(majestic orchestral music) - For me, family comes first, but food comes a very close second.

I love it!

(chef laughs) It's the joy of growing...

It looks like ringlets, doesn't it?

Cooking...

It's a bit of all right.

And eating it.

Well, it can't be bad if I'm having a second lot.

- Howay, man, Mary!

(group laughing) - I'm feeling a bit, sort of, happy.

And I love meeting the people who share this passion.

- (puckers lips) Exquisite.

(students applauding) (students cheering) - And best of all, there's still so much wonderful food to discover.

Gorgeous color, look at it!

It's most exciting.

Looking good.

So, let's get cracking.

(majestic orchestral music continues) (bright upbeat music) Cooking is so much more than assembling the ingredients, it's how I show those around me that I care.

I'm going the extra mile to make them taste special and look special for family and friends.

Like this gorgeous family favorite with a side that I just can't resist, a delicious open tart, perfect for any outing, and the most impressive of chocolate cakes.

But first, a recipe that's such a winner with any family, a magnificent roast that will have everyone cheering for more.

When you want to push the boat out, there is nothing quite like roast beef.

Doesn't that look beautiful?

I'm going to season it, first of all, with salt.

Rubbing that in.

Add a little black pepper, drizzle with sunflower oil, then straight into a piping hot pan.

Listen for the sizzle.

(pan sizzling) And I'm certainly not cooking the beef, it's just browning it.

The idea is that you're getting a crust all round the beef.

(pan sizzling) That looks really good.

And don't forget the ends.

(pan sizzling) There's a fog between you and me.

(light gentle music) Once sealed, smother the beef with two tablespoons of delicious Dijon mustard.

To make it even tastier, lay the filet on fresh rosemary, before sliding into a 200 fan oven for about 20 minutes.

The traditional accompaniments for roast beef are mustard and horseradish.

I'm blending the two together.

This sauce is just so moreish.

Start with fresh horseradish, if you can.

And it grates very easily, just like you would ginger.

(grater scraping) I think that's about two tablespoons.

(grater tapping) 150 mill of creme fraiche and the same of mayonnaise will balance out the horseradish perfectly.

Then I'm going to add two teaspoonfuls of Dijon mustard, (spoon clattering) little pepper and salt, and that's it.

Couldn't be easier.

Mm!

That really is scrummy.

(light gentle music) How about that, then?

To make sure the beef is wonderfully tender, let it rest for 20 minutes.

I'm also going to take a tea towel and put that over, as well.

It does mean that it just gently goes on cooking and holding itself together.

When family and friends come over for a roast, time is precious.

So, I've taken to cooking my veg the day before.

I refresh them in cold water to keep their color.

Then I plate them up exactly how I want to serve them.

Then I just cover them and pop them in the fridge.

Then, on the day, I simply reheat them in a 200 fan oven.

I promise you it works.

(light majestic music) (birds chirping) Now the beef has rested nicely, let's bring it all together.

The knife is going through like butter.

Just look at that.

Isn't it perfect?

Gosh, that's just as I would like it to be.

And, to top it off, that glorious reheated veg.

Did you notice the moment it came out of the oven and I revealed it, piping hot, lots of steam?

Look at this vibrant dish.

It really is a no-fuss way to feed everyone.

I really love doing vegetables like this, because, when friends come round, I'm very organized, and I can join them with a drink and the odd canape.

(gentle upbeat music) One of my greatest joys is that my daughter, Annabel, loves to cook just as much as I do.

- This is so exciting, being by the seaside again, isn't it?

- Oh, I think it's lovely.

We also share a passion for foraging in the great outdoors.

When you were little, we'd always go blackberrying and mushrooming, and always seeking for things.

As a treat, Annabel has brought me to the idyllic Carmarthen Bay to meet foraging expert Craig Evans.

- Craig.

- That's Craig, there, is it?

- Yes, and his dog.

- And his dog.

- Dog Clau.

He's a real character.

- [Mary] Foraging's appeal has grown so much in the last few decades, this has led to local councils placing stricter restrictions on it.

Luckily, Craig will show us the ropes.

- This area where we are now, it's special, but the plants here are specially adapted as being salt-tolerant.

- Right.

- So, as you get further out, you get the more salt-tolerant plants, and that's where the marsh samphire lives.

- Similar in taste to salty baby asparagus, I adore cooking with samphire.

But I've never seen where this sea herb actually grows.

Ah!

That is samphire.

- Yeah, that's it.

- I recognize it.

- Yeah, well done.

- It's like little trees growing in the marsh.

- Let's get some.

The thing here to do- - I thought I might sink down into the mud, but, of course, it's not like that, is it?

- You will over there, but we're fine here.

But you'll be fine here.

- Do you mind?

- Clau.

Out the away, boy.

Come on.

- Out the way.

- Right.

Don't take too much from one place, try and vary the location where you're cutting from.

The reason is, because they're annual plants, which rely on self-seeding year on year, we need to cut a bit here, a bit there, so we'll leave some to self-seed for next year.

- Mum, are you enjoying this?

- Am I enjoying it?

I'm in heaven.

(Annabel laughs) Annabel, you know it would be really good to just have samphire with butter, with a poached egg on top.

- Oh, delicious.

Like you do with asparagus?

- It's as good as asparagus, it's delicious.

(light gentle music) (birds chirping) Enjoying the great outdoors is our family tradition.

But when I want to make something special for them at home, it's this scrumptious recipe for samphire and roasted salmon that I turn to.

My family love it.

To give the salmon a bit of a lift, I'm having a crust on top.

Spread a generous dollop of soft butter across each filet, then add a good sprinkle of paprika to 25 grams of semolina.

The paprika makes it get extra golden brown.

And season.

Just mix that together.

So, take that and just dip it in there.

Once the filets are nicely covered, I'm going to place them on a bed of fresh parsley stalks to infuse more flavor into the flesh.

And they're ready to cook.

To go into the oven at 180, and it'll take about 15 minutes.

(over door clunking) Salmon can take big flavors, so I'm serving a preserved lemon sauce with it.

This sauce is so delicious.

Whoever tastes it will lick their plate clean.

Simply add two preserved lemons to fresh parsley and whizz together.

(food mixer whirring) (upbeat music) Then, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, three tablespoonfuls of mayonnaise, 200 grams of creme fraiche, season, and blend until smooth.

It's wonderfully piquant to go with the salmon.

Just needs to be heated until it's warm.

The salmon, meanwhile, has had 15 minutes and is looking absolutely gorgeous.

No juices coming out from it.

It always should hold its liquid, otherwise, the flavor is lost.

The last job is to cook that wonderful samphire.

It's similar to cooking asparagus, so all that's needed is a couple of minutes in boiling water.

No salt, because samphire is a little bit salty.

(bright gentle music) Now, to the part that I like best, making it look really tempting.

Starting with that velvety, preserved lemon sauce.

That's it.

It looks beautifully cooked.

The samphire is lovely.

(light majestic music) I think that looks special.

Mm!

That is absolutely scrumptious.

I know when I serve this to the family, they will be clamoring for more.

(gentle upbeat music) Back in Carmarthen Bay, Annabel and I are in awe at all the other wild foods that Craig is unearthing.

And what an abundance it is.

- There's about 30 or 40 different things you can eat in where we are now.

- Really?

- Do you like radish?

- I'm not mad about radish, but I'm willing to try anything.

- [Craig] Little bit there, now.

A wee pick.

- Wanna pop it in my basket?

- Put it there, if you cut the piece off, and- - [Annabel] Yeah.

- The stalks, when they're very young, they're tender, you can stir-fry them.

- That's definitely radish but on the milder side.

While it never ceases to amaze me how many wild plants are perfectly edible, over the years, I've learnt not to eat anything until I know exactly what it is.

- This thing here, it's called sea spinach, or sea beet.

It's the ancestors of all sugar beets and beetroots.

- Uh-huh.

- And use it just as you would spinach.

(bright gentle music) - [Annabel] What do you think?

- I wouldn't know that wasn't spinach, you know?

There's only one thing that beats freshly-picked sea vegetables, and that's freshly-picked sea vegetables cooked on the beach.

- [Craig] On the platter there, you've got some flowers of sea radish, and we've got wild garlic, then, in various stages.

- What's this?

- That's a seaweed surprise, okay?

It's known as pepper dulse.

Have a taste and see what flavor you get.

- It's a lovely texture.

It's certainly garlicky.

- Yeah, yeah.

- And now, the bit I've been looking forward to, cooking this glorious foraged bounty in some wild garlic butter.

That looks good, doesn't it?

- Oh!

- There we are.

Delicious, isn't it?

- How good is that?

- Amazing.

- [Craig] Bit in there.

(gentle majestic music) - Doesn't that look so beautiful?

Mm!

- Oh, it doesn't get better than that, Mum.

- [Craig] Lovely, isn't it?

(bright majestic music) (lively upbeat music) - When cooking for family and friends, I want to spend as much time with them as possible.

A bit of clever preparation helps.

I've got a great tip for lining a tin.

Turn the tin upside down, and simply mold the foil around it.

That's fitting absolutely beautifully.

Just lift that back like that, turn the tin back again, and that's an exact fit.

It keeps it clean and is easy to lift out.

If you want to make a cake, and you've forgotten to take the butter out of the fridge, here's a very good way of softening it.

Simply cube the butter and place in a bowl of lukewarm water.

Leave for four or five minutes, strain, (hand mixer whirring) and mix away.

That's made very light work of that.

I love making homemade stock because it's better.

Here's the perfect way to store it.

Just reuse pre-bought and measured-out cartons with a lid.

It's good to have it in measurements, they're usually 300 mill or 250 mill, and that's exactly what you so often want for your recipes.

So easy to then just take out what you need, when you need it.

(gentle upbeat folk music) It's not just my family who fill my life.

My closest friends have been there for me through thick and thin.

30-year-old Carlisle-born Harrison Ward fully appreciates that sentiment.

- Well, I've done my best for the weather for you, Mary.

- I think you've done brilliantly.

Although hard to imagine now, just a few years ago, this fit and healthy young hiker was in a very different place.

The Cumbrian landscape not only offered an escape but a salvation.

- I'd found myself in quite, I guess, a dark place with various mental health issues, and drinking too much.

I was taken up the top of here by a friend and frogmarched up to the summit of Blencathra.

- What, right up there?

- Absolutely, yeah, that was my first one.

But that was the one that started it all.

- So, when you stood there, and you looked down, what did you feel?

- It was just sheer determination, really, to leave that man I'd became behind, and, sort of, try and become a better person.

The hills just provided that, sort of, escape for me, really.

It was something that really sung to me and almost grew a new addiction in itself, just looking out onto these views below.

- That was a good friend that took you on that day.

- Yeah, and he actually bought me a pair of boots, 'cause I was completely penniless at the time, really, and, it was a huge moment of faith and support.

- Aren't you a very keen cook, as well?

- I am.

Yeah.

It's something I've taken into the fells with me.

So, in here I've got plenty of bits.

I've got my camping stove, lots of equipment, all different ingredients, and we're gonna try and knock up, I guess, a dish you'd do in the restaurant or at home, on the fellside here.

- Well, I'm hungry.

- Great stuff.

Well, let's find a spot, then.

- Right.

In these parts, Harrison is now known as the Fell Foodie.

He hikes through the magnificent hills before cooking from scratch, almost every single day in the summer.

- This looks like a good spot down here, Mary.

Across this stream.

(river burbles) (light upbeat music) - This doesn't seem like a normal picnic at all.

And it's not.

He's so passionate about cooking that Harrison carries all his measured ingredients and cooking equipment in that backpack.

- [Harrison] Plenty of bits and bobs.

- [Mary] That looks like sugar.

- That's sugar in there, yeah.

We've got some caster sugar, some flour in one of the other pots.

- I say, we can do the washing-up in the stream, can't we?

(Harrison laughs) (river burbles) (light gentle music) (knife tapping) This is, without doubt, a man who loves to cook.

Harrison is frying up two sea bass filets, braising courgettes, beans, and a smoky pancetta to go with them.

- I've never been one to shy away from good food and good ingredients.

So, why do it when I'm out here, either?

- [Mary] I'm used to beans and bangers when I'm eating outside.

It is beautifully presented.

- I hope you enjoy.

- Here goes.

Mm!

The textures, the flavors.

Couldn't be better.

And doesn't it taste good out of doors in this lovely, peaceful setting?

- Nothing better.

(river burbles) (gentle upbeat music) - I think Harrison would also enjoy my beautiful beetroot and feta tart.

I often make this on a weekend for friends.

This is a great, rustic, feel-good tart.

I'm starting with shop-bought puff pastry, and why not?

It's very easy, already rolled.

You might want to make it just a little bit longer.

And, rather than doing it in a square, I've done it in an oval.

It needs to have a lip so that my filling doesn't fall off.

Just lift the edge up and, sort of, roll it over.

To give the tart its wonderful, intense flavor, mix two cloves of crushed garlic with three tablespoons of sundried tomato paste, and spread it over the base.

(bright string music) I think that's fairly even.

That's it.

The next layer is 200 grams of rich and salty feta cheese.

Do buy the very best feta cheese that you can.

It'll taste so much better.

Now for one of my favorite ingredients.

I just love beetroot, it has such a hearty flavor, and it is so versatile.

You can have it hot or cold, and it's lovely to have pickled, too.

(bright gentle music) These ones have been simply boiled and sliced.

Already, that looks quite spectacular.

Just add a little seasoning and olive oil, before popping into a 180 fan oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Looks a bit of okay.

The tart may look ready to eat, but I want to make it even more special with a handful of fresh rocket, oven-roasted peppers, and a delicious dressing.

I've got a dressing just made with oil and balsamic vinegar.

Give it a whisk round, and I'm going to put a little on top of the peppers, and the rest with the rocket.

And then, put that in the middle.

(bright string music) I think it looks very tempting, really colorful.

Let me remind you, puff pastry underneath, sundried tomatoes and garlic, then feta, best quality, lots of beetroot, rocket, and roasted peppers.

I simply love to cook this.

(river burbles) (light string music) No matter what we feed our family and friends, everyone loves something sweet to top it off.

Back in the Cumbrian Hills, Harrison is about to provide it in the form of a blueberry and lemon sponge.

- Onto the stove.

- It fits in there very neatly.

- Like a glove.

(lid clanks) - Now, this cake, when it comes out, it's going to look a bit drunk, because we're on a hill.

(Harrison laughing) But, that's part of its charm, isn't it?

- Absolutely, yes.

Yeah, we try and present things as well as we possibly can, but we are in the outdoors, after all- - I know.

- Cooking on camp stoves.

- Well, I've seen cakes made in a caravan, but I have never seen a cake made on a fell.

(gentle acoustic music) (stream trickling) I can smell that cake, and I'm sure it must be done.

- I think we're about there, so I think it's the moment of truth.

- Have a look.

Here's the moment.

Wow.

That is absolutely perfect!

It's got color, as well, and you can see the fruit through it.

- And then, we've got some blueberries on the top to finish.

- And finally, a delicious sweet lemon glaze.

There's nothing like a bit of warm cake.

It's a lovely texture all the way through.

What do you think?

- It's not half bad.

- I've had a wonderful day on the fells, and this is the icing on the cake.

It's delicious!

Cake really is the best way to treat our nearest and dearest.

I think we all agree with that.

My last recipe is so delicious, it's already a family favorite.

A sumptuous, dark, paradise chocolate cake.

This is the sort of cake that I really love to make.

It's the sort of cake that you really can show off with.

(bright gentle music) Start off by adding four tablespoons of boiling water to 30 grams of cocoa powder.

That cooks the cocoa and makes it a very good flavor.

Give it a good mix until the paste is smooth.

That's it, now to the other ingredients.

(spoon tapping) I'm doing this by the all-in-one method.

I find it gives a very good result.

(egg cracking) Three eggs, followed by 200 grams of baking spread straight from the fridge.

I wouldn't dream of using anything but butter for something like shortbread or butter biscuits, but I find a spread right for this cake.

100 grams each of light muscovado sugar and caster sugar, then 175 grams of self-raising flour.

No need to sieve it, because we're going to give a good beat.

Finally, two tablespoons of milk, and mix away, until it's one gorgeous color.

(hand mixer whirring) Notice that I'm moving the bowl around, all helps for it to be mixed well.

For an extra bit of naughtiness, add a further 120 grams of rich, melted dark chocolate.

This really does enrich the cake, and I'm only using the sort of chocolate that you can buy at the corner shop, just plain chocolate.

(hand mixer whirring) That's beautifully mixed.

Free the beaters.

Ready to go in the tin.

(light gentle music) Gorgeous, rich mixture.

(spoon tapping) Then into a preheated oven at 140 fan for about 75 minutes.

(light gentle music continues) When it's done, you can smell it from the next room.

It's wonderful.

Now, don't be alarmed when you take that cake out of the oven with the crack.

I've made it several times, it's always got a crack, and it doesn't matter at all, because you'll cover it up with the apricot jam, and then, the icing.

The icing is to die for.

Carefully, bring 200 mills of double cream to a gentle simmer, then add yet more dark chocolate, 200 grams this time.

Go on stirring until all the chocolate has melted.

This gorgeous topping will need to chill slightly, giving me time to coat the cake in a layer of luscious apricot jam.

If there are little bits of apricot, what does it matter?

It's rather nice.

You can sieve it if you want to, that's what I was taught to do.

But some things, life's a bit short.

(bright gentle music) Now, on with the icing.

You're looking at this, and you're thinking, "Gosh, that's generous."

And why not?

This is sheer indulgence.

(light upbeat music) This cake is such a chocolate explosion, so there's only one way to decorate it, with even more chocolate.

(chuckles) I was driving through London the other day, and I thought and looked up at the Shard, and I thought, "That would be great on the top of a cake."

And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

And you don't need to pipe, it's not complicated.

I've spread some melted white chocolate across a tray.

That's it.

And I'm just going to let myself go with some dark melted chocolate.

I'm going to just zigzag wildly across the top, and hope for the best.

Make them as thick or as thin as you like.

(bright string music) I'm getting a bit, sort of, happy.

So, while I'm licking the bowls, I'll leave that to set in a cool place.

Now, for the final touches.

That's it.

Am I gonna drop it?

I'm not gonna drop it.

Come on, there we are.

Not too difficult.

It doesn't matter what the celebration is, I bet you this will be the centerpiece.

(majestic upbeat music) And there you have it.

Four wonderful recipes, worth the effort in every way because our nearest and dearest will love them.

Enjoy.

(uplifting music) Next time... (group laughing) I'm really chuffed with that.

It's back to basics...

It'll give you confidence, ready to get going.

- Howay, man, Mary!

Howay!

- With recipes perfect for beginners.

Everyone would think you're rather an expert.

(uplifting music continues) (uplifting music continues) (bright gentle music) (no audio)