Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens episode 9
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Raymond Blanc is passionate about his garden at Le Manoir Quatre Saisons
00:07and the amazing array 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.
00:24Now, Raymond has been invited to take a glimpse behind the scenes
00:28at the productive gardens of some of the nation's most 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.
00:43He'll meet the dedicated people who care for these unique gardens.
00:47Little genius. How do you manage?
00:50It's really about inspiring our visitors and showing people what they can grow in their own gardens.
00:59He'll celebrate the extraordinary edible treasures they produce
01:03with the chefs who use them every day.
01:10Is the egg runny?
01:12Speechless, chef, speechless.
01:14Absolutely fantastic.
01:16I wouldn't mind having that every day.
01:19Inspired by his travels, Raymond will also share mouth-watering recipes of his own.
01:25Heavenly.
01:27I hope you're going to make it in your own home. Bon appétit.
01:31All but for a king.
01:33Long live the king.
01:34Long live the king.
01:36Join me as I journey through the royal kitchen gardens.
01:49Just like Raymond Blanc, whose penchant for cooking
01:52is only matched by his lifelong love of gardening,
01:55His Majesty the King is famous for his passion for home-grown produce.
02:03His Majesty's knowledge of food, of garden, how to grow garden,
02:08all sort of heritage, rare varieties, organically, is immense.
02:13And he's following a long royal tradition of kings and queens
02:17who have created remarkable kitchen gardens across the realm.
02:29Today, Raymond is back in Northern Ireland,
02:32at Regal Hillsborough Castle near Belfast.
02:36On his last visit, a tour of the stunning State Dining Room
02:39with Collections Manager David revealed an historic entente cordiale.
02:45I'm looking at this menu and I'm quite fascinated.
02:48OK, yes.
02:49Because it's all in French.
02:51Yes, that's right.
02:52Vive la France.
02:53Yeah, vive la France.
02:56And Raymond discovered Hillsborough's time-honoured tradition of growing produce.
03:02And Raymond discovered Hillsborough's time-honoured tradition
03:05of growing its own food.
03:07So this garden would have had year-round harvests to feed the house.
03:12We have about four acres here,
03:14and traditionally one acre would feed about 12 people for a year.
03:20This time, he'll be hearing about a remarkable horticultural restoration project
03:25with Head Gardener Claire.
03:27What you've done in such little time, it's not just good.
03:31To me, it touches excellence.
03:34Resident chef Jamie Penny will be presenting him with another recipe to die for,
03:39raspberry posset with thyme crumble.
03:42We've got these beautiful raspberries.
03:44It must be fantastic to cook with all the produce of the garden.
03:47As a chef, you want to work with the freshest ingredients?
03:49Absolutely.
03:51And Raymond will be sharing delicious dishes of his own.
03:56Garden omelette, and his pork chop with cabbage and gooseberry compote.
04:02You will want to do that dish in your home.
04:04Simple, wonderful home cooking.
04:09I am absolutely delighted to be back at Hillsborough Castle.
04:15As you can see, it's really a place of tranquillity, of peace, serenity.
04:20A place, actually, where the young Queen Elizabeth used to roam around these gardens.
04:26And what a place to roam and to enjoy.
04:29A place which is really, really special.
04:34The official residence of the royal family in Northern Ireland,
04:37the majestic 18th century mansion was designed by Sir Richard Morrison,
04:41one of the foremost architects of his day.
04:45Inside, the lavish interior features state rooms richly decorated with ornate plasterwork
04:52and carved marble fireplaces, as well as an impressive sweeping staircase.
04:59Opened to the public four years ago, thousands of visitors now come to soak up the history
05:06and enjoy the castle's breathtaking 100-acre garden.
05:11I think Hillsborough Garden is really one of the most beautiful gardens that I've seen in Great Britain.
05:17It is really special. And the gardeners do a fantastic job.
05:24Covering four acres, the kitchen garden was laid out in the 1760s,
05:29but gradually fell into disrepair until it was returned to its historic heyday in 2019.
05:36The person responsible for caring for it is head gardener Clare.
05:41Hello, Clare. Good morning to you.
05:43Good morning, Raymond. Lovely to see you.
05:45You have an amazing garden. Really. How can I help you?
05:48I'm a very good gardener.
05:49Well, I'm picking some peas here, so I can give you a box.
05:52Thank you.
05:53And we can work our way down the line.
05:54What variety are they?
05:55This is an heirloom variety, a blouse choker.
05:59They're gorgeous. And what a lovely colour.
06:01What I would love to know is about the restoration of this wonderful garden, because it's immaculate.
06:06It's grand. At the same time, it serves a purpose.
06:09There's a mix of flowers, companion planting.
06:12And I don't see a weed in your garden. How do you manage that?
06:15I'll tell you a secret about the weeds. We had a team of volunteers in here yesterday.
06:19Because you made me ashamed of my own garden.
06:21No, no, no. We do have lots of weeds.
06:23And actually, that was one of the biggest problems when we started.
06:28Because the garden, there was nothing in it. It was just grass.
06:31There had been a few sheep in it, and they had caused a bit of problems with the old pears and apples on the walls.
06:37But other than that, we were starting from a blank canvas.
06:40And in just two years, we redesigned it.
06:44Do you use organic values?
06:46We follow all the organic principles.
06:48We don't use any artificial chemicals or fertilisers.
06:51And we use a lot of mulch.
06:53We make our own compost, and we use it in the garden to build up the fertility,
06:58and to really improve the soil fertility.
07:01It's perfect. It's a garden of heaven, no less.
07:04It makes such a difference, because you know very well,
07:07there's so many pesticides, fertilisers, fungicides, etc.,
07:11which are thrown on these gardens.
07:13And I've used organic values for the last 40 years.
07:17What you've done in cycles, in years,
07:21what you've done in such little time, it's not just good.
07:25To me, it touches excellence.
07:27And I'm learning as well.
07:29How many varieties of vegetables do you grow?
07:31We have 50 different vegetables, and this year, 146 different cultivars.
07:37Wonderful, wonderful.
07:39But then, some of them might not be as good for eating as you would want them to be.
07:43We grow them because they're interesting, or there's a story, or whatever.
07:48Yes, variety for me is the most important,
07:51because not only is it what you can grow early or late,
07:55but what is the best courgette, what is the best aubergine,
07:59what is the best beetroot.
08:01Because I'm a chef, the garden feeds at least seven months of the year our customers,
08:08and we have about 160 guests a day.
08:19When you are picking, especially climbing plants,
08:22whether they're raspberries, loganberries, whether they're peas, French beans and all,
08:27climbing is you look from underneath.
08:29You see far more, and you are able to pick up faster,
08:32and speed is an important part of it.
08:37But I pick so little, and Claire has picked so much more.
08:41She's humiliating me.
08:43But as a Frenchman who has lived so long in Great Britain, I know what to lose.
08:47You had to talk, and I didn't. I could just get on with the work.
08:50Oh, you're fair, fair play. Thank you.
08:53But look at this gorgeous piece.
08:57Coming up, Claire introduces Chef to some of the kitchen garden's oldest residents.
09:03If it's 100 years of age, and it can bear so many fruits, it's quite amazing.
09:08It's great, but it all comes down to really good management.
09:12And Raymond champions an out-of-fashion fruit
09:15with his pork chop, cabbage and gooseberry compote.
09:19Simple, wonderful home cooking,
09:22and a wonderful way as well to rediscover this forgotten treasure, the gooseberry.
09:28Welcome back to Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens.
09:34Today, he's back in Northern Ireland amid the Georgian grandeur of Hillsborough Castle,
09:39where he's discovering more plentiful home-grown produce.
09:44We have 50 different vegetables,
09:46and we're going to be using them to make a special dish.
09:49We're going to be making a special dish,
09:53We have 50 different vegetables,
09:56and 146 different cultivars.
09:59Wonderful, wonderful.
10:02Later, head chef Jamie Penny will be saluting the best of the estate's edible bounty
10:07with his divine raspberry posset.
10:11It's a very classic recipe, and very simple.
10:13It lets the raspberries sort of do the talking.
10:15And the double cream.
10:16Yeah, and the double cream. That's the Irish double cream there.
10:20But first, head gardener Clare has promised to show Raymond
10:24a stunning specimen of one of his favourite fruits.
10:29I can't help seeing this beautiful old tree.
10:32Really old boys, a bit like me.
10:34But they bear so much fruit.
10:36Yeah, no, they're really good.
10:38And we reckon they're probably about 100 years old.
10:41Most of them actually are old French varieties.
10:43Let me show you this lovely old commis pear.
10:46One of the oldest trees in the garden.
10:48It is an extraordinary tree.
10:50If it's 100 years of age, and it can bear so many fruits,
10:54it's quite amazing.
10:55Very beautiful.
10:56It's great, but it all comes down to really good management.
10:59We prune them twice a year, prune them in the summer.
11:02July, August?
11:03Yeah, July.
11:04So we'll take this growth off to let the light in
11:07and allow the fruits all to ripen.
11:09And then we'll prune them back again hard in the winter.
11:13And I must say that commis for me is a beautiful pear.
11:17For so many reasons.
11:19The shape is beautiful, full on.
11:21Quite large pear as well, plump.
11:23Yeah.
11:24You know, it's inviting to bite into.
11:26Juicy.
11:27Perfume like you've never seen.
11:30A perfume created by sweetness and acidity.
11:34And when you have both, you have extra flavors.
11:36Okay?
11:37And then beyond that, you can preserve it very well.
11:40It cooks very well.
11:41Ponds frozen very well.
11:43Eats very well and preserves very well.
11:45And most of all, and that's very important for anyone,
11:48that food can be kept at least four to five months
11:52in a cool, dark storage.
11:54And it is even better.
11:56Well, you've definitely persuaded me that if I need to buy
11:59more pears for the garden, I'm going to buy some more of these.
12:02I have grown a black worcester,
12:05which is an heritage variety from 1500,
12:09but totally unedible.
12:11It's lesser.
12:12You know, sometimes heritage doesn't always mean great.
12:16That's right.
12:17Because so much has improved through cosplaying organ
12:20to create a perfect taste.
12:22I know you love these lovely French pears,
12:24but let me show you some old Irish apples.
12:26Oh yes, definitely.
12:27Because I have no knowledge of Irish apples.
12:30So these are some of the old Irish varieties.
12:33A lot of them named after old town lands,
12:35like Valley Fatten, and this one's Blood of the Boyne,
12:38and we've got Bloody Butcher, and Kerry Pippin, Reeds.
12:43Pippin, you mean?
12:45Yeah, the end one's Kerry Pippin.
12:47Oh, that's interesting.
12:48This is one, this is Ladyfingers of Offaly,
12:52and it's a long apple.
12:54You know, you think of an apple as very round,
12:56but that's quite long.
12:57Nice, sharp apple, nice acidity.
12:59Acidity is good, you know, for tarte tatin,
13:02something that has a hole very well as well.
13:04I'll have to send you some of that in the autumn.
13:06Yeah, I would love to taste that.
13:10The garden is home to over 30 varieties of apple
13:13and more than 40 other fruits,
13:15including one with a rather prickly reputation.
13:20So, Raymond, we've talked a lot about heritage varieties,
13:23but I've brought you up here to show you a very new variety,
13:26but of a very traditional crop, which are the gooseberries.
13:30But this is a new variety called Martlet,
13:32and it's very disease-resistant,
13:34so that's great for us in this climate.
13:36Fabulous-looking crop.
13:38Lovely colour, too.
13:39Lovely-coloured fruit.
13:40Star-traveling.
13:41Almost ripe.
13:43That one is ripe.
13:44That tells you all.
13:45But this variety is a sweet variety.
13:47It's not like the old green variety, which was called...
13:51Careless?
13:52Careless, yeah.
13:53I mean, it took your mouth away, your head away.
13:56It took your head away, and it took all your arms away
13:59when you were trying to pick it as well.
14:01Those are very, very sharp.
14:02They are.
14:03There's still so much sharpness, but the others were long like that.
14:06They were.
14:07It was impossible.
14:08And that may be the reason why so few people cook it now.
14:12Very difficult to harvest mechanically,
14:14so therefore it has to be harvested by hand,
14:16and of course that puts the cost up.
14:18But a really underrated fruit.
14:20We love that Hillsborough is here to show people things
14:23that they maybe don't go and see in the supermarket,
14:26and get an idea of what they can grow at home.
14:29There are so many dishes you could actually do,
14:31savoury or sweet, like a beautiful chutney
14:35or a beautiful accompaniment for a gorgeous piece of belly of pork.
14:40Something that would go very, very well.
14:42Slightly tarty, beautiful flavour.
14:45This one is good, and I just hope that people like it
14:48as much as the birds like it,
14:50which is why, of course, we have to have all this netting over it.
14:54The birds love it.
14:57Making the most of his own crop of the forgotten fruity gem,
15:01Chef has the perfect pairing of savoury and sweet.
15:05Pork chop with cabbage and gooseberry compote.
15:14In front of me I've got three main ingredients.
15:17A beautiful Yorkshire pork with gooseberries and I have Ipsy cabbage.
15:22A little bit of butter and sugar.
15:24And I've got water.
15:28This dish is really extrapolating the best of family cuisine.
15:32Home cooking. No stock. Simplicity.
15:36So I have here my beautiful pork chop.
15:39A little bit of pepper, a tiny bit of salt.
15:44I'm going to put a little bit of butter here.
15:46Not very much, that's all that you need.
15:48Ten grams, not even that.
15:51We're going to melt it until it goes beautiful as a nut
15:55and we'll start browning the meat,
15:57getting some beautiful succulent juices.
16:00Meanwhile, I'm going to look after my beautiful gooseberries.
16:03Look how gorgeous they are, blushing with reds.
16:06And this variety actually is not English.
16:09It's called Captivator or Xenia.
16:11And why?
16:13Because the British gooseberry was quite tarty and quite acid
16:17and you needed so much sugar to flavor.
16:20Whereas those are sweeter and much more delicious.
16:24So now you can see the butter is forming.
16:27I see there's a lovely hazelnut color to it.
16:30So now my pork is ready.
16:33And you can hear that gorgeous note.
16:37It's not aggressive.
16:39It's a beautiful seasoning, slow and delicious.
16:42And soon the smell will come out of it.
16:44And what's happening here is amazing.
16:46The butter, it browns the meat
16:48and sets up some beautiful particles at the bottom.
16:51And we will need just water
16:53to create the most succulent celery.
16:56Simple.
16:57And that you can do it with fish, you can do it with meat,
17:00you can do it with vegetables, and just a bit of butter,
17:03water, salt and pepper, or any spice you wish.
17:07Just going to quickly wash my hands
17:09that Adam is very nicely prepared for me.
17:12Thank you, Adam.
17:14Today he's here because he's just on the side of that
17:18because yesterday I asked him to go and get some gooseberries.
17:23And the gooseberry bushes, you know, are very prickly.
17:26And he came with hands which were really not workable today.
17:30So he's sitting in the chair.
17:32So now you can see a beautiful, gentle seasoning.
17:35There's a lovely browning here.
17:39So now I put a bit of water for my gooseberries.
17:42VoilĂ , c'est bien.
17:44I just throw my gooseberries in here.
17:47The water is the best conductor, the fastest conductor.
17:50Now I'm going to add a bit of sugar.
17:53That's it. One tablespoon.
17:55And just full on.
17:57Full on they burst out and create a beautiful compote.
18:02Look, look what's happening here.
18:04How appetizing it is.
18:08So that will take exactly five minutes on each side.
18:12No more.
18:14To come back to the gooseberries,
18:16my British friends say that babies are born on the gooseberry bush
18:22while the French are born actually in a cabbage.
18:27I was told by four or five or six, seven, when I became a bit curious,
18:31OK, where did I come from, Mamie?
18:33I said, from a cabbage, my son.
18:36Well, I don't mind coming from an Ipsy cabbage, it's all right.
18:39But I wouldn't want to have been born on the gooseberry bush.
18:43It's a bit too prickly in my view.
18:46Anyway, voilà , très bien, that's lovely.
18:56My gooseberries are beautifully bursting.
18:59Look at them, little ruby, beautiful colours.
19:04They go in with so many dishes.
19:06Think of gooseberry full, think of panna cotta,
19:09think of chutney, think of beautiful jam.
19:12There's so many dishes where you can use them.
19:14It's a shame because they are a little bit gone away out of fashion.
19:19The reason why is very simple.
19:21They were too tarty, too much acidity,
19:26and also very difficult to pick
19:30because these needles are long like that.
19:33VoilĂ , you see, look, that is fantastic.
19:36So I'm going to let the water go away, OK.
19:40I'm going to go down a bit of temperature.
19:42My pork is nearly ready, another one minute,
19:46and I'm going to do the cabbage, very, very simple.
19:54I love this cabbage.
19:56Leaves at core here, it's beautiful, beautiful texture.
19:59And, of course, the outside leaves can be a lovely soup.
20:02Remember, you shall waste nuts.
20:05OK, so I use only the heart at the moment,
20:07but the leaves are kept for doing a lovely cabbage soup.
20:10If you check out the seasoning,
20:12the back of your finger is pure, clean, and neutral.
20:17Now the seasoning is perfect, not from inside of the fingers
20:20because you touch everything, salt, pepper, other things.
20:24So that's it.
20:25So now what I'm going to do, just a bit of water.
20:28For the pork chop to rest.
20:30And by doing so, I'm creating an emulsion of butter, water.
20:34That's it, butter, water,
20:36which will create the most unctuous jus that you will love.
20:49Look at that. Et voilĂ .
20:51And I'm going to rest it for a couple of minutes
20:54whilst I cook my cabbage.
20:56That simple.
20:59OK, so just again, a bit of water.
21:01Not very much.
21:02Don't boil it and murder it with boiling it in gallons of water.
21:07Très bien, voilà .
21:08A pinch of salt.
21:10And full on.
21:12A bit of pepper.
21:16Tiny bit of butter.
21:18That's it.
21:20That will take five minutes only.
21:22I put my beautiful gooseberry here.
21:25And I've got this gorgeous, what an accompaniment
21:29for any fish, anything fatty as well,
21:31such as mackerel, salmon, and all the beautiful...
21:36Look at these gorgeous colours.
21:39Let's have a quick little taste.
21:45Oh my God, this is really lovely.
21:49You will want to rediscover that wonderful food.
21:53So my pork has rested beautifully.
21:57I've got here a wonderful jus.
22:00That is really home cooking.
22:03And that's a three-star Michelin home cooking
22:06because you've got really the essence of that beautiful, beautiful pork.
22:12OK, très bien.
22:13So just pour your jus very nicely.
22:15Look at that.
22:16Hop.
22:18The gooseberry.
22:20Oh yes, you can be generous and more.
22:23This is so beautiful.
22:25What a lovely food.
22:27And the cabbage is ready.
22:30Simply, you see, in that little emulsion,
22:32water, butter, salt, a bit of pepper.
22:34C'est tout. That's all what it needs.
22:41VoilĂ .
22:42Bon appétit.
22:43You will want to do that dish in your home.
22:45That is simple, wonderful home cooking
22:48and a wonderful way as well to rediscover
22:51this forgotten treasure, the gooseberry.
22:54Just choose the right variety.
22:56Bon appétit.
23:01After the break, Raymond and Claire get to grips
23:04with the castle's bountiful beetroot.
23:08Oh, there we go.
23:10And head chef Jamie Penny serves up a sublime dish
23:14packed with fresh summer fruit,
23:16raspberry posset with thyme crumble.
23:20I really feel I've eaten like a king, no less.
23:37Welcome back to Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens.
23:42This time, he's back at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast,
23:46soaking up the 18th-century splendour
23:48of Northern Ireland's only royal palace.
23:53Today, Raymond's been lending a hand with the harvest.
24:08You had to talk and I didn't.
24:10I could just get on with the work. Thank you.
24:14Later, he'll be sharing his secret for a satisfying feast
24:17packed with seasonal veg, his simple garden omelette.
24:32But first, resident head chef Jamie Penny
24:35has gone in search of ingredients for another dish
24:38to give Raymond a taste of Hillsborough.
24:41I'm just picking some raspberries.
24:43We would come out and pick the fruit and veg in the garden
24:46as and when we need it, little and often,
24:48which ensures the freshest ingredients.
24:51We would pick at the beginning of the day,
24:53before the members of the public come into the grounds,
24:56and we would pick again later on in the day.
24:58But if there's a lot of people in the gardens,
25:01I do encourage the chefs to come out and speak to the visitors,
25:05explaining what we do here.
25:07I think it brings a different aspect to actually what we do.
25:11We have to adapt what we're doing on quite a regular basis
25:14because sometimes we can come out
25:16and birds have been at some of the berries
25:19or sort of the weather conditions,
25:21but the nature of having a garden
25:23is you do have to keep changing what you're doing.
25:29We do a lot of planning with the gardeners,
25:32such as even the likes of the raspberries now.
25:35There's many different varieties,
25:37so they would be staggered over the season,
25:39which ensures a longer harvest season for us.
25:43It makes menu planning a lot easier.
25:46There would be times of the year
25:48where we get an abundance of certain fruit and veg in the garden.
25:51Raspberries being one of them now,
25:53in autumn we would get a lot of apples,
25:55and we would plan making the jams
25:57that we could use to give Christmas hampers.
26:00We would make tartar tans with the apples
26:03that we could then freeze and use on different occasions.
26:07It maximises using the produce over the whole year.
26:12I think using the garden, people have more respect of the food
26:15because they can see it firsthand
26:17rather than getting delivered from company.
26:20We can pick directly from the garden
26:22and people know exactly what they're eating.
26:25This time, Jamie's serving Raymond a classic dessert
26:29with a modern twist,
26:31a raspberry posset with thyme crumble.
26:35We are here in the Eastborough Gardens,
26:37and it is really fantastic because I've got Jamie with me.
26:40Pleased to meet you, Jamie.
26:42He's going to cook for me. I feel like a king, no less.
26:45So what are you going to cook for us, please, Jamie?
26:48A raspberry posset with a thyme crumble.
26:51So we've got these beautiful raspberries from the garden.
26:54One variety? The latest one?
26:56Yeah, go ahead.
26:58We're going to take this sugar,
27:01mixed with some lemon verbena.
27:03The flavour is lovely.
27:05So there's no need for lemons in this recipe.
27:08Traditionally, it would be a lemon posset.
27:10It's a very classic recipe and very simple.
27:13It lets the raspberries do the talking.
27:15And the double cream.
27:17Yeah, and the double cream. That's Irish double cream there.
27:20So Jamie, it must be fantastic to be able to work,
27:23to cook with all the produce of the garden
27:25and organically grown as well.
27:27Generally, as a chef, you want to work with the freshest ingredients.
27:30Absolutely.
27:31And you're usually working with suppliers
27:33and trying to get them to bring you the freshest ingredients.
27:36But we're lucky, we can come directly and get our ingredients ourselves.
27:39Complete privilege. Absolutely.
27:41So I'm just going to add this.
27:43This is the double cream.
27:45Not whipping, double.
27:46No, this is double cream.
27:48See, and then you see the sort of colour,
27:50all sort of coming together.
27:52We're trying to boil up the mixture here.
27:54It takes sort of a few minutes.
27:56It's all about infusing.
27:57Yeah, so all the flavours will get mixed in.
27:59We're going to make a thyme crumble here.
28:01Butter. Yeah.
28:02We've got some sugar.
28:04This is just a standard crumble recipe.
28:06You weigh the butter, half the amount of sugar,
28:09and then double the amount of flour to the butter.
28:11Irish butter.
28:12No, this is Irish.
28:13Not French butter.
28:14No, unfortunately, this is Irish buffet here today.
28:17So then this is the flour in here.
28:19We're going to add some silver thyme here.
28:22We just give it a good mix.
28:24And you want it so it's like kind of breadcrumbs.
28:27You can make a little bit extra.
28:29This lasts a very long time.
28:31And you can have this on yoghurts and breakfast,
28:34and it's very nice.
28:36What I would love to know as well,
28:38what kind of pressure it is to cook
28:41when you have a large banquet,
28:43or even now to cook for me,
28:45or indeed sometimes for King Charles?
28:48Easy?
28:49It varies.
28:50You get used to it.
28:51You know, if you have confidence in the ingredients
28:53and that you're using,
28:55there should be no worries really.
28:57So now we would put that in the oven
29:00just for about seven minutes, about 165, 170,
29:04and it will come out looking like this here.
29:08Et voilĂ .
29:09So how is the cream infused with the raspberries doing?
29:13Okay?
29:14Yes, as you can see, it's coming up to the boil here now.
29:16Are you reducing it down?
29:17No, you just want to bring it just to a quick boil,
29:19and then what we're going to do is
29:20we're going to just let it cool down naturally.
29:22You're boiling it?
29:23Okay.
29:24Personally, I don't boil the cream.
29:25I just use it as it is.
29:27Yeah.
29:28But I'm not familiar with posse.
29:29It's not my culture.
29:31And obviously I love to see,
29:33to understand and to discover other people's culture.
29:36So you don't reduce the cream.
29:38That will be enough to create a set.
29:41This will set now in the fridge.
29:43So what we're going to do now is we're going to strain this.
29:45Et voilĂ .
29:46Beautiful colour.
29:48I must say, I really have enjoyed discovering
29:50Hezbollah Castle, its history.
29:53All the menus were written in French, no?
29:56And do you still do that now?
29:59Traditionally, everything would have been sort of in French.
30:01For most menus, it would be now in English,
30:03but predominantly, still a lot of the times,
30:05you know, we would refer to each other.
30:07When we say yes, we would say oui in the kitchen.
30:09There's still a lot of French influence within the kitchen.
30:12You have a bigger spoon.
30:13It's all okay. I'll do it.
30:14I'm a patient man.
30:16VoilĂ .
30:17I'm going to put that to the side, but we're going to keep this,
30:19and we're going to use this to garnish up at the end.
30:21VoilĂ .
30:22And then what we're going to do is we're just going to pour this into...
30:24Oh, that's simple enough.
30:26Pour that into there.
30:27We'll put that in the fridge now,
30:28and that will take sort of two to three hours to set.
30:30Yeah, yeah.
30:31Almost like a sort of a mousse kind of texture in there.
30:34So I've got some that were made earlier here,
30:36and the colour has become a lot more vibrant.
30:39Oxidation, yeah.
30:40And now you can see it's set.
30:42Yes, and delicately set.
30:44Very delicate, yeah.
30:45A little bit of movement.
30:46A little bit of movement on there, but you want to keep it nice and light.
30:48Exactly. Silky, you want to keep it light, yes.
30:50So this is the crumble.
30:52A little sprinkle of this.
30:54Just like that.
30:56And then we've got the pulp that we kept.
30:59Pour a little bit.
31:01Just on the top.
31:02Okay.
31:03Just like that.
31:04I feel famished.
31:06Come on, move on.
31:07Move on, Jamie.
31:08I just really feel it's 12 o'clock,
31:11so it's time when French man wants to eat.
31:14Okay.
31:15It looks lovely.
31:17Is the carnation a flower to eat as well?
31:20Yeah, this is an edible flower, mainly for decoration,
31:23but it's a nice thing to add on,
31:25especially when we're in the gardens.
31:27Absolutely lovely.
31:28I think I'm going to try one of those.
31:30Okay, shall we?
31:32I'll leave the flower to you.
31:34That's for you, Jamie.
31:35Thank you.
31:36Oh, love is set.
31:37You can see it fumbling, very gentle, silky.
31:42And, of course, the crumble gives you this wonderful crunchy.
31:46Yeah, there's a nice different texture in there.
31:48It's very fresh.
31:49You see, when I see you putting double cream,
31:53I say, oh, my God, it's going to be too rich, no?
31:55But, actually, it works very well.
31:58It's very delicate.
32:01The acidity of raspberries and the hint of verbena
32:05is coming up very nicely.
32:07Yeah, it's beautiful.
32:09Very much.
32:10I'll have one with you, for me to share, okay?
32:12Yeah, cheers.
32:17Very fresh.
32:18Really delicious.
32:19So, Jamie, I really thank you so very much.
32:22It was a beautiful dessert.
32:24I really feel I've eaten like a king, no less.
32:27But, Jamie, something is missing.
32:29The wine is missing, or a lovely glass of Guinness,
32:32you know, would be really nice.
32:34Cheers to that.
32:35Hey, where is the Guinness?
32:37Okay.
32:38That doesn't do.
32:43Whether it's the summery flavour of fresh raspberries
32:46or the tangy taste of colourful currants,
32:49there are a wealth of ways to enjoy the wonders of soft fruit.
32:54And here's a simple step-by-step guide
32:57to help you create a guilt-free teatime treat
33:00using one of Britain's favourites, low-sugar strawberry jam.
33:08Take 900g of strawberries.
33:11Slice in half and place in a bowl.
33:14Add 230g of sugar.
33:18Add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice.
33:22Gently mix, then leave to stand for 15 minutes.
33:27Known as macerating,
33:29the sugar will draw any juices out of the fruit,
33:32improving the taste and texture of the jam.
33:36In another bowl, combine 20g of sugar with 7g of pectin.
33:42Add 4 tablespoons of water.
33:45Stir and allow to dissolve.
33:50Next, tip the macerated strawberries into a heavy-based saucepan
33:54over a medium heat
33:56and bring to a gentle simmer.
34:00Skim off any froth that rises to the top
34:03and allow to cook until the fruit has broken down.
34:07Then add in the sugar and pectin mixture and stir.
34:12Bring to the boil for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat.
34:18To test the consistency,
34:20put a tablespoon of the jam onto a plate and place in the fridge.
34:25After cooling for 10 minutes, the mixture should wrinkle when pushed.
34:30Once ready,
34:33store in sterilised jars
34:36and serve at your leisure with scones and clotted cream
34:40for a low-sugar twist on a traditional afternoon tea.
34:48Coming up, Raymond's wowed by the castle's crop of colourful beetroot.
34:54So we've got some nice golden ones and we've got these lovely red ones.
34:59Oh, full of sugar.
35:01Look at that, isn't that gorgeous?
35:03And he showcases the versatility of veg with his one-pan garden omelette.
35:10My papa was a great gardener and he gave me the love of vegetables.
35:15Every season they bring something new, something very beautiful.
35:19And I think you will love that dish.
35:24MUSIC
35:34Welcome back to Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens
35:38and the sumptuous setting of Hillsborough Castle near Belfast.
35:44In celebration of its treasure trove of seasonal produce,
35:48chef served up a tasty nod to a neglected fruit.
35:53These berries are beautifully bursting, look at them.
35:56It's a ruby, beautiful colours.
36:00Later, he'll be honouring the glory of vegetables in his garden omelette.
36:06It's so wonderful, all this scent from the garden,
36:09so fresh, so fragrant, so perfect.
36:12I love it because it's a celebration, a triumph of the garden.
36:17Gorgeous.
36:20But first, head gardener Claire has another colourful crop
36:25which is ready to harvest for the castle's cafe.
36:29So, Claire, you've got a very magnificent garden
36:32with a succession of many great heritage varieties.
36:36Yeah, and it's great, and you have to have that
36:38because otherwise everything just comes at once.
36:40Absolutely.
36:41But we've got some beetroot that are ready, some of our first crop.
36:44So we've got some nice golden ones and we've got...
36:47Oh, yes, absolutely.
36:48These lovely red ones, this is...
36:50Oh, full of sugar.
36:52Look at that, isn't that gorgeous?
36:54I'll give you a bigger one.
36:55You'll get a bigger one, right.
36:57Oh, yes, I'm a competitive person.
36:59Look at that one.
37:00Oh, we need to be like the man and the turnip and both pull.
37:06Whoa, there we go.
37:08It's a tiny part.
37:09No, no, that's a beautiful one.
37:11Yeah.
37:12And the bigger, of course, they are more sweeter, more sugar.
37:15But, you know, the reason that we have to grow so many golden ones
37:18is we're not allowed to use the red ones in the house.
37:20Why?
37:21In case they stain the carpet.
37:22But the yellow will stain the carpet as well.
37:24Yeah, but you don't see the stain.
37:26That makes sense.
37:27You can leave them in the earth until...
37:30Yeah, you can, absolutely.
37:32And make a lot of root veg.
37:34Once they get a little bit of frost, they're even sweeter.
37:37Oh, I love to see that.
37:38Look.
37:39Big worms.
37:40So you know you're in a good place.
37:42But healthy soil is so important.
37:44Very healthy.
37:45But it's not very big, eh?
37:46No, it's not.
37:47But hopefully there's a few more.
37:52Inspired by Hillsborough Castle's incredible walled garden,
37:56Chef's final dish is a rustic tribute to the wonders of veg,
38:00his garden omelette.
38:08The dish I'm about to do is actually to celebrate
38:12all these wonderful vegetables which grow in my garden.
38:16And I'm going to call it our garden omelette.
38:18A peasant dish which will satisfy everyone.
38:22So I've got half an onion, just in big chunks.
38:32So now the carrots as well.
38:33We're going to do that together.
38:35You can keep that for a soup.
38:37So I put it here.
38:39I leave the skin on.
38:40Perfectly ripe, grown organically.
38:44Quite big, chunky.
38:49A bit of olive oil.
38:55You don't want to fry them, you want to sweeten them.
38:57No colour.
38:59To speed up the process of cooking.
39:01Top here.
39:02Watch it.
39:03Très bien.
39:04So meanwhile you prepare your vegetables.
39:08So quite finely.
39:09You don't need to crush it.
39:11In rustic cuisine, family cooking, garlic is in most dishes.
39:15And for a good reason.
39:17It adds flavours.
39:18It's packed with nutrients.
39:20So this garlic should be part, definitely, of your cooking
39:23and also part of your medicine cabinet, definitely.
39:27VoilĂ .
39:28So just leave that aside here.
39:32Look at the magic of cooking.
39:34The onions start to get transparent.
39:36Lovely colours.
39:41You can add the garlic now.
39:44VoilĂ .
39:45Perfect.
39:46So now, celery.
39:47But you can put radishes, you can put leeks, Swiss chard.
39:50All sorts of vegetables.
39:52Whatever is in season, that's the best way.
39:55So quite chunky.
39:56So we're going to put that here.
39:58So now, look at these gorgeous colours.
40:02Just remove the...
40:04Again, quite chunky.
40:10Now courgette.
40:15The reason why I cook the carrots and the onion first
40:19is because they are tougher, more fibrous.
40:22OK?
40:23These vegetables are softer.
40:25Courgette, celery.
40:26All these will come in the second stage.
40:33Lovely.
40:34A little bit of pepper.
40:37I've got some lovely Jersey potatoes here.
40:40They're just still warm, barely cooked.
40:43I'll finish cooking in my omelette later.
40:46VoilĂ .
40:47Don't go away, little one.
40:48OK.
40:51Oh, I forgot my beans.
40:53Aren't they beautiful?
40:54Just little gems.
40:55So delicious.
40:56And the skin.
40:57Don't take away the skin.
40:58Please, keep it because that's what creates the texture.
41:01It's a miracle of flavour.
41:03A bit of spice.
41:06Just a bit of heat.
41:07That's a chilli pepper, very hot.
41:09So be very gentle and parsimonious to your dish here.
41:13But that will add a little bit of heat,
41:16a bit of lots of flavours.
41:18Let's put the salt.
41:20Not very much.
41:21These vegetables are packed with flavours.
41:23OK?
41:24Eggs, très bien.
41:25And to it still I need to add spinach, herbs, potatoes.
41:31That will do about six to eight people, OK?
41:34So you have one egg per portion, roughly.
41:37So, a little bit of seasoning.
41:42And just break them down.
41:45My vegetables are nearly ready here.
41:49Très bien.
41:50So now, we're going to add the potatoes.
41:56The broad beans.
42:01I'm going to do my herbs.
42:03Tarragon and rosemary together, like that.
42:08Quite rough.
42:09Herbs are magical, but too much, they can kill the dish.
42:14Très bien.
42:15Now I'm going to add a bit of parsley.
42:18Stokes and all, don't worry.
42:21We are at home.
42:22Big chunk.
42:24And now we are ready to add the herbs
42:26and leave them only for two minutes.
42:29Look at that.
42:32And of course, any herb you like.
42:34Whether it's chervil, borage, marjoram, whatever you like.
42:39You go for it.
42:40VoilĂ .
42:42It's so wonderful.
42:43All this scent from the garden.
42:45So fresh, so fragrant, so perfect.
42:48The last bit, spinach.
42:50That looks a lot, but they're going to melt into so little.
42:54That's a vegetarian dish.
42:55OK, complete.
42:56OK, but if you like a bit of chorizo
42:59or a little bit of merguez inside, or sausages,
43:02a bit of piggy piggy in here, that would be perfect as well.
43:06OK, so it's up to you.
43:08But I love that dish as it is.
43:10Really, I love it because it's a celebration,
43:12a triumph of the garden.
43:16No less.
43:18Now we're ready to add the eggs.
43:20Put them right in the middle
43:23and they'll go wherever they want to go.
43:26And what I want to do here,
43:28I want to brown the base.
43:30So I'm increasing the temperature
43:32so the base of this garden omelette
43:36has got a gorgeous gold colour.
43:38A bit further and you burn it.
43:40So, because you don't see what's going on underneath.
43:43So it needs a medium-high temperature.
43:46It's difficult to say which one.
43:48But voilĂ .
43:51So now, I really believe I've got a beautifully brown colour.
43:55Appetising and golden, crispy.
43:57I'm now ready to cook my omelette,
43:59which will take about 20 minutes.
44:03190 degrees.
44:05In no time, it will be ready.
44:07And you can serve it as it is.
44:09Turn it around into a big dish.
44:11A little salad with it would be very nice,
44:13or tomato sauce.
44:15And you will have a feast, a total garden feast.
44:18My garden omelette.
44:20Of course, many nations have got their own take on it.
44:23The French call it Spanish omelette.
44:25The Italians call it frittata.
44:28The Spanish call it tortilla.
44:30But the whole point is to celebrate that wonderful dish,
44:34which will take very little time,
44:36which will satisfy everyone.
44:42VoilĂ .
44:43Elle est jolie.
44:45That's a big omelette.
44:47That feeds a family of at least eight or ten.
44:54Vegetables for me have always been important.
44:57My papa was a great gardener,
44:59and he gave me the love of vegetables.
45:02Here we've got 150 varieties of vegetables growing.
45:05Imagine.
45:07So every season, they bring something new,
45:10something very beautiful.
45:12And I think you will love that dish.
45:14And you can make it as simple as possible.
45:16You can do it just with potatoes and parsley, for example.
45:19But don't forget the garlic.
45:21Always the garlic.
45:34I really have enjoyed discovering Hillsbury Castle.
45:38I had a wonderful time exploring the gardens.
45:42And really, I realized the extraordinary knowledge of these gardens
45:47and their hard work and their passion
45:49is so wonderful to see these values
45:52translated into amazing vegetables and food.
45:56Truly, a great lesson for me.
45:59I always love learning, and I've learned a lot here.
46:20HILLSBURY CASTLE
46:23HILLSBURY CASTLE
46:26HILLSBURY CASTLE
46:29HILLSBURY CASTLE
46:32HILLSBURY CASTLE
46:35HILLSBURY CASTLE