I'm Prue Leith-- cook, caterer, restaurateur, cookery school founder, and writer of 16 cookbooks.

Prue: This looks so delicious.

I'm absolutely dribbling.

Prue, voice-over: I'm in my 80s, so I haven't got time to waste.

This series is all about the things that really matter to me-- family, fun, food, and friends.

Ha ha!

I've got to let it out when I can.

♪ Ah da da da ta da ♪ Prue, voice-over: We'll be sharing simple home-cooked recipes... Oh, I did it.

And what does that do?

Well, unfortunately, it's not quite doing it.

Ha ha ha!

Prue, voice-over: and celebrating the best produce.

I'm lucky enough to live in the astonishingly beautiful Cotswolds with my long-suffering husband John, and now he's agreed to join me in the kitchen, too.

[Pop] Ooh!

♪ Prue, voice-over: Coming up today, top pastry chef Ravneet Gill joins me in my kitchen... I'm nervous.

You're nervous?

Nonsense.

Because I'm making cake for you.

[Laughter] Oh, no.

Don't be silly.

Prue, voice-over: John is in cheese heaven.

John: Do you eat the crust?

Man: Absolutely.

When you cut this cheese, you have to make sure that you get part of the rind.

Prue, voice-over: And I've got a hack for turning leftover drips into jelly.

OK, so now this is really floppy.

Do you see?

Not stiff at all.

Welcome to my Cotswold kitchen.

♪ For me, food evokes memories of people and places, and there are dishes that I have been making for decades which I never tire of returning to.

Today we're going to make a dish that I absolutely adore.

I think I invented it, but I probably stole it from someone else.

But it's a version of tarte tatin.

You know, tarte tatin is that wonderful puff pastry dessert.

And you usually get pears or apples in it.

But this is a savory version, and I like to make it with butternut squash.

♪ I was brought up in South Africa, and butternut squash was this sort of luxury pumpkin.

You got cheap big pumpkins, which were a bit watery.

Special occasions, you got butternut squash.

First, peel the butternut squash.

They keep for months, but the older they are, the harder they are to peel.

So this one's nice and young.

And the other advantage of a young one is that the seeds are not too tough, and the seeds are going in there with everything else.

If the seeds are very tough, then, OK, take them out.

But I like to leave them with the seeds on.

So then you just cut nice fat slices like this.

Use a sharp knife, but watch your fingers.

♪ [Chuckles] Quite tough.

Right.

Now we're going to roast all these slices, including the seeds.

So they're going into a roasting tin.

A little bit of oil.

Just what amounts to a couple of tablespoons.

Give it a shake around.

And then we're going to put in a tablespoon of coriander seeds and about the same amount of thyme leaves.

And then you want to roast them for about 25 minutes at 200 until they're just cooked.

♪ So I will have a look.

Remove from the oven and check they're cooked.

Yup.

They're nice and soft.

Now for the sauce.

In a pan place a bit of butter, some red chili harissa paste and a tablespoon of cumin seeds.

And this is the really interesting bit, which is a bit of maple sirup, really sweet, sticky maple sirup.

And we need just another tablespoon of olive oil.

So I'm going to melt all that.

Do you know, it's so long ago, I can't remember how it all happened.

But I know that I remember that a friend of mine was ill, and he was a great gourmet, and it was proving really difficult to get him to eat anything.

And he was vegetarian.

And so I thought, you know, what could be nicer than a tarte tatin?

But I needed it to be something savory.

So I did this, and I've been doing it ever since.

Now place the butternut squash in the pan and let it soften a bit more.

Butternut squash is very nutritious.

It's high in fiber but low in calories, and also contains beta-carotene, which supports eye health.

Always good to know.

And then when you've got it all bubbling and nice, you need to turn it off and cool it a little bit because I'm now going to put the pastry on top.

And if it's too hot, the pastry will melt.

Puff pastry is made from alternating layers of dough and fat.

So I have cheated a bit here.

I almost always buy puff pastry because it's really very good quality and it takes a long time to make.

It's important with puff pastry not to over-roll it.

It's a good idea to do little jerks like that so that the bubbles, you see, can move around in the pastry without disappearing.

And then you plonk this on top like that, tuck it in, trim off the corners... and then tuck in the edges, like that, all the way round, and then make a few cuts in the top in order to let the steam out, because you want that pastry to be crisp, and if all the steam gets stuck in it, it's likely to make it soggy.

So then that goes into the oven.

You don't need to glaze it or anything else, because when it comes out, you're going to turn it upside-down and you're not going to be able to see it anyway.

So that goes into the oven.

That oven is at 200 degrees, and it will stay there for 20 to 30 minutes until it's really nice, well-risen and good and brown.

Because if that's not really brown, the underneath won't be well-baked at all.

So I think probably nearer 30 minutes than 20.

♪ So I reckon this is done.

Now, you want to just make sure that nothing is stuck around the edge.

Also, wait about ten minutes to let it cool before turning it over so that it doesn't fall apart.

So here's the moment of truth.

Put that right over the top, and then this is the bit that's a bit difficult.

Turn it over and, hey, presto.

Now, that one got dislodged, but you just ease him back.

Looks good, doesn't it?

Finally, I have a few more ingredients to make this dish look really special.

So I'm just mixing a bit more maple sirup, a bit more butter, and a little bit more harissa paste just because I want to be able to, at the last minute, make this look nice and shiny.

Lovely.

And what better than to finish it off with a little mint or some thyme leaves?

Now for the best part: what does it taste like?

I like, um, a serrated knife to cut puff pastry with.

See, the pastry is nice and flaky and cooked.

Mmm.

Tastes really good.

It really is delicious.

Just a little bit of maple sirup makes all the difference.

And though I said it meself, I think it's pretty well perfect.

Up next... Right.

Prue, voice-over: I'll show you how to make delicious jelly using leftovers.

This is just leftover coffee, a little bit of cream, and a bit of Irish cream liqueur.

Prue, voice-over: And acclaimed pastry chef Ravneet shares her inspiration for baking.

I was a really fussy eater growing up, but I always had a sweet tooth and I grew up above a corner shop, so I think that's where it came from.

Prue: Welcome back to my Cotswold kitchen, where I'm celebrating my favorite things-- great food, great friends and family but also making the most of whatever you've got in the kitchen.

I rather fancy myself as the queen of leftovers.

So today I want to show you about how to make jelly out of lots of different leftovers.

♪ Anything that tastes delicious as a drink, they'll all make wonderful jellies.

All you need to know is how to set them.

So I'm going to start with a Buck's fizz jelly, which is half orange juice and half champagne.

I'm using sheets of gelatin as that's what works best.

It has to be precise amounts.

You need eight leaves of gelatin for a pint, or 450 mils of liquid.

Whatever the liquid, that's what it is.

Warm a little of the orange juice in a pan and drop the sheets in one by one, or they'll stick together in a lump.

Right.

Seven and eight.

Then leave for about ten minutes.

OK, so now this is really floppy.

Do you see?

Not stiff at all.

The gelatin is now soft enough to begin to melt it, so I now have to put some heat under it.

You don't want it to boil, just heat gently.

You can see there's still a few little lumpy bits, but they're disappearing fast.

Once the gelatin is melted, add the cold champagne, which will help cool it down, then taste.

It definitely needs some sugar.

So I'm going to put a tiny bit of sugar sirup.

Pour into glasses and once they're cold, put them in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, I'll talk you through the rest of our jellies.

We had a party recently, and I made an enormous jar of summer punch, and it consisted of elderflower, lemon juice, and ginger ale.

This is just leftover coffee, a little bit of cream, and a bit of Irish cream liqueur.

Set them with the gelatin in exactly the same way.

You make it in the morning and then put it in the fridge, it'll be perfect for that evening.

I have some I chilled earlier.

So now for some decoration.

A little slice of orange on the Buck's fizz.

John's favorite thing is jelly and custard, so I'm going to add ordinary bought custard to the ginger ale, lemon, and elderflower one.

And then I think I'll pop a few bits of candied lemon on top.

And for the coffee one, what could be nicer than a blob of whipped cream and some chocolates?

This is a really cheap way of getting quite posh-looking free dessert out of leftovers.

♪ My guest today is a writer, an activist, a television presenter and a top pastry chef.

Ravneet Gill, welcome to our Cotswold kitchen.

Thanks for having me.

I'm nervous.

You're nervous?

Nonsense.

Because I'm making cake for you.

Ha ha!

Oh, no.

Don't be silly.

You know, what nobody realizes is I'm no cake maker.

They just think because I judge cake, like you do, that I must be a terrific baker.

But you have a good palate.

Yeah.

I got good taste buds.

Yes, ha ha!

It's quite nerve-wracking.

So, Ravneet, I think by looking around that you're going to do something with chocolate.

Is that right?

Yeah.

I'm going to make you a light as air chocolate and pistachio roulade with some lovely cherries inside.

♪ I'm going to start off by making the sponge for you, and it's a really quick sponge base.

Prue, voice-over: Ravneet is whisking four egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar, then 50 grams of caster sugar.

So basically you're making meringue.

A meringue and then the egg yolk whisked separately and then all of it mixed together.

And so it's relying for its puffiness just on the air that you're beating into the meringue and into the other mixture.

Yes.

But it does have a cheeky bit of baking powder in it.

That's not a bad idea.

Yes!

Prue, voice-over: Scoop the egg white out of the bowl, then put the yolks in.

Ravneet: And what I do is I just do it all in the same bowl to avoid washing up in between.

And I always keep egg yolks in their shells.

I don't know about you.

I'm very impressed.

Prue, voice-over: Whisk them with another 50 grams of sugar.

In here I've got flour and cocoa powder and then cheeky baking powder.

Prue: And that's a little baking powder.

OK.

Prue, voice-over: Now the egg is whisked, Ravneet's adding 3 tablespoons of milk and 70 mils of oil.

♪ Great.

So that's all the noisy bit done.

And I'll mix it all in this bowl.

You don't have to have a stand mixer.

You could use one of these, couldn't you?

Absolutely.

And you can technically do it by hand.

You can technically do it by hand.

Not something that I would recommend.

Ha ha!

I'm just sieving the dry ingredients over the top.

And the great thing about this is, you know, you have to be so delicate often with these sponges, but with this one, you really don't.

You're just bringing it together.

So this is going to be a really light mixture.

So now I add the egg whites, and I just fold with a whisk.

And I moved the bowl the same time I moved the whisk.

And that way, you're handling it less and you're getting almost two motions in one.

Did you always know you'd be a pastry chef, Rav?

No.

Absolutely not.

I was a really fussy eater growing up.

Oh, really?

Yeah, really fussy.

And I always had a sweet tooth.

And I grew up above a corner shop, so I think that's where it came from.

[Laughing] And then I actually studied psychology at university, and then in a last-panic decision, ditched this Ph.D.

that I was meant to do and went to Le Cordon Bleu.

And went to Le Cordon Bleu.

Yeah.

My parents were really unhappy about that.

Ultimately, they must know that it's better that you're happy.

Now they see it, but it took them until I was about 31 for them to realize that it was the job for me.

[Laughs] Prue, voice-over: Once everything is mixed, Rav places it on a flat baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

So that's it.

And that goes in the oven.

But as you can see, it was really liquid, so... It's quite a soft butter isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Prue, voice-over: It goes in the oven at 160 to 180 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

♪ Rav took over from me as a judge on "Junior Bake Off," and as well as being a brilliant cook, she's become something of an activist, calling out bad behavior in professional kitchens.

I remember when I was chairman of the Restaurateurs' Association, giving a talk once and saying that we, as an industry, behaved worse in the kitchen than the army.

And you had the courage to set up-- What is your organization called?

It's called Countertalk.

Countertalk.

And what does it do?

So it's a hospitality platform where we vet companies based on how they treat their staff.

Our entire platform promotes healthy work environments and tries to promote places that treat people nicely.

It's so sort of overdue, that, and I've talked to many, many chefs in my day who would say things like "My head chef "used to hold my hand over the stove "if I burnt anything and burned my hand.

'That will teach you,'" he... And I said, "So you think that's the way to behave?"

It's just appalling.

And I think when you see that you don't have to behave that way, it's quite baffling that these things still happen.

And I think that's an amazing thing to do.

So this is presumably the filling you're about to attack now.

And it's such an easy filling.

It's just double cream with a bit of sugar, a bit of salt, because I always add salt to every sweet thing I make, and some pistachio paste.

[Mixer humming softly] Just mixing that together.

Prue, voice-over: Rav's roulade will get a lovely chocolate glaze.

It's a really simple almost ganache.

It's just cream, chocolate, apricot jam to add a bit of shine.

Oh, that goes in, too.

Yeah.

And then also a bit of oil.

And that's it.

It just gets stirred together until it's warmed and melted.

So we'll just keep this ticking over.

Shall I get it to...?

Please, yeah, on the low heat is great.

You just want it to melt.

Prue, voice-over: Now the cake should be ready.

It just needs to be left to cool for about an hour before it's filled.

Assembly job.

Great.

This is always the most nerve-wracking part, actually, I find, but with cakes like this, you always want to take the paper off and transfer it.

Prue, voice-over: Rav's got the trick for roulade rolling, putting another sheet of greaseproof paper over the cake, flipping it over, then rolling it.

Prue: It is sort of training it so that when you fill it, it'll want to roll up again without cracking.

Exactly.

Perfect.

Great.

So now on here, we've got our pistachio cream.

And it really is very important that this is cold, isn't it?

Very.

If the cake is at all warm, the filling will just begin to melt and run out of the cake.

Exactly.

So you're leaving one edge.

Yeah.

Prue, voice-over: Next, some tinned or jarred cherries, which have been soaked in Kirsch.

Dot them along one edge of the cream.

So then I'll sprinkle some pistachios over the top.

Do you like pistachios?

I do like pistachios.

So chopped pistachios.

And I also think they're very good with cherries.

And then you're going to start folding it over.

See?

I use my fingers just to get it tucked in.

It's really important to get that first tuck and then ease over with the paper.

And then when it's all the way over, you want it so the seam is on the bottom... and that needs to go in the fridge in order to get it nice and set.

Yeah.

Okey-dokey.

Prue, voice-over: Once it's cool, it's ready for Rav's chocolate glaze.

The glaze should just be a bit warm, and I'm just going to put only a tiny bit.

Just will help mean that we don't get those marks on the bottom.

Prue, voice-over: Then it's placed on two palette knives, which will help us move it later.

Ravneet: So the glaze should just be slightly liquid but not too sloppy.

But I always like to go over in one and then add.

Then you can use, like, a spatula just to, like, edge into any gaps.

So I'm gonna ask for your help, actually.

If you could grab one end and I'll grab the other... OK.

we'll move it over to the board.

Great.

And then I'm going to just cut the ends off... Oh, good.

so that it will fit on the plate... We can eat them.

Yeah.

[Prue chuckles] And then try my best to lift it on here and then gently pull away each palette knife.

There we go.

Well done.

Prue, voice-over: The roulade is going back in the fridge to chill, but we can't let those two end bits go to waste.

I was a bit worried... No, they look lovely.

Because I haven't made one of these so quickly before.

[Chuckles] That looks so good.

Thank you.

It really looks beautiful, and it's very simple and wonderful.

I hope you're gonna like it.

That's for you.

Rav, this looks so delicious.

I'm absolutely dribbling.

Ha ha!

I need a bite.

That's so lovely.

It's very tender.

It's springy, but it's not tough.

♪ Mmm.

Mmm.

That is poetry on a plate.

Thank you.

Mmm!

Thank you so much for coming.

Thanks for having me.

It was lovely to have you.

Thank you.

Really lovely.

♪ Prue, voice-over: Still to come, my husband John is up to his elbows in cheese.

John: So these ones here, they're ready to go.

Cheese maker: They're ready to go.

Yeah.

And I have another food hack for getting creative with jelly.

If you're doing this for a valentine, you can make your strawberries really heart-shaped.

♪ If there's one thing we're not short of in the Cotswolds, it's cows.

And their milk is turned into the most wonderful produce.

John is off to meet one of the area's leading cheesemakers to get some cheese for a recipe we're going to cook together later.

At Daylesford Farm, they have been producing award-winning cheese for more than 20 years, and their organic Friesian herd is only 100 feet from where the cheese is made.

[Clears throat] ♪ New Yorker Peter Kindel is the head of the creamery.

John: You've got one-- a huge organization.

Peter: Yes, it's sort of the organic Disney World.

[Laughing] How did you get into this?

Ah, heavens.

In the early nineties, I was dating my wife.

So for her birthday, we went to Paris.

And after eating two weeks of cheese in France, we just became obsessed with it, and that was all it took.

She said, "Yes, by all means, go to France and study cheese making."

I love it.

Prue, voice-over: Back in 2002, the dairy was famous for its cheddar, but things have moved on since then.

Peter: We make a single Gloucester, double Gloucester, We make cheddar, obviously, and then we do two blues, and we do two mold-ripened cheeses.

So it's loads of different things going on here.

So why don't we get our hands at work and put you in the cheese room?

John: I'm ready to go.

OK.

Prue, voice-over: Each cheese has its own distinctive process, but there's one cheese that is made in a very unusual way-- a unique cheese called Adlestrop.

Thank you.

Prue, voice-over: It's the only place in the UK producing it.

Peter: So this is the Adlestrop room.

This is where pretty much the magic happens.

It is an aging-room cheese to a large extent, and it does require quite a bit of physical activity.

Prue, voice-over: Once the cheese is formed into rounds, the rind is washed in brine by hand.

Peters: It's called a washed-rind cheese.

And we do a simple brine, just a 3% salt solution on the outside of the cheese, and you smear the outside.

Prue, voice-over: The cheese is washed twice a week for five weeks, then dried for a further 2 to 5 weeks.

Peter: And that just keeps mold from growing, but it inspires a certain group of bacteria to grow on the outside.

Prue, voice-over: It's the bacteria that gives the cheese its distinctive flavor.

Do you eat the crust?

Peter: Absolutely.

When you cut this cheese, you have to make sure that you get part of the rind.

John: OK.

Prue, voice-over: This method was first developed by French monks in the 7th century, who used seawater to wash their cheese.

So ideally, what you're doing is keeping any mold from growing on the outside and inspiring specific bacteria to grow on the outside of the cheese.

And they turn orange and yellow and pink as you smear it more.

How much do these weigh?

3.2 kilos.

OK.

We realized that if you weighed the curd when you put it in, when you go to cut it and you want a 200-gram piece, you can set it up so that you literally just cut it into 16 pieces and you wind up with 200...pieces.

John: Are these machine cut once they're done?

No, no, no.

Cut by hand.

Yeah.

So that's that.

That goes back where it was.

Yep.

Yep.

Prue, voice-over: The cheese develops a very strong aroma and stays in this room for eight weeks.

So these ones here, they're ready to go.

They're ready to go.

Yeah.

Usually it sells faster than we can get it to this point.

Thank you.

I thank you very much.

I've enjoyed this.

I never cease to learn.

It's wonderful.

We aim to please.

For your efforts, a bit of the Adlestrop you helped wash.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Bye-bye.

Prue, voice-over: Well, I'm definitely looking forward to tasting the product of those beautiful cows.

[Moos] Earlier, I showed you a simple hack for making jellies using leftovers.

But I have another one up my sleeve.

♪ All right.

So my final jelly is pink Prosecco strawberry jelly.

It's the most decadent and smart of them all.

It's half pink Prosecco, half cranberry juice and a dollop of peach schnapps.

This is leftover jelly, so I'm going to spoon it into the glasses and create something a bit special.

♪ Down you go.

Just push them in.

And then another one.

Because the jelly is half-set, it will hold the strawberries in place.

If it was liquid, it wouldn't.

If you're doing this for a valentine and you really want to show off, you can make your strawberries really heart-shaped, like that.

And then push them down.

And I have another trick to make the jelly look perfect.

If your jelly is half-set, it's not going to look absolutely perfect on top.

So the trick is to warm the spoon by dipping it in boiling water, dry it on a cloth and then just hold it on the top of your jelly and it'll melt that little top of the jelly and you won't get the rubbly bits.

And now for the all-important decoration to finish it off.

A strawberry on the edge of the glass.

Here's how to do it.

You want to just make a slit in the strawberry but not all the way through, so you've just got a little opening to stick it on the edge.

This might look a bit 1970s dinner party, but I'll tell you what, everybody loves it, and it does make them smile.

There's something really satisfying about finding good produce right on your doorstep.

Just down the road, Charlie Beldam grew up on his parents' rapeseed farm, and he saw the potential of turning some of that rapeseed into oil on the farm and then making other products from it.

In the Worcestershire corner of the Cotswolds, Charlie's family farm produces a true field-to-bottle product.

Charlie: So we're in a field of rapeseed that has now turned from that lovely yellow flowers that we see earlier in the year to this quite brown, stickly plant.

This is now perfect, ready for harvest.

The combine will come through here, and it will separate these pods and leave these lovely little black seeds that are locked full of this oil that we can then go and cold press and squeeze.

♪ Charlie: It is a lovely, hot, sunny summer's day finally.

It is a key part of our year because we rely on growing a crop, and that takes 11 months, and we don't really see the fruits of our reward until this time of year, where we put a combine into it and see what the plant is holding.

Prue, voice-over: Charlie's dad had been growing rapeseed here since the early seventies.

It was sold abroad to be made into animal feed or refined vegetable oil.

This venture came out of a project Charlie was given at college about diversifying, and he thought about producing his own cold-pressed oil.

Charlie: So once I decided that that's what I wanted to go and do, I set about researching and working out the best way of turning our own rapeseed into the oil.

Prue, voice-over: When the crop is harvested, it is weighed and tested for its moisture level.

Charlie: We've taken a sample off the field to check its qualities.

So it's on the drier side, but that's perfect for storing.

♪ So we've got from the field and from the farm these little black seeds that are locked full of the oil.

We're now squeezing them using a screw press.

Prue, voice-over: Cold pressing literally crushes the seeds, keeping the oil as natural as possible.

Charlie: When I started making rapeseed oil, the knowledge was not there.

People only knew olive oil.

So it was really trying to educate people about the health benefits and the versatility and that it's 100% British.

This golden oil has half the saturated fat of olive oil, has only 0.1% cholesterol and is high in vitamin E. This little pellet is a by-product of the crushing process.

But Charlie has a no waste policy on the farm.

Charlie: This pellet that goes off for cattle feed to a local farm, so it goes back into the food chain-- part of our circular system with nothing added, nothing taken away, and really try and utilize everything.

Prue, voice-over: But it is the oil that is the star of the show.

Charlie: So the oil has now come through the filter, coming into a 1,000-liter container.

So it's gone from that kind of raw oil with sediment in it through to a lovely golden clear oil.

This will do about 100 liters an hour.

Once it's in this container, we can then use it for whatever we like.

Prue, voice-over: The factory is crushing 24 hours a day/ seven days a week, even on Christmas Day.

Charlie: The most satisfying part of production for me is watching bottles come through, get packed and go out.

I know that sounds so silly, but it is such a simple process.

Prue, voice-over: It might be simple, but it's really popular.

The team sell over 10,000 bottles a day.

Charlie: And it's something that we have started from field all the way through to bottle.

So every bottle that goes out has got a stamp of our farm and what we do and what we produce and what we are all about, so it is our identity.

Prue, voice-over: Charlie and his 20-strong team have also diversified into infused oils, dressings and mayonnaise, so that university project has taken him a very long way.

Charlie: I'm very proud of what I've done here, so it's what I've done for the last 14 years.

I know it, I breathe it, I live it, I love it, but I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

Prue, voice-over: Still to come, John joins me in the kitchen to put a twist on a classic recipe.

John: So I just sort of wipe it round?

Prue: Yeah.

What's all this?

I'll tell you when you get there.

Just do that, what you're told.

I'm just hoping our marriage will survive.

Next wife... Sorry.

He's impossible.

will be much nicer.

♪ Prue: John?

There you are.

John is back with me in the kitchen.

We're going to make bread and butter pudding, and we're going to make one that he's never heard of and I imagine will be very suspicious of.

But we'll see.

♪ Let's make a more traditional one first, a sweet one.

But we're going to use almond croissant instead of bread.

We're going to use pears instead of the currants that you usually get in bread and butter pudding.

And we're going to have some chocolate in it.

So it's chocolate, pear and almond croissant bread and butter pudding.

OK.

Sounds good.

I'll peel the pears... OK.

if you can butter the dish.

Do I just sort of wipe it round?

Yeah.

What's all this?

I'll tell you when we get there.

Just do that, what you're told.

My next wife... Sorry.

He's impossible.

will be much nicer.

How far up the edges?

Prue, voice-over: Be liberal with the butter, as it will add flavor as well as grease the dish.

In most bread and butter puddings, you butter all the bread, but we're not buttering the croissant because that's full of butter already.

And you're buttering the dish good and proper.

Is that OK?

Yep.

That's fine.

Now cut the croissant into equal sizes.

Into about four slices, four fat, chunky slices.

That's fine.

That's lovely.

Huh.

Actually, I'd wait until we've got-- I've got my pears done because you're going to alternate them with pears and chocolate.

OK.

So if I do that, then I can dovetail them.

Now, don't forget, you're going to put bits of chocolate in between, too.

No.

You didn't tell me that.

I did.

You weren't listening.

I wa... [Grunts] Definitely having a domestic.

[Prue laughs] You want to use pears that are fairly ripe so they cook nicely, then tuck them around the croissant.

Bread and butter pudding is better made with stale bread than fresh bread.

So often I've used croissants.

Or Panettone makes a wonderful bread and butter pudding.

And you can sort of just think what you think goes with it.

And I think pears and chocolate go very well together.

Do you know, I haven't had too much puddings?

It's like in this household, rather a cake-free zone.

Did I mention cake-free?

Right.

If I've heard a quote... More often.

about me more often than any other, it is that my husband thinks that our house is a cake-free zone and he should have married Mary Berry.

Um-- And I'm quite tired of it.

♪ Once the pears are in the dish, it's time to add the chunks of chocolate.

Prue: Lots of chocolate.

When you say "lots of chocolate," is that-- Am I doing it about right?

Yes, but tuck it in, so that you get chocolate underneath.

Oh.

I see.

OK.

And then, like all bread and butter puddings, we have to have a custard.

And it's a really good idea to pour your custard over the bread and butter-- or in this case, croissant-- and leave it to soak before you put it in the oven.

So I'm going to make the custard.

Put 300 mils milk, 200 mils cream, and 100 grams of sugar into a jug.

And I have a new gadget which makes whisking a lot quicker.

Look it whisks really quickly.

It's really good.

Look.

When you push it.

I'm going to go gently.

It's going to get all over me.

No.

It moves like that.

You see how it works?

It's clever.

Prue, voice-over: Finally, whisk in some vanilla extract.

I thought that was cooked sherry.

I was looking forward to that.

The vanilla, you mean.

Yup.

Oh, I think this is going to be so delicious.

Now I'm going to leave it to soak, which will improve the texture.

Now we're going to make a savory one, which is the same principle, but we're going to butter all this bread.

And, John, perhaps you could start that.

OK.

I have never, ever had a savory bread and butter pudding before.

Well, I think you're going to love it.

Prue, voice-over: Start like before.

My sous chef is going to butter the dish and then the bread.

And this is nice.

It's a baguette bread, but it's a little bit stale, which is perfect.

If it's too fresh, it just disintegrates too much.

What makes stale in time?

A day?

Well, no.

It takes about a day.

So yesterday's baguette.

Yeah.

Prue, voice-over: I'm going to make another custard, but this time it's savory with lots of salt and pepper.

The main flavor of this bread and butter pudding is going to be cheese and spinach.

And this spinach, it was a packet of baby leaf spinach, very quickly wilted in a very little bit of water till it goes soft.

And then with the water squeezed out of it so that you can chop it up and it's not too wet.

But you know what?

You can thaw balls of spinach, if you buy frozen spinach, and just chop it directly, or you can actually buy chopped spinach.

So anyway, that's going to go into my custard.

Prue, voice-over: I'm also adding a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the mix, which will give it a lovely savory kick.

Oh, and the eggs.

Don't forget the eggs.

How are you doing, sir?

I'm doing all right.

Ha ha!

Getting bored.

I'm doing a scrape more than your type of butter, which is like laying bricks.

Well, I do like a lot of butter.

Oh, you do.

I do like a bit of butter on my bread.

And we're going to be using the cheeses John brought home earlier.

Adlestrop cheddar.

Well, I think it's just called Adlestrop cheese.

And then we have a bit of parmesan.

One more?

Here you are.

All right.

OK.

And then we're going to pour the custard all over it.

Just remind me what's in there.

300 mils of milk and 200 mils of cream, 3 eggs, a handful of spinach and... No sugar.

No sugar.

No sugar.

Right.

OK.

I'm beginning to understand how it's savory.

Yup.

I've never, ever seen it on a menu in a restaurant anywhere else.

No, I haven't either.

So this is the rest of the parmesan cheese and the Adlestrop cheese, which is like a cheddar.

And that's it, really.

And that needs to soak for a little bit, and then we'll put them both in the oven and bake them.

So the almonds go on that.

I see.

Oh.

Ooh.

And you're quite right, darling.

Sorry.

I forgot.

It's a good thing I'm here, really.

It's a good thing you're here, good thing you're here.

We want to put the almonds on the top of this one.

Yum, yum.

Prue, voice-over: Once both of the puddings have soaked for ten minutes, they can go in the oven set at 160 degrees.

Bake the sweet one for 45 minutes and the savory one for 40 minutes.

♪ So our bread and butter puddings should be ready.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Wow.

This one's really hot.

Be careful.

Bubbling away.

Ha ha.

Looks good, doesn't it?

It does.

Prue, voice-over: And they're too hot to eat straight away, so I'll let them cool a bit.

While that happens, John has some wine for me to taste.

John: I want you to guess where this comes from.

I have actually not seen a bottle quite like this.

So I'm quite intrigued.

It could be anywhere, but knowing you, it's probably South Africa.

Looks like a sherry.

MM.

It smells like a sherry.

Oh, it is actually delicious.

Fortified wine?

Well, I think it is fortified.

Or if it's not, it's so Muscaty, I'd say, that it tastes fortified.

Where's it from?

I'm sure it's South Africa.

I'm sure you're right.

Ha ha!

Am I really right?

Yeah.

Really?

I wouldn't normally like this because it's too close to a sweet sherry, but this is absolutely delicious.

It's just a very sweet late harvest white wine, perfect for dessert.

Prue, voice-over: But before we get on to dessert, we have our savory bread and butter pudding to taste.

Right.

So here we have savory bread and butter pudding.

I've never had this before, and I would... certainly order it if I saw it on the restaurant menu.

It's delicious, isn't it?

Yeah.

Very good.

I was about to say it's a Welsh rarebit with spinach.

on top of the bread.

Yeah.

And it's not what my father used to say in cheese was a gum teaser.

You know, really, this is not-- This is really smooth, isn't it?

Very smooth and creamy.

Oh.

It's delicious.

Well, that's amazing.

Prue, voice-over: But we can't have a savory main without a sweet dessert.

And a dusting of icing sugar makes it look so much smarter.

You want a bit of the custardy bit?

Um, OK.

Thank you.

It does taste very good.

I think if I made it again, I'd put a bit of cinnamon in it.

I think that would be good.

Mmm.

A little bit of cinnamon and less-- slightly less chocolate But absolutely terrific.

Of course, the croissant is wonderful.

It's like puff pastry, isn't it?

It's got these layers and crunchy on the outside.

[Deadpan] Calorie-free, of course.

Well, who would have thought bread and butter pudding could take you so far and that it can all be done with leftovers, as you know.

♪