02x29 - St Mawes

[bunniefuu]

This is my son, James.
And this is my dad, d*ck.

We are exploring the coastlines of
the South-West

in search of ingredients to cook
on board our boat, the Morwenna.

We're going to call into harbours
along the way,

meet the locals and then pick up
great ingredients

to cook some tasty dishes on board.

Which is just as well
because we're very hungry sailors!

Today, we're heading to St Mawes
on the Roseland Peninsula,

where we'll be going head to head
in a banger bonanza...

One, two, three, four,
I declare a sausage w*r.

...cooking for the workers
on a country estate. They're picky.

I tried something different
and it didn't go down well.

I minced it once
and they didn't like that.

And meeting a true hero.
He grows spuds.

Do you think you can keep this up
for 12 hours?

At the end I'd want to eat some,
rather than look at them.

All to make dinner for some
very special guests.

That just reminds me
of my childhood so much.

It's like a warming, wintery kiss.

♪ WATERBOYS: Fisherman's Blues

♪ THE VERVE: Bittersweet Symphony

We're on the latest leg
of our expedition

to find great Cornish food and people
who love it as much as we do.

Skipper, we've got ghost ships
to starboard!

A pretty amazing view from up here,
actually.

We're making our
way down the River Fal,

past some of the huge ships

left in moth ba*ls
while they're out of work.

we're motoring out into the estuary

and heading east just before
we reach the open sea.

What sort of weather are we
expecting when we get back to sea?

Gales.
Gales again.

It might be sunny and nice here,
but windy out there.

Our next port of call is St Mawes,

just over seven miles downstream
from our last port at Tolverne.

We've just come down the river
from Truro,

and this is Carrick Roads.

It comes from the old Cornish
"Carrick Ruin," meaning "Black Rock,"

That's it over there. And that's St
Mawes Castle, built by Henry VIII

in the 16th century as part
of his a*tillery coastal defences,

perfectly paired with Pendennis
Castle on the other side of the bay,

to protect from any invasion by
Catholic, French or Spanish forces.

We're heading off to the east coast
to pick up a mooring at St Mawes.

What a beautiful place to go to.
Looks lovely.

I can't wait to see what's round
the corner too.

I hope it's a little bit calmer.

There are various theories about
why the village is called St Mawes.

I like the tale of Maudetus,

a preacher of royal descent
from Ireland.

Apparently, when a sailor made
a racket during one of his sermons,

he clipped him round the ear.

Everywhere we go we compete

to see who can cook the best dish
from the ingredients we find.

Our guests vote for their favourite.

Today I'm doing the starter and pudding.

James is doing the main course.

He's just one behind, and we're
nearing the end of our trip.

So it's all to play for.

For centuries St Mawes earned
its keep from fishing,

and the village still has
a small commercial fleet.

But today it's a popular
tourist destination.



♪ BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH:
Box Of Stones

♪ My harbour has a boat in it

♪ The water makes its way
around it... ♪

We're leaving the coast behind

to explore the farming heartland
beyond St Mawes.

We've heard about a place that
produces a farmhouse favourite

just like Granny used to make.

It's always uphill
Yeah.

We're going to go and get sausages,
Dad. I'm happy.

♪ Every little piggy's
got a curly tail

♪ A curly tail... ♪

At Barwick Farm they reckon happy
pigs are tasty pigs.

This lot look very contented,

so we're expecting great things
of the Kernow Sausage Company.

Gavin Roberts is our guide
to the ultimate banger.

Nice to meet you, Gavin.
Hiya.

Is that you?

It was five years ago, yeah.

Come on, where's the sausage empire?

Gents, let me show you.
This is Chez Sausage. Come on in.

My grandmum, bless her,
my late grandmum,

she taught me how to make sausages
as a kiddie.

I think I was her last chance

to pass her sausage making knowledge on

because nobody else wanted it.

As the youngest grandson
of the youngest daughter,

It was me or it wasn't going to happen.

Fortunately for her,
as a young child,

I remember peeking
over the kitchen table

and watching this strange,
snake-like creature

appear out
of this hand-wound machine.

Which we've still got, actually.
I'm very partial to it.

But, yeah, I think it was destiny.

And I think when I first entered
the meat industry,

she was ever so keen to make sure

that I had a bank
of the family recipes.

What makes a good sausage?

A good sausage, to be honest,

it has to be the quality
of the ingredients.

Like anything you only get out
what you put in,

so we start off with a really
nice quality piece of pork

from a nice, you know,
good, healthy pig.

James and I want
to make some sausages.

I like the idea of lots of flavours.
A nice shoulder.

If we turn that into sausages we'd
be very interested in your opinion.

Absolutely.
And I'd like to eat some sausages.

First things first,
we need to mince up the meat.

One, two, three, four,
I declare a sausage w*r.

Mine are going to be a classic pork
and apple blend

with some creamy Cornish blue cheese
and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

And hopefully it's going
to win me this competition

and then the end competition as well
so I'm very confident.

Mine will be flavoured
with garlic and leeks.

I'm just going to use the salt
to mush up my garlic.

Juggling Jim there
is getting a bit c*ck.

I've told him not to play
with his food.

The final element,
some rusk or bread crumbs

to soak up the juices
and lock in the flavour.

All the ingredients in?
Yeah.

Salt, pepper, seasoning.
Yeah.

Go.

They're going to be quite meaty 'cause
it only went through the mincer once.

Mixing by hand is the best way.

Then it goes through the mincer
again to get the right consistency.

Now for the fun bit, stuffing our
sausage mix into its skin.

That's all right. Open her up.
d*ck, do you want to go first? Yeah.

Mine's a coarse mix.

If there's lots of air in your mix

when you go to fill your sausages
you'll get air in your sausages.

And that can lead to a banger
that pops in the pan.

Sausages became known as bangers in
the trenches of the First World w*r

when food shortages
reduced the meat content.

They were packed with scraps, cereal

and water which made them pop
when they were cooked.

That's set fast!

Well, if you just keep your thumb
and your forefinger.

That's it.
That man's done this before.

It surprised me to begin with.
Let's not be too shy.

OK, that's me done.

My dad made it look fairly easy,
but now it's time for the pro.

Any minute now. As you said that
my heart rate just sped up, actually.

My dad made it look fairly
easy, but now it's time for the pro.

Come on. It's pressure, this father-
son, sausage making competition.

Then we go.
jeez, it's fast, isn't it?

Right, keep the end of the spout and
you're off. Good, good. Let it run.

Look at his face.

It's the concentration, isn't it?

Now we just need to tie them off
into fat fingers of deliciousness.

has taught by my gran therefore,
of course,

it's the right method.
The right method!

Again, the same thing,

using the sausage template
and then a twist,

and then we've got our first bunch
all together.

♪ ARTHUR CRUDUP: That's All Right

They look good. These are the ones
that Gavin's done.

Somehow I seem
to be making sausages here.

I have no idea what's going on.

I'm looking forward to trying both.
Two very different recipes.

Definitely looking forward...

Let's go cook 'em.
I'll get a pan.

Since he set up the company in 2007,

Gavin's products have won
dozens of awards,

so he knows a top sausage
when he tastes one.

The banger test.

You ready, son?
Ready, yeah.

Here we go.

I'll put yours in first
to see if it is too hot.

Oh.
Wow!

There's something about cooking
sausages outside.

Now, what should have happened
is these sausages

should have been allowed
to dry for a little.

I'd just like to say at this stage,

one of yours there has got a big
old bubble in it.

It's easy to tell them apart. Mine
have flecks of green leek showing,

James's haven't.
Shall! keep them moving around?

Don't touch my sausages.
Don't touch yours, fine.

Don't squish them. Keep to that side.
Get over your side!

That's your sausage. Anyway, as i
was saying normally what would happen

is you let your sausages dry, OK?

And that means the ends also seal up
nicely. These are very fresh.

So what could happen is they could
sort of leak a little bit.

These ones,
it's all about the taste test.

I'm going to keep mine moving.
Keep mine moving as well.

Sausages bring out the BBQ king in people.

Whoever's got the tongs
is the alpha, and ha ha.

Go and get some wood. Make a salad.

You're only little and I'm old.

Don't squeeze 'em!
Look, look you're squeezing them!

This is another rule of 3305.

Older males tend to just have
criticism about anything.

Put some wood on.

Look, I'm only doing this because it
needs more wood, all right?

That's why I said it.

They're popping a bit, but despite
their looks they small amazing.

We've got bangers, basically.

We've got bangers because they
haven't actually been allowed to dry,

and we're on warp factor a gazillion
on the rocket stove.

Don't bash mine too much.

You take the tongs.
I've had enough of your nagging.

All you have to do is nag for a bit
and then you get the tongs.

Gavin, mate?

How are you doing, guys?
Two different types here.

These are mine at this end.

It's got leek in it.
Your leek's just spread.

[LAUGHS]

OK, here we go.

I have to say, James.
that's pretty tasty.

It is,
but we've not tried d*ck's yet.

Yeah try a bit of a leek one.
Give the leek a go.

Leek and garlic, yeah, dad?
Mm-hm.

They're both good.

The last sausage you were allowed
to eat, which one would you choose?

Or put it less sort of like
an ultimatum,

which is your favourite
out of those two sausages?

I've got say, sorry, d*ck,

but I think James's sausage
edges it for me, I'm afraid.

But a very close call.

OK, well, in that case, you two can
share James's, and I'll eat mine.

Do you want to come and join us
for a bite to eat? I'd love to.

Could be a good chance
you'll be getting sausages.

In copious quantities, as well.

Absolutely, I look found to it.
Cool.

We've got our first guest
for dinner tomorrow,

one with a superb palate,

and I've got some top quality
ingredients for my main course.

I'm already onto a winner.
Watch out for the mud.

Ugh!

Ivan has created a pork blow-pipe

with budgie bon-bons,
served in a lime air.

Has he?
I think I'll just keep it tea.

We're in St Mawes on the latest leg
of our Cornish cooking adventure.

Everywhere we go we search out
great local ingredients

to cook for food fanatics
Just like us.

We're exploring the beautiful
Roseland Peninsula,

and we've got some feathered friends
for company.

There are pheasants everywhere.

We've been hunting for ingredients
and we've been quite successful.

We've got some sausages, yeah.

Talk about hunting and sh**ting,
there's pheasants everywhere.

They're all along the hedgerows,
there must be a sh**t near here.

[MOOING]

This is Caerhays Castle and it's
nestled in a lovely bit of woodland

overlooking Porthluney Cove.

The gardens open in spring
and their origins date

to the great plant hunters
of the 19th century,

Wilson, and the aptly named Forest.

They brought back amazing
collections from China,

including camellias, acers,
oaks and azaleas.

There's been a settlement here
since 700 AD.

The Trevanion family bought the place
in the mid-14th century,

and they owned it
till the mid-19th century.

Throughout that period lots of
different buildings were here.

Some were erected,
some knocked down.

The current castle
was designed by John Nash.

He's the chap who did Buckingham
Palace and Brighton Pavilion. Very posh.

Very posh. But with great style
comes a lot of expense.

Nash was actually so expensive that
he crippled the Trevanion family,

and in 1840 they fled to Paris.

The properly was then taken over
by the bailiffs.

The Williams family bought it and
have been here for five generations.

They're still living here
and today they've got a sh**t on.

Caerhays has a reputation

as one of the best estates in
the country for pheasant sh**ting.

The season in Britain
runs from October to February,

and there are shoots
for up to six days a week.

The beaters are key
to the success of a sh**t.

Their job is to drive the birds
towards the g*ns.

There will be about 20 on duty today.

They'll work up quite an appetite.
It's our job to help feed them.

We get top tips from the gamekeeper's
wife Sheila.

What sort of food do they eat?

We have roast beef, roast pork,
cottage pie, pheasant leek pie.

So it's the sort of thing that suits
this weather. Exactly.

It's quite chilly. A nice stew with
a cobbler. I call them a cobbler.

It's quite chilly. A nice stew with
Nice, hot, warm food.

You need some pheasant, don't you?
Yeah.

Have you got any pheasant that I
could take to prepare for the meal?

Yu, lots for you.
We'll grab some of them to cook.

I think for beaters I'm going rabbit.

Up in the big castle? No, in
grandma's castle here, actually.

We're off to find the cook.

She lives in a lodge at the end
of the drive, a cycle ride away.

Maggie Semmens makes lunch
for the beaters

every day throughout the season.

Maggie knows what they like.
Nothing fancy.

Her specialty is pheasant
and leek pie,

made with the birds delivered
daily from the castle.

She does it all
in her tiny cottage kitchen.

Hello, Maggie!
Hello.

Hello, Maggie!
Hello.

We want to see if we can tickle
their taste buds with two new dishes.

How lovely to see you.

I'm looking forward to this.

Good.

We're cooking for beaters.

Beaters don't like rabbits.
So I'm going to let them eat them.

That's the easy answer,
so I'm doing a nice rabbit pie.

James is getting tips from Maggie.

She's been doing this for a while.
She's our expert.

How do I cook it to win this
competition versus my dad?

Give me some tips 'cause
you've been doing this for ages,

and I've already heard up there
about your pies being legendary.

Just straightforward so that you've
got your flavours.

Don't doctor it up too much,

but I just use the thigh meat
and the breast

because them is a lot of sinews in there.

Ooh, you've got rabbits. Look at
this for a mound of pheasants.

That's a mountain of pheasant, isn't it?

I'm going to share it with Maggie.
That's not all for one casserole.

I'm going for beef,
chorizo and pheasant.

I think the chorizo's going
to snooker you here.

No, no. It's going to be a bit like
a beaters' version of a cassoulet.

What are you doing?

Rabbit. Yeah, but what's your
special trick with it?

How are you going to win the votes?
Son, when you taste it you'll know.

For my casserole I'm searing
the pheasant, beef and sausage

before I add in the red onion,
garlic, rosemary and red wine.

Maggie's given us her kitchen
and you're cooking in a cupboard?

Maggie?
Yes, it feels like it.

We've pushed her all the way
into the corner.

It's just like cooking
on board Morwenna.

I've filleted the rabbit.

It goes into a little hot oil
to brown it,

then I soften the onions and garlic
and add carrots and parsnips.

Cornish cider.

What I'm going to do
is this simmer away

probably for the best part
of an hour and a half.

I've browned everything off
in a little bit of oil,

and now I'm just adding in a couple
of bottles of red wine.

Time to make the hot water crust,
that's pastry, for my pie.

And this is a real treat,
rosemary dumplings.

How many are you using?

I'm just getting into the spirit

of the beating that's going on.
Do you get it?

I've mixed the egg and suet, which
is shredded fat, with flour, water,

chopped rosemary and seasoning

to make little dumplings full
of flavour for my casserole.

Into my breadcrumb,
egg and flour and salt,

I'm putting my melted lard
and butter with warm water,

and I'm now going
to knead that into my pastry.

Butter beans will absorb the lovely
flavours from my casserole.

Maggie has been preparing
a Caerhays favourite

in the tiny amount of space
we've left her.

Maggie's called for the pheasant
and leek. Straight in?

In there, please.
Oh, yummy.

So this is a classic.
They love this one.

They like this one. I've tried something
different and it didn't go down well.

I minced it
and they didn't like that.

So stick to what they know.
So stick to what they like.

And I'm having a pie sauna.

Oh, James, James!

Well, I can't see anything.
Come back a bit.

My rabbit pie's ready for its lid,

and I'm hoping the beaters
will be tempted by it.

although Maggie's pie
does smell great.

So this time it's not just James
I'm competing with.

And they're in!

Plus an us!
Yes.

While lunch is cooking we've
got a few minutes to relax.

It doesn't matter
which way you look here.

We've got the lake, the valley,
we've got the seaside.

And your own castle. My own castle.
It's got turrets and everything.

You must have a good supply
of game here.

It's a very good sh**t. It's a very
integral part of the estate.

They came to me five years ago

and asked would I like
to cook for the beaters,

so I started
and it's progressed from them.

And I thoroughly enjoy it.

They're lovely people.
They enjoy what I cook.

They all think I'm glad when the
season's ends, but not really.

I don't keep to a certain menu
through the week,

so that one of their bits
of enjoyment

is they don't always know
what's for lunch.

So all morning
there is a bit of banter.

"What do you think we're having?"

Today's one's going
to be a bit dodgy

because they've got us and we've
got quite surprising dishes.

I think I over filled mine.

I've never seen this much food in
the back of a Land Rover before.

Yummy.

Two pies, a casserole
and a tray of dumplings.

When was the last time you cycled
anywhere in an apron?

Well... She's gone! She's gone!
It's going cold!

Lunch is served
in the castle tea rooms.

It's been a successful morning.

More birds to keep Maggie's pie
production line going.

Sheila, what I've done in here
is a pheasant casserole,

or gamekeeper's casserole.

It's got local skirt, and some sort
of Spanish style sausages,

butter beans, with one of these
rosemary dumplings.

It smells beautiful. I'll keep one
back for you, actually.

Otherwise they'll go.
And this is pie.

Well, come on, what's in it?

It's rabbit pie with cider. You enjoy
yourself, go fill your boots.

What makes a happy beater?
She's got a knife.

A well fed beater
makes a happy beater.

OK, don't be shy. The food's ready!

They know what they like, Maggie.

You've got them so that they know
exactly what they like.

The best.

You'll never know.
You'll never know now.

Thank you, dear.

We're up against it here.

Maggie's regulars don't even like
quiche or lasagne. Too exotic.

So it's no surprise they're reluctant
to try our dishes.

Pheasant casserole, rabbit or
pheasant pie? Pheasant pie, please.

Can I interest anyone
in some pheasant casserole?

It's got local sausage and skirt in
it, a bit of rosemary, dumpling?

Here you are. You've got
to be dishing this one up.

Gamekeeper's wife Sheila
is doing her best for us,

but we've got very few takers.

Rabbit pie?

Yes, one to me.

But our count is still
in single figures.

I don't want to get in between
the men and their food.

If anyone's keen
to try some pheasant casserole.

There's some pheasant pie left
from Mingle,

so don't worry,
you're all right still.

That's not fussy.

Yes, we've got a taker.
I hope you enjoy it, sir.

All these beaters can't be wrong.

We'd better try Maggie's marvellous
cooking for ourselves.

I have to say, I don't blame them

for going for
what they know and like.

Her pie is delicious.
I'd vote for it.

When they run out, they're going
to have to eat ours.

Who do you think the winner was in
this little cook-off competition?

Well, congratulations.

Yeah. Very, very fair competition,
but the right winner.

It was excellent.
They know what they like.

They loved it, but I don't blame
them. They didn't even look at ours.

We took quite a beating
from the beaters,

but at least Maggie hasn't been
put off our cooking.

She's agreed to join us
for dinner tomorrow.

I'm glad we won't be competing
against her though.

She'd give us a right run
for our money.

Our culinary voyage of discovery
around the coastlines of Cornwall

has brought us to St Mawes.

So far on this leg of the journey
we've made our own sausages

and cooked lunch for some very
discerning country gents.

We've got two guests joining us
for dinner later,

but there are more people to meet
and ingredients to find.

Cooking on board our boat
is a fading hope, though.

Despite the sunshine, skipper Rob
says there's a storm brewing,

so he's heading for safer waters.

We're going fishing later on,

so I hope the bad weather stays away
for a wee while,

but for now the sun's shining,

so we're going to take
a little scenic detour.

This is pretty, isn't it?

This is the church
of St just in Roseland.

It's described as the prettiest
church in the country.

Built along this tidal creek,
it's absolutely gorgeous,

and because of the temperature it's
all surrounded by tropical plants.

It was actually built
in the 13th century,

and legend has it,
it's quite a strange one,

that Joseph of Arimathea
brought Jesus here

when he came on his visit
to Cornwall.

Sounds quite odd, doesn't it?
Right.

Well, Roseland at least
they've got an imagination.

There's no evidence that Jesus did
come to Cornwall with Joseph

on a tin trading mission


but equally there's no proof
that he didn't, so who knows?

The skies are darkening,
but it will take more than that

to put us off our fishing trip.

We need to check out
a brand new business

set up to catch and sell fish locally

from a boat powered
only by sail and oars.

It's called Teach A Man To Fish and
it's run by Cat and Simon Holman.

Nice to meet.
Hello.

I'm looking forward to this.
Which one is yours?

She's on the mooring out there.

It's a sort of sailing fishing
business? Exactly, yeah.

she's one of the first
engineless fishing boats

built in the past 50 years.
Cool.

Well done.
Let's go and see her, yeah.

You'd better catch some fish,
is all I can say. We'll try.

We've fished under sail for oysters
on the River Fal.

I want to see
how this new venture compares.

The boat's name is Kensa

which is a girl's name in Cornish
meaning 'first'.

Nice. Yeah.

She's the first boat that I've
designed that has come into build.

She's the first boat that we have
built together.

It's a first all round.

OK, first boat you've built, first
boat you've designed. Does it work?

Only one way to find out.

Let's hoist the sails
and get fishing.

When they're not out at sea,

Cat works as a Spanish tutor
and translator

and Simon is a marine engineer
and lecturer.

♪ LOUIS ARMSTRONG: La Vie En Rose

Simon designed Kensa as
a build-it-yourself model

that slots together easily.

I love the idea that anybody
can set up a fishing business

from a flat pack.

It's very peaceful out here, isn't it?

It's lovely, isn't it? It is.
It's nice not having an engine.

We're fishing, after a fashion.

We're fishing and sailing.

Where did you learn to fish?

We've mostly been learning from
friends to be honest. It's good.

And the fishermen didn't mind
teaching you? No, actually.

I'm sure some people aren't giving
away all their best spots.

I wouldn't, so... There are closely
guarded marks, fishing marks,

which people don't tend to want
to tell you about.

But the fact that this is a small
boat means you don't have

to worry about all the legislation?
You haven't got quotas.

Because she's under ten metres
and unpowered,

you're allowed
to fish without any need

for registration licence
and therefore quota.

This arm is getting bigger.

It's really worrying
I'm going to be like a lobster

with one big arm and one little arm.

Come on, fish.

Nothing yet.

I'll be gnawing my arm off soon.


Is it sort of part of the reason...?
Obviously not. Obviously not.

You've only been here ten minutes.

Dad, you need more positivity
down your end.

He's doing this
and smiling too much.

You need to concentrate.


I'll take that 50p.
Are you sure?

I'll take that 50p.
Yeah.

OK, 50p bet on the first fish.

So how many fish
have you landed aboard Kensa?

There's a very long pause.

You don't need to look at him.
She's looking at Simon.

There was the pollock the other day,

and there was the mackerel,
so probably about six.

Yep, you heard right - six.

That's in the whole history
of this little company.

It is a very new venture,

and that's six more fish
than we've managed to catch today.

Everybody's got to start somewhere.

There is a 50p.
Who's won the 50 pence?

Thank you, son.

Is it a fish?

Does it actually count as a fish?
It's mammal.

No, no, look at this.
Never mind that.

We got a starfish.

It was just hanging round on the
bottom. That's not possible!

That's not possible,
but it's the word "fish".

That's not possible, it counts as a fish.

Cat and Simon are joining us for dinner.

Once they've dropped us in St Mawes,

they're heading back out to try and
catch something for my starter.

Thank you.

The Fal Estuary has been a safe
harbour for centuries.

St Mawes isn't so clever if the
wind's blowing this direction.

So what's happened is the Morwenna's
had to head off for a safe haven.

We've been abandoned,
but we do need a place to cook,

so we'll ask in at the Watch House
and see

if they've got any room
in their kitchen.

Let's face it, it's going
to be better cooking inside

than out in that weather.

Let's hope they say yes
or we're going

to have four hugely
disappointed dinner guests,

not to mention
two very hungry sailors.

Michael said no.

He's only joking. Come on, dad, get
back in. We've got cooking to do.

He may have said no.

Thank goodness Michael has let us
stay here and cook in the kitchen

because cooking out at sea
at the best of times

is a challenge. In this sort of
weather it would be horrific.

We've got Ricky the chef over there
still working alongside us

because they're going to have
customers coming in.

It adds a bit of pressure but the
key thing is we're on solid ground.

For my dish I'm going to do
toad-in-the-hole.

It's family classic, but I want to make it
more special with some extra elements.

I'm going to do some nice cabbage
with a bit of cider and chestnut,

some onion gravy,
using some Madeira and beef stock,

and finally some roast spuds.

First I need to soften the onions
for my gravy in some butter.

Next up, red cabbage
with chestnuts and apple

braised in lovely Cornish cider

and seasoned with a good sprinkling
of mustard seeds.

Cider, apples, chestnut and cabbage,
it sums up autumn,

so this is going to pair perfectly
with the toad-in-the-hole.

Onions are caramelised. I'm going to
put in Madeira and some beef stock.

A little bit of plain flour
will help thicken it up nicely.

I've got some Cornish
sweet harb that Gavin gave me.

It's basically a cured bit of bacon

that's been done in molasses and chilli.

He told me that it's sweet like
Cornish women, with a bit of a kick.

OK, so this is going to be
what I use to wrap my sausages.

The weather's not getting any better.

I need to give our guests a pudding

that'll keep them warm on a wintry
day and get their votes, of course.

Competition's too close,

so for pudding I'm going
for a steamed pudding.

You've got to go for the traditional
English as it's wintry outside,

so it should win me points.

We've got Ricky, Guy and Elliot,
all beavering away in the background,

I was going to ask him
to do it for me, but I won't.

Here we go, very simple
butterscotch sauce.

It's a pat of butter.

Then it's about the same weight
in brown sugar,

measured very accurately.

Then we melt the two together.

Butter, brown sugar melted together.
Look at that.

Very tasty.

All you have to do now is add cream.
I'd love to say this is difficult.

It tastes like it should
be difficult to make.

Ta-da! It's done.

I'm so glad we're not cooking
out then.

Dining on dry land is definitely
the way to go on a day like this.

We're in St Mawes.

It's stormy so the Morwenna's had
to go to a safe haven.

We've already been fishing,
but it was a lot calmer.

Simon and Cat didn't catch anything
with us except for a starfish,

but they've been out since
and we've got pollock.

It's lucky otherwise
you wouldn't have had a starter.

We've also been to Caerhays
and fed the beaters with Maggie.

We had a little competition and it's
fair to say she annihilated us.

She got the local vote. It was superb
pies, I mean, really good cooking.

We've also had
the fortunate experience

of going along
and making sausages with Gavin,

and I'd like to say that's
a competition that I won.

So I'm hoping I can use those
sausages again for my main course

and make it two victories.
Whoo! Confident.

I'm doing toad-in-the-hole.

I've already made my sides,
onion gravy and braised cabbage,

but I also want to serve spuds.

Like father like son,
it's the Irish in him, you know.

We spotted Tregonan Farm across
the valley from the sausage company.

It's a little corner
of potato heaven,

where even the dog
is partial to a tatty.

Dad, I just realised
what we're cycling past.

Big boxes.

That's an Irish portion, isn't it?
Lots of potatoes.

The Collins family have farmed here
for more than a century.

We're meeting Ruben,
a self-confessed potato fanatic.

Hello, mate.

Nice to meet you.
How do you do?

Good to see you.
Ruben.

Lovely part of the world.
Potatoes, where are they all?

Well, they're over here.

Potatoes originated in South America


We've only had them in Europe
for less than 500 years.

So much time wasted.

There doesn't seem to be a shortage
of potatoes here, Ruben.

Well, we've got several.

We've not got quite as many
as we would normally have

due to the wet summer,
but, you know, we've got enough.

Everywhere I look there's
huge cases of potatoes.

How many tons a year do you get?

About a couple of thousand,
give or take a ton or two.

A couple of thousand tons a year.

It's reckoned the average Brit eats


I reckon Ruben's total
maybe slightly higher.

I know mine is.

I grew up around spuds and sorting
spuds from, you know, knee high,

and to now, and have become slightly
obsessional, to be honest.

What about keeping
the fertility in the soil,

if you've got generations
of potato growers?

We only grow spuds one year in six.

So we have what we call
six years on rotation.

So it's in potatoes one year,

and then for the other five
it could be in grass

or cereals
or another vegetable crop.

These have got the mud left on them.

The minute they start being washed -
They won't keep.

These will now go into store

probably until May,
June next year maybe.

Wow.
And then -

Seven, eight months in storage?
Quite possibly.

OK, what's the best spud? I'm always
looking of advice on these ones.

Right, well.
I say you can't have a but spud

because it depends what you want to
do with it. Oh, like that.

But my favourite is the Melody,
right here.

Because that stores well. It'll give
you an all year round spud.

But it just depends
what you want to do.

He wants some potatoes.

So what have you got
that we could take away?

We'll take muddy ones.
We'll do a bit of work in exchange.

Does that sound like a deal?
Do you want a bag?

These are these.
So Melody.

Just washed, so you can take them.

I've already got my hands dirty
I should have taken the dirty ones.

But we'll do some extra work
in exchange for those.

They're good looking potatoes.
They are.

And you don't get to say that
new day.

'Cause look at that.
That is a lovely potato.

It is, isn't it?

I think it's a nice potato.

I'm surrounded by an obsessive
potato doctor, and a potato lover,

and I'm just happy eating them,
really. Shush, shush.

I think you're taking it too far.
Really?

Let's do some work. Come on, Dad.
I'm having this one as well.

Hello? Yes, I know, darling.

Ruben's got just the thing to bring
him back down to earth,

sorting the duds from the spuds.

I've found a green one.

Can you keep up? Can you keep up?
That's the question.

Are they getting through me or not?
You haven't got your potato eyes on.

Is that one of the things you get?

Did you say little ones
have to go as well?

Leave the little ones in. The
machine will do that. Fair enough.

Potatoes that are misshaped -
do they get processed?

Yeah,
they get processed into a pasty

or maybe into a pie
or something like that.

Do you think you can keep this up
for 12 hours? That's hard core.

I think at the end I'd want to eat
some rather than look at them.

The thing I'm most impressed by
is that you can talk and do this.

If you still like eating your spuds
we'll cook them for you.

Come and join us. If you cook them,
I'll come and eat them.

Ruben is obviously
a very discerning diner

when it comes
to his favourite vegetable.

James had better do
those spuds justice

or he'll hand victory to me
on a plate.

That's enough for one meal.

I've seen so many potatoes today
that doesn't seem like many.

But the thought of taking
a sack on the bike.

Ruben, thanks very much. That's
great. We'll see you to feed you.

Thank you very much, mate. I look
forward to eating those spuds.


Dad, we didn't do that much work.



Look, how much do you want to carry?

He's got a point.

We don't want anything slowing us
down on our way back to St Mawes.

We need to get cooking, and sharpish.

What are you going to do
with these spuds, anyway?

Roast them, I think.

Oh, everybody likes a roast tatty.

Cat and Simon didn't get me sea bass,

but they got me some lovely pollock.
Look at these bad boys.

Fresh. I think they were just pleased
to catch anything, to be honest.

Preparing them is simple.
I'm scraping off the scales,

then removing the bones and cutting
them into portion size fillet.

I'm just going to pan fry my pollock.

But I'll have something
quite delicate with it.

I'm going to Julienne some vegetables
which means making them into matchsticks.

Carrot, celery and red peppers make
an ideal flavour combination

to go with the pollock.

I'm also making a beurre blanc sauce
with shallots and white wine.

Two third of a bottle
of Cornish wine.

When that reduces
to about half the volume,

it can sit to one side. Before
service heat it up and put butter in.

As for me, I've par-boiled some of
Ruben's lovely potatoes.

I'm going to roast them
in goose fat.

Time to get my sausages in too.

Then it's onto the batter for my
toad-in-the-hole,

using plain flour, milk,
local beer and four eggs.

I'm just going to beat them straight
in with that mixture,

and keep two just
for the egg whites,

which is going to make this batter
a little bit extra light and airy.

Beat that together.

I don't want a bland batter.

Fresh thyme and some whole grain,
and Dijon, mustard

will give it extra flavour.

Then I'll leave it to rest.

The weather hasn't improved,

so my steamed pudding dessert
is looking like a good choice.

Nice and simple:
four, four, five, two.

It's not a football formation,
as James takes the micky out of me.

Four ounces of butter,
four ounces of sugar,

five ounce of self-raising flour
and two eggs: 4,4,5}.

First the sugar and butter are
creamed together.

Two eggs, just pop them in there.

When the eggs go in,
don't overbeat it or it'll curdle.

A thing of beauty.

I'm going to start folding in my
flour and a little bit of lemon zest.

My moulds are all buttered,
so it doesn't stick to the edges.

A bit of greaseproof paper for a lid
and they're ready for cooking.

Put it over the top
and tie it around.

The plate's is 'cause when the steam
rises it has something to rise into.

Pull it tight.

Cook these in a steamer,
but I haven't got one,

so I'm just going to poach them in water,

poached steam puddings,
a new concept.

poached steam puddings,
Right lid on, simmer, 30 minutes.

On the menu tonight my pan fried
pollock with a beurre blanc

is followed by James's
toad-in-the-hole

with roast potatoes,
braised cabbage and onion gravy.

Then it's my steamed pudding
with butterscotch sauce.

Our guests have arrived.

OK, there's no boat.

Our fishing friends Simon and Cat
are joined by potato grower Ruben,

Maggie from Caerhays Castle
and sausage maker Gavin.

While our guests relax,
I'll get my starter on.

I'm ready for my service.

Everything's prepared.
It's just a matter of cooking it.

A drizzle of oil over the fish and
some seasoning and it's ready to fry.

The veg needs just a few minutes in hot oil

Finally I'm adding butter to the
reduced shallot and white wine liquor

for a rich beurre blanc sauce.

Colourful and delicious I should be
onto a winner here,

especially with Cat and Simon -

I think I've done justice
to their pollock.

Here we go, Maggie.

Teach a man to catch fish, eat this.
Enjoy.

Very nice.

The fish is juicy, but it's quite
healthy as well. All of that veg...

There is a very large amount of
butter in the beurre blanc. Oh, yeah.

This, I must admit, is delicious.

Bald-s the lack of potatoes,
lovely.

Yeah, and very fresh tasting.

There's nothing that's overpowering
the fish and it's nicely balanced.

Fantastic. Fantastic.
It's delicious.

My toad-in-the-hole's
got a lot to live up to.

The batters rested. It's time to add
the sausages and pop it in the oven.

The roasties look lovely and crispy,

the perfect side dish, then there's
my cabbage, chestnut and apple combo

braised in Cornish cider.

Toad-in-the-hole.

I'd made a few crispy onion rings
as well from the spare batter,

and, of course, the red onion gravy
Just tops it all off,

courtesy of a gravy boat
that looks like a cow.

I want my gravy poured from a cow.

What do you mean?
We've run out of cows.

I thought they were pretty fancy.
I like that.

That was a bonus finding
them in here in the kitchen.

I like the colour in the batter.
I thought that was a nice idea,

but let's see what it tastes like.

Mm.

Batter's quite nice.
Some nice crunch on the top.

Your toad-in-the-hole,
the flavours are great.

But you turned it into theatre.

♪ MADNESS: Raining Again

The cabbage is delicious.

That just reminds me
of my childhood so much.

The thyme's really good in it.
It's delicious. Delicious.

And you've done the roasties
pretty nicely as well,

so all in all that's a little plate
of heaven, I think.

James has really pushed the boat out

with all those elements
in his main course.

I hope they've left room for pudding.

Plenty of creamy butterscotch sauce
on top should have them purring.

Sponge pudding
with butterscotch sauce.

There's a little bit of lemon
in the sponge. Enjoy.

That's naughty.
That's proper cheeky, that is.

It looks good. It looks like
a fitting end to the meal.

And very sweet, isn't it?

There's enough lemon in the sponge
to freshen it up a bit,

but the winner there is
the butterscotch sauce,

which is just delicious,
really nice and sweet.

Yeah, it's good. Very nice.

'Cause I do it quite often.
My grandchildren love it.

It's the perfect end to the meal,

especially with the weather
beating against the window.

It's exactly what I want to eat.

It compliments everything else
so well

And I'd love to talk about it but I
just want to eat it 'cause it's lovely.

I reckon this could be a close call.
Let the voting begin.

If your favourite was the starter,
raise your hand.

Two.

If your favourite was the main
course, please raise your hand.

Three. Close one.

None for the pudding?

That's quite exciting because
that means we're now even

on our cooking adventure,
so thank you very much.

One more meal to come
and so far it's a draw.

Talk about setting up
a dramatic finale.

Right, son, get it in there.

That's fourteen and a half all.

It's all even. Ouch, get off.

The pins stick through
the other side.

Are you worried? One to go, dad.

Last programme all to play for.
Who would have thought?

We'd better go find Morwenna.
Have you got waterproofs?

Of course I have, matey.

Apart from the weather
St Mawes has been amazing,

but it's time to head east
for the final leg of our journey.

That's if we can find our boat,
of course.

Whoa, it's still windy, isn't it?

Mate, pedalling into the wind's not clever.