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00:03I'm Prue Leith, cook, restaurateur, cookery school founder, and writer of 15 cookbooks.
00:11That is the most delicious thing that we have cooked.
00:15I'm in my 80s, so I haven't got time to waste.
00:19This series is all about the things that really matter to me.
00:23Family, fun, food, and friends.
00:26Come on, what kind of day have you had?
00:28Get it out!
00:30Yeah, you've got it on your chair now.
00:31We'll be sharing simple home-cooked recipes.
00:34Oh, brilliant.
00:35I'm going to take this bit home and save it for later.
00:37You idiot.
00:39She's such a gourmand. She's incredible.
00:42And celebrating the best produce.
00:46I am lucky enough to live in the astonishingly beautiful Cotswolds
00:50with my darling, sometimes darling, husband John.
00:55Come on, you better now.
00:57Coming up today, I feel the pressure as I cook for restaurant critic and MasterChef judge, Jimmy Famurewa.
01:07I don't know if this is just the way it's normally presented.
01:10I'm craving like a roll.
01:12It does need a bit of carbs, I agree.
01:15I make a Tuscan ribollita with the help of John's vegetable-growing skills.
01:21Would you like to add these to bulk it out?
01:23Well, I feel sorry for them. I think they should go in.
01:27And I've got a hack for turning beetroot juice into food colouring.
01:32Eleven minutes later, you've got wonderful red pasta.
01:37Welcome to my Cotswold kitchen.
01:47I love dishes with straightforward methods that let natural flavours shine.
01:54And even with the simplest of recipes, there's always new techniques you can learn.
02:02My first dish today is so simple, but I love it.
02:07It's smoked haddock, poached and served with a mustard sauce on top of greens.
02:13You don't have to have the greens, but I rather like that.
02:22I like it for lunch or even for supper.
02:25John likes it for breakfast, which is a bit strange.
02:29But anyway, it's an all-purpose dish and very good.
02:33The thing is that if you're getting smoked haddock,
02:36do you see this is a nice pale colour?
02:39And that's because the only colour is coming from the smoke.
02:42Right, we've got two bits here, and I'm going to put them in a pan
02:49and then just cover them with milk.
02:53Haddock is a good source of protein and low in calories,
02:56and poaching it in milk adds a bit of sweetness to its flavour.
03:01Flavour the milk with bay leaves,
03:04a few peppercorns,
03:07and half a chopped onion.
03:11Don't put any salt in it because the smoked haddock is salty.
03:15Then we just bring it to the boil.
03:17You just want to wait until the milk begins to just simmer,
03:22then turn it down so that it won't bubble,
03:24and leave it for about five minutes.
03:27What you're waiting for is for the fish to feel firm when you push it
03:30and to flake easily.
03:33It's a good idea to put a lid on
03:35because that will contain the heat,
03:38and if some of your fish is sticking out over the top of the milk,
03:42it will steam in the top,
03:44so it will make sure that it cooks evenly
03:47and it speeds it up a bit anyway.
03:57When the five minutes is up,
03:59just have a look at your pieces of fish.
04:01If you press them and they feel quite firm,
04:04and do you see it's beginning to flake?
04:06So I reckon we're there.
04:07So I'll just stick them here for the moment
04:11because I want to make a sauce out of the milk.
04:17So I'm going to put them there,
04:19and I'll put the lid on them
04:21to stop them getting a skin on top and drying out at all.
04:26So now I need to strain my milk.
04:34So I'm using the same pan.
04:37I'll put a bit of butter in it.
04:42The great thing with most sauces, white sauces,
04:46is you need the same amount of butter as flour.
04:49So I've got about an ounce of butter.
04:53You melt the butter, mix it up with the flour,
05:00and then if you stick the milk in,
05:04and then keep stirring,
05:06and as the butter melts,
05:08it will distribute the flour evenly,
05:11and you'll end up with a nice, smooth sauce.
05:14And if you get anxious that you're going to get lumps,
05:17use a whisk.
05:21OK, so now I've basically got a white sauce here,
05:24but I wanted to taste a mustard,
05:27so you've got two kinds of mustard here,
05:32a bit of grainy, whole grain mustard.
05:36Half a tablespoon of that,
05:38and a good tablespoon and a half of Dijon mustard.
05:48That's the sauce done.
05:49If you feel it's a little bit thick,
05:51you can always add a bit of milk to it before serving.
05:55Next, I've got some shredded up spring greens to go under my fish,
06:00and I just need to saute them in a frying pan with some butter.
06:04But to speed it up,
06:06I'm going to put a little bit of water in,
06:12because the steam will help cook the greens a little bit,
06:16and then the water will disappear,
06:18and I can saute them anyway,
06:20and you get that buttery taste.
06:22If you saute them without water,
06:24you just have to be a bit more careful,
06:25because it's easy to burn them.
06:30Full toss, get it as hot as you can.
06:33Let the water boil off.
06:36When you've boiled all the water off,
06:39just keep them moving
06:42until they're soft,
06:45but they still need to have that lovely bright green colour.
06:52You could just boil these briefly for a minute or two,
06:55and then toss them in a bit of butter,
06:58and the result would be similar.
07:01But if you put the butter and the water in together,
07:03you can do the whole lot at once.
07:06Right.
07:07So I've lost the water now,
07:09and I'm just left with a little bit of butter,
07:12which is perfect.
07:16The spring greens go on the bottom.
07:22A piece of fish on top.
07:28Look that warm.
07:29We now need to poach an egg,
07:31and I have to confess
07:32that I've got to the age of 86,
07:35and I can't poach an egg.
07:37But I'll have a go.
07:38I know the theory,
07:40but I think the truth is
07:41that if you get strings all over it,
07:44if it's really messy,
07:45it's because the egg isn't really fresh.
07:48The secret, I'm told,
07:49of a perfectly poached egg
07:51is a day-old egg.
07:52You know, it's just got to come out of the chicken
07:55and into the pan,
07:56and then it'll work.
07:57So they say.
07:58But I've never been able to do it,
08:01so here I am,
08:02having one more go.
08:04Get the water boiling,
08:06and then you whirl it around
08:08like crazy
08:10until you get a proper vortex.
08:13And then you slide the egg in
08:15and you hold your breath.
08:20It looks as if it might work.
08:22I'm going to have a poached egg here.
08:23It's going to be my first poached egg in my life
08:26that's really worked.
08:27I think the secret has to be a fresh egg
08:31because I've never managed this before.
08:33I am so pleased with that,
08:35I can't tell you.
08:37The secret is definitely a fresh egg.
08:41Every day is a school day.
08:43This should be done in two and a half minutes.
08:52So now I'm going to take my egg,
08:54drain it carefully,
08:56put it on top.
09:00On goes the sauce.
09:04Bit of black pepper.
09:06And that's it.
09:09Look at that.
09:11Just perfect.
09:18I want to get a bit of everything.
09:28Mmm.
09:30It's heaven.
09:32So that's poached haddock
09:33with a poached egg on top,
09:36spring greens underneath
09:37and mustard sauce.
09:38It's lovely.
09:40Coming up,
09:41I cook a regal classic
09:43for MasterChef judge
09:44Jimmy Famurewa.
09:46It is hugely popular.
09:48Chicken Elizabeth is the proper name.
09:50It is, it is.
09:51And I get to question him
09:53on life as a restaurant critic.
09:55They think I'm going to be
09:56like I am on MasterChef,
09:58like arrive in slow motion
10:00in a suit
10:00and tear it to shreds.
10:13Welcome back
10:14to my Cotswold kitchen.
10:16As a former restaurateur,
10:18I'm used to having my food critiqued.
10:21But having a food critic
10:22and MasterChef judge
10:24over to lunch
10:25turns an ordinary meal
10:27into a high-stakes performance.
10:31Today my guest
10:33is the self-confessed
10:36picky eater
10:37and very famous food critic
10:40Jimmy Famurewa.
10:43Jimmy, welcome to my Cotswold kitchen.
10:45Thank you so much for having me.
10:47I would stress
10:48reformed picky eater
10:50or recovering picky eater.
10:51Yes, indeed.
10:52I've just read your book
10:54called Picky.
10:56Yes, yeah.
10:57What I was so interested in
10:59was that
11:00it's not all about food.
11:02It's really about identity.
11:04Yeah, I think food and identity
11:06are so intertwined for me.
11:07I think I gravitated
11:09when I was younger
11:09a lot more towards
11:11a lot of like...
11:13Branded junk.
11:14A lot of branded junk,
11:16Prue, yes.
11:17When I had all this
11:18amazing culture
11:19that my mum
11:20was kind of trying
11:21to get me onto
11:22and I made it there
11:23in the end
11:23but it took me a while.
11:24You became a food critic.
11:25I did, yeah.
11:26Now listen,
11:27I was trying to think
11:28about what
11:29I could cook for you
11:30or you could cook for me
11:31and I wanted to do
11:33something that
11:34you didn't like
11:35but that
11:37I was going to
11:37convert you.
11:39Yes.
11:40And we decided
11:40on Chicken Elizabeth
11:42which is also known
11:44as Coronation Chicken.
11:45Yes, yeah.
11:52I think it's
11:53the most delicious thing
11:54but it's often served
11:56with sultanas
11:57or apricots
11:59and stuff in it.
12:00Yeah, which is
12:00the challenge for me.
12:02I think, yeah,
12:03fruit with savoury
12:04because I think
12:05one of my real ones
12:06when I was growing up
12:07was I had weird things
12:08about fruit
12:09and I wasn't kind of
12:10crazy about it.
12:10But yeah,
12:11I'm looking forward to this.
12:12let's do a classic
12:13Chicken Elizabeth
12:14or Coronation.
12:15Chicken
12:15because it is
12:17hugely popular
12:18So Chicken Elizabeth
12:19is the proper name?
12:20Yes, it is.
12:21First things first
12:22poach the chicken.
12:24So I've got a chicken
12:26in here
12:26and a bit of flavouring
12:28so there's some
12:29carrot going in there
12:30and celery
12:31and onion
12:32and a bay leaf
12:33as well
12:33and some water
12:36salt and pepper
12:39and I'll try
12:40and find a lid
12:41and put it on
12:41and then
12:42that will just
12:43simmer away.
12:44The way you tell
12:45when a chicken is cooked
12:46is give its leg a shake
12:47and if it's nice and loose
12:49it's done.
12:51Needless to say
12:52we have one
12:53that we have already poached.
12:55You know,
12:56the original
12:58Coronation chicken
12:59was designed
13:00by the Cordon Bleu
13:02Cookery School
13:03to entertain
13:04three or four hundred guests
13:06at Lancaster House
13:07which is just
13:08off the Mall
13:09and this is
13:10the original recipe.
13:12The only bit of fruit
13:13it has in it
13:14is tinned apricot.
13:16Oh, OK.
13:17I often just do
13:18a teaspoon of apricot jam
13:20and it needs
13:20just a little sweetness.
13:22To bake the sauce
13:23chop an onion.
13:25To use properly
13:26sharp knives.
13:28My mother,
13:29bless her,
13:29is always
13:30complaining about
13:31the sharpness
13:31of my knives.
13:33But your mum
13:34certainly has character.
13:36Yeah, she does.
13:38I put her through hell
13:39because, you know,
13:39Nigerian heritage,
13:41the notion
13:42that I wouldn't
13:42eat things
13:43but I think
13:44the thing that she
13:45really instilled in me
13:46is even while
13:46there were things
13:47that I didn't eat
13:48the food was pleasure
13:50and the table
13:51was a joyous place
13:52and the kitchen
13:53was a joyous
13:54and happy place.
13:55So what I've done so far
13:57I'm going to make
13:57a reduction.
13:59We'll shove it
14:00through a sieve
14:00to flavour mayonnaise.
14:02And frankly,
14:03we're going to use
14:04bottled mayonnaise.
14:05Just quick.
14:06Well, it's going to have
14:07a curry flavour
14:08and this quite
14:09complicated reduction
14:10which is what makes
14:11a really good
14:11chicken Elizabeth.
14:12Yeah.
14:13A lot of people
14:13make very poor
14:14chicken Elizabeth
14:15by just combining
14:16bottled mayonnaise
14:17with curry paste.
14:19And that's not good enough.
14:20You need to have
14:21the reduction now.
14:22Yeah, this is the...
14:23So what I've got
14:24in there
14:24is sweated onions
14:26and then I'm going to add
14:28a teaspoon of curry paste
14:30and a teaspoon
14:31of tomato puree.
14:33paste is generally
14:34better than powder.
14:36Some red wine.
14:38A bit of famous
14:40bay leaf,
14:41apricot puree.
14:43Why do you think
14:44chicken Elizabeth?
14:45Why has it endured
14:46so much?
14:46Well, first of all,
14:47it was really fashionable
14:48because of the coronation.
14:50And it got a lot
14:52of publicity then
14:53and everybody
14:53was imitating it.
14:55And I think it just
14:56seemed very exotic
14:57in the 50s
14:58and the 60s.
15:01Right, so I forgot
15:03to put the lemon in
15:03so let's do that.
15:10And this sieving...
15:12Is going to be your job.
15:14Oh, brilliant.
15:15OK.
15:17So do you cook
15:18for your kids?
15:19How many children
15:19involved?
15:20I do.
15:20I've got two children
15:21and shock horror,
15:23they're quite picky
15:24and fussy.
15:25So many people
15:26have picky children
15:28and get desperate.
15:30What can they do
15:31about it?
15:32And sometimes
15:32children just grow
15:33out of it.
15:34Yeah.
15:34But tell me,
15:35because you describe
15:36in your book
15:37very clearly
15:38how frightening
15:40you found food
15:41but you felt
15:41actually scared of it.
15:44Yeah.
15:45Like the texture?
15:47Yeah, I think
15:48also it's
15:50it's that kind of
15:51social aspect
15:52of it as well
15:53that you're kind of
15:53oh, I'm going to be
15:54in an environment
15:55where I'm unfamiliar
15:56with the food
15:57and stuff.
15:58It was very specific
15:59things for me.
16:00I describe
16:02the mashed potato
16:03at my primary school
16:04and having to like...
16:05You put it in your pocket.
16:07You put some in my pocket.
16:10hidden away,
16:11stashed goblet
16:12of mashed potato.
16:13My mum has no memory
16:14of that.
16:14I don't know if that's
16:15what they call trauma
16:16but she has no memory
16:17of finding this
16:18mashed potato.
16:19You said that you felt
16:20that fresh fruit
16:21would...
16:23was liable to rot
16:25and that
16:26and it would be
16:27squashy.
16:28Yeah.
16:28It's a texture.
16:29I think I was a little bit
16:30squeamish
16:31and I contrast it
16:32with now
16:33and like a gorgeous
16:34piece of
16:35ripe fruit
16:36or like, you know,
16:37perfect peach
16:38or whatever it is.
16:39I love it
16:40but then
16:41I think the
16:42the fact that
16:43it wasn't kind of
16:43standardised
16:44and the fact that like...
16:46Didn't come in a packet
16:49wasn't advertised
16:50between the cartoons
16:51that I loved so much.
16:53Just shove it.
16:54Shove it.
16:55Oh look,
16:56she's taken over.
16:57Yeah, there we go.
16:58Sacked.
16:59Bit more.
17:00Can't come back.
17:02I've already poached
17:03this chicken
17:03for 45 minutes
17:05and then left it
17:06to cool in the liquid.
17:08What was your
17:09relationship
17:10with restaurant reviewers
17:11when you had restaurants?
17:13Can you remember
17:14when they'd come in?
17:15I have to tell you
17:15that I owe my
17:16success entirely
17:18to a restaurant review.
17:21Ah, I see.
17:22Because when I first
17:24opened the restaurant
17:25I had this idea
17:26that if I had just
17:27got to opening day
17:28people would come
17:29and I'd make
17:30lots of money
17:31and I'd be all right.
17:32It never occurred to me
17:33that people might not come.
17:34And I had
17:35the first couple of weeks
17:37we hardly had anybody come.
17:39Yeah.
17:40And I was getting
17:41really desperate
17:42and then Humphrey Littleton
17:43who was a great
17:44jazz musician.
17:45Oh wow.
17:46But he used to
17:47moonlight
17:48by writing
17:50restaurant reviews
17:51for the Tatler.
17:52And he wrote
17:53a restaurant review
17:54about my restaurant
17:56which is called
17:56Leith's.
17:57And he said
17:58if you are
18:00as rich as Creases
18:01or you
18:02can rob a bank
18:03and you
18:05are prepared
18:06to risk
18:07being mugged
18:08down the seamy
18:09end of Notting Hill
18:11then there's a great
18:12restaurant down there
18:13and I thought
18:14oh thanks Humph
18:15you know
18:15nobody will come
18:16they'll think it's
18:17you know
18:17dangerous and expensive.
18:19But of course
18:20I had underestimated
18:21the Tatler reader
18:22who thought it was
18:23really fantastic
18:24to risk
18:25going down the seamy
18:27end of Notting Hill.
18:28Right, right.
18:28And so they all
18:29flocked in
18:29and we were
18:31absolutely packed out
18:32and then the
18:33celebrities followed
18:34and I opened
18:35in 1969
18:36so it was
18:37the height
18:37of the Beatles
18:38and the Rolling Stones
18:40and that all
18:41came from a restaurant
18:43It all came
18:43because of the
18:44restaurant review
18:45so you see
18:45I owe you something
18:47and the other hand
18:48Faye Mashler
18:49didn't like us
18:50and she was
18:52your predecessor
18:53She was
18:54yeah yeah yeah
18:54but I think
18:55that's the funny thing
18:57about restaurant criticism
18:58it can go either way
18:59can't it?
19:00So
19:00this
19:01this has got fruit
19:02in it
19:03a tiny bit
19:05but anyhow
19:06you're a grown up now
19:09That's the apricot
19:11I'm using
19:12tinned apricot
19:13and I'm then
19:14going to add
19:14the mayonnaise
19:15to the reduction
19:16before mixing it in
19:19Oh yeah
19:20that's good
19:20The lemon
19:22Gives it a bit
19:22of a kick
19:23doesn't it?
19:24Lifts it
19:24gives it a nice bit
19:25It normally has
19:26a bit of cream
19:27in it
19:27whipping cream
19:28so
19:29what I want to do
19:30is to put
19:31some of the
19:32sauce
19:32in there
19:33Mmm
19:35And mix it all up
19:39And we finish
19:40by coating
19:41the chicken
19:41with more sauce
19:43I'm just going
19:44to add
19:44some watercress
19:46chopped parsley
19:47and paprika
19:54Let's taste this
19:56So this is the classic
19:58with no sultanas
19:59in it
19:59Okay
20:03Okay
20:04Here's the
20:06dreaded
20:09sultanas
20:12I think I prefer it
20:17without
20:17without
20:18it's gorgeous
20:19I don't know
20:20if this is just
20:20the way
20:21it's normally
20:22presented
20:23I'm craving
20:23like a roll
20:24It does need
20:25a bit of carbs
20:26I agree
20:27Traditionally
20:28it would have been
20:28served with rice
20:29but luckily
20:30for Jimmy
20:31I've got some
20:32fresh bread
20:32Look
20:34despite my
20:35fancy job
20:35I'm a simple man
20:36Give me a roll
20:38to load it up
20:40But
20:40honestly
20:41this may be
20:42the first
20:43coronation chicken
20:44that I've actually
20:45liked
20:45Oh
20:46I would
20:47you know
20:47I would say
20:48you know
20:49we restaurant
20:49critics are honest
20:50but
20:51yeah
20:51Yeah
20:53Mmm
20:54Yeah that's lovely
20:55One question
20:56I'm asked all the time
20:57and I bet you are too
20:59Do your friends
21:00invite you to dinner?
21:03They do
21:03but with a bit
21:04of trepidation
21:05There's always
21:06a kind of like
21:07you know
21:07people being stressed out
21:08and what am I
21:09going to cook you
21:10and what are you
21:10going to say
21:10and I think
21:11I don't know
21:12yeah they think
21:12I'm going to be
21:13like I am
21:14on MasterChef
21:14like arrive
21:15in slow motion
21:16in a suit
21:17and tear it
21:18to shreds
21:19or whatever
21:19but
21:19I always stress
21:21and I'm sure
21:22you do
21:23like
21:23I love food
21:25I love like
21:26really beautifully
21:27cooked
21:28Michelin level
21:29food
21:29but I also
21:30if somebody
21:31makes like
21:31a really gorgeous
21:33slow cooked
21:35chilli
21:35or something
21:36with loads of rice
21:37like look
21:38I love food
21:39of all different
21:40types
21:40I always try
21:41and stress that
21:41Well in my case
21:42they should know
21:43that I'm the
21:44greediest person
21:44they've probably
21:45ever been
21:45and it doesn't
21:46even have to
21:47be great
21:47for me to
21:48scarf it down
21:49Yeah
21:50It's such a
21:51strange thing
21:52when you become
21:53a restaurant critic
21:53because people
21:54have this
21:55image of you
21:56as this kind of
21:57The Michelin man
21:58exactly
21:58exactly yeah
21:59and when I was
22:01at Glastonbury
22:02one year
22:02and thought
22:03I could just
22:04hurriedly scarf
22:05like the first
22:06thing that was
22:06available
22:07which was like
22:07you know
22:08some Donner
22:08shavings
22:09like kabab
22:10meat on chips
22:11and I was like
22:11okay I think
22:12I'm fine
22:13I can just
22:13have it
22:14and just as
22:15I scooped it
22:16levered it
22:17into my mouth
22:18somebody was like
22:18oh don't worry
22:19Jimmy I won't
22:19tell anyone
22:20and I was like
22:20oh no
22:21so there's that
22:22you feel like
22:23the job comes
22:24with a lot of
22:24baggage
22:25but for all
22:26that we think
22:27about food
22:27and we're serious
22:28about it
22:29we're also
22:29just people
22:30that surrender
22:31to appetite
22:32well exactly
22:33I was hoping
22:34you'd say nice
22:35things
22:35and you did
22:36so thank you
22:37so thank you
22:38no I definitely
22:40this will be
22:41a positive review
22:45still to come
22:46I'll show you
22:47how to dye
22:48your pasta red
22:49using beetroot juice
22:52yum yum
22:52red spaghetti
22:55and we meet
22:56a pair of farmers
22:56who are crunching
22:58their way to success
22:59this is our potato
23:00harvester
23:01we're now today
23:02lifting our potatoes
23:04so we came up
23:05with this
23:05compostable packaging
23:06so this is
23:07what took us
23:07so long to develop
23:21John and I always
23:22try to buy local
23:23veg when we can
23:24and with our
23:25gardening skills
23:26we often have to
23:27for as long as
23:29he's lived here
23:30John has always
23:31gone to this place
23:32for his greens
23:34and despite it being
23:36just 20 minutes
23:37down the road
23:38he always seems to
23:39disappear there
23:40for hours on end
23:42well here we are
23:43everybody comes
23:44for miles around
23:45here so consequently
23:47every time I come
23:48here I bump into
23:49friends and you have
23:51a great coffee and get
23:53my vegetables and make
23:54a morning of it
23:55a little jaunt
23:56on today's jaunt
23:57John is meeting
23:59Peter Drinkwater
24:00of Vegetable Matters
24:01Farm and Farm Shop
24:02and his family
24:04have a long history
24:05of working the land
24:06here
24:07how did the
24:08drinkwaters
24:09get going
24:10well you have to go
24:11back to when my father
24:12in 1946
24:13came back from
24:14the war
24:15he worked
24:16for a short while
24:17for the
24:19local vicarage
24:20who had got quite a
24:21big cottage garden
24:22but dad didn't like it
24:24and he hankered
24:24to be on his own
24:25so he started off
24:27with a small
24:28five acre field
24:29upon the top
24:30of Edmonton Hill
24:30which was a very
24:31brashy stony soil
24:32and he grew a five
24:34acre field of sprouts
24:35and that's how he
24:36started
24:36and then as we all
24:37left school
24:38the four of us
24:39four brothers
24:40we joined dad
24:41in the family business
24:42and took on
24:44more and more acres
24:44having previously
24:46had an offsite shop
24:47in the local market
24:48town
24:49in 2017
24:50Peter and his
24:52wife Amanda
24:52opened a farm shop
24:54next to the land
24:55he was farming
24:56with his brothers
24:56so freshly picked
24:58veg could go
24:59from field to basket
25:00far quicker
25:01this veg
25:02is basically
25:03from that field
25:04there
25:05and those fields
25:06around
25:06into that shop
25:08within
25:09an hour
25:10two hours
25:11of them being
25:11harvested
25:12so we've got it
25:13all really
25:14super fresh
25:16seasonal veg
25:16what could be better
25:17although with
25:19John there
25:19it doesn't even get
25:20the chance
25:21to make the basket
25:26Pete
25:27these are delicious
25:28so fresh
25:29tell us all about
25:30your beans
25:30we've been growing
25:31beans for 50 years
25:32we just grow this
25:33small area here now
25:35but there's a right
25:36and a wrong way
25:36to pick them
25:37there is a right
25:38and a wrong way
25:38to pick beans
25:39how you pick a bean
25:40is you hold the stem
25:42like that
25:43and you pull it off
25:44and then that leaves
25:46beans for two weeks
25:48down the line
25:48still with a healthy
25:50plant too
25:55as well as green beans
25:57John loves purple
25:58sprouting broccoli
25:59and he's visiting
26:01the farm
26:01when it's in abundance
26:04Pete
26:05these are a painter's
26:07dream
26:07they're just
26:08beautiful
26:09they really are
26:10now you seem to have
26:12quite a big acreage
26:13of purple sprouting
26:15how many varieties
26:15are you growing here
26:17this is a
26:1811 acre field
26:19and in this field
26:21there would be
26:21probably six varieties
26:24this crop
26:25will be harvested
26:27probably about
26:27four times
26:28we've had one
26:29cut out of it
26:30they're about to have
26:31the second cut
26:31and then there's
26:32at least two more cuts
26:34it has been known
26:34if the weather stays open
26:36that you can get
26:37four to five
26:38really really good
26:39heavy cuts
26:41John's just picking up
26:42beans and broccoli
26:43today
26:43but Peter and his
26:45brothers farm all
26:46manner of bench
26:47across 350 acres
26:49and if there's a
26:50quirky machine
26:51for blanting it
26:52John will want to
26:54know how it works
26:55we have four
26:56carousels on here
26:57all with four trades
26:59so there's 16
27:00carousels on here
27:01and carrying about
27:02four to five thousand
27:03plants at a time
27:04and usually the
27:06operators are
27:07people who've been
27:09doing it for years
27:09and years
27:10so what they tend
27:11to do is
27:12as they've got
27:13the last couple
27:13of plants in
27:14their hand
27:14with their left
27:15hand will grab
27:15another load of
27:16plants like that
27:17and then they will
27:18just feed the
27:19carousels like this
27:22and basically the
27:24plant goes into
27:25the ground
27:25at least two to
27:27three inches like
27:27that
27:28and just the top
27:30leaf is sticking out
27:32and you'll be
27:33surprised how many
27:34sprout plants five
27:35operators can plant
27:36in a day
27:37it would be nothing
27:38on sprouts to plant
27:39at least five acres
27:41a day with it
27:41and how many plants
27:43would that be
27:43that would be around
27:44fifty thousand
27:45plants so you can
27:47get a fair old
27:48lick on with this
27:49machine
27:50don't get any
27:50ideas John
27:51you can get by at
27:53home with just a
27:54fork and a spade
27:56it's been fascinating
27:58for me to hear how
27:59a seasoned local
28:00food producer like
28:01Peter has been able
28:03to diversify the
28:04business just by
28:05adding the shop
28:08that's your jaunt
28:09over for today
28:10John and don't
28:12forget to bring
28:13back the veg
28:18as you might have
28:19noticed I love
28:20colour in my home
28:22in the garden
28:23and especially
28:24in cooking
28:26today's hack
28:27is spaghetti
28:28but coloured
28:29red
28:30with beetroot juice
28:41it's fun to do
28:42it looks amazing
28:43and it tastes great
28:44if you've got a
28:45juicer
28:46you can use
28:47fresh beetroot
28:48and just juice them
28:49and use that juice
28:50otherwise you can
28:51buy beetroot juice
28:52in a carton
28:53you need to buy
28:54the long life one
28:55because if you look
28:56on the ingredients
28:57that is pure beetroot
28:58juice and you want
29:00the pure beetroot
29:01so you just put the
29:03beetroot juice in a pan
29:04add about 20% water
29:06and then bring it to
29:08the boil
29:08and this is just on the
29:09simmer
29:10so put the pasta in
29:15and that'll take 10 or 11 minutes
29:17you must be careful with beetroot juice
29:19because if you turn the heat up too much
29:22it just bubbles up and explodes all over the place
29:25and you really don't want red beetroot juice everywhere
29:29so keep it just on the simmer
29:3311 minutes later
29:34you've got wonderful red pasta
29:43I'm going to stick this spaghetti
29:46into this pan
29:47which has got a little bit of olive oil in it
29:50and slowly sweated
29:52very finely chopped onion
29:54and garlic
29:56so the spaghetti is going in there
29:59that's a great colour isn't it
30:01wonderful
30:02I think the answer is
30:04to just lift a portion
30:06into the plate you want to serve
30:08and then put a little bit of feta on the top
30:12a bit of chopped parsley
30:14a little bit of salt
30:15and I like really coarsely ground black pepper
30:18yum yum red spaghetti
30:27that is delicious
30:29really good
30:30so that's my hack
30:32for colouring spaghetti bright red
30:40who doesn't like the humble potato
30:42John likes them mashed
30:44I like them chipped
30:45but my food hero today
30:47turns them into amazing crisps
30:53herefordshire is known
30:54for its picturesque countryside
30:56and endless apple orchards
30:58the two local lads
31:00a potato farmer
31:01and a potato merchant
31:02had a dream of creating something
31:04that gave as much back to the land
31:07as it took out
31:08and when it came to the crunch
31:10the answer was under their feet
31:15we are the two farmers
31:16crisp produce on the farm
31:18600 yards from this field
31:19all in compostable packaging
31:21and made with renewable energy
31:23which is produced literally just behind this harvester
31:26I think it was a bit of a dream to start with
31:27to make our own crisps and create a brand
31:30and you know
31:31we didn't really know much about it did we
31:35but one night at the local pub
31:37the pair hatched a plan over a couple of pints
31:40and of course a packet of crisps
31:42we basically came together
31:43and thought perhaps we ought to make these potatoes
31:46and add value to them
31:47I would say that
31:48quirky
31:49it's got to be 12 years ago
31:50that initial thought
31:52but yeah it was a long time in preparation
31:54a long time in the making
31:55of trying to get to where we are
31:57but the chaps persevered
31:59and the result
32:01Heravitcher potatoes
32:02purposely grown for crisping
32:05we're growing about three varieties
32:07so different varieties come at different times of the year
32:09this variety is Lady Rosetta
32:11and then we use a variety called Taurus
32:13and our later variety is called Lady Claire
32:16this is our potato harvester
32:17we're now today lifted our potatoes
32:20these potatoes were planted in March
32:22and then they've been grown
32:23and they've got to about this size now
32:25to make a nice crisping sample
32:26to make some lovely crisps
32:28there's a big blade
32:30and it's lifting the potatoes out of the ground
32:32and then they come onto these webs
32:34where it's sieving the soil out
32:36so hopefully as it goes through the machine
32:39we've only got a lovely sample
32:41of very very clean potatoes
32:46These varieties differ from your normal cooking potato
32:50due to their high starch and low moisture content
32:53which ensures a good crunch and flavour
32:56but a potato is only as good as the soil it's grown in
33:00so Mark enlists the help of agronomists like Lee
33:03who help the crops reach their full potential
33:06whatever the weather
33:08Right then Lee
33:09here we are
33:10here's a potato crop
33:12Shall we have a look
33:13see what's underneath here?
33:14Yeah
33:14I mean I would say from the summer that we've had
33:17talking about the extreme temperatures
33:20that really is a superb sample of potato surely
33:23If we hadn't have irrigated
33:26they'd probably be all that size
33:27We have these discussions every year
33:29so you do everything you can in your power
33:31but the potato comes up
33:33and then you get a late frost
33:34which I'm sure any gardener knows all about
33:37you start to get an April or even a May frost
33:40where the potatoes come through the ground
33:42it's quite tender
33:43and it'll just take it off to the ground
33:45and it has to start all over again
33:46Yeah
33:46Who'd be a farmer?
33:47Indeed
33:50Sean with his business background
33:53oversees the crisp production
33:54and distribution side of the business
33:57In the factory
33:58a stone's throw from the field where they're grown
34:01the potatoes are washed and peeled
34:03These come through the washer
34:05and you can see they're lovely and bright
34:07the skins are lovely and bright
34:08and what we can do is we can identify
34:10any foreign objects coming through
34:13Once washed and peeled
34:15the spuds are sliced and then fried
34:19and finally the all-important local seasoning is added
34:24This is a very specialised piece of equipment
34:27that is exceptionally accurate
34:29It can run at around 110 bags a minute
34:31so it's quite complex
34:35but it's a clever bit of kit
34:36and the salt we're putting on
34:38the Joybridge salt
34:39local salt from here
34:40probably about 40 miles up the road
34:42of brine salt
34:43absolutely delicious
34:44light sprinkling it on
34:45it couldn't be better
34:47With their determination to shorten their food miles
34:50all the flavourings are locally sourced
34:53the originals as well as the classics
34:57and there's one pioneering process that Sean and Mark are determined to crack
35:02and it's the reason why these crisps are the only crisps sold at the Glastonbury festival
35:09So we came up with this compostable packaging
35:11so this is what took us so long to develop
35:13Well this is cellulose
35:14so this is sap effectively
35:16cellulose from the trees
35:18100% compostable
35:20you can put this in your home compost
35:21it goes into a water course
35:22it'll break down in the water
35:24in the sea
35:24in the river
35:25wherever it may be
35:26it'll ultimately always break down
35:28something we're very very proud of
35:29So the old friends seem to have done okay for themselves
35:33From where we'd come from
35:35from frying that first bag
35:36one day
35:37and not knowing quite where we were going to market it
35:40what we were going to do with it
35:41and just feeling our way
35:42we're very proud of what we achieved
35:44and we're still growing as a crisps company
35:45Well done lads
35:47It just goes to show
35:49the best ideas come about
35:50over a pint and a packet of crisps
35:56Still to come
35:57John will be joining me
35:59to cook a delicious ribelita
36:01I like ribelita
36:02You do
36:03Very much indeed
36:04If he makes it back from the garden
36:06with enough vegetables
36:08Go fetch
36:23I love leftovers
36:24Using them up gives me huge satisfaction
36:27And in this day and age
36:29we need to be economic with our cooking
36:31And I welcome any recipe
36:33that stops good food going to waste
36:36Now we're going to make
36:37my favourite soup of all time
36:39which is called ribelita
36:41which comes from an Italian word
36:44meaning re-boiled
36:45It's basically soup
36:47made out of leftovers
36:48Vegetables that you made too many
36:51for Sunday lunch
36:52and you're left with
36:52half a bowl of cooked cabbage
36:54or some cooked carrots
36:56they can all go in there
36:57Anything
36:58Anything goes
37:04I like ribelita
37:06You do
37:06Very much indeed
37:07So like most soups
37:09you start with sweating
37:11an onion or two
37:12and by the way
37:13it doesn't matter about the quantities
37:15The recipe has quantities in it
37:17but if you've got more carrots
37:18and less leek
37:19fine
37:20You can have anything you like
37:23Ribelita is a classic Tuscan dish
37:26and traditionally
37:26it's made with leftover bread
37:29and local veg
37:30It can be eaten at once
37:32or reheated later
37:35So a couple of good tablespoons of oil
37:38Any oil
37:39This is olive oil
37:40but it doesn't have to be
37:42That's one large big chopped onion
37:46Those onions are going to cook slowly
37:48until they're soft
37:50They don't have to brown
37:51They just have to get soft
37:53and absorb the fat a bit
37:55After that happens
37:56I'll add the carrots
37:57Actually we could do with more carrots
37:59Have we got more carrots than that?
38:00I think only little ones
38:02Okay
38:03Well they'll do
38:04Okay
38:05Could you grab some?
38:06Do I go now?
38:08Go fetch
38:11And some thyme
38:13Okay
38:13Let's bring it to you
38:15Okay
38:15Thank you
38:15No problems
38:17I know what John's like in the garden
38:19I just hope he doesn't get distracted
38:25Right
38:25Here we go
38:28Well I don't know how big or small these are going to be
38:35I don't honestly think there's going to be much bigger
38:42I'm going to take these to Prue
38:44She'll probably say I told you so
38:46We'll appease the situation by taking some maras and squash it back
38:54Rather harder to cut than I thought
38:57I think we'll just take that off
39:03That's good
39:16God John
39:17How long does it take to pull a carrot out of the grub?
39:20Well judging by the size of these it was a two arm job
39:24Well they're not going to help you see in the dark are they?
39:28The squashes are safe for a different soup later
39:31The thyme we'll use once it's washed
39:35I think it's important to put the chopped carrots and the onions in oil
39:40And cook them as we have
39:43The rest of the veg it really doesn't matter
39:45You can add it to the oil if you like
39:47Or you can just add it to the end
39:48And things like cabbage I like to put right at the end
39:51Because then they stay nice and green
39:53Or spinach or anything green
39:55So the garlic can go in with the oil and the leeks
40:01Now put a little bit more oil
40:07So give that a couple more minutes
40:10Meanwhile John can chop the kale
40:14Right
40:15So when you've got your oniony things
40:19The leeks, the carrots and the celery
40:21A little bit softened
40:23You want to add a can of tomatoes
40:32In goes the stock
40:34Which can be vegetable stock or chicken stock
40:39Right can you put your kale in
40:43And can you chop up the cabbage
40:50Can I put this in?
40:51Yeah
40:54It's more like a veg stew than it is of soup
40:57Because it's so heavy with veg
41:01Do you know I think that might be enough darling
41:03Is that enough?
41:04Yeah
41:05Yeah
41:06It's got to be amazingly healthy this
41:09Yeah
41:09It's very healthy
41:12We need to bulk it up now with a bit more stock
41:15And a bit more tomato
41:17Plunk it in there darling
41:20And then this is vegan bouillon mix
41:24Bouillon is French for stock
41:26And this is a powder like a stock cube
41:29That's more like it
41:32I'm going to add the thyme that John cut from the garden
41:36And then season with salt and pepper
41:38And add some chilli
41:40It wakes food up I think
41:45This is a hack that I really like
41:49But it doesn't always apply
41:50Because how often do you have parmesan rind left
41:54But when you grate parmesan cheese
41:56There's that very hard rind that you can't use
41:59But it's got a fantastic amount of flavour in it
42:02So if you put it into a soup or a stew
42:05It will just deepen the flavour
42:08You must remember to fish it out mind you
42:12And then in 20 minutes time
42:14We're going to add the beans
42:17And the last ingredient will be bread
42:20Little squares of stale bread
42:23Traditionally the idea was
42:25That the bread would break up
42:27And thicken the stew
42:28It would become a sort of thickener
42:29But I actually like to use
42:31A really tough sourdough
42:33Because that doesn't break up
42:35And you get lumps of bread
42:36Which I like
42:38Or you could make them into croutons
42:40If you like
42:41Fry them in olive oil
42:42And sit them on the top of your soup
42:44Would you like to add these to bulk it out?
42:47I don't think we've got enough
42:49Well I feel sorry for them
42:51I think they should go in
42:53Once washed and chopped
42:54In go John's prize winning carrots
42:57Well they add colour
42:58Yeah I know they look very good
43:00We should leave them there
43:01So now we need to give that about 20 minutes
43:04To just cook the veg
43:06All you want is the vegetables to be soft
43:15Right so basically the soup is done
43:18I'm going to put the beans in
43:19These are out of a jar
43:21Or you can get them in a can
43:22They're cannellini beans
43:24White beans
43:25But because they're cooked
43:26All we need to do is warm them up
43:28And then in goes the bread
43:30So I'm hoping
43:32The pieces of bread will stay together
43:35You know recognisable
43:36I think that's perfect
43:39I'll just add some spinach to finish
43:41And once it's wilted we can serve
43:46We want a spoon of riblita
43:49Make sure they get a couple of bits of bread
43:52A bit of parmesan cheese
43:57And a little chives
43:58Or basil would be good
44:00Anything to look right
44:08Right we've got some red wine here
44:11I notice on the back it says
44:13Award winning wines from God's Own County
44:16So should we give it a crack?
44:18Absolutely
44:19Okie dokie
44:20I do find a fruity red wine
44:23Is usually a good companion
44:25To a hearty Tuscan soup
44:31Very nice
44:32It's delicious
44:33Lovely
44:35Shall we have a taste?
44:38Wine in one hand
44:39Soup in the other
44:48It's so good
44:49And it's nice to think
44:50It's good for you
44:51I mean that
44:53There couldn't be a healthier dish
44:54Than that
44:55Could there?
44:56The vegetable crunch
44:57Is added joy
44:59No really nice
45:00This is a bit spicier
45:01Than our usual one
45:02It's those chillies
45:03We grew in the greenhouse
45:05I don't know what we did to them
45:06But they are so hot
45:08So we're going to decant that into
45:10Yoghurt pots
45:11Yeah
45:13I tend to make the soup
45:15In big batches like this
45:16And then freeze it
45:18In old yoghurt pots
45:20And then
45:22Just put them in the microwave
45:23When I want to
45:24Produce one for lunch
45:29I think I love this so much
45:31For a hundred reasons
45:32First of all
45:32It's great for using up
45:34Lots of veg in the garden
45:36Secondly
45:36It feeds a lot of people
45:38It freezes beautifully
45:39It's simple to make
45:41And it tastes delicious
45:44And it's healthy
45:47Thanks for watching
45:49And we'll be back next time
45:51With a really interesting guest
45:53And a whole lot more good food
45:56We'll be back next time
45:56We'll be back next time
45:59We'll be back next time
46:13In a minute
46:15Tiffany
46:16Bye
46:21Bye
46:23Bye
46:23Bye
46:24Bye
46:24Bye
46:24Bye
46:25Bye
46:25Bye
46:26Bye
46:27Bye
46:28Bye
46:28You
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