1
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,200
I'm cruising the River Severn,
looking for something to eat.

2
00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,640
And, in that, I'm not alone,

3
00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:18,360
because I'm surrounded by millions
of seasonal visitors
doing the same thing.

4
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,960
You can't see them,
they're only that long.

5
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,760
I hope to head a few of them off
downstream.

6
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,960
'They better hope I don't,
or they'll be in hot water.'

7
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,000
'Or possibly hot fat -
I haven't decided yet.'

8
00:00:54,560 --> 00:01:00,320
'Eels breed half a mile underwater
in the Sargasso Sea
in the North Atlantic.'

9
00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:06,160
'The larvae form a ball, which
drifts with the Gulf Stream towards
Europe.'

10
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,960
'When they get here
they are free-swimming elvers.'

11
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:14,760
'Their every effort is focused
on getting to fresh water.'

12
00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:21,520
'Every year, they swim past
the fiercely guarded tump
of elverman Hartley Everett.'

13
00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,960
What would happen if you found
somebody fishing on your tump?

14
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,960
We had a bit of a fracas last year.

15
00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,760
There was a bit of a dust-up.

16
00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,560
That was the first night we went.

17
00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,960
But things have calmed down.

18
00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,960
We shall see what's here today.

19
00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:45,240
You don't just scoop it,
you peg it down?

20
00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,000
And the net has to be on the bottom.

21
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:55,160
'It seemed optimistic to be fishing
just a yard of such a big river,

22
00:01:55,200 --> 00:02:02,160
but Hartley explained that when
the tide turns, elvers hug the bank
to avoid being swept out to sea.'

23
00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:03,960
What is the strategy?

24
00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,760
I'm making sure
we don't get any escapees.

25
00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,760
Building a dam?
That's right.

26
00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,360
There is a song about this.

27
00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,760
Yeah. We won't sing it today.
No, definitely not.

28
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,800
Get him up against the headboard.

29
00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,960
'Setting up an elver net isn't
as easy as Hartley makes it look.'

30
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,000
That's a good 'un.

31
00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,560
'The elvers' urge to head
upstream

32
00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:38,640
makes these square, shallow nets
surprisingly effective.'

33
00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,560
They'll just swim against the net.

34
00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:43,320
They won't swim out again?

35
00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,160
They do later in the year.
They get wiser.

36
00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,560
An elver that big is stupid,
an elver that big is cleverer?

37
00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,360
Yes. They're 10% higher then.

38
00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,400
10% cleverer?
Yeah, than a cabbage.

39
00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:05,160
I reckon it's time for a...
Turn him or you'll tip 'em out.

40
00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:06,560
Wash him as well.

41
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,360
Give it a rinse?

42
00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,360
You want to tip him up
or they'll be out. See?

43
00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,400
Right.

44
00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,560
Hmm. Oh, I have got one!

45
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,360
I've got one.
One little titch. There he goes.

46
00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,400
Wriggly little thing.
Which makes it one-nil.

47
00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,960
There could be a slight improvement.

48
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,160
You've got loads ? It's not
surprising, you're in front
of my net

49
00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,880
None.

50
00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:41,960
I think that's one-nil, Hartley.

51
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,360
Wait till it gets darker. Things
will look up.

52
00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:46,560
'I certainly hoped so.'

53
00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:53,560
'If I split a single elver
with Hartley, I think I'd end up
with less than the lion's share.'

54
00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,560
'He explained that eels
are chiefly nocturnal

55
00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,400
and the real elver run
begins after dark.'

56
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,160
'He's an incredible little creature'

57
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,960
'Comes several thousand miles
from the Sargasso Sea.'

58
00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,960
'He's three years when he gets here'
'One of the great journeys.'

59
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,960
'Certainly is.'

60
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,560
'Like a man walking to the moon.'

61
00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,560
'It's a gigantic journey for them.'

62
00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,960
'And at the end of it all
they end up in your net.'

63
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,320
'Yes. They end up in the frying pan'

64
00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:35,160
'Hartley's well-positioned net
left me with scarce pickings.'

65
00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:39,360
'In the small hours
I slunk back to the bain-marie

66
00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,560
and let him pursue the elvers
alone.'

67
00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,560
'But he did promise
to bring me breakfast.'

68
00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,960
Morning.
Good morning, Hugh.

69
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,680
How did you get on after I left?
We stayed till daylight.

70
00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:00,960
I thought you were catching elvers,
not pilfering ostrich eggs.

71
00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,560
I managed to burgle
those ostrich eggs last night.

72
00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,960
Is this part of your recipe?

73
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,760
Yes.

74
00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,960
You keep your eye off the eggs.
You have done well.

75
00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,760
I must have caught a few of those.

76
00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,360
You got six, didn't you?

77
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,160
'Elvers have a protective slime,
or vomp,

78
00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:24,960
so they need a thorough rinsing
and drying before cooking.'

79
00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:26,960
We're trying
to get rid of their slime?

80
00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,960
That's right.

81
00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:30,720
That's it.

82
00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,840
'I challenged Hartley to a
cook-off.'

83
00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:40,920
'He prepared them the traditional
Gloucestershire way, with local
bacon and a fried goose egg,

84
00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:45,640
while I did it the Spanish way,
with garlic, chilli flakes

85
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,680
and rock salt.'

86
00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,680
You want to get the bleeders
dead quickly.

87
00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,200
It's disconcerting
having them wriggling all over.

88
00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:02,960
Here he is.

89
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,640
That's the most impressive fried egg
I've ever seen.

90
00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,160
There's one other thing
that goes in.

91
00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:11,960
Oh!

92
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,880
Just to pep it up a bit.

93
00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,680
Think I should turn
this ostrich egg, Hugh.

94
00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,720
Neatly done. Yep.

95
00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,160
There you go. That's for you.

96
00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:26,000
Right. And you can take yours.

97
00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:29,360
And we'll see...

98
00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:33,560
I'm aiming for the perfect mouthful.
A bit of bacon...

99
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:38,000
We'll see what these are like.
..a bit of egg, plenty of eels.

100
00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,880
Mmm. Very nice.

101
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,960
You want to... Absolutely lovely.
You want to do the vice versa?

102
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,800
Yep. Right. A sample of yours.

103
00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,800
What you've done here, Hartley,
is so good.

104
00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:04,560
I hope that was interesting.

105
00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,960
Mmm.
You like it that way?

106
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,600
These are really lovely.
Look at that.

107
00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,760
This is one of the best
catch-and-cooks I've ever done.

108
00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,560
Good.

109
00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,360
Can I have a bit more of yours?

110
00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,200
You certainly can.
One more swap.

111
00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:31,800
'After such a hefty breakfast a long
bike ride seemed as good a way as
any to work off elver calories.'

112
00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:42,160
In the days before bicycles
and canals, transport options for
ambitious travellers were limited.

113
00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,960
Most people made do with their feet.

114
00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,960
The most dedicated band of
pedestrians were medieval pilgrims.

115
00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,760
The fuel for their journey
was the spirit of the Lord.

116
00:07:54,800 --> 00:08:00,360
I've got my pilgrim's hat on and
I'm in the mood for
self-improvement.

117
00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,240
Naturally, I'm on my way to church.

118
00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,640
'I should be there
just in time for the lesson.'

119
00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:14,360
'Today's lesson is no biblical text,
but a rendezvous at a Herefordshire
pilgrim site,

120
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,280
with expert on hedgerow
history and folklore Roger Worsley.'

121
00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,760
There are so many things
you can eat.

122
00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:26,440
You can make teas and spreads
and soups and so on.

123
00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:32,680
Even peasants knew the names and
uses of about 300 different plants.

124
00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,920
Every plant was supposed to carry
a sign from God on it.

125
00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,960
The doctrine of signatures,
posh people called it.

126
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:45,760
It meant there was a sign on every
plant saying what it was good for.

127
00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,000
Look at these lesser celandines.

128
00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:56,960
These sunlight flowers open
when the sun shines on them.

129
00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:02,720
The Saxons who introduced this plant
said, "If these plants can see,

130
00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,280
they might help us to see."

131
00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:10,360
We're both short-sighted. Another
thing you need to do is dig some up.

132
00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,560
Get out your implements
and see what's underneath.

133
00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:19,600
This plant has more than one use.
There we go. Now, then...

134
00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:22,560
Ah, look. You see?

135
00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:27,320
These white bulbils,
the Saxons called them,

136
00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:32,440
they looked - they had
strong imaginations - like piles.

137
00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:33,960
The other name of this was pilewort.

138
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,360
That's what piles look like?
Glad I know!

139
00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,160
They'd make a medicine out of this.

140
00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:44,360
Which end it was applied to
we won't go into.

141
00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:48,160
Living on a damp boat,
you can't be too careful.

142
00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,960
I'll stash some of this
for my medicine cabinet.

143
00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,000
Good.

144
00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,160
This little tiny trickle

145
00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:04,160
is going to go on to become
a tributary of the Severn shortly.

146
00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:08,200
So if I head downstream I'd go to my
boat? Indeed you would.

147
00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,720
This stuff looks... Watch it!

148
00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,240
For heaven's sake, don't touch that.

149
00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,960
This is hemlock water dropwort.

150
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,360
Looks like celery or parsley.

151
00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,560
It could be chervil.

152
00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:26,960
You never find chervil growing
with its feet in water.

153
00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:32,640
You'll never find this one growing
along the hedge where chervil does.

154
00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:39,440
One innocent leaf would have you
at the undertaker's by the end
of the day.

155
00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,160
They are extremely poisonous.

156
00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:46,160
'We searched for
less lethal spring greens.'

157
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,400
'We found abundant wild garlic,
hairy bittercress,

158
00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,360
primroses and dandelion leaves.'

159
00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:04,960
'While Roger composed
a 15th century pilgrim's
hedgerow salad,

160
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:12,200
I brought my pedal-fanned,
charcoal-fuelled gastrobike
up to omelette-cooking speed.'

161
00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:30,400
What do you think of my gastrobike?

162
00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,720
Should I call it "cuisine-cyclette"?
Who knows?

163
00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:35,160
See? Fizz, fizz.

164
00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,160
Oh, it works.
A good omelette heat?

165
00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,160
Whack it all in.

166
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,160
Watch the edges.

167
00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,400
What else can you cook besides
omelettes?

168
00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:48,640
Underneath here
is a fully fledged barbie.

169
00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,160
I don't think there's much
we couldn't cook on this.

170
00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:55,760
What do you think the pilgrims would
have thought of this contraption?

171
00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,520
They'd have burnt you as a witch.

172
00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:04,600
Barbecued, straightaway, without
benefit of clergy, as they say.

173
00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:08,960
I think we're ready to sit down
and enjoy our pilgrim's feast.

174
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,160
Good.
Wild garlic omelette.

175
00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:16,160
Accompanied by your beautiful
hedgerow salad.

176
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,360
A la lanterne,
or whatever it is one says.

177
00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,400
Cheers.

178
00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,000
Mmm.

179
00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,560
Not too runny for you?

180
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,560
Good and biscuity.

181
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,760
The garlic has punched right
through.

182
00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:33,920
Lovely. What you're supposed
to do with this...

183
00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:38,160
There's a bit of chervil
- Roman introduction -

184
00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,160
dip it in there, and down it goes.

185
00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:45,360
What's that one?
That's a pennywort - an aphrodisiac.

186
00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,360
Ah! Right.

187
00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,800
How romantic.

188
00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,360
That's a very good dressing.
Some honey?

189
00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,360
Honey, dill mustard, wine vinegar.

190
00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,560
If you hadn't been there, I'd have
ended up with hemlock water
dropwort.

191
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,280
You'd certainly have ended up, yes.
You saved my life.

192
00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:23,600
'Arriving in the Midlands, you're
reminded why the canals were built.'

193
00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:29,560
As a major route for
the raw materials of the Industrial
Revolution.

194
00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:35,160
'They're an interesting habitat,
but they weren't meant to be kind
to nature.'

195
00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,320
'On the contrary, they were about
harnessing and dominating nature

196
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,000
'for the benefit of man.'

197
00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:47,680
Today, the canal's given over
largely to leisure.

198
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:52,960
One leisure pursuit is also about
the domination of nature.

199
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,760
Fish thrive in the canals,
and so do anglers.

200
00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:01,560
One fish in this part of the canal
has become notorious.

201
00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:07,320
The zander is a voracious predator
at the top of the canal food chain.

202
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,280
Well, almost at the top.

203
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,360
Just because you're a goldfish,
you think that makes you special?

204
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,040
As far as I'm concerned,
you're just small fish.

205
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:24,600
Which means very good bait
for catching big fish.

206
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,760
'In pursuit of zander, and armed
with colourful live bait,

207
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:34,440
I enlisted the help
of angler Wayne Northall.'

208
00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:38,160
All right, Jack, Wayne.
How are you?

209
00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,360
Any luck?
Nothing at all. Not a bite.

210
00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,440
Are you surprised?

211
00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,000
Not particularly, no.

212
00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,280
What bait are you using
to catch your zander?

213
00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:53,480
I thought I'd give these a go.

214
00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:55,080
Oh, smashing!

215
00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:57,560
I've been keeping them on board.

216
00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,600
It'd be wrong to use those.

217
00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,720
You're only supposed to use fish
caught out of the water.

218
00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,920
You could transfer a disease
into the water. Right.

219
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:10,080
That's a strict rule, is it?
Yeah. That's a strict rule.

220
00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:15,400
'Wayne bought the life of my
goldfish with a dead and smelly
sprat,

221
00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:19,080
which he assured me
was a good bait for zander.'

222
00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:22,200
'After this good deed,
his luck changed.'

223
00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,120
Come to Wayne.

224
00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:26,480
Gudgeon.

225
00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,360
You're gonna catch my supper
at this rate.

226
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,160
HE LAUGHS

227
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,360
Gudgeon is absolutely prime.
But how many do you need for a meal?

228
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,120
Thirty-odd.
I think that was the Lone Ranger.

229
00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,520
You've just caught the last fish?!

230
00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,360
I don't know.

231
00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,160
The zander's not
your favourite fish, then?

232
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,160
I hate the bloody things.
Why is that?

233
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:53,160
They decimate the fish stocks.
They breed that quick,

234
00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:58,560
they eat everything up to 4oz,
so there'll be no breeding fish left

235
00:15:58,600 --> 00:15:59,960
How did they all get here?

236
00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,600
Rumour has it, some blokes from
Coventry introduced them in 1974,

237
00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:09,680
because of a grievance
against Coventry Angling Club.

238
00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:13,760
They've decimated
the canal system's fish stocks.

239
00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:16,760
Savaging everything in the canal?
It's that bad?

240
00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,760
That's exactly what they're doing.
Yeah.

241
00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,040
They are the elite predator.

242
00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:27,760
So you fish for zander out of hatred
rather than love of the sport?

243
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,880
That's right, yeah.
Your bung's gone. Look.

244
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:32,920
Here we go.

245
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:42,800
You want that netting?
I'll need some help in a minute.

246
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,040
That fish is 400 times larger
than that gudgeon.

247
00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:49,960
Couldn't you be
more excited about it?

248
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,000
I'll be excited in a minute.

249
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:53,600
I'll know where he's going.

250
00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:58,560
Sorry.
Done this before(?)

251
00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:01,000
A bit out of practice.

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00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,960
Wow! One zander!

253
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,680
What a beast!

254
00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,960
Doesn't give you any pleasure?
Not at all.

255
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,800
Doubly hooked.
God, they've got hard mouths.

256
00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,200
Give the ugly beast here - I'll show
you how to do that.

257
00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:35,320
'I left Wayne waging war against
zander to see if I could catch one
of my own further down the canal.'

258
00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:42,240
'Then I happened on a scene
that would've brought a smile
even to Wayne's face.'

259
00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:47,640
'The canal authorities were electric
fishing to cull the zander.'

260
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:53,160
You've got 240 volts going out
in a V in front of the boat?

261
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,360
It's 240 volts and about 13 amps.

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00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,360
The little ones come up first?

263
00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,800
Some of them do, yeah.

264
00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,400
Wow! Well spotted.

265
00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,560
Fishing the easy way.
That's right.

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00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,560
'Techno fishing is my cup of tea,

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00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,800
especially when I get to keep
all the zander I want.'

268
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:41,440
'The next day, I was faced with
the challenge of what to do
with my zander surplus.'

269
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,760
'When you don't have a freezer, one
solution can be found in the woods.'

270
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:53,160
'I found the forester
was felling pine.'

271
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,600
'He pointed me
to what I was really after -

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00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,480
a nice pile of oak sawdust.'

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00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:35,000
Apart from gutting them, there's
another important job
with these chaps.

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00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:45,840
These are tough creatures with
an armour plating of thick scales.

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00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:50,200
Before we can do any cooking,
we've got to get rid of those.

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00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:56,560
Especially if my smoke is going to
penetrate to give a nice oaky,
smoky flavour.

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00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:04,360
'Salt rubbed into the fish
helps to preserve it.'

278
00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:09,280
'A long, cool smoke - six or seven
hours at 35 degrees centigrade -

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00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,400
will do the rest.'

280
00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,360
'While the zander was smoking
I headed up the canal

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00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:41,640
on a reckless mission to convert
Wayne to the joys of zander
cuisine.'

282
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:59,920
I'm so flush with these fabulous
fish that I've devoted a whole one
just to making my stock.

283
00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:04,520
I've also allowed myself
a big one for my main dish,

284
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,160
which requires
a couple of prime fillets.

285
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:13,160
It's a good fish to fillet,
because it's thick and round-bodied.

286
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:17,680
Who in their right mind would
go fishing, catch one of these,

287
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:22,440
throw it back, and then go home
for microwaved frozen lasagne?

288
00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:27,720
On the other hand, who in their
right mind

289
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,960
would be cooking alfresco
on a day like this,

290
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,760
with frozen fingers
and a blunt knife,

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00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,760
trying to get a fillet
off this slippery beast?

292
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,040
There we go.

293
00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:49,400
'An old-fashioned cast-iron grill
pan is a great cooking tool for
fish.'

294
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,880
'A sprinkling of fennel seeds and a
few charred bay leaves should infuse

295
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,480
'the zander with plenty of flavour.'

296
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,600
'A few minutes on each side
is all it takes.'

297
00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:13,120
'The sauce is a simple reduction
of fish stock and birch-sap wine,

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00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,480
spiked with wild juniper berries -

299
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,640
'a challenge for the forager, since
they only ripen every two years.'

300
00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:27,200
'A good dollop of double cream
thickens the sauce.'

301
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:46,240
'Such presentation is intended
to counteract the hideous weather.'

302
00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:51,800
'But it hardly makes up for a
no-show from my expected guest.'

303
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,760
Well, that...is sensationally good.

304
00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,560
And Wayne'll just have to
take my word for it.

305
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:05,560
I was hoping he'd join me
for my little feast,

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00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,760
and he said he'd try.

307
00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:12,200
Then he muttered something
about karaoke night
at the working men's club.

308
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:17,400
'I guess some people haven't got
the stomach for the outdoor life.'

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00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,600
KARAOKE VERSION OF "AMERICAN PIE"