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20 Episodes 2013 - 2013
Episode 1
59 mins
Si and Dave us that there is so much more to British fowl than roast chicken. They cook up a storm with a duck tikka and one pot partridge recipe before tasting a slice of history from a traditional Yorkshire Christmas pie packed with delicious birds, as well as revealing the history behind the famed Norfolk black turkey.
Episode 2
59 mins
They brave the high seas to celebrate our island nation's incredible fishing industry. From sardines on toast to a spicy fish curry, they show us how versatile British fish dishes can be. They also revisit the history of traditional Welsh coracle fishing before travelling to the Isle of Wight to see how other species can replace our over-fished favourites.
Episode 3
59 mins
Si and Dave explore the history behind our greatest staple food: the humble potato. From a warming Lancashire potato and butter pie to a delicious chicken casserole with potato cobbler, recipes showing the unassuming spud at its best. We see how British potato vodka is winning global awards and remember a dark time in Welsh history when the chippies almost ran out of chips.
Episode 4
59 mins
Si and Dave celebrate the great British marketplace and the delicious food we get from it. In the Best of British kitchen the Bikers make the most of the market fudge stall with a rich walnut and fudge cake and prepare two seasonal soups. They also travel to Britain's foodie heartland in Ludlow to peruse the market stalls at the food festival and discuss the impact the supermarket has had on the food we eat.
Episode 5
59 mins
Si and Dave look at the impact our colonial past has had on our food. From the chai in their bread and butter pudding to the India Pale Ale in their sausage casserole, many recipes owe much to the Empire. They also explore the history behind gin and tonic as well as Lee and Perrins, both of which arose from our imperial history.
Episode 6
59 mins
The Bikers remind us that we are not really an island nation, but rather a nation of islands - over 5,000 make up the British Isles and many of these have fascinating culinary histories. The Bikers make a delicious tempura dish from the Queenie Scallops caught off the Isle of Man and a rich cranachan with Islay whisky, before travelling to the Isle of Wight to enjoy a Michelin starred chef's taste of the island and revealing the little known Jersey delicacy - the ormer.
Episode 7
59 mins
This time the bikers celebrate Britain's taste for the exotic, one of the driving forces of our culinary history. They prepare a classic chilli ginger bread and show how to make the perfect sushi, travel to Tatton Park in Cheshire to see how the pineapple was once the most expensive and exotic dish available to polite society, and reveal the history behind a piece of exoticism closer to home: the Onion Johnnie Man.
Episode 8
58 mins
The Bikers explore our world-class beef. Known as 'le rosbif' to our continental neighbours, the Bikers celebrate this nickname with a beef and suet pudding and oxtail soup. They visit a farmer focussing on the future of British beef with his elite wagyu cattle, discover the history of the much maligned beef dish, tripe, as well as learning how to roast an ox whole.
Episode 9
59 mins
Si and Dave revisit the 1970s, a decade which is all too often unfairly stigmatised for its food. They show how a well prepared chicken cordon bleu and banoffee pie can be a contemporary gastronomic delight, before heading to a restaurant whose menu is a real slice of the 1970s as well as celebrating a decade which gave us both the self-sufficiency movement and instant food.
Episode 10
58 mins
The Hairy Bikers look across the Channel to see how our French cousins have influenced the way we cook and eat over the centuries. The Bikers prepare a delicious roast chicken with forty cloves of garlic and a delicate mille feuille, they also show us that Britain is now leading the way in many traditional 'French' areas for gastronomy, from award winning English wines to outstanding Scottish garlic.
Episode 11
59 mins
Si and Dave celebrate the British love-affair with pigs and pork, perhaps the animal which has given more to British food culture than any other. They prepare a traditional gala pie and a sumptuous rolled pork loin with apricots and ginger. They also explain the important role the family pig has played in our history and travel to Butts Farm in Gloucestershire to see how one couple are keeping our heritage pig breeds alive in modern Britain.
Episode 12
59 mins
Today they make the most of Britain's outstanding shellfish, cooking up a hearty beef and oyster pie and an exquisite crab and scallop mornay. They help throw a crayfish party on the banks of the Thames and also explore the history of a British classic now almost forgotten: the winkle.
Episode 13
59 mins
Si and Dave reveal the British obsession with apples, as well as the slightly smaller passion for pears. They combine two of Britain's greatest ingredients in a beef and apple tagine, before creating a sumptuous pear frangipane tart. They also visit a heritage orchard sampling some of the 2,000 apple varieties in the UK and explore the history of Wassailing.
Episode 14
59 mins
The Hairy Bikers explore the 'special relationship' between America and Britain's culinary cultures. They make a rich clam chowder and even richer chocolate brownies before visiting the Savoy to discuss the history of the cocktail. Plus they show how the farmer's market is one of the UK's favourite American imports.
Episode 15
59 mins
Si and Dave dive into the British woodlands, revealing the hidden foodie gems that can be found within them. They prepare a wild boar ragu from the beasts which once roamed free and a creamy bramble fool plucked from the hedgerow. They also explore the long history of poaching in the UK and show how, with a bit of know-how, the woodland can become a medicine cabinet as well as a larder.
Episode 16
59 mins
Si and Dave focus on British sheep, which have provided us with milk, meat and wool for thousands of years. In the Best of British kitchen they rustle up a classic hogget and barley stew and tender lamb chops with kidneys, they help cook and eat a mouth-watering dish brought from North Africa, mechoui lamb, and reveal the history of the hardy seaweed-eating sheep found on the island of North Ronaldsay.
Episode 17
58 mins
Today the Bikers enjoy the flavours of home as they explore Britain's love of comfort food. As well as a classic rice pudding, the Bikers prepare their own tastes of home, with Dave's stuffed cabbage leaves and Si's flat rib broth. They also reveal the history of the school dinner and see what comfort food means to all Britons, from the Notting Hill Carnival to Shabbat dinner.
Episode 18
58 mins
The bikers return to the 1960s, a decade of music, fashion and food trends which are still with us today. They prepare steak diane and profiteroles, meet a restaurateur who made eating out cool and revisit a time when the motorway café was the height of sophisticated dining.
Episode 19
59 mins
Si and Dave explore the delicious relationship between food and faith and celebrate the vast range of faith-based dishes available in Britain today. They rustle up a delicious Simnel cake and a mouth-watering beef brisket, as well as revealing the history of the hot cross bun and dropping in on an Ethiopian Christmas Feast.
Episode 20
60 mins
Si and Dave pay tribute to Britain's dairy industry in all of its forms. Whether milk, cheese, cream or yoghurt, it is an industry to be proud of and the Bikers will prepare a classic cheese and onion turn-over and a delicious Trinity Cream, before making some historic British milk puddings and revisit the history of school milk and British cheddar.