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00:07I'm Prue Leith, cook, restaurateur, cookery school founder, and writer of 15 cookbooks.
00:15That is the most delicious thing that we have cooked.
00:19I'm in my 80s, so I haven't got time to waste.
00:23This series is all about the things that really matter to me.
00:26Family, fun, food, and friends.
00:30Come on, what kind of day have you had? Get it out!
00:34We'll be sharing simple home-cooked recipes.
00:38Oh, brilliant. I'm going to take this bit home and save it for later.
00:41You idiot.
00:43She's such a gourmand. She's incredible.
00:46And celebrating the best produce.
00:50I am lucky enough to live in the astonishingly beautiful Cotswolds
00:54with my darling, sometimes darling, husband, John.
00:59Come on, you've had an hour.
01:02Coming up today, the delightful and straight-talking actress Sophie Winkleman joins me in the kitchen.
01:09I like cakes.
01:10You're right. We should have had you making a cake.
01:12No, my passion lies with pies.
01:15I make a grapefruit and treacle tart while John gets back in touch with his primitive instincts.
01:21I think there's something about men and fire.
01:24And I've got a time-saving hack that means your greens don't become a chore.
01:29Just saves a lot of trouble.
01:31Welcome to my Cotswold kitchen.
01:38I am the queen of thrift.
01:40I love a bargain, and I also hate to waste anything.
01:44And the same goes for cuts of meat.
01:46I believe we should be eating nose to tail.
01:50My first dish today is my absolute favourite stew.
01:56Oxtail stew.
02:02I mean, it is one of the best stews you could possibly have.
02:06It's full of flavour.
02:07It used to be really cheap because bits of the animal, like the tail and the liver and the heart,
02:14so-called offal, were always cheap because nobody wanted to buy them.
02:18But now there's no such thing as cheap meat.
02:20However, it's worth paying for oxtail because it's the best.
02:26It takes a while to cook.
02:28But if you can make an oxtail stew, you can make any stew.
02:32I'm going to use the stew pan and a frying pan because I've got a few pieces to fry.
02:39So you put a very little bit of oil in the bottom of the pan because this has got lots
02:44of fat on it.
02:45So it doesn't need much oil.
02:47Just enough to wet the bottom of the pan.
02:52You can tell whether your pan is hot enough by just putting a bit of meat into it or anything.
02:59And if it sizzles, it's all there.
03:04Cooking the oxtail long and slow is the secret to a tender, flavoursome dish.
03:11Space out your pieces and turn them occasionally, not constantly.
03:16You want them really brown on all sides.
03:20That's how we want.
03:21Like that.
03:22Like that side.
03:28So now these have been frying very closely attended for 12 minutes, which means for 12 minutes we've turned them
03:36round, got every side fried and brown.
03:41And now I'm going to do the onions, carrots and celery.
03:48We don't have to get them very brown, but we do need to fry them so.
03:54And I put the sliced onions in here.
04:03And the carrots and celery in here.
04:08So what we're aiming for is just to have the vegetables a bit softened and just beginning to colour, but
04:14not really brown.
04:15Then add two cloves of crushed garlic.
04:19Cook it for about a minute before combining both pans.
04:24Next, add three tablespoons of flour with salt and pepper already in it.
04:30Mix that into the sauce along with some tomato puree.
04:35Then add the red wine and the stock.
04:38This is beef stock.
04:40And you can use a beef stock cube if you like.
04:43Honestly, it doesn't really matter.
04:46And then you stir it until it boils because you've got the flour in there and you want the flour
04:52to thicken the sauce evenly and not let it form lumps.
04:59We've now got the stock slightly thickened and just simmering.
05:04So I'm going to put the oxtail back.
05:09I'm just adding a bouquet of bay leaves and thyme.
05:13So that goes in there.
05:16And in two hours' time, we will come back to the most delicious oxtail stew.
05:23I'm certain.
05:30My stew is absolutely beautifully tender now and it took two hours to simmer to get to the stage.
05:39And then I've got it cool enough to handle because I want to stick my fingers in it and pull
05:45the bones out.
05:46You need it, of course.
05:47But if you do want to serve it like a stew without any bones, then you need to get your
05:53hands messy.
05:55I like doing this.
05:56It's like mud pies.
05:58I have always been happy to get my hands messy.
06:03I'm going to get this back to simmering point very slowly while I make the dumplings.
06:11So what I have here is self-raising flour, a bit of parsley.
06:18This is shredded suet.
06:19You buy it in a packet and it's just called shredded suet.
06:23And it's a fat.
06:25It's the fat from around the kidneys of an animal.
06:30And that's beef suet.
06:33And then some grated horseradish.
06:35No more than a teaspoon as it's really hot.
06:39So then you put a bit of mustard in.
06:46About a tip of a teaspoon.
06:49Not that much.
06:52And then you add the water.
06:56Now I've got the self-raising flour.
06:58The shredded suet.
06:59The chopped parsley.
07:02And I need a little bit of salt.
07:05And a bit of pepper.
07:08And I've got the horseradish.
07:10And the mustard.
07:12So it's going to be quite a good dumpling.
07:17Make a little ball.
07:19And I'll stick them here.
07:21And then we'll dump them all together.
07:23And we're going to make them a classic way.
07:25Where you make each dumpling separately.
07:29But my great-aunt, who taught me to make dumplings,
07:35used to just spoon them out of the bowl in any kind of dollop
07:40and put them straight into the sizzling pan.
07:43But they did go all over the place.
07:46She cooked all sorts of things that I never see anymore.
07:49Like neck of lamb stew.
07:52You know, neck of lamb is the sort of scrag end of leg.
07:55It's mostly bone.
07:57But the meat that's on it tastes amazing.
07:59It's really good-flavoured.
08:01But I'm on a mission here to get the world to like the old-fashioned dishes.
08:06Now, if you want proof that dumplings are an old recipe,
08:11archaeologists have found dumplings in China that are over 1,000 years old.
08:16Tried and tested, I'd say.
08:18The stew bubbling away, and you just plonk the dumplings in.
08:24And you see there's quite a lot of...
08:26Well, there's not a huge amount, but there's a little bit of fat.
08:30Beef fat floating on the top of the stew.
08:32But with any luck, the dumplings will absorb it.
08:37And then we stick a lid on.
08:42Turn it down to a simmer and leave it for 20 minutes.
08:46Now, I'm going to cheat here and use frozen mashed potatoes.
08:50The frozen pack will have just potatoes, salt and butter, and not much else.
08:55So why not save some time?
08:58Nine pieces is one portion.
09:00Pop in the microwave for three minutes, stirring once.
09:03So then we need a dumpling.
09:11And a bit of chopped parsley.
09:15So this is my idea of the perfect winter food.
09:20Oxtail stew and mash.
09:22It's sort of falling apart really beautifully.
09:27The mash.
09:32Mmm.
09:35And then there's a dumpling,
09:38which you really need with a bit of gravy.
09:43Mmm.
09:45It is so good.
09:48Heaven.
09:50And no, there's none for you, no matter how you look at me.
09:59Coming up, TV and actual royalty Sophie Winkleman gets her hands dirty in the kitchen.
10:06You can use your mitts if you like.
10:08As we cook up a British pub classic.
10:12Genuinely mood-altering.
10:14Do people cuddle you at this point or do they leave you alone?
10:17Oh, I feel it.
10:18Oh.
10:27Welcome back to my Cotswold kitchen.
10:30When we're not cooking or gardening,
10:33John and I do love a bit of telly.
10:35In particular, anything that features this lady.
10:41My guest today has a career spanning TV, film and drama.
10:46She is an amazing actress and she's married to a royal.
10:50She is Sophie Winkleman.
10:53Welcome to my Cotswold kitchen.
10:54Thank you very much.
10:55Thank you for having me.
10:56Lovely to be here.
10:57So, Sophie, we asked you if you, what you wanted to cook and you said,
11:02I was going to do most of the cooking.
11:04So, we're going to do it together.
11:06And I thought we'd just do a chicken pie.
11:09Yes, please.
11:10Everybody's favourite.
11:16So, it's going to have a hot water crust pastry,
11:20which I thought would be fun because very few people know how to make hot water crust.
11:25Can you cook?
11:26I can bake.
11:28I like cakes.
11:29You're right.
11:30We should have had you making cake.
11:31No, no, wrong, because my passion lies with pies.
11:35Pork pies get sort of the Oscar, but there's nothing more classic and elegant and happy making than a chicken
11:44pie.
11:44So, this is perfection.
11:46A classic English pie for a classic English actress.
11:50Let's get going.
11:51We're going to make the filling first and then we'll come to the pastry.
11:55So, we've got a bit of butter and a chopped up leek.
12:01So, how long do you do those babies for?
12:03Just until they're a little bit soft.
12:04We're nearly there.
12:06You see, I'm not trying to brown them or anything.
12:08I just want them to soften them a little bit.
12:10Lovely.
12:12And then you put some flour in, because we're going to turn this into a sauce now.
12:15It does smell like heaven.
12:19And then we'll have the chicken, which is already cooked.
12:22Big palace.
12:23That's going to be the filling.
12:24Heaven.
12:25And we're going to just flavour it with a bit of mustard, a bit of creme fraiche, and a bit
12:30of...
12:30How about you chop that?
12:31Yes, please.
12:32Is that tarragon?
12:33Yeah.
12:34Do I get a point for knowing that?
12:35Yeah, you do.
12:37Look, I've got creme fraiche in here and mustard.
12:40Yummy.
12:41Black pepper or not bother yet?
12:42Yeah, we can have black pepper.
12:45There we go.
12:46I'm just going to season it with a little salt and pepper.
12:50So that's going to be the filling.
12:52And then to make the pastry, you put the lard, which is 100 grams of lard, into 100 mils of
13:04water.
13:05Okay.
13:05Water's already in there.
13:07Plus 100 mils of milk.
13:10So basically, you've got 200 mils of liquid melting 100 grams of fat.
13:18Next, we need to put 240 grams of plain flour and 100 grams of bread flour into a bowl.
13:25Can you make some extra so I can just have a bit?
13:28Yeah, probably.
13:30And then we need a bit of salt, pinch of salt, and then we're going to pour the fat in
13:37and beat like crazy.
13:39So, do you want to do the stirring?
13:40Yes, definitely.
13:42And will this have that lovely sort of white scurf underneath it?
13:46God, I love that stuff.
13:48Why are people rude about that?
13:50Why are people rude about fat?
13:52It's the best stuff in the world.
13:54In go the eggs.
13:56Right, you're going to get half of this.
13:58And the rest is going to be full glazing the top.
14:01Is there any reason you use this guy instead of a spoon?
14:04No, you can use your mitts if you like.
14:06Okay.
14:09That's a girl.
14:10That's my girl.
14:12This is very satisfying.
14:15Who doesn't love a pie?
14:18And then...
14:19What should it look...
14:20What am I aiming for it to look like?
14:21That's it.
14:22That's perfect.
14:22Excellent.
14:24Sophie, I've got rid of your board because we're going to just do this on here.
14:28Okay.
14:29So, you need to do it while it's warm.
14:31Okay.
14:32It's still warm.
14:32Yes, lovely.
14:33Okay, so we need to roll it out.
14:36So, if you roll it out, nice and thin, and we're going to put it in these two rows.
14:45We need to make bases and lids for our pies.
14:49I'm going to use a slightly bigger bowl to mark the bottoms, as they need to be a little
14:54larger than the tops.
14:56Because it's...
14:57You can mangle it in a...
14:58It stretches, but it doesn't matter if you don't get it perfect.
15:02I thought I had got it perfect.
15:04Yeah, no, you did.
15:05You did.
15:06But it wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't.
15:09So, it's very forgiving, this stuff.
15:10It's totally forgiving.
15:12And you go around, just make sure that your bottom corner is pushed in properly.
15:18So, then we're going to put some chicken in there, and do you want to do that one?
15:22Yeah.
15:22The idea behind the dish.
15:24I think you were a little too thin there.
15:27Shall we just...
15:27Yes.
15:28This is to prove that you can do anything with this pastry.
15:31You just...
15:32Patch it up.
15:32Patch it up like that.
15:34There we are.
15:34So, this is an amateur cook's best friend, this pastry.
15:37It is, it is.
15:38Then, we put a couple of spoons of chicken and leek, and creme fraiche.
15:47Yummy.
15:48So, now, we need a couple of lids.
15:51So, this is a good size.
15:55Right.
15:56Now, you have to crimp the edges to stick it together.
16:00And you just push a finger in like that.
16:03Oh, my God.
16:04This is where it gets dicey.
16:07You do it.
16:07It's hard.
16:08Yeah, yeah, you're doing fine.
16:10You just have to sort of push the two together.
16:12Okay.
16:14Yeah, I think you've done it fine.
16:16Okay, let me just finish my one.
16:19I think you've done it fine from Prue-leaf.
16:21It's a bit like a handshake from Paul.
16:24Okay, and then we just brush the top of the egg.
16:33To make it shiny?
16:34And, yes, to make it shiny and brown a bit better.
16:38And then we'll bake it, and when it's nearly baked, we'll brush it again.
16:43Make it even browner.
16:44Okay, gorgeous.
16:46We need to make a hole in the top to let the steam out.
16:49And then we're going to stick it in an oven at 180 for about 40 minutes.
16:58Yay!
17:00With TV credits that include Peep Show and Waking the Dead,
17:05and a long list of theatre and film roles,
17:07I'm keen to ask Sophie about her career.
17:11You've had such a great career.
17:13I just wondered, do you like telly or stage or film?
17:19I think at the very top is radio,
17:22which is a shame because it pays in shillings
17:25and sort of bits of brass farthing.
17:27But it's my favourite medium to go into a little studio somewhere
17:32sort of a bit scruffy
17:33and then create a world of sort of medieval knights
17:37with just your voice,
17:39and there's all these scruffy actors in their tracksuit bottoms,
17:41and we're playing sort of Elizabeth I and her courtiers.
17:44I love radio so much.
17:46Just creating with your voice, I think,
17:49is a great art form and a great discipline.
17:51And then stage is wonderful,
17:53but it's harder when you have children
17:55because you have to vanish.
17:57Because you've got two little ones.
17:58Yes, two girls.
17:59I loved stage.
18:00I worked with all sorts of wonderful people.
18:03I did a very fun play in downtown L.A.
18:05with Eric Idle and Billy Connolly and Tim Curry
18:08and Tracy Ullman and Eddie Izzard
18:10and all these wonderful comedians.
18:13That was heaven.
18:14There's something thrilling about the stage
18:16because it could go wrong at any second,
18:19so there's a heightened energy and excitement.
18:22But, yeah, I've mainly done telly
18:24for about sort of 15 years or something.
18:27I've mainly done TV.
18:28But, you know, the other thing I know you for
18:31is you're a great campaigner.
18:35You're forever in Parliament badgering MPs
18:38to take your campaign for children
18:41not to have their childhood completely ruined
18:45by screens and social media.
18:49How's that getting on?
18:50Well, I'm quite excited in that I think the conversation
18:53is now happening across the country
18:55that it's not a good idea
18:56to give a three-year-old an iPad or a smartphone.
19:00It's definitely being talked about now,
19:02which is a relief.
19:03And I want the government, whoever's in power,
19:06to take control and protect them.
19:08Brilliant.
19:08I think we need Sophie for PM.
19:17Oh, lovely.
19:19They look quite good, don't they?
19:21They do. They look beautiful.
19:22I'm just going to put a second glaze on our pies.
19:27Two glazes gives a deeper, richer golden-brown colour
19:30and a more pronounced shine.
19:33You must have some wonderful memories
19:37or some rose you've particularly liked.
19:39Yeah, I've liked every part I've done.
19:42The part, obviously, that lives in most British men's hearts
19:46is Peep Show.
19:48The writers seem to have captured just the male psyche
19:52in those two main parts.
19:54And you're either more jazz or you're more Mark,
19:56but you're basically both of them.
19:58You're definitely one of the other.
19:58You're definitely one or both of them.
20:01It's very sweet having been part of something
20:03that made people laugh so much.
20:05That's a joy.
20:06I've done so much comedy now.
20:08It's heaven.
20:09Shall we have a look and see if these pies are done?
20:12Yes, please.
20:17Oh, look.
20:18Look at that.
20:18They're beautiful.
20:20That's all right, isn't it?
20:24That's a very...
20:25I want that as my screensaver.
20:27That's beautiful.
20:29The trick is to let them get a bit cool
20:31before you try and get them out.
20:33And sort of see them underneath.
20:36Yeah, that's pretty good done.
20:38Gorgeous.
20:41This veg has already been prepped,
20:43and I'll show you how to do it later.
20:47Now, time to check on those pies.
20:51Right, so here we have a little...
20:54I think I'll just turn it over like that.
20:58Oh, look at that.
21:00You were absolutely...
21:01Bang.
21:01Yum.
21:02Look at that.
21:03That's beautiful.
21:04It's not good.
21:13Well, madam, you said you like the pie.
21:16They are completely exquisite.
21:19Go and get the veg.
21:21Do the veg in advance.
21:23It's such a good idea.
21:26This is beautiful.
21:30Lovely sound.
21:31It even sounds nice, this pie.
21:34What a lovely sound.
21:35Oh, look!
21:42That's genuinely mood-altering.
21:46Sophie, thank you so much for coming.
21:48You have been an absolute joy.
21:50Thank you for having me.
21:52I'm a big fan.
21:53You're being.
21:55Do people cuddle you at this point,
21:56or do they leave you alone?
21:58I feel...
21:58Oh, thank you very much.
22:04Still to come,
22:06John joins gardener Philippa
22:07to see how our home-grown fruit and veg is progressing.
22:11The aubergines are really starting to get going.
22:14Aubergine's very exciting.
22:15And we meet a lady
22:16who's bringing proper Chinese and Korean cooking
22:19to South Wales.
22:21Don't do chips,
22:22because we don't eat chips in China.
22:31Welcome back to my Cotswold kitchen.
22:35I love cooking with fresh ingredients,
22:38especially if it comes from our own garden.
22:42And right now,
22:43John is finding out from Philippa,
22:45who does most of the hard graft in our garden,
22:48about what's coming on.
22:56We moved in here about three and a half years ago,
23:00and garden development and landscaping
23:03is a never-ending little enterprise.
23:07We've recently just done a fruit cage.
23:09We've done new beds.
23:11We're making mounds at the end of our avenues.
23:14Lots of things going on.
23:16But right now,
23:16let's go and see what Philippa's up to
23:18down in the fruit cage.
23:23Morning, Philippa.
23:24Morning, John.
23:25How are you?
23:26I'm good, thank you.
23:27Good.
23:27I must say, this does look just quite lovely.
23:30When you think we sowed seeds back in April
23:33and started them off in the potting shed
23:35under those grow lights,
23:36and now they're doing this out here,
23:38it's not bad.
23:38I think it looks absolutely wonderful.
23:40And how's the sweet corn coming along?
23:42Shall we go and have a look?
23:43Oh, good, yes, OK.
23:44I think we're probably a couple of weeks off yet
23:46because we need to make sure
23:47that these silks are brown
23:49and they're still turning, aren't they?
23:51There's one there that we could try.
23:52Well, Prue did pick one over-enthusiastically,
23:55and it was one time she'd sort of taken all the out of it.
23:57Was there nothing in there?
24:00We've got the fruit in there,
24:02but all the fruit is work in progress, really, isn't it?
24:05Yes, yeah.
24:06The fruit cage, let's go and have an inspection.
24:10I must say the rhubarb's doing well.
24:12Yes, you have some crumbles.
24:15And the gooseberries.
24:17Yeah, gooseberries just about going over now,
24:19but you had some good planets full, didn't you?
24:21Yeah.
24:21You've got a few red currants on there to pick.
24:25Yeah.
24:26Have that with some ice cream.
24:26So are these red currants?
24:28These are red currants and black currants here.
24:30But again, they're young plants,
24:32but hopefully by next year they'll really be getting going.
24:34The right amount for sprinkling on my yoghurt,
24:37but maybe in 12 months' time
24:39we will have enough for a loaf cake or crumble.
24:42How many of the raspberry plants
24:45that we planted just didn't take?
24:47About seven of them.
24:49Seven of them.
24:50Out of how many?
24:52Fourteen.
24:53These are autumn bliss,
24:54so these ones are still in progress.
24:57I don't know whether we'll get any fruit this year.
25:01And asparagus?
25:02This is your asparagus, yeah.
25:03We can't touch these really as a crop for two years, John,
25:07which is a real shame
25:08because you see these lovely little asparagus come up.
25:11I might be the wrong side of the grass
25:13by time this is ready to eat.
25:15No, no you won't.
25:16But you'll be perfectly compostable, John.
25:19It appeals to my Scottish nature
25:21that we get something for free.
25:23And these are my favourites,
25:26blueberry pink lemonade,
25:28which has a slightly citrusy taste.
25:31Am I allowed to try one?
25:32Yeah, see if they're right.
25:33Leave some for me, John.
25:35They're coming off easily.
25:39That's very nice.
25:40Yeah, it must be nice.
25:40And this has all worked out quite well, hasn't it?
25:42It has.
25:43Well, Prue always winces
25:44when we come up with these little ideas,
25:47but I think she's very happy now.
25:49Good.
25:49So happiness all round.
25:51Good.
25:51Off we go.
25:52Thank you very much.
25:54Well, I won't be opening
25:55my own fruit and veg stall any time soon,
25:59but we're getting there.
26:02The veg garden was the very first section
26:05that we developed.
26:07What have you got, Graham?
26:08What have you got going on?
26:09OK, so we've got some courgettes
26:12that are doing rather nicely now.
26:14We've got some squash coming on.
26:16These won't be ready till sort of mid-September.
26:19We've got some parsnips here,
26:20and the aubergines are really starting to get going.
26:23Aubergine's very exciting.
26:25Yeah.
26:25I like that.
26:25And carrots.
26:28Would you like to take back some garlic
26:30and some chives with you as well
26:31to add to that collection?
26:34I can certainly get some soups going with that lot,
26:37and the shallots and garlic
26:39look to be drying out nicely too.
26:42Shall I load you up with some...
26:44Shall we grab a...
26:47Here we go.
26:48Let's take some shallots back.
26:51And some garlic.
26:55Are these all hem grey?
26:57Yeah.
26:57That's very good.
27:00Well, this should earn me deep appreciation.
27:04Absolutely.
27:05Actually, thinking about it, don't hold your breath.
27:08You have a yummy tea, though, John.
27:10I think you and I will be having a yummy tea, Philippa.
27:14John might be dining alone in the doghouse.
27:21Earlier, when I was cooking with Sophie,
27:24I touched on a little hack for pre-cooking veg,
27:27and it's a handy little tip that I'm more than happy to share.
27:37You know when you're having a dinner party,
27:39one of the things that's always worrying is you think,
27:42oh, I've got to do the green veg at the very last minute.
27:45Well, you don't.
27:47You can cheat.
27:48This will save you stress when the whole family descend for Sunday roast, too.
27:53I'm going to cook a variety of green veg,
27:56and then reheat it in the microwave at the last minute.
27:59And it works brilliantly.
28:01So I've got beans and broccoli.
28:03That's going into boiling salted water.
28:06So that's had about two or three minutes boiling away.
28:10I'm going to add the courgettes.
28:13Give it another couple of minutes.
28:16So now I'm putting the frozen peas in,
28:18which all we need to do with them is really bring them back to the boil.
28:22And then we're there.
28:24So we're back to a simmer.
28:27So I think that'll do.
28:28And then we're going to blanch them.
28:29And what we're going to do is put the veg into cold water.
28:34You know, you need to really get the veg cold fast
28:36because that's what keeps it bright green.
28:40Take the thickest thing in there.
28:42Make sure it's cold in the middle.
28:46Delicious, by the way.
28:48And then drain it.
28:49I don't necessarily recommend you have to drain it in your hands.
28:53But it's just convenient because we're not at the sink.
28:56And then put a few blobs of butter all over it.
29:03You can do this hours before the guests arrive.
29:06I mean, you could even do it the day before,
29:08but I think the later you can do it, the better.
29:11I'd put a little bit of salt on it.
29:14And, you know, I like a bit of coarse black pepper.
29:17I like to put a bit of cling film over the top
29:21because, and it honestly, it'll only take a minute,
29:24minute and a half, perhaps in the microwave.
29:27So that's ready prepped to green veg in advance.
29:33Just saves a lot of trouble.
29:42My food hero today is a woman who learned to cook
29:46at the age of 10 for her family
29:48and brought the flavors of her upbringing
29:51on the border of North Korea to a town in South Wales.
29:58Pontyprede is a market town that once supported the coal industry
30:02in the surrounding valleys.
30:04It has a famous bridge, a beautiful park,
30:07and is becoming well known for a thriving local restaurant.
30:11Janet Wei was brought up in northeast China,
30:14and she's had a love affair with homemade food since her childhood.
30:19So I started cooking for the whole family when I was 10 years old.
30:24I think I loved food since I was young
30:26because I have to be a little bit creative and make it nice
30:29and, yeah, make everyone to enjoy the meal.
30:34Janet has traveled the world
30:35but has now settled in Pontyprede with her family.
30:39I met my husband in the Middle East.
30:41We were both really young.
30:42And my daughter, our daughter was born there,
30:45and my husband's whole family speak Welsh.
30:47He was in Welsh school throughout until university.
30:52So when our daughter was four years old,
30:55he suggested, like, we need to go back to UK, to Wales,
30:59because I want her to have Welsh education.
31:03But Janet was craving the food from her particular region
31:06near the Korean border.
31:08I just arrived in this country in 2017, I remember.
31:12Back then I found it very hard, especially in Pontyprede.
31:16There's no authentic Chinese or Asian food around.
31:21So I was like, oh, it's always my dream to be a chef.
31:25So I just have a go then.
31:28Seeing an appetite in her friends for more authentic Chinese food,
31:33Janet spotted a gap in the market.
31:35So I started a little market stall inside Pontyprede Indoor Market.
31:41And eventually I got quite good reviews and the word of mouth.
31:46I started seeing a lot of articles about my stall
31:50from lots of food bloggers.
31:52And eventually, like, I got customers from everywhere to start from there.
31:59Market stall became restaurant,
32:01with Janet fully renovating an old cafe in the town,
32:05and business is now booming.
32:08The restaurant specialises in dishes from the Yanbian area of China.
32:13For Janet, the challenge is showing people
32:16that her food is not the usual Chinese takeaway
32:19that we Brits are used to.
32:22Because the food I cook is authentic,
32:25you know, how I grew up with those food.
32:27And people don't know, customers don't understand the name.
32:30I have to explain to them and basically encourage them to try it.
32:34It's hard for me to tell people this is different,
32:39this is not the takeaway, you know.
32:41I don't have chicken balls, I don't have chips,
32:43I don't do chips because we don't eat chips in China.
32:47Yeah.
32:49But chips is for local, you know, but British is a big thing.
32:54Instead, you're more likely to see great dishes
32:56such as Korean beef or bian bian noodles.
33:01In the environment, mixed rice is very similar to sushi rice,
33:04but we added a black rice and also the sticky rice
33:08so it gets more texture and more flavour.
33:10And topping, we have different vegetables
33:13and the beef we pre-marinate already,
33:16fried egg on hull,
33:18and then the crispy seaweed added more flavour to the whole dish.
33:23And then we have the bimbing bak sauce
33:25which we do it in the restaurant, house-made.
33:28Helping Janet oversee the kitchen is Prani.
33:31I call her auntie because she's really brilliant.
33:35Brilliant.
33:38And she's from Thailand and in the beginning she said,
33:41Jan, am I not able to do this job because you cook Chinese?
33:44I said, no, I think you'll be fine
33:46because if you can do Thai, you definitely can do here.
33:49And she's been brilliant since day one.
33:52So we do some, well done, beautiful.
33:55And for that, I'm really, really lucky to have all my stuff.
34:00Honestly, this job is not about money, you know,
34:03it's about the thing I'm really, really enjoying to do.
34:07I really love cooking, yeah.
34:09And going by the reviews, customers love Janet's cooking too.
34:13Absolutely wonderful food.
34:15I'm a bit of a Janet stalker.
34:17I've been here three times in two months.
34:20I've absolutely enjoyed it.
34:22It's really nice, really tasty.
34:24And not one chip or chicken bowl in sight.
34:28The people of Ponteprith have been converted.
34:33Still to come, it's a case of carry-on up the kitchen
34:37as John helps me make a grapefruit and treacle tart.
34:41I'm very aware it's got a loose bottom.
34:45You put grapefruit in the gin and tonic, didn't you?
34:48Well, I thought it complemented the tart.
34:51It did.
35:01At lunch before our wedding,
35:03John and I had oysters followed by treacle tart.
35:07He's not getting oysters today,
35:09but I'm going to put a quirky twist on what is a classic dessert.
35:14Today we are making treacle tart,
35:17which is probably the sweetest.
35:21It's one of your favourites, I know.
35:23I absolutely love it, but it is really, really sweet.
35:31I'm going to make the pastry,
35:33and I'm going to make it in this wonderful ancient machine of mine,
35:37which I've had for 50 years, I think, maybe even longer.
35:41And it still goes like a dream.
35:44And this is just ordinary pastry.
35:48That's plain flour,
35:51butter,
35:54and if we just whiz that up together,
36:01that would make plain shortcrust pastry,
36:04but I'm making it slightly richer
36:06by putting a couple of egg yolks in it.
36:08So basically you put
36:11possibly a little water in it,
36:13but let's just see how it gets on.
36:18And you just whiz it away
36:19until it all gathers itself up into a ball.
36:25It's becoming a noisy thing in its old age.
36:30And that's it.
36:31And it's a lot easier than all that
36:34doing it by hand.
36:36And now you put this to chill
36:40in a bit of plastic.
36:41Can you undo me a wee bit of that?
36:43A wee bit of this.
36:44So I'm going to make it quite flat
36:47because then it will chill quicker.
36:52That's nicely wrapped.
36:54Right.
36:54John's going to put that in the fridge
36:56and while he's there
36:57he's going to get out one
36:58that is already chilled
36:59so you don't have to wait around.
37:01It's as hard as a discus.
37:03Good.
37:04If you chill the pastry
37:07before you bake it,
37:10it won't move.
37:12The pastry will stay
37:12exactly as you've done it.
37:15But if you don't do that
37:17it often shrinks out of shape.
37:20And that's a pain.
37:22So a little bit of flour on there.
37:27And now you want to roll it out.
37:30Come on darling, you do it.
37:32Okay.
37:33All over.
37:34Yeah, just trying to keep it round
37:36but make it bigger than that.
37:43Okay, now let's measure it.
37:45Sorry.
37:46Whoops.
37:47Hang on, that's not quite round is it?
37:48Do you see that's not round?
37:50So if you want to get it round again
37:53you have to just push it all in.
37:56I need my round bit
37:58to be big enough to go up the sides.
38:00So that's about right, isn't it?
38:03So then we have to pick it up
38:05and the easiest way to do that
38:06is to do that.
38:11Like that.
38:14Treacle tart has been around
38:16since the late 1800s.
38:17That's when golden syrup was invented
38:20and the main ingredients
38:21were the syrup and bread.
38:23So it was a simple thing to make.
38:25And now we want to push it
38:27into the edges.
38:29The great thing is
38:29to get that corners
38:32nice and thin.
38:33You know, it's very easy
38:34to end up with a very thick
38:37bottom.
38:38And then you just pull off
38:40the edges like that.
38:44And then
38:45that goes, guess what,
38:47back into the fridge
38:48to chill
38:48while I make the filling.
38:54This is a pretty classic
38:55treacle tart
38:56except that we're going to
38:58flavour it with grapefruit.
38:59Because I think
39:00a bit of grapefruit
39:01or I suppose you could use
39:03orange or lemon
39:03but grapefruit's
39:04probably the best.
39:06Grapefruit will just
39:07knock back that sweetness
39:08a bit
39:09so it won't be
39:09quite as sweet
39:10as one without
39:12the grapefruit.
39:13You can leave
39:13the grapefruit out
39:14if you want a plain one.
39:16So darling,
39:16you're going to do
39:17the grapefruit.
39:17Can you grate that
39:19just taking the
39:22edge off
39:23and only the skin.
39:25Don't get any pith.
39:26Okay.
39:26And it goes in there.
39:28Straight in there?
39:28Yeah, straight in there.
39:29Chop it in half
39:30and squeeze the juice
39:31and add it.
39:33So you get on with that
39:34and I'll make
39:35the rest of the filling
39:37which is
39:38three eggs,
39:40a little bit of cream
39:43and some golden syrup.
39:45Grapefruit has
39:46a natural tartness,
39:47acidity
39:48and slight bitterness
39:49that contrasts
39:51really nicely
39:52with the sweetness
39:52of the golden syrup.
39:54I added the grapefruit.
39:56I've always made
39:56prequel tart
39:58but there are lots
39:59of different
39:59treacle tart recipes.
40:01It's an absolute
40:01old classic
40:03and one day
40:04I had some grapefruit
40:05around and so
40:06I put it on top
40:07of the treacle tart
40:08and it tasted
40:09rather good
40:10but then
40:11we developed it
40:12a bit further
40:12by putting
40:13just zest
40:14and juice
40:15in there as well.
40:17Now I'm just going
40:18to whisk
40:18all this up together.
40:21How are you getting
40:21on, John?
40:22That looks perfect.
40:23So far so good.
40:27Make a good
40:27commie chef
40:28out of you
40:28in the end,
40:29you know.
40:30So when you've got
40:31that absolutely smooth
40:32and no bits
40:34and pieces
40:34in it
40:36you put
40:37the breadcrumbs in.
40:41Do I boil
40:42this down?
40:43Yeah,
40:43if you could
40:43boil that down
40:44until it's
40:45a couple of
40:45tablespoons.
40:47About half.
40:49How fast
40:50do you boil it?
40:51Well,
40:51if you stand over it
40:52you can do it
40:52full toss.
40:54So John is
40:54reducing that
40:56grapefruit juice
40:57and zest.
40:58He's going to
40:59reduce the liquid
40:59by about half.
41:01It looks about
41:01four tablespoons
41:02at the moment
41:03and we want
41:04one to two
41:05really.
41:06I'm keeping it
41:06moving because
41:07it's...
41:08In order for it
41:09not to burn.
41:10Smells good,
41:11doesn't it?
41:11Yeah,
41:11smells lovely.
41:13Okay,
41:13I think you're
41:14done.
41:14Are we good?
41:15Let's have a look.
41:15Just let's see
41:16how little it is.
41:18Yeah,
41:18that's fine.
41:19Okay,
41:19straight in.
41:20straight in.
41:22That's our filling.
41:24Right,
41:24so we'll get
41:25the pastry.
41:30That's rock hard.
41:31I can feel it.
41:34Next,
41:35the filling
41:35goes into the pastry
41:37and that goes
41:38into the oven
41:39at 170 degrees
41:40for about
41:4140 to 50 minutes.
41:44Right,
41:45now we're going
41:45to put some
41:46caramelised
41:47grapefruit segments
41:48on top of that
41:49treacle tart
41:49when it comes out
41:50and so in order
41:52to break the segments
41:53you need to cut
41:54the top of the
41:56grapefruit
41:56and then go
41:59all the way around
42:02does this
42:02scare you
42:03darling?
42:03Yeah.
42:04Just keep
42:05the knife
42:06so that it
42:07gets all
42:08the pith.
42:10Terrifying
42:10watching you
42:11do that.
42:12Well,
42:12I'll tell you
42:13I'll do the
42:13other one
42:14another way
42:14because this
42:15is the way
42:15I learnt
42:16like this.
42:18There is a
42:18safer way
42:19of cutting it
42:20which is how
42:20I recommend
42:21you do it
42:22at home.
42:25You prefer that
42:26do you?
42:31Then
42:32to get the
42:33segments out
42:34you cut down
42:36just to one
42:37side of
42:38the pith
42:39take real care
42:41when doing this
42:43and then you
42:44lift the segment
42:44out.
42:45The great trick
42:46is not to squeeze
42:47the grapefruit
42:49or the orange
42:50as you're
42:50holding it.
42:51If you squeeze it
42:51you'll lose all
42:52the juice down
42:53there.
42:55Right.
42:55Do you want
42:56to do the
42:56other one?
42:58Okay.
42:59I'll rest my
43:00hand on the
43:01board.
43:01Yeah, maybe
43:02rest your hand
43:02on the board.
43:03Okay.
43:05That's good
43:05because you're
43:06not squeezing.
43:08Not as good
43:09as you.
43:10No, it's fine.
43:11Very good.
43:13There's no force
43:14behind my
43:15No, very
43:16So, you know,
43:17even if I slept
43:18I wouldn't cut
43:19myself because
43:19Well, I think
43:20that's the trick
43:21is it's lots
43:23of action
43:23but not much
43:25pressure.
43:25There's no pressure.
43:27Next, carefully
43:28pat the segments
43:29dry with some
43:30kitchen roll
43:30before spacing
43:32them out
43:32on a baking
43:33tray.
43:34You then need
43:35to add a
43:35sprinkling of
43:36sugar.
43:37John, you're
43:37handy with a
43:38blowtorch.
43:40So, this is
43:41your job.
43:42Okay.
43:44When you
43:44use the
43:45blowtorch
43:47watch it
43:48you do it
43:48Okay.
43:49You'll do it
43:50but what John
43:51will do is
43:52stay far away
43:53to begin with
43:54because if you
43:55go too close
43:56too soon
43:57you just blow
43:58all the sugar
43:59off.
44:00So, if you
44:00start up here
44:01so you melt
44:02the sugar
44:02before you
44:03really get it
44:03caramelised.
44:04We're good to
44:05go?
44:05We're good
44:06to go.
44:08Now, here.
44:11Yeah, that's
44:12nice.
44:13We'll see
44:13the beginning
44:13to caramelise
44:14now.
44:15I think there's
44:16something about
44:17men and fire.
44:19I think that's
44:20fine.
44:22The treacle tart
44:23having been in the
44:24oven for 50
44:25minutes and
44:25cooled down
44:26is now ready
44:27to be decorated.
44:29and then
44:30we're just going
44:30to arrange
44:31these on top
44:32and
44:34if it's me
44:35I'd put them
44:36on any old
44:36howl
44:37but as it's
44:38John
44:38he'll put them
44:39on in a
44:39perfect place.
44:40Do I put them
44:40on like your
44:41top normand
44:42you know
44:42going round?
44:43All round, yeah.
44:46John's a dab
44:47hand at this
44:47sort of thing
44:48by now.
44:49That's perfect.
44:51I would serve
44:52that room
44:54temperature
44:55and with
44:56creme fraiche
44:57to go with it
44:58or vanilla
44:59ice cream.
45:04I've really
45:05enjoyed all the
45:05dishes I've
45:06made in my
45:06gospel kitchen
45:08and this one
45:09I'm going to
45:09enjoy outside
45:11with a nice
45:12G&T.
45:15It's been a
45:15lovely day.
45:16It's been good
45:17fun.
45:17It has been
45:18good fun.
45:18So,
45:19just cheers.
45:20It's a huge
45:20piece of tart.
45:22Never mind.
45:24I'm a big girl
45:25I can run as
45:25it.
45:26I don't see
45:27these very
45:28often.
45:29I know.
45:30The whole thing
45:31I've never seen
45:31very often.
45:32I've certainly
45:32never had
45:33treacle tart
45:33with gin and
45:34tonic.
45:36That's very
45:37good.
45:38And the
45:39pastry is
45:40perfect.
45:42What's so
45:42good is the
45:44grapefruit
45:44stops the
45:47treacle being
45:48too sweet.
45:49And I'll tell
45:50you what.
45:51I think
45:52gin and tonic
45:53and treacle tart
45:54are a perfect
45:55combination.
45:56You put
45:57grapefruit in
45:58the gin and
45:59tonic,
46:00didn't you?
46:00Well,
46:00I thought it
46:01complemented the
46:02tart.
46:02It should be
46:03good.
46:04You know,
46:05I think this
46:05is a lovely
46:06way to end
46:07the day,
46:08isn't it?
46:09Perfect.
46:09Can we make
46:09a habit of
46:10this?
46:11Gin gin?
46:11It should be
46:38good.
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