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Private Notes
Heston sets out to create a magical fish and chip supper. Inspired by Henry VIII's ingenious chefs, he makes fake fish skin from truffle and combines madeira gel and sea urchin to sit on top of a piece of battered turbot. As a salute to one of Queen Victoria's favourite fish dishes, he creates a giant fake fish eyeball cocktail. Heston discovers how the industrial age fuelled the proliferation of chip shops. He reveals the heyday of 'fish Friday' and the part fish and chips played in World War II. Heston attempts to blend an entire chippie menu, batter the results, and create the chip shop experience in just one bite. And as if that wasn't enough, he throws in some extras - edible rock-pools and mushy pea ice-cream. Talking to the ancestors of fishermen who lost their lives during the World War II, Heston decides to hold his fish supper in frontline wartime fishing port Brixham, and turns a galleon into HMS Chippy, where he serves his fish and chip experience like no other to the people who make it all possible - fishermen and chip shop workers.
Heston discovers the origins of the great British roast, before serving up a spectacular roast beef dinner to the people who make it possible - butchers and farmers. Heston travels back to late medieval times and tries out a roast chicken dressed as a knight riding a pig into battle. He then finds himself in the early 1800s, uncovering just how important beef was to Nelson and his navy. Heston travels to Switzerland to discover how mould is being used in laboratories to create the most sublime aged beef. He creates a joint made up of different cuts, all treated differently, and stuck together with meat glue; an edible vegetable garden; a bull shot cocktail; and giant Yorkshire puddings. And Heston reveals the secrets of his signature roast potatoes.
Heston takes on the classic British pudding, making one that looks like a hot dog, another involving a cow's udder, a Victorian sponge, and some custard with nice lumps for a change which he serves it to a specially invited group of teachers and dinner ladies.
Heston salutes the great British pie as he looks to find inspiration for a three-course pie banquet. For the starter, he delves into the history of the 'surprise' pies of the 17th century, where ingredients were sometimes - bizarrely - alive. He learns about Jeffrey Hudson, a dwarf boy who found infamy by jumping out of a pie at a grand banquet and alarming the assembled guests. Heston makes a gala pie where the 'meat' is actually beetroot and horseradish ice cream, and the 'egg' is made from goats' cheese panna cotta, saffron and bacon. The main course is a gothic pie inspired by Sweeney Todd, with body part pies accompanied by fake eyeballs, squid pupils, saffron veins, and fingers and ears made from cheese, Tabasco and chicken liver parfait and fig. No British pie banquet would be complete without a nod to pie and mash. Heston sets out to make the lightest ever mash by trying to change the molecular structure of a spud by sending it into space, before making a pie, mash and liquor dessert. He serves his pie banquet to a select group of British pie-makers, 100 feet in the air over the East End of London.
Heston does his own take on chicken tikka masala, with whole poussins injected with tikka marinade and stuffed with tikka masala and accompanied by his own lager, 'beeryani' , infused with rice and pandan leaves. Heston discovers that British curry house classics such as masala, as well as bhuna, vindaloo, phal and onion bhaji, were all invented in Britain. He makes a lamb biryani with a Bombay mix crust. A giant poppadum measuring nearly a meter in diameter. And, as a final nod to the British curry house experience, Heston also makes a giant After Eight-inspired dessert. All of this dished-up in a pop-up curry house on the outskirts of Bradford.
Heston cooks a feast of British chocolate, aiming to bring all of the nation's rich history of chocolate making together in one supersized chocolate bar inspired by mint Aero, Mini Eggs, Flake, Milky Way, Twix and Caramel Heston looks back at the earliest chocolate bar, Fry's Victorian Oxchocolate (chocolate and beef extract) bar, and makes a 'Moos bar', which is a combination of beef nougat, shortbread biscuit and beef and Guinness caramel. He also makes a Black Forest gateau hot chocolate and a chilli gin and chocolate water cocktail. There's also a unique range of chocolates in a beautiful edible box.
Heston gives the classic British afternoon tea a few very special twists, conjuring something the Mad Hatter himself would be proud of. Heston does his own take on the Victoria sandwich cake. Inspired by a visit to Wedgwood fine china manufacturers, he makes an edible cake stand out of sponge and adds some 'sandwich' cakes that look like smoked salmon and cream cheese, but are in fact sweet cakes made from Earl Grey sponge and blood orange pâté de fruit. For tea, Heston brews a Darjeeling and hedgerow infusion and cucumber sandwich tea leaves. There's also a sandwich casino inside a beautiful country house in Staffordshire, where the guests are able to eat the playing cards, casino chips and even the gambling table. And there's one last surprise, with a chocolate teapot that pours Earl Grey chocolate tea.
