0:00:02 > 0:00:06My name is Valentine Warner - chef by trade, greedy by nature.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11I love food and I love eating it when it's absolutely at its best.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Wow.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Having grown up on a farm, I've learned that eating things
0:00:15 > 0:00:18in season means you get them at their tastiest.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21This is an utterly delicious beetroot.
0:00:21 > 0:00:27Tonight, I'll be taking you through my ultimate guide to mouth-watering autumn fruits.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Cooking an experimental crumble with a really juicy collection of plums.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Oh, yeah. Go on, then.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Tasting the most divine apples, hot off the press.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Wow!
0:00:41 > 0:00:46And making a delicious tart with some of the most inedible pears in the country.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Killer, isn't it?
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Now is the time of year when our native fruit really delivers.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Hedgerows are bursting, orchards laden, there's plenty to go around.
0:01:25 > 0:01:31But it's the versatility of autumn fruit that really excites me, eaten fresh off the branch.
0:01:31 > 0:01:37Or cold stored, bottled and jarred to take us through the fallow period of winter.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48Of all of the autumn orchard fruits in this country, the British plum has the shortest season.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51It's a delight you should savour right now.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Plums start arriving from late summer
0:01:53 > 0:01:56but they really make me think of autumn,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59drowsy wasps in winey smelling orchards.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01I realise it's time again to start cooking crumbles,
0:02:01 > 0:02:07plum cobblers and delicious jams and compotes to put on porridge.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Today, I'm in plum paradise.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Home to the largest collection of fruit trees in the world,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Brogdale Horticultural Trust in Kent is a living library,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19dedicated to the conservation and research of fruit.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24There are 350 species of plum in this orchard alone.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29To make the most out of my visit,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I'm enlisting the help of head tour guide Ted Hobday.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Ted?
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Hello, there. Nice to see you.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38What an amazing place. Absolutely.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40It's groaning with plums.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Plum central. Try one for a start.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43Is this to get me in the zone?
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Yeah. Mmm. Mmm.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48It's very, very delicious.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54Bad weather during a flowering season has resulted in a poor crop this year.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56Mmm!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But it still looks like an awful lot of plums to me,
0:02:59 > 0:03:04and I'm going to do my darnedest to sample as many as I can.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06TED CHUCKLES Damsons tend to be like that, don't they?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I'm in total heaven here.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11That's a Denbigh. How many have we got to go?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Only 346.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I accept no responsibility for your stomach.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Next. This is Gordon Castle, a good Scottish plum.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It's kind of fat, incredibly juicy, and sweet
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and look at the colour of it.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30What I don't understand is
0:03:30 > 0:03:33that there are so many amazing plums to eat.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36As a country we don't really see them around?
0:03:36 > 0:03:41I'm just so sad we get so few varieties in the shops.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Indeed, few of the wonderful plums at Brogdale will be found
0:03:44 > 0:03:45in your local supermarket,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48because they don't make the commercial grade.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54Deemed not fruitful enough, too disease-prone or just outside of popular taste.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Wow.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58That is kind of like grapey and apricoty.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Don't despair, as you should find a good selection
0:04:01 > 0:04:06of tasty tree-ripened fruit at farm shops and farmers' markets.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08This is victory. It's an English plum.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Phwoar! Go on, then.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I tell the ladies to bend forward when they eat it.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Oh, really.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I don't know about ladies leaning forward, you need to.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24It's actually sexy if they don't lean forward.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Well, exactly, but yes, all right. We'll say no more.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33With such a dizzying array of plums, this seems the perfect opportunity
0:04:33 > 0:04:36to experiment with one of my favourite autumn puddings, plum crumble.
0:04:36 > 0:04:43I don't know whether to go with a single variety or include a few of the bitter types I like -
0:04:43 > 0:04:48go sweet, mix it up, I'm in a real kind of plum dilemma at the moment.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51In the neighbouring orchard, fruit expert Dave Pennell has been
0:04:51 > 0:04:56conducting trials to find the next big thing in plums.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Hi, Dave. Hi.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I'm hoping his trees will provide the raw inspiration
0:05:00 > 0:05:03to make an experimental crumble of epic quality.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05In the interests of my crumble
0:05:05 > 0:05:11I want a big, fat juicy plum but I'd like a bit of bitterness.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14You are one of those awkward people, aren't you?
0:05:14 > 0:05:19Yeah. This one is a variety from Canada and it's a big blue plum.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21It's fat. Much more elongated.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Can I have a bite? You can have a nibble of that.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28That is absolutely amazing.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Perfect.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Dave's next suggestion, Marjorie's Seedling, is a well-known
0:05:34 > 0:05:37all-rounder that can be found in good greengrocers and supermarkets.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Six of those, please.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44Are you giving me another whopper or another tiddler size? It's gonna be a whopper.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Wow.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50That is something really different. What's this called?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52That's just a number, that's 90.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Come in, number 90. That is an exceptional plum.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59You had three hits. I told you what I wanted...
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and you gave me three corkers.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Do you know, I have almost reached plum saturation point.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I don't think I can take one more.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I've totally overdone it on the plums.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20I had to have a little lie down. Er...
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I actually feel sick.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29An hour later, I'm ready to hit the kitchen with tour guide Ted,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33along with my somewhat experimental plums.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36We start by cutting the flesh off the stones.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41So Ted... Brogdale autumn plum crumble.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Good warming sticky, hot comfort.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47The best dessert that there is.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I like custard with my plum crumble.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52I have to say, I'm from the cream school.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Can I ask you to scatter one big spoonful of sugar?
0:06:57 > 0:06:58Heaped or otherwise?
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Heaped. Yeah. No half-measures here.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04OK. That should do it.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Quite often I put a bit of lemon in my crumble to help out
0:07:07 > 0:07:11slightly less exciting plums. But these are so distinctive... Less exciting?
0:07:11 > 0:07:15No, exactly what I'm saying. They're so distinctive that it would almost be an insult.
0:07:15 > 0:07:22The crumble topping is very simple. Flour, with a little brown sugar and a few chunks of cool, hard butter.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25If you don't have a food processor, use your fingertips
0:07:25 > 0:07:29to rub everything together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Lastly, Ted, some oats. Oats.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34This makes it crunchy and stops it all sticking together.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38You're making my mouth begin to water already. Good, good, good.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45We wanted it properly crunchy.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Finally, the plum-laden crumble goes into a medium hot oven.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55After 45 minutes, it's crispy on top and bubbling. Hot autumn magma.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Ted, crumble.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03It looks delicious. Let's hope it is.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I hope it is. I've relented. You've got custard.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11I just made you custard. Can I give you some good crunchy bit here? You give me a good crunchy bit.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17I've included so many plums and they're so juicy that my crumble has slightly sunk, I'm afraid.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Thank you. The colour is amazing. It certainly looks first class.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Mm. Yes.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Yes.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Yum, yum.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33A good crumble should have a little bit of a kick to it. Yeah.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36The texture, the taste and the tanginess,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38for want of a better word, is just right.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Thanks to you and thanks to the Brogdale plums.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I think four helpings is enough for me.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51In autumn, there's an abundance of fantastic fruit
0:08:51 > 0:08:52in the shops and markets.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55So now's the time to take advantage
0:08:55 > 0:08:59of this cheap and bountiful supply and get preserving.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Cooking jams, compotes, and chutneys
0:09:05 > 0:09:06is a great way of ensuring
0:09:06 > 0:09:08a year-long supply of your favourite fruit.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13One I love most has to be apple and pear chutney.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Start off by chopping a couple of onions.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20This is an intense chutney.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I don't like them wishy-washy, I like them dark and moody.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Add a little sunflower oil to the pan and throw them in.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32What I want those to do is get a little bit burny.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36It gives that extra bit of depth. It gives it more attitude.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Next, sprinkle in a tablespoon of yellow mustard seeds,
0:09:39 > 0:09:44some heady cloves and a few black peppercorns.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48And then peel your apples and pears and chop.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Don't cut them too big otherwise they might be troublesome
0:09:52 > 0:09:55when trying to jam them in a sandwich.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Good apple. Mm.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Throw the fruit into the pot
0:10:03 > 0:10:07and add equal quantities of malt vinegar and white wine vinegar.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12That might seem very extreme and very tart.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But it is now going to be mellowed by the sugar.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Use rich muscovado sugar for a dark deep taste and colour.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Raisins.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Chop a hunk of ginger and add to the pot.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27It gives it that heat.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Finally, add salt and mix well.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34I'm already thinking about pieces of pink ham falling away
0:10:34 > 0:10:38from the joint and bits of tangy cheese that make you go...
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Really bitey cheddar
0:10:40 > 0:10:43with a fat dollop of chutney sitting next to it.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Autumn apple and pear chutney.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Bring the mixture up to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55And that is just smelling really sweet and tangy and delicious.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Once the chutney has cooled, spoon into jars,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02stick on your label and try to resist tucking in
0:11:02 > 0:11:04for at least a couple of months
0:11:04 > 0:11:09when the flavours will have developed fully.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Next on my preserving safari is figs and syrup.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Wash your figs and cut off the tops.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I think figs are one of my favourite fruit.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22You burst them open to that incredible red inside.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23They're sexy things.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28Make four small cuts in each fig to allow the syrup to permeate inside.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Fit snugly into a pan and add water.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Enough to just cover them.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39And then for sweetness, add sugar and three generous tablespoons of luscious honey.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41And one for cookie.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Finally, the secret ingredient, orange blossom water.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50The smell is just kind of warm nights in Arabia.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53It's just phenomenal. Really, really flowery.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57You could actually just slap it on and go out for the evening.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00So just a few little drops in there.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06Put the pan on to simmer and cook until the figs are tender enough
0:12:06 > 0:12:08for a knife to sink straight in.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Gently spoon into a jar and cover with the sweet aromatic syrup.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Delicious flopped into the middle of a bowl of morning porridge
0:12:17 > 0:12:19or eaten with yoghurt.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Yum.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32As a nation, we eat nearly five billion apples a year.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36And right now, our home-grown varieties are at their best
0:12:36 > 0:12:41and most abundant, perfect for puddings, chutneys and juices.
0:12:43 > 0:12:50Of our many commercial orchards, Ampleforth's ancient Benedictine abbey is England's most northerly.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I have always thought of monks as being incredibly well fed.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58I've come to Yorkshire to cook a hot apple pudding that will hopefully
0:12:58 > 0:13:00keep them in the style they're accustomed to.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03With only 80 monks,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Ampleforth no longer has the manpower for self-sufficiency.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10But in autumn, its 2,000 tree apple orchard
0:13:10 > 0:13:15comes well and truly into its own, and it's looked after by one man.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Father Rainer, the man who does good things to apples. Good morning.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23How are you? Very well indeed. You made it up to our lovely spot here.
0:13:23 > 0:13:30I made it up. Father Rainer was a chef and a doctor before finding his vocation as a monk ten years ago.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33With an ageing community of brothers, he relies heavily
0:13:33 > 0:13:36on volunteers like me to bring in the autumn apple harvest.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38If you want to pick up one of these.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41That's a good bit of kit. Yes. It is.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I'm your donkey.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Ah, you're my little helper, Santa's little helper.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Santa's little helper.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53Let's get on and do some serious collection.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57With 46 apple varieties, the monks are kept in fruit
0:13:57 > 0:14:02from the end of July right through to the New Year.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Those apples that are not good enough to eat will be sold at market
0:14:05 > 0:14:09and made into cider and cider brandy.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14Let me show you these. They are just at the right time.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18If they're just coming off the branch by lifting it up gently,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22then you know that they're ripe. It offers itself to you.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Do you like it? I like it a lot.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It's got a tartness to it but it's got a lot of sugar in it too.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Grown without any chemical interference,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37these apples may not look as polished as the ones
0:14:37 > 0:14:41on your supermarket shelves, but they're tree ripe and super tasty.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Well done.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46The important thing about picking is that you don't have to pick fast.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50We pick here with the apples in mind and with the tree in mind.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52This bud is next year's apple.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54So if you are picking carefully,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58then these buds are protected and you have a good crop next year.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It's quite important to be measured.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03This is very conducive for contemplation,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07because it's so repetitive, after a while, you find your rhythm quite easily.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12And having your hands holding on to the natural world as well is presumably a good thing.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16The whole thing comes together. When you then hear the birds sing,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20it all filters in and makes you feel that you are part of creation.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21Mm-hmm.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Sorry, I've just lost one to the ground, I'm afraid.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Before I get going on my apple dessert, there's time to take in the abbey's cider press.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36There we are.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Wow, you get hit by a wall of cidery apple smell.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44But Father Rainer's making it pretty clear he's not just brought me here on a jolly.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50You could go to the car and you could get the apples out of the car.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Now, pour them straight in.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Mind your ears.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The apples are washed and drawn up into the shredder at the same time.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12It's only seconds before the first irresistible dribbles of juice arrive.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Wow!
0:16:14 > 0:16:16The blood of the orchards.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20The shredded apple or pumice drops into a lined frame
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and is parcelled up before the next loads are sandwiched on top.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29We're just turning it around.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30Yeah.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And then we just press it upwards.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36All of the juice will come out.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43It would be five months before this sweet apple juice cascade becomes full-blown Ampleforth cider
0:16:43 > 0:16:47ready for sale direct from the abbey and local markets.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53You see it's nice and spritzy.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Are you going to have a small...?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57No, because I will have to go to mass now.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Wow. It's very dry.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04It's very crispy.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06It's very, very delicious. Good.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08I think I've earned it.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Oh, you certainly did. You worked so hard. Yes!
0:17:12 > 0:17:16When mass is over, Father Rainer and I hit the kitchen with our apples.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Scarlet browny.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24I'm making apple charlotte, a classic autumn pud that is a real comfort after a hard day's work.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26You've got good kit.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28You are a very modern father.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Absolutely, yes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:37For my charlotte filling, I'm adding chopped apples to a pan with a glug of ginger syrup.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42For added sweetening, a sprinkling of caster sugar and then a little water.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49To perk up the apple sauce, I'm adding delicious slithers of warming stem ginger.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53For the outer casing, I'm painting white bread with clarified butter
0:17:53 > 0:17:59and lining a small basin before spooning in the apple and ginger filling.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02How do you keep the lid from being spewed out by the apples?
0:18:02 > 0:18:05All will be revealed. Secrets.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Yeah. This is some cardboard wrapped in tin foil.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14And then one of your good rocks.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16And that's it. That's it.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19What you are looking for is for the bread to go really crisp.
0:18:19 > 0:18:26Father Rainer has invited fellow apple enthusiast Father Bonaventure to join us for pudding.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33After 40 minutes, I'm praying my apple charlotte will be perfect.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Turn it out.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Wow. That smells delicious.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Here's your pudding, fathers.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Yes. Apple charlotte.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48It looks very promising.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53No apple charlotte is complete... Without cream.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56A large spoonful of clotted cream.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59There's no polite way of cutting it up.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03It just involves smashing, fighting your way in.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08You are quite right, it isn't polite. Squidgy.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The apple charlotte is very good indeed.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Delicious. Sumptuous.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18It's very nice. Well, your apples have done us proud this afternoon.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24It's no secret apple and slow roast pork are a marriage made in heaven.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29Here's a deliciously quick pork chop alternative for one of my favourite autumn suppers.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Peel, core and slice an apple.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Sprinkle with sugar and a little salt and lay on some loving butter.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Next, heat some vegetable oil with a little more butter.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Season your pork chop and place in a hot, sizzling pan.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58After three minutes, carefully add your sliced apple.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02And turn over your chop to brown the other side.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07And then introduce the pork and apple to a hot oven to cook through.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12After ten minutes, remove from the oven and take the chop out to rest.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19In its place, add another classic pork accompaniment, sensational savoury sage.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24When the apple has turned a wonderful golden brown,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28place it sticky-side-up next to its perfect partner
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and top the pork chop with crispy sage.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Scrumptious pork chop with caramelised apples and sage.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50There may be an endless choice of fruit available to us year round in our shops,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53but now is the time to savour
0:20:53 > 0:20:56bountiful home-grown British fruit at its best.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01The pear is my quintessential autumn fruit.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I just can't wait for them to come into season.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Satisfaction is pear juice dripping off the chin.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11I'm in Dymock in Gloucestershire to meet Charles Martell,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16pear expert and artisan cheesemaker since 1972.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Hi, Charles. Are you all right?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Very nice to meet you.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23Finally, a fellow pear fanatic?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25We've got pears.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27And cheesemaker extraordinaire? Yeah.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29In recent years, Charles's Stinking Bishop cheese
0:21:29 > 0:21:34has become a cult classic, but what is his secret?
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Believe it or not, it comes from his orchards in the form of perry,
0:21:37 > 0:21:42the pear equivalent to cider, which he uses to wash his cheese.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44You have to ask, why do I wash it in perry?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I'm going to ask you, why do you wash it in perry?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50The answer is to make the cheese smell.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56Because you get this nice flavour but the smell is caused by a bacteria which grows in the presence of perry.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Because of the name Stinking Bishop, people associate it with the cheese
0:21:59 > 0:22:02but it's actually the name of the perry pear that you use.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05One of the perry pears is named after a man called Bishop.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Pears and cheese, what a combination.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12It's given me a great idea for a dish. A delicious savoury tart.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14But super sharp and rock hard,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17these perry pears are not meant for eating.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Can I try a perry pear to see what happens?
0:22:20 > 0:22:24They will blow your taste buds for the rest of the day.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I'm made of stronger stuff.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It's not even ripe.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Careful. Oh God.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37That's very bitter, it has that dry thing.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41But I really don't mind it. I love chicory and I love dark chocolate.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Oh, dear.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48It's going to take more than one sour pear to put me off my favourite fruit.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51It turns your face inside out, that one.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54It does seem hard but I'm going to give it a go anyway.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02It's like crab apple. Not so bad. It's a killer, isn't it?
0:23:02 > 0:23:06I'm hoping Charles is saving the best until last.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10This is the old Thorn pear. And how old would a tree like this one be? About 1830.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17Um, this is the kind of taste that you don't experience any more in the supermarket fruit.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20This has got something very old world about it.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I think it would be very good for cooking, this one.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29I've chosen my favourite but Charles wants me to try his, the Dymock Red.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Oh, look at the colour when they're wet. Wow!
0:23:35 > 0:23:40It tastes like blackberries. What do you think in your tart, do you think it will be nice?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44I think that would be pretty delicious actually. Oh, lovely, I'm so glad.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48I'm very, very excited about cooking with these pears.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I particularly love the Thorn and Charles's Red Dymock.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56But conference pears and comice pears widely bought
0:23:56 > 0:24:00all over the country are also very good for this recipe.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Fat, luxury knob of butter.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06And now for the Thorn pears.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11And it seems only right
0:24:11 > 0:24:15to add a little of the delicious perry to them.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20And by putting the perry in with the pears, everything that's been seen
0:24:20 > 0:24:24today on the farm has been included in the tart.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Now, I'm going to add a good sprinkling of sugar.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's very tempting to rush them at this stage. They shouldn't be.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35You really want them to get some good dark burny bits on them.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40And now it's the turn for the Red Dymocks to be fried.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Yum. Wow. Really sharp element.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51And then the sugary taste. It's really fantastic.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56I've made the short crust pastry for my tarts earlier,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58although you can buy it ready-made.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Now they need to be filled with dried beans
0:25:01 > 0:25:03or chickpeas and blind baked.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Now for the luxurious mix.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08You want a good pinch of salt.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Single cream, as double would really be far too luxurious.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16One whole egg.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18And one yolk.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21And then beat really thoroughly.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Perfect.
0:25:24 > 0:25:31When the tart cases are golden brown I can crack open Charles's fantastic perry-washed cheese.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Ooh, wow!
0:25:34 > 0:25:39I'm going to take some good...fat pieces.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Look at that. Look at that goo.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Wow-whee.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45This would be very good
0:25:45 > 0:25:49also with blue cheese like Roquefort or Dolce Latte.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55And then there is the Thorn pear.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Top up the tart cases with the rich cream and egg mixture.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04And then a good aerial blast of black pepper.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08These little tartlets only need about ten minutes in a hot oven.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11And then it's time for Charles and me
0:26:11 > 0:26:14to see if our two perry pear choices hit the spot.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Wow. And it looks nice.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18But now I must eat it.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23Now you must eat it. The melted cheese, wow.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Ooh lovely...pastry, cheese and then the tang. Wow. The tang.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29That's the Dymock Red.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32It's got some catching up to do to keep up with that.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36The pears are different, aren't they? They're very, very different.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Wow, it's got more flavour but less tang.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Cooking with these ingredients...
0:26:42 > 0:26:44has been a total pleasure.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48You've really opened my eyes. Those old perry pears, all we do is make perry with them.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51But we've never thought to do something like this.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56To perk up even the saddest of pears in your fruit bowl
0:26:56 > 0:27:01try this fabulously simple recipe for poached pears.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Once peeled, place in a pan with bay leaf...
0:27:04 > 0:27:08cinnamon stick, crushed cloves...
0:27:10 > 0:27:12..fine slivers of ginger...
0:27:14 > 0:27:16..and the peel and juice of an orange and lemon.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Grate in nutmeg.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24And add caster sugar.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Followed by red wine,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and a good glug of brandy.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Poach the pears in this aromatic liquor for half an hour.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Remove from the pan and reduce the syrup until it has a lovely sticky consistency
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and then generously pour over the pears
0:27:45 > 0:27:50for a wonderfully sweet and spicy taste of autumnal fruit.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Yum. That's intense.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Next week I'm seeking out gorgeous game
0:28:09 > 0:28:11in autumn's rich natural larder.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16I'll be stalking and eating some of the finest venison in the country.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19This is what it's all about, the fantastic venison.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Preparing partridge in the Moroccan style,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and getting inspired by the best autumn game of all.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Forget chicken, get into duck.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31It's autumn, wild duck. Duck, duck!
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