1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,440 Britain is world-famous for its stately homes. 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,120 And when it comes to food, 3 00:00:08,120 --> 00:00:11,240 our country houses were the taste makers. 4 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,040 Curry and cockles. It's an absolute first for me. 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,880 In this series, we'll sample delicious dishes... 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,480 They look wonderful, Mary. 7 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,920 ..and enjoy the lavish hospitality 8 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,440 that these homes were celebrated for. 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,920 You look absolutely stunning. 10 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,320 I'll show you how to cook tasty modern recipes 11 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,920 inspired by the history of our great houses. 12 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,600 This is actually Napoleon's chair from Waterloo. 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,200 Mind you, I could do with a cushion! 14 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,480 Join me as I meet the families who own these exceptional homes. 15 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,880 The best thing about the staircase, obviously, 16 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,520 is going down on a tray, or on your bottom. Oh! 17 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,080 And find out what it's really like to live... 18 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:54,680 That looks quite saucy. 19 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:55,960 ..work... 20 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,160 Oh, it's very like cutting a hedge. I think you're better at baking! 21 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,520 ..and party in the nation's most beautiful stately homes. 22 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,600 I'm not going to drop it! 23 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,360 This week, I'm visiting Highclere Castle, 24 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,440 the home of the Victorian house party... 25 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,040 I feel just like Lady Mary. 26 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,160 ..where I'll be joining a very special dinner. 27 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:22,080 This is your invitation to dine at some of Britain's grandest tables 28 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,720 in some of the most beautiful houses in the land. 29 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,240 I'm in Hampshire, 60 miles west of London. 30 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:45,920 I'm on my way to explore one of the most significant houses in England. 31 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:48,520 It's Highclere Castle. 32 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,400 Although it's probably better known to millions of TV viewers 33 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:54,440 around the world... 34 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:55,560 Wow! 35 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,480 ..as Downton Abbey. 36 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,720 There it is, peeping between the trees, 37 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:06,840 Highclere Castle. 38 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,000 It is truly magnificent. 39 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,280 For nearly 200 years, 40 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,640 Highclere has hosted some of the most glamorous and influential 41 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:20,800 weekend house parties in British high society. 42 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,840 Now, I've been invited in, too. 43 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,040 Good morning. Hello, good morning, welcome. 44 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:27,320 What a glorious day. 45 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:28,640 It is fantastic. 46 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:31,280 It feels so familiar from watching Downton, 47 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,120 but it's also somehow different. 48 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:39,720 I'm here to find out what and who keeps a home like this going 49 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:41,160 in today's world. 50 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:42,560 Can I take your coat and hat? 51 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:43,880 Thank you. 52 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,440 I'm meeting Fiona, eighth Countess of Caernarvon, 53 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,840 who lives here with her family and seven dogs. 54 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:57,520 Quite a welcome. 55 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,400 How lovely to meet you. 56 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,080 What a treat. I am thrilled to be here. 57 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:03,720 Well, thank you for coming. 58 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,160 Hello! What a family you have! And this is one of your puppies. 59 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:12,280 This is little Evie, and she's just like a little lapdog. 60 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,800 Aren't you? She's very lovely. Hello, poppet. 61 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,160 Well, you know why I love her, because I have Darcy at home, 62 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,040 and you look as though you're her first cousin. 63 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,360 Isn't she lovely? 64 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:26,280 So, how long have your family been here? Since 1679. 65 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,480 So the family have been here for, sort of, 350 years. 66 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,920 And before that, it was owned by the church. 67 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,800 People have lived here since 749 AD. 68 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,560 So, I'm looking after something which is stately, 69 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,200 and something which is a home, which matters a lot to me. 70 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,480 And sharing it with friends and family, what is more important? 71 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,400 It's living in the now for something I'm trying to preserve 72 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:48,720 for the future. 73 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,280 And so, how many can you have to stay here? 74 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,200 Hello, poppet, yes. 75 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,400 I'm happy having, I suppose, about 20 people to stay. 76 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,080 I think that's enough. I'm not a hotel. 77 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,000 But there are 200-300 rooms in this house. 78 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,480 Wow! So, it's... And there are. 79 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,840 So, what happens behind that gallery up there? 80 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,280 The main bedrooms and guest bedrooms run all around this gallery. 81 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,520 You can walk round down the stairs and pretend you're Lady Mary, 82 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:16,920 if you want to be, 83 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,000 or some of the illustrious guests from the past. 84 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:23,800 In the Victorian era, 85 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,720 Highclere Castle was renowned 86 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,040 for hosting the most prestigious weekend house parties. 87 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,080 The weekends were partly for matchmaking among the gentry. 88 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,760 But the house parties also had a major influence 89 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:39,800 on business and politics. 90 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,760 You're very famous for your house parties. 91 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:44,600 Tell me more about them. 92 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,600 I think the weekend house parties began because Highclere provided an 93 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,520 environment where Cabinet ministers, politicians, diplomats, 94 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,720 could sit and discuss over dinner challenging matters of the day. 95 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:02,480 For example, the fourth Earl drafted the Canadian constitution here, 96 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:07,040 which became the Dominion of Canada on 1st July, 1867. 97 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:10,400 It's a home that oozes history. 98 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,920 And the fact that it's only a short distance from London, 99 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,920 no doubt allowed the more powerful guests to come, 100 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,320 and boosted the impact of the parties held here. 101 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,840 Mary, would you like to see some more of this house? 102 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:25,680 I would love to. Then let's go this way. OK. Come on, chaps. 103 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:26,920 Everybody come. 104 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,840 Highclere was designed with entertaining in mind. 105 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:36,560 From the grand saloon for receiving important guests, 106 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:39,280 to the magnificent library... 107 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,920 ..to the peaceful drawing-room, where the ladies 108 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:45,360 retired after dinner. 109 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,000 This is a lovely room, isn't it? 110 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,840 Absolutely. And it's so light. 111 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:55,480 The person who decorated this drawing room, Mary, was Almina, 112 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,720 and she's one of the most important figures in Highclere's history. 113 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:04,240 So, there's a photograph of her, when I think she was round about 19. 114 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,520 And she was the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild. 115 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,280 She was his only daughter. 116 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:13,160 He adored her. So when she married the fifth Earl of Caernarvon, 117 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:14,840 with whom she was madly in love, 118 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:17,520 he gave her a dowry with some £500,000, 119 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,720 which in those days was such a lot of money. 120 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,600 Perhaps £60 million in today's terms. 121 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:28,080 That'd do a lot of restoration and building and whatever, wouldn't it? 122 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,000 The fifth Earl married an heiress. 123 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,600 Jolly useful thing to do. 124 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:37,880 In the 19th century, Highclere was the house to be invited to. 125 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:42,160 I'm told that Benjamin Disraeli, soon to be Prime Minister, 126 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:46,560 and even Prince Bertie, the future King, have partied here. 127 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:51,160 But entertaining on that scale required more than beautiful rooms. 128 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:56,040 It required staff, and through an unassuming door in the corner 129 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,120 of the saloon, lies another world. 130 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,280 This is the green baize door. 131 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,680 So this was to muffle the sound? 132 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,840 It was. So we're now in the staff part. 133 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:11,520 And these stairs go the whole way up. 134 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,280 So the housemaids and the footmen could operate 135 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,120 with never being seen by the guests or family. 136 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,760 Look at the number of stairs up here, it's extraordinary. 137 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,680 Goodness gracious, it's almost to heaven! 138 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,160 LAUGHTER 139 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:27,920 You didn't need the gin. No! 140 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:29,840 These stairs must have been busy. 141 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:34,800 I'm told there used to be more than 50 household staff. 142 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:39,080 There were chambermaids upstairs, and cooks in the basement kitchen 143 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,760 where Lady Caernarvon takes me next. 144 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,160 An astonishing 60 metres away. 145 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:45,840 Goodness gracious. 146 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:47,280 This goes on for ever. 147 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,480 This part hasn't really been seen on television 148 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:54,680 because Downton filmed all the kitchen scenes in Ealing Studios. 149 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,320 And our own kitchens have been where they've been for 1,000 years. 150 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:02,600 But they really are used today to cook for all our tours and dinners. 151 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:06,560 So, they chose to create the kitchen scenes elsewhere. 152 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,040 Well, I'm privileged. 153 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,160 I'm seeing something that the viewers didn't see. 154 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,040 It's the last part of the journey into the kitchen. 155 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:19,440 We're nearly there. 156 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:23,760 It's a fair sized kitchen. 157 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:25,200 It's a great kitchen. 158 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:29,320 It strikes me that it's an awful long way to the dining room. 159 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:33,000 I should think... How you keep the food hot, I don't know. 160 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,880 I gather Mrs Mackie, one of the cooks of the '30s, 161 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:39,520 used to chase the footman down the corridor, saying, "Run, run!". 162 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:40,800 Gosh. 163 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:42,800 It is very tall. 164 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,840 So the kitchen wouldn't get too hot. 165 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,360 And the windows are all quite high, so you've got maximum wall space. 166 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,520 In most old stately homes, the kitchen would be north facing 167 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,240 cos then there was less light and the food was less likely to spoil. 168 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:58,680 It would stay cooler. 169 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:01,160 And you've then got an awful lot of space to cook in. 170 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,600 It's a very practical, well-designed kitchen. 171 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:05,160 And the plates there... 172 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,200 Now, is this the crest of the family? 173 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,800 Yes. We've just had them made again. 174 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,040 This is a brand-new set. 175 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,760 And I've copied Almina, the fifth Countess's design, more or less. 176 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:17,520 So it's quite fun, isn't it? 177 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,080 I've done enough for a small group of friends. 178 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,120 I've done enough for 80 people to sit down. 179 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,120 80 people! But they're beautiful. 180 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,680 So, how important was the food for the reputation of the house? 181 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:32,200 To me, the food we deliver, the dinners, the suppers, 182 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:33,480 they matter enormously. 183 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,240 And I want people to enjoy it and to be impressed by Paul, 184 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:38,800 our chef's cooking. 185 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,520 He's excellent. 186 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,280 And so, still today, you use this kitchen that's so far away? 187 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,920 There's not a day that I don't come into this kitchen. 188 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:48,320 But now you're here, Mary, 189 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,800 I really hope that you might cook with us as well. 190 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,920 And I really look forward to that. 191 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:54,600 I'm itching to get going. 192 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,520 Will you give me a hand? I would love to, Mary, thank you. 193 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:05,360 Since afternoon tea was an important part of the weekend house party, 194 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,840 I think we should make an indulgent tea-time treat. 195 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,520 My raspberry tartlets with creme patisserie. 196 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:16,320 The creme patisserie couldn't be easier to make. 197 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,080 Start by warming 150ml of milk, 198 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,480 with some vanilla extract. 199 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,320 Heat the milk until it's scalding hot, 200 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,160 so you can just put your finger in and lift it out again. 201 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,680 Meanwhile, I'm going to put an egg in here. 202 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:33,360 Do you have hens here? 203 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,200 I do have hens. 204 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:37,360 Nothing better than fresh eggs. 205 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,600 Different colours. White eggs, blue eggs, brown eggs, 206 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:41,720 and different sizes. 207 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,320 I used to have a hen which laid green eggs. 208 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:46,240 Did you? Very unusual. 209 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,600 Which was very good for boiled eggs for breakfast. 210 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:53,440 Add 25g of caster sugar and 25g of plain flour 211 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,800 and whisk it all to a stiff paste. 212 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,040 Just until it's smooth. 213 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:05,000 There it is. And then I'm going to put the milk into there in two lots. 214 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,200 That's because I don't want the egg to separate. 215 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,600 That looks smooth to me. 216 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,560 And then in goes the rest of the milk. 217 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:20,120 Now that looks like a thin custard. 218 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,520 But it will thicken up nicely 219 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:25,840 as soon as I've put it back on the heat. 220 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:29,480 How about you giving it a jolly good beat? 221 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:30,760 Fine. 222 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:33,400 A bit of welly in there. 223 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,360 You know, in earlier days, when we didn't have machines, 224 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,320 the cooks used to have huge great muscles, didn't they? 225 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,720 There's a fruit biscuit recipe from 1811, we've got, 226 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,400 and in the middle it says, "stir for two hours". 227 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,040 Which seems a bit extraordinary when they're making it. 228 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,120 I think you've done really well. 229 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:54,640 I want it really thick. 230 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,480 And we'll put some cream in it. How delicious. 231 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:03,160 Let the mixture cool thoroughly, then whisk in 75ml of double cream. 232 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:07,160 So, the creme patisserie is made, and I reckon... 233 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:08,800 it tastes... 234 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,680 Go on! Can I taste it? It's my special role! 235 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:14,920 That's delicious, actually. 236 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:17,320 And the cream is absolutely scrummy. 237 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,360 I like to make my own shortcrust pastry, 238 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,840 but you can buy ready cooked cases if you're in a hurry. 239 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,600 Then it's just a matter of placing fresh raspberries on top. 240 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:32,080 This is my smiley face. 241 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:34,000 There we go. Two eyes and a mouth. 242 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:35,800 I'll do it properly, I promise! 243 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:39,280 I can see you like having a good play with the children 244 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:40,680 when they're all baking. Yes. 245 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:45,760 And for the glaze, heap some raspberry jam with a little water. 246 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:50,600 And that will slacken it down and we just push it through the sieve 247 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,560 so we don't get the seeds. 248 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:54,080 That's it. 249 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:03,560 The aim is to put, sort of, minimum on, and let it just run over. 250 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:06,720 It's really to give a shine. 251 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:09,640 That just looks perfect. 252 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,560 Well, it's been lovely having you as my sous-chef. 253 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:14,360 Oh, thank you, Mary. Come along. 254 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:20,520 Now's my chance to really play at being in Downton Abbey. 255 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,120 Taking afternoon tea with a Countess. 256 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,680 This must be what it was like to be entertained here 257 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:33,440 back in Highclere's house party heyday in the late 1800s. 258 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,240 They look wonderful, Mary. 259 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:37,680 You are clever. 260 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:51,600 Mmmm! 261 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,280 That's delicious. 262 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,000 I can see people being very distracted 263 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,760 with all the beauty of this room. 264 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,040 Well, it's quite a French room, isn't it? 265 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,040 With all the gold. So it's rather beautiful. And the views! 266 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,160 Who else has got a backdrop of the wonderful folly at the back? 267 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:08,040 I know. It is beautiful, isn't it? 268 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,520 You know, I think people might imagine being a Countess, 269 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,400 that every day you sit down and have tea, 270 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,720 and you have Lewis serving you, even if nobody's about. 271 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:19,760 Is that so? Certainly not! 272 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,840 I'm often making myself a really nice cup of tea. 273 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:25,720 But I'm having it often at my desk in my office. 274 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,680 It is a hands-on job, whether you're working in the office 275 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,880 or finding that you need to ring an electrician, 276 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:34,840 or you've got various great friends. 277 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:38,000 Steve the roofer's a great friend, you always need a good roofer. 278 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,760 The plumbers were here today. 279 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:43,240 There's marketing to be done, e-mails to be answered. 280 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:47,240 Laughter to be had, as we go about every day's business. 281 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:48,720 There's a long list. 282 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:51,560 And actually, I don't think my husband disclosed 283 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,400 quite the length of the list when he asked me to marry him. 284 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:02,360 It's clear that taking on a house like this is a huge responsibility. 285 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,960 And I can imagine the maintenance bills are endless. 286 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:11,960 So this luxurious home has had to evolve partly into a business. 287 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,120 And to find out more, I'm meeting Fiona's husband Georgie, 288 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,440 eighth Earl of Caernarvon. 289 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,960 We're introduced by the castle manager, 290 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,120 in keeping with proper protocol. 291 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,920 Lord Caernarvon, Mary. Hi, good afternoon, welcome to Highclere. 292 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:28,640 I'm very thrilled to be here. 293 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,040 The Earl is, after all, the Queen's godson. 294 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:32,440 Enjoy your visit. Thank you. 295 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:37,640 Much of the 5,000 acre estate is a working farm. 296 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,720 We specialise in winter oats, 297 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,800 which we process for feeding for performance horses 298 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,560 like racehorses and polo ponies. 299 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,240 And then, for spring crops, like spring malting barley. 300 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,000 And this year we're doing spring beans. 301 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,520 And you have masses of sheep. 302 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,160 How many have you? Well, we have about 1,600 ewes, 303 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,600 and there'll be about 2,500 lambs. 304 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:03,520 Nowadays, we very much use the sheep to help control all of this 305 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,520 very big area of grassland we have in the park here. 306 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,720 This beautiful parkland, as well as being part of the house, 307 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,640 is regularly opened to the public. 308 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,520 Highclere also has a long-standing reputation 309 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,520 for hosting top-quality game shooting weekends. 310 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,840 Highclere's been involved with game shooting 311 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:35,200 all the way back from the end of the Victorian and Edwardian period, 312 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,360 when it was one of the heights of recreational entertainment 313 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,080 for country house parties and that kind of thing. 314 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,360 So, is shooting the main part of the business here, 315 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:44,880 or is it just a small part? 316 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,480 Well, I wouldn't say it's a vast part of the business. 317 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,080 But I would say it's a relevant part of the business, 318 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:51,880 especially with the seasons. 319 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,640 And also because the game does get used in restaurants. 320 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,760 And we serve game ourselves here in the castle. 321 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:58,120 And it's terribly good for us. 322 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,560 It is. It's very low-fat, naturally low-cholesterol, 323 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,200 and very tasty. As you know, you can cook it in many different ways. 324 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,480 Pheasant shooting is out of season between March and October. 325 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,600 But the gamekeepers stay busy, clearing woodland, 326 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:15,960 rearing birds, and training their dogs. 327 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:21,520 Lord Caernarvon introduces me to gamekeepers Eddie Hughes, 328 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,840 Tom Hibberd, and Val Maskell. 329 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,200 Hello, Valerie. 330 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,520 I have never seen a bevy of spaniels behaving so beautifully. 331 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,440 Yes, they are perfectly disciplined and well behaved. 332 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,200 They're all so quiet and happy, aren't they? Hello, poppet! 333 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,480 Like my Darcy, these dogs are all spaniels, 334 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:45,720 a breed which originally came from Spain, hence the name spaniel. 335 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:50,400 They've been used as hunting dogs since at least the 15th century, 336 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:54,280 with Springer spaniels trained to flush, or "spring" birds 337 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:55,920 from their ground nests. 338 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:00,160 The smaller cocker spaniels tended to be used for hunting woodcock. 339 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:06,480 Val has been training and breeding gundogs all her life. 340 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,760 So, Val, how long have you been here at Highclere? 341 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,640 Well, I've been here nearly 20 years on the estate, with Eddie. 342 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,320 Gosh, that's a good innings. 343 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:19,040 When do you start training the dogs? Do they have to be a certain age? 344 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,520 Well, I start training them as soon as possible. 345 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,680 Ours live indoors because somebody tried to steal them one night 346 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:26,120 when they were out in the kennels. 347 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:28,320 We don't want to take the risk of losing them. 348 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,840 I bet they'd rather be in your kitchen than anywhere else. 349 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:32,480 They certainly would, yes. 350 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,000 Lots more cuddles. 351 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,760 So, are you going to put them through their paces? 352 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:38,400 Yes, we let them hunt around. 353 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:39,960 And then we'll fire a shot. 354 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:41,440 They all have to sit down. 355 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,160 And then we'll throw a dummy for them. 356 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,840 And then one dog is selected to fetch that dummy and bring it back 357 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,160 to me and put it in my hand. OK. 358 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,080 WHISTLE PEEPS 359 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:01,880 GUNSHOT 360 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:04,960 Wait! 361 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:06,320 Marty. 362 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:07,360 Marty! 363 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,840 Oh, you clever boy. 364 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:22,000 Good boy. 365 00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:26,240 A wonderful job, Marty. Well done. That's a good boy. 366 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:37,000 Spending time with the gamekeepers has given me an idea for a recipe. 367 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:41,880 Game has been a prominent part of the menus at Highclere 368 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:43,720 for 200 years. 369 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,880 So I'm going to make a rich pheasant casserole 370 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,560 that could be used for the gamekeeper's lunch. 371 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,920 First of all, I'm using a big pan 372 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:03,360 and I'm going to make sure that it's hot before I fry all the meat. 373 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:05,000 So I'm just turning that up. 374 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,800 And I've got a brace of pheasants here. 375 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:09,400 I've got prime birds. 376 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,480 A little bit of oil in the bottom, just enough to cover the base. 377 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,640 Expect a sizzle, cos I've got this pan hot. 378 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,800 Keep turning and just get them brown. 379 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:32,280 It all adds to the flavour. 380 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,160 Once the meat is browned, put it to one side, 381 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,000 then in the same pan, fry the bacon. 382 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,480 I'm using smoked for extra flavour, 383 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,760 along with a roughly chopped onion and celery. 384 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:47,160 In goes the celery. 385 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:54,120 Again, keep that stirring all the time. 386 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,640 And when it's all very, very hot, I'll add the flour. 387 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:02,960 Sprinkle that in. 388 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:09,880 And it's important to make sure every bit is covered in the flour. 389 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,800 Don't worry about that deep golden brown at the bottom. 390 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,000 That will all come up when I add the stock. 391 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:21,440 I'm using pheasant stock, but you can use chicken if you prefer. 392 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:23,880 And you could use cider, 393 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:28,720 although I find cloudy apple juice gives it a warmer, fuller flavour. 394 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,360 Right, we need a little bit of Worcester sauce. 395 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,560 That just sharpens it up. 396 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:39,720 A little redcurrant jelly. 397 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:41,880 Any fruit jelly will do. 398 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,320 Just whichever one you've got in the cupboard. 399 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:47,400 It doesn't really matter. 400 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:50,320 Add seasoning. 401 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:53,800 And fresh bay leaves. 402 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:57,280 There they are, then I'm going to tip all the meat in there. 403 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:05,480 That is quite a good colour, but it's a little bit grey 404 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:07,920 so I'm going to do a little bit of gravy browning. 405 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,160 Just a dash. Go easy on it, 406 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,360 because it's quite dark and it's just caramel colouring. 407 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:17,600 And that really does look rich and good. 408 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,160 Then it needs simmering on a low heat 409 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:27,160 for around one and a half to two hours, until really tender. 410 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,760 Mushrooms go in for the last half-hour, so they stay firm. 411 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,120 Then it's ready for the gamekeepers. 412 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:40,600 I'm serving it simply with green veg and mash, 413 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,120 to let the pheasant flavour shine. 414 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:44,960 I hope you're starving! 415 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,880 I've been toiling away all morning and I want you to eat it all! 416 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,640 Right, can you take this? It's blooming hot. 417 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,920 There we are, Val. I know you went without breakfast this morning, 418 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,240 so you must be starving. Thank you! 419 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,800 Pass it down the line. Wonderful, thank you, Mary. 420 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,280 I'm told at the end of the 19th century, 421 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:10,560 there could have been up to 100 gamekeepers, helpers and staff 422 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:12,760 on a single shoot weekend. 423 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,880 I'm glad I haven't got to cook for all that lot. 424 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,680 So, when you have a shoot here, how many people come? 425 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,400 Probably got 25 to 30 people, have been here last time. Yeah, yeah. 426 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,800 And there must be some very well behaved dogs here, I should think, 427 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:29,320 cos it could be chaos! There is occasionally! 428 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,920 Most of you have been working here for many, 429 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:38,480 many years and what is it that you like, cos none of you seem to leave? 430 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,200 Well, it's the atmosphere of the place. 431 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:43,160 We all get on well together, don't we? 432 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,120 Yeah. All of us. Camaraderie. 433 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:47,040 Eddie does a shooter's meal. 434 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:50,280 Sorry, Eddie and Valerie do a shooter's meal. 435 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:51,760 Sorry, Val. 436 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,760 They prepare a meal for what we call the team, 437 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:57,240 or the family. Eddie's a very good cook. 438 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,320 I carry the things in and out mainly. 439 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:03,760 Very nice, Mary. 440 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,000 Is it? Very nice. Very good, yeah. 441 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,240 Oh, good. Thank you very much, Mary. It's delicious. Thank you. 442 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:19,880 The top-class shoots were a key feature of the weekend house parties 443 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:24,520 that made Highclere such an influential and sought after place 444 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:25,920 to visit. 445 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:30,360 And it was the fifth countess, the young Lady Almina who, 446 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:33,000 just months into her new life here, 447 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,400 had to host perhaps the most influential guest of all. 448 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,960 Her father wanted to make sure that she was fully accepted 449 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:45,000 into high society, and he arranged for the Prince of Wales, 450 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,080 His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, 451 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:49,720 who was going to become later Edward VII, 452 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,320 came to stay at Highclere, so it was an extraordinary, 453 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:57,960 extravagant three-day party and shoot. 454 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,400 That's what she was in charge of at just 19. 455 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,280 Lady Caernarvon shows me the bedroom that Almina had redecorated 456 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:14,480 especially for the future king. 457 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:18,320 All in red, very royal. 458 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:22,200 So these are the original silk wall hangings from 1895. 459 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:24,080 Good gracious. It's lovely. 460 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:27,400 They must have been of very good quality to have stayed like this. 461 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:30,280 And I think this bed was brought in for the Prince of Wales. 462 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:32,760 It doesn't look so big today, but yet, 463 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,440 king-size sheets don't necessarily fit it very well. 464 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,040 It is quite a large bed. 465 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,880 The Prince was a very robust man, was he? 466 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:41,920 Yes, he was quite a large man, 467 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:45,960 with a girth that testified to his love of food, I think you might say. 468 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,160 Yes. And he would have been waited on hand, foot and finger. 469 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,960 Completely. He demanded the best, so the best bedrooms, 470 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,400 the best decorations, the best food, champagne, wine, 471 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,120 so if you had him to stay quite often, or longer than a weekend, 472 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:03,640 you know, you could find yourself dipping deep into your pockets 473 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,640 to try to pay for it all. 474 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,800 Luckily, with Almina's huge wealth, 475 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:15,280 she was able to go to town for this very special weekend house party. 476 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:21,640 Delving deep into the family's private archives 477 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:27,160 reveals what it takes to entertain a demanding 44-year-old Prince. 478 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,440 Mary, we're so lucky to have this account book 479 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:35,400 of the special entertainments with HRH the Prince of Wales, 480 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:37,440 December 1895. 481 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:42,200 It just shows you the quantity of foods, of provisions, 482 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,600 the amount of decorating, 483 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,480 refurbishment that was done, the carpets, 484 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:49,360 the hire of marquees, 485 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:51,120 it's just endless. 486 00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:55,920 I mean, I think in today's terms, Almina spent about £500,000 487 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,320 on entertaining the Prince of Wales for three days. 488 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,400 All for just one weekend. 489 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:05,120 Which was just two evenings, if you think about it! 490 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:07,480 And then he was on the train again. 491 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:12,920 Have you any idea what was actually served on the main evening dinner? 492 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,120 So from my research on this particular weekend, 493 00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:21,440 I've constructed what I think is the very likely selection of dishes. 494 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,120 The Prince of Wales was very keen on oysters. 495 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:26,600 It was a very good safe starting point. 496 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,560 There were always two soups, a thin soup and a thick soup. 497 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:31,560 So it was consomme clair and cock-a-leekie. 498 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:35,040 The soups were followed by six further courses, 499 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:39,080 served one after the other, as was the new fashion. 500 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,720 There could have been more than 20 different dishes. 501 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:44,160 Finally ending with a buffet. 502 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,200 A buffet. I bet there were some good leftovers! 503 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,440 Yes, I think the staff must have ate well, and of course, 504 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,600 the Prince of Wales then had a small buffet up in his bedroom, 505 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,280 in case he became hungry during the evening. 506 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:03,640 With food as her secret weapon, the visit was a triumph for Lady Almina, 507 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:07,000 securing her a place in English society, 508 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:12,240 and cementing Highclere's reputation for distinguished parties. 509 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:15,640 And today is little different. 510 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:19,360 Current royalty have also been entertained here. 511 00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:23,760 Lady Caernarvon is inviting a few friends to a house party. 512 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:28,120 I've been asked to join them, and also to suggest a recipe 513 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:30,560 to serve at the main dinner. 514 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:36,000 All this talk of royalty makes me think of the perfect dish. 515 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:39,360 My succulent cannon of lamb, 516 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,960 served on a crispy celeriac potato cake, 517 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:45,680 with a luxurious fresh mint gravy. 518 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,640 Now cannon of lamb is the saddle of lamb, 519 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:57,680 it's the eye of the meat, and it's very expensive, 520 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,280 but it is something that is so special, 521 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:03,880 so tender, and quite easy to serve. 522 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:05,880 It's for a great celebration. 523 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,000 Having seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, 524 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:12,840 and lightly brushed it with oil, 525 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,640 I'm browning it in a really hot pan. 526 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,400 I want to do this as quickly as possible. 527 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:25,240 You can see by the smoke, it's really, really, really hot. 528 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,560 Now already, I need to be turning it. 529 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,680 The reason for sealing the meat before I roast it, 530 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,520 it gives a wonderful colour so you have to stand there and let it smoke 531 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:41,080 straight in your hair, it doesn't matter. 532 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:43,640 I've got some rosemary here. 533 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,880 There's an abundance of herbs to choose from here, 534 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:48,240 which is wonderful. 535 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,280 So, put that underneath each piece, 536 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,800 so that will permeate through the meat, and that will be browned. 537 00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:58,360 There. 538 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:02,360 That is beautifully sealed, just what I wanted. 539 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,400 Done really, really fast. 540 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,440 I'm going to sit those on the top. 541 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,240 It's got to have eight minutes' roasting. 542 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:16,280 So in it goes, to a hot oven at 200 fan. 543 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:26,240 To go with that very glamorous cannon of lamb, 544 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,760 I've decided to make potato cakes but with a difference, 545 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:31,400 with celeriac. 546 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:33,960 The two flavours go very well together. 547 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:40,360 So, you need 350g of potatoes, and 250g of celeriac. 548 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:45,200 I've grated the potato and the celeriac, using the coarse grater, 549 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,720 put it in a tea towel to get every little bit of wet out of it. 550 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,320 This is something that's got to be done at the last minute, 551 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,560 otherwise the celeriac goes brown. 552 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,440 So, salt and pepper. 553 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:03,000 Divide the grated veg into equal sized piles 554 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,960 and squash them down to make patties. 555 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,720 You've got to be firm, and you've got to use force. 556 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,560 It will begin to stick together. 557 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:13,320 That's it. 558 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:18,560 It's the starch in the potato which is holding it all together. 559 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,040 Then they're ready for frying, 560 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:26,120 but make sure your pan is nowhere near as hot as it was for the lamb. 561 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,360 Notice how I'm pushing the sides in, 562 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:33,520 so that they don't all join up, and good news, 563 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,040 you can make these ahead and reheat them. 564 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:40,400 Fry them until golden brown on each side. 565 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:47,000 Cook them too quickly and you'll find that they will burn underneath 566 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,040 and it won't be done in the middle, 567 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:52,680 so I've turned the heat down, and doing them very, very gently. 568 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:01,480 Serve with a traditional gravy enriched with port 569 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:03,680 and freshly chopped mint from the garden. 570 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:09,440 That that looks pretty good to me, 571 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:13,400 so that needs to go into the gravy, like that. 572 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:19,480 I'm going to taste it and see that it really is sheer perfection 573 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:20,960 to serve with that lamb. 574 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:28,160 That's pretty good. 575 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:32,360 To me, that's a dish fit for a prince. 576 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,760 I can't tell you how thrilled I am that I'm going to be 577 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:40,200 at this great dinner party that Lady Caernarvon is going to give, 578 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:43,320 and she's chosen to have this wonderful lamb dish. 579 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,200 I so hope they enjoy it. 580 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:58,040 Whether the guests are visiting royalty, weekend house guests, 581 00:32:58,040 --> 00:32:59,440 or paying public, 582 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:03,360 the rooms here have to be kept in first-rate condition. 583 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,200 There is a never-ending list of jobs 584 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,960 that keeps the 14 household staff rather busy. 585 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:13,200 It'll look much more spectacular here. 586 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:15,240 It was rather hidden round a corner before. 587 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,720 It's got really good light there. It's lovely. 588 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,160 I think it's pretty good to keep out of the way here. 589 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:26,480 It must be very, very heavy. 590 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:30,120 It's the frame... My goodness, David, that's very high. Yeah. 591 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:35,560 And then at the top is a picture rail, is it? It will hook over. 592 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,280 There is. That's it, down. That's it. 593 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:39,960 The other down! OK. 594 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:45,080 Happy? No, left a bit with your left hand, David. 595 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:46,840 It's not quite vertical. 596 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:50,240 Is it tipping down on the top left-hand corner a little bit? 597 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:51,320 Yes. 598 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:53,200 It's a bit cockeyed. 599 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,120 Happy? Yeah, I think so, actually, John. Brilliant. 600 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:01,480 Thank you, very, very much. 601 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:04,800 You've got a great team of people here. 602 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:06,800 Who are they all and what do they all do? 603 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:10,320 I have. Well, I don't know, Matthew, you do multitasking, 604 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,080 afternoon teas, helping with dogs, 605 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:15,880 feed the chickens when I can't do that. 606 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,080 I can't think what you came here to do, but that's what you do now! 607 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,320 I don't think I'm doing what I came here to do! 608 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,680 What was the job description when you came? 609 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:26,480 I think it was pretty much whatever I needed to do. 610 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,920 Oh, good. Walking the dogs, helping to butler in the castle, 611 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,320 and then it's just grown since then. 612 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:34,320 And which part do you enjoy most? 613 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,560 All of it. It's very varied, so it's fun. 614 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:40,040 It is really good fun working here. 615 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,600 And then, Pat, I don't know how long you've been here for, 616 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:44,680 which way exceeds me, doesn't it? 617 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,280 Yeah. 57 years now. 57 years?! 618 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:48,680 Yes, yes. 619 00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:51,880 Gosh. We do painting and decorating all the way around, 620 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,720 whether it's in the castle, or around the estate. 621 00:34:54,720 --> 00:34:56,480 I hope you're not going up ladders. 622 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,240 No, thanks to Lady Caernarvon. No, I don't, not any more. 623 00:34:59,240 --> 00:35:02,320 She banned me. So, how many have you got in your team? 624 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:05,080 There's three of us. Mike is one, and young Richard's the other. 625 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,040 Mind you, I call them the boys. 626 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,840 The boys. Well, one's coming 80, and the other's coming 48. 627 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:12,160 One's coming...? 628 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,200 80. I come for 75. 629 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,080 And no sign of retirement? 630 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:18,000 No. Not allowed to! 631 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,960 No! I was just going to say that! 632 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:21,560 I understand that, I can tell you. 633 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:23,560 You just keep going. It's much better. 634 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:27,040 And on a Friday every so often, we have fish and chips together. 635 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:30,040 Pat goes and gets fish and chips from our local fish and chip shop. 636 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:31,960 We sit down and wherever we are... 637 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:33,240 We hide. 638 00:35:33,240 --> 00:35:34,480 Well, that's good. Yes. 639 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:36,920 My husband doesn't think I should have fish and chips, 640 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:38,480 but I think it's excellent! 641 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:40,120 Well, it's a great thing to share. 642 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:42,880 And then, John Gunter, who's our castle manager. 643 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:46,240 I'm not quite sure what's on your CV, either. 644 00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:49,760 I'm not quite sure I've got a true job description either, 645 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:51,760 but it does include everything. 646 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:55,240 We do some large events and that takes a lot of planning. 647 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:57,760 The team are a relatively small team, 648 00:35:57,760 --> 00:35:59,240 very hard-working, 649 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:02,480 and you've got to have some good humour and good nature, 650 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:05,400 otherwise it just doesn't gel and that's the magic gel 651 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,680 that makes it work for us all, I think. 652 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:10,520 And, after a hard week, everybody has some fish and chips. 653 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:11,800 I like that idea. 654 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,720 I've never been invited, so I wouldn't know. 655 00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:19,800 Hope for an invitation! I will look more diligently on Friday lunchtimes 656 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:21,920 for my fish and chip invitation. 657 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,960 Have I put the cat amongst the pigeons? Yes, I think you have! 658 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:27,440 It looks as though you might have to have somebody else. 659 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,160 Yes, I think I might, Mary. 660 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:30,200 Cut! 661 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:40,840 Now, there's one more member of the team I really must meet. 662 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:44,600 Paul Brooke-Taylor cooks for the family as well as for public events. 663 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:47,880 Right place, right time? Absolutely. Lovely to meet you. You, too, Mary. 664 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,160 Thank you. So how did you come to get here? 665 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:53,240 I was in a very big hotel corporation chain 666 00:36:53,240 --> 00:36:56,640 and I found that as soon as you become head chef, you stop cooking. 667 00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:58,200 I wanted to get my hands dirty. 668 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:01,720 I wanted to cook but nine years ago.. It's flown by, to be honest. 669 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:03,640 So you got the job? I did, yeah. 670 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:05,440 I took over a sleepy little castle. 671 00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:09,080 It was lovely. We did the odd posh wedding and then they did a TV show 672 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:10,600 here and my life changed. 673 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,760 What's the biggest number you have for tea? 674 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:14,800 A wedding, we'll cap at 120. 675 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:16,880 If it's family dining, we'll do 30. 676 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:18,520 Afternoon teas, 677 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,560 we do over 110 a day when we're open to the general public. 678 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:23,040 And you're two chefs now. 679 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,920 Going back 100 years ago, how many would have been in here? 680 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,240 I have this conversation with Lord Caernarvon a lot. 681 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:30,720 I've got to be honest, his team back then was a lot bigger. 682 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:32,440 But it was one chef per job. 683 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:35,800 I think now, we have more equipment, we have better ovens. 684 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:37,840 It's not such manual labour. 685 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:40,320 And it was a totally different environment. 686 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:43,720 This house has had to change to match today's society, 687 00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:45,320 and make some money. 688 00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:54,200 Opening the house to the public is a relatively recent change, but the 689 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:59,000 Caernarvon family have been in the public eye throughout their history. 690 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,720 None more so, perhaps, than Lord Caernarvon's great-grandfather, 691 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:06,840 George Herbert, the fifth Earl. 692 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:10,600 He was an early pioneer in travel photography. 693 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:17,600 And there's that rather wonderful drawing of him with his lucky hat on 694 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,400 and his cigarette in his right hand. Oh, how lovely. 695 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,280 What I like is the lucky hat. 696 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:25,080 It's looking pretty worn and dented there. 697 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,680 That portrait does have a touch of Indiana Jones about it, 698 00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:32,720 but you can see the extraordinary character of the man. 699 00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:37,800 He was the late Victorian, Edwardian eccentric adventurer. 700 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:42,960 One great friend of his and a regular visitor here 701 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:46,920 was the famed archaeologist Howard Carter. 702 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:50,640 I'm told that, together, in these very rooms, 703 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,600 they would plan their expeditions to Egypt, 704 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,520 where they made one of the world's most significant 705 00:38:56,520 --> 00:39:01,000 archaeological discoveries, the tomb of Tutankhamun. 706 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,120 This is very much the area he worked in, 707 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:06,000 because here we are now in the Valley of the Kings. 708 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,040 I think in very early 1923, 709 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:11,480 just only within two months of him actually discovering the tomb 710 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,360 of Tutankhamun in November 1922 with Howard Carter. 711 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,000 And there's the famous steps down to the tomb. 712 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,240 And there's my great-grandfather, the fifth Earl, on the left... 713 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:24,120 Right. And Howard Carter on the right, looking very dapper. 714 00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:28,880 The two men's stoic persistence in the heat and dust and flies 715 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:32,680 of the dessert paid off in the greatest archaeological find. 716 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:36,160 Look at the huge smiles! And also look at their dress. 717 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:38,480 I mean, they've got waistcoats on in this heat! 718 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:41,040 Yes, I think there was a strong tradition of rather wintry 719 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:43,800 British dress in rather a warm climate, even in Egypt. 720 00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:46,800 Can you imagine when they first break down the door 721 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:50,240 of the antechamber of the tomb, my great-grandfather says to Carter, 722 00:39:50,240 --> 00:39:53,000 "Can you see anything? Can you see anything? What's happening?" 723 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,680 They're all in a high state of excitement, because actually, 724 00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,360 they'd found all this rubbish had been piled up everywhere, 725 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:00,440 and Carter had been in previous tombs, 726 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,240 where there was nothing the other side, but this time, 727 00:40:03,240 --> 00:40:06,800 he says, "Yes, I see wonderful things." 728 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:09,920 And there's everywhere the glint of gold. 729 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:12,440 Well, I shall not forget the look on their faces. 730 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:14,040 I mean, it's magical, isn't it? 731 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:16,480 The whole thing is, it was such a time of such excitement 732 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:19,000 and it was such bad luck for my great-grandfather 733 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:22,040 that he didn't live to see so many of the wonderful objects 734 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,040 that finally came out of the tomb. 735 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:31,440 He went off to take a few days' rest down the river, 736 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:36,920 which was when he was bitten by the fateful mosquito in March 1923. 737 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:38,880 And what happened after that? 738 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,800 Eventually, he returned to Cairo with blood poisoning 739 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:44,600 but sadly, in the end, succumbed to pneumonia 740 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,960 and he died in the hour of his triumph, 741 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,920 and, of course, he never actually saw the wonderful golden mask. 742 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:56,040 Nonetheless, Lord Caernarvon was assured of a place 743 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:58,040 in archaeological history. 744 00:40:58,040 --> 00:40:59,400 When you were a boy, 745 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,240 was it very exciting growing up with all these stories? 746 00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:05,480 Well, the strange thing was, I used to wonder a lot about all this, 747 00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:08,240 but my grandfather was very reticent about it. 748 00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:10,560 Really? And he was the one that hid 749 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:14,680 quite a number of these incredible objects that we have here 750 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:17,200 in dark cupboards, between two rooms, 751 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:18,920 and no-one was ever allowed to see them 752 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:20,920 and he blocked up the entrance either side. 753 00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:25,080 I think he was very upset by the fact that his father had suddenly died 754 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,360 when he really was quite, quite young 755 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:31,000 and Egypt had, out of the blue, taken something away from him 756 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:32,880 and totally changed his life. 757 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:37,400 And my grandfather was just quite quiet about his father's work. 758 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:41,920 Thankfully, the currant Lord Caernarvon keeps replicas 759 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,440 of his great-grandfather's finds 760 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:47,720 in a public museum deep in the basement, 761 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:52,320 a tribute to this remarkable chapter in Highclere's history. 762 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:55,680 Gosh, that is sheer magnificence. 763 00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,240 Well, this is the glorious middle coffin. 764 00:41:58,240 --> 00:41:59,920 Of course, the actual embalmed body 765 00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:02,000 was found vested inside three golden coffins 766 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:03,680 and this one's known as the middle one 767 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:08,560 and it was absolutely covered in an effect of semiprecious stones. 768 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:11,480 Can you see all the glory of all the colours? 769 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:13,760 The reds, the blues, and the gold. 770 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,320 Well, it is absolutely spectacular. 771 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:24,920 Wow! There it is, I know it's a replica, but isn't it magnificent? 772 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:29,440 It's an extraordinary replica to scale of the real golden mask. 773 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:34,240 And this weighs around 11 kilos and it's an extraordinary amount of gold 774 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:38,360 on one beautiful artistic object, of the face of the boy king. 775 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:41,200 Remember, he died when he was only about 19, or so. 776 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:44,640 It's so beautiful and gentle and the actual features. 777 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:46,480 Yes, they really are extraordinary. 778 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,000 It's one of the world's greatest objects. 779 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:55,960 But the days of grand discoveries, 780 00:42:55,960 --> 00:43:00,080 sumptuous living and weekend house parties at Highclere were numbered. 781 00:43:01,720 --> 00:43:04,640 The Second World War brought turbulent times 782 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:08,120 and the current Lady Caernarvon, a keen historian, 783 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:11,680 has been unearthing some of the castle's wartime stories. 784 00:43:13,720 --> 00:43:17,440 She's arranged an expedition to show me evidence 785 00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:19,760 of an aeroplane that crashed here. 786 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:21,760 Her team of plane hunters 787 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:27,680 includes metal detector enthusiasts Paul McTaggart and Robert Coleman, 788 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:31,400 and retired Concorde pilot Steve Bowhill Smith. 789 00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,640 What are you looking for? What are you expecting? 790 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:36,360 Well, we've got some photographs to show you. 791 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:41,040 That's a B-17, which was called a flying Fortress. 792 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:42,920 It crashed up on the top of the hill. 793 00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,760 They were usually about ten people on board 794 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:47,800 but this was a training flight, 795 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:49,960 and they had only seven on board. 796 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:55,000 And to search for it, we had to get permission from the MoD. 797 00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:57,320 You have to have a licence. Really, on your own land? 798 00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:01,720 Yes, it's called the Protection Of Military Remains Act, 799 00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:02,880 so we had to do it properly. 800 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:04,680 We had to get the landowner's permission 801 00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:07,600 and then we had to get the MoD's permission as well. 802 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:18,120 I'm told the main bulk of the American plane was recovered 803 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:19,960 a few days after the crash. 804 00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:21,480 But, over the last few years, 805 00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:24,240 Lady Caernarvon and her team have collected 806 00:44:24,240 --> 00:44:26,760 dozens of smaller pieces of the wreckage 807 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:30,800 that have been lying here untouched since the Second World War. 808 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:34,000 Perhaps I should explain what we think happened. 809 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:35,480 They hit the trees, 810 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:38,880 those big cedar trees up on the top, and they just came crashing down 811 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:40,200 through the trees here, 812 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:45,360 down the slope and it basically exploded into a million bits. 813 00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:48,160 So you can walk along amongst the trees here 814 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:54,680 and you can actually see things in the undergrowth from the aircraft. 815 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:56,160 OK, Mary. This is a metal detector. 816 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,960 Put your arm in there and all you do is, basically, 817 00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:00,800 just wave it backwards and forwards. 818 00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:02,240 What am I waiting for? A noise? 819 00:45:02,240 --> 00:45:04,920 You're waiting for a noise. As soon as you go over a piece of metal, 820 00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:07,160 it'll squeak at you and you'll know exactly. 821 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:11,600 That's it. Close to the ground. 822 00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:13,680 The lower to the ground, the better it is. 823 00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:18,160 BEEP 824 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:20,120 What was that? That was the signal. 825 00:45:20,120 --> 00:45:21,440 Right in the middle of that. 826 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:24,200 There, look. It's all over the place. Just underneath the surface. 827 00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:26,400 That wasn't digging for it. It was just there. 828 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:29,000 No, there was no digging, because there's so much of it, 829 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,680 just up in the woods. What have you found? 830 00:45:31,680 --> 00:45:34,120 Well, this was just on the bank up there. 831 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:36,400 It looks like a hatch of some description. 832 00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:40,040 There's a hinge there and there will be another hinge somewhere else 833 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:43,200 up there. It's airframe, definitely. 834 00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:48,160 It's amazing to think that this has been here 70-odd years. 835 00:45:48,160 --> 00:45:50,600 And it was only three days before the end of the war. 836 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:52,520 So absolutely tragic, really. 837 00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:54,960 They'd done their 30-odd missions, 838 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,440 so this is where it all came to an end. 839 00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:00,360 Rather sad. Rather sad, terrible, yeah. 840 00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:04,000 But, for me, it's something about understanding what happened 841 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:06,400 to these young men who gave so much 842 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:08,920 and doing some sort of memorial for them 843 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:11,800 over in the castle gardens, looking up at this hill. 844 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:18,960 It's the stories of husbands, of brothers, of sons, 845 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:20,600 who died fighting for all of us. 846 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:30,880 We're heading to one of Highclere's follies, known as Heaven's Gate. 847 00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:34,080 It was built over 250 years ago... 848 00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:41,000 ..by the current Earl's great, great, great, great, great, great great uncle! 849 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:44,880 With truly breathtaking views over the estate, 850 00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:49,480 it's a fitting place to reflect on the changing fortunes of Highclere 851 00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:51,600 since the Second World War. 852 00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:55,080 What was the impact of the war on Highclere? 853 00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:57,720 Highclere was commandeered by the Ministry of Health 854 00:46:57,720 --> 00:47:00,600 and it became home for evacuee children so, suddenly, 855 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:05,120 there were between 25 and 50 tiny children aged three to five, 856 00:47:05,120 --> 00:47:07,400 living on the top floor of the castle, 857 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:10,840 throughout the war with their teachers, nursing assistants. 858 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:14,680 So the chef, therefore, was now cooking for 80 people a day, 859 00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:18,360 breakfast, lunch, and high tea for the children. 860 00:47:18,360 --> 00:47:21,200 It was a time of hardship. 861 00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:23,920 You had to really look after the food you were growing. 862 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:25,560 Nothing was wasted. 863 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:28,440 I mean, the vegetable garden here, the kitchen garden was invaluable, 864 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:29,880 because it was very successful 865 00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:32,560 and it not only supplied the castle and the children 866 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:34,880 but it could also supply beyond that, as well. 867 00:47:34,880 --> 00:47:38,240 After the war, things changed for the great estates. 868 00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:39,880 Is that right? 869 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:42,440 It did. There was no money, no resources, 870 00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:44,320 rationing still continued. 871 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:47,520 It was a very tough time so no-one could afford to employ 872 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,080 anybody either and nor could you repair anything, 873 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:53,680 because there was nothing to repair anything with. 874 00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:58,680 It's amazing this house survived, because, I think, during the 1950s, 875 00:47:58,680 --> 00:48:03,440 a lot of great houses of England were knocked down or destroyed. 876 00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:05,320 What a sadness that is. 877 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:11,760 The post-war era marked a turning point 878 00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:14,360 for Highclere's lavish house parties. 879 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:19,440 The prestigious and glamorous weekends that sparked off adventure, 880 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:22,760 shaped politics, and even created a country. 881 00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:30,600 In order to survive and prosper in the modern world, 882 00:48:30,600 --> 00:48:33,000 the house had to change. 883 00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:37,040 It had to become more businesslike and open its doors to the public. 884 00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:44,040 Nonetheless, this is still a home 885 00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:48,000 and Lord and Lady Caernarvon still host house parties, 886 00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:52,240 albeit on a smaller scale than during Almina's time. 887 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:57,880 And so, tonight, I will be able to witness this wonderful home 888 00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:00,240 in all its dinner party glory 889 00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:03,920 but, first, I've been asked to choose our pud. 890 00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:09,880 So for the grand finale for this special dinner party, 891 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:13,440 I'm going to make gooseberry and elderflower fool. 892 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:17,560 It's luxurious, it's British, very, very special. 893 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:21,640 It's a classic English pudding, 894 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:25,840 served at country house dining tables for hundreds of years. 895 00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:28,760 I'll be serving it with a delicate honey biscuit, 896 00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:30,560 made with local honey. 897 00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:35,360 In the pan, I've got 500g of gooseberries, 898 00:49:35,360 --> 00:49:39,800 100g of caster sugar - a bit less, if you like it sharp. 899 00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:43,040 And three tablespoons of Lady Caernarvon's 900 00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:45,520 home-made elderflower cordial. 901 00:49:45,520 --> 00:49:48,200 Though, of course, you could buy it. 902 00:49:48,200 --> 00:49:52,200 I'm gently cooking that, squashing them down. 903 00:49:52,200 --> 00:49:55,320 You notice that I've got green gooseberries. 904 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:59,560 If you're cooking with gooseberries, always pick them young and green. 905 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:02,280 They're very bitter to eat like that, freshly, 906 00:50:02,280 --> 00:50:04,160 but they're much better for cooking. 907 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:08,680 When they're soft, take the pan off the heat, 908 00:50:08,680 --> 00:50:12,600 remove about a quarter of the mixture to use later as a topping, 909 00:50:12,600 --> 00:50:15,240 then blitz the rest into a mush. 910 00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:22,400 There we are. That's a mush. 911 00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:25,440 But if you put that just with the cream for a fool, 912 00:50:25,440 --> 00:50:28,240 you would have lots of pips which aren't very nice to eat, 913 00:50:28,240 --> 00:50:31,400 so that's why we're going to sieve it. 914 00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:35,600 You just need to force it through, so keep pressing. 915 00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:38,960 Now look at that. That is just pips 916 00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:41,480 and I'll just discard it to one side. 917 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:42,520 There we are. 918 00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:46,680 Before you can mix it with the cream to make the fool, 919 00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:50,400 you'll have to chill the puree in the fridge until it's nice and firm. 920 00:50:51,440 --> 00:50:55,200 Traditionally, you would add all double cream. 921 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:59,720 But I've decided to make it a little bit sharper by adding yoghurt 922 00:50:59,720 --> 00:51:04,120 and I've got 100ml of full-fat yoghurt 923 00:51:04,120 --> 00:51:07,840 and 200ml of whipped double cream. 924 00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:09,520 Start with pouring cream. 925 00:51:09,520 --> 00:51:11,280 It's easier to whip. 926 00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:12,320 So in it goes. 927 00:51:13,960 --> 00:51:18,840 Then I'm going to add the cream, so just beat that in like that. 928 00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:21,920 Just until you've got no streaks. 929 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:27,640 That's it. That looks perfect. 930 00:51:27,640 --> 00:51:32,120 A lovely smooth consistency and I can smell the elderflower. 931 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:39,200 Serve in elegant glasses and top with the reserved compote. 932 00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:47,400 And then, just to finish it, a little mint, fresh from the garden. 933 00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:51,560 Don't always think of mint as being always to go with lamb. 934 00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:54,240 It's lovely to have on a pud. 935 00:51:54,240 --> 00:51:55,520 Just gives it a lift. 936 00:51:56,600 --> 00:52:00,880 So there you have it - our wonderful, luxurious British pud, 937 00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:04,080 all ready for that very special dinner party. 938 00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:12,440 Talking of which, 939 00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:16,080 the household is starting to prepare for this evening's extravaganza. 940 00:52:20,360 --> 00:52:23,240 There's much to do, everything from seating plans, 941 00:52:23,240 --> 00:52:26,000 flower displays to laying the table, 942 00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:28,960 which the butler, Luis Coelho, is in charge of. 943 00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:32,280 Luis, I've come to see what you're up to. How's it all going? 944 00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:35,200 It's going very well. I think we're pretty much set. 945 00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:37,640 Well, it's all looking pretty magnificent. 946 00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:41,120 The glasses come from Italy and they are hand painted in gold. 947 00:52:41,120 --> 00:52:42,760 They do look really special. 948 00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:45,480 Now, you're the butler. I am indeed. What is it like to work here? 949 00:52:45,480 --> 00:52:47,360 It's a great responsibility 950 00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:49,360 and we've got a lot of standards 951 00:52:49,360 --> 00:52:52,360 and we're serving like they served many years ago. 952 00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:54,080 So it's a tradition, as well. 953 00:52:54,080 --> 00:52:56,320 It's looking really lovely. 954 00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:58,160 All that's missing are the flowers. 955 00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:05,600 Five acres of gardens and greenhouses at Highclere 956 00:53:05,600 --> 00:53:09,040 provide a ready source of fresh flowers and plants 957 00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:12,840 to decorate the staterooms on special occasions. 958 00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:17,520 The gardens used to be attended by a team of over 20 gardeners. 959 00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:21,480 Nowadays, it's just Paul Barker and his team of two, 960 00:53:21,480 --> 00:53:24,920 who ensure a year-round supply of floral colour. 961 00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:32,160 Lady Caernarvon has been arranging flowers from the garden 962 00:53:32,160 --> 00:53:35,680 to provide a centrepiece for the sumptuous dining table. 963 00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:52,200 As the household prepares to receive this evening's guests, 964 00:53:52,200 --> 00:53:55,080 there's only one thing left for me to do, 965 00:53:55,080 --> 00:53:56,560 dress for the occasion. 966 00:53:58,160 --> 00:54:01,120 I feel just like Lady Mary in Downton Abbey. 967 00:54:04,720 --> 00:54:06,200 GENERAL CONVERSATION 968 00:54:12,160 --> 00:54:13,760 At the end of the 19th century, 969 00:54:13,760 --> 00:54:17,440 Highclere was the epitome of luxurious entertaining. 970 00:54:25,080 --> 00:54:27,960 The gatherings here had defined a generation. 971 00:54:29,800 --> 00:54:33,960 The parties have evolved since then but they still bring people together 972 00:54:33,960 --> 00:54:37,560 to talk, laugh, to dine in an elegant style. 973 00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:40,480 Mary, you look absolutely stunning! 974 00:54:40,480 --> 00:54:41,880 How lovely to see you. 975 00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:46,440 Very exciting to see the salon so alive with people. 976 00:54:46,440 --> 00:54:49,360 Can I offer you a drink before you go any further? 977 00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:52,240 There's a nonalcoholic or a champagne cocktail. 978 00:54:52,240 --> 00:54:53,600 Oh, I shall. 979 00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:55,600 To keep up my reputation. 980 00:54:55,600 --> 00:54:56,640 Okey doke. 981 00:54:57,840 --> 00:55:01,080 Compared to the house parties from a bygone era, 982 00:55:01,080 --> 00:55:03,320 this dinner party is more modest. 983 00:55:03,320 --> 00:55:06,360 But the guest list is just as varied. 984 00:55:06,360 --> 00:55:09,400 Including a bishop, a gardener, 985 00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:10,760 and a cook. 986 00:55:12,920 --> 00:55:15,520 As the guests are summoned into the dining room, 987 00:55:15,520 --> 00:55:18,920 we are reminded of the special history of this house. 988 00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:22,000 The place names are written in Egyptian hieroglyphs. 989 00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:25,400 Gracious me. I can explain, right-to-left. 990 00:55:25,400 --> 00:55:28,400 Meanwhile, chef Paul and his team have been cooking 991 00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:30,040 in the distant kitchens. 992 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:31,680 Have you got half a lemon? 993 00:55:31,680 --> 00:55:35,640 Then they whiz the cooked food along the long corridor 994 00:55:35,640 --> 00:55:37,800 to a plating room near the dining room. 995 00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:41,520 That's Paul's secret to serving my cannon of lamb 996 00:55:41,520 --> 00:55:43,840 while it's really piping hot. 997 00:55:43,840 --> 00:55:46,280 Ready, Josh? Let's go. 998 00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:48,640 It's like a military operation. 999 00:55:55,920 --> 00:55:59,000 Centuries-old traditions of hospitality 1000 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:02,360 meet entertaining in the modern world. 1001 00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:08,480 It's a rare glimpse into the private side of a very public house. 1002 00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:13,760 You are a wonderful family and thank you for welcoming me. 1003 00:56:13,760 --> 00:56:17,240 You're so kind and we've really enjoyed this week, as well. 1004 00:56:17,240 --> 00:56:21,040 It's been great to have you. Thank you. Thank you. 1005 00:56:22,640 --> 00:56:26,360 I will leave Highclere with great memories, 1006 00:56:26,360 --> 00:56:30,160 especially of the people who work behind the scenes 1007 00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:35,000 to keep this great house alive for everyone to enjoy. 1008 00:56:51,040 --> 00:56:54,000 Next time, I visit Scone Palace, 1009 00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:56,040 Scotland's crowning glory. 1010 00:56:56,040 --> 00:56:58,760 They were crowned on this very stone? 1011 00:56:58,760 --> 00:57:01,440 I'll cook up a feast fit for royalty. 1012 00:57:01,440 --> 00:57:03,640 I reckon you might have topped the chart with that. 1013 00:57:03,640 --> 00:57:05,880 And get a taste of the sport of kings. 1014 00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:08,440 Look! 1015 00:57:08,440 --> 00:57:11,040 I'm reeling with excitement... 1016 00:57:11,040 --> 00:57:12,320 Woohoo! 1017 00:57:12,320 --> 00:57:14,440 ..for my Highland adventure.