Hairy Bikers: New recipe and credit crunch tips
It seems like far too long since Hairy Bikers were on the telly. You went mad for the delicious cake recipes from their last series, the Hairy Bakers, and they were a real hit in the office too.
So, if, like us you're now getting some serious withdrawal symptoms, don't worry! The boys are back with a new show this autumn called The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain.
We caught up with Si and Dave and managed to get a sneaky peek at one of the recipes from the show, a traditional Shropshire Fidget Pie.
Read on to see what our favourite TV chefs had to say for themselves about family food, getting by on a budget and how they're helping out at the The BBC Summer Good Food Show.
Your latest series The Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain is on the BBC this autumn. What inspired you to do that?
Si: We wanted to get back to our roots and celebrate the food culture we have in Britain. Everyone has a story about food - your mum, your grandma, they love telling you what they cooked in their day. There are some amazing cultural dishes in the UK that have been cooked for hundreds of years that have nearly been forgotten about. We want to revive those great old recipes. Have you heard of Shropshire Fidget Pie, for instance? ( see recipe below). It's brilliant! It's based around gammon and cooking apples with potatoes, sage and onions. It's really delicious. We've discovered lots of great dishes like that.
Dave: There are 89 counties in the UK. In this first series we cover 30 of them from North Yorkshire to Shropshire and Hampshire. We loved the Isle of Man. The standard of food there is fantastic. They have an amazing variety of quality produce such as their fantastic Isle of Man scallops, Manx Queenies and wonderful kippers. What we've found whilst filming this is that food in Britain is going bonkers. People are much more concerned now with what they're eating now.
What do you think people get out of the BBC Summer Good Food Show?
Dave: We love them. They're so buzzy, there's so much to see. You don't have to go to the show and eat fois gras. It just brings together such a great variety of food producers and activities. There are loads of money saving ideas there too. There's lots to see and do from watching celebrity chefs create gorgeous dishes to tasting food and drink you've maybe never tried before. It's so inspirational for anyone remotely interested in food.
Si: Yep, the show's a great marketplace. You can see and taste food from all over Britain and beyond and learn so much too. My dad used to say: 'you only stop learning when you're in the box', and that's what's so great about it, it's an education. There's a huge amount of knowledge in one place. We have a right laugh with all the other chefs.
Any credit crunch tips?
Dave: If I'm skint I'd sooner have good mince than bad steak. That's the sort of economies I make, or even leave the meat out and go veggie for a night or two. Home baking is not a cheap option, but that bread is precious if you've made it yourself, so you'll use it all up.'
Si: Yep, a good quality mince is so tasty and you can do so much with it from Shepherd's Pie to home made burgers. It's about changing your attitude. Although paying a little bit more for good quality meat or fish can hurt initially, you're less likely to waste it. Don't ever throw your bread away! Make a bread and butter pudding with it, or toast it for croutons instead.
By Julia Shaw
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