Saturday Kitchen - Season 28 - Episode 11: Matt Tebbutt, Paul Ainsworth, Jess Filbey, Tom Parker Bowles, Alex Kingston, and Olly Smith - video Dailymotion

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Watch Saturday Kitchen - Season 28 - Episode 11: Matt Tebbutt, Paul Ainsworth, Jess Filbey, Tom Parker Bowles, Alex Kingston, and Olly Smith - NeonVisionWorld on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00:02G'day! I've bounced back like a boomerang with a delicious array of recipes and a fun-filled

00:00:07line-up of incredible guests guaranteed to deliver you some sunshine. This is Saturday Kitchen Live.

00:00:33Hi, welcome to the show. Paul Ainsworth, Jess Philby and Tom Parker Bowles are serving up recipes that

00:00:38would definitely put a spring in your step and as always Ollie Smith's pouring the perfect pairings

00:00:43to sip alongside. Now our special guest today already had an army of fans worldwide thanks

00:00:48to her iconic roles in ER and Doctor Who before she entered the Strictly Ballroom but her dazzling

00:00:53display on the dance floor bought her whole new fandom. She's currently gearing up for a busy

00:00:58five-week run at the Hampstead Theatre so let's get her well fed for that. Please welcome the

00:01:02brilliant Alex Kingston. Welcome, welcome. Hi Alex. Hello. How are you? I'm very well thank you. Happy to be here.

00:01:10Well nice to have you here. I can't believe it's your first time on the show. Yeah I know. Huge

00:01:14admission on our part. Now Alex, you're in rehearsals. Your play starts in a couple of weeks. Yes. It's pretty

00:01:20intense I hear. Yes, very intense. It's quantum mechanics and the nuclear bomb. Yes, yes.

00:01:27It couldn't be further from Strictly. Yeah. Or this show. So a bit of light relief for you this morning.

00:01:33Yeah, yeah. Well listen we're going to talk all about that latest fascinating play as well. I was doing my

00:01:38homework on it last night. Right, let's see what else is on the menu today. Paul Ainsworth, you're embracing spring

00:01:43with a Roman classic.

00:01:44I am. So we're going to do some Cornish Gurnard with a Vignorella stew which is as you say like

00:01:49a stew of vegetables like broad beans, peas, asparagus, some smoked bacon and smoked butter in there. Very nice. Loving

00:01:56the coat. Thank you. Thank you.

00:01:58Sweet. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Interesting choice. Fat. You might get fat on it. Yeah, yeah. Do you know what

00:02:04though? If you get fat on it, the talcum powder. You've been away and I wanted to really make an

00:02:09effort for you. That's so sweet. You really have. I have, yeah. And I just have to say how handsome

00:02:13you all look. All right. The tan. It's just, I'm loving it. Thanks man. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah.

00:02:19Let's, that's about us. Yeah. It's all about Jess. Jess felt your first time on the show. Welcome along. Thank

00:02:25you. Angela Hartner's a huge fan of yours. As is the man here, Tom Parker Bowles. Love the restaurant. Thank

00:02:30you. What have you got for us today, Jess? I've got a slow cooked sausage ragu and then I'm going

00:02:36to show you how to make fresh cavatelli and then I've got a beautiful spring salad with new season peas.

00:02:40Beautiful. I'm loving the way the food's going. It's much lighter now. Yeah. Bit of sun. Tom, what you got

00:02:45for us, Tom? Laotian chicken lard. It's like an elaborate.

00:02:48Right. A meat salad. It makes it sound, so it's herbs and it's lime juice and it's chilli and it's

00:02:52chopped chicken and it's sort of fresh and springy. That's more like it. Meat salad, everyone. Look forward to that.

00:03:00It's more like you and me. Hot, hot meat salad. That's us. Yes. Anyway, before we go on with our

00:03:05usual nonsense. Yes, yes. We should say how well Alex did last week. Alex Jones. Well done, Alex Jones. Well

00:03:11done, Alex Jones. Well done, Alex Jones. Well done, Alex Jones. Bit too good for my liking, but hey. What

00:03:17have we got? What are we drinking? We've got all sorts.

00:03:18So I've got two Italian wines for Jess and Paul. Yeah. For Tom, I've got a historic lager beer from

00:03:24Germany, which is totally scrumptious. And also Alex is in rehearsals, so off the booze at the moment. So I've

00:03:30got non-alcoholic choices for you as well. Fantastic. There's something for everybody, Matt. Good. Yes. And they're all rather

00:03:35lovely. Look at you. You're very laid back. Australian, mate. It is this vibe. Yeah, it's this country. You basically

00:03:40are an inner Australian already. I like it. Aggressively friendly.

00:03:43I like it. Now, Alex, at the end of the show, our viewers will decide what you get to eat.

00:03:51So food heaven, food hell. What sort of food do you love?

00:03:54Well, I lived in Los Angeles for 22 years. Nice. So there was a lot of Asian food all around

00:04:01me there. A lot of sushi, raw fish, everything. So I think my palate really changed during that time.

00:04:07Sure. So I would say my food heaven is something that's sort of more Asian-y, Japanese-y inspired.

00:04:13OK. Food hell is going to be anything sort of... Actually, really, heavy red meat. So I don't particularly eat

00:04:22steak any more.

00:04:23OK. Can't stand kidneys. Root vegetables, I'm not great on. I like carrots, but, you know, I can take a

00:04:32lever or lever parsnip.

00:04:34Swede. So that's not my cup of tea. Yeah. And steamed suet puddings. No. No.

00:04:41OK. There you go. Quite a collection of ingredients. So what Alex gets to eat at the end of the

00:04:45show is down to you folks at home.

00:04:47But will you go for her food heaven? Taste of Japan. If so, I'm going to marinate a thick fillet

00:04:52of cod in some miso, some sake and mirin.

00:04:54I'm going to roast it in a pan until it will be charred. And I'm going to serve it on

00:04:58a bed of wild rice, sushi rice, edamame beans and wasabi dressing.

00:05:01Or will I be able to convince her that steak and swede aren't that hellish?

00:05:06If so, I'm going to make a classic steak tagliata, which combines rare sirloid steak with some rockets and parmesan

00:05:11tomatoes.

00:05:12For an extra hellish touch, I'm going to toss in some crispy fried swede gnocchi.

00:05:17That looks delicious.

00:05:18Right?

00:05:20But the other one's nicer.

00:05:22Er, love all of the Sunday kitchen website where you can view the terms of privacy notice and have your

00:05:26say.

00:05:27Right, Paul, spring has sprung.

00:05:28Let's do it.

00:05:29Let's make this happen.

00:05:30Let's do it.

00:05:31Er, so where do we begin?

00:05:33Right, so we're going to start with a stew.

00:05:35So you can see what some lovely ingredients here.

00:05:37The peas, the broad beans.

00:05:38If you could chop the leek for me.

00:05:40I fried off some bacon here and you can see we've got the lovely residual bacon fat.

00:05:45The nice little crispy bits in the bottom.

00:05:46We're going to add those back in.

00:05:47Smoked bacon or not?

00:05:48Smoked bacon, absolutely, and a nice kind of salty bacon.

00:05:52Nice dry cure on it.

00:05:54Now, the beauty of this recipe I love, it's for me, it's midweek tea or it's something special at the

00:05:59weekend,

00:06:00but it's the way that the peas and the broad beans and the asparagus and all the vegetables really cook

00:06:05down in stock.

00:06:06This isn't something that's, as you said earlier, you know, that's kind of, you know, you want it sort of

00:06:10like bright green.

00:06:11It's a real big flavour dish.

00:06:13And we've got some lovely pickled artichokes in here as well.

00:06:15Okay.

00:06:16So the first thing I'm going to do, and I really want to talk about, is this amazing Cornish Gurnard.

00:06:21And we absolutely love it.

00:06:24It's in season right now and I just urge everyone, you know, cod had it great, but please try Gurnard.

00:06:31It is absolutely delicious.

00:06:33So, a little bit of seasoning, both sides.

00:06:34One of those fishes that in the past, it was used as a spiket bait.

00:06:38Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

00:06:40I think, because it looks quite scary, it comes out of the sea, it's got red and, you know, it's

00:06:44not a particularly attractive fish, but I'm with Paul, it's so delicious.

00:06:47Now, this is, like, literally how I cook fish at home.

00:06:51Alex, I know you're a big fan of fish.

00:06:53Yeah, I am.

00:06:53So, I've just browned some butter.

00:06:55So, that's giving you the roast flavour.

00:06:57So, the milk solids have caramelised.

00:06:59You take it off.

00:07:00You can keep that in your fridge.

00:07:01We put the fish on top.

00:07:02Now, I think sometimes for, you know, fish cookery for people can be a bit daunting and, you know, like,

00:07:08how do they do it without overcooking it and getting that sort of cotton wool texture.

00:07:12Baking it in the oven like this is amazing.

00:07:16So, I've got the oven there on 200 degrees.

00:07:18We're going to bake that for about six minutes, but the butter will caramelise a little bit more, but it's

00:07:23just slower than the sort of fierceness of the stove and the pan, you know, like, in a restaurant environment,

00:07:28that's fine.

00:07:29But at home, this is a great way to cook fish.

00:07:33So, we'll turn up the heat.

00:07:34I've seen you talk, maybe I've read you talking about that in a book before.

00:07:38Yeah.

00:07:38That's your thing, isn't it?

00:07:39Brown butter.

00:07:40Yeah.

00:07:40Yeah, I love brown butter.

00:07:42I mean, we make, we make cakes with it.

00:07:44It's, it's just, it's just that lovely hazelnut flavour that you get from it.

00:07:48It's just delicious.

00:07:50So, we're back to our pan.

00:07:52All that lovely flavour of the bacon that's been cooked in there, we've added in the leek.

00:07:55Two cloves of garlic, grated in.

00:07:58And again, I'm normally at this sort of stage, at the beginning, I'd put a bit of salt in, but

00:08:03that bacon, it's got such a lovely salt content that we don't need to add any salt at the beginning.

00:08:38Okay.

00:08:39Here's the one that's finished, but I'm going to show you all the way.

00:08:41So, bacon fat, we've got our garlic, our leeks.

00:08:44Here, I've got some smoked butter, which is absolutely delicious and just, for me, really brings this recipe together.

00:08:53Did you smoke it yourself?

00:08:54At this stage.

00:08:56Did you smoke it yourself?

00:08:56You can.

00:08:57We actually use a lovely smokery in Cornwall, where we get this from, and it's amazing, because it's obviously a

00:09:03cold smoke, and it's in a big, like, they've got amazing equipment to do it.

00:09:08So, that's on full heat.

00:09:10Now, I'm going to start adding the vegetables.

00:09:12Yeah, you go back.

00:09:12Because I want these vegetables to cook down.

00:09:14I'm not looking for, like, bright green.

00:09:17We want, like, the flavour and all the lovely stock and everything to soak into these vegetables.

00:09:23Smells amazing.

00:09:24To absorb.

00:09:24Yeah.

00:09:25Really nice.

00:09:25So, if you can just, can you put those artichokes in here as well, please, mate?

00:09:29If anyone's worried about my finger at home, by the way, the old blue plaster, we've got brand new knives.

00:09:36And I managed to cut myself on the brand new knife.

00:09:40And I had two weeks off.

00:09:42Uh, right.

00:09:43Where are we at?

00:09:44Right, you want to shine?

00:09:45So, fish is in the oven.

00:09:46We've got our lovely stew happening in now.

00:09:49The butter's melted.

00:09:51Now, I'm going to add in that smoked bacon.

00:09:53And, again, when you're using really good quality smoked bacon, you know, a nittle goes a long way.

00:09:58The gurnard, though, is sustainable.

00:10:00It's, I cannot, sort of, speak more highly of this fish.

00:10:04For me, it's almost got, like, a texture of, like, John Doreen, like a real prime fish.

00:10:08It's super expensive.

00:10:09Yeah.

00:10:09But the gurnard is inexpensive.

00:10:11The texture of it is beautiful.

00:10:13And, yeah, it's just amazing.

00:10:16So, now, white wine.

00:10:17Okay.

00:10:18Goes in.

00:10:19Okay.

00:10:20Heats on four.

00:10:21We'll reduce that white wine.

00:10:22When would you use, um, you know, coming with your Michelin-style background, when would you use white wine over

00:10:26something more floral, like a noily, noily pratt?

00:10:30Yeah.

00:10:31Noily would be lovely in this.

00:10:33Yeah.

00:10:33I mean, I'm keeping it really, really classic, so the white wine with the lemon, but I love noily.

00:10:37I love vermouth and stuff like this, and especially, especially putting fish with it would be, that would be lovely.

00:10:42Okay.

00:10:43So, the white wine's in.

00:10:44We're going to reduce that down.

00:10:45I've got chicken stock.

00:10:46You want to use fish stock, veg stock.

00:10:47I personally like the white chicken stock, and then all the trimmings from the bacon I've infused into the stock.

00:10:53So, that's a nice, smoky broth already.

00:10:55Mm-hmm.

00:10:56We've got some time in there.

00:10:58So, um, congratulations, by the way.

00:11:01The Michelin Awards have just, uh, come out.

00:11:04Yes.

00:11:04You've retained your staff for 13 years.

00:11:06Yay.

00:11:06Go for it.

00:11:07Well done, you.

00:11:09How are you feeling about that?

00:11:10Yeah, it's amazing, and it's never, ever, ever taken for granted, and it is all, it is just all down

00:11:17to the teams, as in 13 years of teams and different people and the team right now, and it's a

00:11:25good point you make.

00:11:25It's something that is, you know, it's a year.

00:11:29It's not something that is just you get and then you have.

00:11:32You must maintain that.

00:11:33Yeah.

00:11:35Consistency, personality in the food.

00:11:37So, now I'm going to add in the stock.

00:11:38I mean, a year would be nice, but longer would be better.

00:11:41Yeah.

00:11:42So, I think that's a great, congratulations to you.

00:11:46Yeah.

00:11:46What else is going on?

00:11:47St. Enadoc, you're revamping the hotel.

00:11:50Yeah.

00:11:50So, each time I see you, it's, I mean, what do I say about St. Enadoc?

00:11:56I mean, St. Enadoc is huge.

00:11:58It is the biggest thing that myself and my wife have ever done.

00:12:02The whole team that's involved, it's just amazing.

00:12:05It will perhaps be the biggest thing that we ever do, you know.

00:12:09My background has always been, like, independent restaurants and sort of opening a hotel and all the things that go

00:12:17with a hotel, but I don't want it to be labelled as a hotel.

00:12:19I want, this, St. Enadoc is for everybody.

00:12:22Okay.

00:12:22It is, it's not about if you're staying with us.

00:12:25It's about if you're in Cornwall.

00:12:26Yeah.

00:12:27Come up that, come up the driveway and come and see us and have a drink and just take in

00:12:32the views of poor Philly and the estuary.

00:12:35It's, it's magical.

00:12:37You've been there.

00:12:37I have been up there.

00:12:38And you also, you've raised it.

00:12:40So, you've got this beautiful platform now.

00:12:41Yeah.

00:12:41So, you can see over Gordon's house and onto the estuary.

00:12:44Yeah, basically, yeah.

00:12:47Yeah, it's, yeah, it's, it's beautiful.

00:12:49It's, can I just show you that, I mean, that's just, like.

00:12:52What's he off with that?

00:12:53Look at that.

00:12:53He's trying to say that.

00:12:54Look at that.

00:12:54He just smells the nuttiness of that butter.

00:12:57Amazing.

00:12:58It's just beautiful.

00:13:00And then.

00:13:00The thing I love about you is you have all the ambition, all these places, whether it's number six, Regiano's,

00:13:04St. Enadoc's, you know, everything you do, you bring people with you.

00:13:07I salute you, mate.

00:13:07Honestly, it's tremendous.

00:13:08You're down there quite a lot, aren't you?

00:13:09I am down there a lot.

00:13:10Yeah, I was down there just before Christmas at number six and I had a fantastic meal on your team.

00:13:14You know, a lot of young people, really well trained, but their service is impeccable and their knowledge, passion.

00:13:18And it's all from the top down.

00:13:19So, bravo, Paul.

00:13:20Well done you, Paul.

00:13:21What's going on here?

00:13:22I don't know.

00:13:23I have no idea what's happening.

00:13:23There was a slight, like, you know, well done you, Paul, enough of you.

00:13:27Greasy hands.

00:13:27Yeah, yeah, hang on a second.

00:13:29But, like I say, do you know what, I've not seen you for a while, I've seen you, you're radiant.

00:13:34Thanks, sir.

00:13:34You're looking good, you're looking chilled.

00:13:36Yeah, fair play to you.

00:13:37I mean, yeah.

00:13:38It's been an easy week.

00:13:40Yeah.

00:13:42So, at this stage, Alex, it's now just, we're just going to adjust the flavour so we've got some lovely

00:13:47pepper going in there.

00:13:49We'll add, could you add in the herbs, please, Matt?

00:13:51You can throw them in now, the herbs you've chopped.

00:13:53Yeah, thank you.

00:13:54So, I'm just going to add in some lemon juice to kind of, with that richness to the smoked butter,

00:13:59lemon, peas, Matt's just put in there, chervil, mint and chives.

00:14:05Okay.

00:14:05And now we're just going to turn that heat down, stir in, and now you just let everything settle.

00:14:12Are we using this?

00:14:13Yeah.

00:14:13What are you looking for in a temperature of a...

00:14:15So, you're looking for around 45, and we're just letting that fish kind of, like, just beautifully rest up.

00:14:19Now, I'm just going to hit the fish with a little bit of lemon zest.

00:14:24It's beautifully flaky.

00:14:25Oh, it's incredible.

00:14:26But look at the texture of it.

00:14:28Then I'm going to add a little bit more lemon juice on it.

00:14:30All right?

00:14:31Mm-hmm.

00:14:32Some lovely sea salt just to finish.

00:14:35Nice.

00:14:35If you pack that up, if you want to make Paul's seasonal Italian stew at home, you can find the

00:14:39recipe at pbc.co.dk forward slash Saturday kitchen, or scan the QR code below, and it'll take you straight

00:14:44to this dish.

00:14:45Get it in a pan and a bowl, Paul.

00:14:47That is, uh, that is lovely.

00:14:50Yeah, thank you.

00:14:51Nice one, mate.

00:14:53And that's it.

00:14:53Just dish that up.

00:14:55I mean, I put this in the middle of the table, and the fish on top, and everyone digging in,

00:15:00helping themselves.

00:15:01But you're right about the green colour.

00:15:03People are so obsessed now because of food photography.

00:15:05Yeah.

00:15:05Everything has to be bright green.

00:15:07But you're going to get the flavour when it's all there and it's kind of, you know, melted in.

00:15:12So we then just put the fish on top, and then that lovely, just borrow your spoon, that lovely, all

00:15:17the juices from the gurnard, the brown butter, just all over like that.

00:15:22It's that simple.

00:15:24Beautiful.

00:15:24All in real time.

00:15:26Right, what have we got here, Paul?

00:15:28Cornish gurnard, vina rola, spring stew.

00:15:31Nice.

00:15:31Well done.

00:15:32I love you.

00:15:37I'm loving this morning.

00:15:38I love you.

00:15:38Alex, are you hungry?

00:15:41There you go.

00:15:41You know what?

00:15:43You tuck into that?

00:15:43I am salivating.

00:15:45I was sitting here thinking, what on earth is going on in my mouth?

00:15:49You're a big cook, aren't you?

00:15:51I really enjoy cooking, yeah, I do.

00:15:54And I like experimenting and make my own pasta.

00:15:57Very good.

00:15:58Well, you just dive into that.

00:16:00I'm eating a Michelin star dish.

00:16:02Yeah.

00:16:02Right?

00:16:03Dish.

00:16:03For free.

00:16:04Oh, my God.

00:16:06What's in here?

00:16:07Well, we've got white wine from Italy, and you want to have some freshness to go with

00:16:11the fish, but you also need some richness to go with all of those veggie-infused, that

00:16:15wonderful kind of richness of the sauce and the stewiness.

00:16:18This one is Verdeca, which is, you mentioned actually vermouth would be nice in the dish.

00:16:22Yeah.

00:16:22It was a grape that went into making vermouth in Puglia.

00:16:25So, it was nearly extinct.

00:16:27Now, it's having a huge comeback.

00:16:28This is Masseria Pietrosa Verdeca, nine quid in Morrison's.

00:16:31I just love it because it's sort of, it's got a silkiness and a richness, and it's

00:16:35almost like a peach in gold leaf pyjamas.

00:16:38You know, it's that kind of bright, but, you know, fruity.

00:16:41But it does the job with the dish, and I think Verdeca also has this lovely, slight,

00:16:45aromatic character.

00:16:46The oak, they put it in oak for a short time, so it sort of makes a texture, but it

00:16:50doesn't interfere too much.

00:16:50I think it's beautifully balanced and a real Italian gem.

00:16:53Off the beaten track, good value for you.

00:16:54Very nice.

00:16:55Very good.

00:16:55Oh, you're Alex.

00:16:56Oh, yeah.

00:16:57Well, for Alex as well, I've got...

00:16:58There's lots of history on it.

00:16:59I've got a jar kombucha for you, which is £3.25 from the Whiskey Exchange.

00:17:03All organic ingredients, oolong tea, green tea, and it's basically like a sherbet gooseberry.

00:17:08It's nice and bright and effervescent and kind of the venous alternative.

00:17:11And good for your tummy.

00:17:11And that actually tastes delicious with this.

00:17:15Yes, good pairing.

00:17:16How was that, Tom?

00:17:17You tried that in rehearsal?

00:17:18Any thoughts?

00:17:18Absolutely.

00:17:19It's like spring on a plate.

00:17:20Spring has sprung sped.

00:17:22Very nice.

00:17:23Jess, what about you?

00:17:24What do you think?

00:17:25I thought it was absolutely delicious as well.

00:17:27I love Gurnage.

00:17:27So I think it's quite underrated.

00:17:29And Jess, could you pronounce it properly, please?

00:17:30Well...

00:17:31I'd pronounce it Vignola, but I'm not sure what that's the right way, though.

00:17:34And I'd pronounce it Vignola.

00:17:36That's right.

00:17:36It's Britallian.

00:17:37Yeah, we will.

00:17:38Yeah, Britallian.

00:17:39I like it.

00:17:40It's now a thing.

00:17:40You're happy with that, Alex?

00:17:41Mmm.

00:17:42Good start?

00:17:43Mmm.

00:17:43Great.

00:17:44Sorry, I won't ask you to talk.

00:17:45Remind us what you're doing.

00:17:46I'm doing a slow-cooked sausage ragout with fresh cavatelli and a spring salad.

00:17:51Beautiful.

00:17:51Don't forget, you're in charge of what I cook at the end of the show.

00:17:54Will you go for Alex's idea of food heaven, miso cod with wild rice and edamame salad,

00:17:58or her idea of food hell steak tagliata with crispy fried sweet gnocchi?

00:18:03Log on to the Saturday Kitchen website now and have your say.

00:18:06Right, let's catch up with Rick now.

00:18:07He's in Sri Lanka visiting an incredible fishing port.

00:18:10Ollie, that's a beauty.

00:18:16I have to say that I've never been happier anywhere on my travels than when I was here.

00:18:23Everywhere I went, I was greeted with smiles and enthusiasm.

00:18:31I had been told that some of the fishing scenes in Sri Lanka would be some of the most visual

00:18:37I was likely to see anywhere, but I must say it's exceeded all my expectations.

00:18:42I mean, it's like central casting, fishing rides.

00:18:47I mean, when I first saw it, I just thought of Newland, of those Newland school of painters,

00:18:52people like Stan at Forbes from the last century, from Victorian times,

00:18:57because all those boats are still powered only by sail.

00:19:01These ones here, which have motorised, just bring the fish into the shore from the bigger boats.

00:19:06But to me, it's just like, I can hardly believe I'm here.

00:19:11I met up with Darshan, a famous chef here, half Sri Lankan and half Japanese.

00:19:17Darshan, I've just arrived here.

00:19:19I am totally knocked out by what I'm seeing.

00:19:22I mean, there's lovely, plenty of fish, lovely-looking fishing boats.

00:19:27What are they fishing for?

00:19:29These windplot boats are catching shrimp and prawns, and they bring it out here and then take it back to

00:19:35the market.

00:19:36Most of the time, all these prawns are alive, and it's a wonderful thing to have so close to the

00:19:41capital city of Bologna.

00:19:42I mean, being half Japanese, half Sri Lankan, it must mean everything to you.

00:19:49It's inspiring.

00:19:51I think food, any kind of food, starts with ingredients, not with the other sauces or spices you add.

00:19:56And as long as you have good ingredients, you can do any kind of food, it'll turn out better.

00:20:00And it's very true for Japanese food and much stronger.

00:20:04Naturally, where fishing boats land fish, there's a market.

00:20:07I only wish I'd bought my old copy of the Observer Book of Tropical Fish.

00:20:12But that's all part of it.

00:20:13I'd never turn down a trip to a fish market.

00:20:16I'd just like to see how different it all is.

00:20:20From where you come, what's the fish market like out there?

00:20:24Well, it's nothing like here, the fish market at home, but, I mean, this is as fresh as you could

00:20:29ever see fish.

00:20:30One of the things we have at home, of course, is refrigeration, as you do in Tokyo.

00:20:35And that is a good thing and a bad thing, because once you've got fish refrigerated, it keeps longer, but

00:20:42all the time it's getting...

00:20:43Out here, the market goes around 1.

00:20:45Yeah.

00:20:45And refrigeration, yes, it would be nice to have it, but right now, if it gets sold by 1 o

00:20:50'clock, we don't need to have it.

00:20:51So that's why we're not using refrigeration.

00:20:52What is really impressing me is there's no smell of fish here.

00:20:55It's all smells of the sea.

00:20:56Everyone thinks seafood smells. It doesn't.

00:20:59It smells only if it rots.

00:21:00Absolutely.

00:21:01So I'm very impressed.

00:21:02I'm enjoying it immensely, Darshan.

00:21:09And let go!

00:21:12And let go!

00:21:19I was asked if I fancied a trip with a bunch of fishermen further south of the island, near the

00:21:24town of Gaul.

00:21:26There's not many harbours here, so everything is launched with quite a bit of effort off the beach.

00:21:42The boat is called an Oru, and one of this size could certainly cope with ocean storms, but many of

00:21:48them are much smaller than this,

00:21:50And I was told that up to 80% of the local fleet was lost in the tsunami.

00:21:57Anyway, this turned out to be a sort of seine net fishing, with the boat laying out the net in

00:22:02a great big circle.

00:22:06And then they all started to jump ship.

00:22:09This is the strangest way to catch fish I've ever seen.

00:22:15So the reason they keep jumping into the sea is to scare the fish into the back of the net.

00:22:20This is the open end of the net, so they're making as much splash and as much movement with their

00:22:25hands, so the fish will all swim down that end.

00:22:28Must be a great job, that. I feel like jumping in myself, actually.

00:22:34Go on, then.

00:22:42Well, I am a water baby, and it was very hot, and it did feel really good to join in.

00:22:49I don't know how effective I was, but I love to get involved.

00:22:54Mind you, getting out again is a whole different ballgame.

00:23:03I know a thing or two about fishing, and I'm not expecting a huge catch here.

00:23:08But the general air of expectation sort of burst into frantic excitement,

00:23:13as it became more certain that we're indeed fishing the net, and lots of them.

00:23:34Well, I have to say this is a great moment for me, the number of times we go out fishing

00:23:39and never catch any fish.

00:23:40I think it's testimony to how much, how rich the fishing grounds are around Sri Lanka, that there's so much

00:23:48good quality fish landed there.

00:23:49And those ones, they're called Parawa.

00:23:52Parawa.

00:23:53Parawa are really good, really good money, so they've done very, very well, and I'm very happy.

00:23:59I really enjoyed that.

00:24:01I mean, like fishermen all over the world, they really bond together, you know, it's one big family here, they

00:24:06look after each other.

00:24:08So Buddha's just told me they're feared, because they're really tough, they're quite chunky, I wouldn't like to cross them.

00:24:17Ah, I'm not quite finished yet.

00:24:19But I still have to help get the Uru back in again.

00:24:27This is the hardest part on top, and what this chanting is, we want to go to the land, we

00:24:36want to go to the land, we want to go to the land, we want to go to the land.

00:24:45Right, oh, action man there, Rick, diving, shifting boats around, all round.

00:24:51Right, I haven't mentioned it much, just got back from Australia.

00:24:54Did you?

00:24:55Yeah, Queensland in fact, absolutely loved it, had a great time.

00:24:59First time there, but I found that the food scene in Brisbane was incredible.

00:25:04If you haven't been, you've been.

00:25:05I bet you haven't.

00:25:05You've been.

00:25:07Anyway, so I went to this wonderful restaurant called Stanley's, fantastic chef called Louis Tickerum, you can find him on

00:25:14Instagram, and I had these two dishes.

00:25:16So the first one, I've got some lamb belly here, and it was braised, and then it's tossed in lots

00:25:23of spices, fennel, Szechuan pepper, coriander seeds, chilies, a bit of vinegar and soy.

00:25:29So Tom, you're going to do that, so basically it starts like this, it then gets braised in some soy

00:25:34and these aromatics.

00:25:36You could just boil it up in some water, or simmer it in some water quite frankly, for about sort

00:25:39of 60 minutes.

00:25:41And then you let it cool and set, go easy, because you know, remember rehearsal?

00:25:46Yeah, alright.

00:25:47Remember that kind of race?

00:25:49So, and then you chill it, slice it into its individual kind of riblets, and then we're going to toss

00:25:56it in these spices.

00:25:58And like I said, a lot of chilli and the vinegar.

00:26:01Right, Tom, I'm going to, so grind those up, that really well.

00:26:05And I'm going to get on with this other salad.

00:26:08Now this was, this was delicious.

00:26:10And it's very, very simple, monstu or snow peas, as they call them out there.

00:26:16Cucumber, and this kind of soy sesame dressing.

00:26:20And it's just wonderful.

00:26:22It really is super easy, but.

00:26:25Can you find that the Southeast Asian food in Australia, especially in Queensland, is just out of this world, isn't

00:26:30it?

00:26:30It's amazing.

00:26:32It's, do you know what?

00:26:32I was, it was hard, I was hard pushed to find food that wasn't sort of Asian orientated.

00:26:39But it's so fresh and vibrant.

00:26:41It's always a pie.

00:26:42Always a pie.

00:26:42I did get a pie.

00:26:43Good, Australians are a good pie.

00:26:44But you know, I didn't, I went all that way to get a pie, you know what I mean?

00:26:46You've been, you've been there.

00:26:47I have, I've been all over Australia actually, and I completely agree with you.

00:26:51The food is incredible.

00:26:55And, I mean, it's funny because so many Irish, so many Italians, you know, so many people just from all

00:27:05over the world.

00:27:06Yeah.

00:27:06But coming together and kind of living in this wonderful way where, you know, everybody is respected.

00:27:15The foods are all encouraged, all the different cultures.

00:27:20Yeah.

00:27:20It's sort of, it's an amazing country.

00:27:22I absolutely fell in love with the place, I have to say.

00:27:24Now let's, let's talk about you and your new play.

00:27:27Now we obviously, the play is called Copenhagen.

00:27:30Now we know you from, you know, we said sort of iconic roles.

00:27:33You work with some wonderful people.

00:27:34And now you, you've got a great cast in Hampstead.

00:27:39Yes.

00:27:39Damien Maloney and Richard Schiff and myself.

00:27:43It's just the three, three people on stage and we're on stage the entire time.

00:27:48It's intense.

00:27:49Yes.

00:27:50Yes.

00:27:50There's nowhere to hide.

00:27:52And the play basically takes an event that happened where these two physicists met in 1941.

00:28:06And one of the physicists, Niels Bohr, was a sort of mentor to this younger physicist called

00:28:12Werner Heisenberg and the play sort of is trying to get to the bottom of why Heisenberg came back to

00:28:25meet Niels Bohr.

00:28:26It was the middle of the war and Heisenberg was basically working ostensibly for Hitler on the nuclear program.

00:28:36Okay.

00:28:36And it's, the play's kind of a thriller.

00:28:41It's, the question really that surrounds the play is, was Werner Heisenberg trying to make the nuclear bomb for Hitler?

00:28:53Or was he actually stalling so that he wouldn't make the nuclear bomb for Hitler?

00:28:59And it's a, that's the question that is examined.

00:29:02And, and your role in the play is pretty pivotal.

00:29:08Because you're the translator.

00:29:10Yes.

00:29:10Between these two absolute boffins.

00:29:12Yes.

00:29:12To the public.

00:29:13Yes, completely.

00:29:14And they, you know, they were physicists.

00:29:16She wasn't.

00:29:17So everything that was, she wrote, she transcribed everything.

00:29:22Um, and basically, uh, her husband, Niels Bohr, uh, insisted that she understood what it was they were researching, what

00:29:36it was they were coming up with, the calculations.

00:29:39So it had to be understandable for her.

00:29:42Okay.

00:29:43Which, so in a sense, Mark, her name's Margareta.

00:29:46She's the bridge between the play and the audience.

00:29:49Okay.

00:29:49And, as you say, boffins.

00:29:51I mean, I have miscalcula.

00:29:53I didn't even know that that's what it was called.

00:29:54I just thought it was, you know, very bad at maths and numbers.

00:29:57Well, I'm terrible at maths.

00:29:58So how does that manifest?

00:29:59Well, I, I just freeze.

00:30:01I go into a panic when, when I see numbers.

00:30:05Yeah.

00:30:06I mean, I still, Vegas.

00:30:07Oh my gosh.

00:30:08I mean, I have to count on my fingers.

00:30:10So I'm useless at anything like, you know, blackjack.

00:30:14I can only do the slot machine.

00:30:16Um.

00:30:17But, um, yes.

00:30:18So I can count on my fingers.

00:30:20And I can.

00:30:21LAUGHTER

00:30:24But, you know, pie or percentages or, you know, I just, it may, I literally freeze

00:30:30in terror in my head.

00:30:31So that apparently is discalcular.

00:30:34Okay.

00:30:35Um, so me in a play about quantum physics and, and all of these, um, mathematical calculations.

00:30:43It's actually.

00:30:44Is that a genuine struggle on stage?

00:30:46Well.

00:30:47Or once you're getting your head around in rehearsing?

00:30:48No.

00:30:48Well, the thing is, because I'm not a physicist, I don't have to pretend to be a physicist

00:30:52on stage.

00:30:53I'm just the, I'm not just, but I'm the woman who's typing it all out.

00:30:57And, and, uh, so I feel quite relaxed that, uh, I mean, she did understand and I am beginning.

00:31:03We've been rehearsing now for four weeks and I'm starting to understand what it all means.

00:31:08Are you enjoying that element?

00:31:09I am actually quite, yes.

00:31:11Something really to be had when you're, when you're an actor and you're sort of, you know,

00:31:16rehearsing new roles and taking on new information.

00:31:18Yeah.

00:31:18It's quite exciting.

00:31:19I mean, I, I'm starting to learn all about nuclear fission.

00:31:23Uh, and the U235 and U238 and, you know, how to enrich plutonium or enrich uranium to make plutonium.

00:31:31Do you, do you know too much?

00:31:33I mean, don't put yourself on a watch list.

00:31:35No.

00:31:38It's, it's an amazing cast though as well.

00:31:40I mean, there's you, I mean, Adam, Adam Schiff.

00:31:42It was the, Richard Schiff, sorry.

00:31:43Yeah.

00:31:44From the West Wing.

00:31:45Yeah.

00:31:45Just amazing to have that line up.

00:31:48Yeah.

00:31:48Extraordinary to be rehearsing with them.

00:31:50Well, the thing that's, um, that's, uh, quite funny is that, um, uh, when I was doing ER.

00:31:57Yeah.

00:31:57Uh, we were on the same studio lot when Richard was doing the West Wing.

00:32:01Yeah.

00:32:01And, um, John Wells was our showrunner and he was the showrunner for, uh, West Wing as

00:32:07well.

00:32:07So, Richard and I kind of would cross over, um, at Warner Brothers, um, and end up at the

00:32:15same sort of weekend parties and things.

00:32:18But, uh, I haven't seen him, you know, for decades.

00:32:22Yeah.

00:32:22Uh, so it's sort of quite nice because it, it kind of reminds me of that time.

00:32:27Yeah.

00:32:28Yeah.

00:32:29It's good.

00:32:31And, um, Damien is, I think he, he's Bergerac.

00:32:34He's the new Bergerac.

00:32:36So, he's, uh.

00:32:36I'm sorry.

00:32:37They're bringing back Bergerac.

00:32:38Yes.

00:32:39Yes.

00:32:39I'm sorry.

00:32:40Yes.

00:32:41Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

00:32:42Yes.

00:32:42Hang on.

00:32:43Here I am banging on about Queensland and food.

00:32:45They're bringing back Bergerac.

00:32:47Yes.

00:32:47Yeah.

00:32:47I didn't know that.

00:32:49Yeah.

00:32:49My brother's a huge fan of Bergerac.

00:32:50How excited are you?

00:32:52Very excited.

00:32:52My brother did the tower of Bergerac on Radio 4.

00:32:55It's a great show.

00:32:55So, I'm glad it's back.

00:32:57Oh, Lord.

00:32:58Right.

00:32:59Okay.

00:32:59Let's, let's talk about food.

00:33:01Uh, okay.

00:33:01So, Tom, uh, is very masterfully.

00:33:03Not burnt this time.

00:33:04Not burnt them this time.

00:33:06Uh, and, uh, so into the wok.

00:33:08All those spices, uh, with the, um, the, you seal off the, um, uh, the lamb ribs, make

00:33:13them nice and crispy, because they're soft and then you make them crispy.

00:33:16Toss in all those spices.

00:33:17A bit of vinegar, a bit of soy, chilies.

00:33:19Uh, in here we've got, uh, all the ingredients.

00:33:23I can't remember.

00:33:24Cucumber, uh, monstu, the enoki mushrooms, sesame seeds.

00:33:28That's the dressing.

00:33:29A bit generous for that.

00:33:31Uh, and then give it a mix.

00:33:33But, yeah, I mean, in terms of the food, it's just light.

00:33:36It's fresh.

00:33:37It's exciting.

00:33:38The Asian food, I think some of the best Thai food on earth, um, outside of Thailand is

00:33:42in Australia, but, you know.

00:33:43Oh, really?

00:33:44It's just the freshness of the ingredients and everything.

00:33:46I love that country.

00:33:47Right.

00:33:48There you go.

00:33:50Oh, excuse me.

00:33:51Try some of that.

00:33:53Let us know what you think.

00:33:54Do, do I squeeze lime over it?

00:33:55Yes, exactly.

00:33:56Squeeze a bit of lime over the ribs.

00:33:58Um, but I, I think, uh, I think it's delicious.

00:34:02I mean, lamb ribs, they're not, uh, they're not expensive.

00:34:05No.

00:34:05And lots of flavor.

00:34:06So good.

00:34:07Stealing that one, Matt.

00:34:08Yeah?

00:34:09I'm stealing that one.

00:34:10You're welcome.

00:34:11That is a cracking dish.

00:34:12Nice, isn't it, the salad.

00:34:13So fresh and crisp and lovely.

00:34:15Right.

00:34:15Oh, you haven't tried it?

00:34:16No, no, I'm going to have a go now.

00:34:18Um, your salad.

00:34:20It's so good.

00:34:21Yeah, we all fell in love with it in rehearsal.

00:34:22It's just full of flavor.

00:34:24Mmm.

00:34:25It's okay?

00:34:26Salad.

00:34:26The salad is so good.

00:34:27Nice, right?

00:34:28Mmm.

00:34:28So that dressing's delicious.

00:34:30Absolutely delicious.

00:34:31And now I pick this up with my fingers.

00:34:33Yeah, yeah, please do.

00:34:34Mmm.

00:34:35Oh my gosh.

00:34:35You know, nobody's looking.

00:34:37Um, yeah, Louis Tickerum.

00:34:38Don't check him out for me.

00:34:39Uh, what do you want me to make at the end of the show?

00:34:41Uh, will it be Alex's food heaven, miso cod?

00:34:43If so, I'm going to marinate a thick fillet of cod in miso.

00:34:46Look at that for a shot.

00:34:48Um, miso, sake and mirin.

00:34:51I'm going to roast it in a pan until it's chiles.

00:34:53I'm going to serve it on a bed of wild rice sushi.

00:34:55Can I tell you?

00:34:56Yeah, go on.

00:34:57Um, I don't have a problem with eating on camera.

00:35:00No?

00:35:01That's what we like, yeah.

00:35:02That's what we like, I guess.

00:35:04Uh, anyway, always thinking of the food that else is steak and swede.

00:35:07So, I'm going to make a classic steak tagliata,

00:35:09which combines rare soda steak with some rocket parmesan tomatoes.

00:35:13Uh, for an extra headish touch,

00:35:14I'm going to toss in some crispy fried sweet gnocchi.

00:35:17Uh, the choice is yours.

00:35:18Log on to the website now.

00:35:19How have you said?

00:35:20Could we stop focusing on Alex?

00:35:22Let him eat!

00:35:24Right, grab me life jackets.

00:35:25It's time bobbing along the Thames now with Dame Mary Berry

00:35:28to visit a river community with their own fruit and veg growing gardens.

00:35:32Take a look.

00:35:33Oh my God!

00:35:39The Tidal Thames has some wonderful hidden gems.

00:35:43This is Tarbridge Moorings, one of its oldest river communities.

00:35:50Seven of the barges here have stunning gardens,

00:35:54growing an amazing array of fruit and vegetables.

00:35:59I promise you, I'm as sober as a judge.

00:36:02It's very difficult coming along here.

00:36:05It's just like this.

00:36:06But I'm here.

00:36:09I've been invited to have a look round by Suj,

00:36:12who's lived here for 14 years.

00:36:17What an amazing view!

00:36:19It is.

00:36:19It's beautiful.

00:36:21I feel so blessed and lucky to call this place my home.

00:36:24How many barges are here?

00:36:26We have about 50 barges and over 100 people living here now.

00:36:31And do you all get together for sort of occasions here?

00:36:35We do have a communal barge.

00:36:36So we have a lot of community events like book clubs, film clubs.

00:36:41Yeah.

00:36:42Hello, you've just popped up from nowhere.

00:36:46They grow everything here from citrus fruits to green leaf veg.

00:36:51There's a crab up here.

00:36:52Yes.

00:36:54I'm going to get out of the rain and whip out something simple and delicious for Suj and his friends.

00:37:02I've cooked in some very strange places in my time, never on the Thames.

00:37:07And I've got tar bridge on my right.

00:37:10But what better than a warm chicken salad?

00:37:14Very simple.

00:37:15The heart of this delicious salad is the mouth-watering dressing.

00:37:20First of all, creme fraiche.

00:37:22And you know me, always full fat.

00:37:27Then I'm going to add some Dijon mustard.

00:37:31Gives a bit of bite.

00:37:32And you need a bit of bite when it's chilly like it is today.

00:37:35A touch of sugar for sweetness and a squeeze of lemon juice will bring out the freshness I'm looking for.

00:37:42Some Parmesan cheese gives it bite, which makes it extra warming.

00:37:52This is so quick and simple, I just need to layer it up.

00:37:56Some iceberg lettuce, which I'm going to start at the bottom.

00:38:00Some spring onion and sprinkle that all over the top.

00:38:04I've got sweet pickled cucumber, the kind that come in a jar and add a bit of sweetness to it.

00:38:10And then I've got this dill, bright green and fresh.

00:38:14The star ingredient is my pan-fried chicken glazed in honey with paprika.

00:38:21Some extra Parmesan shavings are always welcome.

00:38:26Then a few pea shoots on top.

00:38:30It's looking good, isn't it?

00:38:33Finally, that creme fraiche Parmesan and lemon dressing.

00:38:37And plenty of it.

00:38:42All I need now is a few hungry people to try it.

00:38:50All I need now is a few hungry people to try it.

00:38:52I hope you're starving.

00:39:10I like nothing better than a warm salad.

00:39:14And my idea of indulgent comfort is a rich citron tart to follow.

00:39:22I've made my sweet shortcrust pastry, but you can buy some ready-made if you want to.

00:39:28If you find it difficult to roll it round the rolling pin, get the base of your crunch sandwich tin,

00:39:35slip it underneath.

00:39:38And then, to transport it, just pull that forward and no fear of it cracking.

00:39:51Lift up the edges, gently pressing the pastry into the tin.

00:39:58I'm now going to prick the base because if I don't, it domes up and I wouldn't get my filling

00:40:03in.

00:40:04Blind-bake the pastry for 15 minutes at 180 fan, then without the beans for a further five.

00:40:18There it is, just as I wanted it to be.

00:40:21All crispy around the outside, pale golden, beautifully cooked.

00:40:26Pastry's cooling and now I'm going to make the lemon posset filling, which is to die for.

00:40:32In goes the cream, double pouring cream.

00:40:36Nothing but the best.

00:40:38150 grams of caster sugar.

00:40:41And then the zest of three lemons.

00:40:45And just stir until the sugar has dissolved.

00:40:52My tip is to let the lemon cream cool slightly before adding some lemon juice to stop it curdling.

00:41:00And the lemon juice has a magic setting quality.

00:41:04You don't need any gelatin, you don't need any corn flour, it's just the lemons that make it set.

00:41:09And you can actually see it's beginning to thicken like magic.

00:41:23Chill in the fridge for a minimum four hours, but ideally overnight.

00:41:37Look at that. Perfect set.

00:41:42Let's hope if I push that down it'll come off.

00:41:47It did, didn't it?

00:41:51For a finishing touch, some sweet raspberries will work a treat.

00:42:00That is pure lemon indulgence.

00:42:03Happiness on a plate.

00:42:12Thanks for that, Mary.

00:42:13Still to go, Tom Pogba Bowls brings a taste aloud to the table with his delicious chicken larp.

00:42:18And what do you want me to make at the end of the show?

00:42:20Will it be Alex's Food Heaven miso cod with wild rice and edamami salad?

00:42:23Or her idea of food house steak tagliata with crispy fried sweet gnocchi?

00:42:26Log on to the website now and have your say.

00:42:29Right Jess, past course, what are we making?

00:42:31So we're doing a rich slow cooked sausage ragu and we're making fresh cavatelli.

00:42:37Nice.

00:42:37Which I'm going to show you first and you're going to do a spring salad for me.

00:42:40Salad affair.

00:42:41OK, so what's in this pasta there?

00:42:43So this is super simple, it's just durum wheat, semolina flour and water.

00:42:48And you need it for about six minutes and then let it rest for about half an hour under a

00:42:53bowl so it doesn't dry out.

00:42:54So, do you do that instead of wrapping in cling film?

00:42:57I do, save the planet.

00:42:59Sure, fair enough.

00:43:01So this is quite a basic pasta dough.

00:43:04Very basic, yeah.

00:43:05Where's it from?

00:43:05The quantities are two to one, so 400 grams of semolina flour to 200 mils of water.

00:43:11It's from Puglia originally.

00:43:14And it's called cavatelli because they're shaped like little caves so it captures the sauce really beautifully.

00:43:20OK.

00:43:21So I've just cut a little wedge off and I'm just rolling it out.

00:43:25And this is a really nice thing to do at home, I think.

00:43:28You can do it with your kids if you have kids.

00:43:30You do this in the restaurant?

00:43:31Yes, I do.

00:43:34Maybe on a quieter lunch.

00:43:35I was going to say, it's quite sort of labour intensive.

00:43:38Yeah, it is.

00:43:38For a simple pasta dish, there's a lot going on, isn't there?

00:43:42So then I'm cutting each one into little centimetre nuggets.

00:43:48OK.

00:43:49Yeah.

00:43:49And then I'll show you, so with the board, you literally just push down with your thumb and let it

00:43:54roll off.

00:43:55Right.

00:43:56So you can see it's got a little sort of cave in the middle.

00:43:59Sure.

00:44:00And it's got the lovely ridges that capture the sauce as well.

00:44:02And that's the idea, isn't it?

00:44:03Yeah.

00:44:04If you haven't got one of those?

00:44:05If you haven't got a board, you can do it with your fingers.

00:44:07So I'll just show you.

00:44:08So you just push down your two fingers and drag it towards you.

00:44:11OK.

00:44:12Like that.

00:44:13I would imagine a dish, this kind of labour intensive, makes the chefs very aware of, you know, what they're

00:44:20putting in the finished dish.

00:44:22What they're throwing away, maybe, or leaving in the pasta basket.

00:44:25Yeah, definitely, I think so.

00:44:27So I'm just whacking this in, because it takes about five to six minutes.

00:44:31So I'm going to put this in the water, which I've just salted straight away.

00:44:36Alex, you're quite keen on making it in your own pasta, right?

00:44:39I am, yeah.

00:44:39I've never made that though.

00:44:40Although I think it was, that was in the last Godfather movie.

00:44:45Godfather 3.

00:44:46Good rest of course.

00:44:47Andy Garcia.

00:44:49Andy Garcia doing it.

00:44:49They're pushing together.

00:44:51That's right.

00:44:51Somebody told me that's in the cinemas again.

00:44:54What, Godfather 3?

00:44:55Godfather 3.

00:44:55Wow.

00:44:56Maybe I'm wrong.

00:44:58So now I'm going to brown off the sausage.

00:45:02Just a bit of food.

00:45:03Yeah, just a bit of food.

00:45:05It's what I do.

00:45:07So let's talk about your background.

00:45:09Yeah.

00:45:10So you started in food PR.

00:45:11Yes, I did.

00:45:12With that for a number of years.

00:45:13Yes, I did.

00:45:13How did you get into a kitchen?

00:45:15So I think I always, well I know I always wanted to be a chef.

00:45:18I was just, I think a bit intimidated of professional kitchens.

00:45:21Mm-hmm.

00:45:22And so I worked in food PR for a few years.

00:45:25And then I realised I needed to bite the bullet and follow my passion and retrain.

00:45:30That wasn't really cutting there was it?

00:45:31It wasn't no.

00:45:32Okay.

00:45:33So I retrained for six months and then I was lucky enough to get a job at the River Cafe

00:45:37where I worked for six years.

00:45:40Wow.

00:45:40Yeah.

00:45:41Okay.

00:45:41So you went, when you say you retrained you went to Leith's didn't you?

00:45:44I went to Leith's for six months, yeah.

00:45:45Okay.

00:45:46So River Cafe for six years and then you did a stint in California, right?

00:45:52Yes.

00:45:52I then went to Chez Panisse and worked under Alice Waters for several months which was absolutely amazing.

00:46:00Right.

00:46:00Similar in many ways to the River Cafe.

00:46:02Yeah.

00:46:02But just so beautiful.

00:46:04They have this whole shed outside just for tomatoes.

00:46:06Oh really?

00:46:07Yeah.

00:46:08I mean it's one restaurant I would love to go to.

00:46:11That's absolutely amazing.

00:46:12I mean, you know, and it's very much in the same kind of vein ethos as the River Cafe, right?

00:46:17Yes.

00:46:17Yeah, very similar.

00:46:18Here it's sort of beautiful seasonal ingredients.

00:46:20Yeah.

00:46:21Heroing the ingredients.

00:46:23Okay.

00:46:23So I've just added my sofrito there which I'd already fried off for a really nice long time.

00:46:28And that's got onion, fennel, garlic.

00:46:32I've put fennel in this one which is I suppose a little bit unusual but I just think the fennel

00:46:38and sausage go so well together.

00:46:39Right, and it's got that kind of spring feel.

00:46:41Yeah, exactly.

00:46:42You could put leek in it or you could put carrot in it if you're a carrot aficionado.

00:46:47Okay.

00:46:47Carrot aficionado.

00:46:49Yeah.

00:46:49Alex likes carrot.

00:46:51You told me earlier.

00:46:53And you're very much about championing women in kitchens.

00:46:56Yes.

00:46:56Like the River Cafe, like Chez Panisse.

00:46:59I've been very lucky that I've worked for a lot of very inspirational women.

00:47:03Ruthie at the River Cafe and then Alice and Angela Hartnett's been really supportive of me since I've opened Canteen.

00:47:10So I knew that when I started Canteen I wanted to create a restaurant that really sort of supported and

00:47:17empowered women.

00:47:18Okay.

00:47:18And bearing in mind, you know, Angela runs some exceptional Italian restaurants.

00:47:22Yeah, she does.

00:47:23She did say recently on a podcast that you're the, you know, the restaurant that's doing the best Italian food.

00:47:30She gave me a shout out, which was so kind of her.

00:47:32Yeah.

00:47:32Yeah, which was lovely.

00:47:33She comes a lot.

00:47:34And last weekend we actually did a collaboration for International Women's Day.

00:47:38Okay.

00:47:39Um, yeah, I have 14 chefs and 11 of them are women at the moment, which is great.

00:47:43Wow.

00:47:44Yeah.

00:47:44Oh, cool.

00:47:45I mean, how that's changed since the 90s.

00:47:48Yeah, of course.

00:47:48Wow.

00:47:48How many do you have in your kitchen, ladies?

00:47:50Uh, when I worked in London?

00:47:52No, when you cooked in your restaurant.

00:47:54One.

00:47:55One out of four.

00:47:56All right, that's right.

00:47:56You know what I mean?

00:47:57That's not bad.

00:47:58It's changed massively, hasn't it?

00:47:59Yeah.

00:48:00Absolutely.

00:48:00But, Tom, you're a big fan, aren't you?

00:48:02I thought canteen is just what you want.

00:48:04It's laid back, beautifully cooked, seasonally, produce-led, all those words.

00:48:09But, you know, it's just food you want to eat.

00:48:11It's really lovely.

00:48:12You sit, linger over a long lunch.

00:48:14I'm hearing tales also of a fantastic bar, which I want to visit as well.

00:48:18You can sit at the bar as well, can't you?

00:48:19Oh, upstairs.

00:48:20Upstairs is a bar, yes.

00:48:21The Fat Badger, which has, they have a comedy night, and they have live music, and it's

00:48:26really fun.

00:48:26Oh, that's cool.

00:48:27Yeah.

00:48:28Uh, make pizzas.

00:48:30Yeah, we've got two wood ovens, so we do fresh pizzas.

00:48:32Uh, we make fresh pasta every morning.

00:48:35We have a changing menu, it changes every day, which is really nice, so that regulars and

00:48:39locals can come back every day, which is great.

00:48:42And then we've also got a, um, a farm in the Cotswolds, which provides us with loads of

00:48:48our produce, which is amazing as well.

00:48:50Okay.

00:48:50And you're doing a pop-up?

00:48:51Yes, we are.

00:48:52We're doing a pop-up near the farm.

00:48:54Busy, aren't you?

00:48:55Yeah.

00:48:57A little.

00:48:58Uh, so that's opening in, uh, at the end of April.

00:49:02Okay.

00:49:02Until September.

00:49:03Yeah.

00:49:04That sounds great.

00:49:04Right, okay, so where are we at with this?

00:49:06So, sorry, yes.

00:49:08Pork goes in.

00:49:09Uh, exactly.

00:49:09The pork goes in, and then we'll put the, a little bit of nutmeg, bit of dried chilli,

00:49:13red wine, let that cook off a little bit.

00:49:15Okay.

00:49:16I mushed up the tomatoes in my hand, I always think that makes it a bit nicer and more

00:49:20emulsified.

00:49:21Is that because you're not blitzing the seeds?

00:49:22Yeah, exactly.

00:49:22A lot of people say that makes it bitter.

00:49:23Yeah, and you don't want big lumps.

00:49:25Okay.

00:49:25Um, and then I'm gonna whack that in the oven for two hours.

00:49:28Mm-hmm.

00:49:29Uh, and then this is the finished product.

00:49:32Um, and you say in your, in a restaurant you've got these beautiful wood ovens.

00:49:35So when they're, when they're calming down overnight, after they've done their work,

00:49:38this is the sort of thing you would put in overnight.

00:49:40Yeah, exactly.

00:49:41So we always have a ragu on the menu, um, and different one every day.

00:49:46And at night time we, uh, put it in the oven.

00:49:49Yeah, we do lovely chicken stocks, veal stocks, um, overnight and come in the next morning

00:49:55and they're absolutely perfect.

00:49:57Really?

00:49:57Yeah, it's so lovely having two wood ovens.

00:50:00That's, um, well there's a lot of heat there to be utilised, isn't there?

00:50:03Yeah, so much.

00:50:04I mean, they stay warm all night.

00:50:06It's crazy.

00:50:07Any, um, was that a bit trial and error?

00:50:10Yeah.

00:50:11Yeah?

00:50:12Definitely the first week we came in a few times to find some dried up chicken bones.

00:50:16Right.

00:50:17And not a lot else.

00:50:19You have to get the quantities, the liquid quantities right.

00:50:21Getting used to, uh, new, new environments and stuff like that.

00:50:25Yeah, exactly.

00:50:25Uh, right, so this salad we've got, uh, radishes, we've got fresh, uh, peas, pea shoots, gem lettuce,

00:50:32shallot.

00:50:32Um, I liked your, the little touch where you, you throw the mint into the water.

00:50:37Yes.

00:50:37And even though the peas are in there for a short time.

00:50:42Just to get a bit of essence.

00:50:43Right, okay.

00:50:43I'm just finishing this with a little bit of seasoning.

00:50:46Okay.

00:50:47And, uh, you've got some cream there.

00:50:49Does that go in right at the end?

00:50:50Yeah.

00:50:50So once it's been in the oven for around two hours.

00:50:53Yeah.

00:50:53Then a good glug of cream just to make it nice and thick.

00:50:57So is this a traditional recipe or is this your kind of take on?

00:51:00Mmm, I would say a bit of both.

00:51:03I think I've slightly developed a traditional recipe.

00:51:05Okay.

00:51:06Yeah.

00:51:06That's, uh, is delicious.

00:51:08I want to get a spoon in it, but you can't because I've got to read this.

00:51:10If you want to make Jess's cracking cavatelli at home, you can find the recipe at bbc.co.uk

00:51:15or scan the QR code below and it'll take you straight to this dish.

00:51:19Right.

00:51:19Just going to finish it with a lashings of parmesan.

00:51:24That's delicious.

00:51:25That's so delicious.

00:51:28How long does the pork cook for?

00:51:29A little bit of pepper.

00:51:30Yeah.

00:51:30Well, ideally around two hours.

00:51:32Yeah.

00:51:33But if you can leave it for longer or even overnight, if you have enough liquid red wine

00:51:37tomato in there.

00:51:38Yeah.

00:51:38Then it'll be great.

00:51:40That looks beautiful.

00:51:40Jess, remind us what it's called.

00:51:42This is slow cooked sausage ragu with fresh cavatelli and a spring salad with new season peas

00:51:48and pea shoots.

00:51:49Awesome.

00:51:49Now relax.

00:51:56There you go.

00:51:57There's a glass of wine under there for you, Jess.

00:52:00There you are, Alex.

00:52:02Dive into that.

00:52:03Salad.

00:52:04What have we got, Al?

00:52:05Well, it's such a delicious dish.

00:52:07I fell completely head over heels with it in rehearsal, Jess.

00:52:09It's a smasher.

00:52:10It really is.

00:52:10It's kind of in my magic cupboard along with Frenchy's dish.

00:52:12Do you remember that wonderful?

00:52:13Yes.

00:52:14Anyway.

00:52:15Sousa-fee take it.

00:52:15Sousa-fee with the egg.

00:52:16Yeah, that one.

00:52:16So it's up there.

00:52:18So, got to be an Italian red.

00:52:19And this is a little bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a

00:52:19bit of a bit of a bit of

00:52:19medicine.

00:52:19This is great.

00:52:20This is also from Puglia as the dishes inspired by.

00:52:22So this is the Co-op's irresistible Salice Salentino réserva for £8.50.

00:52:27Reserva's a key word here.

00:52:28That means they keep the wine back.

00:52:30So it mellows and matures.

00:52:31For like two years, with six months in oak, reserve it, exactly.

00:52:35So it's like wine's answer to mellow mocha.

00:52:37It's got that wonderful richness to it.

00:52:39In the flavour, it tastes really pricier than £8.50.

00:52:45One sort of result of it plums, but all wearing velvet Rompa suits.

00:52:48It's just like really soft and what an image. I'm imagining you in a velvet romper suit. And how are

00:52:53you feeling about that?

00:52:54I'm okay with it. Strangely okay. What am I doing? Am I just relaxing? Keep going. Yeah, anyway. It's so

00:53:00delicious. How is it so cheap?

00:53:01Well, I think it's because Salice Celentino, people don't know really what it is. It's an area of Puglia on

00:53:05the heel, landlocked.

00:53:07You get incredible, it's an off-the-beaten-track grape, Negro Amaro, and it's made by a co-op.

00:53:11So for those three reasons, the price is very keen and it also has such character.

00:53:15So it's definitely one to try. And I would say if you're looking for a gift for Mother's Day, £8

00:53:18.50 well spent.

00:53:19Oh yeah, good reference. Just saying. Well done. Remember Mother's Room. And for Alex also, I've got the Trip Mindful

00:53:26Blend Blood Orange,

00:53:27which is from £1.50 and widely available. And it's got all sorts of things in it, like Lion's Mane

00:53:31and Ashwagandha and Magnesium.

00:53:33But it basically tastes rather nice. And I think Blood Oranges and Southern Italy, kind of those bedfellows going together.

00:53:39Actually, yes, it does. Both of your pairings have been really spot on. Oh, thank you so much. I'm delighted.

00:53:44How's the, um, how's the food? Mmm. I mean, I'm not really talking.

00:53:50Great, right? I'm just eating. Isn't it something though? Really good. It's delicious.

00:53:53I just mean, master. And you've got that little bit of spice to creaminess. It's just gorgeous. Beautiful. Well done.

00:53:58Delicious. Thank you. I mean, you've got a bib gourmand, right? Yes, we did. Absolutely thrilled to get that, yeah.

00:54:03Pretty good. Soon after opening. Well done, you. Uh, anyone else got anything to add?

00:54:07That wine. I've tried it, yeah. Oh, right, fair enough.

00:54:10That in rehearsal. Yeah, you tried it.

00:54:12Oh, it's... Full-bodied, yeah, Tom was just...

00:54:14Listen, you find, between you and Howes, you find these wines that I always write down, desperate, and then you

00:54:19go to the shop...

00:54:20And it's sold out! Yeah, I think this should be one of those. It's one of those ones, I would

00:54:23say, if you see it, because you probably aren't familiar with it, it's one to definitely try.

00:54:27And if you're a fan of, like, rich, oaky reds, like, you know, things like, even Chianti and Rioja, you're

00:54:32going to absolutely love this, but it's turned up to the max, rich.

00:54:34There you go. Paralyzed. You heard it here.

00:54:36Right, let's head to France now with Marcus Waring, and he's uncovering what goes into the classic mix of Herde

00:54:42-Provence.

00:54:49There's one ingredient we have in our cupboards and gardens all over the world that can totally transform a Hondron

00:54:57dish into a flavourful feast.

00:55:00I'm talking about herbs. Where would tomatoes be without basil, curry without coriander, and lamb without mint?

00:55:08Here in Provence, they've created their own blend of herbs, and they put it in pretty much everything. Herbes de

00:55:15Provence.

00:55:16But with no equivalent in Britain, I want to create my own simple mix that will not only rival the

00:55:23French classic, but turn any dull dish into a truly tasty meal.

00:55:27And there's one man who can help me.

00:55:30Bonjour, Marcus.

00:55:31Marcus.

00:55:32Stéphane.

00:55:33Stéphane.

00:55:33Oui, enchanté.

00:55:35Merci.

00:55:36Stéphane has run this herb and spice shop for 20 years and has his own recipe for the famous local

00:55:42mix.

00:55:43Herbe de Provence is, for me as a chef, it's been something that I remember from a young chef, that

00:55:51the chef de cuisine would say,

00:55:52Go get the Herbe de Provence. Go get the Herbe de Provence.

00:55:54There's always a herb that was used in so much cookery. What is in it?

00:55:59Some people can change a little bit because there is no official appellation.

00:56:04OK.

00:56:05For our, we have savory, sarriette, we have thyme, thym, origam, and rosemary.

00:56:12It's everywhere in France. Herbe de Provence is the joker.

00:56:17You don't know what to use. Put a little bit in Herbe de Provence and, OK, it will be good.

00:56:23Lavender is a herb that I have heard.

00:56:27You're laughing at me. You're laughing at me.

00:56:30Yes, yes. Some people put in Herbe de Provence.

00:56:34I don't use, I don't say it's not good, but I don't like it with cooking.

00:56:42OK.

00:56:43And the only person who said, where is lavender in your Herbe de Provence are American.

00:56:49Lavender is, for me, one of my favorites. I use it in jam, I use it with fish, I use

00:56:54it in salad.

00:56:55But it's quite unusual, and what I like about it is that when you put it into food delicately, carefully,

00:57:01there's always, ooh, what's that?

00:57:03You can use that lavender to a topping, effectively, in salad for fish.

00:57:10Yes.

00:57:10But for me, Herbe de Provence is really general herbs, and lavender, it's not a general herbs.

00:57:19I'm a huge fan of dried herbs.

00:57:21I think they have stronger flavor and are much more cost-effective than buying fresh.

00:57:26You're also far less likely to waste them.

00:57:29I wonder if Stefan feels the same way.

00:57:31The only herbs I prefer really fresh, it's basil.

00:57:37Basil, yes.

00:57:37Yes. It's the only one.

00:57:39We have dry, and it's really different.

00:57:42But in winter, you don't have the choice.

00:57:45I think I agree with you. This has been superb. Thank you so much.

00:57:48Before I go, I just have to check out Stefan's collection of spices as well.

00:57:53I feel like I'm in a sweet shop, a chef's sweet shop.

00:57:57This one brings back some memories.

00:57:59This is the one spice that I used very happily on my egg custard tart that I cooked for the

00:58:04Queen on her 80th birthday.

00:58:05I was also told that this was one of the most expensive spices that you could buy back in the

00:58:11olden days.

00:58:11This little nugget of deliciousness.

00:58:16Back to herbs, and I want to come up with my own mix to rival the local favorite.

00:58:22Blending dried herbs is one of the quickest and simplest ways to add a super boost of flavor to your

00:58:28food.

00:58:28And mine is sure to bring a taste of Provence to your cooking, even if it does stray a little

00:58:34from the classic.

00:58:35I've chosen some special ones. Special ones because I think they pack a punch, they pack flavor, and they're also

00:58:40very familiar.

00:58:41Thyme. Never got enough thyme.

00:58:43Rosemary. There we go.

00:58:45But I've also got a few little pink peppercorns here.

00:58:48A, they just bring a little bit of a fiery touch to this mix, and I just think they just

00:58:53look good too.

00:58:55Just put them on your board, take a knife, you don't need to chop them or smash them, and just

00:59:02break them.

00:59:03They're quite soft.

00:59:05You just put them in, and just mix them up.

00:59:09It looks interesting, it's colorful, and it does now smell good too.

00:59:13Okay. So, what we've got here, we've got fennel seeds, oregano.

00:59:20There's something for me really, really nostalgic about dried herbs.

00:59:24And I always used to remember my mum, my lovely mum, when she used to open a packet of sage

00:59:29and onion stuffing for our chicken dinner.

00:59:31The memory of the sage flavor was magical for me.

00:59:35And still today, I use the same stuffing for my roast dinners with my children and my family.

00:59:41And it is nostalgia, it is lovely.

00:59:43Pepper.

00:59:45Lots of it.

00:59:48You know what, the way this is looking right now, and the way it's smelling.

00:59:52This could give Herb de Provence a little bit of a run for its money.

00:59:56Look at that.

00:59:59I can actually smell the heat coming off those pink peppercorns.

01:00:02Fantastic.

01:00:03This, for me, lavender, is the one ingredient that I think is going to mix it up here in Provence.

01:00:09And I think it will bring something very, very special to this herb mix.

01:00:11I'm always getting teased about how much I love lavender.

01:00:14I've always loved it.

01:00:15The day I got married, my wife had the sort of little lavender plant flower on her wedding dress and

01:00:20also had some of it in her bouquet.

01:00:22There's love for you.

01:00:24There we go.

01:00:25Look at that.

01:00:26There's a herb mix with a point of difference.

01:00:29I really cannot wait to get cooking with this.

01:00:33A little bit of sautéed chicken.

01:00:34Sprinkle it over a roast.

01:00:36Maybe even just a piece of fish.

01:00:37Put it in a marinade.

01:00:39This will just keep giving you so much pleasure.

01:00:42Flavour after flavour, time and time again.

01:00:44There we have it.

01:00:45A little flavour of Provence with a twist.

01:00:54Host for the most, Marcus Waring there.

01:00:55Right, the website vote is now closed.

01:00:57I'm going to soon find out whether it's food heaven or food hell for Alex.

01:01:01Tom, let's make this telly gold.

01:01:04Larb telly gold.

01:01:05Yeah?

01:01:06Let's do it.

01:01:06What do we do?

01:01:07This is a larb guy.

01:01:07It's a natural dish of a Lao.

01:01:09I call it Lao.

01:01:10But Lao.

01:01:11Beautiful landlocked country in Southeast Asia.

01:01:14It shares obviously huge similarities with Thai food.

01:01:16As I'm talking, I'm going to do it.

01:01:17Chicken stock, minced chicken.

01:01:19They have special knives to do it to chop the chicken very, very finely.

01:01:22I use chicken breast.

01:01:23It's a rare time I use chicken breast, actually.

01:01:25But it does, you know, it gives you the right time.

01:01:27So you like to mince the chicken yourself or chop it up?

01:01:31You chop it.

01:01:32You just slice it into small bits and you can see it's very soothing.

01:01:35I have a cleaver and a larb knife.

01:01:36You just...

01:01:37How long do you just spend over it?

01:01:39Ten minutes.

01:01:40Oh, okay.

01:01:40But you can ask your butcher and he'll be delighted to do it.

01:01:43No, he won't.

01:01:43Or not.

01:01:44He really won't.

01:01:46Chuck it in the mincer.

01:01:47But like all these dishes, it's about the...

01:01:50I'm walking over there.

01:01:52It's about the mixture...

01:01:53Do you need a really sharp knife?

01:01:54No.

01:01:55It's a mixture of the salty, the hot from the chilli and the acidic from the lime juice.

01:02:00So it's...

01:02:01Here we go.

01:02:01So it's really, you know, it's herby and it's got texture from the roasted rice powder.

01:02:05Now this is here.

01:02:06It's the food that's kind of influenced you the most, isn't it?

01:02:09I love Thai food, Laotian food.

01:02:11I don't profess to cook it like, you know, as a proper Thai chef would do.

01:02:15But David Thompson's one of my heroes.

01:02:17One of the great, you know, sort of speaks Thai, married to a Thai man.

01:02:20Well, not to go on about it, but the fella I was talking about earlier.

01:02:23Yeah, yeah.

01:02:24He used to work for David Thompson.

01:02:25Well, David is...

01:02:26As did so many.

01:02:27In Australia, he's, you know, and across the world, his book, Thai Food, is possibly one of the great works

01:02:33on Thai food in the English language.

01:02:34See, I don't speak Thai.

01:02:36Do you still go out there much?

01:02:38Yeah, once a year, always.

01:02:39Oh, really?

01:02:39And go and see David and travel around the north and the south and, you know, and you need someone

01:02:45who speaks Thai and understands it.

01:02:46But for me, Thai food is the most scintillating thing.

01:02:50Anyone else?

01:02:51Thailand?

01:02:52Yeah.

01:02:53Yeah?

01:02:53Yeah, big fan.

01:02:54Yeah, especially...

01:02:54I've never been on my bucket list.

01:02:56You on your bucket list?

01:02:57You?

01:02:57No, lived in Indonesia for a while, loved that food.

01:02:59You what?

01:03:00I lived in Indonesia for a while, I taught English.

01:03:02I'm sure you make...

01:03:03I don't make these things up.

01:03:04Have we?

01:03:05I lived in Jambi in Sumatra.

01:03:07I worked at the university.

01:03:08Well, you're a Sumatra.

01:03:08He's like one of those people, like, how does he fit it in?

01:03:10Are you a spy?

01:03:12No, I'm not.

01:03:13Did you work in a university?

01:03:14I did work in a university, and I'm not a spy.

01:03:16I bet you are.

01:03:17I'm blushing now.

01:03:17Somebody check him out.

01:03:19What about you, Jess?

01:03:20I have never been to Thailand.

01:03:21I'd love to go, but I love Thai food.

01:03:22I had a takeaway last night, actually, from Thai 101 in Hammersmith.

01:03:26Now, that is the greatest spy restaurant in Ireland.

01:03:28Now, that is the greatest spy restaurant in Ireland.

01:03:28Isn't it?

01:03:29Come on, is that where we went for your...

01:03:30No, we went to Fitou, which is another good.

01:03:32OK, really hot.

01:03:33Honestly, it's so good.

01:03:34101 is the best, and we're allowed to say...

01:03:35And also, Fitou's great as well, but you have...

01:03:37Don't ever go to those places where they dull down,

01:03:40make it, like, sweet and over-sweet and boring.

01:03:42Get to know the chefs in the kitchen and say,

01:03:44Pet Mat Mat, which means very, very spicy.

01:03:46Pet Mat Mat.

01:03:46OK, and not farang, not farang food, just...

01:03:48OK.

01:03:49And then you'll start tasting the true taste of regional Thai food.

01:03:53Right, will you pick the herbs?

01:03:54Yeah, I'm doing it.

01:03:55So, I'm roasting this sticky rice.

01:03:56What it does is it brings a really nice, nutty flavour,

01:03:59and it brings texture to the dish as well.

01:04:02So, you have this roasted, sticky rice, glutinous rice,

01:04:04chillies as well.

01:04:05When you're doing this, open the windows,

01:04:07cos it's like tear gas.

01:04:09Just...

01:04:10If anyone's familiar.

01:04:14You know, we've all done a tear gas.

01:04:18So, yeah, you're just roasting them, not burning them,

01:04:20getting a bit of colour.

01:04:22Actually, it's smelling rather nice.

01:04:23I do love watching you cook, Tom,

01:04:25because obviously everyone knows a great food critic,

01:04:27but also you are a brilliant chef, and all the...

01:04:29Well, cook, cook, defo cook.

01:04:31Sorry, cook.

01:04:32But the dishes you actually prepare,

01:04:34the thing I love about them is that they are always full on flavour

01:04:36and balanced.

01:04:37Well, you're very kind to say that.

01:04:39What do you think, Matt?

01:04:40Hear, hear.

01:04:42Pet, Nat, Nat.

01:04:42Pet, Mat, Mac.

01:04:43Pet, Mat, Mat.

01:04:44Mac, Mac.

01:04:45OK.

01:04:46Yes, let's talk about you as a critic.

01:04:49Have you been anywhere nice?

01:04:50Do you know I went...

01:04:51Do you want to tell us about?

01:04:52I went down to Sevenoaks in Kent.

01:04:53Yeah.

01:04:54In a place called Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradley.

01:04:56I think the review's out this week.

01:04:57OK.

01:04:58I don't know anything about the food of Sierra Leone,

01:05:00but my gosh, it was amazing.

01:05:02Oh, really?

01:05:02It was thrilling.

01:05:03And, you know, when you don't know about something,

01:05:05and you're learning about a new cuisine...

01:05:06Yeah.

01:05:07..it's just brilliant.

01:05:08And that food was out of this world.

01:05:09Well, I mean, how often now do you go to a restaurant

01:05:12and you get really excited?

01:05:14Because I find, you know, I do go to quite a lot of restaurants,

01:05:18very fortunate like that.

01:05:19Yeah.

01:05:19And it's, you know, they're good, they're samey, some of them.

01:05:22And then occasionally you hit one, you go,

01:05:23wow, this is stunning.

01:05:25This is like stepping back in time and in excitement.

01:05:29It is, it's, yeah, you know, there's a lot of...

01:05:31It's a tough time for restaurants at the moment.

01:05:33Yeah.

01:05:34As you guys all know, it really is, you know,

01:05:36if the government just cut VATs,

01:05:38this is getting on to the...

01:05:39Cut VAT by, you know, 10%, that surely would help.

01:05:41I mean, the government...

01:05:43Governments haven't helped restaurants

01:05:44over the last 10, 20 years at all.

01:05:46No.

01:05:47And, you know, the amount of people it employs...

01:05:49I mean, you know, yes, we have touched on money,

01:05:51but we have the highest VAT rate in Europe, don't we?

01:05:54Yeah, it's ridiculous, it's just ridiculous.

01:05:56There's no support for...

01:05:56I saw a thing out the other day.

01:05:58Mm.

01:05:58And everyone else gets a bit of a helper.

01:06:00Yeah.

01:06:01Not here.

01:06:02Not here.

01:06:02Anyway.

01:06:03So, so, basically, that's what we've done.

01:06:04We've roasted it, put it into your traditionalists,

01:06:07you've done it pestle and mortar.

01:06:08I'd use a spice driver.

01:06:11Let's do the chilies.

01:06:12So, the whole thing is this...

01:06:13OK, so the chilies, right, let's have a look at this.

01:06:15So, so this, is this done...

01:06:17That's done, that's done.

01:06:18Do you want me...

01:06:18Take it off, take it off the heat.

01:06:19OK, I'll take that off.

01:06:21These chilies, you know,

01:06:22if you can get hold of those tiny ones

01:06:24called mouse-dropping chilies...

01:06:25Mouse-dropping.

01:06:26Well, that's his polite name.

01:06:29And they have this wonderful fragrance

01:06:31and freshness, but these are good.

01:06:35OK, so you have a crack at this.

01:06:36And do you like chilli?

01:06:37Me?

01:06:38Yeah.

01:06:38You know I like chilli.

01:06:39Well, yeah, you say that.

01:06:40You just make a conversation.

01:06:41You say that.

01:06:42Have we dried up, Tom?

01:06:44No, no.

01:06:44Are we there in this relationship?

01:06:45We're not, we're not.

01:06:46Don't do that.

01:06:46Tom, Tom, you were saying

01:06:48you've done this with buffalo meat?

01:06:49Well, no, you'd have it with buffalo in Laos.

01:06:52You'd have it with buffalo meat, buffalo skin,

01:06:54raw buffalo.

01:06:55Yeah.

01:06:56And it's, you know,

01:06:56it's often a raw salad.

01:06:59But it is just,

01:07:00I mean, buffalo's fairly hard to come by

01:07:02around these parts.

01:07:03So, well, not really.

01:07:03I went to a buffalo farm in the UK.

01:07:05Did you?

01:07:05Oh, it's Jodie Schecht.

01:07:06Was it not that one?

01:07:07No, it was Leverstoke.

01:07:08Yeah, Leverstoke.

01:07:19Leverstoke, yeah.

01:07:19They're terrifying beasts.

01:07:21Yeah.

01:07:22But the ice cream.

01:07:22I wanted to ride one.

01:07:23The ice cream thing.

01:07:23Well, yeah.

01:07:24Maybe it's your spirit animal.

01:07:26A buffalo?

01:07:27Yeah.

01:07:28Maybe.

01:07:29Is that or a peacock?

01:07:30Can't decide.

01:07:31Or a buffalo with peacock's feathers.

01:07:33I saw a koala in the wild.

01:07:35I know.

01:07:36Did you?

01:07:36Yeah.

01:07:36Where was I?

01:07:38LAUGHTER

01:07:41LAUGHTER

01:07:42LAUGHTER

01:07:43We're getting there.

01:07:44So, in Thailand, you would have pork lard, but it would be pounded raw, wouldn't it?

01:07:51It would be pork, it would be raw, yes.

01:07:53Ooh.

01:07:53So, in the Issan region, you know, you're going to find...

01:07:56It's a great name.

01:07:57..that.

01:07:58Yes, but it's just decided, and the whole key is all these herbs and vitamins that need to grab this.

01:08:02It's a pleasure.

01:08:03Anything you want?

01:08:05Have you got any sugar in there?

01:08:06Oh, yeah, you've done that.

01:08:07So, you want that balanced sweetness.

01:08:09Yeah.

01:08:09You want a bit of acidity from the lime.

01:08:10You want the chilli heat, and all of it in some form of balance, not just...

01:08:14..in the dish, but on the table, all the different dishes.

01:08:17OK.

01:08:17You know, so you're going to have bland things, you're going to have hot things.

01:08:19How far away are you? Shall I start...

01:08:20Yeah, finish it up.

01:08:21Yeah, yeah, ready to go.

01:08:22OK.

01:08:23Right, we've got some rice.

01:08:26That was quite...

01:08:27Yeah, I thought no stores, but don't we?

01:08:29Where are you looking?

01:08:30You all right?

01:08:31It's moaning there.

01:08:32OK, why are you moaning? Don't moan.

01:08:33It's all good.

01:08:34Saturday morning, it's very chilled.

01:08:36If you want to make Tom's take on lab at home,

01:08:39you can find the recipe at bbc.co.dk.

01:08:43or scan the QR code below, and it'll take you straight to his dish.

01:08:46So you put the chilli powder in here.

01:08:51I'm toning down the chilli slightly, but not massively.

01:08:53Fish sauce in there?

01:08:54Lots of fish sauce, yeah.

01:08:58So, how do you eat this?

01:09:00This is like we saw...

01:09:01With the sticky rice with your hands, or with the lettuce.

01:09:04OK.

01:09:05Let me just try this for one more.

01:09:06What are you after?

01:09:06I'm ready to go just to try it.

01:09:12There you go.

01:09:14Mm.

01:09:14All right?

01:09:17Happy?

01:09:17Happy.

01:09:18Happy, happy, happy.

01:09:19It's quite wet.

01:09:20It is wet.

01:09:20It's meant to be wet.

01:09:21OK.

01:09:22I mean, you can make it a little bit dry if you want, but, you know.

01:09:24OK.

01:09:25Any other...

01:09:25Yes, chef.

01:09:25Any other...

01:09:26Yes, chef.

01:09:28We, chef.

01:09:28Yes, we, chef.

01:09:29Yes, Mark.

01:09:31There we go.

01:09:32And what you're doing with this sticky rice powder,

01:09:34you get this nutty, wonderful texture as well from it.

01:09:36So, all right?

01:09:37Happy?

01:09:38Happy, happy.

01:09:38We're there.

01:09:39Ace.

01:09:40What's it called?

01:09:41That is my take on Laotian chicken log.

01:09:44Very good.

01:09:45Well done.

01:09:45Very good.

01:09:49OK.

01:09:51There you go.

01:09:52Tuck in, Alex.

01:09:53Wow.

01:09:54Let's live in.

01:09:54But this is for all of us.

01:09:56Yes.

01:09:57Right there, Tom.

01:09:59Oh, he's having a taste?

01:10:00Yeah, he's...

01:10:00Show me how to do it.

01:10:01Just tuck it in.

01:10:02Tom, you should have a drink under the counter somewhere there.

01:10:04Yeah, you do me.

01:10:05Fantastic, there we go.

01:10:06Got it.

01:10:06Nice.

01:10:07Right, what have we got?

01:10:08Well, with larb, because of the spice, the fragrance, the bold flavours,

01:10:11you want something that's as refreshing as skiing in a swimsuit.

01:10:14You basically need to feel that absolute briskness.

01:10:16It's got to be quenching.

01:10:18And you don't want something that's going to take over too many flavours, are there?

01:10:20This is a historic lager beer from Germany,

01:10:23and I'm so pleased to see it widely available.

01:10:25I've been, aside from Harvey's Best, which is my favourite beer all the time,

01:10:27this is probably up there with my favourite lagers.

01:10:29This is Agostina Lager Beer Hell.

01:10:32It's £3.30 in Sainsbury's.

01:10:33Hell just means bright.

01:10:34So if you think about all the kind of hops that make it fresh,

01:10:37super pure, just barley, yeast, water and hops,

01:10:40and it has this magic richness to it.

01:10:43It's nice.

01:10:43It's enthralling.

01:10:44It's easy drinking.

01:10:45Exactly.

01:10:45It's that first sort of beer by the pool, it's that feeling.

01:10:48But it has good complexity as well.

01:10:50They've been going since 13, is it 1328, something like that.

01:10:52And you were saying, you know, it's a monastery in Bavaria,

01:10:55it's the oldest brewery there, still privately owned,

01:10:57doing a magnificent job.

01:10:58How do you know that, Alex?

01:10:59Sorry.

01:11:00It was round the corner from where my ex-husband grew up.

01:11:04That's a good story, tell us more.

01:11:05Well, I will leap in and talk about the non-alcoholic pairing,

01:11:10which is a scot-free lager from Stuart Brewing.

01:11:13It's £2, widely available.

01:11:15I absolutely love this because it's very hard to make a good lager

01:11:19that's alcohol-free.

01:11:20They're using really interesting hops, Magnum, Sars, Technangular,

01:11:24Floral, Spicy, and Herbie, I'm keeping going.

01:11:27Yeah, for me, the guys up at Stuart Brewing, Joe and Dave,

01:11:29they've just done a cracking job in Edinburgh,

01:11:30and it has all the weight, the texture.

01:11:33They're using basically a lazy yeast to not ferment out too much.

01:11:37Yeah.

01:11:37And the wort, they're doing it so that that's the sort of base liquid.

01:11:40They're making it so that, again,

01:11:42it doesn't have too much an effect on the alcohol.

01:11:43It's hopsy.

01:11:44Exactly.

01:11:45Oh, thank you.

01:11:45Hopsy, full of flavour.

01:11:47Yeah.

01:11:47I think an absolute icon of Edinburgh.

01:11:49I'm a big fan of those guys.

01:11:50Yeah.

01:11:50Very nice.

01:11:51Typical.

01:11:52This is a good beer.

01:11:53It's nice.

01:11:53Yeah.

01:11:54Really good.

01:11:55Agostina.

01:11:55Tom, this is...

01:11:56Tom, yeah, what a dish.

01:11:57It's absolutely delicious.

01:11:57Yeah, as well, it's, yeah.

01:11:58So good.

01:11:59Blown away at that sort.

01:12:00Love it.

01:12:01Really good.

01:12:01I love that you're so involved with your food.

01:12:04You really love it.

01:12:05Yeah, it's so nice.

01:12:07Yeah, I really do.

01:12:08I mean, food is a lot of life.

01:12:10Yes, it is.

01:12:10Food, friendship, a good glass, I couldn't agree more.

01:12:12Yeah.

01:12:13What alcohol is it?

01:12:14Cheers.

01:12:14That's a good question.

01:12:15On that note, we're going to tune by now whether you voted for Alex's Food Heaven or Food Hell.

01:12:19But first, the Hairy Bikers are rustling up a decadent treat to round off their trip around the north.

01:12:23So nice.

01:12:24Cheers.

01:12:30Our final cook of the trip, Si, so let's make it special.

01:12:34Yeah, and let's use the formal dining room.

01:12:37And we've certainly got the ingredients for a lordly banquet.

01:12:41We've got the best steak, we've got the best lobster.

01:12:43And some blooming good beer.

01:12:45Exactly.

01:12:46What more could we want, really?

01:12:47We don't think I'd like the fire.

01:12:50This is going to be epic.

01:12:53Let's do it.

01:12:54The best surf and turf.

01:12:57Fabulous fresh lobster and a magnificent coat de boeuf.

01:13:03Served with beer-battered onion rings and a beer bernet sauce.

01:13:07What I need to do is I need to season this beautiful steak and then seal it off.

01:13:12And look, you know, when you get quality of meat particularly this good, that's all you need.

01:13:17It just needs salt and pepper.

01:13:18That's it.

01:13:18So, dude, what I'm going to do is I'm going to take this beautiful fat here and I'm going

01:13:22to render that out in the pan.

01:13:24And then we'll seal either side of it and the ends and then we'll finish it off in the

01:13:29oven.

01:13:29So, let's get some lovely colour on it.

01:13:32I'm going to get on with the bernets while you're doing that, Kingy.

01:13:35Aye, good idea.

01:13:35What beer are we using?

01:13:37Are we using a pale ale?

01:13:38Is it a...

01:13:38Yes.

01:13:39I think it's important for the beer bernets that it's not a beer-y beer.

01:13:43They're a good brew real, Musti.

01:13:45Right, half a shallot, chopped finely.

01:13:48A sprig of tarragon.

01:13:49Half a teaspoon for peppercorns.

01:13:52A tablespoon of white wine vinegar.

01:13:57And about 50 ml of beer, not too hoppy.

01:14:00It's half a wine glass full, so let's just...

01:14:04I mean, apart from the beer, it's a pretty classic kind of reduction.

01:14:10That's looking fabulous, isn't it?

01:14:12Right, what I'll do, I'll put that in the oven and we're going to start the 25-minute countdown.

01:14:17I want to get some garlic butter on for the lobsters and also for the dippies for your claws.

01:14:21I've got about 100 grams of butter and I'm going to grate about six cloves of garlic into there.

01:14:26A little pinch of salt.

01:14:28Because that's going to season the lobster tails as well.

01:14:30Some parsley and I'm just going to warm it through.

01:14:32Nice, nice.

01:14:33Now, lobsters.

01:14:35I'm going to take my poultry shears and cut down the shell like so.

01:14:42And then cut down through the tail.

01:14:45And that gives me a cavity to fill with the garlic butter.

01:14:49Beautiful.

01:14:51Now, the garlic butter.

01:14:53I'm going to spoon this on, Kingy, because I want, like, loads.

01:14:56And this leaves plenty for us to dip the claw meat in two.

01:14:59Oh, that looks great.

01:15:00Yeah, yeah.

01:15:02The beef is done.

01:15:03Right, so that's the coat de berth resting.

01:15:06Yeah.

01:15:06The lobster tails are ready to go in.

01:15:09Now, it's time to make our beer naise sauce.

01:15:13This is the reduction.

01:15:15And I'm just going to strain that and whisk the eggs and heat it up.

01:15:19Emulsify it and start adding cubes of cold butter.

01:15:22While you're doing that, then, dude.

01:15:23Yes, mate.

01:15:24I'll blanch off these claws so they're perfect to eat.

01:15:28Eggs, go on.

01:15:29Could you hold that for me, dear boy?

01:15:30Indeed you.

01:15:32And the reduction.

01:15:34My God, that's reduced as we're looking at it.

01:15:39Right.

01:15:40First butter.

01:15:42I'm doing one cube at a time.

01:15:44When one blob's gone, you put another one in.

01:15:46And you just keep whisking.

01:15:53Oh, look at that, mate.

01:15:54I've got a proper mayonnaise-y texture.

01:15:56Lovely.

01:15:57Which is what you want.

01:15:59And I will just finish with some fresh herbs at the end.

01:16:02Some fresh tarragon.

01:16:04Whoa.

01:16:08I'm so pleased with the texture.

01:16:12I think that's one of the best mayonnaise sauces I've ever tasted.

01:16:15Spot on, dude.

01:16:17Right, I'll bowl it up.

01:16:22The lobster tails are cooked.

01:16:24Time to plate up.

01:16:26Oh, look at that.

01:16:27Look at that.

01:16:28It's relaxed to a point of apathy.

01:16:30Give us a bit, go on.

01:16:32Want that bit?

01:16:32Yeah.

01:16:34Want that bit?

01:16:34Oh.

01:16:38It's got weaker than these, that.

01:16:39It's good, isn't it?

01:16:40Oh, yeah.

01:16:41And this is lovely and rested.

01:16:43That's cooked perfectly for me.

01:16:45It's lobster tails.

01:16:48Right, I'm going to put these claws.

01:16:50Where should we put those?

01:16:51There?

01:16:51Oh, I think so.

01:16:52Just provocative.

01:16:54Mate, this is incredible.

01:16:55We've got that beer burners, garlic butter, the claws to dip in there.

01:17:01We're serving it with some beer-battered onion rings.

01:17:05Amazing.

01:17:06Amazing.

01:17:06The ultimate surf and turf.

01:17:09Showcasing the best produce the North East has to offer.

01:17:13A fitting last supper for our incredible northern adventure.

01:17:18Come on, dude.

01:17:18Let's dig in.

01:17:19I'm going to put that.

01:17:21Lobster tail.

01:17:24Some of this amazing beef.

01:17:26Beer and aise sauce.

01:17:28It's all what you did there.

01:17:29Yeah.

01:17:31Mmm.

01:17:32Oh, this beef's pretty spectacular, isn't it?

01:17:37The beer works great, doesn't it, Si?

01:17:39That is so good.

01:17:40Well, this is a memorable meal that I don't want to finish, Kingy.

01:17:45That's true.

01:17:47Well done.

01:17:48Get in.

01:17:49Must just take my time.

01:18:01Thanks, lad, boys.

01:18:02Right, time to find out whether it's Food Heaven or Food for Hell for Alex.

01:18:05So, Food Heaven was Japanese foods, miso, cod, all here.

01:18:10Hell was Swede, root veg, and steak.

01:18:14Thank you to everyone who voted.

01:18:16Oh, it's quite close.

01:18:1755% of people went for...

01:18:20Heaven!

01:18:21Woo!

01:18:23Close.

01:18:24It was clearly, do you want to put that in the fridge?

01:18:27Of course.

01:18:27Thank you very much.

01:18:28Right, let's go on with this.

01:18:29What are we doing?

01:18:30OK, so, I've got some...

01:18:33Right, I'm going to...

01:18:35Do this cod.

01:18:36So, the cod...

01:18:37Actually, Paul, if I give you this...

01:18:38Yep.

01:18:38Can you chop that up?

01:18:40Of course I can.

01:18:40Nice and small.

01:18:41Yeah.

01:18:41We've got a little dressing here that's the salad.

01:18:43Right, miso cod.

01:18:44So, I've got some white miso here.

01:18:47I've got some sugar and some sake and mirin.

01:18:51Give those a good mix together.

01:18:53Then you want to leave it, ideally, for about two to three days.

01:18:58There's quite, obviously, quite a lot of sugar in this.

01:19:03And that's what creates that kind of classic sort of black caramelised look.

01:19:09So, and this was, well, this has come from nobu, right?

01:19:14That cod was a great nobu dish.

01:19:16It was a huge nobu dish.

01:19:17Yeah.

01:19:17It was the one that you kind of, yeah, became very famous.

01:19:20Yeah.

01:19:20Apocalypse.

01:19:21But, anyway, so, it's very delicious.

01:19:23So, leave that and it'll firm the cod up.

01:19:25So, then, when you cook it, we're going to grill this.

01:19:28It'll go sort of nice and flaky.

01:19:30You can just sort of push it apart.

01:19:31So, in there, like so.

01:19:35And then, okay, and then imagine that three days later.

01:19:40Three days.

01:19:41Wow.

01:19:42And then we'll put that under grill.

01:19:46Paul, you're cracking on with a salad.

01:19:48Yep.

01:19:49Thank you for that.

01:19:50Right, that goes under there.

01:19:51So, Alex, let's talk about, there's a love of Japanese food.

01:19:54So, he comes from L.A., you spent 20-odd years there.

01:19:56Yes, absolutely, when I was working on E.R.

01:20:00Although, I wasn't on E.R. for 20 years, but I just had settled

01:20:04and then started commuting, actually, back to England to work.

01:20:08That's a commute.

01:20:08That is a commute, I know.

01:20:09Is it hard to leave L.A.?

01:20:11I mean, it sounds glamorous.

01:20:12To be perfectly honest, given everything that's sort of happened

01:20:17in America since 2017, let's say, I'm quite happy to be back.

01:20:25Yeah.

01:20:26Sure.

01:20:27And what's the day-to-day like?

01:20:29The day-to-day?

01:20:30What's the day-to-day like living in America?

01:20:32I mean, it's always sunshine and smoothies.

01:20:34It's always sunshine.

01:20:35The funny thing is, it's almost like Groundhog Day,

01:20:37because you wake up and it's always that same blue sky.

01:20:41Sounds horrendous.

01:20:42Well, actually, funnily enough, I think that time passes really quickly

01:20:48if you don't have any markers in the year.

01:20:51And so, for me, 22 years literally felt like just two years.

01:20:56Yeah.

01:20:57And so I actually much prefer being back in England,

01:21:00where you have proper seasons,

01:21:02because I actually feel like that slows time down.

01:21:04Oh, really?

01:21:05Yeah.

01:21:05Well, there's a theory that that's why we're, you know,

01:21:07we produce such great musicians and writers and all the rest of it,

01:21:09because the weather gives us something to talk about.

01:21:11So Shakespeare was kind of, you know, looking at all of the kind of chiaroscuro of it all,

01:21:15thinking, oh, well, I think I might have done that.

01:21:19Very profound.

01:21:20Anyway.

01:21:20That's great.

01:21:21Well, I'm not sure, because it's very traumatic.

01:21:24You have a point.

01:21:24Lots of times it's dark nights.

01:21:25Dark nights, really sunny days, mellow.

01:21:27It's the way you make, it makes you feel very different through other seasons, right?

01:21:30Anyway.

01:21:30I always feel amazing at the sun shining.

01:21:32And you look amazing.

01:21:34Thanks.

01:21:35I wasn't fishing for compliments.

01:21:36But no, when you wake up in the morning, the sun shining, it makes you just...

01:21:39But you see, but the thing is, I think, the British,

01:21:41we're so sort of lacking in sunshine a lot of the time,

01:21:44that when we do have it, we're so grateful for it.

01:21:47Everyone's half naked in the park.

01:21:48Everyone's half naked.

01:21:49Everybody's out on the streets, you know, outside the pumps or whatever.

01:21:52I mean, the Americans would never dream of going in the chilly weather,

01:21:55just because there's a little bit of sunshine.

01:21:57But so, I feel like, you know, we have small things please us.

01:22:01That's very true.

01:22:02And I think that that's a good way to be.

01:22:04I think everything should be delightable in.

01:22:06Yes.

01:22:07Talking of which, I've got a drink to pour, which is delightable in.

01:22:10Oh, OK.

01:22:11There we go.

01:22:11Amazing segue.

01:22:12Great.

01:22:12I was getting there.

01:22:14I completely forgot to go to the drink.

01:22:16You did.

01:22:17But no one had noticed, so I did my segue,

01:22:19but now we're just talking about the segue.

01:22:21It's fine.

01:22:22This is Luscombe's Fiery Ginger Beer,

01:22:24and I'm a big fan of, like, miso flavours,

01:22:26very umami.

01:22:27You want something fragrant and punchy.

01:22:29This ginger beer, I love it because it's Peruvian ginger,

01:22:32which has a lot of ginger oil in it.

01:22:33It's a really pronounced flavour.

01:22:34Organic.

01:22:35Organic Sicilian lemons in it as well.

01:22:37Soft down spring water.

01:22:39You know, it's not as sweet as some of them.

01:22:41It's got this nice sense of zing to it.

01:22:43It is...

01:22:44You have to buy 12.

01:22:45£26.50, which is, you know, it's an investment.

01:22:48It is, however, one of the greats.

01:22:49They were the first drinks in the UK producers

01:22:52to get the soil accreditation for being organic.

01:22:54They've got the King's Royal Royal Warrant,

01:22:56and I just love that they create something so pure and delicious.

01:23:00It's absolutely delicious.

01:23:01I think it's definitely worth it.

01:23:02I think so, yeah.

01:23:03It's the nicest ginger beer ever.

01:23:04Oh, yeah.

01:23:05Look at that.

01:23:05That's hyper.

01:23:06But you want ginger beer that has a big ginger punch.

01:23:08Oh, yeah.

01:23:09You want the acidity in the back,

01:23:10so it's not too shizley.

01:23:11This is lovely.

01:23:12Yeah, and, you know, made here,

01:23:14but, you know, bringing the world to us.

01:23:15Oh, it's really refreshing as well, isn't it?

01:23:17Oh, my gosh.

01:23:18It's just not too sweet.

01:23:19Yeah, that's exactly the thing.

01:23:20They're often really sweet.

01:23:20Yeah, they can be,

01:23:22and I think you don't need that,

01:23:23not when you've got ingredients that really sing.

01:23:26Talking of singing, you're all right over there.

01:23:27It's not invited to seaweed.

01:23:28Are you burning some seaweed?

01:23:29Yeah.

01:23:30Is that a ritual, like burning sage in purifying the studio?

01:23:33Oh, I'm moving.

01:23:33Oh, well done.

01:23:33It's like those fish.

01:23:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:23:36The scott and shepherd.

01:23:37I mean, you've cut yourself,

01:23:38you're going to burn yourself.

01:23:39What's going on?

01:23:41Just another day.

01:23:42So, Alex, how do you feel about,

01:23:44I mean, ER, it was a while ago now,

01:23:46but now it's been introduced to a brand-new audience.

01:23:49It's back on Netflix.

01:23:49It's come back.

01:23:50Yes, it has.

01:23:50It's come back, and, oh, I'm thrilled,

01:23:53because I actually think that it holds up.

01:23:55Yeah, it does.

01:23:55Because of the way that we filmed with handheld cameras,

01:23:59you know, it was one of the only shows

01:24:01that ever sort of, like, pushed out and experimented in that way,

01:24:05and so it still has a sort of an energy

01:24:10and an urgency because of the camerawork

01:24:13that keeps it, I think, feeling very current.

01:24:16Yeah, and it's Netflix, isn't it?

01:24:18It's on Netflix now, yeah.

01:24:19And it kind of launched...

01:24:20The whole dump of everything.

01:24:21Yeah, but it launched you and George Clooney,

01:24:24and, you know, as Matt says,

01:24:25it'll introduce you to a whole, you know,

01:24:26new gamut of people.

01:24:27Yeah, my daughter started watching it.

01:24:29That was, you know, 18, never watched it before.

01:24:31Obsessed.

01:24:32My God, have you heard this programme?

01:24:33Yeah.

01:24:35It's iconic.

01:24:35My daughter loves it.

01:24:36What?

01:24:37Yeah.

01:24:37Yeah, lots of people are discovering it,

01:24:40you know, for the first time.

01:24:41You know, it's like the Beatles, isn't it?

01:24:43I remember my children telling me all about the Beatles.

01:24:46And again, talking...

01:24:47They educated you on that.

01:24:48Talking about, you know, learning when you're doing something,

01:24:51like me learning now about quantum physics,

01:24:54I learned all about, you know, medicine.

01:24:59And so, alongside the acting,

01:25:01I felt like I was getting a real education.

01:25:03OK.

01:25:04I was very good with the scalpel by the end.

01:25:06So, if someone says,

01:25:07is there a doctor in the house,

01:25:09you can go forward.

01:25:11Yes.

01:25:12Sort of.

01:25:12No, that's when they hold me back.

01:25:14Yeah.

01:25:15Can I tell you that?

01:25:17Lovely.

01:25:18Thank you very much, Paul.

01:25:19Pleasure.

01:25:20The other thing you, obviously,

01:25:21let's touch on Strictly.

01:25:23Oh, yes.

01:25:23Another skill.

01:25:24You got it.

01:25:25Were you a dancer before that?

01:25:26No, I wasn't.

01:25:27And, oh, my gosh,

01:25:29I just had the best time.

01:25:31And I could dance forever, actually,

01:25:33if I had the opportunity to.

01:25:35I would just do that all the time.

01:25:37Really?

01:25:37Yeah.

01:25:38You went down brilliantly.

01:25:39I mean, I was on Strictly Textile.

01:25:40We were loving you.

01:25:41And you and Jojo, what a team.

01:25:43Yeah, we were.

01:25:44We were team joking.

01:25:45You were team joking.

01:25:46Is it scary to do?

01:25:48No, I didn't find it scary.

01:25:49I just loved it.

01:25:50Were you asking for a friend, Tom?

01:25:53I enjoyed it so much that

01:25:58that sort of just

01:26:00held me through it.

01:26:02So, exhausting?

01:26:04Exhausting, but in a really good way.

01:26:06And until you get injured,

01:26:08then it's not so great.

01:26:09But for me, being in the studio

01:26:11was like just doing live theatre.

01:26:14So, it wasn't so intimidating,

01:26:16I think, for me,

01:26:17as maybe somebody who's an influencer

01:26:19or something.

01:26:20Do you know what I mean?

01:26:21Yeah, it'd be terrible.

01:26:23Yeah.

01:26:23But it was, yeah,

01:26:24it was an incredible experience

01:26:26that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

01:26:27Was it a sort of snap decision

01:26:29or had they been asking you for...

01:26:30They had been asking me for...

01:26:32Over the years, they'd been asking me,

01:26:34and it was never like the right thing.

01:26:37But this time was right for me.

01:26:39Yeah.

01:26:39And you've loved it?

01:26:40I've loved it.

01:26:41And you know what?

01:26:42You've just got to jump in

01:26:43and do the things

01:26:44that you've always dreamt

01:26:45or hoped that you would do

01:26:46in your life,

01:26:47but been a bit too scared to.

01:26:49Yeah.

01:26:49You've just got to go for it.

01:26:51Because what's going to happen?

01:26:52You're just going to regret it

01:26:53when you can't end longer.

01:26:54What's the worst that can happen?

01:26:56What's the worst that can happen?

01:26:57Exactly.

01:26:58You could end up hosting a live TV show.

01:27:04Right.

01:27:04Can I have a little bit of that, too?

01:27:06Okay.

01:27:06So here we go.

01:27:07We've got that little salad

01:27:09with that dressing.

01:27:10Oh, that's cool, mate.

01:27:11Nice.

01:27:12Do it the old-fashioned way.

01:27:14And then we've got that cod.

01:27:17Just keep an eye on it

01:27:18under the grill.

01:27:19It won't take long.

01:27:20Six, eight minutes.

01:27:21Something like that.

01:27:22But that colour is what you get

01:27:24from that sugar and the meat.

01:27:26That's pretty much it.

01:27:28We're good.

01:27:28I've just got to say,

01:27:29I can't wait to see you in the show.

01:27:30It's the Hampstead Theatre, isn't it?

01:27:31Yes, Hampstead Theatre.

01:27:32When does it take off?

01:27:33Is it March?

01:27:34We first preview the 27th of March

01:27:36and press is 7th of April.

01:27:38Break a leg.

01:27:39You'll be amazing.

01:27:40You want a show.

01:27:41You tuck in, tuck into that, Alex.

01:27:44Oh, my goodness.

01:27:45Let's see what you think of that.

01:27:46OK.

01:27:46And you've got wild rice in here as well.

01:27:49How delicious is that?

01:27:50I've just got quite into wild rice.

01:27:52I love it.

01:27:53It's not too much of it.

01:27:54Yeah.

01:27:54You need to mix it.

01:27:55It's not a rice, is it?

01:27:56No, it's a grass.

01:27:57Is it grass?

01:27:59Is it grass?

01:27:59A grass?

01:27:59Yes, I think it's a grass.

01:28:00Is it a grass?

01:28:01Yeah.

01:28:02It sounds even more inviting.

01:28:05But once you put that dressing on,

01:28:07I think it's really nice.

01:28:08And presumably it's really good for you, wild rice.

01:28:10Oh, my God.

01:28:11It's got to be.

01:28:11Yeah.

01:28:12How was that?

01:28:12Is that all right?

01:28:13Oh.

01:28:14Or are you just saying that because you're on telly?

01:28:16No.

01:28:18This is really good.

01:28:20And you marinated this for three days?

01:28:22Three days.

01:28:23Wow.

01:28:23Yeah.

01:28:24Yeah.

01:28:24Oh.

01:28:25Nice.

01:28:25Good.

01:28:26Thanks for that.

01:28:27That's delicious.

01:28:27That was a nice chilled show, wasn't it?

01:28:29That's all from us today on Saturday Kitchen Live.

01:28:32Thanks to Paul, Jess, Tom, Ollie, and of course, Alex.

01:28:35All the recipes from the studio on the website,

01:28:37bbc.co.uk forward slash Saturday Kitchen.

01:28:39I'll be back here live tomorrow on BBC One at 11.30

01:28:42for a celebration Kitchen Eid special

01:28:44with fabulous food and guests.

01:28:46And I'm back here on Saturday Kitchen Live next week.

01:28:49As usual, enjoy the rest of your day.

01:28:52See you tomorrow.

01:28:52Bye-bye.

01:28:53Bye-bye.

Saturday Kitchen - Season 28 - Episode 11: Matt Tebbutt, Paul Ainsworth, Jess Filbey, Tom Parker Bowles, Alex Kingston, and Olly Smith

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