Royal Kitchen Gardens episode 3
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Raymond Blanc is passionate about his garden at Le Manoir Quatre Saisons and the amazing
00:08array of fruit and vegetables it provides throughout the year.
00:11Oh, they look so beautiful.
00:13But he's not alone. His Majesty King Charles III has long championed the kitchen garden
00:20and the importance of growing sustainable, seasonal food. Now, Raymond has been invited
00:26to take a glimpse behind the scenes at the productive gardens of some of the nation's
00:31most spectacular royal palaces.
00:34This garden is a true inspiration for creating wonderful dishes.
00:39Raymond will be travelling the length and breadth of the kingdom. He'll meet the dedicated
00:43people who care for these unique gardens.
00:46Little genius. How do you manage?
00:50It's really about inspiring our visitors and showing people what they can grow in their
00:54own gardens.
00:55My celery looks like that already.
00:58He'll celebrate the extraordinary edible treasures they produce with the chefs who use them every
01:04day.
01:05Give me any food, especially when it comes from the garden. Perfect.
01:10Is the egg runny?
01:11Oh la la.
01:12Speechless, chef. Speechless.
01:13Absolutely fantastic. I wouldn't mind having that every day.
01:17Yeah, not bad.
01:20Inspired by his travels, Raymond will also share mouth-watering recipes of his own.
01:25Heavenly.
01:26I hope you're going to make it in your own home. Bon appétit.
01:31All fit for a king.
01:33Long live the king.
01:34Long live the king.
01:36Join me as I journey through the royal kitchen gardens.
01:40His Majesty the King has made no secret of his lifelong love of gardening and all things
01:53green. Twin passions which have formed a basis of a long-standing mutual respect and occasional
02:00friendly rivalry with Raymond.
02:04Way back in 2013, I was invited to be a speaker at Highgrove in front of the Zen Prince Charms.
02:12And I visited these wonderful gardens. And I was in awe of them.
02:17Then, although I found them very beautiful, I felt I needed to see my own gardens.
02:24And two or three months after, he came and we planted a tree together.
02:31And I tell you, his tree is far better than mine. So he must be obviously a better gardener than me.
02:38It was a moment I totally treasure.
02:41As one of the earliest advocates of organic farms, food provenance and eating local, seasonal produce,
02:50His Majesty has been at the forefront of the environmental movement for over five decades.
02:56This year, he officially opened a new multi-million pound Rural Skills Centre,
03:01which will offer people of all ages the chance to learn about sustainable living.
03:06Do you all like being outside? It's fine, isn't it?
03:12His Majesty's knowledge of food, of garden, how to grow garden, all sort of heritage, wherever it is,
03:20organically, is immense.
03:23And his dedication follows a long, noble tradition of establishing productive gardens at our palaces,
03:30castles and great estates, which stretches back centuries.
03:42This time, Raymond's discovering the regal Georgian grandeur of Dumfries House.
03:49He'll be exploring the opulent interior of one of Scotland's most majestic mansions.
03:56What a beautiful room.
03:59And uncovering the secrets of caring for its captivating grounds with head gardener Melissa.
04:06You can't beat a south-facing kitchen garden on a slope.
04:11Later, resident chef Kevin Usher will be serving him a taste of the estate on a plate.
04:17Raised pig teak Scotch eggs.
04:19Look at that. How gorgeous it is.
04:23And Raymond will be making more divine dishes of his own.
04:27Scallop, salmon and vegetable ceviche.
04:30And potato and turnip dauphinoise.
04:33And I really hope you're going to make it at home. It is so delicious.
04:39MUSIC
04:44Welcome to Dumfries House.
04:46One of the most beautiful stately homes in Britain, no less.
04:52Built in 1754 for the fifth Earl of Dumfries,
04:56the palatial country house was designed by Robert Adam,
05:00one of the 18th century's most famous architects.
05:05Behind the grand neoclassical façade,
05:09a feast of remarkable Rococo interiors host a unique collection of rare Chippendale furniture.
05:17All set in 2,000 acres of rolling Ayrshire countryside.
05:23What a dramatic view. What an extraordinary landscape. Amazing.
05:29After remaining in the family for 250 years,
05:33when it was put up for sale in 2007,
05:36a campaign headed by the then Prince of Wales saved the estate for the nation.
05:42As a child or as a grown-up, it is such an exciting place to discover,
05:48be it gardens or the beautiful house.
05:52Now part of the Prince's Foundation,
05:55a charity formed by His Majesty the King to encourage sustainable living,
06:00Dumfries House is home to the Kaufmann Education Garden,
06:04which offers innovative horticultural training,
06:07and the jewel in its crown, the spectacular Queen Elizabeth II Walled Garden.
06:14I love gardens. I think they are magnificent.
06:18But this garden, I must say, is so clever, so beautiful.
06:22There's a great mix of fruits, of root vegetables, beautiful structures.
06:28The borders are magnificent, they're healthy.
06:31Look at these, they're indescent blue, they're absolutely incredible.
06:40Covering four acres, the formal kitchen garden cleverly combines ornamental and edible plants
06:46to guarantee year-round interest.
06:49There's so much vibrancy in this garden and so much food, of course,
06:54which will translate into beautiful dishes for the guests here at Dumfries House.
07:02And Chef spotted one colourful addition which is pretty and productive.
07:08These sunflowers are not just beautiful and can be offered to anyone,
07:13but they carry huge nutritional power.
07:16The seeds can be crushed to create some beautiful sunflower oil,
07:20or indeed, in any dish, there are nutrition, there are taste and textures.
07:29The person responsible for managing the colossal task of tending the grounds
07:33is Head Gardener Melissa.
07:38So, Melissa, little genius, how do you manage?
07:43So, Melissa, little genius, how do you manage to create an all-year-round garden,
07:48especially in winter?
07:51Well, it's really easy because what we've got is loads of lovely structures.
07:54You've got this gorgeous apple arch and obviously all the lovely espaliered fruit.
07:57You've got fan-trained this area there.
07:59It's falling down.
08:00There's lots of tiered levels.
08:02We've got some amazing bleached lime hedges and lots of topiary as well.
08:07The King loves topiary.
08:09So, what's King Charles' involvement in the garden?
08:12King Charles has really been the vision.
08:15He sets the vision for the whole of Dumfries House,
08:18and obviously he's very passionate about gardens, which is fantastic.
08:21About food, about sustainability, about so many values.
08:25Absolutely, so many things.
08:27So, he's very, very keen on the whole of the garden side of things
08:31and has a good level of influence, even just within my gardens team,
08:35of which I've got 14.
08:3714 for how many acres?
08:39600 acres of gardens.
08:41God, you're amazing.
08:43No, not me. My team are amazing.
08:4514 for 600 acres?
08:47Yes, yes.
08:48How do you do that?
08:50I don't know.
08:51How many hours a day do you work? 14, 15, 16?
08:53Too many, too many, but it's an absolute pleasure to work here.
08:57It's really about inspiring our visitors
08:59and showing people what they can grow in their own gardens.
09:03Coming up, Melissa reveals her tips
09:06for pulling off the holy grail of horticulture.
09:10We try and add different layers,
09:12so there's sort of like a spring layer of bulbs
09:15and then a lovely summer layer of floxy flowers.
09:17So, you're telling me you have achieved a four-season garden.
09:20You're amazing. I think so, I think so, yes.
09:24And Raymond shares a stunning marriage of Scottish seafood and summer veg.
09:29Beautiful.
09:32Scallop, salmon and vegetable ceviche.
09:36See you after the break.
09:47Welcome back to Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens
09:51and the spectacular setting of Dumfries House in Scotland.
09:56Today, he's already been wowed by the wonder of sunflowers
10:00in its incredible four-acre walled garden.
10:07Later, resident chef Kevin Usher
10:09will be saluting the very best of the estate's produce
10:12with his braised pig cheek Scotch eggs.
10:16Look at that. How gorgeous it is.
10:19And Raymond will be creating a decadent French dish
10:22using two very Scottish ingredients.
10:26His potato and turnip dauphinoise.
10:29What more do you want?
10:32But first, he's learning how head gardener Melissa and her team
10:36ensure there's always something for visitors to see, whatever the season.
10:42What I can see here is this wonderful cascading garden
10:45around the lower part of these gardens.
10:50Is it to protect you against the frost?
10:52Absolutely.
10:53I mean, you can't beat a south-facing kitchen garden on a slope
10:58because all the frost basically starts from the top,
11:01lands and it runs down in and away.
11:04And where does it go?
11:05It goes down the river.
11:06Down the river?
11:07Yes, absolutely.
11:08So it doesn't kill anything?
11:10No, no, no, no, no.
11:11It just passes on down.
11:12And the walls as well protect it from the...
11:14I can see.
11:15The old brick walls, the old wall map.
11:18Following a huge restoration project in 2007,
11:22today the garden is packed with over 150 different kinds of fruit and vegetables.
11:28And nothing goes to waste.
11:32And of course, all these produce are being used either in the cafe
11:36or either for the guests of King Charles.
11:39Absolutely.
11:40So they must be.
11:42And all is organic, so they must be very happy.
11:44They should be very, very thankful, actually.
11:48We hope so.
11:49Obviously, there's lots of flowering things,
11:51so we're not just a fruit and vegetable garden.
11:53Yeah, because your borders are magnificent.
11:55Thank you very much.
11:56They're really healthy and beautiful.
11:57We try and add different layers,
11:59so there's sort of like a spring layer of bulbs
12:01and then a lovely summer layer of flopsy flowers.
12:04So you're telling me you have achieved a four-season garden.
12:07You're amazing.
12:08I think so.
12:09I think so, yes.
12:11You've got to come at my place and tell me how to do it.
12:14Any time, any time.
12:16Any time, good.
12:17We've got a little delay, OK?
12:19OK.
12:23Inspired by the wonderful variety of veg grown by Melissa and her team,
12:28Chef has a truly international dish
12:31making the most of seasonal produce from his garden,
12:35scallop, salmon and vegetable ceviche.
12:39This dish, which I'm about to prepare, is a ceviche.
12:43Very much a Peruvian dish, cooked by a Frenchman,
12:46but using great Scottish produce.
12:49It's going to be delicious.
12:51So first, I need to pickle my onion.
12:54I've got a gorgeous red onion here.
12:59And I need nice dice, beautiful dice like that.
13:04So here's my casserole, here it is.
13:09And all that I will need to add now is vinegar.
13:14It's a lovely pickle, very sweet pickle, delicate, not strong.
13:19Water.
13:22A tiny bit of sugar.
13:26A bit of salt, not very much.
13:29And we're going to bring it to a boil and then macerate it overnight.
13:34So all these flavours infuse beautifully.
13:37It's a very gentle pickle, it's not acidic.
13:40Et voilĂ .
13:42Now I'm going to let it macerate in here until tomorrow morning.
13:52And what happens to change, of course,
13:55And what happens to change, of course,
13:57is this diffusion and exchange of flavours, textures, colours.
14:02And you've got these marvellous, beautiful red onions,
14:07which have still a crunch, they're not cooked,
14:10they're just beautifully macerated.
14:12And they're delicious, the sweetness is there.
14:14It will add a splash of colour to your dish.
14:17And colour is important.
14:19So très bien, voilà .
14:22Côté ici.
14:23So I'm going to start my vegetables.
14:25And of course, I'll start with fennel,
14:27which comes from my garden.
14:30I don't need that much, no more, that's plenty.
14:34Remember, it's only for four people.
14:40Cut them quite fine.
14:43Lovely flavour.
14:44I can smell it, it gives me that beautiful, unacid flavour.
14:48Which gives a lovely...
14:51one.
14:53So one courgette, cut in half.
15:02Give that a bit, not too fine, so it has a bit of texture.
15:05Texture is very important.
15:07VoilĂ .
15:12So a bit of carrots for colours.
15:15The same way.
15:19Très bien.
15:21So now a few radishes.
15:23Beautiful flavour.
15:24Very tender, very young.
15:28Très bien.
15:31I'm going to add now a very mild chilli,
15:33because it adds that lovely spice and length to the dish.
15:37Très bien, I'll need only half of it.
15:39That's plenty.
15:41Cut them in half.
15:42Remove the seeds, flatten it down.
15:46VoilĂ .
15:52See, and you can...
15:55Just nice spicy, you know you're eating chilli.
15:59But just right.
16:01And that adds a little bit of colour.
16:06My vegetables are ready.
16:08I've got my fantastic scallops here from Scotland.
16:12Okay.
16:13Those have been hand-dived, nothing is dredged.
16:16It doesn't disturb the bottom of the ocean.
16:19So we're just going to open it.
16:24There, très bien.
16:27And then, voilĂ , you open it up.
16:31And then simply slide your knife...
16:39...to cut the big fat muscle.
16:42Et voilĂ .
16:43Et voilĂ .
16:47So you lift from underneath here.
16:49There are many techniques, and very slowly,
16:52you remove all the stomach, all the entailles,
16:56and you've got your scallop here free.
16:58And then you slice here.
17:02And off you scoop it out very nicely.
17:09And wash it off.
17:11Et voilĂ .
17:12And actually, I've decided not just to have scallops,
17:16but a beautiful belly of salmon here,
17:18which will be so delicious.
17:20And of course, that's also a great produce from Scotland.
17:24And we're going to prepare our sandwich.
17:26So...
17:29We're going to slice the scallops.
17:33You want nice, big, chunky pieces.
17:36VoilĂ .
17:38VoilĂ .
17:39Beautiful.
17:40Or in three.
17:42But you want texture.
17:44Texture is so important, you know?
17:46So, voilĂ .
17:51And then, I've got this gorgeous piece of salmon.
17:58Oh, look.
17:59And of course, that's the fatty part of the belly.
18:02That's the most tenderest.
18:08VoilĂ .
18:11We're going to mix them with our vegetables.
18:18Okay, now we're going to add the lime juice.
18:22And that's the secret of the ceviche.
18:25And you've got all these amazing colours and flavours.
18:29So, a little bit of salt as well,
18:31will help you to cure it.
18:33You don't need very much.
18:35This dish has got some serious great flavours.
18:39I love this idea of this lime
18:42interacting with the fish and denaturing the protein,
18:46curing it at the same time,
18:48creating different textures, colours, flavours,
18:51and freshness.
18:53And I think that ceviche is celebrated across the world.
18:57And now there's probably thousands of different ways,
19:00okay, to do it.
19:02And probably a Peruvian will tell me,
19:04Ramon, what are you doing?
19:06Probably.
19:07So now, a bit of coriander.
19:09Big chunks.
19:13Et voilĂ .
19:18There's one last ingredient, of course,
19:20the best extra virgin olive oil.
19:27Beautiful.
19:31And now, cling film it,
19:34and in the fridge, macerate for minimum six hours,
19:37up to 12.
19:39I've got one I've done before.
19:42Très bien.
19:43It's a smaller portion.
19:48And I'm going to add my beautiful onions,
19:51which have been pickled very gently,
19:55which gives a lovely colour.
20:00Oh.
20:02It's so summery.
20:04It's so festive.
20:06And all I'm going to do, very, very simply,
20:08look at that.
20:10It is so gorgeous, so appetising.
20:13VoilĂ .
20:14I think that's plenty for one portion.
20:17VoilĂ .
20:20Here's my Ramon Blanc ceviche,
20:22the best of South America,
20:24and of course, Scotland.
20:26Bon appétit.
20:33MUSIC
20:45Coming up, resident chef Kevin Usher
20:48shares his twist on a traditional picnic treat.
20:52And Raymond has a glimpse of the Georgian high life
20:55in Dumfries House's historic dining room.
20:58It would be course after course after course
21:01of heavy foods.
21:02So, the etoile.
21:03Yes.
21:04MUSIC
21:18Welcome back to Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens.
21:24This time, chef soaking up the stately splendour
21:27of Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
21:32Later, he'll be joining collections manager Sir Tinda
21:35for a taste of 18th century fine dining.
21:39I would certainly love to enjoy a beautiful meal here.
21:48But first, he's heading to the estate's rare breeds farm
21:52to find out how His Majesty the King
21:54is passing on his passion for sustainability
21:57to the next generation.
22:02Hello, Irena. Lovely to meet you.
22:06So, Irena, can you please tell me about your role,
22:09what you're doing here?
22:10Yeah, of course.
22:11So, I'm the farming and rural skills education manager.
22:13So, I welcome a lot of school groups to the farm
22:16and we do a lot of education workshops.
22:18So, that will be for secondary school students,
22:21new entrant farmers and also adult learners.
22:23So, they'll be learning for all through the ages.
22:26That's brilliant.
22:27I think the adults need even more education
22:30than the youngsters,
22:31although the youngsters will be the ones who save the world.
22:34Yeah, the Prince's Foundation, we're really big on education
22:37and the theme of sustainability underpins everything we do here.
22:41So, our main ethos here is teaching young people and adults
22:46about where their food comes from
22:47and how they can make more sustainable food choices.
22:50So, that's looking at organic and regenerative practices,
22:53also looking at eating locally, eating seasonally,
22:56teach them how to grow their own food as well.
22:59What kind of breed is this?
23:01It's a beautiful, amazing, good-looking pig, eh?
23:04Yes, she's lovely.
23:05But why? What's her name?
23:07She's called Hilda.
23:08Hilda.
23:09Hilda's a Tamworth pig.
23:11Tamworth.
23:12And she is a lovely pig.
23:13She's great with the children.
23:14She's happy.
23:15Yes, I would like to know the reaction of the children
23:17when they meet the real thing, you know?
23:20Oh, their minds are blown
23:22and I think I'm really lucky that I'm from a farming background.
23:25So, I've had that connection with nature
23:27and with where my food comes from my whole life,
23:29whereas we have children that come here
23:31from all different backgrounds.
23:33Completely ignorant.
23:34Ah, and they might be from, you know, a city
23:36where they've got no access
23:38and maybe they've not got transport to be able to access.
23:41So, we are trying to be as accessible to everybody
23:44so that everybody has the opportunity
23:46to get the same experience.
23:48So, just give me a little bit because I'm missing it a little bit.
23:51Come on, guys.
23:52Voila, wow.
23:53Food, gorgeous food.
23:55Feeding frenzy.
23:57OK, happy pigs, yeah?
24:03Oh, yes, you're beautiful, aren't you, eh?
24:05Oh, yes.
24:08Back in the kitchen garden,
24:10resident chef Kevin Usher has the perfect recipe
24:13to showcase the estate's commitment to sustainable farming,
24:17his braised pig cheek Scotch eggs.
24:26So, in this beautiful Dumfries House garden,
24:29what are you going to cook for me today?
24:32I'm going to do some braised pig's cheek
24:34and I'm going to do a Scotch egg.
24:36OK, sounds really lovely.
24:38Is it local?
24:39Yes, it's actually from the farm on the estate.
24:42OK.
24:43So, Kevin, show me how you do it, OK?
24:45I'm a good apprentice.
24:47If you need any help, I'm there, OK?
24:49Thank you very much.
24:50OK.
24:51So, first of all, I'm going to season the prepped cheeks.
24:55Some salt and pepper.
24:57So, is it a typical Scottish dish?
25:00No, it isn't a typical Scottish dish,
25:02even though it is a Scotch egg, it's not actually from Scotland,
25:05but I enjoy a Scotch egg
25:07and I just wanted to do something a little bit different.
25:09OK, très bien.
25:10So...
25:11But you've got a very good quality product,
25:13which is local, which is fantastic.
25:15So, show me how you do it, OK?
25:17Yeah.
25:18So, you remove the membrane on top?
25:20Yeah, taking the membrane off.
25:22OK.
25:23A little sizzle, not too strong.
25:26So, I'm going to sear these in a pan.
25:28OK.
25:29I'm going to add the veg.
25:31Now?
25:32Yes, to get a little bit of colour on the veg.
25:34OK, très bien.
25:37And beautiful veg from the garden, just there?
25:40Just here, yeah.
25:41You're a lucky chef, eh?
25:42I know, very lucky.
25:43I mean, that's the best.
25:45Mm-hm.
25:48OK, you've got your beautiful vegetables, the big sheets.
25:51Which herbs are you putting in?
25:53There's only bay leaf and some thyme.
25:56OK.
25:57With crushed garlic.
25:58And once it's caramelised on one side...
26:01A little.
26:02Which it is, lovely.
26:03Turn it over.
26:04Nice colour.
26:05Thank you.
26:06Because that gives loads of flavour, eh?
26:08Yeah.
26:09And then once that's done,
26:10we'll deglaze it with some Scottish cider.
26:13Taking all that lovely flavour from the bottom of the pan
26:16and putting it back into the...
26:17Absolutely, in the jus.
26:18The dish, yeah.
26:20Once the cider has reduced, I'm going to add some...
26:24Is that all what you use?
26:25Yes, just a little bit.
26:27OK.
26:28Some chicken stock, just some light chicken stock.
26:32I'm just going to cover the meat and no more.
26:37Turn the heat down to a simmer.
26:41And braise that slowly for two hours.
26:43OK.
26:44So after two hours...
26:45Yeah.
26:47The end result will be that.
26:49Have a look.
26:50Oh, yes.
26:51Yes, yes.
26:52Look at that, breaking down beautifully.
26:56Can I taste the jus?
26:57Of course, yeah.
27:02It's lovely and not salty.
27:04Beautiful flavour.
27:05The vegetables, the thyme is there.
27:07All these flavours have melted so well together.
27:10Beautiful.
27:11So the next process would be...
27:13OK.
27:14To pick the meat off the braised cheeks.
27:15Crush them, just shred them, shred the meat.
27:17Yeah, whilst it's still a bit warm and it's nice and soft.
27:20That's in here.
27:21I have some of the reduced cooking liquor.
27:24Some of these soft-boiled eggs from the farm.
27:27From the farm, yes.
27:28Lovely.
27:29That's what's cooking all about, close to home.
27:31Just right now.
27:32Always, yeah.
27:33We have some tarragon from the garden.
27:35Again, leeks and some in-house black pudding.
27:38So in Scotland, we have a saying that you can never teach your granny how to suck an egg.
27:43And I'm here showing you how to wrap an egg.
27:46I'm ready to run, you know.
27:48So once this is all mixed together...
27:50So you flatten it up with the leeks inside?
27:52Yes, everything on the board.
27:54Oh, yeah, OK.
27:55And then we have the Scots grey soft-boiled egg, which goes in the middle.
28:01And then I'll pick this up.
28:03And is it cooked, already cooked, soft?
28:05Soft.
28:06Soft inside, yeah.
28:07Four minutes boil.
28:08So once that's wrapped up, not too hard or the egg will burst.
28:13And then once we've done that, we have this.
28:16C'est très bien.
28:17OK, so the last part of the process is to parer these.
28:27So traditional flour?
28:29Flour, seasoned flour, egg.
28:32Lovely colour.
28:33Lovely colour.
28:34Really lovely colour.
28:35So I'll coat this here.
28:39Take the excess flour off.
28:40Yeah.
28:42Into here.
28:43Roll it around the egg.
28:46And if I put that in there.
28:47Chef, could you turn?
28:56Voila.
28:57Is it enough?
28:58Yes.
28:59And onto the board.
29:00Are you happy with that?
29:01Yeah.
29:02You sure?
29:03Yeah.
29:05Feel like Easter.
29:06Like Easter eggs.
29:07Lots of eggs.
29:08Maybe we should hide them in the garden and have a bit of fun.
29:11OK, beautiful.
29:14Voila.
29:16So the last thing we need to do now.
29:18How do you say voila in Scottish?
29:20Voila.
29:21Voila.
29:22Voila.
29:23It's easy, eh?
29:24Easy.
29:25So the final stages are the fryer.
29:29I'm going to put these in for two minutes and 40 seconds.
29:34Why two minutes and 40 seconds and not two minutes and 45 seconds?
29:38I want the egg yolk to be just right.
29:41Perfect.
29:42Soft.
29:43OK, I understand.
29:45OK.
29:50Lovely taste for the Promenade Garden.
29:52Beautiful.
29:55So what is it?
29:56I have a leek mayonnaise.
29:58Uh-huh.
30:00So that's the two minutes 40 up now.
30:03We're just going to take this out and let it drain for a small minute.
30:07And what about those?
30:09There.
30:10Violas, yeah.
30:11It's actually a Scotch marigold to go with a Scotch egg.
30:14What's the difference between an English marigold and a Scottish marigold?
30:18The colour.
30:19The colour, deeper, richer.
30:21Yeah.
30:22Yes, I thought so.
30:23What I'll do now is take the egg out.
30:30Season.
30:38So now that that's seasoned, put it on the plate.
30:41Voila.
30:42It's easy, eh?
30:44I wish it would be as easy as that all over.
30:47It looks lovely, appetising, and I really want to taste it right away.
31:00Mmm.
31:08It's 12 o'clock.
31:09The Frenchman told me at 12 o'clock we must eat.
31:12It comes very timely.
31:14It looks delicious, appetising.
31:17Now.
31:18Aha.
31:22Look at that.
31:23Beautiful.
31:24Look, runny.
31:26Look at that.
31:27How gorgeous it is.
31:30So let's try it now.
31:31Beautiful textures outside.
31:34Voila.
31:35Let's enjoy that.
31:44Parfait.
31:45Thank you.
31:46Bravo.
31:47Delicious.
31:48Not over-seasoned, not over-salty.
31:53Lovely dish.
31:55I think I will become an adept of Scottish eggs.
31:59Great cuisine.
32:00Honest and delicious.
32:02I'll have a bit more.
32:06Coming up, Raymond meets his match with a mammoth aristocratic menu.
32:11I wouldn't want to eat 25 courses.
32:13No.
32:15And shares his surprisingly humble addition to an indulgent French favourite.
32:21Gratin au finoir with turnips.
32:23And the turnips add that lovely bittersweet flavour.
32:27Really delicious.
32:44Welcome back to Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens
32:48and the sumptuous surroundings of Dumfries House in Scotland.
32:56Inspired by its incredible home-grown produce,
32:59chefs prepared a sublime dish to delight even the most refined palate.
33:05His scallop, salmon and vegetable ceviche.
33:09The best of South America and, of course, Scotland.
33:13Later, he'll be serving up his take on one of France's most luxurious comfort foods.
33:20Gratin au finoir with turnips. Really delicious.
33:34But first, Raymond's being treated to a private tour of Dumfries House's dazzling dining room
33:40with Collections Manager Satinda.
33:49What a beautiful room.
34:00Satinda.
34:01Hello, Raymond.
34:02Pleased to meet you.
34:03Nice to meet you too.
34:04I see you are arranging the cutlery and the china.
34:07I am, yes.
34:08And I love it because everything which is beautiful is in the detail, so to speak.
34:13Definitely.
34:14That's the heart of it.
34:15It's beautiful, isn't it?
34:16Not only size, but this room is extraordinary.
34:27So Satinda, can you please tell me about the history of the house?
34:30I can. So the gentleman above the fireplace is our fifth Earl of Dumfries
34:34and he commissioned the build of Dumfries House in 1754.
34:38It was finished in 1759 and he picked the finest of Scottish and English Georgian furniture to decorate it.
34:43Nothing French?
34:44Are you sure?
34:45Nothing French.
34:46Are you sure?
34:47Rococo style.
34:48We've got Scottish furniture in here, English mirrors by Chippendale on the walls.
34:52Beautiful chandelier, of course.
34:54Obviously this room is beautiful, but also opulent and almost decadent.
34:59So much it is beautiful.
35:02So what kind of food would match this kind of beauty around you?
35:07So the Georgians in Scotland ate very well.
35:09They ate very heavy meals of veal and animals that they hunted.
35:12The servants would have things like red meat, lobsters were very common
35:17and we have records of tables in here groaning under the weight of the food.
35:21My favourite feature in this room, we mentioned artistry and craftsmanship.
35:26Hidden in the swags of our doorways we have pineapples.
35:29And pineapples were great symbols of wealth and people would buy them.
35:33Yeah, because at the time you couldn't get them, you couldn't grow them.
35:35Do you still grow them here or not?
35:37We did grow them here in the hothouses, which you need, which you'll have seen.
35:41But people would buy pineapples and spend about ÂŁ3,000 to have them as a centrepiece
35:46and then keep them until they rotted.
35:48So that idea of wealth and hospitality and showing off what you can do in terms of your food
35:52is very important for the history here.
35:54Could you give me an idea of a menu that, for example, a guest in 1780 would have?
36:02So starters would probably be something like soup
36:04and then for your main courses it would be course after course after course of heavy foods.
36:09Jellies made out of cow's heads and veal and turkeys and geese
36:14and then puddings, you'd have berries and cream and again, quite rich opulent food.
36:19So they ate well.
36:20Yes.
36:21Yeah, but I wouldn't want to eat 25 courses.
36:23No?
36:24No, it's all my little belly, all I earn is for you.
36:29Not anymore.
36:30You would die very early, you know.
36:32Now I would bring it down to four little courses, that would be perfect.
36:36I would certainly love to enjoy a beautiful meal here.
36:40Does King Charles eat here?
36:42He has on occasion eaten in this room
36:44and it's interesting to know it's actually believed to be his favourite.
36:47He loves the ceiling in this room, its neoclassical style and its structure.
36:51But he has eaten in this room, yes.
36:53It's fantastic.
36:54Definitely.
36:55Thank you very much.
36:56Oh, it was lovely.
36:58Thank you.
37:10To mark his visit to Dumfries House and the Georgian love of all things lavish,
37:15Raymond's final dish is an indulgent Gaelic classic
37:19with a nod to Scotland's neeps and tatties, potato and turnip dauphinoise.
37:26I have fond memory, of course, of seeds, vegetables, potato.
37:31Because at my home, we didn't grow one variety of potato, we grew at least seven.
37:38The first potatoes we would cook would be the little grenailles,
37:41tiny, which would be sautéed.
37:43Then we'd grow the rat, which would be pan-fried.
37:46Then we would grow...
37:47Raymond, my mum, when my mum told me,
37:49Raymond, get me some binges,
37:51I knew it was puree potatoes and sausages, and I loved it.
37:56Then when she would ask me, get me some Maurice Piper,
38:01I knew it was French fries.
38:03Ooh, what a gorgeous moment it was.
38:06The good thing about the King Edward, it is an all-round potato.
38:09You can do absolutely everything.
38:11Roast, pan-fry, poach, puree, sauté, whatever you can do.
38:16So today I'm going to use it to do this wonderful gratin dauphinoise
38:20with turnips.
38:21And the turnips add that lovely bittersweet flavour.
38:25Really delicious.
38:26So let's get on with it, let's peel them.
38:29That's the very most.
38:30You can see they are fresh.
38:32They've been digged out of the garden not too long ago.
38:36You can see how juicy they are.
38:40The hardest part of this dish, actually, is the peeling.
38:43Obviously I've done a few, I feel a bit lazy this morning,
38:46so effectively I've done a few here before.
38:49Actually Adam did that for me.
38:52So then the turnips.
38:56Et voilĂ .
38:58So that's it.
38:59That's the first part of it.
39:01Meanwhile, what I'm going to do now is to infuse my cream with garlic.
39:06Of course, garlic in French cuisine is everywhere.
39:09You add the cream, which is whipping cream, not double.
39:13Double would have every chance to split during the process of cooking
39:19because there's a lot of fat.
39:23So then I'm going to grate my garlic, or you can slice it if you want to.
39:30So by pureeing it like that, you see the garlic flavour is distributed
39:35much more easily.
39:38Now a bit of salt.
39:41That's all what you will need, no more.
39:44Lots of pepper.
39:49Voilà , très bien.
39:52A quick stir.
39:55Très bien.
39:57So you have to slice it now.
39:59So of course you could do it with a knife, but your slices will be different.
40:03They will be all different sizes.
40:05It will be cooking differently.
40:07So I think this little mandolin, it is the simplest tool.
40:15So you want to slice them roughly about one millimetre so there is a bit of texture.
40:22Too thin, it will cook too much and it will be a puree.
40:26Okay?
40:28♪
40:44That is really part of the hard work.
40:46There's never such a thing as a free lunch.
40:49There's always some form of effort.
40:51Whatever you do, and cooking is exactly the same,
40:54but you always think of your guests.
40:56The happiness this dish is going to give to your friends and your loved ones.
41:00Okay?
41:01So I'm going to add a bit more garlic to my dish to give it even more garlicky flavour.
41:06I'm going to add some little cloves to my garlic so it gives all its own inside,
41:11that beautiful dish.
41:13And you just rub it.
41:15Oh yes.
41:17You'll be amazed how much flavour it gives.
41:20VoilĂ .
41:22I'm going to keep a few slices for the top here
41:27and I'm going to put all that in, in my gratin dish.
41:33VoilĂ .
41:35And all that you have to do, just make sure, just press on it nicely so they're all flat.
41:44So now I'm going to add a few on the top.
41:48The reason why I put potatoes on the top is they will add a lovely gratin.
41:53They're softer.
41:55The turnip will tend to dry and often burn a little.
41:58Okay, so voilĂ .
42:00I'm covering them.
42:02Très bien.
42:04Parfait.
42:06So now we're going to add the warm cream to it.
42:10And I'm going to press a little bit on it so all the cream...
42:15VoilĂ .
42:21Normally a gratin dauphinois doesn't need cheese, but I love cheese.
42:25I come from Franche-Comté and Le Comté is really one of the best-loved cheese in my home.
42:31So a little bit of Comté.
42:34There.
42:36So a little bit of Comté.
42:38Yes, voilĂ .
42:40But you don't have to.
42:42But I think it adds something else.
42:44It adds another layer of flavour, saltiness and deliciousness.
42:54Très bien.
42:55And what I'm going to do now is just cover it.
42:58Why?
42:59Because this dish will take about 1 hour 10 to cook.
43:02Okay, and I'm going to cover it with an aluminium foil so it cooks faster.
43:08Okay?
43:12So what we are doing here, we're steaming the potatoes.
43:15The cream will produce its own steam.
43:17It will speed up the cooking and the cooking will be totally uniform.
43:21And 20 minutes before, we will remove the aluminium foil and gratinate the cheese.
43:26It will be delicious.
43:28And I look forward to it.
43:30Okay?
43:31Importantly, oven 170 degrees.
43:34You don't need a high temperature.
43:36Beyond, you will likely to split the cream.
43:39And you wouldn't like me for it.
43:41Okay, before my aluminium foil moves away.
43:48VoilĂ .
43:57So now 50 minutes have passed.
43:59My gratin is not ready.
44:02I need to finish it off by giving a wonderful crust on the top.
44:09VoilĂ .
44:11Remove that.
44:12Look at that.
44:13Look at that.
44:14It's lovely bubbling here.
44:15Look at how gorgeous it is.
44:16And all that I'm going to do now is to put it back into the oven for about 20 minutes
44:21so you get that wonderful, lovely crust.
44:24Golden and delicious, gooey and so satisfying when you eat it.
44:29Okay?
44:30VoilĂ .
44:39Oh, what a lovely smell.
44:41Potatoes, cream, garlic.
44:43What more do you want?
44:55So now the dish is ready.
44:57It's bubbling away beautifully.
45:00Wonderful colour.
45:01So appetising.
45:04Et voilĂ .
45:07So it is my gratin of potatoes and turnip.
45:10And I really hope you're going to make it at home.
45:13It is so easy and so delicious.
45:24I believe that each of us has got the duty to pass on our knowledge to the next generation.
45:47And here at Dumfries House, I believe that King Charles has succeeded.
45:52And his influence goes far beyond the walls of this magnificent garden.