:15:07 > 0:15:10- HE SNIFFS - I can smell petrol.- Flooded!

0:15:10 > 0:15:13- GENERATOR CLICKS THEN ROARS - Yes!

0:15:18 > 0:15:23Beautiful! That would've taken you all day to do by hand.

0:15:24 > 0:15:29All we do now is pop in some cream, bring back to the heat,

0:15:29 > 0:15:33adjust the seasoning - whacko! Homemade cream of tomato soup.

0:15:33 > 0:15:35It doesn't get much better than that.

0:15:35 > 0:15:37'Now, Dave needs croutons.

0:15:37 > 0:15:40'Fry bread in a mixture of oil and butter.

0:15:40 > 0:15:43'Add some Gruyere cheese and grill it a bit.

0:15:43 > 0:15:46'It'll float on the soup like a big, hot, cheesy iceberg.'

0:15:46 > 0:15:49Well, that's it! The tomato soup, the golden gruyere croutons,

0:15:49 > 0:15:53- and the rouille.- Dude, everybody else normally brings a sandwich.

0:15:53 > 0:15:57It's my turn, dude. Fish fingers! That's what we want now.

0:15:57 > 0:16:01What's he going to think when he gets those wafting over in the big house?

0:16:03 > 0:16:05Us British love fish fingers.

0:16:05 > 0:16:09Clarence Birdseye invented them in 1955.

0:16:09 > 0:16:12Initially they were going to contain herring,

0:16:12 > 0:16:14but cod was found to be a bigger hit.

0:16:14 > 0:16:17You know, at first he wanted to call them battered-cod pieces!

0:16:17 > 0:16:20"A battered-cod piece and chips, please, sir."

0:16:20 > 0:16:22That doesn't sound right, dude, does it?

0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Here!- What?- Look.

0:16:27 > 0:16:33Blooming heck! How many fish fingers are you expecting to eat with your average fish-finger sandwich?

0:16:33 > 0:16:36Four, out of that.

0:16:37 > 0:16:40'Using a selection of fish for your fish fingers

0:16:40 > 0:16:43'somehow turns a simple meal into a gourmet one.'

0:16:44 > 0:16:48It is a fabulous way of getting kids to eat good fish.

0:16:48 > 0:16:51Because the kids focus on the finger part and not the fish part,

0:16:51 > 0:16:55so you can get them to snaffle them into their little goblets.

0:16:55 > 0:16:57I'm not being bad, because all the trimmings,

0:16:57 > 0:17:00you can put them in fish pie or fish soup,

0:17:00 > 0:17:02and everybody loves a good fish pie.

0:17:02 > 0:17:06'Dredge your fish chunks in flour. Season with a bit of salt.

0:17:06 > 0:17:10'Then dip in beaten egg and roll liberally in golden breadcrumbs,

0:17:10 > 0:17:12and shallow-fry.'

0:17:13 > 0:17:15DAVE GASPS

0:17:15 > 0:17:19You can only get three Hairy Biker fish fingers on a round of bread!

0:17:19 > 0:17:21Clarence Birdseye, we salute you.

0:17:23 > 0:17:26'So that's our quick on-the-road traveller's comfort meal.'

0:17:28 > 0:17:29Now...

0:17:30 > 0:17:34'First up, my cream of tomato soup with gruyere croutons

0:17:34 > 0:17:37'and spicy rouille.'

0:17:39 > 0:17:41Mate, that's mega.

0:17:41 > 0:17:44That's a really good, simple tomato-soup recipe.

0:17:44 > 0:17:46The rouille really kicks it in.

0:17:46 > 0:17:49That's brilliant, cos there's a little chilliness to it,

0:17:49 > 0:17:53and then... Oh, I've got to have it. Oh, your crouton! Mmm!

0:17:56 > 0:17:58Lovely.

0:17:59 > 0:18:03'And for dessert, monster Hairy Biker fish-selection fingers

0:18:03 > 0:18:07'on fresh white bread, with tomato ketchup.'

0:18:07 > 0:18:09And then you put the top back on...

0:18:10 > 0:18:13..turn it over... 'Salad cream!'

0:18:14 > 0:18:15Ugh!

0:18:17 > 0:18:18Oh!

0:18:18 > 0:18:21- DAVE LAUGHS - That's a fish-finger sandwich.

0:18:21 > 0:18:25Yeah. Absolutely. Oh, comfort food!

0:18:25 > 0:18:28- Oh, that's comfier than your old jeans, isn't it?- Mmm.

0:18:28 > 0:18:30'Ooh, all nice and well fed.

0:18:30 > 0:18:34'It's time to search for a very different type of comfort food.

0:18:34 > 0:18:38'Yeah, because good food can satisfy more than just your stomach.'

0:18:43 > 0:18:47'We've come to Blackpool. You love Blackpool, don't you, Dave?

0:18:47 > 0:18:49'You know I do, mate. I'm always happy to be here.

0:18:49 > 0:18:54'But we're not here for candyfloss or sticks of rock.

0:18:54 > 0:18:57'No. We're meeting someone who has discovered that some recipes

0:18:57 > 0:19:01- 'can help you through the hardest of times.'- Morning, lads!

0:19:01 > 0:19:03- Hello!- Nice to see you!- Hiya!

0:19:03 > 0:19:05- How you doing?- All right.

0:19:06 > 0:19:09Angie and her partner Debbie love cooking recipes

0:19:09 > 0:19:12passed on from Renee, Angie's mother.

0:19:13 > 0:19:16- You saw the tower? - We did. Is that the smell of tea?

0:19:16 > 0:19:18- Aye. Come on. Let's have a brew. - Excellent!

0:19:18 > 0:19:22- Hope you're hungry, lads. - Tea'll do me gob like a flip-flop!

0:19:22 > 0:19:25'These recipes mean everything to Angie

0:19:25 > 0:19:28'since her mum Renee died from cancer four years ago.'

0:19:28 > 0:19:31Actually, that was the last party we had for her.

0:19:31 > 0:19:33When she was told she'd only got weeks,

0:19:33 > 0:19:36- she said, "We'd better have a party." - That's a proper Blackpool woman.

0:19:36 > 0:19:39- Oh, God, aye, she is.- Very beautiful.

0:19:39 > 0:19:41Four weeks before she died, that.

0:19:41 > 0:19:43Whilst I was caring for her here,

0:19:43 > 0:19:47she asked me was there anything of hers that I'd like,

0:19:47 > 0:19:50so I said, "Do you know what I'd really like, Mam? Your recipes."

0:19:50 > 0:19:54So she actually wrote them in this book for me,

0:19:54 > 0:19:57- so I've got all handwritten in here, all her recipes.- Oh, wow!

0:19:57 > 0:20:00- "Nana's Curry". - Yeah, with little notes on, as well,

0:20:00 > 0:20:04which are nice, because on the chilli, I don't like beans,

0:20:04 > 0:20:07so she's put, "Beans optional. Angie doesn't like them,"

0:20:07 > 0:20:12that type of thing. But basically, after my mum had died,

0:20:12 > 0:20:15I was feeling really negged off,

0:20:15 > 0:20:18so what I did was, I picked up my mum's cookery book,

0:20:18 > 0:20:21and I went to the supermarket and got the ingredients.

0:20:21 > 0:20:24And when I tell you the smell, the aroma in the house,

0:20:24 > 0:20:27smelled as though my mum had been cooking, and when I tasted it,

0:20:27 > 0:20:30it tasted like my mum had made it, and the only way I can explain

0:20:30 > 0:20:34how I felt, I felt as if I'd had a hug from my mum.

0:20:36 > 0:20:40Recreating her mum's great recipes has been a true comfort for Angie,

0:20:40 > 0:20:44and we're going to start with Renee's spicy beef curry.

0:20:44 > 0:20:46How would your mum have done the onion?

0:20:46 > 0:20:49She wouldn't have chopped off the root and the shoot.

0:20:49 > 0:20:52- How does your mam want it? - Nice and diced.

0:20:54 > 0:20:56'Angie's not backward in coming forward,

0:20:56 > 0:21:00'and gets us to work chopping braising steak, onions and garlic.'

0:21:00 > 0:21:03That looks great, that. Shall we brown the beef off?

0:21:03 > 0:21:06- You don't season the beef first? - No, no, no.

0:21:06 > 0:21:09There's enough spice in there to season it.

0:21:09 > 0:21:11- There's enough spice with you, Ange. - You're not wrong!

0:21:11 > 0:21:14- And then we've got Old Spice! - Thanks!

0:21:14 > 0:21:16HE LAUGHS

0:21:16 > 0:21:18And Scary Spice in the corner.

0:21:18 > 0:21:21Just cos I laughed at the Old Spice gag!

0:21:21 > 0:21:23- Getting yourself back.- I know.

0:21:25 > 0:21:27'Angie just seals the meat and sets it aside,

0:21:27 > 0:21:29'saving all the meat juices.'

0:21:29 > 0:21:32- Right, let's get these spices done. - What about my onions?

0:21:32 > 0:21:35Oh, yeah. You look after the onions, then.

0:21:35 > 0:21:38- I don't want any colour on it. And don't burn it.- Right.

0:21:38 > 0:21:41- I'm just saying!- Not golden.

0:21:41 > 0:21:46'Angie's mum's special mix of spices gives this dish the unique smell that Angie remembers.'

0:21:46 > 0:21:49- What's that one, Ange?- That's cumin.

0:21:49 > 0:21:52'It's one teaspoon each of ground cumin,

0:21:52 > 0:21:55'coriander, turmeric and black pepper.'

0:21:56 > 0:22:00Oh, this is easy. A good teaspoon of everything in there.

0:22:00 > 0:22:03Apart from the ginger, which is half a teaspoon.

0:22:03 > 0:22:06THEY LAUGH

0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Oh, and the cinnamon. That's only half a teaspoon.- Smashing!

0:22:09 > 0:22:13So I'm using hot chilli powder here, because I like it hot.

0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Three cloves.- Use five and it'll taste like the dentist's.

0:22:16 > 0:22:19And then three cardamom pods.

0:22:19 > 0:22:22Do you not give them a crack first to release the seeds?

0:22:23 > 0:22:26- Top tip! - We learned that in India, didn't we?

0:22:26 > 0:22:29- No need to be that butch with them. - You calling me butch?

0:22:29 > 0:22:32- Didn't say a word. - SHE LAUGHS

0:22:32 > 0:22:35- Right. Are we softened? - They're not bad, actually.

0:22:35 > 0:22:39They look all right, so now we're going to pop the spices in.

0:22:39 > 0:22:44You just want to put them spices in, only for about a minute,

0:22:44 > 0:22:47because if you burn them, they're going to get bitter.

0:22:47 > 0:22:51They're about ready, so now we're going to pop the beef back in.

0:22:51 > 0:22:54Right. Shall we bang those tomatoes in now?

0:22:54 > 0:22:56Now, we need to bring that up to the boil.

0:22:56 > 0:22:58So, your mam - did she like it hot?

0:22:58 > 0:23:02She loved it hot, did my mother! Oh, yes!

0:23:02 > 0:23:06'But even Renee added a quarter pint of yoghurt to temper the heat -

0:23:06 > 0:23:09'and a tablespoon of vinegar!'

0:23:09 > 0:23:12- You're using malt vinegar, good old chip-shop vinegar!- Oh, yes!

0:23:12 > 0:23:15We are in Blackpool. THEY LAUGH

0:23:16 > 0:23:18So we're going to mix that in.

0:23:18 > 0:23:21Going to cook it on top of the stove today.

0:23:21 > 0:23:24- The longer you can leave it... - The better it is.

0:23:24 > 0:23:27..the better. So it'll take about an hour and a half

0:23:27 > 0:23:29on top of the stove.

0:23:29 > 0:23:33- And that's when the aroma starts to fill the house.- Oh, yeah.

0:23:33 > 0:23:35And that's what reminds me of my mum, yeah.

0:23:35 > 0:23:38Was it right here that that memory hit you?

0:23:38 > 0:23:42I was cooking here, but actually it came wafting through the house,

0:23:42 > 0:23:45and for a moment I thought she was here,

0:23:45 > 0:23:50- er, cooking in my kitchen.- Yes. - It really did smell like that.

0:23:52 > 0:23:54While the beef simmers away,

0:23:54 > 0:23:57Angie's going to make a couple of Renee's vegetable curries -

0:23:57 > 0:24:00sweet-and-sour potatoes, but first, spiced cauliflower.

0:24:00 > 0:24:03She begins by frying off a mix of spices

0:24:03 > 0:24:06containing really hot chilli powder this time.

0:24:06 > 0:24:11- Oh, just smell that!- Oh!- Oh, yes!

0:24:11 > 0:24:13'When the cauliflower is coated in the spices,

0:24:13 > 0:24:16'she adds the tamarind paste dissolved in water.'

0:24:16 > 0:24:18Look at... Wow!

0:24:21 > 0:24:24'The final ingredient is - yes, you've guessed it!'

0:24:24 > 0:24:26I have vinegar on everything.

0:24:26 > 0:24:28'Now it's left to simmer for a few minutes,

0:24:28 > 0:24:32'and Angie gets the sweet-and-sour potatoes on the go.

0:24:32 > 0:24:34'She fries off cumin and black mustard seeds

0:24:34 > 0:24:37'until they pop, releasing their flavour.'

0:24:37 > 0:24:39A bit like popcorn, so you might need to duck.

0:24:39 > 0:24:42There we go! Put all the potatoes in.

0:24:42 > 0:24:45'She adds in a milder spice-powder mix this time,

0:24:45 > 0:24:48'and pours in a blend of tomato puree, sugar

0:24:48 > 0:24:53'and more vinegar in water, which will give the sweet-and-sour flavour.'

0:24:55 > 0:24:58FAST-PACED DRUMMING

0:25:00 > 0:25:02- Whoa!- Whoo!

0:25:02 > 0:25:06'Angie and Debbie's closest family have joined us for supper.

0:25:06 > 0:25:09'They have fond memories of Renee's curry nights.'

0:25:11 > 0:25:14THEY CHEER

0:25:18 > 0:25:20Dig in!

0:25:20 > 0:25:21THEY CHATTER

0:25:21 > 0:25:25- Have you had these recipes before? - Oh, this curry? Loads.

0:25:25 > 0:25:29- Do you? Ah, you see - yes, darlin'? - And these sweet potatoes

0:25:29 > 0:25:31are to die for. What do you think, lads?

0:25:31 > 0:25:35Fabulous. It's so full of flavours. And the beef's really tender!

0:25:35 > 0:25:38- It's gorgeous. - When I first made that recipe,

0:25:38 > 0:25:41I was quite, you know, in a bad place,

0:25:41 > 0:25:45and it kept me going. It almost felt as though she was still here for me.

0:25:45 > 0:25:49That's very important when you go through very tough times, isn't it?

0:25:49 > 0:25:53- You feel like you can hold on to something, at least.- Yeah.

0:25:53 > 0:25:56This is going to be fantastic at the recipe fair.

0:25:56 > 0:25:59We're going to spread the love of your mam and her legacy around.

0:25:59 > 0:26:02Feel the love. Feel the heat! The spice!

0:26:02 > 0:26:05- THEY LAUGH - That's brilliant.

0:26:05 > 0:26:09Renee's beef curry, sweet-and-sour potatoes

0:26:09 > 0:26:11and spiced cauliflower - these aren't just good recipes

0:26:11 > 0:26:16to take to the fair. No, I think Angie will be bringing a bit of her mum along, too.

0:26:18 > 0:26:20- Fantastic! - Catch you later, lads.- See you!

0:26:24 > 0:26:26THEY BEEP THEIR HORNS

0:26:31 > 0:26:34'We've got an awesome physical comforter to cook next.

0:26:34 > 0:26:37'We think it's the easiest, warmest,

0:26:37 > 0:26:41'most unctuous and comforting one- pot wonder you're going to find.'

0:26:43 > 0:26:47- Do you know what this is? - It's an elephant's trunk.

0:26:47 > 0:26:49No! It's not!

0:26:49 > 0:26:52It's an ox tail. You see?

0:26:52 > 0:26:55And you know what this is going to make?

0:26:56 > 0:27:00The Hairy Bikers really rich oxtail stew.

0:27:02 > 0:27:04Here's one we trim-a-roonied earlier.

0:27:04 > 0:27:10Now, all of this is just wonderfully deep, rich meat.

0:27:11 > 0:27:14I've made some seasoned flour, with cracked black pepper

0:27:14 > 0:27:17and sea-salt flakes. I've put it in a plastic bag

0:27:17 > 0:27:21to keep it nice and tidy, because sometimes cooking with Mr King,

0:27:21 > 0:27:24it's like watching Stevie Wonder do a jigsaw puzzle.

0:27:24 > 0:27:26There's bits everywhere!

0:27:26 > 0:27:29We're going to put some colour on it,

0:27:29 > 0:27:32get some oil... Have you got some oil there, mate?

0:27:32 > 0:27:34Yeah, yeah. Just sunflower oil.

0:27:36 > 0:27:40The flour serves to thicken the stew as well as it cooks, don't it?

0:27:40 > 0:27:44- Absolutely.- I'm making a mirepoix with the vegetables.

0:27:44 > 0:27:47Mirepoix is what all the posh chefs call that vegetable mix

0:27:47 > 0:27:51that forms the basis of the stock or the gravy.

0:27:51 > 0:27:55And it's carrots, celery, onions, and garlic.

0:27:55 > 0:27:59Si, what is it that you find comforting about the oxtail stew?

0:27:59 > 0:28:02- What is it for you? - I always remember my mam cooking it,

0:28:02 > 0:28:05and me and her would just sit on a night and have a chat,

0:28:05 > 0:28:09in the front room, eating our stew, having a crack on. I loved that.

0:28:09 > 0:28:12- Sitting round the fire sucking the bones.- Exactly that!

0:28:12 > 0:28:15Comfort food seems to fall into two categories, doesn't it?

0:28:15 > 0:28:18There's kind of psychological and kind of physical.

0:28:18 > 0:28:21And I think this is a physical comforter, isn't it?

0:28:21 > 0:28:24Yeah. It is a physical comforter, yes.

0:28:24 > 0:28:26That's got some really nice colour on it.

0:28:26 > 0:28:30'The browned oxtail will leave amazing flavours behind,

0:28:30 > 0:28:33'so make the most of them by sweating the veg in the same pan.'

0:28:33 > 0:28:37Lovely. This takes about four minutes to cook down nicely.

0:28:37 > 0:28:39- Don't want it to brown, though.- No.

0:28:42 > 0:28:44Look at that one! That's right at the end, that. Look.

0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Oh, I'd give that to the dog.- No!

0:28:47 > 0:28:49It's good for flavour, dude!

0:28:51 > 0:28:53'Once the veg are tasty and translucent,

0:28:53 > 0:28:56'it's one easy assemblage.'

0:28:56 > 0:28:58Your veggies go in on top of the oxtail.

0:28:58 > 0:29:02To that, about 500 mill, about a pint of beef stock.

0:29:04 > 0:29:07Half a bottle of red wine. It's all right for the kids,

0:29:07 > 0:29:09cos the booze'll be boiled off it.

0:29:11 > 0:29:13- Two bay leaves.- Deux!

0:29:13 > 0:29:17Two tablespoons of tomato puree, so that's one...

0:29:17 > 0:29:20Two! And some thyme.

0:29:20 > 0:29:22Pop that in. Sea salt...

0:29:24 > 0:29:27Black pepper... See you later!

0:29:29 > 0:29:31Happy days! Yes!

0:29:33 > 0:29:36Cook that in a moderate oven,

0:29:36 > 0:29:40about 160 degrees centigrade to 170, for about...

0:29:40 > 0:29:42Three hours.

0:29:44 > 0:29:48'After which time, a mini miracle has occurred in your crock-pot!'

0:29:48 > 0:29:50Oh, yes!

0:29:51 > 0:29:54'The meat should only be just held onto the bone,

0:29:54 > 0:29:57'and all those vegetables should have dissolved into the gravy.

0:29:57 > 0:30:00'Served with mustard mash and honey-roast carrots,

0:30:00 > 0:30:03'this is the ultimate in comforting food.'

0:30:03 > 0:30:07Really, really, really, really rich oxtail stew.

0:30:07 > 0:30:09'All the collagens and cartilage

0:30:09 > 0:30:12'that make the uncooked tail look a bit challenging

0:30:12 > 0:30:15'have dissolved into a deep meat flavour.

0:30:18 > 0:30:20'And there's something extra unctuous

0:30:20 > 0:30:23'about the fattiness of this cut of meat

0:30:23 > 0:30:25'that's unlike any other.'

0:30:25 > 0:30:27That's so nice, isn't it?

0:30:27 > 0:30:30'The Hairy Bikers implore you -

0:30:30 > 0:30:33'don't be scared of the ox tail in your butcher's.

0:30:33 > 0:30:37'Yeah, sit around your telly chewing the bones. It's great!'

0:30:41 > 0:30:45'Our last home cook lives in the Yorkshire Pennines,

0:30:45 > 0:30:48'and although it's sunny today, in winter this is one bleak place.

0:30:48 > 0:30:51'So you need a good, comforting feed.

0:30:52 > 0:30:55'We have been invited to a farm at the far end of the Calderdale Valley.'

0:30:57 > 0:30:59Ruth grew up in these hills.

0:30:59 > 0:31:02Her parents, David and Ann, are the latest in a long line

0:31:02 > 0:31:05of upland sheep farmers.

0:31:05 > 0:31:08Ruth, how long have you lived here, and the family?

0:31:08 > 0:31:10We moved to this farm when I was two,

0:31:10 > 0:31:12but previous to that we lived just down the valley,

0:31:12 > 0:31:17which my uncle now lives at, which is the family farm, as it were.

0:31:17 > 0:31:19If you see over there on the hillside,

0:31:19 > 0:31:22that's where my dad's dad was born.

0:31:22 > 0:31:26'Their family's comfort-food recipes haven't changed in generations.

0:31:26 > 0:31:29'Tea and cake round the kitchen table!

0:31:29 > 0:31:32'But this isn't any new-fangled cake. It has a big family heritage.'

0:31:32 > 0:31:35- ..that we've got.- Ah! Brilliant!

0:31:35 > 0:31:38Three... Well, nearly four generations.

0:31:38 > 0:31:41This is mum's mum's recipe book.

0:31:41 > 0:31:45That's the ginger sponge, which is there. That's her recipe.

0:31:45 > 0:31:47- Have a look at this. - That's my mum's!

0:31:47 > 0:31:51- Look at the...- It's been used. - ..state of your recipe book!

0:31:51 > 0:31:54Gingerbread, 1937!

0:31:54 > 0:31:57Gingerbread, 1973!

0:31:57 > 0:32:01And that's mine, but mine obviously is still nice and clean!

0:32:01 > 0:32:06- Can we mess that up for you, Ruth, your bit of heritage?- No.

0:32:07 > 0:32:10You can have it as a pudding with custards,

0:32:10 > 0:32:13which we sometimes have, or as a cake with a cup of tea.

0:32:13 > 0:32:16- Beautiful and moist.- Isn't it?

0:32:16 > 0:32:19I love the sticky bit in the bottom and the top.

0:32:20 > 0:32:23The ginger cake that is in all three books

0:32:23 > 0:32:26is one of those simple, unfussy recipes that just works.

0:32:26 > 0:32:29'And it's really quick!'

0:32:30 > 0:32:34'Take two cups of flour, a teaspoon each of bicarb and ginger.'

0:32:34 > 0:32:38Ginger's lovely, isn't it? It's a very comfy thing, ginger.

0:32:39 > 0:32:42'And the marge, egg, and a big dollop of golden syrup

0:32:42 > 0:32:44'make it even more comforting.

0:32:44 > 0:32:47'Then hot water straight from the tap.'

0:32:48 > 0:32:52- It's more like a batter, isn't it? - Yeah. It's quite loose, really.

0:32:52 > 0:32:56And I suppose that's where the moisture and stickiness comes from,

0:32:56 > 0:32:59- from that loose mix. - Grandma would be proud.

0:32:59 > 0:33:01'It takes 35 minutes in a medium oven,

0:33:01 > 0:33:04'and almost instantly, you can smell the comfort.'

0:33:07 > 0:33:09'But the next dish Ann wants to show us -

0:33:09 > 0:33:12'well, needs a bit more of a leap of faith.'

0:33:15 > 0:33:20We're going to make dock pudding, which is a local delicacy.

0:33:20 > 0:33:25- Docks are not in season.- Right. - So the nearest we can get is spinach.

0:33:25 > 0:33:28It's not a hundred percent kosher, but it's near enough.

0:33:28 > 0:33:32'Had we stopped by in spring, we would be picking off real dock stalks.

0:33:32 > 0:33:36'But even then, it's not the dock leaves that I know.'

0:33:36 > 0:33:39The docks that we use normally are not your normal cow dock.

0:33:39 > 0:33:43They are the sweet dock. Docks are one of the first green things

0:33:43 > 0:33:47- that would appear after the winter. - Oh, wonderful!

0:33:47 > 0:33:51'And as well as wild-dock leaves, this recipe uses stinging nettles.'

0:33:52 > 0:33:56I think you need to put your hands in them, Dave!

0:33:56 > 0:33:59I think I'm not that daft.

0:33:59 > 0:34:02'The washed nettles and the dock or spinach

0:34:02 > 0:34:04'is put into pans with the chopped onion.'

0:34:04 > 0:34:07Now we just add a tad of water.

0:34:07 > 0:34:11'And boils on the Aga for about 20 minutes.'

0:34:11 > 0:34:13- What a lovely collection of photographs!- Yeah.

0:34:13 > 0:34:18'These recipes are special to Ruth because she knows the people they came from.'

0:34:18 > 0:34:20- This is my grandma Lassie...- Yes.

0:34:20 > 0:34:23..who is the dock-pudding-recipe lady.

0:34:23 > 0:34:26She was a typical farmer's wife, typical grandma.

0:34:26 > 0:34:28She always looked after us as kids,

0:34:28 > 0:34:33and she'd make ridiculous picnics and feasts and pies and cakes,

0:34:33 > 0:34:37and then we'd all go down the field to where they were haymaking,

0:34:37 > 0:34:39and we'd sit down and have a picnic with Mum and Dad

0:34:39 > 0:34:41- and my auntie and uncle.- How lovely!

0:34:41 > 0:34:43It's like crispy duck!

0:34:43 > 0:34:47You don't want to cut it too much. You couldn't liquidise it.

0:34:47 > 0:34:50- You like a bit of texture. - A bit more... Yes.

0:34:50 > 0:34:53- Right. Back in here! - Back in there.- Lovely.

0:34:55 > 0:34:58'The chopped dock leaves get oatmeal stirred through them.'

0:34:58 > 0:35:00- Is that pinhead oatmeal?- It is, yes.

0:35:00 > 0:35:02'And the liquor from straining the leaves

0:35:02 > 0:35:05'is added back in with a grind of salt,

0:35:05 > 0:35:08'and then returned to the Aga for the oatmeal to cook.'

0:35:08 > 0:35:10- This lady here...- Mm-hm?

0:35:10 > 0:35:12..is my great-grandma.

0:35:12 > 0:35:15And this lady here is her mum,

0:35:15 > 0:35:18which is where the recipe for the ginger sponge came from.

0:35:18 > 0:35:22- By, you're a good-looking family, aren't you?- Do you think?

0:35:22 > 0:35:24Aye, I do! You're a good-looking family!

0:35:24 > 0:35:27'And now the magic.

0:35:27 > 0:35:30'The rather green dock porridge is fried in bacon fat,

0:35:30 > 0:35:32'and then stirred through with an egg.'

0:35:34 > 0:35:36'Joined by Ruth's family,

0:35:36 > 0:35:39'the mysterious dock pudding is about to reveal its charms...

0:35:39 > 0:35:41'maybe.'

0:35:43 > 0:35:45Well, that's a taste of the hills around us.

0:35:45 > 0:35:49- If you ate this, you'd live forever, wouldn't you?- How wonderful!

0:35:49 > 0:35:51What makes it your comfort food, Ann?

0:35:51 > 0:35:55For us, the comfort is because we've got through lambing time.

0:35:55 > 0:35:57It's something to look forward to.

0:35:57 > 0:35:59When it's all finished - dock-pudding time.

0:35:59 > 0:36:02'A dish to celebrate the end of lambing it might be,

0:36:02 > 0:36:07'but I think I respect dock pudding more than I really love it.'

0:36:08 > 0:36:10Ginger sponge. Would you like some?

0:36:10 > 0:36:13'More ginger sponge! But this time it's pudding.'

0:36:13 > 0:36:16Could I have the skin? Look at that, man!

0:36:16 > 0:36:19It's brilliant,

0:36:19 > 0:36:21- with or without custard.- Yes.

0:36:21 > 0:36:23Naked or in a blanket, I love it.

0:36:23 > 0:36:25THEY LAUGH

0:36:25 > 0:36:27'Well, Si - ginger sponge and dock pudding.

0:36:27 > 0:36:31'These really are comfort foods from Ruth's family history.

0:36:31 > 0:36:36'And they survive because they help the family through the tough farming way of life.'

0:36:37 > 0:36:39THEY ALL SHOUT Bye!

0:36:39 > 0:36:41See you!

0:36:48 > 0:36:52'What a brilliant basketful of discoveries to take to the recipe fair!

0:36:52 > 0:36:55'We have Dee's most awesome meat-and-potato pie...

0:36:55 > 0:36:59'The ancient dock pudding and ginger sponge from Ruth's ancestors...

0:36:59 > 0:37:03'And dear Angie's mum's curries that gave her such solace.

0:37:03 > 0:37:07'Three totally different takes on comfort food. Brilliant!

0:37:07 > 0:37:10'And then there's ours - the tomato soup my mum cooked me.

0:37:10 > 0:37:13'And proper fish-finger sandwiches my mam cooked me.

0:37:13 > 0:37:17'And oxtail stew, that most unctuous of fireside comforters.

0:37:18 > 0:37:21'Time to get our comfort-food recipe fair going,

0:37:21 > 0:37:24'and see what our fair-goers bring.

0:37:27 > 0:37:31'At the moment, our recipe fair is just a field full of tents.

0:37:31 > 0:37:35'Ah, but once we get it open and filled with our lovely fair-goers,

0:37:35 > 0:37:40'it's going to transform into an orgy of foody stories and recipe swapping.

0:37:40 > 0:37:44'You know, I don't think it's wrong that I find that thought exciting.'

0:37:44 > 0:37:46- Morning, Gerard! - Oh, hello! How are you?

0:37:46 > 0:37:50'Joining us in the orgy of delights is our food historian Gerard.'

0:37:50 > 0:37:52- Are you standing by comfortably? - I am.

0:37:52 > 0:37:56We're sorting out our most comforting recipes onto the boards here

0:37:56 > 0:37:59so that we can really sort people out.

0:37:59 > 0:38:04'Gerard's clearly poised to leap head-first into the recipes waiting outside the gate.

0:38:04 > 0:38:08'To feed and inspire our fair-goers, we're honoured to have volunteers

0:38:08 > 0:38:10'from a local community group.'

0:38:10 > 0:38:11How do?

0:38:11 > 0:38:16'They give comfort to visitors at their Leamington Spa cafe through vegetarian food.'

0:38:16 > 0:38:18We're cooking lovely Mexican food.

0:38:18 > 0:38:22'Today they're preparing us guacamole, chowders and tortillas.'

0:38:22 > 0:38:24- See you later! - See you, guys! Thank you!

0:38:24 > 0:38:27- Hello!- Ladies!

0:38:27 > 0:38:29How are you?

0:38:29 > 0:38:33'And we welcome our extra-special comfort-food-recipe-fair home cooks.

0:38:33 > 0:38:37'They're here to show off the recipes we were so honoured to see in their own homes.

0:38:37 > 0:38:41'And cook them for our comfort-food feast at the end of the day.'

0:38:41 > 0:38:45Now, these are your Mums Know Best aprons.

0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Wear it with pride, and welcome! - Thank you very much.

0:38:48 > 0:38:51Soon as you put these on, challenge accepted.

0:38:51 > 0:38:55- 200 people coming through the door - Got to get it out. Happy?- Yes.

0:38:55 > 0:38:57See you, ladies!

0:39:02 > 0:39:04'Whilst they start preparing their recipes,

0:39:04 > 0:39:08'we can check out what comfort-food recipes our fair-visitors have brought.'

0:39:10 > 0:39:12- This is Granny's nutty slack. - Nutty slack?

0:39:12 > 0:39:15I thought that was coal! Oh, that's lovely!

0:39:15 > 0:39:18- A beef, mushroom and ale stew. - Now, that's comforting, isn't it?

0:39:18 > 0:39:21It's a plum crumble, but they're made with local plums.

0:39:21 > 0:39:26What could be more comfortable than the West Kent Federation of Women's Institute?

0:39:26 > 0:39:28I bet there's a lot of comfort there.

0:39:28 > 0:39:30'It's going to be a good fair this, dude.

0:39:30 > 0:39:32'I'm feeling the comfort already!

0:39:35 > 0:39:37'It's our food historian Gerard's job

0:39:37 > 0:39:40'to get to the bottom of the stories behind the recipes.'

0:39:40 > 0:39:42- Hello, there!- Hello!

0:39:42 > 0:39:45What we haven't got isn't worth having, I'll tell you,

0:39:45 > 0:39:48particularly when it comes to puddings,

0:39:48 > 0:39:52lovely comforting autumn puddings like this wonderful plum crumble

0:39:52 > 0:39:55that Irene and Emma have brought for us today.

0:39:55 > 0:39:57There's nothing more comforting than a crumble.

0:39:57 > 0:40:00- Let's have a taste. Come on, boys, dig in!- Oh, lovely!

0:40:00 > 0:40:04'Irene has made a standard crumble, but it's the old variety of plums

0:40:04 > 0:40:05'that make it special.'

0:40:05 > 0:40:09Yesterday my friend came in with a huge bag of Pershore black plums

0:40:09 > 0:40:13from her tree, and I knew exactly what to make for you today.

0:40:13 > 0:40:16It's wonderful to have those old varieties.

0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Absolutely. - Getting back into our food heritage.

0:40:19 > 0:40:23It's comforting that we still have that connection to our ancestors.

0:40:23 > 0:40:25We always have it after Sunday lunch,

0:40:25 > 0:40:28all the family together. It's just happy memories.

0:40:28 > 0:40:32It's not just food for your belly, it's food for your heart and soul.

0:40:32 > 0:40:35- Absolutely.- A big round of applause, I think! That's mega!

0:40:38 > 0:40:41'This is real comfort food - paprika sausage stew

0:40:41 > 0:40:43'with huge suet dumplings.'

0:40:43 > 0:40:46- So this is from your childhood, is it?- It is, yeah.

0:40:46 > 0:40:49- It's a winter warmer. - The fact that it is a filling dish

0:40:49 > 0:40:52really answers that primeval urge

0:40:52 > 0:40:56that any food, at one stage in our ancestry, would have been a comfort,

0:40:56 > 0:40:58because food was very scarce. We had to forage for it.

0:40:58 > 0:41:03But now we've got so much choice, but we still go back to those really simple, basic flavours,

0:41:03 > 0:41:06- to answer that need, I think. - Yes.- Yeah.

0:41:06 > 0:41:08If I was back to hunter-gatherer days,

0:41:08 > 0:41:11I'd eat this and roll over and collapse in my cave quite happy.

0:41:11 > 0:41:15- They're very good. - Hey, brilliant. Thanks very much.

0:41:15 > 0:41:17Thank you very much.

0:41:17 > 0:41:18That was really tasty.

0:41:20 > 0:41:23'No time for any caveman antics, though, Dave,

0:41:23 > 0:41:27'because Gerard's next discovery is something I haven't seen for years.'

0:41:29 > 0:41:32- Oh, wow!- Straight in. It's wonderful pineapple upside-down cake.

0:41:32 > 0:41:36- It's one of my childhood favourites. - It's like the sun!- Oh, lovely.

0:41:36 > 0:41:39- A wodge...- Absolutely lovely. What's the story behind this?

0:41:39 > 0:41:43- Why is it a comfort food to you? - Well, in the '70s,

0:41:43 > 0:41:46my nan and granddad used to come down to my parents' house

0:41:46 > 0:41:48for Sunday lunch, and my nan used to go,

0:41:48 > 0:41:52"Can you go and make the upside-down cake?"

0:41:52 > 0:41:54So I made this literally throughout the '70s,

0:41:54 > 0:41:57and that's the first one I've made for an awful long time.

0:41:57 > 0:42:00- Oh, wow!- It's lovely! - So I hope you enjoy it.

0:42:00 > 0:42:05- It's fantastic. There's a caramel crunch around the side.- Yeah.

0:42:05 > 0:42:08- Very, very nice. Well, I think a big round of applause.- Thank you!

0:42:10 > 0:42:12Brilliant.

0:42:12 > 0:42:15'Gerard is certainly turning up some treasures,

0:42:15 > 0:42:18'and by now there are loads of recipes up on his boards,

0:42:18 > 0:42:21'all of which will be on the website.

0:42:21 > 0:42:25'Across the field, our community group are sharing out

0:42:25 > 0:42:27'their vegetarian Mexican food.

0:42:27 > 0:42:31'The recipes are the favourites from their Leamington Spa community cafe,

0:42:31 > 0:42:33'and our fair-goers quite like them, too.'

0:42:35 > 0:42:40This is quesadilla, salsa and guacamole, and it's beautiful. Vegetarian.

0:42:40 > 0:42:42We're stuffing our faces currently.

0:42:42 > 0:42:44Hearty food. Right up my street.

0:42:44 > 0:42:48Touching the parts that other soups and chowders cannot reach.

0:42:48 > 0:42:50I'm so pleased, because I'm vegetarian,

0:42:50 > 0:42:55and I came today thinking, "I won't be able to try much." This is heaven for me. Wonderful.

0:42:55 > 0:42:57- How's it going, Richard? - It's going very well.

0:42:58 > 0:43:01'The chefs aren't all vegetarian themselves,

0:43:01 > 0:43:04'but they choose to run their cafe without meat.'

0:43:04 > 0:43:08The cafe has been set up to promote healthy food to people on low income,

0:43:08 > 0:43:10trying to feed a family on minimum wage or no wage.

0:43:10 > 0:43:14Through vegetarian food, you can reduce the cost of your meal.

0:43:14 > 0:43:18I would sooner eat a good vegetarian meal than bad meat,

0:43:18 > 0:43:21any day of the week. That was lovely.

0:43:21 > 0:43:25'Doing good for their community and making everyone happy,

0:43:25 > 0:43:27'they're our kind of lads.' See you!

0:43:27 > 0:43:29Bye!

0:43:30 > 0:43:34'In the mums' tent, our kind of ladies are very popular, too.'

0:43:34 > 0:43:37THEY CHATTER

0:43:37 > 0:43:42'But Anne is having a hard time explaining what her dock pudding is going to be.'

0:43:42 > 0:43:45Dock puddings... Er, nettles,

0:43:45 > 0:43:49oatmeal, and you eat it with bacon.

0:43:49 > 0:43:51With bacon? So it's more...

0:43:51 > 0:43:53And lots of bread and butter.

0:43:53 > 0:43:55- Is it like a flapjack?- No.

0:43:55 > 0:43:58'Dee, however, is getting rather self-important

0:43:58 > 0:44:01'with the pastry on her meat-and-potato pie.'

0:44:01 > 0:44:03Not quite as much of a disaster as a cow,

0:44:03 > 0:44:05or whatever it was supposed to be, is it?

0:44:05 > 0:44:07'Ah, thanks, Dee!

0:44:11 > 0:44:14'At every recipe fair, Gerard, who knows everything,

0:44:14 > 0:44:16'takes the time to set us a challenge.'

0:44:16 > 0:44:19We've seen lots of pies in the series - the Denby Dale pie

0:44:19 > 0:44:23with the top crust, the beef and potato - but this is a real old-English pie.

0:44:24 > 0:44:27This time we're going to be trying the hand-raising method

0:44:27 > 0:44:30of making a pork pie.

0:44:30 > 0:44:33So, with the tips of your thumbs, push out the base,

0:44:33 > 0:44:37and gradually pull it up so you've got the beginnings of a little pot.

0:44:37 > 0:44:40You want about that much filling in the bottom.

0:44:40 > 0:44:41And then you pull round.

0:44:41 > 0:44:44So, you pull it up like that...

0:44:45 > 0:44:48- And then you flatten the top. - He's a regular Mrs Lovett!

0:44:48 > 0:44:54Pop it on, and then we crimp it. We crimp the edge, like so.

0:44:55 > 0:44:58And then we get our greaseproof paper,

0:44:58 > 0:45:03half it, rub it on your hip to get a nice crease...

0:45:03 > 0:45:06I'm looking forward to that bit with you.

0:45:06 > 0:45:08It's going to be a good 'un, that.

0:45:08 > 0:45:11- And then we tie it round like that. - That looks beautiful.

0:45:11 > 0:45:14- And Bob's your uncle.- Imagine that with a jug of ale and a pickle!

0:45:14 > 0:45:17- Oh, yeah. - There you are! Hand-raised pork pie.

0:45:17 > 0:45:20- Well, I think that's... - Beautiful!- Fantastic!

0:45:20 > 0:45:22- Simple as that.- That's beautiful.

0:45:22 > 0:45:26Right. On your marks, get set... Start hand-raising!

0:45:27 > 0:45:30- So, what do you do for a living? - Builder!

0:45:30 > 0:45:33- Excellent.- Oh, hey, hold on!

0:45:33 > 0:45:36'Our builder may be used to handling cement,

0:45:36 > 0:45:40'but I'm not sure this will help with his hot-water crust pastry.

0:45:40 > 0:45:42'It's made by melting lard in boiling water

0:45:42 > 0:45:44'and then beating in flour.'

0:45:44 > 0:45:47That's good! Blooming 'eck!

0:45:47 > 0:45:51'Problem is, as it cools, the pastry gets stiffer,

0:45:51 > 0:45:53'so the pressure is on.'

0:45:53 > 0:45:55Bring the top rim in so it's nice and tight.

0:45:55 > 0:45:58Don't let it fall and flop to one side.

0:45:58 > 0:46:00'The cummerbund of greaseproof paper is crucial,

0:46:00 > 0:46:02'so they don't collapse in the oven.'

0:46:08 > 0:46:11Well done, everybody. That's a fantastic start.

0:46:11 > 0:46:13Well done, guys!

0:46:15 > 0:46:19Now I need to take these to the oven to get them cooked

0:46:19 > 0:46:21so we can judge them later on.

0:46:22 > 0:46:24'As befits a Hairy Bikers recipe fair,

0:46:24 > 0:46:27'there's food everywhere.'

0:46:27 > 0:46:31'And our special home cooks have been giving out their recipes and taster samples.

0:46:31 > 0:46:33'Let's check how they're getting on.'

0:46:33 > 0:46:36- Hello, Ann and Ruth! How are you? - Hello!- How you doing?

0:46:36 > 0:46:38- Dock pudding! - The famous dock pudding.

0:46:38 > 0:46:42- How's it going?- Not too bad. - It looks like the ginger sponge -

0:46:42 > 0:46:44That's all that's left! One and a half pieces.

0:46:44 > 0:46:47I'll have the half, then.

0:46:47 > 0:46:49Oh, wow!

0:46:50 > 0:46:54- That's fabulous. - That's a Desperate Dan pie!

0:46:55 > 0:46:59- Our Ange!- Are you all right? - How's it going?

0:46:59 > 0:47:01- Not bad at all.- Oh, yeah.

0:47:01 > 0:47:03Is it a triumph?

0:47:03 > 0:47:07- It is, and with your malt vinegar. - There you go.- That's really good.

0:47:07 > 0:47:11- Well, our turn now, mate, I think! - Let's go and spruce ourselves up.

0:47:11 > 0:47:14'We've got to get set for our turn in the big top.'

0:47:14 > 0:47:17- See you later, girls! Well done! - See you later.

0:47:17 > 0:47:20'But across the field, Gerard's still busy,

0:47:20 > 0:47:24'and he's being served up a blast from his past - chocolate crunch.'

0:47:26 > 0:47:30It took me straight back to childhood. I haven't thought about it for years.

0:47:30 > 0:47:34- I didn't make the chocolate crunch. My mum did.- Disappointed in you!

0:47:34 > 0:47:37She was a school cook for a number of years,

0:47:37 > 0:47:39and it's a recipe I can remember when I was at school.

0:47:39 > 0:47:42It's quite solid. We used to call it concrete.

0:47:43 > 0:47:47It tastes just like I can remember. Isn't that amazing?

0:47:47 > 0:47:50Tell you what - I would love to have the recipe for that,

0:47:50 > 0:47:53because I don't think I would even know where to look for it.

0:47:53 > 0:47:57- Lard and...- That's what makes it crispy, the lard.

0:47:57 > 0:48:00They're happy cos they eat lard. Fantastic.

0:48:00 > 0:48:03Well, that's great. Thanks ever so much. That's super.

0:48:07 > 0:48:11I'm very excited about this beautiful purple-beetroot soup.

0:48:11 > 0:48:13It's one of my very favourite ingredients.

0:48:15 > 0:48:18And that is absolutely gorgeous. Quite fiery!

0:48:18 > 0:48:21The fieriness that you can taste is the horseradish.

0:48:21 > 0:48:24- It's delicious.- But the main ingredients are beetroot and apple.

0:48:24 > 0:48:27Certainly for us, this is a real comfort-food recipe,

0:48:27 > 0:48:31certainly for the winter. The vibrant colour, like you say,

0:48:31 > 0:48:34- the warmth of the horseradish. - That's charming.

0:48:34 > 0:48:36Thanks so much for bringing it in.

0:48:37 > 0:48:42'Not everybody brings food. Sometimes we're lucky enough to get old books, as well.'

0:48:42 > 0:48:45- Whose book was this? - This is my great-grandmother's book.

0:48:45 > 0:48:49So she's collected them and written them down for her own use, maybe?

0:48:49 > 0:48:52Whether she cooked herself, I don't know. I didn't know her,

0:48:52 > 0:48:55but I know it was quite a grand house, and they did have servants.

0:48:55 > 0:48:58We know from records in many books

0:48:58 > 0:49:00that keeping a good cook was quite hard work,

0:49:00 > 0:49:04so ladies often kept records so that their house had its recipes,

0:49:04 > 0:49:08and whoever the cook was would have to come and make their recipes,

0:49:08 > 0:49:13- so the house standard remained. That's maybe why your grandmother kept such detailed notes.- Yes.

0:49:13 > 0:49:17Recipe here for hot cakes, and that's a recipe from my childhood.

0:49:17 > 0:49:21We'd have them split at teatime with salty butter and golden syrup.

0:49:21 > 0:49:25They were delicious. Gran used to make them nearly every day for Granddad.

0:49:25 > 0:49:27I thought I might start with the spiced damsons,

0:49:27 > 0:49:30- because it's damson season. - It's a good one to start with.

0:49:30 > 0:49:34I'll mark the page with the spiced damsons and the hot cakes

0:49:34 > 0:49:37so you can make them, but would you be kind enough to copy them for us...

0:49:37 > 0:49:40- Yes, certainly. - ..so they can go in our archive?

0:49:40 > 0:49:43That would be lovely. Thanks very much indeed. You're a star.

0:49:43 > 0:49:44What a treasure!

0:49:45 > 0:49:48'Because of our lovely fair-goers like Olive,

0:49:48 > 0:49:51'you don't have to write these recipes up yourself.

0:49:51 > 0:49:54'They're all on the Mums Know Best website.'

0:50:00 > 0:50:02CHEERING

0:50:02 > 0:50:05'Over in our cathedral of fine cooking, the big top,

0:50:05 > 0:50:08'it's our turn to cook a bit of nostalgic comfort food.'

0:50:08 > 0:50:12The theme of today's sermon is the old-fashioned English pudding,

0:50:12 > 0:50:15you know, nay to say, the steamed sponge.

0:50:15 > 0:50:18Yes. Steamed sponge pudding is evocative

0:50:18 > 0:50:21of when you're stuffing your face, having come in

0:50:21 > 0:50:25from being freezing cold and digging your carrots.

0:50:25 > 0:50:28This pudding basin has been greased to within an inch of its life.

0:50:28 > 0:50:31Now, one of the things you want on a steamed pudding

0:50:31 > 0:50:35is, when it's inverted, pops out, there's a gluey bit on the top.

0:50:35 > 0:50:38- AUDIENCE GASPING - And I want 50 grams of golden syrup

0:50:38 > 0:50:41in that bowl.

0:50:41 > 0:50:43Now set that aside.

0:50:43 > 0:50:47Now we want another 50 grams in this bowl.

0:50:47 > 0:50:51- Ye gods, it's like trying to watch somebody juggle snot.- It's not easy!

0:50:51 > 0:50:53THEY LAUGH

0:50:53 > 0:50:56Oh!

0:50:56 > 0:50:59'In the mixing bowl with the juggled syrup,

0:50:59 > 0:51:02'add butter, sugar and the zest of some lemon.

0:51:03 > 0:51:07'Creaming it well together will create tiny bubbles of air

0:51:07 > 0:51:10'and make the cake light, so don't skimp on this stage.'

0:51:11 > 0:51:14You could, of course, use orange zest in this if you want,

0:51:14 > 0:51:17and then, instead of syrup, use marmalade,

0:51:17 > 0:51:20- and have an orange steamed pudding. - LAUGHTER

0:51:20 > 0:51:23Another good one - oh, this is brilliant, this...

0:51:23 > 0:51:25You get one of those chocolate oranges, yeah,

0:51:25 > 0:51:28you break that up into your mix, you add cocoa powder

0:51:28 > 0:51:31and have a chocolate-orange steamed pudding!

0:51:31 > 0:51:32LAUGHTER

0:51:32 > 0:51:35Just in case you've forgotten what we ARE doing...

0:51:35 > 0:51:37LAUGHTER

0:51:37 > 0:51:39..it's a treacle sponge pudding.

0:51:39 > 0:51:42It's a syrup sponge pudding, you plonker!

0:51:42 > 0:51:44THEY LAUGH

0:51:44 > 0:51:47- It depends where you come... - No, it's syrup, mate.

0:51:47 > 0:51:52- Treacle's the black stuff.- Put your hands up if you call it treacle!

0:51:52 > 0:51:55- Absolutely not!- Thanks, Gerard. Gerard knows. He's bright.

0:51:55 > 0:51:59But treacle is black, made from molasses.

0:51:59 > 0:52:02Oh, I know that, but we at home grew up calling it treacle.

0:52:02 > 0:52:07No, absolutely not! Treacle toffee is made from the black stuff -

0:52:07 > 0:52:10Just calm, Dave. Calm. Don't say "absolutely not"

0:52:10 > 0:52:14to the nice people here. It's just a matter of interpretation, dear fellow.

0:52:14 > 0:52:16Right. I hold that tin up. What is it?

0:52:16 > 0:52:20- Syrup.- Exactly. I hold that red tin up that's full of black stuff.

0:52:20 > 0:52:22- What's that? - Treacle.- I rest my case.

0:52:22 > 0:52:24- Shut your face, you lot! - THEY LAUGH

0:52:27 > 0:52:30'Three eggs give the pudding "oomph". But add them too fast,

0:52:30 > 0:52:32'and the mix will curdle and split.

0:52:32 > 0:52:36'Then more lift from the self-raising flour.'

0:52:36 > 0:52:39It's going to rise up, yeah, so you don't want to fill the basin.

0:52:39 > 0:52:40Now the origami starts.

0:52:40 > 0:52:44'With all that "oomph", the pudding will rise,

0:52:44 > 0:52:48'so pleat the greaseproof paper and foil and tie it tightly,

0:52:48 > 0:52:50'so the water doesn't get in.

0:52:52 > 0:52:55'And if you can make a jaunty handle, then, do.'

0:52:55 > 0:52:57Look at that, eh?

0:52:57 > 0:53:00'An upside-down plate will protect your pudding from the heat

0:53:00 > 0:53:05'at the bottom of the pan, while the boiling water cooks it evenly from the sides.'

0:53:05 > 0:53:09So we cover that and leave it to simmer for an hour and a half.

0:53:09 > 0:53:13'But we're not going to make our audience sit here for that long.'

0:53:13 > 0:53:17- And...- Here's one we did earlier.

0:53:17 > 0:53:19Wowser! Fantastic.

0:53:19 > 0:53:22Now, because you've got your string handle,

0:53:22 > 0:53:25you can remove it with the minimum fuss and casualty.

0:53:25 > 0:53:29- Actually, mate, it's coming away - - We greased it well.

0:53:29 > 0:53:31- It should be all right. - It should be all right, man.

0:53:31 > 0:53:36'Here's the test to see how well your mate greased his basin.'

0:53:41 > 0:53:43Agh! Don't tickle me!

0:53:43 > 0:53:45Right. Two, three, four...

0:53:45 > 0:53:47Hoop-la!

0:53:47 > 0:53:48Not much happened.

0:53:52 > 0:53:54LAUGHTER

0:53:55 > 0:53:57Oh, there!

0:53:57 > 0:53:58Whoo!

0:53:58 > 0:54:01- Yes!- Oh, look at that!

0:54:01 > 0:54:03CHEERING

0:54:05 > 0:54:10There is something wonderful about good old-fashioned...

0:54:10 > 0:54:12See what I mean?

0:54:12 > 0:54:15- You're beautiful, you are. - LAUGHTER

0:54:16 > 0:54:19I'm really sorry about my friend.

0:54:19 > 0:54:22- Should I put you on the side? - That's just plain kinky.

0:54:22 > 0:54:24Put it back up! Come on.

0:54:25 > 0:54:28Now we're going to smother you in custard.

0:54:28 > 0:54:31'Of course, you need proper Hairy Biker vanilla custard

0:54:31 > 0:54:34'with syrup pudding.'

0:54:35 > 0:54:40There it is - golden sponge pudding and vanilla custard.

0:54:40 > 0:54:43- Do you like it? Do you? - THEY APPLAUD

0:54:49 > 0:54:52- Can you come up and judge, Gerard? - Oh, I can, yes. Sure.

0:54:53 > 0:54:56'We need Gerard to judge the hand-raised pies we made earlier.

0:54:56 > 0:55:00'They've all been baked at 180 degrees for 50 minutes.

0:55:00 > 0:55:03'So it's surprising how different they've all turned out!'

0:55:03 > 0:55:07- Crimping, very good.- Thanks, Gerard. - Nice bit of height there.

0:55:07 > 0:55:10- Yeah.- That one is, um, solid.

0:55:10 > 0:55:12- That's a Hairy Biker pork pie.- It is.

0:55:12 > 0:55:15I think Sean has it. I think it's good.

0:55:15 > 0:55:17Well done, Sean!

0:55:19 > 0:55:21Well done!

0:55:21 > 0:55:25'Our recipe fair is closing, and it's home time for our visitors.

0:55:25 > 0:55:30'Visitors who are hopefully laden with lots of new recipe ideas.'

0:55:30 > 0:55:32- So, which ones have you got? - All sweet things -

0:55:32 > 0:55:35sticky toffee pudding, which is a very traditional thing,

0:55:35 > 0:55:37and treacle sponge pudding.

0:55:37 > 0:55:40I loved the recipe for the steak-and-ale stew.

0:55:40 > 0:55:42- Yeah?- That was great.

0:55:42 > 0:55:44We found a lovely lamb-and-mint soup,

0:55:44 > 0:55:47- which was really, really nice. - I saw that. Did it taste good?

0:55:47 > 0:55:49Gorgeous.

0:55:49 > 0:55:51The bread pudding, because my husband loves it.

0:55:51 > 0:55:54You haven't done bad. You can get a cookbook out of that!

0:55:54 > 0:55:56THEY LAUGH

0:56:00 > 0:56:04We close each recipe with a feast for everyone who has been helping us out.

0:56:05 > 0:56:09And on the menu is all the comfort food we've discovered

0:56:09 > 0:56:12on our Mums Know Best journey.

0:56:13 > 0:56:17Angie's mum's curries, which helped her so much after her mother died.

0:56:17 > 0:56:21- This is fantastic.- Oh, thanks!

0:56:21 > 0:56:23- It's good curry, isn't it? - Really good.

0:56:23 > 0:56:26'Ann's dock pudding, an old family recipe

0:56:26 > 0:56:28'made to celebrate the end of lambing.'

0:56:28 > 0:56:31The nettles inspired so many questions.

0:56:31 > 0:56:34- That's very good. - That's very good. Lovely.

0:56:34 > 0:56:37'And Dee, who has learned her dad's awesome meat-and-potato pie recipe.'

0:56:37 > 0:56:40It's lovely. It's really good.

0:56:40 > 0:56:43I've been practising and perfecting it.

0:56:43 > 0:56:46'And there's more! Our Hairy Biker comfort foods...

0:56:46 > 0:56:51'Inspired by our childhoods. My mam's brilliant tomato soup.'

0:56:51 > 0:56:54- The tomato soup is lovely. - 'And my Hairy Bikers fish fingers,

0:56:54 > 0:56:57'made for snaffling into kids' little goblets.'

0:56:57 > 0:57:00- That's a fish-finger sandwich and a half!- Wow!

0:57:00 > 0:57:03Do you think you'll manage to eat all that?

0:57:03 > 0:57:07'And a huge pot of our warming and unctuous really rich oxtail stew.'

0:57:07 > 0:57:10What was good was, mix the oxtail gravy

0:57:10 > 0:57:12with the Denby Dale pie.

0:57:14 > 0:57:17'And for pudding we have Ruth's ginger sponge,

0:57:17 > 0:57:20'a recipe unchanged through farming generations...

0:57:20 > 0:57:22'And our steamed syrup pudding.'

0:57:24 > 0:57:26I've had a fantastic day today.

0:57:26 > 0:57:30Meeting the people, so enthusiastic about what you were doing.

0:57:30 > 0:57:33They've all been really interested in what we've been making,

0:57:33 > 0:57:35and what Dee and Ange have been making.

0:57:35 > 0:57:39When we uncovered the pie, that was a really nice reaction.

0:57:39 > 0:57:42And I made that pie. It was quite nice!

0:57:44 > 0:57:47My mum would've loved it. She'd have absolutely loved it.

0:57:48 > 0:57:51Stop. SHE LAUGHS

0:57:53 > 0:57:57You know, comfort food, it's far more than what's on your plate.

0:57:57 > 0:58:00Because it's about the heart and soul as well.

0:58:00 > 0:58:03- Food with feeling!- Yeah, man! It is!

0:58:09 > 0:58:14Next time we hit the road on the search for the taste of home.

0:58:14 > 0:58:16They say home is where the heart is,

0:58:16 > 0:58:19and these three mums whip up hearty platefuls

0:58:19 > 0:58:21and transport them back to where they call home.

0:58:21 > 0:58:24Then we'll celebrate all that wonderful cooking

0:58:24 > 0:58:26at our Mums Know Best Recipe Fair.

0:58:26 > 0:58:28Dude, I cannat wait!

0:58:31 > 0:58:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:35 > 0:58:39E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk

0:58:39 > 0:58:39.