All language subtitles for remarkable.places.to.eat.s04e04.1080p.web.h264-cbfm

Experiencing great food is one of

the best things about visiting
a new city,

but how can you be sure that you
find the real gems?

I'm a seasoned professional
and even for me

it's difficult to find amazing places
to eat.

So, I've asked six of Britain's most
celebrated chefs and foodies...

Let's go! Whoo-hoo.

..to open up their little black books

and take me to their all-time
favourite places to eat.

Welcome to Puglia.

We must have a taste of that.
We must.

You're so excited. I am.

Together, we'll travel to some of

the world's most exciting
food destinations...

This place is such a hidden gem.

It's a floating restaurant.

..but we won't be just eating.

Who's next? What would you like, sir?

We will be joining the people behind
the scenes...

No, no, no, no, no, no.

If you do another one like that
you're sacked.

..and rolling up our sleeves...

Look at this! We got treasure!

..to find out exactly how they
deliver perfect service...

This is like a military operation on
the beach.

..world class food...

I've never had a meal like this in
my life. I feel almost emotional.

..and an experience you'll
never forget.

For me it's a ten out of ten.

Ten out of ten from Fred. Wow.

This week I'm in stunning south
Devon...

Whoa! Angela, look at that coastline!

If you were bringing me here with a
blindfold

and you dropped me here you wouldn't
know where you are.

Incredible, isn't it?

..and my guide is Michelin starred
chef and friend, Angela Hartnett.

So, I've been coming here since
I first learnt to drive,

which is many, many years ago

and since then I've fallen in love
with Devon

and I probably come around seven,
eight times a year.

We'll bring the dog, we spend time
on the beach, so, for me,

Devon, I have real love
and affection for.

In the heart of the West Country,

sandwiched between Cornwall
and Somerset,

Devon is famous for its rich grazing
pastures,

open moorland and dramatic coastline,

meaning restaurants here are spoilt

for choice when it comes to fresh,
local produce.

It also has a dozen market towns

with serious foodie credentials.

I can't wait to see what
Angela has in store for me.

Devon has it all, you see.

It's got the incredible beaches,

it's got the amazing countryside

and the thing I'm bringing you,

it's got fantastic food as well

and I'm gonna take you to three
wonderful places to eat

and all of them are so different.

So now I'm gonna take you to one of

the best restaurants, I think, in
the UK.

Can't wait, But look at this scenery!

I can't believe I haven't been
to Devon yet.

I know.

For our first bite to eat,

Angela has brought me to Dartmouth,

where the River Dart meets the sea,

surrounded by some of

the country's finest food producers

and with direct access to the fishing
grounds of

the south coast, it's a chef's
paradise.

Where are we going now? So, we are
going to The Seahorse,

run by one of my dearest,
dearest friends,

Mitch Tonks.

You are gonna be blown away by
the food.

Do you know? I've heard about Mitch
Tonks. I've heard about The Seahorse.

I mean he's a big figure in the
industry, isn't he?

Yeah. You're all about hospitality.

You are the consummate man that
makes sure everyone has

a good time and Mitch is absolutely
the same.

Let's go! Let's go!

Mitch Tonks first opened The Seahorse
in 2008

and his ability to serve up some of

the finest seafood in

Britain has turned him into

something of a legend in
the food world.

Here it is. Very excited.
Let me get the door for you.

Thank you.

We've come for lunch and the place is
already buzzing.

Wow! Once we're in this place it's

like the roar of the Colosseum, isn't
it?

You can hear it already. Where we
going Bronte?

Table Four. Follow me. Follow you.

This is a family business.

Mitch and his son Ben run
the kitchen and Ben's fiancee,

Bronte, is the restaurant manager.

Ah, thank you.

May I start you off with still or
sparkling water?

I think we'll have sparkling?
Yeah, perfect.

Excellent. I'll bring that back for
you. Thank you. Thank you.

Angela, this place is incredible.
Ah!

I am so excited, I mean, look at this
table setting.

Look at the simplicity.

You feel like you're at home here.

You can see the kitchen over there...

Yeah. ..and this atmosphere is just
insane.

I mean there's many things
I want on this menu

but the scallops have really caught
my eye.

That is a dish that, one, people
come for and

because it's been on the menu since
day one.

I mean but, look, red mullet
escabeche.

Yeah. Ooh.

I've made my life hell by coming.
I brought my mum here.

So, every sea restaurant

and every fish restaurant we take
her to now is like,

"No, it's not as good as Mitch,
not as good".

He's like this god.

To start, Angela has chosen the
mussels

with Vermentino wine and fresh
tomatoes.

I'm having Mitch's famous Torbay
scallops.

Wow, look at those scallops.

I'm so excited. Angela.

You're quiet.
That's why I know you're excited.

I feel exhilarated.

It's rare when you feel this kind
of intense emotion in a restaurant.

I'm not listening to you.
I'm just eating.

My mum used to serve scallops in
their own shell like this... Nice.

..and the one thing that she does
also is, just like Mitch,

she leaves the coral.

So many restaurants take the coral
off, I know, so true.

Yeah, you don't see it. Yes.

It's the proper way to do it.
They're hand dived scallops.

Look at the size of them.

And all local.

It makes a big difference doesn't it,

hand-dived scallops. Yeah.

You only get the best.

This is good.

I love that soft breadcrumbs,
you know, that.

Soft breadcrumbs and the herbs,
you know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so good.

The flavour is so elevated
and, still,

the scallops are sweet,

exactly cooked the way it should be,
not a second more.

Can I try one of your mussels? Course
you can, my darling,

and you have the sauce.

Oh.

Here.

Ooh.

So good. Like a soffritto,

when it's a little bit of onion,
little bit of tomato,

little bit of carrot, celery and
just with a lovely tiny touch of

the white wine,

just the natural flavour of
the mussels coming through.

There's not tons of ingredients.

They're not against each other

and it's the same with the scallop.

Simplicity.

Totally in season

and that is what you get at
The Seahorse.

It's a sensational start to the meal

and the mains just look
as spectacular.

For Angela, grilled red mullet with
cava vinegar, garlic and parsley.

For me, monkfish, grilled over
charcoal with olive oil and rosemary.

This table here is the picture of
perfection.

Ah.

Are we in heaven?

I mean we must have done good things
in a previous life to be here.

It's so simple. It's all about the
ingredients.

It's all about not doing much to
it.

You know, there's nothing on
there but the monkfish

and how Ben and Mitch have cooked it
with a bit of garlic,

with the parsley, with the olive
oil.

Same with the red mullet here

and the skill is how you
take something

and don't mess around with it

and that takes guts cos so many
chefs put so much on

and they are just saying, "No, we
believe in this fish, just

"simply cooked on a barbecue, you
don't need to mess around with it."

No, it's true. It cannot be better
than this.

That is stunning. Mm.

The monkfish is perfect but, you know
what?

It's got that smoky taste through
it... Yeah. ..because of the wood
oven.

Mm, and you see how translucent..,
It's so perfectly cooked.

In french we call it rose a l'arete.

What does a l'arete mean?

L'arete is the fish bone. Ah. Rose a
l'arete.

When it's pink on the bone.

Oh, I like that, rose a l'arete.

This monkfish is absolutely
delicious.

It's lovely and meaty.

You got a lovely flavour of olive
oil, you know,

the garlic and the parsley.

It's really as good as it gets
I think for monkfish.

It's one of my top restaurants.
I mean I just love it.

Mitch's reputation for exquisite fish
cookery preceded him

but he's certainly living up to
the hype.

Hey, Mitch, how are you? Fred!
How the devil, are you? You well?

Welcome. Nice to meet you. It's nice
to see you. Yeah. Are you good?

Very good, thank you. Very good
to see you in this restaurant.

Angela my love, you OK?
You all right gorge? Yeah.

And really good to see you. How was
lunch? Sensational. Amazing.

Simplicity is key, right? I.

I love that on the barbecue, you
know, that, you know,

it's hardly smoked at all but it's
so good. Thank you, Mitch.

Ah, it's great. So, nice to have you
here. So, nice. Ah.

Brilliant. Buzzing. Thank you. It's
lovely to see you, Fred.

Bye, now. See you.

Angela, this meal was truly
remarkable, you know,

and for me, the star of the show is
the fish, it's the seafood.

But, you know, with seafood it's all
about where it comes from

and who supplies it to you

and I really wanna find out where do
they come from?

They embrace the British seafood.

They really know what they're
doing.

So, you see why I brought you here?

The setting is incredible.

The front of house are just
so knowledgeable,

so friendly and the whole thing comes
together

and you got this incredible
atmosphere.

That was a meal and a half.

Think I might have silenced you
with this meal.

I'm in south Devon with Michelin
starred chef,

Angela Hartnett

and we're travelling to

the next restaurant on her list
of fantastic places to eat.

These hedgerows go back hundreds
of years,

for when parts of Devon would
have been divided up.

Like in 1066 or something?

Maybe, yeah, probably as far back as
that. When we arrived.

When you lot arrived, yeah. And I'm
still here. You're still here.

Around ten miles south of Devon's
capital city, Exeter,

lies Exmouth and one of the UK's most
jaw dropping dining venues.

It's a floating restaurant.

Oh, you're joking?
What, on the river?

On the river, on the River Ex.
You'll be blown away.

This is the River Ex Cafe.

Constructed by marine engineer
and restaurateur,

Paul Craven,

the cafe floats in the middle of
a tidal River Ex,

500 metres from the nearest dry land.

While it might be a floating oasis

for diners like Angela and me,

for the staff who works here it's

a constant logistical battle
to stay on time

and fully stocked.

Angela has arranged for us
to meet owner,

Paul, and the team on
the dock at nine am,

to load the first supply boat of
the day.

And you're doing this every
morning, Paul?

Absolutely. This is a normal run for
us.

We're gonna take everything here
to go on to the boat. Yeah.

That's it... All right. ..and
everything in the trolley there's

got to go. And it's all this stuff
here?

There you are, guys. Thank
you. There we go, Freddie.

Look at that. I'm between two worlds.

But you've got to be so organised
when you do

a job like this, you know,
this is incredible.

If we forget something now then
we're just gonna pay for it later.

But you don't do everything like
this every day? Every single day.

You have a bit of storage over
there? But not a massive.

There is storage but not enough to
keep us going for the whole day.

Right, OK. But you jump on and then
we'll make a move.

From Exmouth Marina it's a mile and a
half boat ride out to the restaurant.

What a commute to work!

This is a totally different ballgame
here, isn't it?

Yeah, you've got to be ready
with everything.

This bit in the morning is the key
to the start of a good day. Yeah.

What do you do with waste?

So, logistically, everything we're
taking up here now,

this is all of our ingredients
to cook,

but we also have the water
to take up,

we have the gas to take up.

We've got all the waste that we
deal

with after all of this stuff has
gone through... Yeah. ..the process.

We've got another boat that comes
to deal with that,

to take it back to land.

And is that done on a daily basis?
Every day. Right, OK. Every day.

You just cannot afford to do
anything wrong,

you know, you don't have the storage
here, you don't have

a walk-in fridge that you suddenly
can pick stuff up,

if you've forgotten a bit of basil
or something.

Everything has to be here.
Everything.

I mean it's phenomenal really,
I mean remarkable.

And here we are, look,

this is a romantic experience for us

and I've got no flowers, but I'm
gonna give you a cabbage.

I'm so happy it's miserable

and wet 'cause I really wanna throw
you in the ocean.

But we're having a great time.

And then, this is us.

A 20-minute ride from the quay
and we arrive to unload.

Building a restaurant out here was
an audacious move

but what a location! Oh, boy!

Wow, look at this place! Yeah, this
is us. It's incredible.

Welcome to the River Ex Cafe.

Wow! And you built all of this?

Beautiful!

From two barges we've constructed
the whole thing

to what you see today.

This is nuts.

You must be so proud when you see
it full,

full of customers and just great
time.

Absolutely, when we're height of the
summer,

when we're buzzing and the tables
are full here,

it all then starts to come alive.

So, what time's the first boat come
in?

First boat's gonna be here at half
past one.

I think we got work to do, let's go.
Come on. All right, let's go.

You lead the way, Paul. You're in a
rush. I know.

I've been in the restaurant game all
my working life

but I've rarely seen a more
challenging venue.

With booked in guests arriving
en masse,

the pressure on the kitchen is huge
and manager, Kate, is in charge

of making sure things run to time.

Take me through a typical service on
a typical day. How does it work?

So, we have 24 guests that arrive
each hour

and they get two hours on board
the cafe... Right.

..and then the following hour we get
another 24 people arrive and then
on

the third sitting, when the next 24
people arrive,

the first load of 24 are
then leaving.

So, we have five minutes in order
to turn the tables,

in order for the new guests
to arrive as

the previous guests are leaving.

So, every hour we have 24
people arriving

and 24 people leaving for
the rest of

the day until eight o'clock,
when that's the last sitting.

With the overlap of the third one, I
mean this is where,

potentially, you're gonna have
problems, right?

Yeah, absolutely. Perfect storm.
Yeah.

The timer on Kate's meticulous
schedule starts at 1.30... Hi!

..with the arrival of the first 24
guests,

all looking forward to a unique
dining experience.

Perfect. If you'd like to follow
Erin, you're on table eight. Lovely.

Ah, look at that professionalism.

Any mistakes at this stage

and the team will be playing catch
up all day.

Kate, you've got it organised.
Thank you.

Come on sir, we're running out of
gas,

we've got to cook some fish.
Come on Jack.

I've got that one. Thank you.

In a matter of minutes,
24 diners have made their orders.

From here on, the kitchen will be
flat out

for eight consecutive sittings

and Angela has stepped into
the galley

to find out how head chef,
Jack, copes with the pressure.

How's it going, guys?
Yeah, all very well.

How many you got booked today?

Probably about 120 today.

120 and we're not even in
the height of summer.

I know, it does get busy.

What are you doing when you're like
middle of August, Bank Holiday?

Middle of August, Bank Holiday...
200, 250?

..probably about 200, yeah, around
200ish, including them boaters,

yeah, it's pretty busy. And what's
your biggest concern when

you wake up in the morning or when
you go to bed at night?

You know, we all go to bed and go,

I mean I, literally, have been on
a plane before now

and thought, "Oh, my god, I didn't
put the veg order through."

What's your biggest worry on
something like this, logistically?

My biggest concern is the deliveries
turn up late in the morning.

We prep all the fish in the
morning,

prep all the meat in the
morning. Yeah.

So, if we're late it ruins the whole
day.

If the tide's too strong in
the morning we have to go

the long way round, which takes time
off our prep time.

So, hold on, that's a new one. So,
you got your gas to worry about,

supplies getting there on time,

otherwise they ruin the day,

and now we're throwing tidal waves
into the middle

of your daily schedule. OK,
suffice to say I'm happy

with my little lot in Mayfair.

Small little kitchen with no
windows.

That'll do me.

I love the simplicity

of how you sort of devise what goes
on the plate,

you know, you've got your samphire,
lemon,

salad and then beautiful fish,
that's just baked whole.

Keep it simple. Very simple.

I mean and what are you charging
for a plate like that?

Catch of the day is £28.
That's really great.

Where else are you gonna eat
a whole fish

in the middle of a river?

Just get me a knife and fork
and I'll tuck in now.

I'm so impressed that, despite the
relentless challenges,

the kitchen consistently delivers
stunning food on time.

For the front of house team
the pinch points come once

an hour, when a new boatload
of diners arrives.

Most restaurants stagger arrivals
to avoid this stress

but here they have just five minutes
to turn the tables

for 24 new diners.

What happens if people are slow
and you can't get them out.

We've got such a good view outside,
they like to go out

and have a look at the boat coming
in and get some photos

before they depart and that's a
perfect way to get

the table ready for the next lot.

Hold on. We got to get the angles
right.

Get the pose. Oh, yeah. That's a
good one.

You're using all our same tricks
but you have that scenery.

Yeah, exactly. We just have Mayfair
grey.

Hey. Like at the Oscars.

Shall I hire you Fred though

so you can just keep him out there
doing photos?

That would be great, yeah.

As one set of happy diners depart,

blissfully unaware of the stresses
that go on behind

the scenes, the next set arrive

and this time there is a table
reserved for us.

I'm gonna take over the menu
for once

and I know that they've got some
amazing crab

and I think we're in Devon, we
should have some Devon crab today.

Crab and chips all round.
I love crab. There you go.

But is it french fries or is it
double cooked chips?

See, I like french fries. Me too.

Me? I don't like this double
cooked... I'm a bit biased.

Oh, my lord, wow, look at that.

What, this is a portion for one?

I think so.

This is big.

We're both having a whole Exmouth
crab

with blanched samphire,

wakame seaweed salad and a side
of skin-on fries.

This is English summer on a plate.

A whole crab like this, with this
beautiful garnish.

I mean look how fresh this is.

Crab is one of the things we sell
most abroad

and it's so annoying we don't see
it more on more menus.

And the reason for it, I think, it's
very fiddly.

If you have a whole crab like that

and it's not for everybody, but, ah,

the pleasure is in the digging in the
claws, isn't it?

I love it. You've got the brown meat
as well.

I mean one thing that's very

underrated is the brown meat of the
crab... Yeah.

..and people don't like it really
because of the colour.

It's the way it makes them feel,
isn't it? I mean look.

Yeah. It doesn't look so exciting.

But it's so tasty, isn't it?

Is so. It feels very meaty.
It feels very rich.

Buttery I think, is how... Yes.
..yeah, that's it, yeah.

Actually the white meat needs it
otherwise it would be bland.

Yeah, and I like the idea you can
mix both together

and you do your whole little thing.

Ah, this is the piece de resistance,
you know?

What a destination!

Look, we're sharing a bath today.
Yeah, that's it.

Our crab was £31 per person,
which is a splurge,

but for great local produce,

in a once in a lifetime floating
restaurant, I think it's worth it.

It's like a two in one.

You got the restaurant
and you got the experience.

I love it. To more experiences.

That's what they should do on their
marketing material,

two in one.

I'm in south Devon and my culinary
guide is

Michelin-starred chef, Angela
Hartnett.

5.30 wake up call.

I love it. We can listen to the
birds. Yeah.

After our outstanding meal at
The Seahorse,

we are up at the crack of dawn
to meet owner,

Mitch Tonks at the Brixham
Fish Market.

I wanna show you where
Mitch is getting all his fish

and why that fish is so,
so delicious.

See his process, how he buys and
it's an auction still

but it's a different style
of auction.

Do we get to do some bidding?

You're gonna get to do some
bidding. Good.

I'm gonna make you work for me
for once, Fred.

Have you got some cash though
because if I need to buy

the fish, I need to have some cash?

Oh, typical!

Commercial fishing at Brixham dates
back to the 15th century

and today it's England's largest
fish market by value

of fish sold, landing £60 million
worth in 2022.

Ooh, look at that.

It's also just five miles from
Dartmouth,

so The Seahorse team starts every
working day here,

selecting the very best fish on
offer for the restaurant menu.

You see the size of these crabs?
Angela gave me crabs yesterday.

Teams here work through
the night to land,

prep, grade and crate up
the day's catch.

Mitch, Ben and operations
manager, Matt,

search the market to select
the finest fish to bid on in

the auction that starts at six am
sharp.

I mean when we're coming down
we're looking

for that fish that you just don't
get in any other restaurants,

the best quality fish that's been
landed this morning

and straight to the restaurant.

Angela and Ben are off on
a mission to find

a perfect red mullet
for lunch time service

and I'm joining Mitch
to discover how he identifies

the top quality fish.

There aren't any days where
I don't come over here

and get absolutely so excited about
the fish on

the market, it's just absolutely
beautiful,

you know, such an array.

30 or 40 different species there,
you know...

Whoa! Look at the size of this! Yeah,
this is a... What is that?

That is a gurnard but it's a big
tub gurnard.

Is it a fish that you'd buy for your
restaurant

or is it too big for a gurnard? No,
not too big for the gurnard,

but this is like, it's soft and
gutty in there

and I can feel that's not a fish
that we would buy.

Yeah, it doesn't look so good.

No, no, no, these are the ones you
buy. Oh, wow!

I mean this is... I mean I'm no
fisherman

but I can tell that this is as fresh
as it gets. Look at the colour!

Yeah... This is so vivid, right?
..it's just beautiful.

This is the creme de la creme,
Fred,

but this is why, being on this
market,

every single day is so important.

The fish we just looked at is not
for us but it would still read as

a gurnard on the auction screen.

But you need to be here, to be able
to see this,

to be able to smell this,

to be able to touch it, you know,
this is what you want.

I mean the difference is very
simple, you are here.

Here doing it every day.

With all the knowledge in the world,
you still need to win the auction.

I want these lovely beautiful mullet
that I'm going to be

cooking with Mitch later.

I know it looks sparse but you don't
need 50 red mullet,

you just need the best. No, because
it's three red mullet here.

Yeah, but look how good the
quality.

Look at that rigor mortis there.
How fresh is that fish?

There's lots of people buying off
this market now,

hidden away in an office.

What makes us different is eyes on
the fish every single day,

you can see it,

otherwise, this fish tomorrow could
be in London,

one day later, maybe two... But you
want to keep this here?

I want it here today. Right.

And doesn't he love telling us
that.

Oh, that fish,

that two day old fish that is in
London.

There's no fresh fish in London.

He's constantly yabbering
away there.

Done. Done. Are you sure?
Consider it done.

Better be. I'm not gonna come back
without the red mullet.

I don't want nul points, yeah? Yeah.

With a snap photo of the box ID I
went into

the auction office to bid on
the red mullet

with Mitch's buyer, Josh.

But this is very different from any
auction I've ever been to.

Hi, Josh, how are you?

Very good, Fred, yourself? Yeah,
very good, thank you. Excellent.

Angela is sending me to buy some
fish, so this is what we want.

OK, what boat are they from?

This is from the red mullet two.

In 2019, Brixham Fish Market's
auction went online,

meaning that fish merchants across

the world can buy fish without ever
setting foot in the market.

As soon as they come up for auction
this bar here will be blue.

We then have press the space
bar. So, it's a case of as soon as

it comes up we've got about two
seconds.

You can't blink.

No, you can't blink.

It's like a trigger this mouse,
isn't it?

You've just got to shoot, tack.
Yeah, pretty much.

Here's all the boats on
the John Dorys coming up now.

I know you wanna buy the John Dory?

Yeah. I've stopped it at 15.99.

You've got nine seconds, eight
seconds. You've got to be quick.

Four point nine kilo.

Five seconds, four. Oof.

Done, and then we've bought it.

But you've got to be super focused...

Yeah, you have got to be focused.
..because this goes fast.

Yeah. No late nights for me.

Four seconds to go to buy that John
Dory. This is incredible.

Can you hear my computer going?
Yeah, I can hear.

That's the red mullets. Oh.

Get ready because it's coming
up now.

Trust me, I am. I'm ready to go.
I'm like a coiled spring.

So, if I just say when to press.
Press it now. It's £102.

My heart! I was just getting stressed
just now,

thinking I was gonna be too slow,
you're gonna miss out.

Yeah, you only had a couple of
seconds left.

Did we pay a good price?

Yeah, yeah, I think we did get a
good price...

Are you sure? ..for what was there.

Just the way you said, "Yeah, yeah."

Was it expensive or...?

Paramount for me is quality
over price.

I think the price will come further
down the line.

The most important thing for us is
that we got the fish for Angela.

I can't wait to tell Angela the good
news, we got the fish.

At £20 a kilo, this is not cheap
fish,

but by being here, at the market,
with hands and eyes on,

Mitch knows everything he buys is
top quality

and completely traceable.

With a flawless fish in hand,

Angela is heading back
to The Seahorse kitchen

to learn how to cook them
to perfection.

This was amazing this morning on
the market,

to see how fresh that fish was. I
know, it's great.

I mean the whole ethos of our
kitchen is just taking great

ingredients and doing nothing with
them.. Yeah.

..and for 15 years we've been
cooking fish over fire.

You just need a little bit of oil,

rub it into the fish and then plenty
of salt.

And when we say butterfly, just so
we're all clear,

you're basically taking out this
middle bone aren't you, here?

Take out the middle bone, you
open it and the reason for that is,

as well, I think really important
thing, where you're cooking fish,

is like this is all fatty and
lovely,

you need to get more heat
to this bit,

and then what we do is we
sprinkle it, very lightly,

with focaccia breadcrumbs
from yesterday.

Ben, what's in the breadcrumbs?

So, it's just yesterday's focaccia
blitzed with some fennel seeds.

That is it? That, is it.

And the idea with the breadcrumbs,
you get these little knobbly

bits and it, just, protects the fish
a little bit, it soaks up

some of the olive oil, it soaks up
some of the... Yeah.

..oil coming out of the fish, so you
get this layer of flavour,

which is really good.

And would you get nearer to
the flame? No?

The temptation is to do that. If you
bring it down, what you do is

you really get the taste of the
fire, it's too much, you know?

What you're doing here is wafting
it in smoke. Burn via the smoke.

There is nothing worse than tasting
something, you go "Argh, that's been
char-grilled!"

Yeah. It's actually about the
flavour of the fish, really.

So, this is where you see the magic
start to happen.

You can see it dripping fat from,
you know,

the kind of belly part of the fish,
which is really good,

and you can see underneath
already... Oh, wow, yeah.

..the skin has bubbled.

Our perfectly grilled fish
is finished

with garlic infused olive oil,

a squeeze of lemon

and a sprinkle of sea salt.
That's it.

It's so beautifully simple

but isn't it the simplest things
that are the hardest things?

Thank you for such a wonderful.

Brilliant. Beautiful. I love you.

Angela's red mullet was exquisite,

but I can't stop thinking about
those delicious scallops I had

for my starter.

People in the know talk about
hand-dived scallops being

the best for the environment
and for the table

and I've always wondered why.

So, I'm taking a ride, four miles
offshore,

to meet Mitch's trusted scallop
divers, Frazer, Will and Ali.

Right, come on board,
mate. That's it.

I've got to ask, what kind of
visibility do you have underneath?

I'd struggle to see you at the
minute. So, how do you do?

You just like go like this with your
hands on the bottom of the sea?

Stay close to the floor and we know
what we're looking.

So, you never see a scallop
but we see the shape.

You're not scared, 25 metres
underneath, you're by yourself,

you can't see a thing?

I feel safer down there than
I do up here.

Do you? Yeah.

For safety, Frazer, Will and Ali work
as a team,

alternating dives

so that only one is in the water at
any time.

Will is now looking for the cable,

to find out where to dive

because this is where the scallops
are.

Will is next to go down

and with just an hour's air in his
tanks, he will have to work fast.

Off you go, brother. Stay safe. Good
luck.

And where is the cable going?

Where is he going? In which
direction?

There's bag lines at about 22
metres, the bottom of that line.

So, he'll swim over the top of
the reef,

down the ledge and then he'll find

the bag that he left down there on
his last dive.

The scallops can be fiendishly
difficult to find.

They lie on the seabed,

often hidden from view so Will has

to feel his way around 25 metres down
while fighting an incoming tide.

Do you love that job? I wouldn't do
anything else.

When you find a good, healthy bed
you get that, you know,

excitement inside. It's like
treasure hunting.

Is it like the El Dorado, you know,
you're just like,

you've arrived and it's like gold?

Aha. You've opened that box of
treasure

and they're just everywhere.

But I mean it's dangerous, it's a
tough job. I mean why hand dive?

Ethical fishing is really important
to us.

So, the alternative is to dredge

and dredging causes a lot of damage
to the marine habitat.

So, if you can do it, causing no
damage whatsoever it's, arguably,

the most sustainable form of
fishing.

Good for the ocean and good for the
consumer.

After just ten minutes in the water,
Will sends up the first scallops,

inflating the bag with his
respirator,

to float the basket to the surface.

Oh, my god! Got it?

This is heavy. So, this is what Will
just caught.

Look at this. We got treasure.

Wow.

Scallops caught in this way,

are often no more expensive than

the shellfish harvested by dredgers,

but hand diving is significantly
kinder to the marine environment.

Looking at all these scallops makes
me hungry.

Go for a big one.

Frazer ships his scallops

to high-end restaurants all over
the UK

but they'll be on The Seahorse menu
in time for the evening service.

Nice. Thanks Frazer. Thank you.

I think I'll join you on that
actually.

This is good.

Sweet, right?

Lovely. Sweet. Oh!

This is so good, just as.

No salt, no pepper, no lemon, olive
oil, nothing.

Thank you, man.

You know, when people see it on
the restaurant menu,

I mean they don't think about what
goes on behind

the scene, right?

Not only are you diving for scallops
but you really love the sea

and you're passionate about what
you do,

but not about the scallops, you're
passionate about the environment

and just keeping the sea
the way it is, you know

You want to save the world.
I love that.

Thank you, sir. Thank you and I love
these scallops.

On my tour of Angela Hartnett's
top places to eat in Devon,

we've left the coast and travelled
ten miles in land,

to one of the county's thriving
market towns,

to try something completely
different.

So, we're here in Totnes.

It's the home of independence,

three butchers, cheese shop,
wine shop,

lovely little delicatessens,

loads of independent coffee shops.

This is where it's all happening.

Everyone says the high
street's dead.

Not here and I'm gonna take you

to this lovely independent
restaurant called Gather.

Friends, Harrison and Oli opened
Gather in 2019,

when they were fresh out of college.

It survived the pandemic shutdowns

and today they offer

an inventive multi-course taster
menu for as little as £45 a head.

What I think's incredible about
these two young guys,

they're using their environment.
They go to the sea,

they use the forest,

they use the woods and they do all
that foraging.

You know, that's smart.

Hence the name... Hence the name...
..Gather? ..exactly. Right.

After you. Thank you.

Inspired by a tutor at
catering college,

to devise dishes using plants
found in

a natural environment,

Harrison and Oli were
so encouraged by

the results that they opened their
restaurant to deliver

the delights of foraged food to
the people of Devon.

So, what you gonna have?

I'm toying between the beef
and the goat.

I'll go for the beef. Why don't you
have the goat?

Perfect.

I can tell you that the main course
is almost ready.

You know what's going on.
How do you know it's ours?

Could be someone else's?

Because I've been checking the other
tables. I know where they're at.

Once a maitre d', always a maitre d.
Never stop, do you?

Here we are.

So, we've got the beef to start.
Yes, for Angela.

Thank you. There we are. That looks
delicious.

Ooh. The goat for you, sir.

Thank you very much. Wow.

For our mains, Angela is having
a strip loin of beef

with creamed nettles, pomme
paillasson,

foraged St. George's mushrooms
and a homemade beer mustard

and I'm having goat tenderloin with

a hedgerow filling of three corned
leeks

and shallots with a goat jus and a
side of goat shepherd's pie.

I'm very excited about our
main courses

but I am even more

so excited about these veg do you
have nettles very often?

We have a nettle risotto

but I love the fact they deep fry
them like that.

Have some beef, the lovely braised
beef... Peruvian potatoes. It's
delicious.

Mm.

Oh.

This is the South Devon beef,
one of those native breeds.

I like it. It's a mild beef.

It's not been hung for days
but that works for me.

They've got a rump cut, obviously,

a bit more tougher than the fillet,
but still delicious,

you know, working, and then they've
got this braised beef

and I like that sort of richness.

That's my favourite part.

Yeah, it is. Well, to me, braising
always is.

But, again, it's that cleverness.

They're using a prime cut with
a cheaper cut

and then making it work as one dish

and that's how they keep
it affordable.

Now, the shepherd's pie
with goat. This is very good.

You know what's interesting is
you've got like

the more modern part of the dish,

which is that loin for me here
and the very classic,

traditional shepherd's pie.

Mm, yeah. I mean this goat is
beautiful.

I mean it's not a dish that people
know. People don't eat goat really.

So, what's it say?

What's the flavours coming through
for you? Describe.

Well, it's quite gamey.
Stronger than lamb?

Probably slightly more and I love the
shepherd's pie

because I mean it really is like
a classic shepherd's pie.

I think that if you didn't know it
was goat maybe you would be fooled.

Yeah. It's delicious. It's subtle,
it's well cooked and, ah.

And also, the fact it's foraging,
I can sometimes go,

"Oh, god! What they gonna try and
make me eat?", but actually...

Yeah, kind of a whacky chef,
right? Weird food.

Yeah, but it all works together.

There's nothing here that's
foraged,

that does not work with this dish.
They're smart.

They know what they're working
with. I like it.

Our mains were a masterclass in how

to elevate local produce
with foraged ingredients

and our final courses look no
less inventive.

There you go, sir. Oh, look at these
madeleine, how cute they are!

And the milk and honey.

Ooh, wow, look at that.

For me, cep and chanterelle mushroom,

infused chocolate ganache,

jelly eared mushrooms dipped in
tempered chocolate,

pine ice cream and a fennel tuile,

all topped off with primrose flowers
and pine cones.

For Angela, a milk parfait surrounded
with honeycomb and meringue,

bee pollen and honey

and topped off with

a honey dome tuile,
primrose and violet flowers.

I really don't wanna eat it.
It looks like so delicate to touch.

I mean there's real mastery here.
This is proper craft.

Yeah, yeah. It's clever, isn't it?
Let's try.

You happy so far?

I mean look at these madeleines. Oh.

Look how beautiful that is, right.

Ooh, can I try it? Yes, of course you
can.

Thank you. But I love the cleverness,

that it looks like honeycomb
and it's crisp.

These little biscuits here,

you've got to have it with
a little bit of ice cream.

Mm. But this is the fennel?

Mm. They disappear in your mouth,
literally, they vanish.

You never imagine foraged food on
desserts to work... Oh!

...but actually it is. Look at this!

I didn't even see that. These are
little pine cones.

Oh, yeah.

Are they real?

They can't be real.

Are they?

Mm. But it's got that texture of
a soft fruit, hasn't it?

I mean these guys are nuts.

They are. You've got that, yeah,

that herbaceous-ness in your mouth
now, haven't you?

I mean when did you last have food
like this?

Because some time experimental
and good

they don't go together, right?

But this is good and experimental.

Now... They know what they're doing.
..this is...

That looks like a mushroom,
doesn't it?

It is a mushroom.

You're gonna like that. This is
clever.

Mm-mm! It's like a Jaffa Cake.

It really is.

They have reinvented the wheel.

That dessert you've eaten has blown
my mind,

cos if you'd said to me a dessert

with loads of foraged items
I would have just been like,

"Oh, god, here we go."

But that's so clever the way they've
done that.

Look, that is food, you know, to get
excited about.

Mm, mm.

I mean, look, we go out all the time,

but to be impressed like this...
Yeah. ..it's rare.

I'm so glad you've had a good meal
today, Fred, you know,

cos I was slightly nervous, I mean
when I was their age

I was just starting working for
Gordon Ramsay.

You know, there's no way I would
have opened a restaurant,

never mind out of London,
doing inventive food,

you know, I would have stuck to
something like steak and chips.

They're so clever these guys.

I would love to find out how
they do it

and where they forage this
food because,

for me, this is really remarkable,
really quite incredible, in fact.

I know. That's gonna be really
interesting.

But, for me, I'm going in the
kitchen

with these guys cos when they
bring all that landscape into

the kitchen, how they come up with
the ideas,

how they come up with that mushroom
and orange, that's incredible.

Totnes is surrounded by rolling hills

and ancient hedgerows,

the perfect place to find wild herbs
and flowers,

if you know where to look.

I'm joining chef, Oli, and his former
college lecturer,

David Beazley, as they forage
for ingredients for the menu.

Hey, Oli, how you doing? I'm great.
How are you?

Yeah, very good, thank you very much.

This is Dave. I'd love you to meet
him.

How you Dave? How are you?
Nice to meet you.

Wow, what a basket! What have you got
in there?

This has all been picked today in
the local area.

So, this is what you had
for your dessert

and we take these and we dehydrate
them

and then we rehydrate them in
orange liqueur

and then we dip them in chocolate.

This is an incredible transformation,
isn't it?

How many trials do you go through
before you find

the recipe that works for that
particular herb?

It depends. When you hit that
you know when you've hit it.

So, do you think about it at night
when you go to sleep? Do you?

Yeah, I try not to, but, yeah.

So, is there anything else you
want to collect this morning?

Yes, there is.

While gathering ingredients,

David and Oli follow the forager's
code,

seeking landowners' permission,

only ever harvesting small amounts

and never eating anything
unless they're 100% sure it's safe.

This is pennywort

and it always grows on rocks
and it's very prolific.

Tell me, which one do you pick up,
because some of them of small,

some of them are big. I mean do you
have a preference?

As they get bigger, they get more
bitter.

What's this, is this mint?

I'm pretty sure that's not mint

and I'm sure the smell will give
it away.

Yeah, no, this is not mint at all
but it does look like mint.

You really have to know what you're
doing because if you pick up for mint

and it's not, it could be actually
quite dangerous.

Well, some of them could kill you.

Wow, you have to know what you're
doing. You have to know.

So, Oli, tell me, in terms of
foraging,

is it more for you or is it more
for your guests?

It's for me to get out and slow down
for a bit and,

obviously, we don't have to pay for
this stuff,

so we cut the cost of our menus,
pricing,

and we pass that on to
the customers,

so it's beneficial for them,
it's beneficial for us.

David, it must make you feel very

proud that these guys are following
in your footstep?

I remember them the first day they
came into college,

you know, as 16 year olds.

I am very proud that they've come
that far,

they've got their own restaurant,
which they run very successfully

and they've taken on board
the foraging.

And do you tell anyone your spots.

No. What I have got is a local map

and I've marked all the spots on
that.

Is it gonna be their inheritance?

Yes, it'd be nice, wouldn't it?

Yeah, it would be great. It would be
great for them.

With his foraged vegetables changing
with the seasons,

Harrison and Oli are constantly
creating new dishes for the menu.

Never one to pass up a chance
to learn something new.

Harrison, thank you so much.

Angela's joining Harrison
to experiment

with freshly foraged ingredients.

So, at the moment we've got these

really nice sort of fine spring
herbs... Yeah.

..the wild garlic. This is three
cornered leek,

which is same family as wild
garlic...

Three cornered leek, yeah. ..a
little bit sweeter...

I can eat that like that? Yeah,
yeah, yeah.

..but still got that sort of
garlicky...

Nettles I know, yeah.

Some nettles and this is small
shoots of hogweed.

Harrison's combining the spring herbs
into a filling for

a savoury beignet, which is a deep
fried pastry.

So, I come back in a month's time
and wild garlic's gone,

I've got a different experience

altogether... Yeah. ..cos you've
changed it?

Yeah, there'll be different sort
of flavours running through.

I might put you to that test,

come very six weeks and say, "Ah,
I saw that a while back."

We've got quite a few guests
sort of come once a month

to try the different menus,

so it's quite nice to see them on
repeat

and it's nice to do a different
experience for them.

What do we do with that now?

We're just gonna chop it up.

We'll bind it with a tiny bit of
cheese.

Can I have a little taste?

Yeah, absolutely.

So much nicer than raw hogweed,
I have to say.

So, it takes that sort of bitterness
out of it, yeah.

Yeah. Feels very Swiss chardy
and spinach like... Yes.

..you know, that sort of blend, when
it's really cooked nicely.

So, what's the next stage? So, this
is the same mix that has been

rolled into balls and chilled and
it's quite soft.

Quite firm isn't it, yeah? Yeah.

So, we've got this beignet batter
here.

OK, and straight in?

And they should sort of puff up.

Oh, yeah, look.

Looks like a little doughnut,
doesn't it?

So, this is some of that dried
hogweed and nettle. OK.

Mm, lovely.

These are so good. I mean that is
delicious, Harrison, you know?

I'm finishing the mayonnaise
with my finger.

But it's got all that herby flavour,

all that slight bitterness there,

but it's a soft bitterness,
you know,

it doesn't jar in your palate.

It's an explosion.

I love those flavours.

That is the perfect thing to start a
meal off.

Fantastic. Thank you. Pleasure.
It's been great getting to know you.

What a trip.

I've been blown away by
the quality of

the restaurants we've visited

and I completely understand why
Angela fell so in love

with this fantastic county.

Have you had a good time?
It was brilliant.

I mean look where we are.

I love this harbour. It's real. It's
humble.

Yeah. I wanted to bring you
to Devon,

my Devon if you like,

to just embrace what
Devon is all about,

the countryside, the sea and the
amazing people.

From the fresh fish at The Seahorse,

to the mind blowing logistics at
the River Ex Cafe

and the inspired foraged menu
at Gather,

Angela's Devon restaurants have been
nothing short of a revelation.

I think there is
a thread going on here with Mitch

and the boys at Gather, you know,
it's about their environment.

Obviously, Mitch is all about the
fish,

about the quality of the fish,

but the boys are about foraging

and about the quality
of what grows on the land.

And I couldn't have thought of
a better person

to take there cos you fully
appreciated what they're doing.

They're very, very proud, you know,

of being from this region

and showcasing the best
of what it has to offer.

And as for Paul, out in the River
Ex, with this mad restaurant...

What he's done, he's created a
destination,

he's created an experience for
the guests.

Who would build a restaurant on
the river, seriously?

I know. Tell me this. When you go
and you take,

you know, your darling fiancee out
and about,

you're gonna go straight down

to Cornwall or are you gonna do
a quick left?

I'm gonna go straight to Devon and
just plonk my tent.

Brilliant. That's what I wanted to
hear. I've done my job.

Next time, I'm in Burgundy...

Look at the countryside,
Michael! Look at that!

Amazing. This is France.

..with chef, Michael Caines...

That, for me, is what Michelin style
cuisine's all about.

..in the gastronomic heart of France.

Look at that! Look at the mustard
sauce!

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