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00:01The island of Ireland.
00:05Wild. Welcoming.
00:06Soldier. Soldier.
00:08And full of stories I've only just begun to uncover.
00:11I'm so excited. We're literally on the Giant's Causeway.
00:13This place has always meant something special to me.
00:17It's where my roots lie and where some of my favourite memories were made.
00:21It's on. It's on, baby.
00:24Now, I'm back.
00:25Woo!
00:25To explore more of this extraordinary island.
00:28This coastline, isn't it? Stunning.
00:30From the rugged beauty of the Causeway coastal route.
00:33Beautiful. So gorgeous, huh?
00:34To the sweeping drama of the Wild Atlantic Way.
00:37How could you forget this?
00:39I'll be following the edge of the land,
00:41diving into the life,
00:42and occasionally, the Atlantic itself.
00:45Oh, it's incredible.
00:47Along the way, I'll be meeting the people who bring this place to life.
00:51That is cracking!
00:53The farmers.
00:54Come on. Come on.
00:56Fishers.
00:57They're lobster fish.
00:58And chefs.
00:59That's Nectar of the Gods.
01:01That is a masterclass.
01:03Slaying it.
01:03That is a dream.
01:04Who doesn't love a lobster roll?
01:06Go on, team.
01:06I'll be discovering the flavours.
01:08Like Winnie the Pooh right now.
01:10The traditions.
01:11This is so special.
01:13And the stories that define Ireland today.
01:16That's insane. It's so lovely.
01:18This is my taste of Ireland.
01:30My journey along the Causeway coastal route in Northern Ireland has taken me west,
01:34to the glens of Antrim.
01:36And honestly, this coastline is stunning.
01:41I was just thinking, this coastline, apart from erosion, must be just completely unchanged for like millennia, I guess.
01:48It's so sheer and spectacular.
01:50Where I'm from in the south-east of Ireland, I don't really have this.
01:53I've got some small cliffs, but nothing like this.
01:55This is gorgeous.
01:57This little pocket of Northern Ireland, around the town of Ballycastle, is full of food worth celebrating.
02:03Which is what we're going to do today.
02:06I'll visit a Ballycastle bakery to learn how to make a French blueberry tart with an Irish heart.
02:14I can't believe how good that looks.
02:17You're an amazing teacher.
02:19And I'll be down with the kids.
02:20Ah, here we go.
02:21That's some happy goats.
02:22On a very special farm.
02:24Come on.
02:25Making rose veal schnitzel.
02:27The moment of truth.
02:28Da-da-da.
02:29What a feast awaits.
02:32Beautiful sunny day here in Ireland.
02:33Because it's always a beautiful sunny day here in Ireland.
02:41But before I stuff my face with local delights, I want to take in the local scenery.
02:46And the best way to do that is from the water.
02:51Husband and wife team Charles and Dawn are going to be my guides for this maritime adventure.
02:58Look at the mist we're off!
02:59We're looking at Fairhead.
03:01It is a mixture of basalt rock.
03:02You can see the lovely columns of basalt rock just there.
03:05So there is a legend around Fairhead and how it got its name.
03:08Go on.
03:09So the king of Rathlin had a beautiful daughter.
03:12Lovely fair hair.
03:13Yeah.
03:13She had many suitors.
03:15There was a duel between two suitors.
03:17One was mortally injured.
03:19And then they were having a big party for the winner.
03:22And they were dancing around and she slipped and lost her footing and fell over.
03:27And it was named Fairmaid and Fairhead.
03:29That's the saddest story I've ever heard.
03:31Yes.
03:31I thought it was going to be a happy ending.
03:32No, no.
03:32No happy ending for that.
03:33No happy ending, no.
03:34In terms of wildlife, given the time of year, what could we see?
03:37Over 250,000 nests and sea birds here over the summer.
03:41We have dolphins.
03:43You get porpoise here.
03:45We get minke whale as well.
03:46Charles up there is very good at spotting them.
03:48He's spotting right now, yeah.
03:49Yes.
03:49Yeah.
03:50What isn't difficult to spot, even in the sea mist, is Rathlin Island.
03:55A place that holds a lot of significance to the history of nearby Scotland.
04:00As it was here that Robert the Bruce, the Scottish king, famously took refuge.
04:07Today, there are no Scottish kings to be seen.
04:10But it's an internationally important wildlife reserve and home to a small community.
04:15There's about 160 people living it all year round.
04:18There is a lifeline ferry service that goes over and back every day.
04:22It brings the kids off.
04:23There's a primary school on the island.
04:25There's a pub.
04:26There's a shop.
04:26There's a hotel.
04:27I love the fact that the pub's the second thing you set off.
04:30Oh, well.
04:31There's a school, there's a pub.
04:32Priorities.
04:34The people here are, however, outnumbered by the seals.
04:38Oh, wow, look at them there.
04:39They sort of look like floating mini submarines, don't they?
04:42They have your upside down banana.
04:44Yeah.
04:44You can see the tail up and the head up.
04:46You're from just north of Dublin, right?
04:47Yes.
04:48What is it about this part of Ireland you love so much?
04:50Um, just the scenery.
04:52It's kind of off the beaten track.
04:53It's still a wee bit.
04:54Because Valley Castle is still very much like a small, small village.
04:56It's a beach town, isn't it?
04:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:59And Valley Castle is where we are heading now.
05:02With Captain O'Leary at the helm.
05:05Whoa.
05:08That's so sensitive, isn't it?
05:10Ah, this is good.
05:12If I'm honest, not sure it's a great idea.
05:16Valley Castle is a cute little beach town with a bustling high street.
05:21It consistently ranks amongst the best places to live in Northern Ireland.
05:25That might have something to do with my next destination.
05:28Now one thing you have to understand about the Irish is we love our bread.
05:32Growing up, there's always bread, tea and jam.
05:35But there's a couple here, Dara and Kira, who are bringing bread to a whole new level.
05:39Let's go meet him.
05:42Having won Best Cafe in Ulster two years in a row, Ursa Minor Bakehouse has become a local's favourite.
05:49Oh, guys, what a lovely place you've got here.
05:51Thank you very much.
05:52Thanks for having me.
05:52Great part.
05:53I like it.
05:56So, Dara and Kira, how did this come to pass?
05:58Are you bakers by sort of...
06:00We're kind of accidental bakers.
06:02This was never really a plan.
06:03Yeah.
06:03And we kind of became really interested in it.
06:06And then I became a bread guy.
06:08So, if I arrived at somebody's house without a loaf, they weren't as happy to see me.
06:11I can imagine.
06:12So, yeah, the business kind of grew accidentally out of that.
06:15Yeah.
06:15So, who does what?
06:16So, I do bread and croissant.
06:18And I do everything else.
06:22One of her many skills is teaching.
06:24And Kira offered to give me an Ursa Minor Masterclass.
06:28So, what are we going to do today?
06:29We're going to make a blueberry tart.
06:31Of course we are going to make a blueberry tart.
06:33The exact words I wanted to get out of your mouth.
06:35Yes, we are.
06:36Oh, man.
06:37I'm looking forward to this.
06:39Blueberry tart is a little piece of me.
06:41Well, this is where the magic happens, Kira, isn't it?
06:43Absolutely, yeah.
06:44I mean, come on.
06:44Where are we now?
06:45We're just across the road.
06:46Just across the road, and this is our bakery skills.
06:48God, could I love you guys anymore?
06:50So much.
06:51So, the blueberries are interesting.
06:53Will they be growing nearby, or...?
06:54So, these blueberries are from County Clare, and they taste so much better when they're from down the road.
06:59May I try?
06:59Yeah, go ahead.
07:00So, this is Duke?
07:01This is Duke, yeah.
07:02Is this one of yours?
07:03Your favourite?
07:03I love them all.
07:05I couldn't pick a favourite.
07:07Liberty's a little more punchy.
07:09Yeah.
07:10Duke is a bit more sweet.
07:11Yeah.
07:11Come on, Bridgetta.
07:12Yeah, come on.
07:13What are you saying, Bridgetta?
07:15Mmm.
07:17Oh, Bridgetta's a tease.
07:18That's wonderful.
07:20Yeah, the best.
07:20If you have the O'Leary seal of approval, let's bake.
07:24So, you set the butter in, and turn it over, so therefore it's covered with flour already, and your fingers
07:30aren't going to stick.
07:31See?
07:31Yeah, yeah.
07:33And now you're going to tear it into pieces.
07:34That's it.
07:35What pieces?
07:35Like big pieces?
07:36Yeah, big pieces, yeah.
07:37Okay.
07:37Okay.
07:37That's great.
07:41Right, perfect.
07:42Now the next thing we're going to do is make short crust.
07:44So we're just going to work it in so the butter's not melting, and you're just, what did my mum
07:48always say?
07:48Fairy fingers.
07:49Fairy fingers.
07:50Fairy fingers.
07:52As I crumble away, Ciara adds some sugar.
07:56Okey-dokey, keep going.
07:57Let's keep going.
07:57Yep.
07:59Okay, now we're going to make a wee well.
08:01So we crack an egg in.
08:03Wah!
08:04Oh God, I'm so sorry.
08:05That's okay.
08:06I'm absolutely mortified.
08:07That's okay, because...
08:08I'm known for egg cracking as well.
08:09Okay, let's do it.
08:11Yes.
08:12Lovely.
08:13I've got a really good omelette game, so I'm absolutely devastated by that crack.
08:17So, two eggs.
08:19If you start to mix in the eggs, that's it.
08:22Lovely.
08:24Mixed into the purple flour.
08:26Right, we're going to dump this in.
08:28Is this all right?
08:28Because this does look a bit cement-y.
08:29Yes.
08:30Should it look cement-y?
08:32It's good, it's good.
08:33So we're just going to gather it together like this.
08:35To bring it together, we're just going to fold it over on itself like this.
08:41So fold it over, that's it.
08:43Yep.
08:44You see how it's all ready pretty much?
08:47Okay, lovely.
08:49What were you doing before you did this then?
08:51I was working in the kind of heritage industry, and Dara and I met at Cargareed Ropebridge.
08:58You met across the bridge?
08:59Well, we met in the car park, and then that was that.
09:03Off we went.
09:03And was he a baker then?
09:05No, no, no, he was a barista.
09:07Oh, wonderful.
09:07And a photographer, dabbling.
09:10Photographer and a barista?
09:11Yeah.
09:11And he looks like Keanu Reeves?
09:13Can that man do no wrong?
09:16We're going to put this in the fridge to rest.
09:17How long would that be in there for?
09:19That'll be there for about an hour.
09:20All right.
09:21Plenty of time, you see?
09:22Okay.
09:24A cup of tea later, and our pastry is ready to rock and roll.
09:28Look at that.
09:29Irish gold, that is.
09:30Yeah.
09:32Nice.
09:32I feel like the real deal.
09:33There you go.
09:33Oh, thank you.
09:35So, a trick is, if you always are moving the pastry, it shouldn't stick, so if you roll,
09:40then move.
09:40And how thick are you looking for this to be?
09:43Nice and thin.
09:43Now, even though, I won bake-off.
09:47Don't talk about it.
09:48My rolling game, I never think my rolling game is the best, because it always ends up
09:52looking like that.
09:52What am I doing wrong?
09:54Well, let's see.
09:55Let's work on your stance.
09:56So, one foot in front of the other.
09:57Oh, I didn't know that.
09:58And always roll away.
09:59Oh.
10:00Otherwise, you've lost control.
10:02There we go.
10:03Yeah?
10:03That's better.
10:04That's France.
10:05There you are.
10:05That's France.
10:07That's actual France.
10:08That's a whole new game.
10:10Pastry shaped like countries.
10:12Great.
10:13Just flatten Bordeaux.
10:14So, we'll just pop this over itself.
10:18Oh, that's the dream bit there, isn't it?
10:20I never do that.
10:21There you go.
10:22That's an absolute piece here.
10:24I'm so sorry.
10:24What have I done?
10:25It's fine.
10:26Okay, so let's give it a bit of a stab at the fork.
10:28And then we're going to give it another rest.
10:31Whilst the pastry kicks back for a bit, Kira and I are heading out to pick some flowers.
10:36Edible ones.
10:37So, Kira, what are we getting?
10:38So, we're going to pick some cornflowers here.
10:41And we're going to pick these little radish flowers as well.
10:43They're just so pretty, the cornflower, aren't they?
10:47So, these flowers are going to end up decorating the tart, right?
10:49Yeah.
10:49Yeah, and they'll complement the blueberry lovely, won't they?
10:51Yeah, lovely.
10:52The colours.
10:52All right.
10:53Let's go.
10:55Let's go.
10:56Here it is.
10:57So, here's our tart.
10:58Baked for 25 minutes and then egg washed, just to seal it.
11:02And then another five to ten in the oven.
11:05What temperature do you put in that?
11:06About 180.
11:07180 is the dude man.
11:08Yeah.
11:09Honestly, he never lets you down.
11:11Because 160 sometimes, you're like, come on, guy, let's go.
11:14Let's do this.
11:16Yeah, I know.
11:16And 200, you're like, all right, can you calm down?
11:18I know.
11:19But 180.
11:19Happy medium.
11:20Ideal.
11:20I'm a huge fan of 180.
11:23So, sorry.
11:24That looks fun.
11:25Yes.
11:26You're going to pipe in some crampats.
11:27So, obviously, we don't have vanilla in Ireland, so we're going to use some toasted fig leaf.
11:34And they have a beautiful flavour when you toast them especially.
11:38Mm-hm.
11:38Sort of like a grassy, almost coconut taste.
11:41Yeah.
11:41So, we're going to put that in the bottom of the tart.
11:45Nice spirals.
11:47Takes me back to my time as a Cumberland sausage butcher.
11:52I'm pretty happy with that.
11:53Very nice.
11:54Right, so let's get our blueberries then.
11:55Yeah.
11:56So, just fire them on.
11:57So, Duke, you're going in.
11:59Yep.
11:59Oh, no!
12:00Man down!
12:00No!
12:01We are generously piling on a trio of local blueberries and a handful of blackberries for
12:07good measure.
12:10Followed by some of Keira's homemade blackberry jam.
12:14Yum.
12:15Okay.
12:16Honey?
12:17Mm-hm.
12:18A liberal drizzle of honey.
12:20Right.
12:20So nice.
12:21Right, shall we get our flowers?
12:22And a final flourish.
12:24A lovely hand-picked edible wildflowers.
12:28Oh, my God, I can't believe how good that looks.
12:31You're an amazing teacher.
12:33I really enjoyed it.
12:34Good, it looks great.
12:35Well done.
12:39Oh, God, I'm so excited about this.
12:41Shall I?
12:42Masterpiece.
12:43Go for it.
12:43Really?
12:44Yeah.
12:52That was insane.
12:53It was so lovely.
12:54Yeah, you did well.
12:55Good you didn't.
12:56Thanks.
12:59And that has hit the spot most hearts can't reach.
13:02What a blueberry tart.
13:04I've never had a blueberry tart like it.
13:06Or will ever again.
13:07That's the sad thing.
13:08I now have to contemplate that I'll never eat a blueberry tart that great.
13:12I'll process this.
13:13It's gonna take a while.
13:14What's coming up next might soften the blow.
13:17Oh, wow.
13:18A schnitzel that's the absolute shizzle.
13:21You'll like it, guys.
13:31I'm in the Antrim coastline exploring the food scene along Northern Ireland's Causeway
13:36coastal route.
13:37So we've come inland now a couple of miles from Ballycastle and this is a very familiar
13:41view in Ireland.
13:41Farms as far as the eye can see.
13:43But I've come to one specific farm, Brockgavin Farm, who do things a little bit differently
13:48and noisily.
13:51It's a forward-thinking family farm run by Charlie and his wife Becky.
13:56Across 50 acres, very ethical and sustainable produce.
14:02And have arrived just in time for lunch.
14:05Not for me.
14:07For the animals.
14:09There he is, working hard.
14:11Oh, hi, darling.
14:11Hello, Charlie.
14:12So nice to meet you.
14:13Welcome to the bar.
14:14Thanks for having me.
14:15I can't wait to see what you're doing.
14:16I'm just about to feed some cows.
14:17Do you ever give me a hand?
14:18Yeah.
14:193.30 is feeding time.
14:20So they're like, come on, I'm getting hangry.
14:23God bless them.
14:24What do I need to do?
14:25How can I help?
14:25So basically, this is just like powdered milk that we've made out.
14:29So you just put that on there.
14:31How many times a day will they get this?
14:32So they get this morning and afternoon.
14:36I love how feisty they are.
14:38Yeah.
14:40But it's not the calves making all the racket.
14:44So they're all the goats.
14:46They're about six, seven months old now.
14:47And are they screaming at you for a reason?
14:50They're hungry.
14:51They're looking their supper.
14:54What I love is they're all rock and roll stars out there.
14:56They're all independent.
14:57Like completely.
14:58Live fast, die young.
14:59Ace of Spain.
15:00Yeah.
15:01They're like the mackerel of the farming world.
15:05So this is haylage.
15:07So it's like grass that's cut.
15:09We don't let it dry out too much, which would be hay.
15:12They love it.
15:13Oh, yeah, yeah.
15:13They love it.
15:14There's a few wildflowers in there and stuff.
15:17That's us.
15:21That's it.
15:22Keep it going.
15:23Happy goats.
15:24That's some happy goats.
15:26Good job.
15:27Thanks, man.
15:30I love immediately how quiet they've become.
15:32Yeah.
15:33They call them kids for no reason, do they?
15:37There's a youthful joy and exuberance about these calves and kids.
15:41Come on.
15:44Goats, goats, goats, goats, goats, goats.
15:46Come on.
15:47Come on.
15:48And what makes it more potent and poignant is that without Charlie and Becky, they wouldn't even be here.
15:57So basically what we're doing is we're taking the males who were born onto the dairy farms.
16:01And before we came along, like particularly with the goats, there was no market for them whatsoever.
16:05And they were all being euthanized at birth.
16:07And we were like, look, like you're questioning global food security.
16:10You've got perfectly viable protein here.
16:13Like surely we can get over our cultural opinions of it.
16:16Yeah.
16:17And make it a good product.
16:18Like it tastes amazing.
16:19Yeah.
16:19It just requires people to take that step.
16:21The very first, like, goats we reared, we thought we were rearing for an ethnic market.
16:26And it disappeared overnight.
16:27So we were left with 30 goats.
16:29And we said, look, like, let's just turn them into burgers.
16:31Yeah.
16:32Take them down to the local pub.
16:33Stood there on the Friday.
16:34Not a single burger was sold.
16:36But then that evening, someone stumbled up, had the burger.
16:39And he was like, this is amazing.
16:41And the rest is history.
16:44Charlie and Becky have worked hard to create a market for goat meat and veal.
16:49Given the animals a fulfilling life, which otherwise they wouldn't have had.
16:53So how old would the goats be and the calves be when they go to market?
16:57So they're all going at about eight months.
17:00And they're all out on grass whenever we can get them out.
17:03And when they do let them out, calves get to enjoy the sunshine and the lush Irish grass.
17:09As Charlie's wife, Becky, is showing me.
17:12So these guys would have been inside for 12 weeks.
17:14Yes.
17:14And that's to keep them safe and make sure...
17:16That's to wean them off the milk.
17:17So they've just come off their mums.
17:19They arrive at a farm.
17:20They're on the milk.
17:21Yeah.
17:21And then once they're gradually weaned off that, they come out and enjoy the lovely grass.
17:25Yeah.
17:25So this is where they live now?
17:27Yeah.
17:27For the rest of their life?
17:28Yes.
17:28Lovely.
17:29This is their home now.
17:29So, I'll whisper it quietly.
17:31We're going to cook some of your produce.
17:32We are.
17:32So what are we going to make?
17:33We're going to make a rose veal schnitzel, which is Charlie and I's favourite thing.
17:37It's really tasty.
17:38I mean, but I'll keep it classy.
17:40Let's walk off quietly.
17:41We won't tell them.
17:42No.
17:45For meat eaters, eating rose veal, that's reared to a higher welfare standard like the veal
17:50that Charlie and Becky produce, is generally considered a more ethical choice than not
17:54eating it at all.
17:56And seeing the love they have for their animals, they can't wait to try it.
18:00So look at this lovely rose...
18:01Do you call it rose or rose veal?
18:03Can't really go wrong.
18:03Either way.
18:04It's almost pork-like, isn't it, in terms of its colour?
18:07Yeah.
18:07What part of the animal is that from?
18:08So this will be the rum.
18:09It's perfect for making schnitzels.
18:10This is the dish that won you over, correct?
18:13This is one of the dishes, definitely.
18:15This is our family favourite as well.
18:17Yeah.
18:17We make this all the time at home and it's just, it's unbeatable.
18:20I thought it was the medicine steaks or...
18:22No, that did as well.
18:23All right.
18:24That's nice.
18:24That's nice.
18:25I'll give out this.
18:27I need to know for the anniversary dinner.
18:31Okay, folks.
18:32It's schnitzel time.
18:34So, where do we start?
18:36Get kraken.
18:36You get kraken into that.
18:37How many of those do you want in there?
18:38I think go for two.
18:39You can give them a little whisk with a fork.
18:41Lovely.
18:42Perfect.
18:43Two fresh farm eggs and some flour.
18:48Whisk up the eggs and coat the veal slices in the flour.
18:54Okay, we've got the egg.
18:55We also get our breadcrumbs.
18:57You can use any breadcrumbs that you have.
18:59So, Becky's gluten-free, so this is actually like a pea rusk.
19:02Yep.
19:02Once the floured veal is fully immersed in the egg, it gets covered in the crumb.
19:09And in it goes into an oil skillet.
19:12That oil is super hot.
19:14Mm-hmm.
19:14And then you put it in.
19:15Nice sizzle.
19:15And then what you're kind of waiting for is a little bit of red to come through.
19:19Yeah.
19:20And then you know it's good to cook.
19:21So, these taste so good with tomatoes that I did actually pick some tomatoes from a polytunnel.
19:28With Becky on tomato chopping, Charlie on frying, and me on crumb duty, we've got a proper little schnitzel factory
19:38going on.
19:40Have you definitely done this before?
19:41Are you friends?
19:44But it's a messy job, I tell you.
19:46That's an occupational hazard, right?
19:48I'm not...
19:48This is what happens to me, too.
19:49It just gets messy.
19:50That is normal, isn't it?
19:51Well, you are supposed to use...
19:52Whenever I do schnitzel, this always happens.
19:54And I'm like, am I the only person that's happened to me?
19:57No, I'm the same.
20:00Oh, God, these are good.
20:02Yeah.
20:02So, what's the best way to plate them up in this lovely tomato scenario?
20:05Well, I would put some tomatoes on.
20:07Just on the side, like this?
20:08Yes.
20:09Beautiful.
20:10And what you can do is you can also squeeze a little bit of lemon.
20:13Lemon and schnitzels are definitely friends.
20:15Just the best bait, aren't they?
20:17Yeah.
20:17So you can pop that over.
20:18Beautiful.
20:18And then, in the finale, is this blackcurrant jelly.
20:23So this is homemade here at the farm, using blackcurrants from our field.
20:26And you can add a little bit on.
20:28Because the schnitzels actually really go well with something sweet.
20:31Yeah, lovely.
20:32Oh, a lovely smell to it.
20:33Right.
20:34The moment of truth.
20:36Da-da-da!
20:38Here again.
20:41Oh, wow.
20:43Just make sure you leave us some, yeah?
20:45You'll like it, guys.
20:49Yeah.
20:50Yeah.
20:51Yeah.
20:52I think that's terrific.
20:53Really lovely.
20:55Thanks, guys.
20:56Lovely to see what you guys do here.
20:58I wish you the best of luck, because it's a really special thing you've got going on.
21:01Oh, thank you.
21:01Thank you very much.
21:02Mmm.
21:04Yummy.
21:07Oh, man.
21:08I can't stop eating.
21:09So I've headed back to the Causeway coast and the stunning ruin of Kinbane Castle to digest what's been a
21:15truly immense day.
21:17It's just the people I've met.
21:19It's so brilliant and passionate and the level of sort of artistry and innovation and industry and worlds that are
21:26really hard to exist in.
21:28I'm so in awe of them, to be honest.
21:30It's a really special part of the world and I'll definitely be coming back again.
21:35Next time...
21:36Woo!
21:37I get to relive my youth.
21:39It's on, baby.
21:40Fishing for mackerel.
21:42We're on it now, Gordie.
21:43We're on a hot streak.
21:44We'll be talking rhubarb and custard with a drop of good old Irish whiskey.
21:48He's right up my street, that guy.
21:50And I'll be experiencing the only way to enjoy whiskey.
21:53Sláinte.
21:54Sláinte.
21:54On the rocks.
22:05On the rocks.
22:06They fall.
22:19Paul Krampus
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