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00:05The island of Ireland wild, welcoming, and full of stories I've only just begun to uncover.
00:15I'm so excited. We're literally on the Giant's Causeway. This place has always meant something
00:19special to me. It's where my roots lie and where some of my favorite memories were made.
00:25It's on. It's on, baby. Now, I'm back. To explore more of this extraordinary island.
00:32This coastline, isn't it? Stunning. From the rugged beauty of the Causeway coastal route.
00:37Beautiful. So gorgeous, huh? To the sweeping drama of the wild Atlantic Way.
00:41How could you forget this? I'll be following the edge of the land,
00:45diving into the life, and occasionally, the Atlantic itself.
00:49Oh, it's incredible. Along the way, I'll be meeting the people who bring this place to life.
00:54That is cracking.
00:57The farmers. Come on. Come on.
01:00Fishers. They're lobster fishing.
01:02And chefs. That's Nectar of the Gods. That is a masterclass.
01:07Slaying it. That is a dream.
01:08Who doesn't love a lobster roll? Go on, team.
01:10I'll be discovering the flavors. Like Winnie the Pooh right now.
01:14The traditions. So special.
01:17And the stories that define Ireland today.
01:20That was insane. That's so lovely.
01:22This is my taste of Ireland.
01:37It's the start of my journey exploring this beautiful island.
01:40And a beginning in Northern Ireland.
01:43In a stretch of coastline that's completely new to me.
01:50So welcome to the second part of my Irish adventure, which I'm so excited about.
01:54And we've come to the north.
01:54Specifically here, Blackhead Lighthouse.
01:57It's been here since 1902.
02:00You can imagine the ships coming in and out.
02:04What is witnessed in its shadows, including the infamous Titanic coming from the Belfast shipyards on its maiden voyage.
02:11We're going to be taking the courseway coast of the route.
02:13From Belfast all the way to Derry.
02:16And just over there, only 12 miles away, you can see the Mull of Kintyre in the distance in Scotland.
02:22So much to do.
02:23So much to sample.
02:24So much to eat.
02:25Let's get going.
02:29In this first part of my culinary road trip, I'll be exploring the glens of Antrim, from Blackhead Lighthouse to
02:35Glenarm Castle.
02:39I'll sing for my supper on a heritage farm.
02:42This is so special.
02:45Lunching on a local delight.
02:47Oh, that's great.
02:48Potato bread.
02:50And we'll visit a castle on the coast.
02:52Isn't that beautiful?
02:53Gorgeous.
02:54Where I'll have some beef.
02:55It's nectar of the gods.
02:56With Northern Irish cooking royalty, Chef Paula McIntyre.
03:01That is a masterclass.
03:02What a feast.
03:04This is going to take some beating.
03:06There are nine glens in total, each one with their own name and story.
03:11And right now, I'm off to Glenariff, which translates as the Glen of Arable Land.
03:17To meet the sixth generation farmer, he's working his 15 acres of land the way his ancestors did centuries ago.
03:26Hi, Declan.
03:27Hi, how are you doing?
03:28How are you doing?
03:28Lovely to meet you, mate.
03:29How are you?
03:29Good to meet you, too.
03:29Very good, very good.
03:30What a great setup you've got here.
03:32It looks so beautiful.
03:33That's great.
03:33Very welcome.
03:34What sort of farming do you do here?
03:35We model it as a heritage farm.
03:37So we're using traditional breeds, traditional methods, old machinery, old equipment.
03:41And we've tried to take a more sustainable approach, but it's all about farming with the land rather than on
03:47the land.
03:48I see.
03:48I was going to ask, what does heritage farming mean in practice?
03:51For us, it's about just going back to the older methods.
03:54It's about cutting out all the industrialization that happened since the war, basically.
03:59And it's about taking a bit more time with it, getting the community involved.
04:03Yeah.
04:03There's obviously a want and a desire for people to get back in touch with that, and they can see
04:08you come alive when you talk about it.
04:10Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:11So what are we going to be doing today?
04:12Well, we're going to get you doing what they would have been doing a couple of hundred years ago here.
04:16They would have been growing potatoes, they would have been growing oats and growing flax.
04:20So the harvest has been done, we're going to get you sorting some potatoes.
04:24The potato is a quintessentially Irish crop.
04:28They've been growing spuds here for over 430 years.
04:32And in that time, it became a primary staple for the rural population.
04:36We based a lot of what we were doing on that era of about 250 to 200 years ago, and
04:41that's crossing the era of the famine.
04:44Yeah.
04:44I mean, at that time, the potato was the only crop the farmer could save half an acre and grow
04:50enough potatoes to feed the family.
04:52The devastation caused by the Irish potato famine is etched into the identity of Ireland.
04:57It resulted in around 1 million deaths and led to mass immigration that fundamentally reshaped the country.
05:04I think it's hard for people in the UK to kind of comprehend just what a devastating effect it had
05:09on this island, right?
05:10I mean, the population still hasn't recovered in comparison to what it was, yeah?
05:13All right, well, happy times today.
05:15Yeah.
05:16Yep.
05:16Yes.
05:17You ready?
05:18Should we get some work done, Isla?
05:19Come on.
05:20We'll go and sort some spuds.
05:21Do you use some spuds, Isla?
05:23Oh, here we go.
05:24Now, I'm a big fan of the humble spud.
05:26My family absolutely love them, particularly my dad, who is literally obsessed.
05:32Am I about to earn my supper?
05:33Yes.
05:34The spuds have been harvested, but we need to sort them a bit.
05:36Yeah.
05:36What does sorting mean?
05:37When the potatoes come out of the feeders, you might get the odd stone, but you'll get the odd one
05:42that's rotten.
05:43But you also get real small ones.
05:45I'll take it, just anything.
05:46I'll eat the stones.
05:47Well, if you want to make a start, grab a bag behind it and we'll get her hooked on here.
05:51So if you get the open end up there.
05:53So this was literally how people would do it.
05:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:56How are you with old school weights?
05:58Well, I mean, if you mean you come to see the gun show, I mean.
06:0314 pounds of potatoes.
06:0414 pounds?
06:05Yeah.
06:05That's just over six kilos.
06:08I can do that.
06:09Grab your grape there.
06:10This guy?
06:10This guy.
06:11I'll show you there.
06:12We've got the balls in the end there to stuff.
06:15Oh, yeah, nice.
06:16God, this is taking me back.
06:22So is that enough?
06:23Well, we're going to find out when we lay them afterwards.
06:25All right.
06:26Well, maybe a tiny bit more.
06:27Oh, there's some big ones as well, aren't there?
06:29Good sizes.
06:31Good sizes.
06:31Well, if we pick out the small ones first.
06:33Okay.
06:33We'll keep these.
06:34These go in the seed trays at the bottom.
06:36So we'll keep them to next year and they'll be planted.
06:39So whenever you think you're down to about two kilos here, we can...
06:42Okay.
06:43We can bid you to the test.
06:44Yeah, I think probably.
06:45Is that all right?
06:46Pretty good, yeah.
06:47Yep.
06:47Ready?
06:48Go for it.
06:48All right, here we go.
06:51Oh, it's very therapeutic, isn't it?
06:54Now, the moment of truth.
06:59Feels good.
07:00Some of the scales will find out.
07:02I have 14 pound weight on the other side, so...
07:04Yeah, it looks like you're...
07:05So that's heavier.
07:06That's heavier.
07:07We can add a few weights and see what you do have.
07:09So that's 21.
07:10Ah!
07:11That's 21 pounds worth.
07:13Ten kilos.
07:13Oh, my God.
07:14I'll make ten.
07:15What's that way near?
07:16My eyes are bigger than my belly.
07:19It's like we're back in prison.
07:20Come on.
07:21And my back is paying the price.
07:24As a reward for my efforts, though, Declan has arranged lunch in the old homestead.
07:30A 200-year-old building that he has lovingly restored.
07:34Come on, Ed.
07:34After you.
07:35I think I went after you.
07:40Ah, this is so special.
07:43I don't think it was going to be like this.
07:45Yeah.
07:47It's like a time warp.
07:52What would this have been back in the day?
07:54So this was the homestead for this small hoven.
07:57So this is where people would have lived?
07:58That's where they lived.
07:59Full time?
08:00Yeah, yeah.
08:00Would they have slept upstairs?
08:02Yeah, they slept upstairs and it was just one living space.
08:04But this was a space where the clothes were washed and the water was churned and everything was done.
08:09There was something about, like, a quiet small room and a roar of fire that says Ireland to me.
08:15Like, you know, this takes me back to my Granny O'Leary's, like, front room.
08:18You know what I mean?
08:19You walk in and immediately we're hit by the smell.
08:22The smell.
08:22Exactly.
08:23And the heat and the warmth and the welcome, you know.
08:26And a warm welcome in Ireland always, always involves food.
08:32We've sorted the spuds.
08:33So now we have the ingredients for our potato bread.
08:35Yeah.
08:36Known locally as fage.
08:37Traditionally, 200 years ago, that was a staple.
08:40Yes.
08:41Because that was your produce.
08:42You had potatoes, flour and butter.
08:45That's all the crown jewels, isn't it?
08:47I mean, come on.
08:47That's beautiful.
08:48That's right, exactly.
08:49The Holy Trinity.
08:51And there they are.
08:53Yep.
08:53So we're just going to get some of this onto the griddle for you and get it heated and give
08:56you a try.
08:57Lovely.
08:57Declan's thatch.
08:59You're just warming these now, aren't you?
09:00Just warming them, yeah.
09:01Yeah, they've been baked.
09:02So we're just toasting them on the griddle.
09:06Such a beautiful fire.
09:07Yeah.
09:12That's great.
09:13Good stuff.
09:14There we go.
09:16So, yeah, we've got a local grower who makes a market gardener who makes a lot of chutneys.
09:23They're just on the top, yeah?
09:25On the top, yeah.
09:26May I?
09:27Go for it.
09:30Oh, that is great.
09:32Really good.
09:33They're so filling.
09:34But in a really lovely, like, wholesome way, eh?
09:38I could thick fire.
09:39You get the crispy out there and the nice warm spud in between.
09:43Yeah.
09:43You can tell it's potatoes in it.
09:45So it sort of tastes the potatoes and it doesn't taste the potatoes, you know?
09:48That's it.
09:48That's it.
09:48Even if you're not keen on potatoes, it's still a nice...
09:51If you're not keen on potatoes, you have no earthly right, A, watching this show,
09:55talking to either of us.
09:57I don't trust anyone that's not keen on potatoes.
10:01Oh, thank you, Mum.
10:02It's been a real education.
10:03I've loved it.
10:05And it's also just...
10:06It's so tasty as well.
10:08Yeah, yeah.
10:09So we'll just grab a seat, sit back.
10:11We might even know if we bought the poaching and hid them in the cupboard.
10:13Now we can't.
10:13Now we're talking.
10:14Get the poaching out.
10:16Get the music on, see where the night takes us.
10:19Thanks, buddy.
10:20Oh.
10:21Sadly, I can't settle in for the night.
10:24Because I've got a royal appointment.
10:28With the queen of Northern Irish cooking.
10:31Thank you, Sensei.
10:32Oh, thank you, darling.
10:33Bye.
10:42I'm following the Causeway coastal route in Northern Ireland.
10:46And I've arrived at the picturesque village of Glenarm.
10:50So, having put my skills to the test as a 19th century farmer, which, I've got to be honest,
10:54is not something I'm entirely suited to, I thought I'd take it easy a little bit.
10:58Come and see how the other half live, or at least lived, here in the Glenarm estate.
11:03Try some wonderful produce, get cooking.
11:06This ancestral estate has been the historic seat of the Earls of Antrim for over 600 years.
11:13So good to meet you, Adrian.
11:14How are you?
11:16Good, good.
11:16Good, good.
11:17Good morning.
11:17The man looking after it today is estate manager, Adrian.
11:22Adrian, what a place.
11:23Look at this place.
11:24Yeah.
11:24I'm so lucky to be able to enjoy this every day.
11:28So tell us about this place.
11:29Well, the house is home to the McDonald family, who are the Earl and Countess of Antrim.
11:34And the original size of this estate was 350,000 acres.
11:39Wow.
11:40So it went all the way from here, right up to Donegal.
11:42And then in the 1904, there was an Irish Land Act passed.
11:46Yeah.
11:46An Irish landlord could not own any more than 2,000 acres.
11:49So they had to get rid of the other 348,000 acres.
11:54At the time, that must have been seismic.
11:57It would have been painful.
11:58I can imagine, yeah.
12:00And these are original leaves of Scottish settlers coming over?
12:03Yes.
12:04Yeah.
12:04That's right.
12:05Let me ask you about your accent.
12:06Your accent's so unique, because it sounds like half Irish, half Scottish.
12:09Yeah, I thought that was my posh accent I was putting on there so you could understand.
12:14You see, Scotland's only 13 miles across there.
12:17We've only got a road command to this part of the glens about 170 years ago.
12:23Right.
12:23So prior to that, it was easier to go to Scotland for their groceries.
12:27Yeah.
12:27You know, they were trading with their neighbour 13 miles away rather than trying to get to Belfast without a
12:32road 35 miles away.
12:34I mean, this was an easier across the sea journey.
12:37Yeah.
12:40They've farmed the 1,600 acres of land here for centuries.
12:44We've got a working farm.
12:46We keep our own beef and sheep.
12:48But I'm interested in the herd of free-roaming shorthorns.
12:53And those are shorthorns there out there?
12:55Those are shorthorns there now today, yeah.
12:57And they have a lovely life, presumably.
12:58I mean, they look crappy.
12:59Oh, they're happy, yes, yes.
13:01These are lovely cattle tour.
13:03If you're going out there today, you could just walk over there and they'll just come and they'll lick your
13:07boots and cook.
13:09Oh, that makes me feel quite bad.
13:12It makes me feel like I should be eating salad.
13:14But the salt-aged beef they produce here is known to be exceptional.
13:18And with the wonderful Paula McIntyre on how to cook it, I think I'll get over it.
13:24Look who you bump into in the herb garden.
13:26I know.
13:28How are you doing?
13:28Only Northern Ireland royalty.
13:30Hello, good to see you. How are you?
13:31Good to meet you.
13:32Lovely to meet you.
13:33How's it going?
13:33Good. What about you?
13:34I'm really well.
13:35What a spot.
13:36What a spot you've got here.
13:37Isn't it beautiful?
13:38Gorgeous.
13:40This is Paula's manor.
13:42Well, not her actual manor, but she was born and brought up along this gorgeous coastline.
13:48It's just a brilliant part of the world to live in.
13:51We've got brilliant produce here.
13:53We've got beef and we've got the dairy here is fantastic.
13:57The fish.
13:58It's just a really gorgeous part of the world.
14:01How has the food scene here in your time evolved?
14:04Like, honestly, from really basic to completely mushroomed out of control.
14:12I think once we start to have tourists here, they want things that are grown here.
14:16Yeah.
14:16They want stories.
14:19And we're good at stories.
14:20Yeah.
14:22Luckily for me, she's also pretty good at cooking.
14:25What are we going to eat today?
14:26Because we're going to have salt-aged Glenarm Côte de Boeuf from the farm here.
14:33And we're going to do beans.
14:34And you can put any of those words together in any connection.
14:37I know.
14:37Côte de Boeuf, salted, from the farm.
14:39On a barbecue.
14:41Oh, stosh.
14:42We're going to do some vegetables for you, too, because you have to have veg, don't you?
14:45Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:46Yeah.
14:46And then, obviously, I'm going to use as many of these herbs as I can.
14:50I was thinking, you know, when we're letting the beef rest?
14:52Yeah.
14:53Going to give it, not a butter bath, but maybe like a butter puddle.
14:57A herby butter puddle.
14:58A herby butter puddle sounds...
15:00Oh, you think about that?
15:00...marvellous.
15:02Butter puddle?
15:06Let the cooking commence.
15:08I can't tell you how excited I'm about this.
15:10I know.
15:11Me too.
15:11Because everything here, including you, is my favourite thing.
15:15You've become my favourite person ever.
15:17That's such excellent.
15:18This looks amazing.
15:19Look at that, look at that.
15:19This looks so vibrant and fresh and lovely.
15:21I know, and then look at this.
15:22There's a butter puddle.
15:23Butter puddle.
15:26So shall I?
15:27Yeah, go for it, yeah.
15:28Oh, I can't wait for that sizzle.
15:29Ready?
15:30Yeah, flip her over and do this.
15:31This way?
15:32Yeah, please.
15:32So it doesn't stick.
15:35Oh!
15:36Any you bozos want to get close to this?
15:38Woo!
15:40You said crit de buff, right?
15:41Yep.
15:42That is a big...
15:43That is a big...
15:44What's that?
15:45Kilo?
15:46About, maybe more.
15:47Yeah?
15:47About a kilo, yeah.
15:48So how long would that need?
15:49I suspect you're medium rare.
15:51Oh, I wish I was.
15:53What are you?
15:53I'm a medium well.
15:54So we're going to be about four hours.
15:56Are you even talking to you?
15:56Are you even talking to you?
15:59I think we best go medium.
16:02You know, we'll give it about 20 minutes, probably.
16:05Yeah.
16:05Whilst the barbecue works its magic, we're puddling.
16:08So we've got the bay leaf here.
16:11In goes rosemary and bay.
16:13Doesn't that love to smell that?
16:15No, no.
16:16Gorgeous.
16:16Yeah.
16:17Good Irish pressure in there as well.
16:19Right, well, we'll have a look at this.
16:20We're not going to poke it now.
16:21We're going to be mature about it.
16:24Whoa!
16:25Oh, look at that.
16:26Look at the fat.
16:26The fat's gorgeous, isn't it?
16:27So that's chicken.
16:28Mm-hmm.
16:29What do we do with these?
16:30So I want to grill them.
16:31Oh, yeah.
16:31You know when the steak's...
16:32Oh, yeah.
16:32When the steak's sitting in its little bath,
16:34we're going to grill that.
16:35Is anything nicer than a char-grilled spring onion?
16:38Nothing.
16:38So good, isn't it?
16:39Maybe the steak.
16:39Maybe the steak.
16:41What about these?
16:42Got some runner beans.
16:42Would you grill them?
16:43Great in the back.
16:44I just blanched them for about a couple of minutes,
16:46and then a bit of oil.
16:47Honestly, it just transforms them completely.
16:49Fantastic.
16:50But what do you address them?
16:52All right, chef, where do we start?
16:53Right, so just because I like a bit of hot sauce,
16:57there's a chipotle, it's a local one,
16:58just a little bit of hot sauce, just nice with steak.
17:00That shows you how far our food's come here.
17:02The fact you're saying it's just a little local chipotle sauce.
17:04Exactly.
17:05Right?
17:06Right, so a bit of that, and then this is just a balsamic vinegar.
17:09No, because before we started filming, we had a go on this.
17:12This is basically balsamic vinegar aged in...
17:14Aged whiskey barrel.
17:15Stop it.
17:16It is so good.
17:17So good.
17:18Oh, that is just...
17:19Yeah.
17:20That's nectar of the gods.
17:21Right, and then just a bit of salt, and then if you whisk,
17:24this is just, again, this is a local rapeseed oil,
17:27and it's a slightly smoky one, hickory smoked.
17:30Is your disposition on vinaigrette like three...
17:33Yeah.
17:33Three all to one...
17:34Yeah, one to three, one vinegar.
17:36It's just, it's so simple, isn't it?
17:38Like, it sounds like such a ridiculous thing to say,
17:40but if I smash a good vinaigrette at home,
17:42I feel like an absolute don.
17:44Right, there we are, a bit of pepper.
17:45That's us.
17:46The idea is that we'll bring these out,
17:48and whenever they're nice and hot,
17:51and they'll soak up that lovely flavour.
17:54That's the greatest vinaigrette I've ever tasted in my life.
17:57That vinaigrette is destined for big things.
18:01I'm going to just brush a bit of that.
18:03There you are.
18:05Paula is applying it liberally to both sides of our steak.
18:08Yeah, turn it over again, look at that.
18:16And once it's had enough cooking,
18:18it goes in for a wallow in a herbaceous puddle.
18:22And the barbie is ready to welcome the veg.
18:25Now, do we need to put any oil on them?
18:27Yeah, a wee bit of oil, yeah.
18:28And then if you want to fire those on,
18:29we'll just stick them on as they are.
18:31When I do these in a barb, sometimes they go through the holes.
18:35It annoys me so much when I lose an asparagus.
18:38Yeah. Oh, no, man, down!
18:41I would have gone and maybe not overcrowded, but I like that.
18:45No, no, no, leave it in, I like it. Are you sure?
18:46Oh, yeah, yeah, I like it.
18:48Our kotoboff has been resting in its butter puddle.
18:52How long does that guy need to rest over there?
18:53Well, we'll give him another ten minutes.
18:55I know, sorry.
18:58Whilst the spring onions and the runner beans
19:00are having a party on the barbie,
19:02we are on to the herbs.
19:05And then we'll do a...
19:06We'll do a nice chiffonade.
19:09I've never seen...
19:09Just sort of roll them up.
19:10And then just go really nice and tight there and just...
19:16Nice and fine, like that.
19:18So that's a chiffonade.
19:19I'd do a chiffonade.
19:20I didn't even know I was doing a chiffonade.
19:23You're doing a chiffonade?
19:23My chiffonade technique is a little more cautious.
19:26A chiffonade.
19:27Now a chiffonade.
19:28Now you're chiffonading.
19:29And we'll throw that in here, look.
19:30Is that the dressing for the veg?
19:33There you go, chef.
19:34Lovely.
19:37So I'm just going to fire this in now, Dermot,
19:39while it's warm and then I'll soak up with those lovely flavours.
19:46Smell those, aren't they?
19:47Fabulous, aren't they?
19:48Mmm.
19:49We'll get the salad onto this plate and I love them.
19:54Salad finito and we're on to the star of the show.
19:57Right.
19:58Beef.
19:58Right.
20:00Look at that.
20:00Right, we've got our bone.
20:01What's the best way when you've got beef on the bone like this?
20:03Oh, so we've got our bone.
20:04Right, just take that down nice and tight as you can there.
20:10Just down, look at that there.
20:11Oh, yeah.
20:12How's that?
20:12Can you cope with that?
20:13Yeah, you can cope with that.
20:15Jeez, look at that.
20:15Yeah, really lovely.
20:17That's nice, isn't it?
20:18A sprinkling of salt.
20:20And then a bit of pepper.
20:24I like to season with pepper afterwards because you put the pepper on before it kind of burns it.
20:29Yeah.
20:30And then we are ready to plate up.
20:33A little squirt of the oil too.
20:35That is a masterclass.
20:37Thank you, Paula.
20:37I like to have everything.
20:38No, brilliant.
20:39And now to taste Paula's magnum opus.
20:43Thank you so much, Paula.
20:46What a treat to be out here cooking with you.
20:48No, no, thank you.
20:49Really, really enjoyed it.
20:50The treat's been all mine.
20:52The veg, that salad's just come to life.
20:55The beef, okay for you?
20:56Fantastic.
20:57Yeah, all right, yeah.
20:57Really beautiful.
20:58So tender, so gorgeous.
21:00Thank you, Sensei.
21:01No, thank you, darling.
21:04Thank you for that.
21:05Thanks, Dermot.
21:07I've only just arrived, but already I'm loving this beautiful part of the island of Ireland.
21:13And my first impressions are that in these parts, there's a yearning to get back to nature.
21:19In a world where we seem to be getting farther and farther away from nature, it's lovely to see people
21:23that are getting closer and closer to it.
21:25And the food, so simple, but so delicious.
21:31This is going to take some being, but for you, I'll do my very best to give it a go.
21:37Next time, I'll visit a Ballycastle bakery to learn how to make a French blueberry tart with an Irish heart.
21:45I can't believe how good that looks.
21:47And I'll be down with the kids.
21:49All right, there we go.
21:50That's some happy goats.
21:51On a very special farm.
21:53Come on.
21:53Making rose veal schnitzel.
21:55The moment of truth.
21:56Da-da-da.
21:57Don, on a very special farm.
22:20Don't listen for your options.
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